Tu Bishvat Higia 17 Shvat, 5775
February 7, 2015
This Week at CJHS JNF Community Fun Fair
JNF Community Fun Fair
Tu Bishvat Middot Math Team Mishloach Manot Physics Hijinks Junior Class Seminar Bowling News Showcase 2015 From the PO Alumni Trivia A Taste of Torah
Save the Date
Sunday, February 8 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Right here at CJHS! Jewish National Fund will host the Tu Bishvat Community Celebration on Sunday, February 8. This free event, co-sponsored by Shalom Memorial Park and Chicagoland Jewish High School, features arts and crafts, live entertainment from local performance groups, tree planting, games and prizes.
Sunday, Feb. 8 ACT Monday, Feb. 9 Wednesday, Feb. 11 Jewish Advocacy Seminar for Juniors Monday, Feb. 16 Presidents' Day: No School Tuesday, Feb. 24 Curriculum Night Wednesday, Feb. 25 9:45 Start
Bring your kids, bring your grandkids, and yes, why not? bring your coins and filled Blue Boxes to count Tzedakah with JNF's coin counter. Register online at jnf.org/chicagotubishvat.
Chag La-Elanot
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P.O. Corner The P.O. is pleased to offer the gift card or "Scrip/Gelt" program, designed to help families earn money to apply towards their students' Shabbatonim, Junior Class trip, and Senior Israel Experience. By purchasing gift cards through the school for vendors where you ordinarily shop (groceries, gas, household items, etc), a percentage of what you spend each time will be placed in your family's account to be used for these trips. Gift card orders are placed every Thursday. Please contact Sheri Sandrof at ssandrof@cjhs.org or 847.324.3723 with any questions.
"Tu Bishvat hegiyah, chag laElanot," sang senior Elan Karoll at lunch, opening another year's plant-themed festivities. (Elan, the Hebrew word for tree, is featured in the popular song that states that "Tu Bishvat has arrived, the holiday of trees.") On Wednesday during lunch, students were treated to a Tu Bishvat seder, complete with multiple types of fruit and a mixture of grape juices. Students dined on fruit with hard shells and sweet centers (such as clementines and coconut), soft outsides with pits (such as dates and olives), and fruits that could be eaten in their entirety (such as blackberries and grapes). Each represents a different aspect of the human condition according to the medieval Kabbalists, who created the Tu Bishvat seder. While snow is blustering outside, we brought both meaning and
gustatory delight to the day.
STEM Corner -- New!
Juniors and seniors: take your education to the next level! Which of these opportunities interests you most? Brookhaven has a high school research program, and FermiLab here in Batavia has paid summer internships!
Check out WYSE engineering summer camps at the University of Illinois' college of engineering. There are research camps at NIU. Life science aficionados can try biology research at University of Chicago's summer session. At UC Berkeley, Geogia Tech, and Olin in Boston, Envision has summer programs in technology and engineering as well!
You can also follow the many CJHS alumni who
Middot This year, Rabbi Feinsmith, Rabbi Silver, Jonah Glick-Unterman and Aviva Hirsch have been leading Monday morning's Middot Minyan. Using skills gained through participating in a conference last February in Newark, this team has been working to transform CJHS into a more compassionate environment. Each month, the Middot minyan members study a new middah (character trait). So far, we have learned about Hitlamdut (a stance of open-mindedness), bechira points (moments of choice), Anavah (balanced humility), and Savlanut (patience and forbearance). As we learn about the middot, we examine how they play into our personal lives and school community, and we try to incorporate them into our daily lives. This month, we are studying Chesed (loving kindness). Not only has the vocabulary of the school changed but also, from experiences discussing the program with friends, both students and faculty are more mindful of their actions and words. Jonah Glick-Unterman reports, "Personally, I have benefited tremendously from my experiences this year, especially when I use the skills I gained to remind myself to be patient when my mother calls in the middle of homework to ask what I had for lunch!"
Math Team
have made their mark on summer research at the Technion's SciTech program! Or closer to home, you can do a partnership workshop at CTD here at Northwestern. Girls, there are many programs just for you! The Society of Women Engineers has weeklong summer camps at the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois, and the University of Maryland!
