Student Profile........... 2

Mazel Tovs ................. 2

From Farmland Sioux Falls to Denver’s Bais Yaakov ....................... 3

Health Fair 2012 ....... 3

Recipe Corner ............ 4

Dean’s List ................. 4

From the Desk of....... 4

Where Are They Now .................. 4

INSIDE

A JEWISH VOICE IN THE COMMUNITY

A PUBLICATION OF BETH JACOB HIGH SCHOOL OF DENVER

Volume XLIV | Issue IIINisan 5772 | April 2012

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my ViewShabbaton Through New Eyes

By AVIgAYIL ERLANgERI remember

myself as a sixth-grader, sitting in the front row of a Shabbaton group photo, wearing a sweater that matched all my sisters’ sweat-ers. It was Shabbaton 2006, and I was trying really hard to learn all the motions to the songs, and the dance steps, too.

Six years have passed since then, and…wow, has my Shabbaton experience changed – being on the giving end. After attending Shabbatons, as a “staff kid” with my parents, then as a middle-school Shabbatoner, then as a Bais Yaakov girl and host, I finally experienced it from the angle of gO President. After organizing for hours (missing many classes), and working closely with the administration, I feel this Shabbaton was my best experi-ence by far.

The theme of this year’s Shabbaton was “Serve Hashem with Joy.” The source of simchah is the feeling of a sense of accomplishment, the experience that giving to others gives back. This idea clearly came to life for me and for my g.O. partners, Linda Hilu and Chana Schwab. I received much more during this Shabbaton than I gave.

By RABBI MYER J. SCHWAB Our Torah leaders are deeply con-

cerned and totally perplexed over how to deal with the insidious problem of the Internet. They have called for a national convention of rabbis and educators from all over America on May 20 in New York, to deal with this problem, which they call the “challenge of our genera-tion.” To paraphrase the words of Harav Matisyahu Salomon, the Internet has torn down the sacred barriers that have always stood between the world outside and the pristine world of the Torah home and a Torah school.

The threats the Internet poses to the spiritual health of Torah Jews as individuals and as a community are well-known. Internet and the social media that accompany it have destroyed lives, offering alternative realities and relation-ships with undesirable and even danger-ous individuals. The addictive impact of this technology is an undisputable fact. Even some teenagers who profess an allegiance to halachah cannot refrain from texting on Shabbos.

Jonathan Rosenblum points out, in the March 7, 2012, issue of Mishpacha,another one of the greatest dangers of the Internet: It is turning us into less serious and more shallow Jews. We see students who are loosing their ability to concentrate for long on any one topic and to remain focused on their tasks. On

the other hand, the Internet has become an essential tool to accommodate many of the basic functions of modern life – business, banking, bill-paying and e-mail communication. It’s virtually impossible to live without it.

What is to be done? “We cannot ban Internet use entirely,” Rosenblum explains. “Even if we could, such bans would be largely ignored.

‘Certainly, as much as possible, parents and teachers must exhort their charges against casual use of the Internet. Parents must not simply throw up their hands and view the Internet as the inevi-table price of technological progress. For starters, no handheld devices capable of connecting to the Internet should be in the hands of teenagers.’ ” Teens, with their social tendencies, gravitate to social media, which pose new and grave dan-gers for youth. No Jewish child should be allowed to have a Facebook account.

Yet all the protection in the world can

go only so far. Ultimately, the only pro-tection against the appeal of the Internet is the development of strong internal resources in ourselves and our children. That requires a clear-eyed appraisal of the ways of the yetzer hara and of our ability to establish boundaries to counteract it. It requires our creating a rich spiritual life that far surpasses the attractions of the Internet. We must create an elite Torah environment in which our chil-dren will feel honored and privileged to have membership. So exciting, so happy, so fulfilling must it be that our youth will be proud to identify with it and will not envy their secular counterparts. While this won’t work for everyone, we must all try. Developing this environment and these inner resources is the greatest chal-lenge of our time.

