November 6, 2015
24 Cheshvan, 5776 This Week at CJHS
Open House
Open House CJHS Goes to D.C. Memphis, Here We Come Rabbi Chaya Comes to CJHS In the Classroom MUN Movie Night Blood Drive A Biology Lesson in Tefillah Va'ad Update Homecoming Tickets Canine Companions Buzzfeed Quiz Trio to Perform at CJHS From the P.O. Community Events A Taste of Torah
ProspecRve Family Day at CJHS
Quick Links CJHS.org
Open House 2015 was a huge success with over 100 guests from both day schools and public schools, and from communi>es all over the Chicagoland area. The event began with a Student Ac>vi>es Fair, where prospec>ve families learned about our Fine, Performing and Literary Arts program, clubs and athle>c opportuni>es at CJHS. Prospec>ve students
Calendars Lunch Menu Edline Give Now
Save The Date
were treated to a CJHS student panel and asked many ques>ons about student life at CJHS. Prospec>ve parents par>cipated in Q&A rota>ons included topics such as Transporta>on, College Preparedness , Academics, Jewish Experience, Athle>cs and Support Services. The families visited several classrooms to meet teachers and students and learn more about our dual curriculum. Thank you to our all our staff and student volunteers!
November 11 No School -‐ Professional Day November 18-‐20 Junior Social Jus>ce Seminar November 21 Homecoming November 25 Erev Thanksgiving -‐ 8:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. November 25-‐26 No School -‐ Thanksgiving December 6 Studio Art Show December 20 -‐ January 3 Winter Break
College Season CJHS is pleased to welcome admission representa>ves from over fiRy colleges and Israel programs this autumn! VIEW SCHEDULE >>
CJHS Goes to Washington, D.C. AIPAC 2015 Earlier this week, Molly Copley, Natalie Ecanow, Eliana Kaufman, Daniel Silver, and Rabbi Silver traveled to Washington, D.C. for three days to par>cipate in the annual AIPAC High School Summit. Natalie Ecanow reports, “During the three days at AIPAC, we were immersed in a spirited Zionist environment. We were taught effec>ve methods for Israel advocacy, as well as public speaking skills that are applicable in all aspects of life. We lobbied David Stern, Congressman Bob Dold’s (IL-‐10) Legisla>ve Director, expressing our apprecia>on for Congressman’s Dold’s con>nuous support for Israel. We talked about the current situa>on in Israel, and thanked him for signing the Royce-‐Engel le`er to President Abbas. ARerwards, we toured the capital and witnessed the Senate in ac>on. Overall, our three days in Washington DC were a great experience.”
Memphis, Here We Come! Cooper InvitaRonal Tournament
It's that >me of year as 18 students travel to the Annual Cooper Invita>onal in Memphis. The tournament features a fun, educa>onal Shabbaton with a spirited basketball tournament. The Cooper Yeshiva High School Invita>onal Tournament, hosted by the Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis, Tennessee, is now the second largest Jewish high school athle>c event in North America. Click here for the latest news and results!
Rabbi Chaya Baker Comes to CJHS
On Monday, Rabbi Chaya Baker of Kehillat Ramat Tzion in French Hill, Jerusalem, visited with the junior seminar “Contemporary Israel”. A Conserva>ve rabbi ordained in Israel, Rabbi Baker shared her vision of an Israel commi`ed to religious pluralism. She spoke of a culture and poli>cs more a`uned to the contemporary needs of its ci>zens, bridging the gap between secular and religious and offering Israelis spiritual opportuni>es without having to go through the chief rabbinate. She spoke of her personal experiences as well as her professional ones as someone who func>ons as a community rabbi.
In the Classroom In sophomore Talmud, students are studying page 26b from tractate Brachot. On this page we learn that our forefathers established the three daily prayers, as the rabbis interpret a discrete ac>on of each to correspond to shaharit, mincha, and maariv. Isaac’s scene is in this week’s parashah. He is about to meet his wife, Rebecca, for the first >me. His father’s servant Eliezer has just gone on a journey to find her. Just before they meet, we are told he went “lasuah” in the field (Genesis 24:63). JPS Tanakh tells us that this verse means either walking or medita>ng, but the meaning is uncertain. The rabbis assert that he was medita>ng. That certainly fits their goals of roo>ng our prayer in our ancestors’ ac>ons. The rabbis are pain>ng a picture of Isaac that fits their worldview-‐-‐that our ancestors prayed at crucial moments-‐-‐ staking a strong claim on the meaning of an unclear word. But what if Isaac was just going for a walk? We have a similar ques>on of transla>on in the next verse: Raising her eyes, Rebecca saw Isaac; she alighted from the camel. The Hebrew uses a very clear verb, yet the transla>on obscures the meaning: Tipol – she fell. Perhaps the translators obscured this word because Rebecca falling off of her camel did not fit their image of Rebecca or their understanding of this first encounter between her and Isaac. As we delve into Torah study, we see that the way we are taught texts and even the transla>ons we receive hold richly developed concep>ons of our ancestors and their narra>ves. But mee>ng the text firsthand, we can see a new richness ourselves and begin to piece together our own understandings.
