MDS Messenger December 28, 2012

Candle Lighting Time - 4:18 PM Page 1

Volume 12, Issue 12 December 28, 2012 פרשת ויחי

בס"ד

City Councilwoman Gale Brewer Visits MDS By Yehudit Robinson, Director of Educational Technology, [email protected]

This week, we were honored with a visit by City Councilwoman Gale Brewer and

her Chief of Staff, Shula Warren. Ms. Brewer was extremely pleased with the high quality of

our facility and mentioned that she’s never seen students that are so happy as at our

school. She marveled at the artwork, she commented on the rigorous academics that she wit-

nessed, and she was delighted by our wonderful outdoor space on the roof.

In addition to visiting classrooms, Ms. Brewer met with the Student Government

presidents and vice presidents, and explained to them a bit about the political pro-

cess. “Believe it or not,” she laughed, “in New York City, sometimes, it’s not always easy to

get things done!”

It is important for our school to have a strong relationship with our community, our

neighborhood, and our City leaders. We look forward to continuing to build our relationship

with Ms. Brewer and other City and State public leaders to continue their important and help-

ful advocacy on behalf of MDS and the entire Jewish community.

Reminder:

Monday, December 31st: No Board of Education busing. Afterschool clubs will meet.

Tuesday, January 1st: No School


Page 2 Candle Lighting Time - 4:18 PM

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook By Linda Kastner, Art Department, [email protected]

The Connecticut PTA requested that

students around the country create snowflakes to

decorate the new school that the Sandy Hook Ele-

mentary students will begin to use following their

winter recess. Our students responded to the re-

quest for Snowflakes for Sandy Hook by getting

creative. We enclosed the following letter with

our snowflakes:

Dear Children, Teachers, Parents, Administrators,

Custodial Staff and Support Staff of Sandy Hook:

Enjoy these beautiful snowflakes made by stu-

dents in our school to decorate the halls of your

new building.

We are a Jewish Day School in New York City.

We have a special blessing for you: ‘ יברכך ה” -

“ וישמרך May G-d bless you and protect you”.

In Hebrew we say !שנה טובה - Have a very healthy

and happy New Year!

Fondly, The Students at Manhattan Day School



Rembrandt Van Rijn was born in Amsterdam in 1606. His greatest triumphs were marked by his self-portraits and illustra-

tions of scenes from the Bible. His depiction of his biblical scenes was very informative and his knowledge and friendship with Am-

sterdam’s Jewish population helped him in his research for his paintings.

But among the 2300 works by Rembrandt, 90% of them are self-portraits. No other artist is known to have represented him-

self so frequently. Although his life had much tragedy, his artwork always soared to great heights.

In these portraits by the 6th grade art students, digital photos of them were used instead of a mirror like Rembrandt em-

ployed, and the students learned shading only by making careful observations of the lights and darks on their facial photos. The natu-

ral shading is more obvious and exaggerated on a photo and made it easier to recognize. The students were able to see the textures in

the hair, the glint in the eye, the color of their iris, and the highlights on their face. The whole key to drawing begins with making

careful observations and not just looking, but seeing. Tempera paint and colored pencils were used for added depth and dimension.

Background effects and color were their choice. Now that the students, “Know themselves”, we might try another portrait in the fu-

ture in a more modern style. Rembrandt would be proud of these portraits and so are we! Mazal tov for a wonderful job! The works

are on display in the first floor corridor for you to enjoy.

Art of the Rembrandt Portrait By Linda Kastner, [email protected]

Remaining Afterschool Club Dates for the Fall Semester:

Mondays: December 31, January 7 and 14

Tuesdays: January 8 and 15

Wednesdays: January 2nd - Make up session for Magic and Crocheting only on January 9th

Thursdays: January 3 and 10

Fridays: January 4 and 11

The Spring Afterschool semester will start the week of February 4th. The Afterschool booklet will be

mailed to you before the winter break. The Spring schedule is the same as the Fall, however we added a

Shakespeare club and a Readers Writers club for 4-6th Graders.

Visit the Afterschool Clubs page on our website for more information!



Committee Updates: Security Committee By Security Committee

From time to time, the MDS Messenger will use this new feature section to update our community about the many initiatives

that our Committees are involved in, led by our lay professionals. We are all invested in the school to make Manhattan Day School

the best place it can be.

