“...Know that every deed counts, that every word is power...” —Abraham Joshua Heschel
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 5"
SPECIAL 7TH GRADE EDITION""
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APRIL, 2015
Justice for the Unconvicted:! Mayor De Blasio Introduces Plan To Clear Backlog of Overdue Trials at Rikers Island Correctional Facility! By Abigail Sylvor-Greenberg!
Yom HaShoah at Heschel! By Tova Kleiner! ON THE 16TH of April we observed Yom HaShoah, a day when we remember the Holocaust--those who perished and those who survived. We began our day of remembrance with a joint sixth and seventh grade Tefillah. After the in-school Bat-Mitzvah of the day, we shifted into more solemn gear. Shoshana Jedwab told us about her father who miraculously survived the Shoah, while on a death march. She also spoke movingly about other family members, such as her grandmother, and their incredible stories. Karen Dorr read a poem, “Shema,” written by well known writer and survivor, Primo Levi." Throughout the day, groups of students, teachers, and parents made visits to the Room of Remembrance in the Beit Knesset, where we took time to pause and think about the suffering that so many of our ancestors endured. It offered an opportunity to meditate on their lives and on their deaths. In the room, soft music played while images from the Holocaust were projected on a small screen. "
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“FOR THE FIRST time, our city will work with the courts, law enforcement, district attorneys and the defense bar,” said New York City Mayor, Bill de Blasio, in a recent statement."
Yom HaZikaron ! By Abigail Sylvor-Greenberg! ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22nd, Heschel students and teachers, clad in blue and white, assembled in the Beit Knesset to observe Yom Hazikaron, the Day of Remembrance. Through song, poetry, film, and storytelling, in both Hebrew and English, students honored the lives of Israeli soldiers lost in defense of the land of Israel. This year there was a special focus on the siblings of fallen soldiers -- their grief -- and members of the Student Council recited poetry written by them. Sixth grade students, Ness Krell and Abbie Orlinsky, accompanied by Ido Naor on guitar, graced the community with a song dedicated to the memory of a specific soldier, written by his sister. The assembly was full of beautiful mixedmedia presentations which helped the school interact with the difficult and emotional content of the day, thanks to the Student Council and Rebeca Rydel’s thoughtful design." Even in America, it remains vital to connect to the soldiers who perished, to honor their service to us, and to look with awe and respect at the individuals who "
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The Alan B. Slifka Middle School
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De Blasio promises to take long overdue action to combat a serious issue: the tremendous backlog of unresolved criminal trials for inmates at Rikers Island Prison." According to a report from late March, 2015 published by The New York Times , there are over 400 residents of Rikers Island Correctional Facility who have been waiting two years or more for their trials. Six arrestees have been waiting for over six years, living the lives of the incarcerated while never having been proven guilty at all. This is all due to dysfunction on the part of the city "
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April 2015, Volume 5, Issue 5