June Newsletter (2010)

Message from the President of JPPS-Bialik

I want to pay special tribute in this message to show our appreciation for the time and effort that so many on the JPPS-Bialik and Bialik Boards, and this year, the Governance Committee, have put in to matters relating to governance and to our relationship with our other feeder school, Solomon Schechter Academy. While these efforts might in many instances go unnoticed, and may seem dry and unimportant to many, how we govern ourselves as a school, and relate to our partners and stakeholders, is the bedrock foundation on which the whole school is built.

In that vein, all parents and other members of the association are invited to a Special General Meeting to be held tonight, June 14th, at 7 pm, at Bialik. At this meeting, we hope to receive from you approval of our new by-laws as well as a new slate of officers and directors. This represents the culmination of a year’s work revamping and streamlining our governance structure. I hope that you will attend in large numbers to learn more about this new structure and to join me in thanking the many volunteers who work in the background every day for the betterment of our school.

Congratulations are in order to JPPS-Bialik for its accreditation by CESI (Canadian Education Standards Institute). This prestigious accreditation, the ISO 9001 of the educational world, validates what we knew all along - that when you choose a Jewish school you are choosing a school that measures up to any other private school in every respect, academically, socially, facilities, etc. with the added benefit of being Jewish-defining. It is always gratifying to receive this well deserved recognition of our efforts, as was also the case this past fall when Professor Mark Talesnick from Israel’s Technion University repeatedly remarked on how impressed he was with Bialik students and specifically their demonstration of scientific knowledge and curiosity. And, this he noted, after visiting many high schools in Montreal. While we can and should always be confident, we gain much by benchmarking ourselves alongside our peers, and not just those in the Jewish community.

I also have enjoyed celebrating Bialik’s graduating class and look forward to celebrating JPPS’ later this week. While signing so many diplomas and bilingualism certificates can be quite a chore, nothing all year gives me greater pleasure than acknowledging the hard work of all of our graduating students which in turn is a recognition of all the hard work and contributions we all make towards our students’ successes. Yasher Koach to them and to the large, extended JPPS-Bialik family. Have a safe and happy summer!

Arnold Cohen ‘82

Message from the Head of School

The end of the year is a hectic time at any school but especially a school the size of JPPS-Bialik! As a result, not surprisingly our accreditation by CESI is almost going unnoticed and this in spite of two years of hard work on the part of many to make it happen. Please read more about it in the article entitled JPPS-Bialik Receives “SEAL” of Approval! If you haven’t already done so in a FirstClass message sent earlier. I can assure you that come the fall, both the news and the fact that we share CESI’s pursuit of excellence in education for which we shall be held accountable, will be front and centre along with the arrival of Bialik’s new principal.

As many now know, especially those who attended our Town Hall meeting on June 8th, Shireen Butman will be Bialik’s new Principal beginning in August. Ms. Butman and her husband will be moving their family from Boca Raton, Florida, where she is teaching at the Donna Klein Jewish Academy, back to Montreal, where she was raised. She is a great example of diversity as she was born in India, lived in Israel, is fluently trilingual (English, French and Hebrew), and is a graduate of both Concordia and the Université de Montréal. She has over 12 years of teaching and administrative experience at two extremely reputable Jewish day schools in the United States, and taught at both Akiva and at École Maimonides here in Montreal. Not surprisingly, Shireen comes highly recommended by both her superiors and peers who have respected her management of academic, behavioural and social issues as well as for her collaborative working approach and for being an excellent communicator. I had the opportunity to see her in action first hand, having attended the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education Day School Leadership Training Institute in NYC last summer. We will do the same again this July.