Why Hashem has put our gen-eration into this seemingly impossible situation is beyond our comprehension. Those families that can create such a happy and inviting environment within the confines of their homes will truly be the heroes of our time.

No one will remain unscathed; but some will become role models for others, showing what can be accomplished.

May Hashem support us through this challenge.

By AVIgAIL STEINHARTER Devorah Meyer Buxbaum, class of

2002, has energetically stepped forward to lead the annual Trip-to-Israel Raffle campaign. Devorah will continue the efforts of last year’s chair to ramp up the school’s long-standing raffle tradition, bringing to the campaign an up-to-date touch.

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado. Devorah is the eldest daugh-ter of beloved community leaders Rabbi and Mrs. Yaakov and Chaya (Wagner) Meyer. After completing her MSW at DU, Devorah and her husband, Shlomo, spent four years in Israel. Back in the US,

the Buxbaums are serving as direc-tors of the Aish HaTorah center of Washington, D.C. where her responsi-bilities as Rebbetzin include teaching women and girls, organizing fund-raising events and creat-ing family programming, in addition to raising her own three children.

“I embrace the opportunity to chair the annual raffle as a small way to give back to BYD, which has made me into

continued on page 2

Devorah Meyer Buxbaum: Chair, Trip to Israel Raffl e

InternetWe Can’t Live With It; Can’t Live Without It

Rabbi Myer J. Schwab is Founder and Dean of Beth Jacob High School of Denver.

Avigayil Erlanger, a Denver native, is a senior at Beth Jacob High School.

� | Batya

By YAEL KASSINRivka Gupalovich was born in Slutsk,

Belarus. She is now a sophomore at Beth Jacob and is known for her happy, positive personality and her great sense of humor.

Q: How did you first learn about BYD?A: I first heard about it from Ayelet

Vainalovich, who comes from Minsk, Belarus. Ever since I heard about BYD, I’ve wanted to come here.

Q: Tell us about Slutsk and the schools you attended.

A: In Slutsk, people look down at any-one who is religious. There are very few Torah-observant people. In fact, in Slutsk, the only Torah-observant person I knew was my cousin. When my cousin went to Bais Aaron in Pinsk, I went there too.

Q: How is BYD different from schools you attended previously?

A: I think that the classes here are much more interesting and challenging. The way we learn Chumash here is totally new for me. In the past, I

had learned the stories but had never studied inside the sefer. Now we learn Chumash from a Chumash! I also never learned subjects such as Navi and historiah before.

In Bais Yaakov Denver there are many extracurricular activities, and I’m with many different girls in dif-ferent classes, and of course in the dorm.

In Pinsk, the dorm counselors were

older people who didn’t have much of a relationship with us. Here we have young dorm counselors who are very involved in so many parts of our lives.

Q: What are some of the hard parts about coming to your new school?

A: Learning English was for sure the hardest. Making new friends takes time, too. Also, in Pinsk, we learned biology from sixth through eleventh grade, while here it’s taught over the course of one year. That makes it harder. And because classes are taught in English, the material sometimes seems unfamiliar.

Q: Life in Denver must be different for you than it was in Belarus. What are some of the differences?

A: Where I come from, if someone is loud outdoors at night, the police come and fine them or arrest them. If you go around on Purim in a costume, people will look at you like you’re crazy. Here people seem to live and let live.

In Belarus, to get kosher food it’s nec-essary to travel to Odessa, in Ukraine, very far away.

The Jews in Belarus know they are Jewish, but that’s all. They don’t know anything about keeping mitzvos.

Q: What do you like best about being

here?A: The teachers here are very caring and

help me a lot. I really like the extracur-ricular activities. My favorite subjects are the limudei kodesh subjects, and I really love living in the dorm. Oh, and the girls here are another thing I like best!

Q: In what ways do you think you’ve changed since you came to BYD?

A: I view life now from a different perspective – a Jewish perspective. I’ve also learned much more about Judaism and history.

Q: What advice do you have for your friends in Belarus?

A: If you want to really grow, come to BYD.

