November 11, 2011/14 Cheshvan 5772
In This Issue
Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Table Talk From Rabbi
Daniel Rosenberg
Third Graders Celebrate an
Important Milestone in Their
Jewish Lives and Education
Seventh Graders Learn About
Sound Nutrition and Develop
Healthy Meal Plans
Soccer Team Concludes an
Outstanding Season
Chess Team Wins Big at Recent
Tournament
Please Donate Books for Our
American Troops
Help Sammy Hoffman Stock The
ARK
Hazzan Hasha Musha Perman
Releases New CD
Alumni News
Friendship and Art Program For
Children Ages 3 to 5
When
this Schechter graduate
(pictured above, center, in Kenya with university officials
and students celebrating the arrival of a container of
equipment from "Seeding Labs")
Pass it On!
Contact Us
Administrative Office
847.498.2100
Middle School Office
847.412.5700
Sager Office
847.412.5600
Skokie Office
847.679.6270
Great Miracles Happen at
Solomon Schechter
was a middle school student, she was given a homework
assignment to find an article in the newspaper that
related to science. She reported on the development of
new strains of rice that would grow and thrive in the
Saharan Desert. Little did she know that one day she
would perform molecular research on rice strains as a
Fulbright Scholar on the Ivory Coast!
Scroll down to Alumni News
(or click on the link In This Issue at left)
to read more about this graduate from the
Class of 1990 and what she is doing now to
make a difference in our world.
Shabbat Table Talk
From Rabbi Daniel Rosenberg
Parshat Vayyera
A Pre-Hanukkah Family
Celebration
Sunday, December 4,
2011, 9:30am - 11am
Appropriate for children in
PreK to 2nd grade with an
adult
Free!
Conversations between people and God take a
significant role in this parasha. God speaks with
Avraham and Sarah about their future as parents,
since it is their biological child who will inherit the
covenant that God has made with them in the
Land. God also speaks (gently) with Sarah about her laughing disbelief,
given that she thought she was "past all that" (as my grandmother would
say). After learning that God intends to destroy S'dom, Avraham
launches into a very impassioned advocacy on behalf of the city's
inhabitants, including both a declaration of his key value ("Shall the
Judge of the entire world not do justice?") and a negotiation of
necessary righteous people to prevent the destruction. Sadly, even the
low bar set by the negotiation cannot be met.
Two other people also negotiate with God. When Lot is saved from the
destruction, and is told to flee for the mountains, he begs God to be
allowed to flee to a nearby city instead - which, he hopes, will escape
the destruction of S'dom and the rest of the valley. Later on, when
Avraham goes to G'rar, the king of G'rar takes Sarah as his wife, but is
Held at Skokie Schechter
9301 Gross Point Road,
Skokie
-Storytelling and Music
-Hands-On Craft Projects
-Shop Scholastic Book Fair
RSVP:
Leslie.RosenStern@schechter.org
Click here for more
information
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Calling All Children
turning 5 by
September 1, 2012
If you have a child turning 5
by September 1, 2012,
please be
sure to send in your
completed application by
December 15th.
Students whose applications
and application fees are
received by December 15,
2011 will receive priority
should we have a waitlist.
Click here to access an
application.
If you know families who are
considering SSDS, let us
threatened by God with death for this transgression. Avimelech, the king
of G'rar, protests, since he had no way of knowing that Avraham and
Sarah were married - since Avraham had said that they were siblings.
Human beings advocate for their own needs directly with God.
Questions to take away:
Avraham declares his key value before he begins to negotiate with God,
and showed his real goal. Do you think Avraham would have been okay
with the final decision to destroy S'dom? Can there be real punishment
that is still just and fair?
Do you think that advocating for someone else's needs is better than
advocating for your own? How much do (or should) justice and fairness
contribute to our deciding on what we need to ask for?
Third Graders Celebrate an
Important Milestone in
Their Jewish Lives and Education
know and we will contact
them.
