Every Thursday evening, at the conclusion of the regular school day, close to 600+ students gather for The Bayrish Schreiber Mishmar Program. Mishmar affords students the opportunity to explore areas of interest outside of our formal Limudei Kodesh curriculum and the chance to reconnect with old teachers or learn from teachers that they may not have yet been exposed to at Frisch. Students can choose from a variety of topics, including: Life Altering Lessons from the Parsha, Women in Jewish Law, YU Bekiut Program, Making Maimonides Yourmonides, 18(19) Steps to Your Maker (Shemonah Esrei), Parsha with the Principal, Pirkei Avot and the Meaning of Life, Making Mitzvot Meaningful, Topics You Always Wanted to Know About, You’ve Got Questions, We’ve Got Answers- Jewish Responsa, Dear John- Jewish Letters Throughout the Ages.
“I love being able to choose the topic that most interests me from a variety of options at Mishmar and being exposed to teachers with whom I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to learn.” – Jodi Fishbein, ’17
Be’er Shavua is a student-run weekly publication of Divrei Torah on Parshat HaShavua, Yom Tov, and Halakhic issues written by students and faculty. Be’er Shavua is printed and distributed weekly to shuls throughout our many communities to spread Torah beyond the confines of Frisch.
Students who enjoy the study of Tanakh can further their learning in a competitive forum by competing in the regional and national stages of Chidon HaTanakh, (The National Bible Contest). We are extraordinarily proud of our students who have achieved success on the regional and international levels, including placing first among all non-Israelis in the international competition.
On Friday mornings, Frisch graduates return to Frisch to learn with current students, a unique opportunity for alumni to “give back” to their alma mater. Alumni prepare shiurim which they learn with students in a Chabura while serving as wonderful role models for Frisch’s newer generation and offering insight into their Israel and college experience, as well as their perspective on the Frisch experience.
Throughout the year students are invited to Boys’ and Girls’ Nights Out for Torah Study at the conclusion of the regular Thursday evening Mishmar. These programs take place once every month and provide a way for Frisch students to engage in additional Torah learning outside of class. In the YU Program for Boys, boys travel to Yeshiva University in Manhattan to learn with Frisch alumni in the YU Beit Midrash. They also hear from a YU Rosh Yeshiva and get dinner at one of the local kosher restaurants. In Girls Night Out, girls have the opportunity to learn, followed by a fun activity. Past activities have included Torah-themed paint nights, kumzitzes and challah baking.
In Model Beit Din students prepare, investigate and formulate halachic responsa addressing a current issue. Students explore how the halachic approach differs at times from the secular-legal approach. Examples of issues that have been studied in the past include: Can you torture a terrorist for information? Who has the authority to make end-of-life medical decisions? The research culminates in a symposium with other schools at which the team presents their research before the Beit Din of America.
Join thousands of people around the world, including your own classmates, who go through all of Nach one day at a time. In this club, students learn independently and at the same pace, and then gather regularly to discuss what they’re learning and hear a shiur.
Night Seder is a student-led Torah learning program that takes place after school during the week. Chavruta learning is capped off by shiur, delivered by different faculty members. Various topics are covered.
In the Shnayim Mikra club, students engage in a longstanding Jewish tradition: learning the weekly parsha with Rashi. Learning is paced by the sedra.
Torah Bowl provides a venue for all students to hone the skills they develop in the classroom and learn Chumash on their own in preparation for competition in the Yeshiva Torah Bowl League. Such independent study inspires students to continue their Torah learning well after they graduate from Frisch.
The Frisch Torah Journal is a club which teaches the skills required to create an insightful d’var Torah. It culminates in the publication of an annual collection of original Torah-based articles researched and written by Frisch students. Participants are expected to attend several training sessions on how to properly research a Torah topic. Writers then pick a topic of interest, submit outlines and drafts and, hopefully, end with a product worthy of publication.
Students learn a Masechet of Gemara along with students from other participating schools in the Bronka Weintraub High School Bekiut Program, organized by Yeshiva University.