At the onset of Parshat Ki Tavo we read about the obligation of Bikkurim — bringing one’s first fruits from their annual crop to Jerusalem. A vital component of this mitzvah is Mikra Bikkurim, the formal declaration that is recited upon the delivery of these fruits. This proclamation succinctly recounts the origins of Am Yisrael, beginning with Yaakov’s descent to Egypt, through the Exodus, and onto Bnei Yisroel’s entry into Israel. It is interesting to note that when one looks at the text of Mikra Bikkurim, there is no reference to the actual fruits that have been harvested until the final verse, when the individual declares, “And now, I have brought the first of the fruits of the land that the Lord has given me” (26:10). If the purpose of Bikkurim is to thank Hashem for His bounty, why is that only a tangential part of the declaration?
It seems from these verses that the individual thanks Hashem not just for the fruits and his crop, but for the overall state of Am Yisrael: for the miracle of turning a slave nation into a sovereign country, with the ability to grow our own crops and the freedom to partake in its bounty.
At Hillel, the start of the school year represents a time to take stock in all of our blessings. We are excited for a brand new school year and new innovative programming across all of our divisions. Specifically, we are looking forward to seeing the impact of our new STEAM coordinator, expanded I-Tal Am Ivrit curriculum, and of course the Herman Lipsitz building. Thank G-d, we have so much to look forward to and so much to be thankful for.
The mitzvah of Mikra Bikkurim requires us to look beyond our personal successes and accomplishments. Our prosperity is a blessing not only for ourselves, but for the entire nation. May all of our efforts continue to bear fruit, for ourselves, our community, and all of Am Yisroel.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Weinberg,
Principal
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Say Hi to Leah Wheeler, who is settling in at the Front Desk, providing a warm welcome and friendly smile to students, parents, faculty, and visitors. Leah does the many jobs that help keep Hillel Academy running smoothly, like answering the phones, running supplies, bandaging boo-boos, reuniting lunchboxes with their owners, keeping the copier working, and a million other tasks.
Leah is a Pittsburgh native who attended Pittsburgh Public Schools, and has been an Administrative Assistant for over 25 years. She has three children: Gene-Leigh, Seth, and Andrew, and no pets, but she loves dogs. What can always be found in Leah’s fridge? “Juice, any flavor.” The tech gadget she cannot live without is anything “that has the capability to play music.” If she had a theme song, it would be “This Could Be The Start Of Something Big!”
If you happen to be under four feet tall, and wear a Spiderman backpack and light-up shoes, you may feel free to call her “Miss Leah.”
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We are sad to say goodbye to Officer Anthony Sage, who has provided much more than simply security at Hillel Academy for the past two years: he has truly become a member of the Hillel family. He will be continuing to make people feel safe and cared for as a Firefighter Paramedic. Officer Lorne Shields will be taking over as our new Head of Security.
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Your eyes don’t deceive you — that’s Mr Werber! He’s back as a substitute teacher this year.
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Meet our new Bnot Sheirut, Noa (left) and Eliraz (right)! They endeared themselves early to students by offering them stickers, Israeli flags and candy on the first day of school.
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FIRST DAY!
At Hillel Academy, we consider our students to be stars, so we roll out the red carpet for the first day of school. Families utilized the backdrop for a perfect photo-op between massive bunches of balloons, while Officer Lorne kept watch next to the loudspeaker which was pumping welcoming music.
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First day of school pep rally. First — Fourth graders were divided into groups by the different Shofar sounds (Tekiah, Teruah, Shevarim, Shevarim-Teruah) and started cheering when they heard their Shofar sound. Each grade was then invited up on stage with their teachers and were introduced to everyone. Rabbi Levy then talked about the excitement for the new school year as well as hopes and goals for the year.
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Fifth grade had their first number talk of the year today. They found ten different ways to solve 18x5 mentally. They made connections between each other's methods and learned methods they hadn't seen before.
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On the first day of school the High School Girls baked cookies at Creative Kosher for the Tomchei Shabbos program.
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The Middle School Girls enjoyed an outing to the Neville Roller Drome!
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The Middle and High School boys spent the first couple of days engaging in bonding exercises in Frick Park and Squirrel Hill, lead by Rabbi Tani Preno, a certified wilderness therapist and teambuilding facilitator.
