“Know that every deed counts, that every word is power...” Abraham Joshua Heschel
Special Presidential Election Edition HESCHEL HERALD, THE MAGAZINE The Alan B. Slifka Middle School
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
HESCHEL HERALD, A News Magazine Special Election Edition November, 2016 Editors Talia Kahan Ayelet Kaminer Anna M. Dubey
Sports Editor Judah Klingsberg
Staff Writers Josephine Lemann Shayna Podhoretz Jenna Roberts Talia Scheinberg Eliana Sirota Becky Woldenberg
Letter from the Editors Dear Heschel Herald readers, We are thrilled to present the first ever Heschel Herald Election Issue! This presidential election has been one heck of a ride, and we’ve tried our best to capture it in this special edition of our news magazine. We are incredibly proud of the fact that submissions for this magazine came from many students, not just newspaper staff. Everyone came together to make this edition memorable and unique. Thank you to everyone who contributed their work-- if it wasn’t for all of you, this issue would never be published. Thank you to the political candidates for making this election one for the history textbooks. And most of all, thank YOU (yes, you), reader of the Heschel Herald, for reading our magazine.
Contributing Writers Kyra Siegel Laelah Aaron Oliver Steinman Rafi Gold Ilan Schwartz Sabrina Zbar Abbie Orlinsky Noah Helfstein Ethan Nili Maya Lukeman Kori Donath Tal Tetzeli Tillie Germain Sammy Wurzburger
Art Rafi Gold Tal Tetzeli (cover art) Alexandra Wenger (cover art) Aliza Sirota Eliana Sirota Nate Rosan
Faculty Advisor Karen Dorr
Layout & Design Karen Dorr Michal Kaplan
We have many surprises coming in future issues this year, so look out for more editions of the Heschel Herald soon! Happy reading! Anna M. Dubey, Talia Kahan and Ayelet Kaminer Eighth grade editors of the Heschel Herald Magazine
Please send us your opinions and responses to any of the articles or editorials you read in the Heschel Herald. We will print your letters; it’s fun to see your name in print. Try it.
Journalist of the Issue: Jeffrey Goldberg By Anna M. Dubey JEFFREY MARK GOLDBERG, a native New Yorker, is now editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to Israel and served in the IDF for a number of years. He also wrote for The Jerusalem Post. After returning to the US in order to further his journalism career, he worked with a large selection of newspapers and magazines, including The Washington Post, The Forward, The New York Times Magazine, and The New Yorker. Meanwhile, David G. Bradley was trying to convince him to work for The Atlantic. Mr. Bradley even resorted to renting ponies for Mr. Goldberg’s children to ride . Finally, Mr. Goldberg accepted the offer in 2007, and worked at The Atlantic for nine years before becoming editor-inchief. In his writing, Mr. Goldberg focuses on foreign affairs, specifically those of the
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Middle East and Africa. In 2006, he published a book called, Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide. Some of his journalism pieces include “In The Party of G-d”, recalling his time spent in the village of Ras al-Ein in Lebanon, “The Hunted,” about a couple who took law into their own hands in order to stop elephant hunters, and “The Modern King in the Arab Spring,” which explored the Jordanian King Abdullah and his government’s reaction to the 2011 protests against the Arab culture. Mr. Goldberg has also conducted several interviews with President Barack Obama. He currently lives in Washington, DC with his wife and three children.
November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
The Heschel School welcomes respectful, civil discourse about the upcoming Presidential Election. Please note that teachers and staff do not publicly endorse particular candidates. The editorials in this issue reflect the ideas and opinions of the student writers.
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Inside the Issue From Our Editors Letter From Editors................................................................................................................2 Transgender Restrooms..........................................................................................................5 LGBT+ Civil Rights........................................................................................................... 5, 6 For the Mentally Ill, Jail is of No Avail.....................................................................5, 6, 7, 8
Heschel Students On Presidential Issues Free College Tuition & No Debt............................................................................................8 Climate Chilling Out An Overheated Planet......................................................................................9 America’s Water Crisis..........................................................................................................9 Gun Control The Battle That Must Be Won.............................................................................................10 Other Student Voices on Gun Control................................................................................10 Reproductive Rights Preserve Roe v. Wade...........................................................................................................11 Stop-and-Frisk New York City’s “Stop-and-Frisk” Policy..........................................................................12 Minimum Wage Minimum Wage Increase.....................................................................................................12 Death Penalty Death Penalty........................................................................................................................13
More Election News Third Party Candidates.......................................................................................................14 Michelle Obama Speaks Out...............................................................................................15 Candidates Affect on Kids...................................................................................................16 The White House Zoo..........................................................................................................17 Debates, Campaigns, and Elections In American History...............................................18
Sports The Presidential Election & Sports..............................................................................19 Arts- Movie Suggestions to Escape 2016 Politics..............................................................20
The Bunion, A Letter of Apology + Definition of Satire...............................................21 The Bunion, What to Eat While Watching the Election Returns....................................22 The Bunion, A Political Cartoon.........................................................................................23 The Bunion, Final Cartoon.................................................................................................24
Hebrew Section....................................................................................................25-30
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Heschel Herald Editorials: Presidential Issues Transgender Student Bathroom Rights
LGBT + Civil Rights
For the Mentally Ill, Jail is of No Avail
By Ayelet Kaminer
By Anna M. Dubey “THE ONLY THING I ever asked for was the right to be treated like everyone else.” A simple, heartwarming message, one that we can all connect to in some way, specifically in the context of school. We can all remember an instance when a teacher unfairly singled us out to attempt a challenging math problem, or how angry we were at the prospect of an unjust detention. The controversy over transgender rights to public school bathrooms, however, is one dilemma that shouldn’t be worrying the students of today. But too many people suffer from the untrue belief that transgender people using their preferred bathrooms is synonymous with misconduct in bathrooms, and this absurd claim must be refuted in order for justice to ensue. To promote a future of justice and liberty, we need to support laws in favor of bathroom gender equality. Under the Obama administration, schools were directed to allow students to use the bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. However, schools from a variety of states have challenged this ruling. The Supreme Court recently decided to hear the case of a transgender boy named Gavin Grimm, whose rights to use the boys’ bathroom were challenged by a member of his school’s community. Mr. Grimm views the Supreme Court’s decision as a setback, since he will be unable to use
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By Talia Kahan THE LEGALIZATION OF samesex marriage in the United States (June of 2015) was undoubtedly a major shift in LGBT+ life in this country. In the weeks following the Supreme Court decision, thousands of same-sex couples married, but there is a sad truth that may follow their nuptials. “Married on Sunday and fired on Monday,” has become a term to describe the entirely legal action of firing someone solely based upon their sexuality or gender identity. In twenty eight US states, LGBT+ people are free to marry but can be fired for doing so, a fate that heterosexual couples do not have to face. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled this act illegal in 2015, but at the moment it is still up to state governments to decide whether or not they will make a law regarding LGBT+ discrimination. This is due to gender identity and sexuality not being included in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects Americans from job discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, and national origin. I believe that in order to ensure LGBT+ equality in this country a clause must be added to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 making LGBT+ discrimination in the work force illegal. Crystal Moore is a hard worker. She worked with the police department of her small South Carolina town since 1989, eventually becoming both its first female and first openly gay sheriff. In 2014, the mayor of her town fired her on
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MR. MCMANUS, a 35-year-old mentally ill inmate died at a Michigan prison weighing 75 pounds, having dropped from 140 pounds in five months. Three days before he died, he was pepper sprayed as a punishment for refusing to take his clothes off. Mentally ill inmates like Mr. McManus are treated terribly, which often results in serious injury or even death. First, mentally ill prisoners are more likely to be sent to a prison than a state psychiatric hospital. Second, in those prisons, they may be routinely physically abused by being sprayed with pepper spray, deprived of water and medical attention, beaten, strapped to beds for hours on end, doused with chemical sprays, and shocked with electric shock guns. The law permits this type of treatment and allows force to be used to protect the safety and security of the prison. However, this type of violence is not always necessary to keep prisons safe and secure. It occurs because officers are not taught how to properly deal with mentally ill inmates’ behaviors. This type of mistreatment of the mentally ill must stop immediately and new reforms must be made to ensure that mentally ill inmates get treated for their illnesses in a safe environment with trained professionals. As of 2012, 356,268 mentally ill adults were in jails while only one tenth of that number, 35, 000 were in state
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Transgender Public Restrooms
decision that will allow all students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. If we want a better world for the next generation, then we need to spread the word among everyone we know. We must make sure that everyone supports the right choice in this controversy. We need to show the world, and specifically the Supreme Court, that we won’t back down from what we know is right, and that even in the face of oppression, we will help our fellow Americans fight for a world where people can use whatever bathroom corresponds to their gender identity. We need to remind people that being transgender doesn’t imply a thing about how one behaves in in a bathroom. Spreading the word is a step towards making America a better and safer place, and ushering in an age of acceptance and freedom for all-- not just cisgender people, not just transgender people, but everyone.
