Editorial 26.05.2022

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to share with you two highlights of my week. The first was reading a letter from parents about the girls’ Poland trip that was sent to the trip leaders, Rebbetzin Taylor, Mrs Waugh, Miss Gelley, Miss Rabson and Rabbi Bennett:

We just wanted to express our profound gratitude for the most amazing trip you put together for the girls.
[Our daughter] came back on such a high! She spent hours on my bed that first night telling me all about this incredible trip and the multiple moments of inspiration, love and achdut that she experienced.
I have never seen her so uplifted and pray that she will carry these feelings and thoughts for a long time to come.
I must admit that none of my other girls who have been to Hasmo on this trip ever came back on such a high! Something very special occurred in those few days. I’m not sure if it’s the quality of the girls in this year and that friendship and achdut that unites them so much, or maybe it was the quality of the teachers who were part of this journey with them who they clearly adore and feel so close to and feel constantly supported and inspired…. Or maybe it was the quality of Michal the madricha who expertly tapped into their emotions, awareness and understanding. Or maybe it was the perfectly organised logistic of the trip with decent accommodation and delicious food always awaiting them. Or maybe it was a combination of all these things that enabled them to learn and absorb and be witnesses to our history and feel great emotions and yet rejoice and sing out of love for Hashem and pride of being alive and upholding their faith.
We thank you all for the efforts and care you obviously invested in making this trip so memorable and for inspiring our daughter on a daily basis. May Hashem bless you all with continued hazlacha and fulfillment in everything you do.

The second was seeing the highlights of the Boys’ Lag B’Omer trip: Lag B’Omer Video

These trips – as are all of the trips and broader enrichment activities that we offer – are a reminder that is so important to offer so much more than an academic education. As we look forward to the final half term of the year, my thanks go to our secular staff who have worked so hard to the ensure students gain the best possible GCSE, BTEC and A-Level grades, to our Kodesh staff and HIPE teams who equipping students with the skills, knowledge and inspiration to remain proud religious Jews, and to our broader pastoral teams who are helping students to navigate their way through adolescence in the increasingly complex modern world. Let us also not forget our non-teaching staff without whom our schools would cease to run with almost immediate effect. The two trips above rely on all of these groups to work together… and this really demonstrates the magic of Hasmonean.

Wishing everyone a good Shabbos and a peaceful half term holiday,

Mr Andrew McClusky
CEO, Hasmonean MAT

Dear Parents and Carers

We heard this week of the sad passing of Rabbi Pinchos Roberts ztl.

Aside from being an enormous talmid chochom and Rov in North West London for many decades, Rabbi Roberts was also an elector Rabbi of Hasmonean. We are enormously grateful for his dedication and sage advice over many years. Even after he retired to Manchester some years ago, he would regularly enquire about school matters and cared deeply about the chinuch of our children.

It is with much sadness that we mourn his passing and we wish his family much comfort. He will be sorely missed.

Rabbi J Golker
Menahel