IDA CROWN JEWISH ACADEMY

Upcoming Events


  • Sunday, March 19 - Boys' Barbeque Party at ICJA baseball game, Caleb Field, 4:30pm


  • Monday, March 20 - Junior and Senior Boys' and Girls' programs with Rabbi Daniel Mechanic, Founder and Director of Project Chazon


  • Tuesday, March 21 - Springboard Chicago's celebration of 18 Under 18 (including seniors Hadassah Bernstein and Hersh Linzer) at Pinstripes in Northbrook - click here to RSVP.


  • Tuesday, March 21 - Boys' Night Seder at the Skokie Kollel, 8-9pm (This is a recurring, weekly event every Tuesday and Thursday when school is in session.)


  • Wednesday, March 22 - Juniors SAT testing in school


  • Wednesday, March 22 - YU Boys Basketball Tournament


  • Thursday, March 23 - Boys' Night Seder at the Skokie Kollel, 8-9pm (This is a recurring, weekly event every Tuesday and Thursday when school is in session - Thursday Night Seder features cholent.)


  • Friday, March 24 - Freshman Fridayton - click here to sign up (To discuss financial assistance, please contact Mr. Michael London)


  • Thursday, March 30 - Pre-Pesach Program with YU Kollel in school


  • Monday, April 3 - Sunday, April 16 - Pesach Break - no school



  • Monday, April 17 - Classes resume


  • Tuesday, April 18 - Yom HaShoah program in school


  • Monday, April 20 - Torah Awards 7pm


  • Tuesday, April 25 - Yom HaZikaron program in school


  • Wednesday, April 26 - Yom HaAtzma'ut in-school celebration


  • Thursday, April 27 - Grandparents Day

ICJA Takes the Stage

Wednesday's ICJA Takes the Stage was an incredible, sold-out event showcasing students' talents.

Yasher kochachen to the incredible girls of ICJA, Keshet, and Libenu, on Wednesday evening's ICJA Takes the Stage: Once Upon a Story, commemorating the life of Batsheva Chaya Stadlan, z”l. Students showcased their artistic talents through song, dance, appearances on the runway, and through behind-the-scenes work on photography, makeup, publicity, hair and coordination of this massive event. Nearly 600 women from throughout the community attended this sold-out performance.


Special thanks to Talia Molotsky for coordinating the event, with help from Baya Gross, and to the many ICJA staff members who helped make this performance a success, including Mrs. Deva Zwelling and Mr. Michael London. Thank you also to the seniors who coordinated the many committees that made this performance so special: Jordyn Baker and Emma Felix (student producers and stylists); Kayla Kupietzky (assistant creative producer, Dvar Torah and Welcome); Gabi Rosenzweig and Audrey Perlman (MCs); Gabriella Zipperstein and Carmel Schreiber (Dance), Charli Ernstein (dance, with Gabriella Zipperstein); Hadassah Bernstein and Toibeh Sarah Gersten (Keshet/Libenu coordination); Adina Margolin (set-up, with Toibeh Sarah Gersten); Yael Kolsky (hair); Audrey Perlman (makeup); Chaya Laber and Rachel Adar (publicity); Michal Bechhofer and Danielle Cohen (modeling); and Dena Simon and Shaina Tarshish (Photography).


This program would not have been possible without the generous support of the Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts.


To watch the show's fun opening video detailing the history of ICJA Takes the Stage, click here.

Pictured above: ICJA Takes the Stage dance troup

Pictured above: sophomore Simona Fridberg

Pictured above: sophomore Ella Perlman with her dog, Wesley

Pictured above: senior girls treasuring their last ICJA Takes the Stage

Pictured above: seniors Audrey Perlman and Gabrielle Rosenzweig MC'ing the event

Pictured above: ICJA was transformed for the event

Pictured above: ICJA Takes the Stage choir

Pictured above: junior Jordana Zwelling

Pictured above: junior Julia Bellows

Seniors Inducted into National Honor Society

Seniors were inducted into the National honor Society, Torah Chapter.

On Tuesday night, March 14, thirty-one seniors were inducted into the National Honor Society, Torah Chapter. Students were chosen on the basis of outstanding leadership, character, scholarship, and service.


Yasher koach to these fabulous seniors and their families. Thank you, Ms. Sheri Goldstein and Mr. Phil Zbaraz, for putting together this wonderful ceremony.

Rabbi Binyomin Segal's AP Computer Science Class

Students in Rabbi Binyomin Segal's AP Computer Science class welcomed Dr. Jeremy Kahan back to ICJA.

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, students in Rabbi Binyomin Segal's STEM and AP Computer Science classes welcomed former Assistant Dean, former ICJA dad, and beloved math teacher, Dr. Jeremy Kahan, back to ICJA.


