Upcoming Events

• Friday, January 24 - Tuesday, January 28 - Yeshiva Break (no classes)



• Wednesday, January 29 - Classes Resume



• Friday, February 21 - Motzaei Shabbat, February 22 - ICGC Shabbaton



• Friday, February 28 - Motzaei Shabbat, March 1 - ICBC Shabbaton

Click here to view the ICJA Cafeteria's January Menu.

Students gained skills to combat bigotry.

For two days this week, ICJA's driveway was home to the Mobile Museum of Tolerance, an initiative of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Each history class paid a visit to the Museum, where students learned about battling hatred, antisemitism, propaganda, and bigotry.

Half of students completed the Museum's training program on identifying and responding to online extremism. Using iPads, students learned how to identify extremist content and how to report troubling posts. Other students completed the Museum's program on propaganda. Taking the Nazi experience as an example, students learned about different elements of propaganda and discussed specific issues of Nazi propaganda, gaining skills in identifying and combatting propaganda in the process.

Thank you to former ICJA parent Alison Slovin, Midwest Direcor of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, for bringing this wonderful resource to ICJA.

(Pictured above: freshmen Talia Bajtner, Yael Schwartz, Michal Belsh, and Shiri Litwack)

Pictured above: sophomores Noah Ehrlich and Ayden Starck

Pictured above: juniors Mia Weiss, Josh Miller, and Gabe Boshes

Pictured above: sophomores Evie Weiss, Ariella Titievsky, and Meira Schultz

Pictured above: sophomores Jacob Ackerman, Gabriel Schreiber, Solomon Robinson, and Nathan Rothner

Mobile Museum of Tolerance educator Ms. Elizabeth Blair discussing online extremism with students

Pictured above: juniors Noam Hellman, Elie Cherney, Daniel Wolper, Macks Kroll, and sophomore Yair Elbaz

What was the purpose of Yetziat Mitzrayim?

Freshmen in Rabbi Shlomo Rosen's Chumash class are learning Sefer Shemot. This week they discussed the fundamental question of why Hashem brought us out of Egypt.

Students discussed Rashi's explanation that we left Egypt in order to perform mitzvot, and discussed to which mitzvot specifically Rashi was referring.

Pictured above: Emmett Gelman and Akiva Mishkin

Pictured above: Mijael Mora Pliego and Yair Dreytser

Pictured above: Aaron Gelb

Students welcomed a Chicago Bulls VP to ICJA.

Thank you Adrienne Scherenzel, Vice President of Community Engagement at the Chicago Bulls, for speaking to ICGC's Leadership Boards about your personal leadership journey this Monday.

Ms. Scherenzel discussed starting her career as a podiatrist before changing to work in sports managment, and encouraged students to follow their personal and professional dreams.

Students identified their favorite Aggadic quotes.

Students in Mrs. Lizi Martin's honors Talmud class are learning Aggadot in Masechet Ta'anit. This week, they collected inspirational quotes that they found meaningful, shared their favorites with their classmates, and discussed the meanings of their quotes. Examples included describing how learning with a chavrutah sharpens one's mind, and the fact that one learns from one's teacher, learns even more from one's friend, and learns most from one's students most of all.

Quotes students gathered included:

ברזל מברזל יחד

אחד מחדד את חבירו 

וכל העוסק בתורה לשמה תורתו נעשית לו סם חיים 

עורכהו כמטר

אי הוו סנו טפי הוו גמירי דבר      

יערף כמטר לקחי 

עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה 

הרבה למדתי מרבותי ומחברי יותר מרבותי ומתלמידי יותר מכולן 

(Pictured above: senior Simcha Seruya sharing her favorite quote and explaining why she likes it)

Pictured above: juniors Devorah Kaplowitz and Dina Gottlieb

Pictured above: sophomore Ayelet Klein

Pictured above: junior Rivki Belsh

Students discuss Mrs. Dalloway in a seminar format.

Students in Mrs. Michelle Prince's AP Literature class engaged in a seminar this week, as they discussed Virginia Wolf's modernist novel Mrs. Dalloway.

In a wide-ranging round table discussion, students discussed similarities and differences between the book's protagonists, characters' motivations, the book's setting, and other themes.

Students triggered and then observed osmosis in plant cells.

Freshmen in Mr. Peter Sahyouni's Biology class are learning about osmosis. This week they observed osmosis in the cells of Elodea, a type of seaweed.

Students placed samples of Elodea on slides, added either salt water or fresh water to the plants, then observed the results through a microscope. Students recorded and drew their observations as they watched the salt ions outside the Elodea cells caused water inside the cells to leave through the cell membranes through osmosis.

(Pictured above: Mijael Pliego and Emily Itzhaki)

Pictured above: Haley Horowitz observing cells

Pictured above: Talia Bajtner

Pictured above: Atara Ehrenreich

Students gained fluency in reading Rashi.

Juniors in Rabbi Louis Fliegelman's Chumash class are learning Sefer Devarim. This week they read Rashi's insights into the reason Hashem forbade Moshe from entering the Land of Israel.

After reading Rashi's comments, students practiced reading them fluently and then recorded themselves so they could hear how they sound as they read.

