Maimonides Community

BH. Tishrei

28, 5781 / October 16, 2020

‫ב“ה‬

Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District Candle-Lighting: 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org 5:52 1st Days Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 6:51 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY

WE’RE BACK AT SCHOOL After a long Sukkot break, and an extra day for Isru Chag/Columbus Day, we’re back on for in-person learning at Maimonides. This is a major effort by students, teachers, parents and the school administration - thanks all for your part in making in-person education possible.

maimonidesschool@gmail.com

MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

MAZAL TOV PHAFFS On the marriage of their son Binyamin Eliyahu to Batsheva Baila Pfeffer this week in Jerusalem. Binyamin was born after the Phaffs left Albany for Israel but the family still feels close ties with Albany and Maimonides!

MAZAL TOV KAUFMANNS On Tziporah’s Bas-Mitzvah this Sunday.

Wishing her family and friends continued ESTY’S TENTH YARTZEIT Our first day back at school coincided with the Nachas and much happiness!

10th yartzeit of Esty (Rubin) Cohen, who MAZAL TOV MOSHE RUBIN passed away just after Sukkot, on the 25th of Tishrei, ten years ago in Manchester England. This Moshe Rubin is a 3-year old in Brooklyn Esty was an alumna of Maimonides. A special celebrating his Upshern (a bit over Sukkot and the rest after the holiday). Mazal Tov and activity/event is hopefully in the works soon, continued Nachas to his parents, MHDS but in the meantime, in honor of her yartzeit alumnus R’ Efraim and Menucha Rubin, and each student got little package with a: Kind grandparents, Rabbi Rubin & Morah Rochel.

Bar (she was very kind), a mechanical pencil (she expressed herself a lot through writing), THE MASK SHATNEZ QUESTION and a Laffy-Taffy (she loved to laugh). Some classes got to see some of her journal entries Yehudah L. asked a great question in Rabbi and did some writing of their own based on it. Motti’s 6th grade Yahadus class: Is a mask May her memory continue to be a blessing! allowed to be “shatnez” (a Torah prohibited combination of wool and linen)? Our clothing is not allowed to be shatnez but is a mask SUKKOT-TIME BAR-MITZVAHS considered clothing or not? Rabbi Two 7th graders celebrated Bar-Mitzvahs over Rubin has a whole scholarly piece on Sukkot, Meir I. (in Kingston & Zoom) and shatnez in uniforms, perhaps that can Shmuly G. (at Greenbush Jewish Retreat). be applied to masks? Good question!

Each had beautiful, memorable celebrations.

PLEASE NOTE: Recent MC Newsletters had some pieces on current events and people in politics etc. We aim to see and discuss many types of issues nuanced from various angles and perspectives, but it has come to our attention that there are significant sensitivities in this regard, especially now in the homestretch of a contentious election season. We apologize if this has offended or upset anyone and will be more careful about this in the future. Thanks for understanding.

A pre-YomTov article on this page highlighted RBG's active advocacy by which the US Supreme Court respects Yom Kippur observance among other things. However, one of our readers wrote: “She was superbly intelligent, frontier breaking, high achieving and Jewish", but proceeded to point out how several of her judicial positions violated Torah’s positions. We are glad to have readers familiar with both positive & negative sides of an issue, but this MC newsletter tries to keep a positive focus. Let us note that this past Wednesday, Tishrei 25th, we observed the Yartzeit of the Reb Levi Yitzchak Bardichever, renown for always seeking and advocating for the good aspects found in people, despite any flaws and shortcomings.

This MC Newsletter is sponsored in loving memory of

Esty (Rubin) Cohen On occasion of her 10th yartzeit: Tishrei 25 By her parents and siblings May her memory be a blessing

“ONLY WITH JOY” FILM Rabbi Rubin and the Bar-Mitzvah boys class watched a 65-minute recently released documentary film titled “Only With Joy” about the life and times of Rabbi Meir Shapiro and his founding of the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva and the study of Daf Yomi.

Rabbi Meir Shapiro’s yartzeit is next Sunday, the 7th of Cheshvan.

