JANUARY/ 13/ 2017 15 TIVET 5777

Edit ion 20

Shabbat begins: 18:45

2016- 20172016- 2017

JUNE/02/2017 08 Sivan 5777

Edition 37

L-rd lift His face to be near you." This blessing expresses the hope that one should always feel the presence of G-d, and that even though one doesn't see Him, He is there.

Although we hope to always be absorbed in G-d's presence, we need to find the balance between the materialistic and spiritual world. Many times, people have done horrific things in the name of G-d; and therefore, the text concludes with a blessing of a balanced and grounded belief in G-d, of shalom (peace).

This applies to us here in Hong Kong more than ever before. Aside from spiritual balance, many of us tend to forget the importance of finding balance generally, whether it be socially or even academically. We can all, therefore, take a lesson from this blessing into our own lives, and have it guide us to finding that crucial balance in life, helping us improve ourselves and all around us step by step. Only then, perhaps, can we all live whole and balanced lives.

Shabbat Shalom!

Louis Effron and Ori Razon - G9 & G8

This week's parasha, Parashat Nasso, contains one of the most renowned blessings in Jewish culture. Birkat Cohanim is a blessing delivered by the Cohanim (priests) and is divided into three sentences, each containing two main elements: G-d's blessing, and a prayer to avoid possible pitfalls of the blessing.

The first part of the blessing states: "May the L-rd bless you and keep you." This sentence can be understood as referring to financial benefits. But money has the potential to corrupt. Therefore a blessing for money is not complete unless accompanied by a protection from its dangers. Hence the last word of the sentence, "May the L-rd guard you."

The second section states "May the Lord cause His light to shine upon you." The light of the L-rd is often associated with Torah knowledge. However, whilst we can know every word of Torah, we can still lack the ability to interact and engage others in an appropriate manner. This reminds us of the importance of respecting and being gracious to others, because knowledge can sometimes make one closed-minded and possibly arrogant.

In the final part, the Cohen states, "May the

Dvar Torah: Nasso

JUN/02/2017 08 SIVAN 5777

Fiddler on the Roof - Review

Edition 37

Have you ever wondered what the Jewish traditions were 100 years ago in Russia? This year's Elsa High School play, Fiddler on the Roof, beautifully displayed this subject. The play, directed by Mr Swart and Ms Celia Leung as Choirmaster, was showcased last Thursday evening, and was a huge success.

The play had a cast of around 70 people, including a backstage crew and choir. The beautiful set was designed by Agnes Yeung, and created with the help of a small team of students. With the help of the PTA, the full cast were able to get era-appropriate costumes, and the play also had a professional makeup artist for the day of the play. Overall it was a magnificent play, with great acting, dancing, singing and a moving atmosphere.

In Fiddler on the Roof, the main character is Tevye (played by Ori Razon), a poor old man with five daughters and his wife, Golde (played by Ellie Amias). Tevye, a traditional Jewish man, explores the changes of Jewish tradition through his three daughters, Tzeitel

(played by Elianna Diestel), Hodel (played by Gili Shtoser) and Chava (played by Rachel Cohen). Tzeitel, who is to marry Lazar Wolf (Jamie Kanevsky), secretly wants to marry the poor tailor Motel (played by Asher Berman). When Motel asks for Tzeitel's hand, Tevye agrees, even if Motel is very poor. Then Hodel gets engaged to outsider Perchick (played by Yediya Zion), a teacher from the Ukraine, and they plan to run away. Tevye once again agrees, even though it isn't the tradition to marry for love. Eventually, when Chava falls for Russian soldier Fyedka (played by Dan Hasofer), Tevye refuses to accept this and he disowns her.

When the Russian soldiers come and force the Jews out of Anatevka, they leave for destinations such as America and Europe, which was very common for Jews in early 20th century Russia. The play ends in a bittersweet way, as all the daughters are happily married but the Jews are leaving the town they had lived in for many centuries.

For the play, I was part of the choir. We learned the songs in choir lessons and rehearsals with the aid of Ms Celia Leung, and the dances with Sammy Yeung from Grade 9. A few of my favorite songs were "Tradition" and "The Wedding Sequence", as they were very enjoyable to sing and dance. The boys' bottle dance was very impressive, along with the lively L'chaim. Going to all the rehearsals and learning the songs and dances was at times difficult, but the final result was definitely worth it.

