KOL ECHAD | Weekly Newsletter 

February 29, 2024

An Attitude of Gratitude - Looking Up and Digging Deep

By Esther Rbibo, Director of Student Services



There is a story told about a wealthy American businessman who traveled to the Azrieli Center in Tel Aviv for an important meeting and investment opportunity. At the end of the meeting, his Israeli colleagues invited him to watch the sunset from the top of the high-rise building they had just met in. For those unfamiliar, the Azrieli Center is a sort of ‘twin towers’ that look quite similar, although they are two different shapes. They are in the heart of Tel Aviv, and from their rooftop, one can look out on the beautiful country of Israel. 

The businessman checked his watch and estimated that he had plenty of time to watch the sunset and still make his flight back to the United States. His colleagues escorted him to the roof and then left him to enjoy the beautiful rainbow of colors as the sun set. As time passed, he realized that he would have to start making his way down so that he could head to the airport. As he went to open the door to head downstairs, he realized that it was locked! He thought that he would just call one of his colleagues to come up and open it for him, but unfortunately he found out that he had no cell service on the roof. He was starting to stress as the hour got later and closer to the time of takeoff. 

Mr. Businessman looked over the side and saw many people bustling in the busy streets of Tel Aviv. He thought to himself that, if only he could get their attention, someone would certainly send him help. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the thick bundle of dollar bills he always carried with him. He began to throw the money downwards thinking that everyone would look up to see where it was coming from. However, the people below were too busy gathering the unexpected windfall and were only looking on the ground in case they had missed any of the money. Now our businessman was really panicking. His flight was so soon, and he really needed someone to come get him. He decided that he would take some pebbles that he saw on the roof and try throwing those. As soon as he began to release them, everyone below looked up and started screaming! They thought someone was attacking them from above. They soon realized that there was someone on the roof, and after investigation understood that it was a man stuck. The businessman ended up making his flight and returned home safely. 

Reflecting upon this story, one might take a moment to notice that, when things went well (such as when the dollars were raining down), people tended to look downwards. However, when things started to feel scary or threatening (when the pebbles started coming), no one hesitated to scream for help and look upward for answers. This is a human nature. When all goes well, we often don’t even notice that it is all flowing smoothly. We assume that this is just the standard - that we are healthy, or have our needs met. We may not pause to be grateful for the good we experience. We may take our relationships for granted and not stop to appreciate and acknowledge them and what they add to our lives. And yet, when things start to feel difficult and we struggle, we often turn quickly to cry out for help and expect immediate support and/or answers.

Digging deep within ourselves, we can see that the good we have in our lives is the result not only of our own efforts, but also others', and of the many blessings we are fortunate to receive. When we pause to think about this, we feel grateful. Psychological research has shown that those who practice gratitude and incorporate it in their day-to-day lives are happier and more resilient.

We can try to increase our gratitude by having a family practice of sharing something we are grateful for each day. We can help ourselves and our children reframe challenging situations by validating the struggle while also highlighting the tools and resources we have to face these challenges. When we shift our mindset to one that looks at the glass as half full, we are likely to be more satiated by the many gifts we have in our lives.

Shabbat shalom,

Esther Rbibo

Director of Student Services

Important Dates

Friday, March 1

• Parent-teacher conferences - school closed (all divisions)
• Re-enrollment contracts are due

Monday, March 4

• Literary tea (reading celebration), kindergarten-8th grade

Wednesday, March 6

• PTO meeting - 8:15 am, in the library

Thursday, March 7

• 2nd grade field trip to the Gentle Barn

Sunday, March 10

• Daylight saving time begins (spring forward)

Monday, March 11

• Concert by visiting musicians from the Kadima Conservatory of Music (ECEC/Elementary School)

Wednesday, March 13

• Snack Shack
• 3rd and 5th grade field trip to Griffith Observatory

Thursday, March 14

• Pi Day

Monday-Friday, March 18-22

• Spirit week

Tuesday, March 19

• Field trip to the Jewish Home for the Aging (3rd-5th grades)

Thursday, March 21

• 1st grade field trip to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum

Friday, March 22

• Tropical paradise Purim carnival

Monday, March 25

• Purim celebrated at school

Sunday, March 31

• Casino Night Gala

*For the full school-year calendar, please click HERE.

