YALDAH Magazine News

Just a quick hello...

2012-01-12T05:37:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

Long time no speak. I don't have much time because I'm off from school today to study for my biology midterm and I have to go do that :) but I just wanted to pop in and say hi.
The Winter Issue was beautiful (I especially liked the cover) and for those of you who didnt read the footnote under the "To Be Continued," the story finished but you can look forward to some great features in the Spring Issue. Also in the Spring Issue, we will be introducing the Editorial Board 2012! Edboard members were informed this week and I look forward to working with them. Just a note to those girls who were not accepted: I wasn't accepted either the first time I applied. And now I'm COO. So you just never know.

Hatzlacha to everyone who has midterm exams.
Have a great day!

Meira

Regards from Eretz Yisroel!

2012-01-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

Really I'm in the middle of midterms now so I don't have much time to write but I already studied almost everything for tomorrow so I can say hi!!

Pictures... a picture of the end of Neve's Chanukah Chagigah which all of the seminary girls from all over come to... it was amazing. Girls are awesome!!! Also, some Menorahs in Neve Yerushalayim where I go to school [we all light together in the dining room], and my Menorah! I saw that Tali mentioned something about where Chanukah happened so I thought I'd share a couple pictures of that special place - how it looks nowadays. The first one is the night before Chanukah started, the second is earlier this week.

Currently listening to... "Dreams Come True" by Abie Rotenberg on Journeys IV. Definitely worth getting if you don't have it yet!!

I hear our subscribers are getting the winter issue! Let us know what you think! I'll tell you my opinion - I LOVE IT and I think it's awesome!!!

Yay for our amazing staff and the 2011 Editorial Board!

And as Meira said, join us as we look ahead to spring - please, submit!!

How was your Channukah?

2011-12-29T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

How was your Channukah? Baruch Hashem (thank G-d), mine was great. Busy, but great. My school had a chagigah (party) one day, a "Yom Iyun" (literally day of reflection/studying...) about how doing small things can make a difference, and a breakfast one morning. Not to mention non-stop play practice for our school play (which was tonight. i was a nurse)

Here's some Channukah pictures:

Menoras in the window:

My family's Channukah cookies: Delicious and cute at the same time! Here's a picture of one that I made that I thought was funny:(in case the lighting is bad, it says made of clay).

SO....bet ur not thinking about spring yet in this cold weather (that is, if ur somewhere cold :) ). But guess what? I am. So is everyone on the Yaldah staff, like Leah, Tali, Lena and Rebecca, Nechama (yeah, its cold, and b''H--thank G-d--raining, in Israel too), as well as our super EDboard 2011. And so should you. Submit to Yaldah!!!!! We want you to be a part of our Spring Issue! email submissions@yaldahmagazine.com to submit. I can't wait to see you in the Spring Issue. You can also send ideas for articles too!

I guess that's all for now! Have a great Shabbas!

Meira

Makeshift makes it

2011-12-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
I feel horrible! Three days without a post is a bit much. I'm sorry! I had some... uh... technical difficulties. But I'm back!
Ask any little kid why we celebrate Chanuka and she'll tell you that the oil burned for 8 days. And that's all very well and good, but where did the oil burn? We seem to overlook the fact that the Greeks had quite recently defiled and destroyed the entire Bais Hamikdosh- including the menorah. Where was the oil burning? It was burning in a "makeshift" menorah, made of wood, that the Jews had thrown together in order to preform the mitzvah. Instead of waiting around in order to find something bigger- better, they preformed the mitzvah there and then. They took what they had available to them and used it to the best of their ability. Eventually they added tin to the menorah, then silver, and finally gold. Many times we wait around until we can do the action perfectly- but by waiting around you miss all the opportunities that come along the way. Chanuka attests to the fact that Hashem accepts makeshift and imperfect. Just do the best you can!
Have you ever started something small and imperfect that snowballed into something big?
Happy Chanuka!

Just a little

2011-12-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
Sorry this post is coming to you so late at night. That's what happens when you say that you're going to take a nap for "just 15 minutes." Tonight's short idea came from the same teacher who said the one I used on the first night.She made us chocolate mousse today. I like that class!
What makes Chanuka different from all the other holidays? On all the holidays we had an enemy and through nissim we defeated that enemy. So what makes Chanuka special?
During all the other holidays it was a sit back, relax, and enjoy the show kind of thing. Hashem did all the miracles, and we watched and celebrated. On Chanuka we went to war. We put in effort and fought. On Chanuka we put in a little bit of effort, we tried just an ounce, and Hashem took us all the way. From Chanuka we learn how far a little goes. A little bit of effort won us the war. A little jug of oil lasted for 8 days. Sometimes we feel like we're a nobody- to small to make any sort of difference anywhere. All we have to do though is put in that little bit of effort- Hashem will do the rest.
Happy Chanuka x3!
What was a time where you put in a bit of effort and saw great results?

Spread the warmth

2011-12-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
Happy Chanuka night 2! This morning I realized that it wasn't so smart of me to commit to writing on a blog every single night... I don't have the best memory when it comes to these things! But I'm going to do my best- that's my Chanuka present to you and myself.
Every day of Chanuka we read about a different one of the Nesi'im (princes) of the Shevatim (tribes) and the gifts they brought to the dedication of the Mishkon. Each day a different nasi brought his gift. On the first day Nachshon ben Aminadav, the nasi of Yehuda brought his gift- expensive and beautiful. On the second day the second nasi, Nesanel ben Tzuar, the nasi of Yissachor, had a decision to make. He could either try to "one-up" Nachson and bring a more expensive, fancier gift, thereby causing each succeeding nasi to have to bring a better, fancier gift than the one before, or he could forget his personal honor and bring the same gift as Nachshon. Nesanel chose to keep the achdus (unity)in Klal Yisrael. He brought the exact same gift as Nachson, and all the other nesi'im did the same. Nesanel let go of his personal pride in order to keep the peace.
On the second day of Chanuka, today, we read about Nesanel's gift. It's the exact same thing we read yesterday, and the exact same thing we'll read tomorrow, but there's a tremendous lesson we can pull out from this. A lot of times we feel that we need to be the best, we need to be noticed. Nesanel teaches us that's not true. Sometimes we need to take a step back so we can all share in the spotlight. So, today take a step back and perhaps look for that girl in your class who isn't always noticed- who perhaps doesn't have as many "gifts" as you. Pull her into the spotlight. Help her feel the warmth of the Chanuka flames.
What's one way you can help spread the light?
Happy Chanuka!

Happy Chanuka!

2011-12-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

Hey there!
How are you? I feel really bad. I told you guys in my last post that I'd tell you as soon as I got my YALDAH. Well I got it that Shabbos and... I pushed it off a little :P But I did get it and it looks great! I'm so impressed with this issue. What's your favorite feature in the fall issue?
Tonight is the first night of Chanuka- I LOVE Chanuka. There's just something about it that really makes you smile. Anyway, my teacher was telling us that she and her husband have the custom to say a different short dvar torah every night of Chanuka, so I thought I'd bring that to the YALDAH blog. That should give it some life! Haha I almost just wrote light. Shows how into Chanuka I am.
My teacher (same one)told us today one of the divrei torah her husband says every year. She said that if after you light the Chanuka candles one goes out, you don't have to relight. This shows us that the end result doesn't matter as much as the effort we put in. Even if it looks like it didn't work out in the end- the candle didn't light- Hashem sees that you tried and you get the credit and reward for just doing that. We shouldn't get discouraged when things don't work out the first time. How does that saying go? If you fail the first time try try try again.
What area do you want to try harder in?
Happy Chanuka everyone!

Have a GREAT Channukah

2011-12-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

hey guys!
i think im continuing my 'just about every two weeks' pattern with posting.
Except i dont really have so much to say. So I'll talk about Channukah. Charlie Harary has an amazing video on aish.com about greatness. Basically, he talks about how greatness is overcoming a challenge that you have.
Here's my take on it: the thing about a challenge is that basically you can't do it! It's not physically possible! But you have to make an effort, and G-d helps you accomplish or overcome the obstacle! It's like the maccabees-they were so small but they made an effort to fight and G-d helped them win!
Another point he made was that greatness is not about what other ppl think. It's not about winning awards or being famous or things like that. Being great is about you (and G-d) and becoming the best you that you can be.

So this Channukah, lets try to achieve some greatness!

Have a freilichen (happy) Channukah!

love,
Meira

P.S. For those of you going on JGR, have fun!
P.P.S. Have you applied for the editorial board yet?

Can't Wait!

2011-12-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

So my fall issue hasn't come yet, which kind of makes this post a little pointless :) Maybe it will come today! I'll post again when I get it. I'm so excited to see it, because although I do see most of what's in the magazine before it goes to print, it's still so exciting to see it in real, live (who was it that said the written word is alive?) magazine form. Every time I get the magazine I'm amazed by it. How is it that a bunch of young girls are able to put together something so beautiful? Oh, and what's this with saying it's not really fall? Technically, fall lasts until December 21st so we've got some time :)

Anyway, I'm mostly writing to wish you guys a wonderful Shabbos! I hope you're all inspired this Shabbos, and you're connection with Hashem is strengthened.

What's your favorite Shabbos food?

Leave your answers in the comments!

Loving the Fall Issue...

2011-12-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

Even though its not quite Fall anymore, the Fall Issue came out beautifully (and is relevant year-round). If you haven't gotten it yet, look out for a stunning issue!
One of the coolest things about each issue of Yaldah is that the articles are so diverse! This issue has regulars like "Just Ask," "Estie's Journal," and "Poets Corner," as well as articles about different interests such as "Happy, Healthy Hair," and "Putting on a Play." But my favorite part was "The Complete Insider Guide to Getting Involved at Yaldah." Getting involved in Yalah is so rewarding! Yaldah is "for Jewish girls, by Jewish girls" and the article really described how to become a part of the Yaldah community. I'm not going to give away what it says in the article :), but I thought I'd mention it, especially because it reminded me to come blog again. Have you gotten involved in Yaldah? Read the article to find out how!

Here's a little "behind-the-scenes" update:

-Winter Issue: The content for the issue is done and it's in the final stages of being designed.

-Spring Issue: Articles have been assigned to editorial board members already. The issue is filled with some new, (very cool), and different articles in adition to the favorites. Don't forget to submit so that you can be a part of this fantastic issue!
I guess that's all for now!
Have a great week!

Meira

P.S. You may be wondering why I always post about submitting and getting involved. I love the unity of the Yaldah community and the messages Yaldah represents. Because I know firsthand how amazing it is and how super the girls on the staff/edboard are, I feel like everyone should get involved so they can feel it too!
P.P.S. What was your favorite part of the issue?

Hey there!

2011-11-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

How are you?

Meira has inspired me to post something on this blog, so here I am!

I'm Tali Gross, YALDAH's Submissions Editor. I have the awesome job of helping to choose which of your amazing submissions make it into YALDAH! So submit! I love reading everyone's different stories, opinions, and ideas, and seeing all the other ways that our readers are creative. That's probably one of my favorite parts of YALDAH- seeing all the talent.

The winter issue is looking really great, and I'm super excited for the fall issue to reach all of you. Can you believe that we're already working on the Spring issue? There are still some leaves clinging to the trees where I live! Working on a magazine can confuse your season sensor.

I don't have all that much to fill this post with, but I'll do my best to keep you guys updated and entertained!

I figure everyone has their special sign off, and even though I am listening to music right now (Mo Ashiv from Baruch Levine's new CD Hakshifa) I probably shouldn't steal that from Nechama. So I'll end with a question. Thanksgiving just passed.

What are you thankful for?

Leave your answers in the comments!

Have a great week!

Looking for messages...

2011-11-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hi there! I figured that it's been two weeks since I last posted, and things are hopping here at Yaldah, so it's time for a new post.

I'm new on the staff, so I'm ultra excited that we're starting to work on the spring issue! (Don't forget that we LOVE getting submissions and want to see your work in Yaldah!)

On a totally separate topic, I want to share a fun story and the message I can take from it. A couple days ago, I had told someone that I was going to bring brownies to an event they were having. I have this amazing recipe for brownies and I love making them. So I made sure that we bought all the ingredients that I needed, and I got ready to bake. But then I recalled that a few days earlier my father had said that the oven didn't work. I wasn't sure if it had gotten fixed, and I was the only one home, so I couldn't ask anyone. So I looked online to find a microwave brownie recipe that looked good. I found one and proceeded to whip up a batter (such a cool phrase!) When I was done, I attempted to put our microwave-safe pan into the microwave and...it didn't fit. And I was so annoyed. So I ended up looking up if it's possible to bake brownies in a bowl, and apparently you can, so I did. Except I had no idea how long to bake them for. Finally after much experimenting, lots of frustration, and making a mess in the kitchen, my brownies were done. And then my father came home and told me that the oven had been fixed a few days earlier. After that whole fiasco in the kitchen (it really was crazy) I could have just made a normal recipe in the oven. But I decided that I should try to take a message out of it rather than get all annoyed (not that it takes away the annoyance completely, but it's something to aim toward). I guess I can take the message that even when things get crazy and frustrating, there's still something good about it. Like I found a terrific brownie recipe. It can even be made in a bowl :).

Are you looking for messages in your life?

Have a great Shabbos!

Meira

P.S. Just a reminder to apply for the editorial board and register for Jewish Girls' Retreat.
P.P.S. Did you see Leah's Google Business Story? It's awesome!

Regards from the Holy Land!

2011-11-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody!

It's me! What's up? I'm doing really well B"H... enjoying Eretz Yisroel! I really just wanted to drop a line and say hi - I have lots to do...

My seminary is going on a three-day tiyul/trip to the Negev/south, starting tomorrow. So that's very exciting :) Clearing my memory card!

Can't wait for you to get the fall issue - it's amazing, fall, winter, spring or summer!!

Hope everyone's doing well!

Nechama

P.S. Listening to "Akavia" on Music Language of My Soul by Zevi Kaufman. Highly recommend... my seminary is very into this CD :)

Hi!

2011-11-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

I noticed that nobody has blogged in a while, so I decided to post just to say hi and to introduce myself.
My name is Meira Goldberg, and I'm Yaldah's Chief Operations Officer. Basically, I'm working behind the scenes to help the magazine run smoothly and on time. Right now, Baruch Hashem (thank G-d), the Fall Issue is at the printer, and I am working the Winter Issue, my first issue in my new position.
On a completely different note, I'd like to encourage you to apply for the Editorial Board 2012. I was on the board for two years, and it was AMAZING. Working on Yaldah, meeting girls from around the globe, learning about magazine production...it's an experience of a lifetime. You can download the application from yaldahmagazine.com . Believe me, it's fantastic.

