{"id":38964,"date":"2022-06-03T01:43:25","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T08:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=38964"},"modified":"2022-06-01T06:34:50","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T13:34:50","slug":"gala-celebrates-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2022\/06\/03\/gala-celebrates-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"Gala celebrates alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"

Left to right, Alex Monchamp, Aaron Friedland, David Kaye and Howard Blank prepare to draw the 50\/50 winner at King David High School\u2019s Golden Thread Gala on May 12.\u00a0<\/em>(photo from KDHS)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is King David took a student who genuinely struggled, exposed me to meaningful ways to make a difference \u2013 they gave me passion and purpose, they provided me with academic rigour to realize my dreams, provided me with confidence, and then added a fundamental layer of Jewish and humanist values,\u201d said Aaron Friedland, addressing a full house at King David High School\u2019s Golden Thread Gala on May 12.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what is interesting is how unremarkable my story at King David is,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere are simply too many grads who King David has helped to overcome the odds and flourish \u2013 and it\u2019s the outcome of brilliant and caring educators investing in us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friedland is founder and executive director of the Simbi Foundation, which helps underserved and refugee communities access education. He is a National Geographic<\/em> Explorer and a PhD candidate in the field of econometrics, focusing on the interplay of economics and education. And these are only a few of the many accomplishments and projects on Friedland\u2019s growing resum\u00e9.<\/p>\n

He came to King David in Grade 8, he said, after having attended four different elementary schools. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly dyslexic,\u201d he shared, \u201cand there was a time when teachers told my parents I likely wouldn\u2019t make it to university.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there is more to King David than preparing students for university, he added. \u201cThe world doesn\u2019t just need more university grads. The world needs more global citizens who are passionate about creating positive impact and who have the skill set to realize their dreams.\u00a0 Tonight is about celebrating a school that has developed a tried-and-true approach to developing global citizens who thrive while engaging in tikkun olam, or repairing the world. And I\u2019m not sure if you\u2019ve seen or have been reading the news, but the world could use a little repair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mentioning COVID-19, Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine, the challenge to Roe v Wade in the United States and generally declining literacy rates, he spoke about the need for hope. He then cited primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, whom he had interviewed on Simbi Foundation\u2019s Impact in the 21st Century<\/em>podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cJane explained, \u2018Hope isn\u2019t just wishful thinking \u2013 it\u2019s rolling up our sleeves and doing something about the problem.\u2019 And she shared a few pieces of wisdom,\u201d said Friedland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re feeling a lack of hope, it\u2019s important to remember just how much power we each possess.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re feeling stuck, we must think globally and act locally. She means that we must find causes we\u2019re passionate about and start making a difference immediately,\u201d he said. \u201cNo action is too small. Jane spoke about the addictive nature of helping. And, once we\u2019re helping, we\u2019re part of the solution and it feels great \u2013 so we do more of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, when I pushed Jane further, she explained that she stays hopeful for three reasons. One, our amazing human intellect. Two, the indomitable human spirit \u2013 meaning, we don\u2019t give up. And three, the power of young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cJane believes in the power of young people so strongly,\u201d said Friedland, \u201cthat it is where she invests all of her time, specifically high schoolers, because she believes that those are the people who are going to change our planet and change the world. And, after speaking with Jane, it got me thinking about how King David is the exact breeding ground for the types of people who come out and positively impact the world and give us hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

A visit to KDHS by farmer J.J. Keki, a leader of Uganda\u2019s Abayudaya Jewish community, was the spark for Friedland\u2019s tikkun olam work and further study. The Simbi Foundation began its life as the Walking School Bus and the organization now builds solar-powered classrooms, known as BrightBoxes, in Ugandan and Indian refugee settlements, with each installation providing up to 6,000 students with access to education and electricity. The foundation\u2019s chief operating officer and co-founder is Ran Sommer, another KDHS graduate.<\/p>\n

The Golden Thread Gala celebrated the almost 750 students who have graduated from KDHS since it was established \u2013 and it raised $202,491 for the school.<\/p>\n

The gala, which was held at Congregation Beth Israel, began with a piano and vocal performance by student Joseph Gabay, and also featured a song performed by students Kailey Bressler, Rachel Gerber, Mhairi Hemingson and Kiera Katz; group member Sara Bauman was unable to attend. Alex Monchamp, deputy head of school, stepped in to welcome the crowd because head of school Russ Klein couldn\u2019t be there either, but Klein\u2019s emcee duties were taken on by actor David Kaye, another KDHS alum. As part of his emceeing, Kaye interviewed on stage two other KDHS grads \u2013 Jordan Grubner and Ava Katz \u2013 about their time at the school and how it prepared them for the larger world.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Stephen Berger, head of Judaic studies, did the blessing over the bread before the meal and gave a few remarks, as did gala committee co-chairs Heidi Seidman and Sherri Wise, and KDHS board members Alain Guez and Chana Charach. Howard Blank led the live auction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Left to right, Alex Monchamp, Aaron Friedland, David Kaye and Howard Blank prepare to draw the 50\/50 winner at King David High School\u2019s Golden Thread Gala on May 12.\u00a0(photo from KDHS) \u201cThe reality is King David took a student who genuinely struggled, exposed me to meaningful ways to make a difference \u2013 they gave me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7684,3076,8039,20506,21578,21594,1559,1047,20021,1959],"class_list":["post-38964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-aaron-friedland","tag-education","tag-fundraiser","tag-golden-thread-gala","tag-high-school","tag-jane-goodall","tag-kdhs","tag-king-david-high-school","tag-simbi-foundation","tag-tikkun-olam"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}