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March 9, 2007
19 Adar 5767
Dear Parents,
We last left off our story with the Machon Maayaners traveling to
Gush Etzion on Erev Tu B’shvat for a Thursday seminar. In keeping
with the Tu B’shvat theme of planting and renewal, the students
toured the Gush Bloc to witness how, despite its fall during the War
of Independence in 1948, the Jewish people have returned and have
re-confirmed their roots to this region. The students began the day
by visiting the "Nativ Ha’Lamed Heh Memorial" which honors
the memory of 35 Palmach soldiers who were sent from Jerusalem in
January of ’48 to help ease the Arab siege around Gush Etzion, but
were killed by Arab locals just a few kilometers away from the
Gush. Next, the students visited K’far Etzion where they watched an
emotionally charged multimedia presentation that tells the story of
the fall of the settlement in 1948, and the 1967 renewal with the
return of the children of the 1948 defenders. Afterwards, the Machon
Maayaners enjoyed some recreational activity in the Etzion forest
where they practiced archery, rock climbing, and zip-lined 400 meters
across a massive valley. After all the physical activity, the
famished students were treated to a very filling lunch at Burgers Bar
in the largest town in the Gush: Efrat. The day concluded with a
visit to N’vei Daniel, where the students planted trees in the Gush
and shared in a Tu B’shvat Fruit-fest and Kumsitz in the house of
Machon Maayan’s Executive Director, Menachem Persoff.
The next Thursday seminar featured a visit to Chevron where the
students were guided by the inspiring Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum, a
resident of the holy city. The students were taken to an excavation
area where the city’s Canaanite wall and gate were uncovered. What
they saw left no doubt that this was the actual site of the
transaction between Abraham and Efron, where the former purchased
Maarat Hamachpelah (the Cave of the Patriarchs) to bury his wife
Sarah. The Machon Maayaners continued on to Beit Hadassah, a hospital
turned museum, which memorializes the Chevron Jews who were massacred
in the 1929 Arab riots. One of the students, Sara Cherny was
astonished to see a replica of a tombstone dated from 1929 for a
relative who made Aliyah from her hometown, Memphis, Tennessee. The
highlight of the day (besides from lunch, of course) was a visit to
the Cave of the Patriarchs, where the students visited the tombs of
their great, great-grandparents; Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and
Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. The students opened their hearts in intense
prayer and recited Psalms in unison.
As Rosh Chodesh Adar rolled around, the students got into the spirit
of "V’nahafoch Hu" by rearranging and decorating the school
building. The Beit Midrash was converted into the dining room, the
male bathroom was commandeered for the females, and the students made
entrance into the administrative office virtually impossible by
filling the room with scores of chairs and hundreds of balloons. In
addition, the student body was energized with the spirit of "Mi
Shenichnas Adar Marbim B’simcha" through humor and song, in the
context of a Rosh Chodesh Adar school meeting led by Hannah Sorkin
(dressed up as Rav Kosowsky), Orly Gasner (dressed up as Meryl Lee),
Leah Ciner (dressed up as Rav Goldfischer) and Kaley Wajcman (dressed
up as Simcha).
As Purim approached and the spirit of dressing up enveloped the
students, the Machon Maayaners graced the catwalk in the King Solomon
Hotel in Jerusalem in the first ever Machon Maayan "Tzniut
Charity Fashion Show". Kol Hakavod to Rebecca Weiner and Sara
Cherny for organizing this amazing event; their vision, commitment,
and implementation of this very fashionable evening is described in
an article which was featured in the OU Torah Tidbit publication (see
end of this letter for text of the article).
Of course, the highlight of Adar was Purim!! After the students heard
the Megillah on Motzei Shabbat, the students, dressed in costume,
assembled in the school building for a Purim Chaggiga. In addition to
festive music, delicious food, and a Shpeil written by the madrichot,
the Machon Maayaners were left spellbound by a renowned Israeli
Mentalist.
