February 7, 2014 / 7 Adar 1, 5774
Candle Lighting Time: 4:53
pm
Shabbat Shalom From
Our Solomon Schechter Day School Basketball Stars!
Our 8th grade basketball teams participated in league tournaments this week.
The girls' tournament was held at Baker Demonstration School. Solomon Schechter
hosted the boys' tournament, giving our boys' team the home court advantage!
Photo by Lou Moeckler
Click here to view Lou's entire album
Scroll down for more on the tournament
Table of Contents
Shabbat Table Talk
Rabbi Ben Kramer is a Featured Artist at Moriah Art Fair
Eighth Grade Basketball Teams Participate in League Tournaments
It's Skating Time in Phys-Ed at Sager Solomon Schechter
Eighth Graders VisitChicago History Museum
Professional Development at the Early Childhood Center
Kindergarten and First Graders Illuminate Their New Siddurim
Third Graders Participate in a Special Book Club
Join Our 2013-2014 Annual Campaign Today
Join Our Book Drive and Help us Fill the Bins with Children's Books
Announcing Our New Line of Schechterwear A Must-Have for Every Schechter Student
Alumni News: Engagements and More
Shabbat Table Talk
With Rav Uri
Solomon Schechter
Day School of
Metropolitan Chicago
Locations, Phone Numbers,
and Website
Sager Solomon Schechter
Day School (K-8)
3210 Dundee Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
847.498.2100
Solomon Schechter
Early Childhood Center
with the Marvell D. and
Stanley J. z"l Ginsburg
PreK Program
4500 Dempster Road
Skokie, IL 60076
847.674.3206
www.schechter.org
Lord prepare me
To be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
And with thanksgiving
I'll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
These words are sung on a daily basis by most of our students in
the school as they prepare for tefillah. They sing it as they leave
their classrooms, as they enter their tefillah space and as they truly
prepare themselves for the experience of tefillah at school. The
Honor Someone
Special with
a leaf on our
Tree of Life
Purchasing a leaf on our Tree
of Life
is a great way to honor
someone special.
You can purchase a Gold,
Silver or Copper leaf.
A very special thank you to
our PO for recognizing our
teachers with a leaf in honor
of their work to make the
recent
Hagigat Hagan so special!
Click here
for our Tree of Life form.
words teach us that it is we who are holy vessels not buildings or
things. Each time I sing this with our students I can tell that they
have internalized this message and believe in their own power as
individuals and their strength as a community to create holiness in
our school and in the world.
We have Rabbi Ben Kramer to thank for bringing this song to our
school and to our students. He first brought it to the faculty before
school started. Rabbi Kramer taught us that although this particular
song comes from the gospel tradition, it is based on a verse from
our Torah. In fact it comes from last week's parashah when God
instructs Moses and the Israelites to build the mishkan the portable
sanctuary in the desert. There, God says, "Make me a holy place
(sanctuary) that I may dwell within them." It does not say dwell
within it. Rather, God's desire is to dwell in them - in the people
Israel.
This idea, that we are agents of holiness and that God dwells in our
community and us, are central to our tefillah education at
Schechter. We believe in holy space and holy time but we also
believe in our own human capacity to transform any building or
schedule block into moments that embrace Judaism and kedushah,
holiness.
Shabbat Shalom.
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Schechter News
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Solomon Schechter's Own Rabbi Ben Kramer
is a Featured Artist at Moriah Congregation's
All-Judaic Art and Jewelry Fair
Rabbi Ben Kramer (pictured below at the recent 2nd grade
Kabbalat Siddurim Ceremony) joined our Sager School this year
and teaches tefillah to 2nd - 5th graders and tanakh (bible) to 8th
graders. His goal is to not only build students' skills but also to help
students develop a personal connection to tefillah.
Torah Readers
4th Grade
While he says that the experience of teaching tefillah and tanakh is
extremely rewarding, what he has enjoyed most is the relationships
that he has developed with his students. "Because I teach across
five grades and interact with so many students, I have quickly
Tetzaveh 2/3 & 2/6
1.) Ori Gluzman
2.) Colin Goldberg
3.) Kaden Tocher
become a part of the Schechter community," he said, "and I am
looking forward to continuing to be a part of it for many years to
come."
