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From the Desk of Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky
I write these words as we return from a fantastic
two-day Sophomore Wilderness Expedition, where
aside from experiencing challenging and enjoyable
outdoor activities, the boys had an opportunity to
really bond with one another and to grow spiritually,
away from the hustle and bustle of the daily
Yeshiva schedule. Look for full details in the next
edition of the Address.
There was a special meeting this past week for our
Rabbeim with Rav Scheinberg, where we had the
opportunity to ask questions and get "chizuk" from this
revered Talmid Chacham.
We also had the great
privilege of hosting an outstanding shiur from my
Rebbe, Rav Mordechai Willig, who closed his remarks
with an impassioned exhortation to parents to increase,
as much as time permits, their own personal learning
commitment.
In this vein, we are proud to offer to our Abbas
and students the opportunity to spend the chag of
Kabbalat Hatorah learning side-by-side with your sons
in our beautiful Bait Medrash Eliyahu Zvi. We will
have a full complement of shiurim throughout the
night by the exciting group of DRS Rabbeim, a
great "Kol Torah" in our Bait Medrash, and of course
plenty of food to keep everyone going.
We will
also be conducting minyanim throughout the chag,
where we will have the opportunity to hear tefilot
led by talmidim and shiurim presented by them as well.
We invite the entire community to join us for any
or all of these programs.
In closing, I would like to thank the parents who
were able to attend our four shiurim between Pesach
and Shavuot, as well as those who sponsored the
shiurim. In addition, special thanks go to all of those
families who have sponsored shiurim and the collation
for the night of Shavuot.
It really means a lot to
the Yeshiva that you have come forward to support the
learning of your children in this way. May the
commitment that you have shown towards Torah study
be reflected in the spiritual growth of your families
forever.
Have an inspiring Shabbat!
| Election Fever @ DRS |
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Election fever gripped the Yeshiva this past week,
as, amidst furious campaigning, the annual G.O.
elections were held. These elections are a very
significant component of the school calendar, as
the individuals elected to the student government will
shape the tone of the 204-2005 school year through
the events that they plan for their fellow students.
Throughout the week, the halls were plastered
with campaign signs, and on Thursday morning, the
candidates for G.O. President spoke to the entire
student body about their vision for the future.
These presentations, including Raphael Green's
entertaining presentation about the possibility of facing
a "world without Green," were warmly received by the
students.
Congratulations to all of the candidates for
their hard work and dedication to their school, and we
know the winners will use their positions to further
enhance the DRS experience. The election winners
include: Yoni Mandelstam, Sophomore Class
President, Shlomo Hagler, Junior Class President, David
Aharanoff, Senior Class President, Yair Frankel,
Treasurer, and Moshe Alony, Vice President. The
Presidential Election was a tightly contested three way
race, and there will be a run-off vote next week
between candidates Josh Lobell and David Frankel.
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| Welcome Class of 2008! |
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Next year's incoming freshman were formally
welcomed into the DRS family on Sunday, as they
participated in their first orientation. The event began
with Rabbi Kaminetsky's traditional "naming" of
each student, beginning a lifetime of calling each
by his own Hebrew name.
The 8th graders from 11 different schools
heard a shiur from Rabbi Kamenetsky on the topic of
achdut, the yeshiva's central theme. The students then
heard from Mr. Feldman and Rabbi Brazil who answered
the students' questions.
The students then proceeded next door to the gym for
an exciting icebreaker activity, in which they
learned the names of their fellow classmates. The
program concluded with ice cream and sports in the
gym. We wish the Class of 2008 a wonderful
summer, and look forward to their becoming part of the
DRS student body.
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| Celebrating Academic Achievement @ DRS |
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As the year comes to a close, we are pleased to
continue to recognize our students for their high
academic achievements. DRS Seniors Daniel
Loewenstein and Nafi Schwarzenberger have each
been awarded the 2004 Scholarship for Academic
Excellence by The State Education Department in
recognition of outstanding academic achievement.
Joshua Blachman, Yair Frankel, Elihu Herskovics,
Steven Kantowitz and Jonathan Mann have
earned the honor of advancing to the next phase in the
National Merit Scholarship Competitions after their
outstanding performance on the PSAT examinations in
October 2003. The "Fabulous Five" are among the
50,000 highest scoring participants among juniors
who took the PSAT in the United States.
D.R.S. Senior Isaac Solaimanzadeh has been
named a Semifinalist in the 2003-04 Young Epidemiology
Scholars (YES) Competition. The YES competition
is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
and the College Board, and awards college scholarships
to the winners. This award carries a scholarship of
$1000 per year for Isaac's four years in college. Isaac
is one of only 120 winners out of nearly 600 entries
submitted by students from across the country.
