March 16, 2012 / 22 Adar 5772
In This Issue
Shabbat Table Talk
Solomon Schechter Supports
JUF Day School Night
Schechter Students Help Clothe
the Poor with "Matching
Mittens"
Sager First Graders Enjoy a
Shabbat Lunch
Schechter Shinning Moment
Alumni News: Richard Kahn
(SSDS '04)
Sager Middle School Musica
"Hear No Evil" Coming Soon to
a Theater Near You!
Solomon Schechter Day School
presents A Pre-Passover Family
Celebration
Pass it On!
Contact Us
Shabbat Shalom!
Administrative Office
847.498.2100
Middle School Office
847.412.5700
Sager Office
847.412.5600
Skokie Office
847.679.6270
Schechter Goes to the
Cubs
Richard Kahn (SSDS '04, far right) is pictured with Schechter friends Lilli
Flink (far left) and Josh Warshawsky (both SSDS '04), in New York City
on the way to a Purim celebration, with friend Sara Lederman.
Richard Kahn (SSDS '04) is a Math and Philosophy major at
Yale University. Recently, in his junior level Abstract Algebra
class at Yale, he reflected on why he wasn't struggling with
the concepts like many of his (very smart!) fellow classmates.
He realized it was because his math teacher at Schechter,
Mrs. Graves, had done such an extraordinary job teaching
him abstract algebra concepts during his 7th grade Algebra
class! He even tracked her down recently to let her know
how much he appreciated the foundation of math concepts
that he had from
Solomon Schechter and her class.
Scroll down to read more about what Richard is doing at Yale
and in the community.
Save the Date
Sunday, April 22, 2012
for
"Schechter Goes to the
CUBS!"
This event was a huge
success last year, and we
look forward to another
fabulous outing with our
Schechter community as we
celebrate Schechter's 50th
Anniversary.
Stay tuned for more
information.
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You Can Help Our
Trees Bloom!
Shabbat Table Talk
Parshat Vayyakhel-Pekudei Shabbat Parah
This year, we read both parshiyot
Vayyakhel and Pekudei together, to
complete our reading of the book of
Shemot (Exodus). When we finish
reading this description of the
methodical building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) according to its
detailed plan, we will rise together in synagogue and say together
"Chazak, chazak v'nitchazek." During the parsha, when the
construction of the Mishkan is completed, the Torah uses a word
to talk about completion that is almost the same word it uses to
tell us that God completed the creation of the world (we know this
part of the Torah from Shabbat evening Kiddush). In the same
way that the beginning of the Torah describes God making order
out of primordial chaos, this part of the Torah describes our
ancestors coming together to create an ordered relationship with
God out of disparate parts and materials.
Purchasing a leaf for our
tree of life in Skokie
or Northbrook is a perfect
way to honor your children
or grandchildren when they
read Torah for the first time,
receive their first siddur, or
any other milestone in the
life of your family. For more
information, click here.
To Make a Donation
to Schechter
Click Here
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Schechter News
Yasher Koach
to Our Torah Readers
Sager
4th & 5th Grade
Vayakhel/Pekudei 3/12
1.) Grant Baucom
2.) Mayaan Skomsvold
3.) Jordan Mazza
There is a special reading this week, among the special readings
leading up to Pesach. This reading describes the ritual of the
parah adumah (the red heifer), used in the biblical and Temple
periods to purify people from ritual impurity. Before participating in
worship on one of the pilgrimages at the Temple in Jerusalem,
people had to prepare themselves physically to go into the holy
places. Although we don't go to these extents in preparing
ourselves for Pesach (even though kashering a kitchen might feel
like it!), the time of getting ready for this holiday in particular is a
time of peeling off and discarding shells that have thickened over
the winter, and identifying what can bring us life and freshness
into the spring.
Questions to take away:
How do your organization of things in your life make a space that
is peaceful and centering? What challenges do you find to making
order out of disparate parts?
What are you most ready to peel away as we move into
springtime? How do you prepare yourself to do something that is
significant and meaningful?