Security Committee Update

In light of the recent tragedy in Newtown, CT, the Board of Directors created a Security Committee to study how MDS can further

improve the security of our children at our school. The Committee is Chaired by Ilan Bracha and includes Ariel Ackerman, Arnaud

Ajdler, Jack Halpern, Micah Halpern, and Ludy Michaelin. The committee recently toured the facilities with Executive Director Rob-

ert Insel and began discussing some new ideas. We were quite impressed by our tour and what we learned. The school has done a

great job of thoughtfully thinking about our security needs from security guards to camera placement. In addition, as outlined in a

previous email to the parents, the school maintains a significantly tighter lock down schedule during normal business hours. We are

also in the process of installing a number of additional digital security cameras. Despite the strength of our current security systems

and operations, we are always looking for further improvements and enhancements. The Security Committee looks forward to updat-

ing you regularly on its efforts. In the meantime, we would like to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or concerns,

please email any of us individually at the following email addresses:

Ilan Bracha – [email protected], Ariel Ackerman – [email protected],

Arnaud Ajdler – [email protected], Jack Halpern – [email protected]

Micah Halpern - [email protected], Ludy Michaelin - [email protected]

Could the Civil War Have Been Prevented? By Susan Kurnit, [email protected]

The deadliest

war in United States

history was the Civil

War, when the North

fought to keep the union

together and the South

fought for its right to

independence. More

than 500,000 people lost

their lives in the long

conflict. Could this trag-

edy have been prevent-

ed? The 8th grade Social

Studies classes will put

the key players on trial

to determine who

caused the Civil War?

They have just finished

studying the differences

in development between

the North and South and

how each had their own

economy and their own

ideas about how the

government should be

run.

The 7th grade is studying the French and Indian War, and why some historians refer to it as the “war that made America.”

The war ended in 1763. Thirteen years later the colonists declared their independence from Britain. What caused the change in the

colonists’ attitude, when just a decade earlier they considered themselves British citizens? How did leaders who pushed for independ-

ence convince the colonists to go along with them? Students will be writing propaganda poems and songs to push the Patriots cause.

Stay tuned for the best poems and the results of the 8th grade trials.

mailto:[email protected]








Meeting a Gadol, Rav Yitzchak Sheiner By Rabbi Avi Genack, [email protected]

I remember standing at the Siyum Hashas in Metlife stadi-

um, along with another 90,000 of our Jewish brethren, when sudden-

ly a surprise visitor from Israel took to the podium, and the crowd

went wild; it was the brilliant and humble Torah scholar R’ Yitzchak

Sheiner. His sweet humbleness and pleasant humor drew in the

crowd, and all fell in love, with the elder (92 year old) Rosh Haye-

shiva of Kaminetz of Jerusalem, and Member of the Moetzes G’dolei

Hatorah (the select group of Torah sages involved in creating policy

in the religious world in Israel).

Late last week, I discovered that Rav Yitzchak would be

visiting the Upper West Side, and truly through help from Above, in

only a few minutes we had a meeting arranged between the students

of MDS middle school and the great Rosh Hayeshiva.

Our students gathered in the West Side Kollel to await the

meeting. The Rosh Hayeshiva was delayed; however, to the praise

of our students, many boys happily joined the Sports Night program

which occurs every Saturday night, the boys sat and learned Torah,

enjoyed pizza and raffles, and continued on to play ball.

Finally word came that the Rosh Hayeshiva would soon be

returning to his host’s home (Rabbi Shlomo Gottesman), and the

boys immediately stopped their ball playing and rushed to meet one

of the world’s gedolim.

We entered and the Rosh Hayeshiva was sitting at the head

of the table, as we took chairs around the dining room. What an ex-

citement was felt: the Rosh Hayeshiva stopped his busy schedule,

and made us feel as if he had all the time in the world for us. What-

ever our request he granted. We asked him to tell us a little of his

life story, and he told of his youthful days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-

nia, where he attended public school, and did not wear a Kippah.

Until one day he met a man that suggested that he try out a Yeshiva.

Though the idea was totally foreign, and young Yitzchak did not

even know there were Yeshivos in America, he traveled to New

York and fell in love with Torah study, achieving much in a short

period of time.

