GOOD & WELFARE
Chizuk Amuno Congregation Celebrates The Shoshana S. Cardin School:
A Shared Community
In our last e-Newsletter, we encouraged families to save the date of March 29 to celebrate Shabbat with us at Chizuk Amuno Congregation. As we begin preparations for this honor and superb opportunity to showcase our school, it is amazing to discover how many of our current students, graduates, faculty, and board members are involved in various capacities at the synagogue.
We encourage all members of the Cardin community to join us for this very special morning at Chizuk Amuno. Some of our students will read Torah and receive Aliyot, and our own Mrs. Shoshana S. Cardin will be called to the Bimah as well. Rabbi Shulman will recognize our accomplishments during his remarks to the congregation. It would be most impressive if we had a substantial Cardin turnout for this important event. In addition to our role in the service, it will be our privilege to hear Scholar in Residence Joel Ben Izzy, a famed and delightful storyteller, weave his tales.
If you are in need of housing within walking distance of Chizuk Amuno, please let Margi Hoffman know immediately, and she will attempt to make arrangements for you.
We look forward to a wonderful Shabbat morning on March 29.
Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum honored
Congratulations to Cardin’s Founding President, Stewart Greenebaum, and his wife, Marlene, for being honored in the category of philanthropists at The Maryland Daily Record's Influential Marylanders Event, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 30. For information on how to purchase tickets for the event, please contact tracy.bumba@mddailyrecord.com.
JUDAICS.COMMUNICATIONS
This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shekalim.
The Israelites, traveling across the desert with the portable sanctuary, were each required to give exactly half a shekel, no more, no less, as a gift to the mishkan. This strikes me as a little odd! Since when does any Jewish institution settle for half? So, that fraction must have a symbolic, rather than a financial, meaning.
One half, everyone can give!
It reminds us that one half, everyone can give.
It reminds us that one half of the mind is on prayer, and the other half is dreaming.
It reminds us that everyone has served God with only one half of his or her capacity.
It reminds us that the glass is half full or half empty.
It reminds us that we must apply the rule of “half” to other things that are better for us, like eating half a sandwich, or drinking only a half bottle of wine, or sharing half of a piece of cake with a friend.
It reminds those of us who are married that we are sitting next to our better half.
This year, Shabbat Shekalim falls on the second day of Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet, so Shabbat Shekalim reminds us that Purim is half a month away.
It reminds us that we need to order groggers and hamentaschen.
It reminds us that we need to decide on our Purim costume and start baking Mishloach manot.
It reminds us to give matanot l’evyonim or tzedakah to the poor.
It reminds us to listen to the reading of the Megillah in the evening and in the morning on Purim.
This year, students, Gabe Baraban ‘11, Emily Boling ‘10, Shachar Binyamin ‘10, Kayla Reisman ‘10, Adina Shanholtz ‘11 and Avi Miller ‘10, faculty, Rabbi Yaakov Chaitovsky and Mr. Ricky Gratz, friend, Dr. Peter Shulman, and parent Dr. Jay Baraban will be reading the Megillah in Cardin West for our entire Cardin community. We invite the community to join us on Friday, March 21, from 10-11am for a spirited rendition of the Book of Esther. Please be sure to come in costume!
When the Hebrew month of Adar arrives, happiness increases!
Rabbi Stuart Seltzer
Dean of Judaic Studies
CLASSES IN ACTION
Netivim 12
Students in the Netivim 12 class recently embarked on a research project. Each student chose a subject of interest with a goal of deepening their knowledge of that subject, working on research skills in preparation for college, and producing a presentation for the class. The students spent a several class periods performing research in the library and on-line. Some of the research topics were:
- Origins of the Synagogue
- Women and Prayer
- Is Prayer a Mitzvah?
- The Environment of a Prayer
- Sh’ma and Sh’mone Esre – The Pillars of Jewish Prayer
Many students used PowerPoint and other visual aids when presenting their reports. Kol hakavod to each student in the class!
Rochel Czopnik
Western Civilization II
Welcome to the 1884 Berlin Conference simulation. Western Civilization II students will explore the concept of imperialism by re-creating this conference, which sought to regulate European colonization and trade in Africa. Students will represent various countries of Europe, present their needs and concerns for Africa, and generate political outcomes of how the continent of Africa will be divided. The students will then review the results of the actual conference in the primary document “The General Act of February 26, 1885.” The class will note differences and similarities of their decisions to the reality of the conclusions stated in the document.
Bob Cantor
Western Civilization I
Eleanor of Aquitaine is holding court and all troubadours are welcome. Students will explore the notion of courtly love by developing love poems in the troubadour style. Eleanor eagerly awaits their efforts.
Bob Cantor
French is Alive and Well at Cardin!
