Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, May 28 - Physics Day for juniors

• Tuesday, May 27 - Thursday, May 29 - Senior Retreat @Camp Chi

• Sunday, June 1 - Tuesday, June 3 - Shavuot Break

• Wednesday, June 4 - Study Day (no classes)

• Thursday, June 5 - Wednesday, June 11 - Finals Period - Click here to view finals schedule

• Sunday, June 8 - Class of 5785 / 2025 Graduation 1pm

• Tuesday, June 17 - Dr. Edward A. Crown Annual Scholarship Dinner honoring Ald. Debra Silverstein (Crown Service Award), Daniel Harris (Crown Leadership Award), and Rabbi Yishai Broner (Educator of the Year) - Click here to register and/or buy an ad (See brochure below: 70% Give-Get credit for all reservations and ads received by May 10; 50% after that date)

Click here to view ICJA's cafeteria May menu.

Students prepared to teach their own class.

Sophomores in Rabbi Daniel Fox's Honors Chumash class have been learning Sefer Bemidbar this year. This week, they began preparing their end-of-year assignment, designing a class to teach to their peers about topics in Sefer Bamidbar which they haven't yet covered in class.

Working b'chavurta (with study partners), students chose topics to research, then watched online shiurim from Aleph Beta and began structuring their classes.

Pictured above: Hillel Lennon and Megill Hameiri

Pictured above: Gabriel Nudman and Jacob Thomas

Pictured above: Levi Madoff and Caleb Novick

Students educatedtheir peers about different brachot in Shemona Esrei.

This week, juniors in Mrs. Lynn Kraft's Advanced Jewish Studies Program class took turns sharing their knowledge and discussing different brachot in the Shemona Esrei tefilla (prayer).

Students shared how different sources explained the wording and intent of various brachot. While each group of students presented, their classmates took notes and asked questions, deepening their appreciation of each tefilla.

Pictured above: Esther Meyerson and Jessica Michaeli presenting about Birkat HaShanim, the blessing for the years and for parnassah (sustenance)

Pictured above: Esther Gersten and Temima Marshak presenting about Birkat HaMishpat, the blessing for justice

Pictured above: Jayden Perlman presenting the research she and Raeli Lopin conducted about the bracha Kibbutz Galuyot (ingathering of the exiles)

Students learned about leadership from Rabbanit Jennifer Raskas

On Monday, Ida Crown Girls' Club hosted Rabbanit Jennifer Raskas, the inaugural Community Scholar at Shir Hadash in Jerusalem.

Students heard about Rabbanit Raskas' studies at Ramaz high school, Midreshet Lindenbaum, Columbia University, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and the leadership lessons she learned at each place. In a lively question and answer session, Rabbanit Raskas encouraged students to think creatively about how they could start new clubs and programs at Ida Crown.

Thank you to Mrs. Lynn Kraft for arranging this informative event.

Pictured above: Rabbanit Raskas answering students' questions

Pictured above: sophomores Yakira Wittlin, Ariella Titievsky, and Sarah Leonard and junior Yaffa Hoberman with Rabbanit Raskas

Students learned how to use micropipettes

Freshmen in Mr. Peter Sahyouni's Biology class have used pipettes this year to transfer liquids substances in experiments. This week, they learned how to use micropipettes, which transfer microliters of liquid, a much smaller amount than they've previously used.

Students practiced holding the micropipettes steady and dislodging only a microliter of liquid at a time.

Pictured above: Menachem Steinberg, Emmett Gelman, and Binyamin Friedman

Pictured above: Ronit Kinar and Emily Adler

Pictured above: Coby Gordon and Asher Segal

Students discussed the Korban Pesach.

Freshmen in Rabbi Menachem Rosenbaum's Chumash class are learning Sefer Shemot. This week, they learned Rashi's commentary about the first Pesach meal eaten by the Israelites on the eve of the Exodus from Egypt.

In an animated discussion, students debated why Jews were commanded to eat the Korban Pesach with Maror (bitter herbs) and why the Torah designates specific bitter vegetables which fulfill this mitzvah.

(Pictured above: Bennett Kroll and Lior Kirshner)

Pictured above: Yis Burgher

Pictured above: Jordan Rich

Pictured above: Binyamin Friedman

Students observed and measured the frequency of standing waves.

Juniors in Mr. Allen Sears's Physics class are learning about standing waves: a phenomenon that results from the interference of two waves moving in opposite directions.

