Cro n Prints THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF IDA CROWN JEWISH ACADEMY SINCE 1992 Ida Crown Jewish Academy December 2011 Advocates for Israel


David Quintas Staff Writer


On November 6th


through 8th, numerous ICJA students traveled to Washington D.C. for to participate in AIPAC's Annual Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit. AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is a national organization dedicated to ensuring that the American- Israeli relationship stays strong.


to Western Civilization, from Navi to Modern Jewish History, would be lacking a major component of their curricula and discussions. Seniors would no longer congre- gate in the halls whispering about who got into which seminary or yeshiva. Many students’ life plans would be entirely different. The entire “fifth year” of ICJA would cease to exist. Yom Ha’atzmaut would not be celebrated. Yom HaZikaron would not be honored. The center of life at ICJA would


politics in the Middle East unset- tling decades-old alliances, and global condemnation place Israel in a particularly precarious posi- tion.


These hazards make ad-


vocating for Israel all the more important. In these turbulent times, maintaining America’s steadfast support of Israel is espe- cially crucial. Each year, AIPAC’s Schusterman High School Sum- mit brings groups of students with a love of Israel to our na- tion’s capital. This year, over 400 high-schoolers from schools around the country came together for the three day convention. This conference included dozens of seminars lead by experts on a va- riety of topics including Middle East History, Public Speaking, Advocacy Writing, Fundraising, and more. These seminars helped impart the students with the skills and knowledge necessary to be- come proponents of the Jewish state.


The culmination of the ICJA Students Tal Tovy, Jeremy Trubnick, David Quintas, Gabe Michael, Alex Gor-


don, Adina Schreiber, and Maor Rudick at the AIPAC High School Summit (Photo courtesy of David Quintas)


In order to appreciate the


significance of this relationship, try to imagine a world without Is- rael. To say that Ida Crown would be different would be a profound understatement. Classes, from Chumash


be hollow. As frightening as it may


be to imagine a world without Israel, constant threats make this inconceivable notion a possibili- ty. Iran approaching nuclear capa- bilities, a biased media, changing


Shake, Rattle, and Roll


Sophia Weisberg Asst. Features Editor


“Trust me, you really


won’t want to miss this-” the fa- mous words of Rabbi Matanky have made it into every promo- tional video for the past three years. This year’s video, however, takes a different spin than the past two, which were sport-themed. With Rabbi Gutstein and Rabbi Myers as the narrators to the “du- eling pianists”, Rabbi Fliegelman and Mr. Harris. The video, re- leased about a month ago, is be- ing used to promote the upcom- ing ICJA Annual Fundraiser. This year’s theme, Duel-


ing Pianos, has yet to be playing on the TV’s in the stairwells, but has definitely made an impression on the students of Ida Crown. Senior Jenny Nathan said, “It’s so entertaining and really well done.” Fellow senior Sarah Isaacs agreed: “I really like this one- it’s probably my favorite one yet.” Melissa Lipschultz, the


mastermind behind the promo- tional videos, explained that the videos began in the 2009-2010 school year as a different form of fundraising than the concerts that


were held for many years prior. When asked the purpose creating the videos, Lipschultz said, “ We wanted to do something catchy to promote the event that would get people excited and we knew that whatever it was had to stand out, and that’s exactly what hap- pened.” As part of her role in the Development Department, Lip- schultz gets a behind the scenes look into the effort that is put into making these videos. “ The video is filmed in a day- this year it took only a few hours, but for the other two videos, filming was longer. After the video is shot, it’s edited and then we send it out and hope it gets a laugh and gets people talking,” said Lipschultz. The videos do in fact en-


tice students to go. Senior Sarah Isaacs commented, “If it weren’t for the videos, I probably would not be as excited about attend- ing.” The video is available for viewing on the Internet as well, promoting the event beyond the typical Ida Crown viewers. What stands out the most


in the video is the impeccable act- ing done by the faculty. One star


(continued on page 4)


trip came on Tuesday, November 8th, when individual delegations of students went to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Con- gress and their advisors to lobby for causes related to Israel. The ICJA delegation met with Nina Besser, a senior legislative assis- tant to Congresswoman Jan Scha- kowsky. The students on the ICJA delegation were seniors Alexandra Gordon, Spencer Brasch, Adina


