Fall Nitzotzot and Annual Report 2021

LOOKING AHEAD WITH ZEAL WHILE LOOKING BACK IN AWE םעו,רוחאל הכרעה טבמב

הקיקשב המידק םינפה

It is wisely said that the past informs the future, so now that we are past the initial shock of the pandemic, we felt it mightily important to share with you that which occurred at JCDS last school year when we were miraculously in our building from September through June, masked and distanced, yet fully thriving as a school community in the throes of an international pandemic.

In this issue of Nitzotzot, you will read reflections of how we put our heads together to alter programs and classes to accommodate all necessary safety rules and instructions while maintaining the joy and integrity of each. You will hear about JCDS resilience through the glorious voices of students, and you will learn of exciting and thought-provoking new programs on the horizon for this year and beyond.

We thank you dearly and deeply for your partnership as we continue, in health and safety, on our sacred mission of keeping JCDS the cutting edge, internationally recognized, and beloved Jewish day school we are today.

“Building the plane as you fly it” has become an increasingly popular expression across the field of education. In this unprecedented year, it has taken on a profoundly new meaning for me personally, as I embarked upon my new role as Head of School in the midst of a pandemic.

with eyes wide open is prepared to adapt and to respond to the unanticipated bumps in the road, the needs of students, and the requirements of the organization. At JCDS we fly our proverbial planes every day, while building, adjusting, and perfecting them in real time.

And then came a viral pandemic and a year like no other. I, along with our administration, faculty, students, and families, had to quickly pivot and learn to fly this plane while building it in ways I could never have imagined. Leaning on our creativity, unfiltered love, and commitment towards our community, we buckled our seatbelts and took off.

After making adjustments to our physical facility — walls came down, tents went up — together we launched a year of learning and discovery.

We discovered that our community was stronger than the forces that threatened our cohesiveness. With students in both our Babinyan (in the building) and Mekuvan (online) programs, our faculty worked doubly hard to keep classes connected. We celebrated our learning with our Milestones on Zoom, enabling family and friends from far and wide to participate. We unearthed

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

our capacity to grow gardens and to grow emotionally, to dance outdoors and to deliver Shakespearean soliloquies in the parking lot. We beautified our Jersey barriers by turning these concrete slabs into works of art. We listened to engaging stories passed down from generation to generation and sang Kabbalat Shabbat prayers at our weekly allschool Zoom celebrations.

Dare I say that in some ways our community was even strengthened because of our challenges. Volunteers joined forces monthly to provide nourishment to our faculty and staff and single handedly drove meals to the homes of our Matters of Taste guests. Our Generations program brought grandparents and special friends together to be inspired by the stories we carry. Our intrepid medical task force guided us safely through our journey and our doors remained open the entire school year.

While our innovative spirit pushed us to embrace the unknown, what also helped us survive last year was our commitment to each other. Our pledge to uphold the value of Areyvut (communal responsibility) placed the common good above all else. We trusted you, and in turn you entrusted your children to us. Perhaps the greatest lesson from this unprecedented experience is that when we lean into the unknown and on each other, we emerge stronger. I am incredibly proud to be a part of this gritty and valiant community. In this special edition of Nitzotzot, we celebrate the many wonderful aspects of JCDS that make our community special. Join me in sharing the enormous pride I feel for our school.

B’shalom,

Shira Deener, Head of School

FAMILY IN FOCUS

רוקרזה רואב

Stephanie and Josh Wilson have a current 8th grader, Benjy, who transferred to JCDS at the start of 7th grade from public school where he didn’t have a “tribe”. The Wilsons wish they had found JCDS sooner.

Karen Siegel, Director of Admissions, interviewed Stephanie Wilson, P ’22

What drew your family to JCDS?

My son Benjy always had an affinity for Jewish ritual and education, and had lifechanging experiences at Camp Tel Noar. Our plan was to send him to public school until high school, mostly because we didn’t think we could financially afford to send him to private school. When the pandemic struck, we knew he would need a nurturing environment to get through all of the challenges the coming year would bring. I had been aware of JCDS for a long time but never thought it would be a possibility for us. The pandemic showed us we needed to find a way to make it work. JCDS was the only school I researched and approached. I loved the school’s attention to the whole child and the focus on creating good human beings, and not just academic achievement. This dovetailed with my own philosophy, which was that my job was to teach Benjy how to be a good human and to learn how to manage the stress of growing up and becoming more independent. I was drawn to a school that would be a partner in that endeavor. I also loved JCDS’ committment to pluralism and to teaching the empathy that it requires.

What has the transition experience been like for Benjy?

Benjy loved the JCDS feel from the first time he talked over Zoom with JCDS staff and faculty. He was excited to begin, and his enthusiasm was apparent as we toured the building before the start of school. He was outspoken with his questions, which I had never seen before, and his personal spark lit up brightly. At the beginning of the

school year, Benjy slid into JCDS life as if he had always been there. He loved his new teachers, his classmates, and classes. He said it felt like camp, only better, because he got to learn new stuff every day. It was apparent from the first moment that Benjy belonged at JCDS and that it was, in his words, “the home of his heart.”

How was Benjy integrated into JCDS from an educational standpoint?

Educationally, Benjy integrated easily into JCDS. When we knew he would attend, we started Hebrew tutoring over the summer three days a week. During those couple of months, Benjy went from no knowledge of Hebrew to being able to understand the construction of the language and how to make sentences that he understood. When he started the school year, he worked individually with a teacher in the Mechinah (preparatory) program. He progressed so quickly that by Thanksgiving he had joined the novice level class with several of his 7th grade classmates and held his own in that grade-level class. He now speaks to me in Hebrew. He isn’t fluent, but he’s enjoying practicing the language and becoming more fluent on a daily basis.

How would you describe your Jewish identity?

Both my husband and I have strong Jewish identities, though they are different. My own Jewish identity is wrapped around

ABOVE & OPPOSITE TOP: Benjy’s in-school Bar Mitzvah

FAR RIGHT: The 7th grade tends to the outdoor garden boxes

BELOW: Benjy’s first day of school at JCDS

my relationship with Israel and my studies of history and memory. For me, being in a community is important, but that community is in some ways quite specific. I look for opportunities to learn and interrogate Jewish thought through innovative perspectives, and I value creative ways to access Jewish practice and thought. I don’t attend Shabbat or holiday services regularly; rather, I find being around people with similar points of reference to be fulfilling.

Has anything about JCDS surprised you?

Being at JCDS has definitely filled a void. JCDS has provided Benjy with a loving Jewish community that he could access daily, and not just in short bursts. I knew that his relationship with his camp friends was deeper than his relationships with his public school friends, and with JCDS he could find those sorts of friends and community every day.

Has being a part of the JCDS community changed any of your family practices?

Our family now consistently makes Shabbat on Friday night, whereas before we were more sporadic about greeting Shabbat. What has been an impactful experience from the year thus far?

It’s very difficult to choose only one experience to discuss, because there have been many. One particularly lovely experience was around Benjy’s Bar Mitzvah. Though he had learned his Torah and Haftarah portions from our synagogue, Benjy was able to bring more to his experience as a Bar Mitzvah after having learned more about Judaism. His conversations with the cantor included philosophical discussions of learning approaches and deeper understanding of the content he was working with. At the same time, Benjy worked with Jonah PeretzLange, Middle School Judaics Teacher, on his D’var Torah, learning how to deepen his own inquiry into the text and ask different kinds of questions. Also, the fact that he had an in-school ceremony in the midst of the pandemic when nothing else was in person was a beautiful accompaniment to his synagogue Bar Mitzvah that was entirely over Zoom. JCDS’ care toward the life cycle and maturation of the individual students shone beautifully in that moment.

It was apparent from the first moment that Benjy belonged at JCDS and that it was, in his words, “the home of his heart.”

“ “

APPRECIATION AND COMMUNITY

BUILDING

תיינבו הכרעה

הליהק

In early 2020, the Va’ad Horim, JCDS’ all-volunteer parent association, was preparing to broaden its base of volunteers, focus on teacher appreciation, run popular programs, and pilot large, crossgrade community-building opportunities. Then came the pandemic…

By David Cutler, P ’23, (’25), ’27, ’28, Past Va’ad Horim Communications

Before the 2020-21 year began, the Va’ad leadership came together to reimagine the year ahead. How could we engage the many new JCDS families without meeting them? How could we connect with teachers when we couldn’t enter the building? How could we facilitate a feeling of community among parents while everyone was socially distanced?

We put our heads together and decided to focus on two critical areas — appreciating teachers and building community. From there, we invented new ways to deliver on our mission. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t, but in true JCDS spirit, we adopted a growth mindset and dove right in!

Below are three creative solutions we took to last year’s unique challenges.

JCDS Parents Slack Community

To streamline Va’ad communications with and among parents, we took a bold step to shift everyone onto a new communications platform. Despite some initial hesitation, 65% of JCDS parents were on Slack by October. Parents found Slack to be a tremendously helpful way to stay connected and supported while navigating the challenges of parenting through a pandemic.

Teacher Appreciation

Parents usually see their child’s teachers and JCDS staff at drop-off and pick-up, class, and school events. During these casual interactions parents often get to know the teachers and have an opportunity to express their appreciation directly. Last year’s COVID-19 protocols deprived us of

those serendipitous and daily exchanges. In response, the Teacher Appreciation Committee switched into high-gear, and mapped out a robust campaign to celebrate and thank our teachers and staff monthly. JCDS teachers have never been more deserving of our gratitude than last year!

Here are a few highlights:

• Regularly stocked the staff room with goodies

• Catered lunches to staff from Pure Cold Press

• Online message boards for each staff member with notes of appreciation from parents

“UnShabbaton”

With the Shabbaton weekend away canceled due to COVID-19, the Va’ad ultimately hosted “UnShabbaton” at Camp Grossman on a Sunday. Unfortunately, the forecast called for rain the entire day. Time to pivot!

Within two days, the Va’ad reimagined the event, and hoped people would brave the elements in the name of community. And they certainly did! Roughly 250 JCDS folks came together to play soccer, go boating, make art, sing, learn to juggle, twist balloons, play gaga, swim (!), fish, practice archery, ride in golf carts, and simply be together. It was lovely and cathartic. Everyone had fun being together (drinking lots of hot chocolate) despite the cold and rain.

In a sense, UnShabbaton was a microcosm of the JCDS community’s approach to the entire year: make the best of challenging circumstances and wrap each other in a warm embrace.

IN-SCHOOL B’NEI MITZVAH

תווצמ ינב יסקט

רפסה תיבב

By Oren Kaunfer, P ’21, ’23, ’29, Madrich Ruchani

AtJCDS, the in-school B’nei Mitzvah experiences have always been simple yet moving. Typically held in our school’s Beit Knesset (synagogue) with family, middle school grades, and many teachers and staff in attendance, in a pandemic, we knew we would have to find a way to celebrate differently. With a dash of ingenuity, a touch of creativity, and a splash of perseverance, we were able to apply our JCDS ‘secret sauce’ and turn these smachot (celebratory occasions) into something extraordinary.

