mds messenger february 1, 2013

Candle Lighting Time - 4:55 PM

Volume 12, Issue 15 February 1, 2013 פרשת יתרו

בס"ד

Ladies Night Out: An Evening to Remember By Mrs. Rebecca Tenzer, [email protected]; Pictures taken by Dalia Schwalb

Right before vacation, the ladies of grades 4-8 had the opportunity of spending an extraordinary evening together. Grand-

mothers, mothers, aunts, daughters and teachers had a wonderful time filled with fun, learning and chessed.

While the girls made hand-beaded bracelets for underprivileged children at Migdal Ohr, the adults learned how to make

flower arrangements from our own art specialist, Mrs. Linda Kastner. Thank you Mrs. Kastner for also preparing the centerpieces.

The uniqueness of the evening was the special feature presentation prepared by teachers as students, geared at presenting

unique values and moral dilemmas for the students to address and solve. The teachers, with panache and acting ability, presented

three vignettes, in which they portrayed situations that pose real, everyday occurrences that our students face. Mrs. Leora Berkowitz

Sulimanoff , with the help of staff members, discussed the challenges presented, and engaged students in a Q & A to determine pos-

sible resolutions. Students realized the

impact of hurting others, talking lashon

hara, and jumping to misguided conclu-

sions. We were all very impressed with the

students’ sensitivity, maturity and ability to

extract meaning from the “silly scenes”.

The girls’ choir, as always, was

truly impressive. A special thank you to

Mrs. Karen Daitchman for all of her efforts.

Kudos to the wonderful commit-

tee, specifically Mrs. Shera Goldman,

Rabia Mitchell, and Johanna Herskowitz

for their hard work in preparing such a suc-

cessful evening. Thank you also, for in-

cluding all of the tasty treats!

A special thank you to the two

gentleman “techies” who helped in the

preparation of the movie, Rabbi Jeremy

Litton and Mr. Richard Acosta.



Ladies Night Out: An Evening to Remember Pictures taken by Dalia Schwalb



MDS Annual Dinner, 3/10

To sign up for the MDS Annual Dinner

and to place an ad in the online journal,

please go to

www.MDSdinner.Adjournal.com

http://www.MDSdinner.Adjournal.com



While our students received a well deserved mid-year break and many of you were away enjoying vacations, we, at MDS did

not rest. We spent the Winter break adding enhancements and improvements to our building to beautify and secure our operations.

Specifically, we have added a dozen new security cameras throughout our building. While our building previously had adequate secu-

rity systems, in the current environment, and based on feedback from our Security Committee and parent body, we installed digital

high-end security cameras in all areas to make certain that we were fully covered. We will continue to look for ways to improve our

security on both the operational and infrastructure fronts.

We also took steps to maintain our infrastructure and our building. We resurfaced our gym floor to make one of our main

multi-use spaces to be fit for its educational, athletic and event needs. As one of the premier event spaces on the Upper West Side, as

well as the ballroom for our upcoming school dinner, it was time for a much-needed resurfacing and cleaning. There were several

other enhancements to our facility that we completed during the break to make sure that our building continues to be a state-of-the-art

environment to teach our children.

Additionally, we are pleased to inform you that Manhattan Day School, along with six other Jewish Day Schools in the NY

metropolitan area have joined together along with the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (OU) and Teach-NYS to form a new

partnership. This new group will work with school leadership to "engage community members to ensure real cost-savings for all Jew-

ish schools." The goal is to advocate for legislation that will benefit all private schools.

To read the press release issued by the OU, please click below:

http://advocacy.ou.org/2013/orthodox-union-announces-creation-of-partnership-between-ou-teach-nys-and-ny-jewish-day-schools/

Please come by and check out our new gym floor, our new security systems or simply to say hello.

We are looking forward to a great second half of our school year.

Welcome back!

Welcome Back! By Daniel Posner, School President

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001Sf3vA2i9pvWX2XGbla-zAcfrSLI2C02ziXo1RqSGcoE4EXCqFygol-1MBDXMRlqkB4xGUjwRHXzq3BmnBP_c2IFJ2sVSh9Tycjpkf-feMABQFh5Q67UhXuqcpHD5WVtLRtWLgdtz-0OPUxP0tg3elKzkKMkLwa6U5YlI8mmbJSIfpZcJgjBYkO9R6ZLov7PljC-DCHqhIqnKy7NIe0Ee0aMsHOH_hNmYsay0



The Experience of a Lifetime By Rabbi Mordechai Besser, [email protected]

