Akiva Annual Chinese Auction December 16, 2012 Check out the auction book at akivaauction.org

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1 NOVEMBER 9, MARCHESHVAN 5773 PARSHAT CHAYEI SARAH B H Akiva Annual Chinese Auction December 16, 2012 Check out the auction book at akivaauction.org This Friday, November 9, early dismissal begins. Please pick up your children by 2:15 p.m. CANDLE LIGHTING 11/9-4:58 HAVDALA 11/10 5:59 Wednesday, November 21: SHACHARIT AT AKIVA SUNDAYS 9:00 11:30 am Dismissal For All Students. SHACHARIT AT AKIVA WEEKDAYS 8:00 Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23: Thanksgiving Recess Enjoying the wonderful weather outside with our new outdoor playspace! MINCHA AT AKIVA M, T, TH. REG. FRI 2:40 2:00 Dvar Torah, Parshat Chayei Sarah By Rabbi Tzvi Klugerman Many times in our lives we are forced to prioritize. Though we would rather not choose one event or activity or charity over another, limited resources, such as time and money, demand that we decide where to direct our energies. What guides us in our deliberations and what criteria allow us to make those allocations of time and money without feeling guilty that we neglected something or someone? The midrash lends us an insight about how to make some of those decisions. This week s parsha opens with the burial of our matriarch Sarah. After reading about the negotiations to purchase her burial plot, the narrative continues with the events surrounding the marriage of Isaac. Towards the end of the parsha, we read about Abraham marrying again and having more children. This order of events allows us to examine the dialectic between competing mitzvot. Should Abraham have focused on himself first, so that he could continue to fulfill the mitzvot of marriage and children, or should he have focused on getting Yitzchak married first? In resolving this tension, the rabbis extrapolated a value that can be applied to many of our concerns about limited resources; Judaism must stay focused on the future. First, Abraham had to focus on raising the immediate next generation, Isaac. He then had to make sure that there would be a generation following Isaac. Only after he arranged for Isaac to get married, could Abraham once again focus on himself and marry Ketura. We all face questions of priority. At Akiva, our priority is the future of the Jewish people; giving our children the tools and knowledge to focus on their futures as Orthodox Jews fully engaged with the world.

2 Alumni Spotlight: Donna Zwas Class of 1981 I have many wonderful memories of my years at Akiva: geography projects with Dr. Howard Weinberg in seventh grade, home economics with Mrs. Chana Broner in eighth grade, new names in French with Mrs. Susan Marwil in ninth grade, memorizing sifrei tanach and all the books of Torah sheb al peh for Rabbi Cohen in tenth grade, the great debate did Rashi have ruach hakodesh? in eleventh grade, and off to Israel in twelfth grade for our senior year. Memory from Israel: During my year in Israel, I volunteered on a new yishuv outside Arad. We tried to pick onions out of rock-hard ground as Bedouins with large knives wandered by. The yishuv was so overwhelmed by having to feed unproductive volunteers that our meal rations were cut to two meals a day, which were bread and jam. I am married to Jonathan Huppert, who is a professor in the department of psychology at Hebrew University. Mother of Yonah, 12; Hadas, 10; Eliav, 8; and Geffen, 6. I work as a cardiologist at Hadassah Medical Center. Akiva Cares Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund A message from the Jewish Federation of North America: As you all are aware, Hurricane Sandy, a storm of unprecedented magnitude, struck the Eastern portion of the United States. Seeing the response of communities across the region to the devastating storm, we are awed by the strength of the American people. The Jewish community and the Federation Movement send our support and prayers to those affected by the hurricane, and we will stand beside them during the recovery and rebuilding. Throughout the east coast, Jewish communities are suffering through the aftermath of the hurricane. Some people have no idea when they will be able to return to their homes. Shuls have been very badly damaged some had just finished repairs from last year s Hurricane Irene when Hurricane Sandy hit this week. Local yeshivot have been scrambling to get generators so that learning can continue. Some schools are operating on a shortened schedule, and students are being asked to bring extra sweaters and flashlights. At Akiva, we strive to inculcate our students with a genuine desire to care for the needs of others wherever the need arises whether it is within our local community or elsewhere across the globe. Most of our classes have incorporated the news of the hurricane into their lesson plans, so the students are familiar with the storm and the aftermath. Next week, we will be collecting tzedakah to send to the Jewish Federation of North America. We will request that if possible the funds be earmarked for school materials for the children in the day schools who have lost their supplies as a result of the storms. Please speak with your children about this effort, and help us to reinforce the importance of the concept of charitable acts, which can be profoundly meaningful to children. If you have any questions, please contact Roberta Martin at , ext Thank you!

3 Sports Central As The Basketball Bounces Practices: Boys Varsity Sunday, 10:00-11:30 am Monday, 4:45-6:00 pm Thursday, 6:30-7:40 am Boys Junior Varsity Sunday, 8:00-9:00 am Tuesday & Thursday, 4:45-6:00 pm 7th and 8th Grade Boys Sunday, 11:30-12:45 Monday and Wednesday, 3:40-4:45 5th and 6th Grade Boys Tuesday and Thursday, 3:40-4:45 Girls Varsity Wednesday, 4:45-6:00 Other practices TBA Practice for boys grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 will begin the week of Sunday, November 4. Schedule for Basketball games for November Date and Grade: Location: Time: 11/26 Girls Varsity Oakland Christian 5:30 p.m. -Scrimmage 12/6 12/9 JV Tournament Flatbush, NY Early Childhood Corner by Lisa Parshan, Director Early Childhood On November 6th, while adults around North America went out to vote, the children of our Early Childhood Center also exercised their right to vote. Although they didn't vote on matters of national importance, voting on the preference of apple juice to grape juice was a very relevant decision. Grape juice won in a 57 to 30 victory over apple juice! This week, the entire faculty of Akiva Hebrew Day School had the opportunity to "professionally develop" in ways that were relevant to their age group. Sponsored by Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education, Early Childhood Educators from Jewish institutions throughout the state joined together at Temple Beth El for a full day of engaging and thought-provoking activities. The event began with a keynote, Marty Applebaum, whose theme was "Say yes and get more cooperation, which was all about the benefits of positive reinforcement. Workshops throughout the day included our very own second grade teacher Mrs. Anita Batt, who presented a toolbox of instructional strategies to support phonemic awareness and literacy schools for preschoolers. Lizzie Rothstein engaged the participants with instructional strategies to support structure and routine for all types of students with learning challenges. Another popular presenter was Lori Lasday, who presented "my body is Israel," an interactive and entertaining way of teaching preschoolers the geography of Israel using all their body parts. The endnote, Rabbi Muller of Partners in Torah, closed with the inspiring message conveying the values and practices of love and kindness in an enjoyable, inspiring and relevant manner. Teacher spotlight: Mrs. Rivkah Nachlas We are spotlighting Mrs. Nachlas this week as a way of showing our Hakarat Hatov and Yasher Koach on all the wonderful ways she makes the Judaic component of the Kindergarten curriculum come to life. This week, for Parashat Chaye Sarah, the students participated in a mock wedding celebrating the parasha including dancing and gift making (just like Yitzchak presented to Rivkah). Mrs. Nachlas has been teaching at Akiva for over 18 years. In addition to receiving the Grinspoon Steinhardt award for teacher excellence in 2009, Mrs. Nachlas brings her own style and enthusiasm to teaching. She knows that all students can learn and she supports them with love and affection. Wonderful job on the wedding! Pictures to come next week! LIKE us on FACEBOOK! Akiva Hebrew Day School - Early Childhood Center Visit our BLOG Join us on our Early Childhood Family Shabbaton December 7-9th, 2012