I am excited to announce that Jean-Claude Rubier, from UTT and Herzliah, will join us as French Coordinator at Bialik beginning this fall. Teaching in both Bialik’s Section Française and our French-as-a-second language program, he will be well-placed to make recommendations for their enhancement going forward. We will also be welcoming two new Judaic Studies teachers, Hades Hilzenrat, a veteran teacher from Israel, and Samantha Druzin, a Bialik graduate from the Class of 2002 who comes to us with a B.A. in Jewish Studies as well as a B.Ed., and is working on her Masters at McGill.

We extend our best wishes to Mrs. Esther Regev, Madame Annie Zeitouni, Len Cohen and Mrs. Shoshana Fleischer. While “officially” retiring after years of dedicated service, some will continue teaching on a part-time basis. We are grateful to each of them, not the least for their affinity with our alumni! We also wish to thank Bialik teachers Divvy Ahronheim and George Wall who will be leaving us and wish them well in their future pursuits.

I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Kazen Gazith of BJEC and my colleague, Cooki Levy, Principal of Akiva School, who invited Bialik and Herzliah to speak to their Grade 5 parents this past month and despite a playoff hockey game attendance was excellent. Parents were wowed by what each school offered. The overwhelming message came through loud and clear: that continuing at a Jewish high school doesn’t mean sacrificing academically or otherwise. A Jewish high school delivers the added value of ensuring a strong Jewish identity in youth including a strong ethical grounding critical at this stage of their lives. A special thank you goes out to our Secondary IV Gabriel Steinberg who spoke in French and English proudly about his experience at Bialik (and Akiva!).

While we have focused a lot on Bialik with good reason, you should also know that JPPS’ Junior Pre-K, now going into its second year this fall, is full! The same goes for the JPPS’ CPE on Westminster. In fact, they look forward to their summer camp opening to capacity on June 28th. Naturally, JPPS’ strong student enrollment that includes a very healthy Section Française bodes well for Bialik! I know too how much JPPS parents appreciate the haimish atmosphere that we can only partially attribute to the relatively small class sizes – on average 22 per class – as it really comes down to the faculty and staff who are devoted to meeting the individual needs of each of the children. Bravo to JPPS!

I would be remiss not to express my gratitude to the administrators of JPPS-Bialik with whom I worked closely over the past year, including Randy Zucker, Director of our CPE, Adina Matas, Principal and Educational Director of JPPS and Andrew Trager who deserves special recognition for having assumed the role of principal of Bialik this past year while we continued our search. I know he looks forward to re-joining the faculty. Each of these and their administrative teams has worked hard, committed to doing what is ultimately best for the students. They would be the first to say that they could not have done their work without the incredible support of the administrative assistants. They, and all the faculty, and staff merit a well-deserved rest this summer.

Lastly, I am indebted to the direction I have been given by the Board, especially presidents Arnold Cohen and Michael Eliesen, and Amy Katz, Chair of the Executive, who have never wavered in their support and belief in JPPS-Bialik growing from strength to strength.

Please all come to our first-ever Welcome-back BBQ at Bialik on September 2nd – for all JPPS-Bialik students, parents and staff!

Laurence Fhima

Message from the Principal of JPPS

As the 2009-2010 school year comes to an end, I am thrilled to share my observation; our students, staff and parents are the best! We are so fortunate to have all the ingredients that make a school great; super students, support staff, involved parents, innovative programming and caring administration.

On many occasions I have found myself telling anyone willing to listen, how proud I am to be the principal at JPPS.

In the interest of keeping this short, I will not go into detail about the many great events that have taken place this year. You can read all about them in the annual report.

This year, our staff has placed a strong focus on articulating our values – the behaviours and actions that we want our students to aspire to. A good part of our professional development this past year was devoted to creating and maintaining effective guidelines and programs that benefit and support all of our students.

Education is dependent upon the relationships that are developed within the walls of a school as well as outside the walls, within the school’s community. Social and emotional learning helps students build positive self-image, eliminates behavioural issues and improves their academic achievements.

We have accomplished a lot and we have a lot to celebrate. The hard work and contributions of many people have enriched the life and spirit of our school and has contributed to making the 2009-2010 school year so rewarding.

