We’ve Finished Another Incredible Year!
Wishing our graduates much hatzlacha in the next chapter of their lives.
Another fantastic year has come to an end at JETS. Our end-of-year banquet was moving and entertaining, thanks to our emcee Koby Lerner. We were treated to a keynote speech and performance by Bob Dylan’s son-in-law, Peter Himmelman, accompanied by JETS graduate Mark Sadovnik on the drums. Rabbi Elchonon Tauber presented Smicha certificates to our 11 Smicha graduates, and students received mashgiach certificates and Talmud studies certificates. Eight students received their GED diplomas, and others received certificates in areas such as Culinary Arts, Construction, Muay Thai Kickboxing & Fitness, and Microsoft Excel. Additionally, nine students took college courses in Touro, one student received his California Real Estate License, one became a Certified Personal Trainer, and one completed an Accounting course.
Our teachers and shluchim were recognized for their truly remarkable work at JETS. As one of our graduates, Mendy Schusterman, put it, “I came into this year having no clue what to expect and having no clue who I was. My Yiddishkeit was in disarray, as was my perspective on life and friendship . . . My year in JETS changed me for the better, my Yiddishkeit had a stronger footing, as well as my maturity and my emotional health. The rabbis in JETS changed my outlook on Yiddishkeit from a boring, monotonous lifestyle to something you could tangibly feel and get excited about. Davening turned into dancing and learning turned into living . . . JETS is not a school, but rather, JETS is a family, and a tight-knit one at that.” A big thank you to principal Rabbi Mendy Seewald for making this event a big success. To read more about our banquet and graduation ceremony, visit https://collive.com/11-students-of-jets-receive-smicha-ordination/.
Before the banquet, our students and shluchim went on a fabulous camping trip in San Luis Obispo. After setting up our tents, we enjoyed a steak barbecue and bonfire kumzitz, where we did some freestyle “roasting” of each other (all in good humor). The next day, we went ATVing, relaxed at the beach, and went to a trampoline park! After dinner, we went bowling to finish off the day. The following day, we cleaned up the camp and went jet skiing and did a ropes course, and then returned to the JETS dorm for a pizza dinner. Rabbi Mendy Seewald, who attended the trip, said, “It was great fun, and after a hard year of work, seeing the students relax and bond was amazing.” As one of our students put it, “There wasn’t a dull moment! There was lots of action—you finish one activity, you continue to the next one! It wasn’t your traditional school trip, it was like a family trip!”. A big thank you goes out to our amazing Shliach Dovi Naparstek for planning out the trip and making sure every tiny detail was perfect.
We are so proud of the accomplishments and growth of our graduates! We wish them much hatzlacha in this next phase of their lives, and we know they’ll find success in their chosen fields. Now get out there and make some money! 😉
On behalf of all of us at JETS, we thank you for the part you play in creating this unique and customized program for our boys. Have a wonderful summer, and we look forward to continued growth in the coming year!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Schmukler, Rabbi Smith, Rabbi Seewald, Rabbi Engel, Rabbi Tauber, Rabbi Krinsky, Rabbi Zirkind, and the entire JETS organization!
