Yehuda Tessler

How is this time different from all other times? I’m home. Being home is great! I get to be around my siblings. There’s lots of time for family biking trips. My mother had a baby and I know him so well and get to hold him all the time.  I get to have a good breakfast and a family supper. I even learned how to cook and I get to make supper myself.

Pesach stuck at home was one of a kind! I felt so accomplished when we finished cleaning. I also got to say a lot of Divrei Torah because it was just our family. It was my first time making Pesach at home that I remember!

Well I have to admit there are some bad things about being in quarantine. I always thought missing school was so much fun, but after a long time I realized that I miss my friends. I also have to be on the phone for hours.

But overall it’s a lot of fun!!! There’s no place like home!

Meir Simcha Kohn

As many of us are in quarantine, it is a bit difficult to function. With children on conferences and parents trying to make everything in order, we are facing a very difficult time period. As supermarkets have very strict rules, we can’t go there as often as usual. Because of this, many of us needed to be flexible with Pesach plans as well.

Personally, I find not being in school with friends, and having to learn on conferences, very challenging. But on the other hand, it is nice to be home with family. On conferences, it is hard to learn as much as is learned in school. Therefore, it is a good idea to learn a little bit with parents at home. It is also a good idea to set a goal and a set schedule of learning with parents at home. This will make it fun and enjoyable. We all have to realize that we are facing a very memorable part of history.

Aryeh Rothman

For the past month, I've been incarcerated in my house because of the coronavirus pandemic. I'll list some pros and some cons:

PROS: I get to stay home from school, and I get free meals from different takeout places, and I have more free time, and we have class on the phone, and I can build my grade-famous electrical contraptions, and I can play outside more, and I can stay up later (no worry of falling asleep in class), and I can read more, etc. etc.

CONS: I can't go to shul, and my cousins' flight was cancelled.  I can't see my friends.  My Chemdas trip will be delayed.  I can't go to many stores. One new experience; I was able to watch BGE workers replace the telephone poles without having to go to school.

Now, I will tell you about my Pesach experience. Since there is no shul, I had to daven by myself with my father. Like I said before, my cousins' flight was cancelled, so they couldn't come for Pesach. On Chol Hamoed, I zoomed with my cousins in Eretz Yisrael and in NY and NJ for a "trip". Also, my grandmother sent my family a Zev Spektor series, so I read that. On the last day, my family had a Neilas HaChag party. After Pesach, we had no extra chocolate! It sure was a different Pesach!

Naftali Weiner

Over the past few weeks, we have to be home all day because of the coronavirus.  In a way, life is better, but in a way it is harder.  It is better because I feel free and did a lot of fun things.  I practiced guitar, I got much better at “Step It Up”, painted a few cool paintings, and made smoothies and snow cones.  The hard part is I can’t get around with my friends, so I’m bored for part of the day. 

One new experience that I had was having our own Seder which was nice.   However, I really missed my grandparents’ Seder because it is very exciting. Another thing I missed was Chol Hamoed trips with all of my cousins.  I also did not get to see a lot of my cousins who I usually get to see over Pesach.  I hope this will end with the coming of Moshiach very soon!

Yudi Turk

I will always remember the period of time when the coronavirus was going around. When I was going to Eretz Yisroel right before this year’s Purim for my aunt’s Chasuna, we knew the Israeli government would come out with a declaration saying that all travelers would go into quarantine by a certain Date. The Israeli government came out with a declaration saying all Israeli citizens would go into quarantine now. My father once lived in Israel so we might have gone into quarantine. We were very nervous. When we got to our apartment we figured out that we came before they sent out the declaration.

When we were in Eretz Yisroel, the Israeli government came out with a second declaration saying, gatherings must be less than a hundred people. That’s why the chasuna had to be less than a hundred people. Then they came out with another declaration saying you can’t have more than ten people in a gathering. That’s why we had a very beautiful but little chasuna. 

When we came home from Eretz Yisroel, the doctors in Baltimore came out with a declaration saying since we came from Israel we had to go into quarantine.

My family and I were meant to go to my grandparents for Pesach, but the rabonim said you really shouldn’t go. That’s why we had our first Pesach at home. My father made the seder just like my grandfather. This Pesach my family didn’t go on Chol Homoed trips. 

From everything that happened over the past month, I learned that Hashem is in control.

