Upcoming Events



• Friday, December 2 - Saturday, December 3 - Senior Shabbaton

• Tuesday, December 6 - Mr. Yaakov HaGoel, Chairman of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization (parents are invited), 2 pm

• Tuesday, December 6 - Next ICJA boys' Night Seder, 8pm at the Skokie Kollel (This is a weekly event on Tuesday evenings.)

• Thursday, December 8 - Next ICJA boys' Mishmar, 8pm at the Skokie Kollel (This is a weekly event on Thursday evenings.)

• Sunday, December 11 - ICGC Bat Mitzvah 7:45pm (see flyer below)

• Friday, December 16 - Pep Rally 9th period

• Monday, December 19 - Sunday, January 1 - Winter Break - no classes (Chanukah begins the evening of Sunday, December 18 and concludes the evening of Monday, December 26.)

• Monday, January 2 - Classes Resume

• Tuesday, January 3 - Asara B'Tevet - early dismissal 2:30pm

Last Sunday, nearly 300 ICJA alumni came together in Jerusalem to reconnect and celebrate our school.

Last Sunday evening, November 27, nearly 300 ICJA alumni gathered together in the beautiful Nefesh B'Nefesh campus in Jerusalem to meet old friends and hear about ICJA through the years and today.

Participants heard a stirring keynote speech by Rabbi Berel Wein '50 and watched our exciting new video celebrating our school's 80th anniversary. (We will be showing this video for the first time outside the Israel Reunion on the final night of Chanukah IY"H.) Alumni enjoyed a delicious dinner together, and reonnected with friends old and new.

It was an amazing evening of ruach and excitement for our alumni.

Students are posting their favorite quotes from Shmuel Aleph on Instagram.

Sophomores in Mrs. Olivia Friedman's Navi class are putting a modern spin on their learning: while studying Sefer Shmuel Alef, they're also keeping specially-created Instagram accounts where they share and discuss perekim that they particularly enjoy.

Pictured above: Yardana Schayer and Sarah Levitt

Pictured above: a post by Yardana Schayer and Sarah Levitt

Pictured above: a post by Simcha Seruya

Pictured above: Simcha Seruya

Students acted out key scenes ferom a short story.

After reading the story Marriage is a Private Affair by Chinua Achebe, some sophomores in Mrs. Tirza Kahan's English class acted out a key scene in which characters living in Lagos discuss whether or not they would be willing to marry someone from a different ethnic tribe. The scene raised many questions and sparked a lively discussion.

Pictured above: Eliana Ebert, Avi Chen and Zehava Piltz acting out a scene

Students are gaining new insights into Parashat עֵ֣קֶב.

Juniors in Rabbi Shmuel Oren's are learning Parshat עֵ֣קֶב with multiple perushim. Rabbi Oren found an accessible metaphor to explain Rashi's comments that Hashem is asking b'nei Israel to fully perform mitzvot: "don't just pitch one inning, pitch all seven!"

Pictured above: Rabbi Oren answering a question

Pictured above: Gabe Klein and Joey Levy

Students signed up for committees to help create the March 15, 2023 showcase of girls' talent.

On Wednesday, November 30, female students got to sign up for committees for this year's ICJA Takes the Stage, scheduled for March 15. This year's theme is "Once Upon A Story - דַּע, מֵאַיִן בָּאתָ וּלְאָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ".

Once again, Ms. Talia Molotsky is directing the show. "Our goal is to allow each girl to show off things that are special about them and what makes them who they are (from hobbies, something that is valuable to them, to even their favorite color) through their outfits, choir, and dance! We are so excited to get started!!"

Pictured above: seniors Emma Felix, Danielle Cohen, Carmel Schreiber, Danielle Cohen and Charli Ernstein

Pictured above: Ms. Talia Molotsky with seniors Jordyn Baker and Audrey Perlman

Pictured above: students signing up for committees

Pictured above: Senior Dena Simon explaining the Photography Committee to students

Adora Namigadde from WBEZ Chicago visited ICJA and answered students' question about a career in journalism.

On Wednesday, November 30, Adora Namigadde from WBEZ Chicago, our city's NPR station, visited students in Dr. Gavi Brown's New Media class. Ms. Namigadde talked about her own career path and answered students' questions about entering the field of journalism.

Students asked about how newsrooms work, what background journalists need, salaries and current trends in the industry.

