Nearly 400 women—current Ma’ayanot students and their sisters, cousins, mothers and grandmothers—gathered on February 26 for Ma’ayanot’s annual challah bake. As Director of Student Activities Aliza Adler, who coordinated the unique event, explained, the challah bake is “an opportunity for women to come together and direct their tefillot in the merit of the mitzvah of hafrashat challah.”

Ma’ayanot’s challah bake focused on three “strands of heroism”: the emunah of the returned hostages who clung to Jewish faith and practice; the heroism of the female soldiers of Tzahal, including many Ma’ayanot alumnae who have become lone soldiers or b’not sherut, and the heroism within each individual. Head of School CB Neugroschl movingly described examples of the first strand, emunah. To show appreciation for the chayalot, challah bake participants were invited to support Osey Chail, an organization which provides services to lone chayalim and chayalot. To highlight the heroine within, performer Ariella Zeitlin gave a multimedia concert featuring narration, song, video and violin, which had students dancing and singing in the aisles. Mrs. Batya Friedman, who participated with all of her daughters, including Ella Bracha (‘28), Jamie Anna (‘26) and Joey (‘23), reflected, “I was blessed to have all my daughters join me for a beautiful and meaningful event where women and girls came together to be inspired. Learning from the stories of faith and heroism shared by the returning hostages uplifted our hope and emunah. The songs and prayers from the choir, along with [Spanish teacher and Ma’ayanot parent] Señora Nagar’s powerful voice, deeply moved us.”

Mrs. Neugroschl noted that Kohelet 4:12 states, “A threefold cord is not easily broken.” Ma’ayanot provided an opportunity for strands of emunah and dedication to klal Yisrael to intertwine with the strand of heroism innate to each Ma’ayanot student.