December 21, 2012 / 8 Tevet 5773
Enjoy Your Break! In This Issue
Susie Fishbein Cooks CJ
Susie Fishbein Visits DECA Stock Market Game This Week in Sports Bible Projects Modern Jewish Thought Reflects Schechter Schools Petition Exam Schedule Coming Attractions Alumni Trivia A Taste of Torah Monday evening, the Parent Organization welcomed back Susie Fishbein, renowned author of the Kosher by Design
Save the Date
cookbooks. Nearly 90 guests attended the occasion and were treated to a coaching session with Susie as she demonstrated the preparation of three different recipes. Guests sampled soup, chicken and dessert which were prepared under Susie's supervision at CJE Senior Life's Gidwitz Place. Susie was assisted by our notable alumnus, Chef Avram Pachter ('06). Later in the evening, Susie autographed copies of Cooking Coach, her latest cookbook. Funds raised from this PO event help purchase items needed by the school. Many thanks to Melissa Spellman and Jennifer Flink
Sunday, Dec. 23 Sunday, Jan. 6 Winter Break Sunday, Jan. 6 Thursday, Jan. 24 Senior Israel Experience Monday, Jan. 14 Friday, Jan. 18 Winter Exams Tuesday, Jan. 22 Second Semester Begins Sophomore & Parent Meeting Sunday, Jan. 27 JNF Tu B'Shevat Fair
for co-chairing the event, to student and alumni servers Zach P. O. Corner Erlichmann, Yoni Gabel, Becca Cohn, Gelt Program Sydney Cole ('09), Halyse Cole ('11), The P.O. is pleased to once again and Elli Cohn ('09), introduce the gift card "Gelt program" to our families and we and to Ms. Gita have made it much easier (look Karasov, our student for upcoming email with details activities coordinator and assistant director of admissions, on how to register). Faculty and and her friends for all their help. staff can also buy Gelt that will help to support programs provided for the school by the P.O. This program is designed to help families earn money toward their children's junior year Panim program and/or the Senior Israel Experience. The program is a passive earning system, in which you buy the things you ordinarily purchase anyway, and earn money which will be credited to your family for designated school trips. If you have any questions, contact Sheri Sandrof at ssandrof@cjhs.org or call her at 847.324.3723.
Community News and Events
Alumni Trivia Look carefully at the chef station or the concierge's desk-you might see a familiar face! CJHS is proud to number among our alumni several kosher chefs and members of the hospitality industry. Which of our graduates served up Sacha Baron Cohen and his family on their recent trip to Israel?
DECA Rules the Market
CJHS basketball had a tough week against Christ the King and CICS Ellison on Monday, with the Tigers coming up against Westminster Christian Thursday night. The Lady Tigers also took on Westminster Christian yesterday, losing a truly thrilling game right at the buzzer with a last-second shot made by our mighty opponents. Good game, ladies, and we hope to see everyone in the stands motzei Shabbat as we host the Skokie Yeshiva!
This Week in Limudei Kodesh As the political climate heats up and claimants for the throne resort to increasingly dirty tricks to sway public opinion, Rabbi Feinsmith and Ms. Frankel's freshman Bible classes are filming interviews with the two candidates: King David, the popular favorite, and King Ish-boshet, heir of the late King Shaul. This film project will conclude a semester's study on the Book of Samuel. Down the hall, sophomore Talmud classes are writing their own sugiyot, constructing Talmudic arguments by bringing evidence from Jewish texts. We look forward to seeing the creative results of both projects!
Modern Jewish Thought and Current Events This week, the seniors in Rabbi Belgrad's Modern Jewish
Thought class made a sad but powerful connection between their learning and the world around them. At the conclusion of their weeks-long unit on theodicy -- the relationship between God, evil and suffering -- students were challenged to bring their learning to bear upon the tragic and horrendous events in Connecticut last week. Does God cause suffering? Does God allow terrible things to happen? If so, why? Is it to teach, to punish, to reward us in the world to come? Suddenly, the theoretical learning that had been gained from learning about the Book of Job and Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People needed to be applied in a direct way. Aiding in that process was the panel of CJHS faculty that joined the class yesterday. Mr. Urick of the Science Dept., Ms. Katz of the English Dept. and Rabbi Silver shared their thoughts, feelings and experiences in response to these troubling questions, engaging in dialogue with the students who brought both finely honed questions and their own personal conclusions to the conversation.
Jewish Response to Newtown CJHS Head of School Tony Frank and CJHS Board President Michael Small are two of the many Jewish day school leaders who have issued an open letter to President Barack Obama and members of Congress urging them to enact legislation that will limit access to the types of assault weapons that were used to massacre 20 first graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The letter reminds the Administration and Congress that gun control is not just a legal or political issue, but also a moral and ethical one. The leaders call on the administration and Congress "to take up immediate and definitive legislation that will erect meaningful fences around dangerous weapons that kill indiscriminately". (The reference to fences hearkens to a passage in Deuteronomy that a builder must erect a fence around the edge of a roof to prevent people from falling off.) Also, many thanks to Rabbi Marc Belgrad, who was interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times and gave an ethical perspective in response to last week's tragedy.
Exam Schedule: January 14-18 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 8:30
Tefillah
9:30 English
Math
12:30 Spanish
History
Talmud
Science Bible
Coming Attractions... CJHS drama department presents Flying Feathers, a new klezmer musical by Joanne Koch. Look for audition information after winter break!
Alumni Trivia Hotelier Davy Silver ('10) has been at Kendall College for two years excitedly studying management and hospitality. He just finished his six-month internship at the Hilton of Tel Aviv, where he recognized Sacha and Isla Baron Cohen and their two little daughters among the breakfast guests. Welcome back to Chicago, Davy!
A Taste of Torah: Vayigash We left Yehuda last week swearing to his father that he would return with Binyamin in tow. He swears to Yaakov that if he does not return with Binyamin, that he would "bear the blame forever" (43:8). With this context, we encounter Yehuda in this week's parasha - "Vayigash elav Yehuda Then Yehuda approached him." Yehuda approaches his brother with an impassioned plea to release Binyamin. But look closely at Yehuda's arguments - none of them are rational. There are no case studies about where Binyamin was in relationship to when the goblet was stolen. No use of witnesses. Yehuda has no doubt that Binyamin took the goblet - he was caught red-handed. All the evidence in the world was couched against him. But despite this, Yehuda pleas on behalf of his brother. Biblical scholar Yochanan Muffs describes this mode of standing up for those that are guilty in his influential essay "Who will stand in the breach," (1992, found in Love and Joy). It features a model of the prophet whose key role is not a scolder or occasional comforter, but rather is the defender of the people. Yehuda employs pathos, the energy and feeling of the prophet to sway the most powerful man he has ever encountered. And after all of this energy, Yosef breaks down: V'lo yachol Yosef l'hitapek
Joseph could not bear it any longer (45:1). He sends out everyone from the room and lets out tears. Yehuda has the chance to put his word to Yaakov to the ultimate test. "Take me and not my brother," he insists. And because he puts himself on the line, imploring the man who will reveal himself later as his brother, ultimately Yosef reveals his true self to his brothers. Yehuda, the ancestral namesake for the Jewish people (Yehudim) represents the core model of teshuva returning to a primordial self. The same person who convinced his brothers to sell Yosef for a profit in Chapter 37 now sacrifices himself for his brother Binyamin. Here, in Parashat Vayigash, he thinks of how he can affect change for others. --Rav Beit Sefer Zachary Silver
Shabbat Shalom Candlelighting this Friday night will be at 4:05 p.m. Have a wonderful winter break, everyone!