Nearly 300 students and over 100 guests made Ma’ayanot’s Thursday night mishmar program extraordinary on November 17.. Misphacha Mishmar, organized by Judaic Studies Assistant Principal Danielle Hertzberg, invited parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to participate in the magic of Ma’ayanot by sharing “An Evening of Gratitude” with their Ma’ayanot student, and to experience a taste of the learning at Ma’ayanot.

A variety of Ma’ayanot faculty presented throughout the evening. Each presentation was text-based and included an opportunity for chavruta learning, so that parents and grandparents could enjoy the nachat of learning the way Ma’ayanot students learn at school.

Lori Linzer, Tanach faculty member, discussed the korban todah, “The Torah’s Thanksgiving Feast,” and how the quantity of the offering necessitates publicizing our gratitude and sharing with others. Samantha Kur, English department chair, studied the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, and connected it to the Torah’s ideal of recognizing the good others do for us. Dean of Students Bailey Braun discussed “The Psychology of Gratitude,” and with a combination of sources and inspirational stories, showed how gratitude should be more than an attitude; It should be a practice.

Tzippy Gellman, Ma’ayanot board member and mother of Paya (‘23), called the program “an incredible experience. It gave me insight into the teachers at Ma’ayanot and showed me the caliber of those to whom my daughter is exposed every day. It was truly inspiring.” Freshman Sophie Muschel, whose parents sponsored the evening in memory of Sarah bat Yechiel Mechel Muschel, z”l, said, “All of the presentations were so insightful and the teachers were great at engaging everyone. It was so exciting to learn b’chavruta with my family!” Head of School CB Neugroschl proudly noted, “The smiles of our students greeting their family members in the lobby, the learning and the nachat shared afterwards were all truly special!”