Dvar Torah on Parashat Beshallach, by Rachel Anisfeld

In this week’s parsha, the Israelites sing out to God after witnessing

the wonders of the Red Sea. The word for song in Hebrew is shirah.

The Sefat Emet says that shirah is connected to the word shurah,

line. What happens when a person sings is that they draw a line be-

tween earth and heaven, a line between their own innermost spiritual

point and its divine source. Singing is an expression of the under-

standing of this connection, of the feeling of having a spirit inside

that wants to break out and rise up to be part of something larger.

When you sing, it actually does something to the world, says the Sefat Emet. When the Israel-

ites sang at the Sea, they activated the songs of all the created beings in the Universe, the sun,

the sky, the birds, the water, . . . Each creature has his own song to God and when the Israel-

ites sang, the whole world sang with them. Perhaps that is why the layout of the Song at the

Sea in the Torah looks like links of a chain; singing is a joining activity. It connects between

earth and heaven and also between earth and earth.

The Israelites’ singing made an impression on the world, and also on the Torah, says the Sefat

Emet. The layout of the Song in the Torah, like chains, is full of open spaces. What singing

did was to open up the Torah, to open up its deep secrets for human discovery; singing is a

kind of revelation, an uncovering of something deep inside oneself and deep in the Torah that

is true and eternal.

“Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing for joy together!” (Ps. 98:8)

If you want further proof of the power of singing, come to Bet Shraga’s awesome Onegs! Be

a link in the chain.

.

UPCOMING

EVENTS

Candle Lighting times for January/February

Friday February 3rd — Light 4:52 Saturday February 4th —--End 5:56

Friday February 10th —Light 5:02 Saturday February 11th ——End 6:04

February 20th-24th

Mid– Winter Recess

No School!

Bet Shraga Hebrew Academy Of The Capital

District Receives

Substantial Support From

February 3, 2012February 3, 2012February 3, 2012February 3, 2012Issue Issue Number 48 Volume Number III

From the Desk of

Rabbi Rami Strosberg

Head of School

More than 700 leaders and educators at Jewish day schools across the spec-trum of Jewish gathered together for the third annual North American Jewish Day School Conference (NAJDSC) in Atlanta on January 15-17. It was a tremen-dous honor for me to be at a conference like this.

Jointly planned by RAVSAK: The Jewish Community Day School Network, the Institute for University-School Partnership at Yeshiva University, the Schechter Day School Network, PARDeS: The Progressive Association of Reform Day Schools, and PEJE, the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education, the conference brought together over 300 schools and professional organizations. This year the conference focused on “Current Landscapes—Changing Hori-zons.” The program featured two keynote speeches, four mini-keynotes, a spe-cial tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and nearly 60 sessions and workshops. Each organization also convened its schools for intensive sessions focused on particular issues affecting their own schools and communities. New this year were the ELI Talks, a TED-talk like format featuring dynamic, innovative speak-ers discussing the shared ideals and commitments of the Jewish people.

Conference sessions addressed topics such as 21st century skills, the Jewish day school value proposition, re-imagining and sustaining day schools, and in-novations in Jewish education. Equally important was the networking time that allowed participants to meet and hold in-depth discussions with other practitio-ners, funders, and education professionals.

It was enlightening to see that the highlighted current issues and challenges are shared across the broad field of Jewish day school education. It’s clear that in-novative practices, strategic, big picture thinking, and an energized commit-ment to excellence in teaching and learning will bring us to the next level.

The North American Jewish Day School Leadership Conference was supported by the AVI CHAI Foundation, The Covenant Foundation, ERB, the Kohelet Foundation, Measur-ing Success and several anonymous funders.

The HACD Mathcounts team participated in the chapter competition on

February 2, 2012! Congratulations to all the participants!

In following tradition the Mathcounts crew enjoyed their traditional

Calzone/brownie sundae dinner at Ms. Schmidt’s house to celebrate!

A special thanks goes out to Coach Ryan Miller for relocating aftercare and to

Ms. Gail Schwartz for proctoring.

Thank you,

Ms. Schmidt and the Mathcounts crew!

Practice Schedule

7/8 Boys Sunday- 9-11

Thursday- 4:30-6 Fridays - 2:30 – 4:00

4/5 Coed Tuesdays - 3:15 – 4:30

Sundays – TBD (to be determined)

2/3 Coed Thursdays 3:15 – 4:30 Sundays - TBD

Upcoming Games

Sunday 2/5

HACD 4/5 @ Watervilet 10am

HACD 2/3 @ St. Mary’s Waterford, 1pm

Tuesday 2/7 HACD 7/8 @ Kadima, 7pm

Wednesday 2/8

HACD 2/3 @ Holy Names, 6pm

BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH!

