24 Cheshvan, 5776

November 6, 2015

This Week at CJHS

Open  HouseCJHS  Goes  to  D.C.Memphis,  Here  We  ComeRabbi  Chaya  Comes  to  CJHSIn  the  ClassroomMUN  Movie  NightBlood  DriveA  Biology  Lesson  in  TefillahVa'ad  UpdateHomecoming  TicketsCanine  CompanionsBuzzfeed  QuizTrio  to  Perform  at  CJHSFrom  the  P.O.Community  EventsA  Taste  of  Torah

Quick  Links

CJHS.org

Open House

ProspecRve  Family  Day  at  CJHS

Open  House  2015  was  a  huge  success  with  over  100  guestsfrom  both  day  schools  and  public  schools,  and  fromcommuni>es  all  over  the  Chicagoland  area.  The  event  beganwith  a  Student  Ac>vi>es  Fair,  where  prospec>ve  familieslearned  about  our  Fine,  Performing  and  Literary  Arts  program,clubs  and  athle>c  opportuni>es  at  CJHS.  Prospec>ve  students

CalendarsLunch  MenuEdlineGive  Now

Save  The  Date

November  11No  School  -­‐  Professional  Day

November  18-­‐20Junior  Social  Jus>ce  Seminar

November  21Homecoming

November  25Erev  Thanksgiving  -­‐  8:00  a.m.to  1:15  p.m.

November  25-­‐26No  School  -­‐  Thanksgiving  

December  6Studio  Art  Show

December  20  -­‐  January  3Winter  Break

College  Season

CJHS  is  pleased  to  welcomeadmission  representa>vesfrom  over  fiRy  colleges  andIsrael  programs  this  autumn!  VIEW SCHEDULE >>

were  treated  to  a  CJHS  student  panel  and  asked  manyques>ons  about  student  life  at  CJHS.  Prospec>ve  parentspar>cipated  in  Q&A  rota>ons  included  topics  such  asTransporta>on,  College  Preparedness  ,  Academics,  JewishExperience,  Athle>cs  and  Support  Services.  The  families  visitedseveral  classrooms  to  meet  teachers  and  students  and  learnmore  about  our  dual  curriculum.  Thank  you  to  our  all  our  staffand  student  volunteers!

CJHS Goes to Washington, D.C.AIPAC  2015

Earlier  this  week,  Molly  Copley,  Natalie  Ecanow,  ElianaKaufman,  Daniel  Silver,  and  Rabbi  Silver  traveled  toWashington,  D.C.  for  three  days  to  par>cipate  in  the  annualAIPAC  High  School  Summit.  Natalie  Ecanow  reports,  “Duringthe  three  days  at  AIPAC,  we  were  immersed  in  a  spirited  Zionistenvironment.  We  were  taught  effec>ve  methods  for  Israeladvocacy,  as  well  as  public  speaking  skills  that  are  applicable  inall  aspects  of  life.  We  lobbied  David  Stern,  Congressman  BobDold’s  (IL-­‐10)  Legisla>ve  Director,  expressing  our  apprecia>onfor  Congressman’s  Dold’s  con>nuous  support  for  Israel.  Wetalked  about  the  current  situa>on  in  Israel,  and  thanked  him  forsigning  the  Royce-­‐Engel  le`er  to  President  Abbas.  ARerwards,we  toured  the  capital  and  witnessed  the  Senate  in  ac>on.Overall,  our  three  days  in  Washington  DC  were  a  greatexperience.”

Memphis, Here We Come!Cooper  InvitaRonal  Tournament

It's  that  >me  of  year  as  18  students  travel  to  the  Annual  CooperInvita>onal  in  Memphis.  The  tournament  features  a  fun,educa>onal  Shabbaton  with  a  spirited  basketball  tournament.The  Cooper  Yeshiva  High  School  Invita>onal  Tournament,hosted  by  the  Margolin  Hebrew  Academy  in  Memphis,Tennessee,  is  now  the  second  largest  Jewish  high  schoolathle>c  event  in  North  America.  Click  here  for  the  latest  newsand  results!

