Maimonides Community

BH. Elul

27, 5775 / September 11, 2015

Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 6:55 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 7:53 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY

maimonidesschool@gmail.com

MARGOLIN BAR-MITZVAH Daniel went to Maimonides years ago when his family lived in Albany and this summer he celebrated his Bar-Mitzvah. Mazal Tov to him and to his parents Dr. & Mrs. Margolin who continue to remain in touch with our school!

CONDOLENCES MORAH RIVI WELCOME TO A NEW YEAR The 2015-2016 school year has begun, 5776 begins next week. We wish school families and faculty, newsletter readers and the greater community a Shana Tova uMetukah (as it says on the main entrance bulletin board) a Happy Healthy and Sweet New Year! See page 2 for new teachers we welcome at school this year.

A TISHREI PUZZLE BOARD! Our younger grades each got a large paper puzzle piece to decorate which 6/7 graders later assembled into this Tishrei holiday month bulletin board. It was a group effort.

HALEY BIRKEN OBM Vibrant, pleasant, gentle and full of life, Haley, a Shenendehowa student who loved Israel and being Jewish, was just shy of her 17th birthday when she passed away this week of a brief illness. Rabbi Yossi compared her to the similarly named famous comet that briefly brightens and illuminates, leaving a trail of light as it disappears from view, continuing to exist in the Heavens. Some of our students remember her fondly, and we all mourn her untimely loss, extending heartfelt condolences to her parents, family and friends. May her memory be a blessing.

Yaakov Yechiel

newborn son of Avi & Shoshana by grandmother Maxine Morgenbesser

Our condolences to Hebrew teacher Morah Rivi on the passing of her father, Menachem Mendel, earlier this month in Israel.

WELCOME GURACK & BLOCK A very special welcome to two new MHDS school families in our community: The Guracks from Nebraska and the Blocks from Jerusalem. Bruchim HaBa’im!

This newsletter is sponsored in honor of the birth & bris of

BERNARD HALLER, US. MARINE OUR BOYS IN LAKE PLACID For the second year a summer visitor eager for a Minyan at Lake Placid sponsored our boys (chaperoned by Rabbi Israel Rubin, Shmuel Kochman and Joe Morris) to go up and make a Minyan there for 3 days. In addition to sponsoring their stay and outings, he also made a very generous contribution to our school. Pictured Top: Our students enjoyed The Wild Center and the newly opened Wild Walk. Above: This man at the Torah was in a nearby park, came to the Minyan & was called to the Torah, his Hebrew name is Tzvi Hirsch.

MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

Our davening boys were inspired (as many are) by the inscription on the gravestone of Mr. Bernard Haller, a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Marines who served in the Pacific during WWII: “I served in the US Marine Corp in WWII as a Staff Sergeant. I managed to put on Tefillin every day even during combat in the Pacific and refrained from eating meat the entire time. The Almighty helped me to survive” What an personal testament and inspiring message for all of us in our own Mitzvah observance!

MITZVOT, CUSTOMS & PRAYER ATTORNEY ADAM LANCER OF OHEL CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES The second graders will be filling in this chart of special prayers, Mitzvot and customs (each with its own delineated category & column) for these months of Elul and Tishrei.

Ohel is a highly regarded Jewish social-services agency in NYC. He was in town, so Rabbi Rubin asked him to speak to our students. He spoke about developmental disability vs. mental illness, the challenges & ways of dealing with each, the importance of safety for this vulnerable & often defenseless population, and about the range of services Ohel provides ranging from staffed residences and foster care services to clinics & social-workers, to Camp Kaylie which joins campers with disabilities & campers without.

GIRLS CHOIR

NEW TEACHERS AT MHDS

Grades 6-8 had a choir class with Morah Chaya Bracha. She taught them a melody to the words “My beloved son Efraim” that’s in the Rosh Hashanah Machzor (in the Musaf section called Zichronot - Memories).

WELCOME MS. ARICKA FORD Ms. Ford is our new General Studies teacher for grades 1 & 2, and the students already enjoy her very much. This very first newsletter of the year is not too early to see some of the classwork she’s been doing with her students!