Since making aliyah last year, Dr. Kahan has been Product Manager and Solutions Engineer at Sense Education, an Israeli educational software start-up company. ICJA is one of two schools piloting Sense's interactive tutor, which uses AI to provide constructive feedback to students as they complete programming exercises. Dr. Kahan observed students' experiences using his product.

Pictured above: Dr. Jeremy Kahan and senior Hersch Linzer

Pictured above: seniors Sam Gurvich and Caleb Gutstein

Pictured above: Dr. Jeremy Kahan and senior Ori Wasserman

Mrs. Orit Marmel's 10th Grade Boys' Honors Hebrew Class

Sophomores in Mrs. Orit Marmel's honors Hebrew class learned to make שקשוקה from an expert - all in Hebrew.

On Monday this week, Mrs. Marmel's sophomore boys' honors Hebrew class had a special visitor: ICJA grandmother Rina Krause, who taught the class how to make authentic Israeli shakshuka - all in Hebrew.


Afterwards, the students enjoyed their shakshuka with Israeli pickles, humus, and pita.

Pictured above: Mrs. Rina Krause with Elisha Shpayher, Avi Meyer, Yossi Burstyn, and Kobi Engel

Pictured above: Toby Burstyn, Kobi Engel, Avi Chen, and Levi Polsky

Mrs. Marsha Arons's 11th Grade Honors English Class

Students presented some favorite poems to their classmates.

Juniors in Mrs. Marsha Arons's honors English class selected and prepared poems that appealed to them, and then presented their poems to their peers this week. Students learned new poetry, and got practice in using words and body language to convey their poem's essence.

Pictured above: Moshe Wiesenberg presenting Dear Basketball by Kobe Bryant

Pictured above: Ben Lowenthal presenting Success is Counted Sweetest by Emily Dickinson

Pictured above: Joseph Amrami presenting the poem If by Rudyard Kipling

Pi Day with Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom

On Tuesday, March 14 (3.14), Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom led ICJA's celebrations of Pi Day.

Students in Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom's math classes learned about the history of Pi on Tuesday, March 14: "Pi Day". Mrs. Wasserstrom explained how the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians calculated Pi long before Archimedes defined it more precisely in 3rd Century BCE Greece.


At 1:59pm, Mrs. Wasserstrom announced "Happy Pi Day" over the school loudspeakers. (Pi, beginning 3.14159, is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.)

Pictured above: seniors Emma Felix, Josh Felix, and Avi Zeller in Math 12 with Mrs. Wasserstrom

Mrs. Wasserstom announcing Pi Day to the school

Boys' Night Seder

Students gather twice a week to learn together at the Skokie Kollel.

Each Tuesday and Thursday, dozens of male ICJA students gather at the Skokie Kollel to learn with each other and with ICJA rabbis. It's a chance for students to review what they've learned in class, or to branch out and learn something new with a chavruta.

Pictured above: Night Seder on Tuesday night this week, March 14

Rabbi Michael Myers's 12th Grade Boys' Honors Chumash Class

Seniors debated whether "The American Jewish commuity is setting itself up for failure."

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, seniors in Rabbi Michael Myers's honors chumash class marshalled arguments and debated the proposition that American Jewry is setting itself up for failure. Students mixed theology, history, and statistics in the lively debates that ensued.

Pictured above: Ben Boyarskiy arguing that the American jewish community is a "spiritual success"

Pictured above: Yaakov David citing statistics about American intermarriage to prove American Jewry's failure

Pictured above: Ori Wasserman discussing the many thriving Jewish communities in the Diasporah

Mrs. Heather Hobbie's 9th Grade English Class

Students performed Macbeth in 32 seconds.

This week, freshmen in Mrs. Heather's Hobbie's English class began their study of Macbeth. On Tuesday, students participated in the Folger Shakespeare Library’s exercise, “Macbeth in 32 Seconds.” Groups rehearsed the 32-second play and performed for their classmates, with each student dramatically collapsing after the death of “their” character. 

Freshman Boys' Davening

Last Sunday, some freshman boys gathered at the home of ICJA grandfather Mr. Israel Starck to daven Shacharit.

Mr. Israel Starck is a familiar figure at ICJA: in addition to being an ICJA grandparent, he also has addressed our school on Yom HaShoah about his experiences during the Holocaust. With mobility a challenge for Mr. Starck, last Sunday, a minyan of freshman boys went to his home to daven Shacharit together with him.


Mr. Starck spoke with the students about his experiences during the Holocaust and the importance of tefillin in his life. He described how the last item that he relinquished from the cattle car was his tefillin. Upon liberation, he had a choice: to stand in line for food, or to stand in line to put on the shel yad from a set of tefillin. He chose to stand in line for tefilin. Many of the Jews who ate their fill of food soon died, unable to digest food after months of starvation; Mr. Starck's decision to stand in the line for tefillin had saved his life.

