THE NAOMI HOULLOU A"H LADIES AUXILIARY DEDICATED

By The Houllou Family

The Ladies Auxiliary has been a mainstay of the operations and programming of the Yeshivah of Flatbush for over 85 years. Our organization is comprised of dedicated parents, working in concert with the administration and faculty to enhance the school experience for our Yeshivah community.

The Ladies Auxiliary is comprised of mothers and friends of the Yeshivah whose primary goal is to positively impact and enhance the lives of our children and families. Members of the Ladies Auxiliary support and assist the Yeshivah of Flatbush community by promoting the highest values, principles and ideals of our Yeshivah. The cultural and educational programs and events produced by the Ladies Auxiliary throughout each school year serve to develop relationships, strengthen connections, and create and nurture a warm, loving sense of community. Some programs include the Welcome Back Carnival, BINGO Night, Book Fair, Dad’s Do Tefillah, and an Annual Tennis Tournament. We celebrate parent involvement and are dedicated to contributing our time, energy and talents, all for the benefit of our children, our school, and our community.

Adult Chesed Mission

$72,000

The Annual Adult Chesed Mission is an unforgettable week of chesed, bringing together over 60 community members to Israel annually, who participate in meaningful chesed opportunities. The Adult Chesed Mission is centered on the mantra “olam chesed yibaneh,” the world is built with chesed. Participants distribute gifts to sick children in hospitals, dance and sing with hundreds of orphaned children, visit shelters, pack food for the needy, interact with special needs children, and visit army bases and members of the IDF showing their appreciation for all that they do to defend the State of Israel. This unique spiritual journey not only offers an opportunity to help and heal, but also has the tremendous power to inspire.

Student Chesed Mission

$72,000

Each winter break, JBHS Dean of Students

Rabbi Naftali Besser takes a group of high school students to Israel on a chesed journey for 10 days. Those who go on this incredible trip visit victims of terror, hospitals, rehab facilities, institutions that help children and adults dealing with physical and emotional challenges, and volunteer in soup kitchens. The trip has an indescribable impact on everyone who is blessed to participate.

Elementary School Chesed Program

$72,000

In accordance with the Flatbush Five character development program, the Yeshivah of Flatbush has launched a new initiative that focuses on the pillar of Chesed. The Yeshivah’s mission is to foster and cultivate a culture in which our students see the opportunity for chesed in everything they do. The program will focus on Tzedakah and the opportunities for chesed that exist around us. Our committee and educators have outlined a chesed calendar, focusing on a different organization and act of giving for each month of the year.

12th Grade Graduation

$50,000

Graduating from High School is a momentous occasion. It is a day where a student’s support circle has the opportunity to celebrate their achievements.

Graduating from the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School means that you are joining thousands of accomplished alumni and are now part of a distinguished network and community. This special event is filled with prestigious awards, a meaningful program and amazing memories to carry with you for many years to come!

8th Grade Graduation

$50,000

After building a strong educational and socialemotional foundation in our Elementary School, our students are well-prepared for high school. This meaningful graduation program celebrates our students and their accomplishments.

Lishmah Learning Program

$50,000

The Yeshivah of Flatbush Lishmah Learning Program provides opportunities to study Torah for the sake and love of knowing, growing and living Torah, while reinforcing and perpetuating our Jewish values. The YOF supports a culture of Torah learning that is yearlong and lifelong, one which serves as a guide for our words and actions each and every day. Lishmah’s purpose is to grow learning “outside of the classroom” with a focus on YOF alumni, young professionals, young couples, women and men. Additionally, in conjunction with the Sephardic Community Alliance, YOF offers women’s classes taught by some of the yeshivah’s leading educators as well as guest lecturers. Collectively these classes bring in over 100 community members weekly.

Mishmar Learning Program

$50,000

Every Thursday night, boys and girls from all grade levels join together to enjoy after school Mishmar Torah study, using the weekly parashah or an upcoming holiday as a springboard for further discussion. The participants use this time to explore Jewish themes in a deeper and meaningful way and have an open forum to ask questions. In addition, the newly established Inquiry Bet Midrash Program brings high school seniors together twice daily to work in chavrutot with rabbinical guidance, learning and discussing various topics in Torah, Gemara, and Halakhah. The goal of these programs is for students to see and appreciate the Torah in a new light and understand its relevance in today’s world. Together, these programs provide Torah learning to over 125 students weekly.

