Volume 33 Issue 2

The Lion’s Tale

Volume 33 Issue 2

November 25, 24, 2015

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Kendrick Lamar concert review, pg.18 Feminism at CESJDS, pg.10-11 Parental concern over Israel trip, pg.15 Campus goes green, pg.06 Sports budget explained, pg.16

CESJDS

the lion’s tale

02 opinion the

Staff editorial

lion’s tale editors editors-in-chief

malka himelhoch, carol silber managing editor, copy

yonatan greenberg managing editor, design

alysse weinberg managing editor, web

joshua paretzky opinion

jonah shrock news

miriam minsk, arielle weinstein chadashot

ariella kulp, mark reichel features

talia horowitz, hannah nechin entertainment

mijal altmann, gaby pilarski in-depth

jonathan foldi, margalit zimand sports

aaron schonfeld, jeremy schooler & joel vardon photo

dahlia lehman ads manager

michael berkowitz

reporters bennett bramson, emily cohen talia denicoff, ari feuer, izzy friedland, noah green, gabe krantz, aaron robinson, joey shoyer, isaac silber, rina torchinsky, liran zimand

staff adviser jessica nassau

adviser emerita susan zuckerman The Lion’s Tale Editorial and Ethics Policy 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 guest columns, all of 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.

Some material courtesy of American Society of News Editors/ TNS Campus School Newspaper Service. 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 328.

The Lion’s Tale is funded by The Simon Hirshman Endowment for the Upper School Newspaper and The Kuttner-Levenson Endowment for the Upper School Cultural Arts and Student Publications, and community advertisement. The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisement for any reason.

The staff will adhere to the ethics policies of The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Scholastic Press Association. The adviser will be held to the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of Ethics.

No silence on Syrian refugees In the spring of 1939, as the storms of the Holocaust were brewing, an ocean liner full of German Jewish refugees set sail, its passengers hoping to escape the Nazi regime that wanted nothing more than their extermination.

The ship headed to Cuba, but upon arrival, Cuba’s president refused to accept the Jews on board. But hope was not yet lost. The boat was mere miles from the coast of Florida. Surely America, that great beacon of freedom and democracy, the country of the tired, the poor and the huddled masses, would understand. Surely America would shelter these Jews from the Nazis.

But Americans were not interested. The Coast Guard did come out to meet the ship, but only to ensure that no Jews attempt to swim to shore. With nowhere to dock, the ship’s captain was forced to return to Germany and deliver the hundreds of Jews on board into the hands of the Nazis. By the end of the Holocaust, hundreds of the Jews who were on that ship were dead. The Nazis killed those Jews, but only because the U.S. government let them.

As American Jews, we cannot allow our country to make the same

mistake again.

The Syrian refugee crisis is the worst since World War II. Twelve million Syrians have been displaced as a result of the devastating civil war which began in 2011, and four and a half million are seeking asylum in other countries.

Countries such as Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan are already struggling to accommodate these refugees, and it is unclear how many more Europe will accept. More help is urgently needed.

In response to the recent attacks in Paris, governors of 27 states, including the governor of Maryland, have spoken out against President Obama’s efforts to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in America.

This pushback is based on the fear that terrorists could sneak in with the refugees and perpetrate an attack in the U.S. similar to the one that just occurred in Paris.

But these fears are unfounded.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, 745,000 refugees have come to the United States. Many of these refugees came from Iraq, which, like Syria, is plagued with terror. Nevertheless, not a single one of these refugees has committed an act of terrorism.

In fact, no refugee has committed

Data taken from a Washington Post compilation of American public opinion polls

1938-1939 What is your attitude towards allowing German, Austrian and other political refugees to come into the United States?

67%

an act of domestic terrorism since 1980 because America’s vetting process is so sound. C.I.A. Director John Brennan, arguably the nation’s number one authority on national security, has said that it would be un-American to close our borders to Syrian refugees.

It is worth remembering that this is not a new fear. One of the biggest reasons that Americans in the 1930s so violently slammed their doors on desperate Jewish refugees was out of a fear that German spies would accompany them. A poll conducted in 1939 found that the majority of Americans did not even support allowing 10,000 Jewish children into the U.S., highlighting the concern over German spies as a pretext for xenophobia and AntiSemitism.

Looking back on the attitudes that allowed such horrific apathy to fester should provoke disgust and shame. Nevertheless, those feelings are meaningless if they are not translated into concrete actions when we are presented with a similar crisis. Even France, in the wake of the attack on its capital, increased its commitment to take in refugees, and now plans

on accepting 30,000 refugees. We should be ashamed that a country that is both one fifth our size and reeling from the worst attack on its soil since World War II is willing to accept three times the number of refugees that the U.S. cannot even agree to accept.

Hitler must have been pleased when the U.S. turned away that boat full of Jewish refugees. Here was proof that he was not the only one who hated Jews. The message of ISIS, that the West hates all Muslims, is similarly strengthened when we turn a blind eye to the fate of the innocent men, women and children fleeing Syria. As American Jews, it is our obligation to see that connection. As American Jews, it is our duty to cherish the lives of refugees rather than the agenda of their persecutors.

-The Lion’s Tale

66%

Do you favor the plan to permit 10,000 refugee children from Germany into America?

said

No January 1939

Should Congress pass a bill allowing a larger number of European refugees into America?