MUN Movie Night The European refugee crisis which has dominated the news interna>onally for months has also been great fodder for discussion in Model U.N. At MUN Movie Night on Tuesday, the conversa>on expanded to include students, parents, and other members of the greater CJHS community for a night of learning and thinking around the topic of refugees. Dr. Basak Yavcan spoke eloquently and passionately about the issues involved in dealing with Syrian refugees, and Khadijah Coulibaly, a sixteen year-‐old originally from the Ivory Coast, shared her amazing story of eventually making her way through Mali to West Rogers Park. Proceeds from the event support the team at the conference in New York in March. Thanks to everyone who made the event possible!
Blood Drive Last week, CJHS students and staff joined together to donate 18 units of blood in this fall blood drive. Thank you to the Va'ad Hastuden>m for helping to organize the event, and thank you to all the students and staff who took >me out of their days to give the giR of life. A special congratula>ons to all first-‐>me donors who conquered their nerves to do a mitzvah!
A Biology Lesson in Tefillah Monday morning, CJHS biology teacher Mr. Taylor met with a group of freshmen and sophomores to learn about a tefillah called Asher Yatzar in which we express gra>tude for our healthy and func>oning bodies. This tefillah speaks of how one "could not exist or stand before You [God]" if even one part of our bodies was "blocked or opened". Mr. Taylor brought this prayer to life by teaching us about our kidneys and what happens when they are blocked by kidney stones. What an amazing learning opportunity to draw upon our knowledge of biology to bring the words of the Siddur to life.
Va'ad Update Va’ad Secretary Joey Schrayer reports that the Va'ad Hastuden>m has had a busy few months! Star>ng the year strong, the 2015 Sukkah Hop was the best one yet! With capture the flag, hacky sack club, and the highest a`endance ever, it was a huge success. Following a great freshman shabbaton, the freshman elected their grade representa>ve -‐-‐ congratula>ons to Brian Silverstein. In addi>on, members of the Va’ad facilitated a town hall mee>ng for each grade in which students could talk about their priori>es for the school. The Va’ad has their work cut out for them, with some great feedback from these town hall mee>ngs! Look for a series of upcoming proposals, and so much more! The Va'ad is looking forward to a produc>ve month.
Homecoming Tickets A`en>on all students: Homecoming >ckets are on sale now. The dance, on Saturday night November 21, costs $21 -‐ with one dollar from every >cket going to support the Chicago Founda>on for Educa>on, the philanthropy of choice for DEAP this year. Come to the front office this week to buy your >ckets!
Canine Companions This past week we were fortunate to have our very own senior, Rebecca Abrams, treat our freshmen to a program about CCI. Canine Companions for Independence is a program that provides fully trained service dogs to those in need. Rebecca has been training service puppies since she was 12. Each year Rebecca speaks to our freshmen about the power of Chesed and how, by training a puppy, she gives so much to a deserving individual. Thanks Rebecca for all that you do for CJ and for making the world a be`er place!
Buzzfeed Quiz The Va'ad Tefillah created a Buzz Feed quiz for the Open House this past Sunday. It was an opportunity to teach prospec>ve students about the tefillah program at CJHS and where they might find their places in it. Click here to take the quiz and find out where you might find a home in tefillah at CJHS.
Tikkun Trio to Perform at CJHS November 10, 2015 | 12:30 -‐ 1:30 p.m. The CJHS Fine, Performing and Literary Arts Departments proudly welcomes TIKKUN, a Quad City trio whose mission is to heal the world through music. They seek to present to their audiences programs that comfort the soul and challenge the mind. This incredible program will include two Chassidic dances (arranged by Zikmund Schul), Rondo (Arranged by Jean Sibelius), Song Without Words, Op. 109 (arranged by Felix Mendelssohn), and Trio in A minor, Op 114, III Allegro (arranged by Johannes Brahms). The program is open to CJHS staff and CJHS parents. For addi>onal informa>on about the program or to make a reserva>on, please contact Bruce Scher.
From the P.O. CJHS PO Book Club -‐ Fall Book Club MeeRng: The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard Monday, November 9 7:00 p.m. at CJHS Join us as Edie Salzman leads us in what is sure to be an engaging discussion about The Book of Aron, "a novel that will join the short list of classics about children caught up in the Holocaust." For more informa>on about the book, click here. Please RSVP at PO@cjhs.org. Feel free to contact us with ques>ons.
