This week was an exciting countdown until Purim!!! We got into the spirt of Adar by dressing up in different creative themes each day;  workout day, pajama day, animals, frummy day and so on….. All of the girls got very into their costumes and had lots of fun. Walking through the hallways, it was clear that the Adar spirit was in the air!

This past Friday was the Jerusalem marathon. Many Midreshet Moriah students participated in the race, raising money for great organizations like Yachad, Shalva, Sharsheret, Camp HASC, and many more.  Some organizations had a special pasta bar event Thursday night to get the energy kicking for the race and some organizations hosted the girls at a hotel the night before the race. We all had so much fun running through the holy city of Jerusalem. After all the hard training we did, everyone did a great job!!

Although this week was filled with Adar spirit, on Monday night we switched over to a more serious note to celebrate the life of Midreshet student Eliana Halley's brother whose life was unfortunately taken too soon. Eliana learned Megillat Esther to make a "siyum" in his memory and then we gathered around to sing and hear about all the amazing things he accomplished in his short yet impactful life. Aaron Simcha z"l died at the age of 18, eight years ago Monday, but the effect he had on others still resonates today. As a member of NCSY, Aaron made it his mission to connect other Jews to yidishkeit, whether it was starting a Jewish club in his public school, or inviting all his friends over on a Friday night for a kumzitz. He was always looking for ways to bring himself and others closer to G-d. Elianna carries on his legacy by dedicating herself to learning Torah every day and being a true role model to us all. May his neshama have an aliyah and his memory continue to fulfill his dream of bringing his friends and family closer to Judaism.

Tomorrow, on Purim, we are going to have a "bar hop" (salad bar, ice cream bar….) at teacher's houses in the Gush. We will hear the megillah tomorrow night and as lucky for us Purim is a day later in Jerusalem, so technically we get to celebrate it twice!  

Stay tuned for next week’s news with all the details….It's amazing to be a Midreshet girl experiencing Purim in Israel!

Purim Same’ach and Shabbat Shalom!

Alex Rindenow, Hanna Rosenberg and Danielle Rabinowitz