BH. Tishrei
30, 5777 / Oct 20, 2017
ב“ה
Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 5:47 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org Fast Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 6:46 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
ALUMNI BABY MAZAL TOVS
MHDS alumnus Efraim and Menucha Rubin had a baby boy on Sukkot with the Bris in Brooklyn on Shabbos Breishis, they named him Moshe. MHDS alumnus Dovid and Chana Vidrin on the birth of a baby boy. They live in Monsey. Mazal Tov! And last night: Baby boy to MHDS alumnus Yisroel & Bayla Backman!
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
MAZAL TOV KELLMANS Mazel Tov to MHDS alumna Atara Kellman and her parents Rabbi Yaakov and Lisa Kellman & family on her recent engagement to Josh Frankenhuis! G-d willing, the wedding will be in Israel this January.
This week’s MC newsletter is sponsored in loving memory of
Risha Piekarski
FAREWELL MS. ARICKA FORD Our 1st and 2nd grade general studies teacher Mrs. Aricka Ford, beloved by her students, has accepted a full-time position with a local public school and will be leaving Maimonides at the end of October. We appreciate her years of dedication with us and will miss her. We are working now to find a new quality teacher and a positive transition.
MAIMONIDES JOINS THE LIFE AND LEGACY CAMPAIGN A delegation of Maimonides administration, parents & friends attended Jewish Federations Grinspoon Life & Legacy planning meeting to promote the advantages of including Jewish education in people’s wills & legacy gifts to assure local Jewish continuity. Look for a renewed effort to increase legacy gifts to Maimonides. They are crucial for the school— Eve Kneznek’s major gift willed to Maimonides enabled the building’s purchase. This new effort will also focus on smaller gifts, not only major ones, to collectively establish longerterm endowments for the school.
on her 1st Yartzeit: Cheshvan 4 by her daughter Morah Rochel and the Rubin Family
THE TOWER OF… BLOCKS This week’s Parsha Noach (in addition to the flood, ark, dove and rainbow etc) tells the story of the Tower of Babel. These Kindergarteners each built their own tower out of blocks.
MORE RAINBOWS IN SECOND Second graders wrote the rainbow blessing in their own handwriting and illustrated it in their notebooks.
RAINBOW COORDINATION Kindergarteners also made this rainbow out of colored squares, keeping the trajectory and COOPERATE HAND-RAINBOW format by color. On bottom is the blessing said Nursery hand-painted a huge rainbow mural, on a rainbow that is based on this Parsha. using their own hands as the paint brushes!
ERUV DOWN NEXT WEEK It’s customary in communities that have Eruvs to designate one Shabbos a year that the Eruv is down so people remember the laws against carrying in a public domain on Shabbos. It often happens that children growing up in such communities inadvertently carry on Shabbos in communities without an Eruv because they are so used to it. In Albany this will be next weekend on Shabbos Parshas Lech Lecha, as Eruv repairs are made before winter.
MAIMONIDES RAFFLE-AUCTION It’s now coming together, soon to be finalized and ready for mailing. Chanukah isn’t that far away now! If you’d like to donate a prize package or sponsor one, please speak to Raizy Rubin (Raffle Coordinator) as soon as possible 518-772-7299. Thank you!
MANY PEOPLE, DETAILS, WORK 6th grade Gemorah with Rabbi Shmuly came across the same term ‘ דנפשיfor many/much and remembered all 3 Gemorahs & specific expressions where they learned it: (1) Sukkah 2a—regarding the many parts of a Sukkah, (2) Bava Metziah 21a—regarding extra effort and work in picking up seeds, and (3) now in Bava Metziah 28b—regarding the large numbers of people who congregated in Jerusalem.
ITRIYOT (PASTA) ARYE (LION)
TALMUDICAL PICTORIAL RESEARCH This girls Talmud class went to Esty Library to look up some of the school’s big coffee-table picture books with maps and images about Jerusalem to help explain and visualize some of what they are learning in Talmud Sukkah and in the verse, how the Holy Temple was atop a mountain, that was itself nestled in a valley between surrounding mountains—and other things about Jerusalem and the Temple.
ORIGINAL MOTIVES
POSTCARD FROM MR. STEVE C. Mr. Steve C. is a very dedicated literacy volunteer at our school. Right now he’s down in Florida, but took the time to send us this postcard, still thinking of Maimonides!
Why did Kindergarteners made plated lions of pasta pieces? That’s because Aryeh (lion) and Itriyot (pasta) both begin with the letter Alef! Plus they got to each individualize their own SUKKAH TAKE-DOWN lions, decide how thick to make the manes, Rabbi Shmuly’s weekly “workshop” class this how to place their eyes (which really changes week worked to take down the Sukkah erected the expression!) etc. at school for visiting Chol HaMoed families. It was an exercise in teamwork of course, but TORAHPALACE.COM also about safety and order (because taking Right after the holidays is a good time to play down one piece before another matters). a trivia game at TorahPalace.com. Kids can earn points towards nice prizes of Jewish MORAH ROCHEL IN ISRAEL books to build up their Jewish library. It is run Morah Rochel will be away in Israel for much by the Morrisons in Troy. Check it out! of this coming week to observe the first yartzeit of her mother. We wish her a meaningful, safe JEWISH ART CALENDARS and enjoyable trip. In the meantime you can If you didn’t get yours in the Sukkot Jewish contact Rabbi Rubin 518-423-4103 or World newspaper mailing, call Rabbi Rubin Sharona at the office with any issues/needs. at 518-423-4103. Make each day count!
