REFLECTIONS FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Text Talk on Parshat Bo with Abby Grobani, ’11

If you know Abby Grobani, ’11, you know that she is very passionate about her convictions.  When I asked her to join me in learning Parshat Bo, little did I realize that I would be enflaming that passion!  I usually begin by asking the student with whom I am learning if there is anything in the parsha that is intriguing, interesting or bothersome.  Abby told me that she was bothered by the very first pasuk,which reads as follows: Hashem said to Moses, “Come to Pharaoh, for I have made his heart and the heart of his servants stubborn… (10:1, The Stone Edition Chumash translation).  Abby was vexed with God’s need to harden Pharaoh’s heart. Abby reasoned that if God had not hardened Pharaoh’s heart, Pharaoh would have let the Israelites go after seven plagues and the whole mass punishment/murder of the first born Egyptians would not have taken place.  God had already shown his power with the seven plagues that preceded those enumerated in Parshat Bo.  Maybe by taking away Pharaoh’s free will, God was symbolizing his strength and demonstrating that no one, not even the Egyptian Pharaoh/god, could compare with Hashem.  Abby continued to explain that, after God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, she saw no reason for the plagues to continue since God knew that Pharaoh would not change his mind.  Abby took a breath and we searched for some answers.  First we looked to the Midrash,which asks the same question:

Rabbi Yochanan said: “Does this not provide heretics with ground for arguing that he had no means of repenting, since it says: ‘for I have hardened his heart’?” (Midrash Rabbah, Shmot 13:3)  To which Rabbi Shimon b. Lakish replied:  “Let the mouths of the heretics be stopped up…when God warns a man once, twice, and even a third time, and he still does not repent, then does God close his heart against repentance so that He should exact vengeance from him for his sins.  Thus it was with the wicked Pharaoh.  Since God sent five times to him and he took no notice, God then said: ‘You have stiffened your neck and hardened your heart: well, I will add to your uncleanness.’” (Midrash Rabbah, Exodus 13:3)

We then looked at the Sforno who commented that it was in fact the plagues that limited Pharaoh’s free choice.  Pharaoh was beaten down by the plagues and would have surely given in to Moshe Rabeinu’s requests.  Therefore, God had to harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to restore his equilibrium, thereby making him once again able to exercise his free will. 
Satisfied with this conversation, we turned to the Egyptian’s themselves.  I asked Abby if they could be compared to the Poles, the Czechs, the Germans and even Hitler’s soldiers during the Holocaust, either watching or participating in the destruction of a people.  When asked, these groups claimed that they either did not understand what was happening or that they were following orders.  Abby took exception with my question, for indeed the Egyptians worshipped their Pharaoh as their deity and could not go against their god’s orders.  It was part of their belief system that their leader was the embodiment of their god.  If they went against his orders, they would be committing blasphemy.  Finally Abby asked, wouldn’t it be more accurate to equivocate the Egyptians following their god’s orders with the Israelites following Hashem?

Shabbat Shalom,
Barbie Prince

JUDAICS.COMMUNICATIONS
Rabbi Stuart Seltzer
Dean of Judaic Studies

Who are the people in our neighborhood?
Who can identify what the acronyms JDC, JVC, JAFI, BJC, CJE, and UJC stand for?  What happens when the Jewish community can’t reach consensus on a political issue?  Are there stories that a Jewish newspaper shouldn’t publish?  How can I get a loan to purchase a home?  How can I become a Jewish big brother or sister?  These are just a few of the many questions Cardin students and faculty explored during the month of January as part of our Wednesday morning speaker series on various Jewish agencies and institutions.  Wherever Jews have lived, they have built synagogues, established communal organizations, and created systems of communal governance.  In contemporary times, Jewish communal institutions continue to serve the basic needs of the individual Jew and the community.  The following are the professionals who spoke with our students about  a number of Baltimore institutions which serve to improve our lives:  Mr. Michael Hoffman (Vice President, Community Planning and Allocations of the ASSOCIATED), Mr. Rafi Rone (Deputy Director of The Baltimore Jewish Council), Mr. Phil Jacobs (Executive Director of The Jewish Times), and Ms. Barbara Levy Gradet (Executive Director of Jewish Community Services).  Mr. Kenneth N. Geula (Executive Director) of Chai: Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc. was scheduled to speak on Wednesday but we were closed due to the icy conditions.  We anticipate rescheduling in the near future.  All of our speakers encouraged Cardin students to get involved and learn how they could make a difference in the Jewish community. In addition, they extended invitations for possible internships.