Yes

No 85.3% 84.3% 69.8%

We should try to keep them out July 1938

25.8% 8.3% 6.3%

Protestants

Catholics

Jews

April 1939

the lion’s tale

opinion

03

Staff Column

The message that Siyum should send

carol silber editor-in-chief On the first day of seventh grade — my first day at JDS —my science teacher Nick Miller taught my class about the idea of learning for the sake of learning. It’s been easy to forget about this notion, especially over the last year, when so much has been measured in numbers.

There have been thrilling numbers — like the fact that I only have

about 30 days of high school left.

But the majority of the numbers have been stress-provoking: What is your GPA? How high is your SAT score? How low is the acceptance rate of the college you’re trying to get into? How many advanced classes do you take?

So it’s not easy to remember to learn for the sake of learning when you’re a senior, as learning has been transformed into a list of quantifiable measurements that have no meaning beyond their numerical value.

Luckily, JDS frequently resists falling into that trap. We don’t have class rank, we don’t subscribe to the concrete method of AP classes, and there are a host of classes and activities offered that transcend the typical test-like environment of most high schools.

Unfortunately, one moment when JDS fails to avoid falling into this trap is at the apex of our high

school experience — during Siyum, when awards are given to a select few students who are determined to have excelled in a certain field of study, or to have demonstrated specific appreciated behaviors.

By declaring that there is one senior who has mastered mathematics, or any other subject, our community negates the numerous students who have worked tirelessly over their high school years and who have shown a tremendous devotion to their studies.

But perhaps more importantly, these awards contrast with one of our school’s best characteristics — its constant effort to educate its students with passion, and with an eye to what education has to offer beyond the scope of report cards and test scores.

Finally, these awards conflict with the concept that my grade has elected to be the theme of our Siyum. Our theme is based on a quote

from Pirkei Avot that asks who is wise? And answers by saying, “He who learns from every person.”

While typical academic excellence is celebrated through award systems like the current one, my class, in choosing this theme, has challenged this by presenting the idea that it is not only the students who have a 5.0 GPA and 2400 SAT score who have something incredible to offer.

Over my last five years at JDS, I have learned an innumerable amount of lessons from each and every one of my classmates. From studying derivatives to defining Jewish identity to debating political matters and everything in between, it is undeniable that the members of my class have been more than just that. They have transcended the role of classmate, they have been exceptional examples of leaders, teachers and friends.

So there is not only one

student in my grade who has mastered science. There is not only one student in my grade who has embodied kindness and care. There is not only one student in my grade who has shown dedication to our community. It would be a shame if, at Siyum, this was overshadowed by the notion that at the top, there is only room for one winner.

I want the culmination of my JDS experience to celebrate the values and life lessons that I have learned here, but I worry that as is currently planned, Siyum will do just the opposite. I strongly encourage the administration to get rid of the traditional Siyum awards, so that the lessons that we were taught on day one of our JDS experiences remain true even at the tail end of our time here.

Guest Column

Promoting love for Israel, overlooking the politics

mayan beroukhim and shira gould guest columnists A wave of terror has recently struck Israel. Since Oct. 1, there have been 81 attacks against Israeli citizens and residents, resulting in 19 Jewish deaths and 172 wounded individuals. We have been disappointed about our school’s response (or lack thereof) to these attacks. While we did have a ten minute commemoration at Kabbalat Shabbat a week after the

violence erupted, the purpose of the commemoration was not specified. At first, we were very confused as to why our school would shy away from reacting to the deaths of our people. After speaking to the director of Jewish life at our school, Mrs. Stephanie Hoffman, the issue became clearer.

Mrs. Hoffman cited three reasons for the limited response: (1) questions about what is appropriate to show seventh through ninth graders, (2) a fear of over simplifying a complex situation in Israel, and (3) the difficulty that comes with balancing our two core values of “pluralism” and “love for Israel.”

In order to foster a pluralistic environment, our school encourages us to “unite through our shared values and cultivate respect and knowledge inspired by our differences.”

The key word here is “differences.”

Our school creates an environment in which all beliefs are welcome.

The difficulty lies in the fact that there is a broad spectrum of political beliefs among our student body, and Israel can at times be a politically charged issue. Many people disagree with Israel’s current and past policies. It is therefore difficult to balance all of the differing views on the subject while still instilling a love for Israel.

However, it is possible to love Israel without agreeing with all of its policies. Every year, we celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut. There are a huge range of opinions about Israel within our community, but we do not let that stop us from uniting on Israel’s birthday and celebrating the country’s existence. Why is commemorating the deaths of our

people any different? As a school, we do not have to discuss the current wave of violence in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, rather we should discuss it in terms of our sadness about the deaths of our people.

Commemorating lost lives should not be political. Just as we are taught to love Israel, so too should we be taught to love the citizens of Israel, and therefore it should pain us to hear of them dying. At the very least, JDS should have had a separate assembly, independent of Kabbalat Shabbat, to remember the specific people who were murdered. JDS should not be worried about presenting both sides when discussing the fact that our fellow Jews are dying. The other side of the story is irrelevant to our mourning.

Additionally, while some JDS students did plan on wearing blue and white due to a Facebook event, the school should have advertised it as well. This was an opportunity to unify the school in solidarity with our country and our people, and it was tragically missed.

