Rabbi Goldberg joins national group to address growing demands in day school leadership
Rabbi Elliot Goldberg, Director of Religious Life at CJHS, just returned from a two-day think tank consultation held in New York City on issues surrounding day school educational leadership. Rabbi Goldberg was one of 50 leaders from across North America invited to participate in the meetings.

As was reported by The New York Times in May 2006, the dearth in educational leadership is being felt in both the public and private school sector and across religious and secular lines. The need has become even more pronounced for the Jewish community as the last decade has witnessed an explosion of new Jewish day schools and the expansion of existing day schools throughout North America. A groundbreaking trans-denominational partnership of organizations dedicated to Jewish day schools in North America decided the time was ripe to join together to address this very real crisis of leadership.

"I was delighted to be invited to participate in the group as we delved into the issues surrounding day school leadership," said Goldberg. "We have just begun to address the problem. I look forward to working collaboratively with other participants to find creative solutions to identify, cultivate, hire and support excellent leaders for day schools across the country. The fact that a think tank was convened to discuss this issue is a clear indication of its importance."

The Think Tank Consultation met at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and sponsors included the Association of Modern Orthodox Day Schools and Yeshiva High Schools (AMODS), The AVI CHAI Foundation, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA), JTS's William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, North American Association of Jewish High Schools (NAAJHS), Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE), Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools (PARDeS), RAVSAK: Jewish Community Day School Network, Solomon Schechter Day School Association (SSDSA), and Yeshiva University's Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education.

For further information, contact Rabbi Goldberg.

Have a question about the construction of CJHS's new Deerfield campus? Send it to Mr. Jack Hammer.

Dear Mr Hammer,
I understand a lot of thought went into the design of the building. Can you explain?

Jack Hammer:You're right. Many factors went into the design of CJHS's new home. First, CJHS is a Jewish high school, and it was important to reflect this in the design. For that reason, the sanctuary is strategically located at the heart of the new building, demonstrating the sanctuary's importance in the life of the school. Every day, students, faculty, and staff will pass by the sanctuary on a regular basis and its design will serve as a constant reminder of their connection to Judaism and to God.

The sanctuary is also oriented toward Jerusalem and to the land of Israel. An angled wall, our Jerusalem Wall, emanates from the east side of the sanctuary, and its angle was determined by the line that connects Deerfield to Jerusalem. The wall is anchored at the west end by the Ark. In addition, the flooring in the sanctuary continues into the foyer of the building, with an angle facing Jerusalem.

A brick base anchors the entire school building to the ground. The remainder of the facade above is clad with metal panels, a significantly lighter material. This composition is a metaphor for heaven and earth.

Maintaining the unique culture of CJHS was also a major factor in the design of the new building. When you walk through the doors of CJHS today, you are immediately struck by the warm and welcoming environment. Students and teachers congregate in the hallway and mingle outside of the classrooms to review class work together or visit between periods. This friendly and casual atmosphere is an important part of what makes CJHS so special and inviting. To promote this atmosphere in the new building, numerous comfy alcoves were designed between classrooms, with benches at the end of the hallway for larger groups. These spaces also reflect the school's chevruta (partner) -based learning philosophy and provide many opportunities for students to meet and study together.

In addition, countertops are interspersed in the alcoves of the education wings to make it easy for students to spread out their books. Teacher workrooms are located close to the educational wings so that they are easily accessible to students. Special attention was also given to the creation of a student lounge, so that students can continue to gather, play ping-pong, and simply relax in a roomy and comfortable environment.

Email your construction questions to jackhammer@cjhs.org to be answered in a future Ask Jack Hammer.

CJHS parents had an opportunity to meet with faculty during the recent Parent/Teacher conferences. These conferences gave parents a glimpse into the caliber of learning that takes place at CJHS inside and outside of the classrooms.