BatyaEDITORIAL BOARD:

Rabbi Myer J. SchwabSara Chava Nadoff MizrahiAvigail Schwab Steinharter

STUDENT EDITORS:

Talia BeanYael Kassin

STUDENT WRITERS:

Rivka KellnerDevorah Pascal

PAgE LAYOUT:

Jo Aman

A publication of Beth Jacob High School

5100 West 14th Avenue | Denver, CO 80204(303) 893-1333 | bethjacob@bjhs.org

Beth Jacob High School is a beneficiary of the Allied Jewish Federation, Rose Community Foundation, Harry H. Beren Trust, ACE (Alliance for Choice in Education), Glassman Foundation and The Art Harris Trust.

student profile

“I view life now from a different perspective”Meet Rivka Gupalovich, of White Russia, an Inspired Exchange Student

Rivka gupalovich: “If you want to really grow, come to Bais Yaakov Denver.”

EngagEmEnts:

Abby Moskowitz to Avi Mehler

Chana Perton to Yaakov Rubin

Mushky Sirota to Dovid Caytak

Elyse Goodman Rosen’s daughter Leba Tova to Mordechai Yaakov Goldman

Nancy Horwitz Wolff ’s daughter Nechama Leah to Boruch Dovid Fogel

WEddings:

Chani Crane to Chaim Mainstain

Dina Mushell to Yehuda Schonfeld

Dina Ushakova to Yonatan Datenko

Deborah Wachnovetzky to Moshe Sakal

Shira Abramson Nudell’s daughter Aviva Miriam to Shmuel Aharon Jenkins

Segal Dan Schonfeld’s daughter Gila to Shmuly Goldstein

Leah Perl Shapiro Shollar’s daughter Ella to Nosson Rittri

Michelle Koll Strum’s son Rafi to Rivka Scheller

Births:

Shaindy Heisler Birnbaum – Boy

Michall Rubin Goldman – Yaakov Yisroel

Raizy Melamed Hartman – Girl

Frida Anzarut Maleh – girl

Tzipora Schwab Portowicz – Yosef

Rachel Samsonowitz Rabinowitz – Michael Yonatan

Celia Lewit Feder – Grandson

Rabbi and Mrs. Myer J. Schwab, Great-grandson – Yosef

Rabbi Yehuda Amsel – Shmuel

Rabbi and Mrs. Yechiel Erlanger – Yael Bracha

Bar mitzvahs:

Deena Sandock Abraham – Shmuel Efrayim

Shaindel Rojkova Barros – Mendy

Baila Wolk Broderick – Moshe Ahron

Naomi Meer Chayn – Eliyahu Pinchus

Estee Wolman Feigenbaum – Dovi

Alumnae and Faculty Mazel Tovs

the person I am today,” said Buxbaum.The raffle drawing, which takes

place at Beth Jacob’s commencement exercises on June 10, 2012, will send the lucky winner on a free trip to Eretz Yisrael.

“I encourage everyone to help in this campaign.” Devorah concluded.

Alumnae to Chair Annual DrawingContinued from page 1

For more information call (303) 893-1333 or email BethJacob@bjhs.org.

because they were Jewish they had to buy the rights to dwell in certain cit-ies. Yet it is the Jew who is called the “cheat”!

Nevertheless, studying history has its limits: there is no guarantee that anyone’s interpretation of it will be a wise one.

A teacher in Los Angeles recently said, “Jews have been run out of 109 countries throughout history, and we

need to run them out of this one [i.e., America].”

I still feel that even if no one else were to study it, at least we Jews should study our history. By doing so, we will strengthen our beliefs, and become prouder Jews, and we’ll gain a better understanding of the Haggadah’s words, “it was only g-d’s promise that stood by our ancestors and us.”

A History LessonContinued from page 4

Mrs. Schwab is the religious studies princi-pal of Beth Jacob High School.