Continued from page 5 the boys’ bathroom while the case is under consideration. He stated that the issue over which bathroom he can use is a controversy, “that I’d just like to finish so that I can think about high school things… my thoughts instead are, when will I actually be able to use the bathroom at my high school?” The very fight for rights is a source of much stress for transgender people. Among transgender and non-genderconforming people, a stunning 41% have attempted suicide. Mr. Grimm spoke of the extreme frustration involved in his and numerous others’ situations, mentioning that “There’s just nothing about me that is predatory or dangerous, or warrants the kind of response I got from my community.” Bias and fear are key factors in denying transgender people bathrooms based on their gender identity. Lawyers have argued that only a very small percentage of our population identifies as transgender. Schools, they continued, need to defend, “other students’ privacy and free exercise rights.” Is choosing one group of students over another the correct way to react here? Can schools “protect” certain people while blatantly denying respect to others? As Mr. Grimm put it, “If an individual was to behave incorrectly in the bathroom, their crime would be misconduct in a bathroom, it would not be existing while transgender.” Students - and people in general - should not be discriminated against because of an unfounded fear of misconduct. Limiting the freedom of a group of people because of how they identify is never the correct way to resolve a situation. And because America is a nation that strives to do what’s right, because we are a nation that reaches towards the light of a better future, we need to support a Supreme
LGBT+ Civil Rights Continued from page 5 what he called her “questionable” lifestyle. The mayor, when speaking of Crystal and her sexuality, stated, "I'd much rather have somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children, because that ain't the damn way it's supposed to be." No one, especially not someone as essential to the safety of good, American people, should be fired because their sexuality, “Ain’t the damn way it’s supposed to be.” In her career of over twenty years, Moore had never received a single reprimand. How, then, can the actions against her be explained, other than as blatant, homophobic discrimination? Now, in a time when we strive to achieve equality for all people,
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no matter their sexuality or gender identity, what could possibly be holding us back? As is often the case, some refuse change. In an EEOC vote to determine if LGBT+ job discrimination should be deemed illegal, every Republican in congress voted that it should not be. Job discrimination is not the only issue currently beleaguering LGBT+ people. Also, in many U.S. states, LGBT+ people can be refused service in restaurants and/or evicted from their homes, all because of who they choose to have a relationship with. Everyday in, “the land of the free,” Americans are perpetrating unjust treatment towards LGBT+ people. Everyday people are being stripped of their basic human rights because a law made fifty-three years ago doesn’t include gender identity and sexuality. Laws are made to be changed, and if politicians leave the decision to individual states, many LGBT+ people will suffer. Today, now that same sex-marriage in the U.S. is legal, Crystal Moore is married to her partner whom she has a baby with, and has been reinstated as sheriff; she serves her community with dedication and dignity. A lifelong resident of the town Sheriff Moore serves, stated, "That's Crystal. All she does is help people. I don't get why he fired her. Maybe it's the ignorant people who talk the loudest. She was the same great Crystal yesterday as she is today, and she'll be the same person tomorrow." Rea Carey of the Human Rights Campaign said, “The vision for [LGBT+] society is lived freedom.” Lived freedom, meaning the exact rights heterosexual people have. The only way to guarantee the safety of LGBT+ people in this country is to add a clause to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 clearly making discrimination against people based on their sexuality or gender identity illegal.
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Mentally Ill, No Jail Continued from page 5 psychiatric hospitals. In 44 out of 50 states more people with mental illness were in jail than in hospitals. Fifteen percent of state prisoners and 24% of jail inmates acknowledged symptoms of mental disorders. According to a study by the Justice Department, in any given year, 75% of women and 50% of men in state penitentiaries and 75% of women and 63% of men in local jails suffer from mental illnesses. These are horrifying statistics, which show us that not enough of the mentally ill are getting treated in a h o s p i t a l environment. Rather, most of them are being treated in jails that do not have officers who are trained to guard the mentally ill and sufficient professionals to treat them. According to Human Rights Watch, correction officers are rarely taught the proper way to recognize symptoms of mental illness and how to properly address them. One horrific example of this type of treatment is the case of Mr. McManus. Three days before Mr. McManus died he was pepper sprayed because he did not follow the order to take off his clothes and then was denied water after making clear requests for it. During his case, the court noted that the “internal affairs investigation by the Michigan Department of Corrections concluded that health care and custody staff failed to provide basic medical/
psychological care to McManus, and this failure led to his death.” To solve this problem, all mentally ill inmates should be sent to a psychiatric hospital instead of a jail. There they would be treated by health professionals and by trained officers who know how to properly deal with the mentally ill without resorting to force.
Laws allow force to be used on inmates that may be depriving the prison of safety and security but often violence is used when it is not absolutely necessary. Officers often resort to violence due a lack of knowledge and training about how to deal with problems caused by the inmates’ mental illness. Experts consulted from the Department of Justice did a report on patterns of unwarranted and abusive force. They concluded that forceful or violent actions are widespread and happen often. Prisons do not have checks on the amount of force, effective training, or special provisions to protect those with mental disabilities. Mr. Kirby, a person with schizophrenia, said that as in inmate during the 1990s, guards frequently beat him for failing to follow orders that he
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might have had trouble understanding. The solution is very simple: more mentally ill inmates should be moved to hospitals where they can be treated by health professionals who understand how to help them without resorting to violence. But while there are so many mentally ill placed in prisons, it is urgent that the federal government require frequent reviews on the amount of force used in jails throughout the country to prevent the violation of people’s dignity and their rights. Last, there should be stricter and more carefully implemented laws on the use of force, and the officers must be educated about how to deal with the mentally ill without resorting to force. Many people support imprisoning the mentally ill for a few reasons. First, some argue that states do not have the resources or the willingness to use their resources to build adequate mental health hospitals. Second, they also point out that once the mentally ill are released from hospitals, they often do not continue to take their medication, and their communities may not have satisfactory resources to take care of them. I strongly disagree with these arguments. According to a study performed by the Justice Department, more than half of jail inmates are mentally ill. Therefore, if the cost of housing an inmate in prison is transferred to psychiatric hospitals, then there will be sufficient financing available for the hospitals. Also, if more funding is given to psychiatric hospitals, then convicted criminals will be able to stay there longer. After they are released, there needs to be implemented more follow up by trained personnel, and check-up appointments to ensure that patients are
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Mentally Ill, No Jail Continued from page 7
Free College Tuition and No Debt By Ilan Schwartz
taking and responding well to medication. The pros of putting mentally ill in hospitals instead of jails are much greater than the cons. Too many mentally ill inmates are being sent to jail instead of to hospitals. I suggest that all mentally ill inmates be moved to hospitals where they are treated by trained professionals who know how to deal with and treat patients with mental illnesses properly. New and stricter laws should be made and implemented to ensure than nobody is being treated with physical force unless absolutely necessary.
