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 This week's Torah portion of Ki Tetze contains a wide variety of mitzvot (commandments) that pertain to many different spheres of life. The range goes all the way from charity to the laws of war. One mitzva that is framed in an unusual way relates to the special treatment that should be given to widows and orphans. The Torah instructs us to always be sensitive to the needs of widows and orphans and make absolutely sure to refrain from mistreating them in any way. Then the Torah states, "You must remember that you were a slave in Egypt...It is for this reason that I am commanding you to do this." What is the connection between showing kindness to widows and orphans and having been slaves in Egypt? The commentators explain that both slaves and widows and orphans experience a diminution of their social status and legal rights. Therefore, the Torah is essentially saying, "You, who lost your freedom and suffered the indignities of slavery, must be especially sensitive to the plight of widows and orphans who have suffered painful losses and are in need of support and comfort." The challenge is to view our difficulties and setbacks as tools to help us appreciate better the feelings and needs of other people.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Zvi Kahn
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GROWING AT CTA
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Our Annual Giving Campaign supports our operating budget for the school year. We began early in January 2012 collecting pledges and gifts from our parents and supporters for the 2012-2013 school year. As the campaign fund grows, these monies are used to support the fiscal health of our school. We are continuing to accept pledges for Annual Giving for the current school year. Pledges can be paid throughout the school year. To make your gift, please contact Shari Herszage at: [email protected].
 The teachers at CTA nurture your exceptional children each day as they grow into active and productive global citizens. We partner with you, our parents, to make our school stronger. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts with us.
Kindergarteners and first graders planted beautiful flowers in their new planting boxes on the newly refurbished playground. The children will see the flowers grow outside their classroom windows each day. For those of you with older children in the school, come visit our new K/1 wing, see the playground, marvel at the removal of the trailer, see the new bushes that have been planted. It is a beautiful environment for our youngest learners.
In this week's Dateline you can learn about many of the exciting things that are happening at CTA. Just a few examples: kindergarteners are being introduced to Hebrew Reading Magic, first graders are starting the Tal Am program, students in several grades are learning about the upcoming Jewish holidays and our athletic teams have begun their fall seasons.
Next week starts our new Play at CTA for kids in preschool and younger on Thursdays from 9:30-11 am. Also, our Junior High and High School athletic teams have their first games this week. Junior High Soccer and Volleyball games will be held at the school at 5 pm on Thursday. Go Lions!
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Monday, September 3: Labor Day - No School
Tuesday, September 4: Hamburgers - Volunteer: L. Hoffman
Wednesday, September 5: Lasagna - Volunteer: L. Polster
School Pictures
Thursday, September 6: Meatball Sub - Volunteer: L. Schottenstein
12th Grade College Night, 7:30pm
Friday, September 7: Tuna - Volunteer: R. Weiss-Berger
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Wednesday, September 12: Choir begins for grades 2-5, 4-4:30pm
NOTE DATE CHANGE: Executive Board Meeting, 7:30pm
Friday, September 14: Spirit Day - Wear your CTA polo shirt!
Monday, September 17: Rosh Hashanah - No School
Tuesday, September 18: Rosh Hashanah - No School
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SCRIP UPDATE - PLACES TO PURCHASE SCRIP
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CTA Scrip Office, 864-0299 ext. 112
Monday-Thursday- 7:30am-4pm; Friday- 7:30am-3pm
The Scrip Office keeps a variety of available scrip on hand. Special order scrip from hundreds of stores is available by sending your request to [email protected]. To see a complete selection of all of the Scrip choices, go to www.glscrip.com. To benefit CTA with online purchases, register at www.iGive.com.
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"I heard through the Grapevine..." HOT LUNCH needs volunteers! Volunteer ONE day or more a MONTH from 10:45 am-12:45 pm. Your child(ren) will LOVE that you're there helping out! Contact Karan at [email protected]
"L'chaim and Todah Rabah to ..."The CTA parent who earned $20 by purchasing a subscription to Sittercity.com and the CTA parent who purchased $80 in Starbucks Gift Cards to load onto their account. Note: Walmart is giving $.10 off per gallon of gas through Dec. 23 if you use Walmart Scrip - available at the front desk.
