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Photos By Rivka Kashaninan

CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — Capping a successful year, the girls in Beis Rivkah’s eighth grade graduated elementary school Sunday and will all be moving on to high school. Parents and friends attended the ceremony.

Photos: Beis Rivkah’s Elementary School Graduates

Photos By Rivka Kashaninan

CROWN HEIGHTS [CHI] — Capping a successful year, the girls in Beis Rivkah’s eighth grade graduated elementary school Sunday and will all be moving on to high school. Parents and friends attended the ceremony.

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79 Comments

  • A Father

    As a father of one of the graduates I was deeply disgusted that fathers were asked not to attend. What kind of community are we turning into? Are we following the ways of Williamsburg?

  • ur president st friends

    go Chaya Rubin!!!!!! U r the best!!!! SSSOOOOO proud of u!!!!

  • chaya mushka l

    go us we rock and that picture of me is horrendous any eway summer off to florida luv you guyes have an awesome summer!!! luv always ??????? =) :);)

  • 9th grader

    hello last yr the fathers and brothers and grandfathers etc were allowed to come
    why arent they here now/?

  • an upset graduate

    i wish my sather was there…. it would’ve benn so nice to see him there while i was graduating

  • SM

    The graduation was so nice. The principals spoke gorgeous and I loved the way Zelda A. spoke! she gave thanks to the parents and I could not believe she was all of an eighth grader. As a mother, it was such a good message.

  • Yeah Bnos Menachem Graduates!!

    Dear Father in #2. Bnos Menachem fathers were invited to their daughters’ graduation and were seated on the other side of a proper mechitza, as should be.

  • so upset

    Bais Rivka you did it again. I believe you are on a mission to alienate and make our precious daughters despise yiddishkeit.Hence the reason to a very big part to what unfortunately is going on. I graduated Bais Rivka high school in 1973 and my daughters did as well. Greater smarter well learned people were around then who encouraged and condoned our fathers having the nachas to see us graduate. After watching us work so hard all these years. The Rebbe was aware as well as pictures circulated of graduations. Did the Rebbe ever say “ this is not right” The Rebbe appreciated parents witnessing nachas. Its time for the old guard who are around from when I went to school to go. You maybe mean well but you have no clue what you are doing. Resign now and let new blood that understands our girls take over. My daughter graduated 2 years ago. She went through 4 years and said she never said one word to the pricipal. Need I say more?

  • to #2

    “As ‘a’ father of one of the graduates I was deeply disgusted”

    i deeply beg to differ – it WASNT “a” father that was deeply disgusted and upset, it was many many fathers that were. The official escuse from Rabbi Newman was that there is too much mingeling after the graduation, and that BR officially got notice from Rabbi Chadakov not to have the fathers come.

    Why cant the fathers – who spent 8 long years educating their daughters – come and shep a bissel nachas, and then leave 1st and meet their families either on the street or at home to prevent this mingeling??????

    Rabbi chadakov passed away 20+ yrs ago – all of a sudden when 1 parent who hangs around people from other kraizen all week long -embaressed to say that in CH fathers come, he decides to make a shturem and complain, NOW 20+ yrs later we wake up and start picking and choosing of all the HoRaos that R”C gave BR which ones we should do and which important ones should be left at the way side. no wonder the students dont take the same lesson from the faculty.

    its about time the faculty of BR wake up smell the coffee and realize what the REAL issues is.

  • beyond belief

    HEY you all. Do you know that the few fathers that had the courage to come to Bais Rivka High School graduation were NOT put in proper mechitza like Bnos Menachem fathers. They were enclosed in a boxes cage.closed from all sides. But hey wasn’t bais rivka the school that when their students together with Bnos Menachem girls did a fun Purim shtick the B/R. prinicipal {example set for loshon nikia???} said to her students “Once its a joke twice ur a DOPE. Yes she used the word DOPE. And isn’t it the school who loves tznius. We all do and we should. But they stop students and tell them to pick up their skirts and to pick up their shirts to see what is underneath. Need to check out these teachers:[CANNOT use word mechanchos on them} to see if underneath they are wearing long sleeve slips and choking neck slips. Who is up for that? yea this is the same school that says ”you the father that toiled for 12 years to pay tuition and studied with your daughter and watched her grow from grade 1 to B.H. highschool . You stay home and if you do come you get to sit in a cage. No words

  • mom

    It would have been nice to see the fathers. There was no singing — whats the issue.

