Some mini-courses touched on areas of wisdom that will hopefully last a lifetime, such as Dealing with Life’s Curveballs, Life Lessons of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Navigating Relationships.

Yet other mini-courses were hands-on, such as Dorm Room Cooking, Makerspace Projects, Knitting and Chemistry Demos. In addition, one senior mini-course delved into hilchot shechita. On the final day of the mini-course, the instructor (Ģ��TV���� business teacher and certified shochet Dr. Len Fuld), gave a live shechita demonstration with a real chicken.

“We are proud to be offering an incredible selection of exciting mini-courses this year,” said Ģ��TV���� mini-courses coordinator Mrs. Danielle Tamir. “You name it, it’s on the schedule—there is truly something for everyone.”

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The course (which will iy”H recur) was taught by Ģ��TV���� office whiz and former private chef Toby Moses, who is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City. “It’s a good life skill to be able to cook for yourself,” said Moses.” It is healthier to cook your own food than buy food. Plus, Culinary science doesn’t just teach you cooking; it’s also about how to be a responsible person and an adult.”

Students came into the class with varying levels of kitchen skills and knowledge. But by the end of the year, all had gained an impressive repertoire of culinary expertise: everything from knife skills and kitchen hygiene to preparing a multi-dish meal where all the food successfully comes out hot at the same time! Students also had the opportunity to hear weekly from a diverse array of guest speakers representing different careers in the food industry—bakers, restaurateurs, cafe owners, supermarket providers, food service directors, caterers, private chefs, food psychologists—as well as halachic aspects of food prep, such as kashrut issues to do with onions and similar foods.

In class, Moses created an environment that was both fun and chock full of practical learning. For example, students learned how to make all food using dorm-friendly equipment—air fryers, electric frying pans, Betty Crocker cookers and magic bullet blenders. But the mouthwatering course syllabus is the stuff of family dinners and foodie dreams: gravlox (cured salmon), homemade ricotta cheese, quesadillas, baked potatoes with lemon garlic aioli, the perfect steaks, crispy brussel sprouts and cauliflower, salami chips, salmon and broccoli and Israeli favorites like shakshuka and falafel from scratch.

“The class has really been the highlight of my day and I loved it,” said Moses. “I love the kids. They were so into it. They literally cheered after everything during the weekly review. Every single person really wanted to learn how to cook.”

Students echoed their head chef’s enthusiasm. Senior Daniella Moadab signed up for the class to solidify her passion for cooking. “We also learn cleaning skills, which is a plus. Toby gave us all the tools to be able to make each thing and let us figure things out on our own. She’s got a vibrant personality and is such a great teacher. Culinary Science is such a different aspect of high school that I did not expect to experience,” said Moadab.

Michelle Elman agreed. “I love that we know how to chop,” she said. “Nobody ever taught me before, but I’m so happy to now know how to do something so basic. Cooking is so essential and obvious as a human being, and I think it is really cool that we’ve been given the ability to experiment with foods and make meals on our own.”

Harrison Tassler shared, “I didn’t know what the class would actually be like but I loved every minute of it—from jumping right into knife skills to learning how to properly season my food, which herbs pair well with which proteins or vegetables and how to incorporate acid to help boost flavor.”

The Culinary Science course is dedicated in loving memory of Rodney Grundman z”l who served as treasurer of the board and chaired the school’s scholarship committee for many years. He was known for his tremendous sensitivity and skill in balancing the needs of the school and the needs of families, and he generously devoted countless hours to ensuring a yeshiva education for hundreds of children. Rodney was also a wonderful cook whose culinary passion was evident to anyone who sat around his table or tasted his famous challah, which he regularly delivered to his friends and family.

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In Judaic studies, topics range from Bible and Halacha to Jewish history, philosophy, and ethics. The courses include: Kohelet, Happily Never After: Stories of Rejection and Redemption, Devarim: Ethics of Warfare, YU Bekiut, Making of a Gadol: A Look Back at Five of Our Greatest, Famous Jewish Letters, Meaningful Relationships, Responsa of the Holocaust, Jewish Music Tour: A Deep Look at the Evolution and Lyrics, Campus Quandries, Halachic Issues and Coronavirus, Jewish Life Values, Of Rappers and Rebbes: Lyrics and Teachings of the Great Gangstas and Godmen, Aggadic Passages on Perspective and Change, Pirkei Avot, Biblical Criticism, When Great Things Come to an End, and Hakdamat HaRambam LiPeirush HaMishna.