Remember to Vote!
IN ORDER FOR our country to progress and thrive we must make dramatic advancements in the cost and accessibility of a college education. There is an enormous difference between the salaries of citizens with college degrees and those who only have a high school diploma. According to a national report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (shee.org), the average annual salary of a college graduate is $50,000 and the average annual salary of people with just a high school education is $30,000. By providing and requiring a college education the country will expand its middle class, thus creating and developing a stronger economy. A solution is to provide all students access to a free and debt-free college education. To pay for this, the uber wealthy, the top one percent, should pay a larger share of taxes along with an increase in taxation for the top fifteen percent of earners. As Hillary Clinton proposed, “no tuition for students from families making less than $85,000.” Although those who are being taxed more may complain, we need to begin to invest in the “common good” to advance the country's education and advancement of the lower and middle classes. According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, states are already beginning to invest large amounts of money in education. In 2015 states spent $81.8 billion on higher education (college). This is a six percent increase over the prior year. There are many advantages to having a college degree, but if students are burdened with debt, they will only take jobs that will help lower their debt, rather than follow a path that might contribute to the wellbeing of others or to their own job satisfaction. They will have to postpone buying a home, raising a family, and contributing to the economy.
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If I was running for president in this year's election I would run on the basis of advancement in the field of education. I know that many of the citizens of our country will sacrifice anything for a higher education. An example of this yearning for education is portrayed when enslaved blacks were finally permitted to get an education. The first black public schools were created and even parents sat in on their child’s classes to learn basic things such as reading and writing. I ask the United States Congress to consider the idea of free education from Pre-K to college, and to pass legislation.
Overall, it's evident that education must be a priority and our country needs to invest more money so that all citizens, may acquire a college education, even if it means more taxes.
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Heschel Students Take On the Presidential Issues penguins. Even worse, I know that it would be our fault. We have brought this upon ourselves. Chilling Out An Overheated By burning fossil fuels (for example, Planet driving cars, burning coal, and using air By Rafi Gold conditioning) we emit greenhouse gases. IN RECENT YEARS, there has been These gases (mostly carbon dioxide) trap much dispute as to whether global heat, causing a greenhouse effect at the warming is really something we have to top of the ozone layer. This makes the worry about. It is. We need to put a stop entire planet become excessively hot, to climate change and we need to do it resulting in what is now known as global now, before our planet is destroyed. The warming. question is: How? One promising solution It is undeniable that climate change is with a carbon tax. is happening. We started it, and now we The evidence is overwhelming that need to stop it. One way to do this is with climate change is happening now. a carbon tax. This means the government September of 2016 was the warmest would institute a tax on businesses for September on record, almost 2 degrees using fuels that cause carbon emissions. Fahrenheit higher than the long-term As an incentive to avoid this added September average. Moreover, throughout expense, companies can use more the world, heat levels have been rising, environmentally friendly energy sources, killer storms have been raging, coastal such as solar panels or battery-run cities have been flooding, and polar ice engines. Our neighbors to the North have sheets have been disintegrating, causing provided us with an excellent example of polar animals to come close to extinction. the carbon tax working. After a carbon I shudder to imagine a world without tax was introduced in British Columbia, snow-white polar bears or adorable carbon emissions decreased by 5 to 15
percent and the economy actually grew, because consumers were attracted to products made by companies that were environmentally friendly. This should serve as a model for other governments. One might claim that humans are not causing climate change and that therefore, humans have no responsibility to stop it. Virtually all credible scientists believe that humans are the cause of global warming. Global warming is real and humans are causing it. We need to stop this, and one good way to do so is by imposing a carbon tax. So far, our President has been an outspoken leader in the fight against global warming. However, because many members of the Republican Party have refused to believe that climate change is even a problem, Congress has not taken a firm stand against global warming. To put a stop to climate change, our full government should follow the example of our friends in British Columbia and take a strong position against global warming.
America’s Water Crisis
is also a case of gaps in government oversight at all levels, of ill-thought austerity and of not being aggressively proactive in taking the job of protecting, treating and distributing drinking water as a public health issue," said a spokesperson from Clean Water Action. The American government has to fix the contaminated water problem. Right now is the best time to do it, and for every day longer they wait to fix it, hundreds of thousands of people, including children, are suffering from exposure to toxic water.
Climate & Water
By Oliver Steinman IT IS NO secret that America has a water problem but just how bad is it? Most people can just name a few cities, like Flint, Michigan or Newark, New Jersey, where lead level are dangerously high. But there are states across the country with water issues. These water problems include contaminated and toxic tap water or not any water to drink at all. I think that the American government has to fix this terrible problem as soon as possible. The main reason that many Americans have these drinking issues is because of lead pipes. Unsafe levels of lead have turned up in tap water city after city. Although Congress banned lead water pipes thirty years ago, between 3.3
million and 10 million older ones still remain. According to the EPA, 41 states had Action Level Exceedance (ALEs) in the last three fiscal years, meaning states have reported higher than acceptable levels of lead in drinking water. Six percent of Native Americans and Alaska Natives suffer from water poverty. This number roughly translates into 180,000 households. Unfortunately there are many who will point out the high cost required to fix this problem. Casey Dinges, the American Society of Civil Engineers senior managing director, told CNBC that the infrastructure conveying the water is in "serious need of investment right now." The cost to fix this problem now is a fraction of what it will cost in the future. "It is in part an infrastructure crisis, but it
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Heschel Students Take On the Presidential Issues civilians could have unlimited access to guns meant for the militia. The only way for us to solve this The Battle that Must Be Won crucial issue is to increase the difficulty of By Kyra Siegel buying a gun and making purchases of THE FACTS SURROUNDING gun semi-automatic guns illegal. There is no violence in the United States are reason for a regular citizen to own a semiastounding. On average, 117,000 automatic rifle. They do more damage in a Americans are shot every year. The total shorter amount of time. They practically annual cost of gun violence in the United scream “murder,” and “tragedy.” States is 229 billion dollars. There are Unfortunately, we can never eliminate 112.6 guns owned per every 100 people in guns entirely, for gun lobbyists will never the US. A gun in a home doubles the risk allow this to happen. But we must do all of homicide and triples the risk of suicide. we can to get close to achieving this In 2015 a Washington Post analysis found dream. We must force all potential gun that toddlers were finding guns and owners to partake in background checks shooting people at a rate of around one without loopholes. This will make sure every week. This data should not exist. that those who pose a threat to society Gun violence must stop. cannot acquire a gun. Felons and those The Second Amendment of the US have mental illnesses should not be Constitution must have limits. It is not allowed to own guns. acceptable that firearms, which are so A poll conducted in 2012, found that lethal, can be so easily obtained. I do not 96% of respondents believe in believe that our founding fathers wrote background checks on anyone who the Constitution with the intention that attempts to purchase a gun. So why have
Gun Control
Other Student Voices on Guns: Sabrina Zbar writes: ...the horrifying number of deaths is what is so difficult to comprehend. From just 1969 up until today, the number of deaths caused by firearms is 1,516,863, averaging 31,500 deaths per year. This shocking number is GREATER than the total number of American deaths from warfare beginning before the thirteen colonies received their independence from Britain until today; that death toll is 1,396,733. This is a ghastly statistic, because these two death tolls have one main difference: in wars, people go out to fight, knowing they are risking their lives, ready to die for our country. In contrast, with deaths caused by gun violence, people wake up thinking it is a day just like any other, with no clue that when
they leave their house that morning, it is the last time.