As with our daily T’fillot (prayers), we moved our B’nei Mitzvah celebrations outdoors. Parents, siblings, and even some grandparents were able to attend. Our 7th and 8th graders were all present in celebration and support. As restrictions were lessened we also welcomed our 5th and 6th graders, enabling our younger cohort to see their older friends as role models as they, too, approach the age of mitzvot and look ahead to their own B’nei Mitzvah experiences. Despite being distanced and masked, we learned that we could still create the sense of kahal (community) that is core to the Jewish prayer experience and that we at JCDS value deeply.

We are tough New Englanders, so even when the sun was beating down in the spring or fall, or when temperatures were frigid, we persevered! Miraculously, we were able to celebrate most smachot — in every season — outside. Creating our davening space outdoors, in all sorts of weather, on the grassy field or blacktop, we could often feel like we were B’nei Yisrael, moving the Holy Tabernacle through the wilderness. Only once did we have to shift to the gym because it began to hail at the very moment we were walking the Torah outside! While new traditions like distanced aliyot (special blessings recited before and after Torah reading) had to be created, we retained the ikar (essence) of the experience. Songs and Psalms may have sounded muffled through our masks, but the power of voices coming together as one with the newly minted adult leading us could not have been clearer.

JCDS In-School B’nei Mitzvot welcomed family, staff, and classmates.

Clockwise from top: Isaac Menzin ’22, Rachel Krause-Grosman ’22, Amitai Wanderer ’22, Gideon Lind ’22, and Molly Sokol ’23

MATTERS OF TASTE 2021

םעט לש ןיינע

How did we pull off an incredible fundraiser under the circumstances during COVID-19?

By Jaka Saarony, P (’20, ’22), & ’25, Board Member; Matters of Taste 2021 Provisions Chair

Countless times in my life, I have murmured “it takes a village”. When I am late for pick up and I frantically call a friend who happily steps in to pick up my child, my village comes to my rescue. When I pay a shiva visit for an acquaintance to ensure they have a minyan, I step up as her village. When the world helps me, teaches me, cheers for me, and when I am able to do the same, in turn, for the world, it is because of my village. This notion is truly part of the ethos of JCDS and why our school feels like a spiritual safe haven that functions as a village.

So how did we hold a fundraiser when we were staying socially distant? We were a village. How did we bring a bit of JCDS into our homes to feel like we were “together”? We asked, and the village responded. Our Matters of Taste: Food for the Soul team considered multiple stakeholders, refined our options, and together we created a unique and fabulous event. Sound familiar? It is what our students learn: Intentional Pluralism. From the menu to the speakers to the video clips, a collaboration of ideas coalesced into an event that nourished our souls when we needed it most.

Shirah Rubin P’24 & ’26 , artist and current parent, and Vered Singer , our amazing Art & Middle School Hebrew Teacher, led the making of over 300 student-made hamsas. Shari Levitz , Director of Development Operations and Communications, coordinated the team’s efforts, heroically

dedicating 70+ hours a week with friendship and professionalism. Rebecca White , Institutional Advancement Associate, and Facilities Assistant Nick Sutherland , stepped in to deliver and move and wrap and provide hands on deck whenever we needed. Jen Kaplan P’23; Sari Korman P’11, (’13), & ’21; Shiri Segev P’11, (’14), & ’22; Natty Hoffman P’28; Jill Baker P’17, ’19, (’21) & ’23; Laura and Guy Shechter P’23 — current parents and their children — showed up at JCDS on the weekend prior to the event with masks and can-do attitudes, and helped assemble and pack 300 boxes. Deliveries were made by teams of the most reliable people I know: Krause-Grosmans P’19 & ’22 ; Barmazels P’16 & ’18 ; Borensteins P’18, ’20, & ’22 ; Bakers ; Goldsteins P’25 ; Haymans P’20, ’22, & ’25 ; Hoffmans ; Badiks P’25 & ’28 ; and Horowitzes P’25 . Of course, we had our Matters of Taste: Food for the Soul event chairs, Laura and Guy Shechter , masterfully leading us throughout the planning and execution process and to them we are so very grateful.

I recently learned from my daughter that Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l once said, “In life, ask not, ‘what can I gain?’ but ‘what can I give?’ You will travel more lightly and with greater joy. You will enhance the lives of others. You will feel that your life has been worthwhile. Be a blessing to others and you will find that life has been a blessing to you.”

The act of communally creating an inspirational event that, in turn, inspired others to support our school, exemplifies why we choose JCDS: We want our children to light and grow their flame while tending to all the flames around them.

Matters of Taste is the annual signature fundraising celebration for JCDS. Proceeds benefit the JCDS Annual Campaign, which enables us to enhance our premier educational program of rigorous academics, intentional pluralism, and joyful Jewish community. View the full program at https://mot.jcdsboston.org/livestream/. Details about our spring 2022 event will be shared soon!

1 Eyal Simko, The One Up Group emceed the program and transitioned guests to the After-Party

2 Alumni parent Rabba Claudia Marbach P’06, ’09, & ’11, delivered a meaningful D’var Torah.

3 Alicia Jo Rabins award-winning writer, musician and Torah teacher, shared her poetry and song.

4 Chef Douglass Williams of MIDA spoke about his journey as a chef and healing through food.

5 Hamsa Installation of 300 hamsa gifts together as one assembled by artist and current parent Shirah Rubin before they were packed into each festive gift box.

6 Guy and Laura Shechter Matters of Taste: Food for the Soul Co-chairs.

7 Joanne Baker, JCDS’ 7th & 8th Grade English Teacher, Rosh 8th Grade, spoke about feeding the soul through literature.

8 Gourmet Comfort Food for the Soul featured a red wine poached pear salad, Moroccan chicken tajine, and a dessert trio prepared by Dushez Caterers

9 Jonathan Safran Foer, author and uncle of Leo ’27, and former 8th Grader Ma’ayan Rosenbaum ’21 rounded out the literature segment.

10 Layla ’21 and Oren Kaunfer, Madrich Ruchani (Spiritual Educator) gathered us in song to end the program.

JCDS Generations welcomes grandparents, extended family, and special friends to experience and strengthen the life of the school.

GENERATIONS

תורוד

OnMay 7th, Devra Lasden, Chair of Generations, welcomed more than 100 guests from Canada, England, Israel, and across the United States for an outstanding virtual Generations event. Shira Deener, Head of School, interviewed JCDS grandparent Esther Safran Foer, author of I Want You to Know We’re Still Here, in which Esther describes her journey into her family’s heroic and remarkable history during the Holocaust. The truths she discovered were inextricably linked to the memories she formed as a young child. How she uses those memories and what she learns about her parents and each of their extended families brings the meaningfulness of “D’or L’Dor — Generation to Generation” — to her and to every reader.

One of the special highlights was when Leo Foer ’27 joined in the interview by posing the last question to his grandmother. This delightful exchange was followed by a joyful, all-school virtual Kabbalat Shabbat honoring Generations, led by Madrich Ruchani Oren Kaunfer. JCDS extends a heartfelt thank you to Esther for sharing her personal story with such pride and excitement.

The continuation of our new “Memory and Legacy” series began in the fall with JCDS Board President, Dr. Rachel Fish, who reflected on the legacy of her father, Dr. Charles Fish z”l. Together with her children and husband, Rachel painted a vivid picture of her father’s life in rural Tennessee and shared lessons from him that will forever be with her and her family. Every year Generations will invite individuals to carry on this new tradition.

You all have stories to tell your grandchildren...and they will be stronger, more resilient, confident people because you told them your story.

— Esther Safran Foer, GP ’27

ABOVE:

Top: JCDS parent and trustee, Joshua Foer and his son, Leo ’27.

Bottom: Esther Safran Foer holds up the suitcase her parents bought her to bring with them on their journey to the United States.

By Joanne Baker, 7th & 8th Grade English; Rosh 8th Grade, and Arnee R. Winshall, Co-founder

Bonnie Tenenbaum, grandmother of former JCDS student, Abigail (Abi) Tenenbaum (’16) passed away just after her 76th birthday on October 15, 2020 after a long illness. However, her legacy and impact on education both within the Jewish world and beyond, including on JCDS, lives on.

Her deep love of education, ardent support of Jewish day schools, life-long commitment to Judaism, and profound appreciation of math, science, and technology are the essence of why The Bonnie Tenenbaum Memorial Fund was established lovingly in Bonnie’s name. Bonnie was never one to toot her own horn so many of us never knew of the many contributions she made or the numerous honors she received. Abi reflected, “After she passed away, when I learned so much about her past life I didn’t know, I came to appreciate all that she did for the future in setting up all these structures that are investments in education and in my generation.”

JCDS founder Arnee Winshall and Bonnie shared a passion for progressive, pluralist, engaging, and meaningful Jewish education. Who could have imagined that, as a result of Walt Winshall and Marty Tenenbaum attending a business meeting together one morning in 2007, Arnee, Bonnie, and Marty would end up meeting, in person, at JCDS where they were attending Abi’s in-school birthday party and that a beautiful friendship would form that additionally would lead to Bonnie’s help in developing a cutting edge academic program right here in the halls where they met 14 years ago!

To continue kindling the memory of this most extraordinary woman, philanthropist, and dear friend of our school, we have gone beyond the curricular aspects of the aforementioned areas about which Bonnie was so passionate, creating JSTREAM, an innovative, cutting edge K-8 program incorporating Judaics, Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Math which the The Bonnie Tenenbaum Memorial Fund will help to flourish and grow.

STEM is a popular acronym describing curriculum involving science, technology, engineering, and math, but at JCDS, we have added a few more letters! The J is for Judaism, as we intentionally wish our students, from a very young age, to understand and experience the connections between our Jewish tradition and the secular subjects they learn in the classroom. The R, for reading, incorporates further information gained from text and literature, and of course the A for art which, in this wonderful program, will allow creativity to thrive through technology.

This fall, JCDS is introducing JSTREAM programming to match the pulse of our teaching practices, the soul of our school, and the ever-present creativity of our children. Beginning with grades K-5, we hope to expand our program into the middle school in the 2022-2023 school year. Our JSTREAM program will honor and support the curiosities of students and challenge all learners. Through active engagement in JSTREAM projects, K-8 students will build academic strengths, collaborative skills, growth mindsets, and technological proficiency. Bonnie’s influence continues to inspire us and through this fund will support JCDS’ ability to innovate. May her memory continue to be of a blessing.

THE BONNIE TENENBAUM MEMORIAL FUND ש”ע

םואבננט

ARLENE “BONNIE” TENENBAUM z”l 1944-2020

BELOW : This year’s Sukkot, the harvest festival, a holiday filled with imagery, ritual rejoicing, and thanking God for the completed harvest, brought new meaning to our 8th grade class as they were able to harvest the fruit of their labor on Sukkot after planting seeds in the JCDS garden when they were in 7th grade! This is an apt and timely example of JCDS’ new JSTREAM program.