In general studies, students may choose to review for AP exams in various subjects, or explore new vistas in courses such as Art Studio: Painting on Clothing, Biological Physics and Mathematical Biology Ethics, Recreating Historical Paintings at Ģ��TV����, Adult Interpretations of Children’s Literature and Fairytales, History of EMS and 911 Systems, Short Films-Big Ideas, History of Fashion, How to Travel the World, He Said/He Said: Rabbinic Disputes from Maimonides to the Modern State of Israel, Intro to the Music of the 60s, Archetypes and Stereotypes in the Media, Big Ideas from Cinema, Nazi Use of Propaganda (Deification of Hitler and the Demonization of the Jews), Biomimicry and Science (Ecoliteracy and Design Innovation), Making Exciting Powerpoint Presentations, Mini Grammar Lessons 101, The Relationship Between the Black and Jewish Communities, and Songwriting Workshop.

In the “Life After Ģ��TV����” category, students get to learn practical, long-term skills and ideas. Courses include: Intro to Filmmaking and Videography, Financial Literacy,  Auto Mechanics: Lessons for Your First Car, Jewish Environmental Ethics, Dorm Room Cooking, Arabic 101, Genius Bar: Maximizing Your iPhone, Arabic 101, Baking with Cakemaster Melissa Alt, and Tips for Your Free Time in Israel.

Virtual internships include presentations by CEOs and other high-level executives at a variety of companies, including Bari Lynn, AirBnB, the NFL, Leket, Hiltzik Strategies, Bleacher Report, the Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney, Cross River Bank and Columbia Records. Meanwhile, the Israel education portion of the program features addresses by highly knowledgeable, nuanced thinkers, including Hon. Daniel Kurtzer (former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Egypt), American-Israeli author and journalist Yossi Klein Halevi, Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon of the Herzog Institute at Gush and Rabbi Yehuda Sarna of NYU’s Bronfman Center. Kedushat HaChaim, on Jewish relationships and family, will be taught by Ģ��TV����’s Judaic Studies faculty, while Senior Seminars will include Rabbi Menachem Genack (CEO of OU Kosher), Julian Schocron (Danny Danon’s personal advisor at the UN), GETORA.org (Organization for the Resolution of Agunot) and more.

“Our senior program is crafted for the purpose of allowing students to explore new areas of interest that will serve as a bridge between their high school experience and the world of intellectual, professional and creative possibilities they are about to encounter,” said Principal Rabbi Eli Ciner. “This program was truly put together with each and every student in mind and we hope it serves as a springboard for further growth.”

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Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, senior advisor to the provost at YU and coordinator of the panel, noted at the start of the event that the topic was appropriate for the season, with the Yamim Noraim still fresh in our systems and in light of our current immersion in Sefer Bereishit—in which mankind must reinvent their lives outside of Eden, and Noah’s family post-flood.

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Over 50 students chose the work-study option and have been matched to companies and nonprofits selected specifically to fit their interests. Many Ģ��TV���� alumni across multiple industries have taken on these seniors and are exc ited to give back to the Ģ��TV���� community. Industries in which students have been placed include: business and finance, medicine, law, real estate, engineering, psychology, journalism, book publishing, photography, community service, food distribution and animal care.

The Ģ��TV���� Senior Work-Study Program, run by Rabbi Burry Klein alongside Ģ��TV���� parents Susan Nadritch (‘93) and Pam Newman, is designed to be symbiotic, benefitting both students and employers. Employers have been impressed by the character of the Ģ��TV���� students and the seriousness with which they have applied themselves to their assignments. “It is a gift to both our institute and the clinic,” said Eve Yudelson LCSW, director of The Clinic at the New Jersey Institute, about her experience working with her assigned Ģ��TV���� senior.