7TH GRADE BAR & BAT MITZVAH PROGRAM

$36,000

A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a coming of age celebration of commitment, education, responsibility, initiation, and the overall acceptance of Torah and Mitzvot. We at the Yeshivah eagerly await this milestone and mark this wonderful occasion with our annual Bar and Bat Mitzvah Program. This initiative includes a unique mix of speakers and hands-on workshops that aim to help prepare our students for this important transition into adulthood.

For our 7th grade Bar Mitzvah Program, we educate our male students on the laws of Tefilin, encompassing all aspects of how it is made, to how it is worn, as well as the overall sanctity of the Tefilin. Our program culminates with a communal celebration for each individual, emphasizing the privilege of being counted for a Minyan and the novel responsibility for the laws and obligations set forth by our Torah.

For our 6th grade Bat Mitzvah Program, our female students participate in a series of sessions on topics of special interest to B’not Mitzvah. These workshops recognize a young woman’s right of passage and maturity to fully accept the responsibility of upholding our Torah’s laws and obligations. The event also consists of a beautiful mother/daughter celebration to collectively share in the joy of reaching this meaningful milestone. Our students listen to a beautiful Dvar Torah, and hear meaningful speeches from their teachers and peers. The event concludes with a musical performance and dancing. Each girl receives their own Tehillim book.

New Orleans Chesed Mission

DEDICATED BY STEVEN MONTAGUE IN HONOR OF HIS WIFE JULIE

Twenty-four seniors are selected to travel to New Orleans, where they participate in a wide array of chesed opportunities, including home repairs, ensuring energy efficient environments and packing food for the needy. They also enjoy some down-time and travel the city and its surroundings. This trip is in partnership with NCSY.

Poland Heritage Trip

DEDICATED BY RACHEL & JEFF SUTTON

The Heritage Trip to Poland offers a memorable experience for seniors to better connect with the lives of European Jews in the pre-Holocaust era and to understand the devastation of the Shoah. This program strengthens Jewish identity, awareness and commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Sephardic Heritage Trip

$36,000

The goal of the Sephardic Heritage Trip to Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar is to bring to life the glorious history and culture of Sephardic Jewry in its original setting through visits to cities, museums, archaeological sites and synagogues. Students experience both the grandeur and glory as well as the tragedy and ultimate destruction of Iberian Jewry. The trip fosters appreciation of the richness and complexity of the history of Sephardic heritage.

High School Seminar

$26,000 PER GRADE

Every year high school students participate in a grade wide seminar that takes place over Shabbat. The weekend is filled with spiritual growth, torah and prayer, learning, kumzitz, and overall bonding. Students have a special opportunity to spend quality time with their peers and teachers outside of the classroom.

Cooking For A Cause

DEDICATED IN HONOR OF MARLENE & STEVEN R. SHAMAH

For more than a decade, the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School has invited families and students to take part in filling the Sephardic Bikur Holim Food Pantry. Flatbush families graciously sponsor and provide the ingredientsfor approximately 100 meals throughout the year and then prepare these meals together with dozens of students. Families often dedicate this act of chesed in memory of or in honor of a loved one.

Kindergarten Friendship Celebration

$36,000

Our kindergarten students impress their parents with a spectacular end-of-year performances that focuses on the theme “Friendship.” The children sing beautiful renditions of songs about friendship in both Hebrew and English, to a room full of delighted and deeply impressed parents. Their joy at seeing their parents in the crowd is evident on their smiling faces. They are ready for first grade next year!

Parent School Partnership

DEDICATED IN HONOR OF ESTHER & JACK A. HIDARY

This program is dedicated to fostering and elevating the dialogue and partnership between home and school with meaningful programs and initiatives. The goal is to provide our parents with opportunities to partner together to learn about and engage in the yeshivah’s various educational initiatives including curriculum, learning methods, social emotional needs, or other relevant topics. Ultimately it is the yeshivah’s staunch belief that children learn best when the essential partnership between home and school is nourished and nurtured. PSP events have gathered up to 200 participants and include parenting workshops, Responsive ClassroomResponsive Parenting workshops, cooking and wellness classes, film screenings addressing social emotional needs for children, and panel discussions.

