On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 16, Nat Sufrin spoke to the eighth grade class at Solomon Schechter Day School for the culmination of their social justice unit. Nat's topic was the power of youth to change the world, and he shared his personal journey as a developing social justice leader.
Interfaith Youth Core Update
Six CJHS students participated in the IFYC National Day of Service on Monday, January 16, along with 250 other teens in the Chicago area. The students gathered at DePaul University to complete a service project to help the city's homeless population, participate in a poetry slam, learn about different ways teens and their faith communities promote social justice, and reflect on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision of a Beloved Community. Yasher koach to Seth Berkman, Rachel Binstock, Ruthie Eisenberg, Maya Hobscheid, Dakota Miller, and Kayce Miller for participating in this event.
Save the Date: The next IFYC event will be at CJHS on February 21 at 5:00 p.m. We are hosting our Muslim and Catholic sister schools for dinner and discussion about our collective response as people of faith to the genocide taking place today.
Join Us for a Lunch and Learn!
Dr. David Zisenwine, the United Synagogue Scholar-in-Residence, will be teaching about Jewish adolescent identity at CJHS Lunch and Learn sessions on three upcoming Wednesdays--February 8, 15 and 22--from 12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Social Hall. Dr. Zisenwine is currently a professor at Tel Aviv University, specializing in Jewish education, Jewish identity issues, and Biblical literature. The sessions are open to parents and members of our extended community. Cost for the sessions is $18 (or $6 per session), which includes lunch. Please respond to RabbiFryer@chicagojhs.com if you are able to attend.
Students Volunteer at ARK
Yasher Koach to Rachel Binstock, Josh Warshawsky, Eden Noy, Nicole Wiznitzer, and Senora Claudia Linda, Modern Language Department Chair, for volunteering at the ARK on January 18.
Senior Israel Experience DVD
Following the seniors' return from Israel, pictures have been uploaded and senior Daniel Bier has compiled them into a montage now available on DVD. If you are interested in a copy of the DVD, please contact Daniel at crypto55@gmail.com.
Judgment Day Arrives for Tacky Gifts
While participating in the Senior Israel Experience, seniors were invited to enter a Tacky Gifts Competition, to be judged upon their return. The rules were simple: the price cap was set at 30 shekels, the gift needed to relate to Israel, and all entries become the property of the competition. On Friday, January 20, students presented their gifts to a panel of judges, who gave marks on tackiness, Israel content, presentation, and miscellaneous factors. Kol Hakavod to Jimmy Casen, who took first place with a hideous kipah. Linda Levin came in a close second with a Jerusalem-themed thermometer magnet set permanently at 80 degrees (Fahrenheit), and Lanie Abisdris and Yael Kiken took third place with their joint entry, a coffee-stained mug emblazoned with a picture of Lanie and Yael, and "Shalom from Yerushalayimâ printed at the top. We look forward to seeing next year's seniors push the tacky envelope even farther.
Bridge-Building Contest, Part Two
The second round of CJHS's annual bridge-building contest took place this Thursday and Friday in Mrs. Eliaser's honors physics classes. In this round, first place went to junior Aaron Gore. Gore's structure, an original design constructed of vermicelli, supported 70 times its own weight, breaking the previous school record of 53. Gore also entered two additional designs in the contest, which took second and third place with efficiencies of 56 and 51. Runners up included a Warren truss built by Leore Avidar with an efficiency of 34, a Bollman truss built by Sofi Petchersky, Ruthie Eisenberg, and Aliza Stein with an efficiency of 23, and a Warren truss with verticals built by Nat Sufrin with an efficiency of 22.
Faculty Vocal in Greater Community
CJHS is proud to have faculty who are active members of the greater community. This week, chemistry teacher Ron Urick had a letter to the editor published in the Chicago Tribune. Rabbi Fryer also had a letter to the editor published recently; her letter was printed in the Canadian Jewish News.