April �01�| �

From Farmland Sioux Falls to Denver’s Bais Yaakov“Trying to Pronounce Hebrew Words Can be Hilarious”

By TALIA BEANBorn and raised in Sioux Falls,

South Dakota, Jo was the youngest of four children. She attended a huge high school, from which she graduated in 1981. Jo’s high school was very differ-ent compared to Bais Yaakov. First of all, it was a non-Jewish, co-ed school. The students divided into cliques and Jo found it very hard to form lasting friend-ships. Classes were large, so the teachers did not have close relationships with the students as they do here at Bais Yaakov.

Jo moved to Denver in 1982, just a few days after she got married. She describes her first impression of Denver: “This was a huge city! People moved so fast!”

Sixteen years ago, Jo began working in Bais Yaakov. As she had never met a rabbi before, Jo remembers her inter-view with Rabbi Schwab very clearly. After being hired, Rabbi Schwab first gave Jo a letter to photocopy. She was confused, and wondering why she had to make another copy of the original letter. She remembers thinking: “Now I have to do it again. If he [Rabbi Schwab] didn’t like it, he just had to tell me, not scribble all over it!” In fact, as Jo soon learned, Rabbi Schwab had just been personalizing the letter with Hebrew words.

Before being hired by Bais Yaakov, Jo worked in an agricultural real estate office and was able to work directly with farmers, which she enjoyed. However, at one point in time, she realized it was not as amazing as she had hoped it would be. Jo became increasingly frustrated with the office politics.

After the less-than-satisfactory expe-rience at that job, Jo was appreciative of the differences that employment at Bais Yaakov offered compared to other com-panies. One big contrast was that there were no office politics. Jo has been at Bais Yaakov for 16 years, and she says, “I hope I never leave.”

When she came to work at Bais Yaakov Jo had to make some adjust-ments to her working routine. At first she was nervous about working around

teenagers, but she soon learned that at Bais Yaakov, that is not something to be concerned about. She describes the girls as “very polite and courteous to others,” displaying many traits that Jo’s parents had instilled in her. When Jo describes the girls to her friends, they all want to know if they can send their daughters to Bais Yaakov. Jo also had to adjust to the dress code, getting used to wearing skirts and dresses, something she was not familiar with. She is also very con-siderate of the students on fast days: “I try very hard not to eat or drink in front of the students.”

The students appreciate Jo’s dedica-tion, although a lot of what Jo does is behind the scenes. For example, Aliza Berman, BYD Junior, said, “Jo is always in the office when we come to school every day.” Little do the students know, that Jo arrives at Bais Yaakov before dawn. Even after getting up so early, she still manages, as Chaya Tessler, ninth grader, says: “to greet people with a smile when they come into the office.” This cheerfulness is clear to everyone in BYD before Purim, when the school was decorated as Denver International Airport, Jo readily played along with the theme, announcing over the loud-speaker: “All unattended baggage will be confiscated and may be destroyed.”

“Jo is the backbone of daily school operations,” Rabbi Schwab commented. “She is my right hand, the best adminis-trative assistant I’ve ever had.”

When asked what her favorite part of the job is, Jo finds it hard to pinpoint something specific. One thing she par-ticularly enjoys is learning a new word in Hebrew, although, as she says, “trying to pronounce them can be quite hilari-ous to others.” When a teacher gives Jo a paper to hand back to a student, and the student’s name is written in Hebrew, Jo sometimes comments: “I failed Ivrit class because I failed to show up for classes. Could you please write their names in English?” However, Jo has learned to translate some Hebrew.

At Bais Yaakov, Jo is regularly inspired by the lifestyle of the students and teachers. She finds it amazing to see how the students interact with adults, especially the respect that is shown by students to elders and other students. She feels that the students are receiving a quality education and that they really appreciate all they are being taught. Overall, Jo sums up Bais Yaakov in just a few words: “What a breath of fresh air in this day and age.”

faculty profile

Talia Bean, a native of Denver, is a junior at Beth Jacob High School.

Jo Aman: “What a breath of fresh air in this day and age.”

By MRS. ESTHER MELAMEDSchools are known for giving their

attention to teaching students skills and information, and much of the school year is indeed devoted to the study of Chumash, Jewish history, math, sciences and a variety of other academic subjects. But knowledge about caring for one’s health is no less crucial to the present and future success of high school students. That’s why BYD presents its students with an interactive health fair once every four years.

