Upcoming Events
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Tuesday, January 10 - Boys' Night Seder - 8-9pm at the Skokie Kollel (This is a recurring, weekly event every Tuesday night when school is in session.)
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Wednesday, January 11 - Erika's Lighthouse "Talking About Therapy" - 5th and 6th periods
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Thursday, January 12 - Boys' Night Mishmar - 8-9pm at the Skokie Kollel (This is a recurring, weekly event every Thursday night when school is in session.)
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Friday, January 13 - Tuesday, January 17 - Break - no classes (Dr. Martin Luther King Day is January 16)
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Wednesday, January 18 - classes resume
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Tuesday, February 5 - Society of Patrons Reception - support our school and enjoy a beautiful evening - RSVP here (See flyer below for details.)
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Tuesday, February 6 - Tu B'Shevat - special afternoon program
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Monday, February 13 - Friday, February 17 - Jewish Though Seminars (in school)
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Wednesday, February 22 - Sunday, February 26 - Ladies Aces' Varsity Basketball RASG Tournament, Miami
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Learning Pirkei Avot in Memory of our Beloved Rabbi Reuven Gross, z"l | |
This week, students learned Pirkei Avot in memory of our cherished rabbi and teacher. | |
As students and faculty returned to school this week, we continued to reel from the untimely death of Rabbi Reuven Gross, z"l. In order to honor his memory during the shloshim, Navi and Tanach classes took on a section of Pirkei Avot to learn in his memory.
After completing their learning, students wrote personal reflections on Rabbi Gross's legacy and impact on them, which we will present to the Gross family in time for the shloshim.
"It feels more special learning Pirkei Avot in Rabbi Gross's memory," instead of as an ordinary class assignment noted sophomore Daria Lennon.
Mrs. Alissa Zeffren, '03, ICJA's Tanach and Jewish History teacher, is one of the cooridnators of the project - and was a student of Rabbi Gross. "I have very fond memories of learning Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Gross. If he chose these texts to teach to our students, these were important texts to him. The goal in doing this...was to create a relationship between students and the text" in his memory. - Mrs. Zeffren
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Pictured above: sophomores Talia Linzer, Leah Rina Brochin, Meital Witlin, Sarah Lipson and Simona Fridberg, learning Pirkei Avot in Rabbi Michael Myers' Honors Prophets class | |
Pictured above: juniors Jacob Pick and Jakob Wortman learning Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Shmuel Oren in Rabbi Oren's junior boys' Prophets class | |
Welcoming Peers from Chicago Hope Academy to ICJA | |
Over two dozen students from Chicago Hope Academy visited ICJA to learn about Judaism and our school. | |
On Thursday, January 5, nearly 30 students from Chicago Hope Academy, a Christian high school in Chicago's Near West Side, visited ICJA. They got to know ICJA students over lunch and sat in on 7th period classes.
It was a chance for Chicago Hope students to learn about Judaism, meet with Jewish peers and ask questions. For some of our guests, this was their first time ever meeting a Jew.
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Pictured above: Eden Willis, Emileny Bustamante, Autumn Brown, ICJA seniors Audrey Perlman, Carmel Schreiber and Michal Bechhofer, Makayla Brooks, Colbi Wilder and Lasandra Chavez eating lunch together | Pictured above: Hope Academy sophomore AJ Lajeune with ICJA junior Yonah Rubin in Mrs. Tirza Kahan's AP Language Arts class | |
Pictured above: ICJA seniors Andrew Bersson, Kenny Shapiro and ICJA junior Aryeh Neiger, Ismael Martinez, Roy Phelps and Dyllen Holmes enjoying lunch | Pictured above: ICJA juniors Jordana Zwelling and Taly Benzaquen with Hope Academy students Deborah Akwafo and Mildred Akwafo | |
Mrs. Beth Pogonitz's 9th Grade Boys' Honors Prophets Class | |
How did Mordechai know that Haman's plot against Persia's Jews was a result of Nebuchadnezzar's banquet? |
In Mrs. Beth Pogonitz's freshman boys' Navi class, students are learning Sefer Esther.
This week, they discussed how Rashi, Onkelos and Malbim determined how and why Mordechai knew about Haman's plans against the Jews and learned about the commentators' various insights as to the Jews' behavior at Nebuchadnezzar's infamous banquet, at which the holy vessels from the Beit Hamikdash were used.