Ultimately, there is in fact no contradiction between the two core principles of Ahavat Yisrael and pluralism. JDS can commemorate the lost lives of our fellow Jews without being afraid of offending other students’ views on Israeli policy, and can generally promote a love for Israel that excludes political implications. Israel is far more than its politics, and as a Jewish school, we should understand and celebrate that.

the lion’s tale

04 opinion

Letters to the editor

LGBTQ Coverage Dear Editor, While browsing through The Lion’s Tale website, I noticed a discomforting lack of articles on the LGBTQ community. Although you may be feeling as if there’s just no one who feels comfortable being interviewed on the topics, or any other excuses, there is still a lot of awareness we can bring to this topic. It’s the 21st century; gay and lesbian marriages were just legalized by the Supreme Court. I’m sure that there have been article ideas pitched for this but there aren’t many that have really gone through. It’s time for JDS students to understand a little bit more about the LGBTQ community. Whether it’s by interviewing a willing, open student or teacher, or just interviewing people from the Gender Sexuality Alliance club, something needs to be done.

I feel that JDS students can sometimes be very sheltered about this issue. The GSA club is most likely trying to do something to bring awareness as well, so why not write an article about what they’re planning? Bringing more attention to this topic could very well lead to more students feeling more comfortable

with themselves. This could strengthen the GSA club and help better the world and school. By allowing students to know that it’s okay if you identify in the LGBTQ community, or if you have a friend or family member who does, it will just strengthen the community.

Not that JDS isn’t already a welcoming community for everyone; we can make a difference in the school through a simple article, through showing interest and excitement in the topic. Not only can this affect our own school’s community but it can also inspire other schools and groups. The more people who show their support for LGBTQ communities, and show how they aren’t any different than the rest of us, will help show the rest of the world that being in that community, or not being in it, shouldn’t matter. Everyone deserves to have a fair share of attention in The Lion’s Tale, so The Lion’s Tale should give them the awareness they deserve.

Sincerely, Jessica Lehman Grade 9

Fantasy Football Podcast Dear Editor, I really enjoyed your fantasy football podcast. It was funny, well thought out, and most importantly, insightful. You discussed meaningful topics. Such as, who is better than who? You also gave great fantasy football advice. I really like how this was not just a sports discussion, but you actually asked people to submit questions. You had a great method for responding. You even helped me out. You told me to start Mark Ingram over Latavius Murray. Two of you voted for Ingram, so I started him. I ended up winning in fantasy that week.

I think that you should consider

Zman Kodesh Change Dear Editor, Last year, CESJDS made the decision to move minyan to after first period to increase attendance in minyan, and this year renamed it Zman Kodesh. These changes all are in an effort to promote increased attendance and participation in Zman Kodesh. However, when signing up for my new Zman Kodesh at the end of last year, I felt stuck, because I did not enjoy my eighth grade minyan and wanted to switch to a less intense prayer service. My first two weeks of school, I discovered that I did not feel comfortable with the significant difference in amount of prayer in my new Zman Kodesh either. Eventually, I switched back to my original eighth grade minyan, but my problems with it remained.

Although the boys in my minyan seemed to be enthusiastic, the girls’

side lacked participation, concentration, and a sense of community.

While most girls in my minyan do not feel entirely comfortable praying without a mechitzah, they want a greater sense of importance; they don’t feel needed since they aren’t technically counted as part of the minyan. I believe that CESJDS should further investigate and survey students about what minyans students want to see in the school, and which ones they would feel most comfortable in but also enthusiastic about. If the school wants to increase attendance and appreciation of minyan, they should change the options, not the schedule.

Sincerely, Aliza Rabinovitz Grade 9

Send your letter to the editors of The Lion’s Tale, room 328, at 11710 Hunter Lane, Rockville MD 20852, or email us at jdslionstale@gmail.com

adding a guest voter sometime, that would really be interesting. Also you can make the podcast a bit longer, so you can get through more questions. Overall, I think that Gabe Krantz gave the best advice. However, Joel Vardon and Isaac Silber also gave very good advice. But in the end, I think that I’m going to have to go with Krantz. I really liked the podcast. Keep up the good work.

For more tales from the lion’s den, visit:

lionstale.org

Sincerely, Ethan Jach Grade 10 fb.com/jdslionstale

@jdslionstale

@jdslionstale

the lion’s tale

opinion

05

Should we change our profile pictures to support the people of Paris?

Pro

by alysse weinberg managing editor, design “Change your profile picture to support France and the people of Paris.” This sentence appeared at least 100 times as I scrolled through my Facebook news feed on Sunday evening. Almost every person in my news feed had plastered three translucent lines of blue, white, and red in front of his or her smiling face. The France filter, though a small gesture, represented their solidarity with the people of Paris in a time of immense desperation and tragic crisis.

The world sat helplessly by as the atrocious events in France continued to unfold, faced with the disappointing fact there was no way for them to improve the situation.

Millions around the world did what seemed to be the simplest thing to express their frustration and stand in solidarity with France; they changed their profile pictures.

Our school is approximately 3,806 miles away from Paris. That, along with our age, affords us little opportunity to express our support for France and our opposition to terror. Why should we deny ourselves the opportunity to get involved and speak out against injustice? The point of social media is to bring communities together and publicize pressing issues, so it isn’t a crime for people around the world to express their opinions about current events.

