The Purposeful Journey through the "Eternal Abyss" - Gemara Study as an Exercise in עבודת השם

By: Rabbi Akiva Block, Judaic Studies Faculty

"במחשכים הושיבני כמתי עולם (איכה ג:ו)" - אמר רבי ירמיה, זו תלמודה של בבל. (סנהדרין כד.)

"God has made me dwell in darkness like the eternally dead (Eicha 3:6)" - R. Yirmiyah said, this refers to the Babylonian Talmud. (Sanhedrin 24a)

I remember vividly the first time in my life I was able to understand a passage of Gemara on my own. Not because of how smart it made me feel or how hard I worked to master it - though both were true - but because of how palpably I felt God's presence during the experience. No Artscroll, no dictionary, no teacher there to hold my hand through it; just me and my chavruta (study partner) alone in a beit midrash. Words became phrases. Phrases became sentences. Sentences became arguments and questions and answers -- and then, voila! We had ourselves a sugya, an entire passage. Admittedly, what took me literally hours then would probably take a matter of minutes today. But for as long as I live, I'll never forget the euphoric feeling I had when I finally "got it." I'd swear that, at that very moment, I could almost feel God's hand on my shoulder.

As a teacher of Torah Sheba'al Peh, I constantly struggle to make the case to my students that God is to be found in Talmud study. To be sure, there is much that stands in the way of an enjoyable high school Gemara experience, let alone a spiritually meaningful one. Whether it's the constant back and forth without ever arriving at a conclusion, the seeming irrelevance of the subject matter, the language barrier that Talmudic Aramaic presents, or the simple and inescapable fact that the words of the Gemara themselves are multiple steps removed from the revealed word of God, in contradistinction to Chumash - finding God in the convoluted and unwieldy texts of Gemara is an elusive goal indeed. 

This challenge is compounded in the mission-driven environment of SAR. In our community's unending pursuit of the Grand Conversation, one of our most sacred tasks is indeed making the case that all our learning contributes to a fuller spiritual life; that my English class can be a place for spiritual growth just like any Judaic studies class can. In many respects, we've been successful. Even if not always in practice, students at SAR understand at least in theory the concept of the Grand Conversation, and the term is bandied about in classroom discussions all throughout the building. Faculty, parents and students are attuned to the concept, which leads inexorably to our question in an even more pronounced form: what contribution can Gemara make to my religious and spiritual make up? Where is God in the study of Gemara? How is learning Gemara עבודת השם?

This question is different from the equally important question of why study Gemara. Many good answers can conceivably be given to that question that do not involve God. We can talk about how Gemara study cultivates and sharpens our critical thinking skills; we can show how Gemara trains us to look at virtually every issue from multiple perspectives, even ones that we would intuitively think are clear-cut; we can mention how understanding the inner workings of the halakha, instead of just the perfunctory dos and don'ts, immeasurably enhances our performance; we can even speak of the Talmud as informing our mission as Modern Orthodox Jews today, what Yaakov Elman incisively calls "a microcosm of Torah society in formation." But do any of these help me find God in its study?

Now that we've sufficiently developed the question, you may be surprised to discover that I have no good answer. Moments of transcendence are, by their very nature, personal. But as I think back to my experience in the beit midrash all those years ago, I am moved to ask what it was about that experience that caused me to feel God's presence.

On the one hand, perhaps, our ability to sense God in our study, any study, can be directly commensurate with our desire and willingness to do so. As Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk famously once asked his students: where is God? When they responded, "Why rebbe, God is everywhere," the rabbi said, "That is incorrect. Where is God? Wherever you let God in." If we truly wish for learning to be what Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein calls, "a dialogic encounter with Ribbono shel Olam," then the nature and extent of that encounter will be a function of our attitude. I'm not sure it had ever occurred to me before that I could feel God's presence in my learning, and therefore I had never attempted to let God in and make that a reality.