I want to share with you some of what I experienced last week. I was in Jerusalem for Tomer Mandelbaum’s Bar Mitzvah,

and found out that the IDF (Israel Defense Force) allows Jews to visit Kever Yosef (Joseph’s Tomb) one night a month. Kever Yosef

is in Shechem (Nablus), in the middle of a hostile Palestinian area. For all of us in the Jewish community, Shechem carries negative

connotations from biblical times, and even more tragic memories of Jewish martyrdom by Hillel Lieberman, and other Jews, a num-

ber of years ago. The kever is considered one of the holiest Jewish sites in all of Israel. Last Wednesday was the night, and I man-

aged to reserve a seat on one of the Jerusalem buses. We were picked up by an armored bus at 11:30 pm. The bus was packed with

men, women, and children. By 1:00 am we were seven kilometers out of Shechem, where the bus was directed to a security check

point by the IDF. Gradually nine more buses joined us. We were then made to wait for two hours without an explanation. If we in

New York were similarly delayed, I would expect some violent and negative reactions. The young (and some old) people got off the

buses and formed circles of singing and dancing. At 3:00 am, we saw ten other buses on the main road leaving the Shechem city lim-

its. Now we understood why we were delayed – they could not squeeze more than 600 people into the building. So we needed to

wait till they vacated the building. Sure enough, we were immediately led by four military vehicles into Shechem . As soon as we

reached city limits, I saw the most amazing sight. On the corner of

every block stood two army sharp shooters with automatic weapons,

protecting the bus caravan from all directions. When we arrived at

the kever, the buses were lined up tight against each other to form a

barrier that no terrorist could penetrate. In the courtyard, the perime-

ter, and inside the building, we were protected by an additional 100

IDF troops. There were a number of tanks and advanced technology

vehicles. There was much praying, singing and dancing. I was over-

whelmed by the beauty of the dancing that included chassidim, mod-

ern Orthodox and non- religious Jews. For that hour, we were all

unified with a wonderful sense of togetherness and tolerance. The

bus returned to Jerusalem 5:30 am. I was left with the exhilaration of

the experience, awed by the beauty of Am Yisrael, in Eretz Yisrael. I

was also touched and impressed by the love, care and protection ex-

hibited by the members of the IDF – our army – our brothers and

sisters. This was my experience of a lifetime.



Holocaust Survivor Rhea Sokolow Visits MDS By Sarah Lidagoster and Hannah Hudes, 8G

When child Holocaust Survivor Rhea Sokolow visited us this past Monday as part

of Mrs. Judy Melzer’s Senior Seminar, we asked her many questions regarding her experi-

ence and childhood. We asked her if growing up as a child survivor was hard, and she an-

swered “no”, but that throughout her childhood she knew she was different from everyone

else because she was European. She dressed, acted, spoke, and looked different compared to

the other kids. We asked her about her name Rhea which was chosen in the war from a book

of Jewish names by her father. She replied that she always wanted a more modern name say-

ing, “I always wanted to be Susan”.

Then we asked if her parents were open about their experience before she wrote the

book. She explained that her parents were very open about their experiences because they

were very strong people as seen in the book and their biggest wish was that their story would

be published so that everyone would know and remember their story. Then she told us how

she is a speaker who goes around the world talking about her parents’ experiences and she

also wants people to remember. She also wants people to identify with Maria, a non-Jew

who was responsible for their survival and who promised to save the life of one Jewish fami-

ly. She also added that she has no memories of the war years because she was so

young. One student asked her perhaps whether she blotted out these memories. We asked

her whether there were any regrets she had in terms of her relationship with her mother and

she answered that she just wished she had asked more questions because it was so important

to know (her mother recently died).

After the war, it was very common that the survivors would be frightened of dogs since the SS/German Police hunted Jews out

with dogs. However, this was not the case with Rhea. She happened to be very fond of all animals because she was hidden on a farm

with animals. When she moved to America, she adopted a dog. She felt as though animals were her only friends since she felt differ-

ent in school.

One of her most prized possessions today is her mother’s ring, which survived the war. We wondered whatever happened to it,

and she informed us that she still had it, along with many photos that managed to survive the war. The photos survived because the

family had buried an album buried underground, which miraculously survived the war. In addition, she also has her mother's candle-

sticks which survived the war after being buried. Altogether, we enjoyed Rhea’s visit because it gave us a better understanding of her

childhood, and the book she wrote with her husband, Defying the Tide.