Karen Ecanow & Debbie Copley CJHS PO Presidents
Sponsored Breakfast Thank you to Camp Ramah in Wisconsin for sponsoring bagels this week. To sponsor breakfast in honor of your favorite Tiger, contact Diane Zidman at dzidman@cjhs.org.
Community News and Events
Alumni Reunion Join us for the Alumni Reunion featuring our annual Alumni Basketball Game! Mingle with old friends and teachers and cheer on the alumni! Don’t miss the tug-‐of-‐war compe>>on and fun interac>ve ac>vi>es including a Photobooth and Milt’s Food Truck. For more details and to par>cipate in the Alumni Basketball Game, click here.
Limmud Chicago Coming Soon!
November 7-‐8, 2015 Don't miss out on Limmud Chicago 2015! Co-‐ sponsored by CJHS, Limmud Chicago brings together Jewish learners from all over Chicagoland for an immersive experience of Jewish learning and community. Limmud is an en>rely volunteer-‐run conference with par>cipants on all kinds of Jewish journeys and presenta>ons on the broadest array of Jewish topics possible. This year's conference is November 7 and 8 at the Doubletree Hotel in Skokie, from 6:30 p.m. on Saturday to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. The exci>ng slate of presenters for Limmud Chicago 2015 can be found at here. Fill in the code CJHSLC15 during registra>on for a discounted rate.
Empowering Our Students for Jewish Campus Life November 11, 2015 | 6:00 p.m. An Evening for High Schoolers and Community with Hillels of Illinois North Suburban Synagogue Beth El Featuring Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO, Hillel Interna>onal -‐-‐ former U.S. Congressman and Chancellor of Ohio Board of Regents 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Hillel Fair Represen>ng Midwest Campuses – Meet Current Students & Staff 7 p.m.: Keynote Address by Eric Fingerhut Eric Fingerhut will address Hillel’s dynamic role in developing Jewish iden>>es and Jewish life on campus during the undergraduate years. Discussion panels to follow will highlight what’s really happening on campus, including important challenges faced by today's Jewish college students. During the panels, high school students will have the opportunity to learn from Write On for Israel fellows and current college students about engaging in Israel ac>vism and Jewish life while on campus. Parents and community members will learn how Hillel has evolved to face the current campus environment. A light kosher dinner will be provided; event is free of charge. To RSVP please contact Suzanne Storrs at 312.673.2355 or register online.
A Taste of Torah: Chayei Sara When singing the en>re Birkat HaMazon, teenagers oRen add hand mo>ons that roughly parallel the content of the prayer. During the following passage, students add air quotes, indica>ng that the words come directly from the Bible: Harachaman hu yevarech et kol hamesubim ka’an, otanu v’et kol asher lanu, kmo shenitbarchu avoteinu Avraham, Yitzhak v’Yaakov, “bakol,” “mikol,” “kol.” We can translate it as follows: May the Merciful bless all of the people who are here,
ourselves, and all that we have, just like our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, “bakol,” “mikol,” “kol.” Each of these representa>ons of the word “kol,” totality/everything, can be found in the Torah connected one of the three Patriarchs. (In turn, liturgists have also connected the merit of the Matriarchs to the word “tov,” with the following words rela>ng to a situa>on with Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah: he>v, tovat, tov, tov). We come into contact with the first of these quotes in this week’s parasha, Genesis 24:1: “V’Avraham zaken, ba bayamim, v’Adonai berach et Avraham bakol.” “Avraham was old, advanced in days, and Adonai blessed Avraham ‘bakol.’” The word is tough to define. Certainly, it has something to do with Avraham being blessed with everything. But what does "everything" mean? Ramban, the 14th century Sephardic master commentator, notes that despite the fact that Avraham did not have a daughter (and thus the Ramban builds on the midrashic interpreta>on that Avraham would have a daughter later in this chapter), he was nonetheless content in life. And that, in turn, was the blessing of “everything.” Everything, for the Ramban, can be defined by sa>sfac>on, of thanks. In essence, God blessed Avraham with a life of thanks. In the words of Pirkei Avot, Avraham manifests the statement, "Eizehu ashir, hasameach b'chelko," "Who is happy, he who is happy in his por>on." Birkat HaMazon is much more than a prayer thanking God for food. Though it is certainly that, as well. It invokes the en>re narra>ve history of the Jewish people. During this prayer, we ask that God bless us like God blessed our ancestors, with totality and fullness, with everything. For some, this will mean children. For others, it will mean economic stability. For others, s>ll, steady and sustained rela>onships are the mark of “kol.” Above all, a blessing of everything will be contentment in who we are. When we say Birkat HaMazon, and as we read the parasha this week, may we think of what our prayer of “kol” includes, invoking our ancestors as named travelers along our own journeys through life. Rabbi Zachary Silver
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