Beyond this however, what characterized that experience was that more than at any time in my life I felt as though I was a part of something larger, deeper, and richer. Although in that beit midrash on that day I didn't (yet) love learning Gemara, I realized then you don't need to love something for it to be spiritual. You do, however, have to invest in it. You have to immerse yourself in it. You have to care about it. 

And on that day, I cared. I cared enough to work hard at it, and to reflect upon the experience. There I was, having mastered a small portion of a text that has been the birthright of my people for the better part of two thousand years. I was taking my place, and have since continued to firmly entrench that place, among centuries of learners who immersed themselves in this text and made the pages of the Gemara their spiritual and intellectual home. I was learning what Jews who learn learn, what they've always learned. Even if I didn't then understand why, the sense of perspective and context that moment provided, that my world was part of a larger world that extended forth both vertically and horizontally in either direction, was more empowering and inspiring than anything I had ever felt.

And I continue to feel that way. Not all the time, perhaps not even most of the time, but on occasion, I am able to recapture the euphoria of that experience, and see yet glimpses of it in others. Aside from in my own learning, I feel it when I see students' faces light up as they finally understand a challenging passage in the Gemara, a line in Rashi, or a difficult conceptual question, all through hard work and toil. I feel it when I see and hear of parents studying Torah with their children. This, in my view, is the essence of עבודת השם.

In accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George Bush in January 1993, Ronald Reagan said of America that, "this is the land that has never become, but is always in the act of becoming." As a Gemara teacher, I have the same wish for my students; that they never become anything, but continue to engage in the act of becoming. Care about the endeavor. If learning Gemara is frustrating, keep at it. It may be hard, but, to quote Tom Hanks, it's supposed to be hard. The hard is what makes it great. 

Are God and spirituality to be found in Gemara? Definitely. How? That I can't definitively say. Like many of my life's most basic and fundamental truths it is rooted more in intuition, and can't really be proven. But it's there. Would that our students care enough to keep looking...

במחשכים הושיבני. The prospect of a life of Gemara study is daunting indeed, like, R. Yirmiyah teaches us, being placed in a dark abyss. But the thing about a dark place is, when you care enough to find your way out, when you work hard and get to a point where you've let in just a bit of light, the reward and sense of accomplishment are immeasurable.

Modeling Civil Discourse in an Uncivil World

By: Dr. Rivka Schwartz, Associate Principal, General Studies

I keep telling my students not to make the mistake of thinking that this year’s campaign is typical of past presidential election cycles, which they just failed to notice because they were too young to pay attention. No, I tell them again and again, this campaign is, in many ways, unprecedented in our lifetimes. And one way, certainly, is in the ugliness and rancor it has engendered.

Polling data tells us that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the two most unpopular presidential candidates, ever. A substantial number of voters are voting against the opposing candidate more than they are voting for the one they putatively support. The rhetoric, political and otherwise, surrounding this campaign has been coarse and angry, amplified by the profusion of media outlets and the ability of social media to give voice to people with fringe views.

As educators, we have two goals in this election cycle. One is to inform students about the issues and the mechanics of how a presidential election works. (We don’t assume that our students, particularly those who have not yet studied American history, understand the arcane workings of the Electoral College.) But a second, even more important, is to model and teach engaging in civil and reasoned discourse with those with whom we disagree.

There are unfortunately few examples of this in the broader public discourse. In the quest for viewers, clicks, and retweets, confrontation and bombast are the currency. Candidates’ surrogates make their names by being provocative and combative. Calm, reasoned discussion that seeks to understand the other’s view and empathize, even as you disagree, doesn’t make for the most riveting television.

