YSZ Girls High School Begins The Year By “Getting Real”

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Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion High School for Girls opened the 5787 school year with an emphasis on something deeper than simply returning to classes. Under the theme “Let’s Get Real,” students are being challenged to consider what it means to live with authenticity, integrity, and a genuine connection to Hashem.

The theme is rooted in the teaching, “Chotamo shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu emet” — “The seal of the Holy One, blessed is He, is truth.” Throughout the year, YSZ plans to explore emet not merely as truthfulness in speech, but as an approach to life: knowing who one is, remaining grounded in Torah values, and continually striving toward the person one is capable of becoming.

That message was evident from the moment students returned. The school welcomed its students with an atmosphere centered around “real memories, real friendships, real growth,” setting the tone for a year in which personal development and meaningful relationships will accompany academic achievement.

Teaching and learning also began immediately with considerable energy. Returning faculty were joined by a new group of teachers, while students quickly settled into substantive classroom learning. Thoughtful questions and lively discussions marked the opening days, with the month of Elul providing a natural backdrop for reflection and preparation for Rosh Hashanah and the Yamim Noraim.

What Does It Mean To Live With Emet?

Dr. Rina Zerykier introduced the year’s theme in a presentation that asked students to look beyond the conventional definition of truth.

Authenticity, she explained, is not simply knowing who you are. It is also recognizing who you are capable of becoming.

Students were encouraged to anchor themselves in the truth of Hashem and Torah while embracing their individual strengths and continuing to grow. Dr. Zerykier spoke about developing a sincere relationship with Hashem — bli masachim, bli maseichot, without screens and without masks — and living with sufficient integrity that one’s words and choices carry genuine meaning.

Several questions presented to the students brought that idea into focus. If so much of life can be spent seeking the approval of others, what would change if the only “seal of approval” that ultimately mattered was Hashem’s?

The presentation also drew upon the walls of Yericho. Just as the sound of the shofar brought those walls crashing down, students were asked to consider the less visible walls people construct in their own lives — walls separating one person from another and, more significantly, walls that can stand between a person and Hashem.

“What walls could it break through for you?” became a challenge for students to carry with them into the Yamim Noraim.

Rosh Hashanah Inspiration With Jackie Bitton

The school’s preparation for Rosh Hashanah continued with a special program featuring Jackie Bitton, who delivered a message centered on Hashem’s enduring love for every Jew.

Bitton drew upon the love of a father for his child — constant, unconditional, and not dependent upon achievement — as a way of helping students appreciate their relationship with their Father in Heaven.

Each student, she emphasized, is a bas Melech, possessing her own unique light and the ability to bring that light into the lives of others.

One of the practical lessons was strikingly simple: “If you see something, say something.”

Here, the familiar phrase was given a positive meaning. When a person notices something admirable in someone else — a kindness, strength, accomplishment, or good quality — she should not keep the observation to herself. Saying it aloud can strengthen another person and help create an environment in which students actively recognize and encourage the good in one another.

The program brought together the central ideas with which YSZ has begun the year: authenticity does not mean remaining exactly as one is. Rather, genuine self-awareness can become the starting point for growth.

Moving “Closer” During The Aseret Yemei Teshuvah

That message will continue beyond Rosh Hashanah. As YSZ looks ahead to the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, its next theme is captured in a single word: “Closer.”

The imagery of a ladder — with one rung highlighted — reflects the idea that spiritual growth need not happen all at once. Each meaningful choice can represent another rung and another opportunity to move closer to Hashem.

From the excitement of students returning to their classrooms to serious conversations about emet, identity, relationships, and teshuvah, YSZ has begun 5787 with a clear direction. “Let’s Get Real” is intended to be more than a slogan for the opening weeks of school. It is an invitation to make the year one of real learning, real friendships, real growth, and, ultimately, a more genuine relationship with Hashem.