Weeks of May 19-21 & 24-28
17 Sivan 5781
May 28, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
With the seniors gone (and some other students who left for the Memorial Weekend), today was a quiet day at ICJA. We gave me a chance to drop into a few classes and catch up on some work.
Part of that work is planning the upcoming ICJA Commencement, our 75th celebration of a graduating class! As we did with last year’s graduation, it will be outside, and the graduates will be seated in family pods. But earlier today, I received the go-ahead to expand graduation to include immediate family and other guests. Our 12th graders and their parents received an email from me earlier today with a survey to determine the number of seats they will need.
For many morning teachers, Friday is also a day for discussions, and some use the time for “question boxes.” today, in Rabbi Gross’ 9th-grade boys’ Talmud class, they raised the question of whether it was permitted to study Greek mythology. Rabbi Gross emailed me to ask if I wanted to come in and talk to his boys about this – which I happily did. I told them that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein dealt with this issue in 1960, explaining that it can be permitted, and wrote about it in one of his responsa (YD2:53).
But I also had the opportunity to share with them why great literature like the Odyssey is vital if for no other reason than to expand their writing abilities and appreciate the world around them. Because the better we understand others and the better we can communicate with others, the better we can share the beauty of Torah and Jewish tradition. And I told them about an article written years ago by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman, entitled “Tefillin in a Brown Paper Bag” (click here), that challenges us to be more eloquent communicators of Torah.
Last night, our girls’ soccer team fought hard in a game against Hope Academy but came in second in our conference. Special all-conference awards were given to Abigail Koenig and Rachel Schwartz – Kol hakavod.
Talking about sports, our new SV Basketball Coach, Dr. Jonathan Rich (’95) is going to hold an optional informational session for all boys interested in next year’s basketball teams. The 30-minute meeting will be at 3:45 pm next Friday, June 4th and Coach Rich is looking forward to introducing himself and sharing his vision for the boys basketball program. Said Coach Rich: “I’m super excited to connect with the boys, for all of us to bring 100% effort every single day, and to begin to build something special.”
Tuesday night, the entire ICJA community is invited to an exceptional online program with Dr. Deborah Lipstadt and Dr. Malka Simkovich, celebrating the culmination of another successful year of the Student to Student program. The topics will be anti-Semitism and working with non-Jewish communities – both issues that our Student to Student program addresses in a meaningful way. But to join the program, you need to register – click here to RSVP and see the attached flyer.
Finally, every year at Freshmen Orientation we take a class picture of all of the incoming 9th graders. Every year except this year. But that’s about to change, because today I also received the go-ahead from the medical committee to take an all-class 9th grade picture, outside on Friday June 4th. It’s the last day of classes, but it’s still during their 9th grade. We will take the picture at the end of 6th period at the menorah.
Tonight, candle lighting is at 7:56 pm, and Monday is a day off from school. So I look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday when we will skip 1st period.
Shabbat Shalom, stay safe, stay connected, and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy
15 Sivan 5781
May 27, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
Senior Retreat for the class of 5781 was a great success – everyone had a great time, and as one of the seniors said, “being together for those few days made me realize how close we are to one another.”
This sense of togetherness was something I first heard and then saw this afternoon back in the building. From my office, I started to hear loud cheering coming from the commons. Often, when that happens, there is a ping-pong game going on, and it just means that I get to walk over and remind them that in-between games, we still “do school.”
But this time, it was much louder, and when I walked over, there was a large crowd that included three staff members. The cheers were loud, and as I got closer, I saw that they were watching the championship game of a basketball tournament in Los Angeles between the Chicago team (mostly our students) and TABC. The game was close, and the excitement even thousands of miles away was real. Unfortunately, the Chicago team came in second place, but what was great (& just a little loud) was the sense of school spirit.
By the way, last night at Retreat, we had the annual senior bonfire. The singing was beautiful, and the comments made by many were touching. And the first of the students to speak was senior class president Zeke Zwelling – via Facetime from Los Angeles. Even at a campfire, technology can save the day!
A little while ago, I had the chance to visit Ms. Sennett’s Western Civilization class. The students were learning about the Shoah, and Ms. Sennett took the opportunity to ask for some volunteers from her class to read their recent creative writing assignment. Students were pictures of someone who perished in the Shoah and were asked to write a letter or a poem to that person. Ilana Schwartz began with her poem – to three young children. Josh Mishie came next with his letter to a man who was learning Torah. And finally, Esther Gorelik read her poem to an elderly man. Their writing was very touching, as I am sure was the rest of the class. Kol Hakavod to the
Don’t forget about the ICJA Scholarship Dinner – June 10, 2021. Invitations are out, and reservations are now being taken for this in-person event. To take an ad and/or make a dinner reservation, click here!