Grandparents and Special Friends Association Help us get in touch with some very special people in your students' lives! Please reply here with the names, addresses, and emails of their grandparents and/or special friends so we can forward them a membership form to join our "Grandparents and Special Friends Organization". If you provide an email address, they can also begin receiving CJHS e-news. Contact Sheri Sandrof at 847.324.3723 or ssandrof@cjhs.org with any questions.
Community News and Events Beneath the Helmet
Wednesday, February 18, 7:30 p.m. Anshe Emet Synagogue 3751 N. Broadway, Chicago Monday, February 23 First screening 7:00 p.m. Second screening 7:45 p.m. AMC Northbrook Court 1525 Lake Cook Rd., Northbrook.
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.
Wednesday night, CJHS came in 3rd place overall at the Lake Forest math meet. Jonah Glick-Unterman tied for first place in the orals competition and the junior team of Melissa Levin, Ranan Vales, Akiva Stein, and Sarah Comartook second place! CJHS placed first in our division for this meet and are now in 6th place overall in the Cook division. Our next meet is the conference meet Thursday March 5 at Evanston Township High School. Way to go, math team!
Mishloach Manot
For a donation of $180 (10x chai), bagels, cream cheese, and orange juice will be served to everyone. Announcements 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 dzidman@cjhs.org. Order forms are available online here.
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Tu Bishvat has come and gone, which means that Purim is only a month away! Mishloach Manot (literally "delivery of portions") is one of four central mitzvot on Purim: sending gifts of food to friends and relatives to bring happiness to the local community. Here at CJHS, our Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) sponsors an annual Mishloach Manot drive for the school community. YPI works hard throughout the year to fundraise for a philanthropic cause. This year's proceeds go to The ARK, a local organization that provides social and medical services to help Chicago area Jews return to selfreliance. By participating in the CJHS Mishloach Manot drive you not only ensure that every CJHS family receives a delicious bag of treats, but also contribute to an organization that does powerful work to increase awareness in the Jewish community and to help those that are struggling. There are a few ways to participate in this year's Mishloach Manot drive. Click here to download the order form and view the options. Please return this form to the front office at CJHS by February 20.
Physics Hijinks 847.470.6700
No, those freewheeling seniors aren't T.P.'ing the school, they're in the midst of a highspirited rotational inquiry lab! Mrs. Eliaser's AP Physics students have been spotted around the building in all sorts of interesting experiments, measuring the angular acceleration of unrolling toilet paper from the school balcony, or measuring the rotational inertia of a cooperative classmate spinning gaily on a turntable. Look for their posters around the school explaining their results!
Junior Class Seminar On Monday through Wednesday of next week, our junior class will spend their school days
learning about activism and civil engagement in the American democratic system. This program is in conjunction with the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs and is integral to the junior Talmud curriculum that centers around Rabbinic conceptions of crafting a just society. The class will go to the South Side of Chicago to hear from residents about many issues that are affecting that community, particularly gun violence. They will run sessions about community organizing and how to lobby government officials about an issue, and meet with their state legislators on a bill related to gun violence prevention. Stay tuned for reports from the offices of Senator Mark Kirk and Senator Dick Durbin.
Ten-Pin Tigers Roll The Ten-Pin Tigers closed out their season on Thursday with the annual bowling invitational! Sophomore Erin Miller won the intra-squad tournament, and seniors Larry Bender and Benji Fishbaum are now averaging over 150 pins, the first time this has been accomplis hed in team history. Junior Ranan Vales, unstoppab le as always, shattered the school record and his own with a 252 game and a 669 series. Sophomore David Weisskopf who bowled with these two top bowlers also outdid himself with a 326 series, increasing his average. Sarah Comar continued her steady pace increasing her average each week with a 319 series, which included a 132 game. Max Gruenberg started out slow but finished with a 313 series, which included a 137 game. Many members of the team have been happy to say that they bowled the highest game they ever bowled. Sophomores Itamar Broekman,
Molly Copley, and Tallulah Bark-Huss can clearly say that. Oliver Friedman can be added to that list as well as Viktor Cin, Dena Romanoff, and Hannah Lynch. Dr. Auslander reports, "All in all, it has been a great season and everyone gained in their average and had some good fun."
