3 Adar, 5776

February 12, 2016

This Week at

Rochelle Zell

Jewish  Studies  NewsPhotography  in  HebrewAP  PsychologySpring  ShabbatonThis  Week  in  SportsSave  the  DateCommunity  EventsAlumni  TriviaA  Taste  of  Torah

Class ScheduleMonday,  February  15No  School

Tuesday,  February  16C  

Wednesday,  February  17

News from the Shtender

Israel  Seminars  and  Midrash,  Inside  Out  

BB

Thursday,  February  18C

Friday,  February  19A

Quick Links

RZJHS.orgCalendarsLunch  MenuEdlineGive  Now

Save The DateFebruary  15No  School  -­‐  President's  Day

February  17-­‐21Girls'  Basketball  in  Miami

February  28Musical  Showcase

March  2-­‐6Model  UN  Conference

March  11No  School

March  18-­‐19All  School  Shabbaton

March  24Purim

March  252:15  Dismissal  Begins

April  10

This  week  we  concluded  our  Senior  Israel  Seminar,  a  three-­‐week  experience  to  explore  the  Israel  climate  on  collegecampuses.  At  the  center  of  this  seminar,  we  are  working  withstudents  to  arLculate  how  they  will  tell  their  narraLve  aboutIsrael  when  they  reach  campus.  On  Tuesday  we  welcomedEmily  Briskman,  the  ExecuLve  Director  of  the  Israel  EducaLonCenter  of  the  Jewish  FederaLon.  Emily  ran  an  interacLveprogram  about  the  five  most  common  aSacks  on  Israel  thatstudents  hear:  apartheid,  colonialism,  ethnic  cleansing,genocide,  and  crimes  against  humanity.  On  Thursday,  wewelcomed  Emma  Pasternack  and  Isaac  Johnston  ('15)  of  theUniversity  of  Chicago  and  J  Street  U  to  run  a  program  abouthow  students  can  tell  their  Israel  narraLves.  On  Friday  weconcluded  the  three-­‐week  seminar  by  holding  a  conversaLonamong  our  own  students  around  the  central  topic  “What  isyour  Israel?  How  do  you  tell  your  narraLve  to  others?”  

New Electives Begin

With  the  unit  on  Israel  concluded,  seniors  will  now  be  starLngnew  elecLves!  Students  can  study  Talmudic  issues  of  body,gender,  and  sexuality  in  the  Talmud  with  Ms.  Tamara  Frankel,who  will  be  exploring  such  diverse  quesLons  as  taSoos

ACT  at  Rochelle  Zell

April  14Spring  Musical:  The  25thAnnual  Putnam  CountySpelling  Bee

STEM Corner

Scholarship  and  standardapplicaLons  are  now  open  forCamp  Cardiac  2016!  Run  bymedical  students  in  29  ciLesnaLonwide  including  2locaLons  in  Chicago(Downtown  and  NorthSuburbs),  Camp  Cardiac  is  a1-­‐week  summer  day  campopen  to  high  school  studentsinterested  in  exploringcareers  in  medicine.    Clickhere  to  learn  more  and  applyby  visiLng  the  website.

and  body  art,  gender  expression  and  idenLty,  and  the  humanbody  in  the  image  of  God.  Rabbi  Allan  Kensky  will  be  leading  aseminar  on  biomedical  ethics:  issues  of  birth,  life,  and  death,human  choices  and  the  divine  imperaLve  of  dignity.  Rabbi  JudyGreenberg  will  be  teaching  midrash  as  an  art  form,  exploringphilosophical  quesLons  of  life  well  lived  and  death  well  earned,the  power  of  love  and  sacrifice,  and  conflicLng  direcLves  to  beright  and  to  be  kind.  Ask  your  favorite  senior  what  they  arelearning!  

