Placing the “Spotlight” on Joel Cohn and Jill Spector
By Hannah C. ‘16
My parents could not have chosen a better school for my brother, Alex Cohn (’14), and me than Beth Tfiloh. This School and community have had such a major impact on both of our lives ever since our first days in PreSchool. When my parents, Jill Spector and Joel Cohn, were deciding where to send their children to school in the Baltimore area, the decision was never really too difficult for them. When they first set foot in Beth Tfiloh’s halls, they knew that this school was different. That it was special. It only seems fitting to Alex and me that when Mrs. Schorr contacted my parents inquiring about chairing Spotlight 2015, Beth Tfiloh’s annual scholarship fundraising event, my parents felt honored and eager to participate in this incredible fundraiser and help give back to the school that has given us so much in our lives.
Having attended Beth Tfiloh for 14, going on 15 years, I fully appreciate the importance of Spotlight. As I prepare for senior year and my brother completes his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, we both agree that this school has shaped both of us into proud and passionate Jews who feel ready to tackle college and the rest of our lives in a way that would make our parents, and School, proud. But without Spotlight, not everyone gets to experience Beth Tfiloh; 40% of Beth Tfiloh students receive some form of financial aid. It is crazy to me to think that, without the help of Spotlight, four out of every 10 of BT’s students could not experience the joy of Beth Tfiloh, which ranges from Lower School productions, to the eighth-grade Shabbaton, all the way to attending the AIPAC Policy Conference.
Often, new students at any school can struggle to find their places within their school environment. How can I make friends? Will people accept me for who I really am? At Beth Tfiloh, new students may worry about this before heading into the school year in August. However, once school begins, new students immediately feel at home through the warm and welcoming community that is nurtured by the fellow students, faculty, administrators, coaches, and many more. A place in the Beth Tfiloh community exists for everyone. Whether you immerse yourself in the dynamic academic courses within our dual-curriculum of Jewish and general studies, compete on the successful sports teams, spend time in the Arts Department, or help make the school yearbook, you can always explore your interests or find something you are passionate about at Beth Tfiloh. These are a few of the many reasons why my parents chose Beth Tfiloh for Alex and me; the school exists as an institution in which we can thrive in every aspect and develop not only academically, but Jewishly as well.
Aside from the all the incredible opportunities that Beth Tfiloh provides for its students, it provides one item that few schools in Baltimore can claim to provide: Beth Tfiloh instills a steadfast and passionate love of Judaism from PreSchool until twelfth grade. According to my father, “Now more than ever, as more Jews are becoming less affiliated, we need to provide a Jewish education for as many students we can.” “This,” he concludes, “stands as one of the most important goals for the current Jewish generation.” That is why Spotlight occurs year after year and remains such as significant part of our school — to provide 40% of our school community with the opportunity to experience Beth Tfiloh. Through the “vibrant Jewish studies classes, the awe-inspiring Israel advocacy, and the overall Jewish environment” that Beth Tfiloh implements, students maintain an unwavering relationship to their Judaism, my mother explains. Both of my parents recognize the importance of a Jewish education and have witnessed firsthand the tremendous impact it has had on Alex and me.
Even though Alex has graduated and I am approaching my final year in High School, we both know that Beth Tfiloh will forever continue to be a part of our lives, not only as our shul, but also as our community. It’s the place we grew up in and instilled the values that we will hold dear for the rest of our lives. Our parents know that they made the right decision when they decided to send us to Beth Tfiloh; they say that helping to create the best Spotlight 2015 they can is “the least we can do to help give back to a school that has given us and our children so much.”
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My parents could not have chosen a better school for my brother, Alex Cohn (’14), and me than Beth Tfiloh. This School and community have had such a major impact on both of our lives ever since our first days in PreSchool. When my parents, Jill Spector and Joel Cohn, were deciding where to send their children to school in the Baltimore area, the decision was never really too difficult for them. When they first set foot in Beth Tfiloh’s halls, they knew that this school was different. That it was special. It only seems fitting to Alex and me that when Mrs. Schorr contacted my parents inquiring about chairing Spotlight 2015, Beth Tfiloh’s annual scholarship fundraising event, my parents felt honored and eager to participate in this incredible fundraiser and help give back to the school that has given us so much in our lives.
Having attended Beth Tfiloh for 14, going on 15 years, I fully appreciate the importance of Spotlight. As I prepare for senior year and my brother completes his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, we both agree that this school has shaped both of us into proud and passionate Jews who feel ready to tackle college and the rest of our lives in a way that would make our parents, and School, proud. But without Spotlight, not everyone gets to experience Beth Tfiloh; 40% of Beth Tfiloh students receive some form of financial aid. It is crazy to me to think that, without the help of Spotlight, four out of every 10 of BT’s students could not experience the joy of Beth Tfiloh, which ranges from Lower School productions, to the eighth-grade Shabbaton, all the way to attending the AIPAC Policy Conference.
Often, new students at any school can struggle to find their places within their school environment. How can I make friends? Will people accept me for who I really am? At Beth Tfiloh, new students may worry about this before heading into the school year in August. However, once school begins, new students immediately feel at home through the warm and welcoming community that is nurtured by the fellow students, faculty, administrators, coaches, and many more. A place in the Beth Tfiloh community exists for everyone. Whether you immerse yourself in the dynamic academic courses within our dual-curriculum of Jewish and general studies, compete on the successful sports teams, spend time in the Arts Department, or help make the school yearbook, you can always explore your interests or find something you are passionate about at Beth Tfiloh. These are a few of the many reasons why my parents chose Beth Tfiloh for Alex and me; the school exists as an institution in which we can thrive in every aspect and develop not only academically, but Jewishly as well.
Aside from the all the incredible opportunities that Beth Tfiloh provides for its students, it provides one item that few schools in Baltimore can claim to provide: Beth Tfiloh instills a steadfast and passionate love of Judaism from PreSchool until twelfth grade. According to my father, “Now more than ever, as more Jews are becoming less affiliated, we need to provide a Jewish education for as many students we can.” “This,” he concludes, “stands as one of the most important goals for the current Jewish generation.” That is why Spotlight occurs year after year and remains such as significant part of our school — to provide 40% of our school community with the opportunity to experience Beth Tfiloh. Through the “vibrant Jewish studies classes, the awe-inspiring Israel advocacy, and the overall Jewish environment” that Beth Tfiloh implements, students maintain an unwavering relationship to their Judaism, my mother explains. Both of my parents recognize the importance of a Jewish education and have witnessed firsthand the tremendous impact it has had on Alex and me.
Even though Alex has graduated and I am approaching my final year in High School, we both know that Beth Tfiloh will forever continue to be a part of our lives, not only as our shul, but also as our community. It’s the place we grew up in and instilled the values that we will hold dear for the rest of our lives. Our parents know that they made the right decision when they decided to send us to Beth Tfiloh; they say that helping to create the best Spotlight 2015 they can is “the least we can do to help give back to a school that has given us and our children so much.”
SUPPORT SPOTLIGHT 2015
- Buy your tickets for Spotlight 2015 here
- Be a Spotlight 2015 Sponsor
Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School
Roz & Marvin H. Weiner Family Campus
3300 Old Court Road | Baltimore, MD 21208
410-486-1905 | mail@bethtfiloh.com
3300 Old Court Road | Baltimore, MD 21208
410-486-1905 | mail@bethtfiloh.com
Learning together. For life.
Baltimore’s only Jewish independent preparatory school serving PreSchool through Grade 12.
Baltimore’s only Jewish independent preparatory school serving PreSchool through Grade 12.
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