Tamar Kwestel grew up in Cedarhurst, New York. After attending Stella K. Abraham High School she spent a year studying at Sha’alvim for women and is now a student at Stern College. Although Tamar never spent a summer as a camper on Michlelet, she is very excited to be a Madricha this summer.
Tamar’s Chaburah is called “Around the World in the Holidays: Machshava and Hashkafic Aspects of the Holidays”. Each chaburah covers a different Chag or Yom Tov and explores a theme of the Yuntif or Chag through relevant sources, articles and video clips. Tamar’s chaburah involves a lot of learning from the text as well as interactive activity and meaningful discussions. Each girl has been able to gain a new appreciation and deeper connection to the Moadei Hashana because of the meaningful ideas that have been discussed in chaburah.
The girls in Tamar’s chaburah are Aleah Salzhauer (Miami, Fl), Rena Weinberger (Philadelphia, PA), Shira Cohen (Efrat, IL) and Yael Itskowitz (Pittsburgh, PA).
What is your favorite Yuntif/Chag and why?
Aleah: “My favorite Chag is Purim. I love Purim because it symbolizes Hashem’s constant hashgacha in our lives even during times when we cannot see it so clearly. I also love Purim because I get to eat tons of candy!”
Rena: “My favorite Yuntif is Pesach. Pesach is the starting point of Bnei Yisrael as a nation. Yitzias Mitzrayim is a central part of our religion and everything else stems from there. Without it, we would not have been able to come to Har Sinai and get the Torah, which is so special to us. Another one of my favorite parts of Pesach is the seder and all the songs we sing. “
Shira: My favorite Chag is Chanukah. During the time of Chanukah there is a special feeling in the air that everybody loves, especially here in Israel. During this time, we are able to connect to our deep emunnah in Hashem because of the gratitude we feel for the amazing miracle that He performed before our eyes. I especially love going through the streets of Eretz Yisrael and seeing the menorahs in everyone’s window and on the sidewalks.
Yael: “My favorite Yuntif is Shavuos. Conceptually, I like the idea of Shavuous; even though we always have the Torah, Shauvous is a time to specifically renew our commitment to Torah and draw inspiration from Torah. I also love the fact that we count up to Shavuous. Cheesecake and staying up all night learning with friends also makes it such an enjoyable Yunif!”