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From the Desk of Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky
How excited I am to be able to address our Yeshiva
community once again with the new and
improved
outstanding DRS Address!!
Yeshiva has begun with much excitement, as we have
welcomed our largest freshman class ever, a
class of
83 boys, bli ayin hara, who hail from 14 different
elementary schools! On the other end of the DRS
spectrum, many Rebbes took the time to travel
to the
airport to say goodbye to the class of 2006, of
which 72 out of 74 graduates have gone to study in
Eretz Yisrael.
We had an amazing opening weekend for our
Senior
class that featured a Seuda Shelishit at
my house
for the entire grade, followed by a Melava Malka
Pool Party at the home of Zeke Miller. We
thank
Gary and Karla Miller so much for hosting the event,
and the Parent Council for providing the Bar B
Cue.
This coming weekend is no less packed, as we
welcome
the entire Yeshiva Motzai Shabbos for open Gym,
followed by a Melava Malka and Kumzitz, followed by
first night Selichot at Yeshiva. We thank our
Parent Council for sponsoring free pizza for the
Yeshiva. Sunday morning, all fathers are
invited to
join us for Shacharit at 9am, followed by father-son
chavruta learning and a shiur from Rabbi Binyamin
Yudin, Mara D'asra of Cong. Shomrei Torah in
Fairlawn, and father of our own Rav Aryeh Yudin. We
especially thank the anonymous family that is
sponsoring the entire event.
Allow me to call to your attention two new features
of the DRS Address: Firstly, click here or below in
the first article to see a video featuring our
talmidim that wraps up some events of the
week.
Finally, I am so excited and humbled by the
fantastic turnout that my Friday morning Parsha
shiur is having. For those who were not there,
you
can click here to hear the entire shuir,
which
lasted about 40 minutes. Our unending thanks to
the
one-and-only Director of Technology and Media (what
are we going to do when he graduates?) Jason Hagler
(’07) for both of these features.
Finally, our Yeshiva community experienced a number
of smachot over the summer. First and foremost, a
tremendous Mazal Tov to Rabbi Eli Brazil, our
Director of Student Activities, on his engagement to
Sheri Kraut of Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Mazal Tov as
well to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Willig on the
marriage
of their daughter Malka, and to Rabbi and
Rebbetzin
Balsam on the birth of their son Yitzchak Noach.
Mazal Tov to Yehuda Dovid Neuman ('03) on
his
engagement to Leora Fein of Monsey, and to Yoni
Bindiger ('02) on his engagement to Nava
Hollander
(SKA '02!) of Lawrence.
Wishing you an enjoyable, restful, and inspiring
last Shabbat of the Year, and a Ketiva V'chatima
Tova......
Kol Tuv,
Yisroel Kaminetsky
| DRSvideo Presents: Opening Week in Review |
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The first week of DRS was marked by learning, action
packed programs, and new relationships.
The DRS Media Department is pleased to present
to
you a week in review video to give you a taste of
what all of our students experienced this week.
Enjoy!
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| Welcome To DRS 2006-2007! |
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By Zeke Miller (’07), DRS Address Student
Editor-in-Chief
Although the first official day of school was last
Thursday, DRS was hopping for the week before,
as
the administration welcomed the largest student body
in the history of DRS to special orientation
programs for each grade. The Freshman
orientation
brought the largest class in its history, 83
students, to the building for an exciting day-long
program. There the 9th graders had the opportunity
to meet their fellow classmates as well as get the
feel for the school. Members of the administration
addressed the students, describing what the school
schedule is like, and what requirements and
responsibilities they would have. The students heard
from the student activity team of Rabbis Brazil and
Emerson, who gave them a glimpse into the myriad of
programs available for them to participate in
throughout the year. Even though the weather kept
the activities indoors, all the Freshman had a great
time.
The sophomores, juniors, and seniors had their
orientations on the following day, where they
heard
from Rabbi Kaminetsky and Mr. Feldman, and received
there program schedules for the year. While
everyone had an enjoyable summer, there was a
palpable excitement that was felt in the air, as
the
students and administration alike looked forward to
an exciting new year.
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| DRS Seniors Opening Weekend Makes a Splash! |
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By Jason Strauss (’07), Staff
Writer
Senior year at DRS is traditionally filled with
fun, achdut, and memories. The first weekend of the
school year included all of the above. Last
Shabbat, DRS seniors from near and far headed
to the
home of Rabbi Kaminetsky for a seudah shlishit meal
with the Menahel, their Rebbeim and friends.