  • not in CH

    18. mom wrote “whats the issue.” ….its a sign of the times ,if there is no issue…make one up

  • ha ha ha

    To no. 18 . you want to know the issue. There is no issue. Just a bunch a people who dont know what they are doing trying to run a school/ And horaeh from Rabbi Chodokov?How obscene is that? 20 years after he passes away they wake up. You people have to think of something better. You are already a laughing stock

  • ost chancel

    For 8 years at registration the administrator refused to give me a break in tuition even when I told him I was laid off. I finally got a job but it wasnt enough. My wife had to work at night and I had to get an extra job affording us little time to be with our children. And I still had to take out gmachs to cover the tuition. And the apaathy lives on. After all that I dont even after 8 years and all that sacrifice to witness that moment of nachas

  • Just dont get it

    Last week my wife and I took a 2 hour trip out of town returning home at 1 A.M. in the morning. We went to our grandsons graduation. What a nachas. It was worth the trip . I remember my father a’h coming to my daughter’s graduations. BH noone deprived him of that nachas and noone took my daughters pleasure away of having their zeidy there. It meant everything to them to have Tatty and zeidy there. In these difficult times that we are going through why oh why are you being so insensitive to us to take this pleasure of witnessing this momentous occassion of our children. Or maybe you think a graduation is not such a momentous occassion. But one of your teachers i heard said how the Rebbe took of His time to address graduates affirming that it is a great occassion and Rabbi Shemtov spoke as well of this auspicious time. And deny this to Tattys and Zaidys. Honestly? unsensitive and unforgivable

  • to no. 2

    To number 2 . Looks like BR is following williamsburg.. Bnos Menachem allows fathers to witness and shep this nachas. So… do Williamsburg girls learn tanya and go on mivtoim.? Is BR taking that out of their ciricullum.. After all what williiamsburg does we do. Its a new world

  • chill

    tO NO. 16 . dont know why you are so shocked at primcipals language? My daughter came home one day and told me her Tanya teacher got upset at girls and said “girls close your damn Tanyas” And she still teaches there. So by comparison “dope ” is good. Calm down no. 16

  • :)

    haha! its funny how many beis rivkah girls ik ;)
    miss u guyz and cant wait 2 c u!!!!

  • crazzyy

    i think in the invitatoin it said specificlly fathers were not allowed

  • RS

    after SO many years that all of a sudden the fathers can’t come??
    I also have to say that I only heard ONE mom so far complain about the rediculous noise…..LOUD TALKING during the entire program. They have sections for smoking, so maybe they can make a special section for YAPPERS in the next (soundproof) room.
    Nobody was even whispering, they were just talking casually and loudly. Really unacceptable

  • MAZEL TOV!!!!!

    GO CHANI SPIELMAN
    WE LOVE YOU
    U DID A GREAT JOB
    YOUR THE BEST
    LOVE; US ALL

  • MAZEL TOV!!!!!

    HEY MUSHKY SPIELMAN
    YOU WERE AWESOME
    REALLY
    YOU DID A FANTASTIC JOB
    LOVE; ME YOUR #1 COUSIN
    YOU KNOW WHO. DONT YOU
    WELL IF NOT ILL TELL YOU WHO IT IS
    IT’S ME

  • oh, come on!!!

    i agree with all the commentators who say that it was wrong to not include the fathers. They deserve to see the nachas of their children graduating… AND the girls deserve to see their WHOLE family there!!

  • I see it quite differently....

