Yeshiva University High School For Boys - Elchanite Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Tlz frty- Two THE ELCHJNITE mit'our errors and misapprehensions. Perhaps it is that now we are older. more mature. and ean perceive a thing in its true sense. XYe anticipat- ed this and now really do ehange our views. At all events. in this new pieture. we see our teaehers in a. new light. Foolishly, we l1ad marked out some teachers as taskmasters, as tyrants. C onsequently. we looked forward to the time when we eould throw off the heavy yoke of bondage whieh we felt had been imposed upon us by our taskmasters-our teachers. How we hoped for the time when we would be free of our teaehers' merei- less. zero-lashing' peng when we would be free forever. from the neeessity of pestering' Mr. Grinstein for an admit slip. Yet now. when we are to gain our rightly earned freedom. we do not feel exultant at the thought of leaving our teachers. The former thought. that we would no longer be obliged to eudure their tyranny. is now no joy. XYe are not happy with the assuranee that we will not reeeive any more supposed- ly unfair marks. ,Vile do not feel. as formerly. that some teaehers are tyrants or despots. eontriving' all for our harm. Our points ofview and thoughts in this matter have ehanged. XYe see things now in their true sense: we realize that we have judged hastily' unreasonably, and now feel regret at parting' from our sehool. XVe realize that. after all, they never meant any harm: on the eontrary. they are our true friends and advisers, who have desired only our general welfare and well-being. So. at the thought of leaving our teaehers. we feel that we are losing not only assiduous instruetors. but also true friends and advisors... Graduation has always been thought of and imagined to be an event most joyous and happy. And truly. it is a time for eelebra- tion. It is a step. a turning point, a eorner stone. in the life of the graduate. Yet. it is not without its pangs of bitterness and regret.. VVith graduation. most of us will leave the Yeshiva. Our lives will heneeforth never be the same: our rela- tions with eaeh other will be ehanged. Graduation is truly a turning point in our lives. and. as eaeh graduate turns the eorner. he leaves behind what has been dearest and elosest to him during his stay at the Yeshiva. He will sever friendships that only the Yeshiva with its friendly. invit- ing atmosphere can nourish. Friends will separate. enemies will be reeon- eiled brushing' away all misunder- standings... Yow. that the time when most of us will leave the Yeshiva it at hand, our thoughts and feelings mingle. Our four years of study have not been in vain-they are invaluable. It was only our enduranee and per- severance. I may say so without boasting, that merits us this reward. YYe go out into the world taking with us. in addition to the seeular knowledge imparted to us in the Engilsh department of the Yeshiva. an uiulerstanding of the Torah and Talmud. ' The Yeshiva has not only prepared ns I-sr American Citizenship. but also for the future leadership of the Jew-

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THE ELCHJXI TE Tl11'rty- One knowledge will always be ready to answer the attacks of the anti-Sem- ites who. with their mud slinging tactics. have. heretofore. found us largely unable to combat their attaeks due to the lack of such leaders. More- over. this gap in the Jewish ranks further encouraged them in their ef- forts towards broadening the scopc of their work. Now, however. with the protection of such educated lead- ers. the Jewish people will be secure against the false accusations which have been levelled against it. The existence of the Yeshiva is, therefore. of prime importance to every Jew who honestly adheres to the principles of orthodox Judaism. It is his solemn and most sacred du- ty to uphold and even strengthen an institution which furnishes the great- est Jewish leaders of tomorrow.-the Yeshiva. Thoughts at Graduation l'iMANl'l:iL ltl'lIti'H, '2I'. LL of us have, at some time. thought of graduation. VVVe all have rather hopefully looked forward to it as 'a most joyful event. Upon entering high school. fresh from the element- ary school commencement exercises. we could just vaguely imagine our future graduation. sa vaguely indeed. that the thought had to be dismissed from our minds as too remote or un- believable. How we envied those seniors who were fortunate enough to be graduated! How we wished our- selves in their positions! The thought of so many years of work and harship before we could reach our goal dis- mayed us. How many, we wondered. would we leave behind us on the road before finally reaching our goal.- victorious? Such thoughts assailed ns before we set to work in our Freshman year. Following the beginning of the first term. and during the greater part of our high immediate and School life. more more pressing thoughts and fears occupied our minds. The teachers were relentless, always pressing. never. so we felt. lenient. The work they showered upon us seemed too great for a human being to accomplish. It seemed to some of us that we would be crushed by the downpourg that the Sweeping flood of examin- ations would overwhclm us and leave us behind. At such moments did we feel discouraged and gloomy. and the world looked black to us. However, when the storm was weathered. when the port had been reached, when the crisis had been safely passed. then did the rainbow that comes after every storm seem doubly bright and beautiful... Now. that we can survey our four years at high school through a non- partisan glass we see a picture. ditt- erent from what it seemed at the time the scenes were being enacted. Perhaps it is that now, being out ot' high school. we can look back with our prejudices swept away. and ad-

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THE EL CHANI TE TZz1'rty- ree ish pvoplo in Alm-rica. I do not 11-- for only to those who are to bo rab- bis, but to all Yoshiva students. We are tho future Jews of :XI111f'l'lf,'3, and, C0llSlClCl'll'1Q.1' tho Ell'I1l0Spl1Q1'Q whic-lm has always cuvolopell us, should and must be among' the lncst, among the foremost of American Jcwry. NVQ aus leaving The Yeshiva but not uu- miuclful of lhe lessons wc learucrl there and we go forth to holp sprc-acl tue rloc-triuos for which it stands. 1'5 f'2lvx if wiki, 'w 'xl J , t ? r 0-r-v- 2 W.,-?7:,,:x ., -- .. , . -' ' ' -' - 'rs -linllh-' . X lf