REFLECTIONS OF TWO GRADUATES

םירגוב חיש -רוחאל טבמ

Mi Ani — Who am I?

Maayan:

Iwas a student at JCDS for nine years. I was very nervous on my first day at JCDS, but from the very moment I stepped into the school, I felt welcomed in the community. Throughout my years at the school, I connected and formed many amazing friendships, and the community helped shape me as an individual.

Learning Adventures are one of the projectbased learning activities at JCDS. During this time, students pause regularly scheduled curriculum for a full week and engage in a real-world, authentic problem. Throughout my time at JCDS, these projects were always a highlight. Although we have many opportunities for cross-grade collaboration, Learning Adventures were a sustained period of time to connect with students from fifth through eighth grade in a meaningful, collaborative way.

These projects always required skills like problem solving, curiosity, and perseverance. Inevitably, while working on these Learning Adventures, problems cropped up and we would have to fix them. In my 7th grade Learning Adventure, I chose to remodel one of the classrooms at the school. This was very interesting to me because I had never done something like that before and I was curious to see the result. When challenges arose, we persevered and continued working. I will always thank JCDS for teaching me these extremely important life-lessons and I will carry them with me.

Amalyah:

Itransferred to JCDS in the third grade. Coming into a completely new school was quite nerve wracking. However, it was not

difficult to feel connected to my classmates because of how welcoming the community was. Over the years, I formed extremely strong friendships with my classmates that I know will last a lifetime. The teachers are supportive, caring, and they always make sure you’re having fun while learning. JCDS provided me with a safe and comfortable environment to ask questions, and supported me to push beyond my comfort zone and explore new opportunities. I've throughly enjoyed my time here at JCDS and I hope other children also get the chance to experience such a warm community.

In Humanities class, we read 1984, a dystopian novel written by George Orwell. For each chapter, a pair of students had the opportunity to lead a discussion in which they made inquiries and initiated activities related to the book. We were expected to find evidence to support our statements by annotating the chapter and finding specific quotes to help us better understand a theme or concept that arose in the chapter.

At JCDS, annual Milestones are a time when students reflect on what they have learned during the year and share that newly obtained knowledge with parents, friends, and the rest of the JCDS community. For the Sixth Grade Legacy Milestone, students are tasked with researching and presenting a piece of our family history and connecting the story to one or more Jewish values. I chose to tell the story of my great-great-grandmother's migration to New York from the South and how it connected to Ometz Lev (courage) and Melachah (industriousness). In preparing for this Milestone, I asked my family questions about my grandmother's life. I reflected on what that story meant to me and how it impacted my life.

Our Hopes and Dreams

We know that we will utilize the values and lessons we have learned during our time at JCDS, and look forward to continuing to grow our friendship. Our wish for all students is for them to have as lovely an experience as we did and learn to appreciate and value their JCDS education. L’hitraot!

Amalyah and Maayan, current 9th graders at Gann Academy, reflected upon their time at JCDS.

DAY OF LEARNING

ןויע םוי

The Torah dedicates many verses and chapters to the genealogy of families. Many parshiot list the names of the parents, and of their children, and of the next generation of grandchildren. The legacy of remembering those who came before and brought us to where we stand today is a foundational value and principle of a Torahcentered life.

JCDS observed its very first Day of Learning on December 21, 2020 in memory of Michael Horen z”l, the grandfather of Zoe Gechter ’26. Zoe’s mother, Elisha, approached us about creating a meaningful day of learning to honor his memory and his life’s work.

ABOVE: Yotzer Or artwork from the 1st grade's milestone.

OPPOSITE TOP: Yotzer Or artwork from the 1st grade's milestone.

OPPOSITE BOTTOM: 8th grade T'fillah elective upcycled hubcaps

Last May 5th, we honored Betty & Gil Hoffman, z”l with a Day of Learning in their memory. Betty and Gil were the beloved grandparents of Gil Hoffman ’28. Gil’s parents, Natty and Carl Hoffman, were excited to honor them on this particular day because May 5th is National Children’s Day in Japan, where Betty and Gil lived happily for many years. One of the ways that Children’s Day is celebrated in Japan is with the flying of fish-shaped flags, called Koi Nobori. When the flag is hung, the family says a prayer that their children should grow up strong and healthy. It is a day of celebration and hope for the future of the next generation.

Gil’s first grade teacher, Nikki Cohen, told her students that one way of honoring people is by doing special things related to their lives. Gil’s class read a book together about this special day and did an art project. The entire school participated in the Day of Learning by doing a related craft, writing wishes for their future, or writing about things that make them happy.

On these special Days of Learning, all learning that happens at school is dedicated in memory of the family members whom we are honoring. We are so grateful to the Gechter/Horen and Hoffman families for including the JCDS community as they honor the life and memories of these special and most beloved grandparents. Learning the names and stories of previous generations helps us understand where we come from, the extraordinary legacies we carry, and the many unique contributions each of us can offer to our community in this generation.

A Day of Learning is a meaningful way to honor, celebrate, or memorialize a loved one. For more information or to sponsor a Day of Learning, contact the Development office at 617-972-1733 or development@ jcdsboston.org to discuss an opportunity that is right for you.

In

May, students in all grades decorated Koi Nobori and enjoyed popcicles as part of the Day of Learning activities.

CLASS NOTES

JCDS ירגוב

In college?

Working?

Volunteering?

Publishing a book?

Getting married?

Having a baby?

Let us know what’s happening in your life by emailing your updates to news@ jcdsboston.org.

Class of 2012

Mazel Tov to Miriam Kamens ’12 (LEFT ), longtime JCDS parents

Andrea and Jonathan Kamens, alumni siblings

Bayla ’14, Anna ’16, and Josie ’19, current student Richie ’22, grandparents Rabbi Sylvan and Rhoda Kamens and Toby Bresky, and the entire Kamens and Bresky families, on Miriam’s wedding to Matthew Bremer. Miriam and Matthew were married in November, right across the street from JCDS, at Gore Place.

Class of 2011

Mazal Tov to Emily Beck and Jon Levisohn on the engagement of their daughter Ariella Beck Levisohn ’11, (RIGHT ) to Joshua Roth, son of Karen and Steven Roth, of Great Neck, NY.

Class of 2007

Class of 2006

Mazal tov to the Pfeffer and Karger families on the recent birth of Arieh Binyamin (Aidan Benjamin), son of Ezra Karger ’06 (RIGHT) and Eliana Pfeffer of Chicago, IL.

Class of 2006

Dr. Gabe Kaptchuk ’07 (LEFT ) is a Research Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Research Development Fellow at BU’s Hariri Institute for Computing, as well as the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences inaugural Civic Tech Fellow. He earned his PhD in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2020. Gabe has worked in industry, at Intel Labs, and in the policy sphere, working in the U.S. Senate in the office of Sen. Ron Wyden.

Class of 2006

Sarah Plotkin, Rebecca Powell, and Jesse Garlick ’06 (RIGHT ) are a team of Boston artists who won a CJP Arts and Culture Impact Award. Together, they will collaborate to create music, dance, and storytelling to complete

“Coming Together,” a virtual, communityengaged theater project that explores the meaning of Jewish community, how we build it, and how it has transformed during COVID-19.

Class of 2005

Martha Schwarz ’05 (LEFT ) is working on a PhD in Linguistics at UC Berkeley. She does fieldwork in Nepal with speakers of Nepali and Kumal, focusing on the sounds and sentence structure of these languages. She particularly loves teaching linguistics, deciphering the patterns and puzzles of language with students and exploring the intersections of language and justice in their daily lives. Martha enjoys living in the Bay Area (Ohlone territory) and getting to know it by bike and by foot.

Class of 2003

Daughter of Barbara Lapidus Brown and Larry Brown, Ariella Brown ’06 (LEFT, in white) and Joseph Schwartz joined in marriage on July 25, 2021, with picnic style pizza in Central Park, NY, surrounded by friends and family, including fellow JCDS classmates (LEFT

We are happy to share the news that Talya Housman ’03 (RIGHT ), and her husband, Aaron Sarna, welcomed their first baby to the world on August 6th, Forrest Benjamin. Alumni parents, Sue and Robert Housman are excited to kvell over their first grandchild. Mazal Tov to the whole family!

from left to right:) Mira Smith ’06, Yael Rhodes ’06, and JCDS Trustee & Alumni Liaison Sophie Gildesgame ’06, while more friends and family logged on to watch.

GEOGRAPHY BEE

היפרגואגב ןודיח

Can you find Armenia on a map?

Our students can!

For a number of years, JCDS has participated in Geo Bee, a competition run by National Geographic. This year, when National Geographic announced it would not be running the competition, Middle School Humanities/Social Studies teacher Josh Mocle felt that this beloved JCDS tradition should continue! Pulling together a bank of questions left over from past competitions, Josh created an original competition format that worked well over Zoom and led to an exciting, occasionally nail biting, competition. The middle school competitors were cheered on by their classmates, teachers, and parents. Ultimately, it was former student, Yochanan Cramer (’22) who was crowned as 2020-21 champion. Yochanan is the first student in JCDS history to achieve this win three years in a row and received a year-long subscription to National Geographic Magazine, courtesy of JCDS!

T'FILLAH ELECTIVE

תושדחתהו עבק

הריחבל - הליפתב

Grafitti

Art T’fillah (ABOVE) was a project run by alumni parent and artist Noni Armony P’09, ’11, & ’17. 5th and 6th grade students worked with spray paint on the cement Jersey barriers in the Friends and Family parking lot to conceive their own interpretations of God’s imperative in the Garden of Eden to “till the land and tend it.” Students engaged in a journey of discussion and reflection, considering how to take those words from the Tanach and give them color and meaning.

MATH KANGAROO

תודיח ןועושעש - ורוגנק הקיטמתמב ימואלניב

Mazal tov to Daniel David ’23, on placing 3rd nationally (and in Massachusetts) for grade 6 in the 2021 Math Kangaroo international competition. (LEFT ) Daniel received his Math Kangaroo award from his mother and JCDS Middle School Math Teacher Yaara David, P’23, ’25, & ’27, at the MS Math Awards Ceremony on the last day of school.

CHIDON HATANACH

ך״נתה ןודיח

Yasher koach to Kayla Shechter

’23, on placing 1st in the 6th-7th grade division (English) of the Chidon HaTanach USA, the Dr. Shimshon Isseroff US National Bible Contest for Jewish Youth. 200 students from over 80 schools and clubs around the country were invited to participate in the virtual national finals. Mazel tov, Kayla!

