Maimonides Community

BH.

Adar 22, 5775 / March 13, 2015

Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 6:41 404 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 7:42 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY

maimonidesschool@gmail.com

CONDOLENCES MORAH LEYEE

MAZAL TOV DAVIS FAMILY

on the tragic Purim passing of her older sister Chani, leaving behind six children at age 37.

Rabbi Yossi and Leyee will be in Crown Heights with her family for all of Shiva.

Condolences can be sent to them or to the family at: wilenkinfamily@gmail.com.

The baby was named Moshe Menachem Mendel, and the Seudah was held after the fast on the night of Purim!

R’ ELAZER D’MILAH After the Bris ceremony, which had no meal (until that evening) because of the Fast of Esther, Rabbi Rubin’s Gemorah class skipped ahead about 100 Talmud Shabbos pages to learn about Bris Milah on Shabbos & the Halachos & opinions about that. Always seeking connections!

This MC Newsletter is sponsored in memory of Zeides, Rabbis Michel Piekarksi (Shushan Purim Kattan) & Moshe Rubin (Erev RC Nissan) Kiddush at Shomray Torah this Shabbos in between their Yartzeits

SEUSS BOOKS PRESENTATION Rabbi Rubin presented Mrs. Carroll with the Beginner Books donated to the school in memory of her father at the Purim Prunch with a Seussian theme. Yes, the scrambled eggs had scallions and spinach to make them green, there was also a deliciously green zucchini soup. Rabbi Rubin said Seuss is a perfect Purim concept because it is both silly and serious, educational & engaging. Mrs. Carroll recalled her father telling them Seuss stories at bedtime from memory! A booklet distributed to all participants had Seussian messages, Seussian Talmud & other Seuss related Purim fun. Families & children did a brisk exchange of Mishloach Manot, and two men even kept up their daily Talmud study amidst all the hustle and bustle. The “Oh! The Places We Will Go!” bulletin board above was made by students in connection with the Purim Prunch as well as Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2nd.

LAST CALL FOR THE $7 SHMITAH TREES PLEASE Thanks to all who already sent in $7 per family (some sent more) along with their vote on what type of fruit tree we should purchase. We’d like to send the money to the Israeli Shmitta-observant farmers before the month of Nissan. Please choose your choice of tree when you send in the $7!  Olive Tree  Grape Vine  Pomegranate  Fig Tree  Date Palm  Citrus Tree

LAST CHANCE FOR SLEDDING After a long, cold winter no one is sad to see the thermometer finally rising into the 30’s and 40’s. It feels like a heat wave! But its also (probably) the last chance to get some sledding SHUSHAN PURIM COSTUMES in before all the snow melts.

Not all students get to see each other on Purim Morah Dini took her students to Day, so on Shushan Purim we all got see each Albany Golf Course on Tuesday other’s costumes. Rabbi Mendel announced for a fun hour of sledding as a Siyum trip! It’s each child and their costume, took their photo also a lesson to “chap-arein” - take advantage of (see back page for more pictures of some of the opportunities while they last, strike while iron costumes) and everyone enjoyed a taste of is hot or in this case: while the snow is cold! bakery cookies at the end. Pictured above are 2nd graders dressed as a Wild West Sherriff, a MAOS CHITIM PASSOVER HELP Rubik’s Cube, a Police-woman, a Carrot that It’s not too early to contribute now for the was part of a salad set, a blue Liger, a black and needs of the poor before Passover. Contact white Pirate, Rapunzel, a Police-man, a French Rabbi Rubin, your Rabbi, or the Kosher Food artist, and one of the Twins from France!

Pantry for ways to help people in need.

MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

ISRAELI ELECTIONS THIS WEEK

IRVING BERLIN, SONGWRITER

Israeli elections are coming up this week, even national politics there is very local and the effect on everyday life is much more evident than it is in the United States. We discussed individual candidates a bit but mostly how citizens are more invested and concerned about politics when ideologies and policies translate clearly and tangibly to everyday life and real world issues.

And their single vote does make a difference!