    Okay,so what if BR thoughtfully decided that too much mingling was going on and changed a policy?? Judging by the dress of some parents (????), would you want your husband there? And, if you have a problem with BR policy, noone’s forcing you with a gun to send your daughter there. You have other choices, so don’t bash your school. Bad chinuch for your children. Nextly, I HIGHLY doubt a Tanya teacher in BR said that. Maybe check your info. Finally, saying a phrase with the rhyming word “dope” is a phrase indicating not thinking correctly. Big deal. Appreciate what you have!!

  • go shterna sara brook!!!!!!!

    your the best in the whole world!!!!! u were great!! so proud of you! cant wait to c u in high school!

  • seriously not ok!

    not to mention those poor girls who possibly only have a father……………………there is bound 2 b at least one in the class………….

  • No Fathers Allowed??

    I cringe when I read the comments about no fathers allowed to the graduation. It is so sad that the big issue in Bais Rivkah is to keep the fathers away from getting nachas from their daughters. Is this all Rabbi Newman has time to think of these days?? What about building self esteem in our girls and letting their entire families enjoy the graduation? Not allowing fathers to go is NOT going to solve the issue of mingling. There are plenty of places they can still mingle! Let them just have some nachas!
    It’s time to get rid of the old fogies who are left in Bais Rivkah and bring in some young blood, people who can relate to the students of today and stick to the real issues at hand!

  • also a father

    Thank you Beis Rivka for having the courage to do the right thing. Its the schools job to set the standard and not base policy on public opinion. Should we set Tznius policy based on the way the public dresses r”l?

  • BR graduate

    Kudos to Bais Rivkah to have the courage to stand up for what they believe is right, despite the ludicrous opinion of people whothink they know better. To those who are mocking the staff. These are men and women that the REBBE HIMSELF appointed. Who are you to think that you know better than the Rebbe?

    I am a Bais Rivkah Graduate of 5772 and, no , my father was not in attendance. However upset we may have been that he could not come, I know my father gets a lot of nachas in other ways because he tells me so. In fact, when we found out that there would be only women aloud and I told my father, I learnt a powerful lesson of chinuch. Instead of lashing out and bashing the school, which I’m sure many other parent sdid, my father and I spoke about how smoetimes even though it’s hard..we have to do whats right and accept it with Kabala Ol. That even though he really wished he could see me graduate , he still gets so much nachas from me, and we have to do what’s right.

    Building self esteem is not accomplished soley through coming to graduation. And is not the job of the teacher alone (TO whoever suggested that Rabbi Newman be workingn to build the Kids self esteem). Building self esteem, chinuch, and a love of yiddishkeit are things that require nurturing both in and out of school.

    We were explained before the invitations went out that the Policy that Bais Rivkah was instructed by Rabbi Chodokov was to follow the tznius standards of Bais Yaakov. At Bais Yaakov graduations there are NO men in attendance. This is Bais Yaakov we are talking about, not Williamsburg. Issues of Tznius that we know have an effect in many other areas of our lives, why tamper with them?

    And in response to numnber 45, true there are many places that parents can mingle…but the graduation of the students of the Rebbe’s Moisod Should Not be the place!

  • To #45 Respect for Harav Newman

    Rabbi Newman is an honest serious individual and he is very succesfull in what he does. Ask people who were inviolved the last few years in Bais Rivka the phenominal improvement made to Bais Rivke when Rav Newman returned.

    Regarding your question about Tznius I would Encourage you to ask Harav Heller. Please when you get an answer publish it here at this website.

    Also please put names to your comments if not it is considered a pashkvill.

    Nachman Sanowicz

  • yisroel rubin

    Mazal Tov to my dear and wonderful daughter Chaya Rubin

    on her Graduation from Bais Rivkah Elementary

    keep up the Good work and may you keep on climbing in
    your avoda Hakodesh.

    from your Father.