Cynthia.lerner@schechter.org
Director of Enrollment
leslie.rosenstern@schechter.org
Associate Director of
Enrollment
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Join Us For Pre-K
Open Classroom Night
Exploring Pre-K for your
2, 3 or 4 year old?
Join us!
Pre-K Open Classroom
Night
Tuesday, November 15
7:30pm
Held at the Skokie Campus,
9301 Gross Point Road,
Skokie
Meet Skokie Schechter
Principal Irene Sufrin and
Lead Educator Sheryl Seef
Learn about our:
* Developmental, emergent,
play-based curriculum
Last Friday, the third grade celebrated a very important milestone in
their Jewish lives and education. This occasion was marked with songs
and dances around the theme of Eitz Chayim He Lamachazikim Bah, A
Tree of Life to those who hold fast to it. A round robin of four meanigful
breakout sessions followed the ceremony. Students and their guests
learned about how a Torah is made and written from Yochanan Nathan,
a local Sofer Stam; they experienced and practiced the art of forming
Torah letters in ink; they began learning how to chant trope as they
embark on Torah study; and they learned the layout and organization of
the Tikkun as a tool they will use when they practice reading from the
Torah.
"This special day begins the lifelong road of Torah study for these
students," said the third grade team. "Our wish for them is that the
Torah guides them tto live lives of meaning, truth, and mitzvot."
* Integrated literacy, math,
science, Hebrew and Judaic
activities
* Dynamic multi-age
classroom fostering problemsolving skills, cooperation
and empathy
* Day programs for 2 year
olds and blended classrooms
for 3 and 4 year olds.
Come and learn what we're
about!
RSVP to
leslie.rosenstern@schechter.org
847.412.5617
Click here for more
information.
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Looking for a Great
Hanukkah Prsent?
Why not purchase
Schechter Wear??
What's the newest trend in
clothing?
It's Schechter Wear!
Now you can proudly display
your Schechter spirit with
any of the great tee-shirts
and more that you'll find on
our new Schechter Wear site.
They make great gifts too.
Click here to see all the
different styles and items.
Show your pride!
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Schechter News
Yasher Koach
to Our Torah Readers
Sager
4th & 5th Grade
Vayera 11/7
1.) Margea Dygola
2.) Eli Simmons
3.) Ilan Elenbogen-Siegel
Vayera 11/10
1.) Sean Dreifus
2.) Arielle Weiss
3.) Coby Friedland
Middle School
6th Grade
Vayera
1.) Aaron Jackson
2.) Seth Israel
3.) Amia Ross
7th Grade
Vayera
1.) Spencer Schwartz
2.) Talula Bark-Huss
3.) Alex Massover
8th Grade
Vayera
1.) Cobi Dodelson
2.) Sam Morady
3.) Eliana Schwartzman
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Skokie
11/15............Kindergarten Naming
Ceremony in the Beit Knesset
8:30am
11/16............Pre-K Art Enrichment
Class in the Art Room 1:30-2:45pm
11/18............Grade 2 Siddur
Ceremony in the Beit Knesset
8:30am
11/21............Thanksgiving
Celebration; 2:00pm Dismissal
11/21............Parent-Teacher
Conferences 6:00-9:00pm
11/22............No School ParentTeacher Conferences 12:00-9:00pm
11/23............ No School ParentTeacher Conferences 8:00am12:00pm
11/23............Pre-K Art Enrichment
Class in the Art Room 1:302:45pm
11/24-11/25...No SchoolThanksgiving Recess
Hot Lunches
Tuesday, November 15
Hamburger
Wednesday, November 16
Pizza
Thursday, November 17
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
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Middle School
11/14.........Yearbook in computer
lab, 3:30pm
11/14.........LA/General studies
tutorial in room 219, 3:30pm
11/14.........Organization lab/Judaic
studies tutorial in room 208, 3:30pm
11/15.........Art Studio open during
lunch/recess
11/15.........Judaic studies/Hebrew
tutorial in room 206, 3:30pm
11/15.........Jazz band, 3:30pm
11/15.........Math tutorial in room
217, 3:30pm
11/16.........LA/General studies
tutorial in room 213, 3:30pm
11/17.........Art Studio open during
lunch/recess
11/17.........Lunch for Congregation
Beth Shalom students in MS BK
NOTE: THERE WILL ONLY BE
A LATE BUS IF STUDENTS
SIGN UP
Check Edline for sports
schedule
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Community News
Seventh Graders Learn About Sound Nutrition
and Develop Healthy Meal Plans
How do you determine a healthy, tasty menu?