On behalf of the staff and students I would like to take this opportunity to thank our parent body for their constant support throughout the year. We are extremely fortunate to have so many wonderful parent volunteers contributing to the success of the school. I must add a very special thank you and much appreciation to our Home & School co-presidents, Marnie Cohen and Mimi Mendelson, for honoring my wish list. Your hard work and constant support has made JPPS a vibrant community because, together, we make a difference!

Good luck to this year’s graduates as they move forward to their next adventure. Bravo, we are proud of all your achievements. I would like to acknowledge and express appreciation to our staff who have worked so hard and given their time so generously to our students and the school.

Finally, to JPPS staff members Denise Champoux-Dallaire and Ruth Dixter: may you both retire knowing that you have made a remarkable contribution and have touched the lives of your students and colleagues in immeasurable ways. Mazel Tov!

I wish you a safe and restful summer vacation and look forward to seeing you in the fall.

Adina Matas

Message from JPPS Home and School

JPPS Home and School has been involved in many activities over the last month. As part of the Art in Education Program; we solely funded the grade 5 trip to the McCord museum. The students got to see and appreciate art work that they had learned about in class. It was a very informative and interesting experience for all. We also funded both the Kindergarten and Grade 3 trips to the Segal Centre; where the students enjoyed a variety of programs from music to dance, and circus. All of the children had a fantastic time!

As part of the Yom Ha’atzmauth celebrations; we also served a Falafel lunch to all of the students at school. Home and School is also involved in a fundraiser with Mabel’s Labels. Parents can purchase labels (for clothing or belongings) on the Mabel’s Labels website www.jpps.mabel.ca; and a portion of the sales go back to JPPS Home and School. We also worked hard at organizing this year’s career day, which took place on June 10. Thanks to all the parents and grandparents who volunteered their time. It was a huge success.

JPPS Home and School is also very proud to announce that we have just purchased three smart boards for the three grade 1 classrooms. Enjoy them and use them well! JPPS Home and School is looking forward to enjoying a fun filled last month of school with the bbq still to come! As always, we are open to any new ideas or volunteers.

JPPS Home and School like to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers who have helped us throughout this year. We could not have done it without you!! We wish you and your families an amazing and restful summer. We look forward to seeing you all again in August!

Marnie Cohen and Mimi Mendelson
Co-Presidents
JPPS Home and School

JPPS-Bialik Athletics

Hello, Bulldog Fans!

On behalf of the Athletics department we would just like to thank all of the Athletes, Coaches, Scorekeepers, Timekeepers, Volunteers and Athletes of the Month for a tremendously successful 2009-2010 Athletics year. Without the passion and determination shown by all the athletes during practices and games this would not have been possible. A special thanks goes out to all the coaches who helped motivate and develop our student-athletes to become better on the field/court and in the classroom.

We want to take this opportunity to highlight a few key events from this past season:

• JISA GIRLS SOCCER - GOLD MEDALLISTS
• DIV 1 BANTAM GIRLS - (GMAA) SEMI-FINALISTS
• MIDGET GIRLS BASKETBALL - (GMAA) SILVER MEDALLISTS
• JUVENILE GIRLS BASKETBALL - (GMAA) SEMI-FINALISTS
• INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL TRIP TO BOSTON IN NOVEMBER
• JUVENILE BOYS BASKETBALL ATTENDED THE PRESITGIOUS YESHIVA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT IN NEW YORK IN MARCH

We wish all the students and staff best of luck with exams and a good summer holiday. We look forward to seeing everyone again for the 2010-2011 athletics campaign.

Emerson Thomas, Director of Athletics

Matt Starr, JPPS ‘95

Iginla Jersey Raffle

New Judaic Studies Curriculum!