"As a community, we are extremely proud of the close communication and partnership between our parents, students, and faculty," says Dr. Ted Schaffner, Interim Head of School. "Parent/teacher conferences are a wonderful opportunity for our faculty to meet one-on-one with parents. Following the conferences, many parents came up to me and told me that their only regret was that they weren't the ones sitting in the classrooms along with their children. We are extremely grateful to our parents for their involvement in their children's education, and to our faculty and staff for their continued dedication to our students and for their passion for teaching."

During the week of November 27, Mr. Urick's chemistry classes will conduct a Mole Contest. In celebration of their current study of the Mole and Stoichiometry, students will spend time outside of the classroom designing and constructing themed moles. Students and staff will be involved in voting for the winning mole. Creativity, wit, design, and humor will play key elements in garnering votes. Last year's contest was won by Rosie Kiken, of Chicago, for her "Mole-In-One," an appropriately designed mole on a putting green.

Va'ad Tikkun Olam is working with Abby Raskin, an Oak Park High School student who will travel to India on a school-sponsored spring break, to collect school supplies -- pencils, pens, calculators, rulers, protractors, erasers, markers, etc. -- for a school in India. The drive will run from November 29 through December 12. These items will be taken to India and donated directly to the school. All donations are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support. If you have any questions, please contact Avra Shapiro (Highland Park), Jacob Rabinowitz (Highland Park), Rachel Binstock (Evanston), or Rabbi Barkan.

During a recent Professional Day, the entire CJHS faculty and staff attended a security training meeting with Denny Anderson, a security consultant for CJHS. This past summer, Anderson helped CJHS develop a security manual for the staff. Says Dr. Schaffner, "We are very grateful to Denny for his expertise and commitment to ensuring the safety of our everyone who enters our building."

Following the meeting, faculty and staff participated in a series of breakout sessions on health and wellness. Session topics included nutrition and exercise, yoga, time management, caring for elderly parents, and the spiritual possibilities of study. Thank you to the many faculty members who led sessions and to the Staff Development Committee for creating and implementing the day's programming.

More than 80 students, representing 75% of the student body, have signed up to attend the upcoming All-School Shabbaton in Palatine on December 8 and 9. Ms. Musin, Student Activities Coordinator, has many exciting and innovative programs planned for throughout the Shabbaton. Both faculty and students are looking forward to this annual favorite.

Congratulations to Charlie Gandelman, CJHS Class of 2005, whose article about the Brandeis men's soccer team made Tuesday's front page of The Justice, the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. This is the latest in a long series of articles Charlie has written for The Justice. When he's not writing for the newspaper, Charlie is studying Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, Economics, and History at Brandeis.

CJHS senior Eli Miller, of Northbrook, was quoted in an article published in a recent issue of the Northbrook Star, a Pioneer Press publication. The article described a visit by Elie Wiesel with 70 teenagers at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook. Eli said that hearing Wiesel speak "was an experience that...I was privileged to have, knowing that I was able to hear this firsthand, and also knowing that my children won't be able to. This allows me to appreciate [meeting Elie Wiesel] all the more." Eli also discussed his reaction to Wiesel's first book, Night, as well as his own experience traveling to Auschwitz as part of last summer's Ramah Poland/Israel Seminar.

At 8:15 last Friday morning, more than 30 CJHS students were among 200 USYers boarding buses to Camp Chi for a weekend of learning, exploration, and fun at CHUSYfest, CHUSY Region USY's annual fall convention. The weekend's theme was CSI, and the programs were based on around investigating our spirituality. Many of our students developed and led programming and tefillot during CHUSYfest:

• Hannah Miller (Northbrook) created and ran a program for those who were attending their first USY convention.
• Richard Kahn (Highland Park) created a Shabbat enhancement program, which took place right before Friday night services.
• Eli Miller (Northbrook) helped in presenting an Israel update on Saturday night.
• Avra Shapiro (Highland Park) and Avi Coven (Highland Park) helped run alternative minyanim on Sunday morning.
• The following students were involved in leading tefillot: Sam Aisen (Northbrook), Seth Berkman (Chicago), Rachel Binstock (Evanston), Avi Coven (Highland Park), Ari Eisenstadt (Deerfield), Jeremy Frankenthal (Highland Park), Ari Glasser (Skokie), Daniel Kanter (Skokie), Abigail Landis (Highland Park), Eli Miller (Northbrook), Aviva Schwartz (Deerfield), Avra Shapiro (Highland Park), Michael Shapiro (Northbrook), Daniel Silver (Glencoe), Jacob Stoehr (Northbrook), Talia Stoehr (Northbrook), Josh Warshawsky (Deerfield), David Weltman (Skokie), and Nicole Wiznitzer (Northbrook).