Tomorrow is erev Shabbat and periods 10, 11 and 12 meet in the afternoon.
Stay safe, stay connected, and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy
14 Sivan 5781
May 26, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
At Senior Retreat, our soon-to-be graduates are having a great time. And back at school, a lot is happening!
First of all, congratulations to Mrs. Kraft’s junior girls for finishing sefer Devarim. They learned a tremendous amount this year, and this is an occasion for celebration! But they are not alone. In the next couple of weeks, there will be more celebration of learning and more opportunities for teachers and students to look back on a year filled with Torah uMaddah.
Another such example is what happened yesterday in Ms. Gleicher’s 9th-grade biology classes. They have been researching the SARS CoV-2 and, as a summative assessment, had to create infographics that would represent and connect the scientific principles they had learned. I got a sneak peek at their work, and it’s wonderful how far they have come in meeting the Next Generation Science Standards’ three pillars of science education: Crosscutting concepts, disciplinary core ideas, and Science and engineering practices.
This coming Wednesday, June 2, 7:30-8:30 pm, our Student to Student program is hosting an exciting panel featuring Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, who will speak about antisemitism today, and Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich will discuss interfaith dialogue. (Click the panelist links to learn more about each of them.) In true Student to Student fashion, our students will be moderating the panel. See the attached flyer for more information.
Last night ICJA scored two big wins – our girls’ varsity soccer team beat RZ 3-2 to make it to the Chicago Prep Conference girls soccer championship game. The championship is scheduled for Thursday at 7:00 pm at Harrison Park – go Aces!
The second big win was the student council elections for next year. Congratulations to President Jonathan Thomas, Vice President Hannah Stein, Treasurer Kenny Shapiro, and Secretary Noah Fensterheim.
And to: Senior Class Representatives Hannah Rothner and Gavriel Engel; Junior Class Representatives Emma Felix, Ori Wasserman, Gabi Rosenzweig, Zachary Miller and alternates, Hadassah Bernstein and Philip Maiman; Sophomore Class Representatives Noa Gavant, Joseph Rothner, Jordana Zwelling, Yonah Rubin, and alternate, Jacob Pick; and to Ex Efficio: Kayla Kupietsky.
Don’t forget about the ICJA Scholarship Dinner – June 10, 2021. Invitations are out, and reservations are now being taken for this in-person event. To take an ad and/or make a dinner reservation, click here!
Stay safe, stay connected, and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy
14 Sivan 5781
May 25, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
I began writing these daily updates in March 2020. Since then, I have spent some time at the end of every day sharing some of the things that have happened in school. At first, the updates were written from my desk at home, but since August (and with the reopening of school), they have been written from my desk at school.
Today is the first time I am writing this update from out-of-town, not that far, but from Camp CHI, where I am spending the next few days with our seniors on their Retreat. B”H things are going very well (despite my unexpected swim in Mirror Lake due to my kayak overturning…), and the seniors are having a great time.
Back at school, things are also going wonderfully, as our teachers are finishing their curriculum and preparing students for finals. But even more, we’re working on next year – trying to find ways to make the ICJA experience even more impactful.
A couple of weeks ago, we administered a survey to our students about the Hebrew language experience at ICJA. In the coming days, a similar survey will be administered about the science curriculum. These are the two curricular areas that we are reviewing this year. We look forward to using the summer to convening some small focus groups that will offer us an even better understanding of student responses and concerns. These focus groups will be led by Dr. Shelley Green and Rabbi Gavriel Brown.
At Retreat, we are going to be interviewing our graduating students to get their input as well. These exit surveys are an annual process, and we use the data to measure our successes and areas for improvement.
Attached is the Final Schedule. As you will note, every day begins with mandatory davening and then followed by two final tests. Please make sure to find out from your teachers which testing slots they will be using. But also, please understand that we ask all of our teachers to give finals.
Finally, the ICJA Scholarship Dinner is on June 10, 2021. Invitations are out, and reservations are now being taken for this in-person event. To take an ad and/or make a dinner reservation, click here!
Stay safe, stay connected, and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy
13 Sivan 5781
May 24, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
This morning, as I was greeting students at the door, Maayan Dallal came in and showed me a Tanach project she had created – a basket of manna. Of course, not the real thing, but a carefully crafted and considered representation of that miraculous bread of the desert.
Her project was impressive. But little did I know that her’s was just one of the many projects that Mrs. Yitzchak’s 9th grade Chumash class created. Fortunately for me, the girls came to my office to bring me back to their class to see the entire range of projects they created – each one creative, related to the text, and accompanied by an explanation which included explanations and words of Chazal. Kol haKavod to Mrs. Yitzchak and to Julia Bellows, Julia Benditzon, Aviva Dallal, Maayan Dallal, Sofia Douek, Shahar Helman, Rotem Lavi, Gabrielle Sandler, Leeya Starck, and Leah Zelden.
