Around the Community

Around the Community Bais Yaakov Baltimore Middle School wins at CIJE Robotics Tournament

By: BJLife Newsroom

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Bais Yaakov middle school was excited to join in the middle school girls’ robotics tournament run by the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE). In order to create a robotics league that catered to the unique demands of Jewish day schools, CIJE decided to network their participating schools and created a new Vex Robotics League. Established over ten years ago, CIJE has implemented a STEM curriculum which is utilized by 200 Jewish day schools across the country.

Bet Yaakov of the Jersey Shore hosted the tournament and 60 girls from schools in Maryland, New Jersey, and New York participated. Each year students are given a different robotics challenge. Students stay after school to join in the robotics clubs, starting in the Fall. Students learn about mechanical engineering and computer programming as they build their robots. In teams, students researched, programmed, and designed their own robots. This year’s challenge requires robots to release discs from dispensers and shoot them into scoring zones. Students score extra points by having their robots expand to touch contact points. Rabbi Heshy Wieder, CIJE STEM Mentor, loves how the program makes students “feel good about themselves. You see them jumping and celebrating and the smiles on their faces. It’s really heartwarming.”

Mrs. Rochelle Goldberg, Mrs. Miriam Schechter, and Ms. Meira Levi led the 8th grade robotics club at Bais Yaakov of Baltimore. The girls enjoy learning about robotics and teamwork and were excited to come to the tournament. All of the teams did an amazing job making the finals. In the end, Bais Yaakov teams ASA (Aidde

Moss, Ayelet Elman, and Shoshana

Salhanick) and Da’ Exploras (Shos-

hana Gross, Ruthie Weil, Zehava Pepper, and Chavalah Reischer)

won first place with 120 points, the highest league score so far this season! In addition to the main competition, Bais Yaakov team Infinity and Beyond

(Avigayil Taub, Shana Horwitz, and

Peninah Ayala Taragin) won first place in the difficult autonomous challenge! The robotics club will be returning to participate in the final CIJE tournament this spring.

Mazel Tov!

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Around the Community Ner Israel’s 89th Annual Dinner an Evening of Celebration a Huge Success

By: BJLife Newsroom

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn Photo Credit: Jeff Cohn

Baruch Hashem this year’s 89th Annual Dinner was a tremendous success, as together we celebrated the Torah, Chesed and Greatness of the Persian community. The day began with a Yarchei Kallah on the yeshiva campus where alumni and guests spent time hearing words of Torah from their Rebbeim and reconnecting with chaveirim. The festivities then moved downtown to the Baltimore Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. Guests enjoyed an evening of delicious cuisines amidst the backdrop of live music and singing from Shira Choir and eye catching visuals from Eagle Production Co. It was truly moving to see so many Persian talmidim, past and present, coming together from across the country to recount and celebrate the Yeshiva’s role in the rescue of Persian Jewry. It was an evening of Hakoras Hatov to the Roshei Yeshiva and Hanhala for all that they did for the Persian Talmidim of Ner Yisroel and in recognition of all that those Talmidim have accomplished in communities across the globe.

Around the Community TA 12th Graders Fahered at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel

Yeshiva Toras Simcha 4th Grade Visits Rav Moshe Heineman

By: BJLife Newsroom

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

TA’s 12th graders from Rabbi Eli Rifkind’s shiur were fahered (tested) on the first perek of Sukkah by Rav Tzvi Einstadter, R’M in Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, and the Rosh HaYeshiva, Moreinu HaRav Aharon Feldman, shlita.

Rabbi Rayman’s 4th grade class went on a very special trip to visit Rav Moshe Heinemann. Rav Heinemann shared a dvar Torah with the boys as well as a story about his Rosh Hayeshiva, Rav Aharon Kotler, zt”l. Each boy shook the Rov’s hand and then the Rov asked each boy his name and gave him a bracha.

Around the Community 1st Grade Siddur Celebration at OCA

By: BJLife Newsroom

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

Mazel tov to OCA 1 st graders on their Messibat Siddur! Students performed some of the songs and tfilot they love, shared what tfilah means to them, and received a brand new siddur, with the siddur cover designed by their parents as a surprise. They then decorated a personalized bookmark with their families that can be used for their siddurim, and enjoyed celebratory cake. We are so proud of our 1st graders for reaching this special milestone and wish for them to always be inspired by the words of tfilah they recite each day!

MLK Day Learning at OCA

By: BJLife Newsroom

BaltimoreJewishLife.com/Jeff Cohn

MLK Day was marked as an important day of learning at OCA. In each division, teachers designed enriching lessons and held important conversations with our students about who Dr. King was and what he stood for.

