Maimonides Community

BH. THURS Kislev

28, 5779 / Dec 6, 2018

‫ב“ה‬

Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District Candle-Lighting: 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org 4:04 Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 5:08 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY

maimonidesschool@gmail.com

MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

RAFFLE-AUCTION COMING UP! It’s on the very last day of Chanukah, on Monday Dec 10th, 5-7pm at the school. That’s why its called “AFTERGLOW” as there is no Menorah that night, but we continue to bask in the glow of Chanukah as it ends. There will be a delicious Chanukah finale dinner by the Kochmans ($7pp/$25 family) & last chance to buy tickets for any of the A-Z (plus mystery and split the pot) prize packages. The drawings will be at 6:45pm. Added bonus will be the lively jazz music by Noah Levin & Co. Of course, tickets can still be purchased ahead of time (as most do) via the mail, bring to office or online at: www.maimonidesschool.org/auction

This MC Newsletter is dedicated in honor of the upcoming wedding of

Eli O’Brien & Hadas Koresh as this is Eli’s last Shabbos in Albany before setting off to Israel to marry and settle there. We wish him and Hadas much happiness & success together!

MAZAL TOV SOHNS Mazal Tov to MHDS alumna Elianna Sohn on her recent engagement to Benji Cohen of Woodmere. Mazal Tov to her parents Ron and Emunah Amy Sohn. The Chassan & Kallah are pictured here with grandmother Nina Israel of Albany!

AN IMPRESSIVE PRESSING One of the sensory activity centers in Nursery this week was an olive press, where students turned and churned the press to try to squeeze out some olive oil. Hands-on STEAM and a good holiday connection!

TIMELY WORD STRIP ON WALL

NURSERY CHANUKAH STEAM Another hands-on STEAM activity that Nursery did this week for Chanukah.

Students took turns adding coloring to water using droppers (a fine-motor skills exercise) and then added drops of that into oil to see if/how it might mix together. But oil doesn’t mix! It stays apart from other liquids.

Everyone at Maimonides will recognize Morah Devorah’s Hebrew verb strips on the walls of MAZAL TOV GOLDSTEINS her Kitah Alef classroom. This one was written Bassie and Chaim Rosenstein had a baby boy. by a first graders this week and is especially Mazal Tov to grandmother Rivka Goldstein, & timely: Madlik/Madlikah = to kindle/light. grandfather Zev Goldstein, formerly of Albany.

AMERICA CAN BE PUZZLING This first grader is putting together a puzzle of the United States. It’s a fun, hands-on way to learn some geography and also a metaphor for the efforts to bring together fragmented and puzzling parts of this country together as one, unified & connected.

SHALOM SHIRA! Shira went off to High School in Israel this year and is back in town for Chanukah! Her classmates were very happy to see her and asked about her experiences. Of course Morah Rivi was very eager to hear about her Hebrew language development. This is an exciting time for the Levins as this is their first time to welcome newlywed son Eli & daughter-in-law Nechama to Albany as a married couple with the whole Mishpacha!

DREIDEL VS. GRAGGER CHANUKAH CHAI-KUS IN 2ND

DOUGHNUTS W/ MORAH DINI

Morah DL’s 2nd graders wrote and typed up Chai-Kus (Hebrew Haikus) about Chanukah following the same basic rules of haikus: 3 lines total, 5 syllables in 1st and 3rd lines and 7 in the middle and longest line.

Many of her classes had the good fortune to make from-scratch doughnuts with Morah Dini in Nathan’s Kitchen this Chanukah. This class got to make both doughnuts and latkes with Morah Dini. Aharon Dov is excited to try to fry a figure 8 doughnut in honor of the 8 days of Chanukah.

GAS LIGHT IS ON

PLAY PREP IN FULL SWING

Our younger grades have been working on Imagine, your gas light goes their Chanukah plays and performances. This on, your gauge hits empty and class painted a bunch of things for their play then your car keeps driving from a black top hat to background scenery. for 8 days and nights without a fill-up? That’s Chanukah, says Mrs. Maher!

