Last Wednesday, TABC’s junior class enjoyed a well-deserved night out! The evening started with a pizza dinner before the groups departed for the Prudential Center to watch the New Jersey Devils take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The game was very exciting as the Devils tied up the game with less than 10 seconds to play to force overtime. Although the Devils lost in overtime, no one minded the extra few minutes of hockey, and a great time was had by all. After a long day, which included taking the PSATs, this was a great opportunity to unwind.

The next morning, the grade stepped back into the world of their ancestors when they spent the day on the Lower East Side. The day began at the Bialystoker synagogue, where the students enjoyed a talk with a volunteer from the Lower East Side Conservatory about the history of the Jewish community in New York City. He also explained the many features of the synagogue which made it different from other shuls in a very ethnic neighborhood. After that, the juniors enjoyed docent-led tours at the Tenement Museum. One group of students was even able to “visit” with Victoria Confino, an imaginary character of Sephardic origins, whose family lived in the tenements. The other group of students visited two sweatshop Tenement apartments, belonging to two different Ashkenazi families who operated garment factories out of their homes at the turn of the 20th century. Special thanks to Cary Reichardt, chair of the history department at TABC, for coordinating this exciting trip and bringing history alive for the students!