School Begins With Visit to Ohel

As a fitting way of starting the school year, students of Chabad Girls Academy in Crown Heights went to the Rebbe’s Ohel to daven.

This experience allowed the girls to prepare for Yom Kippur both spiritually and as “get to know you” time with their new classmates, teachers said.

On the way, Mrs. Hildishaim reviewed the customs we practice at the Ohel with the girls and directed them on how to write a pan.

One student, Chaviva Z. expressed: “I felt so prepared to enter the ohel since we reviewed all of the customs before-hand. It really helped me think and say what I wanted to say.”

A new student this year, Mimi P., spoke about her experience saying “Because it is my first year, it is so nice to see how much the school cares about us and wants us to connect with the Rebbe.”

The girls sang niggunim on the way to the Ohel and were very uplifted by it. Chaya V. shared “I really like that we went to the Ohel in the beginning of the year and I could connect with my new classmates and get to know them.”

Another student Batsheva R. shared that, “Going to the Ohel itself was much more meaningful than writing a pan and having someone else take it. I felt the energy and the spiritual connection there and it was very powerful.”

The girls took time to write their panim with care and entered the Ohel with a deeper sense of how to connect and daven for what they need.

The trip was very inspiring for the students and gave them encouragement and motivation for the coming year. One student Rivka K. said, “I really felt connected to the Rebbe and I’m so glad we went.”

Now entering into its sixth year, Chabad Girls Academy has just added a third classroom, grades 4-8. The students arrived on the first day of school all smiles and brimming with excitement, ready to learn and make new friends.