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KOL ECHAD | Weekly Newsletter
April 11, 2024
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Long Live the Hebrew Language!
By Karin Koskas
Israel, Judaism, and everything we hold dear as a people are under attack. The Jewish people haven’t gone through an experience like this in our lifetimes. At a time like this, the eternity and resilience of the Hebrew language is an example and an inspiration to us all.
Hebrew is the only language in the world that has died and was revived after 2,000 years. It is also the language through which we strengthen our Jewish connection and identity.
Hebrew is the people’s language (שפת עם) and not merely a mother tongue (שפת אם) or a second language. It is the basis for Jewish identity, the language that unifies us, defines us, and gives us the strength of deep roots and the reach of stately branches.. Without the Hebrew language, we would lose our connection to the State of Israel and there would be a great division within the Jewish people. A consciousness of the Hebrew language strengthens our connection to Judaism and the Land of Israel.
Hebrew is not merely a communication tool; it is much deeper. Hebrew is the language through which the world was created! Moreover, Hebrew has been the language of our people for over 3,000 years.
Hebrew is not neutral or inert; it packs a charge of emotion, spirit, and energy. It is lashon hakodesh, the holy tongue, each word of which packs within it a “spiritual explosion.” In the past, whoever knew how to read and write Hebrew was considered the rabbinic and intellectual elite.
In our times, the Hebrew language is a living and flourishing language. In the Hebrew Bible, there are approximately 8,000 words, and today there are some 80,000 words, a tenfold increase since biblical times.
In the early years of the state, the World Congress of Yiddish Culture petitioned for official status for Yiddish. David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, replied: “It concerns me that you don’t appreciate the full dimensions of the historic revolution that is taking place here. Hebrew is the cultural cement, just as the land is the physical cement and independence is the political cement of the revitalized Jewish nation.” (Natan Efrati, “Hebrew Through the Prism of the State”).
The tenacity of those who revived the Hebrew language points the way forward for the Jewish people today, both in Israel and here in the Diaspora. In the words of the rabbis, “אין דבר העומד בפני הרצון - Nothing can stand in the way of desire.” If we remain true to our history and traditions, there is no force in the world that can defeat us.
Our daily challenge as Hebrew teachers is, through learning and culture, to create a connection between our children and the love of the Hebrew language. Todah rabbah to HaMorah Limor, HaMorah Sharona, HaMorah Margalit, HaMorah Yael, and HaMorah Naama for teaching their students with such love, fun, and dedication!
Below is one small sample of how we taught Hebrew this year at school.
Shabbat shalom,
Karin Koskas
Director of Hebrew and Judaic Studies
HaMorah Limor reports: “Learning Hebrew while using all of our five senses made it an enjoyable process and a great experience! The first grade students fully understood the Hebrew alphabet by using their sense of taste. For example, for the Hebrew letter ט, the teacher used a טoaster and made delicious טoast for the children to enjoy. Surely with the smell that filled the classroom and the taste in their mouths, this memory of learning the letter ט will stay with them forever!”
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Important Dates
Wednesday, April 10 - Friday, April 12
- 5th grade trip to AstroCamp
Friday, April 12
- Fire drill with family reunification, 1:30 pm
Tuesday, April 16
- 4th grade (Ms. Shack) exhibition, 8:30 am
- Rosh Chodesh staff luncheon
Wednesday April 17 - Friday, April 19
- 6th grade trip to Catalina Island
- Passover food drive
Thursday, April 18
- 5th grade exhibition, 2:00 pm
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Passover seder for 2nd-8th grade
Friday, April 19
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Passover seder for Kinder and 1st grade
Monday, April 22 - Friday, May 3
Monday, April 22
Monday, May 6
- School resumes
- Yom HaShoah ceremony, 8:45 am, on the Kadima yard
Tuesday, May 7 - Friday, May 10
- Teacher appreciation week
Wednesday, May 8
Thursday, May 9
Sunday, May 12 - Sunday, May 19
- 8th grade trip to Washington DC and New York
Monday, May 13
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Yom HaZikaron ceremony, 8:45 am, on the Kadima yard
Tuesday, May 14
Monday, May 20 - Friday, May 24
- Standardized testing, 4th-8th grade
Friday, May 24
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Lag BaOmer observed in school
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Elementary and middle school Kabbalat Shabbat and art show, 8:15 am, on the Kadima yard
Monday, May 27
- Memorial Day - School closed
Tuesday, May 28
Wednesday, May 29 - Thursday, May 30
- 4th grade trip to Sacramento
*For the current, 2023-24, school-year calendar, please click HERE.
*For the upcoming, 2024-25, school-year calendar, Please click HERE.
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Reunification Drill - Friday, April 12 | |
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Dear Kadima Families,
To prepare for emergency situations, Kadima Day School practices safety drills each month. In the month of April, we are planning something a little different: a Reunification Drill. The purpose of this drill is to allow our staff members and you to practice the plan we have in place to reunite students with their families at the end of an emergency. Our goal during this upcoming drill is to reunify every student with their parent/guardian as calmly, quickly, and efficiently as possible.
When: Friday, April 12, 2024, 1:30 pm
Reunification (pick-up) will be starting at 1:45 pm
Where: At Kadima
Pickup location for ECEC children: the cafeteria
Pickup location for K-8 students: the south gate of the yard
Be prepared to receive a WhatsApp message from the school when the drill begins. It will say:
Attention! This is a reunification drill. It is not an actual emergency. All students and staff are safe. Please pick up your child today beginning at 1:45.
During the drill, please do not contact the school. We will be busy ensuring your children’s safety and ensuring their safe and efficient transfer to you.
Thank you for your cooperation.
