Chadashos 12.17.21

December 17, 2021 | ‫פרשת ויחי | י''ג טבת תשפ''ב‬

‫בס‘‘ד‬

DECEMBER 20 On the day before his petirah my regal great-grandfather, Rabbi Nochum Velvel Ziv, zt”l, actively
prepared to take leave from this world. In doing so, he did three things: He had his clothing
Girls Grades 1-6 cleaned to ensure that the needy recipients of his garments would enjoy clean and neatly pressed
Parent Teacher Conferences clothing; he ordered a carriage to carry his daughter (who had difficulty walking) during the
levayah; he calmly reminded his family that departing this world is no different than relocating
7:00-9:30 from one city to another, and therefore there was no reason for the family to express excessive
sadness or depression.
••••••
Those who knew him were not surprised, for he was from Kelm, the cradle of the Mussar
DECEMBER 21 & 27 Movement, where dignity reigned supreme and composure and character refinement were the
hallmarks of a Jew. Thus, from the outbreak of World War I in 1914 until his passing two years
Boys Grades 1-6 later, his calm demeanor and quiet and confident leadership prevented the panic one might
Parent Teacher Conferences expect as the war raged around, and even within Kelm.

7:00-9:30 It takes an individual of elevated character to maintain a sense of discipline and dignity
throughout his life. Yet we learn from Rabbi Nochum Velvel Ziv that this is how one is expected to
•••••• conduct himself even in the extreme and trying situation when one takes leave of this world.

DECEMBER 21 In Parshas Vayechi, with the years of his life coming to their end, Yaakov Avinu requested that
Yosef arrange to bury him in Eretz Yisrael. There were three reasons for his request: Yaakov
Kindergarten Parent Teacher prophesized that the Egyptian soil would be stricken with the plague of lice; he worried that those
Conferences 6:30-10:00 buried outside of Israel would experience pain during techiyas hamasim, the resurrection of the
dead; and he worried that the Egyptians would venerate and idolize his tomb (Rashi: 47,29). In the
•••••• final moments before his death, Yaakov presented Yosef with the city of Shechem as an
expression of his gratitude, and then he calmly blessed each of his children—thus, Yaakov
JANUARY 12 conducted and accomplished the conclusion of his life-long avodah in peace and calm.

Early Childhood Parent Teacher And now we have come full circle in our lesson by having studied the life of Yaakov Avinu and its
Conferences 7:00-10:00 reflection in that of my great-grandfather: that one learns how to conduct himself in his last
moments by how he has lived, and that one learns to live in the manner in which he will prepare
•••••• himself at the end.

FEBRUARY 26-27 We learn the importance of remaining calm and controlled in all circumstances, despite life’s daily
challenges. We learn of the need to conduct our lives in the manner that creates a calm home
Yavne Production environment, for children thrive when their parents are relaxed, and when their home exudes a
(see attached flier) feeling of tranquility. Often, the simplest investments set up our homes as places of success.
Practical applications include: turning off cell phones during carpool and dinner time, the
4:39 preparation of clothes and snacks the evening prior to a school day, ensuring that homework is
completed in a timely manner, and, most importantly, striving to create a relaxed home
atmosphere under all circumstances—all knowing that these important efforts foster the healthful
growth and development of our children.

Have a wonderful Shabbos!

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Kollel Ateres Nochum Zev

Kollel Ateres Nochum Zev’s Night Seder with the Junior High School is a
wonderful opportunity for talmidim to bond with, and be mentored by, Kollel
members. Yasher koach to Rabbi Chanina Dessler for coordinating a truly
dynamic Night seder program and a special thank you to the members of our
school based Kollel Ateres Nochum Zev, for making a difference in the lives of
our talmidim! Watch for details of Shabbos programming.

Junior High

On Asarah B’Teves, the Junior High talmidim viewed a national Torah Umesorah documentary entitled “The Guarantors”
— a video presentation which focused on the children who survived the Holocaust. The video reminded us of the empow-
erment of today’s youth, the future of Am Yisrael.
We are proud of the impressive commitment of our talmidim in caring about the needs of the community. A special
barbeque was planned for the Junior High School boys who collected significant funds to support Cleveland’s Matan
B’Seyser and another initiative is currently underway to support Bikur Cholim of Cleveland.

