Chanuka was in the air early last week, as the students and faculty of DRS began their preparations in earnest, with a pair of very special programs. Last Thursday evening, the Bait Medrash was once again rocking into the late hours of the night, and the students there were treated to a very special visit by the legendary Chaim Dovid, who, along with DRS parent Avi Feinberg, conducted a very special pre- Chanuka kumsitz, complete with some beautiful Divrei Torah and stories about Reb Shlomo Carlbach. In what is becoming a DRS tradition, cholent was once again enjoyed by all.

On Sunday, our Bait Medrash Eliyahu Zvi was filled with anticipation, as the Gaon and Tzaddik, Harav Asher Weiss from Yerushalayim, entered into the building to deliver a shiur in honor of Chanuka. Rav Weiss is the Author of the popular seforim "Minchat Asher", and he serves as a Dayan, a Rosh Kollel, and Rav of a Kehilla in Ramot, in Yerushalayim. Rav Weiss is a Talmid Chacham who is revered by all segments of the Orthodox world, and the respect that the community in general and our Yeshiva in particular have for him was evident during the shiur. The event was particularly exciting, as Rav Weiss, who gives a wonderful weekly shiur at DRS via videoconference from Israel, had the opportunity to give the shiur in person.

Rav Weiss delivered an outstanding shiur on the topic of the Custom of Lighting Chanuka Candles in Shul. Approximately fifty men from the community joined the 200 boys from Yeshiva for this public display of halachic mastery. Rav Weiss has an engaging style of teaching, and he clearly showed his love for torah and his care for our talmidim before, during and after the shiur, as he entertained questions from the Rabbeim and talmidim.

Our community will have the privilege of hearing Rav Weiss one Sunday a month at 11:00am. The next shiur is tentatively being planned for January 2nd. Stay tuned for details on this Sunday morning monthly live videoconferenced shiur.

What do you get when you take over 100 pounds of Dougie's poppers and wings, 15 feet of Hero Sub Sandwiches, a bunch of Menorahs, Dreidels, and present Grab Bags? You get Chanuka with the Rebbeim 2004! As is the custom at Yeshiva, each Shiur has a special Chanuka Chagiga with their Rebbeim, and with half of the parties taking place already, the reports are in, and everyone had an amazing time.

At Rabbi Yudin's 10th grade shiur chagiga, the talmidim bid fiercely in a Middot Auction, where they determined the prizes, like an extra five points on a test, a free homework assignment, and others, before the party. At Rabbi and Rebbetzin Yudin's house, the students bid with special "currency," bidding with how many extra hours of learning they would commit to do, or how many days of davening with extra special kavana.

At Rabbi Stern's 9thth grade shiur chagiga, the student's enjoyed a special video presentation of the chanuka story updated for 2004, by Eli Stahler, Shlomo Zomick, Dovid Shekhitkhin, and Shua Drang, and an intense game of family feud. Rabbi Emerson's ninth graders came to his house for his annual Lightsfest Chanuka Chagiga, and enjoyed Dougie's and Divrei Torah, and two special Chanuka Grab Bags, where the students got to take home exciting prizes, including new goldfish donated by Sammy Schertz! At Rabbi Kaminetsky's house, a chanuka skit, performed by Adam Hersch and Zack Goldsmith, and musical accompaniment by the Saperstien brothers, and a chanuka trivia contest combined with heros and Dougie's for a spectacular evening.

The annual Chanuka Chagiga and Celebration at Yeshiva was a smashing success. The G.O., under the leadership of President Josh Lobell, raised over $1,200 in the annual goods and services auction. Everyone had a great time, and the students especially enjoyed bidding on Shabbat for four at the Menahel's house, won by Seniors Eli Brecher, Dovid Schulman, David Weiss, and Eliezer Williams. The Weatherproof jackets were also popular, and Freshmen Burry Klein, Kenny Golstein, and Rafi Goodman were thrilled to win a special dinner with Mr. Abramowitz at Sushi Mitsuyan. Shai Peyser is eagerly looking forward to the Chulent Tailgate Party donated by Rabbi Emerson. The crowd really got into the winner of the "Andre Challenge," Eli Weiss, as he took on Andre then and there in a heated 1 on 1 basketball game.

During the auction, the entire DRS student and faculty body got an opportunity to reflect on the amazing success of the Chanuka Chayeinu raffle, run by Sophomores Zeke Miller and Jason Strauss. Through their unprecedented hard work and dedication, the raffle raised over $5,000, which is all going towards enhancing the Chanuka experience of Cancer patients in Israel. DRS Chessed is going international, as the DRS alumni currently in Israel will be hosting a party for Chayeinu in Israel next week, using the funds raised here! Be sure to check next week's DRS Address for information and pictures from that party!

Following the auction, the students danced the day away in true DRS Chagiga fashion. Ari Boianjou and Nochi Krohn rocked the house, with help from DRS Percussionists Maury Goldsmith and Meir Shubowitz.

Lunch was made extra special with latkes donated by the DRS Parent Council, and candy apples donated by DRS Parent Rabbi David Beitler. The days' events concluded with an exciting Faculty- Student Basketball game. It was close throughout, but the Varsity team pulled out a close victory! Perhaps the most exciting moment came during halftime, when Mrs. Fisher took on Rabbi Kaminetsky in a free throw shooting contest. Rabbi Kaminetsky won, but we look forward to an exciting rematch next year.

