The Boiling Point

Growth in Judaic Studies department means more teachers, more connections

SPIRIT: Students from all grades spend Friday lunchtime singing under the 'rakez' tent on the roof, led by Rabbi Tsaidi, at left, and Rabbi Block.

By Maayan Waldman, Co-Editor-in-Chief • October 26, 2016

Six faculty members, most part-time, have joined the Judaic Studies team this year, as school officials try to provide more role models and “points of connection” for Shalhevet’s expanding student...

LaHav Talmud curriculum now spreading to more schools

SAR: Shalhevet's LaHav Talmud curriculum is being used by the ninth grade at Salanter-Akiba-Riverdale Academy in Riverdale, N.Y.

By Jacob Feitelberg, Outside News Editor • October 18, 2016

Shalhevet’s pioneering LaHav Talmud curriculum is starting to catch on around the world, with three U.S. schools adopting parts of it this year and plans for 10 more in Israel to start it next year. In...

Student’s fix to Jastrow goes viral

By Maayan Waldman, Co-Editor-in-Chief, and Abby Blumofe, Staff Writer • October 15, 2016

For Talmud students everywhere, gone are the days of spending distracting minutes of learning trying to locate a difficult Aramaic word and its translation in the Jastrow Online Dictionary.

School makes LGBT inclusion official policy, hoping to set an example for Modern Orthodox schools

TEXT: The 18th verse of Vayikra (Leviticus), above, calls it an

By Alec FIelds, Co-Editor-in-Chief • October 11, 2016

Hoping to start a trend that will spread throughout Orthodox Judaism, Shalhevet has adopted a six-point LGBT non-discrimination pledge, co-written by Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal and openly gay 12th-grader...

YOM KIPPUR VIDEO: Shalhevet’s Repenters

Boiling Point Rosh Hashana from Shalhevet Boiling Point on Vimeo.

By Leor Kaminski, BP Video Staff • October 6, 2016

Yom Kippur is next Tuesday night, and like Jews everywhere, Shalhevet's students are reviewing the year and taking stock of what they've done wrong. Here are some examples of what the Shalhevet community...

Beyond apples and honey: Rosh Hashanah food traditions vary widely, student survey shows

Rosh Hashanah starts tonight. Happy 5777 everyone from the Boiling Point!

By Nicole Soussana, Torah Editor • October 2, 2016

A diverse school comes with countless customs, and the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah is a chance to see them at their most diverse. That's because Jewish ethnicities from Persian to Polish and...

The sound that calls the inner voice

BLAST: Rabbi Block blows the shofar during Hashkama minyan, a reminder to the students about the importance of listening.

By Maayan Waldman, Co-Editor-in-Chief • September 22, 2016

We can open our mouths all we want to articulate our views and beliefs. We can scour passages of commentators and religious texts with our eyes to take a scholarly approach to religious growth. But real change happens when we act from our ears.

Kiddush clubs: Old tradition is scrutinized in a new way

By Alec Fields, Torah Editor • June 17, 2016

Local synagogues like Young Israel, Beth Jacob and B’nai David-Judea do not officially sanction Kiddush clubs, but like high school parties and kickbacks, they’re popular anyway.

60 percent of seniors will head to Israel, most to yeshiva, seminary

FAREWELL: School founder Dr. Jerry Friedman spoke at graduation in the new building took place in the gym June 5. Percentage of graduates going to Israel for gap year has been rising.

By Clara Sandler, Staff Writer • June 15, 2016

More than 60 percent of the 2016 graduating class will spend next year in Israel, continuing a steady upward trend, according to principal and boys’ Israel adviser Reb Noam Weissman.

Girl leading Kiddush was a mistake, school says

ADJUSTMENT: Rabbi David Stein, teaching his 11th-grade Gemara class, is co-author with Reb Weissman of Shalhevet's acclaimed Lahav Talmud curriculum. “Maybe we need to spend more time paying attention to halacha l’maaseh,” he said.

By Alec Fields, Torah Editor • May 10, 2016

A Shabbat eve mistake by students and staff led to a girl’s saying Kiddush on last fall’s Princeton Model Congress trip, causing the administration to clarify how their highly lauded Lahav Talmud...

Purim marks first women’s Megillah reading at school in six years

HISTORY: From top, freshman Abby Blumofe and alumna Sara Smith '04 read from Megillat Esther.

May 1, 2016

By Clara Sandler, Staff Writer Women have been playing an important role in the story of Purim since Vashti and Queen Esther, so it seemed fitting when 45 women gathered to hear an all-female reading...

Scholar says ‘kol isha’ rules should never have existed

OPEN: Dr. Amit served coffee to students in an open sided tent on the rooftop turf during his two-week residency in February.

By Eric Bazak, Editor-in-Chief • April 24, 2016

Talmud professor Dr. Aharon Amit was not allowed to attend his daughter’s third birthday party. Worried that female teachers would sing “Happy Birthday”, the Haredi ethos of his community...

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