Candles burned bright, and beautiful music filled the dining hall to celebrate the weekly day of rest within the Jewish community. Hackley families, students, and faculty members gathered in the Upper School dining hall for Hackley’s first-ever Shabbat dinner about a month ago.
They were joined by Rabbi Lisa Sacks, Rabbi and Director of Lifelong Learning at Temple Bet Torah, who led various Shabbat prayers at the dinner. Organized by Hackley parents, this dinner was designed to unify the Jewish community at Hackley and create connections across all facets of our school. It is safe to say that this event accomplished its goals and was a huge success.
The Jewish Alliance and Culture Club, an upper school club led by juniors Jordan Kleeger, Ben Nadorf, and Cecily Lewis and supervised by Middle and Upper School English teacher Dr. Ellen Ferguson, teamed up with the Hackley parents to help prepare this night.
“Teaming up with other members of our community to produce this night was a really rewarding experience, especially because we got to see the amazing results of our preparation,” said junior Ben Nadorf.
To kick off the night, a group of faculty members, Hackley parents, and students prepared the dining hall for the Shabbat feast.
“Setting up was really fun and also interesting because we got to see and help with the behind-the-scenes of the event,” said junior Cecily Lewis.
Students and teachers helped lay out tablecloths, table settings, flowers, and napkins along the long wooden dining hall tables to prepare for the meal. Grape juice was poured into cups, and challah was cut and displayed in preparation for the blessings to come. The group also set up a buffet of food, where people brought a multitude of dishes, ranging from different types of vegetables to meats and side dishes.
During the dinner, Rabbi Sacks led a couple of prayers and gave all the attendees some words of wisdom.
After the meal, a group of members of the Hackley community performed two songs: “Bim Bam” and “Shalom Aleichem.” Senior Associate Director of College Counseling Rebecca Hall sang, Managing Assistant for Performing Arts, and Director of Music Institute Dylan Chalfy played the keyboard. Performing Arts teacher Rafi Malkiel played the trombone, and sophomore Mai Malkiel played the bass.
“I was delighted to share music with the Hackley community at the Shabbat Dinner. It was an amazing experience to play for Hackley students and families and see non-Jews who came to support Hackley’s Jewish community. I’m also the Tarrytown representative of Chabad of the Rivertowns, and it was amazing to see Hackley’s Jewish community come together in a way we haven’t before,” said Mai.