These Facebook profile picture

filters aren’t uncommon. After the Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage, hundreds of thousands of Facebook users utilized the rainbow filter to support the decision. Why should the France filter be treated differently? It makes a statement that is equally as political and allows people to feel as if they’ve showed their support. Major monuments around the world, like the Statue of Liberty and the Sydney Opera House, were lit with blue, white and red to show their sympathies for France during this tragedy. These three colors sported by Facebook users serve the same purpose.

Critics of the filter voiced concern that the filter is making people self righteous, meaning that they changed their profile picture and somehow feel as though they have erased all conflict. On the contrary, the mass of France filters on Facebook serve as a reminder to users that the conflict isn’t over and many efforts need to consciously be made to prevent attacks in the future. I agree that there should have been filters for other events, like the attacks in Beirut, but Facebook users should not be blamed for utilizing the filters that were offered to them.

My Hebrew teacher Yaffa Dagony told a story in class the other day about a teacher who had worked at the school. They got to talking about the Holocaust and Dagony asked her where she was when she found out the number of people that had perished. The woman explained that it was her prom night; she found out that millions of children died and then went to a dance. The woman noted that she always felt guilty about this, but in reality there wasn’t anything for her to do.

We, unlike that woman, are fortunate enough to have an outlet to express our frustration at injustice and support of France during a difficult time. So, why wouldn’t we take that opportunity?

Con

by malka himelhoch editor-in-chief Ten days ago, ISIS attacked Paris, killing more than 100 people. But in Maryland, everything proceeded as usual. Well, almost everything: many Facebook users added a filter of the red, white and blue stripes of the French flag to their profile pictures in order to “support France and the people of Paris,” as a Facebook blurb described it. But as I scrolled through my newsfeed on Sunday, and then again throughout the week, I began to get more and more frustrated. How can changing a profile picture possibly support the people of Paris?

Branding Facebook profile pictures with the French flag presents three major problems. First, it seems to me that people are changing their profile picture more out of social pressure than out of sympathy and compassion. No one wants to seem as though they aren’t supportive of France, especially as it has become a recent trend to change profile pictures for every social cause in America.

Profile pictures have been changed to support gay marriage, Planned Parenthood and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Paris is just the latest in a stream of fads. Rather than fighting purported social apathy, changing your profile picture is a just another way to fit in.

Second, in my experience, people use their facebook “activism” as a means to remain ignorant and inactive. Someone who has given enough thought to the crisis in France to change their profile picture to the French flag may not go any further in their thinking about it. What have they learned in the process? Do they now know more about ISIS’ intentions? Do they understand the political repercussions of the closing of France’s borders on the rest of the European Union?

Third, Facebook did not offer an option to change profile pictures to reflect the Lebanese flag after the terrorist attacks in Beirut. These were the worst terrorist attacks there since the end of the civil war in 1990. More than 40 people died, yet it was impossible to supposedly show solidarity with them on Facebook. By adding the French flag to profile pictures, people seem to be supporting Facebook’s decision to prioritize French lives over Lebanese lives.

It’s true that the spread of ISIS and the terror they create is being called a war of ideas. It could be argued that showing solidarity on social media, the way that ISIS recruits overseas, is a means of fighting the further spread of an extremist ideology. The magnitude of the terrorism was so extreme that a visible measure, such as changing profile pictures seems appropriate.

But what concerns me is that none of the people who changed their profile picture seem to be doing anything else to support the French people and fight the battle of ideas. I’m afraid that the people who have changed their profile picture to one with a filter of the French flag feel as if they’ve done their part in the war against ISIS and can now go back to their normal lives.

I’m not arguing that people necessarily need to support France and the people of Paris. Instead I believe that the flaw in changing Facebook profile pictures to reflect the French flag lies in the fact that those who do have the desire to support France are using the profile pictures to fulfill that need.

This doesn’t mean that those who want to make a tangible contribution to supporting the French people aren’t. Rather, it means that people who aren’t doing tangible things to support France don’t have to suffer from the discomfort of inaction.

I understand this inclination. It’s terrifying to consider the magnitude of the violence that occurred over the weekend. It’s uncomfortable to realize that even world leaders aren’t sure what to do next in the fight against ISIS. But this is a discomfort that we need to acknowledge and live with.

We cannot absolve ourselves of our citizenship in the world because it’s scary to remember the reality in which we live.

Maybe this means reading a newspaper article you normally wouldn’t look at. Maybe this means donating money to the French relief effort or mobilizing to provide more of a safe haven in the United States for the refugees in Europe who now face even greater discrimination. Whatever you do, I hope that before you click the button to change your profile picture to support France, you stop and consider the reasons you’re really doing it, and what you plan to do after you have adopted the French flag as your own. Is this the first step in many others, or is this the final step for you?

the lion’s tale

06 news

Forget blue and gold, CESJDS goes

N E E GR talia denicoff reporter Mother Nature just got a small assist from CESJDS’s new environmentally friendly initiatives.

The cafeteria is gradually transitioning into using recyclable paper plates instead of non-reusable styrofoam trays, and the hallway lights have been converted to more

The white and blue bins around school are used for recycling, not trash

energy efficient LED bulbs. These changes have been supported by students and parents, and were partially funded by Pepco and Maryland state initiatives.

