Today, we had the profound honor of hosting Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin... in observance of Yom Hazikaron. They joined the SAR community to share the story of their beloved son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin a”h, offering a message that was both deeply personal and powerfully moving. Through their words, students and faculty were given a glimpse into unimaginable loss, alongside a model of extraordinary strength and unwavering love.
Jon and Rachel engaged in a thoughtful conversation with two students, followed by additional meaningful questions from the audience, creating a dialogue that was both honest and impactful.
On the day of their visit, Rachel’s book, When We See You Again, was officially released. Thanks to the generosity of dedicated sponsors, each SAR High School family received a copy.
Rachel and Jon’s visit left a lasting impression, reminding us of the power of memory and the strength it takes to choose love even in the face of profound loss.

On Yom HaZikaron, we came together as a community to remember and to stand ...together in strength.

We are so grateful to Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin for being with us on such a meaningful day, and for sharing their voices, their faith, and their strength with our students.

Watch the full program on the steps: bit.ly/RachelJon_Steps

“Try so hard to remember this moment for the rest of your lives… this is ...holiness. This is a moment of holiness.”

With those words, Rachel Goldberg-Polin invited all of us to pause and take in the power of this day, the power of us, together.

We were honored to welcome Rachel and Jon to the steps for a special tekes with our students on Yom HaZikaron, a day when we remember the lives lost defending Medinat Yisrael, the innocent victims of terror, and our fallen hostages, including their son Hersh z”l, who was held in Gaza for 328 days before being murdered by his captors.

Standing there with Rachel and Jon, whose story became part of our collective story, whose voice has helped shape our own, and whose strength has strengthened so many of us, was deeply emotional. They have become for so many a voice of extraordinary courage in the face of unimaginable loss.

Rabbi Krauss shared how, in the hours and days after October 7th, we gathered on those same steps each morning and simply could not stop. Our students, inspired by Rachel and guided by their own sense of responsibility, chose to wear masking tape marking the number of days the hostages had been in captivity. What began as a small act of solidarity became something far deeper, carried forward with instinctive dedication.

Rachel asked our students, faculty, and staff to hold onto that moment. To look around, to truly see one another, and to recognize this as a memory to carry forward, a community standing together in presence, in pain, and in responsibility.
Rachel and Jon spoke with words shaped by unimaginable loss, yet what stayed with us most was their unshakable faith.
We are so grateful they were with us on such a meaningful day.

You can watch our program on the steps at https://bit.ly/RachelJon_Steps

Last night, our Riverdale community gathered at SAR High School for the annual ...Riverdale Jewish Community Partnership Yom HaZikaron tekes. There was a quiet heaviness in the room as we remembered the chayalim who gave their lives defending Medinat Yisrael, the hostages who were murdered, and the innocent lives taken in acts of terror.

We were especially moved by the presence of our friends from Kfar Aza, Amit and Tomer Ades. Their quiet strength and the life they are rebuilding after profound loss brought home, in a very real way, that these are not distant stories…they are lives still being lived, even in the shadow of horrors and tragedy.

Yom HaZikaron asks something very difficult of us. It asks us to hold grief and strength together, absence and presence in the same breath. And in a room like last night’s, we felt that we were doing so, and as a community.

The evening was shaped by tefilot, reflection, and song, led by students, families, and community members, with the presence of leaders including Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson and Councilmember Eric Dinowitz. Most of all, it was our students, of SAR and Kinneret, whose presentations and performances gave the evening its meaning. They are the ones who will carry these stories forward.

Today, that commemoration continued within our school through personal encounters with chayalim and members of our community, who shared stories of courage and resilience -- thank you to alumni Rachel Merczynski-Hait (AC ’19, HS ’23) and Eliyahu Najman (HS ’23) and faculty and staff, including Morah Eden Avni, Moreh Asaf Diamant, Moreh David Engel, Daniel Hadary, Moreh Yonatan Reich, and Morah Kira Smordin, and spouses of faculty, Eldad Baruch and Matanel Bareli for bringing these values even closer to home.

Last day of classes for Class of 2026😭🎓 The Hive is always home💛

Yom HaShoah is an important reminder that we can not take for granted the ...privilege and responsibility of bearing witness. The strength of those who survived and rebuilt continues to guide us, and lives on in our students, who will carry these stories forward.

We opened this morning’s Yom HaShoah program with the sound of the siren and ...a moment of silence, as students in Grades 3–8 gathered on the steps. We were privileged to be joined by Holocaust survivors, along with children and grandchildren of survivors, who lit nerot zikaron in memory of the six million and joined us for tefilot.

Singing Ani Ma’amin and Acheinu together was a powerful moment, and we concluded with Hatikvah, holding both the weight of memory and the hope for the future.

Throughout the day, students in Grades 3–8 had the unique opportunity to hear firsthand testimonies from survivors and members of our community. Middle School students participated in a meaningful program that wove together song and text, and spent time in our Yom HaShoah Gallery for reflection and learning while our 8th graders displayed their black out poems around the shul.

Each hour, students and faculty paused in silence as the names of SAR family members who perished in the Holocaust were read aloud, reminding us that remembrance is both collective and deeply personal.

Thank you to all who participated in today’s tekes and shared their stories with our students.

The seder is just hours away, and it’s not too late to come up with exciting,... fun ways to connect your children to the story of the Haggadah this Pesach!

Here’s Morah Sara with the fourth and final installment of Seder Sparks — enjoy, and Chag Kasher V’Sameach! ✨