You are all aware that Bialik will be revising the Judaic studies program for next year, which also includes an entirely new Hebrew language acquisition program called NETA. Updating Bialik’s Judaic studies curriculum, especially with respect to the teaching of Hebrew, is something that has been anticipated for quite some time. JPPS-Bialik’s Director of Jewish Studies, Rabbi Daniel Rosenberg stopped by my office for a sneak preview of the program:

Rabbi Dan, a simple question; what is the NETA program, and why do we need it at Bialik?

“NETA is a Hebrew language curriculum designed to develop fluency in Hebrew for High School students. Simply put, it is intended to help students learn Hebrew as a second language by using modern techniques like listening to Hebrew music and reading contemporary Hebrew literature. The material is also quite well –designed and visually appealing for the students. It’s important that Bialik has chosen to use the NETA approach because as the state-of-the-art changes in Hebrew education, we (Bialik) constantly try to bring the best of what is offered to all our students.”

That sounds really exciting, and most importantly, effective!

“I am convinced that it will be effective. NETA’s approach to teaching Hebrew highlights the ways that we naturally best learn languages. May I also add that having increased exposure to Israeli music and culture will also serve to cement Hebrew as a ‘real’ and ‘used’ language, and ultimately, this will help improve Bialik students’ connection to the State of Israel.”

I heard that the Hebrew teachers will being travelling to Boston this summer for NETA training? Why is that?

“The NETA program requires that those teaching it receive training prior to its implementation. This ensures that everyone is up to speed with the NETA program, and is able to properly teach it to their students. Moreover, due to the fact that all teachers will have the same knowledge of the curricular tools, the training acts as a guarantee in that regardless of what Hebrew group your child will be in, he or she will be guaranteed to learn Hebrew through the NETA curriculum the way it was designed to be taught.”

It sure looks like next year will be a groundbreaking one for Judaic studies at Bialik, Rabbi Dan.

“Most certainly!”

David Smajovits ‘00

Science Rules at JPPS

The science fair was a very exciting and enriching experience for everyone involved. The students developed an understanding of the scientific method, creativity and accomplishment. I would like to thank the judges and the administration for all their support and I am looking forward to another fruitful science fair next year!

Natalie Custeau, Science Teacher

To see the 2010 JPPS Science Fair page with a full photo gallery, please click here.

2010 JPPS Science Fair Winners

Room 202:

Gold:

Riley Eisenberg, Rebecca Gotteiner

Silver:

Robert Lilien, Matthew Zoltak

Bronze:

Emily Steinberg, Zoe Young, Jessica Lackstein

Room 203:

Gold:

Ezra Cohen, Evan Ullman, Matthew Oppenheim

Silver:

Jordana Singer

Bronze:

Breanna Sherman, Megan Solomon

Room 204:

Gold:

Megan Baran-Goldwax, Jessica Young

Silver:

Jennifer Titleman, Frankie Cohen, Jaimey Finkel

Bronze:

Robert Kalisky, Isaac Basal

Avriel Butovsky Program

The Avriel Butovsky Memorial Fund, established in memory of this Bialik alumnus who was an international journalist covering Middle East affairs, supports programs that expose our students to Arab and Israeli coexistence dialogue.

This year, the Fund supported the visit to Bialik of two people who are deeply invested in this dialogue: Raouf Omar of Ottawa and Claude Weil, until recently of Ottawa and now of Saskatchewan. Together, they wrote a book of short stories, called Light Behind the Darkness, illustrated with paintings by Raouf. While nothing could truly substitute for hearing their stories in person, sufficient to say that after listening inspirational figures like them discuss how Muslims and Jews are essentially different sides of the same coin, one must wonder why there is still conflict between the two peoples.

David Smajovits ‘00

JPPS Multi-Culturalism

The Multiculturalism program at JPPS is an annual occurrence whereby each grade 5 class immerses itself in one of three foreign countries with a rich cultural history. Whether it was India, Japan, or Italy, the students participated in a massive research project with an accompanying sense of empowerment as they were each given the opportunity to choose the topic that interests them to learn more about. Whether it was food, fashion, or even politics, this project allowed the students to drive their own learning through research and exploration.