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Phew, was it hot! As we gathered to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Lipsitz Building and a new school year. Hillel Academy students, staff, teachers, friends and family enjoyed the musical stylings of SIX13 ACAPELLA. Rabbi Admon lent a helping hand / egged on Mordy Brown by adding heat to the coals for the BBQ. Thank goodness for the coolers filled with iced water!
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Grand Opening of the Herman Lipsitz Building
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CEO Dan Kraut led the dedication by thanking the many people whose generosity contributed to making this wonderful expansion of our school possible, while Principal Rabbi Weinberg spoke of its important role in securing a robust Jewish education for future generations. Macy Kisilinsky presented Mr. Kraut with a plaque signed by the students. Mrs. Barbara Katch gave a heartfelt speech about her family’s steadfast belief in the school’s mission. Aaron Kraut led a Siyum of Seder Moed.
Over the summer the middle and high school boys learned the Mishnayos in memory of Mr. Herman Lipsitz z”l.
The occasion was marked by joyous dancing!
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Special ceremonial scissors were used to cut the ribbon officially declaring the Lipsitz Building open! As people streamed in through the glass doors, many generations of boys and men danced in the Donald and Chantze Butler Beit Medrash as the Torah scroll was brought in and placed in the aron. The Building hummed with excitement as people explored the new classrooms and enjoyed the maginificent view.
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Hillel Academy is embracing the upscale hipster aesthetic by switching wall paint colors from “Wheat” to “Quinoa.” If merely looking at wheat-colored walls gives you gastric distress, never fear! Our walls are now gluten free! (PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: DON’T LICK THE WALLS.)
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You walk into school the first day and think
Hmmm. Something’s different, but I don’t know what….
until you bump into the new doors in the main hallway. After you rub your bruised nose, you notice that this door — and ALL the doors — are now a lovely shade of blue. But what shade, exactly? The faculty were asked to come up with a name for this blue. Here is what they suggested:
MOGAN DAVID BLUE
JIM MORRISON BLUE
UNDERWATER EXPLORATION
STORMY SEAS BLUE
NAUTICAL NAVY
RAGING RED (?)
BOLD + BAD BLUE
BLUE OR RAINBOW!
TRUE BLUE
AQUA
BEAUTIFUL BLUE
CHAMPION BLUE
BARBIE BLUE
PRETTY POSTAL BLUE
NAVY NIGHTS
LOCAL PD BLUE
AWESOME BLUE
LASER LEMON
INSTITUTIONAL BLUE
BOLD BLUE
ROYAL BLUE
HILLEL HOT BLUE
ALLSPARK BLUE
MIDNIGHT BLUE
SMURFS BLUE
BLUETIFUL
SUMMER MIDNIGHT BREEZE
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE BLUE
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS BLUE
HOLY COW, THAT’S A BEAUTIFUL BLUE
QUINOA
What would you call it?
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My Mom pronounces it “
quin-o-a
,” which is wrong. It’s pronounced “
keen-wa,”
which makes you sound real fancy.
—Editor
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Judah and Maya Beck
Chava (6G), Sara (5G), Yael (3), Talia (PK), and Eitan (TT)
Devra and Lynton Becker
Avi (7B) and Sarah (PK)
Freddie and Kirsten Berger
Rush (I)
Yoel and Debbie Biton
Benjamin (9B) and Jacob (8B)
Aaron and Shira Breen
Eliyahu (N)
Moshe and Tamar Gans
Yosef (N) and Nochum (TT)
Joel and Elana Katz
Gabriel (6B), Ava (2), and Hannah (TT)
Isaac Keslassy and Anat Levin
Aviv (T) and Nov (TT)
Russel Slayton and Rebecca Lebow
Jonah (TT)
Michael and Devorah Leah Leopold
Menachem (2) and Yosef (K)
David and Aurelia Sahel
Ayala (7G), Daniella (6G), and Joseph (2)
Doniel and Dina Schon
Yehuda (6B), Esther (3), Yaakov (1), and Kayla (T)
Chananel Shapiro and Rivkah Margareten
Malya (TT)
Meshulam and Tova Twersky
Emunah (3), Asher (1), Tikvah (PK), and Basya (TT)
Seth and Sonja Wimer
Corbin (I)
Yoseph and Rachel Zuckerbrod
Yehuda (6B), Shraga (2), Shaina (K), and Miriam (PK)
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Kelly Bellini
K – 12 Art
Rebecca Huff
STEM Coordinator
Elana Katz
5 – 12 Girls Judaics
Naama Metzger
2nd Grade Judaic Studies
Erin Morgan
K – 6 Behavior Specialist
Ruth Phillips
4th Grade General Studies
Yehuda Plotkin
1st Grade Judaic Studies
Nichole Scarlett
7 – 12 Math
Meshulam Twersky
7 — 12 Judaics
Yosef Zuckerbrod
3rd Grade Judaic Studies
Tamar Gans
Pre-K
Julie Brooke
Pre-K
Kirsten Groce
Nursery
Maura Spodek
1st Grade General Studies
Rabbi Weisswasser
Middle School Boys Judaics
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These are the results of this week’s social media audience participation event!