Packing into the dining room and surrounding a
Shabbat table covered by Challah rolls, the
mandatory tuna fish, chips and salsa and other
foods, the boys began to show how they have
meshed
together as one grade unlike any other. The Menahel
told over Divrei Torah and began the singing portion
of the afternoon. Music filled the house as the
12th grade sang their favorite songs and brought
ruach to an already great Shabbat.
After Ma’ariv led by Elliot Schrier and Havdalah by
Rabbi Kaminetsky, the seniors headed to a pool
party and BBQ at the home of Zeke Miller. Guys
wolfed down hot dogs and hamburgers, slid down the
water slide, jumped off the diving board, and heard
a great D’var Torah from Rabbi Leibowitz to cap
off
an amazing Motzei Shabbat. Thank you to Yoni
Mandelstam for planning the event, and to Rabbi and
Rabbetzin Kaminetsky as well as Zeke Miller for
hosting a great senior weekend. Finally, we express
our deep gratitude to the DRS Parent’s Council,
led
by Mrs. Rachel Schlusselberg and Mrs. Bonnie
Schertz, for graciously sponsoring the Senior
opening weekend Melava Malka, and for all of their
continued support.
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| DRS Says Goodbye to Class of 2006 |
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We wish Hatzlacha Rabba to our entire Class of
2006.We are extremely pleased that 72 of
the 74 graduates
are studying in Israel for the year. Members of
the
DRS family, including administration, faculty, and
fellow students took time to say good bye to the
graduates at the airport to wish them well. We look
forward to hearing great things from our alumni.
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| DRS Administration Excited Over New Changes for 2006-2007 |
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By Jeremy J. Watman (’07), Staff
Writer
The new school year has started, and everyone is
eagerly anticipating the new projects and programs
DRS has in store. I spoke to Rabbi Kaminetsky and
Mr. Feldman to hear what they are looking forward
to, and to get the inside scoop on the upcoming
developments.
Rabbi Kaminetsky and the
entire DRS
family is excited about the new Yeshiva University
Kollel branch in the DRS Bait Medrash. The Kollel
is a part of YU’s Center for the Jewish Future. In
addition to studying for smicha, these men are going
to be part of the Tuesday-Thursday night seder
program, as well as Friday morning chaburahs. They
will become part of our yeshiva, sharing in the
spirit that is such a fundamental part of DRS. In
that vein, Rabbi Kaminetsky is thrilled to announce
the many upcoming achdut-building programs for each
grade. Wasting no time, last Shabbat’s
Senior
Shalosh Seudot and Motzai Shabbat pool party
were a
huge hit. If this was any indication, there’s much
more fun to come! An informal freshman
Shabbaton in
Woodmere and a chesed trip for the sophomores
are
just two of the many upcoming events. It’s all part
of a school wide initiative to instill even more
achdut and ruach into the entire school.
Once I got our General Studies Principal Mr.
Feldman talking, it was hard to keep up with his
enthusiasm describing a brand new program DRS will
soon take on. Orchestral music class is on
the way,
in which students will learn to play a variety of
musical instruments and study music theory from the
top professionals in the field. With the
possibility of a vocal component as well, it
promises to be a unique and interesting addition
to the vast array of classes at DRS. It relies on
student support and enthusiasm, so let Mr. Feldman
know you are interested!
The school has gotten hold of several different
magazines covering topics including current events,
science news, and literary magazines, as well as
many new text books. The magazines are circulated
in the library - be sure to get hold of them.
In the technology department, everyone has been
hearing about the new Smartboards in rooms 105 and
205. Many teachers are being trained in their
use
in order to “stimulate and enhance the lessons in
the classroom and to expose the students to a
multi-dimensional teaching style,” said Mr. Feldman.
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| DRS Athletics Off to a Running Start |
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By Sammy Salamon (’08), Staff
Writer
The second week of school is not done yet but DRS
sports are already on the move. The entire yeshiva
family is looking forward excitedly to this season.
Our hockey and basketball programs look to build
on
historic years, as all four teams made the
semifinals and both the JV and Varsity hockey teams
won the league championship. With increased
success
and visibility comes more popularity, as the teams
conducted tryouts with a record number of
participants.
The other teams are getting ready to roll as well,
with the wrestling and chess teams planning
their
tryouts. And it wouldn’t be a new year at DRS
without a wiffleball tournament, which
officially
got underway this week. We look forward to an
outstanding and fun-filled year in all sports.
