Mazal tov to Annabelle Glick and Solje Elia and their families on their joint Bat Mitzvah celebration on Thursday morning during a women's Tefillah! We are honored that you shared your Simcha with us.
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January 15, 2020
Volume 17, Issue 9
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Candle Lighting: 4:25 p.m.
Parasha: Va'eira
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Lessons Learned from Children
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by Carla Goldberg
“We’re building a better world, one person at a time.” This is a beautiful song that we love in our preschool and Kindergarten. It really resonated with us this past week as we learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We have been reading a lot of books about Martin Luther King and his dream for the world. The Upstairs Preschool class and the Kindergarten class watched a portion of his "I have a dream." We have had difficult and important discussions with the children about what it means to treat each other with respect, to honor our differences, and to use our voices in a peaceful way to stand up for ourselves and each other.
As a staff we discussed that is is really difficult to have these conversations right now, with all of the uncertainty in the world, and that, nevertheless, this is the most important time to talk about it with our children. The children are our future, and we feel a great responsibility to help shape children, who will be active citizens in the world and contribute in a positive way.
In having these conversations, the children focused a lot on the environment and what we can do to make the world a better place. Here are some of the Kindergarten students' words:
"By cleaning up and love" - Moshe
"By not littering" - Tirzah
"Cleaning up the town." - Miryam
"Planting and making a beautiful world." - Archer
"By making it more beautiful." - Autumn
"By giving people food if they are hungry." - Annika
"By being together in sunshine." - Sammy
"Making people feel happy by giving them goody bags." - Brayden
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We discussed how we should use kind words with each other, that we should use our voices in a peaceful way to share how we feel, and that we shouldn't hurt each other. Our youngest students in the Downstairs Blue Room painted beautiful watercolor cards that will be distributed to the residents at Montgomery Place in Hyde Park, seniors who can't get out much because of Covid-19 restrictions. This is the message the children chose to put on each card: "We painted some colorful pictures for you. We hope they make you warm and happy. Love, your neighbors from the Downstairs Blue Room at Akiba-Schechter Preschool."
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In the spirit of Martin Luther King Day, the children in the Downstairs Blue Room created beautiful cards with their paintings. Here Jacob shows off his.
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As always, spending time in our classrooms with the children, and walking the hallways and seeing their incredible artwork and reading their profound words, brightens my day. It brings me hope for the future.
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This week we also held a Bat Mitzvah at Akiba for two of our students, Annabelle and Solje. It was a beautiful, joyful and thoughtful celebration in a time when it is difficult to find ways to celebrate together. Thank you to Annabelle and Solje for sharing all that they have studied with us and for bringing us safely together.
We will be off this Monday, January 18, in observance of Martin Luther King Day. We look forward to performing Mitzvot (good deeds) in our communities in future years when it is safe to do that.
Shabbat Shalom!
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School under COVID-19 - For Your Reference
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What Should We Be Thankful For?
by Rabbi David Bauman, Head of Judaic Studies and Community Engagement
The events last week in Washington D.C. left many asking, “What are we grateful for?” This week our Parsha, Va’era, teaches us a phenomenal lesson about indebtedness. It emerges from one small disparity in the biblical text. At the start of the Plague of Blood, God sends Moses to warn Pharaoh:
“ … I shall strike the water in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood.” (7:15-17)
But when the plague happens, it is Aaron, not Moses, who is instructed to strike the river:
“Say to Aaron: Take your rod and hold out your arm over the waters of Egypt... that they may turn to blood. (7:19)
Why does Aaron strike the Nile instead of Moses? Rashi comments: “Since the Nile protected Moses when he was cast into it, it was not struck by him, not with the plague of blood nor with frogs, but instead was struck by Aaron.”
Similarly, the plague of lice, in which the dust of the earth is transformed into lice:
“It was not right for the earth to be struck by Moses seeing that it had protected him when he killed the Egyptian (taskmaster) and buried him in the sand (see 2:12). Therefore, it was struck by Aaron.” (Rashi 8:13)
In other words, it would be inappropriate for Moses to strike the river that saved his life, to cause harm to the earth that protected him. When something has bestowed blessings upon us we should acknowledge that goodness.
Now, this perspective is remarkable. I can appreciate that we are indebted and thankful to human beings who have expended effort, care and attention, extending kindness to us. But should I be thankful to the chair I sit on, to the car which I drive? Should we extend our gratitude and appreciation even to inanimate objects? Please discuss over Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom!
