Aug 14 - Masada College

from the RabbiLighting 5.05pm Shabbat ends6.05pmParashat RE’EH 5769In our Parasha this week we are taught thelaws of charity - tzedaka. The verse reads,“You shall surely open your hand unto him andshall surely lend him sufficient for his needwhich he lacks.”We see from this verse that there is more tocharity than just throwing some coins. Oneneeds to know what the person lacks and try tocover enough for his needs. A difficult level ofcharity indeed!I came across the following insight regardingtreating a poor person that will change the wayyou view the act of tzedaka.The author of the Beit HaLevi writes the following,that when a person gives charity it is notonly the mitzvah of giving, but one is also fulfillingLove Your neighbour as your self. Thusthrough your act of charity you are involved ina mitzvah. And thus one doesn’t just throw themoney or hand over the money.One needs to treat the person as an object ofmitzvah as the same way as, for example, anetrog. When one holds the etrog one is verycareful to ensure that one does the mitzvahproperly. One holds the etrog gently ensuringthat the pitom is not broken.Mazal TovOn behalf of students and staff, we extend ahearty Mazal Tov to Caroline Eisman (SeniorSchool – HSIE) on her marriage to Ben Bolot.One even kisses the etrog as a sign of love forthe mitzvah that one is about to do. Eventhough after the festival, the etrog loses itssanctity. One is not allowed to treat the etrogwith disrespect.So too with the poor person one is about tofulfill the mitzvah of tzedakka. The poor personneeds to be treated at least at the same levelas one treats an etrog. It is forbidden to implyany disrespect to him. In fact the Beit Haleviconcludes his words with the following: “Sotoo, the poor person at the time that onegives him, it is forbidden to give him in adisrespectful manner, for that is a BIBLI-CAL PROHIBITION!!!!!”As we head into the month of Elul - A time ofintrospection- one needs to focus on the waywe treat our fellows when they are need. Dowe treat them at least as an etrog when theyare in trouble? Of course that is the lowestlevel that is demanded of us.So the next time you are asked to help,whether it be financial, time or other, realisethat you are engaging in the performance of amitzvah.“You shall surely open your hand unto himand shall surely lend him sufficient for hisneed which he lacks.”Shabbat ShalomRabbi LewinMazel Tov to Erin Sandler, Year 11, for heroutstanding results in her HSC Trials (TAFE)for Dance, where she achieved close to fullmarks in each section of the exam.BirthsWe extend congratulations to Glen and KatherineBarkhan on the safe arrival of a baby girl.Mazeltov to Jordan Koder,Year 10, for beingamongst the top 10% of entrants in the SydneyMorning Herald Young Writer of the Year competition.We wish him the best of luck as hisentry moves into the second round.We also wish Nicola Shear Mazeltov and allthe best as she moves into the next round ofthe Legacy Public Speaking Competition.CondolencesOn behalf of the Masada family we extend ourcondolences to the Florence family on thepassing of Nikki Florence’s mother and grandmotherto Joseph, Alex, Ryan and Adam on 7August.On behalf of the Masada staff and students weextend our deepest condolences to the Breslerfamily on the sudden passing of Sharon’smother and grandmother to Ryan and Jade .2

College PrincipalLast Friday 15 students and their teacher,Michal, arrived from the Arava to begin theirtwo week Australian visit. The Arava visitorsare in Sydney for 10 days and already our studentsand the billeting families have enjoyedlearning about their lifestyles, which are inmany ways so different to ours. Students aresuddenly realising the value of their Hebrewlessons and are even asking their billets toteach them new vocabulary. Such exchangesbring classroom lessons to life and give Israeland Hebrew studies an immediacy that cannever be duplicated in regular class time. Wehope this inspires our students to visit Israel inthe near future.After two years’ studies Lauren Satill, Year 9,participated in the NSW Bible Quiz competitionon Sunday. After a lengthy written paper, followedby a two hour quiz, Lauren was placedthird in the State. The judges commended allthe contestants, noting that the lowest scorethis year surpassed the top score in 2008. Welldone to Lauren and thank you to Mrs RivkaCohen who taught Lauren. It would be wonderfulto see more students entering into the program,which is not about winning but aboutlearning and the discipline of learning over anextended period.This week the Year 11’s commenced the firstof our Jewish Studies camps. Much planninghas gone into the camps both by our local andIsraeli madrichim. I visited the camp on its firstday and already, within hours, the ruach andenthusiasm of the students to discuss andlearn was palpable. We look forward to ourstudents in Years 11, 10 and 9 returning enrichedand inspired by their camp experiences.I enjoyed seeing and hearing about many ofour Masada students and families running inthis year’s City to Surf race. Well done to theYear 11 March of the Living students whochose to run for an Israeli cause, Save aChild’s Heart and raised over $1,000.00 in doingso.Earlier in the year the crew from ABC television’sCompass programme, filmed during ourmorning prayers as Daniel Coppel and GabieOsie presented their pre Bar Mitzvah service.This will be shown on ABC this Sunday, 16August at 9.30pm.Our students are well known for their communitymindedness and it is very pleasing to seethe Charity Committee moving into the NorthShore Chesed program which involves them insupporting our members of the community intheir time of need. Last week several studentsbaked and then delivered meals to such familiesand more are lined up to help out withbabysitting and a variety of other services. Iwould like to thank Mrs Bresler for followingthrough on this great initiative.Shabbat ShalomWendy BarelArava Visit Year 103