Shmuel Jaffee

My best part about this vacation is that I don’t have to do as much work as usual. Even when I do work, I don’t have to do it at school. And I like typing assignments on the computer. My second to best part about this vacation is that is that I don’t need to put on my shoes. It is annoying to have to put them on.

My worst part about this vacation is that I can’t play with all of my friends. It’s hard to have fun without my friends. So I have to play by myself or with my siblings.

The most unusual thing about this vacation is that I’m practically stuck in my own house. Usually I can just walk out and touch anything that I want.

An interesting Passover experience was that I had a lot charoses on matza over the holiday. At least every other time that I ate matza, I put charoses on it.

Noach Friedman

The Friday I heard school was closing I thought it was some rumor going around until the email from the schools were sent out then I realized it was real. That Shabbos we didn’t go to shul and no playing with friends and on Sunday there was no school. It was the beginning of a pretty boring week and month. My worst part was whenever I saw my friends, I could not play with them. The best part of this is that I have my family, without them it would be extremely boring. Our Pesach Seder was very quiet I was the only one saying Divrei Torah and my sister was the only one saying Ma Nishtana besides for me. Usually we have 11 people saying it. For schoolwork my Rebbe has a daily conference call. For English I will be having conference calls and a recorded message. Every day at 9:15am I have a conference call with my friends for Shacharis. Hopefully this should be the last of our Tzaros before the Geula Shlaima which should be speedily in our days Bimhiera Bi’yamienu Amen. 

Chaim Yitzy Bohensky

There are a lot of good things and bad things about being out of school.  I get to play all day.  I play Laser tag, basketball, jump un the trampoline, look for snakes, and roller blade.  Some bad things are not seeing my friends and not going to school.  

A new experience is staying home all day.  Usually, I go to school very early and get home very late.  Now, I wake up early and have lots of time to play before my conferences.  I also get bored because I already played.  

This year I didn't go on any Chol Hamoed trips.  I did a family scavenger hunt and rode my bike.

Eliyahu Meir Musman

Being home during the coronavirus has, in some ways, been good while challenging in others. Staying inside is keeping me safe from getting the virus, which is good. I also get to wear more comfortable clothing every day while I go to “school” on the phone. There has been more time for having fun and doing things like rollerblading in my kitchen. On the other hand, it has been hard to not really be able to go places. My parents don’t go shopping as often, so I do not have as many snacks that I like to eat (which is not a lot). I learned that Pesach is the time of geulah, and I hope that Hashem brings an end to this virus very soon.

Daniel Saunders

The current COVID -19 pandemic has changed our way of life as usual. The worst part of the current quarantine is not being able to go to stores or playgrounds. The best part of the quarantine is that we are safe and feeling well. I have had several new experiences during this time such as attending my classes virtually. My Pesach was nice this year but it was not as fun as it usually is. I missed spending time with my family from out of town. On Chol Hamoed we explored different walking trails which were very enjoyable. I really appreciate the effort of my school, Rebbeim and teachers who are working hard to teach us at home. I hope this virus stops spreading. Wishing everyone to be safe, happy and healthy.

Yechezkel Dovid Burns

Being isolated has been a new experience for my family with advantages and disadvantages.  One of those advantages was being together with my family for longer than usually do.  However, some of the disadvantages is being away from my classmates, teachers, and school.  This has also made it very boring when I’m by myself.  In additions to this, it has been new and challenging to have to learn on the phone with my teachers and to have to get almost all of my instructions through email.

On Pesach, since we couldn’t go on Chol Hamoed trips, we went on family drives.  The first day, we went on a drive over the Annapolis Bay Bridge.  On the second day, since it was raining, the whole family played a new board game.  After it stopped raining, we all went on a walk around the block together.  On the third day (Erev Yom Tov) everyone, except my mother who was cooking, went on a drive in the country to see horses as we drove by the horse farms.  By reading this, you can understand how I’m feeling about being isolated.

Bentzi Rosenfeld

It has been very different during the past few weeks. The best part about staying home and being isolated is that I could wake up late and learn while cozy. In addition i could also “come home early from school” and have more recess. The worst part about staying home is that I can’t see my friends, Rebbi or teachers. I also couldn’t go to shul or any stores. I also had many new experiences like cleaning for Pesach, having the Seder in our house for the first time and wearing a mask when I go out. In addition I had to learn on the phone instead of in our class.   This past Pesach was different because I couldn’t go to or see my grandparents which we regularly do. I also couldn’t go on any Chol Hamoed trips. I hope this time ends soon and Mashiach comes.