Reflections on Israel’s ‘Theater Time of the Year’
by Rabbi Gal Ben-Meir I have always sensed the vibe of theater during the time of Chanukah in Israel. It’s an amazing thing and no one ever planned for this to happen, but it seems like the busiest time of year for the Israeli theater is the time of Chanukah. You will notice that the […]
YOC Basketball First Game
The Impact of a Celebrity Selfie
by Rabbi Dr Seth Grauer Two weeks ago, I was sitting with my children in Shaarei Shomayim on Motzei Shabbat listening to Shlomo and Eitan Katz and I received a text on my phone from one of our teachers at Or Chaim and Ulpana, Yosef Kurtz, that reads: Walking through Central Park and ran into […]
YOC Shabbaton
The shabbaton kicked-off on Thursday with the grade 12 playing paintball and then preparing for the rest of the school’s arrival at Fern Resort. The shabbaton was enhanced by several guests. Before Shabbat began, Zusha and Rav Yair led some beautiful pre-shabbat niggunim. The ruach continued straight through shabbat with energetic dancing during Kabbalat Shabbat, […]
UO Shabbaton
This year’s Ulpana shabbaton was certainly one to remember. All the grades came together for an amazing ruach-filled weekend. We danced, we sang, we cheered and laughed. Thank you to the senior class for organizing the school sweaters, tisch and melave malka. Thank you to all the teachers that joined us for the weekend and […]
University Night
Grade 12 students and parents attended a university night, focused on the application process and the options available. Presentations included applying to Ontario, US and Israeli universities. Representatives from several universities attended. The evening was informative and well-attended. Thank you to Mr. Rapp, Mrs. Kagan and Mrs. Weinberg for organizing the program.
Hot Showers, Signal Detection Theory, and the Advantage of Chavruta Learning
by Rabbi Hartley Perlmutter You are in the shower. It’s been a long day, and nothing could be more relaxing than standing exactly where you are. Two minutes into you shower the phone rings. Do you hear it? Before we answer the question, let’s define some terms. Signal Detection Theory (SDT) is a means of […]
YOC Shlomo Katz program
Last Friday after breakfast, the entire Yeshiva gathered in the MPR for a special program with Shlomo Katz. Students were inspired by his words and his reflective exercise. Singing was truly beautiful. Many of our students continued to enjoy Shlomo’s music at his Motzei Shabbat concert. Thank you to Shaarei Shomayim for arranging the visit!
Does Technology Make Us Better?
by Mr. Jonathan Parker I was flipping through the new issue of The Atlantic today when I came across this nugget from Ray Kurzweil: “The means of creativity have now been democratized. For example, anyone with an inexpensive high-definition video camera and a personal computer can create a high-quality, full-length motion picture.” Yep. Just as […]
Mother Daughter Learning
Mothers and daughters joined together at Ulpana after school on Wednesday for a beautiful learning program. Following a delicious dinner, there was a performance put on by the young shlichot and some students, an inspiring speech by Rina Deutch, (an alumni of Ulpana and current director of NCSY Family), ending with chavruta learning. This program […]