Yasher koach to Jacob Stoehr (Northbrook) and Josh Warshawsky (Deerfield), who serve on the Regional Executive Board, for their leadership in the CHUSYfest planning process.

Mrs. Karen Harris, History Department Consultant, attended two workshops in recent weeks. On November 2, the workshop focused on was "Improving Student Learning with Standards and Assessments" and was hosted by the Midwest Principals' Center. The presenter, Dr. Thomas Guskey, is a professor at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. His talk included many useful suggestions to consider about assessment, grading and the reporting of grades. On November 16, Mrs. Harris attended a workshop on "Differentiating Instruction: A Realistic Approach," presented by Jeanette Gordon, Senior Consultant at the Illinois Resource Center.

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Yetta Rosenberg, wife of Sam Rosenberg, mother of Carol Rosenberg-Derman, and grandmother of sophomore Yael Derman (Highland Park), alumnus Benji Derman, and their brother, Ari Derman.

The funeral will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Congregation Ezras Israel (7001 North California, Chicago). The burial will follow the funeral service at Shalom Memorial Park (1700 West Rand Road, Arlington Heights). Shiva will be held at Sam Rosenberg's house (2919 West Greenleaf, Chicago) after the burial until Friday morning. Minyanim will be held each morning and at 7:00 p.m. each evening. Contributions to honor Yetta Rosenberg's memory may be made to Chicagoland Jewish High School.

Zichrona livracha. May her memory be for a blessing.

Thank you to the Rosenberg family for sponsoring breakfast on November 6 in honor of Jessica's joining the CJHS community.

Thank you to the Fleischacker family (Evanston) for sponsoring breakfast in honor of Noa's 15th birthday.

Thank you to the Aisen family (Northbrook) for sponsoring breakfast in honor of Samantha's 15th birthday.

If you would like to sponsor breakfast in honor of a student's birthday (or any occasion), please contact Ms. Joan Waxman via email or by phone at 847-324-3711. The students love the recognition, and the bagels are great, too!

This week, Seth Berkman (Chicago), Rabbi Fryer, Rena Forester (Deerfield), Eli Miller (Northbrook), Jacob Stoehr (Northbrook), and Shai Kamin (Highland Park) led tefillah. Richard Kahn (Highland Park) read Torah. Hillary Weiss (Northbrook) gave an introduction to this week's Torah portion.

Yasher koach to Isaac Simon (Chicago), who gave a Dvar Torah today about next week's parashah, Toldot.

Mincha and Ma'ariv
During the winter months, CJHS will have a ma'ariv minyan after school rather than a mincha minyan. A mincha minyan will meet during the school day.

From November 20 through January 9, mincha will be held in Room 106 at the following times:

• Monday: 12:54 and 1:24, at the end of each lunch period
• Tuesday: 2:45, during the advisory period
• Wednesday: 12:49 and 1:19, at the end of each lunch period
• Thursday: 2:45, during the advisory period

Coming Home to Chicago this Summer?
Apply now for Lewis Summer Internships! These internships are for undergraduates residing (parental residence) or attending school in Illinois. Apply online for the Lewis Family Summer Intern Program 2007, offering 26 paid internships in agencies and departments of the Jewish Federation. Email The Hillels of Illinois or call 312-444-2868 to schedule a winter break interview in Chicago.

This week's parashah is Chayei Sarah. Read the parashah, haftarah, and a JTS commentary online.

Candlelighting is at 4:11 p.m. this week. Shabbat Shalom!