Education Matters

Education Matters

Supplement to Jewish News December 23, 2019 jewishnewsva.org | December 23, 2019 | Education | Jewish News | 13

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14 | Jewish News | Education | December 23, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

A Perfect Holiday Gift Idea!

Education Matters

Strelitz International Academy: Teaching to think globally, act locally Lisa Richmon and Carin Simon

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s an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program candidate school, Strelitz International Academy provides a global and inquiry-based education with a mission to nurture active, compassionate lifelong learners grounded by intercultural understanding and respect.

SIA students don’t just learn geography, math, or art, they connect the subjects to meaningful concepts in a reallife way.

Recently, for example, second graders were studying regions in the United States. While learning about the regions, they investigated various Tzedakah projects that correlated to each area.

When the four-year-old class learned about ways to express themselves through art, they created beautiful artwork inspired by Picasso, Pollack, and others—generating their own art museum to show their parents and grandparents.

They also learned about the Dreaming Zebra Museum in Portland, Oregon which helps fund resources to those who don’t have the means to express themselves through art.

In third grade, to bring an economics and supply lesson into meaningful context, students created their own online ‘Kids Outlet Mall.’ Students used math, technology, innovation, and language arts to bring their businesses to life.

Every lesson taught at SIA is tethered to core Jewish values: Kavod (respect), Kehillah (community), Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), and Torah Lisma (love of learning). Strelitz International Academy’s leadership believes the school’s greatest strength is its ability to offer an innovative and transdisciplinary approach connected to these core values. This distinction casts SIA as an elevated education option for all area children, from threeyears old to fifth graders.

“Our goal is to prepare our students

Receive a BONUS $50 gift card for every $500 spent. to become global citizens,” says Heather Moore, head of school. “This includes the notion of looking beyond your own community to contribute time, effort, and energy for the good of others. As an IB candidate school, the curriculum is presented as a series of inquiries. We are always teaching in a local and global context— starting local and expanding global.”

For information on Strelitz International Academy or to arrange a personal tour, contact Carin Simon, M.Ed., director of admissions, at 757-424-4327 or csimon@ strelitzacademy.org.

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jewishnewsva.org | December 23, 2019 | Education | Jewish News | 15

Bnai Israel

Education Matters

presents

Scholar-In-Residence

Rabbi Eitiel Goldwicht

Jewish students wanted

January 3 and 4, 2020

Melave Malka Motzei Shabbos January 4, 8 pm

at the home of Laurie & Jordan Slone

Join us for an inspiring and enjoyable evening.

Adults only please.

Shabbos Dinner

Max and Sylvia Weinstein Scholarship offers full tuition to a first-year student with the right stuff

Friday, January 3, 6 pm

it serves only kosher food, and holds some form of religious observance for holidays.

Feigenbaum is taking an anti-Semitism lit class. At Washington and Lee, she feels safe.

“Hillel is a safe space on campus and is openly accepting to all walks of life, which I believe is most telling of Jewish culture in my mind,” says Feigenbaum.

“For a more conservative school, Hillel has also been successful hosting speakers on a range of topics.

Adults (12 & up): $25 Children (4 -11 years): $12 Children under 4: Free Family: $75 Subsidized in part through funding of UJFT

Rabbi Eitiel Goldwicht is the co-founder of Aish Israel, the Israeli

Sponsorships Available!

Support this uplifting Shabbos.

division of Aish Hatorah, and the Associate Rabbi of Beit Knesset Hanassi in Jerusalem.

To SPONSOR or to His deep understanding and passion for the Jewish people fuels RSVP his work amongst the religious spectrum. Tens of thousands of to one or both events secular Israelis visit the Aish World Center yearly, and have experienced Rabbi Eitiel's dynamic and engaging lectures and programs@bnaiisrael.org programs about Judaism. or Rabbi Eitiel was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and call 757-502-9129 he studied in the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Ner Yisrael Rabbinical Space is limited.

College in Baltimore and Yeshiva University.

No reservations after December 29.

tidewater together Charlie Harary

Rachel and Abby Feigenbaum and W & L.

Lisa Richmon

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bby Feigenbaum is a sophomore at Washington and Lee in Lexington, Virginia. She initially chose the smaller school in a rural community for its strong academics and D3 soccer. As a Camp Mont Shenandoah summer camper, the Virginia countryside was familiar territory. She liked Lexington’s educated culture in relation to other small towns.

Cultural diversity, however, is not the area’s strong point. While various Christian churches exist in downtown Lexington, there is no synagogue.

