From the desks of...

MRS. YANOFSKY - February 2023
School principal, menaheles

As we engage in our NYSAIS accreditation process, I am filled with gratitude. This process always requires a serious degree of self-assessment and introspection. Faculty members at our in-service program in January responded candidly to questions about our educational and pedagogic achievements and dreams.  Do we maximize skill-building, mitigate technology issues, highlight both academic and social-emotional accomplishments, address curricular needs, continually review and update the elective choices and process, and nurture efficient and productive parent-teacher communications? These, and a host of other hot-button issues that create the ambiance of a school of excellence were raised. As befits the consummate professionals that they are, their responses were well articulated and cogent. In an era during which the NYT ran an opinion piece titled “How to Fight Back Against the Inhumanity of Modern Work,” our faculty members clearly embrace the concept of work ethic, devotion and idealism. All of which a principal finds heartening and gratifying. Perhaps what struck a most resonant chord was their unanimous affirmative response to the following question: Looking at our mission statement, would you say that we are successful in meeting our mission? Principals are vested with the responsibility of meeting that benchmark, and I heaved a sigh of relief. My colleagues genuinely felt that we were accomplishing our goals. But above all, it was the response to the religious goal directive of the mission statement that particularly filled me with awe and thanksgiving. Chinuch is a calling, and in a tumultuous world which overwhelms us with a tsunami of messages, and drowns us in information overload, it is the sacred task and charge of our esteemed faculty to provide Torah-true clarity and make sense of the tumult around us. And provide it they do, with precision, elegance, brilliance, and charisma. How fortunate are we. I was privileged to be invited recently by Agudath Israel to represent Girl’s Orthodox High Schools in the presence of Christina Coughlin, Assistant Commissioner for the Office of School Governance Policy and Religious and Independent Schools, and Angelique Johnson-Dingle, P12 Instructional Support Deputy Commissioner. It was an honor to share the tenets of a chinuch born of directives, laws and parameters, rich in scope and dimension, as well as a sophisticated general studies program brilliantly developed and orchestrated by Mrs. Friedman-Stefansky. Christina Coughlin expressed pleasure and approval! What a kiddush Hashem and a moment of grandeur for MHS! What I omitted at that meeting was a subtle quality  that was not relevant for our discussion, but perhaps the most important secret ingredient in the MHS recipe for successful chinuch. Rav Yehoshua Hartman, brilliant Maharal scholar, and author and proud grandfather of Esti Hartman, beloved freshman,  expressed it succinctly. “You feel the geshmak in the air at MHS.” I nearly exploded with pride. Pride in the faculty and above all, in students who revel in their learning and growth process. They take advantage of the unique experience of teacher-student relationships, inspiration derived from textual learning, and deep friendships forged in the classroom and at production practices.

Our faculty members are a lighthouse radiating beacons of light, investing the best years of their lives into your beloved daughters. 

Still, we cannot be casual about our daughters’ chinuch against the backdrop of an increasingly challenging world.
In the secular space, there is a new concept touted as an important force in the world of commerce. Anti-portfolios are a company’s list of investment opportunities that they declined for different reasons and which ultimately turned out to be notorious successes. For venture capitalists there are home runs that made them millions and the ones that could have made millions, but were passed over, including Alphabet’s Google before it became a verb. We don’t have the same luxury when it comes to chinuch. There is no margin for error when it comes to future mothers of generations to come. As educators we must invest ourselves fully and pray that with Siyata D’Shmaya our mission statement of inspiring B’nos Yisroel will be realized. We join with you, dear parents in this partnership. We have recently embarked on the flip phone challenge. To kick off the event, we hosted the powerful motivational speaker Rebbetzin Rena Tarshish, an acclaimed educator. She highlighted the fact that Jews are willing to overcome temptation in order to keep kosher and Shabbos, yet find it exceedingly difficult to erect boundaries with technology. She attributed this to the fact that in facing a new nisayon, test, we have no mesorah to serve as a precedent. She empowered our students to embed in their DNA the ability to overcome this overwhelming challenge. I am awed by the number of students (160) who have voluntarily joined by relinquishing their smartphones. They responded to the clarion call for action and went out of their comfort zones. Mrs. Klugmann conceived of this novel idea and it has grown bigger and more powerful each year, filling the corridors of our school with palpable positive peer pressure. Even mothers have jumped on the bandwagon and our PFPC- Permanent Flip Phone Community continues to burgeon. Ultimately our goal is to have students thoughtfully calibrate and reconsider their overall involvement with technology, and, hopefully, spurn the frivolous and unnecessary. 

I look forward to sharing this feature endeavor and many other MHS highlights with the NYSAIS accreditation team.

MrS. FRIEDMAN-Stefansky - february 2023
PRINCIPAL, General studies

“Some of my clients are Bubbies, and some are first graders,” shared Bassi Reissman, “and I love being able to listen to each. I just became licensed as an MSW. I spend my days at the clinic going from client to client, I love every minute of it, and I am learning so much.”

 “I work for Veeva Systems as a biotechnology consultant,” Leah Genkin presented, “and in guiding large companies, I dip into my love for both science and technology. It is very interesting to meet with clients and understand their needs.” 

“I explained to them my preference to wear a skirt or a dress instead of scrubs,” Minka Nussbaum shared with the school, “and they agreed. I am really appreciating the quality of learning at NYU and excited to be here. Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to be a nurse.”

As we watched our alumnae take the mic and address our students, I was transfixed by their confidence and polished articulation, and drawn into their wholesome energy. Each smiled warmly into the audience, infusing us with her zest for life and love for living purposefully and productively. Few things are as fulfilling for us as seeing our former students radiate this intrinsic joy borne from self-awareness and self-cultivation.

And then there were a host of other performances. 

At our School Shabbaton, we watched students in each grade present divrei Torah to the entire school. Most spoke freely, without notes; all articulated messages of Torah scholarship and warm inspiration with an enviable lightness and ease. On Motzei Shabbos, the grade presentations were thrilling. The original lyrics reflected incredible creativity, and the dances with outstanding choreography. Back in school, our Debate class presented their views on the role of the US government in mandating parenting classes to very young parents. A complex issue, each communicated her insights cogently. Many of the Debaters are typically more reluctant, but all of them exuded confidence and eloquence.  

And last week at our Drama Festival, we sat transfixed as our students moved in sync, spoke in perfect clip, and smiled vibrantly at all of us. For one half hour, the only person who mattered was Mary Poppins.  In the absence of a real stage, props, or sound system, our performers carried the presentation. Their voices, skill, and spirit were center; there were no scaffolds to compensate. In fact, for all of the fabulous theatricality, the raw authenticity was moving.

As the semester draws to a close, the conversations about A.I. Chatbots abound. How will we ensure that students submit their own writing? What is really to prevent them from consulting with Chat GBT? How can we use Chatbots to enhance and enrich our learning experiences? What new insights do we now have about assessment measures and homework assignments? What kind of learning really matters? How do we get them to shine and outshine?

Like on a day of reckoning, we must replay their performances again and again, examine the wow skills they will transfer into every facet of their future, personal and professional lives—the skills they cannot generate for themselves by accessing an A.I. Chatbot—the skills that will fill them with intrinsic joy and purposefulness.  And then we, as educators, must recalibrate our approach to teaching, learning, and assessing, and that indeed, is a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious wonderful thing.

Thank you to our esteemed teachers for a semester of elevated learning and growth and for filling our schoolhouse with joy. Have a very freilichen Purim!

MRS. YANOFSKY - June 2022
School principal, menaheles

The great teacher shortage is dominating the news. Reputable newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal lament the brain drain that schools are experiencing, reporting that, according to federal data, the number of people quitting jobs in private educational services rose more than in any other industry in 2021. Burnout is high, teachers are leaving their jobs at  record rates, and the pipeline of new teachers is growing smaller. This alarming trend has affected the Orthodox educational system as well. Various initiatives are under way to recruit young people to the field of education, and yet very few graduates express interest in this rewarding, but not so lucrative, field. Another sad reality is that veteran teachers are leaving the classroom for the dividends of corporate America. Against this disheartening backdrop, enter our teachers onto the MHS educational arena. They are consummate professionals, who are available for consultations at שמחות. Despite the fact that they are sometimes forced to arbitrate grades, they never start the stopwatch. They exert superhuman efforts, and their raison d’etre is to inspire and build up students for life. They spend many personal hours lesson planning, drawing up countless versions of exams, and writing detailed letters of recommendation for seminary and college that highlight the individual accomplishments of our students. They are always available for a heart-to-heart talk, to thresh out an issue or simply to explain a difficult concept. They are sometimes entertaining and witty, oftentimes impactful and inspiring, and always passionate and idealistic. In an era when professionals are encouraged to create a message prior to vacation to free them from their inboxes and by extension their work life, many of our teachers are spending their summers on PD computer courses, PD chumash courses and reaching out to struggling students. I am privy to many conversations with teachers, who express concern about student related issues ranging from grades to eating habits. Everything is under the purview of a loving, caring teacher. Our teachers are writers and producers (Genealogy,) actresses (in the classroom,) inspirational coaches and scholars. In a climate of driven entrepreneurs, our teachers are idealistic educators who spend almost every waking moment with your children, giving them their most precious possession, Torah knowledge, as well as skills for life. While it may not be the easiest or most lucrative career path, our teachers are ignited by the desire to make a difference.

As we graduate another grade of impressive Bnos Yisrael who are informed, poised and articulate, and who bear eloquent testimony to the devoted efforts of our beloved teachers, let us take a moment to reflect. The quality of our superior learning experience was determined by a confluence of factors- the most important was our stellar cohort of teachers. They played a most vital role at a critical juncture in the life story of our students.

Recently, the four days of revelry and celebration that marked Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee reminded us of the importance of unifying institutions and symbols. In an age of bipartisan political conflict, there is something in England that commands national legitimacy, a shared object of reverence that creates national cohesion. Our Sages tell us מאן מלכי רבנן- our sovereigns are the rabbanim, mechanchos, and teachers. It is our sacred task as parents to inculcate within our children a reverence for their rabbanim, mechanchos, and teachers. The combination of reverence and gratitude will be a powerful catalyst in creating a generation which lives up to the ideals instilled in them by their teachers.

To my beloved colleagues, both Kodesh and General Studies, I simply say thank you. I am awed and humbled by your titanic commitment to חינוך הבנות.

תהא משכרתכם שלימה מעם ה׳.

MrS. FRIEDMAN-Stefansky - June 2022
PRINCIPAL, General studies

Despite that we dislike listening to a string of speeches, there is something powerful about Graduation that makes attending it still enjoyable.  We love being back in that childhood space when we received the formal recognition for completing what we were required to do. We love being together with family and friends who arrive just for the occasion of celebrating us. We even like listening to the speeches because although the words are formulaic, there is a fresh authenticity in those young voices that awaken us viscerally to the promises we once made.

During graduation, as we watch our children rise and walk down the aisle and up to the stage, we are all forced back into ourselves and away from our pretenses, forced to rewind and watch the years that have whizzed by. In those internal moments, we confront what we have become as adults, what we still want to be, and what we have taken for granted among life’s most special gifts.

Gratitude is tough.

We believe that we have made achievements because of our work ethic, wise choices, and strong values. But in that austere gathering hall, somewhere beneath the blue shiny caps and billowing gowns, truth fills the air. We all know that the graduate could not have grown from being a babbling toddler into a competent young adult without the kindness of the One Above, the kindness of her parents, the kindness of her teachers. We all understand that milestones reflect the progression of life and the magic of growth, and this recognition breeds humility.

This past June, I had the privilege of attending three graduations; our eighth grade daughter’s, our twelfth grade son’s and the seniors’ of MHS. During the first two graduations, my husband and I sat among the large gathering of parents with great emotion in our hearts. How can one ever express enough appreciation to the teachers who have filled our children’s days with so much warmth and inspiration, knowledge and skills? Wholesome joy and Torah spirit?  Or to the school leaders who create a place our children love to attend day after day? To the One Above for enabling us to arrive at this juncture in good health and as one? The feelings were multi-layered for us, and surpassed the simplicity of words.

And then for my third graduation, as I sat near my colleagues on the stage of Park East Synagogue, that big feeling surfaced within me once again. Before my eyes, I saw those awkward eight graders, and here they were poised, walking down the aisle with grace and purpose.  How can a school leader ever express enough appreciation to the teachers who fill our students’ hearts with a love for Yiddishkeit and strengthen their minds with abilities for life? Before my eyes, I saw myself as that same awkward eight grader, and here I was seated among my fellow teachers and leaders.

Graduation is gorgeous because it grounds us.

Seated without distractions, we immerse in the dynamic energy of life, and we remember that we are in fact mere mortals in His Great Hands and under His Great Clock.  As we continue to reflect our dreams and goals in our observations of our children, let us partner in modeling for our students more expression of gratitude. The accessed kindness will invigorate all of us and propel us in reaching remarkable new heights.
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Wishing you a beautiful summer with enjoyable family time. Thank you to our faculty, unparalleled in their authentic love for our students and for our joined mission.

MRS. YANOFSKY - April 2022
School principal, menaheles

A time honored tradition, dating back hundreds of years, is bemoaning the shortcomings of the ‘new generation.’ I distinctly remember one of my own children complaining about teachers who denounced today’s youth as irresponsible, emoji-texting millennials. My daughter spoke witheringly of the annoying “kids these days” references in which a particular teacher regularly indulged. She wanted to know if the educator herself had ever been on the receiving end of such disparaging contrasts. She even conjectured that the subjective comparisons from which the teacher emerged so far superior, were perhaps unreliable memories. There might be a kernel of truth to that insight. When people complain about the next generation, they may be comparing them to an idealized version of their own past, obscured by the “flattery fog of memory.”

The thrust of this article is not to determine whether or not earlier generations were more respectful, intelligent or well-read. While there is a concept of yeridas hadoros, lessening of the generations, today’s youth have inherited a unique set of challenges and in many ways are boldly rising to meet them. I would like to highlight a particular quality that I have noticed in my students, one in which I think they excel, garnering a top score, and which is all the more impressive considering the backdrop of a morally bankrupt and decadent society.

MHS students seek inspiration. This seems to be a simple statement, but one with far reaching consequences. In the span of one month, I observed several such instances. The news of Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s petirah hit us all like a thunderbolt, leaving us reeling and despondent. Repeatedly, students approached me, seeking opportunities for speakers to share stories and insights from the gadol of the generation. Two of our seniors produced a riveting video with highlights of Rav Chaim’s life, including accounts and pictures of MHS families in his simple, spartan home on Rechov Rashbam.

I surreptitiously glanced at the girls as they were watching the video and noticed quite a few girls with tears coursing down their cheeks. Pessie Bernstein, a beloved senior, delivered an erev Shabbos drashah in a tear-choked voice, apologizing for her uncontained emotions. I marveled at and took pride in her depth of feeling. In lieu of the traditional spirited G.O. video and rousing dancing, our students sat down to a kumzitz and, arms-linked, sang with heartfelt devotion.

This principal was duly inspired. A kaleidoscope of other memories of the past month came rushing forth. Flip phone challenges with over a hundred girls committed to seven weeks of effective digital detox, impacting their relationship with their phones for a lifetime. Students eagerly putting in tickets for the unique opportunity to win a berachah from the Gadol Hador, Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky shlita, bypassing mundane and pedestrian prizes, such as macs and jewels for the rare privilege. Talented artists vying for the honor of having their artwork showcased in the MHS Tehillim, utilizing their gifts in the service of Hashem.  The pesukim they depicted with their artwork are emblazoned on their minds and hearts forever. Students sitting in rapt attention while Rav Nachum Broide, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Zichron Kelm addressed them in Ivrit about the primacy of Torah and a Torah lifestyle. So many students shared the sensation of being in a rarefied atmosphere, expressing their appreciation for this “amazing” (their vernacular) opportunity.
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We grew up in a more halcyon, carefree era. Pandemics and cyberwarfare were akin to Star Wars. It’s difficult for me to assess teenagers from yesteryear, but I’m not certain that they were as thirsty for inspiration as our MHS students. I eagerly look forward to future years, when I can recall their growing years of inspiration with fond nostalgia and take pride as that inspiration materializes and impacts the homes of תורה ויראת שמים that they will build.

MrS. FRIEDMAN-Stefansky - april 2022
PRINCIPAL, General studies

At MHS every other spring, we watch our biennial “WE” educational performance unfold with our students driving not only the performance, but also all the community outreach. The program celebrates the beauty of communication by taking a well-known musical and breaking it into unique scenes that showcase students’ voices across art, music, dance and language. The talent is exceptional and the camaraderie it generates is exhilarating. We must acknowledge the outstanding talents of our teachers as well, whose classrooms pulse with dynamic energy --- up until the day of the production, we did not cancel a single class for practice. The production simply transferred the semester’s work, the heartbeat of the classrooms, to the Danny Kaye Theater.

Less known perhaps, is that leading up to this year’s “Annie” performance on March 2nd, the production heads invited many homebound and elderly women in our community to attend, arranging free transportation to and from the show, calling these women directly, and coordinating with many organizations on logistics. The students also worked hard to make the performance available to the deaf community by signing it in American Sign Language, and ensuring that all the scenes were accessible to the guests.