Abbie Orlinsky writes, ...we have seen and heard too many horrible events relating back to guns and gun violence. It is time to take a stand and make a change. As a country we must fight for stronger gun control laws in every state, so every state will be a safe place to live in.
Noah Helfstein writes, In Chicago, the median prison sentence given for “aggravated unlawful use of a weapon” by a felon was four years in prison. However, 60% of all federal drug offenders are subject to a mandatory minimum sentences as long as twenty years. In my opinion, we should look to reduce sentence length for drugrelated offenses, and shift prison resources toward toward preventing gun violence through longer jail sentences.
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we made no progress? Why are innocent people still being harmed? We owe this to the N.R.A, the National Rifle Association. The N.R.A is one of the most influential lobbying groups in the country. Spending around 250 million dollars a year, they are the main reason that we cannot tighten our gun laws. With about 4,500,000 members, the N.R.A has opposed any steps to control guns. The N.R.A also ranks members of Congress on a scale of A-F, depending on how strongly they support gun control. These rankings affect the elections, and influence congressional inaction on bills for gun control. The problem of gun violence does not only affect American families, but also affects the perception of our country. Gun violence must stop. Period. It should not even be a deliberation. I don’t think the question is difficult to answer. No longer can we say “If we only could have…”, after a tragedy occurs. We must act now, for it’s now or never.
Ethan Nili writes, ...discussions at Shabbat dinners about gun control go like this: my Grandpa thinks guns should be allowed but should only be sold in government stores like marijuana; my uncle thinks guns should be legal and nothing should change; my father thinks guns should be completely abolished. I think one solution is that states and the federal government sponsor gun buy backs as they did in Australia.
Maya Lukeman writes, ...if this country values the rights of people, it must include the right to live...we need to move the government to amend the current gun control laws to combat the rise of violence in the US
Kori Donath writes, ...there are too many people in possession of illegal guns... strict federal laws must apply to all states.
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Heschel Students Take On the Presidential Issues Reproductive Rights Preserve Roe v. Wade By Laelah Aaron ABORTION, A MEDICAL procedure used to end a pregnancy, is seen by some as murder. However, others may define “abortion” as a reproductive choice that empowers women by giving them control over their own bodies. If the government takes this control away from women, the choice of terminating a woman’s pregnancy wouldn’t be her own. I think that the decision whether to have an abortion or not should be the woman’s own private decision, and not the decision of the government; therefore I believe that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned and that women’s clinics should become more available to women, wherever they may live. The denial to choose is protected by a woman’s right to due process established by the 14th Amendment. According to the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, it is also a violation of women’s constitutional right to privacy. Roe v. Wade is considered a landmark case today because this case changed the law on abortions and made it legal for a woman to obtain an abortion at any point of the pregnancy before the fetus becomes viable. Prior to Roe v. Wade, abortion was illegal in almost every state, with some exceptions of rape or incest. Connecticut passed the first law in the United States to restrict abortion in 1821. The law prohibited the use of a toxic substance to cause a miscarriage after "quickening" -the first detectable movement of the fetus. The prohibition of abortion caused many desperate expectant women to perform their own abortions. They used things like coat hangers or catheters in order to do
this. This was extremely dangerous for women, because there was a very high chance of injury, pain, and fever caused by infection, which also came with the possibility of death. In 1969, a woman named Lola Huth discovered she was carrying a fetus with physical abnormalities, but was told by her doctor that he could not perform her abortion because it could implicate him in an illegal act, and he did not want to jeopardize his career. So Lola told her doctor that she would do it on her own, and he responded by giving her instructions on how to induce an abortion as safely as possible. While performing her own abortion, Lola sadly punctured a vein and air entered her bloodstream. She died at the young age of 33. The restriction on abortion prior to Roe v. Wade not only violated Lola’s right to liberty to make this very personal decision on her own, but it also forced her and many other women to have to put their lives on the line in order to terminate their pregnancies. Presently, it is becoming more and more difficult for women to get an abortion. One reason this is occurring is because many pro-life activists (a movement of people who are opposed to abortions and support its legal prohibition) are influencing states to shut down their abortion clinics. A survey conducted in 2014 by Operation Rescue, a group opposed to abortions, shows that 73 abortion clinics were shut down in 2014, and 75% of abortion clinics have closed since 1991. By closing the majority of the clinics in America, the states’ pro-life activists are making it very challenging for women to get an abortion, particularly poor women who cannot afford to travel the distances often required to obtain a safe, legal abortion. According to Roe v. Wade, the court ruled that individual states can make
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restrictions on abortion in the third trimester, at which point the fetus becomes most viable. However, states are circumventing the court ruling by shutting down clinics, and therefore basically taking away women’s right to have the choice to terminate their pregnancies. Overall, we need to uphold Roe v. Wade, and a woman’s right to choose, as well as prevent the closures of so many women’s clinics, that not only provide safe and legal abortions but often are the only providers for women’s other health issues. In conclusion, the laws protecting abortion and Roe v. Wade are in jeopardy. The upcoming election could have a huge impact on a woman’s right to choose and possibly change the current abortion laws.
November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Heschel Students Take On the Presidential Issues may be choosing who they think looks guilty based on race. People have argued that the New York City’s Stop-Anddisproportionate percentages are due to Frisk Policy the fact that black people commit more By Eliana Sirota crimes, not because police officers are THE WAY STOP-and-frisk is targeting them. Judge Shira Scheindlin, practiced in New York City is racist and from the federal district court in needs to be changed. The law says that a Manhattan, rebuts this in her ruling that police officer may stop someone if they New York City’s stop-and-frisk program have “reasonable suspicion” that the is unconstitutional by saying “this person might be doing something reasoning is flawed because the stopped unlawful. However, in most cases, population is overwhelmingly innocent — “reasonable suspicion” means the color of not criminal. There is no basis for your skin. assuming that an innocent population New York Civil Liberties Union’s shares the same characteristics as the data show that in 2016, 53% of people criminal suspect population in the same stopped were black and 11% were white. area.” She also found that weapons were This is disproportionate to the percentage found more often on white people than on of blacks and whites in the population. In minorities. New York City, 44% of the people are Some police officers say they were white and 26% of the people are black, given a quota for how many stop-andaccording to the 2010 census. This frisks they had to make. An officer said information suggests that police officers that if he didn’t meet that amount of stops, he could be denied vacation time.
This means that even if police officers saw no one who looked suspicious, they still had to stop a certain amount of people. Explanations that the officers have given for why they stopped people include that the person changed directions or that they looked over their shoulder. As these are actions everyone does every day, this alone can not give anyone enough suspicion to search them. If officers are forced to stop-and-frisk people for no reasons other than simple movements everyone does, it’s likely they fall back on prejudice for their decisions of which innocent people to search. The Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the government from denying any person “the equal protection of the laws.” New York City’s stop-and-frisk practice violates this amendment, as it does not give people equal protection. It discriminates against black people and this practice needs to be changed.
