GALA CHANUKAH CONCERT HELD IN DECEMBER 2006

CAHAL held its first annual Chanukah concert, Shining Lights, on Motzoei Shabbos Chanukah, December 23, 2006 at the Lawrence Middle School, Lawrence, N.Y. The concert featured four of the most popular performers in the Jewish music scene today, Shloime Dachs, Michoel Pruzansky, Dovid Gabay and Mendy Wald. The Shloime Dachs Orchestra provided exceptional background music and a dazzling video accompanied Mr. Dachs’ performance. The soothing sound of opening soloist Michael Nadata, son of CAHAL’s Program Director Naomi Nadata, preceded the feature performers.

The concert was held in memory of Yeshaye Taub father of Eli Taub, and grandfather of CAHAL student Sara Taub. Mr. Eli Taub volunteered to serve as Concert Coordinator and helped our Executive Director, Mr. Ehrenreich, raise much needed funds for the program by soliciting sponsorships for the concert. A beautiful program, designed and printed by Engel Graphics of Far Rockaway was distributed to all attendees. Meridian Capital Group, LLC, graciously sponsored the concert. Different Twist Café (home of the most incredible pretzels) of Kew Gardens Hills provided delicious snacks and drinks.

The concert was a sell-out. All 725 seats were sold in advance and those who showed up the night of the concert to purchase tickets were relegated to standing room only accommodations. Michoel Pruzansky and Mendy Wald were the first half performers and were followed by a brief intermission and video about the CAHAL program. A presentation was made to Mrs. Devorah Taub, wife of Yeshaya Taub, in whose memory the concert was held. The second half featured the exciting performances of Dovid Gabay and Shloime Dachs. CAHAL children, parents, relatives and friends joined in spontaneous dancing in the aisles and on stage. The concert ended after 3-1/2 hours of sensational music and rousing performances.

BNOT SHULAMITH and SIACH YITZCHAK JOIN CAHAL

CAHAL is proud to announce that Bnot Shulamith of Woodmere and Siach Yitzchak of Far Rockaway have joined the consortium of yeshivas that supports our special program. 

Bnot Shulamith is an all-girls yeshiva that has a long distinguished history of outstanding service to the Jewish community in Brooklyn. The Woodmere branch opened in 1999 and is guided by Mrs. Joyce Yarmak, the principal. 

Siach Yitzchak is an elementary school yeshiva in Far Rockaway that has been educating young Jewish boys for 26 years. It is lead by their distinguished Menahel, Rabbi Dovid Sitnick. 

OUR KINDERGARTEN CLASS LEARNS ABOUT WINTER
By Melody Harris

While you may be looking ahead to Pesach, the children in CAHAL’s kindergarten class would like to reflect back on their winter fun in school this year. We could not wait for the first of our several snows this past season to arrive, so we decided to make our own in every, and any medium we could. From chalk drawings and sponge paintings in free form style to snowmen made from white lace doilies decorated with all the frills, each child experienced snow through art. Making our class mascot, a giant snow girl, afforded each child a strong sensory experience as they covered the big brown paper with white glue and patted white rice into place. Appropriately named Levana, she adorned the entrance to our room all winter.

While these projects allowed us to explore the color of snow, we also wanted to simulate its texture. We “played in the snow” by using soft white shaving cream, providing not only another sensory activity, but at the same time, allowing us to use our kinesthetic modality in writing our letters and numbers. We even ate snow, whipping angel food cake into peaks and covering it with whipped cream after it was baked.

However, don’t be under the conception that our kindergarten is all play and not work! We have integrated all these fun-filled art and cooking activities with our science curriculum in which we learned the necessary conditions of temperature and precipitation to make snowflakes, all of which are six-sided but individual in design. Each child made their own unique snowflake using Q-tips and glue. We learned the science vocabulary to explain the changes in states of matter, from liquid to solid through melting and freezing. To reinforce these concepts, we examined our snacks on a daily basis, labeling them as solid or liquid, and we made our own ices from lemonade.

With so much winter fun and learning behind them, the children are sad to see the season pass. Little do they know what awaits them in spring, however, as the whole world of nature reawakens and many new learning and playing experiences await them every day!

SOUTH SHORE BOYS CELEBRATE LEARNING
By Rabbi Nissan Goldberg

The CAHAL boys’ class at The Yeshiva of South Shore participated in 2 special Siyumim.

Thursday, February 3rd, will be a day that the boys will remember for a long time. We were celebrating our completion of Parshas Shemos and the 4th Perek of Mishnayos Berachos. We were also celebrating the fact that 6 boys in our class got a 90 or above on a school- wide Halacha test and one boy received the only perfect paper in the entire grade. I thought that these were great reasons for a GRAND Siyum.

We started our day with davening and hurried onto the buses on our way to a morning full of excitement at Funstation. Once there, the boys had a blast, as they won lots of tickets and tried to bump their teachers on the bumper cars. Some boys tried to beat the teachers at air-hockey but the teachers were too great a challenge. Before we knew it, we had to get our prizes, return to yeshiva, and start the Siyum.

When we got back to school our Chinese food had arrived. We set up the table quickly and dug in. The boys were joined by CAHAL's Executive Director, Mr. Ehrenreich, and their English teachers. We also held a raffle and prizes were distributed. The boys had a great time while being rewarded for their hard work and intense learning.

On Sunday, February 27th, our class joined 153, boys from the yeshiva, concluded Seder Moed, and held a Siyum in conjunction with the 11th Siyum Hashas. What wonderful nachas we have had from our boys this year!