Sophomore Banner

This year’s sophomore banner was designed by extremely talented artistic minds. Sophomores Elisheva Nassimi and Natalee Laviov put time, effort, heart, and Shiriyah spirit into the sophomore’s banner.

This year’s theme for the sophomore class was the four cups of wine that we drink at the Passover Seder. This theme is represented by the banner that has been painted so beautifully. To highlight key details of the story of Passover itself, which is the overall theme of Shiriyah this year, the artists painted the Egyptian pyramids in the background of the painting. They also added the Hebrew words עבדות לחירות, which in English translates to “slavery to freedom,” to emphasize the freedom of B’nei Yisrael after leaving Egypt. In the banner, Elisheva and Natalee were also mindful of incorporating purple, the sophomore team’s color, adding that extra bit of sophomore spirit.

All of these important details contribute to the true meaning of the banner as a whole. When we sit around the Passover table and go through the Seder, we are supposed to drink the four cups of wine at certain times during the Seder. In doing so, we demonstrate the freedom that we now exercise as a united, Jewish nation. In the painting, the pyramids representing Egypt and the oppression we suffered as slaves there are a mere background and in the past, while the four cups of wine representing our freedom are the main focus of the painting and demonstrate the present. There is no doubt that we must remember our lives as slaves in Egypt. But we must also celebrate the miracle of HaShem bringing us out of Egypt and the free lives we live today, with the ability to have an amazing Shiriyah in a school where we can celebrate our religion freely.