As educators, we recognize that both parts of this performance experience hold tremendous value for our students. They love actualizing their creativity and talents for themselves. But they also love serving a purpose for others.

“We live in an age of unprecedented mental anguish. Depression, anxiety, and substance abuse have reached epidemic proportions globally,” writes psychologist and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Lisa Miller in her new book, The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life.

Miller, a clinical psychology professor at Teachers College at Columbia University, finds that spirituality can protect people from human suffering. Her research into MRI studies of healthy and “depressed” brains found that “altruism, service and love of neighbor engage the spiritual pathways in the brain – the same as talking to God.” She argues that human biology has an innate capacity for spiritual awareness that can protect against depression, support health, and reveal the deep interconnection between all life.

“Relational spirituality can be a great source of resilience and prevention against the epidemic of pathologies of despair of our time,” she told me.

Here at MHS, we see this connection of engagement as a spirit booster for many of our students, who are often most driven when they are doing community service projects they know will ease the suffering of others, make a real difference. Students are motivated to learn new skills, serve others and lead by example. But above all, they want to have their voices heard. These skills historically have been viewed as “soft skills,” but they’re not anymore – they’re increasingly recognized as being the number one transferrable skill to all industries. More importantly, they are pivotal to making a dent in our world.

It is nothing short of amazing to see how much our students are producing and contributing for community service causes. Whether they were galvanized to help raise funds for our school’s private tzedakah fund, or energized to relinquish their smartphones and restore the preciousness in wholesome face to face communication, or  campaigning to raise funds and clothing for the children in Ukraine, or quick to register their time as peer tutors, this past semester has humbled and amazed all of us. We were humbled by the tenacity of spirit, the willingness to give of their time after school, after commuting, after homework and studying. We were proud to learn what “grabs” them, what activities engage their interest, and how much they care about our community.

As we look toward the initial planning stages of 2022-23, we are delighted to launch a new social entrepreneurship elective course this September. The students will learn to create community-based startups to serve real community service needs. We are all excited to embark on this learning project together, to build a strong curriculum that will strengthen skills in creativity, technology, collaboration and communication. Indeed, the world is not the same place it was, and students’ interests reflect their desire to do something big and purposeful.

When we sit down to the Seder table, and celebrate Hashem’s wondrous redemption of us from slavery and exile, we are stopped to acknowledge that the core value Hashem wants us to remember Him by is to care, emphasize, and do for the disadvantaged among us. How essential it is for us to present our students with opportunities to contribute to the less fortunate, teach them how to construct successful organizations,  and how to step up and lead with dignity and skill. How blessed we are to be inspired by their warm hearts and authentic desire to make our world a better place.
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Wishing all of you a most uplifting and enjoyable chag sameach with all its fabulous blessing.

MRS. YANOFSKY - December 2021
School principal, menaheles

We are still reveling in the sheer joy exhibited by our students at our larger-than-life chinuch experience, Shabbaton. One of the all-time favorite features of the annual MHS Shabbaton is the “Ask the Rabbi” panel. This forum presents students with a unique opportunity to pose relevant questions to our esteemed rabbanim in a public setting. Of particular interest to me are the questions which recur each year, ranging from the kashrus of iced coffee to “What is my tafkid in life?” The latter remains to be discovered by our students during the unfolding chapters of their lives. But wouldn’t it be nice if there was a signal from Above alerting them to pivotal crossroads so that they could sit up and take notice? In a production, appropriate background music prepares the audience for significant scenes. In life, if we are tuned in to the musical score of our own neshamos, we may be able to hear the chords that herald watershed moments. But it isn’t easy.

In Tanach, we are privy to glorious moments in the lives of our ancestors, such as the selfless joy exhibited by Aharon HaKohen when greeting his younger brother Moshe, chosen to lead the Jewish nation. Chazal maintain that had he been aware that his actions would be recorded and held up to the scrutiny of his descendants, Aharon would have pushed himself one step further. He would have celebrated his brother’s rise to leadership with musical instruments! How, I asked our students, can we live on a level of constant awareness?

One way of doing so is by taking note of three vantage points from which we can observe the world at any given instant. Namely, olam, the physical space we inhabit, shanah, the moment in time in which we find ourselves, and nefesh, the person experiencing the event.

Whenever there is a confluence of these three elements - space, time and person - which will never again converge in that precise configuration, we must capitalize on the moment, for we can never relive it. It is, quite literally, now or never. Shabbaton was certainly a time for carpe diem.

The overarching theme of this extraordinary Shabbos was Ashreinu, we are fortunate, and the specific components of that powerful proclamation were explored by various speakers and workshops. In my address I focused on the concept of “vekidashtanu bemitzvosecha,” and underscored that Hashem sanctified us by giving us precious mitzvos and rewarding us when we properly fulfill them. “Ein Hakadosh Baruch Hu mekapei’ach s’char kol biryah u’biryah.” I shared three stories from credible sources, each of which highlights this cornerstone of Jewish thought, and emphasizes the powerful impact that mitzvos have on our lives. While stories, which charmingly disguise lessons and let them in through the back door, are a subtle way of conveying moral instruction, they are highly effective, and I hope that they moved each of our students to feel a deep and abiding love for the mitzvos that sanctify us.

The Friday night workshop elicited many reflections on the privilege and responsibility of being part of the am hanivchar. Students shared personal vignettes in which they were overwhelmed by a sense of ashreinu, their good fortune at being part of the Jewish nation. They spoke of the pride they feel when contemplating the myriad chessed organizations that are part and parcel of our community. Some noted that Jews are unique in that they recite Tehillim for complete strangers. On Shabbos morning our students considered shemitah as a vehicle for inculcating emunah and bitachon into our lives. Recognizing the challenges of observing shemitah forced them to confront similar challenges in their own lives. Students were eager to discuss practical tips for strengthening emunah with their teachers and workshop leaders. A recurring theme was that society is constantly searching for methods to reduce anxiety, and that bolstering our emunah and bitachon yields powerful results in this area. Some students shared personal hashgachah pratis stories which shore up their bitachon. The highly engaging interactive teachers’ panel moderated by Mrs. Friedman-Stefansky during seudah shelishis focused on the power of speech. Faculty members vividly described blessings that resulted from well-placed positive words, as well as destruction which was wrought by negative talk. They glowingly recalled their own role models of carefully guarded speech, and reflected on the qualities which made them successful.

While the educational value of the shabbaton was immeasurable, even more remarkable were the pure joy and high spirits which permeated the air. Girls sang zemiros lustily, danced in a spirited fashion, shared a heartwarming kumzitz, performed in grade formation, and square danced on motza’ei Shabbos. Many of the guests commented on the unique combination of exuberance and refinement which characterizes the young ladies of MHS. I was very proud.

I will be truly gratified if every girl emerged from the Shabbaton inspired enough to carry aloft the most important torch in the world, across the grandest finish line, to the yemos haMashiach. To that end, it is my hope and prayer that the Torah knowledge that our students acquire in all of their classes touches their essence, that they incorporate the halachos that they learn into their lives, that ashreinu becomes not merely a catch phrase, but rather a way of life. That they feel the warm embrace of all of their teachers who truly love them (they happily leave their comfortable homes to spend shabbos with them) and ultimately that they come to feel protected by Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s love.

MrS. FRIEDMAN-Stefansky - December 2021
PRINCIPAL, General studies

Children’s literature is crafted, written, and funded by adults. There is no such thing, argues Jack Zipes, as children’s literature.

We capture the child’s experiences based on our understanding, we publish the literature using our access within the industry, we purchase books using our monies, and we award literature based on our select criteria.

Authentic?

But childhood, indeed, must be this way. Children are small and powerless. Until they reach maturation, they depend on us.

With high schoolers, though, while their executive functioning is still developing, their unique identities are slowly emerging and we must let them step forward on their own. We wait excitedly for them to share their thoughts and feelings so that we can learn about the stories they are writing for and about themselves. Sometimes, the stories they share with us place a smile in our hearts – we admire their convictions. Sometimes their stories fill us with worry – we wonder about their choices. As parents and educators, we crave observing these authentic moments so that we can direct our students effectively.

Whether our students are contributing to class discussions, posing questions, writing lyrics, producing art, or crafting and delivering presentations, we want their authentic selves. It is through the open exchange of ideas that we learn how to offer them the guidance they need.

In fact, one of the highlights of our School Shabatton was hearing our girls’ authentic voices. Our student presenters were breathtaking. I love watching our girls fall in love with a Torah message. I love being in their presence as they spark the room with their passion for the weekly Parsha and its brilliant relevance. Most of our student speakers read from their notes, but they all owned their words and were at ease with the audience of close to three hundred. They were so proud of their honest achievement, and few things are as gratifying for us in Chinuch. Same for the musical, dance and art presentations. Their authenticity, beautiful brave vulnerability on the stage, empowered each of us.

Over the last few weeks, our school enjoyed academic research presentations with Ms. Kirsten Lee, Chief Research Librarian at Fordham University. In preparation for our History and Science term papers, Kirsten taught every class how to conduct academic research by accessing the e-journals made available through the NYPL. During her last visit, she taught how to cite sources correctly, acknowledge the contributions of another scholar, and avoid plagiarism. She encouraged our students to satisfy their research tasks with authenticity, to prepare themselves for future professional success.

As educators, it is frustrating to read a student’s essay knowing that we are reading the words of someone else – we conduct interactive classrooms and we are familiar with our students’ thoughts and syntax. When our students present themselves authentically, then we are able to identify their place in the learning process. When tutors and coaches write papers for pay, then students are conditioned to see themselves as incapable and unintelligent. Few things are as upsetting for us to watch in Chinuch. We want our students to bring feelings of confidence and capability into adulthood. Getting help contributes to honest growth, but hiring a helper to write a paper contributes to dishonest character.

As I replay the student presentations we enjoyed over Shabatton, I realize how much I appreciated recognizing the familiar style of each student, her unique voice echoed in each of the written submissions she has made in school over the past months, years. The presentations were authentic, and this authenticity created a meaningful connection between the presenters and all of us.
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Adults may be the arbiters of children’s literature and over much of childhood. We must step back now and let our students step forward as they transition into adulthood.  As with all developmental processes, strengthening our students’ esteem for authenticity requires our attention and partnership. At MHS, we are dedicated to leading a school where students see themselves as the producers of knowledge, as future leaders, and as invaluable contributors to the world of Torah and professional productivity.

MRS. YANOFSKY - June 2021
School principal, menaheles

I sit down to pen this article on the heels of attending our virtual dinner. Sans the exchange of pleasantries with our dear parent body, the dinner was an experience which could be thoughtfully analyzed. The roster of speakers included Mr. Karasick, devoted President of our board, Dr. Deutsch, dedicated medical advisor, Mr. Hammer, dinner chairman, and the esteemed Mr. and Mrs. Lewittes, Guests of Honor, and Mr. and Dr. Felman, Parents of the Year.

With appropriate gravitas, they all gave honor to the occasion. Above all, they respectively expressed their genuine appreciation to the administration and faculty, and even celebrated the high caliber student body.

What a dignified demonstration of homage and gratitude. I experienced a similar sensation as I poured over thank you letters written by our beloved students to their teachers, commendations that were a befitting tribute to a cadre of teachers who richly deserved to be propped up on an eternal pedestal. I could not help but marvel at our students’ glowing descriptions of their school experience. School was at once a bastion of learning, mussar klaus of self development, and a delightful forum for gambol, recreation and camaraderie.

As I mentioned at graduation, the rich and sophisticated chinuch provided at MHS by rebbeim, teachers and mechanchos is a powerful antidote to the decadent values and woke ideology of the surrounding culture. In an era where students on campus display narcissism and aggression, MHS students are respectful and appreciative. Gen Z is pampered and entitled. MHS students are loving בעלות‭ ‬חסד. In lieu of a toxic educational atmosphere promoted by wokeism and liberal progressivism, our students stand in awe of their teachers. The very same Torah precepts that dictated the rebbe-talmid relationship thousands of years ago, continues to spawn students with boundless expressions of gratitude.

In the secular world, academia has repurposed itself. Traditionally, higher education developed well informed, thoughtful citizenry. These days, academia’s primary mission statement is the promotion of social justice or radical political ideology. The products are today’s apathetic, disgruntled youth.
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The products of a חנוך‭ ‬בדרך‭ ‬ישראל and eternal Torah values are respectful students who intuitively understand the hierarchy in an educational institution. Of course, chinuch must be at times reinforced and bolstered, but the final hurrah is always graduation time when dignified, loving young ladies sit down to compose letters of appreciation and verbally articulate their gratitude.

MrS. FRIEDMAN-Stefansky - June 2021
PRINCIPAL, General studies

One of the very many beautiful features of the academic calendar is that it has a defined beginning and ending. While beginnings encourage us to plan, endings invite us to review and reflect, and this year, with our emergence from the pandemic, our reflections are particularly vibrant.
At our graduation, I reminded our students of the very powerful scene narrated by our Torah as we waited for Moshe Rabeinu to descend from the mountain.

The Posuk says: וְכָל־הָעָם֩‭ ‬רֹאִ֨ים‭ ‬אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת‭ ‬וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם‭ ‬וְאֵת֙‭ ‬ק֣וֹל‭ ‬הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר‭ ‬וְאֶת־הָהָ֖ר‭ ‬עָשֵׁ֑ן‭ ‬וַיַּ֤רְא‭ ‬הָעָם֙‭ ‬וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ‭ ‬וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ‭ ‬מֵֽרָחֹֽק‭) ‬שמות‭ ‬כ‭:‬טו‭(‬

All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance. And then the Posuk continues:
וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד‭ ‬הָעָ֖ם‭ ‬מֵרָחֹ֑ק‭ ‬וּמֹשֶׁה֙‭ ‬נִגַּ֣שׁ‭ ‬אֶל־הָֽעֲרָפֶ֔ל‭ ‬אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם‭ ‬הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

Rav Nachman of Breslav, on this scene, reminds us that when a Jew confronts a tsunami of darkness, he must know that Hashem is standing right there within it --- that if he braves the walk and enters the cloud, he will face Hashem. He must also know that when he emerges from that encounter, he will be imbued with a terrific surge of strength.

This transformational experience is also manifest when we study Yitzchok Avinu whose namesake is “laughter.” Yitzchok, the first Holocaust survivor,  stared at the מלאך‭ ‬המות‭ ‬in the face as an עקידה on the מזבח, and emerged from that experience with a superhuman laughter. Millenia later, we, the nation of Yitzchok, emerged phoenix-like from the pyres of the Inquisition, the Crusades, and of Auschwitz. Perhaps it can be said that we, too, have had the last laugh.

This supernatural laughter is the gift of resilience borne from sublime trust in Hashem. The famous Chazal, adapted, within our Tefillos of Neila that ״כל‭ ‬השערים‭ ‬ננעלו‭ ‬ונסגרו‭, ‬ושערי‭ ‬דמעות‭ ‬לא‭ ‬ננעלו״ crystallizes for us the power of שמחה‭
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The Yehudi Hakodesh, in the Sefer Tiferes Yehudi, explains that the Gates of Tears were never shut because were they to have been shut, they could never be opened again. That is why Hashem, in His Infinite Kindness, left the Gates of Tears ajar.

Tears cannot open doors.

Only Simcha can open doors — both up in Heaven and down here on Earth.

Our students and teachers walked right into the cloud of the pandemic, riots in the city, and other recent terrible calamities. They confronted these dynamic challenges head-on instead of wallowing on the sidelines.  They embraced this challenge with compassion and energy and fun-lovingness and kindness and humor and created  an amazing learning experience for all of us. In spite of all the hullabaloo, MHS students have distinguished themselves.

Kudos to:
Chana Lipshutz, The New York Times Student Editorialist Finalist
Golda Schuster, Jerusalem Science Competition Finalist
Ariella Bennett, Adi Hacker, Bracha Lewittes, Nechama Mandel, Dassi Mayerfeld, Meira Notkin, Adielle Rosenblum, ISACA Cybersecurity Case Study Student Competition Participants
Dassi Mayerfeld, 2021 Congressional Art Competition Finalist
Golda Schuster, American Computer Science League Finalist

As we wind down and reflect, we are left with overwhelming gratitude to Hashem, and fortified with a plethora of takeaways. One simple, but self-evident insight — our girls are much more capable than we think. They are capable of stepping right into the nexus of a challenge. And despite the “kids today” lamentation, actually, they do not “fall apart.”
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Thank you for sharing your fabulous daughters with us.
Have a beautiful, fun summer!

MRS. YANOFSKY - January 2021
School principal, menaheles

חבלים‭ ‬נפלו‭ ‬לי‭ ‬בנעימים, my lot has fallen in pleasant places...
Serving as principal of a motivated, goal-oriented cohort of young women is a gift. Perhaps the most stimulating, enjoyable part of my daily routine is the time I spend in the classroom. It is there, in the laboratory of learning that I join my students in the educational process. Through probing queries and shared analysis of topics and texts,  we often reveal a kernel of truth and light. I revel in my own learning experience. This year one of the new topics I explored with my students as we studied Mishlei, was that of Bitachon. Other teachers, as well, have incorporated this cornerstone of Yiddishkeit into their classes. An entire elective curriculum, taught by the esteemed Rebbetzin Twersky, is devoted to Shaar Bitachon. Why the sudden flurry of interest? I pose an obvious, rhetorical question.

