THE LION’S TALE
With the Israel-Hamas War weighing heavily on American Jewry, election day decisions are only adding to the load
Balancing the Ballot
07 Serving a purpose New app tracks graduation requirements
19 Forever faculty Long time staff members
23 Sweet as pie Nearby bakery impresses
The Lion’s Tale Staff
Editors-in-Chief
Stella Muzin & Lily Rulnick
Managing Editor, Copy
Aliza Bellas
Managing Editor, Web
Ari Kittrie
In-Depth Editor
Gigi Gordon
News Editors
Penelope Terl & Eliana Wolf
Features Editors
Vivi Ducker & Ruby Kotok
Opinion Editors
Maiya Blumenthal & Sophie Schwartz
Arts and Entertainment Editors
Cati Werbin & Sadaf Zadeh
Sports Editors
Tali Loeffler & Mia Forseter
Production Assistants
Eliana Abrams & Anna Polon
Multimedia Editor Abby Chesman
Reporters
Gila Safra, Jordana Dauber, Isaiah Segal-Geetter, Leora Blumenthal, Lindsey Shapiro, Jonah Mellen, Jonah Mitre, Aviv Stein, Sophia Leinwand & Adam Salomon
Staff Adviser
Jessica Nassau
Adviser Emerita
Susan Zuckerman
Who hosted one night of this month’s production?
2. Which two editors are in the flag football club?
3. Which two editors have served as the Head of Membership for BBYO’s DC Council Board?
4. Which five editors have parents who were on Lion’s Tale?
5. Which editor was in Houston for 12 hours in October?
6. Which editors play on the JDS tennis team?
7. Which editor is going to be a Chief Election Judge?
Sophie Schwartz and Maiya
Photo credits from left the right: Suzie Thompson; Alec Silberg (‘24), Dimensions; Kimberly Agzigian; Dini McCullouhough Amozurrutia & Abby Chesman, LT & Dimensions.
dear readers,
We cannot believe that this is already our second-to-last print edition. Time has surely flown fast, and we are sad that the end of our term as Editors-in-Chief is near. Nevertheless, we are excited to give you all yet another fantastic edition of The Lion’s Tale.
With all of the hagim in October, it was a bit of a challenge to find a full week when we could hold production. But, in true Lion’s Tale fashion, we all came together during the one full-ish week of school we had to produce this edition. Our dedicated staff juggled numerous after school activities to be in the Pub Hub for as much time as possible, and we are eternally grateful to them.
It was very important to us to publish an edition that centers around the upcoming presidential election.
Corrections from 42n1:
Page 24: Photo of Rachel Fagin is by Jordan Levy (‘24) Dimensions.
Page 27: Jacobson is a middle school teacher who started at JDS in 2019. Previously he was the junior varsity football offensive coach at Walter Johnson; Demora is spelled DeMaurice; Saltz is spelled Salz.
As the student newspaper of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Lion’s Tale is a public forum for student opinion and expression. All content is determined by students. Its purpose is to inform the CESJDS community and to express the views of its staff and readers. The staff has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of its news. Signed columns reflect the opinion of the writer; staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of The Lion’s Tale editorial board. The Lion’s Tale staff welcomes letters to the editor and
We get the unique opportunity to be Editors-in-Chief in the midst of an election year, and we recognize our responsibility as a student publication to cover this monumental point in time in America’s history.
For this edition’s in-depth, we decided to focus specifically on the unique experience of being a Jewish voter in the 2024 presidential election. This election is coming at a pivotal time for our community, and we understand (even though we ourselves are unable to vote in this election) that there are many nuances to this topic. We tried our best to tackle many of these different layers, and we hope it was meaningfully represented.
As we enter into this upcoming election, we urge everyone to remember the message of our last issue’s editorial: prioritize civility. Inevitably, we will encounter people with whom we disagree this election season, but it is crucial that we approach interactions with understanding and compassion in order to move towards a kinder society.
Sincerely,
Editors-in-Chief
Editorial and Ethics Policy
guest columns, which must be signed. The staff reserves the right to refuse any material and may edit letters or columns for length, clarity, libel, obscenity and/or disruptiveness. All other contents copyright of The Lion’s Tale. All rights reserved. Submissions may be emailed to jdslionstale@gmail.com, mailed to The Lion’s Tale or brought to room 320.
The Lion’s Tale news magazine and website is funded by The Simon Hirshman Endowment for the Upper School Newspaper and The Kuttner-Levenson Endowment for the Upper School Cul-
The Best of lionstale.org
news
Oct. 7 on college campuses
Eliana Abrams, Production Assistant
JDS cafeteria update
Vivi Ducker, Features Editor
opinion
It’s “Harris,” not “Kamala”
Mia Forseter, Sports Editor
Desensitize college applications
Aliza Bellas, Managing Editor, Copy
Features
Imagination stage participants
Anna Polon, Production Assistant
Get to know Mrs. Udell
Sophia Leinwand, Reporter
a&e
“Dancing with the Stars” update
Jordana Dauber, Reporter
Movies that need sequels
Jonah Mellen, Reporter
sports
Girls soccer vs. WIS
Adam Salomon, Reporter
Powderpuff update
Tali Loeffler, Sports Editor
tural Arts and Student Publications.
AI is not permitted for any generation of content or brainstorming, including but not limited to the following: writing articles or headlines, spread designs, photography, audio or video. The only AI usage permitted by The Lion’s Tale is for the purpose of transcribing interviews.
The staff will adhere to the ethics policies of The Society of Professional Journalists and the National ScholasticPress Association. The adviser will be held to the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of Ethics.
-
Starting up
Blumenthal OpinionEditor
Eliana Abrams Production Assistant
Starting a business from scratch in high school seemed daunting to sophomore Noah Sacks. However, he was able to embrace and work through the challenges with the help of the CESJDS Sharon and Jacob Benus (z”l) Social Entrepreneurship Program, new to the 2024-2025 school year.
After months of discussion and preparation to create the program, JDS launched the Social Entrepreneurship Program on Sept. 18 with a two-day workshop. Thirty-five students participated in the workshop in the Upper School gym, where they designed prototypes intended to improve the world.
In accordance with JDS’s core values, the program promotes the idea of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) as students engineer ideas that address real-world issues. These ideas were developed during the workshop to establish a specific final product at the end of this school year.
“We don’t just want kids to run a business and make money,” High School Principal and Upper School Campus Head Lisa Vardi said. “It’s about how you can take your ideas and build a business
New social entrepreneurship program created for students
that could positively impact the world.”
The two-day boot camp was led by entrepreneur Henrik Scheel. Scheel worked in Silicon Valley with various startups, such as the consulting firm Chat Nexus, and has taught several Jewish schools and organizations, including Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in Palo Alto, California, about entrepreneurship. Scheels’ different programs and past boot camps are all on his business website, “Start Up Experience”.
During the boot camp, students split up into small groups and brainstormed ideas for products that would benefit society. The students learned to overcome challenges, such as revising their products based on changes in demand and clientele. Participants learned that these challenges might arise with their prototype and worked on coming up with a final idea.
Sacks’ group’s idea was to create an app for senior citizens to plan social events for themselves. Sacks joined the program to build entrepreneurial skills that he can use later in life.
“[Bootcamp taught me] how to look at the world from different perspectives,” Sacks said. “We’re working on an app to help scale back senior loneliness. That’s a different perspective than I had ever thought about before.”
Following the workshop, the Entrepreneurship Fellows will attend weekly
BY THE NUMBERS
35
students participating in the fellowship
2 days spent in the boot camp workshop
$1,000 in prize money
meetings with Assistant Director of Athletics and Social Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator Matthew Landy (‘18), where they will continue to develop their ideas and refer to lesson modules provided by Scheel.
In January, the program will culminate with a shark-tank style competition. The whole school will attend this competition and get to listen to each pitch. A set of volunteer alumni and parent judges will decide which idea seems most viable the winners $1,000 toward developing their prototype.
This will be funded by the Blecher family grant in honor of Sharon and Jacob Benus (z”l), who deeply believed in making an impact on people through entrepreneurship. The funding from the grant is allocated by the directors to different areas where they best see fit, such as the hiring of Scheel and the $1,000 grant.
“I hope this serves as an opportunity for students to learn more about the importance of social responsibility and what entrepreneurship entails,” Landy said. “Also, to find a way to get outside of the classroom and that traditional thinking and to really utilize their creativity.”
From the Wellness to Stem Fellowships, JDS offers students a variety of ways to pursue interests outside the classroom. The Social Entrepreneurship Program, however, allows students to take their participation beyond the scope of JDS by creating prototypes that can be pitched and used in the world outside of school.
“A lot of great learning happens in the classroom,” Vardi said. “However, a lot of great learning also takes place outside of the classroom. This is an opportunity for students to think about what skills they want to hone, how they want to grow in their Jewish identity, how they want to lean into their values and just think about things differently than they do in the classroom.”
Maiya
Student fellows, along with parent volunteers, brainstorm ideas for products meant to benefit society.
From left to right: Jesse Mendelson (father of senior Zev Mendelson) and sophomore Caleb Berman
Photos courtesy of Suzie Thompson, used with permission.
From left to right: sophomore Henry Brenner, sophomore Liana Lesser, junior Dara Blecher.
creating connections
JDS hosts Arab and Jewish Israelis from the Galilee Dreamers program
Jordana Dauber Reporter
On Sept. 26, a small group of Israelis, both Arab and Jewish, representing the Galilee Dreamers program, sat in a CESJDS Hebrew classroom where they answered questions about their lives during the Israel-Hamas War and their experiences as teenagers living in Northern Israel post-Oct. 7.