Theodicy in MJT

Rabbi  Belgrad’s  senior  “Religious  Quest  for  Meaning  in  ModernJewish  Thought”  is  reading  Rabbi  Harold  Kushner’s  When  BadThings  Happen  to  Good  People  as  part  of  their  unit  on  theodicy.  In  one  secLon  of  the  book,  Rabbi  Kushner  explores  thestrengths  and  weaknesses  of  6  different  theodicies  –  i.e.,defenses  of  God  in  the  face  of  evil  and  suffering  –  andindividual  students  were  responsible  for  teaching  them  to  theirclassmates.    In  the  following  chapters  of  the  book  RabbiKushner  establishes  his  own  beliefs  and,  again,  studentsprepared  those  chapters  in  order  to  teach  their  classmates.  The  last  part  of  this  unit  features  the  film  “The  Quarrel,”  basedon  a  novella  by  Chaim  Grade,  in  which  two  survivors  of  theHolocaust  argue  about  God’s  existence  and  mercy.

Sophomore Talmud Adventures

Rabbi  Greenberg's  tenth  graders  are  watching  clips  fromDisney's  Inside  Out  as  a  midrash  on  the  principles  of  gilubira'ada—how  Joy  is  not  the  only  necessary  component  eitherin  emoLonal  life  or  spiritual  life.  The  students  are  branching  outfrom  Brachot  30b-­‐31a,  wherein  Rav  Ashi,  concerned  with  theriotous  revelry  at  his  son's  wedding,  smashes  a  crystal  goblet  torestore  the  spirit  of  solemnity  to  his  guests.  Personifying  theemoLons  of  a  troubled  child,  the  movie  shows  the  journey  onwhich  Joy  embarks,  with  Sadness  as  her  companion,  todiscovery  the  value  of  other  emoLons  as  a  person  navigatesthis  tough  world  in  which  we  live;  Joy  must  come  toa  more  mature  understanding  of  herself  not  as  the  best  andmost  important  emoLon  in  the  mind,  but  balanced  withconsideraLon,  understanding,  and  fear  of  God.

Who  knew?  Silly  puSy  seems  to  really  help  some  students  focus  on  tefillah!  Ms.  Frankel's

sophomore  Talmud  students  have  been  experimenLng  with  ritual  objects  in  prayer  as  part  ofa  deeper  study  of  tefillin.  Aler  a  panel  on  the  content  and  meaning  of  the  tefillin,  studentsreflected  on  the  meaning  of  the  mitzvah  in  their  own  lives.  Tefillin-­‐wearing  studentsbrought  family  heirlooms,  scarves,  fidgets,  and  blankies  to  incorporate  into  their  davening  lastweek,  while  a  few  who  had  not  considered  themselves  historically  obligated  tried  the  mitzvah  forthe  first  Lme.  

Hebrew Class Studies PhotographyHebrew Photo Contest Announces Winner

Gvt.  Cohen  and  Mrs.  Snyder  have  been  team  teaching  about  photography  in  Hebrew!  Gvt.  MichalCohen's  class  is  learning  about  Dina  Bova,  first-­‐place  winner  from  over  a  hundred  thousand  entriesin  the  worldwide  Nikon  photography  contest.  Aler  Mrs.  Synder's  formal  lesson  in  professionalphotography  techniques,  the  Hebrew  students  had  to  talk  about  their  picture  and  explain  itscomposiLon,  Ltle,  and  subject  maSer.    Gvt.  Cohen  reports,  "The  classes  performed  very  well  andtruly  rose  to  the  challenge."  CongratulaLons  to  Liam  Lynch  for  his  winning  photograph  of  the  stallpass-­‐through!

Fun in NeuroscienceAP Psychology Maps the Human Brain

Rub-­‐a-­‐dub-­‐dub,  it's  fun  in  neuroscience!  Students  in  Mrs.  Murphy's  AP  Psychology  class  used  theirknowledge  and  arLsLc  skills  to  map  out  the  four  lobes  of  the  brain,  including  the  sensory  andmotor  corLces,  Broca's  area,  and  Wernicke's  area.  The  arLsLc  medium  of  choice?  The  commonshower  cap!  Ask  your  favorite  senior  for  a  biomedical  tour-­‐-­‐but  wait  unLl  they're  outof  the  shower!

Spring Shabbaton ApproachingCome Be a Part of It!

For  the  spring  Shabbaton  on  March  18-­‐19,  in  keeping  with  the  spring  theme  and  our  new  name,we  will  focus  on  the  idea  of  New  Beginnings.  As  we  move  into  the  home  stretch  of  the  schoolcalendar,  we  will  celebrate  where  we've  been  and  look  forward  to  where  we're  going.  For  the  firstLme  in  many  years,  the  Shabbaton  will  take  place  at  the  Perlstein  Resort  at  Camp  Chi.  Want  tohelp  plan  the  Shabbaton?  Come  to  meeLngs  on  Thursdays!  