The past few weeks have been very busy for our French students. In January, students in the French Culture class made a dessert from scratch called Galette des Rois. This almond-paste stuffed torte traditionally hides a little ceramic “bean.” When ready, the Galette is cut into slices and the person who finds the “bean” is declared the queen or the king of the day.
 
The Galette baking ended our study of the French culture of France, which was followed by the study of the French culture of some African countries. The students learned a lot about these countries by creating wonderful posters and watching African movies such as Waiting for Happiness, a Malian movie.
On February 21, Ms. Diane Wittner and two of her art students joined the four French classes to go to the Baltimore Museum of Art. While there, we learned about the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, through interesting presentations on three of his sculptures. Emily Boling ‘10, Nadav Klein ’08, and Katie Mikhalnyuk ‘08, respectively students of French I, IV and V, made their presentations in French. We also visited the Cone Collection, which contains a beautiful collection of Matisse’s paintings. Ms. Wittner had previously introduced Matisse and his paintings to the French Culture class and was assisted by Ally Richmond ‘11 and Joey Danick ’11 to add explanations during our museum tour.
Finally, on March 3, students of French I, IV and V took the national French contest, Le Grand Concours, organized by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF). This year, the national winners will be entered in two different prize drawings: One is organized by the Alliance Française and offers a 1-week linguistic stay in Paris and the other, organized by the Rotary Club, offers a 2-week linguistic stay in Paris. Good luck to our candidates!
Sylvie Merlier-Rowen
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Ashkelon Partnership
Geula, one of the members of the Mishlachat (a group of people who are traveling on business) from our partner school in Ashkelon, visited our school for three days last week and brought with her email addresses and letters from the students in ORT Afridar. She met with our students, spoke with them in Hebrew, and got replies from our students - in Hebrew. The students were very interested to know about her school, her students, and Ashkelon. Some of the questions that arose were:
“Why do you like to live in Ashkelon?”
“How many students do you have in class?” and
“What are the hobbies of Israeli teenagers?”
Needless to say, Geula was VERY impressed with our school and with the relationships that the teachers have with their students. Geula also met with our art instructor, Diane Wittner, and we finalized our picture project in which our students who are learning “shapes and colors” will develop a group painting to send to their peers at ORT Afridar in Ashkelon. Each student will create an image (using basic shapes) of one prominent Israeli city/location. The students are researching facts and pictures of the city. Each student will then create an image of their city and do a presentation in Hebrew. All the pictures will be added to/painted on the canvas, and sent to Ashkelon. Students in Ashkelon will be developing a similar project to send to us.
Zohara Chaban
CAPTS Is Making a BIG Megillah About Purim
CAPTS is sponsoring a Cardin School Purim Dinner/Social on Sunday, March 23 from 6-8pm (reservations are appreciated). The event will feature dinner, karaoke, costumes, and a chance for kids to hang-out with kids and parents to socialize with parents.
CAPTS is looking for either individual(s) or area business(s) to help sponsor the event. If you know someone who might be interested, please email Randy Gartner, rgart@verizon.net .
Gemilut Hasidim
 A group of six Cardin students recently visited The Children’s Home, a foster care facility in Catonsville that has been serving the needs of children since 1863. Our school community was introduced to the facility in December when we collected toys for Christmas and had the pleasure of a visit from a number of the residents. Following some research and personal conversations with a staff member and the former Chair of the Board of Trustees, our girls spent time last month making fleece blankets with the residents. In conjunction with the non-profit Art with a Heart, they will work with residents every other week for the remainder of the school year. Pictured is our team working on a variety of gimp lanyards and bracelets. A great time was had by all!
National Honor Society
Members of The Shoshana S. Cardin School Chapter of the National Honor Society were out in full force on Feb. 10 and Feb.17 as volunteers at Our Daily Bread soup kitchen in Baltimore. Student were servers, runners, or table cleaners, or on duty with water, bread, and tea—all to help provide a nutritious, hot meal to the city’s poor and homeless. Other students helped at the clean-up station, where they were joined one Sunday by NHS Faculty Adviser, Dr. Prentiss, who observed that “In four hours, I helped wash more dishes than I usually see in a year!”
Students were very positive about the visit. “I can’t wait to go back,” Sophie Bass ‘08 said afterwards, and Mark Mazer ‘08 called it “a great experience” and said “everyone should do this.” Sara Miller ‘08 commented how rewarding the visit was, because everyone was so appreciative of the help. Ben Verovsky ’08 said the experience helped raise his consciousness about the city’s poor and homeless. “They’re just people looking for a meal,” he observed, and said it was “awesome and fun” to be able to help them.