The Galilee Dreamers rotated throughout the day between Hebrew and Judaic studies classes in the high school. This visit to JDS was part of a larger trip to the United States in the program, meant to bring Jewish and Arab Israelis together.
“[This program] is a great way to connect together,” Galilee Dreamer and Jewish Israeli Uri Bahat said. “But I saw it also as an opportunity to come to [the] USA, as a way to explain [to] the communities here about the war in Israel, and how the situation is there and to show them that you don’t need to hate.”
After spending the day at JDS, the 20 Israelis returned to their host families’ houses, where they spent the night. The Galilee Dreamers then spent the next day touring D.C. and then continued on their trip through the United States. Following their first stop in New York, the group traveled to Baltimore County, after which they spent a day at JDS, before ending their trip in Philadelphia on Oct. 1.
Before coming to the United States, all 20 Israelis attended a multi-day camp in Kibbutz Kishur, where they had the opportunity to get to know one another before arriving in the United States. Some of the Israelis had already visited other schools in Israel as part of the organization’s programming, but this camp was the first time they all came together. This trip was an opportunity to integrate Jews and Arabs in Israel, who live close to each other, but go to sep -
arate schools and have different primary languages.
“[For] all my life in Israel, I’ve always thought about how I don’t know [how] to speak Arabic, [and how] I don’t really meet [Arab Israelis] and speak with them,” Bahat said. “And I started this opportunity to get to know them, their culture, to get new friends and it was really an honor.”
“
It’s about showing people around the world that Arabs and Jews are not enemies [like] they say in the news.”
-Galilee Dreamer Uri Bahat
While they were at JDS, the Galilee Dreamers spoke during blocks, and each time, the 20 of them were split up between multiple classrooms. The Galilee Dreamers started by discussing the war and how their lives have changed since, but also answered a variety of questions
about what it means to be and what it looks like being Jewish or Arab living in Israel now.
“It’s one thing to hear from our teachers and the news, but it’s another to hear from a firsthand experience, from someone who lived through it,” sophomore Brielle Bassin said. “One of the things that someone said that was really interesting to me is ‘we can tell you the story as much and in as much detail as we want, but to be there and to experience it is really just so different.’”
For Galilee Dreamer Bayan Ali, an Arab-Israeli, this was his first opportunity to create friendships with Arab-Israelis and Jewish-Israelis together. The program allowed participants to empathize with other young teenagers in Israel, regardless of their backgrounds.
“The program is not just about flying to countries,” Ali said. “It’s about showing people around the world that Arabs and Jews are not enemies [like] they say in the news. They can actually build peace and be friends. We’re all humans after all.”
Galilee Dreamers answer questions asked by students in class. Photo courtesy of Suzie Thompson, used with permission.
- news -
Digital dialects
Aliza Bellas ManagingEditor,Copy
After 12 years in the position, former CESJDS Arabic teacher Dr. Hani Abo-Awad chose not to return for the 2024-25 school year, forcing a shift in the school’s Arabic curriculum. The World Languages Department, in partnership with the administration, spent the summer searching for an Arabic replacement but did not find a candidate for the position. Instead, they decided to transition to an online Arabic program.
According to High School Assistant Principal Aileen Goldstein, she, along with the high school hiring team, understood that it would be more difficult to hire for the Arabic position after Oct. 7. Though they had many applicants, none were the proper fit. However, she said the school was committed to finding an alternative solution.
“As a Jewish day school, we’ve also been really excited about the teaching of Arabic because we think it can help with communication in Israel … and we think that it’s really exciting for potential there to understand some of the sources that we read in our classes first hand,” Goldstein said. “So, philosophically it’s been really exciting for us to offer.”
Goldstein said that because they knew it would be a difficult task, the JDS administration immediately began the hiring process. Beyond their standard hiring procedure of posting on the JDS website, they searched externally for other avenues to fill the position such as the World Zionist Organization, which offers services to help teachers attain visas. However, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
After they realized they could not find an on-campus teacher for Arabic, the administration looked into alter-
BY THE NUMBERS
22 countries use Arabic as their official language 24 different words for “love” in Arabic
30 distinct dialects of spoken Arabic
3 vowel sounds in the language
422 million Arabic speakers in 2023 Info from industryarab.com
Arabic classes now taught online with new program
natives. In the end, they settled on Global Online Academy (GOA). GOA was founded by a consortium of independent schools in the regional northwest looking to add more languages to their curricula.
Once the administration decided to use this program, they immediately announced the news to the families of registered Arabic students. In one email, they shared that Arabic levels one, two and three would be using a pre-established program from GOA. In another email, they announced that levels four and five would be using a custom program designed by JDS and GOA.
“There was some disappointment from the families and the students … there was a lot of appreciation that we were able to come up with anything and there were a lot of questions,” Goldstein said.
Many students continued the program following this announcement, but others felt it wouldn’t suit their learning style. Senior Navah Gris, who had been taking Arabic for six years both at Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School and JDS, was among this group. Before the start of the school year, she chose to drop the class and replace it with something else.
“I knew online learning was difficult for me and I worried that the online option would not be beneficial enough for me to learn
Arabic,” Gris said.
Senior Isabel Jacobs has been taking Arabic classes since she arrived at JDS in freshman year. She was a bit hesitant to do the online program, but decided to take the chance. After one month of online instruction, she said the classes improved her vocabulary more than the in-person class did.
“I do feel like I’ve already improved a lot,” Jacobs said. “We work on speaking a lot and much more writing. We just didn’t have as much focus on that in the previous program so I really appreciate it.”
Jacobs said that on a day-today basis, students have either synchronous classes with a teacher from the program or asynchronous work to complete individually. Though Jacobs said it is a heavy workload, she feels the classes are worth it.
Overall, Goldstein thinks that the new Arabic program is an exciting opportunity for JDS and the administration is very grateful for the program they discovered. However, the online learning is not a permanent solution.
“It is our hope and our intention to try and bring someone back on full-time to teach Arabic,” Goldstein said. “We don’t know what the landscape will be and if that will be possible, so we’re keeping all options open.”
MEET ARABIC TEACHER RANIA AL NATSHEH
Q What is your favorite food?
Q What languages do you speak? Arabic, English, Italian and Spanish A
Q When was your first year teaching Arabic? Mansaf (Jordanian lamb dish) A
Q What is your favorite book?
“The Prince” by Machiavelli A 2005 A
Q Where do you live? Madaba, Jordan A
Photo by Alkatmel Studio
Photos by Eliana Wolf, LT.
serving a purpose
High School introduces app to track graduation requirements
Ruby Kotok Features Editor
While it may seem simple, logging service hours, arts points and athletic credits for graduation has previously been a complex and inconvienent procedure for CESJDS students. As a response, the administration switched from the traditional Google Form system to the online platform MobileServe this year.
“It was a huge pain for students that they had to print something out, get it signed, take a picture of that piece of paper and then submit that piece of paper on a Google form,” Dean of Experiential Leadership and Service Learning Tori Ball said.
The MobileServe website houses students’ service hours, arts and athletic credits, while also serving as a hub to track club participation. At JDS, the requirement for athletics is one point, with fall athletic team participation ranging from 0.25-0.5 points. For arts credit, it is ten points. Previously, these credentials were tracked on PowerSchool, and club information often went unrecorded.
Ball heard about MobileServe at a meeting with other educators and was intrigued. She recognized that there were issues with the system JDS was already using, and thought that MobileServe would be a more efficient option.
One feature that Ball finds helpful is that MobileServe allows students to log service hours on-site. Students previously had to undergo a longer process to log hours, making it difficult for many to get verification from the organizations they had volunteered with. The new system allows for students to use their phones to access the MobileServe website and quickly have their supervisor sign off on their hours.
“[MobileServe] gives people really easy, instantaneous ways to make it clear that they did their service. It’s a lot faster and easier for students to document their service,” Ball said. “It made me upset how many people were having a really hard time just submitting their hours.”
MobileServe is also being used to track club attendance and participation. Dean of Students Roz Landy had encountered issues where students wanted to receive credit from club activities they had participated in, but the adviser had not taken attendance so there was no record of their involvement. Landy had originally looked into another company, but when she heard that MobileServe was being
implemented, she asked if club logistics could be tracked there as well.
WHAT DO THE LIONS THINK?
Senior Noam Klein
“I wish club leaders had access to the features.”
Sophomore Lyla Silberg
“I don’t know how it works.”
Junior Ian Liss
“It is easier to submit hours with Mobileserve.”
Since the platform wasn’t originally designed to facilitate this type of data tracking, taking club attendance on MobileServe is still a work in progress, according to Ball. However, while MobileServe has only been active for a few weeks, Landy has already seen improvement in the management of clubs.
“We have required students to sign up [through MobileServe] if they wanted to run a club, and if they didn’t have an adviser, we’re not allowing the club to go,” Landy said. “Without an adviser, then we don’t have any means of tracking [attendance], so we’ve already gotten a little bit more control over things.”
Many students are indifferent. MobileServe hasn’t been in place for a long time, so most students haven’t really been able to feel its effects. However, there are some aspects that students are already enjoying.
“Being able to see all my total community service hours and seeing where they’re from and what dates and if they’re indirect or direct, that’s really helpful for when I apply to schools,” junior Liem Elgrably said.
At its core, Ball said that the reason for using MobileServe was to make processing things easier, both on the side of students and administrators, and that she “felt really strongly that it was the best possible way to keep track of community service.”