  • # 46

    I couldn’t agree more. Men are not supposed to be looking at women or grown girls period. Let alone when they’re speaking on stage! While there’s no official singing at the grad, the girls tend to be very loud and attract much attention to themselves which should not be done in front of men. If a father came to hear his daughter give the valedictory speech and then left, I don’t think anyone will have an issue with that. But to look and listen for 2 hours while your daughter spends 30 seconds getting her diploma is not proper.

  • a former college

    kenny, i can’t belive you have such big girls already! :) wow – much nachas….

  • dissapointed

    no. 42 . You are talking about bad chinuch for your children. Bad chinuch for your children is condoning a high respected authority in her school calling her students dopes. And the justification is there are worse word?? How low you have fallen. And condoning a teacher that said damn tanya. 100 % happened and if you are shocked you should be. And if you want to close your eyes and pretend it didn’t . If that works for you so be it. AND no. 47 Its should be the school policy to set standards that are approriate and make sense. They did not. That was not courage. That was a cowardly act of no sensitivity and not following OUR way . But get onto the Williamsburg or Bais Yaakov bandwagon which is definitely not our way. And By the way I was there . You are apparently a judgemental vengeful negative person. Definitely not a CHOSID. 99% or more of our ladies and girls were dressed approriately

  • agree

    i know first hand that fathers not being allowed was r’l. newman’s new idea … i agree it should be rethought BUT i can tell u that teachers are careful w/ the language they say

  • unbelievable

    To no. 48 I hope u realize that your letter made no sense at all. You are grappling to save face. If you are BH married < did your father stay home and shep nachas from your marriage from his home. If that makes you happy so good for you. Normal girls want their fathers to witness this auspicious occassion in their life. It means alot for them to physically see and witness this and normal fathers want to actually see the nachas with their eyes. Pray tell what else are we doing like Bais yaakov if we were so instructed. When are the mussar classes starting? Rabbi Chodokov passed away 20 years ago. It took a very respected admministration 20 years to follow his instruction. ?? How do you even think you make any sense? And if you question of how important this occassion is that it is ok for your father not to be there? The Rebbe, our nossi, took of His time to address us on this special occassion. So its pretty special and that is why fathers and daughters deserve this right

  • It did happen

    no 55 , Totally agree with you that most teachers are careful with the language they say. BH for that. But I had a daughter in the class where one tanya teacher used that unfortunate expression and I at that time was going back and forth with the idea if I should mention it to the administration. i did not. She had been there for many years. I think she still is. Dont know for sure and I really felt they would not do anything based on previous times that I had brought things up/ So I never said anything but my daughter and myself have lost total respect for this person/ But you are right. Most teachers BH would not talk like that. However one is one too much

  • troubled

    I was deeply troubled by the comment where the writer H writes that we are somehow supposed to be following in the way of Bais Yaakov. Never mind that I thought not allowing fathers in was wrong . If you think a problem would arise so as teachers, principals and mechanchos you should use your wisdom to figure out a way to make this work. But regarding the Bais Yaakov issue as I wrote I felt very troubled by this. When Bais Rivka was founded by the Freerdiker Rebbe there were Bais Yaakovs. However the Rebbe apparently felt that we should not follow their way of chinuch and founded Bais RIvka.And I am a graduate of one of the first graduating classes and I remember the immense hardships the school went through and the Rebbe never said close up shop, give up. Let them all join Bais Yaakkov. Its not like they would go to public school. There IS a yeshiva for them. So.. please do not insult us and tell us to follow the ways of Bais Yaakov. Do their girls go out on shlichus? Do they study maamorim, sichos and tanya? Do our girls marry boys who sit and learn a lifetime? No our school was supposed to be a school that runs under our Rebbes teachings. And if you say weem have a tznius problem. Then maybe the buck DOES stop here. Maybe our school is just not doing something right and instead of blinding yourself and lou ooking elsewhere Look the problem in the face and figure out what it is you are doing wrong and fix it. All you do is complain about the situation. You are not taking any responsibility. YOU have these girls in your hands for 4 years . You need to figure something out and if cant take the heat get out of the kitchen and maybe there is someone else who can do it better. THe same people have been there for the last 30 years. It seems that you have lost your touch. May we be zoche to be mikabel pnei moshiach tzidkeinu Right Now

  • AL YISBAYESH MIPNEY HAMALIGIM

    I am the father of a very talented girl bla“h. a couple of years ago, she had a leading role in the Beis Rivkah Production. As you can imagine,my desire to attend, and my daughters desire for me to be there were immeasurable. Not only did I not attend,I did not see the DVD of the production either. Why not? Because the Shulchan Oruch forbids it.