PACKING A TISHREI SUITCASE There’s a Chassidic tradition to say “Jacob goes on his way” after the Tishrei holidays end, signifying that we are taking along the many experiences, inspiration, messages of all these holidays into our everyday lives in the days, weeks and months ahead. Morah Chana’le’s 4th grade students made these “edible suitcases” to symbolize this tradition: To pack up all of Tishrei, take it along with us on our life journeys, and not leave it behind!

SOME STUDENTS’ SUKKOT FAVORITES  

EXPLORATION OF (SOME OF) THE STATES It’s harder to travel these days and some of these states are places our students might be less likely to visit, but Morah Sara’s 5th graders each researched their chosen states and did these very nice reports on them (not all 5th graders pictured) including Montana, Maine, Missouri, South Carolina and California. It’s interesting to learn about a place different from your own.

NUMBER THE STARS

SCIENCE SLIDE

4th (& 5th) graders Mr. Stark’s 7/8 grade are now reading Lois science class did a Lowry’s “Number demonstration in the the Stars” historical lab with piled up fiction about the particles (sand, escape of Jews from pebbles, rocks etc) Copenhagen during atop the slide near the Holocaust. The the faucet. A trickle book won the 1990 Newbery medal. They of water gets the made these visual smallest particles reports on the book moving first, but as using star-shaped the water pressure increases the biggest outlines filled with particles move down the slide the fastest. multi-media expressions of the NEGATIVE SPACE ART highlights of the story.

Chana Laber an MHDS LIGHT FROM DARKNESS alumna and 7/8 Pitgam Poetry learned about the advantage one of our of life FROM the darkness, often the absence art teachers of something, such as darkness, helps us this year did appreciate it (the light) so much more. a project with the HS Girls on negative space art, timely for Parsha Breishis, when light & darkness, were both created implying darkness itself has a purpose and is more than just the ICE-CREAM PARTY absence of light.

And light is even greater Morah Sara’s 5th graders enjoyed a refreshing delicious ice-cream party (complete with cones when it comes from darkness (see article about and toppings) earned by their Behavior Bingo! Pitgam Poetry in column on left).

THE HANGING GARDENS ...of Babylon came up in 7/8 history class about the ancient world. It was built by King Nebuchadnezzar (whom we sadly also know from our Jewish history) said to be a gift to his wife who missed the gardens of her homeland.

SHIMSHON’S MIXED WANTS 5th grade Navi class is learning about Samson and this week they learned a complicated idea about his doing certain things was partly what Hashem wanted and also partly because of what he himself wanted.

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Best part of this Sukkot was that it hardly rained, aside for the one storm, of course.

Our Chol HaMoed highlight was taking a 3mile walk around a lake and seeing beautiful waterfalls. We tried skipping rocks without much success.

A basketball player visited our Sukkah this year. There was quite a tumult about that!

Our family went to a big park with all types of courts, bike paths and zip-lines.

I did a lot of baking this Sukkot!

Chol HaMoed Sukkot was the first time we went back to the mall since Corona!

My brother’s Bar-Mitzvah was during Sukkot so we were busy with that.

Hot cider with cinnamon sticks is always a special Sukkot tradition for us.

Family visiting us was our highlight.

We went to Indian Ladder, there’s animals to see and fruits to pick and also the nearby Indian Ladder Trail in Thatcher Park. We got to see the waterfall on the trail.

Every night we did some dancing in our Sukkah and had a different treat each night.

During the power outage we hiked up a mountain to an old fire-tower.

We hosted a Bar-Mitzvah and I helped prepare for it.

My sister baked fresh hot cookies on YomTov morning and it was delicious!

We drove most of the way up Prospect Mountain in Lake George and hiked the rest.

The foliage was beautiful.

We took a hike in Moreau State Park which has a pretty beach and trails all around it.

We went boating on the lake.

The foliage at Thatcher Park was so pretty!

My family went to June Farms, which is a pretty place with animals and flowers, and is very nicely taken care of.

It was nice to see my cousins.

We go “Leaf-Catching!” this time of year.

I rode the Sukkah Bike on campus to help students shake the Lulav.

We lost power for 46 hours! Making eggs in the morning was such a good feel because it felt like a normal meal. Going on a hike was a good idea while we didn’t have power.