LT Staff’s Go-To
Local News Sites
EIC Stella Muzin
“Washington Jewish Weekly”
Features Editor Vivi Ducker
“Bethesda Beat”
Managing Copy Editor Ari Kittrie
“The MoCo Show”
Director of Publications Jessica Nassau
“The Washington Post ”
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
We must prioritize local government
With the 2024 election day rapidly approaching, coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris’ and Former President Donald Trump’s campaigns are dominating media. While the presidential election is extremely important, the Senate, House of Representatives and local elections will also appear on the ballot on Nov. 5.
Americans must be attentive to the policies and campaigns for the 2024 presidential election, but state representative and local elections are arguably more significant. State policy is much more impactful to our everyday lives, and we need to direct our attention to these local elections as Nov. 5 approaches.
The public’s diverted attention is largely attributed to the fact that over half of U.S. counties have little to no access to local news, making them “news deserts” according to Northwestern MEDILL. From 2005 to 2023, the number of newspaper journalists in the country decreased by twothirds. Just this past year, there were more than 130 newspaper closings or mergers.
With this large hole in news outlets, many colleges are closing the gaps in covering local news. These sources are beneficial ways to stay informed on local issues.
However, we must extend our reading beyond college newspapers and support local news outlets that focus on local issues.
In order to help keep local news sites alive, some private organizations are providing subsidies. The MacArthur Foundation and the Knight Foundation are two examples of organizations that have raised millions of dollars to help curb this trend in local news, but it is not enough; other organizations must follow in their footsteps.
“State policy is much more impactful to our everyday lives, and we need to direct our attention to these local elections as election day approaches.”
The University of Chicago Press Journals wrote that “citizens exposed to a lower volume of coverage are less able to evaluate their member of Congress, less likely to express opinions about
the House candidates in their districts and less likely to vote.” It is important that we expose ourselves to this local coverage, and promote positive civic engagement in our states as a result.
Ultimately, state elected officials will be the ones drafting and passing legislation that will directly impact most areas of everyday life. It is alarming that conversations about the Maryland ballot initiative for reproductive rights is barely receiving any attention while Harris’ and Trump’s policies about abortion rights are constantly a topic of conversation.
With very little time until Americans will cast their votes, what can be done to rectify this lack of attention to state and local elections? In truth, the responsibility lies with readers.
We urge you to take time to research local candidates, balance your consumption of national news and state news and be mindful about the policies and issues that could affect your lives in the coming years.
- The Lion’s Tale
Photos by Sophie Schwartz, LT.
Illustration by Leah Fagin.
Dance Disparity
The dance team isn’t properly supported
Cati Werbin Arts and Entertainment Editor
The athletics department is a vital part of the CESJDS community, with 15 sports teams that compete in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) across all three sport seasons. All of these sports have tryouts, coaches and weekly practices. Where does the dance team fit into all of this?
The dance team works the same way as every sport in JDS’ athletics program. We have tryouts, a coach, weekly practices and a practice team which is similar to other sports’ junior varsity (JV) teams. We also have the same social benefits that all sports programs do, as we are not only physically active, but also promote crucial teamwork and leadership skills.
I have been a member of the varsity dance team since my freshman year and am now one of the captains. However, in all of my years on the team, we have had limited opportunities to perform for the school and no opportu nities to perform or compete outside of school, as other sports teams at JDS do.
For many years, the varsity dance team has received limited support from the athletics depart ment. We practice in the cafeteria with distorted mirrors, impacting our view and evaluation of our movements. At times, we are forced to practice in the hallway or outside when the cafeteria is occupied, which gets more diffi cult each year, as the dance team continues to grow.
Although last year the dance team was given the opportunity to practice once a week at the Bender continue to do so this upcoming sea son, there is still room for growth and opportunity in JDS’ dance program.
“I think dance is one of those sports that unfortunately gets left behind because it’s one of those things where most people who dance do it outside of school, and so they don’t necessarily need to do it at school … not many schools offer dance programs at all,” Director of Athletics Becky
Silberman said. Unfortunately, the PVAC does not include dance in its program and does not offer any competitions. However, the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS) holds a dance festival in Baltimore each year. The festival is for dance groups from grades six through twelve, and is held on a Sunday this year, making it accessible for the JDS dance team to perform, as it does not conflict with Shabbat.
Although JDS, along with other schools who are part of the PVAC, falls under the category of an AIMS school, JDS has never been aware of nor invited to attend this event. The athletics
Kab Shab’s on Fridays because Kab Shab performances are usually overbooked. The team should have priority when it comes to performing in front of students and faculty, as we put in just as much time, effort and commitment as all the other sports teams and activities at school.
As the dance team continues to grow and expand each year, so should its opportunities and resources. It’s time to shed more light on our group and allow us to spread joy to the JDS community through our performances.
Photo by Abby Chesman, LT & Dimensions.
PROSwitch
Students debate
In a world where high school students rely on their phones, many view the new phone ban in school as a problem. However, data shows endless benefits of phone-free environments, and I fully support it.
Before the implementation of the phone policy, seeing
BY THE NUMBERS
forced me to engage in conversations, strengthening my social connections.
72%
from the
Another area that benefits from the phone policy is student mental health. A study by the Pew Research Center shows that 75% of teenagers feel happier when they are away from their phones. Excessive phone usage, especially doom scrolling, spending excessive time on your phone through social media, is linked to increased stress and anxiety. A phone free space allows students to unplug from stresses online and maintain better mental health.
While social media can serve as a helpful tool in communicating with friends and staying updated on current events, without our phones, we utilize traditional ways of socializing and catching up on the news. These are vital life skills that we have been sheltered from our whole lives due to our constant reliance on our
Phones may feel essential in many of our lives, but learning to manage our usage will benefit students academically and socially, and prepare us for future environments where focus and interpersonal skills
The new policy may feel unfamiliar to many of us, however, I believe the values of not having our phones throughout the day benefit us more than harm us. Although this is certainly an adjustment from what we are used to, I am all for the new phone policy and the benefits it brings.
CON ing OFF
new phone policy
Penelope Terl News Editor
The other day, I almost missed my ride home. Due to the new phone policy, I couldn’t reach my parents to tell them that my club got canceled and that I wouldn’t be staying after school. I got caught up in the traffic at the door to unlock my Yondr pouch, and my ride almost left without me. Although this is a minor issue, it highlights the bigger miscommunications and problems that arise under the new policy.
First, the hurry for students to unlock their pouches creates a bottleneck at the exit to CESJDS, making it difficult for ev-
“Physically locking up students’ phones takes away the ability for students to make the right choice.”
eryone to unlock their phones efficiently and blocking the doorways to leave the building. Furthermore, the unlocking bases are only left up from 3:45 to 4:00 p.m., meaning that if it takes a student longer to pack up their belongings or change for sports, they would have to find an administrator to unlock their phone.
Before this year, JDS’ phone policy was essentially, as I saw it, “out of sight, out of mind.” Students were directed to keep their phones away unless it was lunch, CT or a break. This policy kept students engaged in class while allowing phones to
except for an honor system, I did not see a single phone that whole week. With the current system, students have to keep track of their pouches, or face a $30 fine.
Many students, myself included, felt that using the honor system showed a mutual respect and trust between the administration and the student body. The JDS Portrait of a Graduate promotes independence, responsibility and ethical decision-making. However, physically locking up students’ phones takes away the ability for students to make the right choice.
I agree that students should be less focused on technology when it interferes with their ability to socialize. However, I do not think that the negative effects outweigh the positives drastically enough to necessitate the ban. Instead, JDS should focus on teaching students to use phones responsibly and as a tool in order to prepare them for the future.
Positive Uses of phones in schools
Interviews for publications Keeping track of schedules
Contacting parents
Locating people around the building
PhotobyMaiya Blumenthal,LT
Junior Penelope Terl
Ari Kittrie ManagingEditor,Web
Gigi Gordon In-DepthEditor
Stella Muzin Editor-in-Chief
heavilyWiththeIsrael-Hamaswarweighing decisionsonAmericanJewry,electionday areonlyaddingtotheload
Balancingthe
JJJews only make up 2.4% of the American adult population. However, it seems that every election year, without fail, politicians are fighting for the Jewish vote. Maybe it’s because of the large Jewish communities located in swing states, like Pennsylvania and Georgia. Or maybe it’s because many Jewish individuals and organizations are important campaign donors. Either way, it is clear that American Jews are an important piece of the electoral puzzle for any candidate.
Most years, Jewish voters hold the same concerns as their non-Jewish neighbors; they think of the economy, immigration, education and other important political issues. However, this year is different. After the attack on Is-
rael by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, many Jewish voters have Israel at the forefront of their minds.
Additionally, Jews across the country have recently faced an explosion in antisemitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents have gone up every year since 2020, increasing a staggering 140% from 2022 to 2023. This is largely due to Oct. 7 and its aftermath.
On top of this, public opinion on the effectiveness of government is decreasing, as only 4% of American adults think the current U.S. political system is working well. In fact, a majority (63%) report that they have little or no confidence in the future of the U.S. political system. To complicate the matter even more, political polarization is at an all time high in
“ “
A
small difference in how people vote could shape the outcome of the election in November.
- Lee Feinstein
Former US Ambassador to Poland
the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, only 36% of Americans see any common ground between the Democratic and Republican parties.
“I went to a Hanukkah party on the hill once, and the first question every single person at the party asked me was, ‘Republican or Democrat?’” CESJDS parent Jesse Mendelson (senior Zev Mendelson) said. “ ... Because they wanted to put me in whatever box they had already created for those things.”
With prominent domestic and foreign issues tied to this election, it is clear that the election will be complicated for American Jews.
Why Jews are an important piece of the puzzle:
There are many potential reasons why Jewish voters are seem-
Photo Illustration by Sadaf Zadeh LT
ingly so important to all kinds of political candidates.