Sarah Cohen - G8

JUN/02/2017 08 SIVAN 5777

Jerusalem Quiz

Edition 37

On Friday May 26, the whole school participated in the annual ?Israel Quiz?. However, in order to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, the topic this year was Jerusalem.

About three weeks prior to the quiz, we were given a booklet to study. The booklet was lengthy and consisted of fifty pages of text in small print. This intimidated many of us, including myself, and for this particular reason I put the quiz aside and gave up before really trying. A week had passed and most of us quickly realized that in order to do well in the quiz, we had to start studying. With the little time we had left, I understood that to study every descriptive detail of the booklet would be close to impossible and I therefore just focused on the bigger parts and those which I thought were considered to be critically important to succeed.

With about a week left to study, the form of the quiz was announced. The first stage would be an online Kahoot quiz, with the top ten going to the next round: the finals.

When the competition day finally came around, all students participated in the tricky Kahoot section, and then ten of us went on to the finals. Everyone did very well, but in the end, I was announced winner with Oz Haviv second. It was a tough competition and we were all very close; all of us were very proud of ourselves.

The first place prize was a HK$2500 Apple gift card. I plan to spend the money I received on an incredible Apple Watch!

Many thanks to Mr Junger for organising the quiz.

Shelly Alcobi - G6

Achim L' Chaim ? Brothers for Life

This Monday, a group of largely unknown but hugely inspiring people came from Israel to visit our school to talk about their experiences in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). These soldiers were injured in combat, and they spoke movingly about how they deal with life after their injuries.

Their injuries mostly include physical damage suffered while serving in the army, but they also spoke about emotional and psychological trauma too. They spoke about the common values between what they learned in the army and what we're taught at Elsa High School, such as teamwork and fraternity, which is absolutely vital in the army.

We also had the opportunity to have our own discussions with two soldiers who came to speak to individual Grades. One of those soldiers who came to speak to Grade 9 talked about his experiences during a riot during the second intifada. Due to the strict moral code of the IDF, soldiers are not allowed to shoot at terrorists unless the terrorist possesses firearms. In his case, during the riot a large brick got thrown from the fourth floor of a building and broke his leg. He added, though, that this wasn't what gave him post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - rather, the confusion and injuries his comrades sustained during the riot were what hurt his mental state.

He then proceeded to discuss how important brotherly bonding is in the IDF, and that you develop an almost familial bond with complete strangers. The talks we heard from the members of ?Brothers for Life?, or ?Achim L'Chaim? in transliterated Hebrew, are relevant to us because many of us will serve in the Israeli army, and it's important to know that whatever might face us, there is a sense of brotherhood and belonging.

Oz Haviv - G9

JUN/02/2017 08 SIVAN 5777

Professor Xu

Edition 37

Last Friday, Grade 10 had the privilege of welcoming Associate Professor Pai (Steven) Xu of Hong Kong University?s School of Economics and Finance to Elsa. Professor Xu talked passionately to us about the necessity of mathematics in nearly all fields of life, and how simply being proficient in the subject allows a person to better reach their goals.

He spoke about his early learning experiences and his journey from an initial interest in the arts to eventually studying and receiving his Ph.D. in Economics from Vancouver.

Professor Xu?s friendly and charismatic demeanor combined with the small audience allowed us to connect and ask many questions, both personal and of his work. The conversational nature of the talk along with Professor's Xu?s personable nature made this one of the best talks this year.

We?d like to thank Ms Cheng for inviting him to speak, and to and Professor Xu for agreeing to come. We sincerely hope that Professor Xu can return and further spread his message about the beauty and practicality of a mathematics education.

William Barron - G10

        

Soldiers - Football

As mentioned on page 3 of this week's Daf, on Monday we were visited by Brothers For Life ? an organisation which helps soldiers injured, whether mentally or physically, in any of Israel's wars.

As part of the program of events, teams of students played five-a-side football against the soldiers. This is a tradition that happens every year during the visit.

In the first match, a team made up of senior students in the school played against the soldiers. The was a very heated match, and started with a goal from Yedidya Zion, but the soldiers equalised in the dying seconds.

The second match started out with a torrent of goals from the soldiers, who looked to be easily winning the game. But soon after, some brilliant attacking play led by Saul Levy and Marco Caviglia brought the final score to 5-4, giving Elsa High School the victory.

All in all it was a fun experience playing football with the soliders and letting us connect in a way we couldn?t have just by hearing their stories.

Ian Lyons- G10

        

JUN/02/2017 08 SIVAN 5777 Edition 37

Maths Competitions - Update

Maths Olympiad

Congratulations to the finalists!

