Shavuot Learning and Ice Cream

This year we had learning opportunities for both 4th-6th grade boys as well as 4th-6th grade girls (and their mothers) on the first night of Shavuot. The reports from everyone were that both shiurim were highly successful and well attended. I want to first and foremost thank Rabbi Rosenbaum and Allison Ginsburg for their inspirational speaking, and also to thank the shul staff and youth staff for all of their efforts in helping to coordinate these activities. Between the two shiurim, I am told that we had roughly 70 4th-6th graders stay up to learn. This showing was a great turnout from students representing a variety of schools and a great opportunity to be together as a community.

On Monday afternoon, the YISE youth department had its annual ice cream social. "A Sundae on Monday" was attended by parents as well as children from nursery through high school. In addition to an open toppings bar, the roughly 100 participants were also surprised with delicious cheesecake. Truly enhancing the fun at this event was the opportunity to see people both new to our community as well as long standing members interacting with each other and greeting new families. On a chag such as Shavuot, when B'nai Yisroel came together as a nation, it is always a pleasure to see both of these events bringing people together in times of celebration! Thank you as well to Adam Bashein and the other anonymous donors who sponsored this event!

Lag Ba'Omer at Sandy Spring Adventure Park

Lag Ba'Omer is meant to be spent outdoors enjoying nature, trees, and bonfires. Our Lag Ba'Omer at The Sandy Spring Adventure Park was nothing short of spectacular! Once harnessed, parents and children alike listened intently as the guides explained the process of how the equipment worked. After a brief tutorial and test run, everyone took to the sky to try out the 13 different courses available.

Children as young as 5 years old were seen high above the ground, maneuvering through cargo nets, across wood beams, and zip lining from tree to tree. Adults and older children climbed as high as 65 feet off the ground, tackling some of the more challenging courses which included climbing up to different levels in the middle of the course. A lot of effort and hard work helped everyone feel a sense of accomplishment as they completed their respective courses.

 

Once families finished their 2 hours of climbing, we all gathered together around the bonfire and listened to songs about Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai as we toasted marshmallows. The youth had a look of accomplishment on their faces, and several parents expressed that it was the most fun that they had experienced in a long time. One participant said that they felt like they were "on vacation", while another shared that "This is what Lag Ba'Omer is all about!"I am grateful to everyone who was able to come out and partake in the festivities.

Hamburgers, Hotdogs, and Haggadahs

Our first ever YISE youth non-youth event, “Hamburgers, Hotdogs, and Haggadahs” had a wonderful turnout. We had adults come out from a variety of different shuls to join in the learning of new ways to enhance their sedarim for their children/grandchildren this upcoming year. Between Rabbi Rosenbaum, Rabbi Silver, and me, guests shared that they got to learn about the emotional/spiritual connection to the seder through the 4 sons/4 cups/4 questions, gained a deeper connection to the ten plagues, and learned how to take a hands on approach to the décor and activities at the seder.

Participants eagerly took notes and listened attentively during this 1 hour round robin event. In addition to the learning, everyone enjoyed a delicious BBQ dinner. Special thanks go out to Rabbi Rosenbaum, Rabbi Silver, Josh and Mickie Breitstein, Adina Obstfeld, Yitz Sandberg, Tuvia and Carol Lazar, and the office and maintenance staff for all of their help before and at this event. I could not have done this without them. I would also like to thank all of the people that came out 2 weeks before pesach to make their sedarim more meaningful! As always, if you have any comments or questions, please feel free to email me at bkugler@yise.org. If you have any ideas for sedarim that you would like to share, please add them in the comments section below!

YISE/KMS Community Purim Extravaganza!!!

A little bit of snow did not stop roughly 300 people from pouring into the KMS social hall for our KMS/YISE Community Purim Extravaganza! Upon arrival, children and their parents were greeted by 3 huge inflatables (bounce house, pirate ship, and game center), multiple carnival games (Big Popper, Froggy Flyer, Skeeball, etc...), face painting, hamantaschen baking, mask making, and card decorating. Additionally, a large group of younger children gathered in the youth beit midrash for a purim story (Barnyard Purim) and a sing-along with local talent, Daniel Siesser.

 

Throughout the event, people got to enjoy cotton candy, a variety of snacks, and mingling with each other.  There was a wave of excitement every time another raffle winner got called over the microphone, and the music got everyone in the mood for the upcoming chag! We could not have done any of this without the efforts and happy smiles on the faces of our teen volunteers who greeted each person with a smile, and helped all of the children to have fun in a safe environment.  KMS was an incredibly gracious host, and we look forward to hosting them next year when the community carnival shifts over to YISE.