Yeshiva Ketana

The Yeshiva Ketana Melave Malka which was originally placed on the calendar for this Motzei Shabbos for grades 3-6 has been
scheduled, be”H, for Motzei Shabbos, Parshas Yisro, January 22nd.
Top Shacharis attendance winners in the sixth grade (includes proper davening and decorum) : Chaim Alevsky, Eliyahu
Cohn, Efrayim Finegold, Avrohom Freedman, Yitzchok Graiser, Daniel Israeli, Zevy Joseph, Yonah Koval, Yaakov Ribiat,
Avrohom Yitzchok Rossman, Meir Simcha Schwartz, Gideon Salamon, Yehuda Aryeh Thav and Moshe Weimer. These boys
will be treated to a slice of pizza or fries for their admirable efforts. Other treats will be distributed to the remaining boys
for their attendance, as well.
The Yeshiva Ketana is excited to introduce an leven week “SHNAYIM MIKRA V’ECHAD TARGUM” program. This program
will begin with Parshas Shemos and continue on throughout Sefer Shemos. Starting with first grade and continuing on
through sixth grade (and including Junior High grades, as well) the boys will have the opportunity to improve their kriah
skills while being introduced to the concept of reviewing the parshah on a weekly basis. Each grade will review parts of
the parsha, based on their age level, with fourth grade beginning with the Targum, as well. Exciting prizes and raffles will
be included for those boys who participate.

Inside the Academy | Page 2 | December 17, 2021

Girls Elementary

All of the girls in Hebrew Academy worked their way through a booklet full of Emes
stories over the past few weeks. To celebrate completing the booklet, each class
met with Morah Rochie Kutoff and created a beautiful keychain or necklace. The
girls melted wax and stamped it with a custom made seal with the word Emes em-
bossed. This will serve as a constant reminder that Emes is the seal of Hakodosh
Baruch Hu, and a middah that is so important to us.

General Studies
1st Grade: Science in Action
Mrs. Axelrod’s students are pictured during an egg drop experiment
to kick off Science unit Forces in Motion. The girls helped choose
and wrap eggs with different materials (beans, paper towels, foil,
paper, crayons, cotton and even packing tape). They then made
predictions. The first experiment was pushing the eggs off the desk.
The second was dropping them from a higher height. Forces and
motion with raw eggs could be considered a smashing success!

Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten classes enjoyed a special siyum today in conjunc-
tion with finishing Sefer Bereishis. All of the children learned about
the special bracha Yavkov Avinu gave to Ephraim and Menashe… of
course we all know it - Hamalach hagoel. Pictured here are students
in Morah Modes and Morah Blech’s classes with their very special

posters. Turning off the
lights and seeing the stars
glow bright was so exciting!
Last week, we had two spe-
cial visitors! On Thursday,
we had a music teacher come play the guitar because we learned the letter G.
On Friday, Mr. Harvey Schabes, of NASA, did a special presentation on astro-
nauts in conjunction with learning the letter A. The children enjoyed learning
about interesting things astronauts do in space. Thank you for your time!