Alumni Trivia Which CJHS volleyball and soccer star is now taking a stand against hazing on college campuses?
Upcoming Events From the P.O. Tuesday, February 17, at 7:00 p.m. Join us for our second CJHS PO Book Discussion Second Person Singular, by Sayed Kashua. A Palestinian who writes in Hebrew, Sayed Kashua defies classification and breaks through cultural barriers. Second Person Singular is a gripping tale of love and betrayal, honesty and artifice, which asks whether it is possible to truly reinvent ourselves, to shed our old skin and start anew.
Wednesday, March 18, doors open at 7:00 p.m. Join us for a baking demonstration and tasting by renowned cookbook author, Paula Shoyer. The author of The Kosher Baker, The Holiday Kosher Baker, and soon to be released The New Passover Menu, Shoyer will also be signing her cookbooks available for purchase. Light refreshments will be served.
STEM Opportunities Juniors and seniors: take your education to the next level! Which of these opportunities interests you most? Brookhaven has a high school research program, and FermiLab here in Batavia has paid summer internships! Check out WYSE engineering summer camps at the University of Illinois' college of engineering. There are research camps at NIU. Life science aficionados can try biology research at University of Chicago's summer session. At UC Berkeley, Geogia Tech, and Olin in Boston, Envision has summer programs in technology and engineering as well! You can also follow the many CJHS alumni who have made their mark on summer research at the Technion's SciTech program! Or closer to home, you can do a partnership workshop at CTD here at Northwestern. Girls, there are many programs just for you! The Society of Women Engineers has weeklong summer camps at the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois, and the University of Maryland!
Alumni Trivia Annie Schrayer ('13) is majoring in psychology and minoring in community action and social change at the University of Michigan. In addition to being on her sorority board, Annie is serving on a task force to prevent hazing and investigate allegations of hazing on campus. Annie reports, "I am really excited to be a leader in this new initiative, a peer to peer support network called Wolverson Support Network. It gives students a safe environment to talk about their stress and anxiety in a peer-run group once a week. My plan as of now is to apply for Teach for America after college, and then apply to get my MSW or cotorate in psychology." Annie is very excited to welcome the next wave of CJHS graduates to Michigan, including her younger brother Eli!
A Taste of Torah: Yitro Parashat Yitro famously features the most important event in Jewish history, the Revelation at Sinai. But before we get there, the title character of the parasha offers three pieces of advice, models of leadership, about how to run the newly founded Israelite nation. Yitro, the priest of Midyan has led a people throughout his life, and knows that leading the Israelites will be a considerably different task than was escaping Egypt. Moshe and Aharon seem to realize this, as well. These lessons still offer compelling models of leadership for our own lives at CJHS.
To read Rabbi Silver's full dvar Torah, click here .
...In turn, Moshe and Aharon model how leaders can learn from their elders, who have led the way in previous generations. May we have the strength and conviction both to listen and offer advice to the chain of leaders in our own community. --Rav Beit Sefer Zach Silver
Shabbat Shalom Candlelighting this week is at 4:54 p.m. Shabbat shalom! ַהנְׂתּונִים,ַאחֵינּו כָּל בֵית יִש ְָּׂראֵל ַהמָּקֹום י ְַׂרחֵם ֲעלֵיהֶם, הָּעֹומְׂדִ ים בֵין ַבי ָּם ּובֵין ַבי ַ ָּבשָּה,ש ְׂבי ָּה ִ ְׂבצ ָָּּרה ּו ַב, שתָּ א ְׂ ַה,שעְׂבּוד ִלגְׂ ֻאלָּה ִ ּו ִמ,ְׂאֹורה ָּ ּו ֵמ ֲא ֵפלָּה ל,וְׂיֹוצִיאֵ ם ִמצ ָָּּרה ל ְִׂר ָּוחָּה ַב ֲעגָּלָּא ּו ִבזְׂמַן ק ִָּריב.