Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway
HAFTR was established in 1978 as the result of a merger between two schools on the South Shore of Long Island: the Hebrew Institute of Long Island (HILI) in Far Rockaway, Queens, which had served the Rockaway and Five Towns community since 1936; and the Hillel School, which was founded in Lawrence in 1957. The foundation of HAFTR provided a co-educational school for Jewish families in the area. In 1980, HAFTR purchased the Number 3 school in Cedarhurst, New York, which became HAFTR High School. On January 10, 2019 a fire damaged the HAFTR elementary school campus in Lawrence, New York, and students were temporarily taught at other HAFTR campuses. The campus reopened in April 2019 after the building was renovated. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the HAFTR schools temporarily ended in-person classes, and later implemented further sanitation protocols to prevent the potential spread of COVID. The HAFTR High School hosted the 2021 Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education Robotics Tournament. The school has held annual bone marrow drives. The school is also a participant in the Salute to Israel Parade. Approximately 100 students graduate HAFTR annually, 100% of which go on to attend college after graduation. The school has various clubs including ones for robotics, environmental action, sign language and other activities. The Academy offers basketball, soccer, hockey, baseball, softball, tennis and volleyball, all for both girls and boys. The head of athletics is Joey Hoenig. All HAFTR athletics use the name "The Hawks," though the hockey team formerly competed under the name "The Flames. " The official student newspaper of HAFTR High School is "The Tattler". Established more than 30 years ago, the stories featured in the publication are written, photographed and edited by HAFTR students. Recently, HAFTR students and rabbinic faculty alike, re-founded the HAFTR Haftorah: A judaic publication, focused around major Jewish holidays and includes Divrei Torah, whats happening around the school, and Judaism inspired art.
History
The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) is a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school on the South Shore of Long Island in New York, United States, serving male and female students in preschool through twelfth grade. It is a private school in the Five Towns.