Solomon Schechter Board, Faculty and Staff,
and Parents Attend JUF Day School Night
Middle School
6th Grade
Purim
1.) Jorie Dayan
2.) Natalie Ecanow
3.) Elli Sweet
Vayakhel/Pekudei 3/12
1.) Benji Rubinberg
2.) Leah Berlin
3.) Avi Dobkin
8th Grade
Vayakhel/Pekudei 3/12
1.) Sarah Gilman
2.) Jorie Dayan
3.) Hana Lieber
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.Skokie
3/25............Pre-Passover Family
Celebration in Skokie for children 25 years old 9:30-11:00am
4/5-4/13......Pesach Break
4/16............Classes Resume
Tuesday, March 20
Turkey Sandwich
Wednesday, March 21
Grilled Cheese
Thursday, March 22
Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
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For the second year in a row, members of Solomon Schechter's
Board of Directors, faculty and staff, and parents demonstrated
one of the strongest showings of any Jewish day school at the
JUF Day School Night on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. Dr. Robert
Brooks, leading author and international speaker on self-esteem,
motivation, and raising resilient children, served as the keynote
speaker for the dessert reception, held at the Holiday Inn Chicago
North Shore.
The event brought hundreds of day school parents, educators and
board members together to celebrate the partnership between
Chicago's Jewish day schools and our Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Chicago. Schechter parent Skip Schrayer, president
of the Board of JUF, spoke eloquently about the growing number
of day school parents and grandparents who serve on the
Federation Board and the increasing support that day schools in
Chicago are receiving from Chicago's Federation.
Sager
3/23............2nd Grade Shabbat
Lunch
3/28............Pajama Day
3/30............3rd Grade Shabbat
Lunch
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Middle School
3/23............2nd Grade Shabbat
Lunch
3/19............Yearbook in computer
lab during recess
3/19............Graduation dance
practice during lunch/recess in
room 206
3/19............Yearbook in computer
lab, 3:30pm
3/19............LA/General studies
tutorial in computer lab, 3:30pm
3/19............Organization
lab/Judaic studies tutorial in room
208, 3:30pm
3/20............Art Studio open during
lunch/recess
3/20............8th grade gabbaim
meeting during lunch/recess
3/20............Judaic studies/Hebrew
tutorial in room 206, 3:30pm
3/20............Math tutorial in room
217, 3:30pm
3/20............6th grade basketball
intramural
3/21............7th grade advisory
board meets during recess
3/21............LA/General studies
tutorial in room 219, 3:30pm
3/21............Zumba intramural
3/22Math after-school tutorial
moved to 3/20
3/23............Lange/Opensky
kehillah to the lab to take bio
photos, 11:05am
3/23............Bio photos make up,
11:05am
NOTE: THERE WILL ONLY BE
A LATE BUS IF STUDENTS
SIGN UP
Check Edline for sports
schedule
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You could be the match
for Lacey!
Lacey is an 8 year old
Northbrook resident. She is
currently fighting two rare
and simultaneous
conditions: Hemophagocytic
Lymphohistocytis &
Resistance to Thyroid
Hormone.
Unfortunately her family
members are not matches
for a marrow transplant.
Please consider helping
Lacey and see if you are a
match!
You can register for marrow
online at:
join.marrow.org/LSMarrow
Direct questions to:
JContreras@itxm.org
Click here for more
information
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March 21
Current Business Trends
In Chicago
SSDS Quick Business
Connections group has
teamed with other
synagogues, schools, and
organizations as part of the
J2J Networking group.
The next program of the J2J
Networking Group will take
place on
Wednesday March 21st at
7:00 P.M.
at
Congregation Or Torah 3800
W. Dempster
Skokie
The guest speaker will be
Mr. David Snyder, Publisher
of Crain's Chicago Business,
speaking on current
business trends in Chicago.
Please join us for this
special speaker and
networking opportunity.