Moreover, different resources, including the internet, guest speakers, field trips, and even “old fashioned” books were employed in the learning process. It was evident from the very beginning that the students were enthralled with each new piece of information they found, and that they enjoyed sharing what they learned during class discussions.

Some highlights include:

• Students learned a traditional Indian dance and all the students sang Hindi lyrics along with the CD! The students were even taught to cook samosas , a traditional Indian appetizer, after a lesson on Indian spices.
• The children were taught to respect other people in society as they learned many interesting details about Indian culture, beliefs and religion.
• Students visited the sights and sounds of Little Italy the at Pierre de Goubertin School and the Leonardo Da Vinci Community Centre where they engaged with adults in the game of Bocci.

Everything came together at a special evening presentation for the parents whereby the students showed off their newly acquired knowledge of the various cultures.

A huge thank you Adina Matas for her continued support with the project, and, naturally, to the teachers for their hard work:

• Lorie Avertick
• Rita Guindi
• Chantal Bekhor
• Sheila Perry
• Ellen Smiley
• Illana Assouline
• Nelly Marciano

A further special thanks to Art teacher, Kelly Shackman, for teaching the various forms of art done in the countries studied by grade 5 students including: mosaic, water color, fabric collage, pastels and sculpting.

Finally, to Mrs. Sankar (dance and Indian clothes) and to Maurice Perez (dance), thank you for your invaluable contributions.

JPPS Choir Performances

The JPPS Choir performed brilliantly at the Sounds of Freedom Concert with the YM-YWHA Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well as at the Salute to Israel Concert. Thank you to JPPS choir director Elena Khitrin for her hard work and passion. May next year be even more musical for JPPS!

CPE Fundraiser

This was JPPS Children’s Centre’s first year fundraising and we were thrilled by the tremendous support we received from the parents and staff members.

The chocolate bar sale was fabulous!!! We made more than $ 2000 in profit. As an incentive to sell the most chocolate bars, we offered Toys R Us gift cards. Congratulations to our four winners.

• 1st prize…Isaac Su & Bram Lackman Mincoff (tie)
• 2nd prize…Jayden Blitzer
• 3rd prize…Zia Wiernik

The garage sale was good considering the rainy weather. We made more than $850 in profit.
A special thank you to those parents and staff who helped in the planning stages, donating their gently used goods, as well as giving up their Sunday to be here with us.

Thank you so much for your support.

Randy Zucker

Music to our Ears!

Working so far quietly behind the scenes, the newly formed Music Advisory Committee will grow louder come this fall! After all, music should be heard and if this committee has its way – endorsed by the administration of course – it will be heard loud and clear, as an important component of Bialik’s performing arts centre including its flagship theatre program.

Judging by the talent coming up through the ranks at JPPS alone – as witnessed at the annual Gillman Music Festival – and from Lorna Smith’s award-winning choir at Bialik, and from the students who participated in the sporadic guitar lessons offered after school not to mention numerous student garage bands and those following musical instruction at home, we know the interest is there and certainly has been there in the past – albeit intermittently. In fact, following the untimely passing of Josh Roskies ’77, a music room was built in his memory in Bialik’s Leo Roskies Library, but clearly with its small size, it is no longer fulfilling its original intended use as a music studio. We also know how important music is to the academic performance, discipline and artistic well-rounded development of our students.

A school the size of Bialik should have a band! And, while that may be far off as an attainable goal, this committee is determined to get there, first by equipping a music studio in the “green room” to the right of the stage in the Helen and Sam Steinberg Gymnasium, and by hiring a part-time music director in order that we offer at least a small extra-curricular program not unlike what Anisa Cameron has accomplished with our renowned theatre program. In this way, we can support and bring together some of the current activities such as web podcasts, Chanti Lepessec’s video productions and audio tracks for the extremely popular fashion show. Yes, this will mean acquiring some instruments including drums, electric bass guitars and sound mixing equipment. Already we have had some very kind offers of donations.