Rabbi Chaya Baker Comes to CJHS

On  Monday,  Rabbi  Chaya  Baker  of  Kehillat  RamatTzion  in  French  Hill,  Jerusalem,  visited  with  thejunior  seminar  “Contemporary  Israel”.    AConserva>ve  rabbi  ordained  in  Israel,  Rabbi  Bakershared  her  vision  of  an  Israel  commi`ed  to  religiouspluralism.    She  spoke  of  a  culture  and  poli>cs  morea`uned  to  the  contemporary  needs  of  its  ci>zens,bridging  the  gap  between  secular  and  religious  andoffering  Israelis  spiritual  opportuni>es  without

having  to  go  through  the  chief  rabbinate.    She  spoke  of  her  personal  experiences  as  well  as  herprofessional  ones  as  someone  who  func>ons  as  a  community  rabbi.

In the Classroom

In  sophomore  Talmud,  students  are  studying  page26b  from  tractate  Brachot.  On  this  page  we  learnthat  our  forefathers  established  the  three  dailyprayers,  as  the  rabbis  interpret  a  discrete  ac>on  ofeach  to  correspond  to  shaharit,  mincha,  and  maariv.Isaac’s  scene  is  in  this  week’s  parashah.  He  is  aboutto  meet  his  wife,  Rebecca,  for  the  first  >me.  Hisfather’s  servant  Eliezer  has  just  gone  on  a  journey  tofind  her.  Just  before  they  meet,  we  are  told  he  went

“lasuah”  in  the  field  (Genesis  24:63).  JPS  Tanakh  tells  us  that  this  verse  means  either  walking  ormedita>ng,  but  the  meaning  is  uncertain.  The  rabbis  assert  that  he  was  medita>ng.  That  certainlyfits  their  goals  of  roo>ng  our  prayer  in  our  ancestors’  ac>ons.  The  rabbis  are  pain>ng  a  picture  ofIsaac  that  fits  their  worldview-­‐-­‐that  our  ancestors  prayed  at  crucial  moments-­‐-­‐  staking  a  strongclaim  on  the  meaning  of  an  unclear  word.  But  what  if  Isaac  was  just  going  for  a  walk?

We  have  a  similar  ques>on  of  transla>on  in  the  next  verse:  Raising  her  eyes,  Rebecca  saw  Isaac;she  alighted  from  the  camel.  The  Hebrew  uses  a  very  clear  verb,  yet  the  transla>on  obscures  themeaning:  Tipol  –  she  fell.  Perhaps  the  translators  obscured  this  word  because  Rebecca  falling  off  ofher  camel  did  not  fit  their  image  of  Rebecca  or  their  understanding  of  this  first  encounter  betweenher  and  Isaac.

As  we  delve  into  Torah  study,  we  see  that  the  way  we  are  taught  texts  and  even  the  transla>onswe  receive  hold  richly  developed  concep>ons  of  our  ancestors  and  their  narra>ves.  But  mee>ngthe  text  firsthand,  we  can  see  a  new  richness  ourselves  and  begin  to  piece  together  our  ownunderstandings.

MUN Movie Night

The  European  refugee  crisis  which  has  dominatedthe  news  interna>onally  for  months  has  also  beengreat  fodder  for  discussion  in  Model  U.N.  At  MUNMovie  Night  on  Tuesday,  the  conversa>on  expandedto  include  students,  parents,  and  other  members  ofthe  greater  CJHS  community  for  a  night  of  learningand  thinking  around  the  topic  of  refugees.  Dr.  BasakYavcan  spoke  eloquently  and  passionately  about  theissues  involved  in  dealing  with  Syrian  refugees,  and

Khadijah  Coulibaly,  a  sixteen  year-­‐old  originally  from  the  Ivory  Coast,  shared  her  amazing  story  ofeventually  making  her  way  through  Mali  to  West  Rogers  Park.  Proceeds  from  the  event  supportthe  team  at  the  conference  in  New  York  in  March.  Thanks  to  everyone  who  made  the  eventpossible!