A growing number of
congregations, schools, and
organizations participate in
the J2J Networking Group,
to help job seekers and
businesspeople alike to
connect.
Am Yisrael Congregation,
Arie Crown Hebrew Day
School, Beth Hillel
Congregation Bnai Emunah,
Chai Center-Chabad of
Wilmette, Chicagoland
Jewish High School,
Congregation Beth
Hamedrosh Hagodol Kesser
Maariv Anshe Luknik,
Congregation KINS,
Congregation Or Torah,
Darchei Noam of Glenbrook,
Hillel Torah North Suburban
Day School, Ida Crown
Jewish Academy, Jewish
Vocational Services, Kehilat
Chovevei Tzion, Kehillat
Shalom, Kol Sasson
Congregation, Lubavitch
Chabad of Skokie, Ner
Tamid Ezra Habonim
Egalitarian Minyan, The
North Shore Jewish CenterCongregation Or Simcha,
North Suburban Synagogue
Beth El, Persian Iran Hebrew
Congregation, Rohr Chabad
Jewish Center Of Glenview,
Skokie Central Traditional
Congregation, Skokie
Community Kollel/Kollel
Toras Chesed, Skokie Valley
Agudath Jacob Synagogue,
Solomon Schechter Day
School of Metropolitan
Chicago, Temple Beth
Israel, Young Israel of
Skokie...and the list is
growing!
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Community News
Footnote Opens in
Chicago March 16th
FOOTNOTE. Best Foreign
Language Film award
nominee, is the tale of a
great rivalry between a
father and son. Eliezer and
Uriel Shkolnik are both
eccentric professors, who
have dedicated their lives to
their work in Talmudic
Studies. The father, Eliezer,
is a stubborn purist who
fears the establishment and
has never been recognized
for his work. Meanwhile his
son, Uriel, is an up-andcoming star in the field, who
appears to feed on
accolades, endlessly seeking
recognition.
Then one day, the tables
turn. When Eliezer learns
that he is to be awarded the
Israel Prize, the most
valuable honor for
"I would like to thank the many members of our Board, faculty and
staff, and parents who attended the event," said Schechter parent
and Board member David Stone, who organized the event for
Solomon Schechter. "Our strong participation at this event reflects
so well on our school and on our Schechter community."
Schechter Students Help Clothe the Poor
with "Matching Mittens"
scholarship in the country,
his vanity and desperate
need for validation are
exposed. His son, Uriel, is
thrilled to see his father's
achievements finally
recognized but, in a darkly
funny twist, is forced to
choose between the
advancement of his own
career and his father's. Will
he sabotage his father's
glory?
FOOTNOTE is the story of
insane academic
competition, the dichotomy
between admiration and
envy for a role model, and
the very complicated
relationship between a
father and son.
Click here to view the
trailer.
Click here to see the
poster.
------Mayer Kaplan JCC
Aquatics
Registration is Now Open
Every morning, Skokie Principal Irene Sufrin encourages students
to learn with questions and be good to each other. Sager Principal
Dr. Lena Kushnir encourages students to use action and words to
make the world a better place. Four Schechter students clearly
took to heart these words and other life lessons in developing
their own special project.
One evening at the dinner table, they asked: "What can we do
with all of our unmatched mittens?" "How can we help people who
have no protection from the cold?" "How can we prevent these
perfectly good mittens from going to waste?"
Classes are from
April 15 - June 5
Ages 6 months to
21 years old
The Mayer Kaplan JCC's
Aquatics program is a great
way to:
With these questions, the
Matching Mittens project
was born. The students
match the mittens by size
and then by color,
explained Shai Sklar, 11,
who co-heads the project
with his siblings, Sarena,
4; Nace, 6; and Elitsa, 9.
All matches become
'perfect matches' when
they receive the Matching
Mittens logo that is being
created by the children.
- Learn a life skill
- Improve your
swimming technique
- Make new friends
- Exercise
- Train to be a lifeguard
- Have fun!
There's something for
everyone!
