Newsletter
October/Cheshvan
2013
“You must share of yourself in a way that permanently improves the quality of life
in this world. Ultimate, deep, lasting fulfillment can come only when your soul is
fed, and the only food that satisfies the soul is what comes from unconditional
sharing.
~Karen Berg
A Message From Our Principal….
Mr. Edward Eiseman
The theme for the month of Cheshvan is “Sharing.” At Kabbalah Children’s Academy, our students participated
in many programs focusing on this theme.
First, our students traveled to Camp Shalom in Malibu Canyon, CA. Working in teams, the students participated
in a round robin event where they had the opportunity to work and harvest food from the farm, experience the
different agricultural areas of Israel, see and mix with animals indigenous to Israel, and help and encourage each
other while doing “Zip Lines.” Teamwork and support for each other was an underlying theme of the trip.
Another event was the formation and the election of the Student Council. Students presented their platforms in
speeches that made us all proud. Elections were held, winners were announced, and they are beginning to work
this week. Thanks to Mrs. Sokoloff for her help and guidance.
A moving moment this month was the celebration of Shloshim (30 days after a person’s death) for HaRav Berg.
Our students listened intently to a moving presentation by Michal Berg. Our students learned about Shloshim,
then had the opportunity to discuss their feelings and how to keep the teachings of the HaRav alive. Thanks to
our teachers and Sharon Shalom for assisting in this important event.
“Back to School Night” was another opportunity for “sharing.” Parents had the chance to meet their children’s
teachers and hear about their program. It was a great success. Attendance was exceptional.
Basketball season is upon us. Our boys’ and girls’ teams are young and inexperienced. It is a rebuilding year.
However, they display lots of energy and enthusiasm and need your support. Let’s get out and support them.
Coach Nigel is getting them ready for the future. Please check with Coach Nigel for schedules.
Parent-Teacher conferences are scheduled for Monday, December 2, 2013. Check your email for instructions on
how you can schedule your conferences through Pick-A-Time. Scheduling begins on Tuesday, November 12,
2013 at 10:00 am and closes on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 10:00 am. If you need
assistance please contact Mrs. Stephanie Johnson at the Day School.
Reminders:

Friday Winter Dismissal begins on Friday, November 8, 2013 – 1:50 pm (Day School),
1:30pm (Preschool)

School Sweatshirt sales begin on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 – Look for information
in your emails

Thanksgiving Feast and Chanukah Celebration – Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Middle School program – Making meals for the homeless at Ocean Park Community
Center
Wishing you a good month!
Pre-School: 1046 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035 • 310-657-6798
Day School: 9250 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212 • 310-385-1187
Preschool Happenings
The month of Cheshvan is represented by Scorpio, the water sign. As such, our theme this past month had to
do with the qualities of water that can teach us valuable life lessons. One important aspect of water is the need
to find balance. Too little water causes thirst and drought, but too much water causes flood, as we know from
the story of Noah which is associated with Cheshvan. This month we sought to find balance in our lives, and
we talked about sharing. It’s important to learn how to share ourselves and our belongings with our friends
and family, but as with all things, we must find a balance in how much of ourselves we share. In this same
vein, we also learned about adaptability, because water is the most flexible element, changing from a liquid to
a solid to a gas and adjusting itself to take the shape of whatever container it’s in.
All of our age groups participated in projects that focused on our theme of Water and Sharing, and you can
currently see some of them displayed on our walls, such as a sharing tree in the Kindergarten room and a
sharing ocean on our Kabbalah wall in the school’s entrance. This past month also included our Red String
Activities in honor of Rachel Imenu, and the Pre-K and Kindergarten class honored HaRav on the Rav’s
Shloshim.
As we move into Kislev and the Thanksgiving season, we look forward focusing on Community and Unity.
We look forward to our Chanukah celebrations on Thursday, November 21st and our Thanksgiving Feast on
Wednesday, November 27th. Please look for more information and important details regarding these fun
events.
Wishing you a month of warmth, health, and happiness,
Ms. Leslie and the Preschool faculty
HaRav's Shloshim with Kindergarten and
Pre-K Students
Moshe celebrating Columbus Day
Red String Activities with Pre-K
Ilan Betesh in
the 3 year old
class with his
finished Rachel
Imenu project…
THIRTY DAYS TO THE RAV’S PASSING
Thursday, October 17, 2013 marked thirty days to the passing of our beloved Rav. In Kabbalah we learn
that when a person leaves our physical world there is a spiritual process that follows. As part of this spiritual
process, the thirty day mark is significant in that it is the day in which the person’s soul ascends.