Kindergarten Conquers Shapes By Kindergarten Teachers

The Kindergarten classes are continuing a topic that we began as pre-schoolers. They are learning more information about

shapes! We reviewed some shapes that we already knew, like triangles, circles, diamonds, rectangles, and squares. Then we added

some new shapes like octagon, hexagon, and pentagon. We used our new shapes to make buildings and structures. We labeled the

shapes in a matching game and also went on a scavenger hunt to find these shapes out in the real world. We used our bodies to make

all the different shapes during freeze dance games and movement times. We concluded the unit by combining math and our shape

study. We used stickers of different shapes to create our very own artwork. We counted, tallied, and graphed the number of shapes

that we used and shared our findings with each other. We will continue learning about 3D shapes next week!

Our Publishing Party! By Julienne Dweck, [email protected]

The second graders celebrated

the completion of the personal narrative

writing unit. They began this project by

listing and brainstorming about memo-

ries that were special or meaningful to

them. They chose an idea that was just

tugging at them to be written and began

drafting. The students continued

through the writer’s process by revising,

adding sensory details and similes, edit-

ing, and finally publishing their pieces.

We ended the unit by

celebrating. At our

very special publishing

party, students read

and commented in

writing on each other’s

written pieces. We

enjoyed food, drinks,

music, and freeze

dance! It was really

beautiful to see each

student take pride in

sharing their written

work as well as give

respect to the work of

their peers. Stay tuned

for more exciting news

about our amazing

second graders!



8G Devar Torah Project: Yitro Submitted by Bethany Strulowitz, [email protected]; Devar Torah written by Rachelli Zomberg, 8G

Simon Cowell, Tyra Banks, Randy Jackson. What do these people have in common? All three are parts of teams which

judge contestants in various talent shows. But let’s suppose that they were the only judges on their shows; wouldn’t that be a lot of

work for them? Would the shows be as entertaining, or more importantly as successful as they are now if there was only one judge?

That situation was similar to what Yitro found when he met B’nei Yisrael in the desert. Yitro had heard about the miracles

that G-d had performed for B’nei Yisrael, and he decided that this was the perfect time to reunite Moshe with Tzipporah, his wife, and

their two sons. Rashi explains that the reason why Tzipporah and their sons were with Yitro in Midyan during the Exodus was be-

cause Aharon recommended that they not stay with Moshe in Mitzrayim due to the potential dangers there. So Moshe sent them to

back to their father and grandfather.

After a meal in which Aharon and the Zekeinim (elders) ate to celebrate Yitro’s presence among B’nei Yisrael, Rashi says

Moshe judged disputes among the Jews from the morning until the night. Yitro criticized this system, and there are two different com-

mentaries who explain Yitro’s reasoning. Rashi explains that Yitro disliked the fact that Moshe appeared to sit like a king while B’nei

Yisrael were forced to stand for the entire day while he judged their cases. But in the Torat Moshe, Rav Moshe ben Chaim Alshich

writes that when it says that Moshe sat “alone” (Shemot 18:14), this means that Yitro was not concerned about the honor of B’nei

Yisrael but rather was worried that Moshe would become overly fatigued from doing all the judging himself. Whatever his reasoning,

Yitro recommended that Moshe appoint other individuals, like Aharon and the Zekeinim as judges to solve the various problems of

the B’nei Yisrael. Moshe took his father in law’s advice and established levels of courts. Lower level judges would hear cases; but if

the cases were too difficult, they would bring it to the higher level judges, and if they couldn’t resolve the issue, then they would bring

it the cases to Moshe. Thus Moshe served like our Supreme Court justices in that he always made the last decision.

This system of shared judging seems to make sense. Ask yourself some questions. If Simon Cowell was the only judge on

X-Factor, would he seem as funny or nasty? If Tyra Banks had to rate every single challenge on America’s Top Model, would she

still have enough energy to avoid making mistakes? If Randy Jackson was the only person at the table saying anything on American

Idol, would you still watch? The answer is probably no to all three, so it seems like Yitro’s idea was a good one.

But the story about Moshe and his father-in-law brings up some other questions. Not only was Moshe supposed to learn to-

rah every day, he was instructed by Hashem to teach it to B’nei Yisrael. So how was he able to judge all day instead of involving him-

self in the learning or teaching of torah? Also, Moshe was a brilliant man. We say in davening every day in Yigdal that there has

never been anyone like anyone like Moshe since Moshe. Yitro’s suggestion about picking judges to help seems like a good idea, so

why did Moshe not think of it himself?

