BH. Adar
2, 5780 / Feb 28, 2020
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 5:25 Shabbat Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 6:26 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
HAPPY ADAR TO ALL READERS This week we entered the joyous month of Adar, as the Mishna states, “when we enter Adar we increase in joy!” We wish all of our readers and the entire community a very happy Adar!
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
MARMULSTEIN CONDOLENCES
This MC Newsletter is Condolences on the passing of Mrs. Grace dedicated in memory of Marmulstein, who some in our community Mazal Tov to Aharon have known for many years. Originally from Dov H. on his BarMitzvah, celebrated last England, her husband served in WWII and night in Kingston NY! together they ran a clothing shop on Central May his memory be a blessing! We wish him continued Ave. When that shop closed she worked for a time as a teacher’s assistant to Morah Clara in success and personal growth, and his family the Maimonides Nursery and maintained a TELE-CONFERENCE much Nachas! He is the close friendship with some of our families W/ ARGAMAN CEO lead-off Bar-Mitzvah boy since then. She loved cooking and singing and Rabbi Yossi saw the Hebrew did it all with a warm Yiddishe flavor. Her of our 7th graders this year (pictured here company name “Argaman” in the news about funeral will be this Sunday 1pm at Levine’s among those holding him up in the chair). the coronavirus and noting the connection to Memorial with internment on Fuller Road. this week’s Torah portion and Purim masks, MAZAL TOV HECHTS ON A BOY he arranged for our High School students, BENDER CONDOLENCES Mazal Tov to the Rhinebeck Hechts on the Rabbi Rubin and Ms. Brown their science Matthew Bender IV was born in Albany (1931) teacher to have a half-hour conference call birth of a baby boy, a new little brother to a band of older sisters at Maimonides. Wishing and lived most of his life in this area. He was a with Mr. Jeff Gabbay, the CEO of Aragampublisher and ran several companies but was the family much Nachas! Tech in Israel. Chaya L. recognized him right best known as a philanthropist who supported away from when he was in Houston working local art venues, medical institutions and MAZAL TOV MASSRY FAMILY with NASA! He opened the call telling them Mazal Tov to Laurie (Massry) and Ken Brown historic & natural preservation organizations. to get a Chumash and open to the story of the on the birth of a son. Mazal Tov to the proud Interestingly, Jennifer, our school custodian & copper snake of healing. His invention has to grandparents Norman & Micki Massry and the gardener, knew the Benders from communal do with the unique properties of copper (some functions & spoke of their dignity & decency. of which they knew from chemistry class) and whole mishpacha. Much continued Nachas! Condolences to his wife Phoebe and family. how uniquely infused and deeply embedded copper-oxide into fabric fibers can become selfMAZAL TOV PLOTKIN/GORDON sterilizing to repel viruses and bacteria. His Mazal Tov to Morah Dini and family on the innovative materials were originally designed engagement of her youngest brother Mendel for hospitals where people have compromised Plotkin of Los Angeles to Rochel Baron of immune systems but is now promoting special Crown Heights. Some of our boys at school masks made of these fibers for use against the know “uncle” Mendel P. from his visits here. Coronavirus. He patiently explained the HALF-SHEKEL uniqueness of this type of virus blended from LEVINE CONDOLENCES 5th graders did halfanimal/bird & human viruses. Our students Condolences to Mark Levine (of Levine Shekel art, where each asked great questions (Mr Gabay was thrilled Memorial) on the untimely passing of his sister student painted half of the artwork to be with the questions and was especially amazed Lori Levine (married & maiden names were completed by a fellow student, just as the with one question specifically) and the cool identical!) and to her husband Michael Levine biblical individual half-Shekel contribution thing was how much of the discussion & family. May her memory be a blessing. was completed by another’s half-Shekel. came back to Torah connections! MAZAL TOV AHARON DOV
Yosef Costa
HANDWASHING IN THE NEWS
1 VILLIAN, 1000 WORDS
Thanks to the concern over the spread of the Coronavirus, one low-tech approach that many experts advocate is simple handwashing (more frequently, with soap and water, and for long enough to sign “Happy Birthday”). Another tip is much more difficult, and that’s to try to avoid touching our face with our hands, and when students at school tried that for a bit they realized how incredibly difficult that can be! So for now, more hand-washing it is!
Ms. Tang assigned 7th graders a story to write. It needs to be at least 1,000 words and has to involve a villain. (Timely for Purim’s Haman?)
