Rochelle Zell Jewish High School E-news: Model UN #1 in Nation

2 Adar II, 5776 This Week at Rochelle Zell Model U.N. Wins Freshman Bible Biblical Fan Mail QuarkNet Hijinks Save the Dates Ad Book Community Events Alumni Trivia Tefillah Kavannah

March 11, 2016

Model U.N. #1 in Nation Rochelle Zell Takes Back-to-Back First Place Wins!

Class Schedule ​Monday, March 14 BB Tuesday, March 15 C Wednesday, March 16 A

For the second year in a row, Rochelle Zell Jewish High School has taken home first place in the Na=onal High School Model U.N. Conference, aCended by over 3,800 students from 150

Thursday, March 17 BB Friday, March 18 CC

Quick Links RZJHS.org Calendars Lunch Menu Edline Give Now

Save The Date ​March 18-­‐19 All School Shabbaton March 24 Purim March 25 2:15 Dismissal Begins April 10-­‐11

Wagner Ins[tute April 10 ACT April 14 School Musical April 20-­‐May 2 Pesach Break

schools. The team returned home to a hero's welcome on Monday morning, with t-­‐shirts and banners and speeches highligh=ng the work they did simula=ng interna=onal problem-­‐solving and coopera=on in New York.

"It's the kipahs," responds team captain Jason Taitz, to the many queries about the secret of our team's success. "We're known for them. They all know us at the conference as "the guys in the hats." Jason told the school at tefillah on Monday how important Jewish iden=ty is to our team, being visible in public as representa=ves of the Jewish community, geUng up early every morning to daven and eschewing their Saturday morning rest without sacrificing their energy levels, their wriCen eloquence, or their reputa=on for leadership.

Team captain Melissa Levin explained to the proud and curious supporters that their team has always been trained to win, with targeted and focused leadership stemming from their founding coach Mrs. Myra Loris, and con=nued on by Dr. Gary Auslander and current coach Mr. Joseph Eskin. The Rochelle Zell seniors induct the new freshmen every year to make themselves known on their commiCees, to volunteer and go above and beyond, to be unfailingly inclusive to students from other schools and above all, to conduct themselves with friendly openness and derech eretz to everyone they work with.

Kol hakavod to our award winning delegates: Julia Ma[ and Jason Taitz, who won second place on the Security Council CommiCee, and Melissa Levin and Josh Pliskin, who won second place on the Historical Security Council CommiCee. Yasher koach also to our many speakers at the Plenary Session: Felix Rosen and David Levin for SPECPOL, Ethan Laney and Lily Copley for ECOFIN, Livi Moses and Eli Ecanow for FAO, Dylan Janczak and Eli Nasa[r for UN Habitat, Emma Ma[ for UNICEF, Jonah Karoll and Brian Silverstein for World Bank, Ranan Vales and Ari Rosenthal for OSCE, and Arielle Small and Sammy Hoffman for UNESCAP. And look for the ar=cle in next Thursday's Pioneer Press!

April 22 First Seder

Alumni Trivia Which of last year's first in the na=on Model U.N. captains could be seen cheering Rochelle Zell on

from the sidelines in New York, and where is he now?

Abraham and the Akedah Obedience to a Greater Principle or Personal Ethics?

Rabbi Belgrad's freshmen have concluded their debate on Avraham Avinu and his final test to sacrifice his son. Sammy Vayngart, speaking towards our Patriarch passing God's test, explains, "We should learn that God always has a plan and an agenda, and the best op=on is to be faithful, respeccul, and obedient to God. It is unfair to decide where the supreme right comes from, divine ethics or human reason, because the life culture and society [in Abraham's =me] was much different than what it is now. " Joey Rosenblum, represen=ng the view that Avraham did not pass his test, went a step further. "Before the Torah, all of our ethics came from God Himself. Yet now that we have the Torah, we extract our ethics from it and shape them into our own morals and ethics." Yasher koach to both teams, and thanks to guest judges Ms. Nadis and Mrs. Eliaser!

Biblical Fan Mail Robert Alter Corresponds With Freshmen Bible Students Thank you to interna=onally renowned scholar Robert Alter for responding to our leCer! Sophomore Brian Silverstein expressed his gra=tude to Prof. Alter for the transla=on and commentary that helped the class gain a richer understanding of the characters and the flow of the narra=ve. Prof. Alter is a well-­‐known Bible scholar and author who focuses on literary analysis of the text; his missive reached us from the University of California at Berkeley, where he is a professor of Hebrew.