“Hillel is the most Jewish culture we have on campus,” says Feigenbabaum.

Closed on Saturdays and High Holidays,

Max and Sylvia Weinstein Scholarship The Max and Sylvia Weinstein Scholarship was established to recognize an entering first-year student with an exemplary academic and extracurricular record.

It is a unique opportunity for Jewish students who hope to become involved in Washington and Lee’s vibrant Jewish community. The scholarship is for full tuition and is renewable for four years of work at Washington and Lee, provided the recipient maintains a 3.3 grade point average.

To be considered for the Weinstein Scholarship—or any merit-based awards at W&L—students must apply for the Johnson Scholarship Program. Those who wish to be considered for the Weinstein Scholarship should submit a brief statement of interest with their Johnson Scholarship application.

Local scholarship for Jewish students now taking applications

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he Hampton Roads Community Foundation is accepting scholarship applications for the 2020-21 academic year. The Foundation administers more than 80 undergraduate scholarships for local students including the Edwin J. Rosenbaum Scholarship for Jewish students from South Hampton Roads. Students who will be attending college in Fall 2020 and are in need of financial assistance may visit http:// www.hamptonroadscf.org/scholarships/ to view the list of available scholarships and follow the steps for applying through the online application. Applications are due on March 1, 2020.

16 | Jewish News | Education | December 23, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

Education Matters

Newsweek: Norfolk Academy ranks among nation’s elite schools in STEM education

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fter an examination of both public and independent schools from across America, Newsweek released a report this month ranking schools that offered students the best experience in STEM, while also preparing them for life after graduation. The publication worked with STEM. org to determine the rankings.

Norfolk Academy was the lone Hampton Roads-area school on the national top-500 list. Across Virginia, only Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria and Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School in Richmond ranked better; both of those are public magnet schools.

STEM is a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math, subjects Norfolk Academy teaches through an array of distinctive programs. Norfolk Academy offers engineering, design, and innovation classes to Lower School students (grades 1–6), developing their problem-solving skills. Upper School students can apply to be EDI Fellows, who learn hands-on by studying infrastructure problems facing vulnerable populations in Hampton Roads and elsewhere.

In the Upper School, Norfolk Academy offers advanced biology, chemistry, and physics, as well as a range of challenging electives, including advanced anatomy and physiology; advanced inorganic and organic chemistry; and ecosystem dynamics. Nearly all seniors complete a math sequence through calculus.

Norfolk Academy has also won several Best in State awards in TEAMS (Tests of engineering, aptitude, math, andscience), a competition for middle school and high school students in which they apply their knowledge in STEM to global issues. NA also has a robotics team that has been successful in local, regional, and state competitions.

“With high-profile institutions in big urban areas and small, but strong programs across the nation, America’s future in science, technology, engineering

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See the full report at newsweek.com. jewishnewsva.org | December 23, 2019 | Education | Jewish News | 17

Education Matters

Where there’s life, there’s legacy Lisa Richmon

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hat connection ran deep, milestone after milestone, family after family.

“As a rabbinical family, we were so privileged to be part of people’s lives,” says Miriam Brunn Ruberg. “When a baby was born, we got the call. When that child grew up, Arthur was the rabbi for the Bar or Bat Mitzvah. He wrote letters of recommendation for colleges, and later, he often performed their weddings.

We were, and still are, deeply connected to many families in this community.”

Rabbi Arthur Ruberg didn’t grow up with the yearning to be a rabbi. In fact, he wasn’t raised in a very religious family.

He experienced an awakening when he was a senior in college, studying political science and international relations. The realization that his most meaningful experiences to that point had been in his religious life at Jewish summer camp put him on the path to becoming a rabbi.

As a young single rabbi in Philadelphia, Ruberg made another major life decision

when he met a new teacher who had just received her master’s degree in Jewish Education at Brandeis University.

“We wanted to keep it quiet when we first started seeing each other,” says Miriam Brunn Ruberg. “Our plan was foiled when we were spotted out on a date right away.”

From their first date, and throughout almost 42 years of marriage, the Rubergs have shared a love for Jewish education, life, and culture.

“We felt that our job was to help Jews stay Jewish. And not just to stay Jewish, but to feel good about being Jewish— and to experience it more fully,” says Rabbi Ruberg. “We counseled supportive spouses of Jews, and worked with those who were in the process of becoming Jewish, to help integrate Judaism into their lives.”