According to Lee Feinstein, a CESJDS parent (senior Skye Feinstein) who was previously the U.S. Ambassador to Poland in the Obama Administration, one potential factor could be the Jewish presence in swing states.
“Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia are all swing states with significant Jewish populations.” Feinstein said. “Turnout among Jewish voters is also historically high in an election year where everybody expects it to be close, and a few 1,000 voters can make the difference. This is a constituency where even a small difference in how people vote could shape the outcome of the election in November.”
Another reason politicians may be fighting for the Jewish vote is because of the impact of Jewish donors. Jews are very involved in donations on both sides of the political spectrum. The fifth largest donor in this election, businessman Paul Singer, is Jewish and donated $39 million to the Republican party. On the other side, the sixth largest donor this election is former New York City Mayor and 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Michael Bloomberg, who donated $37 million to the Democratic party.
Additionally, Jewish Americans have historically put in effort to maintain political involvement in the country. According to PBS, Jews have been involved in social action since first arriving in America. Two examples of this are the 1902 Kosher Meat Boycott and the Jewish activists who were heavily involved in enacting better working conditions after the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911.
Daniel Silverberg, a JDS parent (senior Josie Silverberg and Matan Silverberg (‘23)) who previously worked as a lawyer for the Democratic Staff of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, agrees with this. He cites the Jewish community organizations as another potential reason.
“The Jewish community has politically been extraordinarily well organized, and has been united up until recently on very specific issues,” Silverberg said. “So politicians would actively court the
Jewish vote, because the Jewish community has been remarkably well organized politically. And if you’re a politician, it’s much easier to talk to an organized group and try and sway them than to spread your efforts around a lot of other people.”
While it may be the case that Jews are no longer one solid voting block, as Silverberg explained, there are still some key issues to agree on.
“I think we [Jews] have to recognize that we may have different visions of how to get support for Israel, but we all want that basic thing of support for Israel,” Tevi Troy, former White House Jewish Liaison under the George W. Bush administration, said.
How Jews’ political opinions changed post-Oct. 7:
For many new voters at JDS, political responses to Oct. 7 have been a key factor in helping them develop their political views. Senior Coby Meytin will be voting for the first time in this year’s election, and analyzing political responses following the Israel-Hamas War is a key factor in his voting research.
“Politicians’ responses to the atrocities of Oct. 7 also made me start to rethink my political views,” Meytin said. “The lack of meaningful action and, in some cases, harmful comments helped me to realize issues I had never considered before. Now, I’m more focused on who truly stands with the values that matter to me.”
For some American Jews, politicians’ actions regarding the U.S.’s relationship with Israel have caused some uneasiness in their views on the different parties and their candidates.
“ ... [Biden] was very pro-Israel on the immediate days after Oct. 7, but has consistently been saying ‘ceasefire, ceasefire, don’t escalate,’ when what Israel needs is not non-escalation,” Troy said. “Israel needs victory. And so a lot of American Jews are uncomfortable with that approach.”
For other American Jews, watching politicians’ responses to the war only enhanced their previous beliefs on the parties.
“I’d say Oct. 7 didn’t change my political views, but it cemented the views I already had,” senior
Fast Facts
7 in 10
Jews identified as a Democrat pre-Oct. 7
75% of Orthodox Jews supported the Republican party in 2021
53% of Christians identify as Republican and 43% as Democrat
Rafi Siegel said. “ ... I’ll be honest myself, I’d much rather a president who puts pressure on the Israeli government to do what is in their best interest, versus Donald Trump, who is just going to fall back and write a blank check to Netanyahu to do whatever he wants.”
There has been discussion over whether or not the political views of the wider Jewish community have also been altered by the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
According to the U.S. Department of State, much of the antisemitism in the past year has emerged from the politically leftwing of America. In today’s political landscape, the Democratic Party is by-in-large the party that represents the political left. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the majority of Jews have historically voted for the Democratic Party every election year since 1924. However, some pundits speculate that the rise of antisemitism associated with the left could dissuade Jews from voting Democratic this election.
While some believe there has been a big shift in Jewish-American’s political views, others believe this shift might be exaggerated by the media.
“I think the shift has been slight and not as large as people think it is, but it still is pronounced,” Silverberg said. “It’s happened for a couple of reasons: the Jewish community becoming more established and the politicization of Israel as an issue.”
Silverberg explained that previous generations of Jews who first immigrated to the United States were pro-labor and mostly pro-Israel. Now, Silverberg said, the Jewish community has developed, meaning some Jews are fiscally conservative in a way the community wasn’t before.
Additionally, Silverberg explained that Israel has become a more politicized issue than ever before, leading to a divide in the community on how to address the issue. However, some Jews, like Mendelson, believe that the divides in the community go much deeper than the surface.
“I don’t think that there is such a thing anymore as a Jewish voter,” Mendelson said. “Some
- in-depth -
one’s line might be, ‘what is your stance on Israel, or what is your stance on the economy, or what is your stance on the border, or whatever it is.’ And another Jewish voter might say, ‘what is your stance on social justice,’ and the things that they would love about one or other candidates are things that I might hate about other candidates.”
Whether or not Mendelson is correct, it is true that Jews tend to lean towards the Democratic Party in American politics. In a Pew Research survey from before Oct. 7, about seven in every ten Jews identified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party.
“I think most Jews are more secular, more liberal and are probably going to be more inclined to vote for Democrats,” senior Shalvah Lazarus said. “I think Oct. 7 definitely shook that up a little bit; we saw more Jews moving to the right because of a feeling of abandonment by the left.”
It is not just foreign policy that may be swaying Jews toward the right, since domestic antisemitism is also an issue to consider this year.
“If you look on college campuses and in the media and all the mainstream institutions, the antisemitism is coming from the left,” Troy said. “That doesn’t mean there’s not right-wing antisemitism. What it means is that the institutionally protected antisemitism is almost exclusively on the left.”
Troy is referring to is recent protests at college campuses across the country in support of the “Free Palestine” movement.
In some cases, these protests have resulted in violence against Jewish students, like at Yale University and Columbia University. Aside from current affairs, de-
nominations are also an important factor in who Jews vote for. According to a Nishma Research poll of 1,296 voters, 93% of American Haredim intend to vote for former President Donald Trump. According to the Haredi Research Group, Haredim make up 14% of the world’s Jewish population.
In an additional poll done by Pew Research Center in 2021, 75% of Orthodox voters cited their support for the Republican party. This poll also surveyed Conservative and Reform voters, and the results show a clear divide by denomination: Conservative and Reform Jews overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party at 70%, and 80%, respectively.
To some, it seems clear that the specific issue of the Israel-Hamas war in general is affecting the dynamics of the Jewish community as a whole.
“I think you are seeing lines being redrawn in ways that we haven’t seen for 50 years,” Silverberg said. “Before [Oct. 7], the major fights in the Jewish community were religious; who was the Orthodox versus Conservative versus Reform. Now, the majority of fights in the Jewish community are political. Where do you stand on Israel? Are you left? Are you right? Are you center?”
Even with all of these current issues and divisions within the Jewish community, many Jews feel it is still important to consider what is best for the country as a whole when casting their vote.
“I definitely see the importance of the American-Israeli alliance and I think that America does have a lot of influence in the Middle East,” Lazarus said. “However, I do not believe in voting for an American president based on their Israel policy. I think that is an important factor, especially
for Jews who really care about the American-Israeli relationship, but I think that they should put their domestic politics first because ultimately that’s what a president is actually going to change.”
What candidates say about Judaism and antisemitism:
On both sides of the 2024 presidential election, candidates have been very open about their plans to combat antisemitism around the country. However, they have been less clear regarding specific plans for how to handle the war in Israel.
For these two candidates in particular, antisemitism is an important issue, as they are both closely related to Jewish individuals. For Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff is Jewish, while Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump converted to Judaism and is married to Jared Kushner, an Orthodox Jew.
Both candidates have made strong statements against hate speech and antisemitism, however, Trump took a different stance than Harris on the issue of protests at colleges that often involve antisemitic activity. On May 14, 2024 Trump said that if elected into office, he would “throw [the protesters] out of the country.”
Harris, on the other hand, was less ademant in her response. She told The Nation that while she absolutely rejects some of what the protestors are saying, she “understand[s] the emotion behind it.”
However, there has been controversy over the way both candidates have acknowledged Jewish voters. On Sept. 20, Trump stated that Jewish voters would be partly to blame if he loses the election.
“I think [Trump’s May 14 comment] is harmful because it plays into an age-old stereotype that Jews are blamed for things that
Lee Feinstein
Former US Ambassador to Poland
Tevi Troy
Former White House Jewish Liason
Daniel Silverberg
Former Lawyer for Democratic Staff of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
happen that are entirely out of their control and to set Jews up to be scapegoated,” Silverberg said. “It struck me as irresponsible at best and malicious at worst.”
At the same time, some voters have begun to question Harris’ relationship with the Jewish community after not choosing Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to be her running mate. Shapiro is a practicing Jew, and was even sworn in using a Hebrew Bible, rather than the typical one.
I do not believe in voting for an American president based on their Israel policy. I think that is an important factor, especially for Jews who really care about the American-Israeli relationship, but I think that they should put their domestic politics first because ultimately that’s what a president is actually going to change. “
- Senior Shalvah Lazarus “
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Shapiro is more popular in Pennsylvania than both Harris and Trump, and because the state is an important swing state with 19 electoral votes, picking Shapiro seemed like an obvious choice. However, on Aug. 6 Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate instead. Although the motive behind this decision was unclear, many Jewish voters felt disappointed in Harris’ pick.