[Continued next page]



8G Devar Torah Project: Yitro Submitted by Bethany Strulowitz, [email protected]; Devar Torah written by Rachelli Zomberg, 8G

The answer to this question can be found in the Ten Com-

mandments which were about to be given to B’nei Yisrael. In order to

receive these commandments, B’nei Yisrael had to be spiritually ready.

The parsha continues with the story of Matan Torah and the prepara-

tions that had to be made in order for them to receive the torah. An

example of one step was washing themselves and their clothing in the

mikvah because B’nei Yisrael had been impure אfrom having spent

many years in Egypt. Moshe, of course, had many jobs to perform, one

of which was to create a border around the mountain to make sure B’nei

Yisrael could not touch Har Sinai, since doing so would cause them to

die.

Finally on the sixth day of Sivan, it was time to receive the

torah. The Shechina went to Har Sinai but B’nei Yisrael were not there,

since they had overslept. Rashi comments (Shemot 19:16) that Hashem

came before B’nei Yisrael to wake them up to get the Torah. Because

of this mistake, we now have a custom to stay up learning all night on

erev Shavuot. We do this to make up for the error that our forefathers

made at Matan Torah.

When the B’nei Yisrael arrived, it was an incredible scene.

The mountain was on fire, there was thunder, lightning, and a shofar

was heard. Moshe brought the people and they stood, according to the

pasuk, under the mountain. Why under the mountain? The gemara in

Masechet Shabbat says it was because Hashem held the mountain over

their heads to force them to accept not only the written torah

(shebichtav), but also torah sheb’al peh, the halachot given by Hashem

to Moshe and passed on to B’nei Yisrael. All members of B’nei Yisrael were able to see and hear everything at Har Sinai. No one

stayed deaf or blind. Rashi comments (Shemot 20:15) that everyone could see, speak, and hear because Hashem healed all illnesses at

that time.

Hashem then started to say the Ten Commandments. According to a midrash, all of B’nei Yisrael died after each of the first

two commandments were declared. Hashem had to perform a miracle to bring them back to life both times. According to the mid-

rash, B’nei Yisrael then requested that Moshe announce the last eight because they did not want to die again. How do we know that

Moshe didn't teach us the first two of the commandments? This is learned from a passuk that we say in davening every day: Torah

tzivah lanu Moshe; Moshe taught us the torah. What are the Hebrew numbers in the word torah ? תis 400, וis 6 , רis 200 and הis 5.

That equals to six hundred and eleven. But we have six hundred and thirteen mitzvot. The gemara in Masechet Makkot (23) says that

this teaches us that Hashem taught us the first two commandments and Moshe taught us the other 611. 611 plus two equals 613.

Finally Hashem taught B’nei Yisrael how to make an altar so that they could offer korbanot. He said that the mizbeiach had

to built into the ground and could not be placed on top of anything. A mizbeiach has to be hollow and no iron tool was allowed to be

used on it. Iron tools were forbidden because iron is used to kill people and a mizbeiach was supposed to bring peace into the world.

Finally, stairs on a mizbeiach were forbidden and only a ramp could be used to go up and down.

But it is in the Ten Commandments that we find the answer to my earlier question about why Moshe decided to judge all day

everyday instead, of learning and teaching torah. In order to keep many of the commandments, you must be truthful. It says that Ha-

shem protects honest ones. No one is required to be more honest than a judge, and a strong judicial system is important for all but

especially for the Jewish people. We see this from a gemara in Masechet Shabbat (10): Any judge who judges truly for even an hour

is considered by the torah as if he partnered with Hashem in the act of Creating the World.

The Maharshah on this gemara says that while learning and teaching torah is great, so is honestly solving problems between

members of B’nei Yisrael. That is why, according to the Maharshah, there were many days that Moshe judged from day to night and

put aside teaching torah. This Maharshah also explains why Moshe never thought to appoint judges. He never considered changing

his system since he believed judging was too important to give away or share with someone else. It wasn’t until after hearing his fa-

ther-in-law’s advice that Moshe finally decided to share the task of judging his nation.

In conclusion, Parshat Yitor is a really busy parsha with many ideas and halachot built in. But I felt that the most important

lesson was that of being honest. It is difficult to keep mitzvot without being truthful as a person and this parsha is a reminder to be

careful in everything that I do and say.



Parsha Challenge: Yitro By Rabbi Binyamin Yablok, Associate Principal, [email protected], based on questions from Congregation Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck, New Jersey

1. (a) How do we know that Yitro (1) arrived at Bnei Yisrael’s camp before Matan Torah (4 proofs)? (2) after Matan Torah

(4 proofs)? (3) converted from idolater to believer in Hashem? (b) (1) About which 2 events did Yitro hear, re: what Hashem

had done for Bnei Yisrael? (2) Why did Yitro have to hear about both events before believing Hashem selected Bnei Yisrael?