High School Boys Oneg

Our first shabbos oneg took place this past Friday night at the home of the Ginsburg family. We were blessed to have a wonderful turnout despite the freezing cold weather, as all of the chairs were filled shortly after our start time. The hosts went all out to put together a lovely evening with snacks, drinks, and a delicious chulent, which was finished by the end of the night (high school boys....would you expect any different?) :).

Rabbi Rosenbaum spoke beautifully and engaged the boys in a wonderful discussion. After finishing talking on the topic covered, the boys were so engaged that they followed up with a series of questions, which the Rabbi gave thoughtful answers to. And of course the night would not have been complete without singing. The ruach filled the room as a variety of zemirot were sung, and laughter filled the air. As people headed for the doors, the requests to have future onegs came filing in.

Please look out for future emails about the girls high school oneg, our Purim Extravaganza, and a wonderful Pesach learning (and eating) opportunity for parents, as well as our Yom Hashoah and Lag Ba'Omer activities.

Reignite Chanukah!!!!

This year, the first spark of Chanukah took place a few days before the actual holiday. YISE Youth and YISE nursery hosted over 250 people for our ‘Reignite Chanukah’ event! From start to finish, there was an excitement in the room as the kids walked in to the social hall to the sounds of joyous Chanukah music. Everyone was first treated to a few words about Chanukah from Rabbi Rosenbaum. Once Rabbi Rosenbaum finished speaking, Rabbi Wolvovsky took the stage and wowed the children with his fantastic olive oil press demonstration. The kids all had a chance to crush the olives before they went into the press.

As the demonstration concluded, all of the kids were treated to delicious sufganiyot. Everyone waited patiently as our fantastic teen volunteers managed the three lines and handed out the treats. After everyone had their sweet tooth satisfied, we opened up the 30 foot inflatable obstacle course, where children raced against each other to try and find the last jar of olive oil in the “Bais HaMikdash”. Laughter could be heard throughout the room, and the pure olive oil was found. 

Additionally, we also had several of our  craftsman working on building Chanukiyot out of recycled materials, children coloring “stained glass” Chanukah projects, and playing games of dreidel. While the gelt went fast, the smiles stuck around long after the chocolate coins had been finished. Each child who created a Chanukiyah out of recycled materials got to come up on stage and present their marvelous inventions. It was impressive to see the various ways that the Chanukiyot were constructed and how proud 

the children were of their work.

I would like to extend a tremendous thank you to all who helped to make this event possible, both by attending, and by volunteering. Our community continues to be incredibly supportive, and eager to bring their children to share in the fun and the learning!

Midrash, Manicures, and Milkshakes!!!

MIDRASH, MANICURES, AND MILKSHAKES!!!!!! What a huge success this event was for all parties! With 130 spots available, this event sold out 2 weeks in advance by girls/ladies from a variety of shuls and schools in the area. Upon arrival, the girls walked into the social hall, greeted by the relaxing and soulful music of Chaim Lanzbom and Yosef Karduner.

Once all guests arrived, Mrs. Zakem gave over inspiring words of Torah that were pertinent to the weeks parsha.  Following the beautiful Torah thoughts shared, everyone began to select their nail polish colors. Each person took out the complementary emory boards, shaped their nails, and started painting. Friends, mothers and daughters, and sisters, each took turns, working meticulously to ensure that they did a nice job. For those that were interested, Aviva and Yael Miller also brought their own materials, and painted other people’s nails. Parents shared that they overheard their daughters saying things such as “it was so much fun” and "We should do this every Saturday night"!

As the socializing and nail painting carried on, blenders were fired up, and 4 varieties of milkshakes were personally delivered to each person. While there were certainly many people sharing how delicious they were, the smiles on faces of each person were more than enough to confirm that we had created a tasty motzei shabbos treat!  Once all the nail polish dried, Ben Yehuda pizza was delivered, and the dining experience was complete!

I would like to give a tremendous thank you to everyone that came out for the event, to Mrs. Zakem for speaking, to Becca Kugler, Menucha Wolfe, Bassie Katz, Allison Lazar, and Adina Obstfeld for helping to make milk shakes and run the “box office”, to Barbara Price for being the mashgiach and helping with the milkshakes (plus setup and cleanup), to Debbie Unger for taking pictures, to Yael and Aviva Miller for donating their time to paint nails, to the custodial staff for setup and cleanup, to the entire office staff for helping me to purchase and store materials, and to Ben Yehuda Pizza.  We were also thrilled that at the end of the event, we were able to donate the leftover nail polish remover and emory boards to the Mikvah Emunah Society.

This event had an amazing turnout, and we look forward to continuing to create and provide exciting events for the community!