Bnot Torah Institute » Orientation Week http://bnottorah.com Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:08:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Trip to Gan Yehoshua Park http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/07/gan-yehoshua/ http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/07/gan-yehoshua/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:25:49 +0000 Rabbi Michael Green http://bnottorah.com/?p=533 Hey everyone! I just wanted to briefly share with you a great event that I believe really helped make the first couple of days a positive and energetic experience. Orientation Week concluded this past Friday, with a trip to Gan Yehoshua Park. All of us Sharfman's girls had a relaxing, yet eventful day, row boating on the beautiful Gan Yehoshua Lake. We also opted to relax, tan, and get to know one another. Eventually, the boats were docked and we all enjoyed the delicious lunch that the school provided for us, while basking in the shade of the gorgeous palm trees. After a few hours in the park, we headed back on the bus to get ready for Kabbalat Shabbat at The Kotel and an inspiring Shabbaton appropriately entitled, “Beginnings”...]]> Hey everyone! I just wanted to briefly share with you a great event that I believe really helped make the first couple of days a positive and energetic experience. Orientation Week concluded this past Friday, with a trip to Gan Yehoshua Park. All of us Sharfman’s girls had a relaxing, yet eventful day, row boating on the beautiful Gan Yehoshua Lake. We also opted to relax, tan, and get to know one another. Eventually, the boats were docked and we all enjoyed the delicious lunch that the school provided for us, while basking in the shade of the gorgeous palm trees. After a few hours in the park, we headed back on the bus to get ready for Kabbalat Shabbat at The Kotel and an inspiring Shabbaton appropriately entitled, “Beginnings” led by the Dean of Bnot Torah Institute, Rabbi Label Sharfman.

]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/07/gan-yehoshua/feed/ 0 Meet the Street! http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/meet-the-street/ http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/meet-the-street/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:31:12 +0000 Rabbi Michael Green http://bnottorah.com/?p=535 Groups of incoming Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s students descended upon the streets of Ramat Eshkol on September 2nd, during Orientation Week, to explore and become more familiar with our neighborhood and its colorful ambiance. In addition, the informal tour allowed students to become more acquainted (outside of the confines of the walls of a classroom or Beit Midrash) with the various personalities that comprise the Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s faculty. Small groups of girls were led by a Mechanechet, a Chonechet, or a Rakezet, who acted as tour guides, to tour the neighborhood’s lush parks, point out how close to our school much of our faculty live, and enjoy the street side markets, restaurants, and Ramat Eshkol Shopping Promenade. “Students really enjoyed the overall sense of communal life that fills the air. They were thrilled to hear that minutes away from school are, cafes, a pharmacy, ATM's and much more in the Ramat Eshkol Shopping Promenade. Plus, the fact that much of our faculty lives in the neighborhood of our school is really a unique element that we offer each and every student,” said Mrs. Debbi Nissel, Chessed Coordinator at Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s. Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures!]]> Groups of incoming Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s students descended upon the streets of Ramat Eshkol on September 2nd, during Orientation Week, to explore and become more familiar with our neighborhood and its colorful ambiance. In addition, the informal tour allowed students to become more acquainted (outside of the confines of the walls of a classroom or Beit Midrash) with the various personalities that comprise the Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s faculty. Small groups of girls were led by a Mechanechet, a Chonechet, or a Rakezet, who acted as tour guides, to tour and explore the neighborhood’s lush parks, point out how close to our school much of our faculty live, and enjoy the street side markets, restaurants, and Ramat Eshkol Shopping Promenade. 

“Students really enjoyed the overall sense of communal life that fills the air. They were thrilled to hear that minutes away from school are, cafes, a pharmacy, ATM’s and much more in the Ramat Eshkol Shopping Promenade. Plus, the fact that much of our faculty lives in the neighborhood of our school is really a unique element that we offer each and every student,” said Mrs. Debbi Nissel, Chessed Coordinator at Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s.


The “Meet the Street” tour, piloted four years ago, has quickly become a highlight of Orientation Week. “One of our goals is to help students adjust to seminary life and also to life in Israel,” explained the program’s coordinator, Rabbi Michael Green, Overseas Director of Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s. “This is a great opportunity to teach the students all about the rich history and vibrant neighborhood that will be their home for their year in seminary. In addition, the fact that it occurs after the Kashrut Orientation, enables the girls to instantly take their learning and put it into practice. The tour not only assists students by showing them where to purchase their favorite American products ranging from Pantene Pro-V to Heinz Ketchup but also shows them the Kashrut Symbols that they just learned about with Rabbi Sharfman. The Meet the Street tour represents Bnot Torah Institute’s ability to foster a warm relationship with its students both in and out of school.”