During fourth period we had an all-school online assembly with Dr. Batya Sargon-Ungar, the Deputy opinion Editor of Newsweek. She spoke to our students about identifying and understanding anti-Semitism, providing examples of three different kinds of criticisms of Israel, from the legitimate to the dehumanizing. She was engaging and informative, and I encourage you to watch her remarks by clicking here.
This afternoon, we had another assembly for student council elections and to present the new Keter Yearbook. Once again, it was online, but being so provided our students with the opportunity to create videos or speeches. The election will also be tomorrow and online – keep an eye out for a special email tomorrow morning. Polls will be open until 5:30 pm.
At the assembly, the yearbook staff presented a video with their dedication to this year’s Keter yearbook and a thank you to all of their devoted staff. If you haven’t purchased a copy of the yearbook, they are still available for $30 from the school office.
Tomorrow, the seniors are heading off for retreat at Camp CHI. The retreat is one more “normal” pre-COVID event that has returned to school life.
Finally, the ICJA Scholarship Dinner is on June 10, 2021. Invitations are out, and reservations are now being taken for this in-person event. To take an ad and/or make a dinner reservation, click here!
Stay safe, stay connected, and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy
10 Sivan 5781
May 21, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
It’s 80 degrees outside, and not that many years ago – we would be panicking. The reason was that back when our home was at 2828 West Pratt, a day like this meant that the rooms would be hot and sticky and that there was no place to go.
But today, it’s different. Because thanks to our great new campus, it’s comfortable inside and outside, our students can enjoy the sun while seated in comfortable Adirondack chairs.
But what’s even better is what is happening both inside and outside. Today in Rabbi Stromer’s Talmud class, Tal Damelin presented about work-life balance and how it relates to Torah study. Mr. Harris was there, and he told me not only about the presentation – it was great – but that Tal even referenced last night’s COPO Mishmar. At the Mishmar, Ruby Grant spoke about how she finds her balance at Wash U by starting every day with going to shacharit at Chabad.
Talking about the Mishmar, it was terrific seeing our students come out at night to learn and hear recent alumni speak about how they find religious inspiration in their lives. Thank you to Sam Bellows, Ruby Grant, Elazar and Nechama (Braun) Kolom, and Sarah Weiss for sharing your thoughts with us and serving as such great role models for living inspired lives.
A little this morning, Mrs. Pogonitz’s 11th grade boys finished all of sefer Melachim (alepf and bet!) along with a hefty chunk of sefer Yirmiyahu. As Mrs. Pogonitz told me, they’re a tremendous group of learners and she was really proud of them.
Ninth period today, Mrs. Pederson took her AP Calculus students outside. They took the AP test last week, and so Mrs. Pederson is teaching them about other applications for calculus. Today they were calculating the horsepower of a person’s mouth by drinking water from a cup and working out the calculus. I watched them start the experiment outside (reading the instruction sheet of Gideon Miller’s shoulder) and then went back into the classroom and witnessed a class completely engaged in math. I think Gabe Gordon Burstyn was the first to calculate that it took about .0078 horsepower to empty his cup – but what i do know is that their math is much better than mine (it’s been a long time since my calculus days!).
Last summer, Rabbi Sprung and Rabbi Simkovich created an online summer Kollel program for our students. It was a great success, and this year they are continuing the program, but in person.
SK@ICJA will meet Monday-Friday for two weeks, June 14th-25th, and there are several learning options. If you are interested and haven’t applied yet – click here. Applications are due next Friday.
Stay safe, stay in touch, and be inspired!
Finally, some of you may have heard that this Sunday at 10:30 am there will be a rally “Communities Against Anti-Semitism” at parking lot to the west of Congregation Or Torah (See attached).
But more than coming together – which is so very important – we need to educate our students. To that end, I have invited Batya Ungar-Sargon to speak with our students this Monday at 11:10 (4th period). Batya Ungar-Sargon will speak to our students about understanding the conflict, but even more, understanding the rise of anti-semitism and the use of social media.
Batya is currently the Deputy Opinion editor for Newsweek, and has written and spoken extensively about these issues, and has a deep understanding of the role social media is playing in the latest rise of anti-semitism. I invite parents to join us as well – click here fo the zoom link
Candle lighting today is at 7:50 pm.
Shabbat Shalom, stay safe, stay connected and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy
9 Sivan 5781
May 20, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
Last night’s Oratory Fair was a wonderful event – kol hakavod to all of the seniors for their performances and a special thank you to Ms. Goldstein for all that she continues to do for our students. The creativity and joy of the presentations made the evening a true success. To view the recording of the event – click here.