Middle School Science Fair

Thank you to all the parents, students, and faculty who took part this past Tuesday in this year's middle school science fair. A big thank you to all the middle school students for working tirelessly at their projects and doing an outstanding job presenting at the fair. Kol hakavod! And a very special todah rabbah to science teacher Nicole Levi for planning the science fair unit of study, supporting and challenging the students as they prepared, and organizing this impressive showcase of Kadima's science program and our talented students.

Winners:

• 1st place - Oshrey Diner and Ariel Costa (8th grade): Mold Growth Experiment
• 2nd place - Eliav Aizenkut and Natan Fridman (8th grade): Bacteria Growth on Household Surfaces
• 3rd place - Oriel Hagag and David Haiun (7th grade): Plant Soil Experiment

Honorable mentions:

• Milan Tubul (7th grade): Tesla Coil
• Leeor Tubi, Eitan Gold, Daniel Edri, and Ben Harosh (6th grade): Water Filtration System
• Guy Pinchasian, Harel Shilon, and Asaf Marer (6th grade): Cardboard Plane Experiment

First place winners Oshrey Diner and Ariel Costa (8th grade)

Second place winners Eliav Aizenkut and Natan Fridman (8th grade)

Third place winners Oreil Haga and David Haiun (7th grade)

Family Movie Night

Monday, March 4, 5:00 pm, in the Auditorium

Kadima's PTO invites the Kadima community to join us on Monday, March 4, at 5:00 pm, in the auditorium, for a fun family movie night, featuring the film Trolls Band Together. Popcorn tickets are $5. Only children require tickets, but adults must accompany children. Pizza and snacks will be available for sale. To purchase tickets, please click here.

Yearbook Cover Contest

Due Monday, March 4

Calling all artists! Do you want your artwork showcased on this year's Kadima yearbook cover? Deadline extended! Be sure to submit your art by Monday, March 4, to Jennifer Winderlich, art teacher. This year's theme is derech eretz. Please be sure to include your full name and the title: "Kadima Day School 2023-24". Good luck!

Get Ready for Spirit Week

Monday-Friday, March 18-22

In preparation for Purim, the middle school student leadership group invites students in Kinder through 8th grade to get creative! Each day during Spirit Week includes a special theme, and a costume to match.

On Monday, show off your crazy hair or hat. On Tuesday, everyone should be able to get to school on time as it is pajama day, easy breezy morning routine. On Wednesday, students in elementary and middle school will dress in a cohesive class theme (teachers will send details of their class's theme in advance), while, in ECEC, children will dress up as their favorite superhero or Disney character. Also on Wednesday, volunteer parents will decorate each classroom door with the class theme. Thursday in Kinder through eighth grade is is v'nahafoch hu (opposite) day. Wear your clothes upside-down, backwards, or any other variation of your choice. The ECEC theme on Thursday is sports - channel your inner LeBron or Serena! Friday is our grand tropical paradise Purim carnival day. Dress in your favorite Hawaiian shirt, hula grass skirt, or other tropical-themed clothing.

On Monday, March 25, Kadima will be celebrating Purim with a mishloach manot exchange, costume parade, and m'gilah reading (more details to follow soon). On Purim, students should wear a costume of their choice (no weapons, please).

Purim Carnival Volunteers

Friday, March 22

Kadima's tropical paradise Purim carnival is in need of volunteers. The carnival will be held on Friday, March 22, with the following time slots for each division:

• ECEC: 9:00 - 10:30 am
• Kindergarten-2nd grade: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
• 3rd-8th grade: 1:00-3:00 pm

To sign up to volunteer, please click here.