His project, a research experiment entitled
"Physical Activity Trends and Overweight
Prevalence," included a survey of yeshiva students
which investigated their levels of physical activity and
exercise. In analyzing the statistics, Isaac found
that the levels of physical health among yeshiva
students compared favorably with national averages.
Using the data he collected, Isaac attributed his
findings to the longer yeshiva school day, which allows
for less time to be physically idle. As a result, he
was able to conclude that school policy can indeed
affect the physical health of students.
Additionally, we are pleased to announce that DRS
Senior Daniel Stern has won the Alisa Flatow
Scholarship. Dedicated to the memory of Alisa
Flatow, a 20-year-old student who was studying in
Israel when she was killed in a terrorist attack,
the Fund has been established to encourage others to
study in Israel following their high school
graduation. Daniel Stern will spend this coming
year at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh in Yerushalayim, prior to
his commencing his studies at the Queens Honors
College in New York. Congratulations, Daniel!
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| Join Us For Shavuot! |
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We are excited to announce that once again, we
will be celebrating Shavuot in Yeshiva with a wide
variety of programming and shiurim, as well as a full
tefillah schedule. In commemorating Tikun Leil
Shavuot, our Bait Medrash will be open to the entire
community for chavruta and individual learning, with
refreshments throughout the night, and Shacharit as
the sun rises.
In addition, we have prepared a blockbuster lineup
of shiurim being offered throughout the night by DRS
rabbeim. Throughout the rest of the Yom Tov, the
entire community is invited to participate in our
tefillah services, and to hear shiurim from our own
Senior Talmidim. For the complete Shavuout
schedule, download the file below.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Click HERE to download the complete DRS Shavuot Program Schedule »
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Seniors and Freshman
Continue to Bond |
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This past Wednesday, the DRS Senior and
Freshman classes participated in the final mentoring
program of the year. This program, which pairs
Freshman with Senior mentors who help them
throughout the year, has fostered close relationships
among the two grades, and the event on Wednesday
was once again a huge success. Spearheaded by
freshman president Yoni Mandelstam, it included
Freshman learning with their Senior mentors about
achdut and friendship both in and out of school, an ice
cream sundae extravaganza, followed by exhilarating
games of gaga and dodge ball.
The winner of the gaga game was Senior Sammy
Goldsmith, while the Freshmen took the dodge ball
game. Rabbi Eli Brazil, who coordinated the
program, commented, "it is amazing how the
seniors and freshmen interact with each other. This
program has positively impacted upon the entire school."
Rav Mordechai Willig,
Rebbe of our Rabbeim,
Speaks at Yeshiva
The final lecture in our four part pre-Shavuot series
proved to be a most appropriate culmination to our pre-
Shauot learning buildup. Rav Mordechai Willig
delivered a brilliant shiur on the halachic question of
fulfilling the mitzva of Simchat Yom Tov through eating
milchig. Rav Willig's engaging style of presentation
clearly inspired his audience to understand how this
erudite, warm Talmid Chacham has had such an
impact of the lives of his talmidmid, many of whom are
mechanchim and rabbanim in our community.
The highlight of the shiur, however, was
definitely the final fifteen minutes, where he plaintively
exhorted all who were assembled that the real joy
of Shavuot comes not from eating meat or cheescake,
but from a real deep appreciation of the joy of the
study of Torah and performance of Mitzvot.
Hopefully, his words will inspire us to a most meaningful
Kabbalat Hatorah this Shavuot.
DRS Athletics
Update
Our Junior Varsity Softball competed its regular season
with an impressive 10-9 victory against North
Shore. The win insured the team's second
consecutive 5-1 season and at least a share of
the division title. The team was down two runs in
the bottom of the seventh but belted two runs in the
final frame to tie the game. The squad eventually won
the game on a sacrifice fly in the 9th inning. The team
should find out who they will play in the playoffs this
week.
The Varsity had a terrific Friday sweeping HAFTR in
a doubleheader. Max Lindenfeld continued his
great pitching, winning both games of the
doubleheader. The team plays North Shore this Friday.
With a win the team will clinch its first division
title.
The soccer team lost a tough game against HAFTR this
week. The team cut the HAFTR lead to 4-3 on a late
goal by Yoeli Zlotnik but couldn't tie and HAFTR added
two late goals to make the game look worse than it
was. The Soccer team will play its playoff game
this Monday night at 6:30 against Ramaz.
Wildnerness Expedition
Update!!
As we go to press, the DRS Sophomore class has
just returned from an amazing trip! Be sure to
check out the next DRS Address for a full write up and
pictures from this exciting event!
The Junior class is buzzing about their trip,
scheduled
for June 2-3, when they will travel down the east
coast, through New Jersey, Philadelphia and on to
Baltimore, Maryland.
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