This year’s health fair, held on Monday, February 27, 2012, was an all-day event that included exciting presen-tations as well as twenty-five interactive booths. The day began with introduc-tory words by Mrs. Bruria Schwab about Chazal’s view on the importance of keep-ing one’s body healthy.

Presentations included: skincare by Dr. Leslie Senkfor; a discussion on men-tal health led by Mrs. Sandra Radetsky, LCSW; and an interactive forum on nutrition with life coach Mrs. Rachel Mishory.

“I really liked the simchah dancing with Mrs. Eve Levy,” remarked Rivka

Nortman, a junior from Trieste, Italy. “The healthy lunch they prepared for us was really elaborate, too,” she added.

The health-related booths repre-sented a semester’s worth of research by the senior class, and topics included smoking, peanut allergy, gene therapy, back pain, ADHD and fetal alcohol syndrome.

The ninth, tenth and eleventh grades were also involved in preparing this event, under the direction of their teach-

Health Fair 2012

Over 50 girls from around the country joined BJHS students for a Shabbaton on March 14 - March 18, 2012.

ers. They decorated the school building according to the theme and prepared bags of health-care goods for each stu-dent. The sophomore class published a cookbook of healthy recipes.

Adi Halton, senior, commented that “it was a well-organized and professional event. I loved all the interactive booths and found the speakers to be interesting and informative.”

Chana Schwab, a senior, says, “I loved the balance between the informa-tive and the entertaining aspects of the fair.”

Meira Zussman, coordinator of the health fair, commented, “According to the Centers for Disease Control, schools play a critical role in promoting the health and safety of young people. This event gave students an opportunity to think seriously about dietary habits and positive lifestyle choices that will pro-mote their health, wellness and safety for a lifetime.”

Mrs. Esther Melamed is the general stud-ies principal of BYD and the designer and producer of Health Fair 2012.

� | Batya

Don’t you wish heads of govern-ment would study history? For that matter, shouldn’t all people learn history? And we, the Jewish people – shouldn’t we, at least, know history? As the Torah instructs, “Remember the days of history and consider the years of past genera-tions.”

President Obama would benefit from learning the history of Jerusalem – he would then gain the knowledge of who the city has belonged to and who has never owned it. Studying the history of Socialist governments, he could see the devastating effects Socialism has had on countries like resource-rich as Russia.

By studying the history of civiliza-tions, leaders of nations can learn that countries have benefited from the indus-triousness of their Jewish subjects and suffered economic decline when Jews were expelled. They might be wise to notice that when Nazis caused Albert Einstein to immigrate to America, he contributed to the development of the atom bomb, which helped America win the war.

It would serve the world well to notice that burn-ing and gassing Jews, torturing them, burning their holy books and demolishing their synagogues has never achieved the goal of ridding the world of Jews. Again and again, with Hashem’s protec-tion, we survived and will continue to survive. That’s a worthwhile lesson, both for them and for us.

If one were to study the habits of personal hygiene – or lack thereof – in the Middle Ages, one would be shocked to learn that bathing was the exception rather than the rule. Jews, however, bathed because it is mandated by the Torah, and they were protected, to some degree, from diseases. And the fact that Jews were isolated in ghettoes kept them separated from the rest of the popula-tion. As a result, when the Black Death (bubonic plague) struck and many died,

Jews were conspicuously less affected, and they were accused of poisoning the wells. A serious student of history will recognize that scapegoating Jews may be based on shaky reasoning.

In the same vein, how ridiculous were the blood libels, in which Jews were accused of mixing blood into their mat-zos. By definition, matzo is made of only two ingredients, flour and water. Of all foods, this is the one that loses its integ-rity if any other ingredient is included. But this didn’t prevent our enemies from plundering communities and exiling cit-ies, time and again, to punish Jews for the sin of “killing a Christian child for his blood to mix into matzos.”

