Upcoming Events

• Friday, December 19 - 5th Day of Chanukah: Generation Day

• Sunday, December 21 - 7th Day of Chanukah: Selfie Sunday



• Monday, December 22 - 8th Day of Chanukah: ICJA Spirit Day

• Wednesday, December 24 - Sunday, January 4 - Winter Break (no classes)

• Monday, January 5 - School Resumes

• Monday, January 26 - Wednesday, January 28 - Semester Break (no classes)

• Thursday, January 29 - School Resumes

Click here to view the December lunch menu.

Wishing all members of the ICJA community a חנוכה שמח.

Happy Chanukah!

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Students enjoyed a fabulous Chanukah party Wednesday.

On Wednesday, students enjoyed a gala Chanukah Chagiga. Over a delicious milchig lunch, Rabbi Mayer Simcha Stromer led a spirited "Q" trivia quiz, asking students questions on everything from the Mishna to the logos of different candy bars.

Yasher koach to Table 13, the overall winners: Shosh Boshes, Maayan Engel, Kira Wittlin, Sarah Leonard, Eliana Neiger, Orli Appel, Maya Lavi, Shira Lavi, Sarah Cherney, Mia Saltzman, Bella Burstyn, Eliana Frankel and Livia Baronofsky) for winning the "Q."

Following the trivia game, students enjoyed spirited dancing, shmoozing, and doughnuts. Click here to watch scenes from the Chagiga.

Thank you to Mrs. Alissa Zeffren, R. Mordy Greenland, Rabbi Stromer, and the many teachers and administrators who made this Chagiga our best one yet.

Students got hands-on lessons about Chanukah.

On Monday morning, students experienced hands-on learning on a fun Yom Iyun run by the fellows of the YU Torah Mitzion Kollel.

Students gained a visceral understanding of why olive oil was so important in the Beit Hamikdash when they burned a variety of different oils and observed the flames and aromas of each type. While some oils - myrrh, pumpkin oil - smelled pleasant, they were smoky, their flames flickered, and burning them emitted cinders and ash. Other oils - walnut oil, cod liver oil - produced steady clear flames, but emitted unpleasant smells. Only olive oil smelled good and produced a clear, bright flame.

At another interactive station, students measured out the amount of oil that was burned each day in the Menorah in the Beit Hamikdash. Students then got the chance to squeeze raw olives, just as in ancient times, producing the same type of pure olive oil that our ancestors used in the Menorah. Students observed that each olive yielded only a tiny amount of oil, and gained a visceral understanding of why the single unspoiled container of oil in the Chanukah story was so valuable.

In a third station, students made their own sufganiyot and fried them in oil. While the doughnuts were cooking, students learned the halachot of brachot on sufganiyot, reviewing the fact that if yeast dough is fried or boiled, it requires a mezonot, not a hamotzi, bracha. Afterwards, students enjoyed their finished sufganiyot with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce. Click here to see some footage of this fun event.

Thank you to ICJA Student Activity Coordinators Mrs. Alissa Zeffren and R. Mordy Greenland, to YUTMK Rosh Kollel Rabbi Reuven Brand, YUTMK Rosh Chaburah Rabbi Yitzchak Mandel, and to YUTMK Fellows Rabbi Yitzy Weiss,

Rabbi Yonatan Gershman, and Rabbi Itai Jacobs for running this wonderful program.

(Pictured above: senior boys making sufganiyot with Rabbi Yitzchak Mandel)

Pictured above: sophomores Hailey Horowitz, Shireli Litwack, and Adi Gryka experimenting with different oils

Pictured above: juniors Eliana Frankel and Eliana Neiger squeezing olives to make olive oil

Pictured above: freshmen Gabrielle Sklar, Nina Groman, and Maytal Kohanchi making sufganiyot

Pictured above: sophomores Menachem Steinberg and David Carlsen experimenting with burning different types of oils

Pictured above: sophomore Asher Segal making fresh olive oil

Pictured above: freshmen boys making sufganiyot with Rabbi Yitzchak Mendel

Pictured above: sophomores experimenting with burning different types of oils

Pictured above: freshmen Eli Saltzman and Ayden Frankel making olive oil

Pictured above: freshmen girls making sufganiyot with Rabbi Reuven Brand

Students enjoyed learning, games, and camaraderie in teachers' homes.

