November 20, 2015
8 Kislev, 5776 This Week at CJHS We Have a New Name! Spirit Week Pep Rally Honoring France Notes from the PO Alumni Reunion Apply By December 15 Community Events Chanukah Coat Club A Taste of Torah Happy Thanksgiving
We Have a New Name! From CJHS to RZJHS!
Class Schedule Monday, November 23 BB Tuesday, November 24 C Wednesday, November 25
It has been a week filled with tremendous excitement and apprecia7on as teachers, students, parents, alumni and friends celebrated a significant gi; from the Zell Family Founda7on. This gi; was announced Wednesday evening a;er members of the board voted on the agreement marking an extraordinary milestone for the school, fourteen years in the making! In
A (8:00 -‐ 1:15) Thursday, November 26 NO SCHOOL Friday, November 27 NO SCHOOL
Quick Links CJHS.org Calendars Lunch Menu Edline Give Now
Save The Date November 21 Homecoming November 25 Welcome Alumni! November 26 Thanksgiving November 28 Alumni Reunion and Basketball Game December 1 College Program for Juniors and Parents December 13 ACT at CJHS December 7-‐16 Chanukah December 20 -‐ January 3
honor of the Zells' generous support to our school, CJHS has been renamed Rochelle Zell Jewish High School (RZJHS) a;er the grandmother of MaQ Zell, parent of two of our former students. The school has also received gi;s from the Crown Family and the Harvey L. Miller Suppor7ng Founda7on. All three gi;s are the result of our partnership and collabora7on with the Jewish Federa7on of Metropolitan Chicago. These gi;s will bring the school closer to elimina7ng its debt. On Thursday a;ernoon a banner was placed on the outside of the school iden7fying 1095 Lake Cook Road as Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. On Friday morning the en7re school joined together and celebrated with a special breakfast treat. This is a thrilling milestone in our school’s history. In the weeks and months to come you will begin to no7ce changes around the school as we begin the transi7on from Chicagoland Jewish High School to Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. Although the name is changing, what you can count on remaining the same is the quality educa7on we provide to our students—we remain true to our mission. A community celebra7on of these three significant gi;s and a dedica7on of Rochelle Zell Jewish High School will take place at the school in the Spring of 2016. This is a joyous 7me for the en7re community and we look forward to celebra7ng it with each of you! For more details, click here. Mazal tov to all those who have worked 7relessly to ensure the future of this school and the Jewish future!
Spirit Week Go Tigers!
It was Spirit Week, and students showed their excitement for Saturday's Homecoming dance by dressing up according to daily themes. Last Thursday and Friday got things started with USA Day and College Apparel Day, respec7vely, and the fun con7nued this week with Pajama Monday, Tiger Tuesday, Windy City Wednesday, Wild West Thursday, and Class Spirit Friday. It was exci7ng to see so much Tiger Pride all week long!
Winter Break January 3 -‐ January 22 Senior Israel Experience January 4 Classes Resume January 5 Freshman Parent Mee7ng January 11 -‐ January 15 Final Exams January 18 MLK Jr. Day January 19 Semester 2 Begins Sophomore/Parents Mee7ng January 25 Classes Resume for Seniors Tu Bishvat January 27 Junior/Senior Parent Mee7ng February 7 ACT at CJHS February 15 President's Day March 2-‐6 Model UN Conference March 18-‐19 All School Shabbaton March 18 2:15 pm Friday Dismissal Begins
Pep Rally
Kicking Off Homecoming Week School spirit was the name of the game on Tuesday, when the whole school gathered in the gymnasium for our annual fall pep rally. Students and staff draped in blue and white were treated to (and par7cipated in) wild ac7vi7es and contests. First, each grade presented a work of hand-‐drawn window art — congratula7ons to the juniors, who took home the prize. Next, the grades came onto the floor to give their all in a tug of war compe77on. Congratula7ons again to the junior class, which defeated the freshmen in the final contest! Out of eight brave students and faculty members, senior Jason Taitz emerged victorious in the pie ea7ng contest. And the basketball skills compe77on was decisively won by senior Elliana Faletsky, who sunk a half-‐court shot to clinch it. Thank you to the Va'ad and the Spirit Club for organizing the event!