Jeff Itcush, a member of the committee, who is passionate when it comes to music, especially guitars, is determined to see music integrated into the curriculum. No doubt he will be successful (even if only through an electives option once per cycle) with the encouragement of Bialik’s new principal Shireen Butman as early as September 2011!

To this end, a committee has been formed, chaired by Jaime Roskies ’83, Josh’s brother, and Joseph Abramowitz ’77, Josh’s classmate. Joined by Josh’s mother, Louise Goldstein, the committee also includes faculty members: Jeff Itcush, Chanti Lepessec, Chaim Steinberg, Lorna Smith and Anisa Cameron as well as interested parents, Seth Dalfen and Steve Stein, and students, Oliver Mayers ’10, Daniel Witkowski ’11 and Jesse Stein ’12. It will no doubt continue to grow especially as it takes on fundraising efforts to make the music studio a reality as well as the engagement of a music director feasible in order to offer a music program accessible to all, regardless of their families’ means for which an endowed bursary fund will also be initiated.

This is an exciting initiative that will no doubt ultimately engage Bialik students in actively learning to love and appreciate music, something they already demonstrate passionately on the stage with Bialik’s Theatre program and as members of a very large choir! Of course, this should come as no surprise because culturally, it is in “their blood”!

Elizabeth Kennell, Director of Advancement

JPPS-Bialik Store Coming to Bialik This Year!

It’s coming! A JPPS-Bialik Store at Bialik! If all goes to plan, a store should be open for business beginning in January 2011. It is to be located in Bialik’s “Athletics Corridor” which is the hallway connecting the cafeteria with the original gymnasium. Staffed by parent volunteers, it is there to provide students with that emergency pair of socks for gym, or that pen and paper – yes, believe it or not, students still revert to those tools on occasion, even with laptops!

With the support of the Advancement office, the JPPS-Bialik Store will be established beginning with offering some limited pieces of athletic wear but grow to eventually offer the full range of uniform and athletic attire required of our students as well as books and supplies and novelty school-branded gift items. We are fortunate to be able to continue to work with Top Marks, our uniform supplier, as a partner while we build the business. Ultimately, we seek to provide convenient and personalized one-stop shopping -- on-line and in-store – as a valued-added service to parents and their children. Run entirely by parent volunteers, who will source items in order to ensure at all times competitive prices and excellent quality, the Store Committee will want to hear from all potential suppliers.

This initiative is being supported by both JPPS and Bialik Home & Schools who are committed to providing manpower and in the case of Bialik Home & School, the funds to get it off the ground which will be repaid from the Store’s net proceeds.

Already the committee (listed below) has grown to include a group of enthusiastic parent volunteers who are determined to provide service with a smile to parents and their children, as well as to alumni, and constantly finds ways to improve quality while paying close attention to cost efficiency. By engaging parent volunteers in this way, the school can expect to bring added value and benefit to the school as a whole. Should this be a committee you wish to join, or if you think your company can supply us with what we may be looking for, please contact me at my coordinates below.

Liz Brinberg, Chair, JPPS-Bialik Store Committee (liz@reffini.com)

JPPS-Bialik Store Committee

Advisors:
Parent of an alumnus: Ronni Czuzoj Shulman and Howard Vineberg (Top Marks)

Members:
Marcy Bruck
Bonnie Caron
Marnie Cohen
Karen Eisenberg
Joanne Eisman
Lori Elman
Randee Gottlieb
Debbie Gurman
Kathy Halmi Caplan
Cheryl Hart Monk
Maura Hoppenheim
Vivian Moatti
Leslie Ornstein
Steven Schneidman
Gail Werbitt

Reunion Reports!

