Koleinu

Birchat Hachama - Blessing of the Sun
Once every twenty eight years we are granted the rare opportunity to make a blessing over the sun. According to Talmudic calculation, the sun returns to the exact point it was at creation only once every twenty eight years - meriting the blessing of עושה מעשה בראשית - thanking God for the wonders of creation. This year, we have the chance to make this blessing on Erev Pesach, Wednesday April 8th.

On Monday April 6th - our last day of school before Pesach break - students will have the opportunity to learn about this rare event. In Judaic Studies classes students will study the Talmudic source of this blessing, as well as the halakhot that apply to the ceremony.
One of the most fascinating aspects of birchat hachama is that the rabbinic calculation regarding the vernal equinox (the point of Spring in which the sun is directly above the equator - which, according to the rabbis is the position it was in at creation) does not correspond to the scientific vernal equinox. The event of Birchat Hachama hence provides the opportunity to delve into the fascinating question of the relationship between the Talmud and modern science. After students learn sources related to Birkat Hachama, Rabbi Adam Mintz will be addressing the upper grades on approaches to discrepancies between Talmudic science and modern day reality. We are looking forward to his talk and to learning about this event together!

On Wednesday, April 8th at 10AM, join us on the field of SAR Academy as we recite Birchat HaChama together as a community.

Mr. Jonathan Davis Addresses Seniors As Part of the Jewish Identity Triangle:
Discussion on the Moral Complexities of Warfare
Last week, seniors began discussions about Zionism and the role of Israel in their Jewish Identity Triangle course. The discussions are guided so that students can merge the historical and philosophical understanding of the state of Israel with an appreciation of the place of Israel in their personal Jewish identities. On Tuesday, March 24th, we welcomed Mr. Jonathan Davis to address the senior grade. Mr. Davis is the Vice President of The Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya (IDC.) IDC is Israel's first private non-profit university that focuses on social sciences and describes itself as a Zionist university. Mr. Davis spoke of the current security challenges facing Israel, and the principles of defense that guide Israeli policy decisions. Part of the challenges facing Israel today is the current barrage of images and media reports focusing on the Palestinian civilian suffering caused by the Gaza Campaign. Mr. Davis spoke passionately and directly of his experience in combat and the moral complexities inherent to warfare. He articulated the need to contextualize the issue of Palestinian human rights within the view of an ongoing war on terrorism, that while flawed has diminished Israeli civilian casualties significantly. The discussion and debate stemming from this presentation have been vigorous and reflective and continue into our classes as our students consider the issues confronting Israel today.

Students in AP Economics Gets a First Hand View of Small Businesses and Corporate America
On Thursday, the six seniors of AP Economics headed into Manhattan to split time between seeing the giants of corporate America being traded on Wall Street, and seeing how some small businesses of the neighborhood are run. First stop was the New York Stock Exchange itself where the class spoke to some of the dwindling number of traders on the massive floor, seeing how stock prices are set by a few specialists. Right next door was the monument celebrating the spot where George Washington was sworn in as President. Next we headed off to the Museum of American Finance, which traced the history of the recent Credit Crisis and recession. Then the small business element of the trip began. We were greeted at the now-booming Economy Candy by its owner, who discussed the running of his store and the benefits of longstanding deals and owning one's own land. Next was The Pickle Guys, run by a pickler who grew tired of freelance photography; he ascribed his success to commitment to good products and to customer service. We wrapped up at Murray's Falafel and Grill, where we ate the fresh and plentiful pita sandwiches with the owner who advised us that the main ingredient of success was experience and tenacity. By covering both wings of our economy, and seeing that no matter what's happening on Wall Street small businesses can still stay smart and even thrive, we gained some hope about the future of an economy that currently looks pretty precarious.

Thanks to SAR parent Mr. Abe Eisenstat for coordinating our visit to the NYSE and Ms. Elbogen and Mr. Murray Alon for our sumptuous visit to Murray's Falafel.

Ivrit Class meets Dr. Eric Jankelovits, Hijacking Survivor
Ms. Zuriel's 10th grade students were able to enrich their learning experience through an interesting meeting with Dr. Jankelovits. The class that learned about "Operation Jonathan" received an extra credit assignment to write a diary from the viewpoint of one of the characters, a boy who had been on the hijacked plane. During a class discussion, Lauren Jankelovits told us that her father had been on one of the planes which were hijacked during "Black September" in 1970. Dr. Jankelovits agreed to come in and share his personal story with the students. The presentation was very exciting. The speaker prepared a short film composed of documentary scenes on the topic, so that his personal story and the authentic footage helped the students picture the actual historic occurrence. During the class discussion which followed the presentation, it was interesting to see the different aspects of the story which students wanted to discuss. For instance: what is the proper policy of negotiating with hijackers (El Al, on whose aircraft Dr. Jankelovits was traveling, refused to negotiate with the terrorists). Another issue was the persecution of the Jewish people. Dr. Jankelovits' father was a holocaust survivor who was faced with the horror of having to lose his family a second time. The story left a strong impression on the students and we are very thankful to Dr. Jankelovits for taking the time to come in and share his personal story with us.

Strand Bookstore Reaches Out to SAR to Complement Learning of Things Fall Apart
As a supplement to their study of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, students in Ms. Rindner's 10th grade english class received tote-bags with a 'Things Fall Apart' theme. The special-edition bags were generously donated to SAR students by the Strand Bookstore in New York City. Studying Achebe's famous novel has been an exciting introduction to Nigerian customs and culture, and raised important questions about colonialism, imperialism, and constructions of race and gender.

Students Recreate History and
Reconnect with their Jewish Roots
On Friday, March 6th, SAR's Art History class, under the guidance of Ms. Ora Meier, recreated the Societe Anonyme des Artistes (Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs etc.) of 1874 (the "Impressionism Salon"), an exhibition of French art from which the term "Impressionism" was coined. Students had researched the lives and artistic style of Pissarro, Cezanne, Degas, Monet, Morisot, Renoir, Cassatt, and Manet, and then selected artwork to display and present in a gallery space (transformed from a sixth floor classroom). French portrait photography guided individuals to select or create costumes for the event, while crepes, croissants, bubbly grape juice, classical music, and fresh flowers complemented the period costumes. Ms. Adina Shoulson's History class attended the performance. As guests at the Salon, Sophomore students were able to learn about unique aspects of Impressionism and Impressionist artists from the student-actors.

For their final project, Art History students are studying the work of 20th Century Jewish avant-garde artists and considering whether or not these artists of Jewish descent were interested in creating an oeuvre of "Jewish" art, or why their cultural roots were not as apparent through their artwork. To contextualize the discussion of how ethnic and/or religious identity is represented in artwork, students read Chaim Potok's My Name Is Asher Lev and visited The Jewish Museum on Monday, March 16th. Aside from viewing highlights from the museum's permanent collection, students were guided through the Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater exhibition. Art History teacher Ms. Ora Meier organized the trip.