What do you do the week after you ran a 3-day convention?

Rest?

Relax?

Recharge?

Not Mrs. Chana Baila Hass, National Director of Bnos Agudas Yisroel.

You see, the Bnos Convention �only� served 400 girls. But what about the other hundreds of Bnos leaders who also could benefit from inspiration and guidance? Who could also get chizuk from knowing that they�re part of a larger whole, connected to Agudas Yisroel of America?

So Bnos invited leaders from all over NY-NJ to get together last Thursday in Washington Heights for a Tri-State Appreciation Event.

Monsey. Lakewood. Brooklyn. Far Rockaway. Kew Gardens. Lower East Side. Staten Island.

The Bnos leaders from Washington Heights greeted their guests with warmth and ruach. �We were the first to come in,� said Bruchy L., a leader from Jackson, �and the girls from Washington Heights were so friendly and welcoming. It was never awkward.�

The girls had fun � of course! � but they also took away valuable lessons.

�Perfection is not the point,� Rabbi Menachem Kunofsky, Director, Pirchei Agudas Yisroel of Washington Heights told the leaders. You do your part and accept that things may not go as planned.

�You�re a role model,� explained Mrs. Bracha Cohen, Washington Heights Bnos parent. Your Bnosers look up to you, and you can give them a chance to succeed outside of school.

�Bnos leaders have a unique opportunity to connect with their girls.� In a group discussion, the leaders agreed that sometimes a Bnoser would feel more comfortable talking to her leader than to an adult.

�Each Bnos chapter is part of a big picture.� Seeing girls from different communities and hearing from Rabbi Labish Becker, Executive Director of Agudath Israel, made this lesson real.

And the Washington Heights girls had a special chance to shine, added Frumy C., Bnos advisor. They planned, decorated, set-up, and presented their own WH Bnos theme song.

For Bruchy, though, the best moment came on the way home. Riding on the bus back to Lakewood, they passed a car accident. The girls spontaneously took out the Sifrei Tehillim they got as a memento from the event and said tehillim together.

That�s Bnos in action.

For more information about Bnos events, call 212 797 9000 ext. 330 or e-mail [email protected].