To whom it may concern:
I was fortunate enough to have had Mrs. Heber and Mrs. Galitzer as teachers. To hear that they have been fired saddens me, to say the very least. Not only were these women inspiring, but they were actively committed to their students on a personal level. They devoted themselves to the betterment of their students, which is a trait ironically rare in education. I have had my fair share of not-so-great teachers and professors, but Mrs. Heber and Mrs. Galitzer would never rank in that category. The spiritual education and love for Judaism I received from Mrs. Heber’s class is exactly the type Hillel students deserve to experience. Additionally, the amount of knowledge I gained in one year of Mrs. Galitzer’s honors Jewish History class is astounding. In terms of their achievements in balancing both religious pride and academia, these two teachers
rank among the best.
I think a huge mistake has been made, and I am not sure how this can be remedied. I do believe that it may be beneficial for those making the decisions to communicate more with the students and alumni. That was a problem I felt toward the end of my Hillel years, and this lack of communication has real potential to destroy the school. There used to be such school spirit, such “Ruach,” at Hillel. Students, parents, teachers, and faculty were proud of their Hillel ties. We need to work on bringing that back. Many of the most dedicated Hillel families have been forced to switch schools because the environment that once was is now lacking. We choose Hillel because it offers education as well as a moral and familial atmosphere. That atmosphere is gone.
The values our teachers conveyed to us in class are clearly not being mirrored here.
Respectfully,
A student
Class of 2002
2 responses so far ↓
1 Isaac Sapoznik // Mar 25, 2007 at 10:45 pm
I still remember when there used to be spirit. So much so that Rabbi Bald himself went up and posted “Soccer Fever” banners all over the school when we had those good years. I was in 7th grade at the time. That would never happen today. Whichever teacher did that in the recent history would probabaly be fired on the spot.
That is the kind of enthousiasm and support the school is lacking from the administrators. That is the exact enthousiasm and support the teachers already have for the kids. We need to support our teachers just like they supported us.
To the new Administration: Please bring back the old Hillel with the mutual support for students and teachers. Please don’t make the rift that the last administration created even bigger
2 anonymous // Mar 29, 2007 at 12:48 am
Not only is there no Ruach. There is no Derech Eretz! The school is cold and sad. There is no enthusiasm. It is as if it is mourning its own death.
How difficult it is to see this happening. This is not the HILLEL family that I grew up with. The family who always cared about each other and were there in good times and bad. What is going on here?
Why is the family being broken apart? There is enough divorce, war, and instability in our society - - we need to experience this at our school.
I wish that the board would wake up and smell the coffee - - you know the STARBUCKs coffee - - -the aroma has been soured and the taste has spoiled. We are on a path to destruction - - not excellence - - perhaps the definition should be examined in the dictionary.
To those board members who may be interested - — You are allowing our school to be ruined and you will be held accountable - - -by us and by Hashem — - Keep that in mind each and everyday.
We believe!!! Ani ma’amin!
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