The Phoenix Newspaper

$26,000

The Phoenix is the school newspaper for Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School. Written entirely by students, it is published several times per year. Each issue features in-depth reporting on school news, upcoming events, sports, entertainment, divrei Torah and more. Contributing to The Phoenix helps students hone their writing, editorial and organizational skills. The Phoenix gives students the opportunity to voice their opinions maturely in an appropriate forum and showcase their writing, all under the guidance of an experienced professional journalist.

The Summit Senior Yearbook

$36,000

The Summit Senior Yearbook is an award winning publication that commemorates the past four years of High School and the milestone of our 12th grade students graduating. The senior yearbook staff work diligently to provide their classmates with tangible memories of High School.

High School Choir

$26,000

Some of the most popular institutions here at Flatbush are its talented choir groups. Performing both during and outside of school hours, the High School choir showcases our students’ exceptional talents when they come together in unison and harmony.

Elementary School Choir

$26,000

The Elementary School Choir is composed of over 50 students in grades 4, 5, and 6. The choir performs multiple times throughout the year including the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration, Moving Up ceremonies, annual auction, and at performances for local community organizations. The choir recently performed a song parody about Purim that garnered almost 25,000 social media views. The choir also recently produced an album consisting of 8 songs and 35 soloists.

NAMES, NOT NUMBERS©

DR. LAWRENCE A"H (ES '47) AND SUZANNE FISHMAN HOLOCAUST EDUCATION FUND

The Names, Not Numbers© program, created by educator Ms. Tova Fish-Rosenberg, is a unique intergenerational approach to Holocaust education that has connected 2,000 survivors and WWII veterans with more than 6,000 students worldwide. Every year, 30 middle school students listen to the tragic but inspiring stories of six Holocaust survivors and learn how to interview and film them for a documentary. Over 300 people attended the screening of the movie at the Yeshivah - a moving testimony that will last forever.

Family Shabbaton

DEDICATED BY HADDAD BRANDS FAMILY FOUNDATION

Yeshivah of Flatbush holds a family Shabbaton in the fall with our “Flatbush Family” at the Elementary School. The Shabbat program brings together more than 75 families, totaling 450 parents and children from within the Flatbush community. Minyan is run by our own superstars –the students. They are both the chazanim and also read from the Torah. Our Shabbaton caters to all ages and is filled with good food, classes, singing and games. After Shabbat, the fun and excitement continue with Rikkudim. The Shabbaton gives the opportunity to experience the beauty of Shabbat with family, to grow through intimate discussions, and to inspire and be inspired by our second family, the Yeshivah of Flatbush.

YOM HA’ATZMAUT CELEBRATIONS DEDICATED BY THE MAMIYE FAMILY

At Yeshivah of Flatbush, teaching our students to love, support and defend the State of Israel is central to our school’s mission. On Israel’s Independence Day we have multiple celebrations and activities for the entirety of the school that foster a deep relationship with our homeland. Programs included ceremonies, communal prayers, concerts and chesed projects.

YOF students are completely immersed in many other programs throughout the year that celebrate and reflect on Israel’s accomplishments, which culminate in this special day where alumni, parents and the larger community are invited to participate.

Archon Service Society Assembly

Jewish tradition places great significance on community service. Membership in The Archon Service Society Assembly displays a personal commitment to the Yeshivah through exceptional participation in school service, activities and programs. Continuing the legacy of hundreds of our alumni since 1956, only selected students are inducted into the Society every year at a ceremony in the Khezrie Auditorium attended by the students, faculty and parents.

National Honor Society Induction Ceremony

Select JBHS students are honored for their academic excellence in the annual National Honor Society Induction Exercises. Several awards are given, among them the Haramati Ahavat Yisrael Award. Membership in the National Honor Society signifies a personal commitment to excellence in character, scholarship, service and commitment to the Yeshivah’s values.