Have a super day!

Meira

Talk to you soon!

2011-09-06T00:58:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

Just wanted to let you know that I am imy"H (G-d willing) leaving for Eretz Yisroel/Israel tomorrow, September 6th. I will be learning and living at Bnos Chava Seminary in Har Nof, Yerushalayim/Jerusalem.

I'm soo excited and although my internet access will be severely limited, I'd love to hear from you - nechama@yaldahmagazine.com.

Talk to you soon :)

Nechama

P.S. Listening to Experience by Miami Boys Choir on the album Ultimate Miami: The English Collection. AWESOME!! I actually got this CD free from Mostly Music on their free download offer - yay Mostly Music! You rock!! :)

Believe it, or not?

2011-08-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, when I was 15 years old, Babaganewz Magazine interviewed me for their "emet--truth" themed issue. They asked what we at YALDAH do to ensure that our reporting is correct and truthful. I replied that, of course, we fact-check, but didn't think much more of it. After-all, we are a magazine featuring fiction, crafts, summer boredom busters, holiday highlights, mitzvah profiles, and girl-to-girl advice. I wasn't too worried about dishonest or biased reporting.

Since then, I've given numerous media interviews--all incredibly positive experiences. Yes, as expected, there are always some misquotes and incorrect facts, but in general, each media outlet--from the Boston Globe to Discovery Girls Magazine to Lifetime TV and CEO Kids--has presented my entrepreneurial journey and magazine without injecting their strong personal bias.

This week that changed for me. Earlier this month, Irin Carmon of Tablet Magazine interviewed me. We spoke in my home for over an hour. I felt I really gave her a complete picture of YALDAH - my background and accomplishments, the girls who write for the magazine, our book imprint, Jewish Girls Retreats, our target audience, what the response has been. I felt like it was a good conversation, although I did notice that Ms. Carmon seemed overly interested in finding out if we had covered "controversial" topics in the past and what the reaction had been to them. For those of you who are YALDAH readers, you know that our content is fun, upbeat, and inspiring. The articles are written by by Jewish girls ages 8-17. Like American Girl, we aren't about controversy. Ms. Carmon left with a sample magazine in hand, and contact information for numerous YALDAH staff members to interview in order to get a variety of perspectives on the magazine and its related projects.

However, it seems that Ms. Carmon's agenda was to present YALDAH as an orthodox-only girls magazine which is concerned exclusively with modesty and tradition. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt (as is required by Jewish tradition) that she perhaps misunderstood much of our interview, or, felt that her job as a journalist is to create a controversial piece. Whatever the motivation, the article that appeared in Tablet Magazine yesterday (8/17/11) gave a warped view of what YALDAH is about, and certainly didn't convey my personal ambitions and dreams for YALDAH Media, Inc.

I cringed just reading the blurb on the article itself:

"What is an Orthodox teenage girl to do when confronted with magazines that cannot possibly resonate with her more modest, traditional outlook? Since 2004, she has been able to turn to Yaldah, which places a premium on tznius and a woman’s place in the home. Yet Yaldah is the work of just such a girl, Leah Caras,profiled today in Tablet Magazine by Irin Carmon, who would seem to have ambitions beyond what is expected of her. Does she buy what her magazine is selling?"

Expected of me? No one ever expected me to become a teen entrepreneur, to run a book publishing company at seventeen, to homeschool for 2 years, to win a host of contests and awards, or start a graphic design business on the side. Hmm. Have you noticed any article in YALDAH lately about a woman's place in the home? But we did have an interview with a pediatrician, a children's book author, a famous cookbook writer, a singer, a comedian, and a balloon artist. Of course we value tznius, but is that the only thing we're about? Do I buy what YALDAH is selling? Sure I do - I buy that Jewish girls have an immense power to change the world for the better.

I learned yesterday, from the Tablet, that it's possible to report all the correct facts, yet still not report the truth. Quotes, taken out of context, can deceive. Omitting the whole picture is also a form of dishonesty. In fact, unlike other reporters, Ms. Carmon would not let me see the article before it went online. She agreed to fact-check, but as I've learned, facts are all about the context they are placed in.

YALDAH fans will recognize that the picture painted in the article is not the magazine they love. While YALDAH is published from a traditional Jewish perspective, it is not exclusively read by Orthodox girls, as many of our loyal readers commented. The suggestion about dressing modestly in an article about eating disorders was one of seven tips given to help develop a positive self-image in spite of conflicting messages from the media. It was clearly not advice to help cure an eating disorder! And of course, modesty is just one minor topic that we address among many others such as getting along with friends, travel, health, careers, and Jewish holidays.

After seven years of over thirty interviews, including many secular media outlets, the Tablet article is the first to present, what in my opinion, is a skewed article. I realize that not every reporter is going to be in line with YALDAH's traditional Jewish views. I realize that reporters may want to push boundaries and to be more critical, but I still expect professionalism.

So, YALDAH readers, I share with you this lesson: remember not to believe every news article you read. The whole picture is rarely filled in. You need to do a bit of investigating yourself. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and any experiences you've encountered with biased reporting.

I'm looking forward to many years of continuing our mission of inspiring and uniting all Jewish girls to express themselves creatively and change the world for the better!

EB 2010!!

2011-07-18T08:36:00.001-07:00

Hello there!

This weekend was very exciting... the Editorial Board 2010 received our EB sweatshirts!! Many thanks go to Rebecca Berlin for coordinating them and putting so much time into them; I can empathize, I did it last time ;)

Anyway, here's a couple pictures of the Milwaukee contingent of the '10 board - me, Sarah Saltzman (yes, my sister) & Tova Appel!

I hope your summer's going well!

Other board members - feel free to send me YOUR sweatshirt pictures and they might make it up here! And if you meet up with any other board members this summer, bring on the pictures! You know my address, right? :)

Talk to you later,

Nechama

P.S. Listening to Raninu by The Chevra (Eli Gerstner) on Chevra 3... wow this is old it was big when I was in 8th grade!!!

Mazel tov, Leah!

2011-06-27T18:46:00.001-07:00

Hello all!

I haven't posted here in quite a while, but like Chavie, I'm going to take the liberty of doing so to say, oh, I don't know, how about something like, "MAZEL TOV, LEAH CARAS!!!"

That's about all. Huge thanks to Nechama for posting pictures, everyone looked completely beautiful.

I miss you all, though everyone is doing an incredible job without me.

Happy summer, y'all.

Hi, all!

2011-06-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take the liberty of posting even though I'm not really staff anymore.
Nechama beat me to it, but I just wanted to say how nice it was to see people from YALDAH, both old-timers and new editorial board girls who will hopefully be involved for many years, last night at Leah's wedding. I saw some girls who I haven't been in contact with since I was 11 and on the editorial board - like Raizy Sessel, who got married a few weeks ago, and Talya Wasserman. I kind of thought that nobody grew up except for me, but what do you know, everybody else grew up too... You mean Raizy's not 14 anymore and didn't just work with me on that article about moving last week? :)
I heard more than one person saying, "This is the nicest, most beautiful wedding I've ever been at." And I agree - you could feel the sheer happiness in the air as everyone danced at the wedding of the most beloved magazine publisher in the world.
I couldn't stop thinking about (and saying out loud!) how awesome it was to have the whole world in Sharon. There were people from every part of Leah's life - her old school, her high school, Sharon, her family, her seminary, and of course, JGR and YALDAH.
JGR and YALDAH took over, as we tend to do at weddings, and cheered for Leah - "Vote for Leah, Leah, vote for Leah..." and chanted JGR songs. And yes, 30 girls joined us for a really fun reunion meal. Tables 1, 2, 3, 3 1/2, and 4, thanks for joining us. :) It was great to see you all. Thanks to Nechama for posting pictures.
Today's my birthday and I want to give you all a bracha that you should continue to be a source of inspiration and bring joy to your surroundings and to everyone around you, and be able to see G-d's hand in your life and find meaning in everything you do. May you be a living example of YALDAH's message and know that you, as a Jewish girl, have the power to do anything. May we meet in Yerushalayim for the next YALDAH wedding speedily in our days!

Love, Chavie

ps. In honor of Leah's wedding, can we have some resurfacing of both bloggers and commenters? Let's hear from you all.

Mazel Tov Mrs. Caras!

2011-06-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am. Home from the wedding. Already...

As I'm the only staff member who ever posts anymore (besides Leah, that is), I guess I'll have to try to do justice to giving you a quick summary of the Larson-Caras wedding until... well, until you read about it in the magazine!

I don't even know where to start... well they say the beginning's the best place usually so here I go! I came to the wedding with Aleeza Schoenberg and Talya Wasserman. That was fun - I met 2 people before I even got there! Talya and I have been friends ever since we were on the board together ('06-'07) and since I took over her job as EBC, so it was really neat to finally meet her!

We got there a little while before Leah came out for the Kaballas Panim, which is when everyone goes over to say Mazel Tov to her. Eventually Leah came out (though a couple of us got a quick glimpse of her earlier by accident) and let me tell you - she was beautiful! Everybody was, happens to be. I'll tell you about the people you know - Rochel, Evelyn - everyone looked seriously gorgeous. I don't think I have a good picture of Evelyn but I have of Rochel...

ooh I actually do have one of Evelyn. It's not the best but it's a picture of both of Leah's parents, so you can see :)

This picture of them is actually under the Chuppah!

But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself!

So after we got there, everyone went to say Mazel Tov to the Kallah (bride) and the family.

The wedding continued as usual, with tons of ruach (spirit) and happiness everywhere!

Soon was the Chuppah, which was positively gorgeous. The whole wedding was purple, and the Chuppah was not left out!

I really thought it was beautiful, in case you can't tell :)

Really, I should just do pictures and let them tell you the story of the wedding because we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

So here (below, left) is a picture of the Kallah circling the Chosson (groom) seven times, which is part of the Chuppah ceremony. (You can read more about the different parts of the wedding here.) On the right is the Chosson and Kallah after that under the Chuppah.

Now after the Chuppah, the Chosson and Kallah went to the Yichud room and for family pictures, and the guests went to enjoy the wedding meal.

YALDAH and JGR had a really special meal outside, and it was a ton of fun! Here's a few pictures of that special part of the wedding... (there's a group picture, too, but it's on the photographer's camera!)

The YALDAH and JGR guests thank Chavie Resnick for coordinating the meal! It was delicious!

After that, was dancing! It was a blast, there were lots of people dancing, lots of shtick (fun stuff), and the Chosson and Kallah both ended up in the air many times! Here's a couple pictures from part of the YALDAH shtick! (left: me, Leah, Talya Wasserman & Miriam Chava Kramer; right: Leah & Chaya Freeman) The middle picture is actually not shtick; that's some of the YALDAHs left on the table with the place cards towards the end of the wedding - there were a lot more there earlier ;)

After dancing, there was dessert and bentching, and more dancing :) Here's a few pictures...

These pictures are Leah with...

Chavie Resnick, Mrs. Nechama Laber, and me (Nechama Saltzman)

Leah with... Devorah Leah Schulman & her son, Rivka Laber, and Raizy Hines

I don't like listing people cuz I'm gonna forget a bunch... but some of the YALDAH girls who were there include... board members Aleeza Schoenberg and Miriam Chava Kramer, former board members Shterny Fogelman and Raizy Hines (Sessel), former staff & staff members Chavie Resnick, Talya Wasserman, and me, and tons of JGR counselors & girls who I wouldn't dare try to list because I'm really not good with names of so many people!! (If I forgot any of you YALDAH girls please let me know and I'll add your name! You can email me or comment on this post!)

Well, that's all 'til next time folks! Hope you enjoyed :) FYI I'm listening to Gam Ki Eilech on Shalsheles IV by... Yitzchak Rosenthal & Shalsheles!

Nechama

P.S. Ohhhhhhhh you wanted to see a picture of the Chosson and Kallah? How could I forget?? (Just kidding, I didn't forget, I purposely waited 'til the end for fun!)

MAZEL TOV RABBI & MRS. CARAS!!!

Summer!

2011-06-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted a real post in a very, very long time... So, what's happening?

Well, first of all, my family received our copy of the early summer issue, and it's amazing. However, the coming of this issue was kind of like a closing for me. See, it's the last issue that I was Editorial Board Coordinator for. Next issue it'll say Rebecca's name there... which makes me very happy 'cause she's an amazing EBC, but it's a little sad for me, and weird too, because that means I'm really moving on. Well, to paraphrase Penina Harrison a while back, not moving on, 'cause I will always be a YALDAH fan, staff member, and supporter, but... turning a new page. The next chapter in my life, I guess.

I've been turning a lot of those pages. At the beginning of the month I graduated high school - there's a big one! Then I started working at a new job for the summer, which involves learning new programs and becoming familiar with a whole new environment and everything like that. Then of course... is the page I turned in my involvement with YALDAH.

Just to update you - I've given over my EBC job to Rebecca Berlin, as most of you know. Kudos to Rebecca and the 2011 Editorial Board, who are doing amazing work. They're definitely a fantastic board, even though I don't really work with them. And - oh, here's the other page I'm turning - more like, the other side of that high school page I mentioned - I'm going to seminary in Eretz Yisroel (Israel) in September, so I'm giving up my Bookstore Manager role, too. Too much to juggle in seminary... but I am staying on board YALDAH in general. I'm still going to write Music Notes, for as long as it stays in the magazine, and I've taken on the role of Copy Editor.

So I'm still here. Just not as much. My YALDAH email inbox barely has any new incoming emails in it anymore!!

Oh yeah I named the post summer. 'Cause it's summer!! Mazel Tov! :) My sister and friends at my high school finished today, and my siblings at the elementary school finish tomorrow... crazy, another year has flown by. How was it? What are YOU doing this summer?

Anyway, I'm very excited 'cause last night I booked my ticket to Leah's wedding... am I going to see you there?!?! By the way... five or six years ago, who would ever have thought that I'd be flying out to a wedding in Sharon, MA (like, where on the planet is that?!) the summer after 12th grade?! Well - there's more than that, but remember that "How YALDAH has impacted my life" contest? It has totally impacted my life, my hashkafah (outlook), my friendships...

Who knew a bunch of young girls running a magazine could be so powerful?!