5th Grade
Tetzaveh 2/3 & 2/6
1.) Simon Blaustein
2.) Noa Saxton
3.) Maya Resnick
6th Grade
Tetzaveh 2/3 & 2/6
1.) Ruth Tsesis
2.) Noah Willis
3.) Talia Schoenberg
7th Grade
Tetzaveh 2/3 & 2/6
1.) Joshua Weisskopf
2.) Joshua Weisskopf
3.) Joshua Weisskopf
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Announcing a New
Solomon Schechter
Kosher Cookbook
The Solomon Schechter
Cookbook
Alphabet Soup
is a kitchen staple for our
Schechter community
and beyond!
Two years ago, when Rabbi Ben Kramer was serving as Rabbi
at Congregation Beth Israel in Munster, Indiana, he decided that in
addition to his rabbinic role he wanted to do something artistic and
physical that took him beyond his desk. He liked history and
thought he would enjoy exploring the art of being a blacksmith -- a
craft that had been very prevalent decades ago but had quickly
become irrelevant.
"A century and a half ago, blacksmiths were everywhere in America
and every town had one -- now it is rare to find any," he said. "I
thought it would be cool because the idea of taking something that
is so hard and seemingly impossible to work with and creating fluid
looking objects really appealed to me."
Now, there will be another
kosher cookbook to add to the
collection, filled with recipes
that are fresh, enticing,
delicious,
and of course, easy to follow.
We are collecting recipes in
several categories:
Drinks (cocktails, mocktails,
juices & smoothies)
Appetizers (dairy and pareve)
Soups (dairy and pareve)
Salads (dairy and pareve)
Chicken
Fish
Meat
Vegan
Holidays,
Everyday family meals
Slow cooker meals
and more!!!
We also plan to include floral
and tablescape ideas so please
send those as well.
If you have a recipe to submit,
please click here and print and
complete the attached recipe
form and drop off or mail to:
Solomon Schechter Day School
3210 Dundee Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
attention: Cookbook
You may also email recipes to
Yvette Stone
So Rabbi Kramer bought
a book -- which is how
he learns everything -and convinced his wife,
Lori, to let him spend the
money to purchase an
anvil and forge. "The
metal is inexpensive," he
said, "and one of the
cool things is that you
can make your own
tools."
He began experimenting
with simple objects like
coat hooks and candleholders to see what he
cold do. "It was fun and I
found that I had a knack
for it," he said.
He soon decided that he would like to try to create Judaica. "I've
always had a problem with the fact that much of Judaica is
machine-made by people with no substantive connection to Jewish
life. I wanted to try to create Judaica that came from a place of
deep Jewish engagement."
When Rabbi Kramer started to make Judaic art his goal was only to
make enough to support his hobby. He created a website and word
of his art traveled quickly. "People started to buy my art and really
liked it," he said. "And when I began receiving orders from people I
didn't know it became really real to me. And then, when I got my
first order from someone in Spain, I thought this was actually a real
thing!"
Rabbi Kramer said that whenever possible, he likes to build a
relationship with the person purchasing his art. He never forgets
that he is creating a ritual object that will be used in Jewish life.
at the email address below.
Note: Although we would like to
include all submitted recipes,
we may not be able to include
everything we receive. Also,
please be conscious of copyright
and plagiarism infringement.
Cookbook Committee
Yvette Stone and Robyn-Lee
Rabin, Co-Chairs
Committee (in formation)
Marissa Levy
Tobi Perlen
Rachel Rubin
More information to follow.
If you are interested in serving
on our cookbook committee,
please email
ystone@its-academic.com
B'tayavon!
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Lisa Barr, Author of Fugitive
Colors, to Speak at Solomon
Schechter
His children, Zalman and Laya, are his apprentice and junior
apprentice, and he said that he loves that they are learning
(carefully) to use a saw and little hammer and they are also learning
that you can have a dream and make it happen. "It's fun to be
working in my garage with them!"