According to JDS Chief Financial Officer Julie Hoover, the lighting initiative was 78 percent funded by those initiatives. According to Upper School facilities administrator Bill Belke, these initiatives will reduce the lighting energy consumption by 55 percent and the estimated annual savings from these initiatives will be $18,675. The school does not plan to save money off the new lunch trays as school lunch prices will stay the same.

Even before these measures, juniors Mollie Milchberg and Jonah Eisen were interested in making the school more environmentally friendly. Last year, they attempted to start an environmental club, but could not get enough students to sign up for it.

“We wanted to push the school toward being more green,” Milchberg said. “We wanted to talk to the cafeteria about a compost bin, using less styrofoam and getting recycla-

ble utensils.”

Although the school currently has many recycling bins throughout the halls, Milchberg and Eisen are concerned that students do not put recyclable waste in those bins as much as they should.

“It is really important for people to be aware of how important recycling is,” Eisen said.

The Lower School has already made many environmental changes to its building. In 2012 the Lower School received a certification from the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE), a nonprofit that encourages schools to become more environmentally friendly and urges them to integrate environmentalism into their curriculum. The certification will expire later this year, so the Lower School is currently reapplying for it.

When the Lower School was first going through its certification process, the school added compost bins, paper bins and bottle bins.

They also adopted a garden, added recyclable utensils in the cafeteria and posted signs to remind students

and teachers to turn off lights and save paper.

When the Lower School first applied to be a certified green school, the administration created a Google Site to showcase all the green initiatives they put in place. The website displays the school’s energy conservation measures and steps that individuals can take to be more environmentally responsible, though it has not been updated since 2012.

The Lower School also held celebrations for the environment such as World Water Day and National Green Week.

Although the Upper School has taken only a few steps in the Lower School’s direction, Hoover believes that with the right efforts the Upper School can meet the Lower School’s standard.

Eisen believes that significant improvement will require more student interest.

“In order for things to change, the student body needs to push the administrators,” said Eisen. “Students having a voice and realizing the school has the potential to change is really important.”

LED lights are projected to save 300,000 kilowatts of electricity and $41,000 a year

the lion’s tale

news

07

Paris in tears

Attacks prompt community reflection isaac silber and gabe krantz reporters

Alumna Emily Shoyer (‘13) was spending a weekend in Berlin when she learned about the terrorist attacks in Paris. She was first notified of the attacks via a news alert on her friend’s phone.

“From the first alert we read about the shooting, we were on our phones trying to understand what was happening,” Shoyer said.

Shoyer is currently enrolled in a semester abroad program in Paris, and many of her friends were in the city when the attacks happened.

She immediately texted her friends who were still in Paris for the weekend and, fortunately, all of them were safe. Nevertheless, Shoyer still felt the proximity of the attack.

“I felt so far away from every-

1

thing but at the same time so scared that this was happening in the place I now call home,” Shoyer said.

Among the victims of the attacks was 23-year-old California State University student Nohemi Gonzalez, who, like Shoyer, was studying abroad in Paris. This death in particular moved Shoyer due to the similarities they shared.

“There is this overwhelmingly terrifying feeling, especially when I think about someone like Nohemi, that so easily this could have been me,” Shoyer said. “It’s a really stark and horrifying realization to have on your semester abroad.”

One attack took place in the eleventh district of Paris, known for its prominent nightlife that attracts a large crowd of young people.

Shoyer lives in the sixth district, but frequently visits the area and could

easily have been in the same spot had she been in Paris at the time.

As expected, the attacks triggered an immediate political response from world leaders. Among those harshly reproaching ISIS was French President François Hollande, who said that France would be “pitiless” in their actions moving forward. Shoyer was concerned by this response, given that ISIS cited French drone strikes in Syria as a motive for the attacks.

The response to the attacks has not solely been from political figures. Like many other Facebook users, sophomore Brooke Cohen, who visited France last summer, overlapped her profile picture with an image of the French flag. Cohen said she did so to show her “respect towards France.”

Others, like junior Joey Rush-

3

courtesy of Abaca Press/TNS

2

field, refrained from changing their profile pictures. Rushfield is also frustrated by the lack of attention that other devastating ISIS attacks, such as a recent one in Beirut, have received. He also worries that when people change their profile pictures they delude themselves into feeling that they have done enough to support France.

Nevertheless, the objections he has are personal ones, and he does not particularly mind when others change their profile pictures.

“If this is all someone can do, then go ahead and change your profile picture, power to you,” Rushfield said. “But if you can do more, than do more.”

Looking ahead, Shoyer does not know if she will be able to continue living in the same way that she did before.

“I’ll have to take it day by day here and determine where I feel safe being and where I do not,” Shoyer said.

To commemorate the attacks, JDS held a moment of silence during first period on Monday, Nov. 16.

During the optional Minhah service after school, Psalm 46, a prayer for peace, was recited.

“We mourn the loss of innocent people and send our thoughts and prayers to the wounded and to those who have lost loved ones,” Dean of Students and Interim High School Principal Roslyn Landy said while addressing students on the Monday morning following the attacks.

1

A crowd gathers for a vigil in honor of the victims of terrorist attacks in Paris at Lafayette Square, outside the White House, on Saturday, Nov. 14.

2

A flag at the Grand Palais is seen at half mast on Tuesday, Nov. 17, as France’s state of emergency continues following the terrorist attacks in Paris.