Students and fathers davened together at

Chabad of Highland Park

On many Sunday mornings, some students in Rabbi Fliegelman's freshman boys' Talmud class, along with some fathers, meet at different Chicago-area synagogues to daven together, then share a breakfast and divrei Torah. Last Sunday, November 17, fathers and sons met at Chabad of Highland Park.

Pictured above: Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz, Rabbi Louis Fliegelman, Mr. Lev Katz, Mr. Avi Weberman, Aaron Katz, Josh Miller, Mr. David Miller, Dr. Mike Gelb, Eli Gelb, Jesse Goldberg, the Hon. Mitchell Goldberg

This week, freshmen learned how to use gel electrophoresis and explored real-life uses for this technology.

This week, freshmen in Mrs. Beth Pogonitz's and Mrs. Ruth Gleicher's Biology classes learned how to use gel electrophoresis to identify DNA.

They were given a class assignment that mirrored real world uses for this technology: identifying from which poached elephants recovered tusks were taken. Students inserted DNA elephant tusks into gel, as well as DNA samples from three different elephants in the next 3 lanes, then passed electric currents through the samples, separating DNA and allowing it to be identified.

"The students were able to determine that the recovered tusks were taken from Elephant 3 (farthest right lane) because the DNA bands from elephant 3 matched the DNA bands from the tusks." - Mrs. Beth Pogonitz

Pictured above: Mina Brandes

Pictured above: students loaded 5 lanes in each gel with different DNA samples - the first lane (farthest left) is the DNA ladder, from which the students know how many base pairs are present in each DNA fragment in the test

Pictured above: Jack Marshall

Pictured above: Yair Bell and Yoshi Bernstein

On Wednesday evening, November 30, the Varsity Aces triumphed over Christo Rey - our new Sports Media Club was there, providing commentary.

On Wednesday evening, November 30, the Varsity Aces triumphed over Crystal Rey by an astonishing 90-16.

ICJA's new Media Club broadcast color commentary for the game! Yasher koach to junior Sam Gorenstein and senior Ilan Blumenthal for announcing the game, and to junior Yona Rubin, who is leading the club.

Aces Wrestling won its first match of the season.

The Ida Crown Wrestling Team competed against Maine East and Northridge Prep on Wednesday evening, November 30. 

Against Northridge, Junior Dory Marshall (182) led the way for the Aces with a first period pin. Junior Gabriel Klein (106), Senior Captain Menachem Reed (113), and Ari Klein (120) also contributed wins. Ultimately, the more experienced Northridge squad prevailed, 54-24.

Against Maine East, every member of the Ida Crown squad notched at least one win. Senior Captains Sam Gurvich (145) and Avi Zeller (152) earned their first wins of the season. Senior Menachem Reed, Senior Captain Moshe Osgood (126), juniors Ari Klein and Gabriel Klein, and Sophomore Avner Frazin (132) all won their matches. Freshman Michael Matveyev (132) scored a first period fall, while Junior rookie Jacob Friedman (138) claimed his first career victory. Senior Phillip Maiman (160) and Junior Millo Benmelech (170) pinned their respective opponents in the first period. Junior Dory Marshall capped off the night with a pair of victories. Overall, Ida Crown won its first match of the season, 66-18.

The Aces return to action next Monday with their first home match against New Trier and Rickover Naval Academy.

Pictured above: senior Avi Zeller after his victory

This week we caught up with ICJA's popular Science teacher Mr. Jonathan Keller and asked him a few questions about himself.

Where did you grow up? And where do you live now?

I grew up in Toronto, Canada and moved to Chicago in 2010 when my wife got into John Marshall Law school. I was working as a paint chemist, but I followed my wife to America whether she liked it or not!

What made you decide to become a science teacher?

A chemist often has to do many tedious tasks at a very fast pace. I was getting tired of doing this and really wanted my own lab where I could play and share fascinating things with other people. A Science teacher gets to have their own lab and do crazy things all in the name of teaching. I can't think of anything more fun than that and to top it all off, I would get paid to do this so after a few years of working for industry I went back to school and got my teaching degree. 

What is your favorite part of working at ICJA?

I obviously like teaching and having fun with the students, and I really like the people working at the school. There are so many people with so many different personalities and all of them are amazing people. It really helps when you have the people you work with all wanting the same thing you do which is to have students succeed in our school. 

What is a favorite ICJA memory?

When you work at Ida Crown, you get used to the unexpected. Playing soccer with my AP Chemistry students or laser tagging each year. Or all the trips including Camp Chi. Or maybe it was having remote control boat races in a kids' swimming pool and then have the pool spill all over Rabbi Matanky who was just trying to help clean up the mess. So many things happen each year, it's hard to recount but I'm amazed how many memories happen because my career is teaching high school kids. 