You can see Rabbi Kramer's hand-forged mezuzot,
candlesticks, bookmarks, menorot, and seder plates at Moriah
Congregation's All-Judaic Art and Jewelry Fair: Saturday,
February 22 from 8:00 pm - 11:30 pm; Sunday, February 23
from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; and Monday, February 24 from 9:00
am - 2:00 pm. Rabbi Kramer is one of 52 artists from all over
the world participating in the show.
Click here to visit his website rabbiblacksmith.com
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Eighth Grade Basketball Teams
Participate in League Tournaments
by Alicia Honan, Athletic Director
Our Sager Solomon Schechter 8th grade basketball teams
participated in league tournaments this week. The girls' tournament
was held at Baker Demonstration School. The girls had a tough
loss in their opening game against #1 seed Baker. They improved
all season throughout games and practice. We wish the 8th grade
girls good luck as they continue their basketball careers in high
school. Thank you to Coaches Michael Birn and Nancy Schwartz
for a great season.
Come meet international
journalist and Solomon
Schechter alumna
Lisa Frydman Barr
as she discusses her awardwinning, historical fiction novel
Fugitive Colors
on
Thursday, February 13th at
7:30 pm
at Solomon Schechter.
Check out this NEW book
review by the San Francisco
book review.
Lisa Barr's Fugitive Colors is a
suspenseful tale of an artist's
revenge during World War II.
Julian Klein, a young American
Jewish artist, leaves behind his
religious upbringing for the
artistic freedom of Paris in the
1930's, only to find himself
The boys had home court advantage as we hosted the boys'
tournament. The Lions, seeded #3 in the tournament, were
victorious in their opening round game versus Bannockburn.
trapped inside a world in which
a paintbrush is far more lethal
than a gun.
A journalist for 20 years, Barr's
work ranges from covering
terrorism and politics to
celebrities, lifestyle, sex and
relationships. Lisa Barr is also
the creator and blogger of the
popular website "GIRLilla
Warfare: A Mom's Guide to
Surviving the Suburban
Jungle" www.girlillawarfare.com
launched in May 2012.
If you have any questions about
this event, please contact Lisa
Levitas lisateck@yahoo.com.
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Community News
Save the date for our
annual
Summer in February
Sunday, February 9 from
2:00-3:30 pm
at
In the second round game they played #2 Rondout for the second
time in less than a week. Although the Lions lost the game, they
played hard to the end of the game. They played Roycemore for
third place and won their game, bringing home the third place
trophy! Thank you to Coach TJ Abrams and Assistant Coaches
Ethan Ehrlich and Jeremy Foster for a wonderful season.
Beth Hillel Congregation B'nai
Emunah
for an afternoon that will be fun
for the whole family.
Click here for more details.
Find out more about Ramah
Day Camp at:
www.ramahday.com or
contact them
at info@ramahday.com or 312606-9316 x 221.
_________________
A Daughter's Journey
A special thank you to all our parents and grandparents for your
support and cheering at home and away games!
Go LIONS!
Pictures from the boys tournament taken by Lou Moeckler.
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It's Skating Time in Phys-Ed
at Sager Solomon Schechter!
Phys-ed is always fun at Sager Solomon Schechter, and the
skating unit is just one of the many reasons why students love
coming to gym class!
Students recently began a three-week roller skating unit in PE with
rented skates and safety gear. The unit is a "Lifetime Activity," and
provides a variety of benefits, including balance, coordination,
motor skills, and a top rated cardio-respiratory workout, according
to physical education teachers Alicia Honan and Robert Cogan.
Students also learn basic skating skills such as starting, stopping,
forward skating, and a number of safety tips for being a smart
skater.
In the summer of 2010, Yonit
Hoffman received an
unexpected letter from the
International Tracing Service of
the Red Cross which opened
a window into her father's
experiences during the
Holocaust-- revealing a
remarkable story of
righteousness and resilience.