“I was excited that it looked like Harris was going to pick a Jew who supports Israel as her Vice Presidential pick,” Meytin said. “I felt like the pick would show that she recognizes her potential Jewish voters, so it was definitely disappointing when she chose Walz instead.”
There is also Harris’ current role in the government to consider. Those who are unhappy with what the Biden administration is currently doing may draw a connection between that and her potential as the next president.
“ There’s definitely a number of Jews who are disappointed with how the Biden administration and Kamala Harris have been critical of Israel’s handling of the war, pushing for a ceasefire and hostage deal,” Siegel said. “At the same time, the majority of Jews support a hostage deal, and even if they don’t agree with everything that Kamala Harris and the Biden administration have done, I still think that the amount of voters that Kamala Harris is losing because of her dealing with the war is small.”
Importance of election in the JDS community:
As a pluralistic community, JDS represents a variety of identities, leading to more political and social disagreements than one may see in a denominational institution. Although this might seem to make the environment more challenging, it also provides the learning opportunities.
“One really wonderful thing about JDS is there is a really wide range of views,” Feinstein said. “And I think in the classroom there’s really an effort to really respect a wide range of views in a community setting.”
Aside from the issues that
may be particularly salient for the Jewish community in the upcoming election, America’s youth has even more to be concerned with. One concern is misinformation, and the influence of foreign regimes utilizing web-based communications and social media in spreading false information.
“I think one of the huge challenges with this election, for any voter, particularly newly minted and youthful voters, is access to good information,” Silverberg said. “The first thing I would strongly encourage any voter is to get out of their own bubble and ecosystem of information and try and track down legitimate news sources.”
For many seniors at JDS, this will be their first time voting. This represents an important opportunity for voting-age JDS students to put into action the many things they have learned in their years about civics and the role of voting in influencing national policies. And for those students who cannot yet vote, this election represents an important opportunity for dinner table conversation with parents and relatives that can.
Given these opportunities and challenges, Jews of all ages should continue to hold a strong stake in the election. As we have seen in recent election results, votes do matter. Recent elections have been decided by very thin margins with a few thousand votes making the difference between electoral success and failure.
“Jews are engaged voters, and that’s one of the reasons even though we’re two to three percent of the population, that’s why politicians are paying attention,” Troy said.
Senior Coby Meytin
Senior Shalvah Lazarus
Senior Rafi Siegel
Jesse Mendelson
CESJDS Parent
Photo Credits (Left to Right): Creative Commons. From Tevi Troy. Used with permission. Creative Commons. From Jesse Mendelson. Used with permission. Abby Chesman LT and Dimensions.
what the lions think
Jewish Text teacher Grace Mcmillan
“I think that the Lion’s Tale is wonderfully lucky to have the lack of prior review and prior restraint. Freedom is actually very valuable. As long as you have responsible student journalists and a responsible adviser, people are able to make intelligent, informed decisions about what should be published ... I am sure that that head of school had a lot of different considerations that he was dealing with. I feel like it’s unfortunate that it wasn’t an educational opportunity for the community to learn that, actually, from a Jewish perspective, it is really important to hear other voices.”
shAlhevet students silenced
California Jewish day school’s newspaper faces censorship
Lily Rulnick Editor-in-Chief
On April 4, the student newspaper of Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles, the Boiling Point, published an article titled “The same exact hurt.” The article, which was a feature story on two local Muslim teenagers’ views on the Israel-Hamas War, was later publicized on the newspaper’s Instagram on April 11. By the end of that day, the article had been removed from all Boiling Point platforms, including the print edition in which it was published.
Rabbi David Block, Shalhevet’s Head of School, asked Joelle Keene, former newspaper adviser of the Boiling Point for over 21 years, to remove the article following negative feedback from members of the Shalhevet community. Upon his request, Keene and members of the Boiling Point staff replaced print editions around Los Angeles that featured the censored article with new, shorter versions that excluded it.
“[The Boiling Point] had always endeavored to cover all sides of everything,” Keene said. “That is what I taught my students … and if you’re only getting to one side, you haven’t tried hard enough.”
In an article the Boiling Point published on June 2 about this incident entitled “School censors story about LA Muslim teens and war,” Block explained that he felt the original article could “give people the wrong impression about Shalhevet,” which motivated his decision to censor it. After numerous comments on the newspaper’s web -
“I do think that to some extent, that school has the right to not actively produce things that go against its own values ... that being said, I think it’s really about how those [views] are platformed, because there’s a difference between saying you can’t print something because it vaguely mentions an idea that the views of the school don’t agree with, versus spotlighting an opinion that is fundamentally in conflict with the school.”
site expressing disapproval of the initial article and several extreme examples of negative feedback were sent to the school and the newspaper, these sentiments were confirmed.
The Lion’s Tale reached out to Block for an interview, but he was unavailable. Additionally, no Boiling Point reporters were willing to be interviewed.
According to Keene, the Boiling Point’s editorial board disagreed over the decision to censor the article, causing the staff to become “divided in a rather painful way.”
“I think that reflects what was going on in the larger society, not just in the Boiling Point, not just in Shalhevet,” Keene said. “There’s so much division. So we felt it even in our own staff.”
Since Keene left Shalhevet at the end of the 2023-2024 school year, she is unable to report on the long term effects of the censorship on the Boiling Point staff. However, she does recall the staff experiencing a “chilling effect” post-censorship, where “students were afraid or were more hesitant about broaching lots of subjects.”
Like Shalhevet, CESJDS is not automatically granted freedom of speech and freedom of press under the First Amendment because it is a private school. Instead, JDS has its own student-initiated Press Rights Protocol since 2020, a policy started by former Lion’s Tale Editors-in-Chief Oren Minsk (‘21) and Alex Landy (‘21) that protects the Lion’s Tale reporters’ First Amendment rights.
“Torah Lishma [love of learning] requires that we provide spaces for constructive dialogue,
If [student journalists] don’t have the freedom to do and report what they want to do and report, then journalism becomes just another homework assignment.” “
- Former Boiling Point adviser Joelle Keene
civil dialogue,” High School Principal and Head of Upper School Campus Dr. Lisa Vardi said. “[The Lion’s Tale] is a space to have these conversations. It is a public space that promotes pluralism; the opportunity to share multiple perspectives.”
While Vardi admits that it is sometimes “scary” to be the principal of a school with a student-run, uncensored newspaper, she agrees with Keene and emphasizes how important it is to amplify all student voices.
“If [student journalists] don’t have the freedom to do and report what they want to do and report, then journalism becomes just another homework assignment,” Keene said.
Junior leah fagin
“It shows a really important dilemma that we see in not just Jewish schools, but in schools all over the United States. What do you do when you want to report on something, but it exposes students to a new or alternative idea? I think it’s important to know what other values there are because that helps you kind of understand your own values as, I guess in this context, as a Jewish person in our modern world.”
Senior Azaria Hileman-Shashoua
Photo by Vivi Ducker, LT
Photo from Leah Fagin, used with permission.
Photo from Grace McMillan, used with permission.
paw-sitive impact
Teacher pursues passion of working with therapy dogs
Senior Boaz
Eliana Wolf News Editor
Even after six years of volunteering with her collies at National Capital Therapy Dogs, science teacher Kimberly Agzigian never ceases to be amazed by the power of animals to connect with humans on a deep level. Agzigian has encountered many emotional moments as the owner of therapy dogs through witnessing how her dogs can heal those who are hurting.
Once or twice a month, Agzigian takes her dogs to various organizations that request their therapy. This ranges from senior centers to the Children’s Inn at the National Institute of Health, a program that focuses specifically on helping children with rare chronic conditions. The therapy dogs have also attended camps for children who lost parents and for burn victims.
“There was a little girl who had been nonverbal,” Agzigian said. “The sexual abuse was severe. The child had just come out of a therapy session with her mother, she was maybe four years old, just a tiny, tiny little girl. She took one look at Grayson [Agzigian’s dog], and she went over and threw her arms around his neck. He laid down, and she started whispering in his ear. She hadn’t spoken for months. The mother broke out in tears that her daughter was talking. What the child said to my dog, I’ll never know, but it was very emotional.”
Agzigian’s passion for owning and training therapy dogs was kick started when she watched her stepmother bring her collie into school to help teach developmentally challenged students. Even
Dauber pets one of Agzigian’s dogs during a Wellness Day at JDS. Photo by Alec Silberg (‘24), used with permission.
By The NumBers
Agzigian owns 8 dogs She also has 6 cats
This is Agzigian’s 27 th year at JDS
Most of Agzigian’s dogs take 2-3 years to train
though therapy dogs were not common when she was growing up, Agzigian witnessed how dogs can bring others joy. Now, Agzigian brings her certified therapy dogs to comfort sexual abuse victims, senior citizens and children with rare diseases.
“It was really my childhood dog where I saw what a difference he made in the lives of the children who were cognitively impaired,” Agzigain said. “I used to go in on free days and work with the children as well with my stepmother and these children. Not all of them were verbal. They did not become verbal. They simply were not verbal. But they started to interact more, and they would smile, and they would be much more engaged in what was happening in the room. So I saw what a difference it could make, and that I like the idea of giving back to the community.”
Agzigian is a trainer for National Capital Therapy Dogs (NCTD), where she ensures dogs are suitable to provide aid, using training methods like positive reinforcement. Agzigian also works on familiarizing the dogs with all possible scenarios so that they are equipped to handle anything during a session.
This includes working on cognition to respond to humans and being well trained to respond to the handler.
“We train therapy dogs and work with close to 300 schools, hospitals, hospice programs and retirement communities,” NCTD board member Kelly Citrin said.
