Friday October 21st 2022
On October 6th, The YCQ 6th grade girls and boys boarded buses that took them to Boundless Adventures in Long Island. The students were geared up with harnesses and given safety instructions prior to braving the high-off-the-ground obstacle courses–which included wobbly wooden planks and zip lining.
The students were a mix of those who couldn’t wait to get on the challenging courses and those who
were filled with trepidation. The beautiful part of the trip, besides being blessed with perfect weather, was witnessing students work together, encourage one another, and help their classmates overcome fears.
After a very physically active day, students (and their chaperones) returned to the school, knowing
each other better and with greater self-confidence.
On Monday, October 3, the eighth grade students had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Lavi Greenspan speak about his life story. Lavi became blind in his mid-twenties while studying at Fordham Law School. He had previously graduated from YCQ, Yeshiva of Flatbush High School, and received a BA from Yeshiva University.
After losing his eyesight, he completed law school and passed the Bar Exam, furthered his graduate education by obtaining Semicha from Yeshiva University, and most recently receiving a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
He is humorous, outgoing, and extremely personable. The stu- dents loved his stories and jokes and his words of compassion and wisdom. Lavi told us about the hardest and seemingly lowest point of his life. What was it that kept him going that was so important for us to hear Erev Yom Kippur? Lavi told us that there are four things that keep his spirits high: Family, Am Israel, his Rebbe, and Torah.
On Monday, October 3, the Junior High School students had the honor and privilege of hearing Rabbi Mordechai Finkelman, Mashgiach Ruchani of Yeshivat Ohr HaChaim, speak to the students about Teshuvah. He described the unbelievable opportunity that Yom Kippur provides us to improve ourselves, and get closer to Hashem. He told some incredible Dvrei Torah, stories, and anecdotes in order to inspire the entire audience. After the drasha, Rabbi Finkelman remained in the shul giving each student a special bracha and wishing them a wonderful new year!
On September 21, alongside hundreds of police officers, politicians, journalists, community liaisons and representatives, ten Grade 8 students represented their yeshiva with maturity and poise. Each year, members of the NYPD including the Police Commissioner, Keechant L. Sewell, and the Mayor, Eric Adams, host a briefing to discuss the connection between the NYPD and the NYS Jewish communities on safety issues in the multitude of Jewish Communities, especially the safety issues present during the Yomiim Noraiim. The students and chaperones were afforded the opportunity to speak for a few minutes with Councilmember Lynn Shuman, who represents Forest Hills and Rego park where a large percentage of YCQ students reside.
Mayor Eric Adams spoke for a few moments acknowledging that NYC has the largest number of Jewish residents outside Israel. He spoke on how he understands the importance of these holidays and NYC is preparing to keep us safe. The briefing was summed up and closed with the reminder that as partners of the NYPD, every citizen from children to adults play an important roll in keeping us safe. Thank you to Mrs. Jaffe and Mrs. Davidov for chaperoning the grade 8 representatives; Ava Blum, Aylea Moussaieff, Lily Hametz, Akiva Steinman, Jake Daniel, Assaf Davidov, Yair Davidov, Avigdor Zweinhorn, Gabriel Koptiev, and Daniel Rozic.
The beginning of the school year is a wonderful time for students and teachers to connect and bond in all different types of ways. Grades 1–5 had their first class trips this past week and had the opportunity to connect with one another through fun and exciting outings. On Tuesday, Grades 4 and 5 went to Adventure Park Long Island. The students had a full day of climbing, zip lining, hiking, and bonding with friends and teachers. They tested their physical strength, overcame fears, and cheered on their classmates. “I was scared at first,” said Mia Akilov, Grade 5. “But I am glad I pushed myself and did not take an early exit. I had a lot of fun with my friends, and I hope I can do it again someday.” The trip was a great reminder for both students and faculty as we begin a new school year, that when you put your mind to something, you can achieve greatness. Ilan Zelcer, Grade 5 said, “I enjoyed being with my friends out in the wild. I would rather be in nature. This trip was so much fun.”