Pictured above: freshmen Boaz Stopek, Eli Gelb, Jesse Goldberg, Avi Rubin, Gabriel Boshes, Aaron Katz, junior Adam Katz, freshman Josh Miller, Rabbi Louis Fliegelman, and freshman Max Gorenstein, with Mr. Yisroel Starck

Mrs. Olivia Friedman's 10th Grade Boys' Honors Chumash Class

Students planned modern-day "Nazir" programs.

Sophomores in Mrs. Olivia Friedman's boys' honors Chumash class have been learning about nazirim and the motivations for some people to become nazirim. Students contrasted commentaries and sources that portrayed the choice to become a nazir as positive and negative: choosing holiness or escaping vices.


Students then used pesukim and meforshim they'd studied to imagined a nazir program for a modern-day nazir, similar to modern day-wellness retreats.


Click here to read the prospectus created by Avi Meyer, Elishah Shpayer and Yossi Gordon Burstyn (pictured here).

Spotlight on Ms. Susan Sennett

This week, we caught up with ICJA History Department Chair Ms. Susan Sennett ("Queen of Sennettovia"), and asked her a few questions about herself.

Ms. Susan Sennett is a beloved fixture at ICJA. The head of the History Department, Ms. Sennett also teaches freshman World Civilizations and AP European History. Generations of students recall Ms. Sennett's shield project and their experiences discussing the politics of "Sennettovia" as freshmen. This week we asked Ms. Sennett a few questions about herself.


Where did you grow up? Can tell you a bit about your family?

I grew up in River Forest, Illinois. I have two sisters who I am very close to, one older and one younger. Yes, I am a middle child.


How did you decide to become a history teacher?

I was teaching Business Law at a junior college and decided that I wanted to teach, but not law. Rather I wanted to teach history and art, which I love.


What do you love about working at ICJA?

The best part of working at the Academy is the students. They are why my three-year experiment teaching became 30 years of fulfillment!


What's a favorite ICJA memory?

One of my favorite memories is the first all school retreat. It was then I made my first really close connection to students.


Do you have any hobbies?

I love to read, and when I finally have the time, I will go back to my art. I used to make pots and other things with clay and sell them at the local art fairs.


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

Yes - I am related to both Mrs. Zeffren and Mrs. Goldstein in Academic Support through marriage! Their cousin married my nephew.

ICJA Open House Video

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!

ICJA 80th Anniversary Video

Founded in 1942, ICJA is 80 years old this year. Please enjoy this 80th Anniversary Video which looks back on eight decades of excellence, close bonds, and memories.

Rabbi Berel Wein '50 at the ICJA 80th Anniversary Israel Reunion

Watch Rabbi Berel Wein's '50 inspiring remarks at the ICJA Israel Reunion, Jerusalem, November 2022!

ICJA 80th Anniversary Israel Reunion Video

Watch highlights of our inspiring Israel Reunion, Jerusalem, November 2022!

This Week's Learning Dedications

This week's sponsors include:

Tuesday, the 21st of Adar, 5783, March 14, 2023, by Elie Mellul on behalf of the Class of 1984, in honor of the Bellows family


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.

2022-2023 Learning Commons Passwords 

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.

Send Your School News to the ICJA Newsletter!

Do you have school-related news you'd like to see in this newsletter? Let us know!

If you have exciting ICJA-related news to share about classes, sports, clubs, or other projects, please tell us! Send news items and/or photos to Dr. Yvette Miller, Director of Communications at ymiller@icja.org. Your items can enhance our newsletter and ICJA's social media presence.

School Announcements

Click here to purchase an ad and make dinner reservations.
Click here to sign up for theFreshman Fridayton!

We have opened submissions for this year's edition of Charlotte's Web, and we want to hear and see your work. Our theme this year is Time: Past, Present, and Future. However, please submit any piece of prose, poetry, or artwork even if it does not align with the theme. We will do our best to incorporate at least a part of it.


Click here to submit artwork and writing. If you have any questions, please email charlottesweb2223@gmail.com.

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

Community Announcements

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

Introducing ICJA Bar Association for Alumni

Introducing ICJA Bar Association: a way for ICJA alumni
who are lawyers to form informal connections.

ICJA ISRAEL CONNECT:

Connecting ICJA Alumni in Israel

The first ICJA Israel Connect directory is out.

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.

Inspiring bnei and bnot Torah to thrive in the modern world
ICJA is an affiliate of the Associated Talmud Torahs and a partner with JUF in serving our community.


Ida Crown Jewish Academy
8233 Central Park Avenue
Skokie, Illinois 60076

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