(c) (1) What do Yitro’s 7 names signify? (2) Why was “vav” the letter added to his name? (d) (1) When did Moshe start judg-

ing the people? (2) Why did Yitro suggest that judges be (i) anshei chayil (well-off men)? (ii) yirei Elokim (fearing Hashem)?

(iii) anshei emet (truthful men)? (iv) sonei batza (despising money)? (Shemot 18:1,5,13,21)

1. (a) (1) (i) Matan Torah is later in chapter 20; (ii) “Yitro heard” that Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim (18:1), but not about Matan Torah;

(iii) Yitro arrived right after the Amalek war (17:8-16), before Matan Torah; (iv) Yitro said he now knew that Hashem is greater than

the gods for taking them from Mitzrayim (8:11), not mentioning Matan Torah; (2) (i) Yitro went where “Moshe had been camped,

Har Elokim” (18:5) – Bnei Yisrael camped there for a year after Matan Torah; (ii) Moshe said, “I make known Hashem’s statutes and

laws” (8:16), given at Matan Torah; (iii) Moshe sent off Yitro (18:27) in the 2nd year, after Matan Torah; (iv) Devarim 1:6-7 says

Moshe took Yitro’s advice to appoint judges – then Bnei Yisrael left Sinai (1:13-19), after Matan Torah (Ramban). (3) Yitro’s gema-

tria (616) equals both “komer haya la’avoda zara” (idolatrous priest) and “haTorah”, which he accepted (Ba’al haTurim). (b) (1) (i)

The Yam Suf splitting; (ii) Amalek’s defeat (Rashi). (2) The Yam Suf splitting could be Pharaoh’s penalty for defying Hashem, not

for Bnei Yisrael’s benefit – Amalek’s defeat clearly was for their benefit (Ohr haChaim). (c) (1) (i) Yeter – his non-Jewish name; (ii)

Yitro – his name when he converted – the “vav” was added for a parasha added to the Torah in his name when he helped Moshe judge

Bnei Yisrael; (iii) Chovav – for loving Hashem; (iv) Chaveir – as Hashem’s “companion”; (v) Reu’el – for being Hashem’s “friend”;

(vi) Putiel – for rejecting avoda zara; (vii) Keini – for being zealous (kanai) for Hashem and acquiring (kana) Torah; (2) When Efron

sold Me’arat haMachpeila to Avraham, the Torah removed the vav from his name (Bereishit 23:16), for lying to Avraham about giv-

ing the cave as a gift – the vav added to Yitro’s non-Jewish name compensated for the vav taken from Efron (Mechilta). (d) (1) After

bringing down the 2nd luchot on Yom Kippur (Rashi). (2) They should (i) be wealthy, not needing to flatter others or play favorites

(Rashi). (ii) be unafraid of other people (ibn Ezra). (iii) inspire confidence that their word is reliable (Rashi). (iv) promote fairness

since they spurn improperly obtained money (Ramban).

2. (a) (1) Before Matan Torah, to whom did Moshe first talk? (2) Why (5 views)? (b) Why is Matan Torah’s date not stated?

(Shemot 19:1-3)

2. (a) (1) Moshe spoke first to the women, called “Beit Ya’akov”, then to the men, called Bnei Yisrael ( י“רש ). (2) (i) Since women

are obligated in mitzvot before men at age 12, Moshe prepared them first to accept the mitzvot; (ii) since mothers at home primarily

transmit mitzvot to children, they came first; (iii) when ה‘ gave the 1st mitzvah to Adam, but not Chava, she sinned – He let women

know their observance is as important as men’s; (iv) Moshe wanted the women to accept the Torah first so they could not claim that

they accepted it only to satisfy their husbands and would receive the same punishment as men for Torah violations; (v) women were

honored first since בני ישראל were redeemed from מצרים due to the righteous women’s merit (שמות רבה). (b) It teaches that for talmud

Torah, no date is more important than any other – we must study Torah eagerly each day as if it had been given that day ( י“רש ).