Should The Federal Minimum Wage Be Increased?
sent back to their native countries. So in some cases, the owners of these businesses take advantage of immigrants by paying them below the minimum wage, knowing there is not anything they can do about it. As sad as it is, people are paid below the minimum wage. Another critical point to consider regarding the federal minimum wage is that individual states, counties and cities can raise the minimum wage for their specific area. This makes sense because the cost of living tends to be more in certain cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York to name a few. I think $11.50 should be the minimum wage everywhere in the US, meaning $11.50 is the minimum starting point. Certain cities should be encouraged to raise their minimum wage as necessary, according to the cost of living.
“Stop-and-Frisk”
By Sammy Wurzburger As many people are aware, the US has a crumbling middle class which is causing the majority of our nation to be either rich or poor. Many Americans are living on food stamps. Various candidates throughout the primaries have presented ideas about policies regarding the issue of minimum wage for the poor. Some candidates wanted to make the minimum wage $12, some wanted to make it $15, and some wanted it not to be raised at all. Our two remaining candidates differ in their views as well, but they both agree that it should be raised. The Republican nominee Donald Trump wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $10, while the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton wants to raise the minimum wage to $12.
I believe that the federal minimum wage should be $11.50. I believe an $11.50 federal minimum wage would be perfect for the US. I think this because as we see right now that a $7.25 federal minimum wage is not enough. People are struggling and many do not have enough money to pay rent, pay bills, or take care of their families. Some are on food stamps and others are resorting to crime. There is a strong movement among advocates for low-income workers and by the Democratic Party to raise the minimum wage to $15. While this sounds nice, I think this is too high because small businesses may not be able to afford it. As unfortunate as it is, there are currently many Americans who are working below the federal minimum wage for various reasons. For example, illegal immigrants who cannot get a job sometimes have to work undocumented. They obviously do this for fear of being
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Heschel Students Take On the Presidential Issues Death Penalty Abolish the Death Penalty By Tal Tetzeli WHAT KIND OF place do we want our country to be? Do we want it to be a place where people, as young as seventeen years old, are judged for the rest of their lives based on one immoral thing they did? A place where we don’t give people a chance to become a better form of themselves and to prove that they are more than what they did? The death penalty puts a lot at stake--it places the government and “we the people” in the terrible position of deciding whether a person deserves to live or not. Overall, the death penalty is wrong. It is unethical, dishonorable, and unconstitutional. It takes people’s lives, breaks apart families and needs to be stopped. The death penalty violates the 8th Amendment, which guarantees freedom from cruel and unusual punishment. Killing someone is the most cruel and unusual punishment that a state can inflict. When the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, twenty-one people were executed for crimes committed when they were seventeen years old. On March 1st, 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that executing juveniles, a person eighteen or under, unconstitutional. However, they did not rule that executing people between the ages of eighteen to twenty five years of age unconstitutional. I think that this decision is wrong because neuroscientists have proven that the human brain continues to develop until twenty six years of age; the Supreme Court therefore, is ruling that if a person is older than eighteen and he or she kills someone, they are old enough to be put to death. Young people are being punished as adults, but their ability to make good judgements is not that of an adult. The death penalty is very expensive and that money could be used to improve
our broken justice system.There are many people that make up our justice system who are not paid enough for the amount of work that they do, nor is there enough staff to handle the workload. For example, there need to be more public defenders, police officers, emergency care providers, and others who work for the courts. Instead, we are wasting money on killing people. Keeping inmates on death row in Florida costs taxpayers $51 million a year. North Carolina has put 43 people to death since 1976 at a cost of $2.16 million per execution. In California, the death penalty costs taxpayers $114 million a year. They have executed thirteen people since 1976 for $250 million per execution. The cost of maintaining a prisoner for life without parole, according to NBC News, is $90,000 less per year. All of this money could be used to improve our justice system. Not only is the death penalty expensive, but it is can also result in the killing of innocent people. Joseph O’Dell, executed in Virginia in 1997, was accused of raping someone. Ruben Cantu, executed in Texas in 1993, was accused of shooting a man during an attempted robbery. These two men were executed for something that they did not do. This is unacceptable. If the accused is being executed for killing someone, and then the state later finds that the accused was wrongfully convicted, then the state has just done the same thing that they accused the defendant of doing; they killed an innocent person. I believe that the death penalty is wrong. However, some people believe that the death penalty is a good punishment. J. Budziszewski, PhD, a professor of government and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin says that criminals should pay a price equal to what they did. In other words, they should get a taste of their own medicine. He says that this is the only way they will not do it again, which is true because they will be
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dead. Another professor, Ernest Van Den Haag, PhD, a professor of jurisprudence at Fordham University, says that “people fear nothing more than death.” This will make them not kill people. He is basically saying that if people know that they could die if they kill someone then they will be scared, so they won’t kill people. However, when people are about to kill someone they are most likely not thinking rationally about the punishment. They are probably acting in the spur of the moment. Overall, it is our job to stop the death penalty. We need to take action. We need to keep people alive and help them understand and repent for their crime. Killing them will not make our world any safer. Then we would have to live with the fact that we didn’t stop the killing, which is just as, if not even more, horrible to live with than allowing criminals to live.
November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Presidential Election 2016 Third-Party Candidates By Ayelet Kaminer THIS ELECTION, much like most recent ones, has been centered around two candidates: the Democratic Nominee and the Republican nominee. To many, having ‘two options’ is second nature, but come November 8th, voters will see more choices on the ballot. This is due to the role third-party candidates play in America’s two-party system. Usually, third-party candidates are hardly heard about, since to this date a third-party candidate has never won a presidential election. So what really is a third-party candidate? A third-party candidate is a candidate who is neither a Democrat nor a Republican, but a member of a party with different ideals. Due to America’s two party system, most people end up voting for either a Republican or a Democrat. One source put it this way: Imagine you are in a store buying a soda, and you can buy either a Coke, a Pepsi or a lesserknown brand such as Royal Cola or Jolt Cola. Most people would probably end up playing it safe and purchasing from a brand they know and trust. The same thinking holds true for US elections, the main parties (Democratic and Republican) end up getting more funding, which allows them to advertise and reach out to more people, until eventually third parties become less and less relevant. Most recently, Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party have played prominent roles in this election, but with Stein polling at three percent and Johnson polling at eight percent, one may wonder why third-party candidates even run if the chance of
The Alan B. Slifka Middle School
winning is so slim. Former Libertarian representative Ron Paul says, “[Thirdparty candidates run] knowing that they can’t win, but do so to promote their ideas, or to be the voice of an underserved segment of a party.” So what ideas are Johnson and Stein trying to promote? In a nutshell, Johnson’s beliefs are in keeping with classic Libertarian stances.
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He consistently brings up his desire for a small government. When asked how he would make the government smaller, Johnson responded saying that he would eliminate the Department of Education. In addition to this, he believes no country should receive financial aid from the United States. Jill Stein of the Green Party holds fairly liberal stances, on topics ranging from abortion to same-sex marriage to legalization of marijuana. As she is the Green Party nominee, she focuses primarily on environmental issues. Nevertheless, third-party candidates allow people to voice their opinion disregarding the actual winner of the presidential race. Though they may not win, their voices and opinions allow for a more thorough discussion of issues that may otherwise go unnoticed.