Wednesday, February 19
7:30-9:30 pm
At a private home in Wilmette
Rsvp to
info@ncjwcns.org
or 847-853-8889
for the address
Click here for more
information.
Pictured below are 1st graders skating with
the "big" 6th graders!
_________________
Moriah All-Judaic Art &
Jewelry Fair Returns to
Northbrook
The Moriah All-Judaic Art &
Jewelry Fair is celebrating its
10th anniversary of the biennial
show, which has brought one of
the finest juried collections of
contemporary and traditional
Judaic art and jewelry in the
country to the North Shore of
Chicago - highlighting the best
work of more than 50
internationally acclaimed artists
from North America and Israel,
each of whom come to mingle
with guests and forge
relationships that last wellbeyond the show.
This year, the Art Fair is
expanding to include cuttingedge clothing fashions by Israeli
designers, featuring collections
that are both creatively
designed and effortlessly chic.
The 2014 show will take place
on:
Saturday, February 22 from
8:00 pm-11:30 pm
Sunday, February 23
from 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Monday, February 24 from
9:00 am-2:00 pm
Parking and a free shuttle bus
service will be available at
Northbook Court's lower level,
east of Neiman-Marcus on both
Saturday night and
Sunday.
For more information, contact
Karen P. Walanka, Executive
Director, at 847.948.5340 or
kwalanka@moriahcong.org
Click here for more
information.
__________________
United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism
presents
A Celebration of Our Youth
An evening of musical
entertainment
Sunday, March 9, 2014
7:00 pm
Annual Benefit Concert
Honoring
Dr. David and Suzy Hakimian
Suzy is a beloved Schechter
teacher of 25 years and
Pictured below are 8th graders on Spirit Day!
Suzy and David are proud
parents of three Schechter
alumni
Rebecca '06, Ari '08, and
Joshua '11
The concert is being co-chaired
by
Schechter teacher Noreen
Ohcana (SSDS '77) and parent
of Schechter alumni Maya '07
and Noa '10
Click here for more information.
__________________
Calling all Schechter
Parents, Faculty and Staff,
and Board for the Annual
Jewish Day School Night
Justin Sakofs, Director of K-4 She'arim, (back center) joined
the fourth graders during one of their skating sessions!
Save the Date!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Together, we can continue to be
one of the most represented
Jewish day schools at this
important event!
Click here for more
information.
__________________
Please send all Community
News to
Tami Warshawsky
at
tami.warshawsky@schechter.org
The DIAL screening for admission to Solomon Schechter is
even more fun when you can sneak in some roller skating with
the 4th graders (pictured below).
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Thank you to the parents, grandparents, and babysitters that have
come in to help the students put on and take off their skates and
gear. If you are interested in helping with the skating unit, please
contact Mr. Cogan or Mrs. Honan for more information.
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Eighth Grade Social Studies Curriculum
Comes to Life During Field Trip to the
Chicago History Museum
On Tuesday, our 8th graders visited the Chicago History Museum,
where they were able to see a local exhibit that directly connects to
their current social studies curriculum.
"The students are learning how Americans have the freedom to
exercise their rights to petition, free speech, and assembly," said
social studies teacher Alisa Levey. "Most of the reform
movements our students are studying were grassroots movements;
many of them were led by Jewish Americans who believed it was
their obligation to change our society," she added.
At the museum the students participated in a workshop called
Facing Freedom, co-presented by retired Schechter teacher, Leslie
Yamshon, that focused on four themes: racism and citizenship,
public protest, armed conflict, and workers' rights. Student groups
were given artifact boxes from a variety of time periods in our
nation's history and from different events related to the themes.
They analyzed the artifacts and classified which theme their
artifacts belonged to. Then they went into the gallery exhibits and
studied more about the events. As a culminating activity to the
workshop, students wrote up a headline to accompany their artifact
to be displayed in the gallery case.
In addition to the workshop, students explored the main exhibits in
the museum.