This Week in BasketballTigers Persevere

The  men's  basketball  team  has  had  a  busy  week,  taking  on  Ida  Crown,  Holy  Trinity,  and  VernonHills!    Monday  night  in  the  city,  Felix  Rosen  scored  21  points  and  Dave  Vayngart  added  11  for  theTigers  against  Holy  Trinity.  The  men's  varsity  basketball  team  has  a  rematch  against  Ida  Crown  thisSaturday  at  8  p.m.  The  women's  basketball  team  leaves  for  Miami  this  upcoming  Wednesday!They  will  be  parLcipaLng  in  the  11th  Annual  RASGHA  Girls’  Basketball  Shabbaton.  Nine  teamsfrom  across  the  country  are  compeLng  in  this  year’s  tournament.  And  last  night,  EmilyReisler,  Elliana  Faletsky,  Hadar  Halivni,  and  Gabi  Ecanow  hit  the  court  in  the  IHSA  Three-­‐PointShootout  at  North  Shore  Country  Day.  Kol  hakavod  to  Elliana  Faletsky,  decorated  winner  of  theevening,  and  her  teammate  Emily  Reisler,  who  also  qualified  for  regionals!  Go  Tigers!

Alumni TriviaGung  hei  phat  choi!    Heritage  week  conLnues  in  the  Alumni  Trivia!  Which  of  our  alumni  iscelebraLng  her  Asian  heritage  with  the  lunar  new  year  this  week?

Think SummerSummer Programs on College Campuses

Summer  will  be  here  before  you  know  it.    Check  out  the  programs  posted  on  the  bulleLn  boardacross  from  room  215.    Please  see  Mrs.  Spielman  in  College  Counseling  for  more  informaLon.

Save the Date!

Save the DateP.O. Movie Night May 5

Join  us  for  the  Rochelle  Zell  Parent  OrganizaLon  movie  night  on  May  5,  when  we  will  present  the

movie  Nicky's  Family.    This  docudrama  tells  the  story  of  NicholasWinton,  an  Englishman  who  organized  the  rescue  of  669  Czech  andSlovak  children  just  before  the  outbreak  of  World  War  II.  Winton,who  died  last  year  at  106  years  old,  did  not  speak  about  theseevents  with  anyone  for  more  than  half  a  century.  His  exploits  wouldhave  probably  been  forgoSen  if  his  wife,  fily  years  later,  hadn'tfound  a  suitcase  in  the  aqc,  full  of  documents  and  transport  plans.Today  the  story  of  this  rescue  is  known  all  over  the  world.  Dozens  ofWinton's  "children"  have  been  found  and  to  this  day  his  family  hasgrown  to  almost  6,000  people,  many  of  whom  have  gone  on  to

achieve  great  things  themselves.  Following  the  movie,  we  will  hear  from  Renata  Laxova,  one  of  thechildren  saved  by  Sir  Nicolas  Winton.

Sponsored Breakfast

Happy  birthday,  Owen  Stern  and  happy  half  birthday  to  MayaResnick!  Thank  you  to  their  families  for  sponsoring  breakfastthis  week,  and  thank  you  to  Ms.  Vanessa  Averbach  forsponsoring  breakfast  in  honor  of  her  father,  Paul  Anik.  If  youwould  like  to  sponsor  bagels  in  honor  of  your  favorite  Tiger,contact  Diane  Zidman  at  dzidman@rzjhs.org.

Community News and Events

Presidents' Day ProgramTurn Your Day Off Into a Day On!

Moriah Congregation Art Fair and Fashion EventSunday, Feb 28 11:00 a.m. | Moriah Congregation, 200 Taub Dr., Deerfield

Please  join  us  for  an  exclusive  meet  and  greet  with  Sharon  Tal,  lead  designer  from  Maskit,  Israel's

premier  fashion  house  -­‐  and  get  an  insider’s  view  of  the  fashion  industry.  Before  joining  Maskit,Sharon  was  head  of  embroidery  for  Alexander  McQueen  in  Paris.  $10  Admission  -­‐  Free  RaffleTicket  with  RSVP!  Please  respond  to  arvair@moriahcong.org.    Parking  and  free  shuSle  bus  servicefrom  Northbrook  Court’s  Lower  Level,  east  of  Neiman  Marcus.      