As a global community, we are living through a surreal epoch, an unprecedented pandemic, and economic contraction. As a frum community, we have endured heartache and a seismic shift in the way we conduct our communal and private lives. Our students have to combat (occasional) Zoom fatigue, don masks, and confront uncertainty. Hushed conversations of mutant strains and other grim prospects encroach on their reality.

Against this backdrop, we possess a tool for survival. We have a wonderful abutment at our disposal. Bitachon, in contrast to emunah, belief in G-d, is the most complete reliance on Hashem. At a time of such upheaval, exploring and cultivating the gift of Bitachon can fill a desperate need.  As teachers and parents, we must provide our children with a framework that can serve as a balm to their roiling emotions and anxieties. This framework of Bitachon will engender serenity in a tempestuous storm. On a day to day basis, it will help ease the mounting pressure and allow our students to think more rationally.

As I contemplated Bitachon with my Mishlei class, I experienced a peculiar sensation. Together with my students, I was struggling to imbibe the contents of the pesukim and mefarshim in order to fortify myself. This pandemic has leveled us, teachers, parents, and students. We are all confronting challenges and we must all summon up our reserves.

As ovdei Hashem, we have an antediluvian truth that has passed the test of time. What we have is so superior, so comforting, so consistently nurturing, that it would be a shame to withhold it from the next generation. We have our own wellsprings of Bitachon from which to draw.

It behooves us, teachers and parents, as the guardians of our children’s and students’ happiness, to devote time, energy and focus, both at home and in school, to this most essential underpinning of our faith. I would like to suggest two books that can shed light on the fundamentals of becoming a ba’al bitachon. They can be studied by parents and children together, in their common quest to banish worries about tomorrow, even during a pandemic. Faith Over Fear: A Path to Bitachon authored by Rabbi Yehuda Kielson and adapted from Rabbi Perr’s Vaadim, and Bais Halevi on Bitachon with commentary by Rabbi David Sutton.

Let us as a community explore the parameters of this Divine gift and panacea. I would like to conclude with excerpts from a letter written by Rikki Klein, a beloved Junior at MHS.

In the absurdity of today’s day and age, it can be easy to be consumed by an overwhelming sense of anxiety... I am so grateful to be a part of the Jewish nation, especially in these trying times,  because we are the only ones who have a genuine, direct sense of protection.We know that He is on our side and it grants us a sense of security and protection. Learning about bitachon and how to acquire it provides us with a sense of place in this world ... one who walks with bitachon walks with a sense of security and stability that really helps him overcome anything that might get in his way. Just recognizing that Hashem is the source of everything is the key to a happier, calmer life.

Thank you again to my teachers for teaching this inspiring concept.

מכל‭ ‬מלמדי‭ ‬השכלתי‭ ‬ומתלמידותי‭ ‬יותר‭ ‬מכלם‭.‬
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I have learned from all of my teachers, and from my students most of all.

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - January 2021
PRINCIPAL, General studies

No two snowflakes are alike. While this expression is old and worn, every snowfall is new and fun, and full of inspiration for each of us.  Our Winter Festival  this past week, celebrated the Warmth of Winter. And as we celebrated the gift we get in experiencing the variety of seasons, we also celebrated the gift we get in experiencing the variety of perspectives, talents, and emotions which create our humanity --- and that was heartwarming.

Like the snowflakes, each with their unique shape and luster, each artist created a unique moment for us. Transcending the restrictive climate of Covid, the original art and poetry carried us to an unfettered openness where we could flirt with fresh experiences. It is cathartic to be lifted out of our realities and travel into another place. Artists hold that magic. They help us see farther and deeper— first outwardly and then inwardly, and from that point on, we are never quite exactly the same. We appreciate being led away because it is boring to be in the same place all the time. We crave variety.

Particularly for young people, the artistic platform is more forgiving than the oral or written platform. It requires less exactness and invites more expanse interpretation. Young people derive confidence when they can get us, the “older wiser” adults, to see something new, when they can elicit an Aha! from us.  When we engage young people as capable thinkers and contributors, then they will grow to become great thinkers and contributors. It is foolish to believe that art only exists for some. While skill always exists on a continuum, young people must know that they can, in the words of Degas, “make others see.”

Recently, I heard a powerful explanation on the practice of three for Zimun in Birchas Hamazon. The Gemara Brachot 45a states that only when three people eat together is there a requirement for Zimun. Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica (Mei Shiloah p183) explains that when there are three, one can sees his two friends and recognize that they have different faces, different perspectives, different circumstances, and that our Creator who created these differences is the One who gives life to all — and that He is the unifying element among the three men. When we recognize Hashem, our Creator, through the differences He created among humans, we can come to recognize Hashem, our Creator, of food as well. We can then recite Baruch She’achalnu Meshelo with authenticity.

As adults, we get stuck on our identity scripts.

The didactics we cling to, our rights and wrongs, musts and shoulds, are usually familiar and familial. They give us a sense of propriety as we parent and lead in this liberal zeitgeist.  But apart from Hashem’s unmovable Truths and Laws, we must find every opportunity to encourage a variety of perspectives and to celebrate the expression of differences. Reminding our girls that Hashem created us with differences, that differences are indeed beautiful, will only heighten Ahavas Hashem and Ahavas Yisroel.      

Kudos to our Art and Poetry teachers for showing our students how to cultivate their own snowflakes, and moreover, for encouraging them to float their snowflakes into our world. Celebrating the differences among us, and recognizing our Creator who has created the fabulous phenomenon of variety for us here during our time on Earth, was the perfect way to connect as a school during the week back from the snowstorm break.

MRS. YANOFSKY - November 2020
School principal, menaheles

The Decolonization Group at Brown University is demanding that the University tear down statues of two Roman emperors, Caesar Augustus and Marcus Aurelius, on the grounds that they “celebrate” ongoing colonialism in the United States and idealize white, western civilization- both of which continue to cause harm at Brown today, as stated in an op-ed for the Brown Daily Herald.

Whether or not the emperors’ legacies represent some of civilization’s greatest virtues is irrelevant, notwithstanding Aurelius’s contribution to Stoic philosophy. Repudiating history by tearing down the icons of its advancements seems to be very much in vogue. Americans appear to be engaged in a cultural expurgation of their sins. Certainly, there is little indication of a surfeit of patriotism and pride in the American heritage and legacy.

In contrast, I enjoyed a stimulating conversation with our freshmen, in which they expressed distinct pride in and reverence for their ancestors. A bit of context is in order. I had the pleasure of reviewing Chumash with both of our ninth-grade classes. The Ibn Ezra that we studied on vayikach ish mibais Levi spoke about Moshe Rabbeinu’s lineage. We began to discuss the concept of yichus and all of the students shared anecdotes and brief historical narratives.  Their young, sweet voices laced with pride, they spoke about grandparents and great-grandparents. One described a great-grandfather who kept Shabbos at the turn of the century despite myriad challenges. Another glowed with pride as she described a grandparent whose home was always open for guests. The stories of heroism and fortitude came thick and fast, connecting them to their past and informing their future. There was no self-loathing, no delusive commentary about failure that undermined their faith in a Torah-true existence c”v. With succinct statements, they described noble and elevated lives. The proverbial statues they erected, stood before us in resplendent attire.

Similarly, last week, in commemoration of the shloshim of HaRav Dovid Feinstein zt”l, two of our beloved juniors, Nechama Schwartz and Shani Brody, produced a video highlighting several MHS students whose families’ lives were intertwined with the Rosh Yeshiva zt”l. The same message was reiterated again and again; we had the good fortune to bask in the Rosh Yeshiva’s radiance.

Our beloved students don’t defame their glorious legacy- they speak with reverence about their roots. We have begun the interviewing/enrollment process for next year, building on the grand cohort of students who are definitely our finest ambassadors. One delightful 8th grader, eager to impress her love for Torah upon me, waxed eloquent stating, “I love learning Chumash, I enjoy learning about the Avos and Imahos. I learn so many lessons and apply them to my own life.” I was enchanted with a lovely bas Yisrael and with a chinuch that doesn’t routinely denounce, but rather celebrates its past and allows it to infuse its future with meaning. Kudos to our teachers and mechanchos who perpetuate the legacy of chinuch, which is ultimately, and quite literally, at the root of Chanukah.

MrS. FRIEDMAN-Stefansky - November 2020
PRINCIPAL, General studies

“Dignity,” explained a well-known philosopher and statesman, “is the ability to say no to one’s self.”

This fabulous feature distinguishes us from the animal, and enables us to rise in stature over our fellow humans. The ability to restrain both our needs and wants is a privilege. But it is also a challenge. As Westerners, we have been marinated in a culture of permissiveness — express, share, indulge, “just lay it all out” and above all, honor all feelings. We are encouraged to arrest judgement, to forgive uncouthness, and to contribute our spirit to the Celebration of Civil Liberties.

This landscape is difficult for adolescent development.

We want our students to be braver in sharing their truths. It is through their communications that they cultivate their individual identities. We want our school environment to be a safe place for expression. Open conversation between teachers and students strengthens our school community and fosters relationship-building. But we also want our students to know when to withhold because we want them to have dignity.

The beginning of this school year was marked by terrible political unrest. Polarized as a nation, the presidential elections provided a perfect platform for a chaotic exchange of thoughts and feelings. As leaders on the stage could not withhold their personal distastes for one another, restrain their emotional tumults, or show respect for us as the audience without deviating from the topic, we watched the aggrandizement of indignity. A colossal disappointment --- but as adults, we moved on. Youth, though, is more susceptible. While they admire the bravery of adults, and dream of cultivating more of their own strength, they cannot always distinguish between aggressive and assertive. We must help them learn that they can wield influence while retaining refinement.

At MHS, we are very proud of our Courtroom Law and Debate elective classes who explored whether the federal government handled Covid-19 effectively. Our student presenters were both cogent and respectful. Their presentations were logical, relevant, and well-reasoned. They demonstrated an ability to withhold personal feelings and deviating ideas. They expressed convictions but withheld attacks.

Shaping young girls into capable adults continues to be our priority. In our quest to build young women to have the confidence to speak up, let us also build young women to have the strength to hold back. While our world celebrates civil liberties, and encourages a parade of protests, let us remind our girls that not all expression is okay. The ability to discern when to still one’s inner voice, while retaining one’s inner core, is a lifelong mission for us as humans and, moreover, for us as Torah blessed Jews.

Especially during these very unfettered times, it sometimes feels too prim to tweak their tone — but who doesn’t want their daughter to be described as dignified and poised?

Warm wishes for a beautiful and freilichen Chanukah, and uplifting family time.

MRS. YANOFSKY - Limudei Kodesh Digest 2020
School principal, menaheles

Dear MHS Family,
As we stand poised on the threshold of a New Year, we can evaluate and appreciate the spiritual growth our students have achieved. This is an opportune time to express our appreciation to our rabbonim and teachers for the invaluable knowledge, insight and direction they have provided throughout the past year. May they and their families merit  good health, אריכות ימים, and success in all of their endeavors. On a personal note, as I reflect on the myriad kindnesses Hashem has performed for me, I cannot help but marvel at the excellence of my faculty and colleagues whose lessons are saturated with יראת שמים, as well as the superior quality of my students, who are always eager to scale new heights. The relationship between teachers and students is syne qua non in the chinuch process and one which we carefully cultivate at MHS.
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The pages of this Limudei Kodesh digest are replete with both formal limudei kodesh experiential learning of the year תש”פ that we did not yet have the opportunity to share, as well as good times shared with loving moros and dedicated rebbeim who were willing to reach out across the divides of time and space, transforming digital learning into a platform of inspiration, love and bonding.​

MrS. FRIEDMAN-Stefansky - MHS Chronicles of Covid-19
PRINCIPAL, General studies

It is Monday, September 21st, 2020, just days before Yom Kippur, and we are taking a final look at this publication before sending it off to print.

Editing a journal is typically an intellectual process; we look at protocols for grammar, layout and content. Editing this journal, though, has been much more of an emotional experience. The pages in your hands hold the raw feelings of our students and teachers as they experienced the initial stage of the pandemic, and feelings don’t follow a process or protocols. Rereading the submissions — we are awed by the strength and spirit shared by our students and teachers over this challenging period. The art and writing reflect both personal vulnerability and precious insights.

Forced to close the doors to our schoolhouse on March 6th, we watched our students and teachers open their hearts in a magnanimous way. With humor and sensitivity, collaboration and creativity, we persisted in satisfying our learning goals and we completed the semester with great success and true honor. With empathy and compassion, we nurtured one another through illness and loss and we emerged from the school year as kinder and more capable.

The MHS Chronicles of Covid-19 is a tribute to our students and teachers who accessed energies they did not know they possessed and poured those energies into our school community for the purpose of nurturing each of us. The art and writing in this journal resonate with the vibrancy of life, and reminds us of the power we each possess for the betterment of our personal world. We are each capable of putting a smile in the heart of another and to lighten the darkness. As we prepare for Yom Kippur and reflect on the past year, we humbly ask Hashem to pour His generosity over each of us, and may we merit being inscribed in the Chronicles of Life.
With overwhelming appreciation to our selfless teachers, supportive parents and exceptional students, Gmar Chasima Tova,

MRS. YANOFSKY - April 2020
School principal, menaheles

The current situation has no precedent in post war America. In New York, the state with the worst outbreak in the nation, officials have expanded hospital capacity in unconventional ways. The pandemic that has ground much of the US economy to a standstill, continues to produce whipsaw market moves. To meet the dislocation the pandemic has unleashed on the economy, the Fed has mobilized the central bank to move faster and further than ever before.

Thousands of workers have been furloughed. Most searingly, the Jewish nation finds itself in the inexorable grip of terror and pain. Each and every fatality leaves a gaping, ulcerated wound that inflicts global Jewish suffering. Mosdos haTorah v’hatefilah are shuttered. But better days will come. And then we will look back at this painful epoch in the annals of our history with renewed perspective and a richer appreciation of our fortitude b’eis tzarah . Many have come forth in kind and creative ways. I take particular pride in our students, even those sequestered solely for precautionary measures, who encountered novel challenges that required new, and not very intuitive, skills and behaviors. Self discipline and work ethic took on a new dimension as zoom became the principal learning platform. Adherence to proper tefilah decorum bore eloquent testimony to their steadfast commitment to avodas Hashem. Nightly, our impressive freshmen gathered on zoom with their teacher to complete Sefer Tehillim. Surely their pure voices pierced the heavens, averting further casualties and protecting their loved ones. But perhaps the greatest challenge, as well as the greatest opportunity, that presented itself during this trying time, was the interpersonal dimension. Oftentimes, when we are presented with an overwhelming challenge we demur due to a lack of confidence in our abilities. Paradoxically, during a difficult time, we are invested with the power to tap into latent strengths which lie beyond our wildest dreams. The Gemara comments on the marked similarities between an olive tree and the Jewish nation. Both yield their bounty when squeezed and pummeled. During the blackest times, Jewish beauty is revealed and illuminated.

​It is not easy for a teenager to have her life turned upside down. We all recall the carefree, halcyon days of our teenage years. We were never forced to encounter the dire predictions of 245,000 deaths over the course of two weeks nor the lexicon of ‘flattening the curve.’ Our students were presented with a unique mission statement and rose to the occasion with distinction. Messages of optimism and good cheer arrived in the form of mishmeres updates, GO videos and impromptu zoom parties. Chessed was touted as a wonderful alternative to focusing on a somber reality. Help your mother, bake a cake, recite a perek in Tehillim for the sick, call an elderly grandparent, and other constructive opportunities were encouraged. Truly, the infrastructure and moral instruction of a Jewish education proved to be compelling and effective. Teachers emerged as outstanding role models of dignity and devotion, despite myriad personal challenges that they confronted in their own homes.

Characteristically, they volunteered to conduct alumni classes to grateful audiences of alumni students who were the fortunate recipients of a novel zoom reality. The cloud of uncertainty, the pall that grips our people, will surely, be’esras Hashem, be lifted. Yet, while this continues to be a painful reality one thing is certain, our students will emerge with lifelong arsenal.

This Wednesday we conducted our Jewish book club via zoom, discussing the glorious life of Rav Yaakov Edelstein. Mothers, daughters, and alumnae came together with Mrs. Klugmann, Mrs. Koenig, and me, to explore the life of Rabbi Edelstein. What became apparent was that while the Rav was an erudite scholar who plumbed the depths of Torah, that which our students found most noteworthy was the grandeur of his spirit and his delight in and love for his brethren. Undoubtedly, at this time it is our holy task and mission to engage in creative ways to make life navigable for those around us. We must radiate bitachon and exude positivity. In a recent zoom assemblage I shared with my students that we are all leaders, whose impact will indelibly be etched on the minds and hearts of our family members and friends. It is this type of optimistic leadership with which Miriam Haneviah led the women in Mitzrayim to Geulah; perhaps, as women, we can do it again.