"I was so impressed with the depth of our students' knowledge
when it came to discussing freedom in the United States," said
Daniel Weinberg, Director of the 5-8 She'arim.
"Our 8th graders were able to easily answer any factual questions
posed, and they demonstrated profound insight into issues of civil
rights in our country," he added. "It was a proud moment for me as
a former social studies teacher and as a Schechter faculty
member. This is what we mean when we say we, '...inspire our
students to use their knowledge and skills to enrich our world."
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Solomon Schechter Early Childhood Center
Spotlight on
ECC Professional Development
Last week, members of the ECC faculty attended the Opening
Minds Conference, where they were able to attend a variety of
sessions on current topics in education.
"One of the most meaningful and thought provoking sessions I
attended focused on the use of ASL-American Sign Language in
early childhood classrooms," said Sara EtsHokin, Alim teacher.
"We learned and practiced many signs that can empower children
and provide acknowledgement for their efforts. We have started to
use the signs for "thank you" and for "good work" in the Alim
classrooms. The children love having the hand movements to go
with the words and enjoy receiving praise with verbal and physical
cues."
"It is wonderful to be able to learn and grow with my colleagues,
she added, "and to bring the knowledge and skills that we gain back
to the classroom to enrich the learning of our students."
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Kindergarten and First Graders
Illuminate Their New Siddurim
After months of preparation, Hazzan Hasha Musha Perman
recently presented each kindergarten and first grader with a siddur
created just for their grade. The unique siddur, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", was
designed to support the students' understanding, creativity, and fun
during Tefillah. Every Wednesday, the students discuss a new
prayer with Hazzan Perman. They explore what the prayer means
and what images come to mind when they think about that prayer.
Hazzan Perman writes their ideas on a large white board in the
Makom Tefillah.
"This siddur is like a coloring book, but with a special purpose," she
explained. "Facing each Hebrew prayer is a blank page. All of the
students will illustrate each prayer with markers and crayons, and
are free to express their personal connection to its meaning."
"I try to tap into all of our
students' senses in Tefillah,"
she added, "including
movement, song, American
Sign Language, text, Torah,
guided imagery, holiness,
exultation, and joy. With the
first graders I also incorporate
counting in Russian, Chinese,
Hebrew, French, Spanish,
Yiddish, and English as we
count our steps from slavery
to freedom during Mi
Chamocha. The new siddur
adds artistic creativity to
enhance our understanding
of prayer and its authentic
expression of everyday life
and meaning."
On a recent Wednesday, our
kindergarten students
illuminated the prayer,
"Thank You God," and the
first graders illuminated the prayer Modeh Ani (see photos).
Hazzan Perman suggested to parents that they talk to their children
about what they are thankful for each day.
The students will use their new siddurim every Monday through
Thursday. On Fridays, our K-2 students celebrate Likrat Shabbat
together with songs, stories, and blessings.
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Third Graders Participate in
a Special Book Club
On a recent Sunday, a group of third graders chose to spend some
time in the Sager Library/Learning Center taking part in a special
third grade book club, where they discussed The Time Warp
Trio: Knights of the Kttchen Table, by Jon Scieszka, currently on
the 2014 Blue Stem Award List.
"The students experienced the magic of three friends traveling back
in time to the days of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round
Table," said Holly Rosenberg, Director of Information, Media and
Special Programs. "Together, they shared their views and favorite
parts of the story. Each student walked away with a word search
puzzle, bookmark, and memories of a great book discussion with
Schechter friends!"
Thanks to the Mitchell family for organizing the group
with Holly Rosenberg.
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Join Our 2013-2014
Annual Campaign Today!
Thank you to our incredible volunteers that are helping us as we
reach for 100% participation from our community. If you have not
yet joined our annual campaign, please click on the button below to
make your donation today!
Questions?