Nechama

P.S. Listening to... "Berum Olam" on the album Eretz Yisroel by Dovid Gabay. An amazing album. By the way, 2 recommended albums to get: Miami Boys Choir just put out a great new album, Mi LaHashem Eilai. And Ari Goldwag/Sheves Achim is putting out very soon (a couple weeks imy"H) an amazing new album, Sheves Achim 2, with the feature song "The Artist" - the album is worth the money just for that song! Anyway, both albums are highly recommended by me :) All three (Sheves Achim 2 once it comes out) mentioned are available on www.mostlymusic.com.

Counting Down!

2011-05-26T23:43:00.000-07:00

It's now less than a month until our wedding and I'm counting down the days! I remember when it was more than 100 days, and now we're down to 30. This is really the time of year for countdowns. I'm sure most of our readers have a countdown to the last day of school (I had one too but now I'm done) and maybe a countdown till the first day of camp. But there's one event that the entire Jewish people is counting down to together. The holiday of Shavuot! Shavuot is preceded by a 49-day count down. Every night when we count the Omer we pause our busy lives and count what day we're up to, reminding ourselves what we're counting down to and how much progress we've made. This year counting the Omer has been extra special for me, because as I count each night, I'm also one day closer to the wedding.

In fact, counting the Omer is a lot like counting down to a wedding. In many Jewish texts, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai is compared to a wedding. The Jewish people as the bride, Hashem (G-d) as the groom, and Mount Sinai with its flowers, thunder, and lightning, as the wedding canopy. By counting down to Shavuot we express how excited we are to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

But Shavuot is more than just an anniversary commemorating an event that took place 3323 years ago to our ancestors. The Midrash says that every future Jewish soul was present at the giving of the Torah. You and I were there! When we celebrate Shavuot we're reliving the giving of the Torah, and renewing our commitment to Hashem. On our wedding day Hashem gave us the most precious wedding gift -- the Torah. He told us, "I care about you, and I want a relationship with you. I want you to be my nation. And here are the things I care about, the things that make Me happy." When you love and care about someone you want to show that you care, to make them happy. Hashem told us so clearly what we can do for Him. Every time we do a mitzvah it's like sending Him a little love note. We say, "I care about You, and I'm doing this for You." Shavuot is our chance to renew our relationship with Hashem and recommit to the Torah.

So really we're all counting down to our wedding day. Aren't you excited?

I'm Back :-)

2011-04-17T00:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! The rumor's true... I've found the other half of my soul and am engaged to Michael Caras! Our wedding will be, G-d willing, at the end of June, so things have been quite busy around here! I'll try to keep all the YALDAH readers in the loop about wedding plans and all that fun stuff...

I also spent the past few weeks without a computer. Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you I'm pretty much glued to my laptop. If you would have asked me if I could ever part from it for over two weeks I would have said no. And yet, we learn new things about ourselves every day. When the Apple store told me they could do the repair in 5-7 days (a $1300 repair for free!) I flinched but told myself it's worth it. After a week when I didn't have my computer back I started to get nervous. Turns out all the action in Japan slowed down some of the parts they needed for the replacement. Each day I eagerly checked the repair status and saw "awaiting part". But I learned how to cope. It wasn't exactly a computer-free experience because I had my wonderful iPhone with me all the time. My friends were also generous enough to lend me their laptops so I could get some important work done. And I also learned that sometimes even really important deadlines just have to wait. After 15 days I got my computer back on Friday. It's newer than it ever looked, and as a side benefit it's clean for Pesach! Now it's time to get back to work on the Spring issue...
Yes, the Spring issue! I know it's already Pesach and I'm sure you're all wondering where the Spring issue is. It's coming, I promise. It's not at the printer yet, and we still have a few pages that need designing. Gabi, our graphic designer has been hard at work amid Pesach cleaning. Lena and Tali have done a great job editing articles, and I see things really coming together. I'm sure that all the articles will be just as interesting and fun when you get to read them in May.

In the meantime, I'm really excited about our Jewish Girls Unity Forum. It's a place where you can stay in touch with other YALDAH readers in between issues. So while you're waiting for the Spring issue, get to know your fellow readers and join the forum today! It's fun, safe, and included in your subscription.

Wishing you and your families a happy and kosher Pesach!
Leah :-)

um MAZEL TOV!

2011-03-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody!

I wanted to publicly wish

MAZEL TOV

to our very own

LEAH LARSON

& her Chosson (groom)

MICHAEL CARAS!

I'm sure Leah will follow up at some point with more details...

Talk to you later!

Nechama

P.S. Listening to "Od Yishoma" (I know, I know, it's cliche...) by Shalsheles (Shalsheles V)

Some Updates

2011-02-18T09:35:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! First of all, today is "Purim Katan" which means that if it wasn't a leap year, it would be Purim today. We've still got one month till Purim, but today is still a day to celebrate with joy! Check out this article I really liked about Judaism being fun!

So here's a few random updates: I went to Crown Heights a few weeks ago for the annual convention of Chabad shluchos and had a table selling magazines and books there. Here's a photo of the table that actually got on a news website:

It was great hearing feedback from women whose daughters, granddaughters, students and friends love YALDAH. While I was there I also got to meet and have lunch with our Editorial Board member, Zissie Ciment, who was visiting from Arkansas!

Me & Zissie

Lately I've been working on getting our "Jewish Girls Unity Forum" up and running, which is something I'm really excited about. It will be a place where YALDAH subscribers and Jewish Girls Unite members can talk online, get advice, ask questions, share inspiration, and more. Because YALDAH is really about creating a community and inspiring unity between Jewish girls from all different backgrounds, I think this forum will be a huge step in the right direction. It will also give me the opportunity to interact on a more personal basis with a lot of our readers. A big thank you to Batsheva Goldberg, one of our past Editorial Board members, who took on the task of setting up the technical aspects of the site. There's a lot to figure out to make sure that the forum will stay a safe and respectful place, and we're still finalizing the last details. But stay tuned, if you're a YALDAH subscriber you'll find out how to join once the site is up.

After winning the Sydney Taylor Book Award, One is Not a Lonely Number has received some great publicity! Here are some of the latest articles:

Sharon Advocate Article

Ima On (and Off) The Bima Blog Interview with Evelyn Krieger

Sharon Patch Article

Dallas Woodburn Blog Interview with Evelyn Krieger

The Whole Megillah Interview with Leah Larson

Have a great Shabbos everyone and please click here to find out all the ways YOU can get published in the spring issue!

Me too, me too!

2011-02-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

Hey!

I also just got the winter issue (today) and I can't get over how beautiful it is! Great job to everyone who worked on it for so many hours!

So much to do so can't talk for long.

Have a great Shabbos! (Yes I know it's only Wednesday but luckily for us Shabbos is fast approaching!!)

Nechama

P.S. listening to Al Tira from Chana'le Believer. Before that, though, that I really wanted to tell you about, was Ribono from Miami Boys Choir's Revach. Ha, now Al Tira ended and a goofy song about the 6 days of Creation came on, called Bereishis Bara by KolZimra, on their album KidZimra. Okay, I'll sign off before it changes again!!

Got The Winter Issue!

2011-02-14T14:55:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone,

So, I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a while. But I want to let you all know that I just got the Winter issue, and even if it came a little late (and we'll be working on getting the issues out more on schedule for the future), I'm really proud of it and all the work that everyone - the staff, the editorial board, the readers with their great submissions - put in to make it an awesome issue. I hope you enjoy reading it. Thanks!

-Lena

Winter Issue is at the Printer!

2011-01-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I'm delighted to let you know that the Winter issue is finally at the printer! With lots of new staff, and so much going on, we had a real challenge getting this one out. So thank you so much for your patience! It's a fantastic issue that will definitely be worth the wait.

Make sure your subscription is up to date so you don't miss any issues! For subscription questions e-mail subscriptions@yaldahmagazine.com.

Check out the table of contents below to see all the exciting articles in this issue! (click to zoom in)

We did it! We've done it! I'm awfully excited...

2011-01-12T22:20:00.000-08:00

to announce YALDAH's seventh annual Editorial Board!

ANNOUNCING THE...
Editorial Board 2011

under the leadership of our very talented
longtime board member, YALDAH's new
Editorial Board Coordinator:
Rebecca Berlin!!

Craft:
Rachael Hannah Tahir, age 9, CA

Fashion Page:
Baila Finkelstein, age 15, NY

Illustrators:
Yehudis Keller, age 13, NY
Leia Resnick, age 10, MA

Photographers:
Zissie Ciment, age 9, AR
Rivka Rapoport, age 11, WA
Leah Turner, age 14, Israel

Fun Pages:
Malka Bettoun, age 13, PA
Sami Smukler, age 11, FL

Recipe:
Miriam Chava Kramer, age 15, MA

Writers:
Leora Alcheck, age 12, CA
Hannah Busis, age 15, PA
Meira Goldberg, age 15, NJ
Tamar Lilienthal, age 10, FL
Beatrice O'Campo, age 11, OR
Anne Prusky, age 14, PA
Aliza Schoenberg, age 11, MA
Naama Sara Shmagin, age 11,CA
Frayde Trachtman, age 13, WA

Read more about the new Editorial Board members in the Spring 2011 issue!

Mazel Tov to our new board members!!

Everybody else: thank you so much for applying! We wish we could put everybody on the board! I hope you'll try again next year! In the meantime, we are ALWAYS looking for submissions of ALL different types! Go to www.yaldah.com/join to submit!!

P.S. listening to Yaakov Shwekey singing Tatte (English) on L'shem Shamayim.

YM Books Wins Sydney Taylor Book Award!

2011-01-11T13:58:00.001-08:00

Wow - this is exciting! YM Books' debut novel, One is Not a Lonely Number, by Evelyn Krieger, has won a silver medal for older readers in the Sydney Taylor Book Award! The award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners in each category will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Montreal this June. A blog tour, featuring interviews with winning authors and illustrators, will take place in early February, with participation from a wide range of children’s literature, family interest, and Jewish blogs. The blog tour schedule will appear on the Association of Jewish Libraries’ blog “People of the Books” at www.JewishLibraries.org/blog.

Below is a video of all the winners:

Winter Retreat!

2010-12-30T13:35:00.000-08:00

Gosh, this happens every year. WAY too much to say about the Jewish Girls Retreat (winter or summer) to write in a blog post. Or an article. Or probably even a book. I guess you just have to be there ;-)

Considering 'a picture's worth a thousand words', it should be a lot easier to do things this way: here's the full photo gallery from the retreat! Winter Retreat Photo Gallery

I'll just share a few highlights with you:

-This was a record retreat, with over 65 campers attending!

-We were treated to gorgeous accommodations at the Comfort Suites & Inn in East Greenbush, NY. Lounges, a ballroom, fireplaces, and an indoor pool were just some of the highlights.

-Nechama Saltzman, who's in her fourth and final year as our Editorial Board Coordinator, flew in from Milwaukee to be a counselor at the retreat. It was great to be able to spend time with her in person!

-Devorah Leah Schulman returned to direct our newly developed teen program.

-Long time JGR staff member, Zelda Rieber, wasn't able to make it to the retreat this year -- for a good reason! She got engaged! Mazel Tov Zelda!

-Everyone was impressed by the incredibly warm and welcoming atmosphere. Right from the start returning campers got to know new campers, and by the end we all felt like we'd known each other for years.

-Due to the huge blizzard, twenty girls got to spend an extra night at JGR, having fun baking cookies and organizing a spa night!

-There's no place like JGR! I was so happy to be there this year after missing the Winter Retreat last year because I was in Israel. I miss my JGR sisters already!

Stay tuned for a full article about the winter retreat in our upcoming winter issue!

Save the date! We've just finalized our Summer Retreat dates: July 10-31st, 2011. Registration will open within the next few weeks at www.JewishGirlsRetreat.net.

Visiting Schools

2010-12-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

Having a slightly more flexible schedule this year has given me the opportunity to travel to schools and speak to students about YALDAH, my life, dreams, and inspiration. I had one extremely busy week in December where I spoke in 3 schools within the week. First was an evening program for Bais Rivkah 12th grade in Crown Heights, where I spoke about "The Power of YOU" - shaping your future. That's one of the messages I try to give girls all the time: if you have a dream or a goal, now is the time to start working on it. What are you doing today to help you create the person you want to become?

A few days later I was in Monsey, NY speaking to the 12th grade at Bais Yaakov D'Rav Hirsch. The girls in this college-level business class were eager to hear about my own business experience, and flooded me with insightful questions for over an hour. It was great to connect with such passionate Jewish girls. A special thank you to Shoshana Raff, their teacher, for making the visit possible. Here's a photo of me with the class:

I went straight from Monsey to Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy in New Haven where I did three different presentations the next day. I started off with the high school girls, speaking about dreams and goals. Then I gave a short presentation about YALDAH to the whole school, followed by a special presentation for 5th & 6th graders about my publishing journey and how they can get involved. Here's a photo with the 5th & 6th graders, who were very excited about YALDAH:

There was one Israeli girl in the class who was trying to hard to understand the presentation, but was having a hard time because of the language barrier. I was so touched when she came to me afterwards and gave me this portrait -- down to the details of exactly what I was wearing that day!

If you'd like me to speak to your school or synagogue visit http://www.yaldah.com/publicspeaking for more information.

Yeshiva University Hanukkah Dinner

2010-12-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Before even finishing a semester at Stern College (the women's division of Yeshiva University), YU invited me to represent Stern as a "Point of Light" at their 86th annual Hanukkah Dinner. The annual dinner was held in the Waldorf=Estoria hotel and was attended by over 700 supporters of Yeshiva University.

I'm so happy my father was able to make it from Boston, as well as Rabbi & Mrs. Nechama Laber (and baby Yehudah) from Troy, NY. It was great to celebrate together with friends and family.

The 'Point of Light' awards honors eight YU undergrad and graduate students as well as staff members who "exemplify YU’s mission". We each lit a candle on the menorah and answered a few questions from YU President Richard Joel about ourselves, life at YU, and future aspirations.

You can read the YU blog post about the dinner here.

A video of the award presentation by YU President Richard Joel

The main ballroom at the Waldorf=Estoria

Me & my Dad

Me & the Labers

Me & President Richard Joel

Lighting the Menorah

"Tune In" for Balancing Act Show!

2010-11-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

Check out the "tune in" for our appearance on The Balancing Act! The show will air at 7 AM EST on December 15th.