(continued on page 4) 2828 W Pratt Blvd, Chicago, IL


Girls Choir Discovers Sound, and then Harmony Too


Talia Molotsky Staff Writer


Since the club was


started by students in 2004, Girls Choir has grown and transformed immensely. Last year featured 31 girls from all four grades while this year will feature almost 50 girls. The club is entirely student run, although the teacher supervisor, Mrs. Arons, does get pizza for the girls the day of the performance and is always eager to lend an ear. Choir is a great way for girls to express themselves through the art of music, make friends from other grades, learn new songs, and, speaking from personal ex- perience, even develop a stronger connection to G-d through sing- ing. Choir is a way for every- one to have fun while still being goal-oriented toward the perfor- mance. The choir performance is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28th , and welcomes all mothers, grandmothers, female friends, and teachers to the performance. Choir provides many


opportunities for leadership. I am lucky enough to be the Choir Director this year and have been working since last year prepar- ing for the 2011-2012 season. I have four wonderful choir heads who help me get everything done: Seniors Sarah Isaacs and Sarah Shandalov teach melody, while Shira Lebowitz and Arianne Pin- chot teach the soprano part. Shan- dalov also marks her fourth year in choir, and reflects on her choir


This Year’s Pep Rally a huge Success for Student Council


Hannah Jaffe Staff Writer


On November 21, 2011,


Student Council sponsored its an- nual Pep Rally to kick off, and close, the majority of the school team’s seasons. Students dressed in Aces garb gathered in the gym to witness presentation after pre- sentation of the numerous sports teams here at Ida Crown. Ms.


other Student Council members worked vigorously day and night in order to organize the event. After the Pep Rally, Gordon said “It was a lot of work but it was definitely worth it. The Pep Rally showed a great sense of Aces pride throughout the school. It was such a nice way to bring the entire school together in an informal and fun atmosphere.” Student Council representatives


experience as well: “Choir is a big time commitment, but at the end of every practice, the final prod- uct makes it worth it completely. We all have such an amazing time learning every song and blending all of our unique voices into one. Having a leadership position in choir this year is a huge respon- sibility, but one that I am lucky to have and hopefully I can be suc- cessful in helping everyone learn each song and showing their true potential.”


So how does choir work?


Our choir features three singing parts: melody: the melody of the song; soprano: the high harmony; and alto: the low harmony. Dur- ing the summer, the choir head makes harmonies This year, how- ever, I got a lot of help from pre- vious choir heads Ronit and Sari- na Miller. After that, the songs are taught to the other choir heads to be taught to the choir. About teaching the songs, Pinchot says: “I love helping people express themselves through their talents.” This presentation includes both Hebrew and English songs from multiple genres of music. Practic- es are Mondays and Wednesdays during lunch. Senior Sara Wolf, a choir rookie, says, “It’s not a hard time commitment at all… and it flies by!” The choir learns each section individually and puts it together in the end for a sound that eventually sounds beautiful and harmonious. Senior Risa Birn says, “My favorite part of choir is learning a new song.” Choir is a great way for


girls to make friends from other grades. In fact, this is one of the best parts of choir for junior Leo- ra Balinsky and senior Eliana Ka- han. Kahan says, “I love choir! It’s a really fun way to hang out with different people. I like mak- ing new friends in choir and I love joking around with everyone.” She is not the only one


who loves choir. Senior Jessica Bokor says, “I look forward to choir practice because the songs are so fun and it’s great to sing with all your friends!” Senior Rebecca Pershan


says, “Choir is amazing this year! I sing in melody and it’s amazing to hear all the voices come to- gether in to one amazing beautiful voice.”


Many of the girls, in-


cluding senior Arielle Braun, (continued on page 5)


What’s Inside


ICJA students enjoy the pep rally from the bleachers (Photo Courtesy of Michal Weissberg)


Sennett, Alex Gordon, the vice president of Student Council, and


(continued on page 3)


Jewish Cynicism --Page 2 Should Athletes be Required to Play During Vacation?? --Page 3 “Peeled from the Onion”


--Page 4 Can You see the Difference? --Page 5


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