The Give & Get (G&G) Commitment for 2012-2013 is $2,000 per family. Give & Get (G&G) can be fulfilled through donations, Scrip purchases, solicitations and volunteering. The weekly G&G Grapevine will give you ideas of how to easily do your part. Send a record of all G&G Volunteer hours to [email protected].
If you would like to volunteer, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Kim Abelman, at 855-5195 or [email protected] Volunteer time is worth $25 per hour towards Give & Get.
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NEWS FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL JUDAICS DEPARTMENT
By Dror Karavani, Lower School Judaic Studies Coordinator
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When walking through the halls of CTA, you can hear the symphony of shofars being blown by the students, trying out their skills. In addition to that, they are also learning about the meaning of the three different shofar sounds. On Chodesh Elul, there are three things which we emphasize; tefillah (prayer), teshuva (repentance), tzedaka (charity). In an effort to continue the growth of our tefillah time, we are beginning a program, entitled "Our Tefillah and Israel" with our new shlicha tziera, Liat Shaked, who comes from Israel. How exciting for us! Stay tuned.
 If you look at the calendar, you will see that we are asking that you be conscientious about filling up your tzedaka box and returning it on the specified date. In each classroom, there is a tzedaka box and a student (tzedaka gabai) who collects it daily. These funds will be used to support different chesed projects.
I would like to remind everyone to check our Jewish Studies teachers' blogs on a regular basis. There, you can find out what is going on in the classroom, including homework and tests. As always, I am happy to be of any assistance to you. Please contact me at [email protected] or 864-0299 ext. 116 with any questions.
Shabbat Shalom!
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SAY IT IN HEBREW
By Galit Golan, Hebrew Language Coordinator
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 Almost without notice, the second week of school has come to an end. It is wonderful to walk in the hallways or peek into classrooms, and hear Hebrew all around. It's especially exciting to see our new kindergarten students learning their first Hebrew letters, using the Hebrew Reading Magic curriculum. Mrs. Aronowitz, one on our kindergarten teachers, tells: "Now that we are in kindergarten we are so big and we are ready to start learning how to read. This week we learned the first letter of the Aleph Bet. We learned all about Aleph, its helpful sign and how to write it. We had a good time splitting into stations and shaping Aleph in shaving cream and shaping the letter with the blocks. We learned the middah of Emet (the value of telling the truth), that starts with the letter Aleph, and we read a book about a boy who learned to always say the truth."
 In addition to the kindergarten excitement, during these first two weeks of school, the Hebrew learning center team has evaluated the language and reading Hebrew skills of all lower grades students. This allowed us to identify the students who need support or enrichment in Hebrew. If your child has been identified as a candidate for support or enrichment in Hebrew, you will be contacted during this upcoming week. As always, the Hebrew department promotes open communication between parents and teachers. Lower school parents can check their child's homework assignments, and upcoming tests and quizzes on the teachers' blogs, and upper school parents can check it on Engrade. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. You can reach me via phone at the school: (614) 864-0299 ext. 117 or via email at: [email protected].
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| MAZAL TOV TO: | |
Shira Claman on the birth of a son
Moshe and Malca Makias on Benny becoming a Bar Mitzvah
Alison Barnett (Class of '06) on her engagement to Matan Gutwaks
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SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:
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Jeff Slutsky for his generous donation of office furniture; a desk and chair, amoire, display cabinets and several file cabinets!
Chani Capland for the delicious chocolate mousse she prepared "gratis" for the New Parent Social and Rabbi and Mrs. Kahn's home. The donation was in honor of the birth of her new grandson. Mazel Tov!
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| CTA WELCOMES THE UNTERMANS |
We are very pleased to announce that Rabbi Effy and Rivkie Unterman have joined the CTA faculty and will be leading Junior High Tefilah (prayer services) in the morning this year. Rabbi and Mrs. Unterman are dynamic teachers and they have already brought a sense of excitement to the 7th and 8th grade morning minyan.
Rabbi Unterman and Mrs. Unterman both attended Yeshiva University and received their Bachelors and Masters degrees from that institution. Rabbi Unterman received his semicha from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and serves as the Director of Education and Outreach at Congregation Torat Emet.