For more information,
please visit
www.gojcc.org/aquatics
Mayer Kaplan JCC 5050
Church Street, Skokie
847.763.2500
Click here for more
information.
The Reinglass/Sklar
children manage every
level of Matching Mittens,
from choosing the name,
to designing the logo, to
building the collection boxes out of recycled materials, to sorting
and matching the mittens.
------Project Esther and Stars
of David invite adoptive
and prospective adoptive
families to Chocolate
Seder
We hope that you can join in
this fun and sweet event to
get in the mood for
Passover.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
3:00-4:30 pm
The project has inspired
other Schechter families to
get involved as well. Shula
Horton, Schechter fifth
grader and cousin to the
Reinglass/Sklar family,
helped make the collection
boxes for Schechter.
Freddie Feldman, whose
son Jack is a fellow
Schechter PreK student in
Sarena's class, has offered
to help the children with the
creation and design of the
website macthingmittens.org.
Want to help? Drop any
unmatched mittens you
discover at season's end
into the collection boxes, or contact the Reinglass/Sklar children
to see if you can lend your expertise to the project!
at
Jewish Child & Family
Services
Elaine Kersten Children's
Center 255 Revere Drive,
Northbrook
$5 per person
RSVP: Marsha Raynes at
847-745-5408
or MarshaRaynes@jcfs.org
Click here for more
information.
------Make incredible
memories - unique family
getaways & vacations!
JCC Perlstein Resort &
Conference Center,
Wisconsin Dells
All inclusive!
exciting hands-on activities
* swimming/boating *
meals * lodging * much
more!
Memorial Day Family
Vacation
May 25-28, 2012
Grandparents &
Grandchildren Weekend
Sager First Graders Enjoy
a Shabbat Lunch
Throughout the school year, Schechter students have an
opportunity to enjoy a very special Shabbat lunch together with
their classmates and teachers filled with ruach, music and
dancing, and of course, delicious food. Below are pictures from
the Sager first grade Shabbat lunch, held on Friday, March 2,
2012.
(L'Dor Va-Dor) Weekend,
June 22-24, 2012
August Family Vacation, Aug
13-19, 2012 * includes
many featured actvities!
For more information,
contact Lawrence at
847.763.3603
or prcc@gojcc.org
------Please send all Community
News to Millie Cave at
millie.cave@schechter.org
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Special thanks to Karen Budin for the photos!
Schechter Shinning Moment
by Diane Halivni, Schechter Parent
Simcha Rabbah - A Parent's Joy!
I experienced two shining moments this
week with my first-grade
daughter, Eliana.
Eliana was a proud "chazanit" for her
class. When I went to watch
and participate in Tefillah there was so much joy in the voices of
the children as they sang together -- I couldn't help but smile!
For Eliana's birthday this year she chose to collect funds and
make purchases for Chai Lifeline. To realize that at this young
age she has already learned the value of caring for others was so
gratifying and filled me with pride.
Alumni News
Richard Kahn (SSDS '04)
At Yale, Richard Kahn (SSDS '04) leads a weekly interfaith bible
study with Evangelical Christians and observant Jews. "Nothing
promotes interfaith understanding like meaningful, high level text
study, " he said. "Mere talking about interfaith understanding
doesn't do it. Richard is also the Editor in Chief of the Yale
undergraduate journal of Jewish thought called Shibboleth
(www.shibbolethmagazine.com). He said he has enjoyed the
high level of Jewish intellectual discourse that happens at the
journal's bi-weekly meetings, where editors present and critique
each others' articles.
Can you tell who everyone is from this photo of Purim at
Schechter? Richard (center, in sunglasses) s pictured with his fifth
grade teacher Debbie Goodman and friends. Who is in the dragon
costume???