    My fellow Lubavitchers, ask any Chasidishe Rov and they will tell you that it is not appropriate for a man to sit for two hours and look at a group of girls (especially in the manner that our girls behave in at their graduation). These are not ”Williamsburg standards”(although I dont see why we cant strive to be like them in those areas that they excel in. The Rebbe wanted us to copy them – ask those that know.), these are basic Frumme standards that come straight out of the Shulchan Oruch.

    Keep up the good work Beis Rivka, V’AL YISBAYESH MIPNEI HAMALIGIM.

    A Proud Father

  • We want more

    Thank you Rabbi Newman and Beis Rivka for doing the right thing. Hopefully the other girl school in CH will follow.

    I’d like to suggest that your new project for the coming school year should be to focus on the tznius of your staff.

    I am a teacher in BR and I see first hand that Although the majority are great, too many are not the proper Chasidishe role models that they should be (tight or short skirts, low necklines and exposed toes painted purple. there’s more but I’ll stop here).

    I’ts hard enough to fight the influences that our girls pick up from walking down our streets. Its way harder when I have to tell my daughter that they shouldn’t dress like their teacher or principal.

    Don’t be afraid to stand up for whats right, no matter whose “toes” you may step on. You are our only hope in changing the tide of the terrible tznius epidemic that we face.

  • Hoping for a more tznius community!

    I am shocked to see how many poeple are writing against our Mosad when they finally put their foot down and do what is right! Congratulations Rabbi Newman, and anyone else involved in this tznius improvement. Late, but better late than never. I was finally able to tell my husband that he can’t come, without making my graduate feel bad. Although I never thought it was the place for the men, mingling with the women, I didn’t want my daughters to be the only ones who’s father didn’t show up. So my husband came, even though he was not comfortable with the whole thing. Since when are we like Williamsburg? And is that such a bad thing? Halevai our Tznius would be like them!! We have fallen so low-look how many people don’t even get that men at a girls graduation where women speak, and the mixing after,is against Halacha…
    I only hope Bais Rivka contiues to take many bigger steps in improving our Tznius, after all, we have “way to go” and Bais Rivkah, our Mosad, is the best place to start!!
    Thank you Bais Rivka, and I hope to continue seeing many more positive changes with the rules of Tznius in our school in the near future!

  • A father of many BR students

    We support you, Beis Rivkah.

    I hope that you are strong enough to stand by your decision.

    I am horrified by the knowledge that some of the posters above are parents of children in BR.

    Chazak Chazak Vinischazek!

  • Basic Shulchan Oruch

    Although I agree with BR decision not to allow men. I take issue with the explanation given to the parents that this is a “horoa from R’ Chadikov”.

    One of the main reasons for our tznius problems is because we treat tznius as on of the ten mivtzoim. “Do it for the Rebbe” “what would the rebbe think” etc.

    It is crucial, when teaching about tznius to stress that this is a yesoid in yiddishkeit. When a woman is not tzniusdik it is equal to a michalel shabbos and you may not eat in her kitchen. Tznius is not like an extra credit question.

    Beis Rivka should proudly state that the reason for their decision is not a horoa from R’ Chadikov but rather a halocho from the Shulchan Oruch.

  • agreeing with all

    It is so sad to see that the fathers and zeidys were not allowed to take part in this milestone in their daughters’ lives, especially high school graduation. For all the work they did in raising their, daughters they should at least be allowed to be there. I understand if they asked brothers not to come, but there was nothing so special about the program anyway…just let the fathers come.

