Welcome Back! 17 Elul, 5773
This Week at CJHS New Students New Faculty and Staff CJHS Camping Trip Sports News QuarkNet SSDS Reunion Alumni News Lishma A Taste of Torah
Save the Date
August 23, 2013
CJHS Welcomes the Class of 2017... "The CJ Way!" Bright and early on a sunny Monday, CJHS welcomed 33 new freshmen! They come to CJHS from 13 different communities, with many traveling over 20 miles each way in order to attend CJHS. They also come from a variety of Jewish middle schools and public schools, with 10 different schools being represented in the freshman class. Their excitement is contagious!
Monday, Sept. 2 No School: Labor Day Wednesday, Sept. 4 1:15 Dismissal: Erev Rosh Hashanah Thursday, Sept. 5 Friday, Sept. 6 No School: Rosh Hashannah Tuesday, Sept. 10 Back to School Night Thursday, Sept. 12 JUF Annual Meeting Friday, Sept. 13 No School: Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday, Sept. 18 1:15 Dismissal: Erev Sukkot Thursday, Sept. 19 Friday, Sept. 20 No School: Sukkot Wednesday, Sept. 25 1:15 Dismissal: Hoshannah Rabbah Thursday, Sept. 26 Friday, Sept. 27 No School: Shmini Atzeret/ Simchat Torah
P.O. Corner The P.O. is pleased to continue the gift card "Gelt" program. This program is designed to help families earn money toward their children's junior year Panim program and/or the Senior Israel Experience. Faculty and staff can also buy Gelt to support programs provided for the school by the P.O. By buying things you ordinarily purchase anyway, you can earn money which will be credited to your family or class for designated school trips. Contact Sheri Sandrof at ssandrof@cjhs.org or call her at 847.324.3723.
Community News and Events Maot Chitim
We also have a spectacular group of transfer students joining our sophomore and junior classes. They come to us from Glenbrook North High School, Highland Park High School, Hinsdale Central and as far away as Madrid, Spain.
is on the Move!
THIS Sunday, August 25! Packing 6:00 am - 10:00 am Delivery 9:00 am - 11:00 am Warehouse location: 5990 W Touhy Ave, Niles, IL Help deliver Rosh Hashannah packages to thousands of struggling families throughout the Chicago area! Click here for more information.
College Visits CJHS is pleased to welcome representatives from the following schools this season: Institution
Date 9/9/13 Boston University 3:30 PM 9/10/13 Hampshire College 2:34 PM 9/10/13 Muhlenberg College 3:30 PM 9/11/13 Emory University 2:35 PM University of Illinois at 9/11/13 Urbana-Champaign 3:30 PM 9/12/13 University of Kansas 9:56 AM 9/12/13 Bradley University 2:34 PM University of 9/12/13 Wisconsin, Madison 3:30 PM 9/17/13 Goucher College 9:00 AM 9/17/13 Barnard College 12:30 PM
A special thank you to Maryl and Medwin Dayan and family for hosting our annual freshman family barbecue. Their home provided the perfect environment for families to begin getting to know each other.
9/17/13 1:26 PM 9/17/13 American University 2:34 PM Indiana University at 9/17/13 Bloomington 3:30 PM Illinois State 9/23/13 University 3:30 PM 9/24/13 Brandeis University 12:42 PM 9/24/13 McGill University 2:38 PM 9/24/13 Swarthmore College 3:30 PM 9/30/13 Case Western 12:30 Reserve University PM University of 10/1/13 Pennsylvania 9:00 AM 10/1/13 DePaul University 3:30 PM 10/2/13 University of Chicago 3:30 PM Washington University 10/8/13 in St. Louis 3:30 PM 10/9/13 Amherst College 10:52 AM 10/10/13 University of Michigan 3:30 PM Northwestern 10/14/13 University 3:30 PM Jewish Theological 10/15/13 Seminary of America 3:30 PM 10/17/13 Yeshiva University 9:00 AM 10/23/13 Skidmore College 9:00 AM 10/29/13 Kalamazoo College 12:25 PM Dickinson College
Sponsor Breakfast What's better than a birthday celebration with friends? Celebrate your student's birthday or other milestone with a special breakfast at CJHS. For a donation of $180 (10x chai), bagels, cream cheese, and orange juice will be served to everyone.
New Faculty and Staff CJHS is delighted to welcome our two new social studies teachers, Mr. Joseph Eskin and Mr. Dan Kassner. Mr. Eskin, a familiar face from the Camp Ramah staff, comes to us having studied history and math at the University of Michigan; Mr. Kassner has just completed his masters' at Northwestern, and is the former athletics director at Camp Young Judea of Amherst. Welcome aboard, Mr. Eskin and Mr. Kassner! Earlier this summer, CJHS welcomed Ms. Michelle Friedman as our new Director of Development. Ms. Friedman has managed fundraising and gifts at the Museum of Science and Industry, Mercy Housing Lakefront, Teen Living Programs, and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, and we are glad to have her here now. CJHS is also proud to introduce Liz Geifman as the new Parent Organization president and thanks Melissa Spellman for her years of dedicated service in that role. Last but by no means least, we're delighted to introduce our new debate coach, Mr. Jonathan Horowitz, fresh from Baltimore and already planning victory!
CJHS Camping Trip
An announcement will be made in Tefillah and in the dining hall, and the occasion will also be listed in our weekly E-News and on the school announcement board. If you have any questions, please call 847.324.3713 or email idrazin@cjhs.org. Order forms are available online here.