Blood Drive

Last  week,  CJHS  students  and  staff  joined  togetherto  donate  18  units  of  blood  in  this  fall  blood  drive.Thank  you  to  the  Va'ad  Hastuden>m  for  helping  toorganize  the  event,  and  thank  you  to  all  the  studentsand  staff  who  took  >me  out  of  their  days  to  give  thegiR  of  life.  A  special  congratula>ons  to  all  first-­‐>medonors  who  conquered  their  nerves  to  do  a  mitzvah!

A Biology Lesson in Tefillah

Monday  morning,  CJHS  biology  teacher  Mr.  Taylormet  with  a  group  of  freshmen  and  sophomores  tolearn  about  a  tefillah  called  Asher  Yatzar  in  which  weexpress  gra>tude  for  our  healthy  and  func>oningbodies.  This  tefillah  speaks  of  how  one  "could  notexist  or  stand  before  You  [God]"  if  even  one  part  ofour  bodies  was  "blocked  or  opened".  Mr.  Taylorbrought  this  prayer  to  life  by  teaching  us  about  ourkidneys  and  what  happens  when  they  are  blocked  by

kidney  stones.  What  an  amazing  learning  opportunity  to  draw  upon  our  knowledge  of  biology  tobring  the  words  of  the  Siddur  to  life.

Va'ad Update

Va’ad  Secretary  Joey  Schrayer  reports  that  the  Va'adHastuden>m  has  had  a  busy  few  months!  Star>ngthe  year  strong,  the  2015  Sukkah  Hop  was  the  bestone  yet!  With  capture  the  flag,  hacky  sack  club,  andthe  highest  a`endance  ever,  it  was  a  huge  success.Following  a  great  freshman  shabbaton,  thefreshman  elected  their  grade  representa>ve  -­‐-­‐congratula>ons  to  Brian  Silverstein.  In  addi>on,members  of  the  Va’ad  facilitated  a  town  hall  mee>ng

for  each  grade  in  which  students  could  talk  about  their  priori>es  for  the  school.  The  Va’ad  hastheir  work  cut  out  for  them,  with  some  great  feedback  from  these  town  hall  mee>ngs!  Look  for  aseries  of  upcoming  proposals,  and  so  much  more!  The  Va'ad  is  looking  forward  to  a  produc>vemonth.

Homecoming Tickets

A`en>on  all  students:  Homecoming  >ckets  are  onsale  now.  The  dance,  on  Saturday  night  November21,  costs  $21  -­‐  with  one  dollar  from  every  >cketgoing  to  support  the  Chicago  Founda>on  forEduca>on,  the  philanthropy  of  choice  for  DEAP  thisyear.  Come  to  the  front  office  this  week  to  buy  your>ckets!

Canine Companions

This  past  week  we  were  fortunate  to  have  our  veryown  senior,  Rebecca  Abrams,  treat  our  freshmen  toa  program  about  CCI.  Canine  Companions  forIndependence  is  a  program  that  provides  fullytrained  service  dogs  to  those  in  need.  Rebecca  hasbeen  training  service  puppies  since  she  was  12.  Eachyear  Rebecca  speaks  to  our  freshmen  about  thepower  of  Chesed  and  how,  by  training  a  puppy,  shegives  so  much  to  a  deserving  individual.  Thanks

Rebecca  for  all  that  you  do  for  CJ  and  for  making  the  world  a  be`er  place!

Buzzfeed Quiz

The  Va'ad  Tefillah  created  a  Buzz  Feed  quiz  for  theOpen  House  this  past  Sunday.  It  was  an  opportunityto  teach  prospec>ve  students  about  the  tefillahprogram  at  CJHS  and  where  they  might  find  theirplaces  in  it.  Click  here  to  take  the  quiz  and  find  outwhere  you  might  find  a  home  in  tefillah  at  CJHS.

