Youth Programs

Feb. 4-5, Los Angeles, CA -- Etta Israel enjoyed a *fabulous* Shabbaton at Beth Jacob (thank you Jen & Eliot!), with lots of fun, friends, songs and Shabbat magic. Hooray for Avremel Mayer who gave the morning Dvar Torah in front of the entire synagogue -- over 500 people!

Residential Services

Feb. 11, Valley Village, CA -- ETTA GROUP HOMES WIN SHAAREI ZEDEK CHOLENT-OFF!! Applying their gourmet cooking skills and showing everyone how it's done, the Etta Group Home residents won the 1st Annual Shaarei Zedek Synagogue Cholent Cook-Off. The competition was stiff, but a fun time was had by all as many delicious cholents (a traditional Shabbat stew-type dish, usually made with meat, beans, barley, and potatoes) were sampled and Etta declared the winner. Special thanks Mrs. Levine and Mrs. Schacter for including Etta and Mrs. Levine for being our Expert Cholent Head Chef!

Feb. 21, Universal City, CA -- The Ryzman Family Group Home residents had a blast on President's Day at Universal Studios Hollywood! Some members were nervous going into the trip but everyone ended up having the best time. It was a great way to relax and have fun.

Ner Yaakov

Week of Feb. 14, Los Angeles, CA -- Ner Yaakov Geography Fair! Each of the boys researched a country (ranging from Italy, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil, to Japan, China and Ethiopia!).  They made posters, displayed cultural objects, and gave out some of their country's most well-known delicacies. They also created a travel brochure on the computer including information such as tourist attractions, currency, government, culture etc.  Finally, they each composed a speech and presented it to the class and the parents and visitors who came to the Fair! The program director, Mrs. Penny Pflaster, notes, "They did an outstanding job all around!"

Ner Shoshana

Feb. 2011, Los Angeles, CA -- Ner Shoshana has a new activity center that offers students a chance to choose activities to do as independent projects. Girls can choose from listening to music, reading a magazine, playing games, and doing artwork. There's a comfy chair to sit while pursuing the activities and an office chair as well (rather than the regular student chairs!). Mrs. Claudia Wenger, the Ner Shoshana program director, reports that the students are very excited about it and are enjoying their independence.