Inside the Academy | Page 3 | December 17, 2021

Yavne High School

The tech program has advanced to the next stage and to the credit of our students, they are excited about making a
commitment to take a step towards making better technology choices. Students have begun meeting with their advisors to
customize the kabbala that will aid in their personal growth.
What a surprise! Shabbaton heads invited grades 9-12 to the auditorium where students were greeted with a classy décor
and an original game to break out our upcoming Shabbaton. The last two years, due to Covid, the Shabbaton had to be
creatively adjusted to the situation. This year, we are looking forward to going back to a full scale Shabbaton which will
take place be’ezras Hashem, January 14th - 15th (Parshas Beshalach) at the Bertram Inn. The theme, so beautifully
presented by the heads through song and dance, is “Unlock the key to security” and will be focused on the ultimate key to
true security – middas habitachon. Committees are being formed to begin the preparations and we are all excited! A
special thank you to our incredible heads Rikki Kutoff, Chana Leeson, Henna Golda Berkman, Shaina Drazin, Riva Halpern,
Leah Horowitz, and Esty Witkes.
Yavne Junior High’s Teves G.O. heads, Tzippy Chafetz, Tzophia Francis,
Basya Greenberger, Michal Kutoff, and Sara Chana Roffman, prepared an entertaining
puppet show for our assembly. The lesson of the month was to follow the Torah path
“Straight Ahead” in order to bring the geulah – and the puppet show imparted this
message. Afterwards the girls played a variation of Pictionary/Broken Telephone
driving home the importance of shmiras halashon. For a snack, the girls got dipsy
doodles, because of the powerful “ripple” effect of our words. We are anxiously
awaiting the time when the fast of this month – Asara B’Teves becomes a joyous day
with the coming of Mashiach.
It was a pleasure having the opportunity to connect with so many of parents over the
past week at our Parent Teacher Conferences. Along with our teachers, we were
inspired by the positive feedback, thoughtful concerns, and meaningful discussions. Thank you for taking the time out of
your busy life to share in this valuable partnership!
Congratulations to our Yavne Winners in the Jewish Press Chanukah contest. Pictured are the winning entries by: Rashi
Klahr, Rivkie Mann, Basya Greenberger, and Tehilla Newman. Mrs. Leah Jacobs, our Art teacher, sent in many gorgeous
pieces of art created by our students. Rabbi Korenblit who organizes the contest wrote, “The works of art by your students
are each masterful, attesting to your creativity and the students talents.” We applaud all our artists as well as the inspiration
andsupportof Mrs. Jacobs.

Inside the Academy | Page 4 | December 17, 2021

Early Childhood

This week our kinderlach celebrated siyum Sefer Bereishis. They colored and deco-
rated special siyum hats and got some yummy treats. After learning the words
and the meaning of chazak, chazak, v’nischazek the children stood up on their
chairs and proudly recited these words loud and clear with huge smiles on their

faces. The children in our four-year-old classes par-
ticipated in” Pajama Parties” held in their class-
rooms, as they were learning the song Hamalach
Hagoel, the bracha that Yaakov Avinu gave to
Ephraim and Menashe.
Morah Chani and Morah Devorah’s kinderlach had so much
fun working on their parsha projects. After learning that
Yaakov Avinu crossed his hands when he gave Ephraim and
Menashe their brachos, the children painted their hands,
crossed them, and pressed their hands onto a paper to get
their “crossed handprints” on their parsha project!
Morah Hadassah Rivka and Morah Chaya’s class learned the Borei Peri Haadama bracha.
Their kinderlach enjoyed making “ha’adama faces” with ha’adama vegetables.

Secretary of State Visits the Academy

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose vis-
ited the Academy’s Mendy and Ita Klein
Campus on Wednesday where he toured
part of the school, visited some classes,
met with administrators and board mem-
bers, and addressed the students of
grades 4-6.
In introducing the Secretary of State, Rabbi Dessler stated that “the Jewish people
have a history, a legacy, and a mission… and, you, our students, are all part of it.
After generations of persecution and programs in various countries we have found a
haven of kindness in the United States of America where we not only survive but
thrive. We are grateful to the United States of America, to the State of Ohio, and to
its elected officials for the opportunities we enjoy, among them a commitment to
freedom of religion and to educational excellence. Today we are honored to welcome Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.”

Inside the Academy | Page 5 | December 17, 2021

Secretary of State Visit (continued)

Mr. LaRose spoke about government, about Ohio, and about his roles,
primarily election oversight and entrepreneurship. He engaged the boys
and answered all kinds of questions about government and his role in

the State of Ohio. This week’s
visit to the Academy, his first to a
Jewish school, introduced him to
the world of Jewish day school
education. Mr. LaRose clearly
appreciated the enthusiasm and
commented about the positive energy in the room and the vibrancy in the
school. The morning reflected both a learning experience and a true kiddush
Hashem.

Mazel tov!

 Rabbi & Mrs. Yehuda Freundlich on the birth of a girl
 Mr. & Mrs. Boris Mikhli and Mr. & Mrs. Louis Schonfeld on the marriage of Nechama to Shlomie Bleiberg
 Mr. and Mrs. David Reich on the bar mitzvah of Danny

Mazel tov to Mrs. Toby Reich and Dr. and Mrs. Zelig Schur.
 Rabbi and Mrs. Yossi Resnick on the bar mitzvah of Yehoshua

Inside the Academy | Page 6 | December 17, 2021

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