Stay healthy and well. Chag Kasher V’sameach.

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - April 2020
PRINCIPAL, General studies

Teachers have been asking us about assessment measures. What will our metric be? How will we communicate our new standards to our students, and are these standards in fact implementable? Some schools will be grading this semester with Pass/Fail grades. Others are switching to letter grades. I guess those could all work, but how do we incorporate the letter grade into a GPA whose algorithm is numerical, and how will we transition back when this is all over?. Teenagers especially crave clarity and in our social contract, we owe them that transparency. How do we — is it reasonable to carry on as usual when we are grappling with chaos?

Assessment measures. Academic integrity. Standards and accountability.

I repeat the phrases in my mind —- once familiar powerful focused words —- as I scribble my new brainstorms on the back of the Kleenex box attempting to build a new rubric for our school. But my eyes are pulled back to the streets below. Through my living room windows, Second Avenue and Sixty-Sixth Street is empty, empty as far as my eyes could follow. I am now brought back to my beloved grandmother A”h, an Auschwitz survivor, a sole survivor to her family. I would study her face as she would stare nostalgically through her living room windows, and listen to her share with me this and that about her childhood, life in her beloved Alter Heim.

I stare at the quiet streets ahead and search. I miss our schoolhouse, I miss the girls’ morning smiles and histrionics, I miss their stories and excuses, I miss their singing and dancing, I miss their organized advocacy and acts of kindness. I miss their questions and their idealism. And most of all, I really miss their delightful spirit. I want my beloved Alter Heim back so badly.

Assessment measures.

At our closing assembly, I reminded our girls of how the Torah assesses Avraham Avinu at the outset of his nisyonos. The Mishnah tells us “Avraham was tested with ten trials and he withstood all of them to show the degree of our forefather Abraham’s love for Hashem.“ (5:4) The Meforshim point out that the posture in “withstood” is one of standing, walking, moving —- ahead. A posture antithetical to paralysis, “standing” expresses faith in Hashem’s routine, faith in Hashem’s mercy, and faith in our own capacity which Hashem has invested in each of us.
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Yes, we will be”H share our new assessment rubric, built new to complement our current school, and we will share that metric with our students because they want to continue walking ahead, and we want to strengthen their continue-walking ahead mindset. As educators, we know that in its ideal form, assessment measures are not an end. Assessment measures should drive instruction. Our students must continue to see how much capacity they each hold for themselves, how much capacity Hashem has invested in them. As they continue to actualize those internal strengths, they will be”H emerge with reinforced faith and spirit.
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The routine our teachers have upheld, their generosity and creativity, is simply breathtaking. They model for our girls the foundation of our faith which nurtures our lives. We walk ahead in our routine because we believe in Hashem’s Greatness and in the faith He has in our capacity.

May Hashem protect all of us. Chag sameach.

MRS. YANOFSKY - January 2020
School principal, menaheles

On January 1st, 92,000 Jews gathered in MetLife Stadium to celebrate the completion of the seven-and-a-half-year Daf Yomi cycle of Talmud study. Manhattan High School students were among that august assemblage of Jews.

Our students all know that Jews are commanded to study Torah day and night and that Daf Yomi concentrates that study in a formalistic way. They recognize that contained in the Talmud are legal and ethical imperatives. Those that are more informed are aware that there are underlying principles. They came that day to celebrate all of these ideas, with pomp, splendor, and the excitement of berov am hadras melech. That frigid, blustery January day, they felt the energy of belonging to a grand vision and communal reality - the Torah Community. During the Siyum Hashas, they were further enlightened by inspiring ideas and vignettes that animated the event. Our students heard first hand about the commitment to learning 2711 folios of the Babylonian Talmud. They observed videos of men sitting in an intimate group learning Torah during the wee hours of the morning. As young women, they were immeasurably moved by the unflagging support provided by devoted and idealistic wives, a phenomenon extolled by venerable Roshei Yeshiva. They were exposed to a different type of learning commitment, one which can triumph over formidable challenges. Rabbi Farhi highlighted the experience of a Brooklyn man, suffering from advanced ALS, who manages to study with the help of a computer that responds to his eye movements. 

They connected with the idea touched upon by Rabbi Frand, of the transformative, supernatural power of Torah on the Jewish soul, not just through abiding by its Commandments, but by actively studying them. They heard about laymen, not elite Torah scholars, who study in two ancient languages, Hebrew and Aramaic, in order to master the ever-proliferating commentaries of the Talmud and its very diverse subject matter.

But there was something else at play that transcended all of the aforementioned lessons. Several days before, our students had been exposed to the excitement and drama of the annual State of the Union Address, punctuated by made-for-TV moments. They watched President Trump present a school-age girl with a scholarship, a surprise appearance by a service member returning from his overseas deployment, and the appearance of Rush Limbaugh, who was awarded the Medal of Freedom by the First Lady. They observed an enthusiastic audience of Republicans cheering the President on as he touted the blue-collar boom and trumpeted the economic effects of his trade agreements. Each of these moments met with sustained applause. 

Nothing can compare, though, to the deeply personal pride and exuberance, which I witnessed on our girls’ faces, as they basked in the glow of the Siyum Hashas. Those students who elected to come on January 1st, an MHS day traditionally devoted to home-study and relaxation, were treated to a seldom experienced phenomenon. They were treated to a day of pageantry and grandeur of spirit. The excitement of celebrating our very own raison detre - Limud haTorah. MetLife Stadium, home of the Jets and the Giants was transformed. On the stadium’s video crawl, instead of statistics about touchdowns, there were statistics about Talmud, such as how many times a particular sage is mentioned. In between speeches, the jumbotrons showed inspirational montages, such as Heros of the Daf. There was an atmosphere of festivity and pride. The sheer number of Jews streaming into the arena was simply awesome. The hadran, intoned by none other than our own Mara D’asra, Rav Shmuel Kaminetzky, Shlita, was followed by spirited dancing. Our students, completely in sync with the exhilaration of the moment, were also dancing in place, uplifted and rapturous. I will never forget that moment, when I observed them in their pure and natural state, bnos yisrael who reveled in the communal Torah experience of Klal Yisrael. This is who they are. Other details of their lives are simply commentary. At the conclusion of the program, as the voices of tens of thousands arose in one of the most breathtaking, contemporary public sanctifications of G-d’s name, our students screamed in unison, yehei shmei raba.
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We managed to brave the cold, and in return were privileged to experience pure joy and true festivity. As parents and educators, it behooves us to avail ourselves and our families of future venues where our children can experience their own sustained applause for limud Torah and its causes. The joyous faces of my students who were present at that grand event will be emblazoned in my mind and on my heart for eternity. I am grateful for the thoughts, reactions and appreciation which they expressed, and I am proud to share some of their words with you in this space.

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - January 2020
PRINCIPAL, General studies

Here at MHS, we have Baruch Hashem completed a robust season of interviewing incoming ninth graders. There is so much to be grateful for and at the same time, there are so many difficult feelings. We have met so many delightful girls but we could not accept them all. On the senior grade front, we have mentored our students through their seminary and college applications processes, and we believe that each one of the girls holds so much talent and strength. But we know that the seminaries cannot accept all of them. The same holds true for the summer programs and their limited space. And it is a similar story with Honors Society; every student deserves an accolade for strides she has taken, both visible and even invisible to us, and yet we cannot admit them all.

Rejection stings. Both for the rejecter and the rejected, feelings of inadequacy threaten to hijack.

From the first cry of life on the birthing table, you peered deep into your daughter’s eyes and told her that she is the most precious child ever born to this earth, you cooed this message to her throughout her infancy, and reinforced it throughout her childhood until she cultivated the belief that she indeed is distinct—a cut above—worthy of your endless love and the love of others.  Our girls, though, were also introduced to an onslaught of other external messages about which brands and institutions are “worthy” and worth aspiring towards. This goal-oriented mindset, when it is grounded in integrity and nurtured with a healthy balance, is a good thing.  But when students see their acceptance or rejection as a rating of their self-worth, we are left to confront how we can better condition their internal voices in advance of their next big pursuit.

We want so badly to give our students the tools they will need to thrive when they will be independent of us, and they need our help. Because we often view the successes and rejections of our children as our own, we would be wise to model healthier reactions to rejection. When we model devastation, we are in essence communicating to our children that either they have failed us, depreciated in their self-worth, or that they are victim to conspiratorial powers out to get them.

To help strengthen our girls, let’s strengthen our own inner selves. Let’s reflect on the intrinsic worthiness we each hold irrespective of some external powers. Let’s also neutralize the powers we fuel in our conversations at home because really and truly no human being or institution is that great or deserves that much of our grip.
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The message you cooed to your baby daughter was healthy and wholesome because the language of love is spiritual, untainted by human biases. Let us bring back those message to our teenage daughters and also to ourselves. While it is valuable to set high standards, we must stop and reevaluate the metric. Let’s remind each of our girls that her worth surpasses any physical currency because she was created in His image and aspires to live by His truths. Our girls are most worthy despite the admit decision they receive. Not the acceptance or the rejection, by itself, is a reliable message about self-worth.

MRS. YANOFSKY - November 2019
School principal, menaheles

We have officially launched our admissions process. I am forced to distill our educational vision in a few succinct sentences to eager prospective parents and their daughters. This gives me cause for pause, as I reflect upon our educational mandate, our salient features, and upon our challenges as well. These reflections inevitably bring me to a deep appreciation of the educators who are at the core of your daughters’ education. While high caliber students are critical for enrollment and parents must be appropriately stewarded through the ​chinuch ​ experience, teachers are undoubtedly the school’s most valuable resource. As staffing is the bane of every principal’s existence, Mrs. Friedman-Stefansky and I are most grateful for an outstanding cohort of teachers.

Although we host a good number of esteemed guest speakers, it is the classroom that is the crucible that refines and perfects our students. Our teachers come to work every day with one overriding goal in mind: providing students with a great day of learning and discovery.

As a principal, I am privy to much of the behind the scenes, in the trenches activity. Recently, our ninth graders had their first Shabbaton. Watching mechanchos such as Mrs. E. Cohen run a shabbaton seamlessly is an exercise in observing what empowered, amazing teachers look like. Our students see teachers as adults who work indefatigably, as part of a team, to run the school. Watching teachers solicit ideas from each other and share responsibility is incredible powerful. I often have a fruitful discussion with a teacher which leads me to make very real decisions. Teachers provide thoughtful recommendations which are always carefully considered and often implemented.

In corporate America, how to give people feedback is one of the voguish topics of the day. Harvard Business Review devoted an entire issue (April 2019) to explaining why feedback often fails and how business leaders can offer effective feedback. The journal explored arguments for radical candor and unvarnished and pervasive transparency.

“Financial leaders must look their colleagues squarely in the eye or the company may be condemned to mediocrity.” Truthfully, we excel only when people who know us and care about us tell us what they feel and in particular when they see something within us that really works. Our teachers are those caring individuals who can identify seeds of greatness. I often note to our students that they will never again in their lives experience this cocoon and the caring devotion of a cadre of talented and brilliant educators who care deeply for their welfare.
Perhaps some of the most impactful experiences beyond the classroom instruction are the one-on-one formal and impromptu exchanges that teachers and students have in the hallway, in the library, in every nook and cranny of our sprawling campus. School is a “safe space” for many of our students, where they can share challenges and be vulnerable with a teacher who will engage them in a confidential and non-judgemental discussion.

What is supremely impressive about our teachers is that, seasoned as they are, they are always eager to be exposed to new ideas and approaches in education. Recently, we invited Larry Thompson, author of ​Roadmap to Responsibility​ and ​Give ‘Em Five​ , and a frequent keynote presenter at state and national education conferences, to address the MHS faculty at a professional workshop development day. Our educators embraced his exciting new initiatives, which centered on effective communication to achieve classroom control and student cooperation.
We have ushered in the new month of Kislev, heralding the ​Chag​ of Chanukah, which etymologically is connected to the concept of ​Chinuch​. How appropriate to dwell on the partnership between parents and teachers at this time. It is parents who give both credibility and affirmation to the messages of the school by articulating support for school policies and by expressing their admiration and support for those idealistic and talented individuals who have devoted their lives to teaching their children.

(Deliberately, this article does not focus on the Torah hashkafa, halacha, Jewish philosophy and ideology that our teachers provide. We can never repay individuals for giving our children the most precious commodity they have. That is perhaps scope for another article at a different time.)

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - November 2019
PRINCIPAL, General studies

I look longingly at the pile of tissue-marked books on my nightstand and wonder. Were all those books really that boring, is my schedule really that strapped, or am I really losing the ability to sustain focus. I suspect that I am not the only book starter. While lifestyles differ, we all struggle with overextended schedules and fractured focus. Still, we look longingly at our nightstands because unfinished books, particularly nonfiction, make us confront how little we know and how much we crave knowing. Since our early toddler days, we have come to know that reading makes us smarter.

Our students are also strapped for time. Fortunately, our English curriculum requires our students to read full works of literature, and building textual proficiency remains a primary academic goal in both our Judaic and General Studies. But we want our students to read even more. We want them to learn to integrate reading into their regular routines despite their busy schedules and because of their busy schedules. We want them to read across the content areas and see how the core disciplines are being shaped by contemporary thinkers. Essentially, we want them to learn how to learn independent of us.

Perspectives is the expanded literacy initiative we launched in September. We routinely integrate short essays of nonfiction into most of the core disciplines, and require our students to share their new thoughts in written and spoken form. Our students are learning to turn to contemporary short print to enrich their academic knowledge. While short accessible articles do not replace long dense books, the gains of routine reading trump the gains of I will read when I can find the time to start and finish that book. As is the case with cultivating any good habit, small but steady steps assure that the habit becomes a practice which in turn becomes a routine behavior.

I am very grateful to our Science teachers who are immersing our students into the world of contemporary scientific print.  Among the essays read over the term, the ninth graders in Biology read about dietary guidelines for red meat consumption and the controversies surrounding FDA policy; the tenth graders for Chemistry read about the Intelligent iKnife which tells surgeons if tissue is cancerous; the Genetics class read about Autism, the FAAH-OUT gene and Weldon’s critiques of Mendel, the Neuroscience class about Cognitive Neuro-engineering and an MRI of the brain in love, and the Forensics class have been reading about the JonBenet Ramsey case and the 4th Amendment.

We enjoyed Ada Braunstein’s presentation on November 20th. Editor of Oxford University Press, Ada Shared with us some of the qualities she looks for when she evaluates submissions. In contrast to novelist Amy Poepell who shared her experience crafting a full novel, Ada left us with a new appreciation also for the value of short quality prose, for the brilliance of succinctness, for the demands of the reader whose schedule is strapped.

The short essay, when it is engaging and comprehensive, makes all of us feel good about ourselves.  Particularly for our students who are grappling with daily commutes, a dual curriculum, college preparatory studies, and their need to honor family and nurture new friendships, the integration of short readings conditions them to be routine readers and to complete the tasks they start. While tissue-marked books beg for the presence of more snow days, integrating healthy reading habits inform our routine behaviors.  Yes, routine reading makes all of us feel smarter, and we want our girls to feel good about themselves.
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It has been a wonderful term of learning and fun. Kudos to our teachers who fill our schoolhouse with terrific energy and valuable ideas. Have a freilichen Chanukah and enjoyable family time!

MRS. YANOFSKY - June 2019
School principal, menaheles

One of my beloved seniors, Ayelet Wein, introduced her genealogy project with the following statement. “I am an heiress to a royal legacy. And while it is a source of great pride to be a great-granddaughter of the renowned, and indeed legendary Rav Shimon Schwab, it is a privilege which comes with overwhelming responsibility.”

With that stunning statement, she distilled all of my hopes and yearnings for our students as they painstakingly research their family genealogical roots. Our students are not anthropologists nor are they professional researchers. Although Ms. Gotlieb is the erudite historian and scholar, whose passion for the subject matter is quite infectious, our students have many scholastic commitments in addition to genealogy. Nonetheless, once they embark on this project, they become embroiled in the family drama of yesteryear and enmeshed in the process of extricating that information. This is due, perhaps, to the thrill of the elusive prey, but more so,  to the treasure trove of family lore that they invariably uncover. They unearth stories of spiritual heroism, optimism and steadfast commitment to halacha and Torah. In an era when boys were enamored of the national pastime - baseball, a magnet that drew them away from ritual weekend observance, and at a time when men came to Shabbos morning services and dashed off to work, Lele Book’s great grandfather, Max Hartman, opened a shul, Chevra Shomrei Shabbos, a veritable icon of Boro Park circa 1940. The minyan began later in the morning, forcing Jewish men to observe the Shabbos, often putting their jobs in jeopardy. Their choices reverberate throughout the generations. Lele’s grandfather’s determination helped change the landscape of Boro Park. What a compelling message to stumble across when researching one’s family history. Tenacity, strength, leadership - Lele’s legacy.

