CJDS April Newsletter, the Ma Koreh

Ma Koreh?

What’s Happening?

April Newsletter

This month's issue features:

D'var Kesher
Save the Dates!
Life and Legacy at CJDS: Andrew and Shylee Grossman
Celebrating CJDS Alumni, Featuring: Ali Greenland
Highlights this Month
Photo Highlights
CJDS In the News
Community Milestones
CJDS Calendar & Community Events

D’var Kesher from Head of School

Rachel Arcus-Goldberg

April 9, 2021 / 27 Nissan 5781

Leviticus 9:1–11:47

D'var Kesher

Greetings!

The children’s exhibit of Yad Vashem, Israel’s holocaust museum, consists of five lit memorial candles in the middle of the room, with mirrors hung throughout the room reflecting the candles over and over again to symbolize the loss of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. In the background, voices read the name, age and country of origin of these children. The reflected flames give the feeling of infinite stars in space, reminding us that it is not only the lives of these children that have been lost, but all of the generations that would have followed which are lost as well.

On Thursday, April 8th, the 4th & 5th grade students of CJDS participated in a ceremony commemorating Yom HaShoah planned by their teachers, Eran Rosenberg and Joanna Vilensky. During the ceremony, they showed the students a video from this exhibit, drawing them into the experience of being in that dark cavern. The students were appropriately somber and reflective, a few commenting on the tragedy of lives cut short. At the end, a question emerged that stayed with me for the rest of the day. “What happened to these people that they would hurt others this way?”

Wow. Through the years, I have heard many people ask “How could this happen?” “Why would people treat others this way?” “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But this question demonstrates a much deeper level of wisdom.

“What happened to these people that they would hurt others this way?” Instead of viewing the tragedies of the holocaust as us vs. them, this student is asking us to analyze the wider world at the time of World War II, to understand the systemic problems that can cause society to break down, and perhaps to find deeper understanding of the human psyche.

It is our obligation to never forget the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, to never allow genocide to happen again on our watch. But it has happened. It is happening. Throughout the world racism, xenophobia, and intolerance continue to rip societies apart. Just this morning, the Director of the CDC declared that racism in the United States is a Public Health Crisis leading to inequality in health care, housing, education and employment.“What happened to these people that they would hurt others this way?”

This question gives me hope. If we are teaching children to look at the world through a lens of empathy, with an eye towards the larger context in the face of unthinkable tragedy, to ask hard and important questions that do not just lay blame, but seek understanding - then we are laying the groundwork for change.

Shabbat Shalom and L'Chayim. To life, and to a promising future.

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Save the Dates!

RSVP to Yehudit's Kabbalat Shabbat Retirement Event HERE

Submit a Name for the Butterfly Release HERE

RSVP to Graduation HERE

Life and Legacy at CJDS

"CJDS has been an incredibly important and impactful part of our family, and we know the same is true for many families in the Columbus Jewish Community.

Without question, CJDS has played an enormous role in strengthening the Columbus Jewish Community over the last 25 years. It is our wish to play a small but important role in making sure that CJDS remains a strong, vibrant, and integral part of Jewish Columbus.

We know that the growth and strength of the community starts with its youngest members. The combination of superior and rigorous academic instruction and the Jewish and Hebrew learning puts students in a position to lead exemplary secular and Jewish lives. Whether our children ultimately settle down in Columbus or elsewhere in the world, we know that their years at CJDS have created in them a foundation and a love of Judaism that will compel them to be active and thoughtful members of the Jewish Community. Making a Legacy gift to CJDS was one of the easiest important decisions we’ve ever had to make."

Andrew and Shylee Grossman

Legacy Society Members

Join Andrew and Shylee, and submit a Letter of Intent to CJDS today.

The Life and Legacy program promotes after-lifetime giving in order to sustain valued organizations and vibrant Jewish communities. Year 2 of the Life and Legacy program has begun -- assure your Jewish tomorrow TODAY.

