Upcoming Events

• Sunday, May 3 - ICBC Tailgate barbecue during the ICJA-FYHS Baseball game - 5pm at Caleb Field

• Monday, May 4 - ICBC Lag B'Omer celebration at Lighthouse Beach 7:45-9pm (See flyer below)

• Tuesday, May 5 - Lag B'Omer celebration in school



• Tuesday, May 5 - Torah Awards assembly

• Friday, May 8 - Last day to receive 70% Give-Get credit for Dr. Edward A. Crown Scholarship Dinner reservations and ads (afterwards receive 50% credit) - Click here to register

• Friday, May 15 - Last day of classes for seniors

• Wednesday, May 20 - Physics Day

• Thursday, May 21 - Erev Shavuot - early dismissal

• Friday, May 22 - Shavuot - no classes

• Monday, May 25 - Memorial Day, no classes

• Monday, June 1 - Monday, June 8 - Finals

• Tuesday, June 2 - Thursday, June 4 - Senior Retreat

• Sunday, June 7 - ICJA Graduation 1pm

• Wednesday, June 17 - Dr. Edward A. Crown Scholarship Dinner - Reception 6pm, Dinner 7pm - Click here to register and/or buy an ad

Click here to view the May Cafeteria Menu.

Wednesday, June 17 is the Dr. Edward A. Crown Annual Scholarship Dinner!

Click here to register and/or to purchase a dinner ad.

Follow ICJA on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with school happenings.

Over 150 grandparents visited ICJA on Grandparents Day.

On Thursday, over 150 grandparents visited school for Grandparents' Day.

Grandparents enjoyed refreshments with their grandchildren before hearing from Grandparents' Day co-chairs Susan Stein and CB Brownstein and Rabbi Matanky.

During 2nd and 3rd periods, grandparents accompanied their grandchildren to class, getting a glimpse into what ICJA students learn and what our school is like.

Click here to view a special video for Grandparents' Day 2026 that was shown at the event, and here to see some more photos and videos.

Thank you to Grandparents Day co-chairs Susan Stein and CB Brownstein (pictured above), for organizing this amazing morning. Thank you also to Ilana Levy and Devy Zwelling, and to all the teachers and staff who helped make this year's Grandparents' Day our best one ever.

Pictured above: senior Libby Bleichman with her grandparents Bonnie and Sy Rosen

Pictured above: freshman Roey Kalman with his grandmother Lynn Levin

Pictured above: junior Dov Kaiserman with his grandfather David Passman

Pictured above: junior Mashie Perkins with her grandmother Marna Nitekman

Pictured above: junior Yehuda Weiss with his grandparents Rae Ann and Mike Wexler

Pictured above: junior Ami Appel with his grandmother Naomi Erlich

Pictured above: freshman Ayden Frankel with his grandmother Jacqueline Silvers

Pictured above: freshman Matan Gavant with his grandmother Malka Pressner

Pictured above: freshman Noam Dobuler with his grandparents Ronna and Ely Cooper

Pictured above: junior Evie Weiss with her grandmother Barbara Weiss

Pictured above: freshmen Orli and Yakira Neiger with their grandmother Susan Stein

Pictured above: senior Caley Gordon with her grandfather Herschel Block

Pictured above: freshman Dahlia Bildner with her grandparents Barbara and Berton Goldstein

Pictured above: sophomore Mason Gorenstein with his grandmothers Andrea Rich and Adele Gorenstein

Pictured above: freshman Netallie Cohen with her grandparents Sara and Alan Turover

Pictured above: Aaron and Eli Gelb with their grandmother Daniella Zipperstein

Pictured above: sophomore Binyamin Friedman with his grandmother Penny Fisher

Pictured above: sophomore Asher Segal with his grandmother Mrs. Friedman

Students completed an interactive experiment modeling the creation of protein.

Freshmen in Mr. Peter Sahyouni's Biology class are learning about the processes of Transcription, where RNA is synthesized from a DNA template, and Translation, the subsequent process through which RNA is converted into proteins.

This week, students used paper cutouts of cell structures to model this process in different types of cells. It was a fun and creative way to picture the different stages that DNA undergoes.

Pictured above: Zamira Elias and Nina Groman

Pictured above: Abie Rosenburg

Pictured above: Maddy Goltz

Sophomores enjoyed lunch with their Keshet peers.

Sophomores in Mrs. Marsha Arons's English class continue to work on their unit "How Jewish Values Align with Disability Awareness." Students have been reading works about experiences with disability and speaking with people with firsthand knowledge about living with disabilities.

On Tuesday this week, they enjoyed a fun pizza lunch with students at Keshet, getting to know their Keshet peers and demystifying disability.

Students shared interviews with fellow students about their pets.

Freshmen in Mrs. Moria Kohanchi's honors Hebrew class have been busy recently interviewing their classmates and others about their pets. This week, students took turns presenting their findings (in Hebrew of course).

Students shared information about pets' names, ages, and routines, as their classmates asked questions. Afterwards, students took turns summing up and discussing what they'd just heard. The result was an impressive all-Hebrew class-wide discussion.

(Pictured above: Jacob Leonard and Reuven Gurvich talking about presentations they'd just heard)

Pictured above: Noam Dobuler describing classmate Yonah Goldman's pet fish

Pictured above: Yishai Levy talking about pet fish belonging to classmate Jacob Groman and to senior Jessica Michaeli

Pictured above: Alon Schonbrun describing his family's dog as well as classmate Eitan Falk's pet dog

Students explored the chemical equations behind different compounds.