SALAD-MAKING WARS Morah Dini set the boys off against the girls in making a salad. They both could choose from the same set of ingredients. Then they went around school taste-testing their salads. Both were delicious, but the boys edged out by one.
THE EYE OF THE STORM This is the name of a story about a stormchasing photographer that 4th graders read with Mrs. Mattice and used it to explore how the same types of storms can have different names in different regions: hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones; tornadoes or twisters.
SAMSON PROJECT CONTEST Morah Chana’s 5th grade Navi (Prophets, Book of Judges) class worked in pairs to create 3D projects of one of the stories they learned about Shimshon (Samson). When the projects were done, Morah Chana asked two women to come in to help her judge the contest, Terry Tyson and Jan Rubenstein. Good job kids!
THE TRAIL OF TEARS 5th graders learned in Social Studies about the Indian Removal Act of 1830 that forced native Americans off their lands in the Deep South east of the Mississippi River to areas west of the river that became Indian Reservations. Thousands died or became ill on the way.
LABELING THE STATES (Top) this totally mistakenly labeled US map has been traveling around the internet, infamous for it’s incredibly obvious mislabeling. (Left) 4th graders worked off a blank map of the United States and labeled each of the States and the capital city of each state.
A DANCE STORM BREWING! Rabbi Mathless’ Chumash class had a special Siyum on Rosh Chodesh Adar. He brought in ice-cream, popcorn & a video of Jewish music for them to dance along to - and dance up a storm they did! Aron Dov and Rabbi Mathless both did somersaults…
KINGS AND QUEENS These Kindergarten students are dressing the part as they learn the Purim story.
TALMUD SIYUM COMING UP
KINDERGARTEN GEMATRIA This isn't usually something kids learn in Kindergarten but Morah Dini did teach them how each of the Hebrew letters has a specific tnumerical value and how you can add up the letters of the word Tzitzit and it equals 600 (plus knots and strings makes 613). It is amazing that they actually got it, though as one kid put it: “it’s complicated”.
Rabbi Rubin and 9th grade Talmud are just 5 pages away from finishing the entire tractate of Megillah, hopefully soon in the FROG & TOAD VENN DIAGRAM month of Adar. They will dedicate Last week we had a picture of the green frogs this Talmud completion around and brown toads that Mrs. Mattice’s 1st grade the yartzeits of two beloved pillars made. This week you can see them holding up of the Albany community who generously their Venn-Diagrams where they wrote down supported our school, Salo Steper (Adar 20) things that frogs and toads have in common and Moshe Losice (Adar 25). Stay tuned for and also how they differ from each other. details (date/location etc) of this special tribute Talmud completion in their memory.
NEXT SAT LAST PIZZA NIGHT...
The night that we switch the clocks will be the “THROUGH THEIR EYES” last Sat Night Pizza Night of the season! A point-of-view writing contest for middle/HS.
PERSONALITY TESTS
PURIM BOARDS Morah Devorah’s class has bulletin boards up with Hebrew Purim terms and illustrations. Armon = palace, Maseicha = mask, Keter = crown, and of course names like Mordechai and Esther, Haman, Achashvairosh & Vashti.
Our 12th graders took personality tests in their Psychology class. It’s an exercise in selfawareness, helps get a better sense of other people, and was also another example in a series of tests to show the evolution and development of psychological testing.
TRIANGLE PROOFS Geometry class with Ms. Coffey are learning six different ways to prove if and how triangles are congruent.
DEATH OF QUEEN JEZEBEL
MEGILLAH: SCENE BY SCENE
Morah Dini’s Navi students learned about the death of the wicked queen Jezebel in the book of Kings II. And how Rashi points out that even with all her wickedness she was still somewhat recognized in her death for her dancing and rejoicing at weddings.
And the back wall of the school lunchroom is filling up with a scene-by-scene illustrated text of the Purim story by students who have made them over the years. Morah DL saved them and posted them in time for Purim.
HOW ARE U FEELING? Emoji Art in 4 quadrants by first & 2nd grade with Morah Chani. Even with Adar’s focus on happy, there are many ways to be happy & express one’s happiness!
MISHKAN MODEL IN NURSERY
INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPERS We’re looking for various foreign language newspapers (Russian, Chinese, Hebrew, etc). If have, please send into school. Thanks!
MUNCHKIN’S DOG TRICKS Mrs. Mattice brought in her sweet little dog Munchkin, to regale her students with some cute dog tricks, as well as for them to do some hands-on dog care. She was very gentle and pleasant with our kids.
