Shalhevet High School

Mazal Tov to Shalhevet alum Adin Keiter ‘19, son of Shalhevet faculty Dr. Sheila (Mitchell) Keiter, on his engagement to Zoe Melzer of Teaneck, NJ.
We wish them and both families only happiness and bracha! 🙌🏽

It was a gorgeous evening as the Shalhevet Firehawk Class of 2006 came together for their 20 Year Reunion - with nearly 60 alumni and their spouses joining from far-and-wide: New York, Israel, Miami, etc. The event had plenty of delicious food, drink, and lots of schmoozing. Rabbi Block spoke about our wonderful community and what all Shalhevet is today, with credit given to all the Firehawks from years past. We always love seeing our alumni reconnecting and catching up. A special thank you to our Director of Development, Sanaz Sazegar, for facilitating this event. And we look forward to even more reunions in the future - stay tuned! 🙏🔥 stayingclose firehawkfamily

We couldn’t be more proud of Firehawk Jacob Hoenig ‘22 for being recognized as one of only SIX outstanding Class of 2026 graduates by The UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Jacob was honored with the Bioengineering Award of Excellence for his exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and service.

As a biotechnology student at UC San Diego, Jacob conducted research in nanomedicine in the labs of Professors Liangfang Zhang and F***y Chapelin, developing biomimetic vaccines and technologies to track therapeutic immune cells. His work led to multiple publications, conference presentations, and a Most Innovative Award for his senior design project.

Beyond the lab, Jacob led philanthropy efforts for Alpha Epsilon Pi, helping raise more than $15,000 in donations to support individuals experiencing homelessness in downtown San Diego. His service earned Outstanding Philanthropy and Outstanding Service Awards from UC San Diego Sorority and Fraternity Life.

Jacob also co-founded UC San Diego’s TAMID Group chapter, supporting early-stage biotech ventures through consulting and commercialization strategy.

His advice to students: “Connect with the incredible faculty and research opportunities at UC San Diego, and explore classes beyond your major requirements if they spark your interest. Some of the most valuable opportunities and ideas come from following your curiosity.”

Next year, Jacob will pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship recipient, where he hopes to develop targeted therapies that retrain the immune system and restore healthy immune function.

Click the link below or in our bio to read more.

Kol Hakavod!



https://today.ucsd.edu/story/outstanding-engineering-computer-science-undergraduates-honored-with-awards-of-excellence

Our final faculty meeting of the year, led by Principal Weslow, allowed the faculty to close out the school year with reflection, gratitude, and purpose. They began with general updates about finals and end of year logistics before introducing our faculty summer reading, ‘The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion’ by Jonathan Haidt, which connects to the work this team has done this year around the Just Community, society at large, and its connection to our students. The faculty then participated in a gratitude circle, sharing moments from the year that they will remember ten years from now and expressing appreciation to colleagues in the room. Afterward, was a delicious lunch, where Rabbi Block thanked our amazing Parent Association for hosting and for their ongoing support of our school and faculty throughout the year (including their very generous end-of-year gift to all faculty/staff). The brunch closed with powerful parting words, infused with Torah, about our shared work this year and the lasting impact we have on our students. We wish everyone a fun and restful summer, and we look forward to 2026-2027! ☀️

We’re excited to share this year’s edition of Shalhevet’s Literary Magazine! This year’s themes are Landscapes, Israel, and Connection.

In the words of Editor-in-Chief, Natalie Gul ‘27:

“Each theme gave contributors a chance to explore something meaningful to them, whether that was a personal feeling, the world around them, or what it means to be part of Am Yisrael. When it came to Israel, I knew I wanted it to feel different this year. After everything we’ve been through as a community and as a people, and with the hostages finally home, there was so much to celebrate. So, we wanted the Israel section to reflect that joy and pride through pieces that feel vibrant and full of life. They represent ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ and the sense of unity that connects our nation across the world.”

A big thank you to Natalie and the entire team of contributors - and especially their faculty advisors, Mr. Forrester and Mr. Weslow, for their support, dedication, and hours of engagement.

We hope you enjoy it!

Introducing בכורי שלהבת! Shalhevet is proud to announce the publication of a Sefer accompanying the graduation of the Class of 2026. This sefer includes original divrei Torah on all of Chumash written by members of this year’s seniors. An outgrowth of Shalhevet’s Nitzotzei Torah publication, our seniors invested time in learning, writing, designing, and editing to produce our first ever Shalhevet Sefer. This is a remarkable feat and we’re so proud of this class for graduating with an original Sefer in hand. A huge thanks to Sophie Bick Katz for spearheading this initiative while serving as Editor-in-Chief and to Lev Fishman and Emma Kotzen who spent hours upon hours with the design and layout. The Sefer is beautiful in content and design - do your best to check it out. Mazel Tov and Yasher Koach to our graduates!

Click the link below or in our bio to watch the Class of 2026 Graduation - the link goes live at 2:45 pm PDT! 🔥🎓

https://vimeo.com/event/5970441