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Upcoming Events
March 28- April 6
Pesach Break
School Closed
April 9
School Resumes
April 18
Bnei Akiva of Los Angeles' Community-wide Commemoration of Yom HaZikaron & Celebration of Israel's 70th Yom Ha'atzmaut Program
April 22
Barnes & Noble Bookfair
11:00am-2:00pm
April 29
7th Grade Seattle Trip
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TEACHER & STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK
Teacher and staff appreciation week is coming up after Passover. The PTA will be honoring and celebrating our teachers and faculty with a grand breakfast, and lots of fun treats and surprises during the week.
To contribute to the teacher appreciation fund and show your gratitude,
click here or send your contribution via Venmo to @Hillel-PTA and reference Teacher Appreciation.
Your birthday child will get to choose a new book for the library with a dedication to him or her inside, check that book out first, and have their picture proudly on display in the library. Kids love to see their names in the books! Excess funds will be used for recreational supplies like games, balls, hula hoops and jump ropes.
The next birthday celebration will be this
Monday, March 26th.
ROSH CHODESH BREAKFAST
Co-Sponsor a Rosh Chodesh Breakfast for the teachers and staff in in honor of a simcha, your teacher, or in memory of someone you love . The teachers really appreciate this gesture!
Click here to sign up or send $100 by Venmo to Hillel-PTA. Be sure to reference Rosh Chodesh Breakfast and include a note with your special message.
FRUIT CART
Give your children the gift of healthy food. A fun and enjoyable treat! Fruit cart sign-up entitles your student to a bag of fresh fruit once a week during the entire school year. Fruit cart is available for
Grades Pre-1 to 8
on Wednesday
mornings.
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Mazal Tov!
Morah Esther Levi and her husband Yaniv on the birth of a baby boy!
Good luck to our Model UN students competing at YULA Girls this Sunday!
Mazal Tov to sixth grader, Lior Ronen, for donating 10 inches of her hair to help those in need. Thank you for exemplifying that Character Counts!
Happy 80th birthday Sandi Reiss!! From the entire Hillel community and beyond we wish you Ad 120! You've influenced Judaism and Torah in thousands of students! We love you!
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Parnas Hayom
Parnas
HaYom
is a beautiful way to honor a yarzheit, merit a refuah shelemah, or celebrate a simcha. Dedicating the Torah learning of students at Hillel to mark an occasion helps us to imbue both a love of learning and appreciation for the value of Torah scholarship.
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3/22/18
The Parnas Hayom was generously sponsored by Michael and Tina Loboda in loving memory of Michael's father , Morris Loboda (grandfather of 4 Hillel graduates), on the occasion of his 1st yartzeit . May the learning of Hillel's students be a zechut to his memory & may his neshama have an aliyah.
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3/23/18
The Parnas Hayom is generously sponsored by the Fisch Family
in
loving memory of שושנה בת יעקב , Susan Altman z'l , great grandmother of Eyal, Liat & Nili Fisch and Olga Kuti, יהודית בת חיים וחנה z'l , great great aunt of Eyal, Liat & Nili Fisch.
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ISSUE NO. 024
Friday, March 23, 2018
Erev Shabbat Parashat Tzav -- Shabbat Hagadol, 5778
7 Nisan, 5778
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Prepare Diligently!
By Rabbi Sufrin, Head of School
 This week's
parasha
begins with the words: צו את אהרון ואת בניו -- "Command Aharon and his children." Rashi questions the use of the word צו - "command" in this context. He quotes the
midrash,
which says that the term צו, a direct and imperative word, is used when instructing someone to do something diligently. In this case, Gd is telling Aharon and his children to be mindful and pay attention to the details of the
mitzvah
of תרומת הדשן -- "the daily act of removing the ashes" from the altar. Why, specifically, does Gd ask for diligence of Aharon and his children with this work in the Temple, tasks that seem mundane and merely preparatory for something more significant? Might it make more sense if the request for diligence came when speaking to the Temple Priests about their primary role, namely, the bringing of the actual sacrifices? Why does Gd place such importance on the process of the
"the daily act of removing the ashes, and why does this task require an extra emphasis to be diligent?
When doing a good deed or
mitzvah,
we take for granted that a person will be enthused when performing the actual
mitzvah.
One might also presume that the mitzvah itself is the act of greatest importance to Gd.
The preparations for a
mitzvah,
known as מכשירי מצוה - "
machshirei mitzvah
" - tend not to get the same attention as the mitzah itself. A lesson to be learned, then, from this week's
parasha
is that in G-d's eyes the
machshirei mitzvah
also require and deserve the same enthusiasm and diligence as the
mitzvah
itself. The true test of commitment is not only how a person does the primary act or good deed, but also the attitude of a person during the entire process, including the preparations. As we begin our Pesach preparations, may we all delight in the simple, physical chores and the Torah learning that will lead us to rejoice in and fully appreciate all of the beautiful
mitzvot
of the Seder nights.
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H.A.S. Session 4 Registration for N-5th is LIVE!
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Learn. Study. Sleep. Repeat. The life of a Chidonite!
Zippi Klein, Mikra Chair and Chidon HaTanach Coordinator
At Hillel,
Chidon HaTanach
is much more than an after-school club. It's much more than a national, or even international, Bible competition. It's even more than a class in my schedule. At Hillel,
Chidon HaTanach
becomes a way of life. It means I learn
Tanach
for a solid hour every day. It means I go home and review what I learned with great care and detail - every night. It means that when I go to shul on
Shabbat
and listen to the
Torah
reading, between
aliyot
I flip to another section of
Chumash
and steal of few moments of
chazara
, review. It means that my parents may find themselves telling me to "put the
Tanach
down and do your homework!"
