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REFLECTIONS FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Text Talk on Parshat Behar with Emily Boling, ’10

What is a slave? Do we, as a people, have a moral obligation to care for people in servitude? Should we report employers who are mistreating their employees?  These are some of the issues Emily Boling, ’10, and I wrestled with when looking at Parshat Behar this week.  Let’s start with the first question.

What is a slave? The Hebrew word for slave has the same shoresh, root - ayin, vet, daled, - as the word for laborer and work, yet in English, these are very different words with very different connotations.  Dictionary.com defines a slave as “a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant” and a laborer as “any worker.”  These terms, however, are used interchangeably in Hebrew and in the biblical text.  So we must ask, what is really meant by the term “slave” in Parshat Behar. After reading the commentary, Emily and I understood that the biblical Jewish slave was equivalent to an indentured servant, working under no circumstances beyond the Jubilee (50th) year and not losing his status in the Jewish community, while the non-Jewish slave belonged to the owner.  Therefore, there were different nuances to the word slave.        

Do we, as Jews, have a moral obligation to care for people in servitude?  Absolutely!  In perek 25, pasuk 53, we read in connection with a Jewish slave that “he shall not subjugate him through hard labor in your sight.” (Stone Chumash translation) Ibn Ezra writes that Jews are forbidden to stand by when their fellow Jew is being forced to complete crushing labor.  We should also take a stand when the reverse is true.  We should not stand by when any Jew is treating his employees incorrectly.  In our discussion, we were joined by Morah Rochel Czopnik who brought up the case of the Agri-Processor Plant in Postville, Iowa.  It seems, from the evidence presented thus far, that the owners, the Rubashkins, may have purposefully broken the law and endangered their employees. Therefore, if this was in fact the case, any Jew who was aware of the conditions in the plant was obligated to intervene. Emily added that based on what we read in the parsha, a secondary reason to intervene would have been in order to protect the reputation of the Jewish people which was tarnished by the owners’ actions.  

As we have seen is this parsha, we are instructed to maintain a very high moral standard in our treatment of others.  The students at Cardin take that instruction seriously; they are involved in many aspects of Tikkun Olam and Gemilut Chasadim within our Jewish community and beyond.  It is my fervent belief that with young people like Emily taking the lead, our world will move in a more positive, kinder direction.

GOOD & WELFARE
CAPTS
MANY THANKS . . . AND BEST WISHES FOR NEXT YEAR
At our last CAPTS meeting, we said a special thank you to Randy Gartner for his dedication, serving as CAPTS President for the past two years as well as to Ed Hershon for serving as treasurer this past year. We held elections and are excited to introduce your incoming CAPTS Board: Adva Goldberg, President; Miriam Golob, Vice-President; Barbara Conn, Secretary (her 2nd year); Ilene Verovsky, Treasurer; Eileen Rothouse, Ilene Devorah, Phyllis Winner, Shellie Cassel, members-at-large. Over the summer we will be working on a schedule of events that will present you with opportunities to be a part of our school community by way of your input, help with planning, participation or attendance, wherever you choose to fit in. The CAPTS Board wishes all of you joy and nachas over the graduation and summer seasons.   

GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK –A Note from Randy Gartner
As the school year comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to offer my personal and sincere “thank you” to a few groups of Parents, Teachers and Students on behalf of CAPTS.

      Like we proclaim, as we complete a chapter in The Torah….
Hazak, Hazak,   v’nek Hazek!!!!!

IN THE NEWS
Gilad Shalit
Gilad Shalit was captured by Hama’s terror organization in Gaza over 3 years.  Now, the USA is considering giving 300 million dollars to Gaza to rebuild. Noam Shalit, Gilad’s father is outraged and is begging us to sign a petition and send it to president Obama to ask him to give the help to Gaza only under the condition that they release his son Gilad.  http://dogood.aish.com/gilad/  Thank you.
Morah Chaban

JUDAICS.COMMUNICATIONS
Concluding Songs
I love singing the concluding Passover songs.  My favorite is Ehad Mi Yodei-a.  It is a kind of summarizing musical finale of the Seder.  In this same tradition, I sing this song as our seniors conclude their last week of classes at Cardin.

Who knows one?
I know one.
One is Sam, a real cool kid, worldly and interesting to talk to.

Who knows two?
I know two.
Two is Lynn, an extraordinary artist – still waters run deep.

Who knows three?
I know three.
Three is Amy, a sensitive healer whom everyone can count on.

Who knows four?
I know four.
Four is David, glowing like an ember with kindness and caring.

Who knows five?
I know five.
Five is Jeremy, our statesman, and the future President of something.

Who knows six?
I know six.
Six is Ben, the Eagle Scout with a hidden artistic side.

Who knows seven?
I know seven.
Seven is Nathan, our math wiz, faster than the speed of light.

Who knows eight?
I know eight.
Eight is Matt, our IT man on earth who will search for ETs in space.

Who knows nine?
I know nine.
Nine is Alyssa, the curtain rises, Broadway, here she comes!

Who knows ten?
I know ten.
Ten is Mark, the head monkey in The Wizard of Oz who made all the little munchkins feel at home at Cardin.

Who knows eleven?
I know eleven.
Eleven is Daniel, a nice calm young man whose wild secret identity comes out on the basketball court.

Who knows twelve?
I know twelve.
Twelve is Sophie, whose mind can plumb the depths and reach the heights.