Head of Junior SchoolCongratulations to our Year 5 and 6 representativedebaters on their efforts in last Friday’sdebates against students from St Aloysius.Our students argued their respective casesskilfully with a result of one win and one loss.Special thanks to Mrs Stuart for adjudicatingthe debates. Our next debates are against studentsfrom Oxford Falls on Friday 28 August atMasada.Congratulations to Claudia Azoulay on havinghad her entry in a photographic competitionchosen to be displayed in the National Galleryof Victoria in the Salvador Dali Exhibition.Apologies are extended to Gabriel Wilensky foran error in last fortnight’s Shofar. Gabriel wasthis year’s joint Senior Boy’s Athletics Champion.Well done Gabriel!Last Sunday’s Preschool Pyjama Party provedto be a very enjoyable occasion. The childrencertainly enjoyed the “Bop til You Drop” programand the delicious supper. Special thanksto Mrs Karen Lasarow for her organisation ofthis event.On Thursday of this week, a representative ofThe Australian Youth Choir visited our schoolto inform students in Year 1-6 about opportunitiesto audition for this prestigious choir. Ourspecial Preschool Shabbat Lunch will be heldon Friday 14 August. We thank Morah Matiand our Preschool staff for their preparation ofthis activity.During this term the Junior School will hold aSkip-a-thon. The Skip-a-thon will be launchedduring the coming week with a skipping demonstrationbeing presented to our children bystudents from Pymble Public School.A number of our Year 3-6 students will participatein the 2009 ICAS Mathematics Competitionon Wednesday 19 August.Over the next week a number of our teacherswill participate in some valuable professionaldevelopment activities. These include involvementin the AIS “Beyond Basics” Conference,an IT conference focussing on using InteractiveWhiteboards and two visits of staff to Bialikto develop our school’s application of Cultureof Thinking.Our school will celebrate Book Week fromMonday 24 August when guest author, DeborahAbela, will visit our school.Photograph Day for our school’s representativegroups will be held on Tuesday 25 August. Weextend best wishes to our representative athleteswho will compete in the 2009 HICES AthleticsCarnival at Homebush on Wednesday 26August.We were thrilled last week to welcome to Masadatwo special guests from Canada whoworked with our Jewish Studies and Hebrewteachers on the teaching of the Tal Am Program.Our Kindergarten children will participate in anexciting excursion to Taronga Zoo on Thursday27 August.Finally, I wish to thank the many people whohave conveyed their best wishes to me as Iprepare to leave Masada College at the end ofthis term. Also, my congratulations and bestwishes go to Miss White and Miss Lane asthey move into new leadership roles from thecommencement of Term 4Shabbat ShalomDavid StaplesTerm 3 staff changesWe extend a special welcome to our new staff members at the Senior School. Mrs Bronwyn Dickinsonwho will replace Mrs Pamela Ross as Assistant to Head of the Senior School and Shofar Coordinator.Welcome also to Mrs Christine Shaw, Assistant Business Administration.Term 4 staff changesWe are pleased to be able to confirm that when Ms White and Ms Lane take on their new roles inTerm 4, they will continue with their current teaching roles. Both Ms Lane and Ms White love being inthe classroom and they will ,in 2010, continue to have the same ratio of teaching/administration loadsas this year.4