David Kestenbaum, Daniela’s paternal great, great grandfather was a wealthy furrier who could have led a charmed existence. Instead, he chose to heed the pleas for help from his brethren in Europe. He and his brother procured and financed over 800 affidavits for their “Jewish Cousins”, saving them from German inferno. Some of the refugees they helped rescue included, Rav Ahron Kotler zt”l and Rav Avraham Kalminovitz zt”l. Working creatively within constraints of American laws limiting immigration, David Kestenbaum overcame formidable obstacles and made the impossible happen. How powerful is the lesson of אהבת ישראל and מסירות נפש for one’s fellow Jew that Daniella absorbed when researching the project. Can we even predict how she will actualize this glorious legacy in her own lifetime?

The genealogy event is the culmination of a year-long research, at which time our students exhibit rare family heirlooms and artifacts and present their family narratives. But above all, it is a time when they distill stories of courage in the face of adversity, and stories of overwhelming commitment to Torah and Mitzvos. They preserve their families’ collective memories and encapsulate the flavor and essence of their ancestors, so that they are, in turn, inspired to heed the clarion call of Sinai.

As I gazed at the ardent faces of our graduates at the graduation, I was truly moved. The unredacted story of their chinuch, the sum total of their MHS experiences, conversations and lessons, had contributed to the articulate, poised and deeply commitment student body sitting before me. Their dignity and refinement spoke volumes of the qualitative chinuch my outstanding colleagues had provided in tandem with their wonderful homes. I mentioned to our graduates that women throughout the generations have painstakingly erected the grand  edifice of das yehudis, brick by brick, decision by decision. I implored them to make sure that the stories of spiritual fortitude that they related at the genealogy event were not in vain. It is in the Jewish homes that they will בע”ה build, that they will draw upon all of their resources, feminine intuition, intelligence, grace and dignity to create the ambiance of a bayit yehudi. It is in their homes that their chinuch will be actualized.
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Words cannot suffice to thank the outstanding rebbeim, teachers and mechanchos, who are devoted heart and soul to our students and who have provided throughout the year, a chinuch so rich and sophisticated, that it will impact generations to come.
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Thank you Ms. Gotlieb for an incredible experience that our students will savor for the rest of their lives.

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - June 2019
PRINCIPAL, General studies

Last week, our beloved seniors graduated. It is always a challenge to find an appropriate parting message. How do we reduce four years of education into a couple of words? As much as we are dedicated to cultivating our students’ academic excellence ---- giving them thinking, writing, speaking, and computing skills ---  graduation time makes us wonder about the deal breaker skill. Ultimately, what message do we want them to tuck into their backpacks ---- what do they really need to succeed?
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I shared with our graduates that as we just celebrated the Shavuos Chag and paid tribute to the life and legacy of Dovid Hamelech, it would be valuable to take a look at one of the qualities which endeared King David to us, to understand why the iconic Sefer Tehilim has been translated into every language and exists in every home across the globe.

The Gemara tells us that Shlomo Hamelech discovered his father’s passing and it was Shabbos. He approached the Zikeinim and asked about how he was permitted to handle his father’s body in light of Hilchos Shabbos.  Interestingly, the Gemara states that the Zikeinim instructed Shlomo, “Go home to your father’s dogs. They are hungry and they must be fed.” And we know that Shlomo Hamelech derived from these instructions, “Better a hungry dog than a dead corpse for all of life is good — all of life possesses intrinsic holiness.”  How befitting a message to reflect the life of Dovid Hamelech.

Dovid Hamelech’s life was full of suffering and struggle.  We see this throughout Sefer Tehilim. Yet in every Perek ---- he sings about the Glory and Praise of the One Above. In fact, Dovid Hamelech’s famous Hallelukah has survived the passage of centuries and transcended the barriers of language and culture. According to Rav Kook, Hallelukah and the incompleteness of Hashem’s name which was borne after Amelek attacked the Jews on their way out of Egypt,  acknowledges that we still praise Hashem in spite of the imperfection and injustice in this world.

Reduced to the most important skill, my  parting message to our graduates is that they be the first to share a good word, to look for the silver lining, to offer the benefit of the doubt, to resist the complaining, to withdraw from the group who is organizing how to expose all the injustices, and to recognize the goodness in their lives.

No one is interested in sour grapes. Go home and feed your dogs.

Earlier this month we hosted Women in the Workforce for our upperclassmen. Representing the various industries, our alumni spoke about their professional journeys and the challenges and joys of their work day. Poised and articulate and models of magnificent Bnos Yisroel, each of these fabulous young women inspired us.  Heartfelt thank you to Talya Landau (Social Work), Sara Rivka Margolis (Law School), Shaindee Hirsch  (Computer Science), Gabriella Englander (Medicine), Rachella Muller (Accounting), Livie Rebenwurzel (Speech Therapy), and Batya Feurst and Tzippy Sternbuch (Interior Design). We learned about the bureaucratic college experiences, the earning power, the short Erev Shabbos arrangements and the practical routine tasks, but what’s more, we were left to appreciate how their desire to feed us with their energy and passion. How remarkable it is for professionals with frenetic schedules to make time for us.

Thank you to our exceptional teachers for filling our students’ days with learning and growth and for helping them  believe that they can become our future Women of Valor. As the summer provides more opportunity for conversation time with your daughters, please let us encourage optimism as the greatest resource.

Let us remember to focus on feeding the hungry dog and engage with lively things as we celebrate life’s blessings. Optimism is so attractive ---- Hallelukah! Have an enjoyable summer break!

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MRS. YANOFSKY - April 2019
School principal, menaheles

Mrs. Yanofsky addressed the State Senate at The Agudas Israel Albany Mission on March, 6th. It is our pleasure to share her comments with the MHS Community.
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Good afternoon Madam Leader and other honored Senators.

I stand before you with some level of trepidation, not only because I am addressing so august an assemblage but also due to the gravitas of the subject matter. The substantial equivalency issue has far reaching ramifications for my community and for the state at large. I left my students today because I believe deeply in a qualitative education.
It is a challenge to distill an educational genre in a short amount of time, but I would like to share some of the features and accomplishments of my school and other private Jewish schools whose educational system includes a dual curriculum, effectively maintaining a balance between Judaic and General Study’s programs. Although MHS is a premier, high caliber Orthodox Jewish HS with the distinction of NYSAIS accreditation, that which I hope to share with you today is relevant and applicable to the broader population of Jewish educational systems.
I would like to focus for a moment on the Judaic studies program which is integral to our curriculum. Our students tackle the original text written in the Holy Tongue. There are several pedagogical skills imparted. Students learn to read the text with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension, they also engage in dialogue to increase oral comprehension and glean deeper meaning. They describe biblical characters and determine the meaning and etymology of known and unknown words, a skill that gives them an edge and a unique language facility. With the study of scriptures and Talmud they become an engaged community of sophisticated thinkers. By studying Jewish law and implementing its practices, our students gain self-mastery and discipline. At MHS we are committed to developing within our students three pillars of competency-spiritual, intellectual and social-to condition future success. Spiritually, we strive to instill an adherence to Jewish law, to cultivate within our students a pride in their heritage and to empower our young women. Our Judaic programs promote civic responsibility and introspection for character development. Intellectually, we emphasize textual comprehension accompanied by critical analysis. We are dedicated to honing proficiency in oral, written, technological and artistic expressions. Our academic programs link content learning to life application. Our general studies program in consonance with NYSAIS accreditation standards allows us to seek depth over breadth, mold the creative mind and other college readiness. Socially, we foster self-respect and respect of other points of view.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of our programs and features.

MHS offers a biomedical research internship at Weil Cornell, a private internship mentored by one of our teachers. The internship allows students to design and perform experiments used in academic biomedical research. Many students avail themselves of this wonderful opportunity.
Our students compete in highly competitive math competitions, where they are often finalists, such as the Yale Competition and the AMC.

We have created a unique ambience of intellectual excitement and warmth so that our alumnae yearn to return and reconnect with their alma mater. To this end, we provide alumnae classes on Sundays taught by our very own instructors.

We have forged a close connection with an international sister school in Byelorussia. A group of our students travel annually to Pinsk on their mid-winter break, forgoing warmer climes to connect and interact with underprivileged children. With this endeavor, they hone their interpersonal skills and become empathetic young women, preparing them for future societal roles.

Our students study American Sign Language and Mandarin Chinese, promoting language facility and diversity.

We have zero incidences of drugs and violence. In over 2 decades, we have never required police involvement or intervention. Our students model civic responsibility and empathy in programs such as peer tutoring. We encourage our students to engage in acts of loving kindness. Our students regularly visit cancer patients and raise approximately $50,000 annually for charity. These activities are the norm in all Orthodox Jewish Schools.
All of our alumnae go on to higher education after graduation. Many of our students are in Honors Programs at high level and prestigious universities as well as Alumnae who are pursuing fulfilling and successful careers.

I am in a unique position both as a school principal and a mother of 8 children (balancing the two can sometimes be quite a feat). I have 6 sons who have studied Talmud extensively and who have honed their analytical skills. As beneficiaries of a dual curriculum, they also take regent exams and score very well without any interference or mandate from the state as to how much time and emphasis they must invest. They are articulate, intelligent and knowledgeable young men and boys who can analyze and decipher scholarly documents. They are not an anomaly-they have many peers who can do the same. They attribute their razor sharp analysis to Talmudic disputation. Accustomed to scrutinizing and reconciling conflicting viewpoints, they are able to cogently explicate complex concepts.
As head of a private school, I am extremely dismayed by this unprecedented and unnecessary regulatory control of education. Heretofore, educational content was never embedded in NYS law. If this materializes, as head of a private school, I will be subordinate to the Board of Ed. My curriculum will be anchored to core standards. I find this very troubling. The supposition that we are all using the state scope and sequence with different instructional strategies is simply inaccurate. I, as well as my colleagues in other Jewish Schools have created a unique curriculum that reflects our mission, one which has effectively educated our students properly for decades. In collaboration with our leaders, we continue to upgrade our curriculum with careful deliberation. The methods that the commissioner would like to use will be broad, obtrusive and highly subjective. The discretion to compel our schools to comply will exhaust hundreds of hours of misplaced energy. Some of our educational directives may not be in perfect concert with the commissioners standards. If we align ourselves we would lose that which makes us distinctive and be forced to compromise or lower our standards and would stand in the way of our stellar accomplishments. Our schools have produced excellent, capable and productive citizens. Our students school very well on both regents, SAT and AP exams. Over the past year, my students accrued over one million dollars in academic based scholarship. Post education, they become players in the worlds of finance, law and medicine. They contribute qualitatively to societal needs.

There was no crisis to justify these sweeping actions. We see this as an existential threat to independent school education, a hallowed tradition and hallmark of democracy and educational creativity. Ladies and gentlemen, I encourage all of you to fearlessly advocate for that which is just and true and to champion a cause for democracy.

The Jewish nation will soon celebrate the upcoming Holiday of Purim, whose heroine is Queen Esther. When she hesitates to go before her sire, King Achashverosh to plead for her people, her uncle intones the fateful words-who knows if this is not the very reason you ascended the throne. Those words reverberate throughout the generations to this very day.

Madam Leader and other honored Senators and government officials, you were invested with power to make important determinations that will impact generations to come. NY State is at the forefront of national education. All eyes are trained on you. Other states may likely follow suit. There is a Jewish blessing which I humbly offer you: “All those who serve the community with integrity, may G-d repay them for your efforts”.
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Thank you for listening.

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MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - April 2019
PRINCIPAL, General studies

Elective Planning at MHS is one of the highlights of our school year. I have the privilege of meeting with each of the Sophomores and Juniors to plan the courses she will take during the forthcoming school year and it is terrifically energizing for both of us. At this point in their learning, our girls have cultivated a palette for which subjects and skills make their minds smile and which just “don’t do it for them.” I love knowing that they don’t love all subjects equally — they need distinct passion to fuel their brave journey ahead. Nothing great is achieved in apathy.  It is thrilling to chat with them about their personal and professional dreams, and how they plan on shaping our world’s existing industries. Although humanity has always sought to advance and develop; the current times are exploding with the kind of mind-blowing innovations we have not seen in decades. Knowing that our students will contribute to this greatness is invigorating.

The elective choices we are offering for 2019-20 are vibrant and variated, including Advanced Biology and Chemistry, Neuroscience, Forensic Science and Genetics; App Design, Cybersecurity and The Coding Bootcamp; Calculus, Statistics and Stock Market Trading; Criminology and Litigation, Business Psychology and Chess; Interior Design, Fashion Design, Modern Art, Studio Art, Street Photography, Sculpture, Creative Writing, Journalism, advanced Mandarin, Advanced ASL, Piano Instrumentation,  and Culture and Music.

I am particularly proud of our newly developed Computer Science curriculum and of the new courses our students have elected to take for the forthcoming school year:
The 9th and 10th grade students are learning the basics of programming through a creative coding library called p5.js. The goal of the class is for students to begin to develop computational thinking skills and the grit to solve complex problems. The Cybersecurity class is focused on building an understanding of networks and security on the web. Students are learning to protect themselves and their data online. They’re also developing an understanding of the cyber security field and the challenges faced by professionals in the field. The Ninth and Tenth graders have acquired new skills. They have learned to create and manipulate graphics on the web using variables and conditional logic. They understand the relationship between programming syntax and semantics and can use their understanding of Javascript syntax and online documentation to write and debug their code.

Our girls require a new mindset as we prepare them to contribute to the developing industries. In computer programming, they are learning to apply computational logic to solving complex problems. They are required to persist at a task and focus on details. Independent of the teacher, they must learn to calmly work through bugs in their code so that they are communicating clear and efficient instructions. These behaviors will contribute to their success in any domain. Technology has a growing presence in our day to day lives. Algorithms determine the content we consume and shape our choices in increasingly powerful ways. Our girls are learning to think in this new language. Who knows which of our girls will be the creators of the next Google type movement?

Whether they are electing to strengthen their love and interest in science and medicine, finance and strategy, psychology and communication, computer science and advanced mathematics or fine art and design, our Manhattan High School girls are gaining the skills they need to advance our world and the quality of all of our lives as we  B”H continue to live and build our lives.
Can we ever fully recognize our teachers?

Warm wishes for a beautiful Chag with lots of enjoyable family time.

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MRS. YANOFSKY - January 2019
School principal, menaheles

There is a palpable electricity in the air. Second semester has arrived and our ninth and tenth graders - who are new to production - are filled with excited anticipation and a sense of mystery. The eleventh and twelfth graders are brimming with reminiscences of erstwhile fun and high spirits, which fuel their enthusiasm as yet another magical evening approaches.

As a principal, I am gratified to observe our students seriously engaged in this gloriously creative endeavor. Production is surely a platform for showcasing our student’s talents. As parents and teachers, we glow with pride and satisfaction as we observe our students honing their unique aptitudes and developing leadership skills in a nurturing environment. This is an arena, outside of the classroom, where many a student can shine. At MHS, we embrace that unique opportunity. Our students manifest versatility as they gracefully navigate their classroom responsibilities and production practice. Our production heads are excellent facilitators whose positive energy just makes things happen. The rehearsals combine elements of fun, sheer spiritedness, and effective practice. A tall order, but one which the talented and disciplined students of MHS embrace with finesse.

Our production has an added dimension of subliminal messages that only drama, song and dance can impart; messages that burrow deep into the soul of our students, where they nestle for many years to come.

Perhaps if we would visit the small fishing village of Tamsui, China, we would see fishing boats chugging by, birds dive-bombing for their breakfast and  quaint little bamboo frame houses, indigenous to Taiwan. They are all echoes of a time gone by, carefully preserved, lending the town its ineffable feeling of being lost in time. Such is the backdrop of a story of singular hashgacha, a tale of an abandoned baby spotted at the railroad station by Professor Schwartzbaum, a childless visiting professor on a Fulbright Scholarship to the Republic of China.  Today, that foundling is Mrs. Devorah Goldstein, proud mother and grandmother of a beautiful family of bnei Torah, children and grandchildren, all of whom follow the dictates of the Torah. Enroute, on that incredible odyssey, her parents became shomrei Torah Umitzvos, had children of their own, and enlightened many of their estranged brethren.

There are many important lessons embedded in the story. One that resonates with many of our students is the joy and gratitude expressed by Devorah for being privileged to join Klal Yisrael. As Devorah, of her own volition, declared at her Bat Mitzvah, ‘It’s impossible to know what the future holds, but I would like to make a promise to my family: I will never forget who I am - a Jew -, a chelek of Klal Yisrael, a part of the Jewish people.’ We echo that sentiment.

As I behold our students perfecting their respective choirs, ensembles, or drama scenes, I recall a particular passage in the book. Professor Schwartzbaum notes that the Arts or Humanities stress the relativeness of human endeavor. Societies serve as the arbiters of what is good and beautiful . There are no eternal standards, only emergent criteria. Secular society has no place for an omnipresent Creator whose transcendent, unvarying wisdom guides man. Great art and literature is seen as a product of individual genius. Genius, however, has its origins in G-d’s gift to the artist.  This is powerfully underscored in one of our upcoming parshiyos, Parshas Ki Sisa, where the Torah introduces the chief artisan of the Mishkan by proclaiming that he is Divinely gifted:

ראה קראתי בשם בצלאל... ואמלא אתו רוח אלקים בחכמה ובתבונה ובדעת ובכל מלאכה

We must thank Hashem for students possessed of knowledge and understanding, talents that can be showcased, and the camaraderie and vitality that serve as the framework for their high school experience.