Students observed the way that tuning forks vibrate when they're held next to empty tubes, amplifying the standing waves that exist inside the tube, then calculated the wavelength and frequency of various standing waves using the Standing Wave Formula.

Pictured above: Daniel Wolper and Boaz Stopek observing standing waves with Mr. Sears

Pictured above: Josh Miller discussing waves with Mr. Sears

Pictured above: the class learning about the Standing Wave Formula

Students explored water color techniques.

Students in Mrs. Julie Thomas's Art classes have been learning watercolor painting techniques including lifting, grading, flat wash, graded wash, and more.

This week, they used these techniques to create beautiful painted landscapes.

(Pictured above: sophomore Ryan Angus with Mrs. Thomas)

Pictured above: sophomore Mia Saltzman

Pictured above: Evie Weiss and Ariella Titievsky

Pictured above: junior Boaz Stopek

Students are learning Meforshim on Aseret Hadribrot.

Freshmen in Rabbi Michael Myers' honors Chumash class (pictured here) began learning Mefarshim (commentaries) on the Aseret Hadibrot (Ten Commandments) this week.

Students discussed biographical details of Ramban and Ibn Ezra before learning and discussing their views on the Aseret Hadibrot.

Pictured above: Eitan Spolter and Avi Friedman

Pictured above: Akiva Joseph

Pictured above: Shmuel Scharman and Asher Segal

Students enjoyed the final Freshman Girls' Homeroom of the year.

This week, freshmen girls gathered for the final Girls Homeroom meeting of the year. This program brought freshmen girls together periodically throughout the year in fun settings outside of class.

Girls got to know each other and learned skills to enable them to better bond together. This week, students played a game where they were grouped together according to interests or traits (as recorded previously in a student survey). Students then worked out what they all had in common.

Thank you to Mrs. Alise Gold, Mrs. Etty Guggenheim, Mrs. Ayala Zimmerman, and Mrs. Noa Nussbaum for pioneering this popular new program.

This week we asked ICJA's Mechanech and Talmud and Tanach teacher about himself.

Rabbi Menachem Rosenbaum is a beloved Talmud and Tanach teacher here at ICJA, and a Mechanech, providing guidance for ICJA boys. This week we caught up with Rabbi Rosenbaum and asked him a few questions about himself.

Where did you grow up? And where do you live now?

I grew up in Riverdale. I attended MTA high school, then learned at Yeshivat Keren B'Yavneh in Israel for two years. Afterwards, I attended Yeshiva University, where I majored in Philosophy. After that, I earned my semicha at YU.

I came to Chicago when I joined the YU Torah Mitzion Kollel. Fun fact: I had learned with Rabbi Reuven Brand before, when I was in high school and he was in semicha!

Today I live in Chicago with my wife Aliza and our kids: Ezra, who's 14; Devora, who's 12; Mordechai, who's 9; Shifra, who's 6; and Efraim, who's two.

How did you decide to go into education?

In my second year at YUTMK I began teaching a Talmud class before school here at ICJA. After a year of that, I started teaching here as a regular teacher.

I always loved learning. I was open to what type of teaching I'd like to do. I'd worked in a summer camp teaching campers and had also taught adults. (I still teach adults: each Shabbat I lead a shiur on the Parsha at Adas Yeshurun.)

Working with high school kids is special. They have a lot of energy and they think deeply about things.

What do you enjoy about working at ICJA?

The students! I also appreciate the administration: I think it's top notch.

Can you describe a favorite ICJA memory?

I enjoy learning with students. Years ago, I once learned the Kuzari each afternoon with a student; that was fun.

Do you have any hobbies?

Yes - I enjoy playing board games. I also enjoy reading a lot. I read a lot of older fantasy authors like Tolkien and also enjoy nonfiction.

What advice do you have for students?

Choose a career path that will enable you to move to Eretz Yisrael.