Who knows thirteen?
I know thirteen?
Thirteen is Zach, our grownup with a child-like twinkle in his eye.

Mazel tov on all of your accomplishments and we look forward to celebrating with you on Graduation Day!

Rabbi Stuart Seltzer
Dean of Judaic Studies

CLASSES IN ACTION
Honors British Literature
This spring Mr. Neft’s 12th grade Honors British Literature class studied James Joyce’s famous book Dubliners. After reading the book, students completed a visual arts project based on a chosen story in which they interpreted the story through various artistic images and mediums. Sam Auerbach created a dynamic acrylic painting about key scenes related to the plot structure and themes from a Dubliners story “The Boarding House.” Four images and an important line from the story make up this compelling and carefully constructed visual narrative.
Mr. Neft and Ms. Wittner

Honors Western Civilization
Students of Mr. Hotz’s Honors Western Civilization 10 class combined their knowledge of 20th Century history with their love for tubers in the creation of “Potato Head World War I Figures” project. Students selected a prominent personage of World War I, and created him/her using a potato (genuine) and accoutrements (of their own manufacture). Impressive figures included a fully uniformed Emperor Franz Joseph (Steven Verovsky); a darling egg-like Tsar Nicholas II in his own special cup stand (Gabe Baraban) and Countess Sophie Chotek, doomed wife of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Abby Grobani). These figures, in all their spudly glory, are arranged in the show case at the entrance to the Moadon.
Mr. Hotz

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Athletics
Tennis
The Cardin Tennis team went 4-1 this season, playing Jemicy and Waldorf. Playing at first singles—the top singles player on the team-- Mollye Lipton led the team with impressive victories against both teams. The team celebrated victories by going undefeated in their first 4 matches; each player on the team had at least one win this season.  Overall, it was a successful year for Cardin Tennis.
Mr. Neft

Baseball
Cardin baseball had its most productive season to date. Although the soggy spring made for a shortened season with substantially fewer games, the team played very well in those games. After losing the first game, the team went undefeated, with each game building on the last.  The experience, dedication, and focus of the team became apparent after the May 11 game, when they beat a team to whom they had previously lost. Every single player on the team contributed in some manner on the field, and in many ways off the field.  Special recognition to the captains, Jeremy Hiken, Daniel Saltzberg, and Adin Reisner. Great job team! 
Coach Minton

COLLEGE SCENE
College Counseling results for 2009.

The Shoshana S. Cardin School Class of 2009 did extremely well in this year’s admissions season.  Every student is college-bound.  I am extremely proud of each senior and look forward to hearing about their future accomplishments. The Class of 2009 is comprised of 13 students who…

• submitted 98 applications
• applied to 72 colleges
• are 100% college-bound
• had 75 applications accepted (77% of all apps)
• had 15 applications denied (15% of all apps)
• are waiting to hear about 8 applications with wait list status (8% of all apps)
• have 1 student who plans on studying in Israel before attending a 4-year college     
• were accepted by 56, 4-year colleges
• were almost all awarded merit scholarships to at least one college, with many receiving considerable merit awards  
• had several applications accepted to various university honors programs

Congrats to the senior class and their continued success.  A full list of colleges will appear in a future issue of the Jewish Times. 

JEREMY’S JOURNAL
Dear Cardin Community,
   
Well, the end of high school has nearly come for the Class of 2009.  This Sunday morning marks the beginning of our three-week journey to Israel - one which will surely be an amazing experience!  It is so hard to believe that my time as SGA president (and my time at Cardin) is nearly over. I have made so many friends and have had so many fun experiences that I almost don’t want to leave. As I prepare for a new chapter of my life at The George Washington University, I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported SGA this year. Whether you're a student, teacher, or parent, the SGA is forever grateful for your enthusiasm to help us succeed.  This year has been filled with so many new accomplishments, which include raising the most money in Cardin SGA history and introducing the highly-successful Cardin Student-Teacher Raffle.
   
I was pleasantly surprised to see all of the support SGA received this year. One of my main concerns when taking on the job of SGA president was that the SGA would generate little enthusiasm among the Cardin student body. I am glad to have been proven wrong!  Seeing all of the students so happy about what SGA did this year made me so proud to be SGA president, no matter what challenges I encountered during my presidency. With everyone’s continued enthusiasm, I know that SGA can reach all of its expectations for future years. As a graduate, I intend to support the SGA in any way possible.

On this note, I would also like to thank everyone who read "Jeremy's Journal" throughout the year as well as everyone who has supported my throughout my time at Cardin. Whether you were on SGA, the baseball team (yeah first multi-win season ever!), or I just talked to you a lot in school, you really made my four years at Cardin some of the best years of my life.  I can't wait to see all of you (students and teachers alike!) when I come back to visit next year, and I am sure we will keep in touch!

Thanks again,
Jeremy Hiken

ALUMNI UPDATE
BUSY BEN VEROVSKY, ‘08
On Sunday, May 3, 2009, Ben was installed as Member at Large on the Student Executive Board of the Towson University Hillel. He just completed his term as Shabbat Chair at Hillel. During Winter Break January 2009, he went to New Orleans to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. He also traveled to Argentina during Spring Break 2009 to help clean up a school desecrated with anti-Semitic graffiti.  The Cardin Community, along with his mom Ilene, is very proud of Ben.

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