But it is vital that we teach and model this all the same, for reasons that range from the individual to the national. First, at the most fundamental level, we are trying to instill values in our students. We want them to engage the world, as the SAR mission exhorts, with humility and openness. Listening to someone else’s point of view respectfully must be part of that. Second as educators, we teach students to formulate arguments and to contend with the evidence for and against those arguments (rather than simply asserting that they are right at ever-higher volume.) One’s own position may be changed by that encounter, and, even if it is not, it is strengthened by having been tested against others’. And third, as citizens in the American body politic, we are witnessing an increasing sorting of people into like-minded communities, in the real world and online, in which they never encounter Americans of differing views. This siloing, and the divisions it reinforces, is already being felt for the worse in many ways in our national discourse and politics. For all of these reasons, it is important to encourage our students to hear each other out respectfully, and to work on expressing disagreement without delegitimation.

This ability to disagree without denying the other’s basic humanity is a value that emerges from the Talmud’s story about the canonical halakhic disputants, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai. The Talmud attests that whatever their differences, they continued to marry into each others’ families. When we know each other as people--when we care about each other--even as we continue to hold our own strong points of view, we talk and think differently about those who think otherwise.

We know, too, that in most cases, Beit Hillel’s point of view is preferred to that of Beit Shammai. The Talmud, in explaining why this is so, says that Beit Hillel would study the viewpoint of Beit Shammai before studying their own. We can read this simply as courtesy on Beit Hillel’s part, but there is more here than that. In thoroughly seeking to understand the position of Beit Shammai before articulating their own, Beit Hillel ensured that their positions were tested against the strongest opposition, and their own positions were stronger and more compelling for it.

We want our students to care deeply about politics, policy issues, and election outcomes. But as we encourage them to be knowledgeable about this election and what it means for the future direction of the United States, we must work to teach and model how to disagree so fundamentally and about such important things without losing the ability to talk and listen to one another.

Avodah She-balev: Shaping the Tefillah Experience at SAR

By: Ms. Lisa Schlaff, Director of Judaic Studies

At any conference of yeshiva day school educators there is bound to be a session on the challenge of tefillah in the Modern Orthodox day school environment. And indeed, there are challenges; be it that the circadian rhythms of teenagers aren’t attuned to sof zman keriyat shema, the words are not always easily accessible, and the first period biology test is looming. But far outweighing these challenges is the import of helping our students cultivate a personal relationship with God, and acclimating them into a tefillah community. This year, our theme is Avodat Hashem, and as chazal tell us איזוהי עבודה שבלב? הוי אומר זו תפילה (Taanit 2a).

With our theme in mind, I’d like to highlight some questions we have considered in years of shaping, and reshaping, our tefillah program in school. How can we best balance communal tefillah with individual paths of connecting to God? How much voice should we give teenagers in shaping their tefillah experience? What is the best way to deepen student understanding of the words of the siddur? Below are some lessons we have learned in our attempt to answer these questions. 

I. Finding the Right Balance

A primary goal of our tefillah program is that students feel part of a tefillah community and are working together to enhance the tefillah atmosphere. As students enter high school, it is important to build upon their years of shul-going and deepen their understanding of the choreography and structure of a shul space so they can be real contributors to this environment.

Taken alone, this goal would lead us to a rather standardized tefillah structure, without room for innovation, and without taking into account individual dispositions. Perhaps the paramount question we have faced in shaping our tefillah program is how to balance this goal with the similarly crucial goal of deepening student connection to tefillah. For a large number of our students, these goals are not in conflict with each other; many students are able to find connection in the daily rhythm of a standardized tefillah. But an equally large number of our students will find connection through music, through intense focus, through slowing down the pace. How to balance?