This week's learning dedications include:

Thursday, the 24 of Iyar, 5785, May 22, 2025, by the Wax, Aaron and Teller Families in loving memory of Rabbi Burton H. Wax, הרב דוב חנוך בן חיים יעקב ז״ל, on the occasion of his 1st yahrzeit

Thursday, the 24 of Iyar, 5785, May 22, 2025, by Jeff and Beth Pogonitz 

Margalit, Simcha, and Binaya, Elka and Shmuli, Ephraim, Rebecca, and Shmuel, Noah, Avromi, Josh, and Moshe, in loving memory of our father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Sheldon Kirshner, שלמה בן משה ז״ל, on his shloshim, and our mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Rita Kirshner, ריקל בת ראובן הכהן ז״ל on her 10th yahrtzeit this Shabbat

Wednesday, the 23 of Iyar, 5785, May 21, 2025, by Larry Teren, in the merit of

a Refuah Sheleimah for Ruth Teren

Wednesday, the 23 of Iyar, 5785, May 21, 2025, in memory of Nathaniel Grey, Naftali Yitzchak ben Elisha z”l, beloved husband of Lana; beloved father of Steve, Donna (‘77), Jordan, Marc (‘95), and Ari (‘01); adored grandfather of Allie, Jeremy, Josh, Gavi, Yoni (‘12), Tamar (‘15), Benny (‘21), Ella, and Ruben; and great-grandfather of Jonah, Isaac, Naomi, Michal, Netanel, Yair, and Talia

on the occasion of his Shloshim

Tuesday, the 22 of Iyar, 5785, May 20, 2025, by the Masliansky Family, in loving memory of Joseph Masliansky, a''h, יוסף בן אהרן

If you would like to sponsor a Day of Learning, please contact our Director of Development, Deva Zwelling, at (773) 973-1450 ext. 115, or dzwelling@icja.org.

Watch "Oh the Places You'll Go," our video for prospective students - and share it with people you know who'd like to learn more about ICJA!

Watch this moving video documenting some of the volunteer activities last year's seniors participated in during their month-long Mission to Israel 2023-4!

In addition to many thousands of physical books and journals, ICJA's Learning Commons contains tens of thousands of online books, journal articles and other resources, including subscriptions to newspapers such as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the Encyclopedia Britannica, and more. Students are able to access these resources through our portal.

Please stop by our librarian Mrs. Steinberg's desk in the Learning Commons or email her at  librarian@icja.org her to pick up your updated passwords to access our online material. ICJA's subscriptions are available at icja.libguides.com/home.

Review ICJA on Niche.com and enter a sweepstakes.

Help let people know how fabulous ICJA is! Whether you're a parent, student, teacher, or alumnus/alumna, the popular school ranking website Niche.com wants to hear from you. Plus, every person who reviews ICJA (or any other school) is automatically entered into a monthly $1,000 sweepstakes by Niche.com. For more information and to leave a review, click here.

Do you have school-related news you'd like to see in this newsletter? Let us know!

If you have exciting ICJA-related news to share about classes, sports, clubs, or other projects, please tell us! Send news items and/or photos to Dr. Yvette Miller, Director of Communications at ymiller@icja.org. Your items can enhance our newsletter and ICJA's social media presence.

Support the ICJA Scholarship Fund and win a trip to Israel!

There is no limit to the number of tickets you can purchase. Winners will be announced June 27, 2025.

Click here or on the flyer above to register and/or buy an ad for the Dr. Edward A. Crown Annual Scholarship Dinner honoring Ald. Debra Silverstein (Crown Service Award), Daniel Harris (Crown Leadership Award), and Rabbi Yishai Broner (Educator of the Year)

70% Give-Get credit for all reservations and ads received by May 10; 50% after that date

Join our New Alumni Facebook Group

We are excited to announce that we have a new private Facebook group called “ICJA Official Alumni Page.” It is a space for alumni from all graduating years to join. We will periodically post alumni reunions, events, fundraising opportunities, information about ICJA today, and news.

We are proud to have some families with us for four generations. If you are an alum, please join the group HERE and be sure to share the link with your family, friends, and fellow graduates. You can also share this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/UeTsqg16DDx4JHGK/?mibextid=hubsqH. Thanks for staying connected to ICJA!

Please reach out to Ilana Levy at ilevy@icja.org if you have any questions about this new effort.

Last summer, ICJA gave its Class of '24 alumni the third edition of our directory listing ICJA alumni who live in Israel and have graciously offered to open their homes to recent ICJA grads who are currently spending a gap year in Israel.

Thank you to the many alumni who have reached out to us, offering to host.

If you have any questions or would like to update our contact information to help recent ICJA grads obtain a copy, please contact Dr. Yvette Miller, ICJA Director of Communications, at ymiller@icja.org.

We are still taking submissions from alumni who are willing to host, to include in future copies of this directory. Please contact Dr. Miller to be included.