The Rosh Hayeshiva exhorted us to reach out to others, as had been done to him, one man reached out to a boy in Pittsburgh,

and brought the world the great R’ Yitzchak Sheiner! He told us that it is not acceptable to say another’s business is not my business,

all Jews are one, and we are obligated to everyone. The Rosh Hayeshiva ended by inviting us all to his home for a Shabbos meal

when we next came to Israel. The Wildes actually took him up on his offer, and you could see R’ Yitzchak’s joy. Throughout the

evening, one could sense the Rosh Hayeshiva’s love for us all, and his total humility.

After the inspiring words, we lined up and had a chance to get individual blessings from the Rosh Hayeshiva, and to

schmooze a little. Finally we asked the R’ Yitzchak if we could take a group picture with him, and he said of course, but could we

please send him a copy. What a thrill and inspiration it was to hear from such a great man, from such an inspiring Jew.



How Do Sailboats Stay Afloat? By Jim DeCarle, [email protected]

Kindergarteners have been learning about weather in science class. A few weeks ago, they constructed sailboats by using

a milk carton, a paper sail and wooden mast. Their boats were then tested in water by adding weights to them and blowing them

across the water by using a fan.

We constructed weather instruments to measure wind speed and temperature. Recently students made a model of a ther-

mometer and designed a spinner to measure the strength of winds.

The students are now learning about primary and secondary colors. Last week, they constructed color wheels to mix primary

colors and next week will test a variety of ways to blend colors. After that, students will do an investigation of color chromatog-

raphy and separate the color pigments.



What Does “Hibernate” Mean? By Lynette Heller, [email protected] and Mira Banin, [email protected]

Winter is always such a special time and

there are so many wonderful things to see inside

the classroom. There are mittens, winter hats,

snowflakes and snowmen, hanging around. The

children are also learning that some animals sleep

all winter long and only wake up in the Spring.

The word we use for that is “hibernate”. Toddlers

have their very own special cave with a sleeping

bear inside and it is so much fun for the children to

pretend to be sleeping bears as well. Lying quietly

on the rug and pretending to snore is so much fun!

Occupational Therapy Corner By Abby Skoff MS, OTR/L, [email protected]

General Tips for Proper Positioning During Computer and Table Top Work:

Below are some tips for students, for healthy positioning, while performing computer tasks and tabletop work.

Computer Work:

Monitor and keyboard should be positioned directly in front

Top of the computer monitor should be at or slightly below eye level

Forearms should be parallel to the keyboard

Lower back should be supported

Feet should rest flat on the floor

There should be no glare on the monitor

Make sure to take stretch breaks!

Table or Desk Top School Work:

Sit at a desk with feet flat on the ground

Sit with back supported

Work in a well lit, glare free area

Work in a clutter free area to limit distractions

Make sure to take stretch breaks!

Box Tops Contest!

Which class will win an ice cream party?

Submit your box tops by Next Thursday, January 3rd to Sharon Newman in the educational office

with your child’s name and class.

Contact Tova with any questions, [email protected]



Commemorating עשרה בטבת By Adina Laury, [email protected]

After learning about Asara B'Tevet, the

students in Room 301 set out to build their very

own 'sieges' of Yerusalayim. Materials such as

building blocks and math counting blocks were

used to create Batei Mikdash and walls of

Yerushalayim, as well as soldiers guarding the

walls like the Bavlim did during the siege. We

learned about how Asara B'Tevet was the first step

leading to the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash,

and why a siege is so problematic. The 'sieges'

were very creative and really helped us envision

the position of Bnei Yisrael during the original

Asara B'Tevet siege.

Can You Be דן לכף זכות? By Adina Laury, [email protected]

Dan Lekaf Zechut (Judging others fa-

vorably) is the Middah of the Month for Tevet in

Room 407. This month's presenters, Leah

(Louise) Ashear and Sara (Sharon) Chehebar

created a beautiful poster and a fun game of 'Are

you smarter than a 5th grader?' using examples

of situations that one can judge favorably. In

addition, each student wrote an original comic of

a Dan Lekaf Zechut story and shared it with the

class.

