AIPAC Symposium

We are so excited to host our second annual special inter-school AIPAC Symposium on Thursday, December 1, 2011. Our Israel Awareness Commission organized the event, which hosts student from multiple schools.

Here is our itinerary!


Dec 12011 Session Grid

Open House Video

Check out our Open House Video to learn all about Flatbush:

Berachot Posters

The wonderful members of the Spiritual Growth Commission, in conjunction with the art department, just unveiled these beautiful berachot posters which are located around the school. These posters will help remind us to find the beauty in everyday berachot. Special thanks to the SGC and Rabbi BenLulu for their support and contributions.

Cooking for a Cause: Round Two

Last Wednesday night was our second Cooking for a Cause event, run by our Helping the Hungry commission. The commission cooks for the needy in our community on Wednesday nights, after school. Students learn to prepare a variety of entrees, dinners, and desserts while participating. All of the food prepared in these events are sent to needy families who can then enjoy delicious homemade dinners. For more information about this commission, read this previous post: http://www.myflatbushlife.com/2011/10/helping-against-hunger.html We would like to thank our sponsors and chefs: Mrs. Paullete Goldstein Dweck and Mrs. Rosie Goldstein Dayan.

To register, sponsor, or volunteer for these events please email:
Rochelle Dweck rdweck18@aol.com or Shifra Hanon bayonne50@aol.com

Torah To Go Series: Parashat Toldot

What Are You Thankful For?

Students Shine in WordMasters Challenge!!

Four teams of students representing the Yeshivah of Flatbush recently won highest honors in this year's WordMasters Challenge, a national competition for high school students requiring close reading and analysis of many different kinds of prose and poetry. Participating with 548 school teams from all across the country, the school's ninth graders tied for fourth place in the nation in the year's first meet, held in October, while its tenth graders tied for seventh place, and its eleventh and twelfth graders both placed first in the nation. The teams were supervised by Shifra Hanon.

Several of the school's students won high honors for individual achievement as well: Sophomore Sam Franco, Juniors Hymie Anteby, Norman Greenberg and Rivka Last and seniors Yaron Marciano and Eliana Schwartz all earned perfect scores in the meet, while in the entire country only 25 tenth graders, only 10 eleventh graders and only five twelfth graders did so. At the same time, freshmen Joey Cohen, Florence Dweck, Sara Natkin, Rebecca Zami and Shani Zenilman, sophomores Andrew Hirsh, Bob Husni and Albert Mishan, Juniors Rachel Erani, Jessamyn Sutton and Tali Zenilman placed, respectively, among the 65 highest-scoring ninth graders, the 108 highest - scoring tenth graders, the 32 highest-scoring eleventh graders, and the 36 highest-scoring twelfth graders nationwide. More than 54,000 students from across the country (and from four foreign nations) participated in the meet.

Torah To Go Series: Parashat Chayei Sarah

Flatbush Open House

Our Open House was a tremendous success! We hope to see all of you again!

Why Do I Love Flatbush?

Torah To Go Series: Parashat Vayeira

Rabbi Harari Visits our Students in Israel

This past week, our Rosh HaYeshivah, Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari, visited our students who are spending a year of study in Israel. Rabbi Harari noted that it was wonderful to see our former seniors adjusting to their new environments and growing intellectually, emotionally and religiously. They had an inspiring reunion in the home of Dr. Rochelle Dweck. The atmosphere was warm and engaging, and infused with the unique Flatbush spirit. The students shared thoughts, and stories with each other. It was truly an inspiring day. We are looking forward to much nachat from our students throughout the school year and beyond.

Dine N' Discuss: In memory of Mrs. Suzanne Blaine A'H

This Monday night, students, teachers and parents got together for our second annual Dine N' Discuss. Students and their parents both read The Maze Runner for this special evening. We were treated to a delicious dinner presented by The Prime Cut, where students and parents were able to mingle and discuss their initial impressions of the story.

After that, students and parents split up into groups for parent facilitated discussions on the novel. It was wonderful to see our students and parents connecting and enjoying meaningful discussions about literature.

The second annual event was in memory of our dear teacher and friend Mrs. Suzanne Blaine A"H.

