Last Motzaei Shabbos, parents from the variety of MTA communities joined together for the first ever "Parent Appreciation Event." This program, which had no cost for attendees, was held downstairs in the historic "Lions' Den," and enabled parents to get together in a warm and friendly atmosphere with each other and with many members of the faculty and staff who were also present The guests were treated to a screening of the barnd new Wiesenthal Center film, "Our Boys," which tells the story of the three murdered Israeli teenagers and the subsequent war in the summer of 2014 from the perspective of the boys' parents who lived through this unspeakable tragedy. The film was introduced by Rabbi Schenker, who talked about the appropriateness of experiencing together a film about Israel - especially during these difficult times - as it "represents our commitment to each other, to Am Yisrael and to Eretz Yisrael." At the conclusion of the film, Rabbi Taubes tied the message together with a reference to the message of unity found in that morning's Haftorah, and talked about how important it is for the school to develop and promote a cohesive parent community. In an effort to further the educational partnership of the school, parents and students, the film was then showed to the students on Tuesday, which was Asarah B'Teives, allowing parents and students to later discuss the importance of the film together. After the film, sushi and refreshments were served and parents had time to mingle. During this time, the first annual YUHS Scholarship Raffle, which raised thousands of dollars for scholarships at both MTA and Central, came to an exciting conclusion. The first prize of a year's free tuition was won by Central parents Shira and Keith Landsman. Second prize of $2,500 went to MTA parents Leah and Phillip Kazlow. The third prize of a $1,000 Apple gift certificate went to MTA parents Debby and Chaim Putterman. Congrats also to top raffle ticket sellers Yair Gross ('16), CJ Glicksman ('16), and Daniel Saxon ('17). Rabbi Tani Cohen's shiur will be awarded the trip of their choice for selling the most tickets overall! To see more pictures from the event click here.