WELCOME MRS. BERKEY Mrs. Heather Berkey is also new this year, teaching science to our High School students.

HALLEY’S COMET

WELCOME MORAH MUSHKY

We mentioned Halley’s Comet on page 1, in connection with the untimely passing of Haley Birken. Interestingly, although explained by British astronomer Edmund Halley in 1700’s; “a star that appears every seventy years” is mentioned more than a millennium earlier by Rabbi Joshua in Talmud Horayot 10a.

Mushky Rubin, a Maimonides alumnus from Nursery thru HS, is back from seminary in Tzfat, Israel to teach Judaic Studies to our Kindergarteners. It’s a nice-sized group this year, and they are eager learners!

WELCOME RABBI A. KELMAN Rabbi Avraham Kelman of Cong. Beth Israel Schenectady is teaching Halacha this year to our High School classes. He brings a versatile and practical approach being a Sofer, Mohel and Shochet in addition to a Rabbi!

SHOFAR SHAPES AND SOUNDS TOP: These are two-tone paper Shofars sewn together with yarn by the Kindergarteners.

ABOVE: They used cut straws (of three different length sizes) pasted on paper to illustrate the three types of Shofar blasts: Tekiva, Shvarim & Teruah.

SOCCER BALL QUESTIONS

Mrs. Crawford played a get-to-know-you game with her 6/7 graders. She wrote a bunch of questions all over a soccer ball. You throw the ball to someone in the room. The two question your thumb is on, are the two WELCOME MRS. TZIVIE HECHT questions you have to choose to answer. Some examples of the questions: Another Maimonides alumna returns to teach HEBREW  If you could have dinner with anyone, past, at our school! Mrs. Hecht of Rhinebeck is HOLIDAY present, or future, who would it be? now teaching Navi to our 8th grade girls.

PLACEMATS  If you could add any word to the dictionary, 2nd graders made what would it be?

FAREWELL MRS. CARROLL placements with  Would you rather fight off one horse-sized Mrs. Lorin Carroll has been a pillar at Rosh Hashanah duck or a hundred duck-sized horses?

MHDS, she energetically taught grades 1-3 shapes & their  Name a city you’d love to visit. with passion, investment and dedication, own Hebrew It was a fun way to start the year and get to always urging them on to greater heights. texts. Pictured know each other a little better.

After seven years with our school (and she’s here, Nachman’s well-known for spending many hours at Shofar reads “Shnas Bracha” a year of blessing, BAKE SALE WILL RETURN school beyond required teaching hours) she his apple reads in Hebrew: “Rosh Hashanah is accepted a teaching job in North Carolina coming. I am preparing for Rosh Hashanah. I 8th grade girls will be doing Bake Sale this where her daughter is attending college. We hope it will be a good and sweet year.” And his year (as a fundraiser for their year-end trip) will miss her very much, we are grateful for all placemat is still a work in progress as of when with baked goods for sale once a week during that she’s brought to our school and our a roving TNT student photographer took this the morning recess, but it won’t start up until after the busy and hectic Tishrei holiday students. We wish her the very best. picture in the second grade classroom. season. Stay tuned!

MAP THE ROOM

5 HIGHLIGHTS OF ROSH HASHANAH TORAH & HAFTORAH READINGS

Mrs. Ramsay had her 6/7 graders each draw a map of their classroom, no one really knew why.

But then she showed how people used different perspective and angles to make their maps, and included different levels of detail, so it was a neat intro to learning about geography and mapping and the various ways the same info can be viewed.

CANDLELIGHTING ESSAYS Years ago, at the Rebbe’s suggestion, the Lubavitch Womens Shabbat Candlelighting Campaign (Neshek = Neirot Shabbos Kodesh) held a writing contest about Shabbos candles.

The winning entries were published (1977) in a beautiful and inspiring book: “A Candle of My Own”. There’s at least one Albany entry published there! Mrs. Laber of Jewish Girls Unite is bringing this writing contest back “Shine Your Light” with entries published online at www.JewishGirlsUnite.com. See the website for more details.

DIGGING IN...