Being a rabbi’s wife was a natural role for the Jewish educator. As a mother of young children, Brunn Ruberg worked at United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and later served as principal of United

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Hebrew School. She then became a professional educator at the Jewish Community Center, where she initiated, directed, and taught the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning.

At milestone events and services at the synagogue, Miriam Brunn Ruberg often saw “really The Ruberg family. intelligent wonderful people who were lost. If they could at least follow the Hebrew, it could make the time in synagogue more meaningful, and they would feel a part of the service, and the community,” she says. In her quest to fill that void, she taught adult Hebrew.

The Ruberg family also led congregational trips to Israel. “We wanted other people to have an opportunity to feel the connection we felt to Israel,” says Brunn Ruberg. “Experiencing Israel with our congregational family allowed us to

rekindergarten students at Cape Henry Collegiate enjoyed having Upper School siblings RT and Sam Maiden teach their class about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. All of the children had fun learning about the traditions and beliefs their Jewish friends celebrate during the winter holiday season. #whychc.

18 | Jewish News | Education | December 23, 2019 | jewishnewsva.org

deepen our connection to Israel and pass on that powerful experience to others.”

The Ruberg’s children, Jeremy and Adina, now have children of their own and Jeremy is a rabbi in northern New Jersey. The Rubergs say that their grandparent status complements their lifelong commitment to Jewish values and education.

Today, the ‘technically’ retired couple continues to serve Congregation Beth El, with Rabbi Ruberg filling in as needed during its leadership transition.

By committing to Tidewater Jewish Foundation’s Life & Legacy ® program, the Rubergs enjoys a new source of personal fulfillment.

“What we love about this program is that it’s community-wide. Together, we can make a difference for future generations,” says Brunn Ruberg. “We are also quite excited to work with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

That organization awarded scholarship money to Jeremy and supported his rabbinical studies some years go. He was a Grinspoon Fellow at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.”

The Rubergs say they also appreciate that Life & Legacy ® embraces all donors, and treats them with equal regard and respect. “It’s about building and sustaining a community of people who think about the next generation, and the one after that,” says Rabbi Ruberg.

“It’s important for philanthropy to be inter-generational.

“Tell your kids where you give and why you give!”

Education Matters

Columbia and Tel Aviv U will offer a dual degree program J ERUSA L EM ( JTA) — Columbia University in New York and Tel Aviv University in Israel will offer a dual degree program.

Students will spend their first two years at Tel Aviv University and their third and fourth year attending Columbia’s School of General Studies.

Upon completion of the four-year program, graduates earn two bachelor’s degrees, one from each institution.

Columbia has dual degree and joint degree programs at Sciences Po in France, Trinity College Dublin, City University of Hong Kong and List College of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Created in

1954, the joint program with JTS was the first program of its kind to be established at Columbia.

“By giving students the opportunity to study full time at a top-tier university in the Middle East before bringing them to study in the Ivy League, they will not only benefit from being immersed in a wide range of cultures and experiences, but will also make an immense contribution to the Columbia undergraduate classroom,” says Lisa Rosen-Metsch, dean of Columbia University School of General Studies.

The program’s inaugural class will start in fall 2020.

Tufts to remove Sackler name from buildings and programs

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ufts University will remove the Sackler name from several buildings and programs on its medical campus.

The decision came after an independent report slammed the school for taking gifts from the family. Tufts commissioned the study earlier this year after a lawsuit was filed against the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma, the private held pharmaceutical company owned by the family.

The Sacklers have come under fire for their central role in the opioid crisis that has led to hundreds of thousands of American deaths. Purdue is the manufacturer of OxyContin, one of the leading opioids on the market.

Several major cultural institutions— ncluding the Tate museum in England, Britain’s National Portrait Gallery and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York—have said they will no longer accept Sackler money.

Great minds, caring hearts, and confident leaders begin here

The Sackler family gave Tufts $15 million over more than 30 years and its name is attached to its School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, the Arthur M. Sackler Center for Medical Education, as well as on laboratories and research funds.

This is the first time Tufts has removed a donor name from a building, according to the Boston Globe.

“Our students find it objectionable to walk into a building that says Sackler on it when they come in here to get their medical education,” Dr. Harris Berman, dean of the medical school, told the New York Times.

The university will not be returning any of the donated money.

Sackler family attorney Daniel Connolly said he will work to reverse the decision, the Times reported, calling it “particularly disturbing and intellectually dishonest.” (JTA)

The area’s ONLY International Baccalaureate® Candidate School for primary and early years

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jewishnewsva.org | December 23, 2019 | Education | Jewish News | 19