Thank you Mrs. Chayala Neuhaus, director and producer, and Miss Frumi Besser, your capable assistant. Yours is the labor of genius and love. We applaud you and more importantly, love and appreciate your true talent, namely, bringing out the best in our students. Thank you as well to our production heads, Dina Kalman, Rivka Lax, Sharon Dahan, Essie Abittan, and Chedvah Levine. Your talents and impressive leadership brings pride and pleasure to a principal’s heart. Your enormous efforts on behalf of the school are greatly appreciated.

We look forward to greeting all of you proud mothers, grandmothers, sisters and friends of our beloved students at MHS at our annual production, Monday, February 18 at 7:00 in the evening.

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MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - JANUARY 2019
PRINCIPAL, General studies

“I won’t be afraid of failure,” “I will be more grateful for each of my life’s blessings,” “I will try to use a less judgmental mindset” and “I will create a more respectful classroom environment” are just some of the many abounding “New Year’s resolutions.” As a routinized species, we crave the control that the ordered calendar provides, and the January start provides us with an all-time high. It feels great to be ahead of the calendar — to sift through the coming months and pencil in reminders and commitments.  But why then do so many “New Year’s resolutions” go unrealized? What is absent in the goal setting?
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At this year’s Professional Development Day, we explored Goal Setting. Reflecting on the goals we had each charted in September, on our successes and failures, we reinforced for ourselves that to create an efficacious goal-setting experience, we must be able to describe in concrete language the specific outcomes that, if achieved, will cause us to agree that our goal has also been achieved. In other words, how do we measure whether we achieved “creating a more respectful classroom environment”? Is the connection between the “more respectful classroom environment” and what we must do to achieve this classroom environment apparent in our goal? (Mager, Goal Analysis)

Implicit to goal-setting is the importance of implementing a sustainable routine. “We are what we repeatedly do,” advised the philosopher Will Durant. “Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” How true it is that we thrive when we feel in routine control of our commitments. I am proud of our General Studies faculty who have each introduced a new classroom routine to match their new classroom goal.  I suggested to our teachers that we address goal setting in our classrooms during the first week back from Winter break and I ask you, dear parents, to extend the dialogue at home. Let us help our girls take some ownership over their growth. Whether the commitments are to interpersonal, spiritual, academic or organizational development, if there is a simple routine in place, we will share in the mutual joy as we reflect back end of June. Let us encourage our girls to resist too much judgement of themselves; staying committed to the process itself is a terrific goal and learning to set manageable routines is a lifetime asset.

I am humbled by our teachers and their commitment to the success of our learning environments. Kudos to them for a semester of dedication and achievement! Welcome back!

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MRS. YANOFSKY - December 2018
School principal, menaheles

Among the many pleasures that I indulge in at MHS are the stimulating conversations that I have with my beloved colleagues and friends, as we thresh out pedagogical issues and ideas. While engaging in one such dialogue, Rebbetzin Neuburger shared the following thought with me in concert with Chanukah: Two of the miracles that are associated with the neis Chanukah are different expressions of the same brachah. Both the tiny pure cruse of oil, and the small ragtag army, were small, inadequate units which ultimately exceeded their potential in the actualization of the miracles. Etymologically, Chanukah is derived from a lashon of chinuch, a special brand of education that includes the transmission of our Holy Torah and a way of life. In chinuch, as in the miracles of Chanukah, the final product is far greater than the sum total of the aptitudes and capabilities of our students.
As we get swept up in the cycle of the school year, we are often too busy and preoccupied with the urgency of matters at hand. We must deliberately take the time to reflect and to analyze.

At this time, we are knee-deep in the seminary process. Selecting an appropriate seminary is a daunting task. Our students are furnishing personal statements and reference letters, and preparing for interviews, all crucial components in the application process. They are eager to craft statements that are polished, concise and articulate. They wish to come across as poised, intelligent, well informed, and possessed of an impressive work ethic. All of these formidable tasks require thoughtful deliberation. And then somewhere in this clinical process, something breathtaking happens. They discover how much they have grown. In plotting the graph and analyzing the flow chart of the past four years, they acknowledge that they have far exceeded their own expectations. They have acquired new skills and accessed latent talents. Invariably, they bask in the glow of their myriad accomplishments. Above all, they marvel that the shy, perhaps even awkward, tentative freshman has morphed into an accomplished, refined, indeed elegant young woman.

There are many factors that contribute to this phenomenon. One that I would like to highlight is directly related to a question they often encounter in the interview, namely, who were some of the decisive influences in your development? Girls often report that this is a watershed moment in their lives. Along with their beloved parents, they acknowledge that special teacher, mentor or guide who has played a crucial role in molding their identity and personality. The realization dawns on them that this teacher has helped them develop spiritual strengths, skills, and abilities; even inclinations, sensitivities, attitudes, and relationships. He or she has taught them how to come close to Hashem through Avodah and tefillah; how to connect to their immediate environs, to their collective and national identity, to their past and future, and to the world at large. This is the magnificent edifice of chinuch. Of course teachers do this in tandem with parents. Parents represent moral, spiritual and religious values. They are the voice of authority. Moreover, they enjoy a relationship of “ונפשו קשורה בנפשו”, “his soul is bound up with his soul” (בראשית מ”ד). Overall, parenting and teaching are a tall order but they generate some of the most beautiful days of our lives. The joy and nachas we experience are among G-d’s greatest gifts to mankind.

Thank you Mrs. Koenig for facilitating the seminary process with such wisdom and devotion, Mrs. Rottenberg for your incredible technical support, Rebbetzin Fink for the autobiographical process, and to teachers who took part in the interview workshop. Thank you esteemed faculty for honing our students textual and analytical skills, for helping to shape their personalities and identities, and above all, for teaching them that Toras Hashem informs every aspect of our lives.

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MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - december 2018
PRINCIPAL, General studies

It’s not what we say; it’s how we say it that really matters. But last Wednesday Manhattan High School for Girls reinforced that actually both matter.

As we gathered to celebrate our annual Poetry Power, over forty students shared their original poems. Shaped by the theme “Miracles,” in honor of Chanukah, it was refreshing to listen to the variety of perspectives on Miracles. It is always fun to broaden our worldview and invite new insights into our small orbits.

Poet Kate Angus, who served as Guest Judge, listened intently. In her quest to identify the best poem, she focused on the quality of the language, the quality of the delivery, and the quality of the message about miracles. For us it is was edifying to see that our girls recognize that every writing experience  grants us a precious privilege -- to enrich our own lives and the lives of our readers and listeners.  Poetry Power also reminded us that for writers, nothing is ever prosaic or static. We have the ability to capture elements in our routine lives with a fresh appreciation for the wonders of our world, of humanity and, yes, of our own evolving selves.
I was gratified when Poet Agnus selected “Try Again” as the winning choice.

it’s been a long day,
a long week,
a hard month,
a hard year,
and a thousand criticisms hit all your sore spots,
and one more mistake and one more refusal
is one more too much.
and so you fall in bed not knowing where you lie, really,
with her, with them, with Him,
with yourself.
but then you rise with the sun the next morning,
with three small words,
three little miracles, for you at least:
i’ll try again.
and when you do,
it isn’t really a miracle-
your strength was there all along.

Avigayil P. Deutch demonstrates that both what we say and how we say it matter. Her poem reflects a keen understanding of “Miracles.” Although Avigayil selects to write about a rather familiar experience, one of our deepest vulnerabilities, she leaves us feeling revitalized and empowered. Her tone is brave but unaffected --- the voice of authenticity. And she reminded all of us that as writers, we hold exceptional power.
I thank the General Studies faculty for kicking off our school year with focus and passion, and for inspiring our girls to aim higher and higher. Kudos to our outstanding ELA teachers, Dr. Trapedo and Ms. Drew! Enjoy the chag and the beautiful family time. ​

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MRS. YANOFSKY - JUNE 2018
School principal, menaheles

​Warren Buffet describes two perspectives from which potential investors may determine value.  Some will follow what he terms colloquially as Mr. Market, the daily headlines and media stories. Other, more discriminating investors look to find the intrinsic value within the company. In contemporary forecasts, Mr. Market runs dire headlines on the future of Torah Jewry, citing assimilation and a host of other societal ailments. Yet, at our graduation this past Sunday, as I looked around at the earnest faces of our beloved graduates, I saw the enormous growth potential intrinsic in the next generation. Every graduate has the capacity to directly impact her community. As proud as we are of their accomplishments in high school, the best is yet to come. As I mentioned to their parents, if I were investing in growth stocks, I would invest in each of our graduates. As an educator, I would like to suggest that as a team, parents and faculty, we join forces in impressing upon our daughters and talmidos the tremendous promise they hold for our nation.

This expression of confidence, which will empower them to succeed beyond their wildest dreams, dovetails with the teachings of the Alter of Slobodka, one of the pre-war luminaries whom I introduce to my 12th grade Mussar class. The cornerstone of his philosophy was the prominence of man and his potential for greatness. It is my hope that this message of גדלות האדם, and our genuine assessment of our daughters’ and students’ greatness and boundless potential, will reverberate throughout the corridors of their lives.

There is a complementary message that I conveyed at graduation, and which educators and parents may find helpful to incorporate in their chinuch methodology. It was crystallized for me in a book club which I have the pleasure of moderating together with my colleagues, Mrs. Klugmann and Mrs. Koenig. The last book that we discussed with our student club members was entitled Out of the Depths, a biography of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Israel. As recounted in the book, when Rabbi Lau and his brother Naftali Lau arrived at the shores of Yafo, two scions of a proud Rabbinic family, they were greeted by many factions vying for the youth - among them HaShomer HaTzair and other irreligious  groups. It was only the blessed memory of their father which dictated their choice. The image of nine-year-old Yisrael Meir proudly embracing the flag emblazoned with the name “Youth of Agudath Israel of Buchenwald” is captured on camera for posterity. Let us not forget the power of orientation and association. Our relationships with Gedolei Yisrael, the family lore of grandparents and great grandparents, and association with the schools our children attend, will help shape the future decisions that they make. We want them to carry the banner of their heritage with pride and responsibility, building on their rich legacy of spiritual heroism.

As they leave the hallowed halls of our school for summer break fortified with endless lessons and conversations, it is my hope that they go forth focused on their potential for greatness and carrying the banner of Manhattan High School, מכון יעקב לבנות.

Thank you to our esteemed faculty for the enormous investment of time, effort and pedagogical skill on behalf of our students. תהי משכרתכם שלמה מעם ה׳.

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MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - june 2018
PRINCIPAL, General studies

This academic year is over. Our students worked hard and they are off to well-deserved rejuvenation time. So much reflection and conversation takes place at this juncture about our students’ workload and how to best tailor that for the forthcoming year.

At Graduation, which took place on Sunday, June 17th, I addressed our graduates about this very topic. I praised the work they have produced over the past four years, including their efforts and achievements, and called their attention to an insight shared by the great Lubavitcher Rebbe, R’ Menachem Mendel Shneerson zt”l,  whose advice on managing an intense workload was timely, as Sunday June 17th, was also his 24th Yahrtzeit.

“Years ago, I wrote a letter to the Rebbe. I tried to describe what I was doing, tried to explain that one project I’m involved with is enough work to occupy me all day, every day.

There was also a second project, which was also enough to fill my entire day. And there was a third undertaking, which was a full day’s work.

I told the Rebbe that I find it hard to carry on with them all and that every day is more difficult than the one before because there is just so much. So what should my priorities be? What should I cut out? This is the letter I wrote.

So he responded, “Continue all these things that you are doing and add more to all of them.” (Telushkin, Rebbe, p. 123)

We all know that the Lubavitcher Rebbe dreamed of bringing Torah and Mitzvos across the entire globe through the power of Ahavas Yisroel. And twenty-four years since his passing, who has not found themselves in some far-gone place, in a town whose name we can’t even begin to pronounce, Googling the closest Chabad Center from which they could catch a minyan, kosher food, an uplifting Shabbos or simply an open home?

I pointed out to our graduates that the world will tell them to “slow down and breathe or you will just burn out,” that “there are just so many hours in a day,” that “you cannot be in two places at the same time,” and to watch for “the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

All very true.

But we do not achieve great things when we worry about being overworked.

Our students are capable. Let us stop coddling them, and let us encourage them to aim even higher and to embrace opportunities for intellectual, spiritual and community achievements. While maintaining equanimity is essential, hard work alone does not rob us of our energies. In fact, the opposite is true. When we are very productive, then we grow very energized and ready to take on the vibrant world.

Thank you to our stellar faculty for giving so much of their hearts and minds to our girls. I am looking forward to greeting your rejuvenated daughters in September, and wish all of you a beautiful fun summer.

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MRS. YANOFSKY - March 2018
School principal, menaheles

We are rapidly approaching the Yom Tov of חרות. We celebrate our liberation from the shackles of Egypt and contemplate the implications of release from that bondage.

Our students recently participated in a technology event which explored a liberation of sorts. Our entire world has become progressively more wired and connected. We have experienced a virtual digital revolution. As with any new reality, challenges are part and parcel of that experience. The goal of this forum, dubbed by our students “iLimit”, was to give our students ownership over the process so that they can make substantial choices and not be hapless victims caught in the vice-like grip of online shopping, whatsapp, and postmates. Dr. David Pelcovitz, the acclaimed psychologist, addressed our students, focusing on the psychology of behavioral change. He shared a fascinating study that he conducted across the United States. The following question was posed to various teenage audiences: How do you intend to handle technology and the internet with your own children? Invariably, the students responded that they intended to be much stricter with their own children than their parents had been with them. Other poignant statements they shared with him were “we deeply regret the time we squandered on technology. In lieu of a good night’s sleep, we Whatsapped profound messages such as- ‘you up?’, what’ya doing?’ If only we could recover those precious hours. If only we could erase those damaging images.” Dr. Pelcovitz also shared that, ironically, the founders and chief technology officers of Silicon Valley giants of  Apple, Google and Yahoo send their children to a school in the San Francisco Bay area without any technology  whatsoever. Their children do not access the internet to complete homework assignments. This contrarian point of view is found at the epicenter of the tech community. They, who fully comprehend the addictive aspect, the dopamine burst that accompanies each interaction, opt for creativity and discipline. Taking note of the fact that it is unlikely that our students will entirely forswear technology, some of the recommendations Dr. Pelcovitz made in sync with the psychology of behavioral change were the following:  He suggested turning off notifications to disrupt addictive behavior patterns, and never to sleep in the same room as technology, since proximity breeds addiction. He strongly suggested a time tracking device to bring home the reality of how much time is squandered. He exhorted the students to be careful with whatever images they view, as everything indelibly impacts the mind and the heart. The culmination of this impactful program was the brainchild of Mrs. Klugmann. Mrs. Klugmann challenged the girls to take part in the #FlipPhoneChallenge, whereby for one week’s time the girls who volunteered would exchange their iphones for a simple flip phone. I was heartened by the fact that, at the very least, this event successfully served to raise consciousness. Some of the statements made by students who rose to the #FlipPhoneChallenge include:

Shoshana Brunner (9th grader) who opted for a 2nd iPhone-free week: “I didn’t have the need to repeatedly check my phone. In the absence of chats and notifications, I realized that these things don’t really matter. At first I was scared, but at the end I really enjoyed it.”

Tzirel Shteierman (9th grader) who opted for a 2nd iphone free week: “This past week was very different. My grades improved dramatically. With less distractions, I spent more time studying. Mrs. Schwartz, my Ivrit teacher, complimented my performance. I think this is because I actually tried to learn the words instead of using google translate.”

Ariella Seidemann (12th grader) who opted for a 2nd iphone free week: “Aside from the obvious benefits, e.g. saving time, meaningful conversations, the overarching benefit for me was that I didn’t realize that I could actually do something challenging until I finally did it. Not being part of the grade chat, no access to Uber or whatsapp, wasn’t easy, but entirely worth it. I made it! I intend to apply this principle to other areas of my life.”

Bassy Reissman (12th grader): “I am much more productive. My studying habits have improved. Instead of constantly calling to ask or respond to questions, I make question marks and call later to clarify. Also texting on a flip phone requires much more effort, so I think twice and text when strictly necessary. Family members have commented on the quality of my presence."

In conclusion, we continue to grapple with technology. At the most formative stage of their lives, when our students are learning to navigate relationships and acquire social skills, do our students who don’t require an iPhone for banking, shopping or appointment keeping, need a ubiquitous device that could transport them just about anywhere? There may not be one solution to the challenges of technology, but there are tips, safety features and vigilance which can make a difference.

Thank you Mrs. Cindy Klugmann, Miss Sara Yanofsky, Odelya Barsky, Sari Dubin, Miriam Kirschner, Chedvah Lamm, Rivka Sabel, and Sarah Setareh for an impactful and successful tech event. Thank you Rebbeim, mechanchos, and teachers for nurturing our students’ freedom by teaching them שאין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתורה!