Tikkun Trio to Perform at CJHS

November  10,  2015  |  12:30  -­‐  1:30  p.m.The  CJHS  Fine,  Performing  and  Literary  ArtsDepartments  proudly  welcomes  TIKKUN,  a  Quad  Citytrio  whose  mission  is  to  heal  the  world  throughmusic.  They  seek  to  present  to  their  audiencesprograms  that  comfort  the  soul  and  challenge  themind.    This  incredible  program  will  include  twoChassidic  dances  (arranged  by  Zikmund  Schul),Rondo  (Arranged  by  Jean  Sibelius),  Song  Without

Words,  Op.  109  (arranged  by  Felix  Mendelssohn),  and  Trio  in  A  minor,  Op  114,  III  Allegro  (arrangedby  Johannes  Brahms).  The  program  is  open  to  CJHS  staff  and  CJHS  parents.    For  addi>onalinforma>on  about  the  program  or  to  make  a  reserva>on,  please  contact  Bruce  Scher.  

From the P.O.

CJHS  PO  Book  Club  -­‐  Fall  Book  Club  MeeRng:The  Book  of  Aron  by  Jim  Shepard

Monday,  November  97:00  p.m.  at  CJHS

Join  us  as  Edie  Salzman  leads  us  in  what  is  sure  to  bean  engaging  discussion  about  The  Book  of  Aron,"a  novel  that  will  join  the  short  list  of  classics  about

children  caught  up  in  the  Holocaust."  For  more  informa>on  about  the  book,  click  here.  Please  RSVP  at  PO@cjhs.org.  Feel  free  to  contact  us  with  ques>ons.  

Karen  Ecanow  &  Debbie  CopleyCJHS  PO  Presidents

Sponsored Breakfast

Thank  you  to  Camp  Ramah  in  Wisconsin  forsponsoring  bagels  this  week.  To  sponsor  breakfast  inhonor  of  your  favorite  Tiger,  contact  Diane  Zidmanat  dzidman@cjhs.org.

Community News and Events

Alumni Reunion

Join  us  for  the  Alumni  Reunion  featuring  our  annualAlumni  Basketball  Game!  Mingle  with  old  friendsand  teachers  and  cheer  on  the  alumni!  Don’t  missthe  tug-­‐of-­‐war  compe>>on  and  fun  interac>veac>vi>es  including  a  Photobooth  and  Milt’s  FoodTruck.  For  more  details  and  to  par>cipate  in  the  AlumniBasketball  Game,  click  here.  

Limmud Chicago Coming Soon!

November  7-­‐8,  2015

Don't  miss  out  on  Limmud  Chicago  2015!  Co-­‐sponsored  by  CJHS,  Limmud  Chicago  brings  togetherJewish  learners  from  all  over  Chicagoland  for  animmersive  experience  of  Jewish  learning  andcommunity.  Limmud  is  an  en>rely  volunteer-­‐runconference  with  par>cipants  on  all  kinds  of  Jewishjourneys  and  presenta>ons  on  the  broadest  array  ofJewish  topics  possible.  This  year's  conference  isNovember  7  and  8  at  the  Doubletree  Hotel  in  Skokie,

from  6:30  p.m.  on  Saturday  to  5:00  p.m.  on  Sunday.  The  exci>ng  slate  of  presenters  for  LimmudChicago  2015  can  be  found  at  here.  Fill  in  the  code  CJHSLC15  during  registra>on  for  a  discountedrate.

Empowering Our Students for Jewish Campus Life

November  11,  2015  |  6:00  p.m.An  Evening  for  High  Schoolers  and  Community  withHillels  of  Illinois  North  Suburban  Synagogue  Beth  El

Featuring  Eric  D.  Fingerhut,  President  and  CEO,  HillelInterna>onal  -­‐-­‐  former  U.S.  Congressman  andChancellor  of  Ohio  Board  of  Regents  

6  p.m.  –  7    p.m.:  Hillel  Fair  Represen>ng  Midwest  Campuses  –  Meet  Current  Students  &  Staff7  p.m.:  Keynote  Address  by  Eric  Fingerhut

Eric  Fingerhut  will  address  Hillel’s  dynamic  role  in  developing  Jewish  iden>>es  and  Jewish  life  oncampus  during  the  undergraduate  years.    Discussion  panels  to  follow  will  highlight  what’s  reallyhappening  on  campus,  including  important  challenges  faced  by  today's  Jewish  collegestudents.  During  the  panels,  high  school  students  will  have  the  opportunity  to  learn  from  Write  Onfor  Israel  fellows  and  current  college  students  about  engaging  in  Israel  ac>vism  and  Jewish  lifewhile  on  campus.  Parents  and  community  members  will  learn  how  Hillel  has  evolved  to  face  thecurrent  campus  environment.  A  light  kosher  dinner  will  be  provided;  event  is  free  of  charge.  ToRSVP  please  contact  Suzanne  Storrs  at  312.673.2355  or  register  online.

