Gala Event Journal

It is with a great sense of excitement and deep gratitude to Bais Yaakov that I pen this letter. I spent many years in Bais Yaakov, first as a student for 13½ years, then as a teacher, volunteer, parent, grandparent and now B”H, as a great grandparent. Those were wonderful and exciting years. I am sure that many of you feel the same. I am looking forward to meeting and greeting many of you, parents, teachers, alumnae and friends of Bais Yaakov at the forthcoming Celebration of Bais Yaakov’s Women’s Gala Event. As we do so, I am sure that many of us will reminisce and remember the administrators and teachers whomwe knew and loved. With a sense of gratitude, we want to express our thanks to them for howmuch they did for us, howmuch they sacrificed for us and howmuch they taught us. It is with great kavod to those who are not with us anymore. We recall Rabbi Meir Moshe Haber, zt”l, the first principal of the EvaWiner High School. It is to him that we owe the creation of the G.O., the constitution of the G.O., the G.O. inter Bais Yaakov convention, the yearbook, and Production, albeit that it was on a much smaller scale since we were only forty-five girls in grades seven through twelve when I graduated in 1959 as a member of the first graduating class. Rabbi Hirsch Diskind, zt”l, who established the direction and neshama of Bais Yaakov in its most formative years. The establishment of the High School is greatly due to his credit. As a visionary, Rabbi Diskind dedicated his life to teaching us how to go bederech yisroel saba. There was no sacrifice that was beyond Rabbi Diskind. Whatever we all are today is due to Rabbi Diskind’s credit. Rabbi Binyomin Steinberg, zt”l, assumed the principalship of the High School after the sudden petirah of Rabbi Haber. As we all recall, Rabbi Steinberg was a masterful teacher and scholar. He could step into any classroom and take over as though he had prepared the lesson. He lived and breathed Bais Yaakov. Each talmida was treated as a daughter. There were no hours to his day when he needed to do something involving Bais Yaakov. Rabbi Mendel Freedman,zt”l, followed in the footsteps of his illustrious father-in-law, Rabbi Diskind. To Rabbi Freedman, each talmida received special attention. When someone had an allergy to peanuts, he created “A peanut-free school.” When someone needed special care for a disability, he went out of his way to provide it, no matter what effort it cost him. Every time that he could mainstream a talmida, he was extremely happy and proud of her accomplishment. We cannot talk about Bais Yaakov without thinking about Mr. Henry P. Cohn, zt”l, Mr. M. Leo Storch, zt”l, and Rabbi Ari S. Neuberger, zt”l. As students we may not have known about these men who were the Presidents of Bais Yaakov. These were the men who were tasked with keeping Bais Yaakov afloat, both in ruchius and gashmius. They cared for Bais Yaakov and supported Bais Yaakov as one would do for one’s own child. Without their vision and very hard work, we would not be here today. Of course there were also in the earlier days, Rabbi and Mrs. Wolk, zt”l, who gave so much to us in school and out of school. When we needed a math teacher for algebra, he stepped in and taught us so well. In limudei kodesh, his classes were exciting. Mrs. Wolk, just by her personality, taught us what it meant to be a baalas emunah and a tzenuah. I could go on, but I think this is long enough. I have chosen to write about those who are not here anymore so as to bring zechusim to their neshamos. The women who worked for Bais Yaakov as volunteers will be mentioned in the program. We remember all of them letov, for without their work, we could not have existed. Many of us today are either children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, or even great great grandchildren of these special and illustrious women. It is with great pleasure that I join in honoring and recognizing our wonderful teachers who truly give heart and soul to our talmidos. It is so fitting that many of the honorees are also talmidos of Bais Yaakov. They follow in the footsteps of their teachers and give themselves over devotedly to their talmidos. May Hashem bless themwith hatzlacha and good health for many years to come. May they see much nachas from their own beautiful families. I eagerly look forward to sharing this exciting, inspiring and uplifting evening with you as we celebrate Bais Yaakov. MRS. ROCHEL ROCHKIND HONORARY CHAIRWOMAN

-15-