Jewish Sports Legends: Max “Slats” Zaslofsky By Tyler Fischman, 3A

Max Zaslofsky was born in Brooklyn on December 7, 1925. With all the attention to such

young basketball stars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the success of Max Zaslofsky should

not go unrecognized. Max Zaslofsky entered professional basketball at age 21 where he led the league

(then called the Basketball Association of America, or BAA, which later became the NBA) in scoring

-- he was the youngest scoring leader ever in professional basketball, a record broken only by Kevin

Durant who became the youngest scoring champion in 2010. He was a hard worker, practicing 5-6

hours each day on the New York City playground courts. He attended high school in Brooklyn and

played college basketball in St. Johns. He left college to support his family and played his first games

as a professional for the Chicago Stags. He was the Stags best player and was named to the league’s

first team All-Star roster -- he was the youngest player to receive such a selection until LeBron James

was voted as a first team All-Star 40 years later. Zaslofsky went on to play for the New York Knicks

and several other teams before retiring in 1956 as the NBA’s third highest all-time scorer. In 1983,

Zaslofsky was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame where he received the Gold-

en Pillar Award. It is one of the highest honor in Jewish sports. Max died on October 15, 1985 as one

of basketball’s greatest players, but never fully recognized as the star that he was. I hope to use this

column to bring attention to other Jewish athletes who we can (and should) be very proud of.



Hall of Fame Winners for December: 4G! By Alli Kert, [email protected]

At the start of the school year, Manhattan Day School launched our Hall of Fame initiative for students in grades 1-5. The

goal of this initiative is to encourage our students to show respect for themselves, their peers, and our school, by demonstrating cour-

teous behavior in our hallways. We asked our students what this means to them, and they helped guide the development of this pro-

gram. They believed that it is important for their fellow students to speak softly, walk slowly, and use kind words. We agreed, and the

Hall of Fame initiative was born. Our faculty watches our students closely to help determine which class should be highlighted as

each month’s Hall of Fame honorees. The class that is being honored for the month of December consistently demonstrated the be-

haviors that we believe help to create an environment of respect, fairness, and integrity.

We are proud to salute the students in Ms. Goodstone’s, Morah Rendler’s and Morah Ilana’s 4G class, winners of the De-

cember Hall of Fame contest: Sarah Altman, Galia Atik, Sarah Dean, Rachel Debora, Rachel Dubizh, Isabel Elmann, Shoshana Ep-

stein, Avital Feuerstein, Atara Friedman, Ruthi Gerber, Yonina Grauer, Rachel Halpern, Noa Klein, Ariella Mero, Alexandra Posner,

Tova Robinson, Tehila Robinson, Yehudit Rogosnitzky, Yvonne Rosenthal, Rachel Saad, Rose Saad, Zehava Sanders, Daniella

Schreiber, Ariella Shloush, Hannah Skydell, Victoria Sopher, Mia Spira, Emilee Srulowitz, Michaela Steinerman, Tehila Strulowitz,

and Rivka Yellin. Congratulations! We’ll continue to watch all of our classes closely for next month’s honorees.



8G Devar Torah Project: VaYechi Submitted by Bethany Strulowitz, [email protected]; Devar Torah written by Rachel Lubitz, 8G

In Melachim Aleph, we once discussed why a parent must rebuke his child. If you

don’t punish your children, the consequences could be fatal. If you pay attention, you will

understand why I believe this relates to Parshat VaYechi.

In the beginning of this week’s parsha, Yaakov was living the final seventeen years

of his life. He was 130 years old. He made Yoseph vow to bury him in Canaan, in Israel,

because he wanted to be with his ancestors.

Yoseph had two sons, Menashe and Ephraim. He took them to Yaakov, who was ill.

Yaakov said that he would tell them when Mashiach would come. Everyone was waiting ex-

citedly to hear him reveal the future, but all he said was that Hashem came and told him that

Yaakov would multiply greatly, so he blessed Yoseph’s two sons with his hands as equivalent

to his own. We all know the famous pasuk, “Hamalach Hago’el Oti....” It means: “May the

angel who has delivered me from all harm bless these boys. May they carry on my name and

the names of my fathers, Avraham and Yitzchak, and may they grow into a multitude on

earth.” This was the pasuk that was used to bless them. It made them into two separate enti-

ties.