November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Michelle Obama: Speaks Out By Anna M. Dubey ON OCTOBER 13, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered an inspiring speech about the Republican nominee’s treatment of women. She addressed America as a nation of people, most of whom are worried about what this election is teaching the next generation. She stated, “[We] are worried about the impact this election is having on our boys, who are looking for role models of what it means to be a man.” She spoke about how young boys may learn that it’s acceptable to treat and speak about women in the way that Mr. Trump has. Girls, she continued, would be taught that they do not have the power to refuse this kind of behavior. Ms. Obama then appealed to all voters’ ancestral history, saying, “While our mothers and grandmothers were often powerless to change their circumstances, today we as women have all the power we need to
determine the outcome of this election. We have knowledge. We have a voice.” She directed her burning gaze towards the audience. “We have a vote.” In saying this, Ms. Obama reminds us of the horrors of a time when many American women didn’t have a say in what happened to their bodies. She warns us that we have the power to make sure that this doesn't again become the norm. Early in the speech, Ms. Obama comments that any society’s worth can be measured by how its women are treated. This connects to her main idea of equal respect between all genders. And as a role model, she added, we need a leader who can uphold “basic standards of human decency.” Without once mentioning Trump’s name, she still managed to remind us of the horror of some of his remarks and actions towards women. “This is not something we can ignore,” she told the quietly reverent audience. Ms. Obama immediately connected with much of the audience. Her genuine
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shock and anger at the events that have occurred made the audience hum respectfully on many an occasion. “We’re trying to keep our heads above water,” she said, her voice cracking a bit. “Just trying to get through it.” And indeed, listeners nodded along, appearing extremely moved by her words. In concluding her speech, Ms. Obama called everyone together. No matter their gender. No matter their race. No matter their background. All together, they were America. “We can show our children that this country is big enough to have a place for us all. Men and women. Folks of every background and walk of life… Here in America, we can show our children that we reject hatred and fear, and in difficult times, we don’t just discard our highest ideals. No, we rise up to meet them.”
November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Candidate’s Effect on Kids By Jenna Roberts IF YOU’VE BEEN around the last six months you’ve probably heard of the presidential nominees. In fact, I would be concerned if you hadn’t. They are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. We’ve all seen them on television, at the debates and along the campaign trail. Unforgettable, some would call them, with their scandals and endless insults. We should rise above the politicians’ dirty tactics, but is it that easy? How is the ruthlessness of our politicians affecting how we students act day to day and how we behave? There is a rise in bullying in schools, mostly targeted at students who identify with the races or religions that one particular presidential candidate targets in his criticism. As the Washington Post reported, “Teachers have noted an increase in bullying, harassment and intimidation of students whose races, religions or nationalities have been the verbal targets of candidates on the campaign trail.” You might wonder what the direct correlation is with the political candidates. How does what they say affect bullying? When kids see the presidential candidates on television, they see how they act. The words they use, who they target. They store this information in the back of their minds. Then they wake up in the morning and remember what the “responsible adults,” their role models, said on television, and think. “Oh, well if a presidential candidate discriminates against Muslims, I guess it’s alright if I do too.” We are taught to behave with compassion toward others, only to see adults lowering the bar
The Alan B. Slifka Middle School
of behavior; it unbelieveable to us that people who are running for the highest office in the land, who are supposed to be role models name call and exhibit rude behavior. If we want to create a society of justice and kindness, and we students do--adults should be careful to not model ruthlessness, the result may well be that the next generation will be ruthless too.
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Vote Tomorrow during the Heschel Middle School Presidential Election!
November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
The White House Zoo: Presidents and Their Pets By Tallia Kahan WHO WOULD HAVE guessed that three alligators have resided in the White House? The first alligator was given as a gift to Marquis de Lafayette, a Revolutionary War hero from France, by an exuberant supporter. The President, John Quincy Adams, must have had quite a shock when Lafayette brought the alligator with him to the White House. John Quincy Adams moved the alligator to an unfinished room’s bathtub. Rumor has it that Adams enjoyed showing the alligator off to disbelieving visitors before it was moved to a different home. T h e other t w o
alligators belonged to Herbert Hoover’s son, and surely shocked curious guests and the Secret Service. In addition to the alligators who stayed in the White House there have been three remarkable dogs. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s dog, Fala, was given to Roosevelt’s family by a distant cousin. She has the honor of having her statue right next to Roosevelt’s at the Washington, DC Roosevelt Memorial, the biggest honor any presidential pet has ever received. Roosevelt once opened a campaign speech by mentioning that Republicans had attacked him because he had sent a Navy destroyer to retrieve his dog, Fala, from the Aleutian Islands. He turned these charges into a joke and claimed that he can be attacked, but his dog takes great offense at being attacked. Roosevelt said, “He has not been the same dog since [the charges]. I am
accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself … But I think I have a right to resent, to object, to libelous statements about my dog.” Fala was not the only wellknown White House First Dog. President Nixon had a cocker spaniel named Checkers who was given to his family by a supporter who heard that Nixon’s children had always wanted a dog. Obama’s dog, Bo - a Portuguese water dog - was given to the Obamas after President Obama won the 2008 election. Similarly to Checkers, it was given to them as a gift because President Obama promised that if he won, he would get a dog for his daughters, and Senator Ted Kennedy gave them the dog. Bo has starred in several children’s books, including: Bo Obama: The White House Tails, and Bo Obama: First Dog of the United States of America. Surprisingly,
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Bo, along with his sister Sunny, were the victims of an attempted kidnapping but the Secret Service arrested the suspect before any harm could be done to either dog.
November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Debates, Campaigns, and Elections Through American History By Talia Kahan 1789 - During America’s first election, George Washington received all 132 electoral votes. 1796 - After Washington served as president for eight years, the first real election campaign occurred in America. Washington refused to run for a third term. He stepped down for the common good of the country. The new candidates were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. 1824 - Andrew Jackson beat John Q. Adams, but not by enough votes, so the House of Representatives decided between the two. Henry Clay supported Adams under the conditions that he would be Secretary of State once the Adams Administration took office. 1858 - In 1858 there were seven unofficial debates with no moderator between Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas. The structure of each debate was complicated: the first candidate had a one hour speech, the opponent had one and one half hours to rebut it, and the first candidate had one half hour to close. 1884 - Supporters of James Blaine wrote a song that referred to his opponent, Grover Cleveland’s, illegitimate child. The song read, “Ma Ma, where’s my Pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!” Grover Cleveland’s party responded with their own song calling Blaine, “a liar from the state of Maine”. 1940 - Wendell Willkie challenged Franklin D. Roosevelt to a debate in 1940, but Franklin D. Roosevelt declined. 1948 - Republican primary radio debate between Thomas Dewey and Harold Stassen - first primary debate. 1956 - Democrats followed, and held their first Democratic primary debate. 1960 - A student suggested that there be a national debate where both candidates are asked questions. 1960 - The first televised debate was held in 1960 with John F. Kennedy against Richard Nixon. This debate drew 66 million voters out of the 179 million population. 2008 - In present times, YouTube is used for campaigns - Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” reached nearly 7 million views through YouTube. 2016 - 84 million viewers broke the record for the number of people watching one of the Trump versus Clinton debates 2016 - Political candidates and organizations spend billions of dollars on television ads - sometimes as much as 75% of the budget. Sources: http://www.alternet.org/culture/dirtiest-presidential-campaign-history-might-surprise-you https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_debates http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/then-and-now/presidents/
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Sports & the Presidential Election 2016 How the Election Could Affect Sports By Judah Klingsberg COLIN KAEPERNICK has protested against racial inequality and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Although many players have joined him, no changes in police practices have been implemented to protect blacks from police brutality as of yet. His actions, however, have sparked many heated discussions. If Donald Trump wins, he will most
likely take little action to encourage police departments to alter their practicespractices that Kaepernick has been protesting such as racial profiling. This will prolong and heighten Kaepernick’s protests and he will no doubt continue to be counted as another Trump enemy. Trump will persist in making negative remarks about Kaepernick, and on and on and on. If Hillary Clinton wins, she will address many of Kaepernick’s concerns, and promote more community policing where police and residents work together for safer neighborhoods.