    Meanwhile the men who work in the school were there and snapping pictures and we have men teaching them so why can their own fathers come to graduation?

    This is silly and i agree with everyone else…its time for new blood before we lose it all togehter.

  • to $42

    why should we stay the same when we KNOW we can have better. Our daughters deserve the BEST education possible and we shouldnt stop demanding it until we get it. Bais Rivka is the Rebbe’s school and if it was a great school there wouldnt be a need for people to open up new ones.

    if we stayed on the same level in our yiddishkeit and never learned or wanted to learn more, wouldnt that be a problem too. how much more so if the chinuch of our kids isnt just staying the same but its getting worse.

    my daughter deserves better and so do yours

  • Nachman- s friend

    Years ago, the parent body was at least respectful when they entered the yeshiva/school grounds. They acted and dressed in a respectful and appropriate manner.

    Todays parents are totally clueless as to what is acceptable behavior (a mother showing up with bare legs at an eighth grade boys grduation, fathers going over to the ladies side or the ladies going over to the men… I can write a book about what I saw).

    I think that all yeshivas and schools should follow beis rivkahs lead, and invite either only fathers or only mothers.

  • regards from Beis Chaya Mushka

    Everyone looked really tznius, Boruch Hashem!
    May you have much nachas from your daughters.

  • where are u all coming from

    No. 60. The Rebbe told us to follow Williamsburg// ? When you say an insane remark like that you should give the source. Everyone who wants people to take what they say seriously say “ the Rebbe said. The Rebbe would want” If you say that you need to give the exact source. WIthout that your word are puste luft. explanation” : hot air And comparing a production to a graduation/ ? JUST tells us all how low your i Q level is. I dont even have to explain here. When was the last time a father complained or asked to be at a production. If you write a comment atleast think before you do. And I am a Bais Rivka teacher and the level of tznius of our teachers are 100% halachikly kosher. According to shulchan orech. Not according to Willaimsburg, Boro Park Monsey , Bais Yaakov or Meah Sheorim

  • questioning horrified

    No 63 yOU ARE horrified that there are parents that see that there is a problem/ ? yOU JUST want to pretend there isn’t and then you go around moaning and complaining aabout the tznius. Conclusion; i THINK YOU jusst enjoy the complaing and are willing to let things just go as is. Chasn v’sholom even suggest that these old people that are running the school are so out of touch that they are useless

  • solution for no.62

    No.62 . Shame shame shame on you for even saying “halivai we were like Williamssburg. We dont even put their hashgocho in our mouths. shame on you. And if you so desire this. Who is stopping you/ mOVE TO Willimsburg, eat satmar meat and send your daughter to Bais Rochel. That will make you happy and you will not have to complain. Easy as that.

  • Nachas

    All fathers who want to see nachas from their daughters have to be a role model and adhere to the Shulchan Aruch.If that means not going to her graduation, be it so.

  • enough already

    No.73 When did the shulchan orech change/? fOR ALL the years of graduations and our Rebbe was here to witness it , this is how it was done. And when one morning someone wakes up and decides to follow not the shulchan orech but other jews customs all of sudden its shulchan orech. All these years we were oiver on shulchan orech? Trust me the people now who came up with this idea are not fit to shine the boots of our oringinal mechanchhim and principals and trust me they knew shulchan orech and they also had that extra level of chochma and daas. Enough with the misnagdishe maises

  • This is why i dont go to beis rivkah

    If my father dident come to my graduation i would be crsetfallen. Im sure that the girls thimk the same way. WAY TO GO BEIS RIVKAH YOU SUCK!!

  • meshugs

    mazel tov mini shprintz! sorry i couldnt make it.. you didnt come to my window to wake me up! haha dont worry i’ll make it up to you bli neds!
    the Alter Rebbe teaches us…:)

  • Jules Dickinson (nee.Rowan)

    Fathers should attend their daughters graduation.What is the problem?This is something I do not understand?