This year’s HACD Book Fair will be held on Thursday, Febru-

ary 9th.

The HACD Book Fair offers a selection of Scholastic Books

as well as a number of Judaic titles for both children and adults, and

benefits our school library program. The students really look for-

ward to this fun event!

If you can come and help for a couple of hours (or more!),

please contact Jane Shurin at jshurin@gmail.com or 783-5744.

PLEASE! The Book Fair depends on adult volunteers to help

set up before the fair and to help students select and purchase

books during the fair. We need help on: Thursday, February 10, 2010 – Purchase day, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thank You!!!!

.

Save The Date! Grandparents and Special

Friends Day will be held on the afternoon of Friday ~

May 18, 2012 12:00-3:00 PM

Hebrew Academy is

now offering tutor-

ing for adults in

Hebrew Language.

If you are interested,

please call

Sharon Strosberg

377-2510.

Sat. Feb. 11 - Prophetess Devorah - A True Leader.

Learn what it means to be a leader from Devorah's Palm Tree.

Make delicious edible flowers and trees. Fruit & Chocolate

Fondue in honor of Tu B'shevat.

Sat. March 3 - Esther - A True Queen. Spa & Pizza Party. --

Register Today www.jewishgirlsretreat.net

for the Jewish Girls Summer Retreat.

July 2012

"Where every Girl is Family!"

Nechama Laber

2155 13th St.

Troy, NY 12180

518-727-9581 - cell

518-833-0704-H

Light up the World with your Mitzvah!

New Friday Morning Parsha Class at HACD!!!

Come in for some Torah study on Friday morning’s right after

drop-off, from 8:00-8:30.

Class taught by Rachel Anisfeld, writer of

e-shabbaton’s dvar torah.

First class will be next Friday, February 10.

Just drop in on any Friday morning in the Bet Midrash.

No Hebrew knowledge required. First-time learners as well as

experienced learners welcome.

Looking forward to learning with you!

Sat. Feb. 11 - Prophetess Devorah - A True Leader.

Learn what it means to be a leader from Devorah's Palm Tree. Make delicious edible flowers and trees.

Fruit & Chocolate Fondue in honor of Tu B'shevat.

Sat. March 3 - Esther - A True Queen. Spa & Pizza Party. --

Register Today www.jewishgirlsretreat.net

for the Jewish Girls Summer Retreat.

July 2012

"Where every Girl is Family!"

Nechama Laber

2155 13th St.

Troy, NY 12180

518-727-9581 - cell

518-833-0704-H

Light up the World with your Mitzvah!

SHOMRAY TORAH ANNUAL CAMPAIGN

DONORS 2011-2012

Todah Rabah to our extended family for your support. We’re over halfway to our

goal for the fall campaign! Help us add more names to our list of supporters by

sending in your pledge.