Tonight is the COPO Mishmar. Our students have been preparing for weeks for this event, and I hope that everyone will join us at 8:00 pm to learn Torah, hear words of inspiration from recent alumni, and of course, enjoy some great food.
Last summer, Rabbi Sprung and Rabbi Simkovich created an online Summer Kollel program for our students – SK@ICJA. It was a great success, and this year they are continuing the program, but in person.
SK@ICJA will meet Monday-Friday for two weeks, June 14th-25th. There will be an option of learning in the morning (8:30a-12:30p including Shacharit) and/or learning in the afternoon (1:15-4:00p including Mincha). In addition, there will be a boys’ learning and a girls’ learning program (a minimum of 10 people are required for a program to run).
As with last year, the learning will be rewarding and intense, and participants will receive a stipend as follows: Morning Seder for both weeks- $250; Afternoon Seder for both weeks- $165; One week of both Morning and Afternoon Seder learning- $200; Two weeks of both Morning and Afternoon Seder learning- $450.
If you are interested in applying for this program, please follow this link https://forms.gle/3zw78NQpQSmQFgxg9 to submit a short paragraph explaining your interest and why you want to spend your time this summer engaged in demanding Torah study. Please submit your application by next Friday, May 28th. Space is limited.
Finally, June 3rd will be the second dose vaccine clinic at ICJA. All those who participated in last week’s clinic should be receiving an invitation to sign up for a time on the 3rd – keep an eye on your email. This time, parents are not required to accompany their children.
Stay safe, stay in touch, and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy
8 Sivan 5781
May 19, 2021
Dear ICJA Family:
This morning, as people arrived at school, many noticed that something was different, but they weren’t exactly sure what had changed. The answer, the one-way hallways have returned to their pre-pandemic two-way status, and the lane guides were no longer on the floors.
Things are getting better, and starting tomorrow, one more thing will change – students will be allowed to move BRIEFLY (NOT remove – just move) their masks to take a sip of water while inside the building. It is a significant change from one of the restrictions we’ve had all year. But our medical committee agrees that with nearly 90% of our students having received at least their first dose of the COVID vaccine, the time has finally arrived for this change.
Today, I had a chance to visit a couple of English classrooms. Mrs. Arons’ students were presenting poems to the class. I was there when Ben Boyarskiy and Charli Ernstein were making their presentations, which included a visual aspect, an analysis of the language and structure of the poems. They were great, as I am sure was true of all of the students’ presentations.
From there, I went to Mr. Olson’s class, which is in the middle of reading The Odyssey. But when I walked in, they were watching a stop-action animated action fantasy film, “Kubo and the Two Strings.” I was a little confused until Mr. Olson stopped the film and began to ask his students to analyze the segment that they watched – particularly for the “normal order.” The students were quick to respond, as I learned that they watched that film to understand the template of a “hero’s journey” within a story. Wow!
Tomorrow night COPO will be hosting a school-wide end-of-the-year Mishmar that will have a panel of some of the best ICJA alumni, food, and swag! We hope to see you there to hear all about staying inspired. Here’s the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/4kUGWGmti9epkCgy7
A couple of weeks ago, we found out that Sarah Friedman was the first place winner in the Statewide competition known as “Letters About Literature.” Today Mrs. Kahan told me that in addition to Sarah, we have two finalists, eight semi-finalists, and five honorable mentions in that competition. Kol haKavod to Finalists: Zachary Goldberg & Joshua Kupietzky, Semi-finalists: Jordyn Baker, Danielle Cohen, Yonatan Nudman, Yolie Starck, Hannah Stein, Nechama Tarshish, Shaina Tarshish, and Tehila Weiner and Honorable Mentions: Laura Bellows, Gabriel Gordon Bursten, Ethan Comrov, Adi Seruya, and Rina Yahav!
On a different note, I am happy to announce Dr. Jonathan Rich will be our new boys’ varsity basketball head coach. Dr. Rich is an ICJA basketball alum, is highly respected in the community, and comes to us with years of youth coaching experience. We look forward to assembling his Varsity and JV staff in the next few months and continuing our strong tradition of boys basketball at ICJA.
Don’t forget about tonight’s Oratory Fair – 6:00-7:30 pm and 7:30-9:00 pm – click here for the link.
FINALLY, with the ongoing military action in Israel, it is important for us to make our voices heard – here are two links you can use to contact the White House and Congress. White House – Click here // Congress – Click here
Stay safe, stay in touch, and be inspired!
LAM
Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D.
Dean, Ida Crown Jewish Academy