An Important Milestone: The Senior D’var Torah
In her memoirs, Shoshana S. Cardin discusses the curriculum of the Shoshana Cardin Institute for Leadership which debuted as a program for leadership development at Chizuk Amuno.  As a "graduation" exercise, each of the volunteer leaders prepared divrei Torah - short sermons, literally, "words of Torah."  This year at Cardin, we have introduced a similar tradition.  Under the guidance of Leslie Rosen and Rochel Czopnik, each of our seniors are preparing and delivering words of Torah to the entire school community.  The “Senior D’var Torah” signifies that students have reached an important milestone on their journey toward graduation from a Jewish Day School.  Before long, our students will be in colleges. Because of their intensive Jewish education, their peers will look up to them as teachers and leaders.  We hope that this rite of passage will secure their confidence as interpreters of Torah. We have already learned from David Glick, who surprised us with his poise and presence. Daniel Saltzberg highlighted some of the dynamic tensions of sibling rivalry. And Zach Wildhorn reminded us that without humor there is no Torah.This past Rosh Hodesh Shevat, Ben Jacobson presented Moses as the inquisitive student, who goes to the trouble of trying to understand what he is experiencing – the nature of the burning bush and why it is not consumed.  Ben encouraged his fellow students to continue in Moses footsteps by asking questions. We look forward to learning from the rest of our seniors in the months ahead.

Cardin Continues To Stand With Israel
Last week, Rabbi Seltzer and Madame Rowen attended the Baltimore Zionist District rally for Israel.  They heard a remarkable young man, 26 year old Noam Bedine, a videographer and founder of the Sderot Media Center (http://www.sderotmedia.com/) tell the story of the struggle of the residents of Sderot who are living with the reality of rocket attacks. Rabbi Seltzer and Madame Rowen were so moved by his presentation that they arranged with the Baltimore Zionist District to have him come speak to the Cardin community. Noam explained that his weapon is his camera and that the goal of the Sderot Media Center is to tell the human side of the story of Israel’s current position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to help place Sderot on the world map.  Several times during his presentation Noam emphasized “that the people of Sederot live with a reality like no other place in the world, and that our reality wouldn’t be tolerated by any other Western nation.”   Not wanting to miss a word, students accompanied Noam to his car, to take advantage of everything he had said. The Cardin committee collected over $450.00 to purchase art supplies for children in bomb shelters and continues to give weekly updates on events in Israel.

A Tu B’shevat Meditation
Bamidbar Rabba 3:1 teaches: No part of the palm tree is wasted; every part may be used:  It’s dates are for eating, its lulav branches are for waving in praise on Sukkot, its dried up branches are thatch for roofing, its fibers are for ropes, it leaves for sieves, and its planed trunks for house beams.
So it is with the Jewish people:  Every one of our people is needed.  Some are knowledgeable in Tanach, others in Mishnah, others in Agadah; still others do many mitzvoth, and others do much charity.
And so it was with the production of The Wizard of Oz.  Everyone was needed.  Some were directors, choreographers, make-up artists, ticket sellers and program designers, others were leads, others were singers and dancers, still others were on stage crew or lights, and others came as the audience. 
Wonderful things happen when there is collaboration among community organizations.  Wonderful things happen when the talent of each student is recognized. Wonderful things happen when everyone can contribute, young and old. Wonderful things happen when Cardin students and faculty spend three months preparing for its annual school musical:  The curtain opens, like the petals of a flower, and we are all treated to the joy and beauty of creation!

IN THE NEWS
The following letter was submitted to The Baltimore Jewish Times

Dear Editor,

Last weekend The Shoshana S. Cardin School student body performed The Wizard of Oz at The Gordon Center for Performing Arts to sold-out audiences on both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.  This amazing production showcased the talents of 21 Cardin students on-stage (and many more behind-the-scenes), and also prominently featured 64 children from 11 area schools including students from the JCC preschool programs, Goldsmith Early Childhood program, Krieger Schechter Day School, and The Day School at Baltimore Hebrew, among others.

As proud parents of a seven-year-old KSDS student (Eli Golding) who played the part of Toto, we had the opportunity to live the full experience of preparing for the play over many months of rehearsals. For our son, this was a dream come true.  He has seen probably a hundred children’s shows by now and put on hundreds more for anyone who will watch them at home.  It was a special day when Director Rosen offered him the part of Toto.  Eli spent hours rehearsing for the show, loving every minute, and along the way formed friendships with the high-schoolers and the younger kids who he might otherwise never have met.  We are sure he will never forget this experience as his first “big break” into show business.

