Teens’ donation drive helps families prepare for camp
TORONTO — Three Toronto teens have developed a new initiative to help parents prepare their children for Jewish overnight camp.
Stemming from their participation in UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Diller Teen Fellows Program, Leora Nash, 17, Orly Lipsitz, 17, and Judah Hoffman, 16, created a program called One Stop Camp Shop to collect new and gently used camp supplies for families who are new to the overnight camp experience.
Dinner to honour community builder Aron Frankel
TORONTO — In addition to the three children, 13 grandchildren and three great-children he left behind, Aron Frankel left a strong community legacy, says his daughter, Esty Edell.
On June 1, Bnei Akiva Schools will honour the late Frankel, one of the founders of Bnei Akiva’s affiliate Orthodox high schools Yeshivat Or Chaim (for boys) and Ulpanat Orot (for girls), with the Aron Frankel Legacy Dinner.
Retiring educator Stern ‘took school to new heights’
TORONTO — After 18 years at the helm of Thornhill’s Netivot Hatorah Day School, Reuven Stern has announced that he’s retiring.
Netivot will honour Stern for his years of service as the head of school with a cocktail reception on May 27 at The Avenue in Vaughan.
“He has put his heart and soul into the school, and he transformed it from the day he walked in,” said Shawna Magence, past president of the school and a co-chair of the upcoming event.
FEATURE: Teens, social media apps and lashon hara
Is the rise of social media encouraging Jewish young people to engage in activities such as bullying and lashon hara that go against the values they’re learning in Jewish day schools?
With apps that are predominately used anonymously – such as Ask.fm, which has grown in popularity over the last few years and now has 150 million users worldwide, and Yik Yak, an app that also boasts millions of monthly users and has recently sparked controversy in schools globally – the problem is growing.
Day schools coy on new Ontario sex ed curriculum
TORONTO — Toronto Jewish day schools are mostly tight-lipped when it comes to discussing Ontario’s proposed sex education curriculum or their own teachings on the subject.
Many elementary schools contacted by The CJN did not return calls or emails seeking comment on the new Ontario health curriculum or what, to date, has been taught on the subject of human reproduction.
Parents hope to save special ed school
TORONTO — Parents who have children enrolled at the Merle Levine Academy (MLA), a private school for students with learning difficulties, are scrambling to try to save the school from shutting its doors next September because of low enrolment.
On April 16, Elana Lavine, the mother of a Grade 1 student at MLA, received an emailed letter from school director Merle Langbord Levine that said, “School enrolment is less than anticipated, and as a result, it is simply not feasible to carry on.”
Orthodox community joins shinshinim program
TORONTO — Netivot HaTorah Day School, Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue and Bnei Akiva of Toronto will be the first Orthodox institutions in Toronto to participate in the Jewish Agency for Israel’s (JAFI) shinshinim program.
Shinshinim, a Hebrew acronym that refers to a gap year of service, is a program developed by JAFI for North American cities and implemented in Toronto by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.
Federation honours community power couple
TORONTO — UJA Federation of Greater Toronto will be honouring Ted and Elizabeth Sokolsky for their leadership and vision with a dedication ceremony to name the Ted and Liz Sokolsky Community Square, at the Joseph & Wolf Lebovic Jewish Community Campus in Vaughan.
The May 3 event will feature a community dessert reception hosted by Julia Koschitzky.
CHAT event to raise money for cancer research
TORONTO — The Anne & Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto’s Wallenberg campus will come together as a community for a Canadian Cancer Society fundraising event aimed at enhancing the quality of life of people with cancer.
TanenbaumCHAT will be the first Jewish day school in the city to run Relay for Life, an overnight, non-competitive 12-hour event. Its fundraising goal is $60,000 and will take place at Esther Shiner Stadium at Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue from May 7 at 7 p.m. until May 8 at 7 a.m.
Key goal caps hockey player’s collegiate career
Casey Rosen doesn’t score a lot of goals, but when she does, they’re memorable.
Known more for her penalty-killing and leadership, Rosen scored the final goal as the Western Mustangs rocked defending champs McGill Martlets 5-0 in the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) women’s hockey championship.
The tally came on her last-ever shift in her last-ever game as a collegiate hockey player. Rosen will be graduating this year with a bachelor of science degree, with a double major in biology and physiology.
