Upcoming Events

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



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

• Tuesday, March 11 - Juniors take ACT in school - National Honors Society Induction 7pm

• Wednesday, March 19 - ICJA Takes the Stage, Commemorating the Life of Batsheva Chaya Stadlan, z"l 7pm

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

Students discussed Israel's main political parties.

Mrs. Noa Nussbaum's new Senior Seminar, "Hot Topics - Israel in the News", began this week. Students spent much of this week getting an overview of Israeli history, reviewing Israel's Prime Ministers, and discussing the left-right divide in Israeli politics.

Pictured above: students taking notes on the political affiliations and major policies of each of Israel's Prime Ministers to date)

Pictured above: Zehava Piltz and Rachel Freed

Pictured above: Yossi Burstyn and Gabe Aberman

Pictured above: Dana Kalutsky and Talia Linzer

Students are engaging in independent research in this new Senior Seminar.

Mrs. Lynn Kraft's new girls' Tanach Seminar began this week. Students embarked on an independent research project: the details are a secret and will be revealed at the ICGC Shabbaton later this month!

Pictured above: Allie Stein, Nava Dreytser, Eliana Levine, Leah Rina Brochin, and Ariela Bielak

Pictured above: Rachel Sommer, Lilac Marcus, and Yardana Schayer

Pictured above: the class discussing their Seminar research with Mrs. Kraft

Students gained insights in ways to discuss marriage.

Juniors in Rabbi Menachem Rosenbaum's Accelerated Gemara class are learning Masechet Kedushin. This week they learned b'chavruta about ways to get married. Students discussed the hypothetical possibility of getting married without meaning to, simply by saying the requisite words to complete a marriage contract.

Pictured above: Macks Kroll and Michael Matveyev learning with Rabbi Rosenbaum

Pictured above: Zachary Fogel and Ben Rosenburg

Pictured above: Natan Miller and Eli Fretzin

Pictured above: Yedidya Bechhofer and Yehuda Goldstein

Students learned breathing techniques.

Ms. Susan Weiss's and Mr. Ben Kramer's Public Speaking elective began this week. Students started the class by learning breathing techniques.

After watching a video of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher speaking before and after she learned about breathing techniques for public speaking (and noting a huge difference in how she sounded), students practiced breathing, then made videos of their peers speaking.

Pictured above: Nava Dreytser and Lauren Fensterheim

Pictured above: Avi Meyer and Avi Okner

Pictured above: Hadar Simkovich and Allie Stein

Do photosynthetic organisms also peform cellular respiration?

Freshmen in Mr. Peter Sahyouni's Biology class conducted experiments this week to test how photosynthesis and respiration work together in plants.

Students first placed pieces of algae in a CO2 indicator solution that changes color in response to pH changes. They then exposed some algae to light and placed others in the dark, and observed the way that pH altered in algae that engaged in photosynthesis. Afterwards, students wrote up their lab reports.

Pictured above: Sam Bajtner and Eitan Spolter

Pictured above: Mason Gorenstein, Ari Shyovitz, and Jonah Krule

Pictured above: Miriam Linzer, Adi Gryka, and Michal Belsh

Pictured above: Menachem Dukes and Yaakov Lehrfield

ICJA celebrated Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom's 50 year work anniversary this week.

A half century ago this week, Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom began teaching math here at Ida Crown. This week, we celebrated this remarkable milestone with a celebration for Mrs. Wasserstrom in the Teachers' Lounge.

Mrs. Wasserstrom, other teachers, and staff enjoyed a delicious work anniversary cake - then it was time to get back to work, as Mrs. Wasserstrom headed to her classroom and began her 51st year of teaching here at ICJA.

On behalf of the entire school: yasher kochecha, Mrs. Wasserstrom! We are so grateful for all you've given and continue to give our school!

Students are learning Sefer Bemidbar.

Sophomores in Rabbi Binyomin Segal's Chumash class are learning Sefer Bemidbar.

This week, they took turns reading the Chumash and Rashi on Bemidbar, discussing what the Land of Israel looked like when B'nai Israel was commanded to enter it, and how our ancestors likely felt before they entered Israel.

Pictured above: Nathan Rothner reading out loud and discussing the text

Pictured above: Ami Appel and Jacob Ackerman

Pictured above: Noah Ehrlich reading and explaining for the class

Students analyzed atomic bonds.