At 35 students strong, this year's group of participating students is the largest we've ever had. And they are raising the bar in more ways than just quantity. Our team scored well above the national average on every qualifying exam. Our qualifying rate is significantly higher than the 40% rate nationwide and our 18 nationalists comprise almost 10% of all qualifying students from across the country. What's the secret, you might ask? Ownership. Mastery. Love. Our students learn every single
pasuk
(in all 80
perakim
) on their own. They work hard day in and day out, learning, processing and studying. The unique approach we've developed and the incredible amount of energy the students invest enable them to master not only the content, but the text as well. And of course, it's fun! The learning comes to life! The discussions are heated and intense and, of course, every statement is supported by a direct quote. The camaraderie and excitement is contagious! And the sense of accomplishment and the deep knowledge that this is
my Tanach
- I know it and I can learn it - cannot be beat!
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Enrollment is now open for Camp Hillel - Summer 2018!
For more information, contact Alexis Newman, Camp Hillel Director, at (310) 276-6135 or email
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Friday Night Lites
Chaya Kenigsberg
Director of Judaic Studies, ES
This past Friday night was the most inspiring Shabbat davening that I can remember. As an extension of our Kehilla Shabbat program, we piloted a Friday night davening with our second grade students and families. Over 180 parents, siblings and students came together at our first "Friday Night Lites" Program. Our second graders, led by Morah Rachel and Rabbi Israel, starred while lighting nerot Shabbat after giving Tzedaka. The class then led all of the families in a most heartwarming Vezakeini. Our second graders then continued to lead and shine in an amazing Kabbalat Shabbat, highlighted by the most energetic Lecha Dodi dance. Two students shared beautiful divrei Torah with us on the Parasha. The program culminated as everyone participated in a magnificent Seudat Shabbat in the lower gym. Thanks to Hamid and Rona Rashidi Doust for sponsoring such a meaningful event! Thanks to Rabbi Isarel and Morah Rachel, as well as all the teachers and families who attended and added to the experience. After such a successful event, we look forward to hosting Friday Night Lites for other grades in elementary school as well. Please be in touch if you would like to get involved!
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A Real Humanities Moment: Bringing it All Together!
Mr. Jason Ablin, Principal
Last month, our 8th graders were able to not only learn under the umbrella of a certain theme and set of concepts in both their English and History classrooms, but were also able to experience that learning, as well. Hillel 8th graders are, more than anything, being introduced to the idea of American citizenship, rights and responsibilities. In English, through reading
To Kill a Mockingbird,
students are tackling tough issues regarding race, civil rights and speaking truth to power when injustice rears its ugly head. In History, students are understanding the nuances of freedom of expression (first amendment rights) and the historical origins of our constitutional system.
At Hillel, we take advantage of each moment, and so all of all this learning came together seamlessly as we took our 8th graders to see "The Post," Steven Spielberg's gripping tale of the Washington Post's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers. Students were prepped for the experience with an examination of the history of the Vietnam War and in their English class with an understanding of the Women's Rights movement during the 1960s and 1970s. After watching the film, students created the connective tissue between classroom learning and the circumstances of the recent past and current events in the news today. Our students asked the essential critical question: how do the events of the past inform and teach us about the world we live in today?
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Finding the Eved and Melech in the Haggadah
Second Grade Judaic Studies Teacher
These days in school, there is an excitement of Pesach in the air. As the
yeladim
in
kita bet
can tell you, we have been busy making the haggadah come to life. One of the important ideas of the seder night is to do things differently and
create opportunities for
the
yeladim
to ask questions.
As we study the haggadah, we are noticing
and discussing
the themes of
cheirut
(freedom) and
avdut
(slavery), being like an
eved
(slave) and a
melech
(king).
As we discussed what it means to be an eved (slave) and a melech (king), we had some insightful suggestions!
For example, Yakir Kaplan explains that "an
eved
is a person who works hard, doesn't get a paid and does not get to choose his or her job." Nehorai Rashidi-Doust understands a
melech
"as someone who rules the land. He is in charge over other people."
Going through the haggadah, the students are excited to identify which actions we do on the seder night that represent an
eved
and which are like a
melech
. We learn that we drink grape juice as a symbol of
cheirut
and we eat maror as a symbol of
avdut
. Please discuss with your families if the following actions represent
cheirut
or
avdut:
1) Eating matzah
2) Yachatz- putting away the matzah for later
3) Eating a big meal for shulchan orech
4) Eating charoset
5) Dipping vegetables in salt water
Wishing all of our families a chag Pesach Sameach!
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Harkham Hillel Academy
Professional Leaders Receive Training Through BJE
On Wednesday, March 14th, Daphne Orenshein our Elementary Associate Principal of General Studies, along with 88 other school administrators and teacher leaders gathered at the Luxe Hotel for BJE's Annual Day School and Yeshiva Leadership Retreat for a day of learning. Rae Ringel, a faculty member at the Georgetown University Institute for Transformational Leadership facilitated the day's agenda on the topic of The Language of Leaders: Using Influence and Communication for Impact. The schools worked together in teams on listening strategies, making requests and offers to drive new results and understanding how to ask questions that influence, inspire and lead. It was an incredible day of collaborative learning, between schools across the broad cultural and religious spectrum served by BJE.
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Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy accepts paid advertising if it conforms to the values of the school. However, the school and it's personnel with the Board of Directors do not accept liability or responsibility for advertisers' claims or kashrut of products advertised.
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