One student remarked, “Sharfman’s really knows how to make you feel at home. They really went out of their way to introduce us to our new neighborhood and point out where various teachers live and all of the local stores. Plus, Meet the Street was a great way to really get to know my Chonechet! I can’t wait to go to her house for Shabbos and Bayit Cham—and when Mrs. Sharfman gave us Iced Coffee at the end of the tour, from Nina’s Café, that really surprised us all! ” Later in the evening Shana Aleph students returned for an Academic Orientation and looked forward to some fun in the sun with a friday morning trip to Gan Yehoshua.

]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/meet-the-street/feed/ 0 An Amazing Orientation Night http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/an-amazing-orientation-night/ http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/an-amazing-orientation-night/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:21:43 +0000 Rabbi Michael Green http://bnottorah.com/?p=1691 On the second night of Orientation Week, we all got together and gathered in the Bnot Torah/Sharfman's Beit Midrash. Rabbi Sharfman acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and through his jokes he really added a great amount of warmth and humor to the event! Anyways, it was a great time to really introduce and meet all the Shana Aleph and Shana Bet girls from different cities who are in Sharfman's. It was great to hear all about who they are and how much we share common goals for the year. There are girls from Los Angeles to Toronto and from Cleveland to New York and I really can see myself being friends with a lot of them. Throughout the evening, I quickly felt a connection with my apartment-mates and fellow students when we all got to open up and share who we were, where we came from, and also play the interactive game "Getting to Know You Bingo," where we all go around the room searching for clues about one another! Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures!]]> On the second night of Orientation Week, we all got together and gathered in the Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s Beit Midrash. Rabbi Sharfman acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and through his jokes he really added a great amount of warmth and humor to the event! Anyways, it was a great time to really introduce and meet all the Shana Aleph and Shana Bet girls from different cities who are in Sharfman’s. It was great to hear all about who they are and how much we share common goals for the year. There are girls from Los Angeles to Toronto and from Cleveland to New York and I really can see myself being friends with a lot of them. Throughout the evening, I quickly felt a connection with my apartment-mates and fellow students when we all got to open up and share who we were, where we came from, and also play the interactive game “Getting to Know You Bingo,” where we all go around the room searching for clues about one another!

]]> http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/09/02/an-amazing-orientation-night/feed/ 0 Airport Arrival: We Have Arrived! http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/08/31/airport-arrival-we-have-arrived/ http://bnottorah.com/blog/2010/08/31/airport-arrival-we-have-arrived/#comments Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:50:35 +0000 Rabbi Michael Green http://bnottorah.com/?p=377 Wow! What a whirlwind day it has been. We said goodbye to our friends and family back home and boarded the group flight heading towards Israel. On the plane we all got to bond and meet. It was great to see that soo many people were like me and were motivated to spend this year growing. After what felt like forever, we landed and not one of us lost a bag! As we came out we were greeted by soo many people from Rabbi Sharfman and Mrs. Sharfman to Rabbi Green, Mrs. Haymann, and our new Rakezet Ms. Esther Benayon! I quickly felt at home—they even knew all of our names. Plus, after sitting on the plane and then feeling the warm Tel Aviv heat, the only thing I could want was a drink of water. The next thing I knew, there was Rabbi Sharfman and Rabbi Green handing out water bottles with a cute Sharfman's label on it that welcomed us to the school. Once everyone had come out, we headed out to the bus that would bring us to school. The bus ride was nice! We all got to meet girls from other places who were just like us. When we got to school, we met our Aim Bayit's who took us to our apartments. Anyways, later tonight we are off to The Kotel and then... Click “Read More” to read the full description and see all of the pictures!]]> Wow! What a whirlwind day it has been. We said goodbye to our friends and family back home and boarded the group flight heading towards Israel. On the plane we all got to bond and meet. It was great to see that soo many people were like me and were motivated to spend this year growing. After what felt like forever, we landed and not one of us lost a bag! As we came out we were greeted by soo many people from Rabbi Sharfman and Mrs. Sharfman to Rabbi Green, Mrs. Haymann, and our new Rakezet Ms. Esther Benayon! I quickly felt at home—they even knew all of our names. Plus, after sitting on the plane and then feeling the warm Tel Aviv heat, the only thing I could want was a drink of water. The next thing I knew, there was Rabbi Sharfman and Rabbi Green handing out water bottles with a cute Sharfman’s label on it that welcomed us to the school. Once everyone had come out, we headed out to the bus that would bring us to school. The bus ride was nice! We all got to meet girls from other places who were just like us. When we got to school, we met our Aim Bayit’s who took us to our apartments. Anyways, later tonight we are off to The Kotel and then tommorow is the first day of Bnot Torah/Sharfman’s Orientation :-)

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