Then we finally won’t have to worry about the second most boring sports story ever, closely behind “deflategate.” R e x Ryan, the coach of t h e Buffalo Bills, has publicly demonstrated that he is a major Trump supporter, by speaking at a Trump rally in Buffalo. His players aren’t too pleased about his political views. If Donald Trump wins, Ryan will post a happy tweet congratulating Trump. This will cause some bad team chemistry for the Bills, especially since twenty of the twenty-two black players on the Bills say they will vote for Hillary while all twenty-one white players on the Bills say they will vote for Trump. If Hillary Clinton wins, Rex Ryan will go on an insane rant (one of his strong suits), which will just make him seem irresponsible and unfit to be a coach. This assessment may lead to him possibly being fired. No matter which candidate wins, the Buffalo Bills lose. Hey, at least they’re 4-3.
The Alan B. Slifka Middle School
M a n y M L B players such as Mexican utility p l a y e r Ramiro P e ñ a , Outfielder Gregor Blanco, and Pitcher Chris Capuano have all expressed worry in the possibility of Trump being elected president. They are just three of the many international MLB players who are currently fighting for citizenship and whose families might face deportation, if Trump keeps his word about “illegal” immigrants. If Donald Trump wins, there are many players who also may face deportation, and will be unable to continue their careers as minor league players- giving up their dreams to play in for Major League Baseball; they will sadly remain unnoticed, unable to afford to stay. If Hillary Clinton wins, then sports will thrive and we will all live happily ever after. NOTE: Though it is hard to write an article about politics without bias, I truly did my best. Don’t be offended if I accidentally wrote something negative about your candidate.
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Movie Suggestions to Escape the 2016 Presidential Election
The Alan B. Slifka Middle School
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
Dear Bunion Readers, Over the past few years, we have tried our best to provide you with the highest level of satire news. We have parodied everything from iPhones to mannequins, from bagels to Disney’s Frozen. Our work is hard, but almost always successful. Only in the making of this issue did we come across a new challenge, one we had never faced before. Try as we did, we could not seem to find a single story to parody.
Anything we managed to write paled in comparison to actual events that ensued over the course of this election. So, from the bottom of our hearts, we apologize for not being able to provide you with a Bunion article for this issue, but you’ll find that other, true articles in this issue will surely resemble and meet the usual
standard of our satirical writings. We appreciate your understanding in this difficult situation. Our sincerest apologies, The Heschel Herald Bunion Staff
What are the Functions of Satire? To make readers feel critical of themselves, of their fellow human beings, or of their society To make readers laugh at human foolishness and weakness To make fun of vicious, selfish, mean-spirited people in the hope that we will see ourselves in such people and mend our ways To expose errors and absurdities that we no longer notice because custom and familiarity have blinded us to them.
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
What to Eat While Watching the Election Returns
him by making bite-sized By Ayelet Kaminer foods that D o n a l d WE’VE COME A long way this Trump’s tiny election, and now that it is almost over, hands can easily there’s only one thing left to do-- watch pick up. the returns. Lucky for you, we have some ideas for what you can eat while you’re Cheese and a box grater- Make waiting. America grate again! Tacos- Donald Trump infamously Maple Syrup- We’re all probably stated that without immigration reforms in going to move to Canada after the the U.S., there would be “taco trucks on election. every corner.” Prove him right by celebrating with this delicious Mexican Oranges- To match the skin tone of dish! everyone’s favorite fake-tanned Republican candidate. Small Appetizers- In a debate last year, Marco Rubio stated that Donald Chocolate Chip Cookies- preferably Trump has small hands. Accommodate from Hillary Clinton’s recipe which she
released during h e r h u s b a n d ’s presidential campaign. Finally, a YUGE tub of ice creamwe’re going to need some comfort food when the results are finally announced.
Some Other Comfort Foods
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
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November 2016, Volume 7, Issue 1
תלמידי בית הספר השל מדברים על הבחירות בארצות הברית
תפזורת בחירות המחלקה לעברית
בתפזורת שלפניכם מצאו את המילים הבאות: In the following puzzle, find the words listed below: ַקלְּפִי
מועמד
ּדֶמֹוְקַרטְיָה
ֹראׁש מִפְלָגָה נָׂשִיא
ּכְנֶסֶת
ֹראׁש מֶמְׁשָלָה
מִפְלָגָה
ּבְחִירֹות
מֶמְׁשָלָה
הידעתם?
ישראל היא הדמוקרטיה היחידה במזרח התיכון!
נובמבר ,2016גיליון 1
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חטיבת הביניים השל
תלמידי בית הספר השל מדברים על הבחירות בארצות הברית
תשבץ דמוקרטיה המחלקה לעברית
מאוזן:
מאונך:
.2אדם שמציע את עצמו לתפקיד
.1קשר בין מפלגות כדי לבנות את הממשלה
.4המקום שבו בוחרים לכנסת
.3הצבעה בעד נציגים לתפקיד ספיציפי
.7האיש שמנהיג את המדינה בישראל ) 2מילים(
.5ראש המדינה בארצות הברית
.9הפרלמנט של מדינת ישראל
.6הסנאט ובית הנבחרים בארצות הברית
.10קבוצת האנשים שמנהלת את המדינה
.8ארגון פוליטי של אנשים שיש להם רעיונות דומים
נובמבר ,2016גיליון 1
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חטיבת הביניים השל
תלמידי בית הספר השל מדברים על הבחירות בארצות הברית
מייעצים לנשיא כיתות ח׳ -לוטן ויהל בריאות -יצחק :Oliver Steinman
תלמידי כיתה ח׳ בקבוצות יהל ולוטן קיבלו משימה -להיות יועצים לנָשִֹיא החדש או לנְשִֹיאָה החדשה ולכתוב על מה שהם רוצים שיהיה אחרי הבחירות .התלמידים כתבו על הנושאיםּ :בְִריאּות ,חִיּנּוְּ ,תַעֲסּוָקהּ ,פִיּקּוחַ עַל נֶׁשֶק וְאֵיכּות הַּסְבִיבָה.
הלוואי שתהיה רפואה לכל האנשים החולים. הלוואי שלכל האנשים יהיה ביטוח בריאות חופשי .הלוואי שכל הרופאים יהיה טובים. הלוואי שיהיו מאכלים בריאים לכל אנשים. הלוואי שבתי החולים יהיו גדולים מספיק
חינוך -רפאלה :Raphaela Gold
בשביל כל האנשים.
הלוואי שכשיהיה נשיא/נשיאה חדש/חדשה,
בריאות -שרה :Sarah Horvath
יהיה חינוך יותר טוב לכולם .הלוואי שכל הילדים שגרים ברחובות יקבלו חינוך טוב.
