KOL ECHAD | Weekly Newsletter 

November 2, 2023

Kadima: Now More than Ever

By Chantelle Leiderman and Danielle Keisari

Kadima Day School’s annual campaign has just begun, and there has never been a more important time to support a quality Jewish education. Especially in times like these, Kadima is more than just a school. It is a community, a safe haven, and a support system.

Did you know that, in order to keep Jewish education accessible, Kadima provides an $8,000 subsidy to each and every student? That means that, for every student at Kadima, tuition and fees do not cover $8,000 of education costs.

In the past year, Kadima’s student population has grown by 25%, and the success of the annual campaign is critical to meeting our community’s growing needs. 

Over the course of the next few weeks, Kadima aims to raise $150,000! When you support Kadima, you can be confident that your donation is an investment in the future of your child and every Kadima student.

With antisemitism on the rise, a Jewish community and education are more imperative than ever. Your gift to Kadima helps to ensure the durability and vitality of that community.

Please consider supporting Kadima with a generous donation to this year’s annual campaign. In doing so, you are helping to support the future of Kadima Day School and of Jewish education in our community. Kadima has been a pillar of the West Valley Jewish community for 53 years. Help ensure its next 53!

Shabbat Shalom,

Chantelle Leiderman,

Development Associate

Danielle Keisari,

Vice President of Development, Kadima Board of Trustees

Important Dates

Wednesday, November 8

• Snack Shack

Thursday, November 16

• Parent-teacher conferences - minimum day - 12:00 pm dismissal (ES/MS only)

Thursday, November 17

• Parent-teacher conferences - no classes

Friday, November 17 - Tuesday, November 21

• Thanksgiving food drive

Wednesday, November 22 - Friday, November 24

• Thanksgiving weekend- school closed

Monday, December 4 - Friday, December 8

• Book fair

Thursday, December 7

• First night of Chanukah

Tuesday, December 12

• Chanukah program, K-8 - 5:30 pm

Thursday, December 14

• ECEC Chanukah program and generations day - 2:00 pm

Monday, December 18 - Tuesday, January 2, 2024

• Winter break - school closed

*For the full school year calendar, please click HERE.

A Warm Welcome to Our New Students!

The Lewkowicz, Tzyoni, and Katz families just arrived from Israel. Please reach out to our new, and returning, families and give them a warm and enthusiastic Kadima welcome!

Lev Lewkowicz (E3)

Lia Tzyoni (Gesher)

Noya Tzyoni (Gesher)

Gaia Katz (Kindergarten)

Harel Tzyoni (1st Grade)

Leo Katz (2nd Grade)

Mila Katz (4th Grade)

Lia Shalom (4th Grade)

Snack Shack

Wednesday, November 8

This month's Snack Shack for grades K-8, hosted by our PTO, will take place this coming Wednesday, November 8. Please send your children with a few dollars for a treat during recess. All proceeds benefit our PTO.  

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Thursday, November 16 & Friday, November 17

Fall parent-teacher conferences will be held on Thursday and Friday, November 16 and 17.

• Elementary and Middle School: Thursday, November 16, 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm and Friday, November 17, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

• Early Childhood Education Center: Friday, November 17, 8:40 am - 2:40 pm, 8:40 am - 3:20 pm (Rooms 1 & 6 ONLY).

Thursday, November 15, is a minimum day. School will conclude at 12:00 pm for all divisions. On Friday, November 16, there will be no classes for all divisions.

Kadima uses an online conference scheduling system. Click here to begin scheduling your conferences. You will need to set up a new login and password (even if you have previously set-up an account).

Kadima will provide childcare in the library for parents while they attend conferences.

For assistance with signing up for parent-teacher conferences, please contact Rayleen Silva at rsilva@kadima.co or call (818) 346-0849.

The deadline to sign up is Tuesday, November 14

Hot Lunch Menu

The new November and December hot lunch menus are now available. Please visit https://www.kadimadayschool.org/hot-lunch to access the new menus.

Rosh Chodesh Lunch Sponsorship

Celebrating a milestone or a simcha?

Want to treat our amazing faculty and staff to lunch?

Here’s your chance!

Rosh Chodesh lunch is a service of the PTO to provide a beautiful lunch to the faculty and staff at the beginning of each Jewish new month. You can participate by sponsoring part or all of this meal, and we will recognize your milestone or simcha with a sign listing all the sponsors at that lunch. It is a highlight of the month for the teachers and a great way to support the Kadima community. We need a combined $500 each month to provide a beautiful meal. If you would like to participate, please contact: Adva Tzvi advatsvi@hotmail.com or Shani Gabay gabayshani@hotmail.com.

Please email or text or WhatsApp with the following information:

• The month you would like to sponsor (September-May)
• The dollar amount you would like to donate
• Family name as it should be listed
• In Honor of/Celebration of/Memory of
• Your contact info

The Finance Office will reach out for payment .

Thank you for your participation,

Adva and Shani

2024-25 Admission Application Now Open

Admission applications are now being accepted for the 2024-25 school year. Remember, you do not need to reapply annually for admission. For priority consideration for younger siblings, please submit Kadima admission applications by January 31, 2024. Please visit your FACTS portal to apply, or click here.

Top 10 Conversation Starters: Parashat Vayera

By Dr. Steven Lorch

By Dr. Steven Lorch

#10 - In the first pasuk of the parashah (B'reshit 18, 1), God appears to Avraham. In the second pasuk, Avraham sees three men walking toward him, and from then on, there's no mention of God. Is God still there? If so, why isn't God mentioned any more? If not, where did God go?

#9 -  Avraham offers his visitors water to wash their feet (18, 4). If you were Avraham and you had water to offer your visitors, what would you have offered for them to do with the water?

#8 - Avraham invites them to rest under a tree (18, 4). If you were Avraham, where would you have offered for them to rest? Is Avraham a good host?

#7 - When Sarah hears that she will have a baby, she laughs, and God is angry with her (18, 12-14). In last week's parashah, when Avraham heard God promise that Sarah would have a son, he laughed, and God wasn't angry with him (17, 17). What's the difference between the two cases?

#6 - God wants to destroy the people of Sodom because of their bad behavior. Avraham asks God to save Sodom if there are 50 righteous people there, and God agrees. He keeps negotiating - 45, 40, all the way down to 10 people, and God still agrees (18, 24-32). Why does Avraham stop at 10?

#5 - Avraham and Sarah make a big party to celebrate Yitzchak on the day he stops breastfeeding (21, 8). How old do you think Yitzchak is then? Why do they wait till then to make a big party?

#4 - When God tells Avraham to kill Yitzchak as a sacrifice to God, the Torah calls it a test (22, 1). Why does God need to test Avraham? Doesn't God know the future? Doesn't God already know what Avraham will do?

#3 - When Avraham reaches the mountain where he will sacrifice Yitzchak, he tells his servants not to join him on the mountain (22, 5). Why doesn't he want the servants to come with him?

#2 - The command to sacrifice Yitzchak comes from God (22, 1-2). The command not to sacrifice Yitzchak comes from an angel, and Avraham obeys the angel (22, 11-13). Is this okay, or is it a problem? Explain.

#1 - At the end of the story about Avraham almost sacrificing Yitzchak, it says that Avraham returned to the servants and they went back home. There's no mention of Yitzchak (22, 19). Why not? Where is he?