Many people in our Schechter community are familiar with
Richard's extraordinary musical talent. As a student at
Schechter, he was a piano accompanist for the middle school
musicals. He now assists his dad, Danny Kahn (who serves as a
volunteer musical director with Marsha Rosenson), with the
rehearsals when he comes back during spring break. Just this
week he returned to help students master a song he actually sang
in one of the musicals while he was a student. The song, "Sing",
from Chorus Line, is a duet between one performer who "could
never really sing", and another (Richard) who fills in the melody
for her. Richard is sorry he'll be back at Yale when the show
opens on March 28. Whenever he's in town, he attends the show,
sits in the pit with his dad, and, according to Danny, "sight-reads
and plays the hard piano parts that I'd have to practice too much
to ever learn!"
At Yale, Richard is a member of a chamber music trio and is
director and pianist of the Yale Klezmer Band, which performs on
campus and at simchas in the New Haven area. This winter
break, his chamber music trio received a grant to mount a five-city
tour of Alaska, where their cellist lives. The tour was carefully
organized to support Richard's Shabbat observance, and
arrangements were made for Richard to eat Kosher food - all not
so easy to do in remote Alaska -- but it worked. Since the remote
Alaskan cities get so little live music (one of the cities hadn't had
live music since 2004!), the boys assembled an eclectic mix of
music. One of the concert's best-received tunes was Richard's
mix of Christmas songs arranged in a Klezmer style!
Richard and his Schechter friends who participated in Schechter's
Boy Scout and Webelos Troops volunteered to deliver food for
Maot Chittim. They are (left to right) Adam Senser, Richard, Alex
Siedband, Josh Lowenstein, Josh Warshawsky, Charlie Schwartz,
Aaron Sapinsley, Shai Kamin, Daniel Warshawsky, and Sam
Schwartz.
Richard is very active in Yale's vibrant and diverse Jewish
community. He is one of four students deputized as mashgiachs
to oversee Kashrut in the Hillel. Recently, he caught a gross
shipping error that delivered pork sausage patties in place of
oatmeal cookies. Using the Kashrut knowledge he originally
learned at Schechter, he immediately knew they were not
properly hechshered!
During a recent summer, Richard interned in Louisville, analyzing
quantitative statistical data at a market research firm, then went
on to Oxford for a two-week seminar on religion and politics.
Previous summer activities include organic chemistry research at
the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
And of course the Schechter Boy Scout and Webelos Troops
participated in Israel Solidarity Day (now the Walk for Israel)! Can
you find Richard? (hint: check towards the middle with an Israeli
flag!)
Richard said that despite the years since graduation, he remains
close to his Schechter friends. "Though we may be on different
educational and Jewish paths, we are all committed to Judaism,"
he said.
"My time at Schechter started me down the Jewish path I'm
on today," he added. "Some special teachers and the strong
peer group who were likewise committed to Judaism
influenced my decisions to go on to CJHS, to do a gap year
at an Israeli yeshiva and ultimately, and to be the Jewish
person I am today."
Photos courtesy of Josh Warshawsy's mother!
_______________________
Alumni: We want to hear from you. Please email
francine.ephraim@schechter.org with your news.
Follow Schechter on Facebook and connect to
our Alumni News.
Sager Middle School Musical
"Hear No Evil"
Coming Soon to a Theater Near You!
The 18th Annual Solomon Schechter Musical, Hear No Evil, will
take place on Wednesday, March 28 and Thursday, March 29
at 7:30 PM at Glenbrook South High School. Tickets are on
sale at the Sager Middle School office -- call 847.412.5700!
Solomon Schechter Presents our Middle School Musical
Solomon Schechter Day School presents... A PrePassover Family Celebration!
For families with children ages 2-5 yrs old.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
9:30 am to 11:00 am
· Celebrate freedom and springtime through music, movement
and storytelling.
· Hands-on craft project and holiday themed games to enhance
your connection to Passover.
FREE OF CHARGE; Pre-Registration Required
To register please contact: Leslie Rosen Stern;
leslie.rosenstern@schechter.org,
847.412.5617
Held at Skokie Solomon Schechter Day School
9301 Gross Point Road (at Skokie Blvd), Skokie
Click here to print out a copy of the brochure.
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.