By: Hamodia/Devorah Klein
On Wednesday evening, March 6, Bais Yaakov of Baltimore hosted their 76th Anniversary Banquet, celebrating “An Education for Eternity.”
Divrei brachah were delivered by Harav Aharon Feldman, shlita, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel, who praised the school as a premier makom of chinuch habanos. “This Bais Yaakov is a model for the rest of the country,” the Rosh Yeshivah asserted. “In the past 75 years, it was mechanech thousands of mothers and wives. May Hakadosh Baruch Hu bentch everyone who has a share in this remarkable school, which should continue to flourish and educate future wives and mothers.”
The evening was opened by Dr. Shmuel Markovitz, president, who discussed the school’s significant growth, which has necessitated the hiring of several new staff members and coordinators. The new middle school building is slated to be completed by the beginning of the next school year, allowing room for the fifth grades to be moved to the middle school building.
Dr. Markovitz then presented the Avodas Hakodesh Award to Rabbi Zalman and Mrs. Shifra Nissel. Rabbi Nissel serves as the CEO of Bais Yaakov, and Mrs. Nissel, an alumnus, is very involved in the school. Dr. Markowitz praised Rabbi Nissel’s contributions to the school, asserting, “He has taken the financial affairs of the school to a different level. He has become an expert in bond financing, is well versed in the legal aspects of running a large institution and has used his expertise to stream line our everyday operations. Our new building project is moving along ahead of schedule; its success is due to his hard work and time. Having a CEO like Reb Zalman is why Bais Yaakov is professionally run.”
Rabbi Yitzchok Sanders, principal of Bais Yaakov’s Lower Elementary Division, introduced a video which paid tribute to the memory of Mrs. Esther Tendler, a”h, a beloved individual who lovingly worked as a nurse in Bais Yaakov for 45 years. “Mrs. Tendler personified in her very being everything that we are trying to transmit every day at Bais Yaakov. Watching her tend to the needs of thousands of girls in her gentle manner was a special experience. There is only one word to describe it – ‘Derhoibenkeit’!” Rabbi Sanders insisted.
Reb Aryeh Leib Freedman introduced a special video honoring the memory of his father, Rabbi Mendel Freedman, z”l, who served as the principal of Bais Yaakov for decades. He recalled his father’s devotion to Bais Yaakov and announced the dedication of Bais Yaakov’s elementary school building as the Rabbi Mendel D. Freedman z”l Elementary School Building. On video presentation, members of the community and the Bais Yaakov hanhalah lovingly recalled Rabbi Freedman’s dedicated leadership, and asserted that his legacy lives on, as his impact on the school is readily apparent on a constant basis.
The final segment of the program was introduced by Reb Moshe Dov Shurin, Vice-President of Bais Yaakov. “Until now, we have expressed appreciation to individuals. Now, we will honor the students and teachers, with a video portraying how the girls spend their days, what they learn, and how they feel.” The delightful video that followed depicted the vibrancy of the Bais Yaakov experience, a true “Education for Eternity.”