BH. Iyar
9, 5774 / May 9, 2014
Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 7:46 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 8:53 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
THAT’S ME!
ISRAEL BIRTHDAY ACTIVITIES Morah Devorah’s 2&3 grade made Israeli flags decorated with motifs that reminded the kids of Israel. Some used army tanks, others did the Kotel stones, camels, palm trees, etc. All grades enjoyed a very delicious Felafel Lunch. Thanks to HS for cutting up the Israeli salad and to Morah Rochel for all the food arrangements. Mendel V. chose 30 pictures from his family’s Israel and presented them on the big screen with a very nice detailed commentary. He did a great job in explaining the photos and background, and you almost felt as if you were there yourself! He showed a No-Smoking Sign in 3 languages (Hebrew, English & Arabic) plus the symbol; a car in Tzfat plastered with bumper-stickers; a full chess-set made of wax candles; a piece of Brit Milah furniture in the Abuhav synagogue dating back to the 1600’s; visits to the graves of the R’ Yosef Karo, the Rambam, R’ Yochanan ben Zakkai and Avraham Avinu! There were pictures of Hershey V. at “Mini-Israel” and of the Matzah Bakery in Kfar Chabad. And lots more!!
This poster at the entrance displays pictures of Israel celebrations of years past at MHDS and kids stopped by to see who they could recognize and how much children changed or stayed the same.
This newsletter is dedicated in honor of Sharona & Avremi Backman becoming grandparents! By the Faculty and Administration at Maimonides who all very much appreciate everything Sharona does in the School Office!
MAZAL TOV BACKMANS On becoming grandparents (and Esty is now an aunt) with the birth of a son on Thursday to MHDS alumna R’ Yaakov and Chana Backman. Mazal Tov to all the Backman siblings, all MHDS alumni!
BOCES ON NETIQUETTE
Tia, a BOCES instructor came to school for two mornings this week to give our students courses in appropriate netiquette (or online NEW ENGAGEMENT etiquette) internet do’s and don’ts and online Mazal Tov on Leah Cohen’s recent safety. Thanks to Rabbi Yossi for arranging engagement to Barry Siegel, both of Albany, this as part of our Library Media Center. The and both are active in the community! Leah’s courses were age-appropriate, separately for grandchildren, the Costas, go to Maimonides. groups grades 1-3, 4-8 and HS. They covered issues like cyber-bullying (they did a VennMAZAL TOV TO THE STARKS diagram on similarities and differences of Mazal Tov to Morah Devorah and Sid Stark! regular bullying vs. cyber-bullying), privacy & Their daughter Sarah Peninah (Stark) & Ari safety, how a digital friend should be treated Kolker in Jerusalem had a baby girl named differently than an actual friend, and what a Sarina Chen (Sarina for Ari’s grandmother reasonable online footprint ought to look like. who passed away this year and Chen for HS also learned about plagiarism and proper Hanoch Henry Stark who passed away on attribution. She was actually quite impressed Pesach). BH for the timing too, just in time for with our HS girls’ sensible approach to their daughter Tzippy’s wedding to Chanan internet use. See this week’s “High-5” on page Fixler on Yom-Yerushalayim (Iyar 28) in Israel 2 for some of the key things students of (same night as school dinner here in Albany). various ages learned from the course.
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
INCLUDING IN OUR PRAYERS We continue to pray for two -year-old Menachem Mendel ben Menucha Rochel for a complete recovery. The 200+ school-girls abducted in Nigeria, #BringBackOurGirls, we hope they are safe and that they will be returned & reunited. Richard son of Alfred, the father of one of our teachers, who is suffering from a serious form of cancer.
THE BLESSINGS OF LIFE
SAME DAY, SAME LETTER
KUTACH, ANYONE?
On the very same day that Maimonides students were tracing projected segments of George Washington’s famous 1790 letter to Touro Synagogue in Newport, unbeknownst to us, Jewish Justice Elana Kagan quoted this very same letter in her dissent to the Supreme Court ruling about prayer at municipal meetings, based on a case from Greece NY. We discussed this a bit with the students later on, and were not all so sure that we’d arrive at the same conclusions she did from this letter. It was neat to find quite a few biblical references (some of which our students actually learned and recognized) in this letter. This banner is part of a small series of banners about American Jewish heritage our students are creating for the American Jewish Heritage Torah Dedication on Lag B’Omer, 5/18.