The College Guidance office, under the excellent direction of Mrs. Eva Hefter, is right in the middle of its busy season, and as usual, there are many different events happening. This past Monday evening DRS welcomed Mr. Robert Friedman, Director of Student Aid at Yeshiva University, who gave an excellent presentation on the intricacies of submitting federal and state financial applications, including the much-feared FAFSA form. Mr. Friedman, who has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, showed a powerpoint presentation and had available numerous handouts that featured ways to afford today's high cost of college. Though employed by YU, Mr. Friedman's presentation covered a universal topic, appropriate for any college that a student may be applying to. We were pleased to also welcome Mrs. Gail Elsant of the College Guidance Office at SKA and parents of SKA students. Finally, we were delighted to see parents sitting at students' desks diligently taking notes in class.

The Guidance Office also had the pleasure of hosting Yeshiva University Associate Dean of Admissions Mr. Danny Morris, who conducted interviews of Senior applicants, some of which are pictured above.

The Student of the Month program was established last year, and the monthly announcements have quickly become one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the calendar. Each month, faculty members nominate students who have demonstrated effort and accomplishment in their subject area above and beyond what is anticipated. The faculty recognizes and salutes one boy for his cooperation, diligence, conduct, grades and participation in their respective subject areas. A certificate is presented to each student in recognition of his achievement for the month and a letter of appreciation is sent to the boys' parents, thanking them for providing the encouragement necessary for the success of the school program. We are proud to announce the students of the month for November, and we congratulate them on their success and hard work:

Freshmen: Jeremy Levine Mordechai Bennett Yair Saperstein Chesky Kopel Yoni Speiser Mordechai Bennett Zach Englander Tuvia Blisko Ezra Frager Josh Gormley Adam Hersh Daniel Schoenfeld Eli Stahler Eli Wein

Sophomores: Barry Eichenbaum Ephraim Leiderman (3 times) Elliot Wagner Daniel Fischer Yehuda Newman Jason Strauss Eli Cohen Daniel Rahmanan Yoni Frohlinger Jason Estes Elliot Schrier Ephraim Leiderman Jonathan Weitzman Rafi Lipschitz Elliot Schrier

Juniors: Daniel Elefant Yosef Miller Benjamin Eghbali (3 times) Baruch Y. Abittan Sammy Steiner Steven Genachowski (3 times) Avi Heinberg Rick Schindelheim Aryeh Schlusselberg Avi Stahler Baruch Y. Abittan Ari Feldstein Alon Mallin Elie Bashevkin Daniel Muchnick Alon Mallin Avi Stahler Dov Klein Daniel Shekhtikhin Aryeh Schlusselberg Daniel Muchnick

Seniors: Elie Freilich Josh Hersh Tzvi Shapiro Micky Reich Jeremy Beck Josh Blachman Zachary Klein Evan Piontnica Benjamin Trachtenberg (2 times)

While the basketball and hockey seasons are in full swing, our Chess and Bowling squads recently got off to exciting starts to what we know will be successful seasons. The bowling team is now competing in its fourth season in the league, which includes Rambam, South Shore, HAFTR, and MTA. This year's DRS Alleycats, lead by their captain Meir Shubowitz, is off to a great start, and have started the season 2-0 with decisive victories over Rambam and HAFTR. Special thanks go to commissioner Rabbi Brazil whose tireless efforts have resulted in an amazing time for all. All the games take place at Woodmere Lanes, and the next game is on December 28, at 9:00 pm. We welcome all fans to come watch the team in their spiffy new uniforms, graciously donated by team sponsor and DRS parent Mr. Jaun "Boss" Sinnreich, and his company, American Heritage.

The chess team, under the able coaching direction of faculty favorite Mr. Schwartz, faced off against HAFTR in the first meet of the season. The team sported a brand new look, having undergone a large turnover of players after last year's Senior members graduated, and they had spent many hours practicing during club hour on Thursdays. In the match, they were lead by Seniors Ely Warman, Eli Sinnreich, and Steven Greenstein, and they finished the meet winning one game, losing four, and reaching a stalemate on two games. The team is looking forward to its next match against HANC, and we wish them much success.

The yeshiva continued its commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for its students, installing a new defibrillator system. This system has only recently become available for residential and institutional use, and can save the life of someone in cardiac arrest. This past Monday and Wednesday, 8 members of the DRS staff received extensive training in the use of the machine, as well as in CPR, gaining certification on both. HALB Associate Executive Director Chaim Hollander taught the course to the staff, who were specially selected for their roles in the school which often allow them to be on campus outside of school hours.

Please join us this coming Thursday evening December 16th for a very special program at our Bait Medrash Eliyahu Zvi. This night of learning will be commemorating the memory of Kobe Mandel, a boy who was killed in 2001 in Israel while hiking. This program marks the kickoff of a new relationship between DRS and the Kobe Mandell Foundation, and will be followed up by two more programs this year. On Thursday night, fathers, uncles, grandfathers and sons are invited to spend the evening learning. There will be chavruta learning from 8:00- 9:30pm, in our beautiful open Bait Medrash, followed by words of inspiration from Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen, Mashgiach of Yeshiva University, at 9:30pm. After Ma'ariv, which will be at 10pm, there will be a special kumzitz with Shlomo Katz, the famed musician from Eretz Yisrael.