What are the extra calories that exist in some foods?
Do different exercises burn different amounts of calories?
How much food can you eat if your goal is 2,000 calories?
Mayer Kaplan JCC
The Young Actors
Ensemble Auditions
Auditions for Mileep and
the Attack of the
Jellybean People
A Sci-Fi Musical Adventure
Auditions
November 14 & 15
(Callbacks Nov. 16)
4:30-7:00 PM
Mileep and the Attack of the
Jellybean People is the story
of an imaginative boy who
triumphs over the boring,
boring life on his planet of
Cashton by vanquishing the
evils of the Pretzel Woman
Warriors, Mrs. Stenchbottom
and of course, the Jellybean
people!
Mayer Kaplan JCC * 5050
Church St. * Skokie
Call 847-763-3518 to reserve
your audition time!
Rehearsals will be a
combination of Sunday
afternoons and MondayThursday early evenings.
Performances will be January
19, 22, 26 & 29, 2012.
For additional information
contact Robert Bouwman,
If you want to know the answers to any of the preceding questions, ask
a Schechter 7th grader. The students have been focusing on sound
nutrition in their health classes, incluidng making healthy food choices,
understanding which foods provide which nutrients, balancing
consumption and activity, and using moderation in eating. The students
learned how an extra serving, even a healthy choice, can add unwanted
calories.
According to health teacher Alicia Honan, the USDA recently changed
the food guidelines icon from a pyramid to a plate. "The idea is to get
people to think about building a healthy plate at meal times," she
explains. "The website, choosemyplate.gov, is an excellent resource for
adults and children. It is easy to navigate and even has its own
"foodapedia" link to find out how many calories are in various foods."
847.763.3514 or
rbouwman@gojcc.org
www.gojcc.org/theatre
------Exciting Winter Break
Opportunity for 3rd-8th
Graders
Premier coach and former
NCAA and professional player
Tamir Goodman presents
Coolanu Israel, a world-class
basketball camp designed to
improve skills for 3rd-8th
grade boys and girls of all
levels, in a fun, positive and
Jewishly spirited
environment.
Camps will run:
Dec. 20-22
at
Joy of the Game
in Deerfield, IL,
and
Dec. 27-29
at
Anshe Emet Synagogue
in Chicago
from 9 AM to 3:30 PM each
day with an evening awards
banquet on the third day.
Each day will include a daily
theme, motivational speaker,
small groups drills, and two
league games.
The students met in the computer lab and with the help of Mrs. Honan
and Mrs. Harris, Sager Middle School technology coordinator, the class
divided into small groups where they developed menus for a 154-pound
man (5' 10"). In addition, the groups were assigned different calorie
limits for their subject. The menus had to include healthy choices,
calorie count, extra calories, and an hour of exercise for the day.
Players can register now
through Nov. 30 at
http://tamirgoodman.com;
experienced coaches and
high school & college-age
madrichim (assistant
coaches) are also invited to
apply. For more information,
email
diane@tamirgoodman.com.
Using the choosemyplate.gov website, students discussed the
advantage of one type of food over another, how to increase the
calories without going over the extra calorie limit, the taste of different
foods served at the same time, and their amazement at calorie counts of
the foods they eat. Students created menus using presentation
software.
The final product included many tasty looking images!
Click here for more
information.
