Ma Koreh   /What’s Happening?
Weekly CJDS Newsletter
" Artsponsa "
D’var Kesher from Susan Couden, Art Teacher and Coordinator of Curriculum Integration and
Yehudit Kanfer, 2/3 Grade Jewish Studies Teacher
December 8, 2017/ 20 Kislev, 5778
Parashat Vayeshev, Genesis/Bereshit 37:1-40:23
Greetings!

Sometimes, 5 days can rock your world.  This past summer, June 25 – 29 were those five days for me and my dear colleague, Yehudit Kanfer. CJDS was one of 10 schools awarded a grant for a Fine Arts/Jewish Studies teaching team to spend a week with internationally renowned artists David Moss and Rabbi Matt Berkowitz.   Yehudit and I were brought together for a Teacher Institute for the Arts (TIArts) initiative at Camp Stone in Pennsylvania with nine other teams of gifted Judaic Studies and Art Teachers from around the country.

Our mission? To develop new ways of seeing, reading, illuminating and interpreting Jewish tradition through text study and visual arts.
While there, it occurred to me that if “Responsa”is the classical rabbinic word for the body of texts that offer contemporary answers to new questions about how to live Jewish life, then what we were doing should be called, “ Artsponsa!” In other words, we are engaging people in the process of offering new answers to questions about making fresh, deep textual meaning of text and our lives, using the fine and visual arts.
While at Camp Stone, each team was further charged with identifying a challenge within their school that the arts and texts could be used to address. CJDS’ team, in consultation with Dr. Z, decided to help students find greater meaning in Birkat HaMazon, the blessing recited after meals. Beginning in August, we were able to use the astounding text-to-symbol method created by David Moss, along with visual interpretations of key middot (virtues) in the quest for new and deeper meaning in traditional Jewish texts. We have been able to engage not only students (during Art and Jewish studies classes), but parents (during Curriculum Night), faculty (during Faculty meetings), and members of the larger community (during our Rosh Hashanah Kabbalat Hag assembly).
Fifth and sixth graders have been digging into the meaning of several middot embedded in Birkat HaMazon including: compassion, contentment (feeling satiated), kindness, generosity, and gratitude. Thus far, they have studied sources, created poetry, artwork and middot puppets to bring new meanings to life for them and the rest of the school community. 
Pictured below: Samples of 5th and 6th grade poetry.
Pictured below: Middot puppets, created by the 5th and 6th graders line the CJDS hallway. Students modified stuffed animals to create their middot puppets.
To support all the work, each school’s team is assigned a mentor who makes a two day on-site visit to the school during the year. Just before Thanksgiving, we welcomed our mentor, Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz, co-founder of Kol HaOt, a Jerusalem-based venture devoted to exploring the arts and Jewish learning. In planning Rabbi Berkowitz’s visit, we knew we really wanted him to experience the wonder that is CJDS. We are so moved to report that while Rabbi Matt was here, he fell in love with our school. You can read his first-hand reactions below in the Professional Post of this issue of Ma Koreh.
Rabbi Matt first experienced the awe of morning tefillah in the Kindergarten classroom, then joined the Kindergarteners for Environmental Education to learning about being Shomrei Adamah (guardians of the earth). He later shared how clearly and easily a link could be drawn between the Birkat Hamazon project and outdoor education.
Pictured below: Rabbi Matt Berkowitz sharing his own illustrated Haggadah with CJDS first graders.
Moving to first grade, Rabbi Matt then shared his own illustrated Haggadah which was greeted by wows. When first graders got to a page that displayed Hatikvah, they spontaneously burst out in song, a moment Rabbi Matt felt compelled to capture in video.
He then worked with second and third graders to do a text-to-symbol interpretation of the first sentence of Birkat Hamazon. Students plumbed the text for key elements, attributed color to the elements and then worked in teams to illuminate the text.
Pictured below: Students circled k ey elements of the first sentence of Birkat Hamazon.
Pictured below: Rabbi Matt matches k ey elements of the first sentence of Birkat Hamazon to colors. Green = the world, Blue = God, Yellow = King, Orange = food, wjhite = life, light blue = blessed, lavender = creatures and red = love.
Pictured below: Students then worked in teams to illuminate the text.
Pictured below: the début performance of Richard Rahamim (compassion) Roar” and his sidekick “Jack the Generous Raccoon” 
Rabbi Matt joined the students for lunch on his first day, and witnessed the début performance of Richard Rahamim (compassion) Roar” and his sidekick “Jack the Generous Raccoon” as they interacted with students to teach the idea of compassion and generosity (nedivut).

