For the past two weeks, SAR High School had the pleasure of welcoming back Daniel Tsesarsky (SAR HS ‘21). This Upper West Sider fondly remembers his SAR days, running cross country, participating in clubs, dancing at chagigas on Rosh Chodesh, and studying AP U.S. History with Mr. Steere. After high school, he learned Torah for a year at Yeshivat HaKotel, then returned to learn for a second year and to be drafted into the army. He said, “My whole life I felt that Israel was a central part of my connection to Judaism and that as the eternal home of the Jewish people, it was my responsibility to defend it.”
In March of 2023, Tsesarsky joined an incredible tradition of soldiers: Dovid Hamelech, Bar Kochba and Menachem Begin, just to name a few, and joined the Israeli Army. He was drafted with his friends from yeshiva with the hesder program to the Nachal brigade. “After many difficult grueling months of training, I was supposed to finish my training on October 26. Yet, after the terribly devastating events of October 7, we were called up to be active duty soldiers in the 931st battalion. We were called to action and on October 30 of 2023 we went into Gaza for one year. My friends, as of today, are still fighting in Gaza in the Shaburah neighborhood of Rafah/Rafiach.”
After a year and a half in the Israeli army, Tsesarsky’s message to the students was: “Be a giver. Be someone who doesn’t just take for himself but looks for the best way to help others as well. Going to the army isn’t for everyone but, most importantly, look for ways that you can give to others in your day to day. Be the kind of tzaddik that can help bring light to the world. Be the kind of tzaddik that will help others.”
Tsesarsky also taught a chabura session last week on Parshat Lech Lecha in which he discussed two takeaways from the parsha: First, to find your goal and purpose, and second, to never stop until you succeed. He said if we do that, Hashem will bless us and make us a great nation.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have Daniel around and to be able to learn Torah from him and hear about his experiences protecting Am Yisrael,” said sophomore Yonatan F. “He’s an amazing person and even though he wasn’t at SAR for that long he elevated all those that had the privilege to meet him.” Thank you to Daniel Tsesarsky for being a brilliant role model to the students.
