students inspired by Holocaust survivor's story
Wednesday, November 10th marked 83 years since Kristallnacht, also known as the Night of Broken Glass, when the Nazi Party in Germany and Austria launched a wave of attacks on Jews and Jewish property, further escalating their policy of persecution. The name Kristallnacht refers to the litter of broken glass left in the streets after what amounted to pogroms. Synagogues, Jewish businesses, and homes were destroyed.
Hillel’s Fifth and Sixth grade students commemorated the day by hearing the inspiring story of 97-year-old Holocaust survivor and proud Hillel great-grandparent, Maurice Chandler. As a boy in Nasielsk, Poland, Mr. Chandler studied at a Chasidic cheder. His life was upended when the Nazis attacked Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the Warsaw Ghetto.
Mr. Chandler escaped the ghetto and found work on a farm. Further Nazi mandates forbid Jews from working in Polish villages, meaning that Mr. Chandler would be sent to another ghetto. Instead, the farm owner, Helena Jagodzinska, and her nephew, Stanislaw Pachnic, arranged for him to assume the identity of a Catholic Polish boy who had died. When he asked them why they helped him, the said that they would feel guilty the rest of their life if they didn’t. Mr. Chandler learned catechism and how to assimilate into Polish gentile society. He shared that he was nominally free, but unable to live the Jewish life he had cherished.
After the war, Mr. Chandler was the only remaining survivor in his family. In 2015, Helena Jagodzinska and Stanislaw Pachnic were honored at Yad Vashem as Righteous Gentiles at a ceremony attended by their children and grandchildren.
Mr. Chandler concluded by telling students that they should always be a chaver (friend) and look out for others. He left students inspired by his story and with a greater appreciation of their Jewish identity.
WEEKEND NEWS BUILDS WRITING SKILLS
Weekend News is an integral part of the Writer’s Workshop model used in Gan through Second Grade. Every Monday, students begin their General Studies classes by writing about a small moment they experienced over the weekend. Each grade approaches Weekend News in a developmentally appropriate way while building writing skills and stamina throughout the year.
In Gan, teachers model Weekend News on the smartboard and go over the process and expectations with students. This week, Gan teacher Missy Borman shared her story about raking leaves beginning by drawing a picture, labeling at least three elements of the picture, and writing a sentence. Students then went to work following her example.
First graders dive into their Weekend News writing first thing when they arrive at school on Monday morning. They are able to work more independently and are expected to have a beginning, middle, and end to their story. Each student has their own set of prompts on a ring outlining the writing process - their beginning should answer the “who, what, and where” of their story, the middle should provide words that paint a picture, and the end should provide a conclusion and include how the experience made them feel.
By Second grade, students are more comfortable with the writing process and work towards zooming in on small details, adding sound words, and refining their Weekend News story. They are expected to self check for CUPS - an acronym for capitalization, understanding, punctuation, and spelling.
Through Weekend News, Gan through Second Grade teachers are able to follow and celebrate their students’ growth as writers throughout the school year. Students develop critical writing skills, while also documenting and sharing their important experiences. We hope all of our students have a wonderful weekend full of great headlines for them to write about on Monday!
8th graders make memories at shabbaton
The 8th Graders began their Shabbaton with a morning hike at Kensington Metro Park, enjoying the birds and being in nature together. After returning to school, they enjoyed Hebrew challenge games led by our Shinshinim and made s'more snacks. After shooting hoops and schmoozing after school, students led Kabbalat Shabbat. They enjoyed Shabbat dinner, followed by parasha improv skits, and an epic game of hide and seek across the building.
On Saturday morning, students walked to Adat Shalom where they attended services and had a unique opportunity to meet with Rabbi Aaron Bergman and ask big questions about their relationship with God. While at shul, they also had the chance to try out Adat Shalom's yoga minyan, or attend a text study focusing on themes of deception in Parashat Toldot. The rest of the day was spent enjoying the outdoors and doing fun and creative activities. Students worked together and bonded as a community while making memories to last a lifetime.
candy and cards for our troops
In anticipation of Veterans’ Day, ECC students led a candy collection for troops overseas. They were able to send 75 pounds of candy to the 300th Military Police Brigade based out of Inkster, Michigan, and currently deployed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ECC Twees teacher Jackie Eaton shares that collecting candy is very tangible, meaningful, and valuable to children making it a developmentally appropriate way to teach preschoolers about Tzedakah and Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness).
In Shabbat Ba-Boo-Ah, Gan - 8th graders joined over 100 schools in 35 states by making Chanukah cards for Jewish troops. The cards will be sent to the Jewish Soldiers Project and distributed to Jewish soldiers stationed around the world.
WEEKLY D'VAR TORAH - PARASHAT vayetzeh
In this week's parasha, Parashat VaYetzeh, Yaakov leaves his parents' home and sets forth on the journey of a lifetime to Charan. While resting one night, Yaakov dreams of a ladder reaching toward heaven, with angels ascending and descending the rungs. Understanding the power of the vision, Yaakov makes an oath to God to remain faithful, so long as God protects him along his travels. Upon reaching Charan's well, Yaakov meets Rachel, thus beginning their love story. As the themes of deception and sibling rivalry continue to thread through the Book of Genesis, Lavan - Rachel's father - promises Yaakov that he will marry Rachel but slyly marries off Leah - Rachel's older sister - instead. Despite this, Yaakov works for Lavan diligently until he eventually marries Rachel. At the close of the parasha, Yaakov prepares to leave Lavan's house in order to return home.
TABLE TALK
QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR CHILDREN INSPIRED BY THIS WEEK’S PARSHA
What powerful journeys have you experienced in life? How have these travels shaped who you are?