Continuing an already very full day, he was then welcomed as a guest artist by the tzedakah club, sharing a tzedakah box he designed bearing the “10 Elements of Resilience,” based on a visual midrash he created. He guided the students through the elements of the midrash, which ends with the idea that acts of tzedakah are strong enough to overcome something even as final as death. Students wondered if those whose lives were saved were those who gave, or those who received tzedakah, or both. 
Pictured below: Rabbi Matt Berkowitz presenting his visual midrash to Tzedakah Club.
Pictured below:  “Rembrandt and the Rabbis,” which connected to their humash studies of Yaakov wresting with the angel. 
In fifth grade, Rabbi Matt presented a lesson entitled, “Rembrandt and the Rabbis,” which connected to their humash studies of Yaakov wresting with the angel. He concluded his first day by leading the faculty in a lively synectics exercise (a creative problem-solving technique). The session engaged teachers in role play, brainstorming, improvisation, analytics, decision making, editing, and consensus building. CJDS faculty enthusiastically participated. Even though the session took place at the end of a full teaching day, the faculty bemoaned its ending.
On the second day, he joined 5th and 6th graders for morning Tefillah and listened as students took turns sharing their thoughts about how a person grows into understanding, one self at a time. He later met with them to be introduced to the puppet middah personalities, listen to their poems based on the middot and offered each student a personal gift of a unique commentary on each of their work. Students carefully took notes during this session so they wouldn’t forget his words.
By the time he left, Rabbi Matt walked into Ms. A.G.’s office and announced, “I don’t want to leave. I’m going to cry. This is such a remarkable school."  

Rabbi Matt’s visit felt both comforting and reinvigorating. Yehudit and I have fabulous partners in the school who will help make the essential, healing, transformative message of expressing gratitude, living generously, seeking compassion, acting kindly, and knowing contentment come alive for our students. Next steps in the coming weeks and months will include students going live with the middot puppets to introduce Birkat Hamazon after lunch and working on a text-to-symbol version of a Birkon (a document with the words of the prayer said after meals).

Ultimately, we will have an interactive, experiential, intergenerational culmination of the whole program on March 23rd. Save the date! We look forward to sharing the lessons that our students uncover and we will be inviting all of you to that special event here at CJDS where we’ll share it all!  
Shabbat Shalom,
Susan & Yehudit
UPCOMING EVENTS
DECEMBER
Sat. 12/9: CJDS Shir Shirim Choir performance, German Village Meeting Haus 7:00pm
Sun. 12/10 CJDS Shir Shirim Choir performance, German Village Meeting Haus 4:00pm
Tue. 12/12 - 12/20 Hanukkah
Wed. 12/13: The CJDS Ketzev Dance Club Performance at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium 6:00pm
Fri. 12/15 All School Kabbalat Shabbat Hanukkah Theme 1:30*-2:20 p.m. * NOTE: EARLY START TIME
Mon. 12/25 - Fri.1/5 Winter Break NO SCHOOL OFFICES CLOSED

JANUARY
Mon. 1/8 Classes Resume
Fri. 1/12 All School Kabbalat Shabbat Tzedakah Club Leading 1:40-2:20 p.m.
Mon. 1/15 MLK Day NO SCHOOL OFFICES CLOSED
Fri. 1/26 All School Kabbalat Shabbat 4th Grade Leading 1:40-2:20 p.m.
Wed. 1/31 Tu B’Shevat
Wed. 1/31 Parent/Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:00 p.m.
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
Pictured below: This week during Kabbalat Shabbat, we learned about Joseph and his family dynamics in Parashat Vayeshev. Several CJDS Families joined us to share their methods for family conflict resolution.
Pictured below: Mr. Angelo played the role of Joseph during Kabbalat Shabbat.
Pictured below: Kindergarten General Studies teacher, Farryl Briston has been out on maternity leave. This week, she came to school for a visit with her new baby!!! Samelia had fun meeting the First Graders.
Pictured below: Our students always enjoy Environmental Education, especially when there is tasting involved!
Pictured below: The 4th graders are working on plantings for the CJDS tower garden. The tower garden will use an advanced form of hydroponics called aeroponics. A eroponics is the process of growing plants in an air or mist environment rather than soil. Aeroponic systems use water, liquid nutrients and a soilless growing medium to quickly and efficiently grow more colorful, tastier, better smelling and incredibly nutritious produce.
INSPIRED INTEGRATION
Pictured below: The CJDS 3D printer was put to good use this week, we made dreidels! Come and see our creations next week during our All School Kabbalat Shabbat Hanukkah Theme!
PROFESSIONAL POST
Pictured below: Rabbi Matt Berkowitz
Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz,
Director of Israel Programs, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Schocken Institute and Co-Director and Mentor, Teacher Institute for the Arts
 
I have visited many day schools before. But rarely do I ever feel a sense of hitlahavut (passion for Jewish learning), menschlikhkeit, and worldliness combined into one curriculum and one school. CJDS is a treasure of a day school. You are working magic on so many levels -- Jewishly, environmentally, and most importantly you are creating thinking, engaged kids who love their Jewish identity and ask important questions. I left CJDS with tears in my eyes -- filled with optimism for the future of the Jewish people. The Columbus Jewish community has a treasure in CJDS, Susan and Yehudit and in the entire faculty and community. You have an admirer in Jerusalem now.
LIFECYCLES AT CJDS
Mi Sh'berach. When a member of the CJDS family is ill or in need of healing, the entire community lends its support and its prayers for a full and complete recovery. 

