Upcoming Events

• Thursday, December 7 - Friday, December 15, 2023 - Chanukah (Please click here to view and donate to our Chanukah Campaign.)

• Friday December 8, 2023 (Chanukah) - Chanukah Shabbat Shtieg

• Monday, December 11, 2023 (Chanukah) - Chanukah Chagiga - lunch, games, dancing, and latkes

• Tuesday, December 12, 2023 (Chanukah) - Yom Iyun with the YU Kollel

• Wednesday, December 12, 2023 (Chanukah) - Rosh Chodesh Tevet - Rosh Chodesh Sufganiyot

• Thursday, December 13, 2023 (Chanukah) - Breakfast at teachers' homes & "ugly sweater" day

• Friday, December 15, 2023 (Chanukah) - Chagigat Preida for Senior Class Israel Mission

• Thursday, December 21 - Last day of classes before Winter Break

• Friday, December 22, 2023 - January 2, 2024 - Winter Break - no classes

• Wednesday, January 3, 2024 - Classes resume



• Thursday, January 11, 2024 - ICJA welcomes Hillel Torah 8th Grade 11:45am - 1:15pm

• Sunday, December 17, 2023 - Thursday, January 11, 2024 - ICJA Senior Class Mission to Israel

• Thursday, January 11, 2024 - Bader Hillel vs. ICJA Aces @Fiserv Forum home of the Milwaukee Bucks

Please let us know if you know any families in the Chicago area where a parent left to fight in the war and could use some support from ICJA students (babysitting, playtime, homework help, etc.). Click here and complete the form; we will contact the family to see how we can help.

Wishing all members of our ICJA Family a very Happy Chanukah!

Follow our 2023 / 5784 Chanukah Campaign! Each night we feature two alumni who describe how ICJA has helped them on their unique path. Every day of Chanukah, we will have a raffle of donors: eight donors each day will win an ICJA sweatshirt or ICJA Alumni sweatshirt!

Students showed their creativity all week long.

School Spirit Week this week challenged students to be creative every day: Monday was Pajama Day; Tuesday was Sports Jersey Day; Wednesday was Anything But a Backpack Day; Thursday was School Spirit Wear Day; and Friday is Yeshiva / Seminary Day.

Pictured above: sophomores Aiden Rich and Ami Gavant

Pictured above: juniors Emily Darlow, Ella Kakon, Ariela Bielak, and Dana Kalutsky on Sports Jersey Day

Pictured above: senior Millo Benmelech and Rabbi Mayer Simcha Stromer on Sports Jersey Day

Pictured above: freshmen Mashie Perkins, Raya Volkov, and Chavi Campbell on Anything but a Backpack Day

Pictured above: seniors Joseph Rothner and Adam Katz on Anything but a Backpack Day

Pictured above: sophomores Jack Marshall, Yair Bell, Judah Well, and Ben Rosenburg on School Spirit Day

Chanukkah Project: Seniors created electronic chanukiot using Arduino software and 3-D printers.

Seniors in Mr. Jonathan Keller's STEM Engineering class used 3-D printers to design and build plastic chanukiot this week, and used Arduino software technology to program the chanukot to light up the appropriate number of lights each night of Chanukah.

Pictured here: Shuli Falk with Mr. Keller and her chanukiya, plus a previous project she created: an automatic nightlight, which was voted best in the class.

PIctured above: Yitzchak Mishkin working on his chanukia

Pictured above: Maayan Dallal putting the finishing touches on her chanukia

Pictured above: Aryeh Neiger and Moshe Wiesenberg with their personalized chanukiot

Sophomores discussed the many ways Rashi describes to connect with Hashem.

Sophomores in Mrs. Kochava Yitzhak's class are discussing ways to daven. This week they examined the ten distinct actions which Rashi explains constitute different ways to pray in his commentary on Deuteronomy 3.

Students discussed how various ways of davening differ and found examples of each method in the Tanach and in their personal lives.

Pictured above: Channie Gelerinter

Pictured above: Mia Weiss and Alyssa Blumberg

Pictured above: Mina Brandes

How is life like a jellybean?

This week, as part of their unit on Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Walden or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau, Mrs. Tirzah Kahan's juniors were asked to engage in some fun self-reflection. Mrs. Kahan gave each student in her AP English class a packet of jelly beans and asked them to write down twenty ways that jelly beans are similar to people.

