The Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School is proud to announce that its 73rd Annual Dinner, “A Celebration of Gratitude” will take place virtually on Tuesday, May 25, at 7 p.m.
Throughout this year of uncertainty and change, JKHA/RKYHS has stood as a beacon of stability and continuity for JKHA/RKYHS students and their families. The school opened five days a week for students, with extensive and innovative health and safety protocols in place. Teachers pivoted to the new teaching format and protocols and worked tirelessly throughout the school year to continue to provide students with an exceptional JKHA/RKYHS education. As the school heads towards the conclusion of this unprecedented school year, it is the perfect time to reflect with gratitude on the contributions of so many people in the school community who made it possible for JKHA/RKYHS to fulfill its mission.
The JKHA/RKYHS Annual Dinner will pay tribute to the esteemed and dedicated JKHA/RKYHS faculty and staff for their heroic efforts in providing students with a best-in-class academic experience. JKHA/RKYHS thanks them for again filling classrooms with the joyous sounds of children learning Torah, while also ensuring that children felt connected and cared for even when remote.
The school will also honor key leaders who helped to make this school year a triumphant success. Dr. Steven Stein, RKYHS science department chair and director of the Scientific Research Training Institute (SRTI), transformed the premier RKYHS STEM program, which set stage for the creation of an in-house, cutting-edge COVID saliva-testing lab, utilizing the school’s university-level research equipment and laboratory facilities. Together with a team of health professionals and leaders, he developed and implemented innovative protocols and population surveillance screening that kept the school community as safe and healthy as possible.
Rivka Hindin, JKHA parent and director of the Day School Initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, led a communal initiative to distribute emergency financial relief to Jewish day school families in Greater MetroWest with significant income decline during the COVID pandemic. Her work for the past 10 years in this role has directly impacted many JKHA/RKYHS families through the Tuition MAX middle-income program and the Quest for Teaching Excellence, both of which proved essential during this school year.
This evening of celebration is the most important fundraising event of the year for JKHA/RKYHS. This year, the school incurred increased expenses for health and sanitation, new technologies and infrastructure. At the same time, many school families required greater financial assistance due to economic hardship. The JKHA/RKYHS Annual Dinner is integral to raising critical funds for the school. To make a gift, place your tribute in our ad journal and register for our special livestream event, please visit www.jkhadinner.org. The deadline for journal ads is Friday, May 14. For more information, please contact Sarah Levinson at 862-437-8001 or [email protected].
By Erica Rosenfeld