In Social Studies with Mr. D. 3/4 grade read about Irving Berlin, originally named Yisrael Beilin, who composed some of America’s most beloved songs including “God Bless America”.

He is considered one of the greatest American songwriters of all time. He was born in Russia, where his father was a Chazzan, but brought his family to NY in 1893. Irving Berlin lived 101 years, from 1888 to 1989!

HY ROSEN & RABBI TELUSHKIN HS Boys were at the Yartzeit Minyan for the longtime (4 decades!) “Times-Union” political cartoonist Hy Rosen whose son Ben was Chazzan and said Kaddish. Above is Rosen’s cartoon after Israel’s daring 1976 Entebbe rescue (times have changed). That day was also yartzeit of Rabbi Nissen Telushkin, a respected Brownsville Rabbi and grandfather of author Joseph Telushkin. Our Mr. Avram Backman helped him at home in his later years.

BUSTENAI, ADOPTED PRINCESS Morah Dini’s class finally finished “Bustenai” a Jewish historical adventure story by Rabbi Dr. Marcus Lehman, and is now beginning another historical book by him, titled “The Adopted Princess” about the Sifsei Kohen’s (major Shulchan Aruch commentary) daughter, set in the upheavals of the 1600’s.

POLLING AND GRAPHING

JEFFERSON’S PRESIDENCY

1st graders are learning to collect information in surveys and depict it in graph form. They are working on a chart of student hair color (top) and they made a chart about students’ favorite fruits (above).

Our 6/7 graders are learning now about the dawn of the 19th Century, with the huge Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark Expedition on land, and the Barbary Wars and embargo issues with England on the seas.

THE CALDER CIRCUS IN ART

56 graders in art class with Mrs. Levin are making a mini circus based on the works of Alexander Calder (his 3D circus art is on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art). They fashioned people and animals from wire, a paintbrush or other materials. The THE COMPLIMENTARY CHOCO BERRIES & PRETZELS students worked in MISHLOACH MANOT BASKET Morah Rochel’s 7th grade dipped strawberries partners to make different Morah Dini brought in a bunch of papers and pretzels and Hamantaschen in chocolate acts and figured out how to control the people shaped like foods or fruits. Then she told her and shared it with all the classes at school. using string, wire, or levers. One student team 3/4 grade students to each write compliments What are some lessons from choco-dipped? made an acrobat who swings around a paper about other students in the class. Each student  For it to be immersed and adhere, it must towel roll. There is also a weight lifter, clown, got to take home a basket of compliments be warm and melted. Learning sticks to us shoot-man-from-a-cannon, & tightrope walker. written by their fellow classmates. What a nice best when it has warmth and is fluid!

Mishloach Manot! And you don’t have to  Chocolate and pretzels seem like a unusual ...AS IF YOU finish this one up before Pesach… pairing, but it can be quite delicious!

YOURSELF LEFT Opposites can compliment each other. A EGYPT...

HS boy compared it to an explanation of Morah Rivka’s Nursery Isaac’s telling Eisav “Make me delicacies”. students are learning all  Imperfections can be covered in something about the Pesach story rich like chocolate and then you won’t even in fun, engaging and know or care that the strawberries are hands-on interactive maybe less than perfect. ways, just as the Haggadah tells us to!

PETER THE GREAT

NEW HEBREW WORKBOOKS

Kindergarteners are excited to begin these new Hebrew language workbooks. As the year progresses they are becoming more and more comfortable with Hebrew words & reading.

HS history learned about Peter the Great and how he fought major wars expanding his tsardom and building up the Russian Empire.

He helped transform it into a major power with some reforms and modernizations.

HEBREW OPPOSITES Balagan is the opposite of Seder, Novel vs.

Poreiach, Nikayon vs. Lichluch - among the lists of opposites Morah Rivi’s 5/6 are learning.

