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Click here for Purim photos 2008
| From The Birmingham Jewish Federation
Jan. 11, 2008 | 
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| | . | 'NIGHT ON THE TOWN IN RUSSIA' |
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Day School Gala food coordinator Kim Zakarin (center) and volunteers Lisa Engel and Kaz Kazzie preparing an authentic Russian dinner.
Enter the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School doors and you may hear Russian spoken by several students: "dobraye utra," (good morning) and "spasibo" (thank you) can be heard at the doorway.
Today, 10 percent of the students are of Russian descent and for years the Day School has been educating youngsters from the former Soviet Union. Their presence is due in part to a momentous decision by several Birmingham Jewish leaders almost 30 years ago. In the late 1970's, at the behest of volunteer leaders Sol and Rita Kimerling, the Birmingham Jewish Federation brought to Birmingham two Russian Jewish immigrants waiting in an Italian immigration station for a permanent home. With little social service infrastructure, the Birmingham Jewish community came together to aid these fellow Jews who were looking for a new start. Over the ensuing decades hundreds more would follow. Their immigration and integration into Birmingham was facilitated by funds raised through the Birmingham Jewish Federation's "Operation Exodus" camapign. Collat Jewish Family Services spearheaded the resettlement effort. This year, the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School's annual gala will reflect the impact that these New Americans have had on our community. The gala, "A Night on the Town in Russia," will be Saturday, Jan. 19, at 7:30 PM in the Day School's Abroms Assembly Hall. FILLED WITH RUSSIAN FLAVOR The evening will be filled with Russian flavor -- scents of savory meat pelmini, meat and potato pierogi, stuffed cabbage, borscht and caviar etc. A "vodka slide" will offer up icy vodka shots and martinis. There also will be a bar with mixed drinks, wine and beer, and the mood is expected to be as lively as a Moscow nightclub "post-perestroika" Gala chair Valerie Thompson has worked to create an Eastern European atmosphere and an auction tinged with Russian treats. More than 100 silent and live auction items will be available including a "From Russia with Love" gift basket; a weekend at a kosher B&B in Charleston; a hot air balloon ride with gourmet picnic; several beach and mountain vacation packages; a week in Eilat, Israel; handmade and diamond jewelry and much more. If you are interested in attending email Day School Advancement Director Lauren Perlman at laurenp@nemjds.org or call the Day School office at 879-1068. Tickets are $75 per person. Funds generated from the auction will support scholarships and programming at the Day School. All students -- Russian, Israeli, those born and raised in Alabama -- will benefit, as our past comes together with our present and future. The N.E. Miles Jewish Day School is among the 29 agencies supported by funds raised through the Birmingham Jewish Federation Campaign. Click to learn more about the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School. |
News and Events from and about the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School
From The Birmingham Jewish Federation
Dec. 12, 2007 |
| from left, Jessie Weisberg and Clara Lapidus smile with the spirit of Chanukah. The library of the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School came alive with the spirit of Chanukah in a special way this year as over 20 preschoolers and their parents joined in song to celebrate the holiday. "Preschool Story Time" is geared toward 3 and 4-year-olds and their families as part of the Family Education and Outreach Program at the school. The event, chaired by Jennifer Berman, featured guitarist and song leader, Robin Berger, who shared the story of Chanukah with the children, using music, song and dramatic play. The kids marched with Judah Maccabee, cleaned the temple, searched for oil, and discovered the miracle of Chanukah. They sang of candles, dreidles, and latkes. Snacks and playground time rounded out the afternoon, as 3-year-old Arlo Winston exclaimed, "I love this place!" The next "Story Time" is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 22, 1:30 PM at the Day School to celebrate Tu B'Shevat, the Birthday of the Trees. The N.E. Miles Jewish Day School is one of 22 agencies funded by dollars raised through the Birmingham Jewish Federation Campaign. | 
| From The Birmingham Jewish Federation
Dec. 5, 2007 |
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| | BETTER BEHAVING PARENTS, BETTER BEHAVED KIDS |
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 Dr. Anthony Wolf speaking at the N.E.Miles Jewish Day School
The meeting room at N.E. Miles Jewish Day School was crowded with parents and counselors Sunday night, all seeking a way to communicate more effectively with their most precious (and frustrating) charges: the children for whom they care. Dr. Anthony Wolf, a veteran writer, commentator and practicing psychologist, offered helpful remarks for over an hour, then turned to questions, fielding a large number of inquiries about specific challenges that audience members were amazed to discover they had in common. Dr. Wolf talked about the differences in parenting now and a generation before, noting that kids are no longer afraid of parents since corporal punishment is not an accepted use of discipline anymore. He stated that while this is good, it requires us to develop alternative ways to deal with children. AVOIDING POWER STRUGGLES Dr. Wolf had some instructions regarding avoiding becoming entangled in a power struggle with your child: decide fast, stay firm and disengage, even if deciding fast means saying, "I can't decide now, I need to think about it." The lecture was sponsored by three Birmingham Jewish Foundation funds: The Ronne Hess Family Life Education Lecture Fund, The Reva Levy Engel Fund and The Abroms Center for Excellence Fund. The program was a joint project by Collat Jewish Family Services and N.E. Miles Jewish Day School. Both are among the 22 agencies funded by dollars raised through the Birmingham Jewish Federation Campaign.
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|  | Click on Article below to read. 
| THINK GREEN! FAMILY FUN FEST 2007 
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| From The Birmingham Jewish Federation August 23, 2007 |
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| RABBI CULPEPER'S LEGACY |
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Sidney Nomberg, left, and Seth Perlman, N.E. Miles Jewish Day School sixth graders, accessing the new online Encyclopaedia Judaica.
Two exciting developments are taking the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School Library to new heights as a resource for Judaic and spiritual growth. These enhancements also reflect ways our Jewish Day School serves the entire community.
The Day School is establishing the Rabbi Cynthia Culpeper Resource and Study Room, which will house Rabbi Culpeper's library of Judaic and religious texts appropriate for students and adults. Rabbi Culpeper died two years ago at 43 after a 10-year struggle with AIDS. She was raised Catholic and converted to Judaism. (Click for more on Rabbi Culpeper.) Upon her passing, Rabbi Culpeper generously bequeathed her collection to the Day School. For 10 years she was a steady presence in the school, helping students understand Judaism and their own personal spiritual growth. Her memory will be sustained through the Resource and Study Room, as well as through educational activities highlighting Rabbi Culpeper's journey, her values and her many accomplishments. This project is supported by the friends and family of Rabbi Culpeper with construction beginning in the near future. If you would like to participate in this tribute send a check to the Rabbi Cynthia Culpeper Memorial Fund c/o Birmingham Jewish Foundation, PO 130219, Birmingham, Al., 35213.
UPDATED REFERENCE RESOURCE
In a related development, the Day School has purchased the new second edition of the Encyclopaedia Judaica, recently updated after 34 years. The second edition of this important reference, "An Online Resource," contains updates to the original encyclopaedia, including new biographical entries and updates on Israeli-Arab relations, worldwide Jewish communities, women's studies, American and Canadian Jewry, and many other areas of modern Jewish life. The Encyclopaedia Judaica was purchased through a generous grant from the Birmingham Jewish Foundation. The Day School's library, which has one of the largest collections of Jewish books in Birmingham, is open to the community and serves as a resource for teachers, students and community members. The Encyclopaedia Judaica can be accessed on the Day School library computers, as well as through your personal computer by visiting the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School's website. (Click here NEMJDS then click New and News, select the Encyclopaedia link, enter "nemiles".) The Day School staff invites the community to take advantage of these new and exciting opportunities. For more information on these new resources contact contact Susan Greene, NEMJDS development director at 879-1068 or susang@nemjds.org The Day School is one of 22 agencies supported by funds raised through the Birmingham Jewish Federation Campaign. Click for more on the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School. . Our Elective Podcast |
From The Deep south Jewish Voice From the Birmingham News . April 17, 2007 Shalom Y’all! We just arrived in Israel at 5:30 PM today following an overnight flight from Atlanta. After our plane landed, we were greeted by many old friends, Click here for full letter |
Wednesday, April 17, 2007 Shalom from Jerusalem, It was a great first full day in Israel for us Alabamians! We started our day by waking up at 6:30 A.M. (Israel time) and 10:30 P.M (American time). We said our prayers, ate breakfast, and left for the Hass Promenade. Click here for full letter |
4/22/07 - Sunday Hey y’all! Right now we are on our way to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem. For Tidewater and NEMJDS, we will not return to the holy city again, but we know that we will always have memories of walking the Old City wall, visiting the Wailing Wall, and shopping on Ben Yehuda Street. Click here for full letter |
April 24th, 2007 Hey y'all, it's the NEMJDS Gang: Monday was Israeli Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut) and being in Israel for it has been so amazing! We are on the bus right now on our way to Cesaria. We just visited the Israeli Independence Hall where Ben Gurion first declared Israel as a Jewish State in 1948. Being there, especially on Yom Ha’atzmaut, was a really great experience. Click here for full letter |
April 26th, 2007 Hey everyone in B’ham! We cannot believe we’re coming home tomorrow! Our days here have been packed, so we’re sorry we haven’t had that much time to write! We just visited and shopped at the Naot shoe factory in Israel. We’re on our way to Zefat right now, which we can’t wait to see. Click here for full letter |
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N.E. Miles Jewish Day School, 4000 Montclair Road, Birmingham, Al 35213 Phone: 205.879.1068, Fax: 205.879.6183 Email: Schoolnews@NEMJDS.ORG For Directions to our School, Click here Home Mission Program Overview Admission Donations Staff News Employment All Pages (c) 2007, N.E. Miles Jewish Day School Website created and maintained by Steve Goldman |