Rather than allow students to choose alternative tefillah options when they first enter high school, we feel it is important to embed students in a standardized tefillah environment. Hence, our ninth grade spends a year davening together in a daily minyan that resembles those of most of our shuls. With this foundational experience, and as students mature, we open up alternative tefillah options to our 10th-12th graders. Over the years we have tinkered with what these options are, and how often to offer them. Here’s where we have landed: Our alternative tefillah offerings all follow the model of “tefillah with…” We have a tefillah with meditation as opposed to a meditation tefillah. We have a tefillah with explanation, as opposed to an explanatory tefillah. (Click here for a list of last year’s tefillah options). The distinction is not simply linguistic; framing the experience as “tefillah with meditation,” puts the primary emphasis on the tefillah experience. And indeed, at “tefillah with meditation,” students follow the standard matbea of tefillah, with an abridged pesukei de-zimra in order to allow time for meditation prior to shema and shmoneh esreh. The goal is that standardized tefillah is enriched by, rather than supplanted by, these optional experiences.

For this reason, we offer alternative options only three days a week over the course of fifteen weeks throughout the school year. This allows students to explore an avenue of connection without it becoming tired, and emphasizes the paramount role of community in the davening experience. As an individual I may connect in a particular way, but I cannot abandon the community to pursue my individual interest. It is our hope that this carefully calculated balance communicates the message to our students that their religious lives will, and should, always involve balance - of individual and communal needs, of keva and kavvanah.

II. The Role of Student Choice

When we started our alternative tefillah program, we knew students would appreciate being able to choose from amongst a range of offerings. What surprised us though, was how much they appreciated just having a choice - the sheer significance of the autonomy itself. Most surprising is to hear from students who do not partake of the alternative options that they love being in a school in which alternatives are offered. In affording students some choice around tefillah, we are communicating that their individual voice matters. Just as adults might choose to go to the Carlebach minyan, the Hashkama minyan, or the Standard minyan, we are entrusting students with some autonomy over their religious lives. Perhaps more significantly, such autonomy sends the message that they need to actively think about the decisions they make around tefillah; what are the ways in which I best connect? What type of davener am I? These are the types of questions we want students to deeply consider as they mature.

III. The Significance of Student Leadership

It goes without saying that an important part of our job as tefillah educators is empowering students to take leadership in the tefillah space. Conventionally, this means that students lead tefillah and serve as gabaim. In some of our most successful tefillah spaces, student leadership extends beyond that to include students giving divrei tefillah, making announcements, and ensuring that the space itself is ready and organized for tefillah. All of these roles are significant in enabling students to see themselves as active members of a tefillah community, but they are also quite narrowly defined. Last year, we started a Vaad Tefilah, in which we engaged a group of student volunteers to give us feedback about, and help us continue to shape our tefillah program. At Vaad meetings, we invited students to wrestle with big questions embedded in the communal tefillah experience; How can we best engage those to whom tefillah does not come naturally? What is the appropriate balance between explanation of tefillah and tefillah itself? How can we ensure that tefillah itself is smooth and held to a high standard, while also affording a wide range of students the chance to lead, learn and grow? The Vaad provided us with an opportunity to push students to deal with core issues in communal tefillah, and in doing so, imagine themselves as future tefillah leaders in our community. We began the Vaad last year as a series of conversations, and look forward this year to its next steps as we implement ideas together with students.

IV. Tefillah Education outside of the Tefillah Space

Over the years we have become increasingly aware of the difficulty of containing goals for tefillah only within the forty minute space of daily davening. We have added a beit midrash curriculum for ninth grade which centers around biur tefillah - understanding the words. We have designated a faculty member to teach shaliach tzibbur skills to students during lunch or a free.

In our theme kickoff program on September 15th, we will be learning about how the concept of Avodat Hashem plays out in our Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur tefillot. If we are serious about creating a tefillah mindset, tefillah cannot live in an isolated space, but needs to permeate school culture.

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What all of these initiatives share is a fundamental approach to tefillah as a classroom space. Just as in our classrooms we set goals, ask how we can achieve them for a heterogenous group of students, allow students to help shape their experiences, and engage students in big questions, we should aim to do the same for tefillah. There remains a tremendous amount of work to do to further our tefillah goals, and we are proud to engage with a group of people - both faculty and students - who are excited and invigorated by this work.