“It’s been a great experience,” said Ben Rieder, CEO at Chestnut Holdings of New York Inc. “The kids are mentches. They were not afraid to ask questions and handled the tasks professionally.”

Meanwhile, Ģ��TV���� work-study students stand to gain tremendous knowledge about the industries and professions that interest them.

Senior Eli Bursztyn, founder of the Ģ��TV���� Zoological Society, was placed at the Bergen Veterinary Hospital Place with Dr. Jen Suss (‘93), where he has had the opportunity to observe different aspects of veterinary medicine. “Working at the veterinary clinic has been a true eye-opener,” said Bursztyn. “I’ve learned so much about proper animal care, the inner workings of a veterinary hospital and I’ve even seen surgeries. It’s fascinating and I really enjoy it.”

“Every day brings different cases and you never know what to expect,” said Dr. Suss. “I am hoping that Eli will gain through this experience that there are many aspects to veterinary medicine. Working in general practice is just one aspect. Aside from specializing in specific animals or fields, there are also food animal veterinarians, equine veterinarians, food safety and inspection veterinarians, research veterinarians and government jobs for public safety and epidemiology.”

Seniors Tabitha Klein, Brooke Schwartz and Ariella Weiss were assigned to The Jewish Link. “The students have been working on a number of editing and writing tasks and we have already assigned them a few articles and accepted some of their article pitches,” said Publisher Rabbi Moshe Kinderlehrer. “We are hoping they get a strong sense of what it’s like to work at our hyperlocal community paper, how to write a range of different types of columns and articles and also to learn some editing skills and techniques.”

“The program is a great opportunity to get acquainted with your interest in the job market even before starting college,” said Ģ��TV���� senior Michael Froimchuk, who is completing his work-study at a top real estate private equity firm. “The educational experience is unparalleled. I get to meet with people you only hear about on the news. I get to sit in on important company meetings to understand the environment in which I am in. And lastly, most importantly, I have the opportunity to do work in a company only few my age are given the chance to do.”

“Being in this environment, you get to see everything happening from the inside out,” agreed senior Yosef Farca, who is at the same firm. “It’s very different from learning in a classroom, and the things that we are working on are all immediately relevant and happening today.”

“I learned many things about the [real estate] industry I would like to go into after just one week at PopShop,” said Sammy Volodarsky, who is at a different company.

Students in other fields voiced similar impressions. “For my work-study, I am editing a book for Kodesh Press,” explained senior Michele Scheer. “This is an amazing opportunity to learn about the world of editing and publishing, and get some experience in a field I am potentially interested in entering. I have been interested in writing and editing for years, and now I finally have the chance to explore this potential career in an official way.”

Prior to the start of the program, Yali Elkin (‘93), Ģ��TV���� parent and CFO at a small private equity fund, gave an Excel seminar to a group of work-study students, providing them with an indispensable workplace skill. “We had the kids seriously engaged for almost two hours to learn the basics of data analysis,” said Elkin. “We barely scratched the surface, of course, but the students began to appreciate the power of thinking like an analyst and the many doors such a mindset can open.”

“Yali Elkin showed our students how useful Excel is for solving everyday problems and how much more there is to learn,” commented Ģ��TV���� Director of Educational Technology Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky, who attended the seminar. “It felt like an Excel beit midrash!”

For those seniors staying closer to home base, these three educational weeks have also been well utilized. Mini-courses, overseen by Ģ��TV���� Director of Mentoring and Academic Advisement Ira Miller, have included (among others) the history of fashion, music from the ‘60s, American politics, 21st-century Halacha, community Halacha, “Adventures of the Soul” (Hasidism) and media and culture, in which students get to analyze and break down the messaging of advertisements.

The end of May will feature “senior seminars” for the entire grade on topics of critical importance as the teenagers graduate high school and head out into the wider world. Seminar topics include kedushat ha’mishpacha, campus readiness, professional ethics and more.

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Eitan Kastner, co-chair of Ģ��TV����’s history department, goes over the historical context of the Jewish American immigrant experience ahead of the seniors’ trip to Ellis Island.