(Pictured above: Eli Gelb and Jonah Glass consulting with Rabbi Fliegelman)

Pictured above: Noah Lehrfield with Rabbi Fliegelman

Pictured above: Aaron Katz

Pictured above: Jonah Glass and Boaz Stopek

Freshmen and their relatives davened together last Sunday at Congregation Shaarei Tzedek Mishkan Yair.

Many Sunday mornings, ICJA's freshmen boys' rebbe, Rabbi Louis Fliegelman, arranges for students and their fathers (and grandfathers and other relatives) to meet at a different Chicago-area shul to daven Shacharit together and enjoy breakfast and learning.

Last Sunday, students davened together at Congregation Shaarei Tzedek Mishkan Yair, which ICJA's beloved Tanach and Talmud teacher Rabbi Reuven Gross, z"l, used to lead. After davening, Rabbi Gross's son Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Gross spoke with us, reflecting on his father's goals and aspirations as a rabbi of Shaarei Tzedek and a rebbe at ICJA.



For more information about the Veshinantam Levanecha program, email Rabbi Louis Fliegelman at lfliegelman@icja.org.

Pictured above: freshmen and their families at at Shaarei Tzedek Mishkan Yair

Pictured above: Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Gross speaking

The Wrestling Aces scored a victory Monday Night.

On Monday, the Wrestling Aces hosted Hammond Baptist and St. Viator.

The Aces downed Hammond Baptist 42-36 in the opener. Sophomore Megill Hameiri (120) and Junior Adin Jones (132) led the way for Ida Crown with decisive wins. Sophomore Noah Ehrlich (113), Senior Moshe Tarshish (165), Freshman Sammy Bajtner (175), Freshman Bennett Kroll (190), and Sophomore Ayden Starck (205) also contributed wins in the cause.

St. Viator bested ICJA in the night cap, 46-27. Starck, Sophomore Caleb Novick (106), Ehrlich, Senior Avi Chen (138), and Senior Aidan Zukerman (144 - pictured above) emerged victorious from their matches. 

The Varsity Aces triumphed over Skokie Yeshiva.

Yasher koach to the Varsity Aces on triumphing against Fasman Yeshiva High School, 61-40, last Motzaei Shabbat!

Yasher koach to the JV Aces for playing a great game against the Yeshiva. While they didn't win this time, they showed great skill and sportsmanship.

(Pictured here: junior Judah Well during the game)

This week's learning dedications include:

Monday, the 13th of Tevet, 5785, January 13, 2025, by Cynthia A. Levin, Justine and Petachya Allerhand, and Tomy & Lily, in loving memory of, Jennifer Levin Kaplan ('89), z"l, on her 22nd Yahrzeit

Tuesday, the14 of Tevet, 5785, January 14, 2025, by the Ida Crown Staff, in memory of Tracy Strimple, z"l

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.

This week we caught up with ICJA's beloved Physics teacher and asked him a few questions about himself.

Mr. Allen Sears has taught Physics at ICJA for a quarter century; a generation of students have enjoyed his in-depth teaching - and his rendition of Happy Birthday on his ukulele on students' birthdays! This week we caught up with Mr. Sears and asked him a few questions about himself.

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

I grew up in Park Ridge and attended Main South High School. I earned my Bachelors degree at University of Illinois in Chicago and a Masters degree in Natural Science and Physics at Arizona State University. My final project was creating a way to help students understand Newton's Laws.

Today, I live in the Edgewater Beach neighborhood of Chicago.

Why did you decide to go into education?

I think if you'd asked me twenty-five years ago, I would have replied that I enjoy physics and enjoyed teaching. I liked the idea of a job that let me talk and interact with people more than a typical office job. Today, that is the part of teaching that I really enjoy. Teaching is about building relationships; I've found that to be a very rewarding part of this career.

What do you enjoy about teaching at ICJA?

I enjoy being part of the ICJA family. I've always felt that things happen here because of what's the right decision for students, not because anyone is following a playbook or a rubric. There's a human element here: we all know each other and communicate with each other.

What's a favorite memory you have from your years at ICJA?

One fun memory is when students threw me a "Bar Mizvah" party complete with a photo book that everyone signed. We had herring trays, deli roll, and music. It was a lot of fun.

Do you have any hobbies?

Yes - I love going for walks and hiking. I also play piano and guitar. I used to be in rock bands when I was younger.

What advice do you have for ICJA students?

Don't be afraid to be wrong! I feel like being wrong is more stigmatized than ever and that's a loss. Fear of being wrong gets in the way of reflection; it gets in the way of evaluating what thoughts led to an incorrect conclusion and fixing them; it gets in the way of figuring out who you are. Taking academic risks is an important part of growth. 

Is there anything most people don't know about you that you'd like to share?

In 2022 I spent the Summer at the High School Physics Teachers Program at CERN the European Organization for Nuclear Research. CERN operates the Large Hadron Collider, which is the largest particle accelerator in the world. I was able to meet 25 other physics teachers from all over the world and share best practices. That gave me the opportunity to convey to people how to diverse physics really is: that’s a good thing.

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.

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.

Calling all 3^rd – 12^th grade students attending an ATT school! It’s time for the Pogrund Family Essay and Judaic Artwork Contests! Demonstrate your writing and/or art skills as you explore a Judaic topic. Winners receive a $50.00 check. Deadline for art/essay submission is Wednesday, January 15, 2025. FOR ESSAY/ARTWORK RULES AND GUIDELINES, visit www.att.org → For Students or call ATT at 773-973-2828 

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.