These Nursery students are enjoying their sand sensory table, digging in and getting a handson feel for it - metaphorically, that’s what we hope for all of our students in all the grades!

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“And they walked together”: The Selichot of Tzom Gedalia depicts very movingly how old Abraham and young Isaac, walked together, alongside each other, to the mountaintop of the Akeida.

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“For this child I prayed”: When childless Chana returned to the Shilo Tabernacle with her son, the young Samuel, future prophet of Israel, this is how she introduced him to Eli, the High Priest.

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“A voice is heard on high, Rachel weeps for her children”: This opens a beautiful depiction by the prophet Jeremiah of how Mother Rachel cries for her descendents.

These verses are inscribed on Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem and have been transposed into several beloved songs.

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Chana’s Prayer & Song: The Talmud learns many lessons and laws from what Chana (later mother of Samuel) said and how she prayed. The mood shift from her original prayer to her subsequent song is very dramatic.

STUDENT PLANNERS Mrs. Duberry’s 4/5 graders have brand new colorful student planners with space for their weekly spelling words, a calendar, homework assignments and all kinds of random fun facts.

MAIMONIDES RAFFLE-AUCTION It’s not too early to start thinking of our school’s annual Chanukah-time fundraiser!

The Raffle-Auction usually goes to print 5-6 weeks before the event, as the majority of contributions come in by mail or prior to the event, so we need to have the prize info in by the start of November. Please think of a prize package you may wish to donate or contribute towards, or a business you can solicit to donate a service or product. Contact Raizy Rubin with any questions.

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“Listen to the voice of the youth where he is at”: This response to Yishmael is in the Torah reading after he was sent away from Abraham’s home. It’s an important message about listening to children, and recognizing the “place” where they are right now.

GET TO KNOW “OUR CLASS” Mrs. Maher’s 3rd graders got to know each other a little better using a graph charting system using questions like: how many vowels in your first name, how many letters in your last name, what month you are born in, etc...

ICYMI*: SEVERAL JEWISH EVENTS THIS SUMMER * in case you missed it

THE NANOTECH TALMUD SIYUM See our Dvarim MC Newsletter earlier this summer for this memorable Siyum with inspiring talks (we devoted the whole centerfold to them) by the participants of the daily Talmud study at Nanotech on Fuller Rd.

SARATOGA SHALOM FESTIVAL One of the best attended Shalom Festivals in years, highlighted by Sruli & Lisa Klezmer band with lots of Jewish flavor, people were there from as close as down the street in Saratoga and as far as Long Island and MA.

2ND GRADE SANDAL BOARDS Second graders are happy to get to work with their sandal-shaped erasable mini-whiteboards which they use to practice math and spelling.

They are “on their feet” off to a great start!

LET’S KEEP SCHOOL CLEAN!

WORLD’S LONGEST KNISH - TROY

READING & FLUENCY PHONES

Maimonides had a deep-cleaning this summer, Ms. Ford’s first graders love to read! Here and hired additional help to keep the school clean. But we need students help, too! Let’s be some are using rounded PVC pipe as “fluency phones” where they can hear more clearly how sure to pick up after ourselves. Thanks! their words sound.

Possibly the World’s Longest Knish was made by the Morrisons in Beth Tephilah and displayed at a Jewish Life festival at the Troy Atrium. It was quite the endeavor, placed like a snake into the oven, winding between shelves, then very carefully removed and transported to the Atrium for display and tasting. Other foods were served as well, most memorable was a deliciously sweet crisp noodle kugel made with peaches!

at Maimonides and in the Community

NURSERY SHOFAR CROWNS & APPLE HONEY PLATES Morah Rivka’s nursery students learned where Shofars come from, the type of sounds they make, and made and decorated “stained glass” (using their favorite apple colors) honey apple dishes with wishes for a sweet new year.

9/11: TOWERS OF LIGHT & LIGHT FOR HALEY The picture above is from the tenth anniversary commemoration of 9/11 in September 2011 at Maimonides, with the Twin-Towers of the World Trade Center, depicted as two Shabbos candles - towers of light. The kids have grown up a lot since this picture! This year 9/11 falls on a Friday, which makes the Shabbos candle metaphor all the more significant. Clifton Park Chabad is asking all to light the Shabbos candles this week in memory A MINI-MACHZOR FOR ROSH HASHANAH MEALTIME of Haley Birken, Rivka bat Zalman Moshe & Yasmine.