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MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - March 2018
PRINCIPAL, General studies

On March 14th, we were privileged to present New York Times science writer Sam Kean to our students. I am very grateful to Mrs. Brenda From, for facilitating this exceptional presentation. It is so valuable for our students to hear from professionals who explode with passion for their subject and want so much to see our youth further advance their subject of love. Sam Kean exemplified that possessing real scholarship opens avenues of possibilities for diverse achievements. The scholar of science can advance the field of medicine, biotechnology, pharmacology, and yes, even the world of fiction. It is challenging for students to see the vibrant and variegated worlds that await at the end of their tunnel of textbooks. Introducing them to professionals whose lives are rewarded by their work helps them stay committed to their studies.
​
Kean shared that in his research of a set of Siamese twin girls, he discovered some insights about the brain and its role in the way we determine our sense of self. The twins shared one brain. When one ate a food the other tasted it, and when one got a shot the other felt it.  But when it came to personal preferences, the shared brain wasn’t a determining factor, and therefore, if one liked a food the other could have disliked it. If one enjoyed a kind of music, the other may have not. Though the brain controls specific functions, it does not determine the sense of self. These observations fueled his novel The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons. Kean’s findings left us probing the factors which do determine our sense of self, and makes us wonder about the role our brain does play in emotion.

The brain is a majestic mystery, and contemporary scientific research is working assiduously to unlock some of the doors which have been bolted closed for so long. I love that our girls were able to observe Kean’s excitement for his subject, his patience with the process of research, and his humility with the each discovery. Moreover, his expression of faith in the role our students will play in the advancement of scientific  research over the next pivotal decade was energizing.

We just completed a term of wonderful learning. I am very proud of Rachel Berenshteyn for being selected as the first place winner in the Jerusalem Science Contest. Rachel’s research focused on the use of nano materials in regenerative medicine, which she presented at the Chicago awards and presentation banquet. As a Prize, Rachel will be traveling to Israel in June, and will be presenting her research to an Israeli audience. Our science students are engaged in a school wide academic research program. Each student was tasked to select a research topic of her liking, conduct academic research using primary sources and write a summative paper in narrative form.

In addition, the sophomores and juniors have been working on their elective planning for the upcoming school year. Observing our girls weigh course options in context of their passions and goals is always inspiring, but it is particularly intoxicating now because of the funding being made available to fuel new scientific discoveries including Neuroscience. Our world is waiting for that agile mind who will conceive of that outstanding Aha! which will change the course of our lives forever. Let us remind our girls again and again and again that they are perfectly capable of being that contributor.

I thank our General Studies faculty for a season of fresh growth and wish all of you enjoyable family time full of the chag’s bountiful blessing.
​

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MRS. YANOFSKY - JANUARY 2018
School principal, menaheles

If I had more time to walk around my neighborhood, my eyes would invariably be drawn to the trees  - the majestic oaks, elegant maples, and hardy birches. The natural human connection with trees has been eloquently captured by many a poet. (My favorite is The Planting of the Apple Tree by William Cullen Bryant). The Torah has closely intertwined man with his complex brain and multifaceted personality to this simple bit of vegetation. כי האדם עץ השדה. As Tu Beshvat has just crept up abruptly on our calendars, sap silently rising, it behooves us to understand this intricate relationship between man and tree. As a principal, my mind veers in the pedagogical direction.

Rav Wolbe, the educator par excellence, discusses education as a process of זריעה, planting, and ןינב, building. In a different vein, and for our purposes, I would like to qualify building as the acquisition of information and knowledge (after all, when we refer to an educated person, we do not make reference to one who is adept at googling or accessing information,) and planting as the growth process of education, which includes the development of nuanced thinking and critical analysis.  Both require patience.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a Principals’ Convention. Many pedagogical approaches and ideas were presented, mulled over and dissected. Aspects of both זריעה and בנין were discussed. In terms of בנין, our students spend a good portion of the day acquiring knowledge. To solidify and retain that knowledge, they must re-engage with it through review, homework and study. Studies indicate that installment study is most effective. Acquire, disengage, undergo the natural process of forgetting and then retrieve the information through studying again. Taking notes effectively is taking ownership, a critical tool in the learning process. זריעה, planting, is much more subtle. When our teachers contextualize the information they impart, when they show their students themes and offer them tools  for organizing the information, when they explain the rationale or methodology behind their respective lesson plans and above all when they share their thought process, they are helping our students hone their critical skills and powers of analysis. Above all, as חז”ל exhort us לא המדרש העיקר אלא המעשה. Our goal and mission statement as Divinely designated teachers is to provide our students with a sophisticated and nuanced chinuch that can serve as a bulwark against the blandishments of society and empower them to serve as Hashem’s ambassadors.

Trees communicate in an almost human way. Rabbi Yochanan understood their language. If we were familiar with this singular parlance, perhaps we would hear the trees around us whispering הזורעים בדמעה ברינה יקצורו.

At MHS, we have the pleasure of partnering with parents who truly understand the significance of planting seeds. Repeated exposures to Gedolei Yisrael and messages of the paramountcy of Torah and Mitzvos are all seeds for the future, when our students will build homes that will truly reflect the majesty of the chinuch they are receiving. Our esteemed rebbeim, mechanchos, and teachers partner together with parents to plant those seeds. Tuesday, February 20th we will commemorate 25 years of chinuch invested in students past and present. I look forward to greeting you at that momentous occasion.

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MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - January 2018
PRINCIPAL, General studies

“America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that.” As we reflect on the past season, we all agree that Nicky Haley stole our hearts not only because of the message she had delivered, but because of the way she had delivered that message. During that memorable address, every listener and observer across the world wished they possessed some of Haley’s skill. As with every artistic achievement, it is often difficult to deconstruct and identify the most impressive technique of Haley’s craft. Universally acknowledged, though, is that her communication was confident and unaffected, and that was supremely powerful.

A spoonful of sugar is still ringing in our ears as we reflect on our semester and on our school’s biennial WE performance at The Symphony Space. Not only was the audience reminded of a precious message, but the way the message was delivered was delightful. Our students shared the story of Mary Poppins and reminded us of the power of perspective — the power we hold to influence our own realities. They shared the classical story through their core classes in art, music, drama, dance, foreign language, and ASL, and they did so without props, lighting or costumes. Uncluttered, the stage was an expression of authenticity. I join my colleagues in saluting all of our students. For some, the stage is a scary place and they worked hard to overcome their reticence. For others, the stage is a liberating place and they worked hard to tame their histrionics. And for all of us, engaging with the stage was a learning experience.

Last week’s ESU Competition further reinforced for us that drama is not just “talent.” Dramatic Arts requires us to cultivate learnable skills, and those skills are transferable to many of our other behaviors. First, it opens a space for empathy as we step into the shoes of another and “speak the speech” in the way we come to believe he or she experienced it.  Second, it requires us to take the time to probe deeply, to seek real thorough understanding. Third, Drama changes the way we listen when we quiet our own internal voices and exercise using the voice of another. And finally, Drama forces us to strip away all the affect and refine our focus. Thank you to Dr. Trapedo for orchestrating a most outstanding literacy experience.

We are looking forward to watching our very own Queen Esther demonstrate her oratory skills on February 26th at our Purim through the Arts Festival. Presenting the Megilla’s story through art, music, and drama, we will gather to remind ourselves about the power and privilege our Torah has given us as women. Over twenty four hundred years ago, before Nickey Haley mesmerized us with her presentation to the UN, one Jewish woman succeeded in preserving our Jewish nation with the power of oratory skills.

At MHS, our dramatic arts curriculum is serious, essential to our educational mission.

Thank you to our esteemed General Studies educators for bringing the joy of learning to our classrooms. And thank you for sharing your beautiful daughters with us! I look forward to seeing you at our School Dinner on February 20th.

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MRS. YANOFSKY - November 2017
School principal, menaheles

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - November 2017
PRINCIPAL, General studies

We stand poised on the threshold of one of my favorite yomim tovim, Chanuka. Chanuka falls out in the depth of winter, when darkness has set in. The miracles of Chanuka occurred at the point of history when the light of the prophetic message had left the world.

We now live in a world of tremendous darkness, one that is in many ways deeper than that of the Hellenistic era. The darkness casts deep shadows into our lives and onto our hearts. The darkness today is perhaps more perilous as it is not as clearly defined. In the past week, three of our seniors, Yaffa Barsky, Shira Black and Ilana Krausman spearheaded a magnificent Yom Iyun. The keynote speaker, Rabbi Aryeh Cohen delivered a powerful address. Without mincing words he explained the concept of אם אין דעת הבדלה מנין: a prerequisite for הבדלה בין קדש לחול, separation between the holy and the profane, is knowledge. Too often, he said, we try to straddle two worlds- the world of Shabbos, Yom Tov and mitzvos, and the world of physical pleasures and inappropriate entertainment. He quoted the נפש החיים who explains that since the sin of Adam and Chava, Kodesh and Chol have melded in a way that makes it difficult for us to distinguish between the two. This confusion leaves us feeling deficient, and ultimately leads to unhappiness. The world of pleasure and beauty is the world of Yefes, which connotes aesthetic beauty. The Greeks elevated the value given to physical beauty and espoused that the body can and should be exposed. This idea is at the core of Western culture; art for art’s sake is the purest form of art.

As Rabbi Cohen exhorted our girls, we must arm ourselves with the knowledge and discern the pure cruse of oil from the impure. Additionally, in contrast to the Hellenistic and Western worldview, we must give our daughters a sense of self-worth; one which is much more deep rooted than aesthetics. Rav Yeruchom Levovitz, a Mussar master explains that a primary tool for serving Hashem is a sense of self worth. Service of G-d requires stamina, energy and conviction. I can do it. I have the strength. I know what’s right. Perhaps the primary responsibility we have today as parents and mechanchim, far more essential than imparting knowledge- is to imbue within our students a feeling of self worth, thereby empowering them to face the cultural and philosophical challenges they will invariably encounter. The battle today is not fought on the battlefield, but in the privacy of our homes. May the Chanukah candles in your home illuminate the lives of our beloved talmidos whose true beauty will shine forever.

Thank you teachers and mechanchos for igniting the flame within our students. May their ardor and passion for Torah and Yiddishkeit warm them in the cold months ahead.

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​December 1st is upon us and this means that seniors are studying the grades they have earned over the last three years as they furnish their college applications. This is a challenging juncture; for the first time in their memorable lives, our girls experience the prospect of acceptance or rejection and the anticipation of receiving admit decisions sent directly to their attention. For the first time, they are observing the potential impact of their grades on their goals, and this realization is tough.  They have since grown in their thinking abilities and study habits— why be held back on account of grades earned in grade ten?  This realization is challenging for us as well. We want our students to feel successful and as much as we would love to magically change the reality of a B to a more impressive A, as educators we must uphold standards of integrity.

How can we help our girls see the beauty of standards and integrity, and the power we derive when we accept and acknowledge our mistakes and vulnerabilities? How can we help our girls see how attractive we become when we can bravely own our behaviors and experiences, even and especially when we are a few points off the mark? How can we help them cultivate an internal strength?

Two weeks ago we launched Show and Tell, our school’s new literacy program designed to strengthen our students’ communication skills. Listening and observing our seniors share stories of vulnerabilities was a transforming experience for all of us. Under Dr. Trapedo’s brilliant guidance, our girls took written and public expression to another whole level as they transferred their college personal statements into public spoken stories. Gone was the melodrama and contrived tone and made up stories. The library was pristinely silent — respect for the stories, the storytellers and moreover, respect for the integrity of the messages. Some stories were simple, some more complex, but all speakers were honest and open and engaging about their growth. Hearkening back to the simple charm of our early childhood Show and Tell times, this year our school is seeking to strengthen not only the communications we use with others, but also the communications we use with ourselves.

How beautiful it is to belong to a community who recognizes that authenticity and integrity are too precious to be captured in a couple of points. Please let us partner in this endeavor, in keeping the conversations about integrity and its value, consistently alive. Many thanks to our exceptional General Studies team who kicked off a wonderful first term of learning and growth! Warmest wishes for a freilichen Chanukah and precious family time! I look forward to greeting you at our upcoming event of See the Light in my Life in honor of the chag.

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MRS. YANOFSKY - June 2017
School principal, menaheles

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - June 2017
PRINCIPAL, General studies

If Facebook’s Mr. Zuckerberg has his way, children the world over will soon be teaching themselves, using software his company helped build. 

It’s a conception that upends a long-standing teaching dynamic. Educators will no longer be classroom leaders, but helpmates. In describing how this works, Mr. Zuckerberg describes students clustering together, working at laptops. They use software to select their own assignments, working at their own pace. Should they struggle at teaching themselves, teachers are on hand to guide them.

Many educators involved in this model are less than impressed. They maintain that students race through lessons without understanding the basic facts, making it difficult to help them construct arguments on specific topics or to develop depth of analysis. They posit that the kids are self pacing to failure and do not develop resilience and the ability to tackle material that they find too challenging or too boring. It’s basically a shopping spree or noshing education of sorts.

As mechanchim and mechanchos of the next generation, a lot more is troubling here, As the end of June approaches, it’s not just the solstice, the day when the sun reaches the highest position in the sky, that we herald. Our senios are graduating. As I observe them in the library in the last throes of their high school career, I cannot help but sigh. I will miss them more than they can ever imagine. But I gaze at them with pride as well and reflect upon the factors that helped shape committed, thoughtful, knowledgable Bnos Yisrael who are going to become Imahos B’Yisrael in the near future and ambassadors for a chinuch b’derech yisrael saba, in the workplace and beyond. The idea of self education becomes almost laughable when contemplating the staggering sum total of exposures they had to rebbeim who have instructed them with the minutiae of Halacha, invested with the authority of Torah Scholarship and mesorah from their own rebbeim. As Rabbi Prager outlined in a recent article in the impressive Moadim publication, he is a talmid of Rav Hutner z”tl and Rav Moshe Schapiro z”tl, two towering figures of scholarship and grandeur of spirit. Rabbi Posen learned at the distinguished Ponovezh Yeshiva. 

Go compare that with Zuckerberg’s tablet model. I reflect upon the teachers and mechanchos whose lessons contain the spirit and soul of yiddishkeit, alongside a wealth of Torah knowledge. (Our General Studies teachers as well can take pride in classroom instruction that is informed and enriching, where ideas are well developed and sophisticated and presented with clarity, demanding a deep understanding on the part of our students.)

My advice, Mr. Zuckerberg, stick to Silicon Valley and although this progressive educational model may be adopted by some, at MHS the mesorah of the rebbe-talmid model is alive and well. As we explore Pirkei Avos in the summer months, we once again embrace the age old Mesores Ha’Torah:

״משה קבל תורה מסיני ומסרה ליהושע ויהושע 
לזקנים... לאכה׳׳ג.״

Thank you to our esteemed faculty for providing chinuch, an education whose sum total product is the magnificent senior grade that is graduating. Wishing all a happy and healthy summer and to our seniors, bon voyage. Our tefillos accompany you as you build your own homes, armed with the chinuch MHS has provided.

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​It always amazes me when another school year comes to a close. Wasn’t it just last August when the school year stretched before us like an endless road? I remember our students counting the days until the Chagim, Chanukah, winter vacation, Pesach.  How many nights left until the paper is due, until the presentation is over, until APs are finished? How many hours until lunch, Mincha, the last bell ringing? We count, wonder, worry and then, incredulously, the year is over.
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Today, we hear often of the importance of being in the moment, of “the power of now,” of fashion fixes and flash mobs. What is true about this mode of thinking is that everything does pass. Our realities are certainly not fixed. The tests are over, the rigorous courses are over, the end-of-the year projects are now over. And the super sunshine overhead reminds us that blizzard reports are over, too.  All things pass and as we experience the end of the school year together, it is so valuable for us to take time to point this out to our girls.

At our graduation a few days ago, I wondered how to reduce four years of rigorous education to a few essentials that our girls may actually need most. I asked our girls to remember how four years ago, they gathered at our school’s Open House, sitting close to their parents, listening intently to our educational vision and I watched as they entered our doors. High school is fraught with uncertainties. Will I be able to handle the daunting commute beginning at 6 a.m., the daunting work schedule, the daunting grading system? Will I ever make a friend? Will I ever get published? Will I ever be able to speak publicly? Will I ever get into seminary or college? What did I subscribe to- will I ever see the reward? And just like that, there our graduates were, sitting in front of me at graduation, with dignity and delight, smiling, thinking, “Yes, we made it.”

Something worthwhile to reinforce to our girls again and again and again is that our realities are not fixed. This mindset is the conduit to becoming a successful adult and professional. It fills us both with humility when we are feeling too smug and with hope when we are feeling too down. The real business leaders of today are those who play the longest of long games. For example, in 1995, Jeff Bezos launched Amazon.com out of his basement. The company did not show profit until the last quarter of 2001. In those six years, it would have made sense for Bezos to look at the now, think of Amazon as a failure, and move on. But he decided to think long. And would his critics have believed the news themselves that this past Friday, Amazon would announce that it is buying Whole Foods for just under $14 billion, its largest acquisition ever? If we encourage our girls to think long-term instead of short and broaden the conversation surrounding their grades from final numbers to lasting insights, we can empower them.