On Thursday morning after davening, groups of students departed to visit their Talmud and AJSP teachers' homes for special Chanukah breakfasts and fun.

Each teacher planned individual breakfasts and activities including learning, discussions, cooking different breakfasts, and playing Chanukah-themed games of Jeopardy.

Thank you to all of the teachers who opened their homes to make this year's Chanukah breakfasts so special.

(Pictured here: senior boys at Rabbi Jacob Wedgle's home)

Pictured above: freshmen boys at Rabbi Louis Fliegelman's home

Pictured above: senior boys at Rabbi Jacob Wedgle's home

Pictured above: freshmen girls at Mrs. Lizi Martin's home

Pictured above: sophomore boys at Rabbi Meir Sears's home

Pictured above: junior girls at Mrs. Moria Kohanchi's home

Pictured above: freshmen girls at Mrs. Alissa Zeffren's home

Seniors created and coded electronic chanukkiot.

Seniors in Mr. Keller's Honors STEM class created electronic chanukkiot this week.

Students are designing and printing 3d printed chanukkiot and then coding and wiring the chanukkiot to light up an LED (light-emitting diode) for each day of Chanukkah. 

Take a look at the student creations displayed in our school lobby.

(Pictured here: seniors Aaron Katz, Avi Rubin, and Macks Kroll)

Sophomores calculated the number of atoms in chalk used to write their names.

Students in Mr. Keller's Chemistry class this week calculated the number of atoms in their name.

Students measured the weight of sticks of chalk, then headed outside and wrote their names in chalk on the sidewalk. Afterwards, they measured the weight of the chalk again.

Students then calculated the difference in mass of their chalk before and after writing their names and determined the amount of mass of chalk they used. Using their chemistry knowledge and unit conversions, students converted the mass into moles, then particles and then atoms.

(Pictured here: Mason Gorenstein and Miriam Linzer)

Students performed Chanukah-worthy Flame Test experiments this week.

Sophomores in Mrs. Chavee Gottlieb's honors Chemistry class performed a series of flame tests this week, just in time for Chanukah, the festival of light.

Students burned a range of different salts and observed the way that each salt's electrons became excited and emitted light in different colors. Afterwards, students identified the metals ions in various salts, and used the rules of nomenclature to write the name and formula of ionic compounds.

Pictured above: Adi Gryka and Elisheva Sudin

Pictured above: Menachem Steinberg, Avi Friedman, and Emily Adler

Pictured above: Asher Segal, Yis Burgher, Bennett Kroll, and Jonah Krule

Pictured above: Ari Shyovitz and Asher Segal

Pictured above: Ronit Kinar

Pictured above: Emmett Gelman

Students dressed in creative ways this week.

Student Council planned a fun rotation of dress-up days throughout Chanukah. Thank you to our Student Council members and to our many students who got into the fun all week long.

Monday was yeshiva/seminary day. Tuesday was "anything but a backpack" day. Wednesday was Chanukah sweater day. Thursday was "I just woke up like this" day. Friday will be generation day and Monday will be ICJA spirit day!

