Good evening to all esteemed faculty members, family, and friends. We are very excited to be standing before you tonight to speak on behalf of the Schechter Class of 2025.

The first prime minister of the State of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, said, “One does not write history, but makes it.” Before you today stand twenty-four leaders--leaders who don’t just make the blueprints, but strive to be the first ones on the job. This is the philosophy that Ben-Gurion preached, where one should not just envision a future, but be a big part in shaping its creation. 
Our Schechter education has helped us become the men and women of action that we are today. The rigor of our dual curriculum and the way our courses are taught allow us to attain skills and knowledge that others never have the opportunity to experience. Whether this was through heated debates in Rabbi’s class, where the argument was not over until we backed our claims with evidence, or in Mr. Garcia’s Calculus class, where a numerical answer was not sufficient enough for our test corrections, but needed an organized paragraph as well, we have always been taught to go above and beyond for the causes we believe in.

Some of the most transformative and productive times in this very development has been spent in our Hebrew classes. There, we learned everything there is to know about Israeli society, culture, and language. We especially enjoyed Mr. Baumvoll’s impromptu conversations, Taly Ben-Yakar’s unique teaching style, and Ms. Meir’s strong-willed desire to keep us on track. When we say we enjoyed these things, we really mean it. Some of our fondest high-school memories are people saying something outlandish to Mr. Baumvoll with him responding by threatening to use the window to guillotine them.

Every year, the senior class performs a show entirely in Hebrew to showcase all they have learned in their Judaic Studies classes throughout their entire Schechter experience. There are usually many disagreements among seniors about which show they should perform. Our grade, however, has known since sixth grade that we would be selecting Sallah Shabbati for our Hebrew Play. That year, the Class of 2019 was performing Sallah Shabbati, and to prepare us for the performance, our teachers showed us the movie. We immediately fell in love with the story and songs. Even though Mr. Baumvoll threatened to cancel our show when we did not know our lines and forgot the dances during rehearsals, the show truly came together and was enjoyed by all audience members. Ofra, Rabbi, and Mr. Baumvoll, the three toughest critics at Schechter, even told us that our performance was one of the best they have ever seen. If this does not say something about our Hebrew skills, then we do not know what does.

While it is true that we learned a lot of Hebrew at Schechter, there are certain phrases and responses you can only learn when in Israel. For instance, when someone asks you a stupid yes or no question, don’t just say yes or no, say “For Sure” like Itzik Yanai. Or, if someone you love gets lost at Jaffa Gate, don’t say “Oh my God, that must’ve been so stressful. Are you ok?!” Say, “Ariel, I swear to God I am going to kill you!” Thank you Ofra.

No, but seriously, Israel was the time of our lives. We spent our first week up North, where we went on many “nature walks” and learned about the history of the region. Following our week in the North, we made our way to Jerusalem, and we arrived just in time for Yom Yerushalayim. There was no better place to celebrate this holiday than in the city itself. Dressed in blue and white, we made our way to the Kotel, where we sang and danced all night long with thousands of people. Our knowledge of Jewish history was supplemented when we excavated artifacts at an archeological dig and walked through Hezekiah’s tunnels in the City of David.

Some of the most impactful and meaningful days of the trip were visiting Har Herzl, Yad Vashem, the site of the Nova festival, and the Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers, where we remembered our beloved Schechter alumni Omer Neutra Z”L. We grew closer as a grade on those days than at any other time on the trip.  

We were fortunate enough to celebrate another holiday in Jerusalem: Shavuot. On Shavuot, we spent all night in student-led discussions and learning, and then at 3 AM, we walked to the Kotel to pray at dawn. Our final week was spent in the South. There, among other things, we visited places that were directly affected on October 7. This was a truly unforgettable trip that would not have been possible without Mr. Clarke, Ofra, Denise, Itzik, our amazing tour guide, Netta and Nitzan, our two Israeli counselors, and of course, Dudu, our bus driver.

As our time in Schechter comes to a close, there are many people we wish to thank.  So, formally, we would like to thank all teachers and faculty at Schechter, from Gan until 12th Grade, as all of you have individually and monumentally shaped and contributed to making us into the strong, intelligent, and independent people we are today. We would also like to extend a huge thank you to our parents for giving us the opportunities to learn at Schechter and to be the best version of ourselves we can be. We are the leaders that Ben-Gurion envisioned and that Schechter taught us to be. Thank you to the Class of 2025 for memories that will last a lifetime. We wish you all luck on your future endeavors!
  
Signing off, 
Ariel Duftler and Risa Rogers