As the year comes to a close and we soon review report cards, transcripts, publications, awards, setbacks and successes both academically and socially, let us take to heart that we are not static and our realities are not static. While test scores and assessments seem like final marks, our most powerful possession is our mind and the perspectives we use. Let’s help our girls see that their grades are numbers, however, what they do with those numbers, the insights and information they take from them, are inestimably persistent. If we focus on the numbers as pieces instead of as finalities, we become capable, growing people.

I thank you all for your heartfelt Mazel Tov wishes and echo all the blessing back to you and your precious families. Thank you to the General Studies faculty who have once again created an unparalleled year of learning and growth. Our girls and I feel so fortunate to be learning with and from them. Warmest wishes to all of you for a most delightful summer! I look forward to the blessed new year that is calling our name.

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MRS. YANOFSKY - april 2017
School principal, menaheles

MrS. FRIEDMAN Stefansky - april 2017
PRINCIPAL, General studies

As we embark upon the last leg of our journey, electives are a pivotal decision in our upperclassmens’ great quest for self exploration. As parents and educators, one of the most daunting tasks is to help our children connect with their own gifts. When the great Tannaim, expositers of the Mishna, would part company with one another, they would bless each other, “שתראה עולמך בחייך” - may you see your world in your lifetime. Our Commentaries explain this loosely to mean, may you connect with your own innate hidden talents and gifts. This is truly a profound and potent blessing. Channeling our talents, predilections and even tendencies ‘לכבוד ה dates back to יציאת מצרים. The Jews were commanded to take the קרבן פסח  with the words משכו וקחו לכם - The Rambam explains that Klal Yisrael had a gravitational pull toward idolatry and offering animal sacrifices to עבודה זרה. To redirect this need, Hashem in His Divine wisdom, offered them the mitzvah of korbanos, משכו -relinquish, וקחו and embrace the mitzvos.

At MHS, we revel in the many gifts, talents and aptitudes that our students possess. Our Production showcased dancers, vocalists, actresses, a flutist and many leaders of caliber. Within the classroom community, we have students with keen analytical skills, students with the gift of gab and students whose souls are fine-tuned and resonate deeply with lessons taught. 

We take pride in them all, reveling in their accomplishments. As many seasoned veterans of life’s journey can testify, real happiness is what we experience as we transverse our unique path. As we build our own personalities and create ourselves, a deep happiness wells up inside of us.

So whether your daughter is a budding Julia Child, ready to sign up for the culinary skills elective (not a negligible choice for a future Yiddishe Mama) or whether she gravitates strictly toward the cerebral, embrace her choices and her talents. Your daughter is not a product to be developed and packaged for inspection. She is not a billboard of your family’s intellectual abilities and priorities. She may have talents and traits that are easy to overlook or difficult to measure with a number.

A cornerstone of Jewish thought is that Hashem created each of us to fulfill a specific purpose. We cannot necessarily determine what that destination will be, but we can encourage our children to understand their unique strengths, the first step on this heady and exhilarating journey.

We thank our devoted and esteemed faculty for helping our students to discover themselves.

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I love being humbled by youth, and particularly by our girls. Wednesday, March 15th was one of those inspiring moments as we watched our girls deliver their own TED Talks in front of our school. Not a foreigner to public speaking myself, I was simply arrested by their charisma, cogency and easy connection with all of us. Crafted with style and delivered with strength, their messages were personal and powerful — and we could have sat for hours around that proverbial fireplace. 
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I thank Ms. Larissa Dzegar for gifting our girls with these breathtaking lifelong skills. Her lessons involve a nuanced process with initial brainstorming steps, where students thought about what message they had for the MHS community, and then presented their idea in steps. During class, students each went up one by one with their introductions, and then worked on their presence, breath support, vocal energy, body language, and interaction with audience. A series of warm-up techniques designed by Ms. Dzegar targets vocal and physical freedom, as well as consistently building confidence. In typical TED Talk fashion, students were taught to talk to the audience, rather than at them, and interaction was encouraged. Once they mastered this skill, they learned to live in the moment, and work with the pressure of a live performance. They could not start over if they made a mistake; they had to improvise and play off the audience. The final step involved choosing the students who would represent the senior class at our TED Talk assembly, and each class voted on the most meaningful TED Talks. The selected students went on to practice more, ensuring they could now carry their talks outside of the classroom, and deliver their message to a wider audience. 

Select seniors presented their original TED Talks at our assembly, featuring topics they chose based on their core values. They cultivated their talks over the span of four months with Ms. Dzegar, and learned how to “give the talk of their lives,” as the TED slogan promises, on an “idea worth spreading.” 

“My actions aren’t only affecting the future of my life, but the future of the four Deutsch children that come after me,” Suri Deutsch offered as she reflected on what it meant to be the eldest child. Noa Hacker followed with a brave display of vulnerability, sharing her tendency to blush when nervous. “We are both the victims and the controllers of our minds,” she eloquently concluded. Nina Melohn then offered insight into what it’s like to be a twin with her “Double Trouble” talk, moving the room to tears as she honored her sister, Nechama. Esther Seror tackled the tendency we all have to label our surroundings. “Each day, we label ourselves and others,” she stated before explaining that she, too, falls into this trap. Shalva Gozland proved that she is not less capable just because she is short, and made us all think about the particularities of our own given circumstances. And Ashira Feld ended the assembly on a very special note, as she shared the advice she’s come to take: “Don’t change others; change yourself.” 

I was humbled by our girls because they acted with courage and were willing to experience discomfort for the sake of their own self-growth. In today’s climate where dignity is compromised by too much disclosure, it is refreshing to know that our girls are finding and sharing their voices — empowering themselves and all of us.  

Thank you to our stellar faculty for yet another term of exceptional learning. May the chag bring blessing into each of your homes!

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MRS. YANOFSKY - January 2017
School principal, menaheles

MRS. FRIEDMAN STEFANSKY - JANUARY 2017
PRINCIPAL, General studies

Upon hearing the news of Rav Moshe Shapiro’s petirah, I experienced a visceral stab of pain. Rav Moshe Shapiro was my husband’s Rebbe’s Rebbe, and so goes the mesorah Hatorah. I was overcome by a tremendous feeling of loss.
Rav Moshe, represented a depth of Torah and erudition that is incomprehensible to most of us. He was a fountain of knowledge in all areas of Torah, nigleh and nistar. His talmidim often reported that when one left his shiur or presence, one would feel somewhat different, more edified, more deeply attached to those finer and sublime elements which only the Torah hakedosha provides and which he, with his incredible articulation and majestic presence would singularly convey. His always exponentially growing circle of talmidim included baalei teshuva and Roshei Kollel, all of whom he inspired to become the finest version of themselves. His sheer presence catapulted the talmidim to greater heights in Torah and avodah, as they personally witnessed the profound עמלות בתורה​ of their beloved rebbe. He delivered his brilliant shiurim with the greatest eloquence and poise. He was one of the first to discern that the time was ripe for a baal teshuva movement. As the Rosh Kollel of Ohr Someach kollel, one of his many positions and responsibilities, he connected deeply with the intelligent young men coming from sophisticated academic backgrounds, who were a natural audience for his multi-layered Torah. 
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This mighty oak had roots in the previous generation. He was close to and had exposure to such luminaries as Rav Shmuel Rozovsky, Rav Shach, Rav Dessler, the Brisker Rav, Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz and Rav Nachum Pertovitz among others. 

Some of these great luminaries, giants of generations past, have become familiar names to my beloved seniors. This year I have begun teaching a course entitled History of the Yehivos and  Mussar Movement. Our generation cannot even imagine the splendor of that halcyon era in which talmidim drank thirstily of the fountains of knowledge that gushed from the wellsprings of their Rabbeim, Master expositors of the Torah. The Lithuanian yeshivos were powerful crucibles. The talmidim were continuously challenged and stimulated through the study of Torah. The axis of avodah developed by Rav Yisrael Salanter which we will b’H explore the second semester revolved around a “heart that is proud in the way of G-d.”

This history is not just the magnificent story of our past. Many of my students share with me connections with these grand masters of Torah, grandfathers or great grandfathers who had exposure to those giants. Delightfully, they stumble across this information through other mediums as they painstakingly research their family’s past for Ms. Gotlieb’s brilliant genealogy project. This study sheds light on the past and provides seeds for the future. I look at the ardent faces of my students who have a passion for limud Hatorah and who indelibly engrave its teachings on their hearts. They have an appreciation for the past glorious history of yeshivas and a reverence for Talmidei Chachamim and Rabbanim of today. They deeply respect their own teachers at MHS who have enlightened and inspired them. As scions of their esteemed ancestors, they strive ever higher in their avodas Hashem.

Rav Moshe Shapiro’s message to his talmidim had a common refrain: Spread Torah wherever it is not found, whether in the secular school system in Israel or in far flung communities around the world. He pushed those close to him to leave the comfort zones and go out to teach and spread Torah. Over the course of midwinter vacation, twenty one of our Juniors and Seniors will spend their vacation in a dormitory in far-flung Pinsk, spreading the warmth of yiddishkeit in the frigid climate of Bylerussia. They will visit the kever of the Chafetz Chaim, whose Yeshiva in Radin we discussed. They will represent their families and generations past who will silently applaud their efforts to spread Torah and ahavas Yisrael. I applaud them as well. 

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Developed by Japanese school children and explained in the book Looking Out, Looking In by Professors Ron Adler and Neil Towne, the Pillow Method is a unique perspective-taking exercise designed to build empathy. Lying at the heart of conflict resolution is our ability to listen. Conflict is sustained when one party feels they have not been heard. Our capacity for considering another perspective is directly related to our margin for personal growth. At our faculty in-service day, we discussed how the Pillow Method can be used in our classrooms to challenge our students to consider five perspectives with the following goals:

1. Cultivate in our students respect, compassion and empathy for others.

2. Help our students understand that the academic subjects they are studying were shaped by the wrestling and diversity of multiple approaches, insights and struggles.
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3. Increase our students’ receptivity for feedback and criticism as they recognize another perspective which allows them to see flaws, shortcomings and strengths in their work.

As I had presented at our Faculty PD Day, We can exercise the Pillow Method in our interpersonal communications and we can push ourselves to identify the agenda or perspective being pushed by an artist or writer in advertisements, case studies, editorials, and art, enriching our classrooms and opening our minds. Listening allows us to see. We speak of shedding light on an idea, offering an observation, illuminating, illustrating, sharing an insight. When we understand, we say “I see.” 

Three weeks ago, we celebrated Chanukah with “See the Light in My Life,” a breathtaking performance in which students across grades shared the lights in their lives through the languages of poetry, art, music, Spanish, Mandarin and ASL. Just as we become fixed in our own perceptions of what is right and wrong, we also tend to become fixed in our daily routines, blind to the blessings surrounding us. Our students embraced the opportunity to recognize the hidden lights we so often overlook. Thank you to Dr. Trapedo, Ms. Dzegar, Ms. Langosch, Mrs. Benchimol, Mrs. Itzkowitz, Ms. de la Cruz, Ms. van Boxtel, and Mrs. Steinhaus for empowering our girls with the ability to express themselves through diverse communication modalities and for opening their minds to differing perspectives. 

We excitedly await the release of this year’s literary and art journal at our school dinner in February. Its theme, “Masks,” challenges our girls to consider social masks, perceived masks, survival, emotional, and cultural masks. How do we view others’ thoughts and feelings? What do we hide and expose in our daily lives? When do we speak up and when do we remain quiet? Why might others act, think, believe the way they do? Thank you to Ms. Dzegar for pushing our girls’ creativity and developing their distinctive voices. 

Listening opens us to seeing. When we train our minds to consider the flipside, the opportunity for growth is endless. As we break for winter vacation, how fortunate we are for the time to inspire dialogue in recognizing the blind spots that prevent us from seeing the lights in our lives and for allowing us to consider what an open mind truly is. 
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Thank you to our fantastic General Studies teachers for another semester of exceptional growth and inspiration. Have a happy and healthy winter break!

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MRS. YANOFSKY - November 2016
School principal, menaheles

MRS. FRIEDMAN STEFANSKY - November 2016
PRINCIPAL, General studies

There is much conversation today on the topic of Millennials. Who are Millennials? Most broadly, Millennials are classified as individuals born between 1982 - 2002. With an estimated ninety million members, the Millennial generation is the largest cohort in the American Society. The aggregate research on this cohort highlights several adverse traits that Millennials possess, including being needy, over confident, narcissistic, disloyal, casual and materialistic. They are also marked by limited coping skills and a sense of entitlement. I would describe my students very differently. As Torah-true members of Klal Yisrael, we certainly define ourselves differently. As opposed to the societal variables that created the emotionally impoverished Millennial, we believe in chinuch. While Millennials are known to have a propensity for self-aggrandizement which leads them to question authority and religious doctrines, we are guided by the Torah doctrine of דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה. As opposed to Millennials who are known to value flexibility, autonomy, and control in their day to day life which lead them to be less likely to develop loyalty to friends or workplace, we teach תונמאנ, loyalty and commitment. In contrast to Millennials who have an inflated sense of self, fostered by undeserved accolades and rewards, we have a mesorah for tikkun hamitzvos from our Baalei Mussar, which fosters genuine self esteem, an understanding of גדלות האדם and man’s concomitant responsibilities - מה חובתו בעולמו. While Millennials embrace individualistic religion, a basic component of our chinuch is mesorah, continuing the chain of transmission, dating back to הר סיני.

I was recently approached by a Jewish magazine who was interviewing principals on the topic of school rules and regulations. As a principal, I am clearly biased. I am a big fan. Aside from all the obvious reasons, namely that school rules provide structure, teach our students boundaries and help them feel safe, school rules serve  another important function: they emulate the Torah guidelines given to us by our Creator. 

My students are clearly not “Millennials” in the colloquial sense. Not only because that is not the vernacular that I choose to employ, but as my students are respectful, giving, loyal, and spiritual. They strive ever higher and are proud to be a part of עם הנבחר, following the Torah’s dictates dating back to when we all heard the clarion call at Sinai. And when they falter and make mistakes, they look to their parents, teachers and principals for guidance בדרך ישראל סבא. Am I ever proud!

This past Thursday, our G.O. leaders, Rachelle Benedict, Ashira Feld, Shira Black, and Ilana Krausman organized a magnificent Yom Iyun on the topic of התלהבות, maintaining the spark and passion for the Torah and Mitzvos. Clearly their esteemed rebbeim, teachers, and mechanchos have effectively conveyed the lesson of מה חובתו בעולמו​. In contrast to the Millennials, whose tenuous confidence is based upon undeserved accolades and rewards, our students can rely on a substantive chinuch that is rooted in Torah and mesorah. Now that, inspires genuine confidence.

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Are lyrics considered poetry, and what distinguishes good art from great art are critical questions still fueling the reception to Bob Dylan’s 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. As artistic expression and artistic preference are so uniquely personal, we all wonder about the metric used by the panel of judges in power. What really goes on around that coffee table, as distinguished artists share their thoughts and feelings about another artist’s work? Do they labor over the decision or is the winner determined by the panelists’ first visceral reactions?  Should music be considered poetry—who decides these things?— and is Dylan as worthy a recipient as Alice Munro and John Steinbeck? According to Alfred Nobel, the Nobel prize should be awarded to the person who has produced “the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.” What is “outstanding” and what is an “ideal direction”?

As educators who dream of empowering students to produce outstanding written, artistic and dramatic expression, we wrestle with finding effective ways to push them without crushing them. Unlike other curricula, art is not evaluated by “right” and “wrong,” but rather by “stale”  “been there, done that” and “oh my, oh my, oh my!” How do we get our girls to understand that they cannot create winning art if they cannot accept the language of nuance, if they cannot learn to see far and to make our world see even farther?   

This past term, MHS enjoyed observing our own presidential debate in which candidates presented their views on primary topics. The experience was outstanding. Thanks to Mrs. Jackie Rosensweig, our History Chair, we learned how to moderate a panel cleverly and we saw firsthand dignity in difference. And last week, we enjoyed observing our students perform Shakespearean monologues in front the school. The experience was breathtaking, as we witnessed deep actualization of characters.  Both learning experiences were also fueled by our quest for the ultimate winner. And much like the panelists sitting around that table debating whether lyrics are poetry, whether an ideal direction was actuated, our girls encountered moments where the elements of “outstanding” necessitated deliberation, superseding right vs. wrong. 

Let’s partner in this mission to help our girls understand that the chasm between “good” and “breathtaking” is not typically bridged by following an itemized list of directives. They must learn to appreciate that the reason we push them out of their comfort zones is because that is the only way they can bring themselves and their talents to a great level. While “right” or “wrong” language is often clearer, more fair and easier, Nobel prizes in all areas of our performance are awarded to those who are willing to explore and expand beyond the safe rubric. 

Thank you to our fantastic General Studies teachers for kicking off a year of joyful learning!