Raise the roof!
No glass ceilings here.
Ceiling the future of the Jewish people.
“I’m glad we purchased the taller ladder for the school.”
Just ONE more piece of tape ought to do it....
They’ll never find it here.
“The wi-fi is awesome right here.”
Reaching new heights!
Aaah, now my back feels better!
How many principals does it take to change a lightbulb?
I know I hid it here somewhere….
“Fix the panel, they said…the ceilings are only 6 feet, they said….”
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for daily photos, updates, and fun quizzes and contests!
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CLUBS
CLUBS BEGIN OCTOBER 3rd
Grades K - 3
BALLET, CROSS COUNTRY, ISRAELI COOKING, MITZVOZ / MIDDOS, SNAPOLOGY,
SOCCER SHOT, VIOLIN
Grades 4 – 8 Boys
ART, ASSEMBLE, CROSS COUNTRY, LEAGUES, MISHMAR, MISHNA, MITZVOS / MIDDOS, ODYSSEY OF THE MIND, SCIENCE FAIR, SNAPOLOGY, VIOLIN
Grades 4 – 8 Girls
ART, ASSEMBLE, BASKETBALL, CROSS COUNTRY, ISRAELI COOKING, MITZVOS / MIDDOS, ODYSSEY OF THE MIND, SCIENCE FAIR, SNAPOLOGY, VIOLIN
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The Hillel Happenings is published on Thursdays. Please submit stories, photos and ads by Wednesday afternoon to:
Thank you!
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Once again this year, Hillel Academy will be participating in the Box Tops for Education Program. My name is Barbara Uebing and I’m thrilled to be the Box Tops Coordinator. Clipping Box Tops is an easy way for you to help our school buy what it needs. Box Tops are each worth 10 cents and they quickly add up to real cash for our school. This school year, our school’s earnings goal is $2000.00.
To help our school, just look for pink Box Tops on products, clip them, and send them to school. Pre-K — Fourth Grade will be having a friendly collection contest to help motivate school supporters to clip Box Tops. When sending in Box Tops, please be sure to write your child’s name and grade on the outside of the envelope or baggie. For more information on the Box Tops for Education program, including a list of participating products and school’s progress, visit
www.BTFE.com
. Be sure to become a member to receive exclusive coupons and recipes and learn about extra ways for our school to earn.
I hope you’re excited for everything we can do this year with Box Tops! If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at
buebing@hillelpgh.org
. I’m here to make our school’s Box Tops for Education program a huge success this year.
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EARN MONEY
FOR HILLEL ACADEMY
SIMPLY BY USING YOUR
GIANT EAGLE
ADVANTAGE CARD
From now until March 16, you can earn funds for Hillel Academy by using your Giant Eagle Advantage Card every time you shop or fill up at Get Go Gas stations through their Apples for the Students program. Register your card today to help us raise much-needed funds. It’s easy: just go to
www.GiantEagle.com/AFTS
to link your card to Hillel Academy’s account using the School ID number 0454.
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Interested volunteers please contact
Dan Kraut
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When you #StartWithaSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. Bookmark the link and support us every time you shop.
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/25-1067130
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MISSION STATEMENT
At Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, we educate young men and women with unlimited capacity who compete in a superior manner in all challenges undertaken. Our students are Torah observant models of exemplary character, who love G-d, the Jewish people, and the land of Israel. To say that our students possess a love of learning, confidence and the ability to think critically, merely highlights the value of a Hillel education. What we ultimately achieve each day, and have been achieving for 70 years, is the gift of instilling each student with the foundation for a life spent actively serving and leading the Jewish community and society.
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Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh | 412 521-8131 | hillelhappennings@hillelpgh.org | www.hillelpgh.org
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