ADD A LEAF

SIXTH LEARNED A TOSEFOS Tosefos is a Talmud commentary printed opposite Rashi’s commentary. 6th graders learned some history about Tosefos, who and how many they were, where they lived, their style of writing and how to differentiate from Rashi. And they learned their first Tosefos! It won’t be on the test but they learned it for learning-sake. And one parable to explain it was about Republicans and Democrats.

Nursery learned a lot about the Beit HaMikdash this Chanukah. When they sponge-painted a giant wall of bricks to be their Kotel, it was their idea to add a few green leaves to it just like the real Kotel has growing out of it

Rabbi Mendel and the 6th grade boys had a party/farbrengen one day for Chanukah. One of the things they talked about was a compare/ contrast between Purim and Chanukah. Both Rabbinic, we say Al HaNissim on both holidays, sing Hallel only on Chanukah. Both saved us from a threat, but the threat was different. Purim was anti-Semitic, Haman wanted to destroy the Jewish body. Antiochus was after the Jewish soul. A cute way to remember this is: Where’s the handle?

Dreidels have the handle on top, because it was all about the spiritual, the soul. Purim has the handle on the bottom because its all about the body, our physical existence. Rabbi Mendel also tied it into the message from the wounded IDF soldiers who spoke at Shabbos House: Their mental and emotional rehabilitation was much harder and longer than the physical recovery.

CHANUKAH STEREOTYPES This week’s TTN (Torah Times News) edition is a different style, a humorous production with several scenes of Chanukah stereotypes.

You have the sore-loser Dreidel player and the Al HaNissim nudge and the over-protective parent and more. You can view it online at: www.TheTorahTimes.com or via the YouTube playlist, look for Torah Times News.

PARADE & CHOPPER UPDATE See page 4 for more details, but parade leaves from school at 2:15pm (instead of 4pm from Price Chopper) and the outdoor Menorah at Kosher Price Chopper will be soon after 3pm.

From 3-4pm there will be entertainment and refreshments inside the Kosher store, with cars and car-menorahs or Chanukah décor leaving in small groups around 4pm.

NURSERY CHANUKAH SONGS Wearing flame-topped hats Nursery students sang some Chanukah favorites including the “Starts with Cha…” riddle song, “Dreidel, Dreidel in my hand” and “A Tiny Jug of Sealed Olive Oil—I am”.

FIRST GRADE First graders first read a Hebrew poem in sequence, then sang “Ner Lee, Ner Lee” etc.

KINDERGARTEN wore Chanukah-themed aprons adorned with sponge-painted Dreidels, Menorahs and Oil Jugs, and sang the subtracting song of “Five Little Latkes Frying in a Pan” with foam Velcro latkes that flew out one by one!

SECOND GRADE did a great twist on the Shmuel Kunda’s “Incredible Dreidel of Feitel Von Zaidel” with all the songs and great acting. It has a great moral lesson about those who want to win all the time.

THIRD GRADE had a beautiful play titled “The Secret Message” about a family discovery & rediscovery of their heritage thanks to “Jessica’s” insistence on buying an antique Menorah. Thanks to Elianna and family for making such a beautiful Menorah (that can fall apart, and reveal the secret message, and come back together again). The Chanukah plays had nice scenery, good costumes but best of all: great acting!

FOURTH GRADE did a play titled “In the month of Kislev” that began as a heartfelt story of poverty, expressed means to find happiness even without means, but ended with a clever-sounding humorous twist. The acting was amazing! It was a Chanukah twist on the classic story of the miser who insisted that the poor pay for the scent of his food, and how the wise Rabbi came up with a clever form of payment—and a good lesson!

SPECIAL THANKS: to all the teachers for working on these plays with their students, to all the parents who came to see the performances, to a very well-behaved and eager audience of kids, and especially to the students who learned their lines, knew their songs, worked on props and scenery and costumes and were very invested and took ownership of their roles and worked well as a team! Kol HaKavod!