ABOVE: Kayla, and her mother Laura, the moment during the Chidon HaTanach USA National Finals 2021 Closing Ceremonies, live via Zoom, they learn she has won 1st place

BELIEVING IN ONE’S

OWN VOICE

עיבהל ךתלוכיב

ךמצע תא

Seventh Graders Reveal Themselves

Through the Art and Craft of Poetry

Bronx Masquerade, Nikki Grimes’ Coretta Scott King Award winning young adult work of fiction, is the story of a high school English class studying the Harlem Renaissance using the art of the spoken word to explore self, learn about each other, and give homage to the beauty of creating poetry. While reading this wonderful novel together, students in Joanne Baker’s 7th grade English class were asked to dig deeply, and through the writing and sharing aloud of their own personal poetry, reveal something previously unknown about themselves to their classmates.

Believing in their own voices, students came away with a new appreciation of poetry, as well as a far reaching understanding of how freeing and cathartic the writing and sharing of one’s own verse can be.

Limits

Allie R. ’22

Don’t touch me

Don’t hug me

Leave me alone

Don’t stare at me

Don’t talk to me

Let me stay in my room.

Don’t make me talk

Don’t make me shut up

I think I know what I’m doing Only ask me once.

If I don’t respond, don’t yell

If I am too quiet, don’t make me speak up

If I say it, I believe it

So, don’t laugh,

Don’t brush off what I say, Listen to my limits.

Sketchbook

Ruti Pfeffer ’22

Life is like a sketchbook.

As I get older, I get more aware and

Have more control over the story I draw.

I become competent as I practice

My skills to sketch my story,

But I didn’t always have foresight.

Sometimes I draw something which I try to erase,

But the lines are engraved onto the page of my memory

Never fully erased.

To me, it looks like a spotlighted section of the page

When people pass, I try to cover it but worry

They have already seen it

Scribbling over them won’t work; I’m already onto a new page, I can’t change the old ones,

But those who helped me draw them

Have already seen my mistakes.

So now, though it pains me,

All I can do is think of the future

And place my new lines with care.

My Herman

Benjy Wilson ’22

Two years ago

My heart broke. My dear dog, My Herman, Passed away.

I didn’t spend enough time with him. He left before I was ready.

I woke up with my dad at the foot of my bed. He said, “Benjy, We need to put Herman down today.”

Too soon, my heart said, too soon.

We drove to the vet, with Herman in pain, We took some pictures of the last day he was here, And we walked in.

The vet took him, We got to say goodbye, He had a little treat

Right before he died,

Now today when I am writing, May 12th, the date of birth, I am full of sorrow

Of when my Herman left the Earth.

ABOVE:

1st grade's milestone.

OPPOSITE TOP:

from the 1st grade's milestone.

OPPOSITE BOTTOM: 8th grade

T'fillah

ABOVE:

INSPIRATION

הארשה

We at JCDS lovingly remember our dear friend supporter, and poet, Lillian R. Freedman, z’’l, who passed away this May at the age of 98. She wrote her first poem on a flight to a wedding ceremony in 1978. Lillian was known for writing what she called “one minute poetry.” Several times over the years, Lillian joyfully shared her works with JCDS students, and challenged our middle schoolers to write their own poems in one minute in response to a prompt.

Inspiration

Lillian R. Freedman, z’’l 1923-2021

A dream arises from the soul

Fulfillment of one’s innermost thoughts

What else can make one whole?

A breeze, a wisp of air.

A kiss, a touch, a clasp of hands?

A realization of all that binds And brings the love that grips the mind.

A Pedagogue’s Sonnet

Joanne Baker, 7th & 8th Grade English Teacher; Rosh 8th Grade

Sonnet, oh sonnet, implore thee hereof,

To I who adore the challenge of rhyme, Assist my students express what they love, In lexical style of Renaissance time.

Carefully choose they, each word on the page,

Fourteen lines total, each syllables, ten, Lyric poem woven to reader engage, To pass forth a tale the writer’s sole yen.

Being poetic of tongue, dip their pens

Behind a keyboard, today’s fountain quill

Conjuring verses, a new ancient ken

Excite these neophyte wordsmiths, fulfill, Hunger for passion, command they employ~

Scribe with abandon and edit with joy!

elective upcycled hubcaps

6th graders created works of art using patterns to draw their trees, avoiding repetition, and thinking about spring for their backgrounds.

1ST & 2ND GRADE ENGINEERING

By Catherine Ross, K-2nd Grade Engineering; 3rd Grade Science; K-4th Grade Educational Support Teacher, and Rebecca White, Institutional Advancement Associate

Using the Engineering Design Process to problem solve, first and second grade students completed three engineering projects last fall, each presenting its own unique challenge. The student-chosen projects were: an ant and a grasshopper, a lion and a mouse, and a queen and Rumpelstiltskin. The ant and the grasshopper challenge was to move food as far as possible with speed and accuracy. The lion and the mouse challenge was to safely trap a human hunter, and lastly, the students were challenged to create a musical instrument in the story of the Queen and Rumpelstiltskin.

All worked together to ask questions and gather more information about each problem that needed to be solved. Students brainstormed and imagined their ideas, planned out their designs, created a prototype, and ultimately tested out and repeatedly improved their projects. During the design process, students became engineers guided by the JCDS Habits of Mind and Heart – coming together to identify problems, solve them with their curiosity, and finally, persevering to improve each project to satisfaction. Once completed, with confidence and strength, students gathered together to reflect upon their experiences. They learned the importance of sharing their ideas using growth mindset to improve upon their final projects. As Gavriella in 2nd grade

“ “

My favorite part is creating because I get to do different things, test different things, and improve it.

— Gavriella,

2nd grader

said, “My favorite part is creating because I get to do different things, test different things and improve it.” Classmate Daniel reflected on his experience, stating, “You get to build stuff, try it out, and if it doesn’t work, try it again.”

Introducing elementary school children to engineering has a host of benefits. Most notably, it is a natural progression of everyday play-based learning. Children are born engineers – they are constantly identifying problems, looking for solutions, and trying different options until they get it right! By using Engineering Design as a pedagogical process, students learn to think like an engineer; an invaluable talent and skill they can use for problem solving across all content areas.

The Engineering Design Process is central to our approach to engineering throughout the school. We see it as integral to all curricular areas, not just in official STEM disciplines. Students are encouraged to use this iterative approach to problem solving and to ‘think like engineers.’ In Middle School, we are identifying opportunities for innovative curricular integration using the Engineering Design Process in all curriculum areas as an umbrella concept which unites learning. Our students have opportunities to engage in deeper learning – learning that requires content mastery, critical thinking and problem solving, as well as collaboration, effective communication, and self-directed study. We want JCDS kids to see themselves as fearless and capable designers who can, and will, build solutions to the problems they come across every day, to use their skills to help others, and to be their best selves.

Coding is more than a technical skill; it is a way to achieve literacy in the 21st century. Essential literacy skills include the ability to use technology effectively for personal expression and complex problem-solving.

1, 4, 12 Kabbalat HaSiddur, (1st grade)

2, 9 Chagigat HaChumash, (2nd grade).

3, 8 Chagigat HaHagaddah, (4th grade).

5, 7, 14 Chagigat HaMishna, (5th grade).

6, 11 Chagigat M’dor L’dor, (6th grade).

10 Chagigat “Mi Ani”, (Gan Nitzan).

13 Chagigat HaMikra, (3rd grade).

MILESTONES ןוטסליימ

During yearly Milestone events that showcase students’ learning to family and friends, the children have the opportunity to study, teach and discuss Jewish texts together and as a larger community. Our virtual Milestones on Zoom welcomed more extended family than in past years.

14

LETTERS FROM CUBA

הבוקמ םיבתכמ

By Michelle Janoschek, Math Specialist, Literacy Specialist

Tamarim

(5th graders) read

Letters From Cuba, the story of Esther, a young Jewish girl who flees Poland in 1938 and settles in Cuba. The book is written in letter format, with Esther writing letters from Cuba to her little sister, Malka, who is still in Poland with the rest of the family. Characters in the book come from different countries, religious backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and social classes.

In havruta discussions, we asked essential questions, which helped guide their learning. These included: How do immigrants learn to navigate their new countries and define what home means? What contributions or influences affect one’s identity over time? In a related assignment, Tamarim were asked to think about and write about one aspect of their identity. Throughout the unit, the students wrote their own letters to special people in their lives, as well as to Ruth.

In May, the author, Ruth Behar, surprised us with a visit. Tamarim could hardly believe that an author was coming to visit us! They had many questions that focused on characterization, the history of Jews in Cuba, the anti-semitism that Esther experienced, and how the community came together to support Esther and her family. Lastly, Tamarim shared several ideas that Ruth could think about if she were to write a sequel. She truly was an inpiration for many of our budding authors!

Ruth noted in an email after her visit, “I am so moved by all that they have learned from Letters From Cuba and their brilliant ideas about the characters, the scenes, and the sequels.” Ruth later sent each student a personalized postcard, bookmark, and a signed bookplate, all wonderful mementos of their time together.

One of our students, Sylvia Bargar ’24, excitedly told her grandparents, Carol and David Greenfield, about meeting the author and the gifts. They, in turn, generously donated a hardcover copy of the book to each Tamar student to keep, so they could put their signed bookplate into their own book. There were many smiles and delighted remarks around the room when Sylvia passed the books out. Building on the letter-writing that Tamarim did while reading the book, each student wrote a thank you letter to Carol and David, which Sylvia delivered. What a beautiful culmination to an amazing unit. We are so proud of all of their hard work!

[It’s remarkable] that in 2021, kids are celebrating a book and name plate. You have helped to cement for these kids a love of literature...Many thanks to the Greenfield grandparents as well; what an amazing gift!

“ “

— Mara Acel-Greene P’20 & ’24

SHAKESPEARE IN THE

PARK(ING LOT)

ריפסקיש

קראפב

BDirectors’ Note

By Alissa Cordeiro, Teaching Artist, and Josh Mocle, 6th Grade Humanities; 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher; MS Advisor

ack in August 2020, no one quite knew what to expect from this year. Masks in school? Alright. Distance between desks meticulously measured? Sure. An expectation of flexibility from all members of our community? Of course. All of that made perfect sense. However, as we waded into the shallows of this very different year, and as more and more late summer questions found answers, new ones began to sprout up. And one of those questions turned over and over in our heads for months without an answer: “How do you put on a Shakespeare play during a pandemic?”

The kids wanted it (and deserved it), the staff wanted it, the community wanted it. But the question was never “why,” we knew why. The how though...that was the rub. Staging 23 kids in one show would be a challenge in a normal year, but in a year with voices stifled by masks, when actors couldn’t get near one another, when the intimacy and collaboration that is necessary for theater to really flourish would be very hard to pull off, what could we do? Broadway veterans couldn’t do it...how could a bunch of 6th graders?

The answer, it turns out, was surprisingly simple: if the rules don’t line up with reality... break the rules.

And so we did.