Florida Trip!

2010-11-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Last Wednesday night I flew down to Fort Lauderdale to tape for a five-minute segment that will appear on the Balancing Act morning show. The Balancing Act is a talk show for women on Lifetime every morning from 7-8 AM. I'll keep you posted about when my segment will appear!

I arrived in Florida late Wednesday night and just had time to check into the hotel with my mother and finish up some graphic design jobs before heading to sleep. The next morning my aunt brought over a delicious breakfast which we ate by the pool, before heading over to the studio.

We arrived at the studio at around 1:00 pm and had some time to look around. We met many of the people involved in producing the Balancing Act. You wouldn't believe how many people it takes just to make a five minute segment -- from producers, to makeup and hair to cameramen and interns.

We met with the author of Lead with Love, Gerry Czarnecki, who signed his book for us and had some great book promotion tips also. Then it was time for hair and makeup. It was a busy day at the studio because fitness guru, Denise Austin, was also filming her exercise segment of the show. We got to say hi to Denise while she was getting her hair done.

It took a few minutes for them to change from the fitness set to the talk show set, but it was just a matter of moving around cameras and lights. We also got a peek at the kitchen set! Here's the set we were on:Then it was time to film! We went over the questions quickly with the host, Danielle Knox, and we were ready to roll! Danielle got to read her prompts from a screen behind the camera, and she even had an ear-piece so she could talk to the producer and get exact instructions on how the taping went! We only had to tape once, which means we didn't make any mistakes.

Here we are after the show with Danielle (she's already changed back into her casual clothes!)

Straight from the studio we took my mom to the airport, but I met my grandparents at the airport who drove me to Boynton Beach. I had a great Shabbos at my aunt's house, relaxing and enjoying the warm weather and my cute cousins.

After Shabbos I spoke at a melaveh malkah for Bais Chaya High School. I spoke about my own dreams that have come true, life lessons I've learned, and how everyone can make their dreams come true. I got to chat with the girls afterwards and answer more questions about how I balance school and YALDAH, what's in each issue, and how to subscribe. They also enjoyed their free hot-pink YALDAH pencils! I don't have any photos from the melaveh malkah yet, but once I do I'll make sure to post them.

I flew back to New York on Sunday and got back to my school work. What's the excitement of today? Our "Eight Days, Eight Sales" campaign which starts tomorrow! Make sure to check our our daily sales between now and Chanukah.

Happy Chanukah!

Leah :-)

Hi, this is Lena!

2010-11-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I'm Lena. Which you could probably tell from the blog title. ;)

This summer when I saw that YALDAH had an opening for the position of Executive Editor, I knew it was something I wanted to do. I've been reading YALDAH for about three years now and enjoying every issue - from the interesting articles to the fun tidbits to the truly inspiring fact that this whole magazine is created by Jewish girls, for Jewish girls. I love working on magazines - in addition to working on YALDAH, I do the layout for my synagogue's newsletter each month - and I love how YALDAH gives Jewish girls a place to express their creativity and their dreams. For more about me, you can go to the staff profiles under 'About Us' at http://www.yaldah.com/magazine.

So, with that, here's a bit of what's going on behind-the-scenes at YALDAH...

Fall Issue - should be in your mailbox any day!!! I can't wait to get my issue. :)
Winter Issue - I just finished the editing on this issue a week or so ago, which means that the layout process should be going on now. I'm really excited about this issue - there's so much great content, from an article about redesigning your bedroom to a Generations story (look in your Fall issue for the beginning of this new feature!) and so much more that if I tried to fit it all into this blog post it would be a looooong post. So believe me, it's there. ;)
Spring Issue - Our awesome Editorial Board is working on their jobs for this issue now! I look forward to seeing them.
Summer Issue - Towards the end of September the staff had a meeting to brainstorm for this and the Spring issue. It was a great meeting and I think it will be a great issue... although winter is coming so quickly that it's a bit hard to fathom summer things right now, LOL.

And of course, as Leah mentioned, we're now accepting applications for the new Editorial Board, open to Jewish girls ages 8-15 who subscribe to YALDAH. The Editorial Board comes up with the great content you see in every issue, plus it's an awesome opportunity to meet Jewish girls around the world and see what goes on behind-the-scenes at YALDAH.

Well, that's it for now!
-Lena

Ok, I'm back :-)

2010-11-15T18:57:00.001-08:00

After getting back from MetroImma's Social Media Schmooze tonight I'm back and committed to keeping this blog going (along with our fantastic staff members).

Confession #1 -- I logged into blogger and saw that there were 11 comments waiting moderation. Sorry about that! Somehow I never got emails about them -- so now you can go back and see all your comments.

Confession #2 -- My last post was June 29th?! The good news is that the reason I haven't blogged in...139 days...is because there's been so much going on at YALDAH. So now for the updates:

This year I'm a sophomore in Stern College (Yeshiva University) in NYC. I'm enjoying all the opportunities of being in the NYC area, although this seems to be the most challenging year of juggling so far. YALDAH has really expanded (which you'll read more about later) which means more jobs for me, and full time college is REALLY hard to fit in with that! I'm trying to get through my first semester with more than 3 hours of sleep every night, but I haven't been too successful so far...

So what's going on at YALDAH?

First of all - we have a new executive editor! I was thrilled when I got an email from Lena Greenberg this summer (I was actually so excited I read it out loud to Chavie Resnick and Penina Harrison who were at the Jewish Girls Retreat with me) and Lena joined our team this Fall. Hopefully she'll also blog about how her job at YALDAH is going.

After the retreat was over, I stayed in Albany a few extra days to brainstorm. Our campers were so inspired and wanted something more during the year to keep up the inspiration. I actually missed my bus home and stayed in Albany an extra day -- thank G-d, because in that day (and all night) Jewish Girls Unite was born. You can find out more at www.JewishGirlsUnite.com. We already have 7 clubs ranging from Texas to Germany, and we're looking forward to more!

In the summer, thanks to winning the Survival of the Smartest contest sponsored by Office Depot, I was finally able to get a desk. Thank you to Nechama Saltzman for letting me know about the contest!Here are some photos of getting the desk set up...

Re-filing subscriptions...

...and lots of other stuff!

My sister Rochel in her new seat as subscriptions manager

Of course, once we got the nice desk all organized and set up, it was time for me to leave to New York. But I'm glad my mother and sister are enjoying the new YALDAH headquarters :-)

Here's more exciting news: This year our winter retreat is being in a luxury hotel! Last year, when I was in Israel, I was really upset to have to miss the winter retreat -- I felt like I was missing a family reunion. So I'm already counting down the days till this year's winter retreat (38 to be precise!) and looking forward to seeing so many YALDAH readers. I've heard rumors that there are even girls flying in from California & Georgia. Check out www.JewishGirlsRetreat.net for more info.

I can't write in detail about everything else that's been going on or else this post would be pages long, but here's a little summary: marketing One is Not a Lonely Number, finishing up editing Teen Talk (stay tuned for more updates on when you can plan to see it in print...), launching a new TEEN SECTION of the website, training our new graphic designer, getting the Jewish Girls Unite lessons edited and formatted, launching Linked in Torah, trying to get more subscribers, speaking for schools... and trying to get a good night's sleep.

I'm going to be in Florida this Thursday through Sunday...check back soon to find out what I'll be doing there!

Oh, and we're accepting applications for the 2011 Editorial Board. You can download the application at www.yaldah.com/join. Make sure it's postmarked before December 31st!

And now...I should get back to my science homework...

Hello there!

2010-09-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I realized that this blog looks like it belongs to a boring organization. No one's updated in forever! But YALDAH is by no means a boring organization. It's always happening!

We're working on getting you the fall issue (sorry for the delay!), but we hope you enjoyed our Yom Kippur mini-issue before Yom Kippur. We're also looking ahead to the next few issues.

The YALDAH website got a new makeover, too! Check it out: www.yaldah.com.

YALDAH is in the process of launching a really exciting Jewish Girls Unite program, which you can check out at www.jewishgirlsunite.com.

The school year started, too! Seriously, I can't believe no one's posted since my post in August! I'm a senior; what grade are you in?

The most exciting news of all, too: We have a new editor! Her name is Lena Greenberg! She's awesome, believe me ;)

Anyway, I feel really bad that we haven't gotten you the fall issue yet... here's a sneak preview at the cover (above). There's also some great new features, as we always like to bring you something new in honor of our birthday, this year being our 6th!

So really I'm supposed to be getting ready for Yom Tov (I am, I am, really!). Considering I have off of school, and my mom's at work, that's my job now :) So have a wonderful, amazing day and a beautiful, absolutely delightful Sukkos. I'm so excited!! Are you?! [I love Sukkos sooo much!]

Oh, what am I listening to? Actually, this really great album we just got (just came around 2 weeks ago) called Shalsheles V! It's amazing! This song is called Hinei Anochi. I really love Shalsheles's music. Check it out at www.mostlymusic.com. We featured Shalsheles in YALDAH rather recently, actually. Check out the article in Issue #22, winter 2009.

Okee doke, I'm off to get ready for Yom Tov!!

Kol Tuv, (way of saying goodbye; literally means 'all good')

Nechama! :)

Hello!

2010-08-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

Exciting news! I got a sunburn! Just kidding. That's not my exciting news (though I did get a sunburn at the beach last week...) That's what comes from being in L.A., I guess!

So my exciting news is that I got to meet some of our very own Editorial Board members! That's one of the good things that comes from being in L.A.!

Here's me and Miriam Azizi

and here's me and Naama Sara Shmagin

Anyway, hope you're having a great summer!
Enjoy the last couple of weeks!!

G'nite :)
Nechama

P.S. Listening to Ashrei Mi on Shloime Gertner's album Say Asay.

Yay!!

2010-08-06T00:09:00.000-07:00

Hello there :)

Guess what?
I got the summer issue! YAY!
Did you get it yet? Let us know what you think of it!

So... I'm in L.A. at my grandparents' with a couple of my siblings, having a blast, B"H... hoping to meet up with a couple of Editorial Board members while I'm here.

I'm not really in the mood to write a whole long entry, so I won't :) I think this will be one of my shortest entries ever... hehe. Oh, and I know I told you a long time ago that my cousin got engaged. So she got married in June (her wedding was a blaaaaast and a half!) and now her brother got engaged!! That's Ami Klein who got engaged to Atara Luchansky, both of Baltimore.

Anyway, YALDAH's doing pretty well... JGR's going full swing, summer issue has finally arrived, and fall and winter are in the works, as I've mentioned :)

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Nechama

P.S. Listening to this great Sefardi album that came out last week, "Libi BeMizrach" by Yaakov Shwekey. This song is called Chabibi... and it's an awesome, amazing CD!!

Hi from JGR!

2010-07-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
I know it's been months since I've posted. Sorry about that...
I'm at JGR! With Leah! And Chavie! And Chava! And lots of other people who are awesome even though they aren't necessarily connected to Yaldah! And it's awesome!
The campers haven't arrived yet, but they'll be here tomorrow.... I'm so excited to meet everyone!
So it's Tisha B'av and I haven't brushed my teeth this morning and I feel kinda gross but I'm not that hungry yet, so it's all good.
I'm gonna go because I'm at the library and there's a line for the computer...
Hope everyone has an easy fast and an amazing rest of the summer.
Byeeee.
Penina

I need a new expression...

2010-07-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

First of all, you should know that I am not promising to make this a short post, like I often do, because I know that it never ends up being short!

I named my post its name because I often call my posts "Long time no speak" or something. And that's always true... but it really is getting boring, if you know what I mean! I can't have every post I ever posted be called the same thing! And I can't call it "Hello from Nechama" because that's kind of reserved for Leah... sigh

Okay, so if you come up with a new expression, please add it to the comments... I appreciate it!

So... what's happening around here? Loads and loads... Let's go through it in order, shall we? I always like to be organized...

-SUMMER issue is out and had better be in your mailbox really soon if it's not yet! It's such an amazing issue with absolutely fantastic articles. I'm sure and I hope you all will get it with plenty of time to still enjoy it during the summer!

-FALL issue is in full swing, with articles and photos already heading to layout! It's also shaping up to be a wonderful issue... more updates soon :)

-WINTER issue is already past the planning stages and about to enter creation stages! We're going to be sending out jobs soon to our stupendous Editorial Board and I'm sure they'll take the great topics we have lined up and soon have them turned into the exciting magazine we all love! (Keep an eye out... Editorial Board applications will be available in November!)

-CHALLENGE613 has really taken off the ground. More squares are uncovered each day! Click here to share YALDAH with your nearest and dearest :)

-T-SHIRT CONTEST winners were announced and I love the new accessories that are available with the winning entries!

-EDITORIAL BOARD members Sarah Saltzman and Naama Sara Shmagin got to meet each other a couple of weeks ago in L.A. They had a blast but they didn't take any pictures because it was Shabbos! Sarah also met Miriam Waghalter, the grand prize winner of our How YALDAH Impacted My Life Contest last year, and they also hit it off and had a great time together... on Shabbos!

-SUBSCRIPTION SALE will be over soon... make sure to get your subscriptions on sale... Only $19/1 year or $36/2 years!! Act quickly - it ends on July 18th!

JULY 18TH?! Is that soon? Whoa... where has the summer gone? Hey, it's July 16th today... (Friday!) That's funny - I finished school exactly a month ago, on June 16th! School seems like such a distant concept, doesn't it? Well, make sure to get your rest and relaxation now, because school will be back before you know it :)

Remember that Tisha B'Av is this Monday night-Tuesday. You can find out more information here. I hope that link will be obsolete and we'll be together in Yerushalayim instead! (Just in case, I guess, I'll leave it up.)

Well, finally I posted! (I've been planning on it for 2 weeks!)

