By Yoni Mandalstam, ’07

DRS students have always taken a lead role in participating in Yeshiva University’s TLN (Torah Learning Network) program. TLN is an extraordinary program presented throughout the country in which students from Yeshiva University serve as teachers and mentors to high school age students. What is unique about TLN is its special learning environment. High school students feel comfortable learning and schmoozing with their mentors, who have gone through similar high school experiences not long ago.

TLN hosts a variety of events throughout the country, including shabbatonim and yemei iyun, and every two months, there is a special TLN mishmar at Yeshiva University. Last Thursday evening, 25 DRS students took full advantage of this golden opportunity. A bus departed from DRS straight to YU, where several trays of Dougie’s (what else?) wings and fries were waiting for the group. Students from all over the Tri-State area, including MTA, Flatbush, Rambam, and TABC also attended TLN.

After loading up on the physical nourishment, it was time to move to the spiritual. The students chose one of two shiurim to prepare for. The shiurim revolved around the theme of Chanukah and tied certain gemarot and pesukim to offer a special outlook on the holiday. During the preparation seder time, the students learned in groups of four or five with a YU student. What was particularly special for the DRS students was the abundance of DRS alumni who served as mentors for them. The alumni who learned with the DRS talmidim included Josh Grajower, Benjy Samuels, and Chaim Axelrod. The DRS students truly appreciated the amazing environment of the full YU bet medrash, came away from the evening truly inspired.

By Jason Strauss (’07) and Michael Billet (’07)

Most of the DRS student involvement in the important work of Kulanu centers around the highly acclaimed Thursday night learning program. However, this past Sunday, several DRS students found another way to help. The annual Kulanu dinner was held at the Sands, and three DRS students, Jason Hagler, Michael Billet and Jason Strauss, helped hand out the prizes and repack the decorations and displays. The event was very successful, and the video clips from the Kulanu learning program in DRS were particularly well received by the enthusiastic audience. We commend all of our DRS Kulanu volunteers for their hard work and dedication.

By Zeke Miller (’07), DRS Student Editor In Chief

DRS students are famous for their love of Cholent. A quick glance at this year’s senior video (check out Google video) proves this point, as almost half of it revolves around questions and interviews about the famous Shabbat food. In celebration of this, one of the most popular DRS traditions takes place on several Fridays throughout the school year: DRS Cholent Friday. Cholent Friday is a Friday in which DRS students and their shiurim are treated to their favorite food. Spending some time learning, singing, and bonding over steaming hot chulent enhances the ruach and achdut of each shiur, as well as the relationship between Rebbe and talmid.

Last Friday, the dining room was filled with the heavenly aroma of Cholent, and with the sounds of singing and Divrei Torah. Jeff and Andre even got in on action, serving as the official “Cholent Tasters” of DRS Cholent Friday, sampling each shiur’s cholent to make sure it was up to their high standards. This Friday, the Juniors and Seniors continued this tasty tradition, and one only had to look at all the empty crockpots to see that it was another successful Cholent Friday.

Each month, DRS honors the efforts of students who have exhibited excellence in their classes with the “Student of the Month” award. We would like to congratulate the November awardees:

9th Grade: Eitan Gavrin, Mark Weingarten, David Weintraub, Dov Winston, Yoni Weitz, Evan Genachowski, Jacob Hubert, Yechiel Friedman, Josh Orenbach, Yehuda Sommer, Eli Weintraub, Josh Wernick, Yaakov Schuss, and Ephraim Montag.

10th Grade: Yisroel Kalker, Ariel Fromowitz, Noah Lindenfeld, Eli Wein, Yehuda Grossman, Mordechai Ogorek, Yair Saperstein, and Yoni Speiser.

11th Grade: Max Gottfried, Ari Slomovic, Zeke Miller, and Avi Bursky Tammam.

12th Grade: Benjamin Eghbali, and Daniel Muchnick.

This past week, the JV Basketball Wildcats suffered a heartbreaking loss to HANC, losing in the final moments. The Varsity basketball team continued their winning ways, with a sound thrashing of Westchester on Thursday night.

Also in DRS Varsity sports, the DRS Hockey Wildcats are off to an amazing start with a 5-1 record, and the DRS Bowling Alleycats are playing great, winning their last three matches.

By Aryeh Sklar, ’08

Although it's already been quite a few months since the people of Gush Katif were forced out of their homes, DRS is determined to show we haven't forgotten. Sammy Steiner ('06), participated in a Gush Katif clothing drive, along with fellow Seniors Adam Frohlinger, Baruch Y. Abittan, and Baruch S. Abittan, to bring clothes to the needy people from the Gaza Strip. The drive, dubbed "Operation Duffel Bag", was headed by Mrs. Gettinger, who also brings clothes to victims of terrorism in Israel.

The way the drive worked was that people would drop clothes at certain drop-off points. When these sites start to get full, a truck comes and volunteers put all the clothes in the back of it. The truck then brings all the clothes to Mrs. Gettinger's house, and from there the clothes go on a ship set for Israel. "It took a lot of hard work", Sammy Steiner said. "We went around to all the drop-off sites and collected the clothes, and we worked all day. There was absolutely no room in the truck after we put the clothes in. The truck driver, Mr. "T", was a lot of fun to work with."

On Wednesday night Rabbi's Stern and Mr. Schmugar took their class to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks play the Orlando Magic. Although the Knicks could not pull out the win, there were many exciting plays, and the boys had several opportunities to meet celebrities at the game. The boys all felt a stong sense of achdut at the game and on the ride back and forth. Special thanks to Alex Litton, Jacob Rosenfeld & Max Gordon for arranging all the food orders for dinner.

The DRS G.O. is hard at work selling tickets for its annual Goods and Services Auction, held on Chanuka at the DRS Chagiga. Pictured above are some of the exciting items being auctioned this year. Contact the Yeshiva to participate!

By Yona Saperstein (’06)

It is now the climactic time in the lives of the DRS seniors where are deciding which yeshiva to learn in during their year (or two) in Israel.Rabbeim from different yeshivot in Israel are coming to DRS to give divrei torah, speak about their yeshivot, and try to give a sense of what a daily shiur is like in their yeshivot. In the past two weeks, Rabbeim from six different yeshivot came to speak to the seniors. On Tuesday December 6th, Rabbi Leiber came to visit from Tiferet Yerushalayim. On December 8th, Rabbi Jaeger came to represent Heichal Aryeh, a yeshiva that he plans to open next year. A representative also came from Yeshivat Sha’arei Yerushalayim. On December 12th, Rabbi Cohen came to represent Netiv Aryeh. The next day, December 13th, Rabbi Reuven Taragin came to visit from Yeshivat Hakotel. The next day, December 14th, his brother, Rabbi Moshe Taragin, came to visit, a representative from Yeshivat Har Etzion. The seniors got a sense of what it is like to be in each yeshiva, and hopefully, these visits have made the decision-making process a little bit easier.