Upcoming Events

• Thursday, October 27 - All-School Assembly with Zvika Klein, Jewish World analyst for The Jerusalem Post - 1:15pm

• Wednesday, October 26 - New Parent Orientation; Senior Parent Meeting; Simulated School Night - 4:30pm dismissal

• Sunday, November 13 - Parent Teacher Conferences

• Thursday, November 16 - Prospective Students Open House (See below for more details; click here to sign up)

• Sunday, November 27 - ICJA Israel reunion, Jerusalem (click here for more information and to sign up)



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

Before Sukkot Break, ICJA girls enjoyed a pre-Shabbat program full of singing, divrei Torah, and cholent.

This year, to give even more girls a chance to develop their leadership skills, ICGC (Ida Crown Girls' Club) created a second student board that focuses on building religious inspiration among our students.  Their first program was held Friday, October 7, just before Sukkot break.  Students (and female teachers) gathered together during 4th period for singing, divrei Torah, cholent, and sweet treats to take home.  Yasher kochachen to juniors Ayelet Appel, Taly Benzaquen and Noa Gavant, who spearheaded the program, and to junior Jordana Zwelling, who helped with the event. 

Pictured above: girls enjoying cholent

Pictured above: students listen to a d'var Torah

Students in Rabbi Fliegelman's freshman boys' Talmud class came together several times during Sukkot break to daven and learn together.

Over Sukkot break, students - and at times their fathers too - came together to celebrate Shabbat and Sukkot with joy. 

On Shabbat, October 8, students met at Rabbi Fliegelman's home for a fun seudat shlishit.  The next morning, October 9, erev Sukkot, some students and fathers joined Rabbi Fliegelman to daven and eat breakfast together at the Skokie Community Kollel.

The following week, motzei Shabbat, October 15, erev Hoshana Rabbah, students and parents came together at the sukkah of ICJA parents Deborah and David Well for a melava malka.  On Sunday morning, October 16, Hoshana Rabbah, some students and fathers came together to daven Shacharit at Kehilat Chovevei Tzion, followed by a sumptuous breakfast in the sukkah of ICJA parents Rebecca and Joel Gorenstein.

Pictured above: Noah Lehrfield, Ezra Netzky (making Havdalah), Rabbi Fliegelman, Natan Rine, and Max Gorenstein during Havdalah at Rabbi Fliegelman's home

Pictured above at the Skokie Community Kollel: Rabbi Fliegelman, Eli Gelb, Dr. Mike Gelb, Aaron Katz, Mr. Lev Katz, Jesse Goldberg, the Hon. Mitchell Goldberg, Ezra Netzky, Judah Well, ICJA Talmud teacher (and Kollel Rabbi) Rabbi Shmuel Oren, Josh Miller, Mr. David Miller, Max Gorenstein and Mr. Joel Gorenstein

Pictured above: melava malka in the Wells' sukkah

Pictured above: Hoshana Rabbah breakfast in the Gorenstein's sukkah

Over Sukkot, former ICJA Talmud teacher

and Mechanech Rabbi Yoni Fox hosted

ICJA alumni boys in his sukkah in Israel.

ICJA's former Talmud teacher and Mechanech Rabbi Yoni Fox might have made aliyah this year, but he's still part of the ICJA family. Over Sukkot, he hosted recent alumni boys who are learning in Israel for a lively reunion.  Students talked, ate, sang, and shared divrei Torah.

The Running Aces racked up impressive Chicago Prep Conference victories over Suykkot Break.

Over Sukkot, ICJA's Running Aces competed at the Thursday, October 13 Chicago Prep Conference Cross Country Championship. Despite Sukkot travel plans, the Aces had the largest team at 32 runners. The Boys Varsity team finished 4th in a field of 7 teams. Both sophomore Ami Czako (8th) and sophomore Levi Polsky (9th) medaled, finishing in the Top Ten overall. The Girls Varsity team finished 2nd out of 7 teams. Sophomore Ella "The Flash" Kakon finished 1st overall, leading the race from start to finish. Rookie sensation freshman Ellie Deangelis finished 2nd overall and Senior Emma Felix also medaled, finishing 5th.

The team davened together on Hoshana Rabbah

before holding practice.

ICJA's wrestling team typically davens Shacharit together on Sunday mornings before their weekly practice. During Sukkot Break, the team enjoyed a special Hoshana Rabbah davening on Sunday, October 16. Senior Moshe Osgood led the team in the Hoshanot and in a spirited Shacharit; junior Ari Klein led a beautiful Musaf. Afterwards, the team proceeded to hold its regular Sunday morning practice.  

Pictured above: senior Moshe Osgood concluding the Hoshanot.

Pictured above: The final use of the lulav

Student to Student presenters were busy over Sukkot break and upon returning to school, educating hundreds of Chicago-area teens about Jewish life and beliefs.

While ICJA students were enjoying their Sukkot break, some members of Student to Student were busy presenting to Chicago-area teens, answering questions and talking about Jewish life and practices.  Student to Student presented to Naperville Central High School and Naperville North High School on Friday, Occtober 14, reaching nearly 100 students.  On Thursday, October 20, Student to Student presenters gave 8 presentations at Wheaton Warrenville South High School, reaching over 400 students.

Pictured above: juniors Aryeh Neiger, Evan Comrov and Rena Neiger presenting at Wheaton Warrenville South High School 

Pictured above: juniors Evan Comrov and Taly Benzaquen presenting at Wheaton Warrenville South High School

Pictured above: sophomore Tali Weiss, junior Ayelet Appel, senior Rachel Adar and junior Yonah Rubin presenting at Wheaton Warrenville South High School

Pictured above: some of the many thank you messages from students at Naperville North High School

Pictured above: junior Evan Comrov, sophomore Ella Perlman, junior Taly Benzaquen and senior Audrey Perlman presenting in Naperville

On their first day back in school, students in Mrs. Pederson's freshman honors algebra class moved into the Math Science Commons to review linear functions.

Students in Mrs. Pederson's freshman honors Algebra class prepared for an upcoming test on linear functions this week by setting up different math stations in the Math Science Commons where they could work on different topics together. Stations included graphing, writing equations, slope and conversion factors.  Mrs. Pederson was on hand to answer students' questions.

Pictured above: Mrs. Pederson, Chanani Stone and Zachary Fogel

Pictured above: Michael Matveyev, Hillel Wolkenfeld and Channie Gelerinter

Pictured above: Noam Hellman, Yaffa Hoberman and Meira Weiss

Pictured above: Rivka Belsh, Penina Benjamin and Akiva Wolkenfeld

• Migdal Hatorah: Friday, November 1 at 12:00pm (Skip 5/6)
• Reisheit: Thursday, November 3 at 12:30pm
• Bar Ilan: Monday, November 7 during 5th period (11:45am)
• Netiv Aryeh: Thursday, November 10 during Breakfast (8:45am)
• Atzmona Otzem: Tuesday, November 15 during Breakfast (8:30am)
• Lev Hatorah: Tuesday, November 15 during 5th period (11:11am)
• TVA: Friday, November 18 at Breakfast (8:35am)

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 generously supported by a grant from

The Susan and Joseph Ament Fund. 

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.

Ida Crown Jewish Academy

8233 Central Park Avenue

Skokie, Illinois 60076

www.icja.org