Fun in Toronto

After eight months of research and planning, the reunion of Bialik's first graduating class of 1976 took place on May 22 at the Richmond Hill Golf and Country Club in Toronto. This was a unique event because it brought together both Bialik and JPPS grads in a celebration of their 50th birthdays. Close to 40 classmates and teachers came from all over the globe, including N.Y., L.A., Wisconsin, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and even China, showing how strong our ties are to our Alma Maters, and how proud we are to be the first graduates.

Most of us had not seen each other since graduation, so recognizing faces was quite a surprise! The fun continued the next day at an informal brunch hosted by grad Stephen Engel, which lasted well into the afternoon. Many thanks go to Ellen Drazner for organizing the reunion, and Marcy Pollock-Bruck and her committee for the 76-page book that features memories and photos of our school years, and grad updates.

The party may have ended, but it has led to plans to stay in touch and meet again in a few years -- maybe this time at Bialik! We have a website (myfamily.com) that has reconnected us, so this is one reunion that will never end!

Bialik Class of ‘76

A Visit to their Original School

We spent a wonderful weekend together, meeting in various restaurants, seeing our old school (where we were graciously escorted by your principal and her vice principal; thank you !), reminiscing, more reminiscing, and catching up on what life has had in store for us over the last 45 years. Life is always quite a ride...

Thank you to all at JPPS (it was JPS for us) for your invaluable assistance.

Sammy Kleinplatz JPS ‘65

Picture from the class of ’65 reunion:

Class of ‘62

Last night was truly a dream: returning to our roots, and picking up where we left off years ago, because basically our "essences" today are the same as then: molded not only by our families but also by JPS and one another. Thanks so much to everyone who organized: Stephen Lake, Mark Mendelson, Harvey August, Judy Berger, (and others), and a special thanks to Sol Fleising who provided the perfect setting. To those who could not be there: We missed you!

Susan Garmaise Goldman JPS ‘62

Experience of a Lifetime

I have just recently had an experience of a lifetime. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be the staff representative and accompany a group of 78 Secondary Five students on the March of the Living.

Briefly, the March of the Living is a trip that gives participants the opportunity to explore their Jewish roots. They start off in Poland to visit once vibrant centers of Jewish life and learning. One week is spent seeing historic sites in Warsaw and Krakow, as well as visiting the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Majdenek and Treblinka where much of European Jewry was annihilated. The group then travels to Israel where a number of exciting places and ancient sites are explored, along with taking part in ceremonies on Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. It is a trip that helps our Jewish young people remember the anguish of our past but the hope of our future.

I was deeply touched to have been a part of the Bialik contingent. Our students fulfilled their obligation of Zahor, to remember and to never forget. We felt honored to retrace the steps of European Jewry and its tragic past all the way to the modern state of Israel. We knew we were commemorating not only the six million Jewish men, women and children who lost their lives in the Shoah, but we were also commemorating the spirit of the Jewish people of today. It was definitely a trip I will never forget and that will live in my heart and mind forever.

Lainie Smajovits

Boutique Tone

A belated, but gigantic thank you to Jeremy Stern from Boutique Tone for the donation of a Fender Custom Classic guitar valued at $4,000. The guitar was auctioned off at the recent JPPS-Bialik Concert Gala, following a very cool demonstration of the guitar.

A note on the passing of Nathan Smith, late husband of Edna Vineberg-Smith

Edna Vineberg-Smith’s husband, Nathan, was a people person with a big laugh. I fondly remember Nathan coming to the office to visit Edna, and everyone would immediately stop working to hear his many stories. We all shared a big laugh for the day. If that was not enough, Nathan was also known for bringing the office muffins which he stayed up the night before to bake! While Edna always mentioned that Nathan was a fabulous cook, moreover, she always reminded us how fabulous a husband he was as well. He will be missed dearly by those who knew him.

Joan Thomas