Rabbi Rubin’s Gemorah class came across a reference in the Talmud to “Kutach” a fermented dip/spread, made of sour milk and old bread, which apparently had those who loved it, and those who very much did not. There was some talk among the boys about rediscovering the art of making it (in a sanitary way) and turning it into a new-old recipe into a money-making product, maybe even with different flavors! Investors, anyone? There may be NY State grants now that the Legislature seems poised to pass Yogurt as the new official “Snack of the State of New York” edging off the old Saratoga potato-chip from its perch.
PIPPI LONGSTOCKING is the new book in Mrs. Maher’s 4/5 class. It is funny, adventurous, with ridiculous surprises around every turn. She can lift a horse, she makes pineapple pudding in under 5 minutes, and sleeps with her pillow under her feet. When asked, “What’s the message?” The first reaction of a student was: “She is happy.”
SIYUM AT WASHINGTON PARK THE BUTTERFLY HATCHED! Mrs. Carroll brought back the egg from her trip to a teachers Science Conference in Boston. Her first graders patiently watched (and documented each step) how it became a larva, and then a caterpillar, and how it made itself a chrysalis (cocoon)… they were worried it wouldn’t hatch after all, but it finally did!! They will soon release it outdoors…
Rabbi Yossi’s 3rd graders enjoyed an outing to Washington Park, with chocolate cake and popcorn they made at school in “Nathan’s Kitchen”. They got to see the tulips in bloom, and have a great time in the playground. They called this climbing rock (with a cave-like inside) “The Cave of Machpelah” which they’re learning about in Chumash. Actually, they (4 boys & 4 girls) are like the 4 couples of the Machpela: Adam & Chava, Avraham & Sarah, Yitzchak & Rivka, Yaakov & Leah.
For Yom HaZikaron Morah Rochel taught the 6th graders “Mah Avarech” a moving popular Israeli song written by Rivka Zohar about an angel asking “What can I bless him with?” about a young IDF soldier who died in 1967.
FIVE LESSONS FROM THE BOCES COURSE ON NETIQUETTE
1
PRIVACY & SAFETY: Don’t forget to log out when using a public computer at a school or a library. Don’t share information online that you wouldn’t want strangers to know. If anyone sends you anything hurtful, make sure to show that email or post to an adult. The younger grades spent a lot of time learning the difference between a digital friend and an actual friend.
2
HOW YOU COME ACROSS: Don’t use ALL-CAPS because people may take it that you are screaming or angry. Remember that there are different writing styles depending on who are writing to: an email to a teacher should be written differently than a text message to a friend. Even in casual texts it is important that
3
CYBER-BULLYING: Bullying has many forms, the students used a Venn-diagram to show the similarities and differences of cyberbullying. People sometimes say harsher things online, can use cover of anonymity, and it can quickly involved other people, and its also can be more public and lasting than something between classmates on a playground.
4
MAKE PROPER CHOICES: The Internet is both a blessing and a curse, It brings the whole world to our fingertips, which is amazing, but there are many things in the world out there that are inappropriate or not good for us. It is important to follow guidelines and make wise choices.
5
MODES OF COMMUNICATION: They talked about various popular methods (social media and otherwise) that people use to communicate with online, the pros and cons and various styles of each. And why different schools or families allow certain types and not other types and the reasons behind those choices.
TRIBUTE JOURNAL ADS
FRACTALS IN NATURE
Parents and friends, please consider placing an ad/greeting in this year’s Tribute Journal. (Parents get 1/4 page as part of their dinner fee at registration, but can upgrade if they choose) in honor of this year’s honorees, or teachers, the school or to advertise a business.
6/7th grade took a look at Fractals in nature, which are beautiful (and quite common once you pay attention to it), follow geometric and symmetrical patterns, but according to scale, they change size as they repeat, so it is a blend of a few mathematical principles.
JOURNAL IS ALSO YEARBOOK
MAYA, INCA, AZTEC
The dinner journal also serves as our annual school yearbook, so ads can also congratulate our 8th grade and HS graduates (note that graduation ceremonies will be Tues 6/17).
8th graders with Mrs. Ramsay are doing DBQ on these 3 civilizations in the Americas, how they differed, what their contributions were…
BRINGING W.O.W. BACK
HAND-PAINTING, LITERALLY Nursery students hand-painted fires burning on black construction paper atop popsicle sticks as a preparation for Lag B’Omer. On a deeper mystical level: Spiritual fire is indeed the work of our hands.
MOTHERS DAY PROJECTS
WOW is an old Maimonides program, dating back to our Ohav Shalom days, which stands for “Wide Open Windows” in which we invite people from the greater community to come into our classrooms or school assemblies to share a talent, hobby or interest or professional expertise. We hope to share tidbits in this newsletter, too! What unusual experience, personal story, or professional insight can you share with our students? There’s something to be learned from everyone! (Ethics of our Fathers)
MISHKAN AT HOME DEPOT Rabbi Simon’s 7th grade Chumash class learned about S-shaped clips that attached the curtains in the Mishkan-Tabernacle. One of the students was in Home Depot and found a clip just like that!
