Upcoming Events

• Friday, November 6 - Sophomore / Junior Fridayton

• Sunday, November 8 - Online parent-teacher conferences - Click here to sign up



• Monday, November 16 - Student program in school, "The Reality of Gambling: Risks, Impact, and Addiction" - plus separate evening parent program "The Reality of Gambling" 8pm (see flyer below)

• Tuesday, November 17 - School Picture Retakes

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

• Friday, November 20 - Motzaei Shabbat, November 21 - Senior Shabbaton



• Monday, November 23 - Achdut Program for Girls in Memory of Chana Krupel, z"l 

• Thursday, November 26 - Friday, November 27 - Thanksgiving Break - no classes

• Tuesday, December 1 - Freshmen and Sophomores visit the Anne Frank Exhibit at MSI

• Wednesday, December 2 - Juniors and Seniors visit the Anne Frank Exhibit at MSI

• Friday evening, December 4 - Shabbat, December 12 - Chanukah - school is IN SESSION

• Wednesday, December 23 - Sunday, January 3 - Winter Break - no classes

• Monday, January 4 - School Resumes

Click here to view the November lunch menu.

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

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

Senior girls in Mrs. Orit Marmel's class created original videos based on the classic Hebrew poem כתנות פסים.

Senior girls in Mrs. Orit Marmel's honors Hebrew class read Moshe ibn Ezra's classic poem כתנות פסים ("Coat of Many Colors"), which describes a blossoming garden. This week, students presented original videos they made illustrating the poem and discussed the רמזים (allusions) in the poem, exploring its connections to Pesach and the themes of springtime and freedom.

Pictured above: Kinneret Finegold presenting her video

Pictured above: Mia Saltzman presenting her video

Freshmen boys in Mrs. Shahar Lobl's Honors Hebrew class read and wrote about Theodor Herzl - in Hebrew.

Freshmen boys in Mrs. Shahar Lobl's honors Hebrew class this week read a Hebrew-language article about Theodor Herzl, then answered questions in Hebrew about Herzl's efforts to bring about the State of Israel and his legacy in Israel today.

It was a challenging assignment that improved students' skills in both reading and writing, as well as introducing new vocabulary.

Pictured above: Noam Lubin and Aaron Darlow

Pictured above: Ronen Lennon

Pictured above: Joseph Adler

Senior girls in Mrs. Shelley Stopek's class gave Hebrew-language presentations on clothing stores they created.

Senior girls in Mrs. Shelley Stopek's Hebrew class created online clothing stores. This week, they took turns presenting their wares to their classmates, describing the style, size, fit, colors, fabrics, and other qualities of items for sale - all in Hebrew.

Pictured above: Iyla Friedman

Pictured above: Masha Perkins

Pictured above: Raya Volkov

Pictured above: Dolly Cohen and Talia Bielak

Sophomore boys in Mrs. Shelley Stopek's Hebrew class listened to a Hebrew-language dialogue - then recreated it.

Sophomore boys in Mrs. Shelley Stopek's Hebrew class are gaining fluency in reading and writing Hebrew. This week, students listened to a recording of a Hebrew-language conversation between a man and a woman about where they should go for breakfast, what they enjoyed eating in general and why, what they wanted to order for breakfast, and why they decided to visit a particular cafe.

Students then discussed - in Hebrew - the dialogue, and afterwards recreated it, writing down (again, in Hebrew) the exchange they had just heard. It was a challenging and fun way to strengthen both listening and writing comprehension and fluency.

Pictured above: Yonah Goldman

Pictured above: Ozzie Zeffren

Pictured above: Netanel Rosenbaum

Students performed labs modelling energy flow.

Freshmen in Dr. Zoe Hoeppner’s biology class used water and food coloring to model how energy moves through an ecosystem’s trophic levels. By repeatedly diluting a colored solution, students created a visual representation of the decreasing energy available at each level of a food chain. Students then calculated the percentage of the original energy remaining and the energy available in joules at each level.

This valuable experiment helped students visualize the key ecological principle that unlike matter, which cycles through ecosystems, energy flows in one direction, with less available at each successive trophic level.

(Pictured above: Brooke Rosenthal, Eli Fox, and Shayna Goldberg)

Pictured above: Sarah Kahanovitch, Rena Segall, and Yaakov Ashkenazi

Pictured above: Flora Kroll and Emma Cohn with Dr. Hoeppner

Pictured above: Ella Harris, Jacob Rothner, Aliya Kirschner

Seniors in Mrs. Lynn Kraft's Chumash class learned peirushim on Creation in Sefer Bereishit.

Senior girls in Mrs. Kraft’s Chumash class are learning about Briat Haolam (the creation of the world) in the first chapter of Bereishit, consulting the works of great commentators.

This week, to better understand the repeated phrase of “ויהי ערב ויהי בקר״ ("and there was evening and there was morning") on a deeper level, they learned the אבן עזרא’s (Rabbi Avraham ben Meir's) translations of the roots of the words. He translates ערב as "a mixture", and בקר as "to distinguish". With this understanding, students discussed ways the phrase teaches us about the progression of each day of creation from chaos to order, on a deeper level.

After establishing this understanding of this phrase, the students broke up into groups and went on a gallery walk around the classroom to learn different approaches to understanding the progression of each day of Briat Haolam as a different way in which Hashem imposed order upon the original chaos.

Seniors in Mrs. Beth Pogonitz's Honors Chumash class welcomed Rabbi Zvi Engel for a special shiur.