3

Hundreds of people gather on the steps of San Francisco City Hall for a vigil honoring victims of the Paris terrorist attacks.

courtesy of Bay Area News/TNS

34

4

courtesy of Los Angeles Times/TNS

courtesy of Los Angeles Times/TNS

Light rain falls on memorial cards, flowers and candles in Paris on Thursday, Nov. 19.

See page 5 for related coverage

the lion’s tale

08 features

Can y isaiah friedland reporter As you sit down to do your math homework, you write down the first problem and open the class notes online when you hear the first ding. You immediately switch tabs to Facebook.

Ten minutes later, after an intense internal debate about whether or not that guy from camp really deserves a “like” for his post (puns? really?), you get back to work.

You hear the second ding five minutes and two problems later.

This time it’s 15 minutes before you realize you really should get back to work, so you grip your pencil tightly and— Ding!

About a month ago, freshmen

u handle the cleanse?

Powering down social media

Justin Galitzer and Ilana Kaplan were studying together when Kaplan mentioned that one of her friends’ college professors challenged her students to try to stay off of social media as much as possible.

Kaplan joked to Galitzer that she might also experiment with a social media “cleanse.” Galitzer, knowing that Kaplan spent immense amounts of time on social media, challenged her to see who could go the longest without the comforts of “like” buttons, retweets, Snaps or filters.

No Instagram. No Twitter. No Facebook. No Snapchat. The two could text, but not much else.

A study published by the Pew Research Center last spring found that 92 percent of teens go online daily, 24 percent of whom go online “almost constantly.”

Kaplan was a part of that last 24 percent, and the beginning of the cleanse was not easy.

“At first it was really hard,” Kaplan said. “But then I realized I didn’t need to constantly be on social media and constantly be checking Facebook or Instagram all the time.”

Several times over the course of her week-long cleanse, Kaplan found herself reaching for her phone and staring at the screen, only to remember she had deleted all of her social apps.

Galitzer had less difficulty in general, but still caught himself almost slipping up occasionally.

“One night I was playing basketball with a friend,” Galitzer said.

“I wanted to Snapchat a moment and realized, ‘there’s no need for this.’”

However, as time went on, both found it easier and easier to do without social media.

Kaplan, for example, found more time to get her schoolwork done and became accustomed to not spending time on her phone fairly quickly as a result.

Though Galitzer found the cleanse to be less of a lifestyle change than it was for Kaplan, he gave into temptation after three days.

Kaplan made it to day five.

Lawrence Kaplan, her father, wrote in an email that he thought there was “no way” his daughter would meet her goal, and was impressed by her success.

“It showed mind over matter— she can give up something everybody else is doing and survive,” Lawrence Kaplan said.

Despite expecting to be immediately sucked back into the world of social media following the end of her cleanse, Kaplan realized that resisting her social media temptations had become second nature to her.

A month later, she still feels less of a dependency on what used to take up long periods of her time.

Likewise, Galitzer now limits himself to checking Facebook for no more than ten minutes a day and his friends’ Snapchat stories only once a day right before bed.

Though they resisted the lure of social media for different lengths of time, both freshmen recommend that other students experiment with the cleanse.

From the other side of the classroom Teachers go back to school for master’s degrees jonathan foldi in-depth editor It is the first Friday of the month.

Math teacher Tori Ball drives home at 2:18 p.m., works at home from 3 to 8 p.m., drives to Philadelphia from 8 to 11 p.m., sleeps at former CESJDS teacher Katherine Brandwood’s apartment from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and then wakes up to go to classes. Suddenly, Ball is a student once again.

Ball has been interested in getting a master’s degree in educational leadership since she began teaching, yet was only recently able to find a program specifically tailored to a teacher’s schedule.

Ball attends the School Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania through a scholarship she received in June from the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, the consortium of schools

to which JDS belongs.

According to Penn’s website, the School Leadership Program is centered around finding new approaches to teaching and applying them in a daily classroom setting.

Many of Ball’s peers in the program are interested in learning the skills needed to serve in school administrations. Ball currently has no intention of becoming an administrator and is just enjoying the opportunity to learn how to become a more effective teacher in the classroom and leader in the school.

“I don’t want to quit teaching, so I was excited by a program which was intellectually compelling, but did not require me to stop teaching and would afford me greater wisdom about what I do,” Ball said.

Similar to Ball’s peers in her master’s program, Jewish History teacher Aaron Bregman is enrolled

in a Post-Master’s certificate program in order to one day be qualified to work in school administration.

Bregman is earning his certificate at George Washington University and is eager to get his degree soon.

“Odds are like anything else, the longer you wait, the odds of you doing it are less and less,” Bregman said.

In order to balance all of his teaching and his studies, Bregman has been focusing on improving his time management skills.

“In the past I’d just go home and do work there,” Bregman said.

“Now I’m really trying to make as much use of my time as possible when I’m at work.”

Bregman has found that the added workload that his Post-Master’s program has created for him has forced him to drop some of his activities from last year. He had to

sacrifice being a coach on the Boys Varsity Soccer and Girls Varsity Basketball teams and has reduced his course load from six to five classes.

Additionally, he has been excused early from department meetings on Mondays to beat traffic in order to get to his classes at George Washington’s campus in Alexandria.

The stress from Ball’s master’s program has also caused her to cut down from six to five classes this year. She is no longer teaching her psychology class and at times has been overwhelmed by the amount of work she must complete.