Student AchievementsJunior SchoolSTUDENT OF THE WEEKWeek 2: David Cohen – 3NWeek 3: Adam Coppel – 3GNoticesGuest StudentsFrom time to time students have relatives or friends from interstate or overseas visitingthem and make requests for their visitors to spend a day, or part thereof, with them at theCollege.Unfortunately this can be quite disruptive to lessons and has other logistical implications soit is College Policy that we will not be able to accommodate guest students.Shofar advertising datesThe cut-off for the submission of copy for the Shofar are by COB on thefollowing dates. Late submissions will not be accepted.26 August 4 November9 September 18 November23 September 2 DecemberPhotos are required in PDF or Jpeg form. If you require any furtherinformation please don’t hesitate to contact:Bdickinson@masada.nsw.edu.auUniform ShopThree unnamed boys blazers and 3 unnamed school bags havelanded up in the Uniform Shop via lost property.If they belong to you could you please collect them.5

Events Past and FutureThredbo Ski Camp 2009Blue skies, snow flurries, groomed slopes, wonderful children, great food, sleepless nights, snowballfights, snowmen, snow angels, thrills and spills. What more to say………….6

Events Past and FuturePASS CampYear 9 and 10 ElectiveOn Saturday night 1 August, Masada’s sportsscience (PASS) elective students left for aWinter Survival Camp at the Snowy Mountains.Arriving at Jindabyne in the early hours of themorning, we had a quick breakfast then off toPerisher to start our adventures.The purpose of the camp was to experiencesurvival and management strategies in the frozenback country of The Snowy Mountains. Onthe Sunday and Monday the groups participatedin snow shoeing, cross country skiing,igloo building and snow cave construction. Wefinished off on Tuesday with a day at Thredboresort with lessons in alpine and snowboarding.It was with reluctance that we headed back toSydney on Tuesday afternoon. The camp hadcertainly been exhausting and frustrating attimes but overall it was enormous FUN.Gina Abramowitz (Year 9)7

Department Reports—Senior SchoolSenior SchoolFor more information regardingCareers, please go to the MasadaWebsite:http://www.masada.nsw.edu.au/Content_Common/pg-careerspage.seoCareers News No 11 now on-lineKaren PiskInformal Jewish Studies / JewishLifeArava Visit Year 10This week we are hosting 15, Year 10 studentsfrom the Arava and their teacher Michal. Theyhave been chosen from the whole Year 10Arava group to be ambassadors from Israeland participate in the Partnership 2000 UIAprogram.These pupils prepare presentations in pairswhich reflect the life in the Arava which is oneof the most sparsely populated areas in theworld. They tell about the geographical features,conditions in the desert, agricultural productionetc. These are the third generation ofIsraeli who have chosen for ideological reasonsto live in such an environmentally challengingarea.After Sydney they go to Melbourne and spenda week at Bialik College. This is a rare opportunityfor our pupils to spend some quality timewith Israeli youth of their own age and creatememories which they will all cherish long afterthe event.We thank the Year 10 parents who have sogenerously hosted these young people. Oftenit is not easy to have yet another teenager inthe house, and we thank our young hosts forhaving been so hospitable and gracious in theirhospitality.I thank my Hebrew teachers as well as NevilleKaye for helping me to make this day so successful.Auryt JacobsonJewish StudiesOur Year 10 pupils spent the day with them atMasada on Monday and as well as watchingtheir presentation, produced their own presentationon life in Sydney to show our guests.They enjoyed making music together, playingsport and having a BBQ. Our only pity is thatwe are only able to enjoy this once every threeyears as they go to Moriah and Emanuel aswell.Department Reports—Junior SchoolJewish StudiesLast week was a very interesting week for theHebrew and Jewish Staff.On Monday the 3 August our Junior Schoolwelcomed two of the Tal Am Directors fromCanada. The students from Year 4 performedtheir Shabbat songs and it was wonderful tosee the visitors singing along with the children,songs from the Tal Am program. Two of theJewish Studies staff each presented a demonstrationlesson, Mati Glaser in Year 4 andRivka Cohen in Year 6. The teachers werevery impressive and the Tal Am ladies werevery happy with the level of Hebrew and knowledgeof our students.The rest of the day was spent talking and discussingassessment tasks across the grades.On Friday the 7 August we met at Moriah Collegewith the Tal Am Directors and other JewishDay School Hebrew and Jewish Studiesteachers.The in-service day concentrated on differentiationand assessment tasks. This proved beneficialfor teachers as they will be able to implementthese ideas in their own teaching.Jenny UdovichHebrew Coordinator8