3. (a) Why did Hashem term Bnei Yisrael a “mamlechet kohanim” (kingdom of priests), since all were not kohanim (3 rea-

sons)? (b) When Bnei Yisrael said, “We will do everything that Hashem has spoken,” why did Moshe need to repeat this to

Hashem (2 views)? (Shemot 19:6,8)

3. (a) (1) At matan Torah, all were on a high spiritual level, worthy of eating korbanot – after the cheit ha’eigel, this privilege was

withdrawn, except from Sheivet Levi, who did not sin; (2) Bnei Yisrael’s role should be like kohanim, aloof from other nations’ re-

pulsive practices (Mechilta). (3) A kohen’s role is to teach Hashem’s words to others – Bnei Yisrael all are destined to teach mankind

to recognize and serve Him (Sforno). (b) (1) To teach that a messenger sent to get a response should give the response to the sender,

even if the Sender already knows the answer (Rashi). (2) to praise Bnei Yisrael for accepting everything (Ohr haChaim).

4. (a) (1) Why is it wrong to call the Aseret haDibrot, “The Ten Commandments”? (2) Why did Chazal remove the Aseret

haDibrot from the daily tefila? (b) The Aseret haDibrot (1) has how many letters? (2) signifying what? (3) lists how many of

the 613 mitzvot? (4) which 3 positive mitzvot? (5) 11 negative mitzvot? (c) Who was the first pharmacist? (d) (1) How many of

the dibrot did Bnei Yisrael hear directly from Hashem (2 views)? (2) Why are the first 2 dibrot in one parasha (paragraph),

unlike the other 8 which are separate parshiot (2 reasons)? (Shemot 20:1-14)

4. (a) (1) There are 613 mitzvot (commandments), not 10 – the Decalogue has 10 categories of mitzvot that include all 613 (Sa’adia

Gaon). (2) Since the early Christians claimed that only the 10 commandments need be observed – mitzvot like kashrut, mila and taha-

rat ha-mishpacha are unnecessary, Chazal reduced the Aseret haDibrot’s prominence, so Bnei Yisrael would recognize that all 613

mitzvot are equally important (Berachot 12a). (b) (1) 620 letters; (2) the Aseret haDibrot are the essence of the Torah’s 613 mitzvot

and 7 mitzvot de-rabannan (Mechilta). (3) 14; (4) (i) To believe Hashem exists, (ii) sanctify the Shabbat, (iii) honor one’s parents

(Sefer haChinuch – Mitzvot 25,31,33). (5) Not to (iv) believe in any divinity but Hashem, (v) make a graven image, (vi) bow down in

idol worship, (vii) worship an idol in any other customary way, (vii) swear in vain, (ix) work on Shabbat, (x) murder an innocent per-

son, (xi) commit adultery, (xii) kidnap, (xiii) bear false witness, (xiv) covet other’s belongings (Mitzvot 26-30,32,34-38). (c) Hashem,

Who gave Moshe 2 tablets (M. Reinstein). (d) (1) (i) Bnei Yisrael heard all the Aseret haDibrot from Hashem in one utterance

(Rashi). (ii) Bnei Yisrael heard the 1st and 2nd dibrot directly from Hashem and the other 8 from Moshe (Makkot 24a). (2) It indi-

cates that (i) Bnei Yisrael heard these 2 directly from Hashem; (ii) fulfilling each one depends on fulfilling the other (Ohr Torah).



Chai Lifeline Thanks MDS!



February Lunch Menu Prepared by Aleta Gelb, Director of Food Services, [email protected]



The Parents Council Thanks You!

The Parents Council Thanks You!

Teacher’s Coffee

for the Month of February Is Sponsored By...

Bernard and Susan Hutman, in honor of their son Max's kindergarten (K5A) teachers, Morah Rochel, Morah Stephanie and Morah Sarah, and their daughter Ava's Nursery

(N1) teachers, Morah Bernice, Morah Sarah, and Morah Alana.

Zusha Dean and Beth Halpern, in honor of their daughter Sarah Dean's 4th grade teachers, Mrs. Miryam Alter, Moreh Arnon Arad, Mrs. Leora Berkowitz Sulimanoff, Mr. David Bernstein, Miss Leyla Demirtas, Miss Debbie Goodstone, Mrs. Krishan Khanna,

Morah Rivky Lasker, Mrs. Rifkey Moskowitz, Morah Havi Pesso.

Chava and Randall Rose, in honor of their daughter Julia Rose's 12th birthday on Shushan Purim and all of her 6th grade teachers: Mrs. Chasida Zilbiger & Ms. Havi

Pesso (Lashon), Mrs. Linda Kastner (Art), Mrs. Meira Federgrun (Chumash & Parsha), Ms. Rivky Rendler (Dinim), Mrs. Eileen Dahan (Language Arts & Social Studies), Mrs. Fraydel Posen (Math), Mrs. Leora Sulimanoff (Navi, Zionism, Dance), Mr, David Bern-stein (Physical Education), Mrs. Krishan Khanna (Science), Ms. Laura Csillag (Tefillah)

and Rabbi Hal Levy (Torah Sheb'al Peh).