Sustainability Maths Competition

The Sustainability Maths Competition is well underway, with one team from Grade 6, five from Grade 7 and three from Grade 9 competing. Good luck to all nine teams as they compile their data and show how mathematics is best used to create awareness in sustainability issues locally and/or globally (see picture, right).

Final submission due Monday, June 5.

Bridge Too Far

Ten teams entered the Bridge Too Far Competition and seven have made it through to the finals. The first round of testing was a weight test of up to a maximum of 7 kilograms. If the structural integrity of the bridge was in any way compromised, the bridge did not make it to the next round of testing.

Congratulations to our finalists!

From the start of the Math Olympiad at end of the January up until now, students participating in the competition have been eliminated round by round. In the Junior Category, there are only four competitors left, and fortunately I am one of the four. From team rounds to individual rounds, and from logic questions to maths problems, we have solved many different questions.

My favourite rounds were the team rounds, since by using our strengths to help each other out, we could complete the questions more effectively than in the individual rounds.Clarissa Yu - G8

Since January, I have been competing in the

Math Olympiad. There are two categories

of students, juniors and seniors, and there

have been team rounds and individual

rounds.

Between these two types of round, I

enjoyed the team rounds because they

allowed us to demonstrate our leadership

and teamwork skills. I made it all the way

up to the semi-finals, and a few of my peers

made it into the finals. I am looking forward

to the final result of who wins the

competition.

Arthur Zheng - G8

JUN/02/2017 08 SIVAN 5777 Edition 37

CCA, SaA and CAS Roundup - Mr Julian

The week of Monday 29th May is the last week for all Elsa High School Co-Curricular Activities.

We are extremely proud of the achievements and commitment made by every individual at Elsa High School this year. The High School has this year offered a wider range than ever of Service as Action (SaA), and Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) experiences for students, and the students have utilised this and demonstrated drive, thoughtfulness and attainment.

Every student should continue to reflect on what they have learnt and what they have achieved for themselves as well as their community, celebrating achievements both as an individual and in a team capacity.

Creativity

Congratulations to everyone that represented and developed their knowledge of Creativity through Debating, the Elsa Drama Club, Gavel, MasterChef and the Hong Kong Model United Nations (HKMUN).

Activity

This year there were more students active in Sports Teams and physical activity than ever before, and massive congratulations go to every individual for striving for excellence and pushing their own boundaries in representing Elsa High School in Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Fencing, Track & Field, Rowing and Sailing.

Service

This year there have been many self-initiated Service projects from Grade 6 through 12. Throughout the year every student in the MYP (Grades 6 to 10) developed their understanding about Service Learning in projects such as Breaking Barriers Bhutan, the English Library, Elsa High School Recycling, Green Guardians, the Hong Kong Jewish

Cemetery project, the Hebrew Library, IsraAid, the JWA Bazaar, Kids 4 Kids, Mother's Choice, Movember and the Inter-House Committee.

Some highlights

Rachel Effron introduced a project called Breaking Barriers Bhutan that raised awareness about Women?s rights. This Service as Action (SaA) programme raised funds through selling woven goods made by women in Bhutan. The money raised was then personally delivered during a trip to the country.

Another extraordinary service project was initiated by Ofir Razon for his Grade 11 CAS Project, through which he was able to demonstrate his ability in researching, planning and raising awareness and funds for an Israeli organisation called Tirmuli. Through a self-set 50 kilometer challenge, Ofir and his team completed the challenge and raised over HKD$105,000 in four weeks.

And finally ...

As we now approach the end of an extremely successful year, we are all considering what we will do to support our development through Service as Action and Creativity, Activity or Service. We look forward to supporting every individual to succeed and push boundaries further still in the 2017 - 2018 academic year.

Mr Julian

JUN/02/2017 08 SIVAN 5777 Edition 37

GreenStart Academy Centres

Student Editors: Luis Yap, Ian Lyons, and Tyra Dahlberg

On Monday, Elsa students were given a talk by Mr Nahum Shemesh about how Israel is a leading "Startup Nation", with many technology firms and patents coming out of Israel.

Mr Shemesh also spoke about an outstanding opportunity for Elsa students to attend a GreenStart collaboration and seminar in Israel. This great opportunity runs from August 1 to August 10, is free for students, and will teach participants about how to create GreenStart Academy Centres in the fields of startups, cyber technology and robotics.

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in the STEM field to get involved with exciting tech developments in Israel.

Luis Yap - G10