QuarkNet Hijinks Physics Club Investigates Electric Fields If you saw six boys and girls piling into the staff bathroom last Thursday, it was strictly in pursuit of scien=fic knowledge! QuarkNet physics students were trying to see the corona discharge around the electrosta=c generator they were playing with! Although we didn't glimpse the characteris=c orange glow, even in the darkened room, we did feel the crackle of the enormous electric field on everyone's hands, and spend a merry quarter of an hour making mylar ribbons fly around the room and s=ck to the ceiling with electrosta=c induc=on! Join the physics buffs next Thursday. March 17 when Dr. Michael SchmiC of Northwestern University comes to answer ques=ons and talk to us about gravity waves!

Mishloach Manot 5776 YPI Raises Funds for City Schools

Here at Rochelle Zell, the Youth Philanthropy Ini=a=ve (YPI) sponsors an annual Mishloach Manot drive for the school community. This year's proceeds will go to The Chicago Founda=on for Educa=on, a local organiza=on that provides resources to teachers and schools to enhance the quality of educa=on. Mishloach Manot (literally delivery of por=ons) is one of four central mitzvot on Purim, the prac=ce of sending gios of food to friends and rela=ves to bring happiness to our local community.

By par=cipa=ng in the Rochelle Zell Jewish High School Mishloach Manot drive you not only ensure that every Rochelle Zell Jewish High School family receives a delicious bag of treats, but also contribute to an organiza=on that does powerful work in our community. There are a few ways to par=cipate in this year’s Mishloach Manot drive. Click here see your op=ons and to download the order form. Thank you for par=cipa=ng in this year’s Mishloach Manot drive and helping people in need!

Join Us This Saturday Night

Click here or anywhere on the image above to RSVP

AIPAC Chicago Policy Conference Rochelle Zell Delegation

Click here or anywhere on the image above to register

Wagner Institute

Adbook Sponsorship Adver=se your business in the Rochelle Zell Jewish High School ad book supplement to the yearbook. Recall memories, give a bit of advice, or simply extend good wishes to students, the community or to the faculty and staff. Click here for an order form, or pick up a form in the school office. Complete and submit to the front office at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School in an envelope marked 'yearbook'. You can also email ad copy/artwork here. All ad book submissions are due April 15. For ques=ons or more informa=on, contact Ms. Averbach at 847.423.5977.

Community News and Events Alumni Concert Next Week Benji Fleischacker ('12) is coming to Chicagoland with Low Strung, "the biggest all-­‐cello rock band in the world." Benji and his fellow punk cellists play original arrangements, combining rock and classical music for a new sound. Tickets are now available for Fleisch's Chicago tour-­‐-­‐Evanston, Skokie, and downtown-­‐-­‐ so stop by lowstrungcellos.org and check them out!

JUF's Annual Jewish Day School Night Tuesday, March 29, 7:15 p.m. | 5300 West Touhy Avenue in Skokie, IL

Alumni Trivia The captains of last year's M.U.N. team that made Deerfield, IL, "Home of Chicagoland Jewish High School, #1 Model U.N. Team 2015" were Ruli Warner-­‐Rosen and Joe Cohen! Ruli is in Washington D.C., studying engineering, environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and business ethics at George Washington University. Joe Cohen was thrilled to be tex=ng from NHSMUN in New York, where he was on staff to witness his successor's victory. Joe reports how

great it was to see his old school team s=ll having the same success as last year. Joe is studying philosophy, poli=cs, and economics at the University of Michigan, where he is also co-­‐president of an Israel advocacy and educa=on group on campus called I-­‐Lead.

Kavannah from Friday's Tefillah "Adar is a month in which we are supposed to increase in joy. Purim, shpiels, and delicious foods are all part of this joyous month. Yet, how can we be so joyous when there are people in our world suffering everyday? This is ques=on I ooen think of and am ooen confused by. Do I have the right to be joyous and happy while others do not have this privilege?

"There is a midrash that tells of angels wan=ng to sing and rejoice aoer God closes the Red Sea on the Egyp=an soldiers. God asks the angels how they could be so happy when God’s creatures were just destroyed. This midrash highlights that humanity as whole can never be completely joyous when even one human being is suffering. That being said, it is possible to aCempt to rejoice as much as one possibly can. Being joyous gives human beings the strength to live. So, the month of Adar is a =me in which we must strive to rejoice, yet recognize that the world can not be completely joyous.

"Can we be joyous when there is so much suffering in the world? I believe that we can try as hard as we can to be joyous through singing and dancing in tefillah, funny Purim shpiels, and clever Purim costumes. Simultaneously though, the suffering in the world is devasta=ng to the joy in the world, but we must not let this discourage people from trying to be joyous. So, let us embrace the privilege of joy and strive to rejoice in this joyous month."

-­‐-­‐Idan Chazan ('18)

1095 Lake Cook Road • Deerfield, IL 60015 • =gers@rzjhs.org • 847.470.6700