The David Project
This past Thursday, Debbie Stadfeld, the High School Coordinator at The David Project, met with Cardin seniors to discuss anti-Israeli activism on campuses and how it can be addressed. Moreh Geva spent a week this past summer training with The David Project in order to develop a course to teach our students about Israel Advocacy. For more information on the David Project, please go to http://www.davidproject.org/
Moot Beit Din
Once again, a team of three Cardin students – Shachar Binyamin ‘10, Jeremy Hiken ’09, and Sophie Solomon ‘09 - will represent our school at the annual Moot Beit Din Competition, sponsored by RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network and held this year on the campus of the Community Hebrew Academy in Toronto, Canada. Led by veteran advisor Rabbi Chaitovsky, this is Cardin’s fourth appearance at the competition. Twelve other schools from all over North America will field teams, as well.
A real-life question of Jewish law was sent to all the teams. This year’s question involves copyright protection and plagiarism. Each team then has but a few weeks to prepare a teshuva, responsum, to the question. This involves, among other things, hours of researching the relevant Jewish sources, including Torah, Mishna, and Talmud, classic Codes of Jewish law, as well as contemporary halachik writings. After analyzing the source materials and deciding how to apply them to the case at hand, each team drafts and submits their formal, written teshuva. Each teshuva is analyzed carefully by a panel of distinguished rabbis and experts in the field who offer feedback to the teams. Each team then prepares an oral defense of their position, taking into account the comments of the judges. The defense takes place on Sunday morning, in front of the judges, who ask questions about the various aspects of the teshuva.
A highlight of the competition is when all of the budding scholars have a chance to meet and get to know one another while celebrating a joyful and fun-filled Shabbat together. The Moot Beit Din enables participants to experience first hand the workings of the Jewish legal process. It also helps them better appreciate the scope and seriousness of halacha.
PARENTS IN THE CLASSROOM
On February 27, a few brave parents joined Mrs. Prince in the first class of Hebrew for Parents, taught by Morah Zohara Chaban. The group met again on March 5 and plans to meet every Wednesday from 7-8:30pm. It is not too late to join the class! Please contact Zohara, zchaban@shoshanascardin.org for more details.
COMMUNITY UPDATE
America Eats for Israel
March 11 is the annual “America Eats for Israel” day. This initiative was the brainchild of a group of students from Yeshivat Rambam that began four years ago as “Baltimore Eats for Israel.” Since then, the concept has spread exponentially and is now actually “North America Eats for Israel,” with communities across the U.S. and in Canada taking part. More information about participating food establishments and sponsorship opportunities can be found at www.americaeatsforisrael.org.
HaZamir Youth Choir International Festival in Baltimore
On Sunday, March 16, Baltimore will host the 15th annual HaZamir International Festival at 4pm at the Gordon Center in Owings Mills. This spectacular concert features teens from throughout North America and Israel, including 34 from our own HaZamir Baltimore choir, under the direction of Ms Erika Schon. Baltimore is honored to be the first city outside of NYC to host this prestigious event, and will also be the venue for an amazing Shabbat retreat for the 210 participants prior to the concert. HaZamir Baltimore draws Jewish teens from a variety of local educational programs, and offers them a common Jewish meeting point which fosters a love of community, Judaism, and Israel. Cardin students who are part of this exciting group include: Daniel Eisenberg ’08, Sophie Bass ’08, Kayla Reisman ‘10, Emily Boling ’10, Adina Shanholtz ‘11, Shachar Binyamin ‘10, and Tara Lichtenstein ’10. Attached is an order form for tickets.
Cardin Partners with RAVSAK to Plant Trees in Israel
RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network, is partnering with Jewish National Fund to create the RAVSAK FOREST in the Negev, which will consist of 6,000 trees in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary. Cardin is working with RAVSAK to make this happen. At maturity, the RAVSAK Forest will offset 6,000+ tons of carbon to help fight global warming and to provide shade, clean air, enriched soil, and protection from erosion. We have committed the Cardin community to plant 60 trees in the RAVSAK forest. You may donate to this cause by sending a check to the school payable to: Jewish National Fund (please write, “RAVSAK Forest, RN 070646” on the memo line) or you can donate online at www.jnf.org/ravsak. Thank you for joining us in this important endeavor.
SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES
BIMA - A Four Week Summer Arts Institute for High School Students
Summer 2008: June 30 - July 28
BIMA brings talented teens together for four weeks in the summer to cultivate a vibrant, pluralistic environment brimming with artistic discovery and Jewish experiences. A BIMA summer experience allows you to hone your artistic skills, live and discover in a diverse Jewish community, and explore who you are as an artist.
Each day at BIMA is intense, challenging, and full of creativity. On a typical day, you will spend time in your primary arts major, you will choose from a wide array of workshops, and you will dialogue with, learn from, and have a great time with a dynamic community unlike any other you have known before. http://www.brandeis.edu/bima/
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