On Purim morning, the students heard the Megillah, for a second time,
in the school building and continued to deliver Mishloach Manot to
all of the neighbors on the school and dormitory block. In the
afternoon, the Machon Maayaners were divided among the homes of Meryl
Lee, Rav Ben Tzion, and Simcha to share in their family Seudot.
The next day, on Shushan Purim, the students traveled into Jerusalem
where they volunteered in a soup kitchen to provide a Seudah for poor
Jerusalem residents. The young women continued onto Grill Bar, where
they were had Purim Seudah #2 along with the local celebrating
Jerusalemites.
Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ira Kosowsky
Meryl-Lee Avraham
Rabbi Ben Tzion Goldfischer
and Kaley Ames – student journalist
Text of the article which was printed in the OU Torah Tidbit publication
Who’s who and What’s what - The people and programs of OU Israel
by Rabbi Avi Baumol
"More than the average Seminary"
What do you get when you mix fashion, Torah, Chesed, and Tzniyut?
Impossible? Not according to two charming students from Machon
Maayan. According to Sara Cherny and Rebecca Wiener, you get the
first annual Machon Maayan Charity Fashion Show and Boutique taking
place at the King Solomon Hotel on February 26th at 7:30pm (all women
invited!) What you also get is another insight into the uniqueness of
OU’s latest endeavor–our Machon Maayan Girls' Seminary.
One of the most innovative and successful components of the Machon
Maayan schedule is the internship program which offers the girls a
chance to experience and work in one of the many areas of chesed and
business in Israel. Meryl-Lee Avraham, one of the founders of the
Machon as well as the 'Em Bayit', is in charge of all the
internships. She created within the girls a feeling of purpose,
importance, and connection with all things Israel and a feeling that
the girls’ input is highly regarded. Some examples of the internships
include becoming medical clowns, Jerusalem Post interns, Biblical
Zookeepers, working for the Koby Mandell foundation, Ethiopian
community tutoring, Holocaust education intern, horse therapy,
holistic medicine, and of course creating fashion shows for tzedaka.
The two girls behind the fashion show knew from the beginning of the
year that this would be their 'thing'. Rebecca grew up in Connecticut
and began designing clothing several years ago. She has worked in New
York City in design and even has her own label. Sara, hailing from
Memphis, Tennessee, focuses more on the business side of fashion; she
has run successful events for charity and she is looking forward to a
business life in fashion. When Meryl-Lee found out that they were
both into fashion and wanted to get involved that way, she made the
shidduch -- the rest is history. And history is in the making with
the first ever Seminary Fundraising Fashion Show!
Rebecca and Sara have two goals for this event. The first is
particularly on their minds and the minds of Seminary girls
throughout the country – their byline of the event is: Where
Tzniyut is Fashionable! So many women who come to Israel to learn end
up realizing the incredible importance of tzniyut, and the role it
plays in one’s Avodat Hashem. But they struggle with two extremes:
(1) to reject fashion, modernity, color, and all things in vogue. (2)
To reject tzniyut as archaic or justify their way of dressing as
somehow fitting within the Halacha. The girls want to show themselves
and all their friends that you can be fashionable and modest at the
same time!
The second goal is to incorporate an evening of fun and socialization
(amongst women) with Torah and Jewish values. Specifically, the value
of tzedaka which they hope will become part and parcel of their lives
when they leave seminary. For this reason the girls are raising as
much money from this event as they can for the Bet Sefer Ahavat
Yisrael Ethiopian Fund and OU Israel's youth programs.
The program consists of an introductory Dvar Torah, followed by a New
York style runway exhibiting Rebecca’s clothing, as well as clothes
from stores and designers from all over Jerusalem. Machon Maayan
students will be the models and all the clothing and accessories will
be showcased and followed by a boutique sale after the runway
event. There will be food, music, and great camaraderie. Everyone
will be coming out to this great happening, knowing that they are
contributing to tzedaka, enjoying great fashion, and proving to
themselves that true fashion can go hand in hand with modesty and
Torah values. Isn’t that what we expect from our seminaries?
Congratulations to Rebecca and Sara, and to Machon Maayan on this
fun, exciting, and inspiring initiative.
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