Grandparents Elizabeth and Moshe Anisfeld

Irene Ashery

Mirian Biskin

Malka and Eitan Evan

Sandra and Jerome Goldberg

Felice and David Gordis

Herbert Horwitz

Nina Israel

Sedell and Bernard Kamenir

Leo Koppel

Rainy and Stu Kovach

Barbara and Howard Levine

Esther and Morris Massry

Norma Rosen

Evelyn Segel

Florence and Harvey Sharfstein

Valerie and Spike Solomon

Margo and James Strosberg

Ruth and Herbert Swift

Barbara and Harry Ungerman

Diana Yanklowitz

Cydney Yerushalmi

Dora and Mikhail Zelman

Alumni Rachel and Jeremy Arcus-Goldberg

Ellen and Jonathan Berkowitz

Annette Kriegel Davidoff and

Ravin Davidoff

H.M. Dollinger

Deborah and Hershel Ellenbogen

Tamar Silton and Jeremy Epstein

David Farber

Sarah Farber

Aaron Friedman

Harry Friedman

Sophie Friedman

Mindy Greene Huber and Josh Huber

Lea and David Kamen

Nadine and Raphael Kieval

Jenny Kovach

Maya Kovach

Nancy Kriegel

Lisa and David Kriegel

Aviva and Jay Leberman

Sarah Magidson

Lisa and Jason Packer

David Phaff

Wendy Phaff

Helena Rosenstruch

Paul Rosenstrauch

Gina C.R. Fiss and

Joshua M.F. Rubenfeld

Aliza and Daniel Scher

Ariella Segal

Benjamin Segal

Samuel Segal

Talia Segal

Lee Setzen

Ruth and Joel Simon

Wendy and Steven Susswein

Meital and Howie Teitelman

Nehama and Lawrence Teitelman

Alumni Parents Rochelle and Sheldon Abelson

Ellen and Richard Ancowitz

Les Apple

Sue Swartz and Jeffrey Bernstein

Rabbi Moshe Bomzer

Sally Bratspis

Nanette and Arthur Brenner

Barbara and Karl Brodsky

Sharona Wachs and

Rabbi Donald Cashman

Stacy and David Cohen

Marilyn and Herbert Cohen

Morris Cohen

Arlene and Sol Daum

Martha and Jeffrey Farber

Deborah Biskin Flancbaum and

Louis Flancbaum

Judith and Daniel Flax

Deborah Moskowitz Fleischner and

Arthur Fleischner

Sherry and Marvin Freedman

Beverly and Warren Geisler

Elana and Ephraim Glinert

Harriet and Neil Gold

Judy and Martin Goldman

Sally and Matthew Greenblatt

Nancy and Elliott Greene

Kimberly Hacker

Meridith Englander and Joshua Heller

Abbey Farbstein Herd and

Joseph Herd

Linda and Daniel Hershberg

Jennifer and Richard Honen

Charlotte and Stanley Isser

Laura and Edward Jacobs

Rosalind and Gary Judd

Shelley and Stephen Justa

Lisa and Joseph Kay

Rabbi Rena and Shalom Kieval

Gail Kendall

Marta and Mark Koblenz

Sheila and Paul Koppel

Ida Leberman

David Levine

Nancy and Norman Levine

Estate of Hannah Lorch

Rabbi Beverly and Richard Magidson

Phyllis and Lewis Morrison

Barbara and Edward Orris

Andrea and Neal Packer

Rona and Louis-Jack Pozner

Anita and Ken Rabinoff-Goldman

Ruth and Steven Rich

Joan and Jack Rosenblum

Claudia and Mark Rosenholz

Pearl and Harris Sanders

Joan and James Savitt

Barbara and Michael Scher

Ellen and Eric Schwartz

Laura and Hilton Segal

Stanley Segel

Nancia and Kenneth Segel

Roberta and Richard Seiden

Amy and Ron Sohn

Barbara and Les Stein

Lisa and Beno Sternlicht

Joyce Teitelman

Joyce and Melvin Toub

Barbara Wachs

Nini Wu and Ira Zackon

Current Parents Karen and Mordecai Bienstock

Ana Sobel and George Bizer

Shelly L. Goldman Black and

Johnny Black, Jr.

Elana Gordis and

Mitchell Earleywiine

Amy Gingold-Horwitz

Deborah and Tsvi Gold

Jill and Howard Goldberg

Michele Levy and Daniel Greenblatt

Elana and Steven Kamenir

Dale and Richard Katz

Ilana and Robert Kovach

Carolyn and Jim Levine

Julie Solomon and Cole Libby

Rachel Anisfeld and Timothy Lytton

Suzanna Randall and

Rabbi Naomi Manon

Jerald O’Brien

Marian Alexander and

Rabbi Dan Ornstein

Rachel and I. Paul Rappaport

Anna and Jonathan Rosen

Tatyana and Benjamin Schwartz

Karen and Gavin Setzen

Jane and Arkady Shurin

Deborah Greene and

Rabbi Rami Strosberg

Sirafima Rits and Vladimir Vitkin

Tammy and Joel Weingarten

Chava and Adam Weisstuch

Community Helene S. Ainspan

The Sidney & Beatrice Albert

Foundation

Martin Barr

Evalyn and Joseph Basloe

Amy Bloom

Joyce and Sanford Bookstein

Dorice Brickman

Sidney Cohen

Rachael and Yishai Cohen

Nancy Crom

Toby and Arnold Elman

Evelyn and Laurence Farbstein

Joanna and Eric Fried

Selma Goldberg

Neil, Jane, William & Estelle Golub

Family Foundation, Inc.

Cindy and Neil Greenstein

Karen and Gerald Hausler

Michael Kupferschmid

Megan Levine

Karen and Alan Lobel

Davida Manon

Carol Ann and Rodney Margolis

Shirley and Irving Mennen

Kathleen and Ryan Miller

Jerald O’Brien

Pardus Family Philanthropic Fund

Barbara and Peter Rosenfeld

Mary Rosenstein of The Jewish

Community Endowment

Fund of Jewish Federation

of NENY

Lois and Richard Rubin

Phyllis Silverman

Linda Woodward and Frederick Stein

Gene and Howard Tarler

Philip Ziffer

Names listed reflect

those whose

payments have been

received.