Ma Koreh   /What’s Happening?
Weekly CJDS Newsletter
"Not Your Father's Cadillac"
D’var Kesher from the Head of School, Dr. Tali Zelkowicz
November 17, 2017/ 28 Heshvan 5778
Parashat Toldot, Genesis/Bereshit 25:19-28:9
A month ago, from “the balcony,” I promised you that I would report back after representing CJDS at what is probably the second largest annual gathering of Jews in North America: the General Assembly. It’s a gathering of thousands of Jewish Federation professional and lay leaders from all over North America.
But this year something historic took place. For the first time ever, JFNA leaders collaborated with Prizmah: the Center for Jewish Day Schools, to craft a day long symposium to reexamine and relaunch the relationship between Jewish Day Schools and Jewish Federations. It took place this past Tuesday November 14, and was held in my home of 19 years, Los Angeles. The program, which you can take a look at here, was called, “Banim u’Vonim - Children and Builders: A Day School Conversation.”
My role in the program was to describe to the 120 or so Jewish Federation executives and lay leaders, Day School heads, teachers and board members, funders, researchers, and community and organizational leaders of all kinds who were present that, “Today’s Day School is Not Your Father’s Cadillac.” In short, my job was to explain what’s changed about Jewish life (I shared “8 hot messes”) and, consequently, what needs to change about Jewish Day Schools (I identified 3 ways they need to change).

I cannot tell you how proud I was to report to all of them that Columbus Jewish Day School has been the first to lead the way in finding fresh, new storytelling tools to describe the power and potential of Jewish day schools. For the majority of North American Jews for whom Jewish Day Schools are still a foreign idea: at best exotic, and at worst scary, alien creatures.

Actually, Jewish day schools are more like hybrids, bringing together unlikely sources of energy, creatively interweaving American secular and Jewish values in meaningful ways to equip our youth (and their families) for our very complex world.

Today's young Jewish families need progressive Jewish education to be addressing the central dilemma of what’s joyful and also what's hard about being Jewish in America . Because there’s lots of both. We want to celebrate our beautiful heritage and we want to inhabit secular American life fully. We want both/and. That is not a simple endeavor. And this core conversation shouldn’t be a taboo, it should be our opener!

We can help people explore safely and creatively: What are you struggling with? What are you working on as a Jewish family?
Is it soccer and ballet on Friday nights? Is it whether to wear Jewish symbols in public? Is it about whether or how to believe in God? Is it Halloween?
Here’s a great example of a day school I’ve visited several times that does not have these taboos. Every Oct 31, the school librarian juxtaposes a selection of Halloween books right alongside Jewish books about demons, goblins, and maziks (harmful spirits) from Jewish tradition. Having heard countless other day school heads proudly announce, “Oh, we don’t do Halloween at our school, we are a safe haven from the outside world ,” I was shocked to hear her tell me, matter-of-factly, “All of our students, and all of our faculty’s kids go trick or treating, so it would be pretty silly to pretend this is not part of their reality, right? It would be like making them check a part of themselves at the door before they come in. So, better to open it up to conversation and talk about the conflicts, similarities, values, right?”

I share this one example neither as a critique nor as a promotion of Halloween, but rather as only one example of thousands of ways we could be beginning the conversation about the purpose of Jewish day school.

I concluded by reading everyone a story. It’s a story that was written by a day school (us!) that has spent the last 8 months trying to speak in a new voice. An authentic voice. A voice that tries to account for and address the ways Jewish life has changed and is changing. A voice that aspires to open the conversation about Jewish day school by sharing not what we do, but first, why we exist…
So on a giant screen, I read to them Columbus Jewish Day School’s brand new view-book , which you are encouraged to share widely as well! I had no idea how it would be received, but now I know. They were blown away. They loved that it speaks with a fresh, new voice. Not defensive, not anxious. A voice that cares about the challenges and hopes of today’s youth and their families. Over a hundred Jewish professionals and lay leaders, funders, and researchers went to home to Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, LA, Boston, San Francisco, Akron, Norfolk, VA, and a host of other cities, talking about CJDS’ new voice.

And we will go live for the first time locally, here in Columbus, this Sunday at our Open House, 1:30-4:30pm. Join us, and invite other to join us, in writing the story of your child’s creation. 

With excitement for what’s to come, I know I am entering Thanksgiving next week filled with gratitude for so much, starting with all of you!

Wishing you a warm Shabbat shalom!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Click on the image above to see a full calendar of events.
NOVEMBER
Sun. 11/19 CJDS Open House 1:30-4:30 pm
Wed. 11/22- Fri. 11/24 Thanksgiving Break NO SCHOOL OFFICES CLOSED

DECEMBER
Fri. 12/8 All School Kabbalat Shabbat 1:40-2:20 p.m.
Tue. 12/12 - 12/20 Hanukkah
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
CJDS OPEN HOUSE
THIS SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 19th
1:30 p.m.
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
Community Day and the
CJDS Gratitude Concert
Pictured above: We welcomed our special guests for Community Day!
Pictured above: The Fourth graders created vision boards for Community Day, exploring ways to nourish the body, the mind and the spirit.
Pictured above: The exciting debut of the CJDS Dance Club where they showed off their moves to the Israeli folk song, "Nolad'ti L'Shalom"
Pictured Above: The Gratitude Concert, featuring Cantor Bat-Ami Moses, Marc Rossio, Angelo Dunlap and Chad Greenwald.
Pictured above: Dr. Z. Welcomes Elliott Mendes (Director of Development for the Jewish Federation of Columbus and Will Schneider (Director of Advancement for PJ Library), who came to CJDS to meet with our Leadership Team as part of his visit to Columbus to speak at the dedication of the PJ Library Room (the first of it's kind in the country) at Beth Tikvah Synagogue.
INSPIRED INTEGRATION
Kindergarteners created their own Havadalah Besamim with herbs from the CJDS Tea Garden.
PROFESSIONAL POST
Pictured here: Ariana Solomon, wonderful teacher in the 3-year old Moon Room at the JCC New Albany Preschool, shared the following reflection with us this week:

"CJDS is such a unique community that brings together diversity, inclusivity and dedication to the Jewish community and education!"
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.
Mazal Tov!
Mazal Tov to Cantor Malachi Kanfer , son of CJDS Jewish Studies Teacher Yehudit Kanfer , who was installed as the Cantor of Congregation B'nai Jacob in Woodbridge, CT.
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
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. Pictured here, students are learning about current natural disasters and relief efforts going to international Red Cross. 
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 2nd at 8:00pm
December 3rd at 2:30pm
December 7th at 7:30pm
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
KESHER><CONNECTION
Pictured here: Our first Parent Meeting of the Year!
Many thanks to our lunch supervisor, Steve Shkolink , parents, grandparents and all the volunteers who have so generously dedicated their time to make our school lunch program a success. There are still many slots that need to be filled through rest of the year. 

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:
EVENTS IN & AROUND COLUMBUS
Click on each of the images below to learn more!
Many Schools Educate Children for a Changing World.
CJDS Educates Children Who Will Change the World.