Hebrew Academy not only fostered my love for Israel but also brought me to Eretz Israel on my first visit. Lehava - a three-month Israel trip which fused amazing travel around the country with immersive school. As a class we hiked across the country, opened the Tanach to connect our history with our living experiences and met Zionist youth from around the globe on similar adventures. We then had the special opportunity to learn and live with Israelis in ulpanot/yeshivot in Israel. It was my first trip to Israel and such an impressionable and wonderful one it was. Special shout-out to my awesome friends from the class of '98 who travelled with me and a huge Todah Rabah to Rabbi Stanley Peerless who made it all happen. -Shoshi (Gal) Portnoy, ‘98 While in Grades 5 to 7, I recall the annual Siyum Mishnayot program that was held in Boro Park, New York. Rabbi Baruch Abramovitz led the program at HA. To be eligible, we had to memorize a minimum of 50 Mishnas by heart. All those that completed the challenge headed to NYC for a fun-filled weekend of shopping and visits, as well as the experience of spending Shabbat with families in NYC. The Siyum regrouped at least a thousand students from across the states and created a unique energy during this memorable weekend. -Ralph Rimokh, ‘88 I spent all of elementary and high school travelling four hours a day for school on the Chomedey bus, which was a huge part of my youth and educational experience. Those participating Chomedey kids know exactly what I mean! There are so many stories about the Chomedey bus....Sarena Black once put a sign up on the window saying, For a good time call...(my parents’ number) and some nut named Rocky actually called! My mom (in her accented English) after I hung up: “What does this Rocky want? How do you know him? He got a number off a school bus!” -Sandy Abitbol, ‘87 My fondest memory is probably Rosh Chodesh when the whole school congregated in the gym, and we had the opportunity to be M’sameach with music and food and laughter, and we realized that Rosh Chodesh was a time of new beginnings and that we always had an opportunity every month to celebrate and be all together. -Lorne Lieberman, ’89 How grateful I am as an adult to have the fondest memories of high school at Hebrew Academy. That time still lives large. It was my mentor, my teacher, my friend. I try to live by the values and work ethic learned all those years ago. When our noses weren't buried in books, which wasn't often, there was laughter and fun. -Dorothy Lipovenko, ‘70 I fondly remember all my time spent with the basketball team. To this day I still await (and take far too seriously than I should) the Barry Mishkin Alumni Tournament every year to play with my old teammates again. While some of our jerseys may be a little snug, the moment we step on the court it's as if we never left. -Avi Gutman ‘05 " " 25