To acknowledge the importance of this day, we began our school day with a very special assembly in memory
of the Rav. After learning of the Rav’s love for children from Michal Berg and listening to Moshe Berg, the
Rav’s grandson, share a personal story, we all had the privilege of listening to a special message written
especially for children by the Rav.
As we all listened to the Rav’s loving and inspiring words, it became very clear to us that the children of today
are the ones to create big changes tomorrow. Following the Rav’s message, we gathered in small groups and
discussed what the Rav’s message meant to each of us as individuals.
“We can change the world if we believe in ourselves.” ~Moshe K.
“Never give up and never go against anyone, instead, help them and believe.”
~Miriam S.
“My purpose in life is to stop the fighting and to help people in the world.”
~Esther A.
“It is our responsibility to keep the world in peace.” ~Michael D.
“Journey means life and we’ll have bumps in the road sometimes but we’ll
get through it.” ~Dani
“I can always be a teacher in the world.” ~Yosef H.
“The power is in our hands so we can change the world and make a
difference.” – Esther N.
“As we go through our journey of life we can make the world a better place.”
– Deborah S.
“However beautifully constructed a violin may be, if it is played by someone who is ignorant of the
principles of music and the technique demanded by the instrument, the ensuring noise will be anything
but music. The sole mission of the Torah and Kabbalistic wisdom is to teach us how to play the strings
of the universe.”
– Rav Berg
To our children...
A message from the Rav
The hope for our future generation and the world in general, always lies on children of any period.
The will become the future adults of tomorrow. And as young are reared, so too will they influence
the events to come. Heading the words of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, now that we are in the Age of
Aquarius, the little children of our time are going to make a vast difference. No time in history have
our young been exposed to the wonderful wellspring and fountain of that most wondrous of all studies,
the Kabbalah.
Today, unlike any prior generation, we can now look towards a future which will
include the wonderful possibilities of the removal of chaos, pain and suffering.
When little tots make their connection with the Light-force of God, theirs is one that contains the full
intensity of God. Now, you, our little ones have for this very reason been entrusted with preserving the
entire universe as so clearly indicated in the Zohar and the Talmud.
However, while your support through prayer and sharing activities maintains the balance in the
universe, whereby planets do not come crashing into each other, never-the-less, mankind has not seen
any changes in the experiences one meets in daily living. Chaos, illness, pain and suffering still remain
the hallmarks of humankind. We seem to be threatened by this fear of disorder each and every day of
our lives.
But, my little ones, you are now embarking on the most exciting and significant mission in history.
You, my little children, are now prepared to change all this.
You, the little tots of this generation, are going to make and change history. The long record of chaos
and dismal failure over the millenniums is now beginning to reach its final curtain call.
After God shows us all this, you, the beautiful and wonderful little children, now have that final,
universal call. To bring the entire universe to a state of well being, fulfillment free from chaos and
disorder. The Kabbalistic tools provide you, my little children, with the necessary equipment to
achieve that goal.
Thank you for being and may God bless you for all that you have and will be doing for all of us.
With love,
Rabbi Philip S. Berg
Photos from the Day School Assembly for HaRav’s Shloshim
“If you don't love sharing, you will never know what the love of sharing is."
~Yacov Arnan
1st & 2nd Graders Sharing
First and Second graders were so excited and proud to present in our Rosh Chodesh
assembly for the month of Cheshvan. The theme of the month is sharing and we all
brainstormed what sharing means to us through a journal activity and by writing our
own acrostic poems.
We then shared our
acrostic poems to each
other and collected our
ideas and created one
acrostic poem as a class.
Our Class Poem
Sharing is love
Helping the environment
Actions that make people happy
Real joy
Everyone makes peace
Camp Shalom Institute Field Trip
In the beautiful mountains of Malibu
The Camp Shalom field trip was
very enjoyable because there was a
lot of nature. We got to go zip lining
and rock climbing! We saw alpacas,
sheep, a New Jersey cow and rams.