"Some responses were: 'Jellybeans are similar to people because people come in different colors and flavors;' 'Jellybeans are similar to people because I only like some kinds of people;' and 'Jellybeans are similar to an idea because ideas can be sweet and spicy.'" - Aaron Hartman

"Over the weekend, the students also were asked to count how many shirts and how many pairs of shoes they own. Many students were surprised by the large numbers they recorded, and were able to better understand the transcendentalist's emphasis on minimalism and the bare necessities of life. Additionally, over the course of this coming week, students have been asked to write down every time they spend money and then evaluate whether or not the purchase was necessary, to help them think like transcendentalists." - Meital Wittlin

Pictured above: Aaron hartman and Leah Rina Brochin

Pictured above: Avi Chen and Emily Darlow

Pictured above: Yossi Burstyn

Students discussed the war between King Asa and King Baasha in Melachim Aleph.

Juniors in Rabbi Shmuel Oren's Navi class are learning Melachim Aleph. This week they learned about the war between King Asa of Judea and King Baasha of Israel; students discussed the horror of this Jewish civil war.

Pictured above: Avner Frazin

Pictured above: Ami Weiss

Pictured above: Menachem Friedman

Students created a video showing ICJA's support to send to displaced Israeli teens.

Seniors in Mrs. Marsha Arons's English class created a video to send to Israeli students attending a temporary high school in Eilat for internally displaced Israeli teens. ICJA students brainstormed ways to make their Israeli peers feel supported and not forgotten.

Yasher koach to the students who created this meaningful fun video, in particular Yonah Rubin for editing it.

Students created models for additions to ICJA.

Students in Dr. Gavi Brown's Architecture class are learning about creating additions to existing structures. This week, they created architectural models of additions they'd like to see to ICJA's building.

Pictured above: senior Ilana Schwartz creating a model of an auditorium to add to the school

Pictured above: senior Rami Ripstein creating a model of a swimming pool

Pictured above: senior Aviva Dallal creating the "Dallal Culinary Institute" wing of ICJA

Students showed their Aces Spirit at Thursday's Pep Rally.

Students took a break from their busy week on Thursday for a ruach-filled pep rally.

Featuring movies about the Aces teams, a dance and acrobatics by the boys' Varsity Basketball Aces, a (very) spirited game of musical chairs played by teachers and staff, and a freshman-senior tug of war, the pep rally was a great way to drum up Aces spirit ahead of this Motzaei Shabbat's ICJA-Yeshiva boys' varsity basketball game.

Come cheer on the Aces at 9pm Motzaei Shabbat at Yeshivat Tiferet Tzvi, 6317 N. California Ave.

Pictured above: seniors Jordana Zwelling, Yonah Rubin, and Noa Gavant mc'ing the rally

Pictured above: teachers and administrators competing fiercely during musical chairs before Rabbi Matanky emerged victorious

Pictured above: the finale to the boys Varsity Basketball Aces' dance

This week, the Chicago Tribune reported on ICJA seniors' upcoming Mission to Israel.

• Check out the Chicago Tribune's Nov. 24 article featuring Ida Crown, "Students from Skokie Jewish School Headed to Israel to Volunteer in Farming Sector". (The article is only available on the newspaper's website to subscribers. To view a copy of the article, click here.)

ICJA students and their fathers davened at Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue last Sunday morning.

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

Last Sunday, some members of the ICJA family, including students, fathers, and other relatives, davened at Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue, then shared breakfast, divrei Torah, and conversation with each other and with Rabbi Ari Hart.

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

This week saw a clutch of Aces victories in Basketball and Wrestling.

On Tuesday, the Wrestling Team triumphed in its home opener against Chicago Academy, winning every contested match in the varsity lineup in easily pushing back the challenge of their CPS opponent to win the meet 45-18.

Freshman Megill Hamieri (106) continued his winning streak with a first period pin. Senior Ari Klein (126) built up a 8-0 lead in the first period, before pinning his opponent during the second. Senior Gabriel Klein (132) earned a first period fall, followed by a victory by Senior Benny Lowenthal (138). Junior Aidan Zukerman (144) gutted out a tense 10-3 decision. Senior Jacob Z. Friedman (150) added to his win total, as he fought back from a 4-10 deficit to score a pin. Senior Millo Benmelech (190) added a first period fall, and Senior Meir Aberman (215) closed out the match with a second period pin. The only points surrendered to Chicago Academy came from the three weight classes where the Aces had no wrestler and had to forfeit. 

Junior Avi Chen (132) added an additional victory to conclude the meet (pictured here).

The Aces hit the road next week with matches against St. Viator on Tuesday and Westmont on Wednesday.

This week, we caught up with ICJA alumnus Jacob Miller '20, who is currently a junior in Harvard College and president of Harvard Hillel. We asked him how ICJA helped prepare him for being a spokesperson for Israel and Jewish interests on campus.

