Mazal Tov kitah bet on receiving your siddurim! We were so proud of your performance today and are excited for all the Torah learning that awaits you!

It was such a special night with our school community at the JKHA/RKYHS ATID Society concert featuring @zushamusic

The RKYHS 10th grade worked together to follow the clues on their trip to Escape the Room this week. They enjoyed the opportunity to spend time as a grade outside of the classroom!

You could feel the energy, excitement and warmth at the RKYHS Open House last night as so many came to experience the RKYHS difference!

The RKYHS 12th grade girls Yahadut class had a zoom Q&A about lashon hara with the author of the book that their past unit was based on, “False Facts and True Rumors: Lashon Hara in Contemporary Culture,” by Rabbi Daniel Feldman.

Mazal Tov go kitah aleph on receiving your siddurim! You were amazing at your siddur play!

JKHA students marked Veteran’s Day in many ways in order to appreciate our country’s veterans. Lower School students learned about what a veteran is, and the different divisions of the US Armed Forces. Students made pictures and wrote letters of gratitude to be sent to Veterans in our country through an organization called Operation Gratitude. Middle School had the special opportunity to hear from Mr. Charlie Larkin, Veteran of the US Army (and JKHA parent) who spoke about his experience serving in the Army and being stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq. 🇺🇸

Come experience the RKYHS difference at our Open House THIS Motzei Shabbat, November 16 at 7pm! Register at www.jkha.org/rkyhsopenhouse

The deadline to get tickets to Zusha in concert at the JKHA/RKYHS ATID Society Concert this Sunday, 11/17 is approaching! Don’t delay - get your tickets today and support our school at this enjoyable evening! Www.jkha.org/atid @zushamusic

The RKYHS students in the Voluntutor club, headed to the Martin Luther King Youth Center in Bridgewater for a visit to the children there. The RKYHS volunteers work with the students there in the after school program doing homework, reading, and playing games with the children at the center.

To mark the one year anniversary of 10/7, JKHA Early Childhood and Lower School students made cards for Israeli soldiers stationed on the Lebanese border. We were thrilled to see the soldiers receive the cards that were distributed with Shabbat meals through Keren Hesed of Ma’alot.

Re-living the amazing moments at JKHA Lower School Grandparents and Special Visitors Day! Students loved welcoming their guests to school for a Parshat Noach celebration filled with crafts and activities, an animal show and a beautiful Shabbat assembly!

The RKYHS Archery club is underway! Guided by an Olympic Archery coach and trainer who is a trustee of the NJ Archery Association, the RKYHS club, which meets during the weekly Chug period, perfect their technique and practice the sport. 🏹

All JKHA and RKYHS faculty engaged in a productive day of learning at today’s full staff professional development day!

Election Day fever swept through Lower School. Students previously took part in a debate presenting both “candidates” - whether they should celebrate either Purim or 4th of July this month. Students were able to hear both sides of the issue and perspectives on what each day would look like, as well as the role that each citizen has in the electoral process. Students campaigned with posters and rally signs to support their choice and have been engaged in conversations on the importance of voting and exercising their choice. In the division-wide vote Fourth of July won by only TEN votes!!

RKYHS and JKHA Middle School students had the special opportunity to hear from renowned basketball professional Tamir Goodman. Previously dubbed “the Jewish Jordan” Goodman shared his unique story with the students. We also thank him for joining our Middle School Basketball team’s practice! @tamirgoodmanbasketball @rkyhs_studentlife

This year’s RKYHS Theme Day focused on Elections and Democracy, highlighting positive civic engagement, and to model for each other how we can have respectful discussion, even if we disagree on particulars of issues. Discussions took place in every class over the course of the day, and students attended a special election-focused SEED. Students heard from Mike DuHaime and Daniel Bryan who both have experience working for New Jersey Governors and planning political strategy. The closing assembly had a student panel that explored how young people approaching the voting age feel about the voting process, issues that matter to them and ways to increase civic engagement among youth.