When Yaakov wakes up from his dream of the ladder, he declares, "God is in this place and I did not realize it." In which locations have you encountered God? What made that experience holy and/or unique?
In your opinion, is Yaakov's oath to God appropriate? Why or why not?
flu shot reminder
As a reminder, all Hillel students must provide documentation of a current influenza vaccine (flu shot) to the school prior to Thanksgiving break. Please email proof of vaccine for your child(ren) to Gail Chynoweth at healthdocuments@hillelday.org. Any student who has not received their influenza vaccine prior to Thanksgiving break will not be allowed back at school until they have submitted documentation. If you have any questions or concerns, please email Gail Chynoweth at gchynoweth@hillelday.org.
pre-order your yearbook today
Order your yearbook today! Yearbooks are $40 each and must be ordered by Friday, November 19th. The PTO is generously donating $5 to emboss each Eighth grader's yearbook with their name. These arrangements are being handled by the school and should not be entered at the time of ordering. Should financial assistance be needed for a yearbook purchase, please contact COO John Pitcher.
ADVANCEMENT NEWS
thank you to this week's donors to the 2021-22 annual fund
Jacki Berns | Susan and Sam Bernstein | Heather and Paul Bershas | Jamie Blank | Alan and Melissa Borman | Michelle and Jeffrey Bortnick | Lauren Cohen | Jodie Kaufman Davis and Jamie Davis | Jackie Eaton | Marcy Rosen and David Eisenberg | Alyssa and Eric Endelman | Jenna and Samuel Englender | Millie Feldman | Karen and Howard Frehsee | Yifat Golan | Amye and Louis Goldhaber | Jody and Richard Grossman | Allison and Brian Gutman |Rachel and Adam Kellert | Julie and Jeffrey Kowalsky | Marisa and Gary LaKind | Mindy Lazor | Berna and Noah Levine | Dana Levy | Beverly and Arthur Liss | Jennifer and Bob Mattler | Nicole and Joel Mazur | Tal and Tsachi Melamed | Margie Mellen | Hannah and Gordon Moss | Robin Pappas | Roberta Pinsky | Amalia Poris | Zoya Rice | Marta and Benjamin Rosenthal | Lynn and Harvey Rubin| Barbara Applebaum and Luke Rygh | Jodi and Paul Schaefer | Ilana Glazier and Lowell Schmeltz | Alexis Schostak and Mike Sherman | Phyllis and Sheldon Schwartz | Helayne Shaw | Alexandra and Andrew Sherman | Emily and Randy Silver | Laura and Anson Smuts | Amira Soleimani | Rebecca and Aaron Starr | Julie and David Tigay | Lee and Adi Twina | Shelby Wallach | Rita and Arthur Weinfeld | Ellen and Marc Whitefield | Kate and David Zenlea
join us at magic and munchies
Make your donation and register by December 10th to join us for Magic & Munchies on Sunday, December 12 at 4:00 p.m. Your family will enjoy a heart-stopping show with world-renowned magician TJ Tana in the comfort of your home, complete with sweet treats, snacks, and beverages to accompany the performance. If you have already made your gift or pledge, please register to receive your treats.
SPONSOR A DAY OF LEARNING
thank you to our book fair volunteers!
A huge thank you to Book Fair Co-Chairs Lisa Zeskind and Binay Manchel and all of the volunteers who helped make Book Fair such a success. It was wonderful seeing the students celebrate their love of reading. You can still order from our online Book Fair through November 14th. All purchases will ship directly to your home.
library volunteers needed
PTO is excited to relaunch our library volunteer program! Volunteers will help once a week to help shelve and process books. There are three time slots to choose from. Register here and librarian Rae Manela will be in touch with more details.
ecc artsonia volunteers wanted
PTO is seeking ECC parents to help photograph and upload ECC student artwork to Artsonia. Artsonia creates a digital art gallery for each student and offers a variety of custom artwork keepsakes, with 20% of the revenue being donated back to our school’s art program.
pto talk and walk tuesdays
All parents are invited to join PTO's new Talk and Walk group. The group meets for their stroll after drop off at the Little Red Schoolhouse in the parking lot weather premitting.
We got spirit, yes we do, we got spirit, how about you?
MAZAL TOV!
Talia Glass was called to Torah as Bar Mitzvah.
Hillel social worker Harrison Leibow and his wife Jillian on the birth of their son, Reggie David.
Hillel parents Lisa and Patrick North on the birth of their daughter, Miriam Lois.
fja applications are now open
plum market gift cards available for curbside pickup
Plum Market gift cards are for sale through the Advancement Office -- $42.50 for a $50 gift card and $85 for a $100 gift card. Call 248-539-1483 to place your order, and we will arrange for you to pick up curbside at school, at which time we will collect payment (checks only).
Volunteer Opportunity with Jewish Family Services
Hechtman and Meer dining services are desperately in need of help with setting tables and rolling silverware. They are looking for as little or as much help as anyone can offer, be it an hour once a week or more. Help is needed as soon as possible.
Hechtman: Anytime between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
- Needs: Table setting (requires walking) and/or silverware rolling (can do seated)
Meer: Anytime between the hours of 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
- Needs: Table setting (requires walking) and/or silverware rolling (can do seated)
Covid-19 protocols and requirements:
All volunteers must be vaccinated and show proof of vaccination
- All volunteers must wear a mask
- Dining rooms are large and set up for social distancing
- Volunteers will never be in the dining room during meal service or other programming.
- Volunteers will either be alone or with a few others in the dining room at the same time.
If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, please contact Leslie Katz, JSL Senior Life Director, at lkatz@jslmi.org
Add Hillel Day School as your smile.amazon.com organization and Amazon will give a percentage of your sales back to Hillel. It's a very simple way to provide additional support to our school. Thank you!