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| DRS Behind the Scenes Presents: President Mandalstam and the G.O. Rock DRS |
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By Zeke Miller (’07), DRS Address Student Editor-
in-Chief
Here at the DRS Address, we work hard to earn your
trust as the number one source of DRS news and
information. This year, we hope to go even
deeper,
taking you “behind the scenes” with the makers
of
the DRS Magic, including influential students and
staff members. Below you will find the inaugural
edition of this segment, an interview with the
G.O.
President, Yoni Mandelstam.
Q: What is your primary goal this year as President?
A: My goal is that there be a tremendous number
of
activities so the students feel that the G.O. is
working for them.
Q: How do you think the programs already run this
year have been?
A: They’ve been great! The cinnamon sticks
where
great on Friday, we had a great senior opening
weekend with the Shalosh Seudos and the pool
party,
G.O. cards are on the way and the brand
new Junior
Crazy Olympics/Chulentfest program happened
today.
We have been running programs almost every
day since
school started and they have all been
tremendous
successes.
Q: Can you give everyone an idea of what you are
currently planning?
A: We have the special pre-Selichot Kumsitz and
Pizza this Motzei Shabbos, we also have the
informal
freshman Shabbaton including a school-wide Tish
on
Shabbat Shuva, as well as a Senior Freshman
mentoring program next week.
Q: How do you develop the ideas for the programs
you
run?
A: Most of programs are developed with Rabbi
Emerson, Rabbi Brazil and Rabbi Kaminetsky. I met
with them well before school started to design
programs
to promote Achdut. That is how the crazy Olympics
came into being. We meet a lot to come up with
awesome programs.
Q: Would you like to add anything?
A: I would like to thank the entire G.O. as well as
Rabbi Emerson, Rabbi Brazil, Rabbi Kaminetsky and
Executive Director Mr. Richie Hagler for all of
their help and hard work when it comes to putting
together some really amazing programs.
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| DRS Welcomes Rabbi Alpren for Words of Inspiration |
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By Yair Saperstein (‘08), Staff
Writer
As part of its larger teshuva awareness program DRS
once again hosted the eloquent orator Rabbi
Yehonasan Alpren of Har Nof, who spoke to the
talmidim. Rabbi Alpren made note of the fact that
the day of his presentation was the 17th of Elul,
the anniversary of the beginning of World War II,
and he looked at the horrific events of that time
through the lens of tefillah and teshuva. He spoke
resolutely about the power of each word in davening,
giving us all the inspiration we need to lead us
into the Yamim Nora’im. Rabbi Alpren’s inspiring
words are available from DRSaudio as an MP3 file in
the link below.
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| Mazal Tov, Mazal Tov! |
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We wish a tremendous Mazal Tov to Rabbi Eli
Brazil,
our Director of Student Activities, on his
engagement to Sheri Kraut of Fair Lawn, New
Jersey.
Mazal Tov as well to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Willig
on
the marriage of their daughter Malka.
Mazal Tov to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Balsam on
the birth
of their son Yitzchak Noach.
Mazal Tov to Yehuda Dovid Neuman ('03) on
his
engagement to Leora Fein of Monsey,
Mazal Tov to Yoni Bindiger ('02) on his
engagement
to Nava Hollander (SKA '02!) of Lawrence.
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| Join Us This Motzai Shabbat for DRS Slichot 5766: Exercise Your Mind, Body, and Soul |
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| Join Us at the Annual Father-Son Kinnus Teshuva this Sunday |
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| Fall Test Schedule |
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| September Activity Calendar |
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New Faculty Spotlight: Welcome Rabbi Finkelstein! |
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By Zeke Miller (’07), DRS Address Student
Editor-in-Chief
DRS is pleased to have seven new staff members
this
year. Over the next several weeks in this column
you
will find interviews with these new staff members.
For this week’s issue, I met with Assistant Rebbe
Rabbi Michael Finkelstein.
Rabbi Finkelstein began his teaching career as a
substitute teacher and chabura leader, and
taught
previously at MTA, Kushner, and HAFTR. Rabbi
Finkelstein is excited to be at DRS, since “DRS has
an excellent reputation for great talmidim and
Rabbeim. I wanted to be here to start off my formal
teaching career. I knew many of the talmidim from
before I came here, and I grew up in Woodmere so it
is close to ‘home’.”
Rabbi Finkelstein teaches Mussar and Bekiut to
Rabbi
Kaminetsky’s 9th grade shiur, as well as a Junior
grade Chumash class. He is particularly impressed
with the close relationships that exist between
Rebbe and Talmid, and he looks forward to
playing a
major role in maintaining the Yeshiva’s excellent
reputation.
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