University School of Business. I began as a parent at HA and was a very active volunteer. I served as chairman of the Board and was working for the Association of Jewish Day Schools. Brenda Gewurz who had been the immediate past president at the time, convinced me to take the job of executive director at HA. Here I am today, celebrating 31 years this July! TD: Who were the principals/ educational directors that you worked with? LL: There were quite a number of different administrators over the years. In my early years, I fondly remember working with Rabbi Wygoda, Rabbi Teitz and Mr. Weinberg. Of course, I also loved working alongside Rachel Archibald, Diane Altman, Rabbi Peerless and Mr. Zocher. We still keep in touch all these years later. You’ll have to go through the yearbooks for everyone! TD: Can you share with us a special memory from your time at HA? LL: My all-time favorite memory was the culmination of several years of hard work as our dream of moving into a new facility came to fruition. The cherry on top was, of course, the Hachnasat Sefer Torah with all the HA parents, students and staff. We paraded from our old building to our present building on Kellert and brought in new Sifrei Torah. Now, all these years later, it is so exciting to be part of another milestone as we celebrate HA’s 50th! Another special memory is attending the HA graduations. Each graduation has given me pride and joy because I have seen our children grow through the years and the culmination of everyone’s hard work makes each graduation so special. Seeing our successful graduates validates all of our worries and hard work and makes every moment worthwhile. TD: Can you discuss some of the challenges that the school was facing? LL: Hebrew Academy went through challenging financial times where we had lots of debts and mortgages… I spent many sleepless nights worrying about the school like one worries about their child. However, I have to say that it has been a wonderful rollercoaster ride. TD: What do you wish to HA for the next 50 years? LL: I wish for Hebrew Academy to grow in strength. I wish that the school will always be on solid financial ground so that we can provide the most advanced, state-of-the art programming and give our students an exceptional education they deserve. I love HA because we are a family. We care for each other whether we are students, teachers, administrators or parents. In good times and in difficult times our HA family is always supportive. It is so exciting to be celebrating HA’s 50th! Kol Hakavod Mrs. Lehrer, and thank you for all that you do! 31