Morah Rivka Kochman and her Nursery students set up a little cardboard Mishkan (tabernacle) model with a colored paper tapestry and some of the famous vessels. They holding up pictures of each of the vessels: Ark, Showbread Table, Altar, Menorah. Good hands-on learning.
100TH DAY OF SCHOOL IN 3RD Mrs. Maher’s 3rd graders celebrated the 100th day of school by doing a 100piece puzzle contest (this one pictured is a map of the USA) doing math problems that totaled 100, and read a poem about 100 to Kindergarten & 1st grade.
MOLAR MASS IN CHEMISTRY HS Chemistry is now learning how to calculate molar mass of elements or compounds. A mole (not the animal) is a measurement of representative particle(s).
IDENTITY THEFT HS Personal Finance class is learning signs of identity theft, various types of such digital impersonation, ways to guard against it, and practical actions to take if/when it happens.
IT BEGAN WITH 100 STICKERS Mr. Steve brought in a big book with 100+ stickers (for 100th day of school) and Mrs. Mattice’s 1st graders each chose a bunch of stickers to build a little story around. See above for their stickers, illustrations and FICTIONAL FLOWERS writings. Mrs. Mattice always turns every little These are flowers and explanatory illustrations thing into a lesson! that Mrs. Mattice’s 5th grade students made based on the Weslandia story that they read.
THE NEW BEN BAG BAG CARD
Rabbi Rubin and Morah Rochel’s new Purim card is a twist on Ben Bag Bag’s name and The 3 tests are all done now, but some grades teaching in Pirkei Avot (turn Torah, turn it continue to diligently review their whole year again, for all is in it!) into a photo (which they of learning to be best prepared for the Chidon like to mail out as postcards) and message (it’s weekend in NY coming up soon. a poem on back) about the new bag law that goes into effect in NYS this Sunday. Look for BIG SWITCH THIS SUNDAY this as this year’s Purim-Prunch theme as well. As the new NYS plastic law takes effect…
YAHADUS CHIDON REVIEW
at Maimonides and in the Community 2/29: GRAND COSTA KIDDUSH
3/3: SHABBAT IN AN HOUR
3/10: PURIM DAY
Shomray Torah will have a grand Kiddush this Shabbos commemorating the 2nd yartzeit of Yosef Costa who himself would love to make Kiddushim in grand style. Kiddush is co-sponsored by the Kudans in honor of Ruvain’s mother’s yartzeit and by the Maddali’s in honor of Racheli’s birthday.
Chani Simon will lead Shabbos food prep in an hour for a Federation Womens Philanthropy event 6:30pm at Federation. $25pp. Info? 518-783-7800
6:15am Purim Shacharit and Megillah at CBAJ 8am Purim Shacharit at Shteeble, 8:35 Megillah. Annual Purim Prunch at Maimonides (megillah,
2/29: RABBI REISMAN SAT NITE Rabbi Reisman’s Navi Shiur is screened live from Brooklyn now at 7:30pm on Sat Nights at CBAJ.
3/5: SAAJCC PRE-PURIM CARNIVAL 5:30-8pm at Albany JCC. $5 for children above 2. AndrewK@albanyjcc.org or 518-438-6651 x113.
3/7: SHABBOS ZACHOR
The Shabbos before Purim has a special Torah reading (the 2nd of 4 seasonal bonus readings but 2/29: LEAP DAY 2020 the most important of all of them) about Amalek February has 29 days only once in 4 years (the same that’s a Mitzvah to hear. For those who can’t make year as presidential elections & summer Olympics), it on Shabbos, there’s a similar reading on Purim otherwise, in most years, February only has 28 days. morning at Shacharit.
3/1: NEW NYS BAG LAW
3/7: LAST PIZZA NITE OF THE YEAR
This Sunday the new NY State plastic bag ban is going into effect. Some big changes in town!
This last Pizza Night is on the Sat Night when we “spring forward” and change the clocks starting the season of longer Shabbos afternoons. So this will be the last Pizza Night of the year! Shabbos ends at 6:35pm so Pizza Night will begin at 7:45pm.
1/3: MARMULSTEIN FUNERAL As the late Grace Marmulstein was a teacher at Maimonides (see page 1) it would be fitting for school families who could attend her funeral to be there, 1pm at Levine’s Chapel on Washington Ave or following that on Fuller Road cemetery.