Department Reports—Junior SchoolICAS Science CompetitionThe Junior School has received excellent resultsin the recent Science Competition.We are proud of all the participants and congratulatethe following students on theirachievement:Distinction: Bailey Myers, Dylan Giles-Manor,Daniel Lowy.Credit: Samantha Chazan, Adam Coppel,Jaden Fingleson, Jordan Milch, Jared Port,Yaron Saks, Zak Shofer, Daniel Stitz, RyanLorge, Jodi Velik, Adam Florence, Dylan Friedman,Justin Gordon, Lewis Hyman, GideonSacks.Jenny GordonGifted & Talented Co-ordinatorYear 2Year 3Year 4Year 5Year 6Rebecca MichelsJayse BergheimRan AviozAlexa SilberLisa CatzelClaudia LakofskiJoshua GinsbergRebecca TannenbaumAsher JacobsJodi VelikRyan LorgeJustin GordonNikki MichalowRyan BlockLewis HymanSRCWe would like to wish the following students ahearty Mazal Tov for being voted onto the StudentRepresentative Council for Semester 2.We are confident that these children will do awonderful job in choosing charities and in comingup with useful suggestions and ways toimprove their school environment.Avril Shear & Belinda LevyTeachers in charge of SRCMusicOn Tuesday the 4 August, all children from K-6attended a performance by “The Song Company”presented by Musica Viva.It was a huge success. The children were engagedand they interacted enthusiasticallythroughout the performance. It was clear to theperformers that the children knew the repertoirereally well and therefore enjoyed the performancethat much more. Because of thefabulous singers and the way they presentedthe songs, even the songs that the childrenheard for the first time, were well received andenjoyed by all. The repertoire ranged from the17 th Century through to today which goes toshow that children of today can enjoy classicalmusic if they are exposed to it in a creativemanner.All children in Years 2-4 are improving theirplaying skills on the recorder. On Tuesday 25August, a Mufti Day will be awarded to all childrenwho are able to play their pieces withoutmistakes. Each child will have an opportunity toperform for me once more next week. Pleaseencourage your child to play the recorder forfive minutes each day. Their progress will beremarkable. Perhaps they could perform foryou once they have practised for a few moresessions.Year 5 will be introduced to opera this term andalso to the treble/alto recorder. They will watchthe “Mikado” on DVD. I urge you to considertaking your child to a performance of the“Mikado” which is being performed in Augustand September in the Sydney Opera House.The next Twilight Concert is on September the2. If your child studies music outside of school,please let me know by the 19 August if theywish to perform in this concert.Feel free to contact me on:swallach@staff.masada.nsw.edu.auSheli WallachMusic Teacher9

Department Reports—Junior SchoolLibraryIt’s Term 3 which means it is Book Week thisterm. In order to celebrate Book Week we havea number of exciting activities happening in theJunior School Library this term.The theme for Book Week this year is “BookSafari”. As I am sure you have probably heardthrough your children, the Library is running itsown “Book Safari”. I have hidden five GoldenTickets in five fiction books in the library. If yourchild finds a Golden Ticket they have to bringthe ticket to me, answer ten questions aboutthe book to prove that they have read it andthen they win a chocolate feast lunch on thelast Wednesday of the term. The children areabsolutely delighted with this idea and haveresponded very positively. This week I havehad a record number of books borrowed!Please encourage your child to actually sitdown and read the books they have borrowedrather than just flick through them looking forthe Golden Ticket!This term Debra Abela the author of “The RemarkableAurelie Bonhoffen”, “Max Remy” and“Jasper Zamitt” is coming to speak to the childrenabout her books and her writing style. Shewill also run a writing workshop for our extensionYear 5 and 6 children. During library lessonsthis term we will be looking at some of thebooks that Debra has written.The girls will performafter prayers on aMonday morning soif you are in theschool pop in tohave a look at ourtalented actresses.Following BookWeek in Week 5 the Junior School will be havingits annual Book Fair in Week 6. The fair willrun on Tuesday 1 st September and Wednesday2 nd September. Books and Beyond will berunning the Book Fair and they will donate aproportion of the sale price to the school. Thismeans the more books sold the more moneythe school raises. Please make sure you markthe date in your diary and come along to theBook Fair.Following on from the Book Fair, the childrenwill be treated to a performance by Tony BonesProductions. The performance will be based onthe short listed book “Nobody Owns The Moon”by Tohby Riddle. The children love live performanceso I know they are looking forward tothis event.Finally, I am trying to decorate the library withsafari ideas. If you have any African animals orposters that you would like to lend to the libraryfor the term, they will be gratefully received.In keeping with our Book Safari theme, eachweek for the next four weeks a group of Year 5girls are performing small vinaigrettes basedon the book “Snake and Lizard” by Joy Crowley.Last weeks performance was met with avery enthusiastic response from the children.Happy Reading!Jane McLeodStudent Body— Senior SchoolPeer SupportAt the end of last term, Year 7 together with their Peer Support Leaders held alunch time BBQ in an effort to raise money for Year 7’s selected charity:RSPCA. With a poor student attendance on the day of the BBQ, hopes forraising a lot of money faded, but to our surprise an astounding $215 was collected!Well done to both the Year 7’s and Peer Support Leaders!Just a reminder that Homework Club is underway for those Year 7’s that needhelp with homework problems or studying for tests. Homework Club is onWednesday B week in room 22 from 3.45pm – 4.30pm.Shane Weinberg10