My best memory is from my initial days at Ida Crown. I had so much support. I would go Mrs. Pederson's and Mrs. Wasserstrom's class and see what great teaching really was. When I had questions, and they were many, they and the rest of the math department would help me no matter what the problem was. After a few weeks, I realized that the people I work with all support me and want me to succeed and were willing to work with me to make that happen. That initial memory at Ida Crown has really stuck with me. 

Is there anything most people don’t know about you that you’d like to share?

My last job before coming to Ida Crown involved a 3-hour bike ride to the job site and then another 3 hours for the return. I didn't have a car at the time and the train-bus route took just as long as biking, so I biked and listed to music each day. Not only did I become a big Radiohead fan, but I also started doing triathlons with a goal of doing an Iron Man.

Yasher koach to Dr. Gavriel Brown on his latest article in The Prizma Journal.

This week, Assistant Dean Dr. Gavriel Brown's article "How Should Teachers Talk About Their Incomes?" was published in the prestigious Jewish educational periodical The Prizma Journal. Dr. Brown considers the role that hearing teachers talk about salary plays in forming high schoolers' career choices.

If we are honest and passionate about our life choices with our students, we may just plant the right seed for a new crop of teachers a decade later. 

Click here to read Dr. Brown's important article.

Watch home games in ICJA's gym from the comfort of your own home with the "Zaidy Cam".

The Zaidy Robert Berezin, z"l Court Cam allows fans to watch games taking place in ICJA's gym. This week's Varsity Aces game against Crystal Rey was the first time that ICJA's new Media Club provided live commentary on the Zaidy Cam.

To watch the Zaidy Cam during game, click here.

Watch this year's Open House video

for prospective students - and share it with people you know who'd like to learn more about ICJA!

• Shaalvim - December 7, 5th/6th periods
• Hakotel - December 12th, 5th/6th periods
• Mechina Keshet Yehuda - December 14, breakfast

Tuesday, the 5th of Kislev, 5783, November 29, 2022, by Zahava and Jason Miller in loving memory of Rabbi Harold Fefferman, z"l רב צבי בן אברהם יצחק

For more information or to sponsor a day of learning, please contact our Director of Development, Deva Zwelling, at (773) 973-1450 ext. 115, or dzwelling@icja.org.

Be sure to pick up your updated ICJA Learning Commons passwords to access books and journals online!

In addition to many thousands of physical books and journals, ICJA's Learning Commons contains tens of thousands of online books, journal articles and other resources, including subscriptions to newspapers such as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the Encyclopedia Britannica, and more.  Students are able to access these resources through our portal.

Please stop by our librarian Mrs. Steinberg's desk in the Learning Commons or email her at  librarian@icja.org her to pick up your updated passwords to access our online material. ICJA's subscriptions are available at icja.libguides.com/home.

Charlotte's Web is funded by a grant from The Susan and Joseph Ament Fund.

Student Internship Opportunities

The YU Torah Mitzion Kollel is looking to hire 2 interns: one to help with program logistics and general office work and one for technology.

Program Logistics Intern

Responsibilities include: grocery shopping for events, ordering food for events, and stuffing envelopes for mailings. The work will be on an as needed basis, generally requiring no more than 2 hours on any given week.

Intern will report directly to the Director of Operations, who will meet with the intern periodically to explain assignments.  

Intern must have access to a vehicle.

Technology intern

Responsibilities include: Editing Audio and video clips, uploading media to Youtube and Podcasts, possibly some data entry. This position will include approximately 1 hour of tasks per week.

Intern will report directly to the Director of Operations, who will meet with the intern periodically to explain assignments.  

Familiarity with any form of editing software a plus but not required.

For more information or to apply, please contact Tracy Schultz, Director of Operations, admin@torahchicago.org

Last summer, ICJA gave its Class of '22 alumni the second edition of our directory listing ICJA alumni who live in Israel and have graciously offered to open their homes to recent ICJA grads who are currently spending a gap year in Israel.

Thank you to the many alumni who have reached out to us, offering to host.

The directory was sent out to the emails of '22 grads that we have on file. If you have any questions or would like to update our contact information to help recent ICJA grads obtain a copy, please contact Dr. Yvette Miller, ICJA Director of Communications, at ymiller@icja.org.

We are still taking submissions from alumni who are willing to host, to include in future copies of this directory. Please contact Dr. Miller to be included.