Yom HaAtzmaut
As Zimriyah began, the Upper School grades packed into the gym to perform their well-rehearsed songs and dances. Energetic chants erupted from all sides, with each grade eagerly anticipating the performances.
JDS students celebrated Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, on April 22. The first half of the day was academic, with shortened class periods. The second half included a special screening of the documentary “My Hero Brother” for high school students and a Q&A session with the director Yonatan Nir, followed by an Israeli-inspired lunch before moving to Zimriyah.
The documentary showcased a group of Israelis and their siblings with Down syndrome who work together to climb a mountain range in the Himalayas.
Kaufman, who organized the documentary screening and the Q&A session with Nir, felt that the film was a powerful experience that allowed students to experience Israeli culture in a new way.
“It’s very emotional, but we will really enjoy it, because the filmmaker, Yonatan Nir, is always making documentaries of feeling with a lot of emotion,” Kaufman said.
Following the movie screening and Q&A session, students were offered a free Israeli-style lunch, including falafel, pita and Israeli salad. Junior Max Olin, who was a co-host of Zimriyah this year, enjoyed the day because it was a great time to connect with his peers.
“It’s a very significant, real-world way to share Israeli culture with the entire school,” Olin said. “It also gives us the time to bond. It’s the only time of the year that everybody eats outside.”
After lunch, each grade went to their final individual rehearsals for Zimriyah before the performance. The theme of this year’s Zimriyah was tikvah and emunah (hope and faith), and was chosen to recognize Israel’s resilience in the face of its ongoing hardships. Freshman Miri Silverman thinks that this year’s theme had a strong connection to every individual in the JDS community.
“It’s just a good moral to look up to, having hope and faith in yourself, and always believing in yourself,” Silverman said. “So I think it just resonates with your everyday life.”
The hosts of Zimriyah this year were Olin and junior Ma’ayan Horwitz, who first introduced the judges before moving on to the song and dance portion of the celebration. Before each grade began their song, students presented a speech on its meaning and its significance, and the ideas between their grade-specifc shirt designs. Additionally, in the high school, student-made poster boards were presented.
In the middle school competition, the class of 2031 won for the first time in their JDS career, while in the high school, the junior class won. Though the junior class won Zimriyah in their seventh and eighth grade years, this was their first high school victory. After the winners were announced, everyone was dismissed to the back fields for popsicles.
“I’m very much proud of our grade, especially because I hosted, and this was a very great way to end my Zimriyah career,” Olin said. “As a junior, it was my last it was my last time winning one, which was really meaningful.”
Yom HaShoah
Sophomores partnered with the Jewish History department on April 14 to commemorate Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, taking on the role of planning the day’s ceremonies as part of the Holocaust unit in their Modern Jewish History classes. The day included a vigil, the lighting of memorial candles and communal assemblies. All students and faculty were encouraged to wear black and white to create a solemn atmosphere.
This year, as part of the Yom HaShoah tekes (ceremony), the school hosted Holocaust survivor and alumni grandparent Ruth Cohen. She was interviewed about her experiences in multiple concentration camps including Auschwitz. Afterward, six sophomores each shared a story of a friend or family member Holocaust victim and lit a candle in their honor, representing the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. To close the tekes, sophomores led the recitation of “El Maleh Rahamim” and the specially written Mourner’s Kaddish for Yom HaShoah.
Before the tekes, students of all grades participated in an advisory lesson feat
uring a presentation on Cohen’s life, including guided discussion questions to help students reflect on her experiences and their broader significance. Jewish History Department Chair Rachel Bergstein emphasized the importance of hearing and understanding a personal story.
“I think it’s really powerful hearing [Cohen’s] first-person story,” Bergstein said. “But also, you can see that families, their children, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Holocaust survivors also feel this passionately about sharing the experience and sharing their stories.”
Throughout the entire school day, a vigil was held where sophomores continuously read the names of those who perished in the Holocaust. Classes and individuals had the opportunity to attend at different times during the day. The day concluded with a five minute reading of Holocaust victims’ names over the loudspeaker for the whole school.
Sophomore class Vice President Ayla Gerstenblith played a significant role in organizing the tekes as a part of the Yom HaShoah student leadership team. She helped write the script for the tekes, organized the presentation and interviewed Cohen on stage.
“It was especially meaningful for me because I talked about in the tekes my great aunt, who wrote a memoir called ‘Hide’ and survived the Holocaust,” Gerstenblith said. “My grandma’s cousin, who is her daughter, came to the tekes today and got to see me honor her. And that was just very meaningful and very special for me to make that full circle.”
Yom HaZikaron
Students walked into school on April 21 wearing white T-shirts with the message “Be Kind As Omer” honoring Omer Balva (‘19) to commemorate Yom HaZikaron, the day of remembrance for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. The high school heritage Hebrew class played the primary role in organizing the day’s events, including coordinating the theme of the tekes as well as leading and performing in it.
The tekes centered around the heroic story of the tatzpitaniyot, female surveillance soldiers who were tragically killed on Oct. 7, 2023, at the Nahal Oz base. It also included a commemoration of Balva, who was killed in action during the Israel-Hamas War following the Oct. 7 attacks.
Hebrew teacher and Israel Engagement Coordinator Anat Kaufman also played a significant role in planning the day. Kaufman taught Balva when he was in fifth grade, and she remembers him as a kind and bright student.
“It was such an honor to be [Balva’s] teacher and to remember him and to remind all the students about him, and how to be kind,” Kaufman said.
Though classes continued as usual, the solemn atmosphere of the tekes was felt throughout the day. During lunch and CT, students were encouraged to write letters to soldiers’ families.
Freshman and Israeli student Yael Kaplow was adamant about the importance of fully commemorating the fallen soldiers and being thankful for the state of Israel.
“Sometimes, people don’t realize how important having a Jewish state is,” Kaplow said. “People don’t realize how much of a privilege it is, and how much people sacrifice to make sure we have that privilege.”