Have an amazing rest of your summer, a beautiful Shabbos, and an inspiring Tisha B'Av,

Nechama

P.S. ooh and I'm listening to a Shmuz by Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier, My favorite speaker of all time! It's about the potential of the individual, brought through the story of Rabbi Akiva and his wife Rochel. Fun fact: Did you know that any Tanna (great Rabbi) mentioned in the Gemara was capable of Techiyas Hameisim (making live the dead)? Cool :)

Hello from Leah

2010-06-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone! I feel like I've been a little out of touch after spending a year in Israel, but now I'm back on this side of the world and back to work at full force. I wish I could give you all a description of what my year in Israel was like, but I think that needs its own blog. We have a great article on visiting Israel coming up in the Summer issue, plus highlights of my photos in Israel. So what's been going on at YALDAH?
First of all, before I left Israel, I had the opportunity to meet one of our old Editorial Board Members, Nechama Shira Maor. Nechama Shira's family moved from Detroit to Israel three years ago. It was great to be able to spend my last free Friday afternoon in Israel having lunch in the central bus station with Nechama Shira.
Saying good-bye to Israel and all the friends I made in seminary was hard. I flew straight to NY and stopped off in NY for a night for my good friend's wedding. The next morning I flew home and right away began preparing for the One Is Not A Lonely Number book launch that night! It was the first time I actually got to see the books in print, which was very cool. Here are some photos from the book launch -- thank you to everyone who came in Sharon or online. Stay tuned for future book-signings and events by visiting www.OneIsNotALonelyNumber.com.

Since I got home, I've been working together with Mary, our graphic designer, to finish up the Summer issue. For a number of reasons it got delayed, and we know how eager you are to get it. We're going everything we can to get it to your mailboxes ASAP! As I type, the finishing touches are being put on and it should be at the printer in around an hour. Here's the cover:
This summer and next year I'll be working intensively to grow our subscriber list. Getting more subscribers is the key to making YALDAH continue to exist and grow. Do you know a girl who would like YALDAH? Make sure to spread the word!

Have a great summer! And if you still don't have plans, we have a few spots left at our annual Jewish Girls Retreat (July 21 - August 11). I'd love you to join us! visit www.JewishGirlsRetreat.net for more info.

Leah :-)

YAY!

2010-06-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about the new book One Is Not a Lonely Number and could win a digital camera! You can join too! www.oneisnotalonelynumber.com

It came!

2010-06-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

Guess what!

I got my copy of ONE IS NOT A LONELY NUMBER!

er, my autographed copy, that is!

I'm SO excited!!

anyway... have a great night!

Gut Voch,

Nechama

Happy Summer!

2010-06-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Guess what... It's SUMMER! Do you know what that means? Okay, you do. I don't have to tell you, right? Well, why don't you tell me? What does summer mean to you?

I'll tell you what sumer means to me.

Summer means relaxing, recharging, catching up on my life a bit since finals...

Summer means spending time with family, neighbors and friends that I don't usually get to spend time with.

Summer means my friend and my cousin are getting married really soon!

Summer means thinking about next year at school. (I'm being one of two yearbook editors and play producer along with two of my friends as directors, at my school!)

Summer means finishing the Fall issue and heading into the Winter issue.

Summer means advertising and then reading One is Not a Lonely Number as soon as it comes out!

Summer means brainstorming ideas for the next few issues of YALDAH.

Summer means 349 days 'til my high school graduation! Are you coming?

So tell me what summer means to you. I can't wait to read your replies in the Comments section!

Oh, and summer means switching off using the computer. That means I have to get off now!

Have an amazing summer, everyone!

Nechama

P.S. Is there a bookstore in your city that you'd like to see YALDAH at? Email me at bookstores@yaldahmagazine.com!

P.P.S. Is there someone you'd like to see in Music Notes? Do you have any ideas for articles for YALDAH? Email me at nechama@yaldahmagazine.com!

Hi everybody :)

2010-05-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

This is going to be a mega-short post because I have school tomorrow (only 18 more days...!) but I wanted to say hello to you all since it seems that no one else has been blogging recently!

So here at YALDAH, we recently celebrated Shavuos, so we had a little break from working. Now we're all back on track, finishing the summer issue and beginning to work in earnest on the fall issue. I can tell it's going to be a really great issue; our amazing Editorial Board is doing a marvelous job ;)

We're also working hard on finishing up the new book, One is Not a Lonely Number, by our very own Evelyn Krieger! As we speak, the book is due to be released in just 28 days, 23 hours, 18 minutes, and 31 seconds... 30... 29... okay, you get what I mean :) You can watch the countdown yourself at www.oneisnotalonelynumber.com! On that site, you'll also find loads of other fun stuff to keep you busy until the book comes out: a video, author's biography, an excerpt from the book, and some brand new reviews! I can't wait for you all to read it this summer! (Great thing to look forward to after school ends...) If you didn't order it yet, make sure to go to the website so you can be one of the first to own the book!

Oh, I did say this was going to be short. Well, that's what's happening at YALDAH. I'm trying to finish up 11th grade, in the meantime! There was a beautiful Hachnasas Sefer Torah (bringing a new Torah scroll into a synagogue when the writing of the Torah is completed) here in Milwaukee today. Watching the crowds of Jews escort the Torah to its new place in the Yeshiva, in streets blocked off by the police special for the event... it just made me feel so lucky to be a Jew! It's amazing how people from all over the country came together and, just because we're Jewish, we all accept each other and celebrate this kind of occasion together. It reminds me that that's what we're all about here at YALDAH. We're all different Jewish girls, different ages, different backgrounds, different countries even, but we're all sisters and part of the same unit. A thought to think about ;)

Okay, I really do have to go to bed!

Have a wonderful night!

Nechama

P.S. listening to L'muronon by Shira Chadasha Boys Choir on the album Achakeh Loi. It's a really good album... well, I like it, at any rate :)

Long time no speak :)

2010-05-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I feel like it's been ages since I've posted! Well, could be because a lot has happened since my last post...

We're still finishing up the summer issue, getting the last things into Layout. Then we're also working on the fall issue! Crazy, right? We've already gotten in articles and pictures for it, and it's still spring! Well, that's how it goes, I guess ;)

Besides all that, I guess I'm just busy... the school year is drawing to a close! Ridiculous... I feel like just yesterday I was stepping into my eleventh grade classroom for the first time! It's pretty overwhelming, finishing up the year and planning what to do this summer... what are your summer plans?

One very exciting thing happening is that Leah's coming home from Israel! Of course, we'll still be working long-distance, but the East Coast and Israel are two very different stories when you're trying to keep in touch and work on a magazine together :)

I think I've about used up my time here (just kidding; I just have to go do homework) so I'll bid you all good night...

Nechama :)

P.S. currently listening to "Torasi" on the album "Lo Lefached" by Yosef Chaim Shwekey, Yaakov Shwekey's brother. It's an amazing album and I love this song, it happens to be, so that's cool ;) Oh, it just changed. Now I'm listening to "Galei" on Lipa Schmeltzer's "Next Project X." Now before the music changes again I'd better go!!

If you have any ideas & contact info for Music Notes... let me know; I love to hear your input!

B&N and more...

2010-04-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I'm visiting the Los Angeles (Southern California) area and YALDAH is in the local Barnes & Noble here! I was very excited to see it there, because it doesn't happen to be in my B&N up in Northern California. I didn't get a chance to take a picture... next time!

As Nechama said, we're working to finish up the Summer 2010 issue. And I'll give you a sneak-peek into it: per all the requests we got, there's a super long fiction story! We've also started assigning Editorial Board jobs for Fall; and I'm secretly planning Winter in my head, too :-)

Here's my question for today: what feature would you most like to see on a new YALDAH website? Comment on this post or e-mail me at emily@yaldahmagazine.com with your comments.

Hope you're all doing well and enjoying spring,
Emily Gordis

YALDAH'S fame has spread to Jewish South African Newspapers!

2010-04-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

I have not posted in ages... or so it feels. I guess it hasn't been quite ages, but close enough, right?

Anyway, our Publicity Manager (Chava Sneiderman) and our Webmaster (Chaya Kraines) both asked me to show you this article. It was in the South African Jewish Report (www.sajewishreport.co.za), in the September 3, 2009 issue, on page 19. Look at that! YALDAH's being publicized even in South Africa!!

So here at YALDAH we've already assigned writers' jobs for the fall issue and we're working on finishing the issue. One is Not a Lonely Number has gone to the final proofreader, and we have an amazing website in the works - check it out under construction at www.yaldahmedia.com!

Okay, I'm off to study for some tests I have tomorrow.

G'nite!!

Nechama

P.S. I'm listening to a Shmuz by Rabbi Shafier of www.theshmuz.com. This one is called "#32, Understanding Nature - Putting the WOW Back Into Nature".

Update from Leah

2010-04-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm home! I've been back on this side of the world for almost a month now. I came home a little early for my sisters Bat Mitzvah, and enjoyed seeing all our relatives who were able to make it. Then I got started with cleaning and cooking for Passover! I spent a lot more time in the kitchen than I'm used to, but my laptop came along (see above photo)! Don't worry, I wasn't really cooking like that.

Lot's of exciting things are going on at YALDAH! I'm planning the launch of our first fiction book, One Is Not A Lonely Number, creating a new look for the YALDAH website (you can preview the site under construction here), finishing up all the content for the Summer issue, and launching an online version of YALDAH, which you'll get an announcement about soon. Another exciting piece of news is that over 600 copies of this issue are in Barnes & Noble stores across the country. Here's a photo of me at our local store:

You can see which stores YALDAH is available in by clicking here. If your local store isn't on the list, you can ask them to order the next issue of YALDAH.

Stay tuned for lots more exciting news!

EB Members in local newspapers!

2010-04-06T21:26:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone :)

Hope you all had an amazing Yom Tov (holiday)!!!

Chava Sneiderman, YALDAH's Publicity Manager, sent this message for you all to see.

Editorial board members get featured in local newspapers!!
We are so excited for those of you who saw your faces in your local Jewish community papers.

For those of you who have not: keep a look out!
Hannah Cohen's scan of the newspaper is attached. The editors at her Florida newspaper were kind enough to send copy to me. Note the ad of her father's business placed near her article. How cute!
Julia Ganchrow let me know that she got featured in the Rochester paper for being in YALDAH.
Congrats guys!

-Chava Sneiderman

Got it!

2010-03-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

just had to share some very exciting news...

it must be spring because...

I GOT THE SPRING ISSUE!!

Yay! It's gorgeous!

Ok, that's all for now.

Back to turning over the kitchen ;)

Nechama

P.S. listening to "Moshiach" by Benny Friedman on his album "Taamu." It's an awesome album. And did you know that Benny Friedman's father is Rabbi Manis Friedman, and his uncle (father's brother) is Avraham Fried!!

Getting Ready for Pesach @ YALDAH

2010-03-22T17:24:00.001-07:00

Hey there everyone!

Emily beat me to it last week... I was going to post, but then she did. So then I figured I might as well wait a few days so there'd be less of a gap 'til next time someone posts...

Anyway, Emily really told you everything! As she said, we're trying to get the last few pieces for the summer issue in before Pesach, and Boruch Hashem (thank G-d) it looks like that won't be a problem. Cheers for the Editorial Board 2010!

Otherwise, I keep finding myself with less and less time to spend on the computer as Pesach approaches and the preparations speed up! How's it going by you?

Well, I can't wait for everyone to get the spring issue. In the meantime...

Happy cleaning and cooking!

Nechama

P.S. I'm listening to an ancient Miami Boys Choir album called "One by One". The song playing right now is called "Siman Tov." It's not even originally a CD. It used to be a tape! (Imagine that ;))

Update

2010-03-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the long gap in posting! I've been über busy with personal things, getting the Spring 2010 issue printing, working hard to try and get most of the content in for the Summer 2010 before Pesach (Passover) and planning the Fall Table of Contents.

After getting the issue to the printer, the issue isn't anywhere near done. We have to go over proofs, sign lots of things, choose the quantity, sometimes replace pages, get the shipping lists ready and more. Now that the Spring issue is printing, I can finally just forget about it for a little while. Until the comments start coming in... :-)

Meanwhile, the Summer issue is well underway and we're working out lots of issues, getting lots of great articles and more on that. I finished my editorial which is usually one of the last things to go into the magazine, so that's good news for us all!

Lastly, I'm getting the approval on the Fall Table of Contents from a few other people at the magazine and then it'll go to Nechama to assign to the Editorial Board. We want them all to finish their work on it before people start leaving for camp and vacation in the summer.

That's right, we're working on three issues at once!

Can't wait for you to see the Spring 2010 issue,

Emily Gordis

Freilichen (Happy) Purim

2010-02-26T12:25:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

I just want to wish you a Gut Shabbos and
Freilichen Purim!

Daven (pray) well - Purim has an
amazing power for Tefillos (prayers)!!

Nechama :)

P.S. can't wait to see the spring issue in print... it's gorgeous!!!!

Spring issue is at the printer!

2010-02-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Yes, you read the title right: the Spring 2010 issue is at the printer! This issue is packed with lots and lots of interesting, fun articles (not to mention the beautiful cover, as Penina said!) including "Meet the 2010 Editorial Board", an interview with girls who live on a farm, tons of tips to throw a surprise party and a jumbo article, "Jewish Communities Around the World" about you guessed it, Jewish communities in every corner of the globe. I can't wait for you to read it!

Here's my question for the day: What are you dressing up as for Purim? Why? What have you dressed up as in past years? Anyone dressing up as a YALDAH magazine?

Purim Sameach,

Emily

Happy Adar!

2010-02-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

No one else mentioned it so I guess I will...

HAPPY ADAR!

It's the Jewish month of happiness, fun, dressing up in costumes, and going crazy... so it seems. Of course, the underlying message of Adar is one of hope, a time when Hashem (G-d) clearly showed the Hashgacha Pratis/Divine Providence that He is always leading us with. Click here to see a video depicting the Purim story with... Lego, of all things! :)

Anyway, on the YALDAH front... the writers' deadline for the summer issue has already passed, and now our illustrators and photographers are working hard to add even more to the already great articles for YOU, our readers :)

My school's Purim Chagigah (party) is tonight. (after this post: I was going to dress up as a YALDAH person... but in the end I was a CD player. But that works, right? :))

Have an amazing night and all... ;)

Nechama

P.S. I'm not listening to anything right now so I'm not telling you what I'm listening to!

Beaded Pen craft!

2010-02-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your comments about the idea of video blog posts! And anyone who hasn't answered yet, be sure to join the conversation by commenting on this post or the previous one and letting me know what you think of video blog posts of crafts, recipes and updates on the magazine.

In the meantime, I made the craft from the Fall 2008 issue of YALDAH- Beaded Pens! My photos are on the left. I did it slightly differently than it's described in the magazine (I did strips of beads rather than doing the whole pen and I used an orange gel pen that matched the beads instead of a plain pen). In concept, however, I used the instructions and I was thrilled with how it turned out! Here are the instructions to make your own:

Beaded Pens

By Aliza Laufer, age 11, from MA

Materials and Tools:

-Basic pen

- Double sided tape

- Seeds beads of any color (seed beads are tiny beads around the size of 1 millimeter thick and available at craft or bead stores).