Morah Mushky’s Kindergarteners are happy to display their mini-Machzor for mealtime, that includes the Shehechiyanu at candles or Kiddush, the special wish said over the apple and honey and other Rosh Hashanah specialties.

9/12: LAST SUMMER WOMENS SHABBOS SHIUR The last of the summer season! This Shabbos afternoon, given by Leah 9/14-15: ROSH HASHANAH Caras at her home 96 Grove Street, corner Helderberg, at 4:45pm.

More local synagogues now offer free High Holiday services so that no one is turned away. We wish all our school families, newsletter readers and the entire 9/13: COLONIE CENTER FAMILY FUN DAY community: Shana Tova uMetukah; a happy and healthy sweet new year!

Reptile show, magicians, balloon twisters, and more: 12-3pm at the Colonie Center Mall. It’s part of a celebration for their re-opening.

9/16: TZOM (FAST OF) GEDALIA

9/13: UNCLE SAM PARADE IN TROY Parade route goes down 5th Avenue leaving 125th Street in Lansingburgh at 1pm, ending at the grandstand on 106th Street. It’s the parade’s 40th year.

9/13: WATERFORD TUGBOAT ROUNDUP A 3-day tugboat festival (other work boats, too, like fire-boats) at Waterford waterfront ends this Sunday (11-3:30), just across the river via walking-bridge from Peebles State Park. Free admission and there’s a bunch of activities, too.

9/13: MENS HIGH HOLIDAY MIKVA SCHEDULE Bnos Israel Mikvah announced high-holiday schedule for mens mikvah use:  Sunday, Erev Rosh Hashanah: 4pm-5:30pm  Tuesday, Erev Yom Kippur: 12:45-2pm & 3-4:30pm Costs: $10pp per day, $2 extra for towel, max $30 per family per day. Kids under 12 free, only with supervising adult. Please note the following: 1) Everyone must shower prior to immersion.

2) Please bring your own towel. There is a $2 charge for towels, if necessary.

3) Please remember to remove your shoes before entering the waiting room.

4) Please make an effort to come toward the beginning of the shifts, so there won't be a big crowd in the last half hour. The young men who will be there to take the money, need to clean up afterwards and get home or to shul in a timely manner. Please be considerate of their time.

The day after Rosh Hashanah, it remembers the tragic assassination of Jewish Governor Gedalia sadly by a Jewish assassin. School starts 9:30am. Grades 1 and up please daven at home before coming to school.

9/20: ADIRONDACK BALLOON FESTIVAL Sunday 6:30am launch of 100+ hot-air balloons at Floyd Bennett Airport in Queensbury or 20+ balloons launching 5pm at Crandalls Park in Glens Falls.

More info at www.adirondackballoonfest.org

10/1: SUKKAH PARTY AT SARATOGA CHABAD 5pm, details (including food, activities and entertainment) to be announced.

If you are headed up that way, maybe stop at the Clifton Park Farmers Market (one of the last of the season) 2-5pm in a church parking lot at 912 Rt 146.

MAIMONIDES TISHREI HOLIDAY SCHEDULE 9/14-15: Rosh Hashanah, No School 9/16: Fast of Gedalia, 9:30am start* 9/22: Erev Yom-Kippur, No School 9/23: Yom Kippur, No School 9/24: “Guhts Nuhmen” Day after Yom Kippur, 9:30am start* 9/27-10/6: Sukkot & Simchat Torah, No School 10/7: Morning after Simchat Torah, 9:30am start*

* on days with 9:30am start, grades 1+ please daven before school

MAIMONIDES SCHOOL & COMMUNITY (Nursery / Elementary / High School) 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 maimonidesschool@gmail.com Founded in 1980, Maimonides is chartered by the NYS Board of Regents and is a JF-NENY Beneficiary “A Beautiful Blend: Torah & Worldly Experience!”