------BHJCC - REGISTER NOW
FOR OUR WINTER
BASKETBALL LEAGUE
Join our Bernard Horwich
JCC Basketball League for
1st-8th grade boys and
3rd-8th grade girls.
Improve your skills, bond
with your team and compete
against your friends. Learn
sportsmanship, team
strategy and grow as
athletes this winter at the
JCC.
The league starts
December 18th
Register online at gojcc.org
or come into the JCC to
register. For more
Soccer Team Concludes
an Outsanding Season
by Alicia Honan, Athletic Director
information contact Joe at
773-516-5857 or
jfine@gojcc.org.
------Between Orthodox and
Non-Orthodox: Obstacles
and Opportunities
Kosher Dinner and Panel
Discussion
Tuesday November 15
6:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Three distinguished
Chicagoland Orthodox rabbis
will answer questions posed
by moderator DePaul
Professor of Law Roberta
Kwall on issues of belief,
women's participation in
synagogue services, and
conversion.
Panelists:
Rabbi David Begoun,
Founding Director, L'Chaim
Center, and Member,
Milwaukee Kollel
Rabbi Yehoshuah Karsh,
Founding Director, Sidney
and Frances Avner Torah
Learning Center of
Northbrook
Rabbis Asher Lopatin, Senior
Rabbi, Anshe Sholom B'nai
Israel Congregation.
The Sager Middle School Lions Soccer Team would like to thank all the
Schechter community for their support during the soccer season. The
team finished the season on a high with a win over Bannockburn for a 33-1 season. It has been a while since a soccer team has finished with a
record over .500. This pilot season of including fifth grade players has
shown us that there is renewed interest in soccer and we can continue
to build! One of the best outcomes of including fifth graders was the
leadership role the Sager Middle School students took on to help their
teammates become acclimated to an interscholastic team while keeping
up with school, homework, and sleep.
For more information,
contact Galit Gottlieb at
ggottlie@depaul.edu or call
312.362.6274
------------CJHS Celebrates 10th
Anniversary
Chicagoland Jewish High
School will celebrate it's 10th
anniversary on
Saturday, November 19
at 7:00 p.m.
at the high school
1095 Lake Cook Road,
Deerfield.
Mazel tov to our graduating eighth grade soccer players: Abby
Bettenhausen, Coby Drexler, and Benjy Salzman. We will miss you next
season and hope you continue to play soccer in high school.
During the
celebration, Schechter
Alumni Parents Ken and Andy
Saffir will be honored for
their devotion to Jewish
education. The event is being
co-chaired by Schechter
Alumni Parents Lynn
Schrayer and Jennifer Flink.
For more information, please
contact Stephanie
Smerling, Director of
Institutional Advancement, at
847.324.3720
or ssmerling@cjhs.org.
Online registration and
details are available
at www.cjhs.org
Coaches Niko Baxevanakis and Rick Cohen did a tremendous job this
season! They are planning to have a few soccer clinics as we look
ahead to next season. Please watch the Shabbat Bulletin for dates and
times. One clinic will be for current 4th and 5th grade students and
another for current 6th and 7th grade students.
Again, thank you to everyone for all your support and encouragement
throughout the season!
Schechter Chess Team Wins Big
at Recent Tournament
-------------
SAVE THE DATE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13
Ralph's World is the megafun musical planet where
kids rock rock rock and
dance dance dance to their
own and their parents'
delight. It's the creation of
Ralph Covert: indie rocker,
songwriter, playwright, and
children's book author who
will perform fan favorite
rockin' tunes and selections
from his newest CD "All
Around Ralph's World."
Tickets: $15 per person
Two Shows To Choose
From:
12:00 noon or 2:30 p.m.