It says that Yaakov was meant to tell his sons when Mashiach would come, but did-

n’t. Why not? The sages say that Hashem prohibited Yaakov from telling, despite the fact that

he was so excited. However, there is a second explanation that can follow along with the first

one.

We know that we bring Mashiach if we really put the effort to perfect ourselves.

Mashiach is probably ready for us, but since we aren’t perfect, we aren’t ready for him. When

Yaakov was giving his sons the blessings, he actually was telling them how Mashiach would come. He was explaining the force they

had together to perfect the world. This shows us that we all have the power to bring about Mashiach, but we just need to know how to

use it properly.

Yaakov blessed his sons, telling them what sort of tribes they would produce. Yehuda would create leaders, Yissachar would

have intellectuals, Zevulun would make sailors, Shimon would bear teachers and he and Levi would be scattered around Yisrael. Gad

would have soldiers, Reuven wouldn’t succeed, Asher would be rich, and Dan would create judges. Yaakov also blessed three sons

individually, blessing Naftali with the speed of a deer, Binyamin the strength of a wolf, and Yoseph with beauty and many children.

It says that Reuven, Levi, and Shimon were being punished, despite the fact that they were supposed to be blessed. How

come they weren’t rewarded with gifts? In the beginning, I said that not punishing a child could lead to terrible consequences. I be-

lieve that these pun-

ishments were actual-

ly blessings, because

if a child is not set

straight and taught

properly, he won’t

succeed in life. This

still applies to us to-

day.

When Yaa-

kov died, they took

him and various oth-

ers to Eretz Yisrael,

where he was buried.

Yoseph even-

tually died at the age

of 110, and was later

buried in Yisrael

when the Jews re-

turned with Yehoshua.

Before Yoseph died,

he made sure that eve-

ryone understood that

G-d would always

remember them and

bring them to Yisrael.



Parsha Challenge: VaYechi By Rabbi Binyamin Yablok, Associate Principal, [email protected], based on questions from Congregation Rinat Yisrael in Teaneck, New Jersey

1. (a) Why is Vayechi “setuma” (no open space in the Sefer Torah after the previous parasha) (2 reasons)? (b) How does the

word “vayechi” tell us the number of good years, without suffering, that Ya’akov lived? (c) In what chronological order did 3

avot and 4 imahot die? (d) Why did Ya’akov (1) insist on not being buried in Mitzrayim (8 views)? (2) make Yosef swear to

not bury him there (2 views)? (Bereishit 47:28-31)

1. (a) (1) At Ya’akov’s death, Bnei Yisrael’s hearts “closed” when their road to slavery began; (2) Ya’akov wanted to reveal ultimate

redemption, but Hashem “sealed” his access to prophecy (Rashi). (b) Vayechi’s gematria is 34 – Ya’akov lived 34 trouble-free years –

17 from Yosef’s birth till his sale, and 17 from his reuniting with Yosef till he died (Ba’al haTurim). (c) (1) Sarah; (2) Avraham; (3)

Rivka; (4) Rachel; (5) Leah; (6) Yitzchak; (7) Ya’akov (Seder Olam). (d) (1) He (i) foresaw the plague of lice, that would swarm un-

der his body; (ii) did not want to suffer rolling underground to Eretz Yisrael before techiyat ha-maytim; (iii) did not want the Mitzrim

to worship his tomb (Rashi). (iv) feared that his burial in Mitzrayim would make Bnei Yisrael consider Mitzrayim their homeland, not

a temporary residence (Kli Yakar). (v) wanted his merit to protect Bnei Yisrael when they returned to Cana’an; (vi) feared his burial

in Mitzrayim would spare the Mitzrim, through his merit, from the 10 plagues (Midrash haGadol). (vii) wanted to be together with the

other avot in Me’orat haMachpeila and arise together with them (R. Bechaya). (viii) knew that Eretz Yisrael’s soil would atone for his

sins (Torah Temima). (2) (i) The oath fortified Yosef’s hand with Pharaoh – if Pharaoh refused to let Yosef go to Chevron, Yosef

could argue that he could not violate his oath to his father (Ramban). (ii) Ya’akov thought that Yosef might be upset that Rachel was

not buried in Me’orat haMachpeila and would not follow through on Ya’akov’s request (Bereishit Raba).

