HAFTR High School’s College Bowl teams hosted the first Yeshiva League College Bowl meet of the year at Congregation Beth Sholom of Lawrence last Thursday. About 100 participants from HAFTR, Central, DRS, Rambam, Shalhevet, North Shore, HANC, and SKA engaged in games of academic trivia. more

Sports, food, music, and fun combined for an enjoyable time at Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) Yeshiva High School’s 17th annual Shabbaton, held at Hotel Somerset-Bridgewater last weekend. “The purpose of the Shabbaton is to provide an enjoyable, relaxing experience for the student body to spend time with each other, as well as to promote school spirit and achdus (unity),” said Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky, principal of DRS in Woodmere. “The Shabbaton also provides an opportunity for the Rebbeim and students to interact in an informal way and build relationships.” more

HANC students at AIPAC hone Israel advocacy tools Several students from HANC’s high school last week joined 400 other students from across the country and attended the three-day AIPAC Schusterman High School Summit in Washington, DC. more

The trip for HAFTR’s eighth grade boys began with a chesed activity at the Masbiah Soup kitchen where they packed food packages to be delivered in communities around Brooklyn and Queens. more

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of the United Kingdom has been appointed to a dual professorship at New York University and Yeshiva University. A world-renowned scholar, philosopher, religious leader, prolific author and a leading moral voice, Rabbi Lord Sacks served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from September 1991 until September 2013, only the sixth incumbent of the position since it was formalized in 1845. more

Upon hearing of the passing of Rav OvadIa Yosef, the talmidim of Rambam Mesivta were assembled to learn more about this Torah giant, leader, and the impact he had on Klal Yisrael. His loss will be felt for generations to come. more

Cedarhurst-based Kulanu Academy, the special education school and social service agency for special needs children and adults, now gives its parents the ability to link with geographically-disbursed services without traveling from their children’s school. “It’s momentous for us,” said Amy Eisenberg, director of Kulanu’s Keren Eliana Parent Advocacy and Resource Center. “We will be the first agency on Long Island to provide this service — it’s most thrilling.” more

A model of the Bait Hamikdash — the Temple that was on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem — is coming to Long Island in the New Year, part of a campaign to make Judaism’s ancient spiritual citadel something tangible, right here, right now. “People sometimes think that the Bait Hamikdash (Temple) has nothing to do with us,” said Rabbi Mordechai Persoff, educational director of Machon Hamikdash (Temple Institute). “It was 2,000 years ago, or it’s for the times of Mashiach another 2,000 years from now.” more

Marshmallow, Morah Karen Yager’s beloved classroom guinea pig pet, almost didn’t make it to the start of the school year. Happily, she’ll be back with the four-year-olds when nursery classes resume at the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach’s Lev Chana Early Childhood Center, thanks to the efforts of a kind veterinarian. more