More Details in October
Bulletin or
Visit
www.ralphsworld.com
Click here to print a view a
copy of the flyer
------------ANNUAL HELENE
HOFFMAN MEMORIAL
CANTORIAL CONCERT
Proceeds Benefit Elyssa's
Mission
On November 13th, starting
at 4 PM, the Helene Hoffman
Memorial Cantorial Concert
will take place at
Sixteen students from Solomon Schechter Day School's chess
team participated in a Chicagoland area Chess Tournament on
October 30 and the SSDS teams won the first place team
trophies in both the Primary K-3 and the Elementary 4-8
Sections. Individual trophies earned are listed below. The other
team members that were present at the tournament were:
Grades K-3: Nathan Bellows, Shai Lichtenfeld, Zachary
Lichtman and Zachary Rose, and Grades 4-8: Coby Maeir,
Josh Weisskopf and Noah Willis.
Below are individual results (places 1st through 10th):
K-3 Section:
Erel Amit - 4th place
Zach Rosen - 5th place
Colin Goldberg - 6th place
4-8 Section:
Aaron Brown - 1st Place
Sam Mitchell - 2nd Place
Congregation Beth Shalom of
Northbrook.
Three guest cantors will
perform an eclectic program
of Jewish music with
influences from Bluegrass,
Jazz, Rock and Gospel
genres.
If you'd like more
information about this event,
please contact Arnie Hoffman
at 847-559-0909 or
email barterboss1218@gmail.com
Dylan Goldberg - 3rd Place
Ari Rosen - 4th Place
Koby Rosen - 5th Place
Matan Auerbach - 6th Place
Please Donate Books for Our
American Troops
-------
It's never Too Early to
Start Thinking About
Ramah Day Camp
It may be cold outside, but
it's never too early to think
about summer. Ramah Day
Camp is now enrolling for
Summer 2012.
If your child will be in
kindergarten through 6th
grade in Fall 2012, consider
signing up for a four- or
eight-week session at Ramah
Day Camp. Also, be sure to
watch for more information
about our annual Summer in
January event. Check out our
website at
www.ramahday.com or call
312-606-0444 for more
information.
-------
In honor of Veteran's Day, the Sager Middle School is
organizing a school-wide used paperback book collection. The
books will be shipped to American troops, both abroad and in
the U.S. Please consider sending gently used paperback books
to school between Veteran's Day (11/11) and Thanksgiving
break (11/23). Most book genres will be accepted (mysteries,
action, bestsellers, biographies, fantasy, history, sciencefiction). Young adult and adult books will be accepted. Please
do not collect romance novels! This project is headed by
Operation Paperback, a non-profit organization that helps
volunteers collect and ship books to American troops. Beyond a
great way to clean out your book shelves, there are several
other reasons for this wonderful tzedakah program:
* Let U.S. troops know that people appreciate their service and
sacrifice.
* Help U.S. troops stay mentally active with literature.
* Ensure that our troops have reading material that may help
get them through tough times.
Thank you for helping with this project.
Please send all Community
News to Millie Cave at
millie.cave@schechter.org
Help Sammy Hoffman Stock The ARK
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Sammy Hoffman's Bar Mitzvah Project is
collecting canned and paper goods for the
ARK. Please help him with his project by
bringing in kosher canned goods or paper
supplies (paper towels or toilet paper) and
dropping them off in the bins appropriately
marked, "Sammy's Bar Mitzvah Project"
located in front of the Sager Middle School
Office from Monday, November 14, 2011
through Monday, November 28, 2011.
Hazzan Hasha Musha Perman Releases New CD "DAYS OF
AWE, A YEAR OF JEWISH MUSIC"
Hazzan Hasha Musha Perman, Tefillah and
Music Coordinator at our Skokie Campus, just
released her beautiful new CD, DAYS OF
AWE,
A YEAR OF JEWISH MUSIC. Recorded live
and digitally mastered, this new CD features
Hazzan Perman plus instrumentalists, soloists
and the Congregation Beth Shalom (Naperville)
Festival Choir.
Please contact Hazzan Perman for
more information.
(hasha.perman@schechter.org).
Click here to print out a copy of the order form.
