WFHA Celebrates Fourth Commencement Exercises
WFHA Celebrates Fourth Commencement Exercises
Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy celebrated its fourth commencement on June 17th, graduating 13 eighth graders in a ceremony that explored the themes of hineni (here I am) and kedusha (holiness.)
“This is our Hineni Tree our years at WFHA have culminated with the fruit of this tree,” said eighth grader Shira Levine, as she spoke to family, friends and teachers who gathered for the graduation. “Throughout the evening, we will be adding names of people we’ve learned about who have said hineni, and who we think are kedusha.”
“We will be adding our names to the tree, too, as we make the decision to say hineni and strive to be kedusha,” Levine continued. “We are leaving these fruits behind as a reminder and legacy to the remaining WFHA students that your destiny is in your hands.”
Each of the graduates then spoke about someone they viewed as a hero, who had made a difference in the world by exhibiting the traits of hineni and kedusha. Some students spoke about historical figures such as Moses, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Herzl, Mahatma Gandhi and Harper Lee. Others spoke about personal relatives.
Sara Weiner talked about her grandfather, Ben Zweiter, who fought in World War II and was one of the soldiers who liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp.
Aliya Boyer spoke about her father, Commander Bradley Boyer. “After our country was attacked on 9/11, my dad decided to go back into the Navy reserve, feeling it was the right thing to be serving his country again,” she said, adding that her father eventually went on to serve in Iraq.
“My dad earned a Bronze Star for his achievements in Iraq. He is kadosh, holy, because of his commitment to his country and stepping up and working for what he believed. I am tremendously proud of my father and I think that he sets a great example of hineni and kedusha for everyone and me.”
Graduate Amanda Weinberger concluded by telling the audience: “Now that you have heard where we have found hineni, as a class, we ALL pledge to say hineni in our lives. We invite you to do the same.”
Before presenting the graduates with their diplomas, Head of School Nora Anderson addressed the class.
“As you go onto your next stage: public schools, Jewish day schools, private schools, we hope you take a piece of WFHA with you,” Anderson said. “We pray that you go out there with optimism, with expectations, with joy —see the glass half full, find the silver lining in each situation and smile at the world. Take a piece of WFHA to your next adventure. The world needs people who say hineni, and we trust that you are exactly what we need.”
The WFHA 2009 graduates are Jack Barham, Daniel Berle, Aliya Boyer, Rachel Kwan, Shira Levine, Jacob Maller, Alexandra Maron, Sarah Maron, Leah Nusbaum, Jessica Schoenfeld, Yarden Shakof, Amanda Weinberger and Sara Weiner.