Contact legacy@cjds.org, or click here for more information. In partnership with Jewish Columbus.

Celebrating CJDS Alum

Ali Greenland

"My time as a student at CJDS was filled with curiosity and excitement, love and support," shares this months CJDS Alum, Ali Greenland.

"At CJDS I learned to ask questions and explore my interests. I grew up in a safe learning environment and was encouraged to push myself as an individual and a member of a community. This experience gave me an incredible amount of confidence as a lifelong learner. With this confidence I went to college at Indiana University to study Studio Art and hone my hands on problem solving skills. With this same confidence I moved to Berkeley, California after college to participate in a Jewish Farm Fellowship program. This led me to running farms at Jewish summer camps, working with Jewish teens and social justice, and teaching in a Jewish preschool."

Ali shares that CJDS not only gave her this amazing confidence, but "it gave me a strong Jewish foundation and amazing community. It was this same community that welcomed me home in 2018 to return to CJDS as a teacher and Coordinator of Environmental Science. It was this same community that supported me as I moved on to working at Franklin Park Conservatory where I currently work as the Children's Garden Supervisor."

To this day I remember how I felt in the classroom at CJDS, all of the magic the school added to my life, the excitement I felt every Sunday night knowing I got to go back to school the next day, how much I cried at the end of my time at CJDS."

Ali's favorite memories of her time at CJDS include climbing on the rock wall in the old gym, sneaking down the "Forbidden Hallway" in the old building, her first Tu B'Shvat seder where she tried starfruit for the first time, and "so much laughter while learning."

"Now, I have the honor of serving on the Board of CJDS. It is such a privilege to support the school I love so much and work with an amazing group of people who want the best for the school as much as I do! I feel so lucky (and grateful to my parents) to have had the kind of childhood CJDS provided me, and continue to be amazed by the positive work we do for the students and families who came after me."

As a former student of CJDS, you are part of our family of alumni, now over 500 strong. We are so proud of who are you and what you have gone on to do and learn. You are all over the world, contributing in so many different ways to the Jewish and global world.

We want to help you keep in touch with one another, help you network personally and professionally, and continue to create opportunities for you, our alumni, to come together and share memories from the past and also make new ones.

Please fill out our CJDS Alum survey here.

Highlights this Month

Beak Exploration in Science

Science, our Kindergarteners learned how different birds use their beaks to eat. Kindergarteners went from station to station, using the different utensils to help them identify what kind of bird would have a beak similar to the one at their station.

The birds listed on their Bird Card included Hawk, Heron, Sparrow, Duck, Pelican, Hummingbird, Shorebird, and Woodpecker. See if you can play along and guess which bird beak goes with which station.

Depending upon the kind of animal and where it lives, each animal has certain body features that help it find and eat food. This helped students learn about adaptation, and the special features that helps an animal survive in its environment.

Watch a video from this fun lesson.

Handmade Seder Dinner Pillows

Third graders worked on creating Seder Dinner pillows in art class last month. They created them in line with teaching about hospitality and about reclining at their Seder Dinner at home this year.

Students learned about the batik process and used glue to resist paint in their work. Then, they dipped their dry work into hot water to wash the glue out of their project, revealing their finished design, and stuffed and sewed their pillow shut.

How Long Does it Take to Water a Camel?

In a lesson integrating Humash and Math, fourth graders learned what a hard task Rivkah had when she offered to water Avraham’s camels. The class read the parashah detailing how Avraham’s servant showed up at the well and asked for some water for himself. Rivkah offered to water the ten thirsty camels that accompanied the servant, which he took as a sign that she would be Yitzhak’s wife.

The students wanted to figure out how long it would take Rivkah to complete her task. Each camel drinks about 50 gallons of water, so students calculated how much water Rivkah needed to draw from the well, and performed a simulation to figure out how long it would take her.

Fourth grade students carried a total of 128 gallons of water in 5 minutes, then extrapolated how long it would take one girl to carry 500 gallons. The simulation took on the appearance of a relay race, but students came away with a new respect for Rivkah, and some new math skills!

