After thoughtful consideration from faculty, and even begging from students, the Hebrew Department brought back Heschelron, the annual song competition in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut. 

When the school announced the return of Heschelron, Junior Ariella Roseman expressed her excitement, saying, “I am very happy that is coming back because it is part of what makes Heschel, Heschel.”

The competition between Hebrew classes in each grade allows students to work as a class to perform a dance and a song in front of the school, adhering to a school-wide theme, בית (house). This process allows teachers to step back and let students take the lead in a creative process. 

The program was initially canceled this year due to concerns that the significantly larger freshmen class would make it hard to accommodate everyone on stage. However, students pushed for its return and the Department adjusted to make it work. 

Last year, two ninth-grade Hebrew classes who performed the song לצאת מדיכאון Latzet Midikaon (emerging from depression) by Yagel Oshri won the competition. At the end of their winning performance, the classes used yellow ribbons to create a Jewish star, a symbol of solidarity for the hostages. 

This year, Adi’s 11th grade class took home first place with their moving performance of Lehagia Habayta, “To Return Home,” by Doli & Penn and Elai Botner. They spoke of hoping for the return of the hostages, connecting to this year’s theme of bayit, or home. The class worked hard to deliver a unified strong performance and wore blue and white hats to honor Israel’s colors.