“I really care about what I do here, so I put a lot of time into it, but knowing that I also am putting a lot of time into something else makes for a lot to do,” Ball said. “I think whenever you have something that you care a lot about, that’s going to take a lot of time so attempting

to balance competing concerns can potentially be overwhelming.”

Ball said she truly enjoys teaching. Being able to pursue her love of learning has so far been worth the extra work.

This love of continuing learning, is something which Ball believes is true for many teachers at JDS, whether they choose to pursue it in a formalized setting or not, and she thinks that it is something very special about the faculty community at the school.

“I like the fact that I work with people who give me interesting book recommendations [or] have political ideas to discuss,” Ball said. “That’s a really great pro of this school: that when you work here you work with people who value education and who value life-long learning.”

the lion’s tale

features

09

A commute that will drive you crazy emily cohen reporter On an average school morning, sophomore Jessica Berner wakes up to the the buzz of her alarm at 5:15 a.m. With total darkness outside her window, she gets ready for the day and leaves her house. After a 20-minute drive, she arrives at her bus stop. There, she boards a school bus, and 45 minutes later, almost two and a half hours after waking up, arrives at CESJDS. This early morning ritual comes out of necessity -- Berner lives in Fairfax, Va., which is quite the commute from JDS. Because Berner’s school, friends and extracurriculars are in Montgomery County, she feels like she can never be in Virginia where she lives. But by now, the commute feels normal.

“It’s just part of my daily life now,” Berner said.

Thinking about students’ commutes is part of the job for Marc McNeal, JDS Director of Safety, Security and Transportation. McNeal said that his duties at school include overseeing security guards, arranging emergency procedures and su-

pervising school bus transportation routes.

McNeal said that providing bus transportation is important as it “provides a way for students to get to school safely and allows parents to focus on [doing] work or other activities.”

When he arranged this year’s bus routes, McNeal attempted to make the ride as short as possible.

Currently, except for one bus, all the JDS school-buses have less than an hour-long commute.

Up until just last summer, junior Yoni Weiner-Tobin had a 45-minute commute to school.

Weiner-Tobin grew up in in Cleveland Park, a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Until this year, Weiner-Tobin took the schoolbus to school every morning and took the Metro home in the afternoon.

Weiner-Tobin has been going to JDS since seventh grade, and though his commute was always long, it did not bother him that much when he was in middle school. But in high school, with more time-demanding activities and schoolwork, the added commute time really took a toll on Weiner-Tobin. So, last summer Weiner-Tobin’s family decided to

move to Potomac, Md. in order to be closer to school.

The move has made a large impact on Weiner-Tobin’s life, as he now can get involved with extracurriculars without worrying that he will not have time for them because he has to allocate time for his commute home.

13%

take the school bus

11%

76%

are a part of a carpool

get driven or drive themselves to school

*statistics from a survey of 64 students

10

the lion’s tale

in-depth

FAC A close look at the social movemen connotations. It has a different meaning for many, is hated by some and is loved by others. It’s feminism.

The definition of “feminism,” according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.” According to a recent New York Times survey, just 18 percent of Americans consider themselves to be feminists. However, in a Lion’s Tale survey of 86 CESJDS students, 63 percent o f

Ar

e

There’s a word that, in its eight loaded letters carries significant

Yo u

a

Fe m

in

is

students said that they consider themselves to be feminists.

Junior Zoe Salzberg is part of this 63 percent. Salzberg, along with junior Talia Horowitz, hoped to start a feminism club earlier this year to educate students about feminism and promote gender equality in the school community.

Salzberg and Horowitz had t a l k-

t?

From a Lion’s Ta survey le o 50 girls f a 36 boy nd s.

ed to each other about things they heard people say about feminism.

They felt disturbed because they thought that a lot of people misunderstood feminism and wanted to start a club in order to fix the perceived issue.

After planning programs, researching guest speakers and arranging other club activities, they learned that their club was not going to run because not enough students had signed up. Salzberg believes that one reason that happened is because students do not properly un-

derstand the concept of feminism. “[For] a lot of people, when they hear the word feminism, it can have kind of a negative connotation and they might be scared of it,” Salzberg said. “But that’s not the truth. The whole purpose of the club was to educate people about the true meaning of feminism, which is the equality of all genders, not just making one superior to the other.”

No

37%

80

63%

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Yes

No

Undecided

Do Girls Think Feminism is Cool?

ari feuer and liran zimand reporters

From a Lion’s Tale survey of 43 girls

the lion’s tale

in-depth

11

CING FEMINISM nt at CESJDS. Junior Ari Sporkin agrees that education about feminism is necessary at JDS. However, Sporkin disagrees with Salzberg on what this education should be.

“If JDS should do anything to support the feminist movement, it should educate its students on the absence of women’s rights in other places and stop empowering and advocating for independent women in this country,” Sporkin said.

Sporkin does not consider himself a feminist because he does not agree with the movement’s premise that there is gender inequality in the United States. He said that feminists in the United States are “blind” to the fact that their dreams of equality are already a reality.

While he does not see gender inequalities within the United States, Sporkin does not deny that there are differences in gender roles in America. He believes that these differences are not forms of discrimination, but rather that they come from biological differences and personal choices.

For sophomore Mira Rodney, these differences go beyond choice.

“I do think women should

No

Yes

44% 56%

have rights like men,” Rodney said.