We are asking that parents make special arrangements to pick up their child starting at 1:45 pm.
What exactly is a reunification drill?
It is the process of releasing students to parents/guardians after an on-campus or community-wide emergency situation that prevents students from leaving school under routine processes. (It could also be the process of releasing students to their parents/guardians off campus if the emergency makes it necessary for the campus to be evacuated - but we won’t be practicing that type of reunification this time.)
What is the purpose of this drill?
To allow our staff and our parents to practice our reunification plan. We believe that getting our students back with their families is one of the most important parts of an emergency response.
Please keep in mind the following: Every opportunity will be made to limit the number of phone calls and texts you will receive. Please be sure to have your contact information updated, including names/phone numbers of people who have permission to pick your child up. Please contact the main office in advance if you have updates or questions. (But please don’t contact the school once the drill has begun.)
Please expect dismissal to take longer than on a regular day. We will practice our protocols for checking the identities of each parent/guardian and for reuniting children with their families one at a time.
When the drill has ended, probably at about 3:00, you can expect to receive another WhatsApp message from the school with an update on the status of the drill.
Thank you for your participation and cooperation in helping us practice this essential safety protocol.
The Kadima Team
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Passover Food Drive
Wednesday, April 17, through Friday, April 19
At this time of year, as we are cleaning out our chametz and purchasing Passover food, we think about the less fortunate who don't have enough to eat. We also think about what is stated in the Haggadah: "Let all those who are hungry come and eat."
At Kadima, we also consider those in the Los Angeles community who are in need of food. Therefore, we will be collecting food for SOVA, a Jewish food bank, during our annual Passover food drive.
To participate, please bring a bag filled with non-perishable grocery items, whether kosher or non-kosher for Passover, to be donated to those in need. Bins will be located at drop-off starting Wednesday, April 17, through Friday, April 19, Thank You!
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Yearbook Tributes
You may commemorate your child's achievements or pay tribute to a particular teacher or staff member by placing a tribute ad.
- $25 - one-liner
- $75 - quarter-page
- $125 - half-page
- $250 - full-page
All ads, including photographs, should be emailed to asela@kadimadayschool.org as a print-ready (fully designed and sized accordingly) jpg or pdf file by Wednesday, May 1. Please Click here for the form.
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Yearbook Orders
The Kadima yearbook holds memories that you and your children will cherish for years to come. The 2023-24 yearbook is now available for sale! The cost of each yearbook is $45. There is a limited supply so get your order in today. The deadline to order yearbooks is Monday, May 6.
If you would like to purchase a yearbook, please click here or scan the QR code (Passcode-1016383893841995).
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Top 10 Conversation Starters: Parashat Tazria
By Dr. Steven Lorch
#10 - This week's parashah begins (Vayikra 12, 3) with b'rit milah, the mitzvah to circumcise baby boys when they are eight days old ("וביום השמיני ימול בשר ערלתו"). The identical mitzvah is stated in Parashat Lech L'cha (B'reshit 17, 12), when Avraham is commanded to circumcise his son: "ובן שמונת ימים ימול לכם כל זכר." Why the repetition?
#9 - B'rit milah is considered a very important mitzvah - in the halachah, in Jewish history, and in the popular imagination. Aside from the fact that it's commanded in the Torah (which it shares with many other mitzvot), why is b'rit milah so important?
#8 - Some people claim that circumcision is dangerous and harmful and should be outlawed, at least before the child is old enough to understand the procedure and consent to it. How would you respond? Why should Jewish parents be allowed to endanger their babies by circumcising them?
#7 - After giving birth to a boy, a woman is ritually impure for seven days and then ritually pure for 33 days (Vayikra 12, 2-4). After giving birth to a girl, the mother is impure for 14 days and pure for 66 days (12, 5). Why are the days of ritual impurity and purity doubled for a baby girl?
#6 - The terms טמא (ritually impure) and טהור (ritually pure) are not the same as guilty and innocent, or unholy and holy, or bad and good, and they don't mean the same things, or refer to the same ideas. What, then, do these terms, ritually impure and pure, mean? How do they reflect upon the person who becomes, or is, ritually impure or pure?
#5 - After a woman recovers from childbirth, she is commanded (12, 6) to bring a sin offering (קרבן חטאת). If childbirth is not only a mitzvah but also a blessing (B'reshit 1, 28) that was given to Adam ("פרו ורבו") and repeated to Noah (B'reshit 9, 7), why does she bring a sin offering? What is her sin?
#4 - The main topic of this parashah, and next week's parashah, is צרעת (tzara'at - which is variously translated as leprosy, or the affliction of skin blanch, or a scaly affection). What is tzara'at? A medical condition or disease - in which case the isolation of the person with tzara'at is a medical treatment, similar to quarantining? Or an outward symptom of a spiritual condition or disease - in which case its treatment is intended to stimulate self-examination and reflection and produce spiritual or moral improvement?
#3 - The person who examines the skin condition, determines whether it's tzara'at, and prescribes the treatment is not a doctor, but rather a kohen (priest - Vayikra 13, 2). What qualifies him to examine and treat the patient? Is it his extensive knowledge of ritual purity and impurity? His knowledge of religious texts that could be used as blessings, spells, and incantations? His knowledge of the law?
#2 - The only treatment for tzara'at mentioned in the Torah is isolation and waiting (13, 4). Why aren't other ancient medical practices used, such as skin surgery, drug therapy, or amulets?
#1 - As a general rule, if the tzara'at spreads after a week of isolation and waiting, the person is considered ritually impure (13, 7-8). However, if the tzara'at spreads so much that it covers his entire body from head to foot, he is considered ritually pure (13, 12-13). Why?
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