PTO Tie-Dye Event

Monday, April 8, 4:30-6:00 pm, on the Kadima yard

Deadline to register: March 1

Come have fun and tie-dye your purchased Kadima shirt, sweatshirt, or sweatpants on Monday, April 8, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Click here or on the flyer to purchase your items. Deadline to purchase is Friday, March 1.

February Fundraiser

Last Chance - Ends today, February 29

Show your support for Israel and Kadima with our February fundraiser! This month only, the whole Kadima community gets 10% off all items from Order Israel with the discount code “KADIMA." Even better, 20% of the proceeds from each item purchased will go to Kadima!

Use the following link to apply the discount code automatically: https://orderisrael.com/discount/kadima

In the Community

IAC Adloyada - Purim Parade 2024

Wednesday, March 21, 4:00 - 7:00 pm, IAC Shepher Community Center

Kadima cheer squad will be performing at this year's IAC Adloyada.

Come and support Kadima!

Immerse yourself in the magic of Purim with a carnival featuring kids’ attractions, food trucks, arts and crafts and many more surprises! Be captivated by various performances and displays!

The highlight of the event is the grand Purim parade, spreading the joy of Purim and bringing the spirit of Israel to Los Angeles. This celebration is a testament to our community’s unity and the pride of being together for Israel. Tickets are limited. Every person 2 years old and up needs a ticket.

Top 10 Conversation Starters: Parashat Ki Tisa

By Dr. Steven Lorch

#10 - Moshe is instructed to take the first census of B'nei Yisrael. However, unlike other censuses in the Torah, it's not a direct head count; instead, they are counted by donating half-shekel coins to the Mishkan (Sh'mot 30, 12-23). Why aren't they counted directly this time? And what is the significance, if any, of bringing a half-shekel and not a whole shekel?

#9 - B'nei Yisrael are instructed to observe Shabbat. We know the last part of the instruction (31, 16-17) as a Shabbat prayer, "ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת." The first letter of ושמרו can mean two things: either, as vav hahipuch, the tense is changed from past to future, meaning "they will observe," or, as vav hachibur, the conjunction "and" is added to the past tense: "and they observed." Which understanding is the more straightforward (p'shat)? Can you also interpret the word using the other understanding? What story (midrash) would it tell if understood that way?

#8 - When B'nei Yisrael worry that Moshe won't return from Mount Sinai, they ask Aharon to make them a golden calf. Aharon tells them to bring him all their gold jewelry (32, 1-2). Why doesn't he just say "no"? What would have happened if he had?

#7 - B'nei Yisrael quickly bring Aharon all their jewelry (32, 3). Is this what Aharon expected them to do? Can he tell them now that he's against making a golden calf? Why, or why not? If you were Aharon, what would you do now? What would you hope will happen next?

#6 - When B'nei Yisrael see the golden calf, they cry out, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!" (32, 4) Did they really think that the calf brought them out of Egypt? If not, what did they mean?

#5 - God says to Moshe, "Leave me alone (הניחה לי), let me be angry, and I will destroy them all." (32, 10) Does God really want to kill all of B'nei Yisrael? How can you tell from what God says? If God doesn't really want to kill them, why does God say he does, and what does God really want to do?

#4 - Moshe tries to convince God not to kill B'nei Yisrael by saying that, if God does kill them, the Egyptians will say that God planned all along to kill them in the desert (32, 12). Why does Moshe think that God cares what the Egyptians will say?

#3 - When God tells Moshe that the people made a golden calf and worshiped it, Moshe tells God not to be angry (32, 11). But when he goes down the mountain and actually sees the golden calf and the people dancing, he becomes angry (32, 19). Why does Moshe become angry now and not before?

#2 - God says to Moshe that "no man can see me and live" (33, 20). Why is God revealed to humans with words and sounds only, but not with images or sights?

#1 - The first set of stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written were God's work (מעשה א-לקים), and the writing was God's writing (32, 16). The second set of tablets were carved by Moshe, but the writing was written by God (34, 1). Why was Moshe given the role of carving the second tablets but not the first? Why, in the second tablets, did Moshe not also write the words?