Jill and Dov Schwartzben, in honor of their daughter Debra's 7G teachers: Fran Fine, Miryam Alter, Ms. B, David Bernstein, Mrs. Meira Federgrun, Rabbi Gold,

Mrs. Skolnick, Mrs. Krishan Khanna, Ms. Susan Kurnit, Rabbi Litton, Havi Pesso and Mrs. Strulowitz.

Thank you also to the following parents for their help with the dinner invitation mailing:

Ayala Horwitz, Miera Rechteschaffen, Renata Kadoe, Barbara Jankelovits, Gaby Sobel, Sarra Schwartz, Charlotte Carter, Jennifer Feldman, Limor Gutkind,

Tova Epstein, and Jennifer Eden.



Mother-Daughter Lunch & Learn, 2/14/13



Boys Melaveh Malkah, 2/16/13

Annual Dor L’Dor Melave Malka

For Boys Grades 4-8 And Dads, Grandfathers, and Uncles

Come join us for FUN, great food, Games, music, raffles,

And MUCH MORE!

Guest Speaker Charles Harary Motzei Shabbos, February 16th

8 pm Manhattan Day School

310 W. 75th St. NY, NY 10023 $36 per family

Shabbos Attire

RSVP to Rachel by Tuesday, February 6th [email protected]



Order Mishloach Manot with MDS!

Order Mishloach Manot NOW! Deadline: February 15th

By now, you should have received your personalized

login code and Mishloach Manot signup info via email.

Our chairpeople and committee are hard at work

preparing beautiful Mishloach Manot packages.

Please log on to mds.happypurim.com to place your order.

We need volunteers to help pack and distribute

packages Thursday, February 21st, afternoon and evening,

and Friday morning, February 22nd.

To volunteer or to check you login code,

contact Rachel Gelfand, [email protected].

If any of your children would like to

contribute articles, drawings, puzzles, etc.

to the Purim Times newsletter, please

contact [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]



MDS Auction, 5/5/13

5.5.13

MDS AUCTION

After nine years, the wait is over.

The MDS Auction is back.

Sunday evening, May 5th 2013 at MDS

We need your help!

To help plan the event, please join us for a

kick-off conference call on Wednesday,

February 6th at 9pm to get more info. Email

[email protected] for call-in

number.

To volunteer to help on the night of the event

itself, please email Mandyf Davoudpour,

[email protected].





MDS Auction, 5/5/13

Dear MDS Families, We are thrilled to let you know that the MDS Auction will be held on Sun-day, May 5th. We have many parents currently working to make this a huge success. But in order for it to reach its full potential, we are asking for everyone's participation to bring in donations. We already have some great items - one day of touring in Israel for a family of 5 (car included), Knicks tickets, tickets to Kelly Ripa Live - but we need even more to make this a great night. You're probably thinking, what can I offer to the auction? We know that with a creative and involved parent body, everyone has something of val-ue to offer or will be able to secure a donation. Here are some examples that can spark ideas:

Do you belong to a golf or tennis club that can offer a day at the club?

Do you have a second home that you can donate for a week or weekend? Do you have access to sporting tickets, television show tickets or theater or concert tickets? Do you have access to a room people can use for smachot? Do you have unused credit card points or airline miles? Do you have exclusive access to celebrities, athletes, gedolim, artists, writers or, politicians? Do you work on a charity that has a float in the Israeli Day Parade? Maybe the organization can

offer kids a ride on the float. Do you have a favorite restaurant? Next time you frequent, ask for a donation. Do you belong to a gym that you can ask for a one or three month membership? Can you offer your professional services like counseling sessions, tutoring, cooking classes, etc.?