Early Childhood Center:

Dr. King wanted everyone to love each other, even though we are each different. Classes read the book “The Day the Crayons Quit” by Drew Daywalt. In the story the children noticed that each crayon was beautiful and unique in its own way. We looked at ourselves and reflected on how important it is to work together. We had a group discussion in which everyone shared what their dream would be for a safe world. We created a heart collage using rainbow colored dot paints and our fingerprints. We also read I Am Brave by Brad Meltzer and “Good Night, Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper.

Elementary School:

Students learned about MLK, Jr. and his lasting impact. They discussed their dreams for themselves, their families, the community, and the world, using the lens of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The K-1st grade wrote a sentence or two about their dreams and illustrated it. The 3rd through 5th grade wrote more in-depth descriptions of their dreams. When completed, students taped their dreams to their lockers to share with others.

Middle School:

Students discussed interesting facts about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. They also learned about the role of Jews and certain rabbis in particular in supporting the civil rights movement of the 1950-60s. Students then listened to a version of Go Down, Moses and discussed how enslaved people before the Civil War and southern Blacks during the Civil Rights Movement sang the song. They learned about parallels between the oppression/slavery of the Jewish people and Black people. Finally, they watched a video of MLK giving the “I have a dream” speech before the Lincoln Memorial.

Around the Community Bikur Cholim Co-Chairs Pumped For New Event, February 18

Q: Tell me how you both got involved in Bikur Cholim and this event in particular.

Malki: About a year ago, someone approached me and asked if I would join her Bikur Cholim Shabbos WhatsApp group. There are about 50 women on the chat, and every week she will post about a different family that needs meals for Shabbos. Whoever is available to cook will post what they can make that week and usually within minutes the meals are set. It is such an easy yet fulfilling chessed! I’m such a huge fan of Bikur Cholim that even though I am by no means any sort of event planner, when the opportunity came up to chair this event, I felt it was such a zechus to say yes.

Adina: The Baltimore community is giving and full of chessed, and I enjoy being able to give back. I have so much appreciation to Bikur Cholim from having a Seder in the Sinai Bikur Cholim room after my first baby to them being so helpful and available when my grandmother was sick. When Malki approached me and asked if I would chair this event with her, I did not hesitate to say yes!

Q: Can you tell us about some of the critical services that Bikur Cholim provides for the Baltimore community?

I think an easier question would be what services does Bikur Cholim not provide! We have volunteers that visit patients in hospitals weekly. There are people who go into our Bikur Cholim rooms in the various hospitals throughout the city to make sure the rooms are always stocked with kosher food and essentials. We also have volunteers that give rides to patients who have difficulty getting to doctor appointments. There are hundreds of volunteers that are part of many Shabbos groups that provide delicious home cooked meals for families and patients who are either at home or in the hospital. Our Covid vaccine clinic has been up and running for nearly two years now, administering vaccines to anyone who wants. And of course, we cannot forget about our Patient Advocacy program. So many people experiencing medical challenges do not even know what questions they need to be asking. Our Patient Advocacy program offers guidance and assistance in navigating hospital processes, as well as fostering relationships with medical personnel to ensure each person receives the right care for their needs. Bikur Cholim even offers to lend out medical supplies and equipment when necessary. There is nothing our volunteers won’t do for this community!

Q: How does this Melava Malka support Bikur Cholim services?

Bikur Cholim is an amazing organization that does so much for our community. There are very few people who can say they have never benefited from Bikur Cholim services, even if it was for something as simple as a new mother having a nourishing snack from our many pantries. But every meal cooked, every ride given, every hospital visit, even every Covid vaccine administered could not have been done without the love and effort of our hundreds (yes hundreds!) of incredible volunteers. Unfortunately, the need for our services is only rising, and we hope this event is an occasion to not only show appreciation to our current volunteers, but will also be an opportunity to spread awareness and encourage others to get involved in whatever capacity they can.

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Q: Tell us about Yaeli and what attendees may expect?

We are so excited to have Yaeli join us! Yaeli is an artist from New York whose talent is known worldwide. For this event, she has designed a painting that encapsulates what Bikur Cholim stands for. Each woman who attends will be given a paint-by-number of that same design and will have the opportunity to paint alongside Yaeli and bring home something beautiful. If anyone is interested in seeing more of Yaeli’s work, they can check out her art at yaelivogel.com or @yaelivogel on Instagram.

Q: Why are you so passionate about Bikur Cholim?

It is so beautiful to be a part of an organization that truly supports every Jew from all walks of life. Bikur Cholim does not care what school you send your child to, what shul you daven in, or even what country you live in. If you need help, Bikur Cholim is there. Every patient is treated with the same level of care and dignity. And the same goes for the volunteers. Everyone is so willing to contribute in whatever they can, even if it just means cooking a little extra for a Shabbos WhatsApp group :-).

Q: What would make this melava malka successful in your opinion?

We really hope this melava malka will open people’s eyes to what goes in to this organization and all the people who give of their time in both big ways and small. We would love to see more people join so that Bikur Cholim can continue its mission to provide loving care and support for families in need.

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