Pictured above: seniors Mina Brandes, Caley Gordon, Rivka Belsh, and Devorah Kaplowitz dressed as sem students

Pictured above: seniors Penina Benjamin and Miriam Falk on anything but a backpack day

Pictured above: senior Noah Lehrfield with his younger sister Amalie and senior Jonah Glass on anything but a backpack day

Pictured above: seniors Penina Benjamin and Libby Bleichman on Chanukah sweater day

Pictured above: seniors Ben Rosenburg, Natan Rine, Yehuda Goldstein, Eli Cherney, Jonah Glass, and Natan Miller on dress like a yeshiva student day

Pictured above: freshman Judah Friedman on anything but a backpack day

Pictured above: sophomores Adi Gryka, Avigayil Loebmann, Eliana Stolberg, and Ella Jankovits on Chanukah sweater day

Pictured above: junior Gabe Schreiber and sophomores Bennett Kroll, and Mason Gorenstein on "I just woke up like this" day

Pictured above: seniors Gabe Boshes and Eli Cherney on anything but a backpack day

Pictured above: Sam Perkins with "anything but a backpack"

Pictured above: juniors Ayden Starck and Megill Hameiri on Chanukah sweater day

Pictured above: seniors Mia Weiss and Ariella Pullin on "I just woke up like this" day

Freshmen learned and discussed life issues together.

On Tuesday, ICJA welcomed young leaders from Israel through JUF’s Partnership Together (P2G), a Jewish Agency for Israel program linking Israel and the Diaspora.

Our Israeli guests are in Chicago learning about what life is like for Jewish teens here; they are training to be youth leaders in Israel and work in a Jewish summer camp located in the Kiryat Gat - Lachish - Shafir region, which is supported in partnership with the JUF.

Freshmen boys and their relatives davened at Congregation Yehuda Moshe last Sunday.

Last Sunday freshmen boys and their relatives gathered together at Congregation Yehuda Moshe as part of our Veshinantam Levanecha program. Each Sunday, freshmen and their relatives come together at Chicago-area shuls for davening, learning, breakfast, and camaraderie. We were especially proud to visit Yehuda Moshe, led by ICJA’s own Talmud teacher, Rabbi Joel Gutstein, who warmly welcomed the group and gave students a tour of the shul, including the mikveh.

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.

Students enjoyed a Shabbaton last week together.

Last Shabbat, freshmen in Rabbi Daniel Fox's honors Talmud class enjoyed a Shabbaton together in Rabbi Fox's shul.

Rabbi Fox is the rabbi at Darchei Noam of Glenview in Northbrook, IL. Students spent a wonderful Shabbat there filled with learning, davening, camaraderie, and friendship. Students led all of the davening in the shul throughout Shabbat and performed all the leining. Yasher koach to the entire class.

This week we caught up with ICJA's popular English teacher and asked her a few questions about herself.

ICJA's English teacher Mrs. Michelle Prince is a fun, energetic, and popular teacher in our school. This week we caught up with her and asked her a few questions about herself.

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

I grew up in Highland Park and attended ICJA as a member of the class of 2005. Today I live in Skokie with my husband Josh, who's a CPA, and our children: Ahuva, 9, and Eden and Donny, who are 6.

How did you decide to become an English teacher?

I always enjoyed being a student and English was my favorite class. I attended college at Northwestern, where I majored in English.

What do you love about ICJA?

I love working in a Jewish environment. I really like the students here: they're engaged and they're passionate. I like my colleagues. It's been so nice to come back and work alongside my former teachers who inspired me when I was a student. I had Ms. Goldstein, Mrs. Kahan, and Mrs. Arons as teachers. I learned so much from them and I continue to learn from them.

What is one of your favorite ICJA memories?

When I was a student I always enjoyed retreats. Our senior retreat in particular was an incredible bonding experience with my classmates.

Do you have any hobbies?

Yes - I really enjoy reading, especially fiction. I love the classics and also read a lot of modern literature. I also enjoy cooking and hosting people for Shabbat.

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

Back in high school I was very much a math and science student. I took AP Biology and AP Chemistry. But then I didn't pursue that in college.

What advice do you have for students?

Enjoy this moment that you have in high school. Find a balance between your workload and your social activities and have fun!

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 wants 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.

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 '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.