Senior Grade - Parents' Reflections

The final blog entry of the 2015-2016 school year is different from all of the preceding entries. True to its mission, SAR High School invited parents to be central participants in the SAR Grand Conversation. Rather than being a single essay written by an SAR faculty member, this blog entry is a compilation of letters written by parents of graduating seniors. Each of these letters reflects a unique journey of an SAR family and includes personal anecdotes and perspectives, inspiring moments, and memories to share. To submit a parent reflection, please email your letter to: parentletters@sarhighschool.org.

Mazal Tov to the students and families of the SAR High School Graduating Class of 2016!!



Posted: June 16, 2016

Dear Wonderful Members of the SAR High School,

Our youngest child is graduating. If it were a wedding, we would dance the mezinka. We are hopeful that you are not overjoyed as you “sweep us out the door.” For us, our last graduation is a bittersweet experience, sad because our children have “left the building,” sweet because SAR will always be with them.

Our children have been hard to remove from the school. Zoe would come back and learn with Ms. Schlaff every Friday during her freshman year. Chanan spent a few months interning at the high school when he left Yeshiva. They brought the values they learned from their experience to their respective college communities, whether it was heading up the learning program at Barnard, playing a leadership role in Israel activism and Torah learning at Cornell or supervising the EMT program at Columbia. The SAR values of Torah and the obligation to look out for one’s fellow man have been deeply instilled. Truthfully, I know that two of the children text their teachers that they feel especially connected to and refer to them as their mentors.

Teachers like Mr. Fleischer and Ms. Pepper have taught my children how to think, reevaluate their beliefs, defend their positions and respect others. My children are incredibly liberal and sensitive. In our house, a discussion about gender neutral bathrooms generates a 40 minute conversation that has their parents wishing that they were as passionate. Teachers like Dr. Michnick and Mr. Tokayer stretched my children beyond their comfortable limits. They taught them to struggle with problems, to be focused on the idea that problem solving is about solving problems and not about getting correct answers and 100s. It is a hard thing to teach, but an invaluable gift. The Judaic Studies staff taught my children to enjoy Gemara, to look at Tanakh analytically, and to love Torah.

We are not yet sure of what Matthew will come away with. We see the glimmerings, but a lot will come into focus after his year in Israel and his years in college. Two things are certain: he would not be the person he is without SAR High School, and that Ms. Pepper will probably know as soon or sooner than we, about who he will become.

Rivka and David Heisler



Posted: June 16, 2016

Let's start with the happy ending. We are blessed with two delightful, engaged, menschy, driven, self-sufficient young women as daughters -- but we're their parents, so that shouldn't surprise you. The somewhat more objective happy ending is that after four years at SAR, both girls have: (1) developed a higher level of self-confidence and self-expression than when they entered high school; (2) a close group of loyal friends without so much of the cattiness and bickering typically associated with high school relationships; (3) friends who are more and less religious, though are always respectful of the most observant in the group; (4) developed a love of learning and engagement in academics, beyond what they had when they entered SAR; (5) gone and returned home from school happy, most of the time, despite the long days, early starts, and no shortage of work facing them at the end of the day; and (6) last but not least, each gained admission to their first choice college early action or early decision, equally supported by SAR in both more and less traditional choices.

But the most surprising thing for us as parents was how great SAR served each of them, despite how opposite they were in almost every way. One attends a small liberal arts college on the west coast. The other will attend a Big 10 public university in the midwest. One thrives on history, politics, and writing. The other loves to solve calculus problems and learn about pendulums in physics. One had no interest in going to Israel, and was fully supported by the school in that decision. The other was equally supported by the school in her ultimately successful efforts to attend her first choice seminary program next year. Somehow SAR managed to be the best place for each of them to grow and be nurtured into the amazing young women they have become (i.e. "It's not just what you learn. It's who you become!").

And that is the miracle of SAR.