We were very impressed with the ability of not only the director, Leslie Smith Rosen, but also the older Cardin students to patiently teach the parts to a diverse group of Munchkins, Winkies, and Flying Monkeys.  Parents were enlisted to create costumes for these as well as Poppies, Snowflakes and Ozians.  It was a true community effort. And in the end, all could agree, that the result was a very polished, not to mention very cute, ensemble of bright young stars supporting the central Cardin cast. 

The Jewish Times missed a great opportunity to include an article and pictures of Jewish children from preschool through 12th grade who tirelessly rehearsed to create 2 magical performances seen by close to 1,000 people.  We hope that in sharing a little of our son’s personal journey, we can give your readers a sense of the community and collaborative spirit of this wonderful production.

Sincerely,
Dr. Sharon Feinstein &
Dr. Amit Golding

CLASSES IN ACTION
11th grade US Literature

Amanda-Megan Levin, ‘10

Students completed a watercolor and drawing exploration with Mr. Neft and Ms. Wittner based on Emily Dickenson’s poem, "I Dwell in Possibility."

I dwell in possibliity -
A fairer House than Prose -
More numerous of Windows -
Superior - for Doors -

Of Chambers as the Cedars -
Impregnable of Eye -
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky -

Of Visitors - the fairest -
For Occupation - This -
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –
Diane Wittner

Studio Art
We called this exercise “Fruit and Veg: Still Lifes in Action.” Sophie Solomon, ‘09 completed the colored pencil drawing, and Lynn Bachman, ‘09 painted the black and white (ie ‘value’ only) acrylic piece.
Diane Wittner

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
The Wizard of Oz
Maybe text here.

JEREMY’S JOURNAL
Hi everybody!
This past week, SGA held Spirit Week, which is quickly becoming a tradition at Cardin.  Over the past four days (‘cause we all stayed home on Wednesday!), we have held a series of contests, including Jewish athlete trivia, a "how well do you know your grade" trivia game, and a fashion show for clash day.  Prizes were handed out to the winners of each contest and the winning grade will receive a prize sponsored by the SGA.  Both the students and the faculty showed great spirit throughout the week.  I would like to especially thank the people on the SGA Spirit Week committee for putting in so much time and effort in order to make Spirit Week a success: Shira Glushakow-Smith, Adina Golob, Beverly Rogers, Sophie Solomon, and Beth Zaleon.  Without you, Spirit Week would not have been as amazing!
On another note, thank you to everyone who continues to support the Cardin SGA through purchasing Challah.  The money will be put to good use!

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Bank of America Student Leader Program
The Bank of America Student Leader Program applications are now open.  This award offers high school juniors and seniors firsthand opportunities to discover how they can help shape their communities now and in the future.  Student Leaders participate in a paid summer internship with a local nonprofit organization and engage in a Student Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C.  These activities provide students with valuable civic, business, and private sector perspectives.  A 2008 Cardin alumnus was selected for this prestigious award last year and we hope that more students will apply to this program.
The application can be found at www.bankofamerica.com/neighborhoodexcellence  (under “Student Leaders” section).  The deadline for applications and letters of recommendation is February 20, 2009. 

Central Scholarship Bureau
Founded in Baltimore in 1924, Central Scholarship Bureau (CSB) helps students in Maryland realize their academic and professional goals through interest-free loans and grants to attend accredited institutions within the United States.  Providing access to higher education is the cornerstone of CSB’s philosophy. At CSB, students find the money they need for their education and keep their interest-bearing debt to a minimum.
CSB programs include:
• Interest-free loans - up to $10,000 a year to pay for College
• New Grant and Scholarship Programs
• Financial aid and budgeting advice
2009 applications are available online at www.centralsb.org

COMMUNITY UPDATE
Urge Congress to Support Equity in the Stimulus Package
The House and Senate will soon take up a massive economic stimulus package that is expected to include a substantial component relating to PK-12 education. At a time when so many religious and independent schools are feeling the effects of the economic downturn, CAPE has urged Congress to include private schools in the package. There are many reasons and precedents for doing so.
Please encourage Congress to provide equitable benefits to students and teachers in private schools in the stimulus plan. You can do so easily and quickly by visiting CAPE's Legislative Action Center. And be sure to urge friends, families, and members of your community to do the same.
Thank you for your help with this important issue.

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