We would like to thank our generous sponsors: Ami and Ralph Sasson, Rochelle and Eli Dweck, Gladys and Richard Haddad, Elysse and Isaac Franco, and Sheri and Jeffrey Gindi. As well as the wonderful volunteers and committee members that made this night possible, especially: Maggie Betesh, Sarah Khdideh, Ami Sasson, Rena Ashear, and Celia Gindi.

Sports Update: Girls Basketball Defeat Central High School

On October 31, the junior varsity and varsity girls basketball teams played against Central High School for a thrill packed double header. Flatbush took home the win in both games, with scores of 43-37 Varsity and 43-16 for the Junior Varsity teams. We are looking forward to many more exciting games throughout the year! Stay tuned!

Chesed Trip to the Special Children's Center

On Sunday November 6th, 9 Cheshvan the first Sunday Chesed Day program of the year took place. Thirty students and twenty adults volunteered 7 hours of their Sunday traveling to Lakewood, NJ on a very special visit to the special children center. The program consisted of interaction with the special children through music, art, and dancing. Together we were all able to be there for the children and put smiles on their faces. We were able to be a part of the special children family. What made this trip so unique was the combined chesed of parents and children together. Here is one student's response to the trip: My experience at the Special Children's Center was truly amazing. I was touched from the second I walked in. I walked down the hallway and stopped at a Classroom filled with special children. My mouth dropped. I changed within the two minutes of looking at the children. During my time at the center I learned a very important lesson. NEVER EVER take anything for granted NOTHING and to be happy with what I have. At the center I played with the children, sang with them, danced with them, decorated cookies with them, and played pass the present with them. I'll admit it. I cried after a while and realized how lucky I am. Words cannot even describe the experience I had. I will 100% go back again. If anyone is interested in participating in future Sunday chesed programs please contact Rabbi Besser or Rosette Shammah.

Student Runs in NYC Marathon

Kudos to our very own Carol Dweck who ran the NYC marathon this weekend in memory of our beloved teacher and friend, Mrs. Suzanne Blaine A'H.

Chesed Shel Emet

I was fortunate to be chosen to go with the EKO Commission on Monday October 31st to help clean up the Hebrew Free Burial Association’s Silver Lake Cemetery in Staten Island. I didn’t exactly know what “clean up” meant, but nevertheless I was excited to be doing something that combined the importance of caring for the earth together with chesed. Before we left, we had a brief introduction to the association and about what we would do at the cemetery. What I learned about the Hebrew Free Burial Association made the trip all the more meaningful.

The HFBA is not a typical burial society. It is a non-profit group that handles the burial of Jews with little or no family, and/or that don’t have enough money for a burial. They make sure that all Jews receive a prompt and proper funeral and burial - no matter what their financial means are. The alternative would be for the bodies to be buried in an anonymous mass grave. When the association was created at the end of the nineteenth century, the HFBA first provided burials to immigrants, including Holocaust survivors and refugees from the former Soviet Union as well as the impoverished deceased.

Because the HFBA provides free burials, they often don't have enough money to maintain the cemetery and hire workers. This is why they value volunteers to help them with whatever needs to be done.

I, along with 24 other students, participated in the “clean up” to help maintain the cemetery and allow for the continuation of an extremely special mitzvah that the HFBA is based upon, Chesed Shel Emet, Chesed towards the deceased that cannot be repaid. We raked leaves and brushed snow off the ground around the graves, and collected fallen branches and parts of trees. It wasn't easy (or clean) work, especially in the very cold weather, but it was more than worth the effort. Even though we only worked for two hours, not only did we make a physical difference in the cemetery's appearance, but also it also affected us emotionally. The people who run HFBA dedicate their lives to taking care of those who have no one or nothing to take care of them when they die. The least we can do is to contribute our time to show our support. I was happy and proud to know that I did something worthwhile and I know everyone from Flatbush felt the same way. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to be part of the amazing mitzvah of Chesed Shel Emet.
~Miriam Zami, 3HN

Cooking for a Cause

Last night was our first Cooking for a Cause event, run by our Helping the Hungry commission. The commission cooks for the needy in our community on Wednesday nights, after school. Students learn to prepare a variety of entrees, dinners, and desserts while participating. All of the food prepared in these events are sent to needy families who can then enjoy delicious homemade dinners. For more information about this commission, read this previous post: http://www.myflatbushlife.com/2011/10/helping-against-hunger.html

Torah To Go Series: Parashat Lech-Lecha