Gala Event Journal

RABBI AARON GROSS DIRECTOROF DEVELOPMENT

D ear H onored G uests , Thank you so much for joining in this year’s Women’s Gala Event as we celebrate Bais Yaakov and show appreciation to our teachers. While you have gathered tonight as we honor and recognize individuals from each of our educational divisions, we express our admiration and eternal gratitude to all of the teachers of our precious children. This beautiful event and the success of the gala event campaign are the result of hard work, by many many individuals. May Hashem bless all of you accordingly. As was true with the building of the Mishkan, we at Bais Yaakov merit ongoing s’yata d’shmaya and ultimately success due in great measure to the achdus created by the selfless efforts of parents, teachers, and supporters, unified in purpose and committed to the future of Klal Yisroel. Having the ongoing opportunity to see up close what makes our school the outstanding mossad haTorah v’hachinuch it is, I am continuously impressed by the inspired dedication and professionalism of Bais Yaakov’s Menahalim, moros, teachers and educational staff, along with the support of our lay leadership, executive office leadership and staff, all working together to ensure our collective success. This evening, the women of our community have gathered for a beautiful gala event honoring Bais Yaakov’s teachers, our shining “stars”. Our Chazal (Bava Basra 8b) have taught us (based on a posuk in Doniel 12:3), that the teachers of Jewish children are compared to the stars. The Maharsha explains that just as the stars in heaven are forever functioning both at night and even during daylight hours, despite their not being visible to us at all times, so too, our teachers are concerned about their students’ wellbeing and development even after classtime and beyond the classroom walls. The ongoing dedication of our teachers and their devotion to their girls are evident long after the seforim and textbooks are closed for the school day. We, the men and women of the Bais Yaakov community, express our deepest heartfelt hakoras hatov to all our shining stars, the teachers of our school. This evening is dedicated to all of you for all you do. We thank the individual honorees at this gala for allowing us to honor you. May Hashem grant you all continued gezunt and hatzlacha along with the necessary strength and wisdom to continue “shining brightly” as stars in the lives of the daughters of our community. It is a great zechus to be part of Bais Yaakov, and we look forward to accomplishing great things together, b’ezras Hashem, on behalf of our daughters and the role they will each play in the eternity of Torah and Klal Yisroel. -14-