A Taste of Torah: Chayei Sara

When  singing  the  en>re  Birkat  HaMazon,  teenagers  oRen  add  hand  mo>ons  that  roughly  parallelthe  content  of  the  prayer.  During  the  following  passage,  students  add  air  quotes,  indica>ng  thatthe  words  come  directly  from  the  Bible:  Harachaman  hu  yevarech  et  kol  hamesubim  ka’an,  otanuv’et  kol  asher  lanu,  kmo  shenitbarchu  avoteinu  Avraham,  Yitzhak  v’Yaakov,  “bakol,”  “mikol,”“kol.”  We  can  translate  it  as  follows:  May  the  Merciful  bless  all  of  the  people  who  are  here,

ourselves,  and  all  that  we  have,  just  like  our  ancestors,  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  “bakol,”  “mikol,”“kol.”    Each  of  these  representa>ons  of  the  word  “kol,”  totality/everything,  can  be  found  in  the  Torahconnected  one  of  the  three  Patriarchs.  (In  turn,  liturgists  have  also  connected  the  merit  of  theMatriarchs  to  the  word  “tov,”  with  the  following  words  rela>ng  to  a  situa>on  with  Sarah,  Rebecca,Rachel  and  Leah:  he>v,  tovat,  tov,  tov).  We  come  into  contact  with  the  first  of  these  quotes  in  this  week’s  parasha,  Genesis  24:1:“V’Avraham  zaken,  ba  bayamim,  v’Adonai  berach  et  Avraham  bakol.”  “Avraham  was  old,  advancedin  days,  and  Adonai  blessed  Avraham  ‘bakol.’”  The  word  is  tough  to  define.  Certainly,  it  has  something  to  do  with  Avraham  being  blessed  witheverything.  But  what  does  "everything"  mean?

Ramban,  the  14th  century  Sephardic  master  commentator,  notes  that  despite  the  factthat  Avraham  did  not  have  a  daughter  (and  thus  the  Ramban  builds  on  the  midrashicinterpreta>on  that  Avraham  would  have  a  daughter  later  in  this  chapter),  he  wasnonetheless  content  in  life.  And  that,  in  turn,  was  the  blessing  of  “everything.”  Everything,  for  theRamban,  can    be  defined  by  sa>sfac>on,  of  thanks.  In  essence,  God  blessed  Avraham  with  a  life  ofthanks.  In  the  words  of  Pirkei  Avot,  Avraham  manifests  the  statement,  "Eizehu  ashir,  hasameachb'chelko,"  "Who  is  happy,  he  who  is  happy  in  his  por>on."  Birkat  HaMazon  is  much  more  than  a  prayer  thanking  God  for  food.  Though  it  is  certainly  that,  aswell.  It  invokes  the  en>re  narra>ve  history  of  the  Jewish  people.  During  this  prayer,  we  ask  thatGod  bless  us  like  God  blessed  our  ancestors,  with  totality  and  fullness,  with  everything.    For  some,  this  will  mean  children.  For  others,  it  will  mean  economic  stability.  For  others,  s>ll,steady  and  sustained  rela>onships  are  the  mark  of  “kol.”  Above  all,  a  blessing  of  everything  will  becontentment  in  who  we  are.  When  we  say  Birkat  HaMazon,  and  as  we  read  the  parasha  this  week,  may  we  think  of  what  ourprayer  of  “kol”  includes,  invoking  our  ancestors  as  named  travelers  along  our  own  journeysthrough  life.

Rabbi Zachary Silver

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