July 20, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, the king of Moav asks Bil’am to curse the Bnei Yisrael after he sees them defeat various nations in battle. Bil’am’s donkey sees an angel of God and refuses to move; Bil’am hits the donkey; and God speaks through the mouth of the donkey to tell him not to curse the Bnei […]

• Parent-Child Learning

July 14, 2016 by Sindy Udell (Faculty and Staff)

My husband Ken and I love hosting the JPDS-NC Summer Brunch for families of new students and students entering Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten. We love power-washing the outside of our home, planting new flowers in our garden, shopping for the best bagels and lox in town, hearing the moon bounce as it is filled with air […]

• #ThisIsWhy

July 13, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, Hashem instructs Moshe and Aaron regarding the parah adumah (red heifer); Miriam dies; to bring forth water Moshe hits a rock rather than speaking to it; Aaron dies. The order of the stories in chapter 20 can teach us a number of lessons about leadership. The first thing that happens is that Miriam […]

• Parent-Child Learning

July 7, 2016 by Lisa Davis (Faculty and Staff)

This week the world watched in delight as NASA’s Juno spacecraft arrived in Jupiter’s orbit after a five-year journey. Some members of the JPDS-NC Class of 2023 may have been particularly excited at this news, after spending their Kindergarten year exploring the wonders of outer space. In case you missed it, please enjoy the article below about the hands-on and in-depth […]

• Project Based Learning
• STEAM
• STEM

July 6, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, Korach and his followers rebel against Moshe’s and Aharon’s leadership and are killed; God instructs Aharon regarding laws of the kehuna (priesthood). After the rebellion of Korach is quashed, Moshe devises a test to prove once and for all that the tribe of Levi, and specifically the Cohanim, are supposed to be the spiritual leaders […]

• Parent-Child Learning

June 29, 2016 by Ronit Greenstein (Faculty and Staff) Shifra Chelst (Faculty and Staff)

This year, our sixth graders were drawn into a mystery in their Judaic Studies class. Exploring the text of Melachim Bet, Kings II, they discovered that puzzling stories abound in our past, rich with plots, lost tribes, confounding motives, and the appearance of multiple golden calves. And with these mysteries came many opportunities to question, […]

June 29, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, Moshe sends scouts to explore the Land of Israel; ten of them convince the people that it will be too difficult to conquer the land, and Hashem responds to their lack of confidence by punishing Bnei Yisrael with 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. The people are given the commandments of […]

• Parent-Child Learning

June 23, 2016 by Washington Jewish Week (Press)

At the 10th Anniversary Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Lecture, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro spoke with Washington Post Editorial Writer Charles Lane about Rabin’s legacy and the current political situation in Israel. The community also heard personal remarks by Yuval Rabin, son of the late Prime Minister. Read the Washington Jewish Week article about the event […]

• Adult Learning
• In the News
• Israel
• Washington D.C.

June 21, 2016 by Class of 2016 (Students)

Each member of the JPDS-NC Class of 2016 chose an artifact from their time at school to represent and reflect on what JPDS-NC has meant to them. The graduates shared the reflections below in English and Hebrew at their Graduation Ceremony on June 17, 2016.  Feven Aklilu: JPDS has taught me so many things over these past few years. I thought that […]

• #ThisIsWhy
• Creative Writing

June 21, 2016 by Sharon Freundel (Community)

In this parasha, the Bnei Yisrael receive instructions regarding Pesach; they journey forth from Sinai and complain to God on several occasions, provoking God’s anger; Miriam and Aaron speak against Moshe. Chapter 10, verses 1-10 describe the construction of the chatzotzrot, the trumpets used in the worship service. Many people do not realize that the […]

• Parent-Child Learning