Sophomores in Mrs. Chavee Gottlieb's Chemistry class are learning about ionic and covalent bonds between atoms. This week they performed a lab to determine which types of bonds are present in different compounds.

Students observed six different compounds, noting their odor, appearance, solubility in polar and non-polar solvents, and electrical conductivity, in order to determine the ways their atoms were bonded.

Pictured above: Evie Weiss ad Meira Schultz

Pictured above: Orli Appel and Orli Lubin

Pictured above: Maayan Engel and Shoshana Boshes

ICJA Clinched 1st and 2nd Place this week.

Yasher koach to sophomore Eliana Frankel and freshman Zachary Kupietzky for winning 1st Place and 2nd Place respectively this week!

On Wednesday night, the ICJA Debate Aces took part in the Citron February Debate Invitational on Zoom. After 45 minutes of prep time, team members debated the proposition "Executive orders ought to be required to be reviewed by a federal Administrative Law Judge prior to signing."

Sophomore Eliana Frankel won 1st Place. Freshman Zachary Kupietzky won 2nd Place.

Freshmen and their relatives davened together last Sunday at Congregation Anshe Motele.

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 Anshe Motele. Meanwhile, some freshmen were on their way to the KYHS Invitational Tournament in Boca Raton; they davened with other members of the JV Aces at Ohare Airport.



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

This week's learning dedications include:

Friday, the 9 of Shevat, 5785, February 7, 2025, by Nathan & Aviva Lichtenstein and family, in memory of their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Henry Lichtenstein, z"l, חנוך בן נתן, in commemoration of his yahrzeit on 9 Shevat

Thursday, the 8 of Shevat, 5785, February 8, 2025, by the Landes family in loving memory of Rabbi Menahem B. Sacks, z"l, our Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and Great-Great Grandfather - the Academy is His Enduring Legacy



Thursday, the 8 of Shevat, 5785, February 8, 2025, by Howie Perlstein, in memory of Jacob Alexander, יענקל בן יונה הלוי ז״ל, in commemoration of his Yahrtzeit which is observed on ח׳ שבט - May all our students' learning merit an aliya for his neshama

Friday, the 2nd of Shevat, 5785, January 31, 2025, by Ida Crown Jewish Academy, in deepest sympathy to the family of Jerry Cherney z’l on his recent passing

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 cafeteria workers Mrs. Nina Barkho and Mrs. Gemma Yokhana.

Mrs. Nina Barkho (Pictured here, on the left) and Mrs. Gemma Yokhana (pictured here, on the right) serve breakfast, lunch, coffee, ice cream, and more every school day with a smile. This week we caught up with them and asked them a few questions about themselves.

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

Mrs. Barkho: I grew up in Syria in a town called Al Hasaka. I moved here in 1995. Today I live with my husband Shimon in Skokie. We have four kids: one is a nurse; one works in a bank; one of our kids is pre-med; and our youngest is still in college, studying accounting.

Mrs. Yokhana: I also grew up in Al Hasaka, but we didn't meet each other until we both moved here. I came to the US in 2013. Our families know each other, though, and my sister-in-law is married to Nina's cousin. Today I also live in Skokie with my husband Milad and our two kids, who are eight and eleven. Nina and I attend the same Assyrian church here in Skokie.

What do you enjoy about Ida Crown?

Mrs. Yokhana: Everything! I like the staff, the students; all the people here are nice.

Mrs. Barkho: Also everything! The teachers, the school, the kids....

What is your favorite cafeteria meal?

Both: the salad!

Do you have any hobbies?

Mrs. Barkho: I listen to audiobooks. My favorite thing to listen to is the Bible, but I enjoy lots of books.

Mrs. Yokhana: I enjoy making Syrian sweets. I'm happy to share my recipes if anyone would like them.

Do you have any advice for ICJA students?

Mrs. Barkho: Focus on school. We've both been through a lot and didn't have a chance to finish school. Study and have a better future.

You both speak Aramaic - can you share a few phrases with us?

Mrs. Yokhana: Sure. "Hi" in Aramaic today is Shlamalakh. "How are you" is Dakhewath. "Please" is Mpakhalta. "Thank you" is Basemeh Rapa.

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.

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.