WEATHERING… & POTHOLES

7th graders in TEI class learned one reason why Vayakel and Pekudei basically repeat the whole Parsha of Terumah and Tetzaveh: It shows us that the worlds of concept and reality are “two different Parshas” and much effort must go into transforming ideas into reality, WHY/WHY NOT MOVE THE BED plans into action. Rabbi Mendel asked them 4th grade Chumash class learned how Ruvain for a list of things that might block or keep good ideas from becoming reality. They came moved his father Jacob’s bed after Rachel up with some very good ones, so we turned it passed away, and how this upset into a “High-5” and asked grades 3-6 to add to Yaakov very much. They learned Ruvain’s well-intentioned reason for it as well. We collected all their lists and doing it, and why it was the wrong thing to do. divided it (using cards) into 4 categories, and When the 4th graders were asked in TNT/MC then HS helped us with a 5th category. See the for a “Maimonides Middos” (relationships & end result in the “High-5” on right > character life lessons from texts studied in class) a few students came up with this.

HS CHUMASH ON TZEDAKAH HS Boys are now learning Parshas Re’ah (read on holidays) with Rabbi Simon which has the classic verses about Tzedakah. This is a reminder for students to try to remember to bring daily Tzedakah, a penny or sometimes a nickel, to get into the Tzedakah habit and do a daily Mitzvah. Some classes such as Nursery send in a roll of pennies at the start of the year so it’s not needed on a daily basis.

WHY SOME GOOD IDEAS DON’T GET DONE

TEI: ACTUALIZING CONCEPTS

Mrs. Maher’s students are learning about the natural process of weathering, how water, temperature and other factors affect rocks and soil etc… and the science behind why potholes appear all over the streets this time of year.

IN CONNECTION WITH PARSHAS VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI

1

DOUBT: Questioning or doubting yourself or your ability, doubting the idea, overanalyzing, uncertainty whether the idea is worth it after all the effort and investment.

2

LACK OF RESOURCES: Not enough time, manpower, not enough money, not enough people are interested, you don’t have the materials needed to get it done or if there’s too much on your plate already to devote to this.

3

NOT ENOUGH MOTIVATION: Lazy, not motivated enough, not driven and determined, lack of patience to try again and again, distractions and lack of focus...

4

OTHERS: The thought that someone else will do it! Or those who worry too much about what others may think and are not independent enough to forge ahead and get it done. That there are people who really ought to appreciate and get involved with this idea but somehow are not interested.

Or it can be a problem of not delegating or assigning roles to others who can bring needed skills or resources to get it done. It can be when people on the team do not share the same vision or commitment.

Sometimes too much criticism, or disagreement or strife among the team can keep things from happening.

5

TRANSITION ISSUES: (HS thought of this category) Some people have much more “Chochma” than “Binah” which Chassidus explains to have more creativity than analysis, more spark than fuel. Some people are not as practically focused, not as good at execution, it can be due not having a detailed step-by-step plan in place.

NURSERY’S “INSTAGRAM” Well, not online, but on their wall! This one is full of costumed Purim pictures, and even has a #TBT to last year’s Pesach on bottom…

MISHKAN VESSELS IN 3D HS Girls made models of Mishkan vessels, along with accompanying text.

The Ark above shows a cutaway of the layers within, gold box, then wood, then gold again.

Top right is the Inner Altar with its crown atop. Above right is the Outer Altar with the ramp and the mid-height netting and design.

They also made the Kiyor washbasin but that is not pictured here, maybe next week. This is all very timely for this week’s Torah portion which describes in detail the construction of the Mishkan Tabernacle and its vessels.

FRACTIONS, DECIMALS, MONEY Mr. D’s students are learning how to relate fractions to decimals, and how all that plays out with money - which is one of the most common everyday applications.

KINDERGARTEN SEFER PICS Morah Aviva made these Seder Order pictures with the Kindergarteners. Most were actually made by the Kindergarteners themselves, not by coloring in some preprinted materials. They are very eager and interested in Pesach study!

SCI-ENRICH: EPIDEMIOLOGY 1st and 2nd did two experiments with Mrs. Ballard about germs and spread of disease.

When they came into the lab she shook their hands (she had some glitter on her hand) and then people shook hands with each other and then looked to see how many people had glitter. The 2nd experiment began with cups of water shared with others (and tracked who they shared with). One of the original cups had vinegar, so they traced back the strength of the vinegar to see how it traveled…

What do you call a snobby criminal going down the steps? A Condescending Con-descending.