Rather than having the whole class focus on one show, we weaved together a tapestry of beautiful Shakespearean prose and verse. As it turns out, taking bits and pieces of the best The Bard has to offer and exploring five shows rather than one gave our students a much deeper and fuller understanding of Shakespeare and his work than any class before them. By breaking into smaller pods, each with their own story to tell, students were able to navigate the necessary realities of life during COVID-19 while still growing close to their cohort, really getting to know their characters, and truly finding their voices on stage. Even though each scene came together separately, the class as a whole came together to create something that was far more than just the sum of its parts.

What they did in a short amount of time, with handicaps and restrictions aplenty, was nothing short of miraculous. And it was due entirely to the tenacity, maturity, investment, and care of this wonderful group of students. They set high expectations for themselves, would settle for nothing less, and that commitment showed in the performance.

ABOVE: To celebrate JCDS’ 25th year, 7th and 8th graders created stamps using a torn paper technique, with this question in mind, “What does JCDS mean to me?”

BELOW: Art Teacher Vered Singer connects 5th graders from JCDS and Tel Aviv via Zoom for a collaborative art project

Blue Girl/Torn Paper

During the last decade of his life, Henri Matisse began working with paper and gouache to create plants, animals, figures, and various shapes. Having learned about Matisse, students used the collage techniques to create their own works of art. In the untitled Blue Girl piece (ABOVE), Nomi Pfeffer ’22, took the torn paper project in her own direction and was given the space to work independently. She worked on this for more than a month although the class had moved on to other projects. Art Teacher Vered Singer indicates that her goal is to allow students the opportunity to continue developing in her class and, if they are deeply engaged in a project, she does not force an ending.

Tel Aviv Cooperative Art Project

5th grade students connected virtually and artistically to 5th grade Tel Aviv students overseas as they shared the experience of a local place that is important to them. Each student was matched with a partner from the other city, and worked together to embed the teammate’s silhouette, representing the student or an image of their choice, into each other’s photograph to feel they ‘belonged’ to the other city.

ART GALLERY

תונמא תיירלג

Yotzer Or

The 1st graders integrated art with Judaic studies for a project in celebration and learning for their Chagigat HaSiddur (ABOVE & LEFT). The students each illustrated a portion of the prayer, Yotzer Or: “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who forms light and creates darkness, who makes peace and creates all things... Blessed are you, Lord, who forms light.”

“ “

I was overwhelmed by the resiliency, creativity, imagination, adaptability, and ingenuity of our incredible students.

BELOW: cooperative art project with a fifth grade group from Tel Aviv. The Israeli teachers are Itamar and Anat.

For the project, Tamarim students had the opportunity to feel connected to the Tel Aviv students overseas as they shared the experience of a local place that is important to them.

The project:

Each of the groups' students published a photo of their own favorite local place and presented it to the entire team.

— Gavi Elkind, former Assistant Head of School & Director of Admissions

Each student connected with a partner from the other city, and they worked together on the shared photos.

They embedded the teammate's silhouette representing

Mask Art

th, 6th and 7th graders were asked to turn masks into art (RIGHT & BELOW). The goal of the mask project was to reframe masks, which have become part of our daily life, into something more positive. Through this project, Vered sought to bring a sense of lightness, to give a sense of humor and playfulness to a part of life that has felt like a hardship.

THE POWER OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY

תולעייתהב חוכה תיגרנא

By Avraham Sosa, 6th-8th Grade Science Teacher

Rav Zutra said: He who covers an oil lamp or who uncovers a kerosene lamp for no purpose violates the prohibition: “Do not destroy — bal tashchit.”

BalScarcity of natural resources is a growing concern for our planet and among our students. Our 6th grade scientists learned about our reliance on energy from fossil fuel-burning power plants which provide homes and JCDS with electricity. What is our responsibility to conserve our use of such energy sources? Our students looked to Jewish sources to guide them in our study of energy efficiency.

tashchit, according to Halacha (traditional Jewish practice), refers to a senseless waste of resources. In the premodern world of our sages, extraordinary efforts — such as hauling water or pressing olives for oil — were required to meet basic human needs. Consequently, wasting resources and energy was frowned upon and likely rare. Nowadays however, with nearly unlimited and easy access to resources, we can leave lamps on all day, overuse water, and throw away food without even thinking about the environmental impact of our actions.

In order to increase our students’ awareness of energy consumption, I provided them with a hand-operated electric generator connected to light a tiny LED lightbulb. The students were exhausted from rapidly turning the handle to keep the light on, giving them an appreciation of how much effort goes into producing the energy they use on a daily basis. In a lab simulation, students learned how to calculate energy consumption based on wattage and usage. Many were surprised by how much energy it took to power basic appliances like a hair dryer or microwave. They were particularly concerned with the increase in energy consumption in their homes during the pandemic.

In the classroom, we learned how electricity works, from an atom to an electrical circuit, which gave them scientific insight into why generating energy takes so much effort. With these lessons, our students gained the skills

to build simple and compound machines. They first built a fan using a simple electrical circuit, and from there, were able to choose what type of electromechanical machines they wanted to build. We are so proud of the amazing machines that our students built, including a car, boat, juicer, and even an ice cream machine!

The pinnacle of our learning was the students’ participation in the Eversource Challenge, a regional contest run by the energy provider, where they put to use all of their knowledge about energy efficiency. The contest challenged them to write a letter to their parents, asking them to change their energy habits and become more energy efficient. Students were asked to discuss topics such as energy conservation (for example, turning off the lights) and using energy-efficient technologies like LED bulbs. The students harnessed all that they learned in our unit on energy, put their ideas into writing, and tailored an energy efficient solution specific to their home.

Former student, Nadav Englehart (’23) was one of the three winners of this regional challenge! His letter included helpful details, such as unplugging an electronic device as soon as it has reached full charge, as well as a year-long cost breakdown of LED bulbs versus traditional options. Nadav concluded, “These may seem like small things, but if we make more good habits like these, it will all add up to bigger changes. If we also encourage other people to do so, we can make a difference in our communities and the world.”

At JCDS, Jewish teachings and modern studies are routinely woven together, as they were in this unit. This kind of seamless integration of our Jewish and secular subjects is one of the great joys of teaching at JCDS!

6th graders built electromechanical devices while applying their learning about the impact of electricity and technology on the environment.

TIKKUN OLAM AT JCDS

JCDS - ב םלוע ןוקית

By Sarah Langer, 6th-8th Grade Math Teacher; Social Justice Coordinator

Anoverarching question last year has been, “What does Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) or social justice mean at JCDS?”

Through numerous conversations with parents and faculty, and through reflection and research, we are starting to crystallize our answer. We know that our work naturally evolves from, and stays rooted in, our Habits of Mind and Heart, especially Empathy and Multiple Perspectives, Curiosity and Humility, and Reflection — all necessary components for critical thinking. Central to our approach is the active inclusion of all students and families with opportunities to explore the rich tapestry of all members of our community. Through three key domains, we hope to educate our students and create an ever more joyful, uplifting, and expansive experience for all of them:

Conversations for Understanding

In today’s common discourse, we are increasingly losing the confidence we need to bravely articulate our ideas, and the temperament to listen respectfully to the opinions of others. We risk losing the capacity to understand and value nuance and complexity, and the importance of considering multiple perspectives.

As these trends continue, our desire and ability to engage with the “other” in ways that are productive and iterative decline. The values and methodologies of pluralism need to be reclaimed and re-implemented to effectively counter these growing and dangerous social and political trends. Students (and adults alike) need to learn how to have difficult conversations when we may not agree.

Active listening skills and a willingness to be open to other views are critical in this endeavor, and our students are taught to grow in relationship while acknowledging points of pain and learning. This work is held in our Habits and in our work with the Pedagogy of Partnership curriculum.

ףודרת קדצ קדצ Justice, Justice, You Shall Pursue

(Deut. 16:20)

Current Events

We want our students to leave JCDS as critical thinkers around issues of justice. This is a place to practice conversations for understanding, to do deep dives into societal issues, to respond to text and research, and to further articulate our collective and individual values as they relate to the world outside our walls.

In the wake of the Derek Chauvin verdict, we engaged in grade-level, age appropriate conversations using our Conversations for Understanding and Current Events domains. In our 7th grade class, our students sat in a circle and reflected together on the meaning of healing, justice, and accountability, and ultimately responded to the question: What actions can you take as a 7th grader?

Tikkun Olam

Finally, building on the thoughtful work of many teachers across the grades, we plan to integrate Tikkun Olam into our curriculum in an explicit and intentional way.

What does this mean at JCDS? Inspired by the Social Justice Standards of the national organization, Learning for Justice, we will integrate four categories into our unit planning and curriculum development: Identity, Diversity, Justice, and Action. As we work on this ambitious project, we are excited to be more aligned and intentional as we engage students in talking about their multifaceted identities. Students will use the lessons of history and our contemporary world to understand issues of justice and actions to pursue it.

We look forward to integrating these units into our curriculum so that our graduates may confidently and skillfully bring these skills with them into high school and beyond. Repairing the world requires us to raise children into young adults who are willing and able to be articulate, well informed active listeners. We are confident that our graduates will be equipped to effect change in their communities and beyond.

TOP : Following the Derek Chauvin trial, Lower School students explored and reflected on the Jewish values of Tzedek (Justice): The moral responsibility to do what is right, Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World, and Pickuach Nefesh: Saving a life takes priority over everything.

BOTTOM: As part of special post-election programming, each student contributed a puzzle piece to the all-school art project, Hinei Ma Tov (how good and pleasant it is to sit together).

EIGHTH GRADE RETREAT

ידומיל שפונב ׳ח התיכ

By Josh Mocle, 6th Grade Humanities; 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher; MS Advisor

When COVID-19 descended on our community in 2020, it brought with it many challenging, often painful conversations with our students. However, one of the most difficult conversations for me was having to say the following six words to our graduating 8th graders:

“We can’t go to New York.”

The 8th Grade New York trip is one of the most beloved traditions for our middle schoolers to experience. Losing the trip only made the realities of our lives in quarantine more stark and unforgiving. While we as a staff made sure the JCDS Class of 2020 left our halls (virtual as they may have been at the time) feeling special and loved, there was nevertheless a feeling that something was missing. Which is why, when we returned to the building in the fall of 2020, I immediately went to my colleagues with six new words: “We have to figure this out.”

There had to be something — anything — that we could do to replicate the experience while still honoring our guiding principles of Briyut (health and safety), Areyvut (communal responsibility), and Shleymut (spreading calm).

It turns out that our parent community, as well as our medical advisory team, were very

much on the same page. Several months of planning, countless emails, two donated Cape Cod lake houses, and a whole lot of love and care later, and the first ever JCDS 8th Grade Retreat was born.

