Last weekend, the visiting Makor Chaim exchange students spent Shabbat at the home of the Libesman family in Lower Merion, a suburb of Philadelphia, accompanied by seven of the 11th graders who were on the Yeshiva University High School for Boys (MTA) program at Makor Chaim last year. The Friday night and Shabbat day meals were filled with singing and divrei Torah, as well as Makor Chaim/MTA ruach. For the Oneg Shabbat on Friday night, the boys were invited to the home of Rabbi Avraham Shmidman, the rav in Lower Merion (and a former MTA faculty member), where they heard more divrei Torah and enjoyed the opportunity to meet members of another Jewish community. On Shabbat afternoon, they joined Rabbi Shmidman again in shul for seudat shlishit before going back to the Libesmans for havdalah, followed by a melave malka pizza party at a local ice skating rink.

Sunday was the annual Makor Chaim tour of the American Jewish Museum, Independence Hall and Constitution Hall; after this educational and enjoyable day in historic Philadelphia, they returned to MTA for another week of programming.

MTA is grateful for the warmth and hospitality displayed by the Libesman family, as well as by Rabbi Shmidman, and for their beautiful Shabbat spirit and hachnasat orchim. A very special thanks to Mrs. Tanya Libesman for the delicious meals and hard work to organize this very special weekend, as well as to Mrs. Tova Rosenberg for her help in coordinating everything.