2. (a) What was the “kehal amim” (congregation of nations) that Hashem promised Ya’akov? (b) Did dividing Yosef into 2

shevatim affect Eretz Yisrael’s division by sheivet (2 views)? (c) Why did Ya’akov cross his hands to bless Efrayim and

Menashe (2 views)? (Bereishit 48:4,6,14)

2. (a) Hashem promised in Bereishit 35:11, “a goy (nation) and a kehal goyim (congregation of nations)” would descend from

Ya’akov – the “goy” refers to Binyamin, and the “kehal goyim” refers to Efrayim and Menashe, whom he was about to bless (Rashi).

(b) (1) No – since the size of each sheivet’s land depended on its population size that left Mitzrayim, splitting Yosef’s population into

2 shevatim did not affect the amount of land each sheivet got (Rashi). (2) Yes – the shevatim got equal portions of land, with Yosef’s

shevatim getting 2 portions (Ramban). (c) (1) Since Ya’akov knew that Efrayim would rise to a higher leadership level, he placed his

“superior” right hand on him; (2) Ya’akov wanted to honor both grandsons by having Menashe on his right side but placing his right

hand on Efrayim (Chizkuni).

3. (a) Why did Ya’akov (1) say that Rachel died “עלי” (on me) (3 reasons)? (2) not bury her in Me’orat haMachpeila (4

reasons)? (b) Why do we bless our sons saying that Hashem should make them like Efrayim and Menashe (2 reasons)?

(Bereishit 48:7,20)

3. (a) (1) (i) It is the husband who primarily feels his wife’s loss (Sanhedrin 22b). (ii) Of all of his troubles, Rachel’s death hurt him

most (Midrash haGadol). (iii) He felt his curse caused her death when Lavan confronted him about the terafim (Medrash Lekach Tov).

(2) (i) He buried her on the road near Beit Lechem when he foresaw that Bnei Yisrael would walk on that road to galut after the first

churban, and Rachel’s spirit would plead to Hashem (Yirmiyahu 31:15) for their quick return (Rashi). (ii) Since a woman dying in

childbirth – covered with blood – must be buried immediately, he did not wait (Shabbat 23b). (iii) He was ashamed of burying 2 sis-

ters in Me’orat haMachpeila since he foresaw that Vayikra 18:18 would ban marrying 2 sisters, permitting his 1st marriage to Leah,

but not his 2nd to Rachel – he wanted to avoid shaming her; (iv) when he saw prophetically that Beit Lechem would be in Yehuda’s

territory, he buried Rachel near Efrat, in her son Binyamin’s territory (Ramban). (b) (1) We ask Hashem that our sons be like Efrayim

and Menashe, who got along without jealousy or hatred, unlike Avraham’s, Yitzchak’s and Ya’akov’s sons, who could not live to-

gether (Rashi). (2) Although Efrayim and Menashe were raised in a rich, powerful family in galut, they remained loyal to Hashem,

despite the prevailing culture’s foreign influences and daily temptations (Hirsch).

4. (a) Why did Ya’akov rebuke Reuven, Shimon and Levi? (b) Why did the bechora transfer from Reuven to Yosef, as stated

in 1 Divrei haYamim 5:1 (2 views)? (c) Since all his sons were full or half-brothers, why did Ya’akov say, “Shimon and Levi

are brothers”? (d) (1) Why was Yehuda selected for kingship (4 reasons)? (2) How was the prophecy “the kingship shall not

depart from Yehuda” true when (i) Shaul from Sheivet Binyamin was king, and (ii) the Chashmonayim from Sheivet Levi

were kings? (Bereishit 49:3-12)

4. (a) To establish that the kingship would go to Yehuda’s offspring, Ya’akov rebuked Yehuda’s older brothers as being unworthy of

royalty (Abarbanel). (b) (1) When Ya’akov married Leah, he thought he had married Rachel, and Rachel’s firstborn (Yosef) should

have been Ya’akov’s bechor – he gave Yosef the bechora destined for him (Ralbag). (2) Ya’akov himself would have fathered

Efrayim and Menashe had Reuven not transposed his couch in the matter of Bilha – Ya’akov punished Reuven and gave Yosef the

bechor’s double portion (Arizal). (c) Shimon and Levi harbored the same thoughts in avenging Dinah and instigating Yosef’s kidnap-

ping (Rashi). (d) (1) (i) His brothers saw his leadership qualities without the jealousy they had for Yosef; (ii) he was successful in all

he undertook; (iii) he established peace among his brothers; (iv) he carried himself in a royal, dignified manner (Abarbanel). (2) (i)

The prophecy regarding Yehuda’s kingship began with David haMelech, after Shaul died; (ii) while the Chashmonayim were kings,

the Sanhedrin was always headed by an offspring of David (Abarbanel).