Those four days on the Cape were transformative and bonding for our students and our staff. After quarantining and undergoing multiple COVID-19 tests, unmasked and smiling our students were able to interact in ways they hadn’t in over a year. While inside our bubble, we were able to enjoy eating, singing, laughing, and learning together. A small oasis of normalcy amid the desert of distance in which we found ourselves. The impact of even the small moments, the smirks and flashes of teenage wonder, was immense.

We had the first “Boating T’fillah” in the history of JCDS and enjoyed sunny and warm weather at the beach playing football. Our first campfire sing-a-long, where we spent time together singing freely for the first time in a year, brought tears to more than a few eyes. At a campfire on our second night, we enjoyed another evening of singing and ruach, and yes…a few more tears.

“I feel like I got closer with my class — which says something since we’ve been together for 9 years — and to just be together like we used to…I cried a lot…it was sweet and sad. But I would be more sad if I had to end the year without seeing everyone’s beautiful faces.” –Ma’ayan R.

“It’s nice because we haven’t had a lot of time to just be together…It’s just nice.” –Natan M.

“This week has been peaceful and a great way to take a break from all the troubles in the world. I’ve bonded with all of my classmates.” –Libby S.

“It was 100% worth it to quarantine and test to come here. It’s been so hard to be so far from our friends all year. Just being together means so much.” –Yael G.

While I missed my wife and son during our trip, it was wonderful to spend this magical time with the 8th graders before bidding them adieu at graduation. The time I spent with these students filled my heart with so much joy. It has been an honor to bring this opportunity to our beloved 8th grade. If it takes a village to raise a child, this trip has truly taken a Manhattan-sized city. But as we ended our nights singing together by the campfire, all of the work it took to get there fell away and was replaced by sheer, unfiltered, and very normal joy and appreciation of this wonderful class.

CONNECTED COMMUNITY

תרשוקמ הליהק

By Karen Siegel, Director of Admissions

IIf you know a family interested in learning more about JCDS, the Admissions Office is always open!

For more information or to schedule a tour, contact Karen Siegel at 617-972-1733 or KarenS@ jcdsboston.org.

“

Creativity, connection, and commitment

to opening our doors for learning enabled this incredible JCDS community to connect, learn, and find joy!

“

am in awe of the JCDS community! Together, we worked to successfully open our doors in August of 2020, stayed open, and had an incredibly engaged, connected, joyful year of learning. Our community embodied JCDS’ Habits of Mind and Heart with kindness, compassion, and care for one another, while maintaining a commitment to pikuach nefesh (prioritizing health and wellness). This was a most unusual year, and we have emerged stronger and more connected than ever.

On our first day of the 2020-21 school year, returning students reconnected with classmates and forged new relationships as we welcomed 23 transfer students, the largest number of transfers in five years! Our students demonstrated tremendous perseverance and resilience as they navigated a pandemic school year. Whether students learned Babinyan (in the building) or Mekuvan (online), faculty and staff fostered community by creating opportunities for connection in authentic, meaningful ways, including communitywide Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday afternoons. Through this strong and supportive classroom culture, students continued to actively engage with and receive a joyfully Jewish education. Virtual programs also allowed for community members spanning multiple continents to participate in JCDS events, including Milestones, Generations events, weekly Kabbalat Shabbat, Matters of Taste, and more. We look forward to being able to gather as a community in the coming months and years ahead, and will continue to offer virtual participation to those who cannot join with us in person. It is a gift to be together in community.

As the year progressed, we were delighted by the return of a sense of normalcy as we safely welcomed back all of our students for in-person learning. We held outdoor all-school gatherings, including a Purim Carnival, Pesach Palooza, Yom Ha’atzmaut dance party, Talent Show, Kabbalat Shabbat, and more! We welcomed parents for endof-year celebrations, from the 6th Grade Shakespeare in the Park(ing Lot) to Kitat Alon’s (4th Grade’s) Changemaker Biography Projects. And we were overjoyed to celebrate our 8th graders, JCDS’ Class of 2021, and their families at their graduation.

We welcomed prospective students and their families to learn more about the JCDS community through virtual and in-person tours and programs, and virtual connections with JCDS staff and students. In the spring we welcomed enrolled students for outdoor opportunities to meet their classmates as they looked ahead to transitioning to JCDS for Fall 2021. We welcomed more than 38 new transfer students, and, of course, a new cohort of children in Gan Nitzan (Kindergarten).

While the 2020-21 year was unlike any other, we remained a profoundly connected community through it all. Together, we celebrated s’machot (celebratory occasions), welcomed new babies, and rejoiced in engagements and weddings. Just as we gathered in moments of joy, we also gathered in moments of sadness, supporting those who lost loved ones last year. These moments sustained us, and offered us hope and inspiration. As we reflect upon this year, I feel tremendous gratitude for the incredible partnership and collaboration within our community. Creativity, connection, and commitment to opening our doors for learning enabled this incredible JCDS community to bond, learn, and find joy!

NEW FACES תושדח

Meet the new faculty, staff, and trustees joining the JCDS community this year.

Richard Bennett lives in Brookline with his wife Deb Gaffin and their two children, Miriam ’26 and Reuben ’28. Richard is currently Senior Director, Principal Gifts at Harvard Business School. He has worked as a professional fundraiser both in the U.S. and the U.K., including for Princeton University, the World Wildlife Fund and Hillel International, as well as consulting to many leading U.K. universities.

Uri Nurko has been employed at Bostonbased Frontier Capital Management since 2016 as a member of the investment team. In this role, he helps analyze investment opportunities for the firm’s institutional clients. Previously, he worked in various other finance

and investment management roles while living in Washington D.C. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter-holder. In his spare time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, skiing, listening to music, and going for hikes with his wife Mira and their daughter.

Jaka Saarony currently resides in Newton with her husband Gadi and their three children: Shai, Sadie, and Max ’25. Jaka is a very active member of her community, volunteering as co-chair, treasurer, representative and coach for numerous Jewish and secular schools and organizations. Jaka is most passionate about sharing new places and new experiences and life with her family. Being married to an Israeli and traveling the world is part of who Jaka is, and has formed how she approaches philanthropic work and her role in making the world a better place.

Thank you to these Board members who have recently completed their terms. We acknowledge their years of service and dedication to JCDS.

Marci Borenstein (2020–2021)

Gary Elovitz (2019–2021)

Fiona Epstein (2009–2021)

Howie Rodenstein (2013–2021)

םינפ

ROW 1 LEFT TO RIGHT: Jen Barclay, Kindergarten General Studies Team Teacher; Marci Borenstein, Principal; Elah Grandel, Music Teacher

ROW 2 LEFT TO RIGHT: Genevieve Greinetz, Rabbinic Intern; Leslie Cohen Kastner, Director of Institutional Advancement; Shiri Katz-Gershon, 3rd Grade Hebrew Teacher; 6th-8th Grade ELL Teacher

ROW 3 LEFT TO RIGHT: Michelle Raskin-Kennedy, 7th & 8th Grade Toshba Teacher; MS Jewish Studies Mechina Teacher; Judy Werner, School Counselor

TRUSTEES UPDATE םינמאנ רבח

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

ינוגריא םודיקל תלהנמ

Dear Friends,

Thank you.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to JCDS and for the many contributions you make each year to strengthen our school. The continued support of donors like you is a clear demonstration of your belief in the mission and vision of JCDS, as well as the role it plays in your life. We’re honored and grateful to be in community with you.

During a time when so much of our world felt uncertain, this community demonstrated its faith and commitment to JCDS. Teachers, administrators, staff, parents, and supporters worked together to ensure that our community not only survived, but flourished in a time of great uncertainty. Our community gave generously of their time and resources; as a result, the school community was safe and healthy, learning was robust, and our enrollment grew.

JCDS is thriving and it’s clear that we are so much stronger with you by our side. Thank you for ensuring that JCDS remains a pillar of strength for our community and for generations to come.

Along with the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to present you with the 2020-2021 Annual Report.

L’shalom,

2021-2022

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Officers

Rachel Fish, President

Sari Korman, Clerk

Nathan Hayman, Treasurer

Members

Richard Bennett

Claudia Davidoff

Galit Div

Robert Fein

Joshua Foer

Joshua Gann

Sophie Gildesgame

Sharon Levin

Abe Menzin

Uri Nurko

Jaka Saarony

Raffaella Sadun

Shiri Segev

Adam Shyevitch

Elizabeth Waksman

Arnee R. Winshall, Founding Chair

Head of School

Shira Deener

Founding Board

Naomi Bar-Yam

Yaneer Bar-Yam

Rabbi Susan Harris

Mark Kramer

Vardit Ringvald

Arnee R. Winshall

Walter A. Winshall

Leslie Cohen Kastner, P ’23 & ’26 Director of Institutional Advancement

TOP LEFT : In learning about Simcha Torah, third graders looked at the Torah up close while rolling through the entire scroll. BOTTOM LEFT: Kitat Alon (fourth grade) students with the flag of Israel last May during Yom Ha’atzmaut.

RIGHT: During Chagigat Rosh Hashanah, students celebrated through interactive projects including creating apple stamped holiday cards for residents at Hebrew SeniorLife.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

םיפסכה ףגאמ תושדח

During this past year, JCDS’ finances remained strong. For the 2020-21 school year, our enrollment grew 12% to 166 students (our enrollment for 2021-22 is 193 students). Thanks to the generosity of our community, we exceeded our annual fundraising goals, including the critical funds needed to support our day-to-day operations and COVID preparedness.