If you have any ideas for future profiles you'd like to see in the ICJA Newsletter, please email Dr. Yvette Miller at ymiller@icja.org!

What are some of your favorite memories from ICJA?

I really enjoyed AP Euro with Ms. Sennett. I was the only one who signed up for the class that year, and she taught me in a one person class. It was fascinating and I learned a lot about history.

Cross Country was one of my favorite activities. I really liked the camaraderie of the team and how I was pushed to work hard.

Why did you decide to go to Harvard?

After high school I did my "fifth year" of ICJA in Israel, learning at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi. I decided to go to Harvard because I was impressed by the strength of their faculty and world class professors. I'm majoring in Math.

We hear a lot about antisemitism in colleges now. What’s atmosphere like at Harvard?

Prior to Oct. 7, I was under the impression there was a large contingent of anti-Israel activists on campus who were uninformed and ignorant about Israel and were caught up in a movement whose leaders are deeply antisemitic. I didn’t think average students were antisemitic. 

Since Oct. 7, it’s become apparent to me that the people who are espousing anti-Israel beliefs on this campus do it from a position that shows, at the best, disregard for their Jewish peers, and at the worst, shows that they have deeply antisemitic motives.

On Oct 8, the day after the Hamas attacks, Harvard's Palestine Solidarity Committee released a statement attributing blame for the attacks solely on Israel. In the weeks that followed there were numerous demonstrations on campus in which students defended Hamas, chanted "from the river to the sea," and called for the globalization of the Intifada.

What have you done during this crisis as head of Harvard Hillel?

Immediately after the attacks, there was no condemnation of the terror by the campus administration. The only rhetoric coming out of Harvard was the Palestine Solidarity Committee letter. I wrote a statement that garnered over 3,000 signatures from Harvard affiliates, including from very prominent alumni, calling on Harvard President Claudine Gay to condemn the terror attacks and blasting the Palestine Solidary Committee for their offensive statement.

In the days that followed we organized several vigils to commemorate the lives lost in Hamas' attack. 

Under pressure from Harvard Hillel, President Gay announced the formation of an advisory group to combat antisemitism and eventually issued a condemnation of the phrase "from the river to the sea." However, this week in Congressional hearings, President Gay revealed her lack of her regard for campus antisemitism when she refused to categorize calls for genocide against Jews as the harassment and bullying that they are. We still have work to do.

What advice do you have for ICJA students?

Don't be afraid to go to Ivy League institutions, despite the deep moral rot they’ve shown the past few months. Now more than ever it's important to have Jewish voices on campus. As American Jews it's our responsibility not to give up on the future of Jewish life in the United States. The solution to antisemitic speech on college campuses is to combat it.

How did ICJA prepare you for Harvard?

ICJA instilled in me a love of Israel and an understanding of Israel that’s persisted with me to this day on Harvard’s campus.

This week's Learning Dedications include the following:

Friday, the 18th of Kislev, 5784, December 1, 2023, by Orah, Lev, Benjamin '21, Adam '24, Aaron '26, and Abigail Katz, in commemoration of the second yahrzeit of Dr. Jerrold Katz, z"l



If you would like to sponsor a Day of Learning for a different soldier, please contact our Director of Development, Deva Zwelling, at (773) 973-1450 ext. 115, or dzwelling@icja.org.

Watch "Connect with ICJA," our new video

for prospective students - and share it with people you know who'd like to learn more about ICJA!

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.

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.

Thank you to all those who donated to our Rosh Hashana Appeal. 5784 is off to a great start for Ida Crown and we are so grateful for our generous community members who support our Annual Scholarship Fund.

We are still hoping to achieve 100% parent involvement; if you have not already donated, please use the link below to give. Your contribution helps ensure no child is denied a Jewish education due to lack of funds.

Jewish Community Special Offer!

You are invited to join the Windy City Bulls – the official NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls – for a fantastic evening of basketball Dec 10, 2023, 5pm.

PARKING IS FREE FOR EVERY GAME THIS SEASON

DOORS WILL OPEN AT 4pm

- Come see the first Orthodox Jewish NBA player, Ryan Turell, as his Motor City Cruise take on the Windy City Bulls!

- Bring in your own kosher food to enjoy!

- Catch t-shirts from the Windy City Bulls Scream Team and interact with the mascot Gus T. Bull!

- Check out our Fun Zone filled with games and inflatables throughout the game!

To take advantage of this exclusive opportunity, purchase your tickets here! 

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 17, 2024. 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 '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.