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Dates to Remember
Light Shabbat candles at
7:37 p.m.;
Shabbat ends at 8:46 p.m.
Seussical--Opening Night
Tuesday, April 12, 7 p.m.
Seussical--Matinee
TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE!
Seussical--Second Night
Wednesday, April 13, 7:00 p.m.
Seussical--Closing Night Thursday, April 14, 7:00 p.m.
Deadline to Submit Scholastic Order Friday, April 15
Last Day of School Before Pesach Break Friday, April 15
School Resumes After Pesach Break Monday, May 2
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NOT SURE HOW MANY PAC HOURS YOU'VE COMPLETED?
Spreadsheet updated April 5
Questions? Contact Jacqui Sankoff
STILL NEED PAC HOURS?
We have many afternoon slots available for Passover Seder prep this Sunday, April 10th at VTT.
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Community Calendar
For the summer of 2016, Camp Solomon Schechter is offering up to a 30% discount to its families that live in Canada. For more information, contact Carolyn at 604.288.7655 or info@campschechter.orgFamilies That Give: Help Pack Pesach Packages (followed by an ice cream party) Sunday, April 10, 3 p.m. Matzah, Maror & Macaroons Second Seder at Beth IsraelSaturday, April 23, 5 p.m. Info hereSign up hereCreekside Community Centre is offering a Pesach break Minecraft camp (McKids Academy) both weeks of Passover from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Read the details hereor visit mckidsacademy.comPost-Pesach Pasta Party at Beth IsraelSunday, May 1, 5:00-7:30 p.m. Featuring Renowned Canadian Magician, John Kaplan Come hear Hootsuite CEO & Founder, Ryan Holmes at the JFSA Innovators LunchWednesday, May 4 Hyatt Regency Hotel chaired by VTT parent,
Sherri Wise
Israeli consular services are expected in Vancouver on Tuesday, May 17th
Click here for more details
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We have a new Facebook group.
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THANK YOU TO OUR SEUSSICAL VIDEOGRAPHY SPONSOR!
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Thank you to Ella Dreyshner of MacDonald Realty Westmar for sponsoring the video production of Seussical the Musical. All VTT families will receive a link to the final video production, which they may then share widely with family and friends.
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VTT BOARD:
CALL FOR NEW DIRECTORS | As part of its annual nominations process, the VTT Board of Directors is looking for individuals who are interested in becoming directors. Our objective is to staff the Board with a diverse group of individuals with the time, commitment and expertise to ensure strong and effective direction in fulfilling VTT's mission.
If you are interested in getting involved as a director or as a committee member, we ask that you please submit a brief bio and a summary of your areas of interest, to Samantha Rossman, Chair of the Nominations Committee at boardnominations@vttschool.ca as soon as possible. Your interest is greatly appreciated and will be given full consideration in light of the Board's requirements.
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YISHAR KO'ACH TO THESE VTT SIBLINGS
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It's not easy to raise $75 from a lemonade stand. Last weekend siblings Cooper and Sierra worked with two friends over two days to help raise funds to purchase a school bus for an interfaith school in Uganda. Without a bus, Jewish, Muslim and Christian students must walk over 10KM barefoot over harsh terrain to get an education. The Walking School Bus is attempting to right this wrong. And Cooper and Sierra have done their part to help!
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FULFILLING A MITZVAH ON ONE'S BAR MITZVAH
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VTT student Benjy Kraft (read his D'Var Torah below) collected shoe donations at his Bar Mitzvah to support Ruben's Shoes, his chosen agency for the Grade 7 Mitzvah of Valuing Philanthropy program. As he explained in his email to guests, "The reason I am asking for shoes is because in many poor countries kids cannot attend school if they do not have shoes. They may also catch diseases and viruses because of cuts and scrapes on their feet. By giving shoes, not only are you giving a child an education, but you are saving them from potential diseases." As you can see from the above photo, the response was most positive!
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A THEATRICAL RETELLING OF THE PASSOVER STORY
Morah Orly's 1A & 1B students acted, sang and danced their way through a retelling of the Passover story--all in Ivrit (Hebrew), of course!
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GRADE 7s BEGIN MAKING THEIR CASES
This is the year in which our Grade 7 students become B'nei Mitzvah and learn about their responsibilities to the community and the world around them. The culmination of their Tikkun Olam learning happens with the Mitzvah of Valuing Philanthropy (MVP) program. Through acts of tzedekah and hesed, the students learn in a hands-on way what it means to become a caring and responsible adult. During the year, students will select a mitzvah (commandment) of meaning to them, and then research, interview and select an agency that delivers on that mitzvah. This week students "made their case in 20 minutes" explaining the mission and needs of their chosen agency to their classmates. Their goal is to "make their case" by advocating on behalf of their agency for generous financial support. In mid-May, the students will decide how to allocate funds to every agency from the pool of money they have either raised or personally contributed. In past years, students have, on average, raised $20K towards this most gratifying and rewarding experience. Twenty five non-profit agencies have been selected and so far, students have advocated for Jewish Seniors Alliance, Save a Child's Heart, Right to Play, Yaffa House, Tikva Housing Society, Children Organ Transplant Society, Cerebral Palsy Association of BC, One Family Fund, Down Syndrome Research Foundation, and Pacific Autism Family Centre.
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PARASHAT HASHAVUA/WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
Last Saturday morning, seventh grade student Benjy Kraft celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Congregation Beth Israel. Mazal tov to his parents Lori Satov and Rob Kraft. Read Benjy's interpretation of Parashat Shemini and the temptation of envy below.
Shabbat shalom. I want you all to know that I'm normally a pretty good kid. But I am human, and just like all humans, I envy things. Let me tell you a little story about a time when I envied what others had. Last year, when I got my first cell phone, I was pretty excited. I went around telling my friends I received a new phone. It was exciting for a while, but after a bit I started to realize, it wasn't a very good phone. All my friends had the new and updated Iphones, and Samsungs, and I was stuck with this phone I really hated. I envied all of my friends and the people who had the newest phones. I soon realized, that there was no reason to envy anyone at all. It was good enough for what I needed, and it was good enough for what anyone my age needed. From that I learned that even though it is a natural human emotion to be envious of people, no one should ever envy someone else.
In this week's parasha, Shemini, the sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu were killed for giving an unacceptable offering to G-d. It seems they were doing the right thing by giving a sacrifice to G-d. What could they have done wrong? In the Eitz Hayim Chumash commentary, it says that Nadav and Avihu said, "When will these old men, our father Aaron and our uncle Moses, die already so that we can take their place?" That is an extreme case of someone being envious. That is why they were punished, because of their envy. Even though most of us do not envy someone that much that we want our relatives to be dead, we all envy someone or something one way or another. It is not likely to end well for you.
In the Mishnah, the Rabbis write that a person should be, sameyach bachelko, which means every person should be happy with their portion in life. We are all blessed with so much that we fail to appreciate it, and thus we all look at others as if they have better lives than ours. There is a popular saying, the grass is greener on the other side. That saying may not always be true. We only think that our neighbour's grass is greener because we envy it.
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Vancouver Talmud Torah is a traditional Jewish community day school dedicated to excellence in an engaging and respectful learning environment in which Jewish children can become proud, caring, responsible, and dedicated members of the Jewish people and Canadian society.
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Vancouver Talmud Torah gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.
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ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH YACHAD, VTT's social responsibility initiative?
This month's theme is OMETZ LEV: COURAGE
You can read more here
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