The end of the school year at the Hasten Hebrew Academy was a very busy time. Middle school students were traveling—sixth grade to Chicago, seventh  grade to Philadelphia and eighth grade to Israel—as the culmination of their Jewish studies at the Academy. In Chicago, the sixth grade visited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, the Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier. The seventh grade Philadelphia trip included The Franklin Institute, the Liberty Bell, the Jewish American History Museum and the United States Mint. In the evening they attended a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game.

The eighth grade Israel trip is the culmination of years of Judaic studies at the Hasten Hebrew Academy. Seeing their studies come to life is a life-changing experience for the students. Mrs. Gettinger, school principal, says, “It is a privilege to go to Israel with the students and to observe the students as they take it all in.” Hannah Glazier expressed it best when she wrote in her reflections: