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Fall 2018 the Heilicher Magazine

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Fall 2018 the Heilicher Magazine S’TAV 5778/5779 • FALL 2018 THE HEILICHER MAGAZINE A PUBLICATION OF THE AMOS & CELIA HEILICHER MINNEAPOLIS JEWISH DAY SCHOOL Joyfully Jewish Jewish Life at Heilicher Sippys: Amazing Alumni Shapiros: Creating a Legacy for Jewish Education Enduring Values • Extraordinary Education Dear Heilicher School Families & Friends, ne of my favorite Heilicher moments is the Opening Ceremony, when our eighth graders take our Kindergarteners by the hand and usher them into a new school year under the huppah (canopy). It is a high-spirited Ocommunity event filled with the hope and promise of good things to come in the new year. And we have plenty of good things in store. There are exciting developments in Jewish Life, which is one pillar of our Heilicher ‘20 strategic plan. As you’ll read in this issue, our Judaic Studies and Hebrew programs will be enhanced in significant ways this coming school year. At Heilicher, From the we are not only developing critical thinkers but also ethical decision makers, and Judaic Studies provides a framework for both. Head of Two shining examples of Heilicher promise are alumni Emmanuelle and Zachariah Sippy, who have built upon their Heilicher education and are already making a positive difference in their community. You can read in the Alumni section about School how they are changing the world. This issue also features Heilicher champions Judy and Jerel Shapiro, who have made Jewish education a philanthropic priority. The Heilicher community continues to inspire. Welcome to the new year. B’shalom, Yoni Binus, Head of School SAVE THE DATE 2019 Heilicher Annual Benefit Thursday, March 14, 2019 HONORING THE LEGACY OF FAY AND LEONARD RIBNICK (z”l) Through their children Nancy and Mike Schoenberger, Louise and Jerry Ribnick, Debbie and Gil Mann, Cover photo courtesy of Mindy and Dan Ribnick, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren Jeffrey Schmieg Photography 2 Cover Story Joyfully Jewish BY ETAN WEISS Director of Jewish Life and Hebrew Have you ever seen the face of a child as they have an epiphany and dawn of understanding? The joy is palpable. This kind of pure joy is powerful because it is attached to meaning- making, purposefulness, and a sense of worthwhile accomplishment. Joy in this context is found at the end of hard work, and it is exhilarating. BUILDING A VIBRANT JEWISH FUTURE At Heilicher, we are setting the stage for joyful discoveries every day. This is the essence of why we do what we do. We are building a vibrant Jewish future by inspiring confident, competent, and compassionate students who purposefully engage the world through their Jewish lens. We guide students to Kindergarten students with their Hebrew and Judaic Studies teacher Barbara Taragan practicing find joy in their learning as they explore, Shabbat rituals. struggle, and flourish in becoming competent and engaged American members of the Jewish people and as NEW INITIATIVES Jewish adults. global citizens. Through respectful This school year, we will introduce some Our Hebrew and Jewish Studies dialogue, exchange, and a spectrum changes to the program, guided by the programs inspire young people to of shared experiences, students refine Heilicher ‘20 Strategic Plan, that will take pride in their Jewish identities, to their own opinions while developing work towards increasing the efficacy of approach Torah and the study of all the critical skills of interacting and our Hebrew program, strengthening the Jewish text analytically, and to commit coexisting with people of different breadth and depth of Jewish Studies for themselves to active tikkun olam, backgrounds, ideals, and customs. all students, and advancing Heilicher’s repairing the world. How do we do this? In short it’s mission to embody Jewish pluralistic Our students lovingly investigate, inspirational teachers, an engaging and practice and teaching. We will pilot develop, and wrestle with a personal personally relevant curriculum, and, multi-grade Hebrew and Jewish Studies relationship with God and Israel. above all, individualized guidance and levels to better meet student needs, Our graduates embrace their roles as attention to the needs of each student. to challenge them, and to drive their learning forward. “We never imagined sending our kids to a private school, let alone a Jewish day school, but we did—and times three! Our boys’ confidence, sense of self, and positive Jewish identity has been the greatest gift of Heilicher.” —Alumni parents Suzanne Fenton and Dan Lieberman hmjds.org | 3 “We chose Heilicher because it could provide cultural and language continuity for the kids, as we are all Israeli and speak Hebrew at home. The kids are happy at a school that supports this dimension of their identity.” —Heilicher parent Amit Yahav Heilicher has also embarked on the NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL mean for me? How do I articulate my second phase of our implementation JEWISH STUDIES values through a Jewish lens? How do I of the Hadar Standards for Fluency CURRICULUM actualize these values? in Jewish Text and Practice, a set of Additionally, Heilicher is leading the The working title for this course is standards that has garnered national field of Jewish education by building “Pursuing Justice Text Intensive” attention for being at the forefront of a new Middle School Jewish Studies wherein, utilizing Jewish texts and crafting and delivering extraordinary curriculum around engaging in the Heilicher’s core values, students will and inspiring Jewish education. world through a Jewish lens. Jewish learn Jewish values related to ethics, Through clearly articulated definitions education has traditionally focused involvement, and pursuing a just of competency in the areas of Bible, on rituals and prayer, and while we society. Through their studies, students Rabbinics, tefillah (prayer), Jewish do provide these foundational will develop a personal ethos on why Practice (holidays and rituals), Israel elements in the lower grades, our and how to pursue justice through a Studies, and Modern Hebrew, we are middle school curriculum transitions Jewish lens and based on Jewish values. designing grade-specific and measurable to the study of personal, inspirational Students will then choose a particular benchmarks to ensure students’ progress relevance and practice: What does this topic area and be mentored through a in each of these areas. Change Initiative project to strive for Heilicher Core Values The Heilicher experience is built on the foundation of 10 Jewish core values which come to life in the hallways, classrooms, and all-school activities. “All Jews are responsible for one another.” (Shavu’ot 39A) Our community is one. We respect each other’s differences. “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) We should treat others the way we want to be treated, with caring, kindness and respect. “Guard your tongue from evil.” (Psalms 34:14) We must be careful how we speak and what we say to each other. Words can be kind and caring or hurtful and painful to others. “And if not now, when?” (Avot 1:14) The time to learn is now, the time to help another person is now; the time to care for our environment is now; because if we put it off, it may never happen. “And you shall not wrong, nor oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:20) We must be welcoming of strangers for once we too were strangers. It is a mitzvah to welcome guests. 4 real, lasting change that works to solve and resolve their issue. These are just a few of the initiatives to deepen the impact of our Jewish Studies and Hebrew program that will adeptly prepare our graduates to be the Jewish leaders of the future, poised to pass on Jewish values to the next generation. One of our core values is Lo Aleha, “It is not up to you to finish the job. Neither are you free to withdraw from it.” (Avot 2:16.) While we know our work will never be done, we can all rest assured that our ultimate, attainable goal will be realized: joyfully Jewish students who are confident, competent, and compassionate engaged citizens. Our true joy is guiding their process. Emma B-F with her handmade afikomen (Passover matzah) cover. “A highlight of our Pesah evening was the sharing of our daughter’s ritual object [created at Heilicher]... It now sits displayed among our other heirloom ritual objects and is looked at admiringly. She felt such pride in sharing her accomplishment among our guests. The benefits of her involvement in this program will be felt for years to come.” —Heilicher parent Liba Zweigbaum Herman Heilicher Core Values The Heilicher experience is built on the foundation of 10 Jewish core values which come to life in the hallways, classrooms, and all-school activities. “And you should judge the entirety of a person favorably (kindly).” (Avot 1:6) Give people the benefit of the doubt and don’t jump to conclusions. “A mitzvah leads to another mitzvah and a wrongdoing leads to another wrongdoing.” (Avot 4:2) When we do something to help another or perform a mitzvah, it leads to other good deeds. When we do something wrong, it leads to other wrong things as well. “It is not up to you to finish the job. Neither are you free to withdraw from it.” (Avot 2:16) People cannot do things completely on their own. We need to work together. Just because we think we cannot finish something, doesn’t mean we should not start and try to complete the task. Words can be kind and caring or hurtful and painful to others. “The world stands on three things: the study of Torah, service to God and deeds of loving kindness.” (Avot 1:2) We value the study of Torah, prayer and acts of loving-kindness; helping and caring for each other so we become better individuals and a more respectful community.
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