Every time I stepped foot into the hallways of that school, I wanted to know what they were pumping through the air vents to make everyone so happy, comfortable, and enthusiastic. They weren't concerned with the brands they wore or who drove what kind of car. They were respectful of one another, concerned for each other's feelings, and helped each other with school work and test prep. They supported one another in everything they did -- whether sporting events, school performances, or fundraising endeavors.

Each Rosh Chodesh Chagiga showed the school's ruach in its purest form -- seniors celebrating being seniors, students singing and dancing and shouting, making me thankful for the high school choices our girls had made, and which we had wholeheartedly supported. I can even understand their sense of ambivalence about leaving this school -- proud of all they accomplished, excited for the challenges to come, but sad to leave behind so many amazing memories.

This tribute would not be complete without a thanks to the dedication and passion of the teachers, rabbis, and administrators at the school. The first report card we received with pages of individualized anecdotals spoke volumes -- and that passion and enthusiasm didn't wane over the years they were there. The ultimate testament to that was in the respect our girls had for all their teachers, referred to respectively as "brilliant," "da bomb" and their "besties" over the years.

So if you can't tell by this point, we have been so impressed and blessed by all that SAR has offered our girls, and even more blessed that they have taken it to the limit and appreciate the gift they have been given.

Barbara Harris and Ben Woloshin

Posted: June 16, 2016

Dear SAR,

Jonathan is our youngest to graduate from SAR High School. It is bittersweet, exciting to see our children move on, yet sad and nostalgic to know that the school days have come to an end - we began in 1997. We know that SAR continues to be a part of our children’s lives every day. SAR is not just a school, it is a family. Jonathan has been an SAR student since he was 2 years old. He was one of the first children in the SAR daycare. He was also one of the first and only student to have an Upsherin in school, which we did with the 7th and 8th graders at the time and it became a lesson plan and celebration with our SAR family.

When our oldest, Amanda, started SAR in 4 year Nursery, I remember her saying one day, “I want to go to SAR my whole life for high school and college and forever.” At the time I told her there is no SAR High School, just an elementary school. She was quite upset, yet lo and behold she did get to go to SAR High School.

We have three children that attended SAR High School following the elementary school. SAR provided for each of my individual children an individual high school experience. The High School was able to cater to who they are as individuals and it was almost like being tailor made for each of them. I remember when Emily was once sick for almost an entire week of school. On erev Shabbat on his way home, Yoram Roschwalb, an advisor and fellow at the time, stopped by our home to perform the Mitzvah of Bikur Cholim on his own just because he wanted Emily to know she was missed. When Jonathan wanted to create a Golf Club he was fortunate enough to have an advisor at the time that helped him organize a few tournaments and practices as a team when he was in the 10th grade.

John F. Kennedy said, “The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth.” SAR partnered with us to help set the foundation for who Amanda (‘11) Emily (‘13) and Jonathan (‘16) are. Torah values and learning how to be a mensch were of utmost importance to us. SAR also provided them with a love for Israel. Amanda and Emily studied in Israel for a year and Jonathan will follow suit upon graduation. Most of all SAR helped shape them into proud young Jewish people in society with a clear understanding of how to contribute to the world. SAR is not only a school that helped educate our children, it is a part of who they are and it will always be in their heart.

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

― Aristotle

Thank you SAR and Mazal Tov to the Class of 2016.

Stephanie and Harvey Lederman

Posted: June 16, 2016

Sending our daughter, Shira, to SAR was the best decision we have ever made, bar none. She has never been so happy as she is at SAR. Shira loves to learn with the remarkable group of faculty that is so invested in her learning and development as a Jewish woman and a human being.

SAR provides an environment in which our children receive a strong Jewish education and are intellectually challenged. SAR faculty inspire a love of learning and academic excellence, while simultaneously solicitously caring for our children. SAR encourages students to develop a love for Israel and Jewish tradition. The school imbues students with a sense of Jewish pride as well as a strong sense of concern and commitment to the State of Israel, the American Jewish community, and Jews around the world.