7th grade history looked at the motives and intentions of the first settlers and how those reasons changed: Massachusetts was first settled because of religious freedom but later other religious minorities were persecuted there. Believe it or not, people first came to Virginia looking for gold, but it never became known for that. The whole discovery of America was an endeavor to find a faster route to India! Yet, in some windy & twisty ways, over time, these communities grew and prospered even if very differently than originally intended. Sometimes that happens with individual people as well. Plans don’t always work out the way you’d like them to, but sometimes things work out even better than you ever imagined. Its good to have a plan but also to be flexible!
EUPHRATES RIVER 5th graders learned about this important river in the “cradle of civilization” in their history class with Mrs. Ramsay, and also (this same week) in Gemorah class, about 7 Cheshvan (waiting for the last Jew returning from the holidays to reach the Euphrates River).
KAUFMAN FAMILY BOX TOPS! These girls collected 114(!) boxtops and brought them to school trimmed! That adds up to $11.40!
DID IT RAIN THIS WEEK? IT RAINED A BIT AT MAIMONIDES! Rabbi Rubin brought a sprinkler indoors and gave out ponchos for a Parshas Noach “Torah Times” reenactment! They also enjoyed animal crackers, and got cards to get aboard the Ark!
AN OVERFLOWING RAINBOW Nursery students and Morah Rivka created an overflowing rainbow outside on a picnic people, using a combination of vinegar, baking soda and food-coloring. The liquid starting to gush outward, each in their own color but blending together, it was really cool (and the older kids enjoyed watching it, too!).
WHAT MAKES THIS VENNDIAGRAM DIFFERENT? Ah, there’s good reason why the teacher didn’t make this Venn-Diagram as two overlapping circles. Why is the right side square? This is because plant cells are much more rigid than the more fluid animal cells, the former have a wall while the latter only have a membrane.
STAN’S TWO (!) PARSHA TIES FROM TZARAH TO TZOHAR In STEAM, Rabbi Yossi brought a lava lamp to classes that would only light up when you got the circuity lined up right. He compared this to a Baal Shem Tov teaching that says: we should switch ( צרהdifficulty, crisis, problem) to ( צהרwindow/illumination—see Rashi in Noach) its only a 1-letter order switch, but all the difference! Same with the circuitry, the light only goes on when you line it up right! Wait, a guest at Minyan shared the same vurt!
It’s not often that the Rosh Chodesh Minyan is on Friday, so our students were lucky enough to see Mr. Stan Rosenberg’s weekly Parsha tie, but luckier still because this week he had not one tie but two: A rainy ark tie and also a sunny rainbow tie for the two ends of the flood…
HEY, THAT’S US! Schools all over the country got Chidon posters to hang up. Guess what? That’s a picture of the Maimonides group at last year’s Chidon! Right now, we’re working hard to qualify for this year. First test: Nov 14. We are dedicating this year’s Chidon effort to the memory of Meir O’Brien who was our school’s first Chidon participant a decade ago. Look for some Yahadus curriculum Chidon trivia in next week’s MC Newsletter…
BASEBALL, CURACAO & JEWS One of the biggest stars on the Yankees this year is a player from Curacao, an island near South America that produces more professional baseball players per capita than anywhere else! It’s also home to a very old synagogue and Jewish community among whom are some big baseball fans. Mrs. Sue Ann Grosberg sent us an interesting article about this intersect of Curacao, baseball and the Jews.
at Maimonides and in the Community 10/20-21: ROSH CHODESH
10/29: COYOTES AT PINE BUSH
Friday and Shabbos are Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, don’t forget Yaale v’Yavo in Amidah & Bentsching and the Hallel and special Musaf. After a long hiatus through most of Tishrei, Tachanun resumes in our daily prayers on Sunday morning.
Doubtful you’ll see a live coyote there, but its an informative workshop (including a hike) to learn about this cunning wild animal that can be found in our area. 1pm-2:30pm at Pine Bush Discovery Center on Route 155. Program is $3pp or $5 for families and they prefer pre-registration.
10/21: KABBALAH OF BOB DYLAN by music expert Seth Rogovy of the Berkshires. Musical concert as well. $10pp. 7:30pm at Bnai Shalom on Whitehall Road.
10/22: JEWISH GENEALOGY “Cemetery Records and Their Importance in Jewish Genealogy” with guest speaker and expert Nolan Altman, 10-12am at the Jewish Federation, 184 Washington Avenue Extension. Nolan promises to add humor to the topic so as not to make the subject too grave (pun intended).
