Upcoming Events

• Monday, Nov. 2 - Daily Maariv Minyan begins after 12th period

• Friday, November 6 - Sophomore / Junior Fridayton - click here to sign up



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

• Wednesday, November 18, 2026 - 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

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

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

• Wednesday, December 2 - Juniors and Seniors visit to 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.

Israel Advocacy Club members organized a mock Israeli election on Tuesday.

The cafeteria was filled with activity on Tuesday as ICJA's Israel Advocacy Club held mock Knesset elections. Student advocates introduced their parties, explained their platforms, and encouraged classmates to cast their votes.

Kol hakavod to our hardworking party representatives: Shiri Litwack (Yashar), Kira Wittlin (Religious Zionism), Michal Belsh (Otzma Yehudit), Ariella Titievsky (Shas), Ayden Starck (UTJ), Talia Bajtner (Yisrael Beytenu), Binyamin Friedman (Democrats), Noah Ehrlich (Reshima Meshutefet), Zachary Kupietzky (Ra’am), Ronit Kinar (Miluimnikim), and Kinneret Finegold (HaTzibur HaCharedi). Thank you as well to Mrs. Nussbaum for representing Likud, Mrs. Jacobs for representing Beyachad, and club advisor Rabbi Drutman for guiding this engaging learning experience.

When student votes were tallied, Yashar came out ahead. The following day, Israel Advocacy Club members debated and formed a mock-coalition made up of Yashar, Miluimnikim, Democrats, Beyachad, and Religious Zionism to form a majority of 63 seats with Miluimnikim taking the prime minister's office.

(Pictured above: Israel Advocacy Club members: juniors Ronit Kinar, Binyamin Friedman, and Zachary Kupietzky, and seniors Ariella Titievsky, Kinneret Finegold, Ayden Starck, and Noah Ehrlich)

Pictured above: seniors Zahava Volkov and Kinneret Finegold

Pictured above: sophomores Dov Finkel and Shalom Laber discussing political parties with junior Ronit Kinar

Pictured above: juniors Dahlia Osgood and Emily Adler discussing the election with Mrs. Noa Nussbaum

Students engaged in a Socratic seminar debate on assimilation in Hellenistic times and today.

This week, sophomores in Mrs. Alissa Zeffren’s Modern Jewish History class explored the lure of Hellenism during the reign of King Antiochus and drew connections to modern-day temptations.

In passionate, wide-ranging Socratic seminars, students discussed how social media, secular society, and materialism can influence Jewish practice and create tensions with Jewish values. Max Leonard offered a striking comparison, describing social media as “the Hellenistic gymnasium of today.”

Students delved into Megillat Esther.

Students in Mrs. Beth Pogonitz’s freshman boys' Tanach class are learning Megillat Esther.

This week, students learned the commentaries of Ibn Ezra and Malbim and distinguished between Shushan and Shushan Habirah. They also identified and answered Malbim’s questions on the fourth pasuk, connecting his explanations to Achashveirosh’s ambition to be bilti mugbal—a ruler with unrestricted power. Their learning gave students a deeper understanding of the ambition behind Achashveirosh's actions.

(Pictured above: Aaron Zuckerman and Noam Lubin)

Pictured above: Ezra Gottlieb and Gavriel Sudin

Pictured above: Mani Ida and Ollie Nankin learning together

Pictured above: Daniel Titievsky and Natan Dreytser

What are the differences between Monopolistic and Perfect Competitive Market Structures?

Seniors in Mr. Joshua Cooper’s Economics elective took advantage of Wednesday's beautiful weather, heading outside to enjoy ICJA’s campus while learning about monopolistic and perfectly competitive market structures.

Students explored how competition affects pricing: in a monopoly, a single seller has substantial control over prices, while in perfect competition, many sellers offer identical products and individual firms must accept the market price.

Students shared thoughts on a classic novel's ending.

Students in Mrs. Michelle Prince’s AP Literature class recently finished reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

This week, they debated the novel’s ending, grounding their interpretations in specific passages as they explored how protagonist Janie Crawford reconciles memories of love, loss, and violence with her final apparent sense of peace.

Junior Zachary Kupietzky drew a thoughtful connection to Kohelet, citing King Solomon’s observation that “to everything there is a season.” His analogy offered a lens for understanding how Janie’s experiences of joy and sorrow shape her life.