Middle Schoolers traveled to Israel today. Each month, together with their Ivrit classes and the Bnot Sherut, they will be visiting a different area of Israel, experiencing and learning about their culture, food, population, sites and more. They kicked off the program today as they “arrived” in Israel where the Naomi Rosenfeld Kehilah Center was set up like arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport where they had to get a passport stamped and pick up their rav kav travel cards for everywhere they’re going to visit each month. They then played a Kahoot about Israel. Can’t wait for all the places they’ll “visit” this uear! @bnot_sherut_jkha_2025

Home opener win for the RKYHS Girls Varsity Volleyball Team! #gocobras 🏐

Watch this look at the RKYHS Difference and then come learn more at the RKYHS Open house on Motzei Shabbat, November 16th at 7 PM! Visit www.jkha.org/rkyhsopenhouse to register! #WhereEveryStudentMatters

Now that the Chaggim are behind u s... Get your tickets to see Zusha live in concert on Sunday 11/17 at The ATID Society event! Www.jkha.org/atid

JKHA had a jam-packed two days of Chol HaMoed Sukkot! The days were filled with ruach, simcha, learning and fun! Chag Sameach!

On chol hamoed, first through fourth grades were each introduced to a new aspect of their Torah learning for the year from parsha and chumash to Rashi and navi. Thank you Rabbi Klibanoff, Rabbi Sharbat, Mrs CM Gerson, and Rabbi Rubin for leading this program as Early Chikdhood and first grade got ready for Simchat Torah with an up close look at the Torah, second grade was introduced to sefer bereshit, third grade met “Rashi” as they embark on learning Rashi, and fourth grade met with a “Navi” as they begin their study of Navi!

Fourth graders learned about defining a kosher sukkah and created their own innovative sukkot today in the MakerSpace.

RKYHS 9th and 10th grade girls learned the mishnayot in Sukkah about what makes a sukkah kosher or pasul and built them today as a delicious way to show their learning!

Yashar koach to our RKYHS cross country team on their performance at todays inter yeshiva track meet today. Congratulations to Ilan Usdan who took home 1st place in his division! 🏃

The RKYHS Girls Varsity Outdoor Soccer team played a great game vs Maayanot last night, ending in a 2-2 tie. ⚽️ 🥅

This week our Middle School students participated in a round robin where they were exposed to highlights of the Tefilot on Yom Kippur. The four sessions covered Vidui (confession), the Avoda (service) of the Kohen Gadol which we recite during Mussaf, Maftir Yona which we read at Mincha and the Tefila of Neila. Students had a guided worksheet that they filled out with a summary of what they learned as well as a goal for what they can do to make that part of Tefila more meaningful.

In their learning about Yom Kippur, EC4 students worked on a dag gadol (large fish) sensory bottle in conjunction with the story of Yonah which is read on Yom Kippur. This project is not only an enjoyable sensory experience but also the end result is a great tool to calm down in those moments where they may need a break or are feeling intense emotions. Students added food coloring, glitter and a squishy Yonah to their bottles to represent the dag gadol's belly. They also decorated a picture of a dag gadol that was attached to the outside of the bottle. Students were excited to make the story of Yonah come to life.

Today our JKHA Lower and Middle School students participated in meaningful programs and projects to commemorate the first anniversary of the atrocities of October 7th. From letters for the soldiers on the border in the north and Global gatherings with Jewish Day School students around the world, along with hearing from a Nova survivor and participating in a lasting school-wide project to memorialize all those who have fallen in this war, we continue to show our support for Eretz Yisrael and we will never forget. Am Yisrael Chai! 🇮🇱🇮🇱