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| BLOGTROTTR |
Lower School Teachers are all using blogs to communicate with parents. The blogs include curriculum, homework updates and other information. Blogs can be checked with the exact url or from the CTA website under Faculty and Staff Listings. OR, go to www.blogtrottr.com to enter the url of your child's teacher's blog and the blog updates can be emailed to you. Need technical help with this? Contact Shari at [email protected].
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| SAVE THE DATE: GET READY FOR SUKKOT! |
Columbus Torah Academy is planning a special community-wide celebration in preparation for Sukkot! The event will be on Sunday, September 23 from 1-3 pm at the Jewish Community Center on College Avenue and will feature activities and educational sessions about the upcoming holiday of Sukkot. The afternoon will feature a Mini-Minyan group for preschoolers and kindergartners led by Moreh Dror Karavani and a parent education class led by Rabbi Drandoff. Look for more information about this fun event for kids through 8th grade. What a great opportunity to invite your non-CTA friends to find out more about our warm community and exceptional program. Thanks to Leonore Zusman and the Marilyn and Stuart Cole Fund of the Columbus Jewish Foundation for their support. Opportunities to volunteer to help are available by contacting [email protected].
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| PLAY AT CTA WELCOMES YOUNGEST LEARNERS |
 Play at CTA will be held on Thursday mornings from 9:30-11 am beginning September 6. The weekly explorative play program is for children preschool age or younger with a parent or caregiver. Each class
Each class of "Play at CTA" will include art, music, snack, a story, circle time for the students and some "food for thought" for the adults.
Instructor, Ayala Kohn, explained, "This is a chance for little developing minds to come play, learn, explore and make friends. It will also be a pleasant morning for their accompanying adult. I am looking forward to a great year."
The first Fall Session begins on September 6 and ends on September 27. Cost for the fall session is $30 or an $8 drop in fee. To register, contact [email protected] or 864-0299, ext 118.
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| CTA HOT LUNCH PROGRAM |
 Mrs. Karan Tanenbaum cooks and prepares our food five days/week, keeps an impressively clean kitchen, is trusted to oversee the kashrut of all food served, orders all the food supplies, manages a budget, tracks all student hot lunch accounts, makes special meals for various programs and events throughout the year, and keeps up to date on all the related state requirements for our school lunch program.
The State of Ohio is progressively improving the guidelines for school lunches in the state. This school year, 50% of all grains served in a week must be at least 51% whole grain. Students will notice whole wheat pasta, brown rice and whole wheat bread on their lunch trays. (Next year, the state will require 100% of all grains served to be at least 51% whole grain.)
Also new this year, the state requires that every student must be served at least � cup of fruit every day. Unfortunately, this means that more food might be wasted, but the state requires that it be on the students' lunch trays when they purchase school lunch.
Mrs. Tanenbaum has made a concerted effort to reduce, or eliminate, foods that contain high fructose corn syrup. The applesauce she orders from the school is unsweetened, and next year, all fruit will be unsweetened.
CTA cannot order certain foods from less expensive vendors because of kashrut, so Mrs. Tanenbaum carefully and thoughtfully uses our funds to get the healthiest foods possible with the budget she has.
Also, notable...Mrs. Tanenbaum was in CTA's second ever 1st Grade class!
You can be a part of feeding our kids healthy lunches by volunteering to help in the Hot Lunch Program and earn Give & Get. Contact [email protected] with your available days.
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| ROSH CHODESH TEACHER APPRECIATION LUNCHES |
Each month, PTO sponsors a Teacher Appreciation lunch for our faculty and staff. The lunch is greatly appreciated and meaningful. PTO is looking for sponsors to pledge their support for their year. Donations of $40 are being collected. Please email Robin Garvin at [email protected] with your interest and the month you would like to sponsor.
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| TZEDAKAH | |
It has been a time-honored Jewish tradition to give tzedakah in recognition of important events. Todah Rabah to the following for their donation:
To Scholarship Fund by:
David and Pamela Melvin in memory and in honor of Joel Margolies,
Jonathan and Judy Hollander, Harold and Myrna Blumenthal, and
Eugene, Cyril, and Bruce Cohen
Ellen and Aaron Schall in honor of Al Dembe's 60th birthday Susan Stan and Stuart Applebaum, The Ingwersen Family, and Risa Roth
Mark and Jean Epstein to say "Thank You" to the community for all of
their help and support over the years
Joe and Monica Calabrese in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Aron Ackerman
and in honor of all the CTA Graduates of 2012
Ian and Pam Rodier in appreciation of Mrs. Buster, Mrs. Adar, Morah
Minna, Mrs. Hochstetler, Morah Robin, Mr. Kramer, Dr. Kennedy, Mrs.