We went to visit our grandmother in Woodmere for Chol HaMoed, it was nice to see her and some of our cousins.

It was great having Choni Zucker come play amazing music at a local Bar-Mitzvah here.

I had my own Lulav and Etrog this year.

Our Sukkah was tiny and cramped but so full of happy energy so I loved it.

Our Sukkah felt emptier this year but we had a good time anyways.

We met a person visiting in our Sukkah who told us how much he enjoys reading the Maimonides Newsletter!

CREATION BUILDING BLOCKS Morah Chani’s Kindergarten students made colorful cubes of the days of Creation, like building blocks (cubes) out of paper.

A TALE OF TWO SURFACES Mr. Stark and HS physics pulled a wood box measuring the level of force between the box going along a flat surface vs. a leaning surface.

WEDNESDAY BIKE RIDE Inside of their Weekly Wednesday Walk this week, Jennifer and the HS Girls went on a Morah Rivi read a Hebrew story with HS Girls bike ride to Buckingham Pond area & back. about a hot & humid day when three went to the ocean… she asked them to rewrite their NEEDS & 2 TYPES OF WANTS story in Hebrew with a cold setting instead!

HS Personal Finance learned a 20/30/50 rule

FLIP THE STORY IN IVRIT

MUSHROOM SPORES 4th grade science were learning about spores and seeds. Mrs. Mattice showed them a neat demonstration by finding mushrooms outside and placing them gills down on white or black paper (depending on the mushroom coloring) you can life it up and see the spores spreading onto the paper - even in a cut mushroom!

PARSHA IN A PRETZEL Morah Devorah Leah made pretzel dough and all these students made shapes connected with this weeks Parsha: suns and moons, animals or fish, people or even Hebrew letters. Then they baked them and got theirs to enjoy.

ELECTORAL COLLEGE HS Participation in Government class learned how electoral college works, reasons for it and issues with it & how states treat it differently.

“WHERE ARE YOU” G-d’s question was the Creative Parsha theme this week in Morah Chaya Bracha’s class.

about budgeting needs and two types of wants.

And realizing how things cost money and money is finite for most people and you need to choose your priorities to make it work.

GRASS-HEADS Mrs. Mattice’s 3rd grade students made these decorated dirt filled seed-planted grass-heads which do not have any grass growing out of them just yet, but they will soon! Stay tuned….

TALMUDIC BACK & FORTH Rabbi Mendel’s 7/8 grade Talmud is working to break down the back and forth Q&A in the complex sugyya of “Calf vs. Tallis - does Sumchos disagree with our Mishna” on Bava Metziah 2b. Rabbi Mendel will bring in a flowchart next week, but over the weekend they’re supposed to break down the back and forth Gemorah segments best they can on their own.

ESTY WRITING Morah Rochel showed middle school students a big book of her daughter Esty obm’s writing and asked them to do some writing of their own based on that. They wrote some very nice and meaningful pieces

EXPLORING WITH COLOR

WELCOME MR. COHEN

Mrs. Hoffman’s Kindergarten students had fun exploring with colors. These are hanging in the entry area between the lunchroom (not used as a lunchroom this year during Covid) and their classroom.

Sadly, our English teacher Ms. Bacon (who enjoyed our school!) was unable to continue due to her doctor’s recommendation during Covid. Thankfully, Mr. Justin Cohen, a very fine graduate student has been able to step in.

We are grateful to our students, families and faculty to working through these changes with us as it is especially challenging time during Covid in many respects and for helping make school work despite whatever difficulties.

FIRST OF THE ALEF-BET ART Morah Chani’s Kindergarten students are now beginning to go through the Alef-Bet with a multifaceted focus on each letter. Here a diligent student is drawing the guided outline for Aryeh = lion painting, which begins with the first letter Aleph.

WHAT A FIND! Mendel S. noticed that his classroom’s Tzedakah Box was designed by his own father when he was a student at MHDS! True, there is a coin shortage, but please try to remember to bring Tzedakah daily!

at Maimonides and in the Community 10/17: SHABBOS BREISHIS It is the first Shabbos of the annual Torah reading cycle and the first after the long holiday season. It’s also Shabbos Mevorchim and Machar Chodesh (Rosh Chodesh begins Saturday night).