Moadim L’STEAMcha is a hallmark Middle School interdisciplinary project that blends Judaics instruction with engineering, arts, and math. Students learned the Tehillim of “L’Dovid Hashem” and explored why we recite it from Elul until Shemini Atzeret, helping students understand the “light” of Hashem, how we follow it, and its significance in our lives. We also discussed how we can each maintain closeness to Hashem even during “dark” times. We created glow-in-the-dark slime as our STEAM component, a physical representation that light can exist, even in darkness. #MoadimlSTEAMcha

RKYHS and St Benedict’s Prep kicked off another year of the Seminar on Antisemitism and Racism (SOAR) with a fun day of the new cohort getting to know each other at Bury the Hatchet. The energy, enthusiasm and friendship were contagious. We are excited for the year ahead as the students work together towards the common goal of combatting hate on all levels and achieving friendship and understanding. @graybees

Wishing our faculty and staff a SWEET new year! #shanatovahumetuka

Whether comparing and contrasting an apple and pomegranate, performing apple-focused science experiments, displaying and reinforcing all their learning about the holiday through rosh hashahana bingo, memory games, and sorting, making holiday crafts for their Yom Tov tables and so much more, our youngest learners are ready for Rosh Hashana! 🍎🍯🐝

Students in the RKYHS AIPAC Club were honored to be part of the NJ FIDF dinner where they heard inspiring speeches from members of the IDF, and about all the incredible work being done for the soldiers by the FIDF organization. They also had the opportunity to hear about the daring and heroic mission by the IDF to rescue hostages in June, including Andrey Koslov, who they had the privilege to meet at the event (pictured above). @friends_of_the_idf

Lower School students love opportunities to borrow books from the new “Little Library” set up outside Mrs DiGiovanni’s office!

A few full weeks into the school year, and things are in full swing at JKHA/RKYHS!

RKYHS AIPAC presidents were invited to a private AIPAC event held in Livingston. At the event they had the opportunity to meet with Congressman Adam Schiff (D - CA- 30th district). The students discussed a range of issues with the Congressman relating to the Middle East. Schiff is currently running for Senate in California.

RKYHS seniors had the privilege today to hear from Dr Jeffrey Shoulson, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Brandeis University. In addition to his role as Dean, Dr Shoulson is an internationally-recognized, and award-winning scholar of early modern literature and culture. Dr Shoulson shared his background and path to his current role with the students, and they benefited from his vast scholarship. In addition, Dr Shoulson discussed the steps Brandeis took after October 7 to educate and inform all students, engage them in productive discussions, and help them face and discuss difficult issues in the context of civility and respect. Dr Shoulson returned to his roots as well, having attended HYA (the school’s moniker prior to being named JKHA), in his youth. @brandeisuniversity �

A group of RKYHS students visited residents of Lester Senior Housing for a special intergenerational program during National Assisted Living Week.

Today on 9/11, Eighth graders concluded their day of leadership in the Rosenberg Beit Midrash. September 11 has particular meaning for JKHA Middle School students, as they daven in the Mark Louis Rosenberg Memorial Beit Midrash each day. Mark Rosenberg z”l (JKHA ‘88), the namesake of the Middle School beit midrash, perished in the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers. Rabbi Zucker spoke to the students about the events of 9/11, remembering those that were killed and risked their lives for others, and brought meaning to this central location in the Middle School. Rabbi Zucker also shared personal recollection of Mark Rosenberg z”l and reflected on when the beit midrash was being built after his passing when Rabbi Zucker was a student at JKHA.

Eighth graders spent the day growing their leadership community building skills. Led by @teammakersnorthjersey students first engaged in team work challenges. Learning groups with faculty followed, focused on what it means to be a leader. The day of bonding and fun concluded with working together at an Escape the Room.

RKYHS Eleventh and 12th grade girls were privileged to welcome renown scholar, lecturer and author Dr. Yael Ziegler, head of the Kitvuni Fellowship and a @matan.institute lecturer. Dr Ziegler spoke to students about the legacy of Chana as a model for how we turn to Hashem in tefila in general, and in times of crisis in particular.