From the way Agzigian talks about her dogs in the classroom, her students understand how much she cares about the therapy dogs and enjoys the work she does. She has also brought her dogs into CESJDS for various wellness events, so students have gotten to know her dogs’ unique abilities as therapy dogs.
“I would say [Agzigian’s therapy dogs] come up pretty often [in class], especially because we’re in genetics class, we’re talking about living things and animals,” junior Ella Arking said. “I think for her to also have that experience with those animals is really helpful.”
While there are many human resources to help those in need, Agzigian finds that dogs serve as non-judgemental companions that humans can feel more comfortable around. She believes that dogs give unconditional love to humans, making them feel more comfortable around dogs.
“They don’t judge you; they listen,” Agzigian said. “They want to be with you. And when you’re petting dogs, your blood pressure goes down and cortisol, the stress hormone, levels drop. So there are physiological and psychological benefits to therapy dogs.”
Photo by Kimberly Agzigian, used with permission.
The Best of both worlds
Teachers, students reclaim their ancestral roots through dual citizenship programs
Mia Forseter SportsEditor
On Sept. 13, Director of Publications Jessica Nassau became the latest member of the CESJDS community to gain dual citizenship. Nassau has now joined a growing number of Americans restoring their citizenship to a country their ancestors fled during the Holocaust.
In the creation of their new constitution in 1949, Germany offered German Jews and their descendants the opportunity to regain their citizenship if it was stripped from them during the Holocaust. In 2021, this law changed to also include German Jews who had not been denaturalized, but instead lost citizenship because they had acquired citizenship of another country. According to the Attaché for the German Embassy’s Consulate Office, around 200,000 people have become German citizens under the original law.
“The name of our country
horror, the crimes against humanity, the memory of the Holocaust, dictatorship, war, horrific crimes,” Wustmann said. “It is part of our history, and we will never forget this ... We know that by these naturalizations, we are not changing history, or we are not undoing it in any way, but we acknowledge it and we commemorate it.”
Nassau originally heard about the German citizenship program through a friend at synagogue. While she did not think much of it at the time, amid rising political turmoil and antisemitism in the US over the past few years, she rethought this decision. Nassau decided it was good to have this citizenship as a “plan B.” The process took two years and culminated with the naturalization ceremony at the German embassy.
“It’s nice to know there is somewhere else I could go,” Nassau said. “I think about my grandparents during the Holocaust and that struggle to find somewhere to go … I just think
ing that there are safety plans in check for their one surviving daughter, their grandchildren and their great grandchildren.”
Germany is one of 62 countries that offer this opportunity. Others include Austria, Croatia and Poland. According to the Italian American Citizenship Assistance Program, dual citizenship in a European Union (EU) country that allows dual citizenship for U.S. citizens offers benefits in the EU, including free or reduced costs for college and easier access to residential and professional opportunities and privileges.
Sophomore Jonah Soffler sought Croatian citizenship after his mom traced their lineage to Croatia. Following this move, he chose to go to a camp in Croatia this summer.
“Having dual citizenship is knowing another part of your identity,” Soffler said. “... Not many people even know where Croatia is and that’s interesting when it’s a part of your identity.”
When senior Georgia Lindenauer’s uncle discovered that they qualified for Austrian citizenship, her whole family filed for it, a decision that Lindenauer says brings her closer to her family and her roots.
BY THE NUMBERS
6.8 million US adults have dual citizenship
62 countries allow dual citizenship with the US 40% of Americans could be eligible for dual citizenship in the EU because of ancestral reasons
“It’s really cool to add another layer to my identity that I don’t really think about,” Lindenauer said. “It kind of feels like I have another connection to my grandmother and her parents.” Information from Pew Research Center, Immigrant Invest and Forbes, respectively
Photo illustration by Ruby Kotok. Information from Immigrant Invest.
Forever Faculty
Sadaf Zadeh Arts & Entertainment Editor
CESJDS is a school centered around one of its core values: kehillah, or community. While teachers have come and gone, 59 faculty members have stayed at the school for over 15 years.
Although all of these teachers have been members of the community for a while, they all have different reasons for wanting to stay.
High School Assistant Principal Aileen Goldstein (‘96) is one educator who always seems to find her way back to JDS. Goldstein, who has been working at JDS for a total of 22 years, is passionate about the values that the institution upholds. In fact, she found herself returning to JDS after graduating and taking a break from teaching as a whole after working at JDS a first time.
“I really wanted to be in a pluralist setting, because what I realized coming out from here [JDS], going into college, was the tremendous value of being in a place with multiple streams of Judaism,” Goldstein said. “We’re
sort of living the experiment of building Jewish community in a really natural and important way that I think really helps students move on from here to be super successful in not only their own personal identities, but also in building communities wherever they go.”
Goldstein said she has furthered her devotion to the school since her daughter began attending the Lower School as she is able to strengthen her appreciation for the core values taught to students during their early childhood.
“Being in the same school as my child is exciting,” Goldstein said. “I didn’t go through the Lower School, so watching her go through the Lower School is like learning a whole new side of the institution.”
Another faculty member who has stayed loyal to JDS is Hebrew teacher Talya Edery, who is now in her 27th year working at JDS. Two major factors that have played a role in Edery’s decision to stay at JDS for this long is the community and love for Israel at JDS.
59 staff members have worked at JDS for over 15 years
FAMILIAR
FACES
22 years
High School
Assistant Principal
Aileen Goldstein
24
“I wake up and I am happy to come and teach here,” Edery said. “I love the students, I love the staff and I love teaching Hebrew and making a connection to Israel. I feel it’s like a mission for me to come here and speak Hebrew, teach the culture and through the culture, teach about Israel.”
On the other hand, John Watkins-Chow finds his connection within the community aspect of the school, and less with the religious pieces. The 2024-2025 school year is his 24th year teaching at the school. Watkins-Chow finds that every class he teaches each year becomes his new favorite, but he has a particular appreciation for the relationships he’s been able to build with his coworkers.
Math teacher John Watkins-Chow
27 years years
Hebrew teacher Talya Edery
“I’m mostly grateful for colleagues I work with,” Watkins-Chow said. “I only get to know students for at most four years … [and] who I teach changes year to year, but who I teach alongside has me feeling very fortunate that I have colleagues that I feel supported by and are really talented.”
While Watkins-Chow said he does believe that there are certain areas for improvement in some systems at the school and wonders what other opportunities there are beyond JDS, he also said he values being able to influence students positively.
As students filter in and out of the school, there are a great number of teachers who have stayed loyal to JDS and hope to maintain that loyalty for many years to come.
“One of the things that I love about this school is there’s always an opportunity to learn, and we are always striving to do our best and be our best, which means we’re always striving to grow,” Goldstein said. “Does it always go in that direction? Who knows? But I think it’s exciting to be in a place where that’s valued and supported and pushed.”
Photos from Freed Photography
- arts and entertainmentrelying on the truth
A guide to avoiding misinformation
Tali Loeffler SportsEditor
ith a rise in misinformation, especially due to the developments in artificial intelligence, it is difficult to determine what news is reliable. As avid consumers of news, it is important to be thoughtful when considering what sources you use to get your information.
According to the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), at the University of Chicago, roughly 75% of Americans check the news daily. This is done through different outlets, including reading newspapers, listening to the radio, watching television and using different online platforms.
Moreover, in the wake of the digital age, more than eight in 10 Americans get their news from digital media outlets, with 60% preferring a smartphone, tablet or computer to other forms of news according to a Pew Research study. This is exacerbated for teens, as we are constantly on our phones and use social media.
During an election year, keeping up with the news is more important, but also more difficult, considering the use of misinformation by politicians. With more polarization between political parties, people tend to only follow news sources that are associated with their own political views. Though all news sources carry some biases, there are those that tend to stay more central on the political spectrum and are trusted by people from varying political parties.
YouGov, a British International market research company, recently did a survey on “Trust in Media in 2024: Which news sources
Americans trust – and which they think lean left or right.” The survey asked respondents to rate how unbiased each news outlet was. Aside from the Weather Channel, the top three most trusted sources were the BBC, PBS and The Wall Street Journal. The survey also showed that younger Americans are more likely to trust news from social media than adults.
Social media can be a useful outlet for news, but it is also not nearly as regulated and fact-checked as other types of news sources. Therefore, especially for younger generations who tend to rely on it more, extra care and attention must be given when determining the credibility of its information. Additionally, the best way to ensure that you have a full, reliable picture of what is going on is to look at multiple sources. This allows you to verify information and truly understand what is fact versus opinion. If information is consistent across multiple platforms, there is a good chance that it is trustworthy.
It is also helpful to assess the credibility of sources you are using. The most reliable sources, especially websites, will tell you where they are obtaining its information as well as the specific date it was collected. Many sources contain statements about the outlet’s ethics policies along with data about how it addresses mistakes and inaccurate information.
If a source is trustworthy, it should have information about its writers, editors and reporters. Investigating them and verifying their professional backgrounds can help paint a fuller picture of the kind of people who contribute to the source and ensure that they are knowledgeable about the given topic.
When you think you have a reliable source, it is often useful to compare the information you are getting with the information other people have. Having civil discussions, even about topics that are controversial, can help you assess if you and your discussion mate have a full, unbiased view of what’s going on. Consulting with teachers, parents and other trusted adults is also a helpful way to discern whether or not you are on the right track to finding reliable news sources. Ultimately, all sources have some bias. The goal is to recognize that bias and understand what is true and what is made up. There are many different ways to find reliable sources but it is most important to trust your gut.