The senior field trips have focused on the American Immigrant Experience, connecting to their past. Students visited Ellis Island, the Lower East Side of New York City and other sites that have resonance for Jewish immigrants to the United States, gaining appreciation and insight into their American Jewish roots, and how immigrants embraced and adapted to their new surroundings.

The chosen lecture topics are diverse and geared toward the seniors’ transition from high school to their future as responsible adults within the general and Jewish community. Topics include: sex crimes/abuse, consent and intimate partner violence (presented by the Brooklyn DA); financial management; the importance of community involvement; finding meaning in Judaism; the agunah crisis and important work of the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA); and the Gift of Life Marrow Registry.

Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin, a board member of ORA and clinical assistant professor at YU’s Cardozo School of Law, educated students about the challenges that agunot face, what the community can do to help solve the crisis and the importance of the halachic prenup and how it works to prevent get withholding.

Michelle Weber, Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney, educated and sensitized our students about consent.

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In the course, the students have had the opportunity to engage with world history on a macro thematic level, rather than focusing chronologically or on certain geographical locations. This year, the class has studied five themes: human interaction with the environment, the development of culture, the development of states, the development of economies and the development of societies. The museum scavenger hunt challenged students to incorporate what they had learned as they searched the Met for objects showcasing these larger themes, took selfies with said works of art and uploaded them to an online map.

“The Met’s unparalleled encyclopedic collection offers a unique classroom for a world history course,” explained Kastner, who is also a licensed New York City tour guide. “Every gallery serves as a window into a different place and time. I can talk about different cultures back at school, but at the museum the students can actually experience things in a unique way.”

“Although I have visited The Met before with my family, I never really appreciated how trends in history could be learned through art until I did the scavenger hunt with Mr. Kastner,” said Benjy Katz ’18.

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“The trip was both enjoyable and formative as a grade,” said Jared Scharf ’18 and Yoni Kirsch ’18. “The trip demanded both maturity and independence from our grade. Meeting with the congressmen and the trip to the Holocaust Memorial Museum made it a truly meaningful trip.”

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Bursztyn’s interest in women’s rights issues inspired Ģ��TV���� junior grade dean Maren Scharf to nominate her for the competitive internship. Now, Bursztyn is one of 21 girls taking part in the program, including two from Catholic schools and the rest from various public schools in Bergen County. She is the only yeshiva high school student in the program this year.

The Junior Commission meets monthly to study various issues affecting women in Bergen County—such as domestic violence, cyberbullying, healthy relationship awareness, childcare and women in the workforce—and takes on a public service project over the course of the year. This year’s junior commissioners will launch a teen pregnancy prevention campaign.

Bursztyn says she is particularly looking forward to action-based events scheduled for the remainder of the year: a feminine hygiene products drive for women in homeless shelters; a clothing drive for victims of human trafficking; a gift drive for female victims of domestic violence and their children currently living in the Center for Hope and Safety; Habitat for Humanity home construction; and the commission’s upcoming Women’s History Month celebration in March, which will honor three women who have overcome professional obstacles and whose 2018 theme will be “Nevertheless She Persisted: honoring women who fight all forms of discrimination against women.”

Bursztyn expressed appreciation for the internship’s organizers, and spoke highly of her fellow interns, whom she described as intelligent, welcoming and compassionate individuals. “Our fundamentals are the same,” she said. “They want to help people and empower women. They’re very nice people, and ba’alot chesed.”

“I hope future Ģ��TV���� kids do this internship too,” added Bursztyn, who says she is interested in pursuing activism on behalf of women’s and minority rights in the future. “It’s an amazing opportunity, as well as an opportunity for a great kiddush Hashem.”

Bursztyn believes that many issues affecting women in the general population also affect women within the Jewish community. “Domestic violence, for example, is also an issue within the Jewish community, but it is slightly more taboo in the Jewish community,” she said. “Both communities have a long way to go before these issues are solved; we need to talk about it more before we can witness change.” Concurrently, Bursztyn views the Jewish community as a great potential resource for women in crisis, noting examples of everyday acts of chesed that are so commonplace in Jewish communities. “I think the Jewish community would be a great place for women in need to turn to for help, because our community is so loving,” she said.

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