Our building was filled this week with the excitement of a new school year and a renewed dedication to learning and growth. Enjoy this glimpse of the start of school at JKHA/RKYHS!

Science is underway in 6th grade as students learned about the universe using the “gravity well” experiment. They observed how large masses distort the fabric of space and establish a gravitational pull around them. They sent planets and moons orbiting around the sun in their self-made solar systems!

At the Welcome Back assembly, RKYHS students were excited to unveil the Championship banner for the RKYHS Boys Varsity Soccer Team that will be proudly displayed in the Zuckerman Family Gymnasium!

Welcome Back RKYHS! The building was filled with the excitement of a new school year and new beginnings. Students reconnected with classmates and faculty, got acclimated to their new schedules and learned about what is in store for the new school year at a back to school assembly.

Freshmen in the RKYHS Class of 2028 had the high school to themselves today as they participated in a freshman orientation, spending the day getting acclimated to high school and getting to know one another with the help of RKYHS senior peer leaders.

Having fun with the @bnot_sherut_jkha_2025 on the first day of school!

Welcome back JKHA! We were thrilled to see all the smiling faces of our students filling the halls, classrooms and fields. We look forward to an engaging year filled with learning, exploration and growth!

We’re so excited to welcome our new Bnot Sherut Linoy and Moriya! We can’t wait for them to deepen our students’ connection to Israel this school year! @bnot.sherutkushner2025

Our 12th graders got a jump start on their college applications with a college application bootcamp today, led by the RKYHS Guidance Department.

Come learn with Moshava Ba’ir MetroWest Director, Rav Yishai Abrams this Shabbat at Suburban Torah in Livingston! @moshavabairmetrowest

RKYHS representing at Mach Hach Ba’Aretz opening ceremonies at the kotel! 🇮🇱🤍💙🤍💙

At the full faculty meeting today, we were proud to recognize members of the faculty who have dedicated themselves to JKHA/RKYHS for the last 10, 15, 20, and 25 years!! Yashar koach to them all - we are grateful for your many years of service to our school and our students!!

As the JKHA/RKYHS school year comes to a close, we reflect on a year that was like no other. Our students grew and thrived in their learning, inquiry, and academic and personal growth. As the school year changed after October 7, Medinat Yisrael and Am Yisrael became even more of a focus, and was weaved into our classrooms and hearts as our Jewish pride and love for Israel swelled in ways we never imagined. Watch how JKHA and RKYHS displayed our unwavering support for Israel and our Jewish Pride in the 2023-24 school year. #amyisraelchai🇮🇱💙🇮🇱💙

We were thrilled to celebrate the JKHA Class of 2024 at their Advancement last night! We are so proud of your academic achievements, your middot, and your growth. We can’t wait to see what your bright futures hold!

It was a “Grade-uation” as each of the Middle School classes moved up to their new grades!!

Mazal Tov to Kitah Bet on completing Parshat Lech-Lecha and beginning Parshat Vayera in Chumash this year! To celebrate their learning, “Avraham” and “Sarah” hosted the Brit Milah of their beautiful new baby boy Yitzchak for the whole second grade to attend. First, Kitah Bet learned all about the Mitzvah of Brit Milah from a special guest, Rabbi Eliezer Krohn, who is a Mohel and taught about Brit Milahs. They then enjoyed a delicious bagel breakfast where they were greeted by “Avraham” and “Sarah” and baby Yitzchak! They heard beautiful Divrei Torah from classmates, enjoyed fun Lech- Lecha themed food art activity and received a special lech lecha themed goodie bag!

Middle Schoolers enjoyed a Moadim L’STEAMcha project in advance of Shavuot today. They learned the reasoning and texts behind why we decorate our shuls and homes with flowers on Shavuot. They then took part in a science lesson on how flowers bloom in the Spring. They concluded the project with an experiment on utilizing different color water in a vase to see what happens to the flowers in the vase!

