Remembering Rabbi Meyer Fendel a”h, founding dean of HANC
NOdoubt, for tens of thousands of his talmidim, the news made their minds wander back to the time they spent with him, and the impact he had on their lives. I know it did for me.
It was way back in the spring of 1976, and I was teaching English at Yeshiva High School of Queens and acting as assistant principal at Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem in the afternoon. Marvin Hirschorn, the English chairman at YHSQ, also chaired the board of the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC). When their general studies principal, Mrs. Sally Reimer, decided to retire to Florida, Mr. Hirschorn suggested I interview for the position. By that time, HANC had already established itself as one of the elite yeshivah day schools in the country, and I approached the upcoming interview with trepidation.
The greenery of HANC’s Mitchel Field campus was stunning, and I felt more at ease after a pleasant talk with Rabbi Fendel, the founding dean. Afterward, we walked out together just as the bell rang, and the diversity of the student population swarming through the hallway immediately caught my eye. There were boys with white shirts, black pants, and velvet yarmulkes walking with boys with longish hair (this was the ’70s) and kippot sitting askew on their heads.
Intrigued, I asked, “What type of school caters to such different levels of religiosity? How does it work?”
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