On Wednesday, Grades 1-3 got really prepared for Rosh Hashana with an adventure to an apple orchard. The students traveled to Apple Rich Orchards for a great day of hayrides, petting and feeding farm animals, and of course…apple picking! Each student came home with their own big bag of apples and even bigger smiles on their faces.
Thank you to Mrs. Shirley Pourad-Kaikov for organizing and managing the trips and to all the teachers and chaperones for helping to give our students a great day.
This week Ms. Laffer read the book Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco to class 3-212 and 3-211. The book is about the main character Trisha who grew up in a family who loved books! Trisha’s grandpa drizzled honey on the cover of a small book and had her taste it. The honey was sweet “and so is knowledge but knowledge is like the bee that made that sweet honey, you have to chase it through the pages of a book.”
The important lesson is to never give up when something is difficult for us! In honor of Rosh Hashana, after reading Thank You Mr. Falker, Ms. Laffer gave the students apples and honey for a sweet new year! Miss Laffer and Morah Surah’s Class 3-211 also made yummy bee cupcakes including a fondant bee and bee hive in keeping with their classroom theme! Have a BEE-utiful Shabbat and shana tova umetuka!!
On Monday, September 19, the PTO had its first meeting of the school year. We were excited to
welcome many new faces and have already started moving on some of other upcoming events (PTO
Fun Night-October 31) and the Annual Challah Bake (December 29) featuring Charlene Aminoff. If you
are interested in participating in these events, please reach out to [email protected]. Rabbi Landsman gave a wonderful introduction and really gave us motivation for the upcoming school year. We also had ice cream sundaes, and really enjoyed a wonderful, chill night with friends, old and new! We are looking forward to a wonderful year together and are excited by the energy of our volunteers!
On Motzei Shabbat, September 17, over 100 students in grades five through eight, along with their parents, and Rebbeim joined together for a meaningful learning program. The evening began with a beautiful shiur by Rabbi Shmuel Marcus, Rav of Young Israel of Queens Valley. Rabbi Marcus was extremely invigorating and enlightening. The evening concluded with an uplifting recitation of Selichot led by Rabbi Hamel. It was a most inspiring evening.
This past Monday, Mrs. Elana Joffe, YCQ’s Social Worker, facilitated a student program welcoming YCQ’s new students. Each student was paired with an eighth-grade mentor who was handpicked based on his or her leadership qualities. The program commenced with each mentor introducing himself or herself to one new student, handing a school gift to his or her assigned new students and showing the student around the campus. Together with their mentors, the students participated in a group activity and enjoyed a snack. Mrs. Joffe and Rabbi Landsman warmly introduced each student and welcomed them to the YCQ family.
Thank you to our eighth graders who assisted with this wonderful program and introduced the new students to everyone: Aylea Moussaiff, Avital Levy, Emily Akbashev, Lily Hametz, Avigail Rachmanov, Ava Blum, Michele Allayev, Yardena Aharonoff, Rena Schwartz, Erin Cohen, Hadar Basalel, Daniella Chacham, Michael Zavulun, Aharon Feder, Aviel Babaev, Gabriel Koptiev, Assaf Davidov, Nathanial Babakhanov, and Yair Davidov. We look forward to a productive and exciting school year.
On Thursday, September 8, the Junior High School commemorated the 21st anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. The students watched a meaningful video of the events that took place on that tragic day. The sense of hopelessness and turmoil that transpired was sensed by the students. The students heard from Rabbi Landsman, who spoke about recognizing the unique individuals in our lives who take care of us and deserve our appreciation and gratitude, such as bus drivers, security guards, custodians, police officers, and fire fighters. They also heard from Mr. Ehrenkranz (7th Grade Social Studies) who was in the Capitol building on that day, Ms. Simanowitz (Administrative Assistant) who spoke about the experience of her father, Michael Simanowitz, a first responder, and Mrs. Zakin (Resource Room), who was at the World Trade Center during the attack and witnessed the second plane crash. The program concluded with the recitation of Tehillim.