Sophomores in Mr. Jonathan Keller's Chemistry class mixed together various chemicals this week and observed and recorded the properties the resulting compounds.

Students then formulated the chemical equations describing the interactions they'd just witnessed.

(Pictured here: Shira Kremer and Haily Horowitz consulting with Mr. Keller)

Pictured above: Mijael Mora

Pictured above: Eliana Stolberg

Pictured above: Akiva Joseph discussing results with Mr. Keller

Students shared detailed, creative solutions to real-world problems with their peers from across Chicago.

On Tuesday, juniors in Mr. Cooper’s AP U.S. History class participated in High School Civic Spirit Day at the Chicago History Museum as part of the Civic Leadership at America 250 initiative.

Students from across Chicago collaborated on solutions to real-world challenges, including projects addressing social media’s impact on mental health, misinformation, and community engagement.



Ayden Starck and Dov Kaiserman helped shape their group’s ideas and emphasized the dangers of misinformation. Ayelet Klein and Gabe Nudman designed a community recreation center aimed at fostering stronger social connections. Kinneret Finegold and Jacob Thomas developed a proposal to encourage volunteering and strengthen civic engagement, while Mashie Perkins created an initiative to educate children about the risks of social media. Goldie Boyarskiy focused on strategies to combat misinformation in media.

Throughout the day, students demonstrated leadership through discussion, collaboration, planning, and presentations.

Yasher koach to all our students for creating and presenting such vital ideas.

Pictured above: Noah Ehrlich and Eliana Frankel with their group

Pictured above: Ayelet Klein and Gabe Nudman with their group

Pictured above: Dov Kaiserman with a collaborator

Pictured above: Jacob Thomas and Kinneret Finegold with their group

Pictured above: Mashie Perkins with members of her group

Pictured above: Ayden Starck with his group

Freshmen boys and their relatives gathered at the home of ICJA grandfather Mr. Izzy Starck last Sunday.

Last Sunday, freshmen boys and their relatives gathered together at the home of ICJA grandparent Mr. Izzy Starck. Here is the letter that Rabbi Louis Fliegelman wrote to the 9th Grade parents afterwards:

Dear Parents,

This morning’s davening with Mr. Starck was truly special. Having the opportunity to answer his Kaddish, hear his powerful story about how tefillin saved his life, and receive his words of chizuk about wearing tefillin with pride was deeply inspiring.

After davening, Mr. Starck generously took the time to share more of his story with the boys and graciously posed for individual pictures with fathers and sons. We are grateful for him hosting us, and wish him continued health and strength as he spreads his important message about living proudly as a Torah-observant Jew.

This weekly program is run by award-winning Tanach teacher and freshman boys' rebbe Rabbi Louis Fliegelman.

Contact Rabbi Louis Fliegelman to learn more or to join these weekly visits.

This week we caught up with ICJA's History Department Chair, popular American History and Economics teacher, and Model UN faculty sponsor, and asked him a few questions about himself.

Mr. Joshua Cooper runs ICJA's History Department yet is never too busy to help students with work or to chat with them about American history or Economics. This week we caught up with Mr. Cooper and asked him a few questions about himself.

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

I grew up in Glencoe, and I live in Glencoe today with my wife Jennie, who is a Social Studies teacher in Buffalo Grove, and our two sons: Jason, who's 14, and Jonah, who's 11.

How did you decide to become an English teacher?

My mother grew up in abject poverty; she was one of 17 children. It was always clear to me that real opportunities in life lie in having an education, and I wanted to be a part of that for other people.

I attended Colorado College, majoring in Philosophy, then did a Master's degree in Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. I've been teaching here at Ida Crown since 2003.

What do you love about Ida Crown?

I like the community here. I like the students. I like the energy in the school. I like the excellence here at Ida Crown.

Do you have a favorite Ida Crown memory?

I have a lot of great memories. One is playing musical chairs during a pep rally - and losing to Rabbi Matanky!

Do you have any hobbies?

Yes - I enjoy watching my boys play soccer. I also enjoy playing field hockey, and eating foods from around the world. One of my favorite dishes is Korean chicken; I don't know how to make it, I just make it disappear!

What advice do you have for ICJA students?

I'm going to channel Mr. Harris, who always said: Do your best; be kind; and then move on!

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 to pick up your updated passwords to access our online material. ICJA's subscriptions are available at icja.libguides.com/home.

Watch our new 2025-6 Prospective Student Video!

Know a student who would like to learn more about ICJA? Send them our new 2025-6 Prospective Student Video! Click on the image below to watch.

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.

Parents: there are still slots to sign up to supervise lunch ball! This is a fun way to earn Give-Get. Parents are present in the gym during 5th and 6th periods while students play basketball, overseeing this fun daily event.

Volunteers earn $30 in Give-Get credit each day.

Join our Alumni Facebook Group

We are excited to announce that we have a 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.

The Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago invites the community to its Evening with the Stars. Join the ATT as it presents student awards at its Awards Presentation and Annual Meeting, on Tuesday evening, May 12, 2026, at Ida Crown Jewish Academy, 8233 Central Park, Skokie. The program will begin at 7:15pm. For more information, call the ATT: 773-973-2828 or visit https://www.att.org/awards-presentation-annual-meeting/.

The annual ICJA Israel Connect directory is out.

Last summer, ICJA gave its Class of '25 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.

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.