Rabbi Harcsztark sets the example for the entire faculty. He personally knows each and every student in the high school and goes above and beyond to interact with all the students. Moreover, Rabbi Harcsztark encourages a dialogue and partnership with parents to ensure the safety of our children. His leadership, dedication, and commitment to our children have enriched the SAR community.

Our family has been privileged and honored to be members of the SAR mishpacha!

Candace and Mark Silver

Posted: June 16, 2016

I got ripped off!

I went to a progressive elementary school and a mediocre high school. I never realized how much I was missing both academically and religiously until now. You see, I am the only occupant in our home who has not been blessed with an SAR education. My dear wife Shoshana, Class of '78, was imbued with the love of learning and Yahadut through her grade school experience at SAR. She was taught the true value of striving through learning to achieve in secular and holy pursuits.

All three of our children, Sarah, Zachary and Adina, were doubly blessed to attend the Academy as well as the High School. The skills each acquired are priceless both in intellectual curiosity and interpersonal skills.

Where is my grand conversation? Where is my Morah Gaby? The scores of talented and nurturing teachers and administrators that allow growth at all levels is quite unique and humbling. Why can’t I attend the SAR shul/kollel or center for continuing education?

Thank God that I live with four SAR alums who are able to guide me through the challenges of life.

David Noble - SAR wannabe



Posted: June 16, 2016

Graduation is over. I cannot believe that after 21 years we are no longer SAR parents. I feel like it’s forced retirement! I still clearly remember meeting my first SAR friend while we were both waiting in the ELC playground for our oldest daughters’ meet-the-teacher interviews. She is still my friend and those 4-year olds are now young marrieds inviting each other for Shabbos meals. Bob and I have spent an entire generation as SAR parents and I cannot imagine not having SAR as part of our daily lives.

Each of our children went through the SAR ranks, from Morah Rena’s 4-year nursery class through the High School, and each had their own, happy, positive, different SAR experience. One thing they all shared, and to us a most special part of the school, is the relationship each of our children had with their teachers and administrators, relationships that have continued beyond their years as SAR students. Sara would object to any parent or student complaining to Rabbi Harcsztark because she did not want him to get upset - ever. She was so excited for Dr. Shinar to be her senior-ex mentor because they had already had many impromptu conversations about her passion for theater. How great was it to see Dr. Shinar, Ms. Schneider and Russi (and Rabbi Gevirtz!) in the audience at many of Sara’s Riverdale Children’s Theatre plays! Sara’s older siblings looked forward to attending her school events so they could see their former teachers, just as they might attend an alumni event as much to see their teachers and administrators as their former classmates. Teachers would always ask us during parent-teacher conferences how our older kids were doing – and they really wanted to know! Everyone in our family looks forward to running into Morah Rena, Morah Rita, Morah Gaby, Mrs. Schloss, or Ms. Schneider for a heartfelt bear hug.

At SAR, students are respected and their voices are heard. I think the positive relationship between SAR faculty and students is in large part due to the strong mutual respect that exists between them. The faculty and administration are approachable, are interested in being friends with and learning from students, and at the same time are able to maintain their authority and their role as teachers.

I am very fortunate to have had the time and opportunity to volunteer in various capacities at SAR. Being part of a team working together for the betterment of the school is incredibly fulfilling. I always looked forward to spending time in the Business Office while working on the dinner journal, because you can’t help but feel happy being inside the SAR Academy building! I developed new friendships and strengthened existing ones, among the parent body and the SAR staff (thank you Heidi, Heidi, Debra, Debra, Rachel, and Sally!).

We graduated from the ELC to the big building, the big building to the High School, and now from the High School to the world beyond SAR. We will cherish our years as SAR parents and who knows, maybe we’ll be SAR grandparents some day!

L’hitraot,
Judy & Bob Friedman

To submit a parent reflection, please email your letter to: parentletters@sarhighschool.org.