Contact: michelle.maer@schechter.org
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Join Our Book Drive and Help us
Fill the Bins with Children's Books
Sololomon Schechter Day School is having a children's book
drive from February 3 - February 20. "Our goal is to collect 1000
books to donate to Bernie's Book Banks -- an organization that
sends books to low-income families that do not have even one
children's book in their home," said Lynn Weiss, Director of
Admissions and Enrollment, who is organizing the drive in
preparation for the upcoming PJ Library event (described in the
attached flyer). There are
book bins located throughout
the building and in the
classrooms!
At the PJ Library event on
February 23 at Solomon
Schechter in Northbrook,
families will be sorting the
books and creating book
plates for each of the books.
See flyer and additional
information in our Community News section on the left side of the
bulletin.
Click here for more information.
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Announcing Our New Line of Schechterwear
A Must-Have for Every Schechter Student!
Thanks to Schechter parents Tobi Perlin and
Rachel Rubin, we now have a brand new line
of Schechter wear with an an assortment of fun
and comfortable pieces for boys and girls at a
variety of price points.
We are attaching an order form so you can view
the entire line of Schechter wear with prices. Click here to print
out an order form and view the new line.
Please note that we can only accept cash or
checks -- no credit cards.
To place your order, simply complete the
order form and leave in the administrative
office at Sager or the ECC with payment.
Your order it should arrive within 6 weeks and
the Schechter wear will be placed in your
child or grandchild's locker(s).
Don't miss this great opportunity to promote Solomon Schechter
and earn dollars for our school!
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Alumni News
Engagements and More
Mazal tov to alumni Gina Phillips (SSDS '01) and Ariel Gliksberg
(SSDS '99) on their recent engagement. Mazal tov to Gina's
parents, Frank & Denise Phillips, and her brother Jason (SSDS
'07), and to Ariel's parents, Daniela (our KB teacher) and Jacques
Gliksberg, and his brothers and sisters-in-law, Benjamin (SSDS
'05), Gabi (SSDS '01) and his wife Jillian, and Manuel (SSDS '97)
and his wife, Jamie (SSDS '01).
________________________________________
Rabbi Jeremy Fine (SSDS '96) visited Solomon Schechter Day
School of Metropolitan Chicago on Friday and joined Rabbi Uri
Allen - "Rav Uri" in teaching the 8th graders. The students debated
who was responsible for Adam and Eve being expelled from the
garden of Eden which connected to their study of machloket leshem shamayim - constructive conflict/debate. He is also pictured
with his mother, Nan Fine, who taught phys-ed and coached at
Solomon Schechter for many years, and his daughter, Annie.
Thank you Rabbi Fine for stopping by at Schechter during your
weekend in Chicago.
Rabbi Fine is a member of the clergy at Temple of Aaron
Synagogue in St. Paul, Minnesota. He joined the Congregation in
the Summer of 2012 after finishing Rabbinic School at the Jewish
Theological Seminary (JTS). After graduating from the University of
Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, Rabbi Fine began a Masters in
Jewish Education which he completed in 2011. During his time at
JTS he spent two years in Israel studying at the Conservative
Yeshiva and the Machon Schechter Institute. While at JTS, Rabbi
Fine received the William H. Lebeau Book Award and the Rabbi
Morris Silverman Award in Liturgy.
_______________________________
Calling All Alumni:
Our Bulletin Board is Growing!
Our wonderful art teacher Hallie Redman is creating a special
bulletin board at Sager featuring our Schechter alumni. We are
including photos of alumni with a short quote about what you loved
most about your Schechter experience and what impact your
Schechter education has had on your life today. We hope to include
statements from as many Schechter alumni as possible!
If you would like to participate please email
francine.ephraim@schechter.org
Please include a current photo and let us know what you are doing
professionally and personally.
We look forward to hearing from you!
__________________________
We love to
kvell about our alumni!
If you have alumni news, email
francine.ephraim@schechter.org
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Pass it On!
We hope you have enjoyed reading about the exciting programs
and activities at Solomon Schechter Day School. If you know
someone who would enjoy reading about our Schechter
community, please forward this to them! Send all comments to
tami.warshawsky@schechter.org.
A partner in serving our community, supported by the Jewish United
Fund/Jewish Federation
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