- A plate or tray

- Marker

- Scissors

To make:

1. First, place the seed beads in a tray.

2. Leave the cap on the pen and with your marker, draw where the edge of the cap is along with the part of the cap that sticks up. Make sure not to put any beads on these areas.

3. Wrap double sided tape around the pen, one section at a time. For sections where the part of the cap sticks out, don't wrap the tape all the way around.

4. Either roll your pen in the beads or sprinkle them lightly over the tray. Occasionally, firmly press the beads to be sure they stick to the pen.

5. Once you have completely covered the pen, give it a few more squeezes to really secure the beads and then, get down to writing!

If you try this craft out, take some pictures and e-mail them to me at emily@yaldahmagazine.com along with your name and I'll post them on this blog!

What do you think of this post? Be sure to comment and let me know!

Talk to you soon,

Emily

Behind the Scenes Updates + what do you want to see?

2010-02-10T17:38:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

Things are going great, here at YALDAH. We're nearing printing time with the Spring 2010 issue, which is always so exciting. This issue is going to be amazing. We have a new graphic designer, Mary Abadi (you can read about her here) and she sent me what she's done and I am so happy and proud of it. Can't wait for you all to see the issue!

Here's my question for today: What do you think of video blog posts? How would you like it if I did recipes and crafts from YALDAH magazine and The YALDAH Year and updates on video and posted them here? What else would you like to see on this blog? Post your comments and let me know.

Talk to you soon,
Emily

Kinnus!!!

2010-02-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
I just came back from being a counselor at the Kinus Hashluchos in Crown Heights. Most awesome three days of my entire life.
I stayed at the home of Devorah Leah (whom I didn't get to say goodbye to- bye, Devorah Leah) and Rivka Stone. I didn't know them before I got there, I was staying there with a friend of theirs who's in my class, but it turns out they're Yaldah fans and the first thing I got asked was, "are you the girl from Yaldah?"
I love being famous.
During the Kinus I stayed in the Beis Rivkah building and lived on cupcakes and challah and peach Snapple. A bunch of people in my class were counselors as well as some of my friends from camp, and a couple of people whom I didn't know before Kinus. All the counselors slept in a classroom upstairs (hurrah!), which was good. My bunk was awesome, but their room was kind of claustrophobic. We got about three hours of sleep a night, we were all so overtired... The last night of Kinus, at banquet, I spent two hours getting people to sign my sweatshirt with what I thought was a permanent marker. It was a whiteboard marker. I felt really dumb...
I said hi to a bunch of people from Yaldah whom I haven't seen for a really long time. Two, actually, not a bunch. Shterny and Chava, it was awesome. I looked for Chaya Wolff, who's on the EB, for about an hour, but I couldn't find her. Oh well. Next time, Chaya.
I was going to post this on Frayde Trachtman's ipod. But I'm not very good at typing on an itouch.
Spring issue's awesome, guys. The cover is stunning. Can't wait to get it...

Summer issue, here we come!

2010-01-24T19:43:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

Here at YALDAH, we're already working on the summer issue! Yes, I know that we all just got the winter issue, but welcome to the world of magazine publishing :) Anyway, make sure to submit your answers for Discussion topic and Just Ask!, as well as letters to the editor and material for Reader Gallery and Nachas Zone! We love seeing what Jewish girls can do!

Also make sure to take our new survey about all the different parts of YALDAH, so we can continue to bring you everything that you, as Jewish girls, want to read!

I know people are disappointed that they didn't make it onto the board... to all of you out there - I hope you forgive us ;) and that you'll continue to give us your writing, photography, and artwork, and make sure to apply for the 2011 Editorial Board!

Shavua Tov

(have a good week)

Nechama

Vote for the Friendship Circle!

2010-01-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

At YALDAH, we try to reach out to all Jewish girls and there's a special program, The Friendship Circle, that reaches out to and works with Jewish children with special needs. Three-time Editorial Board member, Rebecca Berlin, is the president of the Friendship Circle in her area and she brought to my attention that FC is now in the running to win $1 million! I want to urge all of you to vote to support this charity in this amazing opportunity. Visit www.votefc.com for all the information on the contest and how to vote today.

At YALDAH, we're starting work with the new Editorial Board in a few days and we have the Summer 2010 issue all mapped out. We're also finishing up the Spring 2010 issue and getting it ready for print soon.

Here's my question for you, for today (two questions, actually)... what is your favorite section in YALDAH and why? If you could cut any section, which one would go and why?

Talk to you soon,
Emily

We did it!

2010-01-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

Finally! After much reading, deliberating, chatting, and finalizing... here it is...

ANNOUNCING THE...
Editorial Board 2010

Craft:
Abigail Kasten, age 8, MA

Fashion Page:
Miriam Azizi, age 15, CA
Rachel Provance, age 13, CA

Illustrators:
Liba Rimler, age 11, PA
Yakira Zuroff, age 13, OH

Photographers:
Hannah Cohen, age 11, FL
Julia Ganchrow, age 13, NY
Mushkie Loewenthal, age 11, Denmark
Leah Turner, age 13, Israel

Fun Pages:
Yehudis Rosenberg, age 10, NY
Sarah Saltzman, age 12, WI

Recipe:
Devora Frank, age 13, NY

Writers:
Tova Appel, age 11, WI
Rebecca Berlin, age 14, MI
Chaya Bockian, age 13, IL
Yehudis Davidson, age 11, PA
Meira Goldberg, age 14, NJ
Anne Prusky, age 13, PA
Naama Sara Shmagin, age 10, CA
Tali Trencher, age 11, CT
Chaya Wolff, age 13, MA

Read more about the new Editorial Board members in the Spring 2010 issue!

Mazel Tov to our new board members!!

Everybody else: thank you so much for applying! We wish we could put everybody on the board! I hope you'll try again next year!

Anyway... I realized that I forgot one of my traditions - what I'm listening to! Yaakov Shwekey's Vehi She'omdo, sang on Kumzing by Dovid Gabay. It's a gorgeous song!

So I think I'll head off to finish sending the board their preliminary welcome emails!

Have a great night :)

Long time no talk!

2010-01-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
I'm really sorry I haven't posted for so long. I've been really busy editing articles for the spring issue. It's going to be amazing!
If I do say so myself. =)
Still haven't gotten my winter issue yet. Every day I walk home and think, I have a feeling it's going to be here today... but it isn't. =( Not that I'm complaining, one of Chavie's pet peeves is when people email her about not getting their issue two days after the magazine came out...
It's strange how much I look forward to getting each issue, especially since I pretty much know all the articles inside out by the time the issue is ready for the printer...
I'm just funny like that. I've made so many friends through Yaldah- corny when you say it, but true. I didn't enter the 'How Yaldah Changed my Life' competition, but trust me- it did.
So welcome to the new EB- you guys are going to have a great time.
That's all for now, folks. Talk to you later.
Penina

I got the Winter 2009-2010 issue!

2010-01-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I got my Winter 2009-2010 issue yesterday and what a beautiful issue it is! Everything about it, from the beautiful front cover to the exciting information on the back cover made me so proud to be involved. The 2009 Editorial Board really outdid themselves with these 64 pages of interesting, funny, relatable articles, photographs and illustrations. So what was your favorite part of the issue (if you've gotten it)? It's really hard for me to choose, but I love the new Elements of Creation section. What do you like best? Be sure to comment and let me know.

Right now we're far into the process of the Spring 2010 issue and it's going to be great.

Happy 2010!

Emily

YAY! I got it!!

2010-01-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

After being the first one to complain that she hasn't gotten her copy of the winter issue yet (really; the subscriptions manager, Chavie, gave me the award)... I got the winter issue today and it is amazing!! I am soo excited to bring it to school tomorrow and show all my friends! :)

Anyway, thanks everyone for all of your enthusiasm and all your help... and don't worry, you'll get yours soon too!

And for those of you worried about your Editorial Board Applications: we're working on drawing together the group of girls who will be the YALDAH Editorial Board 2010. Hopefully, you'll all hear by next week who's been chosen.

Have a great Shabbos!

Winter retreat!

2009-12-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, I got back from the winter retreat in Albany, NY. I was exhausted and I didn't have a voice, but that faded away when I thought about the amazing time I had.
It was my first time as staff, and I saw the whole picture. Nechama Laber's dedication to her JGR family. The planning and organizing and re-planning and re-organizing and cooking and shopping. The problems, or what we thought were problems, that inevitably happened. Hashem's hand in everything.
If there was one thing I learned this year, it was that Hashem runs the world and makes everything work out. We saw it over and over during the weekend.
Here's a group picture.

I hope to see you all in the JGR pictures this summer! Registration for the summer retreat will be open really soon. I'm already excited- only 199 days! :-)

Chavie

Updates!

2009-12-30T21:04:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

Wow, I haven't posted for two weeks! Sorry for the absence, things have been crazily busy around here and so I've neglected this blog. You should be getting the Winter issue any day now (though depending on where you live it may take up to a month or so to get to you) and I can't wait to get my copies. The Spring issue is going really well though it's a little sad because it's this Editorial Board's last issue. I can't wait to choose the new Board, though! The deadline for applications is tomorrow, so we've gotten them all now, I believe and are going to be choosing soon. There have been some questions about the notification process, so I'd like to clarify that here:

If you are chosen to be on the Board, you'll receive notification in the first or second week of January.
If you are not chosen, you'll receive notification in the first or second week of January.
We will announce the new Board on our website in the second week of January G-d willing.

If you have questions about this (or anything else, for that matter), feel free to comment on this post or e-mail me at emily@yaldahmagazine.com.

As I write, the countdown on the iBelieve website (www.jewishgirlsunite.com) is at one day, three hours and two minutes. That countdown is for the January raffle. Send in your video as described on the iBelieve website before the countdown ends and you'll be entered to win a free subscription to YALDAH and have your video featured on the website for the month! Be sure to send in your video. If you don't have it done for the January raffle, don't worry there are two more, in February and March.

Talk to you soon,
Emily

Experiences in the Holy Land

2009-12-23T05:02:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. I wanted to share one of my Israel experiences with you. Yesterday we visited Yad L'Yeled, a Holocaust museum geared especially for children (ages 10 and up). It was an incredible experience to see how much thought was put into making sure that the experience would connect to children. It wasn't just exhibits to look at - the experience was the lighting, shapes, the sounds and childrens voices playing in the background, the materials the floor and walls were made of...You could peek into Jewish homes in the ghetto, walk on the train tracks that took Jews to the camps while watching videos of children getting on the train, feel like you're in a forest while watching a video of a survivor talking about how he survived as a child hiding in the forest. Everything was focused on children - quotes from children about the times they were living through, survivors talking about their childhood, childrens' drawings and belongings.

After the experience I was thinking what we're supposed to take from such a museum. Of course we have to make sure that the world never forgets. But I think there are also more positive lessons we can take. One thing it made me appreciate is what an incredible time we're living in. For our entire history, the Jewish people has been continually persecuted. We're finally living in a time where not only is our country not against Judaism, but the government actually helps us practice Judaism! We don't always appreciate the times we live in because it's normal life for us.

The second point I took was how fast the entire world can change. It was only a few years that peoples lives were horrifically transformed. That was for evil, but for goodness the world can change just as fast, if not faster. We're getting closer and closer to Moshiach, and we don't even realize how fast things can improve.

These two ideas were on my mind while working on a new YALDAH Media, Inc. project called iBelieve! It's a project to inspire each other in video format by sharing our belief in a better world, and what we're doing to get there. Let's keep in mind what a special time we're living in, and the incredible power each of us hold to change the world.

Get involved with this new project and inspire others, be part of an incredible video, and win great prizes! Visit www.jewishgirlsunite.com for more information.

Leah :-)

I glue and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 8!

2009-12-16T11:08:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

Over the past several days, my family has lit more than five different menorahs. Last night, we added the Mirrored Menorah from The YALDAH Year to our collection! The Mirrored Menorah was so beautiful in my family's dining room as we ate dinner because it makes twice as much light as a regular menorah, plus we put it on a shelf with a mirror so it ended up making three times as much light! We all loved just loved watching it burn down. Here are my photos...

Menorahs come in all different shapes and sizes. What is your favorite kind? Be sure to comment and let me know! Last year I even got to light a train-Menorah where each "car" had one candle!

Happy Chanukah!

Emily

Happy Chanukah + Behind the Scenes updates!

2009-12-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

Happy Chanukah! I'm in the process of making the Mirrored Menorah from The YALDAH Year! Be sure to check back in the next few days for my pictures. Some time this Chanukah, I'm also going to be making the latkes (potato pancakes) from The YALDAH Year though I haven't decided which day yet. Have you made any of the recipes for the month of Kislev from the book? And which of my cook-and-blog posts do you like best? Look back at my previous posts by clicking here and be sure to comment and let me know.

Now for the promised Behind the Scenes update: the Winter 2009-2010 issue is printing, as I told you in the last post, which is so exciting for all of us at the YALDAH staff- as it is for you, I'm sure. We're in the heat of working on the Spring 2010 issue, now, and the first batch of Editorial Board writing has started to come in. I'm busy doing things like choosing poetry for the Reader Gallery, answers for the Discussion Topic and Just Ask (it's not too late, submit your answers here!), finding people for Out There and Subscriber Snapshot and much, much more. The Spring issue is shaping up to look really good. We're also going to announce the new Editorial Board members in that issue and YALDAH subscribers, aged 8-15, there's still time to apply! Check it out here. I was on the Editorial Board in 2008 and I just loved it, don't miss this amazing opportunity to get involved with YALDAH.

As always, you can e-mail me at emily@yaldahmagazine.com if you have any questions or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you.

Talk to you soon,

Emily

p.s. There's still time to register for the Jewish Girl's Winter Retreat in Albany, New York from December 24th-27th! Though I can't make it this year, I went last year and it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Chanukah in Israel

2009-12-13T13:35:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! Happy Chanukah! I think this is one of my first Chanukahs without snow, and that's certainly different. However, Winter is the rainy season in Israel and up here on the mountain in Tzfas we have lots of fog too. Sometimes when we look out the window, we can actually see that we're ON TOP of the clouds!