How Do Polar Bears Survive in the Arctic?

Second graders participated in a Polar Bear Blubber Experiment by feeling their experience, and dipping their hands in ice water. Brr!

Dipping their hands in ice water sparked the conversation of how do polar bears stay warm while swimming around in icy Arctic water?

Then, students dipped their hand inside the blubber/lard filled bag, and dipped that in the ice water.

Did you know Polar Bears have fur and thick fat that keep them warm in up to -50 degree temps?

Photo Highlights

Third graders practicing observational drawing in their science sketchbooks. During Art class, students went for a short hike around the pond and then looked for signs of spring.

Kindergarteners working on their Fairy Tale Change up Stories, and creating their own version of The Three Little Pigs.

First Grades Hagigat Hasefer Ceremony.

Art, Science, and Judaism all in one. First Graders have been creating, growing, and planting to prepare their Parsley Planter for the Seder Table at home.

Third graders designed creative models of Avraham and Sarah's tent (while studying Parashat Vayera in Humash), incorporating elements highlighted in the Midrash.

Second graders have begun researching their State for their State Fair project.

First graders enjoying this warmer weather, and working on ELA (English Language Arts) outside.

Third Grade chemists studying how matter changes and density comparisons during experiments today in Science.

Fifth graders playing Pictionary on the windows with their second grade buddies.

CJDS HaTikvah הַתִקְוָה video from the 2021 Yom HaShoah program.

Created by Angelo Dunlap.

CJDS In the News

CJDS in the Franklin Park Conservatory "Growing Green" Newsletter

Students at Columbus Jewish Day School are growing greens in their Tower Gardens this Winter to donate to the New Albany Food Pantry. Their needs have increased by 50% due to COVID-19."

Photo Credit: Gina Freeman, Ph.D.

Community Milestones

Mazel Tov!

Mazel Tov to Josh Feinberg, (CJDS Parent and Board Member), on being recognized in CJN for this wonderful project.

Mazel Tov to Sarah Gold and Avi Allen (CJDS Board Member) on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov also to Grandparents, Kenneth and Tobi Gold (CJDS Co-Founder).

Mazel Tov to Carlesha "Lee" Valentine (CJDS Learning Specialist) on her recent engagement!

Mazel Tov to Michael Dill (CJDS class of 2020), on his Bar Mitzvah this weekend in Jerusalem.

Mazel Tov to Rachel Arcus-Goldberg (CJDS Head of School) and Lorraine Posner Arcus (CJDS Grandparent), the honorees for this year's Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy Awards Virtual Gala.

Lorraine Posner Arcus has spent four decades working in every facet of Jewish education—as a classroom teacher and administrator at Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy; establishing and leading world-class Israeli dance programs at Temple Israel of Albany and Camp Ramah in New England; building enriching experiences for children of all learning styles for the Jewish Federation; and now as a private consultant working across each of these realms.

Rachel Arcus-Goldberg, HACD class of 1994, holds a BA in Psychology from Brandeis University, a MA in Social Work from Columbia University and a MA in Jewish Studies and Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Rachel was the director of TriBeCa Hebrew, an after-school-Hebrew-school program in lower Manhattan, and educational leader and administrator at Gann Academy in Boston, MA for 10 years. Rachel is currently head of school at CJDS in Columbus, OH.

Mi Sh'Berach

We wish Naomi Kayne (longtime friend and supporter of CJDS) a speedy recovery.

We wish Jacob Cohen (CJDS alum) a speedy recovery.

We wish Ellie White, friend of the school and alum family, a speedy recovery.

We extend our prayers to any family in our community who may be impacted by coronavirus.

May Their Memory be a Blessing

We extend our condolences to Shayna (Sam) Levi, sister of Amanda Chernyak, on the passing of Shayna’s father in law, Louis Lowy. We send love and support to our dear friends during this difficult time.