Alumni News
Nina Dudnik (Class of '90) knew she wanted to be a scientist by the
time she was nine years old. After attending Schechter, Nina attended
Evanston Township High School and then went on to major in
biochemistry at Brown University. The combination of her love of
science and her commitment to Tikkun Olam, which Nina traces back to
her years at Schechter, prompted her to found Seeding Labs, a
nonprofit organization that sends surplus lab supplies from the U.S. to
scientists in the developing world. She came up with the idea after
returning from a Fulbright experience in Africa and starting a Ph.D.
program in Molecular Biology at Harvard in 2001.
Nina is working in the chemistry lab with Masters' students in Kenya.
"I was in culture shock," she said. "The labs at Harvard were so different
than the lab I worked at in Africa, where finding the proper lab
equipment, even a test tube, was so difficult and costs were so
prohibitive. In the U.S., if you drop a test tube on the floor, you throw it
away. In the Ivory Coast, the goal was to wash and reuse the test tubes
for three months.
One day at Harvard, she spotted some science equipment that was
coming back from the repair shop but going unclaimed by the labs. She
knew that this equipment could find a home elsewhere in a developing
country where it could be used for research. That idea was the basis of
Seeding Labs, which she started in 2008 after completing her Ph.D.
Since its founding, Seeding Labs has sent supplies to over 16 countries,
mostly in Africa. They have also provided scientists in the developing
world with other resources like advanced training and connections to
colleagues around the world. To read more about this non-profit, go
to www.seedinglabs.org.
Nina has traveled all over the world; she recently returned from Ethiopia
where she visited three different universities, meeting students and
faculty and visiting the labs. But when asked about her special
memories of Schechter, she quickly responded, "I still remember all the
lyrics to our fourth grade musical, Kazablan!" It's good to know that
some things stay with you no matter where you go!
______________________________________
Schechter Alum to Entertain on November 13, 2011
Alan Sufrin (Class of 1998) and his wife Miriam Brousseau, who are
"Stereo Sinai" will be performing at the Skokie Theatre on November 13
as part of the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival "mini-series."
______________________________________
Does your class have a Class Rep?
Here's who has volunteered so far:
1972
1986
1986
1987
1987
2000
2004
2005
2007
2007
2007
2007
Ari Silverman
Robby Baum
Deborah (Wohlstadter) Goldman
Inna Feldman-Gerber
Ilana Weisenberg
Daniel Bukingolts
Josh Warshawsky
Alex Schwartz
Jaime Borkan
Abe Dube
Daniel Warshawsky
Lisa Wiznitzer
2010 Jacob Copley
2010 Talia Plofsky
2011 Rayna Gorstein
We're looking for two or more volunteers from each graduating class to:




Obtain current addresses and emails
Share news with us about your classmates' accomplishments
Spread the word about upcoming events
Promote our Alumni Facebook fan page
Interested? Email francine.ephraim@schechter.org or call
847.412.5662.
Check out the New Alumni Section and Update Your Information
Schechter is celebrating its 50th year and, to kick off the year, we
recently launched a new website with an expanded alumni section.
Check it out at www.schechter.org.
Please take a moment to update your information.
at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ssdsmetrochicago2.
Friendship and Art Program for
Children Ages 3 to 5
Now in it's second week, this workshop at the Skokie Campus includes
a child-centered discussion about museum masterpieces, hands-on art
exploration through drawing, painting, printing, sculpture, and collage. It
concludes with a healthy snack and story.
The program serves as an easy entry
for prospective families to explore
Schechter. The class is on
Wednesdays weekly through
November 30 (no class during the
week of Thanksgiving). 1:30 to
2:45pm. A few spots are still
available if you wish to enroll your
preschooler. Interested in joining the
FREE workshop?
ContactLeslie.RosenStern@schechter.org; 847.412.5617
Pass it On!
We hope you have enjoyed reading about the exciting and meaningful
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.