Upcoming Events

• Friday, October 16, 2026 - ICGC Shiur with Rabbanit Shani Taragin and Dr. Yael Ziegler

• Motzaei Shabbat, October 17, 2026 - ICBC 3-on-3 Tournament 8pm - Sign up here to join a team (see flyer below for more information)

• Monday, October 19, 2026 - Careers in Medicine 6:30pm (see flyer below for more information)

• Wednesday, October 21, 2026 - 11th grade PSAT test

• Thursday, October 22, 2026 - Israel Advocacy Workshop for 12th Grade

• Sunday, October 25, 2026 - Israel College Fair (see flyer below for more information)

• Wednesday, November 18, 2026 - ICJA Open House for 7th and 8th Grade Students and Parents 6:45pm - 9:15pm - Click here to register.

Click here to view the October lunch menu.

Click here to view the 2026-2027 cafeteria price list.

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Students learned valuable lessons about emunah, perserverence, and finding one's purpose in life.

This week, ICJA welcomed alumna Rachel Goldberg-Polin ’87 for two deeply moving conversations. On Monday evening, she addressed more than 170 supporters at our Society of Patrons dinner (see entry below); the following day, Student Council President Ilya Friedman ’27 and Vice President Zachary Kupietzky ’28 interviewed Mrs. Goldberg-Polin in a special all-school assembly.

Mrs. Goldberg-Polin shared memories of her ICJA years and reflected on emunah (faith), grief, resilience, and pursuing our purpose in life. She also recalled how former English teacher and Model UN advisor Mrs. Sandra Litt encouraged her to take part in Model UN, and how that was early preparation for her later advocacy at the United Nations for the release of the Israeli hostages. Her visit left students with a renewed sense of faith and responsibility.

Israeli group OneFamily brought bereaved marathon runners - including the son of Israel's Ambassador to the United States - to Chicago and our school.

On Monday morning, ICJA held a moving all-school assembly welcoming members of OneFamily, an organization that supports Israelis affected by terror and war through counseling, financial assistance, and ongoing support for bereaved families.

OneFamily brought 66 runners to Chicago for the Chicago Marathon last Sunday. The day after the race, all 66 runners visited our school, while five shared moving stories of the beloved family members in whose memory they ran.

At the end of the assembly, students heard from OneFamily member Amikam Leiter, whose mother Chani (Weiss) Leiter ‘77 is an alumna of ICJA (and is married to Amikam's father and Israel's Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter). Amikam explained that this was the first time he'd spoken publicly about his brother Moshe, hy"d, who was killed fighting Hamas, and about his brother Neria who was seriously wounded recently and is in the hospital. After explaining that his family believes in the power of tefilla (prayer), he led us in Tehillim and a mi sheberach for his brother. Students concluded the assembly by singing “Acheinu” together.

In Mr. Benjamin Kramer's 11th Grade English class, students parsed a Poe short story.

Juniors in Mr. Benjamin Kramer's English class are reading Edgar Allan Poe's gothic short story The Fall of the House of Usher.

Students read the final portions of this horror story out loud, discussing Poe's use of language and the growing feeling of horror he created as this story draws to a close.

Pictured above: Caleb Shpayher

Pictured above: Miriam Linzer

Pictured above: David Carlsen

In Dr. Ben Blackman's honors Public Speaking Class, students debated the merits of two historic speeches.

Students in Dr. Ben Blackman's honors Public Speaking class this week compared two historic American statements: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's address to the nation on April 4, 1968, following the assasination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and the address that Pres. Ronald Reagan delivered to the nation on January 28, 1985, after the Challenger space shuttle exploded.

In passionate, wide-ranging discussions, students parsed the language in each speech, debating why Sen. Kennedy and Pres. Reagan chose the words and phrases they did, and what effects their public addresses had on their audiences.

Students in Mrs. Michelle Prince's 10th Grade English class discussed Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

How is our relationship with technology setting us up for trouble? What excuses do people give for avoiding having conversations face-to-face in real time?

Sophomores in Mrs. Michelle Prince's English class are reading the futuristic dystopian novel Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. This week, they discussed ways that Ishiguro's fiction reflects today's real reliance on artificial intelligence for friendship and connection. Students watched author Sherry Turkle's TED Talk "Connected, but alone?", which addresses these questions, then discussed Ms. Turkle's views and their own on the way that technology is warping human relationships.

Seniors debated the origins of the Nazis' genocide of the Jews.

Was it always Hitler’s intention to kill all of the Jews? This week, seniors in Mrs. Pogonitz’s Modern Jewish History class studied the approaches of the Intentionalists, who argue that it was his intention all along, and the Functionalists, who argue that this plan developed over time and more gradually. They then formed teams to debate each side. 