Honoring Victims in France Monday during Tefillah, we honored the vic7ms of the recent atroci7es in France. Together, as a school, we recited Psalm 130, a Psalm that cries out from the depths of despair (mimaamakim). Rabbi Silver noted that this Psalm has been used throughout history during tragic 7mes and thus serves mul7ple purposes. On a communal level, it gives the people an opportunity to scream out together in grief. But it also binds us to a lineage of Jews who have said the Psalm and ...li;s us up by recalling their voices. The lights of Paris were both literally and metaphorically ex7nguished this weekend. But almost immediately, the world shined France's light outward. Terrorism seeks to ex7nguish hope and the everyday lives of people — going to a concert, a cafe, even school. Our response today can and must be to shine our own light as brightly as possible, to celebrate who we are as Jews and Americans. It is a privilege to study Torah daily in America and we must shine this outward — this is who we are. We concluded the ceremony by singing Ha&kvah, the hope that s7ll burns bright.
Notes from the Parent Organization The RZJHS PO Book Club had its first mee7ng of the year last week. Thank you to all who turned out to discuss The Book of Aron. Thank you, too, to Edie Salzman for leading our discussion and for providing valuable insight into the book. Contribute to the annual Staff/Faculty Chanukah gi; fund. The suggested contribu7on is $18 per student, but any amount is greatly appreciated. Please send cash or a check made out to “RZJHS PO” to the main office in an envelope labeled “RZJHS PO Chanukah Fund" with your student(s) name(s). You may also contribute online by clicking here.
Alumni Reunion and Annual Basketball Game
Recognizing the 10 Year Reunion of the Class of 2006! Mingle with old friends and teachers and cheer on the alumni! Don't miss the annual tug-‐of-‐war compe77on and fun interac7ve ac7vi7es including a Photobooth and Milt's Food Truck. Saturday, November 28, 2015 16 Kislev, 5776 7 p.m. -‐ 9 p.m. Rochelle Zell Jewish High School 1095 Lake Cook Road in Deerfield *There will be a suggested $10 dona7on at the door. Each entrance dona7on will include a discount coupon for Milt's Food Truck. Interested in par7cipa7ng in the Alumni Basketball Game? Click here to sign up. For ques7ons, please contact Tara Seymour.
Don't Delay! Apply Today! Save $500: Apply By December 15, 2015 All incoming freshmen and transfer students can save $500 on tui7on when they submit their applica7on for admission by December 15, 2015. Click here to begin your applica7on today!
Sponsored Breakfast If you would like to sponsor breakfast in honor of your favorite Tiger, contact Diane Zidman at dzidman@cjhs.org
Community News and Events
A Taste of Torah: Vayetze The love story in our parasha between Jacob and Rachel can match any in western literature. “When Jacob saw Rachel...Jacob went up and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well, and
watered the flock of his uncle Lavan. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke down in tears. Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman.” (29:10-‐12) Jacob then worked for seven years for Lavan, that felt like just a few days because of his love for Rachel. But then, in the morning, he awoke with Leah, Rachel’s sister. Lavan had tricked Jacob. Incensed, Jacob asks Lavan why he did this. Lavan responds: “It is not done in our place to give away the younger before the firstborn” (29:26). Ci7ng 16th century scholar Rabbi Eliezer Ashkanazi, the great Bible scholar Nehama Leibowitz notes that Lavan’s rather odd response strikes Jacob to the core of his being. Lavan of course alludes to Jacob stealing the blessing from his brother. As Leibowitz notes: “Whatever the truth of the maQer, the moral lesson remains clear — sin and deceit, however jus7fied, bring in their train ul7mate punishment. Jacob himself was the vic7m of decep7on, married tow wives, though he loved only one, the peace of his own family being thereby undermined, his children being divided against each other, the ri; between the chilred of Leah and Rachel persis7ng many long years.” A;er another hard seven years of work, Jacob ul7mately marries the love of his life, Rachel. But the interchange gives us pause. We again face a case of sibling rivalry in the book of Genesis, another tale of deceit. The Rabbinic no7on of “Middah k’neged Middah,” measure for measure suggests “What goes around comes around.” That might be true. But the con7nua7on of distrust and conniving in Genesis also suggests a more subtle understanding of this idea: Living in a world where deceit is common will breed more deceit and uncertainty. In turn, a culture where people give the other the benefit of the doubt and trust each other implicitly will breed an environment of mutual support. As we sit down to the table this Shabbat, let us take stock of the rela7onships in our life, how we interact with those closest to us, and envision the culture of trust that can li; all of those around us. Rabbi Zachary Silver
From All of Us at RZJHS
The editors of E-‐News and everyone at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. E-‐News will resume a;er the Thanksgiving break.
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