3/8: W.A.C.M. & HYDE FREE DAY
World Awareness Children’s Museum and The Hyde Collection Museum, both in Glens Falls, both offer free admission on the 2nd Sunday of the month and are open 12-5pm. The Hyde also has an 3/1: PJ LIBRARY STORY & CRAFT In honor of Purim… 11am-12pm at the SAAJCC in Art Lab 1-3pm. If going up that way you might want to also visit the Chapman House Historical Albany. More info on the Federation website. Museum ($5pp, kids under 12 are free).
3/1: EMPIRE “SKATE” PLAZA Only 2 weeks left to the skating rink on the Plaza downtown, and that’s only weather--permitting. On Sunday 12-2pm, 3-5pm, 6-8pm. Skating is free, skates at $3 for kids and $4 for adults.
3/2: CHEVRA KADISHA MEETING 7th of Adar is traditional annual date to honor the Jewish Burial Society. Meeting 7:30-9pm at CBAJ.
3/3: ALBANY JEWISH WOMENS CIRCLE FOR ADAR JOYFULNESS
a nibble to eat and Mishloach Manot exchange). (just after) 10am Megillah, 11am Prunch. “Ben Bag Bag” theme this year as Purim falls just days after NYS’ big bag turnaround! Shomray Torah Daytime Purim Seudah 5pm Megillah, 5:30pm Meal, be in touch with R’ Michoel Caras for details and to pitch in, RSVP using this form: tinyurl.com/shteeblepurim5780 CBAJ Megillah 5pm, with Carnival, Bounce Party and Festive Meal at 6pm. Carnival is cosponsored by several orgs, including MHDS. Purim the Shtetl by Chabad S. Rennsalear County, 4:30pm Megillah, 5pm dinner. 5 Mannix Road in East Greenbush. 518-727-9581 Purim in the Jungle 5:30pm at Bethlehem Chabad. $15pp, $5 kids. Drumming, reptiles. Purim in the Palace 5pm at historical Pruyn House with Colonie Chai. $18pp. 518-368-7886. Super-Hero Purim 5:30pm at the West Crescent Fire House, 1440 Crescent Rd, Clifton Park. $10pp, Kids $5. (After 3/15 $15 per adult). More info? Clifton Park Chabad 518-495-0772/9.
3/15: J-FED SUPERSUNDAY This is a big day of calling to support the Jewish Federation’s funding for local and Israel needs, including the Maimonides School which receives funding from the Federation. Parents are encouraged to sign up for one of three calling shifts on this day and we all can contribute some amount to this important communal fund.
3/22: ONE GIANT TRY IT At the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy. 12-3pm, all types of arts and activities, all are free.
3/9-10: PURIM IS VERY SOON… See below for start of our Purim event listing, we might have more Purim events listed next week!
3/9: PURIM NIGHT
This Tuesday at the home of Susannah Levin, 167 7:15pm Maariv. 7:30pm Megillah Reading, 8:20pm Break-Fast at Shomray Torah. Holmes Dale making “Affirmation Simcha Boards” 7:15 Maariv, Megillah and Light Break-fast at for Adar and discussing how joy breaks boundaries. CBAJ. A quiet no-gragger adults-only Megillah Bring an old magazine or two for clipping. follows in the Carr Chapel. Purim at Bull Moose Club 150 State Street 4th 3/3: A JEW IN A SLAVE SOCIETY floor, 7:15 PM for grads & young professionals. This historical lecture by Dr. Aviva Ben-Ur takes More info? Rabbi Mathless: 518-522-1872. you back to Suriname! 6:30pm at the Colonie Roaring 20’s Purim 7:30 at Bethlehem Chabad Town Library. More info? Call: 518-442-5300. Purim on the Farm at Saratoga Chabad, 7:15pm. More info? Rabbi Abba & Raizel: 518-526-0773 Purim Carnival at UAlbany for college students.
ORDER “THE TORAH-TIMES” Enjoy it while it’s still Chumash Shemot!
www.TheTorahTimes.com (printed, bound and shipped via Amazon).
SUPPORT LOCAL KOSHER Stop in to shop at the Colonie Kosher Price Chopper or call 518-456-2970 x8 to make a special order or find out about prepared meals. --------------------Kosher Dining on UAlbany’s Indian Quad (under Vaad supervision) is open for the semester and the community is welcome for lunch or dinner. Communal participation is helpful for the continuation of this important service.
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!”