e-news: honoring our veterans
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Rochelle Zell Jewish High School, RZJHS, Rochelle Zell, RZJHS.org, E-NewsTRANSCRIPT
1 Kislev, 5776
November 13, 2015
This Week at CJHS
Honoring Our VeteransVocal Ensemble PerformanceArts Alive! Tikkun TrioSpirit WeekCooper Invita@onalHighlightsZumba in EspañolNew Tefillah Ini@a@veJunior Class Field TripSTANDAlumni ReunionCommunity EventsChanukah Coat ClubBaruch Dayan HaEmetA Taste of Torah
Spirit Week!
Monday, November 16Pajama Day
Honoring Our Veterans
Veterans in Our School Community
The CJHS community held a special Tefillah on Monday,November 9th, planned by science teacher Robert Taylor, RabbiMarc Belgard, and Rabbi Judith Greenberg. The serviceincluded special prayers for those serving in the U.S. military,aEer which CJHS had the privilege of listening to two of ourown U.S. army veterans, Corporal Piotr Motolko and Sergeant
Tuesday, November 17Tiger Tuesday
Wednesday, November 18Windy City Wednesday
Thursday, November 19Western Day
Friday, November 20Grade Colors Freshman-‐White Sophomores-‐Blue Seniors-‐Black
Quick Links
CJHS.orgCalendarsLunch MenuEdlineGive Now
Save The Date
November 18-‐20Junior Social JusIce Seminar
November 21Homecoming
November 25Erev Thanksgiving -‐ 8:00 a.m.to 1:15 p.m.
November 26-‐27No School -‐ Thanksgiving
November 28Alumni Reunion andBasketball Game
Joe Cook, both of whom are members of the CJHS securitystaff. Members of the audience were encouraged to askquesIons about the veterans’ experiences, including whatmoIvated them to enlist, their feelings about draEing for themilitary, and what the lasIng impact was on the two soldiers’lives. Since few of us know veterans who have recently servedin Iraq or Afghanistan, the presentaIon was truly eye-‐opening.The CJHS community hearIly thanks these veterans fortheir service!
CJHS Vocal EnsembleMusical Performance at Gidwitz
The Vocal Ensemble recently performed for the residents ofGidwitz. They performed selecIons from Into the Woods,Newsies, and The Prince of Egypt, and asked residents to join inthe singing of Dodi Li and Ha;kvah. A fun Ime was had by all!The members of the Vocal Ensemble include: Rebecca Abrams,Zach Becker, Emma Canter, Sarah Comar, Coby Drexler, EliJohnson, Hana Lieber, Aitan Maeir, Dina Matkowsky, MayaMichalewicz, Romi Moller, Gabrielle Pretekin, Emma Siegeland Sarah Tenner, and it is directed by Ellen Singer.
Healing Through MusicArts Alive!
Tikkun, a Quad City trio made up of music professors fromAugustana College, performed at CJHS on Tuesday for theenIre student body and staff as part of our Arts Alive! program.The trio included Janina Ehrlich, Robert Elfine, and DeborahDakin. The trio’s mission is to heal the world through music.They seek to present programs that comfort the soul andchallenge the mind. Their selecIons included two Chassidicdances arranged by Zikmund Schul, Rondo arranged by Jean
December 1College Program for Juniorsand Parents
December 13ACT at CJHS
December 7-‐16Chanukah
December 20 -‐ January 3Winter Break
College Season
CJHS is pleased to welcomeadmission representaIvesfrom over fiEy colleges andIsrael programs this autumn! VIEW SCHEDULE >>
Sibelius, Song Without words, Op.109 by Felix Mendelssohn,and Trio in A minor, Op 114, III Allegro arranged by JohannesBrahms. Students and staff parIcipated in a quesIon andanswer period following the concert.
This is just one of many opportuniIes we look forward to asCJHS expands the exposure of the arts to our students and staffas part of our Fine, Performing, and Literary Arts mission.
CJHS Spirit Week
Cooper Invitational Highlights
Great speakers, amazing food, and exciIngbasketball sums up the trip to Memphis forthe Annual Cooper InvitaIonal!
Josh Kahane, Tournament Director, said itbest, “We hope that the programmingprovided the boys with a message andexperience they can take home and into thefuture. But what I know for certain is that webrought together 341 people for a weekend
of friendship and camaraderie, of learning and growing, of commitment to Torah andstrengthening of Jewish idenIty and pride...and in that sense, ever single team cameaway a champion.”
Our students were able to hear from Raheem Shabazz who is one of the top fitnesstrainers in the country. Bill Courtney delivered an amazing message on beingexcepIonal in everything they do. Coach Courtney is a popular coach in high schoolathleIcs and the movie, Undefeated, is about his coaching experience at a high schoolin Memphis that had not won a playoff game in over 100 years before he coachedthere. Friday evening, the boys were also able to hear comedian Joel Chasnoff. Theboys represenIng CJHS played hard and won one game and lost three. The Tigerswere in good spirits aEer the game against Atlanta Jewish Academy, which they won68-‐16. Go Tigers!
Zumba in Español
Students from the Spanish classes of Sra.Eisenberg and Sra. Weisman parIcipated in aZumba class conducted in Spanish by MaríaHernández, a well-‐known instructor in thearea.
Zumba is an aerobic workout based onSpanish music and LaIn dance rhythms.Everyone got a heart healthy workout whilelearning about LaIn culture and having lots of
fun! !Qué diver;do!
