The greater Highland Park/Edison/East Brunswick Jewish community can justifiably join the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison in shepping some well-deserved nacha,t after RPRY announced that it had won first place in the Marching Group Contest of the Celebrate Israel Parade in May 2022 in New York City.

RPRY shared news of its big win on Facebook on June 21, along with a picture of the “First Place Winner” certificate issued by Karen Ostrove, creative director of the Israel Parade, which is coordinated by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of New York. This award was no small accomplishment. As Ostrove explained to The Jewish Link: “This year, there were 58 schools that marched. Some were a single school and some were made up of three schools—lower and middle and high schools and some even with separate boys and girls high schools and then there was also YU, which had a float this year as well as marchers from its high schools, undergraduate and graduate schools.”

RPRY’s contingent in the Celebrate Israel Parade used the phrase K’ish Echad B’lev Echad as its theme, with marchers sporting bright red t-shirts as they danced down Fifth Ave.

The school thanks Morah Nitza Adler and Mrs. Emily Menashe, school parade coordinators, who oversaw the school’s entire presence in the parade. They also thank RPRY art teacher Mrs. Debby Waldman, who worked with the students to create the banners, and Morah Helene Lockspeiser, who worked with all the dancers to help them learn the steps that attracted attention and applause.

By Harry Glazer