Tu B’Shvat at BYAM

Excitement was blooming in BYAM preschool this past Monday. In honor of Tu B’Shvat, our youngest grades were treated to a Shivas Haminim carnival. Each one of the Shivas Haminim had correspond - ing activities for the girls to participate in a hands-on, exciting and relevant way. The dried fruit chocolate dip at the end was by far everyone’s favorite activity!

Mesivta Ateres Yaakov Annual Dinner: “Reaching New Heights”

Mesivta Ateres Yaakov will celebrate its annual dinner on Wednesday, February 15 at The Sands of Atlantic Beach beginning at 7:00 PM. The entire community is encouraged to participate in this important annual event and pay tribute to the Mesivta, its hanhalla, rabbeim and faculty, as well its distinguished honorees. This year, the Mesivta is honoring Mr. & Mrs. Hudi and Orit Newman as Guests of Honor, Mr. & Mrs. Moishie & Ruchie Bergstein as Parents of the Year, Mr. Gene Sullivan and Mr. Charles Marchica of Bank United as Visionary Partners, and they will be celebrating the 10 year reunion of the graduating class of 2013.

MAY’s reputation as a premier makom Torah in the Five Towns community is recognized throughout the greater Jewish community. MAY has perfected its signature blending of a serious, demanding Limudei Kodesh curriculum with a rigorous, challenging General Studies program, while enveloping students in a warm, caring environment and yet always striving to “Reach New Heights” year after year. Each talmid is embraced by the Mesivta from the moment he enters with a steadfast commitment to his personal growth, academic success and simchas hachaim. Every talmid becomes acutely aware of this relationship between him and his Mesivta and realizes that this relationship does not end after four years of high school. “Rabbeim for Life. Education for Life. Torah for Life.”

Guests of Honor: Mr.& Mrs. Hudi and Orit Newman Hudi and Orit, beloved members of the Kew Gardens Hills community, are most known for their incredible warmth and love of helping others. Their love for their family and Yiddishkeit ex- tends well past the doors of their home. They are parents of two MAY talmidim – Eitan (Class of ‘20) and Gabi (Class of ’23) – and also parents of Tamar who is currently in Meohr seminary, Avishai (HANC), Noam (Tiferes Moshe), and Odele (Shulamith). Hudi is in healthcare and was a member of Hatzlah of Queens. He is quietly involved in numerous charities and gives his heart to them all as well as his time. He is an active member of the Young Israel of Queens Valley and learns the Daf daily with Rabbi Stefansky. Orit is the heart of their home and spends her days giving to her family and friends. She shares her time out of the house with parents of children who are ill and shares of herself to support anyone who is going through a difficult time. Hudi and Orit are passionate about their children’s success, both in yeshiva and beyond, and are active supporters of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov and its mission. They are dedicating their honor at the MAY dinner to the recent loss of Hudi’s beloved mother, Mrs. Pearl Newman, a”h.

Parents of the Year: Mr. & Mrs. Moishie and Ruchie Bergstein

Moishie and Ruchie are role models for their children and their peers alike. They are dedicated to the growth of their children and very proud parents of three MAY students, Shmuley (Class of ’23), Nati (Class of ’23) and Shimee (Class of ‘19) who is currently learning in Rabbi

Senter’s yeshiva in Israel. Their home is filled with kindness and chessed and are dedicated to their children’s success. Moishie is the president of Metronome Energy, is an active member of his shul, and is known for his easy and warm character. Ruchie is a proud mother of four who puts her all into her family and is an active member of the Five Towns community at large. The Bergsteins are known for their mentchlechkeit, who are raising their children to be upstanding members of the community. Their love of chessed and Yiddishkeit is felt by all, and people are naturally drawn to them.

Visionary Partners: Mr. Gene Sullivan and Mr. Charles Marchica of Bank United

The Mesivta’s partnership with Bank United began in late 2017 during the construction of its new expansion project. Gene and Charles were invited down to the Mesivta for a site visit, and after a heartfelt conversation with Rabbi Yaffe, a partnership for a bright future for Mesivta Ateres Yaakov was formed. The success of the project was largely in part because of two dedicated individuals who share our vision and wholly support our efforts to reach new heights.

Celebrating the Class of 2013

The graduating class of 2013 epitomizes the values and hashkafa of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov. A decade later, they are involved in successful careers in the professions of their choice. Doctors, lawyers, accountants and businessmen together with mechanchim and other klei kodesh round out the diversity of this particular class. Many are married and have started families. While some have moved to other communities, their feelings of closeness and connection to the Mesivta remain.

The Mesivta takes pride in the successes of the class of 2013 and are honored to be celebrating their 10 year reunion at this year’s dinner.

For more information, to make reservations or dedication opportunities, contact the Mesivta’s office at (516) 374-6465 or dinner@ateresyaakov.com.

Communicating at YOSS

Our first graders at Yeshiva of South Shore have been exploring the science behind communication! One of the most favorite activities was exploring ways to send a secret message to someone far away. In this culmi- nating lesson, Secret Signals, students practiced using light to communicate information. Teamwork was essential in building a device that solves the problem of communicating at a distance. They sent secret messages to one another us- ing light and colored markers. The boys were so creative in their thinking. They conferenced as a group, agreed on “secret codes” (colors that represented specific words), and then shone flashlights and glow sticks through col- ored circles to communicate. Some boys were dancing, some were hopping, and some were even singing, all depending on the decoded message they received. It was a fantastic experience, and the boys learned a lot about communication!