THE END OF CHANUKAH IN ALBANY will go out with a climax! Sunday afternoon’s Car-Menorah Parade and event at Kosher Price Chopper is open to all! Join for either or both. The school’s raffleauction and Chanukah Dinner will be at the very end of Chanukah, the end of the 8th day so that we end off with a Chanukah Afterglow. PLEASE SHARE THE LINK FOR AUCTION TICKETS! THANKS….

at Maimonides and in the Community 12/6: THURSDAY NIGHT CHANUKAH EVENTS (1) “Drinks & Dreidels at The Gallery” for young professionals 7-10pm at Albany Center Galleries co-sponsored by University Heights Chabad, Bethlehem Chabad and Jewish Federation’s NextDor; (2) Between 6-9pm there’s Womens Circle “Ladies & Latkes” event at the Weisburg home, little kids are welcome, too. (3) “Guys Circle” a new program for guys over age 14 on the spectrum, jointly run by Jewish Federation and Friendship Circle, led

by Kenny Goodkind. 6:30pm at Lucky Strike Social: GuysCircle@gmail.com

12/7: NO SCHOOL THIS FRIDAY Enjoy the extended Chanukah weekend!

12/8-9: ROSH CHODESH (CHANUKAH) TEVET Rosh Chodesh is on Shabbos Chanukah (3 Torahs!) & Sunday of Chanukah.

This Shabbos has the longest Bentsching of the year as we add: Ritzay, Yaale v’Yaavo and Al HaNissim!

12/9: KIDDUSH BY LEVINS & KUDANS Shomray Torah’s Kiddush this week is in honor of Ruvain and Shayna’s birthdays & by Levins in honor of having Eli & Nechama in town from Israel!

12/8: SAT NIGHT (1) Sat Night Chanukah on Ice (Skating) at the YMCA in Delmar $5 Skating from 5:30-6:45 with Menorah Lighting at 6:45pm (2) Colonie Center (Center Court) Menorah Lighting and Celebration 5:30-8:30pm.

12/8: RABBI REISMAN NAVI CLASS BROADCAST Sat nights viewable at CBAJ at 7:30pm.

12/9: PARADE TO & EVENT AT PRICE CHOPPER PLEASE NOTE CHANGES: Last Night of Chanukah! Car Menorah Parade

leaves Maimonides with police escort at 2:15pm. Join with a Menorah atop or with Chanukah decorations in your car windows. It arrives at Kosher Price Chopper in Colonie for an outdoor Menorah Lighting soon after 3pm followed by a Chanukah celebration inside the store with entertainment and Chanukah refreshments. Free entertainment includes: Elijah the young balloonist, Circus theatrics by Sean Fagen and face-painting. Cars can leave the store in small groups to further promote Chanukah on the very last night.

12/9: CHANUKAH TRAIN EXPRESS IN KINGSTON NY All aboard! Tickets at www.ChabadUlsterCounty.org/ChanukahExpress a festive train ride with Menorah Lighting, latkes etc. on the Catskill Mountain Railroad. More info: 845-331-1176

12/10: MAIMONIDES RAFFLE-AUCTION EVENT Every ticket adds up for our school. In-person event features Noah Levin’s live jazz and the much anticipated Kochman Chanukah dinner this year featuring “Diner Food” with meatloaf, chicken soup and matzah-balls and more, plus and a fun glowing blue drink! Prize drawings at 6:45pm. Online tickets

www.maimonidesschool.org/auction end at 4:30pm. Tickets at event can be purchased until 15 minutes before the 6:45pm drawings.

12/16: BETH ISRAEL’S SOUP R BOWL FESTIVAL Come in out of the cold to Beth Israel in Schenectady! For $5 enjoy a bowl of soup (homestyle varieties) with bread, listen to music, schmooze with friends.

12pm. For more info contact Tobi Applebaum at 518-399-8476.

12/21-25: JEWISH GIRLS WINTER RETREAT Contact Nechama Laber for more information on this annual overnight midwinter camp experience: 518-727-9581 / NechamaLaber@gmail.com

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!”