As the longest serving and largest centrist elementary and middle school Yeshiva for Central NJ Jewish communities, the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva (RPRY) of Edison takes its responsibility to help set the tone for Modern Orthodoxy in Middlesex County very seriously. That’s why, when it comes to celebrating Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, RPRY goes “all in.”

For Yom Ha’Zikaron, the b’not sherut at the school and the seventh grade students held a program for the whole school to highlight specific fallen soldiers and the organizations established in their memories. The event concluded with the school’s rebbeim reciting the Kel Maleh Rachamim, the tefilah L’Shalom Medinat Yisrael, a Mi Sheberech for the soldiers and the hostages, and the collective singing of Ani Maamin and the “Hatikvah.”

For Yom Ha’Atzmaut, RPRY held its annual Yom Ha’Atzmaut parade, with all the students and faculty of the school marching, singing and proudly waving Israeli flags through the school’s neighborhood in Edison. The parade regularly attracts parents, grandparents and other community members. In the afternoon, the teachers, with help from the Bnot Sherut, held an educational activity for the students that featured booths representing the different divisions of the Israeli Defense Forces.

The observances concluded on Friday with an address to a packed beit medrash by noted Israeli media personality and inspirational speaker Sivan Rahav Meir. As Head of School Rabbi Michael Ribalt described the event: “Mrs. Rahav Meir inspired our students with her powerful message about embracing their uniqueness and importance as the next generation of Am Yisrael. She shared personal anecdotes, including the transformative impact of inviting others for Shabbos, and emphasized the value of gratitude and community. Drawing on words of encouragement and bracha directly for our students from a mother of a former hostage, she encouraged our students to take pride in their Judaism and thanked them for their tefilot, which left a strong impact on our students.”