Department Reports—Junior SchoolPreschool Pyjama Party11

Sports ReportSenior SchoolAll information regarding after school sportis available on the Masada website under …Co-curricular activities -> Senior school ->Sport.Updated regularly.Cherie CullyYears 7 and 8 Athletics CarnivalAfter a bumpy start the junior high school athletics carnival was underway. Under blue skies and anabundance of spirit and energy the students participated in track and field events in preparation forthe HZSA carnival on Friday.The champions on the day were:BoyGirlJunior Champion Brandon Singer Michali AizenParticipation levels were outstanding and I am happy to announce the results of the carnival:Place House Points1 st Carmel 4062 nd Judah 2623 rd Sinai 2364 th Golan 21712

Sports Report—Junior SchoolOur apologies for the error in the last Shofar with regards to the Championship results from ourSchool Carnival. The Senior Boy Champions were Gabriel Wilensky and Daniel Katz (equal). Theresults, once again, were as follows:1 st Sinai 395 points2 nd Carmel 366 points3 rd Golan 314 points4 th Judah 266 pointsJunior Boy Champion:Junior Girl Champion:Runner Up:Senior Boy Champion:Senior Girl Champion:Runner Up:Josh Ginsberg & Aston Arenson (joint)Lisa CatzelLori FriedmanDaniel Katz & Gabriel Wilensky (joint)Nikki MichalowJaime ZworestineWe should also mention that a number of records were broken at the School Carnival. Hearty congratulationsto the following 4 students:Alex Oosthuizen 10yrs Girls High Jump 1.07m (previous record 1.05m)Josh Chazan 8yrs Boys High Jump 1.03m (previous record .92m)Lisa Catzel 9yrs Girls Discus 13.59m (previous record 11.68m)Jonathan Temple 11yrs Boys Discus 19.01m (previous record 17.73m)We wish our Athletics team well at the HICES Carnival which will be held at Homebush on Wednesday26 August.Julie Whitelaw & Kym EwinSport Co-ordinators13

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Community NoticesShofar guidelines for advertisingAdvertisements/flyers about upcoming events are accepted from local Council andmembers of Jewish communal institutions.Advertisements are considered from interested parties selling goods if the proceeds go to a charity.Community members (parents) may submit ads such as ‘house to let’, ‘babysitter needed’,the cost is $10.00 per ad, and the proceeds go the PA.NO ads will be accepted from anyone/business which is a profit making venture.PAID ADVERTISING IS ALSO AVAILABLE16

Community NoticesMandelbaum EventsSun 30 August 7:30pm —”Is there a Jewish View ofChristianity?”Sunday 6 Sep 7:30pm —”Is there a Jewish View of Islam?”Sunday 13 Sep 7:30pm —”Is there a Jewish View of Hinduismand Buddhism?”For further information on the above please visit our websiteon www.mandelbaum.usyd.edu.auUnlocking the Mahzor—Rabbi David FreedmanAug 19 & 26, Sep 2 & 9. For further details contact nwinton@mandelbaum.usyd.edu.auAdvertise in Masada’s community newsletterWe are now taking paid advertising in our fortnightly publication,the Shofar, commencing Term 3.To place an advertisement see the attached form, or go to the Masadawebsite and click ‘Newsletter’ – then click on the‘classified advertisement form’.17

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ClassifiedsFor SaleBlock of Land,Ski Resort in JapanRusutsu, Hokkaido, ski to liftsCall Stuart, 0414 928 93020

Classifieds21