5th Grade Melava Malka

$26,000

The 5th Grade Melava Malka is an annual program held in memory of a beloved teacher and colleague, Chava Schneerson, Z”L. The program begins with a beautiful Havdala ceremony and a Dvar Torah presented by our students. The fifth graders, accompanied by soloists, sing songs in honor of Shabbat. Students are reminded about the importance of the Flatbush Five initiative and poems are recited by our students. The Personal Hero Award, given to an individual chosen from our community, is presented to a family member of outstanding character and commitment to the values of the Torah, Derech Eretz, Midot Tovot and the Flatbush Five. Two students from each 5th grade class are then awarded with the Derech Eretz and Midot Tovot Awards. The evening concludes with Israeli dances and a beautiful kumzitz.

Lower School Oneg Shabbat

$26,000

Every Friday, Lower School students participate in a special program that celebrates Shabbat. The Oneg Shabbat program begins with reciting the berachot on the Shabbat candles and then making kiddush. Elementary Head of School Rabbi Yahel Tsaidi engages students with stories and lessons from the Parasha. Together, students sing and welcome Shabbat.

Our first and second graders celebrate the important milestones of receiving their first Siddurim and Chumashim in memorable ceremonies. Within both programs, parents, grandparents, teachers and principals gather in our beautifully decorated auditorium to celebrate.

Our Siddur ceremony includes a blend of both Sephardic and Ashkenaz tefillah melodies and demonstrates how well the students are ready for this significant milestone.

In our Chumash ceremony, students sing songs emphasizing how the Torah has been passed down from generation to generation. The fathers in each class join together to hold up a talit and give the children a beracha. Classes also sing a special song showing appreciation for their mothers, presenting them with a rose.

Nursery Culture Fair

$26,000

Parents, relatives and friends watch in enjoyment as students dance and sing at the Annual Nursery Culture Fair. The event is a culmination of Nursery students’ explorations and learnings of various countries and cultures. Students don festive clothing and sing in celebration of their respective countries. The event then concludes in festively adorned Nursery classrooms where parents and students enjoy cultural delicacies.

NAOMI HOULLOU A”H LADIES AUXILIARY WELCOME BACK CARNIVAL

DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF DR. ALBERT MONTAGUE A”H

The Naomi Houllou A”H Ladies Auxiliary jump starts our school year with our annual Back to School Carnival. East 10th street is decorated with rides and games and our upbeat music keeps the day lively. Families and friends attend together to enjoy this beautiful and exciting day.

GRANDPARENTS' DAY

DEDICATED BY SHARON & MICHAEL HADDAD AND NELLIE & DAVID HADDAD

Our Nursery students and their grandparents are treated to an unforgettable morning for Grandparents’ Day. The children excitedly get to show their grandparents their classrooms, introduce them to their teachers, and work on a project together. The children and grandparents feast on a delectable spread while chatting and bonding.

The highlights of the morning are the sweet songs the students sing about their grandparents. It is so special to see the audience beaming with pride at their little stars on stage. The grandparents and grandchildren leave school with prizes in their hands and smiles on their faces.

Elementary School Tefillah Day

DEDICATED BY THE MAGGIE & ELLIOT BETESH FUND

$26,000

Every year, the Elementary School is filled with excitement as fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and older brothers gather in students’ designated Tefillah locations for a morning of tefillah and pizmonim. The special guests visit classrooms and do a Tefillah-related activity, then enjoy breakfast and choir performances in the auditorium.

Veshinantam

$26,000

Lower School students and their parents participate in a Motzei Shabbat Torah learning program called Veshinantam. The evening begins with a havdalah ceremony, and highlights the beauty and importance of continued learning with parents and teachers. Prizes, raffles, games and food are included.

WHY I GIVE:

“I give to the Annual Scholarship Fund because I want to ensure that the school which has been in existence for almost 100 years will continue to thrive for the next 100 years. As an alumnus as well as a parent of a Flatbush student, I know that my donation gives our students a chance to experience this world class education that they will use for the rest of their lives”.

JOE R. TAWIL (ES ‘90, HS ‘94) ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR

THIS IS MY WHY:

“When I was in school, I watched both my grandfather and parents give back to the greater Jewish community. Inspired by their work, I became passionate about education. I truly believe that from our two-year-olds to our Seniors in high school, the Yeshivah of Flatbush provides the best education. I believe that our collective work changes the lives of countless children, who otherwise would not be able to afford a Yeshivah education.”

RALPH S. SHAMAH (ES ‘89, HS ‘93) TREASURER

ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR