Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org produced by Rabbi Mendel & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program

Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY maimonidesschool@gmail.com

BH Nissan 4, 5773 / March 15, 2013

Candle-Lighting:

6:43 Shabbos Ends:

7:44

MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

SEDER IN THE KINDERGARTEN Kindergarteners made a model Seder this week and Morah Dini took photos of each step to be included in their very own Haggadahs to use at their families’ Seder on Pesach Night!

… AND A NURSERY SEDER TOO Nursery kids love learning about Pesach, and role-playing each step of the Seder. The props and dress-up get them into the spirit!

JOKES TO HELP YOU “MARCH” WITH A “SPRING” IN UR STEP! This bulletin board was pictured in last week’s “MC” but the caption got cut off, so here it is again: Mrs. Maher’s 5th graders put together this bulletin board in time for March and the start of springtime, and also in time for the last few days of the month of Adar, a time for joy!

DID YOU SEE “YALDAH”? Something was “wrong” with the most recent issue of this popular Jewish girls magazine, it was done on purpose and not by accident!

“NO MORE POTATOES” That’s the title of a Pesach cookbook by Aviva Kanoff, a friend of MHDS alumna Avigael Bomzer, which features a broad spectrum of Kosher for Passover recipes - without potatoes! Thanks to Rebbetzin Bomzer for the tip.

REGULAR LEARNING, TOO In addition to all the exciting Pesach learning and special hands-on projects, regular everyday curriculum Judaic and General Studies learning goes on as usual in Maimonides classrooms. Here are two photos of students hard at work: (R) is working on Hebrew grammar in his 1st grade workbook in Morah Devorah’s class and (L) is working on her English Language Arts assignment in Mrs. Maher’s 4th grade. There’s lots to learn!

This newsletter is sponsored

in honor of

Azriel Laber’s

Bar-Mitzvah celebration this Shabbos & Sunday

by his parents Rabbi Avraham &

Nechama Laber and Family

DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? Support Maimonides using online secure PayPal:

tinyurl.com/MaimonidesPayPal Thank you for your generous support, all size contributions are helpful & make a difference!

PESACH IS COMING! Contact Rabbi Rubin 423-4103 or your Rabbi to: Arrange for the sale of your Chametz Purchase Shmurah Matzah (at least for Seders) Find a place for a Seder if not at your home Ask Halacha questions as you shop/prepare Contribute “Maos Chittim” for Passover

needs of the poor in our community

JOY OF THE MITZVAH We couldn’t resist putting in a few more pictures of the Kindergarten Model Seder (see page 1) because they depict the children aglow with the joy of the Mitzvah. The picture on the right may have Yitzchak a little suspicious of Shmuly eyeing his Afikoman? THE FOUR QUESTIONS POSTER

Morah Devorah’s 1st grade students are each making their own “Mah Nishtanah” posters with their own illustrations of the 4 questions, in the order of their family’s custom.

Last Call! for “EL-BNAY” TORAH JOURNAL SUBMISSIONS Once again MHDS alumni are preparing a interesting and varied journal of Torah thoughts, inspiration and discussion. Hebrew and English submissions are both welcome. Please email: lebedik1@gmail.com to submit your piece or if you have any questions. PESACH KOSHER QUESTIONS? Call your Rabbi or the Vaad HaKashruth at: 489-1530 or email: vhcd51@yahoo.com. The Vaad’s yellow Pesach booklet has lots of info (pick it up at Price Chopper Colonie etc).

KAREN PLATT OBM Some of our HS girls knew Mrs. Platt of Troy from her cake decorating workshops at JGR and from visiting her during her illness which led to her untimely passing this week. They will remember her (and her tips!) when decorating cakes & icing cookies for Simchas.

DEVORAH’S SONG, JACOB’S BLESSINGS 5th graders just finished learning this in the 5th chapter of Shoftim (Book of Judges). They are also moving along in Jacob’s Blessings to the Tribes, now at Chapter 50 in Breishis! This set of 12 Israeli stamps (<) each feature a phrase of the blessing that Jacob gave that tribe.

TUCK EVERLASTING FILM After finishing reading the book, Ms. Gray’s 6th graders watched the film together in class - and got to eat snack while they watched. DUST BOWL & DEPRESSION Grades 7/8 watched PBS films of interviews with people who lived through the Dust-Bowl in the 1930’s as children and the effects it had on their families. They also watched interviews about people who lived through the Great Depression and how people lost all they had.

FINDING OLD JOURNALS Thanks to those who have come forward, we are narrowing the list of missing school

journals, now only missing 1990-1992 and ‘94 and ‘96. If you have these school yearbook/journals, call Rabbi Rubin 423-4103 or the school office 453-9363x1. Thanks! OUT-OF-TOWN MAZAL TOVS The Yarmoves, formerly of Albany, and featured in last week’s MC, had a baby boy in Chicago. Zelda (Rieber) and Asaf Advocat recently had a baby girl. Some of our students know Zelda from summers at JGR (Jewish Girls Retreat) where she served as head-staff.

MAZAL TOV AZRIEL and to the Laber family on his Bar-Mitzvah this weekend. Azriel is the last of the boys in

7th & 8th grade to become Bar-Mitzvah.

A BIRTH AND A TREATY 3rd graders with Rabbi Yossi are now studying Parshas Vayera (perek/chapter 21) about the birth of Yitzchak to Avraham and Sarah in their old age, and the chapter ends with a treaty that Avraham made with Avimelech, the King of Gerar. They study using the Chumash itself as well as a accompanying worksheet curriculum prepared by Morah Rochel.

A WORM OF DIFFERENCE 2nd graders with Ms. Livingston are now doing a science unit on worms. They put worms in clear bags of soil and leaves. Each day they observe and record how the active worms slowly change their surrounding soil. SCIENCE FICTION AS AN INTRO 7/8 graders with Dr. Sahay watched a pseudo-documentary animated film about “Darwin IV” an alien planet, with NASA scientists discussing and participating using hi-tech tools & computerized probes, research and discovery… to whet their appetite and broaden their horizons as an intro to their upcoming science unit of study and exploration.

Each week a different student can volunteer to write a few more sentences of this story, continuing where the earlier writer left off…

The Mystery of the Library File Part 2

…Tzvi was very embarrassed. His cheeks turned red hot, and he wished he would not have stolen the file from the library. After a few seconds of silence, his friend Yoel asked him, “What are you doing? You seem to be shivering, is everything OK?” (To be continued next week by a different student… will it be you?)

FAMILY TRADITIONS PROJECT 7/8 just finished reading “The Giver” by Lois Lowry and are now doing a family research project (they need to each interview older family member), along with a Venn-Diagram, and they also need to invent a tradition, try it for a week, and summarize their experience. PARENT FORMS NEEDED ASAP

The school office sent home important paperwork about family financial information that is needed for the school to apply to certain grants and

programs. It shouldn’t take too long to fill out. This is very important for the school to be able to provide certain programs and enrichment and these forms must be returned as soon as possible. If you did not receive this paperwork, please call the office 453-9363x1 or just stop in so it can be taken care of as soon as possible.

LAMBS FOR MARCH & PESACH 1st graders wrote a March poem on these sheets next to the lambs they made, and did a Spring-time illustration to go along with it. The lambs are also just in time for Pesach!

SEDER WORKBOOKS 4th graders with Morah Devorah Leah are filling in workbooks of background, reasons, and customs for the various steps of the Seder, that students can use at their Seders. Each student is also encouraged to add in their family customs and interpretations to personalize their Haggadah experience! PESACH SONGS AT TEFILAH Since Purim, the boys davening group has been concluding their Tefilah with a different Pesach song each day. Dayenu, LShana Haba, VHee Sheomdah, Al Achas, Avadim Hayeenu, - even Mah Nishtana sung as a tune…

SHEMA VS. V’HAYA HS juxtaposed the two classic Torah portions that are recited 2x (or more) daily, examining their differences, and messages for us today. HS HISTORY ESSAYS HS history class had a choice between DBQ (document based questions) essays on Mao vs. Deng (communist China) or do a thematic essay on the differences in leadership styles between Mao of China and Gandhi of India (hint: they were VERY different).

PIZZA “PI DAY” ON 3/14 HS’ pre-Pesach Pizza Night was last night at “Nathan’s Kitchen” on 3.14, also known as Pi-Day. Thanks to those who pre-ordered for early 3:30 pickup, and those who ate-in or did take-out later between 5-7pm. The new pizza system was quick and efficient, and the sushi and shoestring French-fries were yummy, too.

ANDY WARHOL POP ART 6th grade art class with Mrs. Levin learned about the unique pop art style of Andy Warhol and after a series of improving their skill with face portraits, they did some artwork in his style, using pastels, watercolors, acrylic paint, and plastic sheeting. Each student did a repetitive horizontal series of 3 faces, in some ways similar, yet in other ways quite different. Their artwork may soon be on display at the Bach Public Library on New Scotland Ave.

SONG OF DEVORAH Rabbi Laber’s Navi class finished perek

5 of Shoftim (Book of Judges) with the song of Devorah. The students made 3-D dioramas, comics, art-pages and other depictions of various aspects mentioned in the song.

THE SOLOVEICHIK DYNASTY Rabbi Rubin’s 7/8 Jewish history class learned about the Solveichik family of Rabbis and scholars which dates back to the 1700’s and its founding patriarch Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, and then the Beis HaLevi and others, down to today’s generation with Rabbi JB Solveichik of Boston and YU - a visionary of American modern Orthodoxy, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik of Brisk-Chicago and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik of Brisk-Jerusalem. Another Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik was briefly considered for the office of British Chief Rabbi, and addressed the recent Republican National Convention.

The current President of Yale University is (<) Peter Salovey, also a Solveichik descendant. Rabbi Rubin’s final history class before Pesach will study a classic “shtikel” Reb Chaim (a Solveichik of pre-war

Europe famous for his analytical Rambam commentary) on his two Gedarim (conceptual perspectives/legal categories) in the Rambam’s Hilchos Chametz u’Matzah. NANOTECH FIELD TRIP TODAY

Middle School students are spending much

of today (Friday) at CNSE/Nanotech, thanks to Mr. Ted Levin’s monthly Nano (science and math) enrichment course at Maimonides. Reports in next week’s “MC” newsletter…

at Maimonides and in the Community

3/16: SHABBOS PROGRAM 10:45 to 11:30am, led by Chaya Andrusier. sponsor treat? shabbosprogram@gmail.com. 3/16: RABBI REISMAN’S CLASS Now begins 9:30pm on Sat Nights, screened at CBAJ. Rabbi Frand on Thursdays 9pm. 3/17: CHRIS GIBSON SPEAKS The Congressman will speak at Agudat Achim in Schen for the Federation’s Joint Society event on “Major Domestic & Intl Challenges facing the US: 2013 & Beyond.” Call 783-7800 for info, cost and RSVP. 3/17: ENYCAR AUTO SHOW ‘13 170 new vehicles! 11-5 at the Times Union Center. $7.50 admission, under 12 free. 3/21-22: PRE-PESACH MHDS SCHOOL SCHEDULE Half-days AM only, with 11:30am dismissal (send snack, no lunch) on Wed (3/21) and Thurs (3/22) in preparation for Pesach. High School has no school after this Friday (3/15). School resumes on Thursday (4/4) at 9am (davening class starts at 9am). 3/21: NISSAN 11 FARBRENGEN After Mincha (6:55)/Maariv at Shteeble. 3/23: SHABBOS HAGADOL Shabbos morning pre-Passover lectures: Rabbi Rubin (Shomray Torah): “Should

the father also ask the Questions? ” Rabbi Lehrfield (CBAJ) “Is there room

for Yosef at the Seder?” 3/25: EREV PESACH MORNING 8am Shachris at Maimonides (instead of Shteeble) followed by a First-Born Siyum by Rabbi Simon and a communal Chametz burning. Finish eating Chametz before 10:57am, finish burning by 11:59am. 3/28: CHOL HAMOED THURS This year (weather-permitting) Thursday seems to be the best day for an outing, because Friday is Erev Shabbos, and Sunday is already Erev YomTov for the last days. Is anyone up for a family-group trip? Ideas? 3/31: KIDS PESACH PROGRAM 11am in Ridgefield Park. Games, prizes, stories, Mitzvos.. Info? 522-8478.