So far I'm having an amazing Chanukah in the Holy Land. For Shabbos we went to Tiveria (Tiberias), which is one of the four holy cities of Israel (the others being Tzfas, where I'm in seminary, Yerushalayim, and Chevron). We actually wrote about Tiveria in the Winter issue even before I went there, so keep your eyes open for that article! Tivera, besides for being a beautiful city on the water, is also home to many graves of Tzaddikim - so before Shabbos I got to visit the kever of the Rambam, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Meir Baal Haness, and many special women including Bilha and Zilpa, Tzipporah and Yocheved, Moshe's wife and mother, Aharon's wife Elisheva, and more.

So far this Chanukah has brought lots of singing, dancing, and of course donuts! The winter issue is on its way to you, and the staff did an incredible job on this issue all by themselves.

Remember, the deadline for the Editorial Board Applications is coming up, so don't forget to send in your application ASAP. Stay tuned for the date of a Chanukah Unity Conference Call!

Leah :-)

Winter 2009-2010 issue is at the printer!

2009-12-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

That's right, the Winter 2009-2010 issue of YALDAH is at the printer! Start checking your mailbox, it'll be there any day in the next several weeks.

There are lots of exciting things in this issue including a new contest with amazing prizes, an exclusive interview with Lori Palatnik and much, much more.

Be sure to comment and let me know when you get it and what your favorite part is.

Talk to you soon,

Emily

I love Klal Yisroel!!

2009-12-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

I was just noticing that everyone is posting... except for me! I haven't posted since November 7th - a whole month ago! Time really flies, it's kind of scary. I just realized that... well, number one, I'm almost halfway through 11th grade, and number two, that this past year flew really fast. Time flies when you're having fun, right?

Speaking of time, I might as well tell you why I love Klal Yisroel (Jews) (title of post)... so I went to this amazing convention this Shabbos in Woodridge, NY. It was the annual Bnos Agudas Yisrael Leaders Convention. Meaning - I'm a Bnos leader here in Milwaukee. Bnos is a program all over the United States & Canada (and making its way to other places) for girls to gather together on Shabbos afternoons to play games, have snacks, hear stories, and have fun with friends that they may or may not see every day at school. In Milwaukee, it works like this: there are separate groups for 1st & 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade. Each group has 2 high school age leaders, except 8th grade - they have a whole separate group of leaders! Anyway, my friend and I are the leaders for 6th grade (in Milwaukee we call us counselors).

So anyway, back to why I love Klal Yisroel - we went to this amazing convention this Shabbos. We left school on Thursday afternoon at like 2:40. My sister brought us to the airport, we went through security and all and were making our way to our gate. On our way to the gate, we met a family here from Mexico. We got into a conversation with the wife (which started with "are you a Saltzman?") and

reason #1 to love us: I called my sister and she turned around (she was almost home, so another 1/2 hour drive) to come pick up this family and bring them to their host's house. Anyway, so we (me & 2 friends) took our flight, had a blast, and landed in Newark Airport in New Jersey.

There,

reason #2: a frum Jewish car service picked us up and drove us to Boro Park at

reason #3: my mother's friend's sister's house. This was at... about 9:30-10 at night. We stayed at this family's house until like 12:30. During that time, we hung out in their kitchen (they put out a whole dessert reception for us - cookies, rugelach, a bowl of fruit and drinks) and then in their living room, looking through albums they have on their shelves (and looking for any pictures we could find of my mother's friend cuz we actually know her)

reason #4: at about 12:30/12:40 Thursday night, a 15-seater van being driven by a couple coming from Lakewood stopped to pick us up. In the van were 7 other girls going to convention, and it was packed. We then went on to drop the husband off so he could daven Ma'ariv (remember what time this was!)

reason #5: at Shomrei Shabbos, where the street was swarming with frum people - at 1:00 AM!! Wow - it was overwhelming but amazing. Then we finally went to convention, got there at 3:00 in the morning, stayed up to make welcoming kits, and went to bed. Friday brought the rest of the girls to convention, bringing the total of girls present to approximately 250.

reason #6: we stayed up until 4:30 AM Friday night talking to girls from Lakewood we hadn't met until that day! It was a blast, and it was soo cool because since we all learn the same Torah and have the same basic lifestyle, we could talk about all kinds of things - it was amazing.

<-- first snow in the Catskills of the season (against the night sky)

reason #7: when Jews get together, it's amazing! The fact that everyone was singing the same songs to the same tunes... the same tunes for the tefillos (prayers), it really gives a strong message at how amazing Klal Yisroel and the truth of our message is. We had an amazing Shabbos, then we had to leave on Motzaei Shabbos, a little earlier than everyone else.

reason #8: the same van brought us back, and went out of the way to drop us off in Passaic where we stayed for the night.

reason #9: we came to the house of friends of my parents (this was about 12 AM) and my mom's friend brought us over to her neighbor's house where we stayed the night (the family was sleeping, we only saw them for a second the next morning)

reason #10: bright and early the next morning, my mother's friend dropped us off at the airport (at least 20 minutes away from her home) so we could make our 10:25 AM flight.

I LOVE KLAL YISROEL! Oh, and why does time connect? That was the theme of convention: "Im lo achshav, aymasai?" - "If not now, then when?"

Above is the convention's theme banner.

K, so enough about Bnos. It's amazing - you should see if they have it in your city and join. If they don't, ask someone to start one.

So what am I listening to right now? Yosef Chaim Shwekey's "V'simloch" on his album "Lo Lefached". The whole album is gorgeous - I highly recommend it :)

YALDAH... let's see. YALDAH is hopping. The winter issue is well on its way to being done. Should be at the printer within a day or two from the posting of this post. Spring issue is also well underway. We've started collecting writers' writings :) and will soon get to work on photographers' and illustrators' creations...

Ok, I should go to bed.

Happy snowing!

- Nechama :)

P.S. Subscribers: remember to send in your applications for the Editorial Board!

Update

2009-12-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I know I haven't posted here in a while- I've been busy with winter retreat preparations (we have an awesome schedule planned- you don't want to miss it! visit www.jewishgirlsretreat.net to register or for more information.) and book promotions.

We had a table today at a book fair at Temple Sinai of Sharon. I was there for about 2 hours and people loved the book. There were also the usual amount of people who thought I was Leah. :)
Sorry no pictures- we forgot to take any!

The YALDAH Year is also being sold at Judaica Judy's in Stoughton, MA- if any of you live near here, stop by!

We have some exciting sales and events in the works, so stay tuned.

Chavie
subscriptions@yaldahmagazine.com

Spring Issue

2009-12-02T20:12:00.001-08:00

Crazy as it may seem, seeing as it's snowed- twice?- I have just received the first article to edit for the spring issue. I haven't actually edited it yet, being as I have a French composition due tomorrow. I just finished it, however, and I am about to go do the editing...
About the composition, it had to be about a crime. Mine was a murder. The crazy old lady did it. I have just remembered how much I hate it when the crazy old lady does it. And when the innocent little girl does it. Which is why I never, ever, ever read scary books. Ever. I have managed to scare myself quite badly...
G'nite, all
Penina

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 7!

2009-11-29T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I'm back to cooking, now, instead of crafts- I just can't resist the delicious looking recipes in The YALDAH Year! This time, I made the Chocolate Chip Cookies! (Thanks to Becca who commented on an earlier post and suggested I make these.) I made two slight variations to the recipes; I used brown sugar instead of white because I've found that I like the flavor of brown sugar in chocolate chip cookies better and I used a little less sugar because I tend to like cookies a little bit less sweet than the recipe said. They were great! Here are my photos...

What do you want me to make now from The YALDAH Year? Be sure to comment and let me know!

Talk to you soon,
Emily

I cut and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 6!

2009-11-22T20:39:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

Contrary to what the title of this post suggests, no, I did not cut up The YALDAH Year. Actually, I did my first craft from the book today (hence the different title of this post): Mosaic Placemat! It was really fun, I got to spend hours at my desk just cutting and glueing. My placemat is themed "YALDAH", unlike the one in the book which is themed flowers. So, here's my challenge for you! Make anything from The YALDAH Year but themed "YALDAH" and send it to me at emily@yaldahmagazine.com! I'll post my favorites (which may be all of them) up on this blog. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

My photos...

Above: The placemat

Above: The placemat... with a bowl and glass

Above: The placemat at our table

This was really fun to do so I'm considering other crafts, now. Will post more soon, G-d willing! As always, if there's something you want me to make from the book, be sure to comment and let me know! (Thanks to everyone for your suggestions last time, keeping them in mind.)

Talk to you soon,
Emily

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 5!

2009-11-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

My break is over and I'm back to cooking and blogging through The YALDAH Year. Last night it was... Cheesecake Squares! I'll warn you about this one- it's messy and you may end up eating more graham crackers than you put in the cake because they're good. I hadn't had graham crackers for years when I made this so I was fascinated with what I've been missing out on. Back to the cooking... it was so much fun. Here are my pictures:

Above: The graham cracker crust

Above: Crust and filling next to each other

Above: My piece

What do you want me to make from The YALDAH Year for my next blog post? Be sure to comment and let me know.

Quick behind-the-scenes update-we had a Spring 2010 issue planning meeting on Sunday (can you believe that it's almost 2010? I remember 2000... I feel old.). Anyways, great meeting and we have mapped out the Spring Table of Contents and G-d willing Editorial Board assignments will go out in the next week or so. Winter 2009/2010 issue is coming together beautifully with everyone doing their jobs and we're hoping to get it to the printer really soon and then into your mailbox!

One more fun tidbit- http://www.theyaldahyear.com/ is up and there's a page, Reader Photos. Be sure to take photos when you make things from The YALDAH Year and send them in for us to put on the website.

Talk to you soon,

Emily

Long time no speak!

2009-11-07T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone!

Wow I haven't posted in ages... or so it seems. Then again, you probably didn't miss me because you were having so much fun reading Emily's cook-and-blogs... (Don't worry - I'm also having fun reading them, so I figured I didn't need to post...)

Let's see... do we have a behind-the-scenes update for you today? Hmm... Thursday was the first official staff conference (which I missed because I was at my school's awesome retreat!) which was very good and productive (as I read afterwards). Tomorrow is our spring issue #23 planning meeting (crazy, right? The winter issue's not even finished being laid out yet...).

If you have any article ideas, please email me (nechama@yaldahmagazine.com) before Sunday November 8th at 2:15 NY time... so they can be considered.

Speaking of which, the winter issue is going along... we're trying to finish gathering everything (I guess I should go finish my article!) so we can get this off to the printer on time, which probably won't happen. But that's ok, it usually doesn't! I didn't say that... but you always get it, right? So that works.

I'm listening to Od Yishama on the album Kochvei Hashamayim by All Star. And there's a reason why. I'm listening to my "wedding" playlist, which I made this week when my cousin got engaged!! Mazel Tov :) Her name is Tamar Klein and his is Josh Hirsch. They're from Baltimore.

Hmm. Oh, I have a question for you. Do you read this blog? Please comment on this post if you do (which I'd assume you do if you see this) and you can tell me how often you read it, too. You can tell me what kinds of things you like us to write about... we really want to know! Thanks!

So what was I saying? Oh right, winter issue. Yeah - it's going to be really great! More new features (really cool ones, if I may say so myself).

Ok, so right now I have this much to do [holds hands as far apart as they'll go] so I really have to go and do it all. It's mostly homework, but lots is YALDAH too so you really want me to go do it, right?

Ok, ok...

Gut Voch

(have a good week)

-Nechama :)

P.S. something really cool: I won 3rd place - a $500 savings bond from an Agudath Israel of America essay contest. The topic was: "why you support school choice".

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 4!

2009-11-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I told myself I wasn't going to make any more desserts this week, but I'll be honest- I couldn't resist the Marble Cake. So, I made it last night and even my very-picky-eater-little-brother loved it (and he doesn't like almost everything I make... I wonder if that says something about his tastes... or my baking... ;-)).

Above: Ready to go in the pan and be marbled

Above: Marbled and ready to go in the oven

Above: Done!

Above: My piece :-)

So now I have made Marble Cake, which I was always a little scared of doing, and it was lots of fun! What do you want me to make from The YALDAH Year now? Be sure to comment and let me know! Maybe I will take a break now, but it won't be very long; stay tuned for more cook and blogs!

Now I have to go look over the edits Penina made on my editorial and sort things out to see if I have any questions for our editorial meeting later. So much to do, so little time.

Talk to you soon!

Emily

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 3!

2009-11-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

This time I made... Date Nut Bars! Super delicious, really quick and easy to make and my whole family loved them!

Above: The batter, before it went in the oven

Above: The bars; out of the oven

Above: My bar!

Do you like my "cook and blog" posts? Should I continue them? If not, what would you like me to post about? Be sure to let me know in the comments section!

Quick behind-the-scenes update.... almost all the Editorial Board assignments are in and we're working hard to finish up the issue now. Can't wait!

Talk to you soon,
Emily

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 2!

2009-10-30T10:59:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I wanted to make cookies (I really love making cookies, of all kinds) so I looked at The YALDAH Year and chose the recipe for Snowball Cookies. They turned out great! Here are some pictures:

This photo is of me rolling the cookies in powdered sugar before they go in the oven

This photo is of the cookies before they went in the oven

Finished cookies!

I had so much fun making the Snowball Cookies and they really did look like snowballs when I was rolling them in powdered sugar. Have you made anything from The YALDAH Year? How did it turn out? Be sure to comment and let me know!

Good Shabbos,
Emily

Leah Larson on TV!

2009-10-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Not much time to post now, but I just wanted to give you the link to a TV show that Leah Larson was on "Liza with a Z"-- it's on the "In the Media" page on our website, so you may have already seen it. If not, here's the link:

http://www.yaldahmagazine.com/articles/article/4660415/132965.htm

Talk to you soon,
Emily

Hello from Israel!

2009-10-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to update you lately but that's because I'm in Israel! I'll try to fit everything in a short little update. I'm in seminary in Tzfat and loving it! I love the classes, the programs, the friends...and of course just being in Israel! I don't have any 'official' job at YALDAH while I'm here, which is very weird for me. It's the first time in five years! But I'm still busy communicating with our staff members and making sure everything gets done. I have to say that our staff has been doing an incredible job, and already got the fall issue out while I was here. Every issue of YALDAH is a huge job, but the Fall issue even had 16 extra pages, and they managed beautifully!
I spent Sukkos in Yerushalayim with friends which was an incredible experience as well. I went jeeping, toured the Yerushalayim water tunnels, took a 6-hour tour of Yerushalayim, the Kotel tunnels, and of course spent a lot of time at the Kotel and the Old City. Some days I had free to daven and learn at the Kotel and explore the Old City. It was such an incredible place to be during Sukkos, with so many different types of Jews from all over the world gathered together.One of the benefits of running YALDAH is that I get to make friends all over the world. Israel is no exception! When I needed a place to stay for Sukkos I called up Editorial Board member Leah Turner and right away she was able to find me and my friends places to stay in her community. It was great to finally meet Leah in person!