Some of us are aware that the infini-tive “to Jew” is defined in Webster’s dictionary to mean “to cheat.” But con-sider the historical background against which this definition evolved: Jews were limited in their choices of profession; often they were not accepted to schools of higher learning, they were taxed enor-mous sums, forbidden to own land, and

recipe corner

Fun With Fruit SaladBy DEENA SANDOCK ABRAHAM

When bak-ing, there is science involved and mea-surements need to be precise. When cook-ing or making a salad, there’s a lot of room for creativity. I always find it interesting to

see the changes and adaptations that people make to recipes. After all, if I have a recipe that I like just the way it is, I may not bother to think about what might make it even better.

Sometimes a recipe isn’t even recog-nizable after changes have been made. A number of years ago I was the editor of a fundraising cookbook for my shul’s sisterhood. One of the recipes that I sub-mitted was for a fruit salad. It’s a pretty simple recipe that my family really likes. Yet I never considered it to be a special-occasion recipe.

Some time after the cookbook came out and made its rounds around the community, I attended a sheva brachos where a fruit cup was served as a first course. The person who made the fruit cup came over and thanked me for the recipe. But when I saw the cups, I didn’t recognize it as my recipe. The selection

of fruits in the cups was not what I used when preparing the recipe, and I had never considered changing the recipe by using different fruits. But it was a really nice idea, and it was a really good first course.

With the cold winter months ending and summer looming on the horizon, there are many fruits about to be in season and readily available. The recipe below is a year-round fruit salad. The pineapple and mandarin oranges come from a can. grapes, apples and bananas are available throughout the year. But, as I’ve learned, this recipe can easily be adapted to fit the season.

FRUIT SALAD1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks or

tidbits in juice1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges1 (3 oz.) pkg. vanilla instant pud-

ding2 red apples, cored and chopped2 green apples, cored and chopped1 banana, sliced½ c. green grapes½ c. red grapes

Drain the liquid from the can of pineapple chunks into a large measur-ing cup. Add liquid from the mandarin

oranges to equal 1/2 cups. Pour this liquid into a bowl and stir in the instant pudding, mixing until thick. Stir in the pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, apples, bananas, and grapes. (If prepar-ing in advance, do not add the bananas until just before serving.)

Feel free to exchange the fruits as desired. The fruit cup served at a sheva brachos, which I didn’t realize was my recipe, contained strawberries, blueber-ries and blackberries. I have added kiwi. Be creative and see what fruit combina-tions taste best for you. I have reduced the amount of dressing by using half the amount of liquid and half (approximate-ly) of the pudding mix. Cantaloupe and honeydew will be in season soon, and small chunks of either of them would make a lovely addition.

A History Lessonfrom the desk of mrs. bruria schwab

Judy Zinn Bulmash

Judy was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Her parents, who were among the founders of today’s Phoenix Jewish community, sent all four of their daughters to BYD.

“I remember Rabbi Lauer’s man-tra of channeling one’s talents,” says Judy. “I use this advice in guiding my children. I also remember with fondness Rabbi Schwab’s Chumash lessons and Mrs. Schwab’s Jewish Home classes.”

Today, Judy and her husband, Dr. Mordechai Bulmash, a prominent pediatrician, watch as their children and grandchildren grow in the Torah way of life.

“I give credit to BYD for guiding me to the happy life I live today.”

where are they now?

Deena Sandock Abraham is a 1990 BJHS graduate.

Miryam Esther AbrahamLinda Asquenazi

Talia BeanAliza Berman

Miriam BermanRivka Miriam Brackman

Nechama CrystalAvigayil Erlanger Elisheva ErlangerMichal ErlangerFaige FeldheimRacheli Felsen

Nurit FligelmanMiriam Adina Halton

Linda HiluChasya JosephRochie KaganIrit KaufmanRivka KellnerLiat Kohanteb

Leah Basya Major Mijal Mendelewicz

Esti MeyerShayna MichaelsDevorah Pascal

Fraida RosskammChana Schwab Shira Tessler

Ayelet VainalovichChana Warga

Ahuva WassermanAvital Weiman

SECOND QUARTER DEAN’S LIST

continued on page 2