10/28: JEWISH WOMEN, 5 OBJECTS

Our Jewish Federation’s 10/18-19: ROSH CHODESH Womens Sunday and Monday are Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan.

Philanthropy is Tuesday the 20th is the first day we return to saying hosting a free Tachanun since before Yom Kippur! NOTE: Due communal event to Covid regulations we will not be having the with Laura communal 8am Rosh Chodesh Minyan at Leibman titled “A Maimonides until further notice, but we do look History of Jewish forward to renewing this monthly tradition once Women in Early Corona restrictions are relaxed.

New York in Five DAYS OF CREATION POSTERS Objects” covering Morah Devorah’s first graders each made their own 7 Days of Creation posters with 10/18: WINTER RAPTOR FEST illustrations of each day and the Hebrew lettering for that day of Creation. the years 1750This year this festival is virtual. Family viewing pass 1850 and a is $25 and can be used to stream it all the rest of springboard to appreciate meaningful October and November. Learn about owls and underappreciated items that we may have at home. WIFI UPGRADE hawks, kestrels and falcons, even lynx and foxes 7pm over Zoom, register on Federation’s website.

With more devices online now at school, and who share their habitat. See: winterraptorfest.com more classes depending on connected devices,

10/19: TOUR OF TEN BROECK 12pm-1pm via Zoom by NYS Museum (pre-register on the NYS Museum website) to see inside and learn about this mansion built in 1798 for Brigadier General Abraham Ten Broeck and his wife, Elizabeth Van Rensselaer.

10/19: JEWELRY SALE AT MHDS 3-4pm on Monday afternoon (dismissal and pickup time), local jeweler Marty Wigler (a friend of our school) will have an affordable jewelry sale at Maimonides in the outdoor WOW deck with a variety of pieces for $5, $10, $15 or $20 each with half the proceeds to Maimonides - also help a local jeweler during this challenging business climate.

10/20: ERUV: WIRE IN THE SKY CBAJ hosts a 3-part series on Eruv: Law (Oct 20), History (Oct 27, 7pm) and Practice (Nov 1, 8pm) over Zoom. The 3rd class on Nov 1st will be a Sunday 10am local walking tour of a section of the Albany Eruv with Rabbi Bomzer of the Vaad.

10/26: OLDEST HOUSE IN ALBANY Are you curious about the oldest house in Albany dating back to 1728 (on the site of the former Saul Equipment, owned by Bernie and Ella Saul who some of us still remember)? There will be a Virtual Tour of the Van Ostrande-Radliff House which the Historic Albany Foundation is in the process of restoring. Sign up for your Zoom link from the NYS Museum at: nysmuseums.org/event-3975577 it will be from 12pm-1pm on Monday the 26th.

11/3: MAZAL TOV RABBI HECHT

On announcement of his Nov 3rd book launch, “A Kabbalah of Food” by MHDS parent Rabbi Hanoch Hecht of Rhinebeck, “it has been years in the making or shall we say, the baking!” We hope to have opportunity for Rabbi Hecht to address our communities about his book as well!

11/9: FIRST CHIDON TEST ONLINE While we continue to use the Yahadus books and curriculum in school, Maimonides will not longer administer Chidon tests and any children wishing to enter Chidon must do so on their own and take the tests online at home. Morah Dini has more information how all this works. See first test date and unit chapters on left.

it seems our current Wifi needs a boost to be able to handle all of it. Some new hardware should be arriving at school next week, we hope this will improve things.

DISMISSAL REMINDER Parents, please note: Dismissal Monday through Thursday begins promptly at 3:20pm.

Friday dismissal starts at 1:15pm. Please also review with your children our dismissal policy of not leaving the building until they are called. We need to account for every student and abide by social distancing rules.

RAFFLE-AUCTION PRIZES It’s still some time away and we do not yet know what format this year’s Raffle-Auction will take, but we are going ahead with this fun annual fundraiser. If you have a prize to donate, or can help solicit prizes, please be in touch with Raizy, the Raffle-Auction coordinator. THANK YOU!

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!”