The ruach at the annual Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls “SKAbbaton” was amazing. The weeklong prep–with the 10th-grade pre-Shabbaton Shabbat party, the 11th-grade pre-Shabbatoncholent cook-off, the mesorah game for all three grades, and rehearsals for the weekend programs–heightened the sense of anticipation in the school all week. SKA’s talented and hardworking G.O., together with Rabbi Yosef Zakutinsky, director of student programming, headed up on Thursday to the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Connecticut, their home for the weekend of November 21—23, to decorate and make preparations for the school’s arrival the next day. The fun for the rest of the girls began on Friday at Bowlmor Lanes where they had a blast; they couldn’t wait to get to the hotel for an extraordinary SKA Shabbaton.

KabbalatShabbat and communal davenings all weekend were so beautiful, as were the onegs, student-delivered divrei Torah, and shiurim by rebbeim which were voluntary for students but so well-attended. The seniors worked hard to make Shabbat special, with programs like “Meet the Stars” and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. The annual talent show, always a high spot of the weekend, and the spirited melaveh malkah, were so leibidig and enjoyable. One of the highlights of the weekend was the Friday-night guest speaker, Mr. Saul Blinkoff, an animator for Disney Studio and director of feature films for MTV and Disney, who spoke of how he held on to his Orthodox Jewish identity while working in Hollywood.

Special thanks go to Rabbi Yosef Zakutinsky, director of student programming, and his staff: Mrs. Yafa Storch, Mrs. Jordana Bienenfeld-Mallin, and Ms. Stephanie Leichtung; director of religious guidance Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky; SKA’s administration: head of school Mrs. Helen Spirn, Ms. Raizi Chechik, principal grades 9—10, Dr. Tzipora Meier, principal grades 11—12, and Mrs. Deena Kobre, associate principal; and 12th-grade level advisers, Mrs. Paghit Ralbag and Mrs. Avital Braun. Much hakaratha’tov goes to the many SKA rebbeim, teachers, and madrichot who joined for the weekend and played such an integral part in making SKAbbaton so wonderful. Each SKA student who attended SKAbbaton enhanced the Shabbat. It was unanimous–this was the best SKAbbaton ever!

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