10/24: JNF PRESENTS… IN SEARCH OF ISRAELI CUISINE AT J-FED 5:30-8pm at the Jewish Federation. This film features Israeli Chef Michael Solomonov and is a portrait of Israeli people (and its many cultures) through food. Deb Lust Zaluda of JNF Chicago will share her involvement with Israel’s “Go North!” campaign and expertise with Israeli food. For more info (about event & food tastings) and to RSVP contact: rwagman@jnf.org, 617.423.0999 x812.
10/27-28: ALBANY ERUV DOWN The Albany Eruv will be down for the Shabbos of Lecha-Lecha in order to perform repairs needed before winter, and also as an annual educational experience to remember the laws of carrying.
11/2: HINCHEN’S CITYSCAPES ART Stop by the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center (25 Quackenbush Square, Corner of Broadway & Clinton Ave) BEFORE THIS DATE to see David Hinchen’s art of urban landscapes (especially Albany). Mon—Fri 9am-4pm; Info: 518-434-0405. Free admission.
11/4: JEWISH GREAT DEBATES This Shabbat Rabbi Roy Feldman will deliver the first of four lectures on Great Rivalries in Jewish History, this one on Pharisees vs. Sadducees. Shabbos morning at CBAJ.
3X AREA CHALLAH BAKINGS 10/25: Bethlehem Chabad’s Great Babka Challah Bake, 7-9pm. $5 student, $15 non-member, register and more info at BethlehemChabad.org 10/30: Albany Jewish Womens Circle Challah Bake at Shabbos House for Community Women Info? Call Chaya Bracha: 646-545-1228 11/5: Challah Babka Bake with Clifton Park Chabad, 3pm at the Clifton Park Senior Center. $10 suggested donation. Info? 495-0779 or jwc@cliftonparkchabad.com
11/6: SANHEDRIN SIYUM Daf Yomi will finish the long tractate Sanhedrin (the last chapter—end of October and early Nov— has beautiful Aggadah, especially about Moshiach) and will begin Makkot, a shorter tractate (that has one of the most beautiful endings in the Talmud).
11/12: DOUGLAS BLOOMFIELD This year’s Jack Lauber Memorial Lecture at Beth Israel features Douglas Bloomfield (who many in this area may known as a syndicated columnist published in the local “Jewish World” newspaper) of Washington DC. 7pm at Beth Israel. Free.
11/13: MINDFULNESS KABBALAH
10/28-29: “KEEP QUIET” AT S-JCC
Rabbi Dr. Laibl Wolf, founder of SpiritGrow—the Joseph Kryss Center, author of “Practical Schenectady JCC ‘s Jewish Film Festival features Kabbalah” will speak on “The Kabbalah of this film about Csanad Szegedi, the founder of Jobbik (Hungary’s extreme right-wing Party) known Mindfulness” 6pm at the Clifton Park Library, 475 Moe Road. This free-admission communal event is for his outspoken anti-Semitic views, but in 2012 discovers that his maternal grandmother is a Jewish in commemoration of the 79th anniversary of Kristallnacht, and is co-sponsored by the Library, and Auschwitz survivor! Seeking redemption, he enlists the help of Rabbi Baruch Oberlander, head Nigro Companies, the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County & Clifton Park Chabad. of the Orthodox community in Budapest. “Keep Quiet” follows Szegedi through this three-year 11/14: THE FIRST CHIDON TEST process. Two showings: Sat Night 7:15pm or Sunday, 2-4pm. Call Schen JCC for more info. This is the first of 3 qualifying tests for the Chidon. These tests are administered by the school but run by the national Chidon office. The tests are not 10/29: FREE WKND AIR MUSEUM easy, so its important that students who want to This weekend (10/28-29) is free admission at the succeed continually study and review for them. Empire State Aerosciences Museum, 250 Rudy There are some online resources: Chidon613.com Chase Drive in Glenville. Open Sunday, 10-4. including audio classes and practice tests.
GET THE TORAH TIMES! This is the best season for Rabbi Rubin’s “Torah -Times” as we read the story-rich Parshiot of Breishit and Shmot. Order your own copy, get the book of Breishis and Shmot online via Amazon, delivered right to your home in time for the return of these Torah portions! Order at: www.TheTorahTimes.com
11/14: THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE Look up this film, it’s an amazing Holocaust story. Federation, Holocaust Survivors & Friends and UAlbany Judaic Studies present a one-time free communal screening 7:00pm at UAlbany Page Hall, on the downtown campus.
12/19: ANNUAL MAIMONIDES RAFFLE-AUCTION & DINNER The Raffle-Auction display and prize drawings will be on Tuesday, the 8th night of Chanukah, along with a delicious themed Chanukah dinner prepared by the Kochmans. Stay tuned for details on both the raffle-auction itself (now in its final stages of preparation) and the evening’s theme.
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!”