The MDS Parents Council Thanks You!

The MDS Parent Council Wants to Thank You!

A very special thank you to Eta Kliger (Daniella Schreiber, 4G)

for selling MDS Merchandise in the lobby! We’re so grateful for all your help.

Also, congratulations to the following students for winning a 16 Handles gift card in our Winning

Wednesday lunchtime raffle. Enjoy!

Ariella Kaplan (2C) David Sopher (6B)



Challah Baking Project, 1/4/13



Boys Melaveh Malkah, 2/16/13

Save the Date!

Annual Father, Son, Grandfather

Melave Malkah

4th-8th Grade Boys

February 16th, 2013



Order Mishloach Manot with MDS!



Upcoming Events...

5.5.13

Get

ready…



MDS Afterschool Clubs - Now Online!

The Spring Afterschool Club info and registration is now available on the MDS website!

Contact Ester Gruenberger-Kelen, Afterschool Program Director, [email protected], with any questions.



Manhattan Day School

310 West 75th Street

New York, New York

Tel: 212-376-6800

Fax: 212-376-6389

www.mdsweb.org

Tel: 212-673-3066

Fax: 212-376-6389

Email all articles and graphics

to Yehudit Robinson,

Director of

Educational Technology,

[email protected]

…

Thank you for keeping our school

a nut-aware environment.

Please join our daily parent

tehillim group which meets in the

library at 8:15 AM.

In the MDS Family...

Mazal tov to former MDS teacher Naftali

Herrmann ‘95 on his engagement to Shani

Jensen!

Mazel Tov to Rabbi Yosie and Rachel Lev-

ine and Akiva (K5B) on the birth of a baby

boy.

Mazal tov to Robert Insel, Executive Direc-

tor, on the birth of a grandson to Jessica and

Sam Ritter (baby pictured on right).

Mazal tov to Eva and Gary Berkowitz on the

bar mitzvah of their son Jacob at the kotel

(pictured on right).

We regret to inform you of the passing of

former MDS Hebrew Assistant Principal

Mrs. Dora Reich, a”h, mother of MDS alum-

ni Lewis ‘62 and Toby ‘66. Shiva has con-

cluded. May the family be comforted among

the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim. If

you have memories of Mrs. Dora Reich

a”h that you would like to share, please

email [email protected] so we can

include them in an article that will be pub-

lished in next week’s Messenger.

We regret to inform you of the passing of

George Arch z”l, father of MDS parent, Sa-

brina Ascher and grandfather of Jeremy (6B)

and Isabelle ‘12. Sabrina will sit shiva

through Monday morning at 215 West 88th

St. Shiva times: Saturday night - 6:30pm-

10:00pm and Sunday and Monday - 9:00am-

10:00pm. To honor the memory of George

Arch, z”l, we will be collecting money for the MDS Library Fund. To participate,

you may make an online donation or you may send in your contribution to Daphne

in the Business Office. The family will be informed of all contributions. May the

family be comforted among the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim.

We regret to inform you of the passing of Melia (Mimi) Khafif bat Olga a”h, sister

of MDS parent, Joseph Cohen and Aunt of MDS students Morris (N4B), Jack (3C),

and Ezra (5B) Cohen. Both the levaya and shiva will be held in Brazil. Notes of

condolence may be sent to the Cohens at: 220 East 65th, #22G, New York, NY

10065 or you may email them at [email protected]. To honor the memory

of Melia (Mimi) Khafif bat Olga a”h, we will be collecting money for the MDS

Library Fund. If you would like to participate, you may make an online dona-

tion or you may send in your contribution to Daphne in the Business Office. The

family will be informed of all contributions. May the family be comforted among

the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim.

Documents

MDS Messenger December 28, 2012