The RKYHS Boys Varsity Indoor Soccer Team are league Champions!! A huge yashar koach to the team on an incredible Championship win today and a stellar season! #gocobras #wearethechampions ⚽️ ⚽️

Always in our thoughts and our tefillot 🇮🇱🇮🇱💙🤍 #amyisraelchai #bringthemhomenow

Mazal tov to the RKYHS Class of 2024! We were thrilled to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of our amazing graduates over their years at RKYHS. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the future as they join the ranks of our RKYHS alumni!

Mazal Tov to the RKYHS Class of 2024!! 🎉🎉

As they prepare for their upcoming graduation tomorrow, the RKYHS Class of 2024 took one final walk through the halls of JKHA. Early Childhood and Lower School students lined the hallways for a "clap out" to cheer them on as they walked past. Whether they started at JKHA in Pre-K or joined our school later, our seniors have spent the last 13 years learning and growing as students, as friends, and as individuals. We will miss you RKYHS Class of 2024 but are excited for what is to come!

On Yom Yerushalayim and for the last Middot Mentor 5th and 8th Grade Buddy Program, students learned about different locations in Yerushalayim and created flyers for the location they most wanted to visit. They then celebrated by singing and dancing to songs about Yerushalayim!

Students in Rabbi Erps’ Vaad enjoyed an end of the year party. The group met to learn together every week during chug. Thank you to Noah B's brother, Dovid Aryeh who participated in Rabbi Erps’ Vaad for three years while at RKYHS, for sponsoring the lunch!

Fifth grade JKHA students put their knowledge base of Egypt to use as they visited the Egypt wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC yesterday and today. They embarked on group scavenger hunts throughout the wing, allowing students to enjoy their recent mastery of ancient Egypt content material as they expanded their thinking through an exploration of primary sources and artifacts.

EC4 did an amazing job on their end of year performance! They took to the stage as they brought their parents and grandparents on a tour of their year and showed them how much they have learned and grown. Kindergarten here they come!

The RKYHS Boys Varsity Indoor Soccer team is headed to the Championships! Congratulations to the team on their Semi-final win last night! Let’s go Cobras!

JKHA and RKYHS proudly marched up 5th Ave today to celebrate and show our love and support for Israel! We stand with Israel - now and always! 💙🤍🇮🇱🇮🇱 @jcrcny_israeldayonfifth #amyisraelchai #bringthemhomenow

The JKHA eighth graders enjoyed a jam-packed three days in Washington, DC and environs. Students had the opportunity to see important sights while bonding as a grade before their upcoming advancement.

Seniors enjoyed a beautiful Senior Dinner send off. The evening was made even more special as each graduate received a personal tribute delivered to them by a faculty member, further strengthening and emphasizing the special relationship that our students develop with faculty in our close knit RKYHS community.

Great playoff baseball game today as the RKYHS Boys Varsity Baseball team brings home the win! Onto the Semi-Finals! #gocobras ⚾️

A group of 7th grade students traveled to NYC to attend Middle School Civic Spirit Day. Students spent the day learning and working together in interactive and creative workshops as they explore the day’s theme, “Civic Communication: Creating Stronger Communities.” The experience culminated with a design challenge through which students presented their learning.

Fourth grade lit up the stage for their Yosef play - their final JKHA Lower School performance! Dressed in costume, they wove the story of Yosef through scene, songs, and videos as they reenacted their chumash learning, entirely in Hebrew. At the conclusion of their performance, we were pleased to present each student with their own copy of tehillim to use as they grow through the years. Thank you KPAC for your generosity in providing the copies of tehillim. @kpac_kushneracademy

The Senior Holocaust Studies Seminar returned home tonight after concluding their tour in Prague after Poland. They took in the sites, visting shuls, and Jewish sites, as well as an evening boat cruise. They had the incredibly meaningful opportunity to hear from Dita Kraus, a survivor of Auschwitz, Bergen-Belson and Terezin. She wrote about her life story in the book, “A Delayed Life, and the book “The Librarian of Auschwitz” is based on her remarkable life as well. @jroots_j

Mazal Tov Gan on your end of year performance! We are so proud of how much you’ve learned and grown this year!

