S’TAV 5782 • FALL 2021 THE HEILICHER MAGAZINE A PUBLICATION OF THE AMOS & CELIA HEILICHER MINNEAPOLIS JEWISH DAY SCHOOL Strength to Strength: Where We Go From Here What’s Next for Heilicher Aimee Orkin’s Sabbatical Reflections Record-Breaking Fundraising Enduring Values • Extraordinary Education Dear Heilicher Families & Friends, s we emerge from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, my heart is filled with awe and gratitude for how this school community rallied to get us to this point. The creativity and resilience of our teachers ensured Athat students received a top-quality education despite challenges posed by the pandemic. Our administrators showed great flexibility and care as they helped teachers and families navigate the unknown. Families worked in so many important ways to support the school and each other. Our students delighted us with their From the smiles (we could still see them under their masks) and unwavering enthusiasm for learning and friendships. Kol HaKavod (All the respect)! What a year! So what’s next? I’m excited to share my plans for the coming school year in my Acting new role as Acting Head of School (page 4). It’s also a pleasure to introduce you to my new educational leadership partner Dr. David Ackerman, who joined us this summer as the Director of Jewish Living and Learning (facing page). David’s Head of expertise and fresh perspective have already made a meaningful impact on our plans for a robust year of Jewish Studies. School We welcome the leadership of Robyn Schein, a Heilicher parent and volunteer leader for many years, who is now Board President (page 5). One critical initiative we’re pursuing is a year-long examination of racial justice, inclusion, and diversity as we confront our personal biases and our institutional ones. We as a staff are working on this with consultant Joelle Allen, CEO of Interaction Traction Inc., and look forward to involving parents and students in the work as it progresses (page 6). Our theme for this issue is “Strength to Strength,” and one measure of our strength is financial health. We are grateful to announce record-breaking fundraising totals this year that helped sustain us through a most challenging time. We’d like to keep that momentum going with our Annual Benefit on October 10 as we honor Stacy Pinck and Brad Birnberg, and Jill and Jon Halper, for their dedicated service to Heilicher (page 15). Please join us! May the Jewish New Year 5782 bring you and your families good health, happiness, and strength. L’shanah tovah, Maia Poling, Acting Head of School Cover photo courtesy of Jeffrey Schmieg Photography 2 Meet David Ackerman, Director of Jewish Living and Learning In May, we sat down with our new honestly, just sitting at the dining room Director of Jewish Living and Learning, table. My father (z”l) was a renowned Dr. David Ackerman. Jewish educator and camp director. My mother (z”l) was a psychiatric social David recently relocated to Minneapolis worker by profession and was the “camp from New Jersey, where he was Director mom” (yes, that was an official title!). of JCC Association’s Mandel Center for Family dinners were analogous to a Jewish Education. He brings a strong master class on Jewish education. Israel background in Jewish school leadership, was another formative influence. I grew having served as the Educational Director up in a Zionist home and lived in Israel of a comprehensive synagogue school in 11th grade when my father was on system in Los Angeles, the Associate sabbatical. After the outbreak of the Dean of the Fingerhut School of 1973 war, I left college temporarily and Education at the University of Judaism, went to Israel to work as a volunteer and the Director of Educational Services on Kibbutz Nirim. for the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles. He holds a doctorate What aspects of Heilicher’s Dr. David Ackerman in special education. Jewish Studies program will you focus on first? What are you most looking What do you like to do in forward to in your new role? I’m excited about Israel education. Also, your spare time? I have spent a lot of time thinking about I’m excited about the opportunity t’filah (prayer/worship) and why it can My primary hobby is music. I play to help young people tackle the big be such a struggle. I am interested in guitar, mandolin, and Baroque recorder. questions they have about navigating children’s spiritual development. How I specialize in Yiddish folk music, life in the 21st century. I look forward can we nurture that in a world hungry Klezmer music, and Israeli folk songs. to introducing them to the ways Jews for meaning but often unwilling to I love to cycle and enjoy photography have both asked and answered those explore tough topics? and baking: I’ve been working my way questions over the centuries. It is through the Jewish canon of babka, exciting to help people feel rooted in a I have read a great deal these past few rugelach, mandelbrot, and strudel tradition while taking on responsibility years about text learning in Jewish throughout COVID! for contributing to the evolution and life. How can we help people not only continued vibrancy of that tradition. engage with the text but also develop What are you most excited a sense of ownership and feel this text about in Minnesota? I look forward to bringing my “fresh is theirs? How can text study help I am most excited about the adventure eyes” to the work the school has young people see themselves as active of coming to a new place, making underway and to experiencing different participants in the ongoing story of the new friends, and establishing a new ways of doing things I might not Jewish people? community for myself. have considered before. I’m eager to bring what I can offer based on my Can you tell us a little bit background and experience but also to about your family? see what I can learn from Heilicher and David looks forward to meeting the Minneapolis community. I have three grown children—Adina, Heilicher families and can be reached Benja, and Aaron. Adina lives in at [email protected]. What were your most Durango, Colorado, with her husband, meaningful personal Jewish Sean, and their two daughters, Eleanor and Ruby. Benja lives in Los Angeles educational experiences? and works in design and sales. Aaron is My most important influences were a human-factors cognitive researcher Jewish summer camp (Camp Yavneh who lives in Concord, California (San and Camp Ramah in California) and, Francisco Bay Area) with his wife, Lynn. hmjds.org | 3 Cover Story Moving Ahead Strength to Strength BY MAIA POLING will examine how each curriculum Finally, last year we learned how to rely is applied and offer training on best on our Heilicher Core Values as our Now that we’re practices and innovative approaches north star. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh B’Zeh, moving into a more to reach every student. An enrichment we are all responsible for one another, “normal” school specialist will create engaging and was a guiding principle of school year at Heilicher, it’s challenging programs as enhancements leadership through the pandemic. It exciting to examine to the curriculum for students who was a marvel to watch our Heilicher the opportunities in would benefit from them. Our goal is teachers, students, administrators, front of us. We don’t to provide proper supports for each families, and community members care have a road map for student’s successful academic and social for one another. how a day school journey through eighth grade. reemerges from a To this value I would add one more: global pandemic. After quarantine and online preschool, Lo Alecha, it is not entirely upon you. Maia Poling I wish we did! As we foresee that our incoming During the past 18 months, we had to much as we might kindergarten class may have an let go of our best laid plans, time-tested want to return to the way it used to be, unusually wide range of abilities, class projects, and some of our favorite that’s neither possible nor advisable. experiences, and social-emotional pastimes. Some of us may have lost We’ve learned so much this past year needs. To ensure each kindergartener’s family members. In the letting go, we and a half, and we need to apply those success, we are pioneering a K-Plus grieved, but, hopefully, we were also able lessons toward building the school’s model at Heilicher. K-Plus provides to embrace some welcome surprises— future. So, what were the lessons and one additional kindergarten teacher the joy of seeing a friend after a long how are we going to apply them? (not assistant teacher) for General period of separation, the wonders of the Studies. K-Plus allows for better outdoors, and special family bonds. We The pandemic allowed us to rediscover differentiation for each learner, are taking bold steps forward—together. how valuable our teachers are. In my more small group activities, and I have 100% confidence in the Heilicher view, a school is only as strong as its added enhancement and support team to press forward from a position of faculty, and we are so fortunate to opportunities for our youngest students. strength into what’s next. have such a strong faculty at Heilicher. Moving forward, we’re doubling down on professional development (PD), which we necessarily put on hold for the most part during the pandemic.