CJHS Faculty Members to Present at Torathon
Please mark your calendars for a wonderful community event! Solomon Schechter's Torathon '06, a Celebration of Jewish Life and Learning, will take place on Saturday evening, February 4, 2006 at 7:00pm. Choose two sessions to attend, and enjoy a rich, meaningful evening of adult Jewish learning. Several distinguished CJHS faculty members will be presenting. For more information and to obtain a brochure with registration form enclosed, please call (847) 498-2100. Please send in your registration forms by Wednesday, January 25 to guarantee course selection.
Tu B'Shevat Preparations Underway
Va'ad Israel is sponsoring a special Jewish National Fund-based initiative that will include our students, faculty, staff, and friends within the community. JNF's tree-planting program, Tu B'Shevat in the Schools, helps students establish a direct and positive connection to the Jewish homeland by planting trees in Israel. Since JNF was established in 1901, the organization has planted over 220 million trees in Israel--connecting Jewish people around the world to the land of Israel.
For more information, contact Rabbi Fryer at rabbifryer@chicagojhs.com.
The Parent Organization is sponsoring a Tu B'Shevat Seder on Saturday, February 11 at 7:15 p.m. Join other CJHS parents for a light dairy dinner and desserts. The program will take place at the home of Mark and Sandy Levin, 1939 Lewis Lane in Highland Park. Please RSVP to Sandy Levin at levusgro@aol.com by February 4.
Oprah Winfrey Selects Elie Wiesel's Night for her Book Club
Oprah Winfrey has launched a National High School Essay contest based on her latest book club pick, Night, by Elie Wiesel. Ninth through twelfth grades are being asked to answer the following question: "Why is Elie Wiesel's book, Night, relevant today?" Entries must be postmarked by Monday, February 6, 2006 and received by February 9, 2006--so start planning your essay today!
CJHS encourages students to finish their finals before embarking on this extracurricular opportunity.
For more details, go to the Oprah website.
Mark Your Calendar
January 23-27 Exam Week
January 30 Semester Break Day/Va'ad Ski Trip
February 11 P.O. Tu B'Shevat Seder
February 17 Junior Class Theatre Trip
February 20 Presidents' Day (School Closed)
February 21 IFYC Program at CJHS
March 11 Va'ad Purim Event
March 18 P.O. Latke Hamentaschen Debate
March 24-25 CJHS Spring Shabbaton at Camp Henry Horner
AP Exams to be Administered at CJHS May 1-12
This week, juniors and seniors received detailed information about the Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams, which will be administered at CJHS during the weeks of Monday, May 1 and Monday, May 8. As outlined in the materials, March 24 is the deadline for submitting registration forms, along with the exam fee of $82 per exam, made payable to CJHS. Because the AP Exams are administered nationwide, dates and times for exams are fixed, and there are no make-up dates. Accordingly, students should avoid scheduling appointments, etc. that conflict with listed test dates and times.
CJHS To Host ACT on Three Sundays in 2006
The ACT Exam will be given at CJHS on three Sundays this year: February 12, April 9, and June 11. Students may register for the test on paper or via the Web. The regular registration deadline for the February 12 test has passed; students may register until January 20 by paying a late fee of $18 in addition to the basic fee of $29 (ACT only) or $43 (ACT plus Writing). Paper registration materials are available in the College Counseling office.
Register online for the ACT.
Looking for a way to honor your student or advertise your business?
The CJHS yearbook staff is looking for sponsors for the 5766 edition of Yachad. You can advertise your business or honor students and other individuals in the school community by placing an ad in our sponsorship book. The sponsorship book will be distributed throughout the community along with the CJHS yearbook, Yachad. For more information and prices, please contact Vanessa Youshaei, Yachad business manager, at yachad@chicagojhs.com.
Get your sponsorship order form online.
Religious Life at CJHS
This week, Matthew Hass, Jeremy Hulkower, Ruthie Eisenberg, Jason Wiznitzer, Jennifer Feldman, Avra Shapiro, Eli Miller, Nat Sufrin, and Benji Derman led tefillah. Avram Pachter read Torah.
Yasher koach to Yael Kiken and Lanie Abisdris for speaking at tefillah today about the Senior Israel Experience and time spent in the Negev.
Read the parsha, the haftarah, and commentaries online.
This week's parsha is Shemot.
Candlelighting is at 4:32 today. Shabbat shalom!
Read another commentary on this week's parsha.