הלוואי שתהיה לכולם הזדמנות לקבל טיפול
הלוואי שבעתיד ,כולם יוכלו להצליח בעולם
בריאותי .הלוואי ותהיה לכל אחד הזדמנות
הזה ושהחברה תוכל להתקדם .הלוואי
לקבל רפואה לאלתר .הלוואי שלכל מי שחולה
שתהיה לכולם הזדמנות שווה ושתהיה להם
יהיה טיפול רפואי .הלוואי שיהיו לכל אחד
הזדמנות ללכת לבית הספר ולאוניברסיטה.
הרופאים שהוא רוצה ,לא חשוב איזה ביטוח יש
הלוואי שכשכולם יגדלו ,יהיה להם חינוך טוב
לו .הלוואי שלכל אחד תהיה בריאות טובה.
והם יוכלו לשנות את העולם .הלוואי שבעתיד
פיקוח על נשק:
כולם יהיו חכמים ומחונכים .אני חושבת שאם כולם ידעו מה שקרה בעולם ,הרבה מהבעיות
הלוואי שיהיה שלום בעולם ושאנשים לא יקנו
שיש בעולם יהיו פתורות.
נשק .אם לא יהיה לאנשים בארצות הברית
חינוך -טליה :Talia Kahan
נשק ,אף אחד לא יהיה פצוע .נשק הוא דבר שיביא סכנה לעם שלנו ,והוא סמל לאלימות
הלוואי שבעתיד יהיה חינוך לכל הילדים.
ומלחמה .הלוואי שלא יהיה נשק .כך לא יהיו
הלוואי שגם לאנשים עניים יהיה חינוך טוב .
אלימות ומלחמה בארצות הברית ובעולם.
הלוואי וכולם ילכו למכללה .הלוואי שיהיו
הלוואי שיום אחד ,היעדר הנשק יביא לנו
מורים טובים בכל בתי הספר .הלוואי שכולם
שלום.
יאהבו ללמוד .הלוואי שאחרי המכללה ,תהיה לכולם עבודה טובה.
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חטיבת הביניים השל
תלמידי בית הספר השל מדברים על הבחירות בארצות הברית
״שניים אוחזים בטלית״ -הקשר בין המשנה לבחירות בארצות הברית תלמידי כיתה ו׳ בקבוצות נורית ורקפת למדו בשיעור עברית את המשנה :״שניים אוחזים בטלית״: ׁשְנַיִם אֹוחֲזִים ּבְטַּלִית, זֶה אֹומֵר" :אֲנִי מְצַאֲתִיּהָ" ,וְזֶה אֹומֵר" :אֲנִי מְצַאֲתִיּהָ" , זֶה אֹומֵרּ" :כֻּלָּה ׁשֶּלִי" ,וְזֶה אֹומֵרּ" :כֻּלָּה ׁשֶּלִי", זֶה יִּׁשָבַע ׁשֶאֵין לֹו ּבָּה ּפָחֹות מֵחֶּצֵיָה ,וְזֶה יִּׁשָבַע ׁשֶאֵין לֹו ּבָּה ּפָחֹות מֵחֵּצְיָה -וַיַחְלֹוקּו. התלמידים חשבו שיש דמיון ויש שוני בין הסוגיה הזאת לבין הבחירות לנשיא ארצות הברית.
צביה :Sarah Wagman
שירה תמר : Sydney Hankin
למדנו את המשנה ״שניים אוחזים בטלית״
אני חושבת ש״שניים אוחזים בטלית״ קצת
וחשבתי שזה דומה לבחירות .דונלד טראמפ
דומה וקצת שונה מהבחירות .זה דומה כי שני
והילרי קלינטון אומרים אותו דבר :שניהם
המועמדים רוצים דבר אחד ,כמו במשנה .ואולי
אומרים שהם צריכים להיות הנשיא של ארצות
גם הם יכולים לחלוק את הנשיאות :מועמד
הברית .אבל הם לא יכולים לחלק ביניהם את
אחד לשתי שנים ואז המועמד השני לשתי
הנשיאות ,יש להם רעיונות שונים מאוד ואם
שנים .הבחירות גם שונות מהמשנה כי
הם יחלקו את הנשיאות הם לא ייעשו שום דבר
המועמדים לא אומרים בדיוק את אותו הדבר.
כי הם יריבו כל הזמן .אבל אולי הם יכולים
לירי :Sunnye Berman
להסכים על נשיא אחר שמסכים עם חלק מהרעיונות של קלינטון וחלק מהרעיונות של
שני הסיפורים דומים וגם לא דומים .בסיפור
טראמפ.
עם הטלית האנשים רבים ואומרים ״זה שלי״ ו״זה שלי״ .בבחירות לנשיאות זה משהו אחר:
אסתר : Esther Shoshan
הם לא רבים על מי יהיה נשיא ,הם רק אומרים
יש קשר בין המשנה והבחירות כי יש שני
למה הם צריכים להיות הנשיא והמצביעים
אנשים שאומרים אותו דבר ורוצים את אותו
צריכים לבחור את מי שהם רוצים .אבל
הדבר .אבל הבחירות והמשנה גם לא דומים כי
הסיפורים גם דומים כי יש שני אנשים שרוצים
אפשר לחלק את הטלית אבל טראמפ וקלינטון
דבר אחד.
לא יכולים לחלוק את הנשיאות.
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תלמידי בית הספר השל מדברים על הבחירות בארצות הברית
הבחירות בארצות הברית מול הבחירות בישראל כיתה ח׳ -תמר דרוקר ארצות הברית ,כמו ישראל ,היא גם ארץ
איך מחשבים את קולות האֵלְֶקטֹוָרל-קולֶג׳
דמוקרטית .למרות זאת ,יש כל כך הרבה
) ?(Electoral college voteלכל מדינה יש 2
דברים שונים בצורה שבה בוחרים נשיא או
נציגים בסנאט +מספר הנציגים של המדינה
ראש ממשלה .הנה רק כמה דברים לדוגמה:
בבית הנבחרים = מספר האלקטורל קולג׳ של
בישראל יש רק בית אחד -הכנסת ,ובו 120
המדינה .בארה״ב הנשיא נבחר ל 4-שנים ואי
חבריּ-פְַרלָמֶנְט כמו בצרפת או איטליה.
אפשר להזיז אותו .בארץ ישראל גם יש בחירות כל 4שנים ,אך הממשלה יכולה
בארה״ב יש קונגרס .הקונגרס מתחלק לשני
ליפול כשיש הצבעת אי אמון .הצבעת אי אמון
בתים:
מפילה את הממשלה ואז צריך לעשות
(1בית הנבחרים House of -
בחירות חדשות לפני שנגמרו 4שנים!
- Representativesמכל אזור במדינה
לסיכום ,אם אתם רוצים להשפיע בבחירות על
בוחרים בנציג .במדינה גדולה יותר יש יותר
מי יהיה המנהיג של הארץ שאתה חי בה ,אז
נציגים ,ובמדינה קטנה מספר הנציגים קטן
אני ממליצה לכם לעבור לגור בישראל.
יותר. (2הסנאט -ישנם 2נציגים מכל מדינה
מילון לעיתון:
כלומר 50x2=100חברים בסנאט. עיצוב ועריכת חלק העברית : מיכל קפלן -לנצביצקי
ּבְחִירֹות elections -
נָׂשִיא president -
נְׂשִיאּות presidency -
מֻעֲמָד candidate -
מַצְּבִיעִים voters -
יֹועֲצִים consultants -
רבקה ריידל
נובמבר ,2016גיליון 1
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״דע שכל מעשה נחשב ,שכל מילה היא כוח…״ אברהם יהושע השל
מהדורת בחירות מיוחדת חדשות השל ,המגזין נובמבר ,2016גיליון 1
חטיבת הביניים השל