Bradley Rothbaum ( Benyamin Eitan) CJDS Alumni Class of 2016.

Shanna Lipp (CJDS 5th grade General Studies Faculty). We wish Shanna r’fuah shlemah as she recovers from a medical procedure.
Mazal Tov! to the JCC New Albany Preschool for being named the #1 Best Day Care or Preschool in Columbus! Pictured here, Sheri Gittins, New Albany ECS Director . Read more about the award here .
Mazal Tov! to Ian Mansur on becoming a Bar Mitzvah last weekend at Temple Beth Shalom.
CJDS Tribute Cards.
CJDS Tribute Cards provide a thoughtful and caring gift for everyone. The income generated by every purchase enhances a child's educational experience at CJDS. You can get the All-Occasion pack year-round. It includes five pre-printed memorial cards and five pre-printed special event cards for only $90. You can also make an individual tribute gift and we will send a Tribute card to the recipient. Tribute cards require seven business days for delivery.
TZEDAKAH UPDATE
We're collecting coats and winter gear for
KIPP Columbus is having a Coat Drive! As you can see by these smiles, the winter gear is most certainly bringing joy to KIPP students.

Several KIPPsters are still in need, and  you can help.

Drop-off items to CJDS  - Bring new or gently-used winter coats, gloves, hats, and scarves.
  • Needed sizes: ALL SIZES NEEDED Youth XS to Adult XXL
Address for drop-off: Columbus Jewish Day School 150 East Granville Road, New Albany, OH 43054
The collection of Personal Care and Beauty product waste along with Oral Hygiene product waste continues to be an important Tzedakah Club initiative at CJDS! 

We are encouraging our school community to NOT throw away any of these items! Please send them in with your student or drop them off at CJDS! These readily and often used items are collected and sent to TerraCycle by Tzedakah Club.  TerraCycle reuses, recycles, or upcycles these items. Additionally, TerraCycle "pays" us per item and the money "earned" gives us the opportunity to make a difference in the world! The money CJDS collects is then donated by Tzedakah Club to non-profit organizations that help our planet and its people in countless ways!  

We look forward to updating you in the future with news of how much we have collected and to which non-profit organizations we have made contributions!! 

DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS
How to help: CJDS students are collecting Tzedekah money for The National Red Cross to support disaster relief efforts around the world.
CJDS IN THE CITY
JCC Gallery Players presents: OLIVER!
Pick a night and enjoy our local talent.

Featuring CJDS Community Members:
Rose Clubok (CJDS 2016) as Spider
Georgia Fried (CJDS 2016) as Handwalker
Stella Fried (CJDS 2013) as one of the Workhouse Orphans
Zeke Moses (CJDS 2nd Grade) as Nipper
Benny Zelkowicz (CJDS 1st Grade Parent) as Bill Sykes

Performances
December 9th at 8:00pm
December 10th at 2:30pm
December 14th at 7:30pm
December 16th at 8:00pm
December 17th at 2:30pm
The CJDS Choir will join the Village Singers as they proudly present, "JOY"
Sat., Dec 9th at 7pm
Sun, Dec 10th at 4pm

Tickets are $10

Concert will be held at:
The German Village Meeting Haus
588 S. 3rd St.
Columbus, Ohio 43215
JCC J-Reach, Marc Rossio and the CJDS Israeli Dance Club "KETZEV" will perform at the Columbus Zoo at 6:00pm on Wednesday, December 13!
KESHER><CONNECTION
Pictured here: Todah Rabah to our Parents & Grandparents who enjoy serving lunch!
Many thanks to our volunteer Hot Lunch Coordinator, Steve Shkolink, and all the parents, grandparents and volunteers who so generously dedicate their time to make our school lunch program a success.

Please use the link below to volunteer for a shift (or two!):

If you have any questions, please contact Steve directly at  steve@lgrrealty.com  or on his cell phone at  614-530-0015 .
Click on each of the active links below to learn more!


Click right now to help CJDS earn money while you shop:
FREE Logo Promotion from Lands' End
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Promo Code: LOGOS
PIN: 4276
Valid November 30, 2017 to December 29, 2017
*REMINDER: If you purchase 3 or more polos, you save $3 each (youth) or $5 each (adult). This savings opportunity can be combined with the FREE LOGO promotion.
 
Lands' End provides rewards back to Columbus Jewish Day School for all school apparel purchases, so be sure to shop using the link below:
 
EVENTS IN & AROUND COLUMBUS
Click on each of the images below to learn more!
Click on the Stained Glass Cookie image below for Hanukkah activities, recipes and a printable Hanukkah card from PJ Library!
Click on this image for the Stained Glass Hanukkah Cookie Recipe.
Blood Drive at the JCC College Ave. – Wednesday, December 13th.
Please come Wednesday, December 13th, to the JCC between 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm to give the “Gift of Life”. You can arrange an appointment HERE
CJDS: The story of your child's creation.