4/4: POST-PESACH PIZZA NITE Taste fresh-baked Chametz Pizza two days after Pesach, Thursday evening 5-7pm at Nathan’s Kitchen at Maimonides. 3:30pm earlier take-out is available only by advanced orders to: bnoschayaprograms@gmail.com. 4/8: HOLOCAUST LECTURE Center for Jewish Studies hosts NYU’s Prof Marion Kaplan (3 times National Book Award winner) on “Extraordinary became Ordinary - Jewish Life in Nazi Germany” 7pm at UAlbany Performing Arts Center. 4/9: VT GOV KUNIN @ J-FED Madeleine Kunin was Vermont’s only Jewish and female governor and will speak for the Federation’s Womens Philanthropy event, 7pm at Nanotech South Auditorium. Cost is $20pp. Call 783-7800 x234. 4/23: PESACH SHEINI Matzah & Shmears at Lunch at school, in honor of “Pesach Sheini” the 2nd Passover. 4/28: LAG B’OMER DAY Stay tuned for special festivities! TBA…

MAIMONIDES SCHOOL & COMMUNITY (Nursery / Elementary / High School)

404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

(518) 453-9363/3434 maimonidesschool@gmail.com

Founded in 1980, Maimonides is chartered by the NYS Board of Regents and is a JF-NENY

Beneficiary “A Beautiful Blend: Torah & Worldly Experience!”

COMMUNAL SEDERS AROUND TOWN If you are not planning a Seder of your own, many local families love having guests - or you can try one of these communal Seders:

CBAJ (1st night) $40 adult/$36 child (members: $36 adult/$30 child) RSVP by 3/10: cbaj.org or 489-5819.

Shabbos House (2 nights) primarily for students, community please call to RSVP: 438-4227 / mail@shabboshouse.com

Beth Israel Schen (2 nights) Members $32 non-members $38 Kids 5-12 $18 free under 5. RSVP by 3/20: 377-3700

Beth Tephilah Troy (2 nights) contact/RSVP: 894-3491.

Bethlehem Chabad (1st night) Norman-side Country Club $25 adult, kids $10, RSVP by 3/20. BethlehemChabad.com

Saratoga Chabad (2 nights) $18 adult, $10 child. 526-0773

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Or if interested in getting away for a stay-away holiday, check out the Laber’s Pesach Holiday Retreat at Ft. William Henry Hotel in Lake George. Call 727-9581 for cost and details.

New “Avner Gold” series (top left) $20 each; “Birkas HaChaim -

The Wonders of the Body” (big book) $25; plus a dozen soft-

cover chapter books (grades 2-4) at $10 each.

SPONSOR THESE BOOKS FOR THE “ESTY LIBRARY” AT MAIMONIDES The recently purchased books pictured above will be placed in the “Esty Library” for student use once they are sponsored. They appeal to a variety of reading levels. Books can be sponsored and dedicated in honor of a special occasion or in memory of a loved one. Each sponsored book gets an inscription with the dedication info. The Library also accepts gently used older books as well, as long as they are in decent condition, but dedication stickers are reserved for new book purchases. As the “Esty Library” grows, we’re looking into the future possibility of a Library time for community. Soon we’ll need new bookshelves, too!

CLEANING UP THE HOUSE? If you come across decent stuff that you no longer need, our General Studies teachers may be able to sell it at their Spring-time Garage-Sale to benefit the year-end trip. Items can be brought into school to be stored at the sale site (at a private home). Limited pickups may be possible, please also call the school office ahead before bringing in larger items. Please, no large appliances and no TV’s. Last year this sale was very successful. Thanks!

LORENCE ALUMNI TORAH DEDICATION This past Sunday, the 4th local Torah sponsored by Bruce Lorence was completed at the UAlbany Alumni House, by followed by a procession to and Hakafot dancing at Shabbos House, in conjunction with Moshe Rubin’s Bar-Mitzvah, with alumni, students, family and community. This Torah commemorates 40 years since Bruce’s graduation from

UAlbany, and memorializes his paternal great-grandparents, Jacob Lorence and Mary Ringler Lorence, 1916 founders of the Bnai Israel Williamsburg synagogue. Next week will be a shorter school week, perhaps there will be room in “MC” for more photos.