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Last week, 18 CJHS students from all four grades hit the road with Rabbi Silver, Mr. Griffith and Ms. Karasov, heading out to the Indiana Dunes for the first Annual CJHS Camping Trip! The group had a wonderful time hiking through the dunes, swimming in Lake Michigan, cooking a delicious dinner and of course telling legendary CJHS stories around the campfire! We could not have thought of a better way to wrap up the summer and kick off a new year together. We are already planning for next year's adventure!
Sports News Yashar koach to Coach Marty Dello, who this summer was named Coach of the Year by Jewish Hoops America for his manful tactics that led the 2013 CJHS Tigers to victory last year in Memphis and at the IHSA regionals. And a second yashar koach to junior Josh Newlander named national Underclassman of the Year by the same organization. We look forward to another spectacular season with the CJHS Tigers as fall sports kick off! Rev up your engines next week to follow the men's soccer team to Chicago Hope for their opening match on Monday; the Tigers will be back at Goodman Field on Thursday for their first home game against Gordon Tech. Women's volleyball will also take on Gordon Tech on Thursday in the Caplan Gym, so get those pom-pons shaking and fill up those bleachers. Go Tigers!
As of August 19, the most advanced muon detector in the American quark network is calibrated and running--and it's right here at CJHS! We're recording the number of cosmic rays that arrive at our school on a daily basis and uploading the data to the web portal for international use. Ask Mrs. Eliaser, Maya Behn, or Elan Karoll for a two-minute tutorial on how you can be one of this year's data managers; come to next Wednesday's QuarkNet meeting to learn more. Many thanks to Mr. Nate Unterman of Glenbrook North, our stalwart team leader, for the fastest calibration session in CJHS history, and for his unceasing mentorship and support. We look forward to further scientific collaboration with the Glenbrook North and Glenbrook South QuarkNet squads!
Schechter Reunion
SSDS is proud to host its first multi-class reunion for the Classes of 2000-2005 on September 7 at 9:00 pm at Deuce's & the Diamond Club, 3505 North Clark in Chicago. Click here for more information, or contact francine.ephraim @schechter.org, 847.412.5662, for details. Look for a few familiar faces on the reunion committee, including CJHS' own Hannah Pogrund ('07), Lilli Flink ('08), and Alan Bukingolts ('09)!
Alumni News It's been a busy summer for CJHS graduates! Congratulations to Deanna Levin ('05) and her husband Brett Abrams on the birth of their son Gabi, and to Ari Berkowicz ('05) on his engagement to Zahava Markovic. Reby Silverman ('10) is now an Intel Ambasasdor for Change on the Smart Girls = Smart World plan. Beth Magid ('04) was one of many making aliyah; we wish bracha and hatzlacha to them all! On a more sober note, we wish a refuah shleimah to Dakota Miller ('09), who suffered a serious accident while working on his farm in upstate New York and spent the summer recuperating in Westchester; Dakota is now out of the hospital, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
Seeking Alumni Trivia Are you studying abroad? Making headlines? Making aliyah? Serving in the armed forces--or as a barefoot bread baker for social justice? Next week, our regular Alumni Trivia will be starting up again! Send fun facts, life updates, and parental kvelling to your loyal editor Mrs. Shira Eliaser, seliaser@cjhs.org. Now... for next week's alumni trivia, which of our alumni call tell you more about the Congo Leadership Initiative?
Lishma Students, faculty, and staff are all invited to our annual in-house learning series with our own Dr. Rebecca Schorsch. As we experience the different rhythms and rituals of High Holidays and harvest feast, as we move from fasting to dancing, we will consider the holidays as part of an ancient narrative that speaks to humanity overall.
August 29, lunch: Rosh Hashana - The Possibility of Recreation Sept 12, lunch: Yom Kippur - The Challenges of Compassion Sept 17, 7th period: Sukkot - The Beauty of the Fragile Sept 24, 7th period: Simchat Torah -- A Celebration of Diversity
A Taste of Torah: Turning Curses Into Blessings in Ki Tavo
In this week's Torah portion, Ki Tavo, we read about the many curses with which God threatens the Children of Israel. In Deuteronomy 28:29, we read: "You will grope at noon as a blind person gropes in the dark; you shall not prosper in your ventures, rather you will be constantly abused and robbed, with no one to give help." In the Talmud (Megillah 24b), Rabbi Yossi reflected on this verse. For much of his life he wondered, "Why does it matter if a blind person gropes when it is dark or when it is light? Will he not grope anyway?" Then Rabbi Yossi met a blind man who walked with a torch, and he asked him, "My son, you are blind. Why do you walk with fire?" The man replied,"So long as the torch is in my hands, people see me, and do not let me fall into a pit or tread on thorns." The story in the Talmud reflects just how much of a curse the verse in Deuteronomy is. When it is completely dark, not only can a blind person not see, but no one will know to offer her help, either because she doesn't know that the blind person is at a loss, or because sheis only looking out for herself. A new year is daunting for many - for students,
parents and faculty, alike. It may feel like travelling in the dark. With my own reflections on both the midrash and the verse in Ki Tavo I offer us two blessings as we enter this year of opportunity:
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May we be confident to shine a torch when times are difficult for us this year. People will find us, if we do. May we be ever mindful of those who are shining the light, and walk with them along their journey.
Together, our CJHS community has the potential to turn these curses into blessings.
Sponsored Breakfast Happy summer birthdays to Arthur Sredni, Gavi Schankerman, Yadid Licht, and Matt Dulberg. Many thanks to their families for sponsoring bagels.
Shabbat Shalom Candlelighting this Friday will be at 7:23 p.m. Shabbat shalom, and welcome back!