Alumni Trivia

Aliza  Hua  Spicehandler  ('10)  is  proud  of  her  Chinese  roots  thathave  provided  her  with  a  rich  legacy  alongside  her  AmericanJewish  family.    Aler  doing  incredible  work  with  her  family,  Alizaearned  a  bachelor’s  in  apparel  and  fashion  design  at  HampshireCollege  and  spent  a  year  and  a  half  studying  design  and  markeLngat  London’s  University  of  the  Arts.  Lizzie  is  now  a  research  assistantat  the    American  Jewish  Archives  in  CincinnaL,  working  withresearchers’  queries  as  a  document  specialist,  designing  a  virtual

catalog  of  the  ExecuLve  Director's  library,  and  coordinaLng  public  and  arLsLc  endeavors  for  theAJA.  The  most  recent  community  art  project  Lizzie  designed  was,  “Food  for  the  Body,  Food  for  theSoul,”  highlighLng  The  Bake  Shop,  a  liSle-­‐known  treasure  of  CincinnaL.  Aliza  reports,  “The  BakeShop  served  unemployed,  disabled  Jewish  women  by  providing  them  with  gainful  employmentbaking  for  the  shop.  Run  enLrely  by  female  volunteers,  it  exemplified  the  highest  order  ofTzedakah:  teaching  skills  towards  self-­‐sufficiency.”  

A Taste of Torah: Rosh Chodesh Adar

This  Tuesday,  we  celebrated  Rosh  Chodesh  Adar  Aleph  by  liling  each  other  up  —  literally!  Peoplewere  swaying  arm  in  arm  to  the  songs  of  Hallel,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  niggunim,  students  liledeach  other  in  chairs.  The  Talmud  (Ta’anit  29a)  explains  that  “Mishe  nichnas  Adar,  marbinb’simcha,”  whoever  enters  Adar  increases  in  joy.  This  year  is  a  leap  year,  so  we  get  two  months  ofjoy.  How  thoughvul  of  the  Rabbis  to  double  this  parLcular  month,  one  of  celebraLon  andhappiness!

In  his  commentary  to  the  Talmud,  Rashi  explains  that  we  celebrate  parLcularly  during  Adarbecause  of  the  miracles  of  Purim  and  Pesach,  this  month’s  holiday  and  the  one  that  will  occurexactly  one  month  aler  Purim.  During  Adar,  we  become  parLcularly  aSuned  to  God’s  presence  inhistory.  On  Purim,  we  celebrate  God’s  hidden  presence  in  our  lives  and  on  Pesach  we  celebrate  themagisterial  presence  of  God  in  history,  represented  most  clearly  by  the  spliqng  of  the  sea.  Onlyonce  we  take  stock  of  hidden,  daily  miracles,  can  we  take  note  of  our  collecLve  redempLon.SomeLmes  it  is  difficult  to  turn  the  switch  to  the  happiness  of  Adar.  Each  of  us  has  our  reasons  forwhy  it  would  be  difficult  to  mandate  happiness  at  any  parLcular  Lme.  So  how  can  I  live  this  realitythat  the  Mishnah  states,  that  the  one  who  enters  Adar  increases  in  joy?  

It  might  be  quite  true  that  we  are  not  able  to  make  ourselves  happy.  But  each  of  us  can  point  outthe  small,  hidden  miracles  in  another  person’s  life.  Each  person  can  lil  up  the  person  siqng  nextto  her.  Each  person  can  make  somebody  else  joyous.  And  if  every  person  is  puncLlious  aboutmaking  the  next  person  joyous,  then  we  certainly  will  have  a  joyous  community.  We  will  sing  withgusto,  Mishe  nichnas  Adar  marbin  b’simcha.

-­‐-­‐Rav  Beit  Sefer  Zach  Silver

1095 Lake Cook Road Deerfield, IL 60015 | tigers@rzjhs.org | 847.470.6700