I never believed my father stole from work at a construction job, but when I got home I saw all the signs were there.

I put root beer in a square cup. Now I just have the beer. (Kids, you learn about this usually in 8th grade math).

Knock, Knock! Who’s there? Broken Pencil.

Broken Pencil who? Never mind, its pointless!

Knock, Knock! Who’s there? Claire! Claire Who? Claire the way! Coming through…

I just ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon.

I’ll keep you posted (as to which comes first).

at Maimonides and in the Community 3/14: DOUBLE-PARSHA, CHAZAK, PARAH ETC...

Big Torah reading this week: double-portion of Vayakhel-Pekudei, Chazak as we conclude Chumash Shmos, we read the special reading (3rd of 4) of Parah, as get closer to Nissan and Pesach. It’s also PIEday, and a special one at that, 3/14/15 especially at 9:26:53am…

Kiddush at Shomray Torah for Zeide Rubin & Piekarski yartzeits.

Statue of Liberty

A feared Bandit

Policewoman

3/14: RABBI REISMAN SHIUR

Stripes!

Sat Nights 7:30pm at CBAJ Luchins Media Center with Rabbi Y. Reisman, televised from Brooklyn. Rabbi Frand’s class Thurs 9pm.

Maor Rosenberg, Federations Israel Fellow to explain Israeli elections, on the eve of this much anticipated election. 7-8pm at Federation.

Pippi Longstocking A Mime

3/20: BETTER2WRITE ESSAY DUE

Chef

Tomato

Student participants in our school’s “Better Together” teens & seniors program have to submit their essays no later than this date.

Purple Onion

3/16: UNDERSTANDING ISRAELI ELECTIONS

A. M. Mexican M.

Strawberry Shortcake

The Sheriff

3/22: MAPLE SUGARING IN BERNE & BERLIN It’s maple-sugaring season! at Mountain Winds Farm, 12 Williamson Rd, Berne, NY or at Kent’s Sugarhouse 2529 Plank Road in Berlin NY. See process first-hand, with farm and woodland tours. Call ahead for info. Check Kashrut before tasting/purchasing any products.

3/22: BAR-ZOHAR SPEAKS FOR FEDERATION Michael Bar-Zohar is a former member of Knesset and a best-selling author of a book on the Mossad. He is speaking for Federations Joint Society event (open to community) at Agudat Achim, 7:15pm. Cost $25pp, $10 for under 40. Reserve (and more info) with Federation, event is limited to 250 seats.

Unplanned, these boys happened to lineup on Shushan Purim as periods in American History: R-L: American Indian, Wild West Cowboy, a Guy from 1930’s with cap and suspenders, 1980’s Rocker, and a 21st century Hipster.

3/23: WOMENS BET MEDRASH Mrs. Nechama Laber will lead the study and discussion on Yocheved and Miriam, timely this time of year as Passover approaches. 8pm at Maimonides, all levels of learning are welcome.

Dr. Carroll & Nurse Simi

Stay tuned for a Chametz Dinner at MHDS before Pesach, as well as the annual Erev Pesach Chametz Burning and firstborn Siyum & Chol HaMoed!

4/19: JCC PILLARS EVENT HONORS MOSHE LOSICE AND CARL BLOOMBERG Reb Moshe Losice, who is well-respected in our community, is one of the JCC’s Pillars event awardees this year, along with Mr. Carl Bloomberg who is a past recipient of the Dr. Morton Berger Memorial Award. For more info contact Sidney Albert Albany JCC.

Happy the Purim Dwarf

A Dutch Girl

King Achashveirosh

A Bee & a Monkey

CAMP GAN ISRAEL UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT FOR THIS YEAR Morah Devorah Leah Mathless will be the new Camp Gan Israel director for this year, efforts are now underway to bring talented, capable and dedicated staff and add some new exciting programming. Contact Devorah Leah if you have questions, stay tuned for more info, registration forms coming soon.

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!”

A Sweet & Happy Pirate

Rapunzel