16 December 2019/Kislev 18 5780 Parsha -Hashavua - Vayeshev Ilan Ramon Day School Whats Inside Dear parents, •Community News Hanukkah is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays •Upcoming Events in the United States. At IRDS, we take the holiday learning very •Parshah Corner seriously, and the festivities and fun around it, even more… We always share with the students that we start the holiday •Hanukkah learning with a review of its story, traditions, Mitzvot and rituals, Celebration but we make it a point to add a new angle of new learning every •Mamanet Women’s year. From the origin of the Gelt custom to the famous rabbinic Cachibol League Chanukiya argument, we compiled a list of 9 interesting Hanukkah facts for you to enjoy – One for each candle. Feel ES -THIS WEDNESDAY free to share each fact with your family and guests on each one of the candle lighting nights. AT RECESS - First night candle fact – Why do we treat ourselves to SHUK chocolate gelt? When the great Greeks ruled in the area, one of Please bring up to $3 their first moves after conquering the land was to destroy local coins and force the local citizens to use Greek coins (for tax to spend at the Shuk purposes and to symbolize the victory). After the Greeks conquered Jerusalem, all Jewish coins were destroyed. So Please ensure checks what was the first demand the Maccabies made after bringing are made out to independence to Judea? You guest it…! The ability to mint new “Ilan Ramon Jewish coins with Jewish symbols. Day School” as the bank is having Second night candle fact – Were Jews and Greeks always difficulty procssing rivals? Historically, there was a time before cruel Antiochus checks made out to ruled the Greek empire, that Jews and Greeks shared mutual IRDS. Thank you. respect towards one another. Alexander the Great was a friendly King of Ancient Greece who welcomed Jews practicing Ilan Ramon Day School their Judaism in his kingdom. This was a time when Greeks admired the Jewish love of the Torah, and Jews admired the Greek culture of sports, philosophy and math. Follow Ilan Ramon on Twitter Account: Ilan Ramon Day School Please note this is a restricted account and only our current families and alumni will be allowed to follow. COMMUNITY Parsha Corner NEWS Parsahat Vayeshev December 18 Genesis 37:1 - 40:23 E4-5th Grade Chanukah Celebration At the beginning of Vayeshev, Jacob is living in Canaan with his twelve sons December 20 and one daughter. Born when Jacob is Early dismissal 12:00 p.m. elderly, Joseph is a favored child. Jacob Pajama Day demonstrates his preference by making There is no after school or late care today! Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors. The other brothers are jealous of December 22 Joseph and what his new coat seems to 1st Candle of Chanukah represent. The Torah tells us that Joseph's December 23 - January 3 brothers hated him so that they could Winter Break not speak a friendly word to him. January 6 (Genesis 37:4). In addition to his coat, Professional Development, Pupil Free Joseph possesses a great ego. He Day reports to his father whenever his brothers misbehave. He tells his family January 7 about his dreams which seem to School resumes suggest that the members of his family will one day bow down to him. Between how he acts and what he School dismisses at 12:00 p.m. shares, Joseph intensifies his brothers on Friday, December 20, 2019. feelings toward him. One day, Joseph There will be no extended care or is sent by his father to check on his after care on this day. brothers as they tend the flocks in the field. As they see Joseph approach, the brothers decide to kill him. Reuben the School is closed closed oldest, asks the others not to kill him December 23 - January 6, 2017 but, instead, to throw Joseph in a pit in for Winter Break. Classes will the wilderness. Joseph is sold by his brothers into slavery, taken to Egypt resume on and bought by Potiphar, the highest Tuesday, January 7, 2020. ranking of Pharoah's officers. Third night candle fact - Our Eastern European game of dreidel (including the letters nun, gimmel, hey, shin) is directly based on the German equivalent of the British totum game: N = Nichts = nothing; G = Ganz = all; H = Halb = half; and S = Stell ein = put in. In German, the spinning top was called a “torrel” or “trundl.” Fourth night candle fact - There are historians who will argue that the reason this celebration took eight days, was because the Maccabies were determined to celebrate Sukkot and Sh’mini Atzeret (an 8-day holiday) in Kislev, instead of Tishrei when they were banned from doing so for three years. So Hanukkah is actually a Sukkot holiday celebrated in winter time. Fifth night candle fact - The First and Second Books of Maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of Judah Maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of Judea from foreign domination. These books include within them the earliest references to the story of Hanukkah and the rededication of the Temple, and yet, these two books are missing from the Hebrew Bible. One of the theories explains that the books were found after the list of all compiled Biblical books were already decided on and sealed. Sixth night candle fact – The holy golden Menorah in The Temple was actually inspired by a plant (מרווה מוריה) ”when the first Biblical artists Betzalel created it. The plant is called “Marva Moria and if you look for it online you will see the resemblance between the plant’s stems and the Menorah’s branches. Seventh night candle fact – The two famous Jewish rabbis, Shammai and Hillel had an argument about the best way one should light a Chanukiya. Shammai thought it’s best to light 8 candles on the first night, 7 on the second, 6 on the third and so on. Rabbi Hillel was the one who argued that the holiday’s light should grow bigger each night and therefore light 1 candle on the first night, 2 on the second, 3 on the third etc. After many debates, Rabbi Hillel’s way was adopted and still used to this day. Eighth night candle fact – Fun fact: The next “Thanksgivukkah,” is only 51 years away. In 2013, the convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah on Nov. 28 inspired everything from turkey- shaped menorahs to a giant dreidel float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. While experts say a full day of Hanukkah won’t coincide with the fourth Thursday in November for thousands of years, the first night of Hanukkah will fall in time for Thanksgiving dinner (assuming you have the meal at dinnertime rather than in the afternoon) on Nov. 27, 2070. So, hang on to this recipe for sweet potato latkes! Ninth candle fact (Don’t forget the Shamash!) – Another fun fact: The largest menorah in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records is 32 feet high and weighs 4,000 pounds, although rabbis decided that a Menorah should be no taller than about 31 feet. Incidentally, guinness lists at least three other Hanukkah-related records: most dreidels spinning simultaneously for at least 10 seconds (820), most valuable dreidel ($14,000), most people simultaneously lighting menorahs (834) and largest display of lit menorahs (1,000). May this holiday beginning this coming Sunday night, bring you much joy and light. Don’t bother counting the number of latkes you eat (too many to count), take another bite of a sweet Sufgania, and learn a new holiday song…. Why not? Hanukkah is so much fun. Chag Sa’meach, K-5th grade Friday, Dec. 20th 5VWFGPVUUJQWNFYGCTYGCVJGTCRRTQRTKCVGRCLCOCUCPF ENQUGFVQGFUJQGUUNKRRGTUCTGPQVRGTOKVVGF ;QWOC[DTKPICNQXKGQTUOCNNDNCPMGVVJCVHKVUKP[QWT DCEMRCEMFQP VHQTIGVVQNCDGNKVYKVJ[QWTPCOGKPECUGKV IGVUNQUV &QP VHQTIGV(TKFC[FKUOKUUCNKUCV PQQPCPFVJGTGKUPQCHVGTECTGNCVGECTG 5GG[QW,CPWCT[VJYJGPUEJQQNTGUWOGU E4 - 5th Grade Sufganiot Parents, grandparents will be and siblings served are all welcome! Valley Outreach Synagogue 26668 Agoura Road Calabasas, CA 91302 All children will be performing on the stage, and sitting with their class. Children should follow teachers’ instructions about clothing for their show; parents please wear appropriate synagogue attire. Calling all MOMS at IRDS .... It is time for us MOMS to have some fun !!! Most mothers are busy and find it difficult to participate in a sports activity. Being part of a team provides motivation for busy mothers like yourself to join the IRDS team within the MAMANET league. Instead of being the “soccer mom” who drives her children to practice and cheers them on by the sidelines, For once a week the roles are reversed and the mothers becomes the “star” of the game, and the children become their fans! This also allows you as a mother to serve as a role-model for your children for good sportsmanship, dedication to a team, and commitment to physical exercise. Wouldn’t you like to have 2-4 hours a week that it is all about you and the moms in your community? Please come and join us for a fun practice trial learning a new game called catchiball and hang out and meet with other moms from IRDS. To sign up for the free trial and for more information please contact Maya Bienenfeld (Elior's mom from E4) at 323 855 3322. https://youtu.be/vlAdK8TmRLU https://youtu.be/6Opf29mXaos https://youtu.be/Ftzz7weH4yY https://youtu.be/QB4_942EAMM https://youtu.be/fNBs5ymXvUg https://youtu.be/om2RHPfHAxI The following people volunteered at the Scholastic Book Fair and deserves our shoutouts and thanks! Maya Matas, Sharon Klier, Sharon Kruschen.