New Tefillah Initiative
Last Friday, Hadar Halivni spearheaded a newiniIaIve of the Va’ad Tefillah in whichstudents share their own reflecIons ontefillah. Hadar spoke about her personalrelaIonship to wearing tallit and tefillin andencouraged us all to be more mindful aboutthe ways in which we engage in prayer, thinkabout God, ritual and our Jewish idenIIes.
Here is what she said: Imagine this. You just got out of the pool, andyour mom is standing there wai;ng for youwith a towel. She wraps it around you andrubs your arms to warm you up. That’s how Isee wearing a tallis, but instead of my mom
around me, it’s God. Click here to read Hadar's complete reflecIon.
CJHS Juniors Field Trip
The enIre junior class will travel downtownnext week for a social jusIce seminarfacilitated by the Jewish Council on UrbanAffairs. We will parIcipate in workshops oncommunity organizing, leading the studentsto idenIfy current issues that speak to them.The seminar will culminate in students visiIngstate legislators to lobby on these issues.
They have been preparing for the seminar byparIcipaIng in workshops, at CJHS, exploringthe concepts of idenIty, privilege, andoppression with Deborah Goldberg, directorof Or Tzedek, JCUA’s teen social jusIceprogram. Stay tuned for a report on ourseminar next week.
STAND Presentation
This past Thursday STAND hosted Alpha Diallowho spoke to the CJHS community. Alpha is arefugee who fled Guinea due to human rightsviolaIons. His story is inspiring and thoughtprovoking, and students gained a greateducaIonal experience at the event. Alphastarted the year strong for STAND, whichhopes to make an impact by focusing on therefugee crisis throughout the year. For moreabout STAND, click here.
Alumni Reunion and Annual Basketball Game
Recognizing the 10 Year Reunion of the Class of 2006!
Mingle with old friends and teachers and cheer on the alumni!
Don't miss the annual tug-‐of-‐war compeIIon
and fun interacIve acIviIes including a Photobooth and Milt's Food Truck.
Saturday, November 28, 2015 16 Kislev, 57767 p.m. -‐ 9 p.m.
Chicagoland Jewish High School1095 Lake Cook Road in Deerfield
*There will be a suggested $10 donaIon at the door. Each entrance donaIon will include a
discount coupon for Milt's Food Truck.
Interested in parIcipaIng in the Alumni Basketball Game?Click here to sign up.
For quesIons, please contact Tara Seymour.
Don't Delay! Apply Today!
Save $500: Apply By December 15, 2015All incoming freshmen and transfer students can save $500 on tuiIonwhen they submit their applicaIon for admission by December 15, 2015.Click here to begin your applicaIon today!
Sponsored Breakfast
If you would like to sponsor breakfast inhonor of your favorite Tiger, contact DianeZidman at [email protected]
Community News and Events
Baruch Dayan HaEmet
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Theodore C. Karp, loving husband ofJudith Karp, loving father of CJHS teacher Mrs. Shira Karp Eliaser (Dr. Norman), and belovedgrandfather of Davita and Shoshana.
May God comfort the Eliaser/Karp family among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
A Taste of Torah: Toldot
For so many, childbirth represents a manifestaIon of God. Seeing a child for the first Ime is amiracle — each and every Ime.
During this week’s parasha, we read of Rivka’s pregnancy and the birth of Yaakov and Esav. But thisis by no means a “normal” pregnancy (if that exists in the first place).
We read about Rivka in 25:22, Vayitrozezu habanim b’kirba; vatomer im ken lama zeh anochi?Vatelech lidrosh et Adonai. A translaIon: “The sons yitrozezu in her womb. And she said, “If this isthe case, why do I exist?” She then went to address HaShem.”
A look at several translaIons of the Torah illustrates the ambiguity of the word “vayitrozezu,” andin turn the power of interpretaIon that commentators will have in explaining this important scenein the history of the Jewish people.
Here are four translaIons that we find for this word:The Brown-‐Driver-‐Briggs Biblical Dic@onary: CrushedAnchor Bible: ClashedJewish Publica@on Society (which we find in the red Eitz Hayyim Humash): StruggledEveref Fox: Almost crushed.
One thing is certain: Rivka knows that something is happening inside of her that is off from thenorm. And she goes to God to ask about the situaIon.
The Bechor Shor, a 12th century French commentator, suggests a psychological read of Rivka in themidst of deep existenIal pain (by suggesIng that the verb relates to a phrase from Isaiah 42:3meaning broken reed, kaneh ratzutz). Realizing that it is not yet Ime to give birth, she wonders ifshe has miscarried. She addresses God with anger and frustraIon: If I was going to miscarry, whydid you allow me to be pregnant in the first place? Why did you receive this prayer of ours? Itcertainly was not to help us!
In turn, Abraham Ibn Ezra (12th century Spain/Egypt) explains that her quesIon of “Lama zehanochi?” (Why do I exist?) is addressed to other women in the community. She asks them if thesymptoms she is having are normal. When they respond, no, she wonders why she has such adifferent pregnancy. AEer all, these are the first twins in history! She goes first to others in herdistress, and then to God.
Such comments note the real, emoIve, and psychological distress of a character in the midst ofthe most trying Ime in her life. Ibn Ezra’s interpretaIon of the verse notes the power that acommunity can have in supporIng an individual who is in both emoIonal and physical distress. Inso many ways, this is the best of what a Torah community can provide for each other.
Our commentators bring to life the raw, existenIal fears that people have through a close readingof the text, and also a model for what it means to commune with God. Our Torah serves as amodel for how real people struggle in their own religious quests. May we learn from them as we
venture on ours, supporIng each other along the way.
Rabbi Zachary Silver
1095 Lake Cook Road Deerfield, IL 60015 | [email protected] | 847.470.6700