Moreno, Rabbi Weitz, Rebbe Lowy, Rav Shaanan, and Morah Galit and
in honor of the graduation of Judah Stein and Ericka Schneiderman
Steven and Smadar Import in honor of the birth of their nephew in
Jerusalem and in memory of beloved Sabba Avraham Yishai and Mazal
Tov to the Levison and Shatz families on the birth of a new son and
grandson
Phyllis Hartstein and Adina Tiberles in memory of their mother's Yarzeit,
and in honor of Ariella Hartstein's graduation
Andrew and Trisha Rosenstein in honor of Sara Shatz's new grandson, the
Dembe's new granddaughter, and in memory of Mrs. Abrams mother
Bob and Betsey Lane in appreciation of Lawrence Binsky
Bob and Marcia Hershfield in memory of Rita Neymotin's father and Candy
Davidson's brother
Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein in memory of Helen Lehv's sister
Raymond and Etta Zimmerman in honor of Dr. Hershfield
To The Library Fund:
Freda Margolies in memory of beloved husband, father, and grandfather
Joel Margolies
Yale and Lauren Levy in honor of Yaakov Metz's Bar Mitzvah
Cheryl Miller in memory of Silvia Wolfson's father, Yaacov Taub
To the Annual Giving Fund:
Arlene and Amnon Sapir in memory of Sonia Zelmanovich
Bruce Gartner in memory of Zelda Hirsch, Bernard Gerson, and Dr.
Charles Young
Gary and Rosalind Judd in honor of Samson and Sigal Judd
Leah Salis in memory of grandfather, David Kanter
Daniel and Zelda Wildman in memory of dear Aunt, Fay Noble
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Raizen in honor of Miryam Raizen's graduation
Marsha Emerman in honor of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Ackerman
Florine Ruben in memory of Bernard R. Ruben
Blanche Young in memory of Thea Press
Rebecca Herszage in honor of grandchildren, Max, Shayna, and Gillian
and in memory of Moshe Yehuda Herszage
Harvey and Lisa Sukienik in memory of Reuven Sukienik
Rabbi Howard and Linda Zack in memory of Linda's mother, Gloria
Weisman Vlosky
Ted and Mildred Blumenfeld in honor of Sarah Blumenfeld
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1. Why must a captured woman mourn her family for a month in her captor's house?
a. So her captor will find her unattractive.
2. What fraction of the inheritance does a first-born receive if he has (a) one brother? (b) two brothers?
a. (a) 2/3 (b) 1/2
3. What will become of a ben sorer u'moreh if his parents don't bring him to court?
a. He will eventually rob and kill to support his physical indulgences.
4. Why is it a degradation to G-d to hang a criminal's body of the gallows overnight?
a. Because humans are made in G-d's image; and because the Jewish People are G-d's children.
5. What do you do if you find a lost object that costs money to maintain?
a. Sell it and save the money for the owner.
6. Why does the Torah forbid wearing the clothing of the opposite gender?
a. It leads to immorality.
7. Why does the Torah link the mitzvah of sending away the mother-bird with the mitzvah of making a railing on the roof of your house?
a. To teach that one mitzvah leads to another, and to prosperity.
8. When is it permitted to wear wool and linen?
a. Wool tzitzit on a linen garment.
(Parsha Ki Tetze Quiz originally appeared on the
Ohr Somayach website, www.ohr.edu)
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As part of our partnership with the Shiloh school in Israel, we will be receiving riddles each week relating to the Parasha. You will notice this each week on this back page. The goal is to have the parents and children discuss the parasha, while trying to figure out the connection between the picture and the parasha. All answered riddles should be given to the Judaic teacher on Monday. The names of the winners will be announced and sent to our friends in Israel.
 The winner of last week's riddle is Mina Schulman.
Moreh Dror Karavani will collect all of the submitted answers, put them into a box, and save them for the big raffle! You will hear more about this very soon. Keep your answers coming.
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I hope you enjoy the electronic version of our Dateline. Please check out our website at www.torahacademy.org.
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