How to sp t fake news
Research the author Check the date
Photos by Cati Werbin, LT
Social media safety
Tips for being healthy
online
Lindsey Shapiro Reporter
While social media is a great tool to connect and communicate with others, there can be dangers to spending time and oversharing on social media, such as over-providing personal information. On top of that, scrolling for hours on end can cause severe mental distress. It is best to be cautious while on social media to ensure that you care for your mental and physical health. Here are a few things I recommend doing to stay safe on social media.
Be aware of how much time you spend online
Like many others, I sometimes find myself scrolling to take a break from the world, and often end up not getting any work done. While utilizing social media can be a good tool for talking with friends and sharing fun experiences with others, too much scrolling can lead to burnout and stress. Constant social media usage can lead to attention shifting and unhealthy comparisons. It is important to take breaks and set time limits for yourself so not all of your time is spent on social media. I suggest setting app limits on your phone for social media apps so you can monitor your time on it. Another way to balance getting work done and scrolling on social media is to set timed goals, such as doing 30 minutes of work and then scrolling for ten minutes.
Utilize social media tools
Sometimes posts show up on my social media feed that make me uncomfortable, such as extreme anti-Israel creators who make me feel targeted as a Jew. On every social media app, there is a button you can click to make similar posts not show up on your feed. On Instagram, it says “This post made me uncomfortable,” while on TikTok, it says “Not interested,” and on Snapchat it says “I don’t like …,” this button gives you the option of choosing to not see similar content or the same creator again. This feature makes the time I spend on social media more pleasant, and ensures that I don’t have to worry about being shown things that make me anxious.
Public vs. Private accounts
In general, it is a good idea to create private accounts and not allow anyone who you don’t know personally to follow you. This prevents the potential threat of someone online hacking your account, or finding and sharing your personal information. Some people follow mutual friends who they don’t know, or follow random people. This is dangerous because there is no way to know who they are and what their intentions are. I’ve always been advised not to follow people that I don’t personally know, and I think this is a good practice for people to follow.
Limit sharing your location
Ensuring your security online is very important. A good way to be safe online is to not post your location, especially if you have a public account. Some apps, like Snapchat, have a live location feature, which can be set up so that anyone who follows you can view your location. However, many of these apps will allow you to turn it off completely, which is what I like to do. I do this because of the potential danger of showing my location online, and I never know who could see it and what their intentions might be.
Photo
Nostalgic shows to rewatch
DIsney DIAry - arts & entertainment -
Sophie Schwartz OpinionEditor
Phineasand
F e br
If there is one TV channel that truly exemplifies nostalgia, it’s the Disney Channel. Here are a few old Disney shows that are sure to take you back to your childhood.
“Phineas and Ferb”
The two protagonists, Phineas and Ferb, are trying to make the best of their 104 day summer vacation, each day taking on a new ambitious project. However, every time they invent something new, their older sister, Candace, attempts to get them in trouble by telling their mom what they’ve been up to. Nevertheless, Phineas and Ferb always manage to erase the proof before their mom can see.
While viewers may be ambivalent about the repetitive structure of each episode, the formulaic nature of the show allows to focus on the jokes and details of Phineas and Ferb’s wildly imaginative adventures, rather than fixating on major plot shifts. “Phineas and Ferb” is sure to give you a good laugh,
“Stuck in the Middle”
Told from the perspective of Harley Diaz, “Stuck in the Middle” centers around Harley and her role as the middle child of seven children. Whether it is her stubborn younger sister, Daphne, or her immature twin brothers, Lewie and Beast, Harley tries to find creative ways to stand out and avoid getting lost in the chaos of her house. She does so by frequently creating new inventions. While the inventions aren’t the most realistic, many viewers can relate to the dynamics of the family and the desire to be seen by your siblings and parents.
“Jessie”
Jessie Prescott, a young woman from Texas, moves to New York City to follow her dreams of being an actress. However, she instead ends up as a nanny for a high profile couple and their four children: Emma, Luke, Ravi and Zuri. All of these characters have distinctly different personalities, ensuring that viewers will be able to relate with at least one member of the Ross family. While yes, the characters do all fit a stereotype, they are each lovable in their own way and fit together to make an enduring and feel-good show. Every time I go back and watch old episodes, I feel
transported back to the days of elementary school where I could come home and relax with my younger sister, rather than have endless extracurricular activities and homework assignments to complete. These are memories that no new show would have the potential to evoke, that only old Disney episodes have the potential to bring back.
“Good Luck Charlie”
The Duncan family is just your typical American family: teens PJ and Teddy, tween brother Gabe and newborn baby, Charlie. When Amy, the children’s mother, returns home from maternity leave, it becomes the responsibility of the kids and their dad to watch Charlie and keep her out of trouble. Teddy decides to create a video diary for her sister by videoing her words of wisdom for Charlie, ending each episode with “Good luck, Charlie.” I began watching “Good Luck Charlie” around the time my younger sister was born. While my age gap with my younger sister is not as significant as in “Good Luck Charlie,” it was very easy to empathize with the changes that the family was experiencing. Even today, the lighthearted nature of the show and relatable family dynamics makes the series sure to brighten your day.
STUCK INTHE M I ELDD Good luckCharl i e JESSIE
Lily Rulnick Editor-in-Chief
Seeking refuge at Dini’s Divine Pies on a rainy Friday, I am immediately hit with the smell of warm butter and cinnamon as I walk through the door. The delicious scents combined with the cozy fairy lights and guest book on the counter filled my body with warmth, marking the beginning of a great pie experience.
Dini’s Divine Pies was started in 2021 by Dini McCullough Amozurrutia. Though she launched the business out of her home, McCullough Amozurrutia recently opened the Rockville storefront, and is currently open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
SWEET AS PIE
Nearby bakery impresses
I started by trying the mini pumpkin pie, which was $8. The pie was simply yet beautifully garnished with a decorative piece of pie crust in the shape of a heart resting atop the pumpkin filling. My first observation was how good the crust was. It was flaky and buttery, and the proportion of crust to filling was just right. The bottom of the crust was a bit soggy, but I attributed that to the pie chilling in the fridge before I bought it. The filling was creamy and smooth, but could have used a bit more cinnamon. Overall, it was a delicious and texturally-balanced bite, and I wish I would’ve purchased a bigger size.
For my third pie, I tried the 6-inch plain apple pie for $18. The crunch of the crust mixed with the soft bite of the apples made for a delicious combination. Though the filling could have used a bit more spice to truly capture the autumnal vibes, it had the perfect, jamciated eating the pie while it was warm, and recommend heating up this specific pie before you enjoy it. I do think it is important to talk about the size of these smaller pies. While the 6-inch pies were definitely enough for my dining companion and I, one would not be sufficient for a party of more than three
Next, I tried the 6-inch mixed berry pie, which was $18. This pie was warm, immedi ately elevating it from the chilled pumpkin pie. The crust, again, was delicious, and the bottom of this pie was nice and crisp. Though I couldn’t quite decipher which berries were used, I was able to identify blueberries and raspberries, which made for a beautiful combination. The filling was not too soupy, which is often hard to achieve in berry pies. My one note would be that the filling could have used a little less sugar and a little more acidity. Otherwise, it was a piece of perfection.
Now, the last, but certainly not the least: the key lime pie. Though this 6-inch pie did not have my favorite element of Dini’s pies -the crumbly crust- its filling set it apart from the rest. Set in a graham cracker crust, this incredibly creamy filling had just the right amount of lime flavor. The sweetness from the graham crackers and the tartness of the lime canceled each other out perfectly, making it my favorite pie of the day.
Dini’s Divine Pies
Address: 11612 Boiling Brook Place
Days open: Friday-Sunday
Hours: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Photos by Dini McCullough Amozurrutia
tourney time - sports -
Sports teams participate in new tournaments
Vivi Ducker Features Editor
This school year, CESJDS is attending more sports tournaments to give athletes exposure to new teams and to boost school spirit. Some of these include new soccer, volleyball and basketball tournaments.
On Sept. 22, the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School in Pikesville, Md. hosted JDS, Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy and Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy to compete in girls and boys varsity soccer and girls varsity volleyball games. JDS plays Berman regularly, but the other schools that attended the tournament are not in the same league, so it allowed for them to play a new group teams. The tournament worked in round-robin style games, allowing each school to play one another.
Director of Athletics Becky Silberman started planning this tournament on a Zoom call last spring with the athletic directors from Beth Tfiloh and Barrack. Coincidentally, the JDS girls varsity volleyball team was scheduled to play Berman that same day, so the schools decided to do both events, soccer and volleyball, in one day.
“We've been playing Barrack, and some years we played Beth Tfiloh, and we were like, ‘Why don't we just all do this together and kind of have a mini Jewish East Coast tournament,’” Silberman said.
Though the varsity boys soccer team went 1-2, Head Coach Gadi Vogel was proud of the playing he saw on the field.
“While we didn't have our
whole team there, I think we played some of the best within our style of play,” Vogel said. “... The way we played is exactly how I want to play, and it set a tone for the rest of the year of how our standard should be.”
The girls volleyball team won both of their games and the girls soccer team went 0-2. However, this is not the only tournament JDS will be attending this year.
For the past two years, the JDS varsity basketball teams have attended the Israel Becker International Invitational Basketball Tournament at the Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT) in Canada. Instead of going to CHAT, this year the varsity boys basketball team will attend the Cooper Invitational tournament in Memphis, Tennessee. The varsity girls basketball team will still be attending the CHAT tournament this year.
The boys team used to attend this tournament before COVID-19, when the tournament stopped running. JDS didn't send the team last year because it falls at a difficult time for JDS, in mid November. This year, to accommodate the inconvenient timing, boys varsity basketball tryouts were held in early September so the team could prepare for the tournament.
