Yachad’s First Sefer Torah Finds A Home at The Marilyn And Sheldon David Ivdu Upper Boys School
The simcha of a new Yachad Sefer Torah kept going as on Rosh Chodesh it was brought to The Marilyn and Sheldon David IVDU Upper Boys School in Brooklyn.
The Hachnasas Sefer Torah began with a beautiful davening led by the students and rebbeim of IVDU. After Hallel, the Hachnasas Sefer Torah truly began with a Sefer Torah truck, spirited live music, and dynamic dancing. Honored guests such as State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein and OU President Moishe Bane joined the student of IVDU, the staff, and the many visitors in the streets of Boro Park to dance and welcome the new Sefer Torah to its home.
After bringing the new Sefer Torah to the IVDU shul, it was used immediately for Rosh Chodesh laining. The tefillos concluded with Divrei Torah from 2 IVDU students, along with beautiful tributes to Debby Cohen a’h by her husband, daughter, and son-in-law who spearheaded this project in Debby’s honor.
Head of School Rabbi Michoel Druin spoke and mentioned that the “Bo el ha’teiva” – Come into the Ark – that Hashem said to Noach (as the siyum was on parshat Noach) can also mean come into the words for the Torah (Teiva can mean ark and can also mean word). The words of Torah can shield us from the “Mayim Rabim” – raging waters – of the worlds hustle and bustle all around us.
IVDU is this “teiva” for our students. It’s a place where students feel safe, loved, and guided while getting ready for the world post IVDU.
Having our own Torah highlights this ability for us to be an inspiring “teiva” for our students.
Finally, the IVDU students presented a small gift to Mr. and Mrs. Saibel as a token of their appreciation for their choosing to host the Sefer Torah to IVDU – two beautiful yads which were made with 3D printers by two IVDU students.
The Hachnasas Sefer Torah concluded with a lovely outdoor buffet accompanied by music provided by yet another IVDU student.
It was a beautiful way to mark a momentous occasion.
STEM
STEM + self-advocacy = student-driven learning! Led by a strong desire to learn and explore the world around them, the students in Class 105 began a scientific journey of their own initiation. After a lesson on dissecting chicken wings, the students requested that they continue their scientific exploration with more complex dissections. After debating the merits of various dissection programs, students elected to dissect fetal pigs. The class dissected their fetal pigs, identified each organ, and compared the fetal pig systems to the human equivalents. Each student then selected a research topic on a human organ of their choice. One student studied the human heart salgen.it and researched technology that can help damaged hearts function. He prepared a PowerPoint presentation on pacemakers and how they work to improve heart function in those with medical issues. Looking forward to more student-driven projects!
Renaming the IVDU High Schools – The Marilyn and Sheldon David IVDU High Schools
Sheldon David, z”l, was a long-time supporter of the IVDU school. Here he is with an IVDU student.
In January 2021, on the occasion of Sheldon David’s 1st Yahrzeit, Yachad and IVDU are honored to announce the renaming of our IVDU High Schools as the Marilyn and Sheldon David High Schools. Marilyn, the first principial of IVDU, and her husband Sheldon, were long-time supporters of Yachad and IVDU and were tremendous people who gave so much back to the community. May their memories be a blessing and an inspiration to us all.
On Thursday January 7th, the Marilyn David IVDU Boys High School held a full day learn-a-thon in honor of the memory of Mr. Sheldon David, whose first yartzheit was Sunday January 10th.
From the family of Marilyn and Sheldon David:
Growing up, Yachad played a huge role in our lives. Our parents were not only involved on a board level, but they made sure that on a practical level, Yachad came into our home. Whenever there was a shabbaton at the Yeshivah of Flatbush or Young Israel of Flatbush, the afternoon oneg was at our house. Our parents would join the shabbaton for any meal that they could. Our mother hosted a weekly Yachad class in our house.
After 20 years as a second-grade teacher and 5 years of running an after school Talmud Torah-stye program, our mother was hired to run Yachad’s IVDU High School. It was never just a job – it was fulfillment of a lifelong dream and quickly became a family project. When she didn’t have a budget for a Hebrew teacher, our father came in and taught chumash. When the boys wanted to learn how to lein, our father gave lessons. When she wasn’t sure where her building would be, she held school meetings in our home.
There was no more fitting way to honor our mother’s memory when she was nifteret than to name the school after her.
Even after our mother’s passing, our father’s involvement continued. While both IVDU High Schools were under our mother’s name, our father spent more time in the Boys Division. He taught parsha lessons and made a siyum for the boys. He connected with them and spoke with students to build them up and gain confidence in themselves. He dedicated the shul, paroches and shulchan cover in memory of loved ones in an effort to beautify the davening experience for the students. He was in constant contact with the IVDU leadership on how they can build the school even more.
His continued involvement led to our and our children’s involvement in IVDU both before and after his passing. One grandchild organized the IVDU basketball team to play against his high school basketball team. Three granddaughters made their bat mitzvah chesed projects for IVDU. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, when classes were on held on Zoom, our children ran basketball clinics, cooking classes, baking classes and dance lessons for the Boys and Girls Divisions. IVDU has become a family to us and we are privileged to rename the school after both of our parents – the Marilyn and Sheldon David IVDU High Schools. This name truly shows our parents unity and love for each other as well as their love for Yachad.