Students were very insist that we don’t ruin the surprise by writing detail in the newsletter, so we’ll just say that a number of classes NIGHT BY ELIE WIESEL worked on Mother’s Day projects. HS read “Night” a Holocaust memoir by Elie Wiesel. After each chapter they wrote a MIDDOS FAIR COMING UP journal entry as if from Wiesel’s perspective Several grades are now at work preparing for a and are now making a quote board with Middos (good character) Fair at school before selected powerful lines from this classic book. Shavuot. 6th grade is working on the theme of “Dan L’Kaf Zechut” (judging others favorably). ROCHEL AND LEAH 2nd & 3rd is working on the idea of going out HS studied in-depth commentary about of your way (to clean up, help someone out, Yaakov’s two wives, & how their personalities cheer someone up, etc). The time between are representative of different aspects of the Pesach and Shavuos is an appropriate time to Jewish experience and applicable to life today. focus on and improve our character, as we see from the fine-print character notes at each ESSAYS ON EQUALITY day’s Omer count, and from the study of In preparation for the US History Regents, HS Pirkei Avot each Shabbos afternoon. girls each wrote essays on the struggle for equality, using the national experiences of APPS PROJECT DEADLINE either women or African Americans. It’s been a long stretch and some students already finished their “Clean 14” projects, but ALEPH-BAIS PARTY PREP we’ve extended the deadline until the Kindergarten has been working hard to review Thursday after Lag B’Omer, May 22nd. their reading skills and will be hosting a AlephRemember it can be about physical, spiritual Bais party in a few weeks. or verbal cleanliness, about tools & products both real and imaginary, it can be about END OF YEAR EVENTS & TRIPS cleanliness of bedroom, kitchen or classroom, See page 4 and stay tuned, as these events & so many different possibilities! trips are finalized, will be an exciting finish!
at Maimonides and in the Community 5/10: WHAT’S YOMTOV TO YOU? In honor of the Beitzah Daf Yomi Siyum, Rabbi Rubin’s pre-Torah-Reading talk will be on the debate between the Sages and the Sadducees regarding Omer counting & Shavuot scheduling.
5/18: THE AMERICAN JEWISH HERITAGE TORAH DEDICATION
This Torah dedication date has been moved up to Lag B’Omer afternoon, starting at 2pm with Torah letter inscriptions and procession and Hakafot to start a bit after 3pm - how appropriate on Lag 5/3: WOMENS SHABBOS SHIUR B’Omer to celebrate joyously with the Torah, music 4:45pm this Shabbos afternoon given by Dini and dancing! Activities for kids, an All-American Gordon at her home 29 Glenwood Street (close to Kosher BBQ, t-shirts and music… All are welcome the corner of Fairview, just behind Maimonides). to celebrate with Clifton Park Chabad and Mr. Bruce Lorence as they dedicate a “American Jewish 5/10-11: TALMUD BEITZAH SIYUMS Heritage Torah” in memory of Mr. Lorence’s relatives Poetess Emma Lazarus and Supreme Daf Yomi concludes tractate Beitzah (about the laws of YomTov) with a Siyum at Seudah-Shlishit at Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo, and in Shomray Torah on Shabbos. Note 7:30pm Mincha commemoration of 360 years of Jewish life in America, older than the nation itself! More info, to start to accommodate special Shalosh Seudos sponsor a letter or word & be a part of it, call Siyum. Also a Sunday morning egg-themed Rabbi Yossi: 495-0772 or visit online at: Breakfast-Study as they conclude Beitza (literally www.JewishAmericanTorah.com means egg) and begin tractate Rosh Hashanah.
5/11: THE TULIP FESTIVAL Annual celebration in Albany’s Washington Park. Every year the tulips are stunning, so many flowers and such beautiful varieties! Performances at the KidZone Stage on Sunday includes: a) Airborne Jugglers: 12pm, 2:15pm & 4:30pm b) Seth & Moody Melix: 12:45pm, 3pm & 5:15pm c) Syliva & Magic Trunk: 1:30pm & 3:45pm
5/11: CBAJ DINNER HONORS ETHEL KAGAN & THE POZNERS CBAJ honors life-long Albanian Ethel Kagan and community leaders Louis-Jack & Rona Pozner at special Mother’s Day dinner at the synagogue. Couvert $180pp. Dinner & journal info: CBAJ office at 489-5819 or: www.cbaj.org/dinner.