“It's cool that it's at the beginning of the season, so it'll prepare us for what's to come; and, it'll be a great bonding opportunity with our school and all the other schools,” junior and boys varsity basketball team member Cyrus Blumenthal said.
Anna Polon Production Assistant
Every year, the gym at the Bender JCC of Greater Washington becomes a banquet hall for the annual Dinner of Champions. This year it is where seniors Gigi Gordon and Nate Szubin will be recognized for their athletic, academic and community service achievements.
Back to the basics: Gordon's sports life before high school
Gordon and Szubin are among six high school athletes receiving the 2024 Hyman M. and Phillip D. Perlo High School Athlete Award, which is given to Jewish senior scholar-athletes from the DMV. The award is from the Bender JCC of Greater Washington.
The recipients of the award will be honored at the 32nd annual Dinner of Champions on Nov. 24. Winners of the Perlo award excel in athletics and academics and contribute to their communities through involvement in activities such as clubs and organizations.
“These athletes, they're recognized for standing out as top athletes in the area,” Co-chair of
GIGI GORDON
soccer, basketball, softball
highest soccer scorer her junior year as a defender
has started every
in all
Tfiloh
Photo taken by Freed photography
than alL-stars
Seniors win sports award
3,200 METER TIME: 9:42
5K TIME: 15:41
MILE TIME: 4:40
NATHAN SZUBIN
cross country and track
the Dinner of Champions
Danielle Cantor Jeweler said. “It's also really important that they're good humans and that they're making an impact in their community.”
Both Gordon and Szubin have significantly contributed to varsity sports at CESJDS and have made meaningful contributions to the community. Gordon is a three-season varsity athlete; she is captain of the soccer, basketball and softball teams. She is also involved in numerous clubs and academic endeavors, but views
Back to the basics: Szubin's sports life before high school
Szubin has been running for about five years and has broken numerous records at JDS and in the PVAC, including his own. He enjoys the sport because it gives him a time to think and let his mind wander. All photos used with permission from Gigi Gordon and Nathan Szubin.
her recent work, helping kids with disabilities play sports, as most impactful in the long term.
Szubin, a track and cross country runner, has set numerous records and won countless awards and races in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference (PVAC) and the region. In addition to athletic achievements, he recently received the Jewish Theological Seminary Ahavat Torah award for being an excellent student-leader and a National Merit Scholarship Letter of Commendation for his PSAT score.
“[I’m] very grateful to my coaches for nominating me,”
Other winners this year
1. Aiden Abergel
2. Jessica Berger
3. Charlie Buckles
4. Stevie Zonarich
Szubin said. “[I’m] very proud to be joined to this lineage of people.”
The Dinner of Champions itself is a fundraiser for the inclusion program at Lessans Camp JCC. The camp, whose inclusion program is nationally recognized, aims to create a “meaningful summer camp experience to children of all abilities” per their website. The Bender JCC names inclusion as a core value, and has many programs for kids with disabilities.
“Once I went to the camp, I was blown away and wanted to do whatever I could to help make sure that our community can continue offering this for many years to come,” Cantor Jeweler said.
Szubin and Gordon are both happy to be part of an event helping this cause.
“When I looked more into it and realized that [the award and Dinner of Champions] was about helping the JCC and kids with disabilities… I was pretty proud of it,” Gordon said.
The award recipients also have the chance to be part of a mentorship program that Cantor Jeweler started last year. The high school athletes will be paired with a previous JCC sports hall of fame inductee, who will be their mentor for the year. Cantor Jeweler hopes the mentors and mentees will stay in touch in the future.
“We want them [to have] an opportunity to be part of this community forever,” Cantor Jeweler said. “Once you're a Perlo award winner, then you're in this community, you have this mentorship program, and a lot of them we're hoping will move on to be successful athletes or successful professional sports agents or sports executives.”
Many JDS alumni have won the award. Recent alumni include Sam Sharp (‘24), Alex Reichmann (‘24), Ella Sheintal (‘23), Coby Malkus (‘23) and David Fritz (‘23).
“Looking back over the years, lots of great JDS people have gotten it, and I [feel] honored and humbled to be in that same list,” Szubin said.
Photo taken by Lindsey
Flags Fly High
JDS and Montgomery County Public Schools introduce flag football programs
Although senior Ezra Raskin plays JDS fall baseball, he enjoys participating in the flag football club, as it gives him an opportunity to meet new students. Photo by Abby Chesman, LT & Dimensions.
Mia Forseter SportsEditor
Chatting in a circle, the newly formed CESJDS flag football club passes a football around to warm up. For years, the status of the JDS football team has been a running joke, with sweatshirts that say “JDS football” on the front and “still undefeated” on the back. However this year, the fiction became a reality and flag football became a co-ed fall sport at JDS.
At the moment, flag football is a club instead of an official JDS sports team. It meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school for about an hour, and they practice with a variety of drills. It is coached by Assistant Athletic Director Matthew Landy (‘18).
Currently, there are about 10 players in the club. However, Landy hopes to increase that number to 14 players so that they are able to play games against other schools. Landy also hopes for the team to join a league in the coming years.
“I think it’s important that it’s one of the only sports teams or clubs at the school where it’s a coed team,” Landy said. “I think it’s good to put gender aside and just let kids play sports that they like to play. And it’s been really fun so far, watching these kids in different grades meet new people and interact with one another.”
Freshman David Loeffler was originally on the cross country team, but ended up switching to flag football because he enjoyed the sport more.
“It’s a very fun environment with not a lot of students,” Loeffler said. “... [People] should really join; it’s the best up-and-coming team.”
After hearing about the program in emails and talking to her mom about the opportunity, junior Nolyn Ziman decided to try out flag football with some of her friends. Through the sport, she has had the chance to become friends with several underclassmen.
Ziman is also an avid Ravens fan, and finds it meaningful to be able play one of her favorite sports, especially because she never thought she would have the option to do so.
“I think it’s really good for women in sports,” Ziman said. “And it’s going to prepare us and get
us all more interested when [flag football is] in the Olympics in four years.”
According to Football Operations, flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. In the United States alone, 2.4 million kids under 17 play organized flag football. Additionally, the sport will be added to the 2028 Summer Olympic games.
There are a total of 11 states with high schools who offer varsity girls flag football as a sport and women’s flag football scholarships are offered at 25 NAIA colleges according to the New York Times. The Atlantic East Conference also has planned to be the first NCAA division to offer varsity flag football as a sport starting in the spring of 2025.
The National Football League (NFL), plays a big role in promoting flag football. One of the ways that they do so is through the league they organize, known as NFL FLAG, which has over 1,600 teams and is in every state.
Part of what piqued Ziman’s interest in the JDS flag football program was what she heard about Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) piloting a flag football program this year.
In partnership with the Baltimore Ravens and Under Armour, MCPS, Baltimore City Public Schools and Washington County Public Schools are all offering a girls flag football program this fall. Frederick County Public Schools started their program last year. Throughout the summer, there were multiple skills clinics to help get athletes involved in flag football in MCPS.
Junior Brooke Batay from John F. Kennedy High School in Wheaton is a utility player on the girls
Did You Know?
The earliest known game of flag football was played by American soldiers in Maryland who didn’t want to get injured by playing regular football.
Information from battlesports.com
varsity flag football team at Kennedy. Batay is excited to score her first touchdown this season.
“I think [this program is] really cool because it gives females a shot at what usually boys only have to do,” Batay said. “So it gives us more opportunities.”
The varsity girls flag football team at Kennedy practices every day after school, and plays one to two games per week. Practice includes offensive and defensive work, routes and scrimmages.
At Albert Einstein High School, senior Sam Hase is the quarterback for her school’s flag football team. Unlike many other teams, Einstein did not practice over the summer, but still has a 3-2 record.
“I’m actually very, very proud of us,” Hase said. “We’re a pretty good team, so watch out.”
Hase appreciates the opportunity to play a male-dominated sport because she feels it makes a statement about girls playing sports.
She was excited that flag football was added just in time for her senior year.
2.4 million kids under 17 play flag football in the US
100+ countries play flag football
20 million people play flag football worldwide
“My whole life I’ve really grown up with playing football, and I used to play flag football when I was younger,” Hase said. “My family used to watch football a lot, so it kind of just was around me all the time. So when I saw that we were doing it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, sign me up for sure.’”
- senior Sam Hase
“My whole life I’ve really grown up with playing football, and I used to play flag football when I was younger,” Hase said. “My family used to watch football a lot, so it kind of just was around me all the time. So when I saw that we were doing it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, sign me up for sure.’”
22 colleges offered women’s flag football in the 2023-2024 season
Junior Nolyn Ziman participates in the flag football club with her friends. Ziman loves watching the sport and has appreciated the chance to play it as well. Photo by Abby Chesman, LT & Dimensions.
Photo used with permission from Sam Hase
counts
1. U.S. Citizen
2. State resident
3. At least 16 years old
vote. Register online
at voterservices.elections.maryland.gov
Registering is a prerequisite for being able to vote in the U.S. when you are 18-years-old.
vote in person voterservices.elections.maryland. gov/PollingPlaceSearch
Submit your information on this website and it will find the nearest voting locations to your address. This tool helps you identify where to vote, your voting district and your local board of elections. mail in your ballot
request a ballot online at
of people who didn’t vote in the 2016 election said they would have voted if they could vote on their cellphone only49% of 18-24 year olds registered to vote in the 2022 elections criteria to register to vote in Maryland:
vote.md.gov/NeedBallot
When you fill out the request form, a ballot will sent to whichever address you would like. You will also receive a return envelope with prepaid postage to mail your vote in. Your mail-in vote must be received by Oct. 29 to vote in the 2024 presidential election.