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On Thursday, the Kindergarteners watched Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and then they illustrated their own dreams for themselves and for the world.
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The Upstairs Preschool read the book The Colors of Us and then the children mixed different colored paints to make their own paint matched to their skin tone.
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This week, our Teva Means Nature class built nests with materials the children found in the park. Then they tested the nests with egg shakers to make sure they would hold up.
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In a project led by Heather Waitzman, 1st/2nd graders created stunning artworks inspired by Israeli sculptor and artist Yaacov Agam. More of their gorgeous on our Facebook page.
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First and 2nd graders have been learning about North America. They chose a country to research and then put together a collage to present their learnings. On Monday, Estella taught them about her home country of Mexico. We are fortunate to have her in our community!
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Morah Dorit's 5th/6th grade Hebrew class has been busy making vocabulary games.
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In Humanities, the 7th/8th graders spent the month of December reading and performing William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Students explored the meaning of the language through sketch quotes, a technique of selecting typography, images, and structure to articulate the deeper meaning of a quote.
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8 Questions for an 8th Grader
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In each issue of the Kibitzer, we feature one of our 8th graders. In this edition, it is Tomer Goldberg:
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Since when have you been at Akiba? I've been at Akiba since Kindergarten.
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What neighborhood do you live in? I live in Skokie, right next to Evanston.
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What do you hope to accomplish in 8th grade? How is being an 8th grader different from your previous grades at Akiba? I hope to be able to get good grades, and being an 8th grader isn't that much different from other grades.
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What is your favorite subject at Akiba? My favorite subject in school is math, right next to art.
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What do you think is special about Akiba? What do you particularly like and why? I think Akiba is special because each teacher has a direct relationship with each student, and I like it because when I need help, I always get the help I need.
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If you have had your bar mitzvah or are preparing for it, what did you learn from it? I learned from my bar mitzvah that reading from the Torah is hard, and I have a lot more respect for people who do that.
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When you’re not at school or doing homework, what do you like to do (hobbies, special interests)? I like to play with Magic, the Gathering cards and build with Legos.
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What do you want to be when you grow up? I kind of want to code websites and/or games.
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The Akiba community spirit carried on over winter break: On December 27, the PTO hosted a family cooking Zoom event, led by Akiba mom Merav Benson. They made Emereti Khachapuri - a Georgian cheese bread. Delicious!
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A Child of the Ghetto
Join us to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day as Ben Garber recounts his time as a child of the Wilno (Vilna) Ghetto:
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. CST
This event will be held in Miriam Kass's Zoom room.
Ben Garber is the Director Emeritus of the Children's Grief Center at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. He will share his story of life in the Wilno Ghetto, including the creation of the ghetto, his time in hiding, and his liberation.
This event is open to everyone and recommended for middle school students, parents, teachers, alumni, and community members. Parents should use their discretion for children younger than middle school.
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Our Monday, January 4, Day of Learning was sponsored by Larry White.
Our Friday, January 7, Day of Learning was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Shlomo Moscovits, Z"L, beloved grandfather of Lilac and Zohar Marcus on the occasion of his yahrzeit.
Our Thursday, January 14, Rosh Chodesh Programming was sponsored by Grandma Sherry Glick in honor of Annabelle Glick and Solje Elia on the occasion of their joint Bat Mitzvah celebration.
Our Friday, January 15, Day of Learning was sponsored by Marilee "Mormor" Wein in honor of the B'not Mitzvah of Solje Elia and Annabelle Glick.
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Winter Clothes, Please!
Just a gentle reminder that we do still go out for recess, so please be sure to send your children to school with winter clothes, i.e. a warm coat, hat, gloves and boots.
Automatic Re-Enrollment Is Happening Now
See our email notification for further info. Deadline is January 29 for any changes.
Thanks for Commenting on our Facebook Posts
It sure helps in nurturing a sense of community when we can gather in person. So please keep it up!
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Monday, January 18
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
No School
Wednesday, January 27
A Child of the Ghetto
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
via Miriam's Zoom room
More info here and above.
Thursday, January 28
Tu B'Shvat (Jewish New Year of the Trees)
School in Session
Friday, January 29
Re-Enrollment Deadline
See email notification for further info.
Monday, February 15
Presidents Day
No School
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Affiliated with the Associated Talmud Torahs and supported by the Kehillah Jewish Education Fund
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