5/13: WOMENS TUESDAY TORAH
5/17: STARK SHLOSHIM KIDDUSH There will be a Shloshim Kiddush for the late Henry Stark on Shabbos at Shomray Torah.
A busy & joyous day in our greater community: Shmuel Dovid’s Bar-Mitzvah at Beth Israel in Schenectady! Mazal Tov to the Mirsky’s! Jewish-American Heritage Torah dedication in Clifton Park, letter inscriptions at 2pm, procession & Hakafot starts after 3pm. 5-8 evening at Albany JCC’s Camp Cedeca in Grafton, with Kosher concession by Terra. Bonfire & refreshments at the Auerbach Estate in Galway (a long-standing annual tradition) beginning at 7:30pm (call Rabbi Simon 4398280 for directions).
5/29: HACD ACADEMY AWARDS Hebrew Academy honors several of its alumni with “Academy Awards” at its annual Heritage Dinner held at Temple Israel: Yosef Birnboim, Deborah Isser, Cantor Shira Ginsburg, David Katz, Dr. David Morrison, Dr. Simcha Pearl, and Avi Rasowsky. For info contact Rachael Woren at the Hebrew Academy.
6/3-6: SHAVUOT EXTENDED WEEKEND MHDS SCHEDULE 6/3: Half-Day AM English only, Erev Shavuot. 6/4-5: No School, Shavuot Holiday. 6/6: No School (one day between Shavuot and the Shabbos Weekend).
MHDS END OF YEAR DATES
5/21: RECREATIONAL DRUGS
6/13: Last Day of HS Classes, Regents Prep 6/17: 8th Grade and HS Graduation Night 6/19: Last Day of School, Moving Up Day* 6/23: Maimonides Staff Day * this 6/19 date is tentative, as there is discussion to combine parts of Moving-Up Day with the annual year-end BBQ (same week) so stay tuned!
Rabbi Lehrfield will address a Jewish perspective on recreational drugs, 7:15pm at CBAJ.
7/2: COMMUNAL SHEVA BRACHOS
5/19: THE DAY AFTER LAGB’OMER 9am start on Monday after Lag B’Omer Sunday.
5/22: THE TABOO HISTORY OF JEWS FROM ARAB LANDS @JCC By Professor Carole Basri of the Fordham School of Law, 11am-1pm at the Albany JCC for the Jules and Paula Stein Lecture. Lunch follows. Cost is $14pp, prepaid reservation required.
Morah Rochel resumes her old Torah class, 5/26: MEMORIAL DAY - NO Tuesday nights 8pm at her home, 122 South Main, Enjoy the extended weekend! for women, in memory of Rashi Minkowitz.
5/18: BUSY LAG B’OMER SUNDAY
Scholarship Fund. Invite has been mailed. If you didn’t get the invite or have any questions, please contact the school office.
SCHOOL
5/28: MAIMONIDES TRIBUTE DINNER ON JERUSALEM DAY
Wednesday evening, elebrating the (by then recent) marriage of Simmy Rubin and Chaya Tilson.
7/3: THE REBBE’S SPECTRUM This year marks 20 years since the Rebbe’s passing, on the 3rd of Tammuz, this year on July 1st. Look for communal event on Thursday 7/3 tentatively at Spectrum Theater on Delaware Ave. Stay tuned!
7/7-8/8: CAMP GAN ISRAEL SUMMER DATES The Gan Israel Day Camp (held at Maimonides) will run from July 7th to August 8th this year. For more information or to register please contact Mrs. Rivka Kochman: campganizzyalbany@gmail.com
Wednesday, 6pm at the Maimonides School, with elegant buffet dinner and desserts, honoring: Rabbi Moshe & Karen Mirsky (the Dr. Morton Berger Memorial Award), Mrs. Reeva Nowitz and her late husband Bernie OBM (“Eitz-Chaim” Award), & Dr. Madhavi Sahay (Exemplary Educator Award). Couvert $72pp/$126 couple. For info, journal ads/tributes, contact school office: 453- HAVE A FURNISHED APARTMENT? 9363 or email: maimonidesschool@gmail.com. An observant family is looking for a furnished Since the first year in 1989 this is a much apartment for 3 months, June through August. anticipated annual communal event and Please call Rabbi Rubin 423-4103 or email: important fundraiser for the Maimonides
MAIMONIDES SCHOOL & COMMUNITY (Nursery / Elementary / High School) 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 maimonidesschool@gmail.com Founded in 1980, Maimonides is chartered by the NYS Board of Regents and is a JF-NENY Beneficiary “A Beautiful Blend: Torah & Worldly Experience!”