As part of the Yeshivah of Flatbush High School’s Chanukah celebration, the staff took the court to take on members of the Junior and Senior classes in the traditional teacher vs. student basketball battle. And a battle it was! The teachers came to play, and did not disappoint. Rabbi Avi Harari rained three’s from the sky, drawing nothing but the bottom of the net; Mr. Urim cleaned the glass, spreading a few elbows on the way (Junior basketballer Mayer Kamkhatchi commented that this didn’t happen to him during regular varsity competition!) despite the students pleas to Referee Junior Joey Cohen which went unheeded – by the staff team, that is; our esteemed Athletic Director drained an Old School sky hook (shades of another old New York ballplayer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) on a sweet feed from Rabbi Beyda; Rabbi Benlulu was everywhere on defense pressuring the student guards all over the half-court.
Oh, the final score? Well, does it really Matter? Who’s counting? OK, the young guns prevailed behind the skilled shooting of Buddy Setton, Murray Mizrahi and Mike Shalom, all extending the range; and the exquisite ball handling skills of Senior Joey Dayon who showed off why the Yeshiva League is well aware of his talents. The student team was rounded out by solid play from Victor Silverman, Raymond Braha, Moe Maleh, and Michael Srour. But, it was a good time had by all.
The girls' teacher student basketball game (for the first time ever) at the SGO Chanukah Fair was also so much fun. Both the students and teachers playing and the students watching and cheering from the bleachers had such a blast. Teachers were so kind in volunteering to step outside their comfort zones and play some students who are on the girls' varsity and junior varsity teams. Even if a teacher had never played basketball before, they were willing to come and join in on the fun because they were so into the spirit of Chanukah and wanted to make this program the best it could be. The game started off with students scoring basket after basket, but after a while of teachers playing together, they were able to hold the students off and score a few shots of their own! The teachers and students playing and watching were so engaged in the competitive game and cheered and applauded at every shot scored, the whole way through. At the end, we even mixed up teachers and students to be on the same team so that everyone could have a fair chance.
It was so nice to see teachers and students interact in a more laid-back manner because we don't get the opportunity to do this together during classes. There were so many students and teachers that played and we thank you so much for your positive enthusiasm.
Special thanks to our outstanding teacher players Dr. Fruchter, Señora Shterenzer, Mrs. Goldberg, Mrs. Wielgus, Mrs. Zimmerman, Mrs. Lillian Rishty, Mrs. Benun and even Dr. Gerber and Mrs. Yaari for taking a shot! Student players included Lauren Berkovits, Alison Kassin, Robyn Dweck, Jen Maleh, Jacqueline Baum, Victoria Gindi, Sylvia Franco, Fatima Sharaby, Margo Kamin, Esther Harari, Sarah Horowitz, Atara Anderson, Susan Barnathan, Estelle Saad, Leah Katash, Devorah Coopersmith, and so many more. This event was a huge hit and kept so many students entertained. Thank you to all teachers and students for participating! We hope you had as much fun as we did!