The alpacas’ fur was so soft and felt
like it didn’t have any skin. We got
to pick celery, basil, mint, and chocolate mint from their
organic
garden. We also learned about Israel. When
we left Camp Shalom Institute, I was very sad and I
wanted to stay longer.
~Yehuda Dahan, 6th Grade
The Camp Shalom field trip was great.
It was so fun because we got to do so
many things in nature. We saw cool
animals that are normally in the mountains like rabbits that were pregnant. We saw really cool
cows and alpacas that were so soft and amazing. We got
to feed them. Their mouth was so soft and ticklish. We
took a really nice hike on the trail of Israel, which was
amazing because we got to see everything exactly like in
Israel. We heard stories that were so wonderful. We were
so high; when I looked down I saw the land of Israel.
We were standing where the place that Syria used to
have. When I went zip ling, I felt like I was zip lining
across nature and all the animals, with the feeling I love.
~David Saeedian, 6th Grade
My favorite part of Camp Shalom was the zip-line.
In order to participate, I had to wear a harness and a
helmet. After attaching my harness to the rope, I
climbed up a tree with nails for handholds and
footholds. Then I was buckled onto another rope and
unbuckled from the first one. I held onto the rope
and jumped off the platform. It was a wonderful
sensation. I felt like I was flying. The air rushed past
me and I spun around. Then the zip-line came to a
stop, and I was dangling in the air. Someone helped
me onto a table and unbuckled me. We went back to a
small structure where a teacher removed my harness
and helmet.
I also enjoyed the animal station. We got to see many
animals, including horses, rams, pregnant sheep,
donkeys, alpacas, cows, and a calf. Their fur was very
soft. We were given some food, and I let a donkey eat
out of my hand. After that, we got to visit a garden.
We looked at tomato and pumpkin plants and picked
mint and chocolate mint.
~Eliana Sisman, 6th Grade
KCA Student Council
The student council election was a fun experience.
The people that were running gave
amazing speeches that outlined what they would do to make the school a better place.
They also created very creative boards with really imaginative slogans. The President
of the student council, Miriam Soumekh, promised to try and have more field trips
for the students. The Vice-President, David Saeedian, discussed ideas and ways to implement them. The
Treasurer, Yami Spokojny, is in charge of the money. She has to make sure we have enough money for
certain events. The Spirit Representative, Rachelle Kelman is going to work on creating a spirit day every
month for our school. The Secretary of the School is Miriam Shalom. Her job is to create the fliers for
events. The Historian, Rachel Shamoulian, takes pictures of events to be used in newsletters and our
yearbook. Esti Arnan is this years’ Advisor/Sports Leader. She provides advice to the council and
information about school sports events.
There are two class representatives—Michael Atzmon is 5th Grade Class Representative
and Devorah Soumekh is the 4th Grade class Representative.
Our first council meeting was held on Thursday, October 31st.
We are looking forward to
many fun events provided by the Student Council.
By Rachel Shamouelian
Buy Your School Sweatshirt
Pullovers and Zip-up Hoodies
Look for information in your emails
PTA Corner
Upcoming Events
November
3-4
Rosh Chodesh Kislev
3
Set Clocks Back
8
Friday, Winter Schedule Begins:
Thanks to all the parents who have ALREADY
gotten a head start volunteering for our school! Our
new PTA Board is in full swing. We welcomed all
the KCA parents at our 1st PTA meeting of the new
school year which was held on Wednesday, October
30, at the Preschool.
Non-PTA board member leaders are also stepping up
to help KCA: Yael Lichaa once again has done us
proud leading the Bake Sale effort - thanks to her
team of bakers and sellers, we made $800 for our
school in one night! BatSheva Shouster will soon
be preparing all the class parents to keep all of you
informed about your kids and their classes in a whole
new & exciting way.
Stay tuned, & come to the meeting to learn more!
Looking forward to a great school year for all of us,
Devorah Helfand
PTA President
Day School Dismissal @1:50
Preschool Dismissal @1:30
21
Preschool Chanukah Celebration
25
Early Dismissal Both Campuses
Day School @1:00, Preschool @1:20
27
Thanksgiving Celebration & Feasts
Chanukah Celebration—Day School
28-29 Thanksgiving Vacation—NO SCHOOL
28
Chanukah Begins
December
2
Parent-Teacher Conferences—
NO SCHOOL