Senior girls in Mrs. Beth Pogonitz’s Honors Chumash class, who are studying Sefer Bereishit, welcomed a special visitor this week: ICJA teacher and rabbi of Congregation Or Torah, Rabbi Zvi Engel.

Rabbi Engel led a shiur exploring the nature of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in Gan Eden. Drawing on Targum Onkelos, Ramban, Midrash Rabbah, the Kli Yakar, and the Be’er Mayim Chaim, students examined the identity and significance of the tree’s fruit and its continuing relevance to our lives through connections to Sukkot.

On Thursdays, students gather to learn the weekly parsha with Rav Jacob Wedgle.

This Thursday, students gathered in the Learning Commons for our NCSY Club's weekly lunch-and-learn event.

Students enjoyed a delicious chicken lunch as they learned this week's parsha with Rav Jacob Wedgle. Students who are interested in learning should pull up a seat or contact Rav Wedgle at jwedgle@icja.org for more details.

Juniors analyzed motion using force diagrams and velocity-time graphs.

This week, juniors in Mr. Allen Sears’s physics class analyzed a variety of motion scenarios, identifying the direction of an object’s velocity and creating force diagrams. Students determined whether each object was moving at a constant velocity or accelerating. For accelerating objects, they identified the direction of acceleration and determined whether the object was speeding up or slowing down.

Students then sketched qualitative velocity-time graphs to illustrate how each object’s motion changed over time.

(Pictured here: Menachem Steinberg discussing his work with Mr. Allen Sears)

Pictured above: Yaakov Lehrfield and Aaron Gelb

Pictured above: Lior Kirshner and Elior Ginsberg

ICJA Mathletes Aces triumphed in last week's meet.

Last Thursday evening, ICJA Mathletes Aces earned second place overall at a meet at Grayslake Central High School. Competing against Grayslake Central, Grayslake North, Niles North, and Woodlands Academy, our freshmen tied for first place, sophomores took first place, and juniors and seniors each tied for second place.

Junior Emily Adler also earned second place in the oral competition, presenting her solutions to problems involving mathematical induction before two judges.

Congratulations to our participating students: freshmen Eliana Lifsics, Joey Adler, and Maya Strahlberg; sophomores Yaakov Chastofsky, Yoni Chastofsky, Ruvi Gurvich, Eve Novick, and Aaron Steinberg; juniors Emily Adler and Menachem Steinberg; and seniors Archer Gradstein, Ayelet Klein, Hillel Lennon, Aryeh Lowenthal, Caleb Novick, and Asher Gadd.

Last Thursday, girls gathered at ICJA for a gala bedazzling event with ICGC.

Last Thursday evening, dozens of girls gathered at ICJA for an evening of fun, camaraderie, and craft, as they bedazzled items ranging from phone cases to Mahjong cards. Thank you to the ICGC board, our Mechanchot, and all the teachers who helped make this event so much fun.

Scores of boys joined ICBC's Mishmar last Thursday evening at the Skokie Kollel.

On Thursday, about 50 boys joined Ida Crown Boys' Club's special Mishmar at the Skokie Kollel, learning with each other and with ICJA teachers and Rebbeim.

Thank you to the ICBC Board and to our Mechanchim and teachers for arranging this popular, meaningful event.

ICJA's Building Engineer, Mr. Luis Rodriguez, works behind the scenes, ensuring that ICJA's building is safe and in good condition.

ICJA’s award-winning building and beautiful grounds are cared for by our dedicated maintenance team, led by Building Engineer Mr. Luis Rodriguez. This week, we caught up with Mr. Rodriguez to learn more about his work and interests.

Where did you grow up, and where do you live now?

I grew up in Evanston and now live in Skokie with my parents.

Where did you attend high school?

I went to Evanston Township High School, where my favorite subject was auto mechanics. I still enjoy fixing cars, although I don’t always have time for it these days.

What does your role as Building Engineer involve?

I make sure everything in the building is running properly, including the air conditioning, water, and lights. I also coordinate ICJA’s facilities calendar.

For the past several months I've been particularly busy overseeing the installation of new solar panels on our roof. It was a big job to get all the materials up there, using a forklift.

What do you enjoy about working at ICJA?

I enjoy everything! People here are so friendly. Also, this is a beautiful building, and I appreciate how much of it runs through technology. I can monitor the school’s systems without having to be physically in front of each one. It’s a true 21st-century “smart” school.

I also appreciate how respectfully the students treat the building. I’ve heard horror stories about schools where students don’t take care of their surroundings. Here, you can tell the school is important to them.

What are some of your hobbies?

I enjoy playing Spanish music and have been taking guitar lessons for a couple of years. I enjoy playing baseball, and I recently got my motorcycle license. I enjoy riding along Chicago's waterfront.



What is something most people might not know about you?

Over the past year or so I've lost 70 lbs.! I still don’t like having my picture taken, though!

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.

Raising children in today’s world is challenging, and supportive guidance can be truly valuable. Join us for the ATT’s 40th Annual Rabbi Isaac Mayefsky Memorial Parenting Lecture on Motzei Shabbos, November 21, 2026, at 8:00 pm at the ATT, ICJA Entrance, 8233 Central Park Ave, Skokie. The evening will feature Rabbi Yaakov Robinson, Rav of Beis Medrash Mikor Hachaim in Chicago, speaking on The Priceless Value of Valuing Your Children. Admission is free. For details, call 773-973-2828.

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.