Additional ideas: Gift certificates for spa treatments, manicures or, haircuts, a clothing boutique shopping spree, jewelry, or electronics (like a kindle or Ipad). The list is endless and we hope this sparked an idea or two! The MDS Auction Donation Form is on the next page. Place the filled out forms in the PC box on Atara’s desk in Rabbi Besser’s office. If you have any questions, send an email to [email protected] or [email protected] or call Lenore at 646-245-2259 or Meryl at 917-748-5685. We look forward to working with you to make this both fun and successful. Lenore Ades and Meryl Degen





MDS Auction, 5/5/13

MDS AUCTION Dear Friends of Manhattan Day School:

The Parent Council will hold our much anticipated Auction on Sunday, May 5th, 2012. The funds that are raised will go

towards programs for our dedicated students and faculty to help provide an exceptional educational experience. We are

reaching out to all members of the community to support our school. The items you donate will draw enthusiastic and high

bidding from our parent body. Each donation really makes a difference. Manhattan Day School is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit

organization. Donations may be sent by mail or faxed to:

MANHATTAN DAY SCHOOL AUCTION COMMITTEE

310 West 75th Street

New York, New York 10023

Tel: 212-376-6800 Fax: 212-376-6388

_____________________________________________________________________________________

DONATION FORM

DONOR NAME_________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_____________________________________________________________________________

PHONE _____________________________________________________

AUTHORIZED BY_____________________________________SIGNATURE_______________________

DESCRIPTION OF ITEM

OR SERVICE DONATED ___________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

EXPIRATION DATE _____________________________ INSTRUCTIONS/ RESTRICTIONS (if any):

______________________________________________________________________________________

VALUE__________

PLEASE CHECK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

Gift Certificate enclosed __________ Present this form to redeem donation __________

Email our chairpeople Meryl Degen – [email protected] or Lenore Ades – [email protected] to arrange pick up or delivery

_____________

Donation will be mailed or delivered to school_________

SOLICITOR INFORMATION:

Solicitor’s Name _________________ E-mail _________________________Phone__________________

Child’s Name ___________________________________________ Child’s Class_____________________




MDS Afterschool Clubs - Now Online!

The Spring Afterschool Club info and registration is now available on the MDS website! Contact Ester Gruenberger-Kelen, Afterschool Program Director,

[email protected], with any questions.



Community Flyers: Dr. Pelcovitz @ WSIS, 2/18



Manhattan Day School

310 West 75th Street

New York, New York

Tel: 212-376-6800

Fax: 212-376-6389

www.mdsweb.org

Tel: 212-673-3066

Fax: 212-376-6389

Email all articles and graphics

to Yehudit Robinson,

Director of

Educational Technology,

[email protected]

…

Thank you for keeping our school

a nut-aware environment.

Please join our daily parent

tehillim group which meets in the

library at 8:15 AM.

In the MDS Family...

Mazal tov to Dr. Alli Kert (Student Services), her husband David and Jonah (N3)

on the birth of a boy.

Mazal tov to Meryl Degen, Albert Louzoun and Noam (N4B) on the birth of a girl,

Nili Hayne.

Mindy and Brian Pfefferman and Molly (Toddler Bet) on the birth of a girl.

Mazal tov to Ilan and Melissa Abehassera and Isaac (N3) and Noa (N4A) on the

birth of a girl.

Mazel Tov to Heliya and Payam Toobian and Ben (N3), Ashley(K5A), and Aaron

(1A) on the birth of a baby boy.

We regret to inform you of the passing of Bina (Bonnie) Katz (wife of Rabbi Dr.

Mathew Katz z"l), mother of school nurse, Henni Bitter, on the loss of her mother.

Shiva was concluded in Israel last week. To honor the memory of Bina (Bonnie)

Katz z”l, we will be collecting money for the MDS Library Fund. If you would

like to participate, you may make an online donation or you may send in your con-

tribution to Daphne in the Business Office. The family will be informed of all con-

tributions. May the family be comforted among the mourners of Tzion and

Yerushalayim.

We regret to inform you of the passing of Carol Goldish A"H, mother of MDS par-

ent Sarah London, grandmother of Talen (N4B) and Hunter (K5C). Shiva will be

observed at 740 West End Avenue Apt. 75, until next Wednesday morning. To

honor the memory of Carol Goldfish, we will be collecting money for the MDS

Library Fund. If you would like to participate, you may make an online dona-

tion or you may send in your contribution to Daphne in the Business Office. The

family will be informed of all contributions. May the family be comforted among

the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim.

Mazal tov to the entire Mandelbaum family on

Tomer’s bar mitzvah. In the picture below, cele-

brating Tomer’s Bar Mitzvah in front of Knesset:

the Herskowitz family, Marla Krinitz, Tomer’s

grandparents and aunt, Rabbi Besser, Knesset

Minister Otniel Schneller, Dr. Mandelbaum.

mds messenger february 1, 2013

Documents

candle lighting time

pm page

students sensitivity

wonderful time

pm ladies night

extraordinary evening

pm mds annual dinner

dalia schwalb volume