REPORT OF GIFTS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

JCDS is profoundly grateful for the generous financial support provided by parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, trustees, friends, and businesses. Donations to the JCDS Annual Fund underwrite academic programs, professional development for faculty and staff, and the flexible tuition fund that allows us to welcome a diverse range of families to our community. The donors listed below made gifts to JCDS between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

$100,000 AND ABOVE

Anonymous

Combined Jewish Philanthropies

John Hunt

Claudia Davidoff and Joseph Kahan

Arnee R. and Walter A. Winshall

$50,000 - $99,999

Anonymous

Joseph and Rae Gann Charitable Foundation

Sari Korman

$25,000 - $49,999

Rita and Herbert Gann

Winnie Sandler Grinspoon and Steven Grinspoon

Lizbeth and George Krupp

Rosalyn and Richard Slifka

$10,000 - $24,999

Anonymous (3)

Covenant Foundation

Betsy Hecker and John J. Barter

Nicole and Joshua Gann

Diane Troderman and Harold Grinspoon

Phyllis Hammer

Rachel N. Herlands and Jonathan Herlands

Joan and Peter Hoffman

Gayle and Jerry Klusky

Peggy and Marvin Menzin

Elizabeth Waksman and Darren Orbach

Shiri and Ilan Segev

Laura and Guy Shechter

$5,000 - $9,999

Shirah Rubin and Bret Ancowitz

Marci and Joram Borenstein

Claudia Epelbaum-Brown and Jason Brown

Galit Div Cohen and Lior Cohen

Raffaella Sadun and Vito Levi D’Ancona

Brenda and Jerry Deener

Legacy Heritage Fund

Sharon Levin and Rabbi David Lerner

Julie Altman and Alex Sagan

Lisa Wasserman Sivan and Ezra Zuckerman Sivan

Rose-Jane Sulman

Eveline and Guy Weyl

$2,500 - $4,999

Shelley Baker

Deb Gaffin and Richard Bennett

Dorit Harverd and Richard Dale

Fran Elovitz

Talia and Yoni Engelhart

Rena Gray Fein and Robert Fein

Dinah and Joshua Foer

Catharyn and Mike Gildesgame

Carol and Michael Hirsh

Drs. Esther and Elliot Israel

Stephanie Karger

Susie and Howie Rodenstein

Ellen and Michael Rubin

Jaka and Gadi Saarony

Sarah Luria and Thomas Schwarz

Michelle Barmazel and Kevin Steinberg

$1,000 - $2,499

Anonymous (2)

Susan and Aron Ain

Susan Ansin

Barbara and David Appelbaum

Jill and Rabbi Marc Baker

Nicole and David Borden

Joan and Harvey Bucholtz

Claire and Daniel Caine

Shoshana Jacobs and David Charytan

Shira Deener and David Chodirker

Orly Mishan and Timothy Crawford

Rachel Fish and Dave Cutler

Eran and Yukiko Egozy

Rachel and David Fine

Renee and Steven Finn

Leslie and Michael Gaffin

Zelda and Elkan Gamzu

Daniel Glasgow ’08

Katya Brezgunova and Igor Gomberg

Google Matching Gifts Program

Amy Gerson and Louis Grossman

Jane Kanarek and Andrew Halpert

Carla Naumburg and Joshua Herzig-Marx

Marianna and Michael Horn

Dr. Susie Tanchel and Jen Kaplan

Jennifer and Ari Kaufmann

Sally Bock and Rabbi Ira Korinow

Devra and Donald Lasden

Osnat Levy

Erika and Matteo Monteverdi

Debra Gelber and Avrom Pfeffer

Fiona Epstein and Jon Pollack

Suzanne Priebatsch

Barbara and Barry Skarf

Heather Hill and Jon Star

Heidi and Joe Sulman

Tamar and Philip Warburg

Ruth Weinrib and Paul Weiss

Dominique Weyl

Judy and Albert Zabin

$500 - $999

Anonymous (2)

Jessica and David Aronoff

Deena and Michael Baker

Katherine Gergen-Barnett and Mark Barnett

Chelsea Hebrew Free School Endowment Fund

Drs. Ada Beth and Chuck Cutler

Dena and Gary Elovitz

Natalya Shnitser and Yan Epelboym

Helen Tager-Flusberg and Martin Flusberg

Esther and Bert Foer

Dr. Shiri Katz-Gershon and Yaniv Gershon

Sophie Gildesgame ’06

Lori and Michael Gilman

Steven Goldstein and Rabbi Steve Greenberg

Carol and David Greenfield

Rabbi Susan Harris

Allison Cook and David Hirsh

Osnat and Carl Hoffman

Zona and Martin Hoffman

Isaac’s Moving and Storage

Sandy Falk and Rabbi Dan Judson

Andrea and Jonathan Kamens

Marcia and Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer

Elana Fein and Doron Korinow

Esther and Josh Langer

Rabbi Claudia Kreiman and Ebn Leader

Emily Beck and Jon Levisohn

Stephanie and Yair Listokin

Mastercard

Karen Munkacy MD and Ken Munkacy

Idit Klein and Jordan Namerow

Adele and Andrew Newman

Marina Bers and Patricio O’Donnell

Elizabeth and Robert Pressman

Ina and Jerry Regosin

Rabbi Michelle and Michael Robinson

Alisa Rodny

Barbara Skydell Safran and Arthur Safran

Ruth Langer and Jonathan Sarna

Sharon and James Schwarz

Nancyellen and Jeff Seiden

Barak Shechter

Miriam Sheftel

Yael Karlinksky and Ilan Shichor

Margery Sokoloff and Jeffrey Shoulson

Elaine and Joseph Siegel

Judith Katz and Dean Solomon

Tamara Charm and Oren Weisberg

Stephanie and Josh Wilson

$250 - $499

Anonymous

Robin and Matthew Adwin

Elisa Deener-Agus and Michael Agus

Beth and Adam Badik

Susan Shevitz and Larry Bailis

Naomi Greenfield and Matthew Bargar

Teri Berenson

Jennifer Dupee and Joshua Bers

Judi Bohn

Sara Riedner Brown and Stephen Brown

Emily and Doug Charton

Lisa and Arieh Coll

Yaara and Eyal David

Jane and Edward Foster

Celia and Dr. Steve Gamm

Ben Geballe

Suzanne Gelber

Avia and Arye Greenberg

Sherry Israel

Jessica and Daniel Jacob

Ruvanne and Oded Kadosh

Rabbi Sylvan Kamens and Rhoda Kamens

Drs. Anna and David Kanarek

Judith and Bill Kates

Ellen and Michael Krause-Grosman

John Langell

Meg and Eli Lederman

Shira Lehmann ’10

Miriam and Raphael Mishan

Miriam Newman and Michael Pinnolis

Anita and Ken Rabinoff-Goldman

Shulamit and Jehuda Reinharz

Judith Rosenbaum and Rabbi Or Rose

Beth and Michael Ross

Deborah Zaitchik and Jerry Samet

Dalia Hochman and David Schidlow

Ruth and Zvi Shechter

Eric Silfen

Nancy Rigelhaupt Smith and Howard Smith

Rachel Goldberg and Brian Sokol

Onir Leshem and Jeffrey Spiegel

Ms. Amy Steigerwald

Kitty Stein

Jenna Andelman and Gavin Steyn

Mia and Ethan Tavan

Yevgenia Khodor Tolan and Michael Tolan

Tufts University

Ina Bachman and Eli Wylen

Shirley Salomon and Brandon Zimmerman

UP TO $249

Anonymous (7)