Pictured above: senior Gabriel Nudman and junior Zachary Kupietzky

Pictured above: seniors Masha Perkins and Ayelet Klein

Pictured above: juniors Michal Belsh and Amalia Strosberg

ICJA girls learned about how social media affects self-image and eating habits.

On Monday, ICJA girls participated in “Scrolling, Self-Image, and Support: Learning About Eating Disorders,” featuring Kristen Anderson, LCSW, CEDS-S, and Sara Desal, LCSW, co-founders of the Chicago Center for Evidence Based Treatment.

In separate presentations for upperclassmen and underclassmen, our guests explored adolescents’ energy and nutrition needs, social media’s influence on body image, understanding disordered eating, and ways to support someone who is struggling.

Thank you to Mrs. Rebecca Bromberg for organizing this important program and to our presenters for helping students approach these topics with a greater level of self-awareness and knowledge.

On Tuesday, ICJA students welcomed students from Chicago Hope Academy to our school.

The first session of the year-long project "Building Civic Bridges," run by Civic Spirit and sponsored by The Covenant Foundation, kicked off on Tuesday with a visit from Chicago Hope Academy. Twelve Hope students and 15 Ida Crown students met and participated in a civics dialogue session led by Mrs. Heather Hobbie and Mrs. Beth Pogonitz. 

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 Hope). If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because our school is running two “Building Civic Bridges” partnerships; the other partnership is with Regina Dominican, which you may have read about two weeks ago.

Pictured above: ICJA sophomore Ron Lev Hameiri and senior Eliana Neiger with Hope Academy students

Pictured above: ICJA junior Avi Friedman and senior Levi Madoff with a Hope Academy peer

Pictured above: ICJA sophomore Ella Alter with a new friend from Hope Academy

Over 50 ICJA students and staff received 'flu and Covid-19 vaccines in school this week.

On Thursday, over 50 students and staff members received 'flu and Covid-19 vaccines at a pop-up vaccine clinic here at ICJA.

Thank you to nurses Rosi Lennon RN '69 and ICJA parent Kira Rich RN (pictured here), and Ayelet Leiptag RN, for running this important clinic.

This week we caught up with ICJA's cafeteria workers Mrs. Nina Barkho and Mrs. Gemma Yokhana.

From breakfast and lunch to coffee, ice cream, and more, Mrs. Nina Barkho (pictured on the left) and Mrs. Gemma Yokhana (pictured on the right) help keep ICJA students and staff fueled each school day, always with a smile. This week, we caught up with them to ask a few questions about themselves.

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

Mrs. Barkho: I grew up in Syria in a town called Al Hasaka. I moved here in 1995. Today I live with my husband Shimon in Skokie. We have four kids: one is a nurse; one works in a bank; one of our kids is pre-med; and our youngest is still in college, studying accounting.

Mrs. Yokhana: I also grew up in Al Hasaka, but we didn't meet each other until we both moved here. I came to the US in 2013. Our families know each other, though, and my sister-in-law is married to Nina's cousin. Today I also live in Skokie with my husband Milad and our two kids, who are nine and twelve. Nina and I attend the same Assyrian church here in Skokie.

What do you like most about working at ICJA?

Mrs. Yokhana: Everything! I like the staff, the students; all the people here are nice.

Mrs. Barkho: Also everything! The teachers, the school, the kids...

What's your favorite thing to eat in the cafeteria?

Both: The salad!

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Mrs. Barkho: I listen to audiobooks. My favorite thing to listen to is the Bible, but I enjoy lots of books.

Mrs. Yokhana: I enjoy making Syrian sweets. I'm happy to share my recipes if anyone would like them.

What advice would you offer ICJA students?

Mrs. Barkho: Focus on school. We've both been through a lot and didn't have a chance to finish school. Study and have a better future.

You both speak Aramaic. Could you teach us a few phrases?

Mrs. Yokhana: Sure. "Hi" in Aramaic today is Shlamalakh. "How are you" is Dakhewath. "Please" is Mpakhalta. "Thank you" is Basemeh Rapa.

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

This week I am recommending Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

This book is FUN. It is packed with science, humor, and suspense. I enjoyed the fact that this book never takes itself too seriously. It is thought-provoking as well in that it asks some big questions about Earth, humanity, and the possibility that we are not alone in the universe. The story revolves around an unlikely hero on a mission to save Earth. 

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.