Solomon Schechter School turns 50

The Solomon Schechter School of Queens’ Diamond Jubilee Gala and auction celebrating Israel’s 60th Birthday raised several thousand dollars for the school. The event held March 1, at the Forest Hills Jewish Center honored Israeli members of the Schechter community and welcomed back alumni from the 1976-77 school years. Honorees included Faculty Member Judith Aharoni and the Sanilevich and Winrauke families.
The Schechter school, the only Conservative Jewish day school in Queens has been in existence for over 50 years. The school covers grades Pre-k through 8th grade and has a student body of more than 400 students.
Honoree Judith Aharoni, a Judaic studies teacher, has been involved with Jewish education since 1970. She joined the Schechter school in 1994 and has since received the Gruss Life Foundation Award for Excellency in Teaching. Aharoni has won the admiration of hundreds of students for her dedication to the school and to her people.
“This is a truly momentous occasion and the privilege of being honored is a milestone in my life. My mission as a Jewish educator is to transmit our rich heritage to yet another generation of Jewish youth,” Aharoni said. “I have the profound privilege to see some of my students in later years and have been pleased to see that they have been pursuing their lives as committed Jews. This has given me the impetus and drive to continue my work for many years to come. I wish to thank all of the parents of our school for entrusting me with their precious children all of these years.”
“Her love for students is clear as well as her love of teaching, however above all is her love of Israel and the Jewish people,” Headmaster Martin Mayerson said.
Mayerson believes the school offers an excellent place to get a top rate secular education and is a place for youngsters to find out who they are and where they came from. “Many families have second generations in the school. It’s always a vote of confidence whether it’s in a school or a camp or anyplace else when people send their kids when they know what the experience is like,” he said.
Also honored were Assaf and Sigalit Sanilevich and Hai and Tania Winrauke for their contributions to the school. In addition to having children in the school, both families contribute their time and resources to continually improving the experience at Schechter not only for their children, but for the benefit of all the children that attend. They do their work quietly without expectation of recognition.
A live auction which raised thousands of dollars was held to benefit the school. All of the items, which included artwork, sculptures, hotel getaways, trips, gym memberships and giant gift baskets, were donated by various organizations and people close to the Schechter community.
Alumni from the class of ’76 and ’77 were eager to relive memories. Jonathan Sunshine, class of ’76, traveled from Palm Springs, California to chat up with his old classmates. “I went to that school for 8 years with the same kids. We were lucky enough that our parents did this for us. They gave us something that can never be taken away no matter what happens. The teachers, the experiences growing up together, going to everyone’s house, just having a good time,” he said.
Ceil Gossett, a former teacher at Schechter for 26 years was in attendance with her daughter Robin a former student who has now been teaching for 31 years at Schechter. Ceil was genuinely happy to be back. “It’s wonderful to come back here. The people never forget you. Parents are bringing over their children whom are now in their forties and fifties. This is very exciting. If I had to teach I couldn’t think of a nicer place,” she said.