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Pictured above: Aiden Rich answering a question | |
Pictured above: Ben Rosenberg and Jack Marshall discussing a point | |
Mrs. Marsha Arons's 10th Grade English Classes | |
On Monday, Mrs. Arons's sophomore English classes welcomed ICJA dad and Chicago Judge Mitchell Goldberg. | |
This week, Mrs. Arons's sophomore English classes welcomed ICJA dad and Chicago judge the Hon. Mitchell Goldberg to school. Judge Goldberg spoke about a number of topics, including the appeals process, the structure of trials in the US and around the world, and courtroom procedure. His talks addressed two books that sophomores are reading.
Mrs. Arons's honors students are reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and are preparing to put Victor Frankenstein on trial; these students grilled Judge Goldberg about courtroom procedure in advance of this project.
Students in Mrs. Arons's regular English classes are reading Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, and had many questions about the appeals process, which the book addresses.
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Pictured above: Judge Mitchell Goldberg | |
Pictured above: sophomores listening to Judge goldberg | |
On Monday's legal holiday, some fathers joined their sons at Shacharit in school. | |
On Monday morning, January 2, some fathers joined their sons at freshman davening. "Fathers are always welcome to join us," notes Rabbi Fliegelman, the freshman boys' davening coordinator.
Pictured above: Dr. Scott Fretzin with his son Eli and the rest of the class
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Dr. Gavriel Brown's Architecture Class | |
Students designed and built scale models of dream houses for some ICJA teachers and administrators. | |
Students in Dr. Gavriel Brown's Architecture Class have been gaining skills to build scaled models of houses. They put their new abilities to the test by interviewing ICJA teachers and administrators about what qualities they would want in a dream house - then designed and built realistic "tiny house" models of these buildings and their grounds. | |
Pictured above: senior Tehila Weiner with her model of Mrs. Carol Nyland's dream log cabin near a lake; senior Adina Margolin holding Mr. Allen Sears's modern home; senior Carmel Schreiber with her model of Ms. Susan Sennett's dream lake house; and senior Emma Felix's model of Mr. Joshua Cooper's dream house, complete with a Coke Zero dispensary inside | |
Rabbi Binyomin Segal's 10th Grade Boys Honors Chumash Class | |
Students discussed instances of complaining in Shemot. | |
Why did b'nai Israel mention fish specifically, when they complained to Moses in the desert about missing the foods they used to eat in Egypt? Students in Rabbi Binyomin Segal's sophomore boys' Honors Chumash Class discussed this and other examples of complaints found in Sefer Shemot. | |
Pictured above: Ranon Ginsberg, Menachem Friedman, Avi Chen and Rabbi Binyomin Segal | |
Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom's 2AC Class | |
Students learned about 18th Century mathematician Leohard Euler, who discovered some of the principles they are learning about in class. | |
Students in Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom's 2AC (Pre-Calculus) Class learned about Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), who assigned some of the letters and symbols we use in math today, including the letter π to indicate the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, the letter i to express the square root of -1, Σ to denote summations, and uppercase letters to describe the angles of a triangle and lowercase letters to describe a triangle's sides.
(Pictured: Mrs. Wasserstrom writing some of Euler's inventions on the board)
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Mrs. Alissa Zeffren's Modern Jewish History Class | |
Students held the "MJH Historical Zionist Congress". | |
This week, seniors in Mrs. Alissa Zeffren's Modern Jewish History (MJH) class held the"MJH Historical Zionist Congress," filled with prominent historical Zionists who helped call for and develop the jewish state through the years.
Students prepared slides about the historical figure they represented and spoke about their views and outlook - and dressed up as their figures, lending the class a fun feeling and fostering great debates and ruach.
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Pictured above: MIchal Bechhofer as Menachem Begin and and Chaya Laber as Theodore Herzl | |
Pictured above: Avi Zeller as Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Kalischer | |
The Aces competed against Niles North and Glenbrook North High Schools over Winter Break. | |
ICJA wrestlers competed against Niles North and Glenbrook North last Wednesday, December 28th. In action against the Niles North hosts, Sophomore Aidan Zuckerman (132) racked up a pair of victories. He pinned one opponent in the first period and pinned a second in the second period. Senior Phillip Maiman (160) also won two matches against Niles North, the first by14-3 and the second by 14-11. Senior Captain Avi Zeller (145) returned from a brief injury spell to earn a first period pin. Niles North won the match, 30-25.
