54
JANUARY 9, 2020 | The Jewish Home
Around the Community
Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion of Forest Hills held its annual Chanukah carnival last week featuring Squirt the Candle, a Treasure Hunt, Fluff n’ Chips, face painting, and lots of popcorn
On Wednesday, the third day of Chanukah, a group of eighth graders from Shulamith brought the joy of the chag to residents of the Premier Nursing Home in Woodmere. Adina Baum and Sarah Farkas joined chessed heads Mimi Feinberg, Yocheved Jacobowitz, Yael Landau, and Talia Schecter and Director of Student Activities Rachel Steiner as they played a variety of Chanukah games and spent time socializing with the residents.
HANC Chag HaSiddur
T
he first grade students in HANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead were filled with great excitement in anticipation of their spectacular Chag HaSiddur last week. In order to accommodate the large crowd, the event was moved to the auditorium of the George Washington Elementary School. As the children marched in and took their places on the stage, it was evident that the crowd was in for a special treat. The first grade students performed magnificently, dedicating their commitment to Hashem and tefillah, and beautifully expressed their appreciation for everything that Hashem has given them. In addition to their individual speaking parts, which they delivered with confidence and pride, they sang
melodious songs of praise for Hashem, accompanied by the music of Kari Levine, a HANC alumnus herself. At the conclusion of their play, each child was called up to receive his/her first siddur. As the children stepped forward to receive their siddurim, which were presented by Rabbi Yaakov Sadigh, Head of HANC West Hempstead campuses, Mrs. Barbara Deutsch, associate principal, and Rabbi Michael Merrill, assistant principal Judaic Studies, as well as their classroom teachers, the excitement that they felt was apparent in the glow on their faces. The children couldn’t wait to begin to daven with their new siddurim. This superb program could not have been possible without the contributions of many dedicated part-
ners. Thank you to the classroom teachers, Morah Rivka Goldson, Morah Hila Haimoff, Mrs. Daniella Zimerman, Morah Ahuva Noy, Morah Teri Lubin, Mrs. Dara Reiff and Mrs. Nancy Greenberg, for the many weeks they spent preparing the children for this momentous occasion. Thank you to Mrs. Kari Levine for teaching the children such inspirational songs that will remain in their hearts and for her fantastic accompaniment. Thank you to Morah Rachel Steinberg for making the beautiful costumes that enhanced the children’s performance. Thank you to Morah Dafna Berman for creating the personalized labels for the siddurim and Mrs. Lisa Lowy for ordering the personalized tote bags and candy bags. Many thanks to the numerous sponsors for the gorgeous
leather covers for the siddurim that were personalized with each child’s Hebrew name. As always, extra thanks to the hard-working members of the PTA for the delicious collation that followed the production. No program would be complete without the devotion of Jeannie Toplin, HANC’s indefatigable administrative assistant, who created the programs and provided continuous support with so many details throughout the process of preparing for this event. This collaboration was a source of true nachat for so many parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and teachers of these very special students. May the children’s tefillot continue to reach straight up to Hashem, and may they always bring nachat to all that they encounter in their lifetime. Mazal tov!