Shalhevet announces new principal

By Yaffi Spodek

Dec. 5 2008 / 8 Kislev 5769

Mrs. Rookie Billet of Woodmere has been named the new principal for Midreshet Shalhevet, the inaugural all-girl’s division of Machon HaTorah.

“She really is everything that Shalhevet stands for,” said Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, rosh yeshiva at Machon HaTorah, expressing his enthusiasm over Mrs. Billet’s appointment. “She is someone who personifies a commitment to Torah, halacha, midot tovot, Jewish values, tzionut, and of course inspires girls to be b’not Torah and will certainly encourage girls to pursue the professions of their choice, which is exactly what Shalhevet is all about.”

Mrs. Billet is to succeed Shalhevet’s founding principal, Dr. Rivkah Blau, who withdrew from her post days before the beginning of the school year. It had been suggested she might rejoin the school at a later date; apparently that will not happen.

Though she will be involved in developing and planning for the 2009 school year, Mrs. Billet is not expected to assume a full-time position at Shalhevet until 2010, after the completion of her tenure at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls where she currently is the principal. Should she be released from her Ma’ayanot contract earlier –– a likely scenario, according to a Machon HaTorah official with knowledge of the negotiation –– she would join the Shalhevet team sooner.

That is unlikely, Mrs. Billet told The Jewish Star. She has been asked to oversee the transition to her successor as principal during the 2009-2010 school year, the final one of her contract there. She anticipates joining Shalhevet for the 2010-2011 school year.

Mrs. Billet has been involved in Jewish education –– both as a teacher and in administrative positions –– for over 30 years. In the past, she has been assistant principal at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls and acting principal at Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central). She is also an active Rebbetzin at the Young Israel of Woodmere, the congregation that her husband, Rabbi Hershel Billet, has led for close to three decades.

Shalhevet does not have an interim principal. A team of administrators, teachers and rebbeim from Machon HaTorah stepped in after Dr. Blau’s departure.

“There is tremendous energy in the school and how it’s running, despite the fact that she’s [Mrs. Billet’s] not there right now,” Rabbi Friedman told The Jewish Star. “Things are going extremely well and will be the same next year, when she does join us.”

Rabbi Friedman is also optimistic about Shalhevet’s future enrollment and expansion.

“We were extremely gratified with the turnout at the open house a few weeks ago,” he said, noting that close to 80 prospective students attended. “There was a tremendous interest in the program and we fully expect that next year we will have two full classes for ninth grade and a number of transfer students to join the 10th grade.”

Despite the school’s growing popularity, Rabbi Friedman emphasized that Shalhevet is committed to the model of a small school, and he anticipates the size of incoming grades to be capped at 40 students.

“The design was to have a small school and we’re going to stick to that,” he stressed. “A small school means a warm school.”

For the record -- Dec 8, 2008

This story has been modified to reflect the following clarification:

Mrs. Rookie Billet, incoming principal of Shalhevet High School for Girls (Shalhevet announces new principal; Dec. 5, 2008) has served in the past not as principal but acting principal of Yeshiva University High School for Girls; and as assistant principal of SKA. Concerning a possible early departure from Ma’ayanot, in Teaneck, N.J., Mrs. Billet told The Jewish Star Monday she has been asked to oversee the transition to her successor as principal during the 2009-2010 school year, the final one of her contract there. She anticipates joining Shalhevet for the 2010-2011 school year.