After a challenging week of mid-December matches, the so-called "lightweight package" racked up victories against GBN. Junior Gabriel Klein (106) pinned his opponent in the first period. Senior Captain Menachem Reed (113) needed only:25 seconds to dispatch his opponent. Junior Ari Klein (113) won against GBN15-0 (pictured above). Despite their victories, GBN eked out a match victory by a final score of 18-17.
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Zaidy Robert Berezin, z"L Court Cam | |
Watch home games in ICJA's gym from the comfort of your own home with the "Zaidy Cam". | |
The Zaidy Robert Berezin, z"l Court Cam allows fans to watch games taking place in ICJA's gym. This week's Varsity Aces game against Crystal Rey was the first time that ICJA's new Media Club provided live commentary on the Zaidy Cam.
To watch the Zaidy Cam during game, click here.
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Watch this year's Open House video
for prospective students - and share it with people you know who'd like to learn more about ICJA!
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ICJA 80th Anniversary Video | |
Founded in 1942, ICJA is 80 years old this year. Please enjoy this 80th Anniversary Video which looks back on eight decades of excellence, close bonds, and memories. | |
This Week's Learning Dedications | |
This week's sponsors included: | |
Friday the 13th of Tevet, 5783, January 6, 2023, by Cynthia A. Levin, Justine and Petachya Allerhand, Tomy & Lily, in loving memory of Jennifer Levin Kaplan ('89), z", on her 20th Yahrzeit
Thursday, the 12th of TEvet, January 5, 2023, by Jack and Annette (Kranzler) Saltzman and family, Janelle, Justin and Jared Kranzler, in loving memory of George and Lillian Kranzler z"l, Mr. Joseph Kranzler z"l, Dr. Leonard I. Kranzler z"l, and Dr. K. Jeffery Kranzler z"l
Monday, the 9th of Tevet, January 2, 2023, by the Perlman and Meisels Families, in loving memory of Stuart D. Perlman, z"l, ישראל דוד בן בן ציון ז׳׳ל
For more information or to sponsor a day of learning, please contact our Director of Development, Deva Zwelling, at (773) 973-1450 ext. 115, or dzwelling@icja.org.
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2022-2023 Learning Commons Passwords | |
Be sure to pick up your updated ICJA Learning Commons passwords to access books and journals online! | |
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.
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Send Your School News to the ICJA Newsletter! | |
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 ites 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. | |
We have opened submissions for this year's edition of Charlotte's Web, and we want to hear and see your work. Our theme this year is Time: Past, Present, and Future. However, please submit any piece of prose, poetry, or artwork even if it does not align with the theme. We will do our best to incorporate at least a part of it.
Click here to submit artwork and writing. If you have any questions, please email charlottesweb2223@gmail.com.
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Charlotte's Web is funded by a grant from The Susan and Joseph Ament Fund. | |
Student Internship Opportunities
The YU Torah Mitzion Kollel is looking to hire 2 interns: one to help with program logistics and general office work and one for technology.
Program Logistics Intern
Responsibilities include: grocery shopping for events, ordering food for events, and stuffing envelopes for mailings. The work will be on an as needed basis, generally requiring no more than 2 hours on any given week.
Intern will report directly to the Director of Operations, who will meet with the intern periodically to explain assignments.
Intern must have access to a vehicle.
Technology intern
Responsibilities include: Editing Audio and video clips, uploading media to Youtube and Podcasts, possibly some data entry. This position will include approximately 1 hour of tasks per week.
Intern will report directly to the Director of Operations, who will meet with the intern periodically to explain assignments.
Familiarity with any form of editing software a plus but not required.
For more information or to apply, please contact Tracy Schultz, Director of Operations, admin@torahchicago.org
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Introducing ICJA Bar Association for Alumni | |
Introducing ICJA Bar Association: a way for ICJA alumni
who are lawyers to form informal connections.
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ICJA ISRAEL CONNECT:
Connecting ICJA Alumni in Israel
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The first ICJA Israel Connect directory is out. | |
Last summer, ICJA gave its Class of '22 alumni the second 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.
The directory was sent out to the emails of '22 grads that we have on file. 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.
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Support ICJA when you shop on Amazon - Here's How | |
Win-win! You can support Ida Crown Jewish Academy, while shopping via Smile.Amazon.com
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Inspiring bnei and bnot Torah to thrive in the modern world
ICJA is an affiliate of the Associated Talmud Torahs and a partner with JUF in serving our community.
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Ida Crown Jewish Academy
8233 Central Park Avenue
Skokie, Illinois 60076
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