Members of the RKYHS senior class spent the last week in Poland for a Holocaust Studies Seminar. After arriving in Warsaw, the group started their non-stop touring immediately, visiting Jewish cemeteries and the site of the Warsaw Ghetto. They had emotional visits to Majdanek concentration camp and the Belzac Death Camp. Students brought the sound of davening and singing to once again fill shuls and yeshivot that they visited. After a meaningful Shabbat in Krakow to unpack and decompress the previous days, they had a visit to Schindler’s factory. The group joined a chassidic celebration on lag baomer, helping to build a bonfire with hundreds of other Jews from around the world in Krakow. The last days in Poland for the RKYHS seniors were incredibly moving and impactful as they visited Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau to bear witness to the harrowing experience of all who were there. The students are coming away from the trip with a new understanding of the devastation of the Shoah, and it has reinforced the necessity to educate themselves so that they can educate others, as well as the importance of displaying their Jewish pride, especially as a way to combat hate. @rkyhs2024_poland @jroots_j

One week away!! Sign up today for the 76th Annual JKHA/RKYHS Dinner and celebrate our school and our deserving honorees! ! https://www.wizevents.com/jkha2024/?id=

Great playoff win for the RKYHS Girls Varsity Soccer team! Onto the semi-finals! #gocobras ⚽️ 🥅

Great day for baseball as we honored our seniors from the Boys Varsity Baseball team at their last home game! The team took home a win - playoffs here they come! #gocobras ⚾️

Early Childhood and Lower School students loved making Lag B’Omer projects to show their learning!

Seventh graders worked with @moullyart today to paint two incredible murals with inspirational stencils, with messages of encouragement, and celebrating Israel and Jewish pride. One mural was hung in our school - and one will be hung in the school of Eitan Yahalomi, a 13 year old from Kibbutz Nir Oz who was freed from Hamas captivity in November (while his father remains hostage in Gaza). Seventh grader Shai Merlin and his family have connected with Eitan and the Yahalomi family’s story over the past 7 months. We thank the Merlin family for supporting this project in honor of Shai’s Bar Mitzvah.

First graders took a field trip to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum where they had the opportunity to further the learning about micro greens they had been doing in the classroom.

Thirty six RKYHS students joined over 1700 Jewish high school students from across the country to present their Engineering and Scientific Research Capstone projects at the 2024 CIJE Innovation Day event held today at the American Dream mall. CIJE (Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education) Innovation Day is a culmination of a year of coursework for our 10th, 11th and 12th grade STEM students in the Biomedical Engineering, Genetic Engineering and Scientific Engineering classes, as well as in the SRTI (Scientific Research Training Institute). Our STEM students work diligently all year long on their Capstone Projects, where they are tasked with conceptualizing, creating, and engineering their own inventions and solutions to real world problems. At Innovation Day these students presented their outstanding accomplishments . RKYHS students Eitan S and Ru S took home first place in the Engineering for Healthcare category as well as Best Pitch for their 3D BioPrinter, which prints out living tissue that has been used successfully to print out mini brain organoids using glioblastoma cells that are being grown in the RKYHS tissue culture lab. Ava D, Abby G and Hannah R. placed second in the Environmental Engineering category for their Algae Alert, a buoy that detects toxic algae blooms in bodies of water. Melanie H, Jonah K, and Aidan K won Best Pitch in the live presentations for their Real-Time Pollen Identification project. We are proud of all of our budding RKYHS Engineers for their great work!