Pictured above: Chavi Campbell, Dov Kaiserman, Rose Matatya, Yehuda Weiss, and Sheindy Worch (not pictured) arguing the Intentionist side

Pictured above: Kinneret Finegold, Jacob Thomas, Ami Appel, and Sarah Leonard arguing the Functionalist side

Students began a year-long program, getting to know peers in other faith schools.

The first session of the year-long project "Building Civic Bridges," run by Civic Spirit and sponsored by The Covenant Foundation, kicked off on Wednesday this week with a visit from Regina Dominican High School. Nine Regina girls and 12 Ida Crown girls met and participated in a civics dialogue session led by Mrs. Heather Hobbie and Mrs. Beth Pogonitz. Future planned collaborations will include both ICJA boys and girls, when meeting with coed schools.

The goals of the program are to foster community across differences, strengthen listening skills, and participate in a service project as a group. This group will meet three more times this year (once more at ICJA, and twice at Regina), and a similar partnership with Hope Academy will be kicking off next week—stay tuned!

Pictured above: sophomore Yaffa Benjamin, senior Mashie Perkins, and junior Ella Jankovits with Regina students

Pictured above: sophomore Emmy Deangelis, senior Bela Burstyn, and sophomore Ayla Wittlin with Regina students

Pictured above: senior Yakira Wittling and junior Avigayil Loebmann with Regina students

A record number of ICJA supporters took part in an emotional, inspirational event.

On Monday night, ICJA was honored to welcome alumna Rachel Goldberg-Polin ’87, who addressed a packed house of more than 170 supporters at our Society of Patrons event.

In a deeply moving conversation with Rabbi Leonard Matanky, Mrs. Goldberg-Polin shared her experiences as a leading advocate for the return of the Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Reflecting on her years at ICJA, Rachel shared personal memories and discussed how the lessons and experiences she learned here at ICJA helped her develop emunah (faith) and a love of Torah and learning that has deepened throughout her life. Her words inspired all in attendance to consider how each of us can discover and fulfill our own unique purpose in the world.

We are grateful to her for sharing her story, her wisdom, and her unwavering faith with the ICJA community. It was an unforgettable evening that reminded us of the enduring impact of an ICJA education and the power of living with purpose. (To watch a brief clip of this event, in which Mrs. Goldberg-Polin reminisced about how former ICJA English teacher and Model UN advisor Mrs. Sandra Litt encouraged her to participate in Model UN - years before she addressed the real UN in New York - click here.)

For more information about ICJA's Society of Patrons, contact Deva Zwelling, Director of Institutional Advancement, at dzwelling@icja.org.

This week we caught up with ICJA's English Department Chair, Mrs. Heather Hobbie

Mrs. Heather Hobbie is ICJA’s English Department Chair and serves as the faculty sponsor for Yearbook. This week we caught up with Mrs. Hobbie and asked her a few questions about herself.

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

I grew up in Saskatoon, in Saskatchewan in Canada. I attended the University of Saskatchewan and taught high school biology, math, and English in Saskatoon.

Today, I live in Chicago with my husband Rolland.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

It’s the only vocation that has felt right from the time I was in 4^th grade. 

What do you enjoy about teaching at ICJA?

You can’t find better coworkers, for one. But it’s also so nice to know pretty much every student, and you can’t get that at a huge school. Plus, the Jewish holidays off—who doesn’t love that?

What's a favorite memory you have from your years at ICJA?

Retreat is always a highlight (an exhausting highlight, of course). When we stay on the Camp Chi side, Ms. Weiss and I make beds on the floor four mattresses tall.

Do you have any hobbies?

Yes - I enjoy reading and writing. I write short stories for fun. When it comes to reading, I read a lot of the books I hear my students talk about. One book I read recently with my book club and really loved was Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. 

What advice do you have for ICJA students?

You should try to learn for the sake of learning, not only because certain assignments have to get done. Remember that the process is more important than the product.

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

I am a huge WNBA fan. I list every roster at least 8 players deep. 

This week, ICJA Librarian Mrs. Debbie Steinberg highlights one of our Learning Commons holdings.

This week’s recommendation is a little different. I am recommending Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s book When We See You Again.

It is not an easy read. It may be very hard for young readers.However, they lived this story with us all and if they would like to read it is is a very important and powerful read. It is heartbreaking, unfiltered and the author pulls no punches. This book will come to be known as a seminal work on October 7 and it’s aftermath for our community. As an ICJA alumna, her story hits home.

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.

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.

Student Council ICJA Swag

Student Council-designed ICJA swag is now available! Click on the button below to order!

Join our Alumni Facebook Group

Our “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 alumus/a, 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.

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 13, 2027. FOR ESSAY/ARTWORK RULES AND GUIDELINES, visit www.att.org → For Students or call ATT at 773-973-2828 

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.