High School Celebrates Shavuot in School and at Home

by Jordan Bitton, SSLI '26

This past Sunday night began the holiday of Shavuot, which lasted until Tuesday. In preparation for the holiday, high school students attended a special minyan on Friday where Vice President Shir Levenson gave a D’var Torah and led an activity.

Shavuot, the holiday where the Jewish people celebrate receiving the Torah, is often associated with flowers blooming and springtime. While school was closed this past Monday and Tuesday for Shavuot, the Friday minyan workshop allowed students to decorate small cut-out flowers with their personal prayers for the final weeks of school or for Israel.

All of the high school students gathered in one room for Tefilot, which was followed by the activity. Junior Rebecca Bazini attended the workshop and said, “It was really fun; I loved having an alternate minyan.”

After Levenson spoke, students had time to color and listen to some fun Jewish music. Bazini added, “My takeaway was Shir’s initiative as vice president, and how she fulfilled the alternate minyan promise. It also prepared us for Shavuot and got me excited!”

Bazini shared, “For me, Shavuot is not only a break [from school] ... I celebrate Shavuot by spending time with my family, going to Shul, and eating dairy.” She continued, “I think Shavuot also serves as a time to reflect and pray, like in the activity we did on Friday.”

Junior Joshua Jurmann said, “I celebrate Shavuot by having dinner with a bunch of friends and family. We usually eat some salads and fish, there is always baked ziti and French toast.”

On Shavuot, Jews around the world often eat cheesecake, a staple of the holiday. After her family’s meal, Bazini’s favorite Shavuot dessert is “Chocolate Cheesecake.”

The flower prayers are up with the June calendar at The Wing. (S. Levenson)

Jordan Bitton is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since November 2022. Jordan is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: Jbitton26@schechterli.org