Andrée and George Acel

Mara and Stephane Acel-Green

Philip Schuchert and Fernando Alvarez M

Amazon Smile

Elizabeth Anisfeld

Phoebe Cushman and Joel Auslander

Barbara Bach

Joanne Baker

Mr. Charles Ball

Teri and Steve Barnett

Rabbi Jordana Schuster Battis and Seth Battis

Ms. Christine Battista

Ifat and Yaniv Rubin Bejerano

Julia Khodor Beloborodov and Mark Beloborodov

Mrs. Emily Benedek

Vicky and Michael Benedek

Nichole Argo and Roi Ben-Itzhak

Helene and Martin Bennett

Wendy and Jonathan Bernays

Tali Bers ’14

Mr. Jerome H. Bloom

Nancy and Jacob Bloom

Yael and Michael Brautbar

Toby Bresky

Lessa Brill

Miriam Bronstein

Rabbi Alter and Sarah Bukiet

Marc E. Canner and Marina Canner

Dr. Raymond Chan

Alexander Chelminsky

Laurel and Dr. Stephen Chentow

Tehila and Ian Cherubino

Rabbi Amy Berenson Cohen and Ian Cohen

Audrey and Rafael Cohen

Ms. Harriet Cohen

Ruth-Ellen and Barry Cohen

Catherine Connor

Susan and Stewart Cook

Ann and Sidney Cramer

Yoninah and Michael Cramer

Amberly Polidor and Rabbi David Curiel

Deb Bell and Keith Cushman

Alissa Dangel

Paula and Stephen Dangel

Shari Dangel

Mrs. Lynda Danzig

Karolyn and Manouch Darvish

Eitana and Micha David

Rachel and Behzad Dayanim

Sandra Kassin-Deardorff and Andrew Deardorff

Martha Deitsch

Lea Eichel

Kerry Weiner and Andrew Elkind

Malka and Menachem Engel

Marlene and Larry Engelhart

Lisa Exler

Jennifer London and Steven Feinstein

Rabbi Sara Meirowitz and David Finkelstein

Sara Forman

Rachel and William Foster

Donna and Jonathan Frankel

Beth Polasky and Samuel Furgang

Lauren and Jonathan Garlick

Elisha and Sam Gechter

Anita and Dennis Gelbart

Pamela Gennert

Ms. Rhona Gerber

Lynn and Ron Gerber

Michael Segal and Carol Glantz

Chavah and Aaron Goldman

Janet Yassen and Irle Goldman

Carol and Phil Goldsmith

Jenny and Tim Gomeringer

Jennifer and Seth Gordon

Amy and Steven Gortler

Sarah and Joshua Gortler

Bambi and Bob Granovsky

Lily Rabinoff-Goldman and Rabbi Hillel Greene

Nancy Nozick-Grodin and Michael Grodin

Esther Gross

Neena Tenney and Paul Gross

Ruth and Richard Grossman

Steven H. Gruber

Mira and Mark Halpert

Judy and Chayim Herzig-Marx

Hinda Hoffman and Rabbi Victor Hoffman

Marilyn Horen

Dalit and Daniel Horn

Fritzi Horn

Muriel Horowitz

Sue and Robert Housman

Michelle and Robert Janoschek

Alona Joynt

Shira Horowitz and Maurice Karpman

Leslie Cohen Kastner and Rabbi Andy Kastner

Charlotte Ross and Matthew Katz

Linda Brodt and Paul Katz

Sharon and Ken Kaufmann

Rachel Pressman Kaunfer and Oren Kaunfer

Debbie Kopel Kintish

Rachel Barenbaum and Adam Kleinbaum

Judy Izen and Myles Kleper

Deborah Simonds and

Stuart Kolodner

Elizabeth and Daniel Kraft

Ruth and Dan Krasner

Jaimie and Fred Kraus

Linda G. Krause

Carol and David Krentzman

Yael Kubo

Orit Kent and Meir Lakein

Ashley Miller and Jon Landis

Zoe Lang

Jeffrey Langer

Erin Lashway

Lynda Fink and Maury Lederman

Hila Romi and Akiva Leibowitz

Marsha and Michael Levin

Shari M. Levitz

Tamar and Boaz Levy

Steven Lewis

Anna Leybzon

Naomi Gurt Lind and William Lind

Shira and Rudie Lion

Ayelet Lipton

Galina and Jonathan Lipton

Beth and Ariel Lisogorsky

Patricia Mahoney

Florence and Arjun Manglani

Miriam and Rajiv Manglani

Judith and Ariel Marks

Cheryl Weiner and Jared Matas

Dori and Ofer Mazor

Miriam and Baruch Mazor

Harriet Merkowitz

Lara Michal Skarf and Joshua Meyer

Judith and Harold Meyer

Rebecca and Amram Migdal

Florence and Michael Mini

Lynnie and David Mirvis

Lisa and Mark Moellman

Melissa Appel-Nahmias and JP Nahmias

Pearila and David Namerow

Network for Good

Robert Neumann

Mali and Rabbi Yisroel New

Jennifer and Joel Newman

Claire and Aaron Nierenberg

Michael Och

Susan Black and Richard O’Neal

Gerri Owen

Angela Sigal Poock and Jeremy Poock

Tamar and Michael Propp

Melanie and Michael Rauch

Leora Robinson

Ziva Mann and Ezra Robison

Joan and Ronald Rogers

Alan D. Rose

Sheila and Rabbi Herbert Rosenblum

Clare Rosenfield

Michal Rubin and Alon Rotem

Sheila Rubin

Terri Swartz-Russell and David Russell

Talya Housman ’03 and Aaron Sarna

Susan and Cantor Robert Scherr

Diane and Jack Schuster

Ethel and Lester Segal

Becca Israel and David Sendor

Daniel Septimus

Nicole Lamberg and Adam Shyevitch

Judy and David Siegel

Karen Siegel

Paula and John Sinclair

Glenda and John Speyer

Marlous van Waijenburg and Yannay Spitzer

Linda Hsu and Marc Steinberg

Michelle Katz and Adam Stern

Cyndi and Alan Stern

Rabbi Carol Glass and Rabbi Michael Swarttz

Sandy and David Tall

Elisa and Stephen Tobin

Yona Shem-Tov

Irene Tsenter

Nancy Vineberg

Rosalen Vineberg

Martha Hausman and Rabbi Andrew Vogel

Nika Voskoboynik and Ilan Wapinski

Shaina Wasserman

Beth Wegbreit

Rebecca White

Judy and Norman Wilson

Victoria Steinberg and Gavriel Wolfe

Talia Rubin ’10 and Ezra Wyschogrod

Jessica Yood

Miriam and Barak Zahavy

Michal Zimmermann

Dorit and Ofer Zmiri

ALUMNI

DONORS

We are pleased to highlight alumni giving. As young donors, their expression of tzedakah represents an important milestone in the school’s growth as an institution. We are grateful for their support in our renewed efforts to engage alumni.

Tali Bers ’14

Sophie Gildesgame ’06

Daniel Glasgow ‘08

Talya Housman ’03

Shira Lehmann ’10

Talia Rubin ’10

Ariana Weinstock ’09

RIGHT: “Costume Friday” rounded out Kif Kef (fun spirit) Week for Purim.

REPORT OF GIFTS continued

MORÉSHET EYTAŃA

LEGACY SOCIETY

OUR STRONG HERITAGE

הנתיא תשרומ

The Moréshet Eytańa Legacy Society recognizes the generosity of those individuals and families who have included JCDS in their estate plans. All planned gifts, such as bequests and deferred gifts providing life income, qualify a donor for membership in this society. Members of Moréshet Eytańa, translated from the Hebrew as “Our Strong Heritage,” have thoughtfully provided for the strength, integrity, and value of the JCDS experience for generations to come.

Fran Elovitz

Joan and Peter Hoffman

Linda Brodt and Paul Katz

Dr. Susie Tanchel

Judith and Richard Wurtman

Albert and Judith Zabin

JCDS is honored to be the recipient of gifts in memory and in honor of faculty, students, alumni, and friends, and we are pleased to list those individuals who have been so honored.

GIFTS RECEIVED IN MEMORY OF

Susan Aliber

Pamela Gennert

Itzhak Armony

Elizabeth Waksman and Darren Orbach

Michael Baron

Orit Kent and Meir Lakein

Bernice Bernstein

Glenda and John Speyer

Shirley Bradley Ceely

Joanne Baker

Ella Bloom

John Langell

Cili Eichel

Laura and Guy Shechter

Alan Fine

Pamela Gennert

Charles Fish

Brenda and Jerry Deener

JCDS Board of Trustees

Dalia Hochman and David Schidlow

Mia and Ethan Tavan

Mark Friedman

Pamela Gennert

Michael Horen

Marilyn Horen

WE HAVE TRIED TO BE AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE IN OUR LISTINGS. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY ERRORS OR OMISSIONS THAT MAY APPEAR. PLEASE CONTACT THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AT 617-972-1733 WITH ANY REQUESTS FOR FUTURE LISTINGS.

ENDOWMENT FUNDS

The JCDS Endowment helps provide financial stability for the school. Generous donors have contributed to endowed funds that extend the school’s ability to offer flexible tuition. We express deep gratitude to the families and friends, past and present, whose gifts help insure that JCDS remains a diverse and inclusive community. For information on how to establish or support an endowed fund, please contact the development office.

Anonymous

The Catharyn and Mike Gildesgame Flexible Tuition Fund

The Winnie Sandler Grinspoon and Steven Grinspoon Flexible Tuition Fund

The Joan and Peter Hoffman Flexible Tuition Fund

Joseph J. Marbach Memorial Flexible Tuition Fund

Krupp Fund for the Future — Inspired by a leadership gift from George Krupp and supported by:

Anonymous

Sari Korman and John Hunt

Barbara and David Listokin

Stephanie and Yair Listokin

Inez Jaynes

Chris Battista

Larry Kopel

Debbie Kopel Kintish

Yaffa Korinow

Emily Beck and Jon Levisohn

Rachel Levy

Sandy and David Tall

Rabbi Stephen Lerner

JCDS Board of Trustees

Mia and Ethan Tavan

Shiri and Ilan Segev

Richard Slifka

Bonnie and Marty Tenenbaum

Israel Rubin

Shirah Rubin and Bret Ancowitz

Raffaele and Giuliana Sadun

Raffaella Sadun and Vito D’Ancona

Arlene “Bonnie” Tenenbaum

Erika and Matteo Monteverdi

Elizabeth Waksman and Darren Orbach

Beth Wegbreit

Wendy Weiner

Mia and Ethan Tavan

RIGHT: Head of School Shira Deener addresses faculty, students, and their parents on the first day of school this fall.

GIFTS RECEIVED IN HONOR OF

JCDS FACULTY AND STAFF

JCDS Teachers

Dr. Susie Tanchel and Jen Kaplan

Rabbi Claudia Kreiman and Ebn Leader

Heather Hill and Jon Star

Middle School Teachers

Miriam Sheftel

Joanne Baker

Anonymous

Deena and Michael Baker

Shira Deener

Dorit Harverd and Richard Dale

Carol and Phil Goldsmith

Bambi and Bob Granovsky

Marcia and Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer

Claire and Aaron Nierenberg

Jessica Yood

Gavi Elkind

Kerry Weiner and Andrew Elkind

Esther and Josh Langer

Elizabeth Waksman and Darren Orbach

Sharona Givol

Joanne Baker

Oren Kaunfer

Marci and Joram Borenstein

Lisa Exler

Ben Geballe

Shiri and Ilan Segev

Yona Shem-Tov

Miriam and Barak Zahavy

Ziva Kovner

Jenny and Tim Gomeringer

Meg Lederman

Teri Berenson

Shari M. Levitz

Erin Lashway

Tami Levy

Joanne Baker

Maayan Lipiner

Joanne Baker

Jennifer London

Erin Lashway

Karen Siegel

Laura and Guy Shechter

Elaine and Joseph Siegel

Andrea Silton

Dr. Susie Tanchel and Jen Kaplan

Vered Singer

Joanne Baker

Dorit Zmiri

Joanne Baker

JCDS STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Charlotte Abramson

Marcia and Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer

Kobe Deener-Agus ’17

Joan and Harvey Bucholtz

Naomi Badik ’25

Shaina Wasserman

Alanna Baker ’23

Shelley Baker

Clare Rosenfield

Daniel ’03 and Noah ’10 Bernays

Wendy and Jonathan Bernays

Tali ’14, Alan ’16, and Nico ’19 Bers

Jennifer Dupee and Joshua Bers

Alan Bers ’16

Marina Bers and Patricio O’Donnell

Adin Borenstein ’22

Celia and Dr. Steve Gamm

Allison Cook and David Hirsh

Elizabeth Waksman and Darren Orbach

The Borenstein Family

Celia and Dr. Steve Gamm

Shira Deener and David Chodirker

Joan and Harvey Bucholtz

Yochanan Cramer (’22)

Ethel and Lester Segal

Leo Deener

Joan and Harvey Bucholtz

Maayan Deener-Chodirker ’21

Joan and Harvey Bucholtz

Lily Engel ’21

Miriam Sheftel

Fiona Epstein

Amy Gerson and Louis Grossman

Leo Foer ’27

Esther and Bert Foer

Lynn and Ron Gerber

Ms. Rhona Gerber

Emma ’25 and Nora ’28 Gomeringer

Carol and David Krentzman

Eli ’27 and Addie ’29 Greene

Anita and Ken Rabinoff-Goldman

Richie Kamens ’22

Rabbi Sylvan Kamens and Rhoda Kamens

The Kamens family

Toby Bresky

Rabbi Jane Kanarek and family

Judith and Bill Kates

Asher Karpman ’25

Muriel Horowitz

Yehuda Katz

Dr. Shiri Katz-Gershon and Yaniv Gershon

Doron Korinow

Emily Beck and Jon Levisohn

Sari Korman

Jessica and David Aronoff

Rachel Krause-Grosman ’22

Linda G. Krause

Miriam Kubo ’26

Yael Kubo

Aviva Lederman ’26

Teri Berenson

Matan Lerner ’21

Marsha and Michael Levin

Janet Sobel-Medow and Mitch Medow

Pamela Gennert

Natan ’21 and Ari ’26 Meyer

Judith and Harold Meyer

Talia Rubin ’10

Ezra Wyschogrod

Maya Rubin ’14

Talia Rubin ‘10 and Ezra Wyschogrod

Shiri Segev

Rachel and David Fine

Laura, Guy, and Kayla ’23 Shechter

Mrs. Emily Benedek

Paula and Stephen Dangel

Melanie and Michael Rauch

Kayla Shechter ’23

Elaine and Joseph Siegel

Barbara and Barry Skarf

Judith and Harold Meyer

Noa Vineberg ’15

Rosalen Vineberg

Amitai Wanderer ’22

Rabbi Victor and Hinda Hoffman

Liat Deener-Chodirker ’09 and Brooks Weinberger

Joan and Harvey Bucholtz

Benjy Wilson ’22

Pamela Gennert

Arnee R. Winshall

Amy Gerson and Louis Grossman

Elizabeth and Daniel Kraft

Kitty Stein

Arnee R. and Walter A. Winshall

Susan and Aron Ain

Suzanne Priebatsch

Nancyellen and Jeff Seiden

Ina Bachman and Eli Wylen

Mrs. Lynda Danzig

Sari Korman

Shari

NITZOTZOT MAGAZINE

CREDITS Editorial

Joanne Baker

Levitz

Elizabeth Waksman

Printing

Signal Graphics Design

Shari Levitz

Photography

Gary Alpert

Luiza Barreto

Sari Korman

Autumn Scanlon

Rebecca White

Various JCDS Staff