Last week I also got to meet another previous YALDAH staff member - Talya Wasserman! Talya was on the first Editorial Board and was Editorial Board Coordinator for the second Editorial Board. Talya is also in Seminary in Israel, and it was such a treat to be able to meet up with her.

I'm so excited that the YALDAH Year is available and would love to hear your feedback. I can't wait for the other books to come out! I know the book websites aren't running yet, but stay tuned, they should be up any day now.

Hope to meet up with each and every one of you in Yerushalayim with Moshiach now!

Leah :-)

Hello from Israel!

Me & friends at the Kotel

Me & Talya Wasserman

Me & Leah Turner

Learning with friends in the Old City

A great sale!

I made the rugelach from The YALDAH year!

2009-10-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I got my YALDAH year on Friday morning and the rugelach picture looked so good in the picture that I decided to make them for Shabbos. Here are two pictures (the first one is from before they went into the oven and the second picture is of them when they're done.

I did half of them chocolate and half cinnamon and they were great- you should definitely make them and I hope you have as much fun making stuff from The YALDAH Year as I did!

Talk to you soon,
Emily

The YALDAH YEAR is here!!

2009-10-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

I can not believe that I am the first one to post about this.

Doesn't the picture speak for itself? The YALDAH Year is here!! Mazel Tov to YALDAH! We graduated from just a magazine to a magazine + a book! Wahoa!

Anyway, I don't know about anyone else, but I think this is very exciting news. Today is Sunday; my family received our copy of The YALDAH Year on Thursday. Friday, I brought it to school and my class passed it around (shhh...) during class, and everyone loved it. Remember that I'm in 11th grade.

So I think that's really cool. I'm listening to Lipa Schmeltzer's Halelu on his album "A Poshiter Yid".

Gotta go eat supper because it smells really good and I have to finish my homework before I go out to the grocery store with my father. Now, the reason I'm going is so I can drive there. You see, I'll tell you a secret. (Seriously, not many of my friends know this.) My road test is scheduled to be within the next month, and I'm finishing up my driving hours. My last behind-the-wheel with my instructor was today. I'm sooo excited! So you can daven for me.

Anyway, as I mentioned, gonna go eat supper.

Layla Tov (good night),

Nechama

So cold....

2009-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

As you may have guessed from the title, I'm freezing right now... I'm in a hotel lobby (long story- my family's living in a hotel right now because we had a flood and we're fixing our house) and it's freezing in here. I've just been editing articles for an hour so I'm taking a break to tell the world that my toes are cold... and my fingers... and my nose...

I don't know how busy grade 11 is (not 11th grade, Nechama), but I know grade 10 is the hardest so far. I've found out that I can't get away with reading in class anymore, not because my books will get confiscated but because I'm about to fail a math test, and fail spectacularly...

More about the magazine: I haven't gotten my fall one yet, which is so annoying, because I'm in a lot of the pictures and I hate pictures so I want to see just how awful I look, and also because I want to read it... on paper, not on a screen!

Gonna go now... the articles call... I may even be able to study for a bit if I finish.

G'nite, all,

Penina

Hey there!

2009-10-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone!

This will have to be a short post 'cause I have school tomorrow (well, I did today too but so what?).

I'm listening to a song from the CD called "English Classics". It's a bunch of English - you guessed it - classics from the years and it's great.

Well, let's see. What's happening here?

- I also got the fall issue and I'm having a blast showing it off to everybody!

- I'm waiting excitedly for everyone to start sending me their Editorial Board applications which are due on the last day of 2009!

- The winter issue is starting to gather speed as we start gathering articles and other things... make sure to send your answers to discussion, JustAsk, and stuff for Reader Gallery if you want them to be in this issue!

and by the way, in case you're wondering, I'd like to tell you that when they say that 11th grade is the worst... they're right. I mean, they say it's the hardest academically, but I'm going to say right now that it's the hardest busy-wise! I feel like I have no time for anything! (Don't look at the time on this post...)

So now you know my feelings on that. I'm back to school from Sukkos, as I mentioned. My younger siblings go back tomorrow and my brothers go back to Yeshiva on Thursday. I guess vacation is over. Next week is Rosh Chodesh Chesvan already. But don't worry, Cheshvan isn't that boring because it's my birthday!! Yay!

Ok, I guess I really should head off to bed.

Remember to appreciate elementary school and vacation while you have them (separately of course).

I must end off with telling you that Simchas Torah is amazing and I love it and the dancing and singing is sooo amazing! You see, at my shul, our Rabbi (R' Twerski of Milwaukee) has 2 Hakafos that he dances a special dance to a special niggun while all the men stand around singing and clapping... and then there's the regular dancing, and everyone is so happy... and it's soooooo cool!

K, the song changed - that means it's getting late.

Layla Tov!

(Good night ;))

I got the Fall issue today!

2009-10-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Yay! I got my Fall issue today and let me tell you: it is so amazing. As you know, it has 16 extra pages but also the paper is bigger and heavier, the colors are brighter and there's even more great content! It turned out so well... I can't wait for you all to get it. And when you do? Be sure to comment on this post and tell me what you think :-)

That's about it for now... the second YALDAH unity conference call is tomorrow, don't miss it!

Talk to you soon,
Emily

You'll be getting the Fall issue any day!

2009-09-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

The Fall issue has been sent out! You know what that means... that means you'll be getting it any day now, a few short weeks at most (or they may be long weeks since you'll be waiting with baited breath... right? Right?)

The Editorial Board girls have gotten their assignments, so soon Penina should be getting stuff for editing and then we'll be back here before we know it. That's what I love about magazine publishing. No matter what happens one issue, there's always the next. Before you know it, you're signing the printing waivers and approving proofs again. In the magazine world, there's no down time and there's nothing you won't get a chance to do again. How amazing is that?!

I can't write more now but I can't wait to hear what you think of the Fall issue- be sure to write to me at emily@yaldahmagazine.com and let me know!

Emily

100th post!!

2009-09-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone!

I totally did not think that I would be posting again before Rosh Hashana, but I have to get this in: This is the hundredth post on YALDAH's blog!! Ok, anyway, that's not the only reason I'm posting.

Here's my real reason: I can now testify that the fall issue really is at the printer because I put the bar code on the front of it! That is always the last, last step... well, then I saw a couple of last-second typos so we fixed those, and now it's on its way! BARUCH HASHEM! (thank G-d) Now we can focus on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, which are coming up really fast!

I'm currently listening to Shalsheles Junior's Modeh Ani to wake myself up to do all my homework now that I've finished working on YALDAH (just kidding, it was playing anyway). Shalsheles in general in awesome... who knows, maybe someday YALDAH will have an article about them?

So, anyhoo, make sure to tell us what you think of the fall issue! Feel free to email our editors: Emily @ emily@yaldahmagazine.com and Penina @ penina@yaldahmagazine.com if you have any questions or suggestions for future issues. Also, look out for, hopefully, a survey in the near future about different features in YALDAH so we can continue to bring you the best material out there for Jewish girls, by Jewish girls!

Ksiva V'Chasima Tova!

(good writing and sealing for the coming year)

Less than 1 week left!

2009-09-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Shalom, Chaveirot, Ma Shlomchen?

(that's Hebrew for, "Hello, friends, how are you?")

My new obsession is that one sentence... I love talking in Hebrew! It is soo much fun! Well anyway that's not really why I'm posting... right?

I have to tell you what music I'm listening to before it changes because it is gorgeous... the singer is Shloime Kaufman, the album is EMES 2, and the

song is called... Me'ein Olam Haba! It's gorgeous... you should really listen to it! Remember to look for Shloime Kaufman in the MUSIC NOTES article coming up this issue!

Speaking of this issue, #21, the FALL 2009 issue, it is gorgeous, I must say. Well, that's one of the things that happens when your sister does the graphic design for a magazine: you get sneak peeks at everything every step of the way... and I must say I've been enjoying it quite a lot!! This issue is beautiful, and as you can see from the fact that it's up on the website, imy"H (im yirtzeh Hashem - please G-d) it will be arriving at your homes in the next couple of weeks!

Cheers for the Editorial Staff - for the first issue done while Leah was in Israel! (Well, the bulk of the logistics were done during that time, anyway!) I must say I'm very impressed with how smoothly everything flew even though Leah wasn't here. Obviously, it's because of the amazing

foundation she set when she set up our outstanding Editorial Staff... especially EMILY GORDIS, PENINA HARRISON, and MIRIAM SALTZMAN... round of applause!!

As we've all told you, the fall issue is chock full of brand new features and columns, and 16 exciting pages of material that were not there before! Let us know what you think on our guestbook or comment on this post!

As the fall issue is finished up, the WINTER ISSUE is beginning! Once again, we're stirring up the pot with amazing new features (which are still a secret at this point, sorry ;)) and great material to brighten up your dreary winter days... stay tuned for more info on the winter issue as we continue to work on it!

Remember, too that there is only less than 1 week left until Rosh Hashana, the beginning of the Jewish New Year... http://www.aish.com/h/hh/ - that's a link to some amazing articles about the basics and not so basics of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Yomim Noraim, or Days of Awe.

I guess I should head off to bed because I have school tomorrow...

so Layla Tov (good night), and

I hope everybody has a

Ksiva Vachasima Tova

(good writing and sealing for the coming year)

Updates...

2009-09-03T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted- things have been pretty crazy around here! We're working hard to finish up the Fall 2009 issue and you should be getting it in the next several weeks G-d willing.

And now we're starting on the Winter issue! We're planning even more new, exciting features for the Winter issue since we have 16 extra pages to work with. Now that Leah Larson is in Israel, I've fully taken over my job and am working closely with Nechama and Penina to make sure everything runs smoothly. The YALDAH Year has gone to printer and will be on-sale very soon and the other books are being finished up as well. The Editorial Board is going to start work on their articles in the next week or so and soon we'll be editing those.

I have to run now and work on proofreading the Fall issue so talk to you soon- I'm looking forward to posting more often, now!

Hope you've had a good start to the school year!

Emily

Summer's drawing to a close...

2009-08-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

Don't know about you, but here in Milwaukee, the summer's drawing to a close. Well, not that I'm in Milwaukee. I'm in L.A. right now, but I'll be back in Milwaukee tomorrow night - and that really means that the summer is ending... I'll be home from my last trip :)

That's a smiley face because I'm really excited for school to start! I'm going to be in 11th grade - meaning that I'm halfway done with high school! This year at school is really exciting, and in general I love learning so that would be why I'm excited...

I'm currenly listening to a song called "Fifteen Synagogues" by Aaron Applebaum, on an album called Destiny.

Here at YALDAH we're starting off the winter issue and finishing up the fall issue - look out for more updates!!

As for the summer ending, my siblings in elementary and middle school start school this Thursday, and I start a week from Tuesday... so anyway here goes another year! Hatzlacha Rabba (lotsa success) to everybody starting school soon, whether home schooling or regular schooling :)

Anyway, gotta go pack 'cuz as I mentioned I'm going home tomorrow.

Nechama

I'm baaaack!

2009-08-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

After two weeks in the depths of non-Jewish Ontario, with one un-cordless phone smack in the middle of the kitchen and almost no internet access, where we ran out of bagels and pitas and had to make our own bread, I am back in the city, on my own couch, in my own room. Oh, bliss...
Sorry for that run-on sentence. I love the country, I would just wander there for hours, walking along the lake until my feet got tired and then dragging myself home. It's my favorite place in the whole world for short, concentrated periods of time, but I guess I'm just a city girl at heart. Or a bedroom girl. The lake's nice, the trees are nice, it's all nice... but I need my bed. My bed.
So... now that I'm back in the city, with all the computer access I need, I'm about to start working on the winter issue with Nechama. Is winter supposed to be capitalized? There was kind of a little messup with a picture I needed to send because I am computer illiterate almost incredible and my father and I were almost never in the same place at the same time (my grandparents' house) so he could send it to Leah... but it all worked out, and I can't wait for the fall issue. It's gonna be great.
G'nite all,
Penina

Speaking at Camp Pembroke

2009-08-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last night I spoke for the older division of Camp Pembroke, a Jewish girls overnight camp in Pembroke, MA. They were very enthusiastic about YALDAH with lots of questions afterwards, and we even found that three previous Editorial Board members were in camp!

Back from JGR!

2009-08-12T18:42:00.001-07:00

I got back on Sunday from an awesome, unbelievable, amazing, smashing, inspirational, crazy, fun, memorable, active, 3 weeks at Jewish Girls' Retreat! As always, I met lots of girls, had awesome counselors, learned a lot, lost a lot of sleep, and came home feeling recharged until the winter.
Still trying to get back into the swing of things around here in real life... Within the next few days, orders will be shipped and questions will be answered.
Going to go catch up on some sleep now. There's a link to pictures from camp on jewishgirlsretreat.net if you want to check them out.

Love, Chavie

Hi again...

2009-07-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hi, everybody!

It's been a while since I posted so here I am again. I got back from Florida last week and we had a blast. So I'm back home again in Milwaukee (and glad about it - I mean, Florida was great, but I like being home...).

FYI, I'm currently listening to Rabbi Mechanic of http://www.projectchazon.com ... a recording of when he came to my school this year. Anyway, it's really good (and it's 2 1/2 hours long!).

Here at YALDAH, we're trying to finish up the fall issue. Since everyone is at camp and doing their summer stuff, it's hard to meet deadlines and everything. Baruch Hashem (thank G-d) everything is starting to come together and getting a move on!

Also, remember - Tisha B'av (Ninth of Av) is in just 2 days (Wednesday night & Thursday) so make sure to be prepared, http://www.aish.com/h/9av/ is a great source... im yirtzeh Hashem (please G-d), Tisha B'av this year will be a celebration at the third Bais Hamikdash (Temple) in Yerushalayim! See you there!

So anyway, I'm gonna call it a day (er... maybe a night) and... I'll talk to you another day.

Have an inspirational and easy fast (if we end up not at the Bais Hamikdash yet)