Mrs. Mannes is so unassuming about all that she has accomplished for the post-seminary girls in Chicago, that it took a few minutes conversing with her to begin to comprehend what she has achieved. She is the principal of the Bais Yaakov High School in Chicago, and in that role, she realized that the alumni of her school were experiencing a void upon their return from seminary. So she decided to give a weekly shiur for the girls. At no charge to them. And she has continued to do so for more than 14 years. She used to give the shiur every Sunday, but in her very self-effacing way, she switched to Tuesday when somebody else began giving a weekly shiur on Sunday, because she felt that that shiur might benefit the girls as well.
Like Rebbetzin Fink, her shiurim were based on Mesillas Yesharim for many years, though this year she has begun teaching Tefillah, using Rav Shimshon Pincus’s sefer on tefillah as the text. The high school arranges a yearly melaveh malkah for their alumni, a sure way to keep the girls connected socially as well as spiritually. This year Mrs. Mannes agreed to join the LVN network because she saw the value in making a connection for the Chicago girls, a connection to something larger than themselves. And so, Chicago is now another proud landmark on the map of Lechu V’Nelcha.
Tzippy Zager