It’s a playoff win for the RKYHS Boys Varsity Indoor Soccer team! Onto the semi-finals they go! #gocobras⚽️ 🥅

Eighth grade boys had the exciting opportunity to participate in the annual Middle School “Hagbah Training.” With the correct technique and some practice, students learned how to properly perform this beautiful custom with confidence, as they utilize this new skill as full-fledged members of their minyanim.

Our RKYHS Varsity Baseball Team had a great time competing in the 2024 Columbus Baseball Invitational in Columbus, Ohio this week with 16 Jewish Day Schools schools from all across the country. Thank you to Columbus Torah Academy for hosting this amazing tournament!

The 76th Annual JKHA/RKYHS Dinner is coming up in less than 2 weeks! Sign up today to celebrate our deserving honorees and our school community! https://www.wizevents.com/jkha2024/?id=9196

Congratulations to the JKHA Middle School Debate Team on winning first place school in their last debate of the year. Four pairs of students from the JKHA Debate Team debated the resolution— Students over the age of 13 should be held criminally responsible for the negative effects of bullying in schools or online. In addition to JKHA placing as first place school in the debate, Eighth grade team of Alex J and Lily S took home second place team and Alex J took home second place individual awards. Yashar koach to all members of the team!

Yashar koach to our RKYHS students who competed today in the National Finals of the Chidon Hatanach. We are so proud of your dedication and commitment to Torah learning!

Yom Haatzmaut at JKHA/RKYHS! 💙🤍🇮🇱🇮🇱 #amyisraelchai

We were excited to celebrate our seniors this week with Senior Night at the RKYHS Boys Varsity Soccer and Girls Varsity Soccer, and Boys Varsity Volleyball games. We will miss them and thank them for all their dedication to their teams during their time at RKYHS!

What an amazing day celebrating Yom Haatzmaut at JKHA! Happy 76th Eretz Yisrael!! 💙🤍🇮🇱

Full school kumsitz to end an incredible Yom Haatzmaut! 💙🤍💙🤍

Delicious Yom Haatzmaut bbq lunch courtesy of @kpac_kushneracademy Thank you to all the parent and grandparent volunteers!

Unbelievable daglanut performance by our 8th grade girls!!

Yom Hazikaron at JKHA allowed students at age appropriate levels to commemorate the day and honor and remember all those that have fallen. JKHA Middle School had the privilege to hear from JKHA parent Jesse Gadon, a Major in the IDF who described Yom HaZikaron in Israel and how personal this day is for everyone there. Gadon returned to fight with his unit in Gaza after October 7 and shared his experience and the dedication of the IDF to protecting and serving the country. He shared the stories of friends and comrades that were killed on and after October 7, keeping their memory alive. Gadon concluded by emphasizing the importance of achdut, our shared identity and the importance of Torat Yisrael, Am Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael. Every Middle School teacher began each of their classes throughout the whole day by sharing the story of a fallen soldier. Lower School Principal Rabbi Srolovitz led programs for the JKHA Lower School grades where students learned about Yom HaZikaron and how the day is commemorated in Israel. They focused on the ongoing experiences of the soldiers in Israel. Upon returning to their classrooms, LS students wrote letters of gratitude and chizuk to lone soldiers.

Yom HaZikaron at RKYHS brought intense emotions and a renewed sense of the importance of remembering and honoring those that have fallen for Israel. A moving tekes in RKYHS focused on soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending the Land of Israel, with a particular focus on the lives lost on October 7 and the months that have followed. Students who attended the RKYHS Solidarity Mission in March shared with their fellow classmates about soldiers who were killed, having met with their family members while in Israel and learning about their lives. Students learned mishnayot at the conclusion to elevate the souls of all those that we’ve lost. Each RKYHS student received a rock as they entered the tekes with the name of a fallen soldier. As they left the program they collectively placed the rocks into a memorial in the Seryl and Charles Kushner Holocaust Memorial Garden, and held the name of their assigned soldier with them all day.