4 November is Jewish Book Month! The students in grades 1-5 are celebrating this special time with a reading contest entitled Be a Smart Cookie, Read. All of the students have been given reading logs to keep track of their books for the month. When they visit the media center every week, they will be able to put a cookie on the bulletin board representing the number of books or chapters that they have read that week. Students in grades 1-3 are counting books, and students in grades 4-5 are counting chapters. At the end of the month we will count the cookies, and the class that has read the most will have a cookie party! For more information, please contact Sue Barash at barashs.akiva@gmail.com. The Scholastic Book Fair is scheduled to take place at Akiva during the week of November For more information or if you would like to volunteer, please contact Sue Barash at barashs.akiva@gmail.com Earn money for Akiva! Akiva has earned approximately $250 in box tops this year! Shop and submit unexpired box tops in bags of 50 to the school! For more info contact Susie Schulman Kids Are Authors Too Participate at the Book Fair! A number of years ago, through our Enrichment Program, we began an annual project in which our students had the opportunity to write and publish their own books. In the first year, Akiva students presented their books at the JCC Book Fair in Oak Park. Now, as the word has spread, other schools are also participating. This worthwhile endeavor has developed into a tradition for us. Please join us as a number of our students are honored on November 11 at the Oak Park JCC at 1:00 p.m. at the Kids Are Authors Too presentation. The kids participating this year from Akiva are Jaden Jubas, Zoe Korelitz, Aviva Levy and Atara Kresch. Looking forward to seeing you there! ORDER KOSHER BY DESIGN COOKING COACH By Susie Fishbein HELP SUPPORT AKIVA FOR MORE INFO AND ORDER FORM CONTACT SUE BARASH barashs.akiva@gmail.com

5 Jewish Community Center of Oak Park Break Camps School s out, why not spend the day at the J? Available on- Wednesday, November 14, and Wednesday, November 21. For information please contact: Judy Front Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit Director Camp Discovery/Aquatics/Sports, JPM Building W. 10 Mile Rd. Oak Park, MI ext Community Shiur by Eli Weber Director, Overseas Programs, Yeshivat Har Etzion ( Gush ) Tuesday, November 13 th 8:00 9:00 pm at Young Israel of Southfield, Lahser Rd. Conflicting Commandments: History, Halacha and Henry VIII

6 Parent- Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, November 14, There will be no classes on November 14th. Conferences will be held from 12:00-8:00 p.m. Babysitting available. For more information contact Ilana Sherizen W. 12 Mile Road Southfield, Michigan Phone: Fax: Akiva is Accredited by the Michigan Non-Public School Accrediting Association Rabbi Tzvi Klugerman Head of School Mrs. Teri Giannetti Principal Rabbi Jeff Ney Dean of Students Rabbi Aaron Leib Assistant Principal Mrs. Kathy Sklar Assistant Principal Mrs. Lisa Parshan Director, Early Childhood Ms. Roberta Martin Director, Student Services Mr. Sidney Katz Executive Director Mrs. Cheryl Jerusalem Editor Akiva Community Announcements Mazel Tov to- Mr. and Mrs. Baruch (Chaya Leah Blumenfeld) Carlsen and Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Blumenfeld Bar Mitzvah of son and grandson, Yehudah Aryeh. Mrs. Dorothy Klausner special birthday Condolences to- Mrs. Ida Schuster Benson and Family death of father and grandfather, Monis Schuster Mr. and Mrs. Ira Kleiman and Family death of father and grandfather, Samuel Ben Mathews Davening and Donuts in the Beit Midrash Davening at 9:00 am Sunday, November 11, 2012 Guest Speaker: Rabbi Mordy Katz Student Speaker: Cobi Nadel To sponsor this week s Davening and Donuts please contact Rabbi Katz katzm.akiva@gmail.com Girls on Trackculminating in 5 k on November 18 at Kensington Metro Park Pictured- Ayelet Pollack, Atara Kresch, Elisheva Apap, Audrey Rogers, Yara Hyman, Aviva Levi, Chloe Abram, and Zoe Korelitz Monday nights, 8:00-9:30, in the Akiva gym starting November 12th All levels welcome no experience necessary Come for fun and exercise Registration fee required or drop-in rate available To sign up or for more information Call Carolyn Kelman crkelman@comcast.net