“However, I think that men should be more in charge and be higher in status ... I feel that it’s improper if a women is a leader because men are more powerful. But, women can still have an impact, they can still do extraordinary acts.”

Rodney, who does not consider herself to be a feminist, said that she personally would not mind having a female leader. However, she said that a female leader would be ineffective unless she was of a certain character.

“If a woman wants to become a leader she needs to put aside all the compassion and be a real tough ruler,” Rodney said. “I think if any woman wants to be a leader then they need to act like a man.”

Jewish Text teacher Marci Aronchick looks at leadership differently.

Aronchick, who received her rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, strongly supports women taking leadership roles in Judaism.

For the past few decades, if a woman wanted to be ordained as a rabbi, she could only do so as a member of the Conservative, Reform or Reconstructionist movements.

However, a few years ago, some modern Orthodox Jews began pushing for their movement to ordain women as well. As a result, in 2009, Yeshivat Maharat was founded to ordain modern Orthodox wom-

en as religious spiritual leaders, making it the first yeshiva to do so.

Aronchick sees the women who have come out of the yeshiva, who are often referred to as Maharats instead of rabbis, as trailblazers and inspiration for other Orthodox women who want to be involved in religious leadership.

“The first women who were ordained as Conservative rabbis had to be so much more than their male counterparts,” Aronchick said.

“These women who are studying at Yeshivat Maharat and are earning that title and getting ordained as Maharat, they are way more hardcore than many of the men who are obtaining [ordination].”

Recently, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), a rabbinical organization affiliated with the Orthodox movement, passed a resolution saying its members may neither ordain women as official clergy members, as Yeshivat Maharat has, nor hire those who have graduated from places like Yeshivat Maharat.

In response to this resolution, senior Rana Bickel wrote an open letter to the RCA criticising the decision. In the letter, which was published in the Jewish Daily Forward, Bickel urged the RCA to reconsider the resolution, as she believes it hinders the aspirations of young modern Orthodox women like herself who aspire to become ordained.

Aronchick believes that many

of the RCA’s leaders are worried by the prospect of talented female leaders in the male-dominated field.

“I think they’re scared,” Aronchick said. “I don’t think you make such a blanket and offensive statement without some fear behind it.

So I think they’re afraid for the future of their community.”

As a teacher at a Jewish day school, Aronchick feels that JDS should talk about issues relating to women’s leadership. She expressed interest in having an assembly devoted to the issue that could expose students to different opinions on the matter.

While no assemblies have been specifically dedicated to the topic at JDS, senior Mikhael Hammer-Bleich has had conversations about feminism at school. In his ninth grade English class, Hammer-Bleich was discussing a book the class was reading when someone made a statement mocking feminism. When he heard it, Hammer-Bleich defended feminism, and told the class that he himself was a feminist.

While that incident showed Hammer-Bleich that there is some hostility toward feminism at JDS, he does not think that students oppose the movement’s premise that women deserve the same things that men deserve even if they do not themselves identify as feminists.

In the previously mentioned survey, many of the students who

did not identify with feminism said that the movement carries a lot of negative connotations.

“While there may be a lot of students that are against the whole idea of being a feminist, and while there may be a large stigma towards it, the essential ideals behind feminism have been realized in JDS,” Hammer-Bleich said. “At the same time, obviously, we could be better.”

Salzberg, for one, is still trying to start a discussion and fulfill Hammer-Bleich’s wish for a better school environment for feminism. She has not given up the idea of starting a feminism club and would still like to have at least some sort of dialogue about the issue.

“Next year would be nice if we got the club going, but even if there is no club there are definitely ways in our everyday lives that we can help promote feminism and the ideas of feminism,” Salzberg said. “In other clubs and classes, there are definitely ways to talk about feminism, and issues about gender equality, even if it doesn’t necessarily have an organized club.”

Do Boys Think Feminism Is Cool?From a Lion’s Tale survey of 27 boys

the lion’s tale

12 features

Reflecting on Years of Friendship

dahlia lehman photo editor

Seniors Ellie Mendelson and Eli Lerner owe their friendship to the similar spelling of their names, which was a topic of conversation between their mothers at a playgroup event. Since they met in a playgroup as toddlers, Mendelson and Lerner have formed a unique personal friendship. Their families have maintained a close friendship as well.

The development of their friendship was helped by their shared involvement in “Havurah,” a family Shabbat group that Lerner and Mendelson’s families participate in. In

2005, both families travelled to Puerto Rico with the other families in Havurah. Mendelson recalls this trip as one of her first memories with Lerner, and the basis of a strong friendship.

Lerner especially appreciates that he and Mendelson can “just have fun together,” recollecting a night this summer when he and Ellie were driving home. “We rolled down the windows, blasted old music, and just had a great time,” Lerner said.

Exploring the nature of her friendship with Lerner, Mendelson notes that one unique aspect of their

relationship is that they are a different genders. Mendelson said that “sometimes it’s hard to have a really good friend that you can confide in that’s the opposite gender,” and therefore she has an extra appreciation for her friendship with Lerner.

photo courtesy of Eliana Mendelson Celebrating a mutual family friends’ wedding, current seniors Eli Lerner and Eliana Mendelson stay together while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

In 2004, when their mothers planned a strawberry-picking adventure, preschool buddies Maya Arber and Jason Salzberg had no idea that they would still be spending time with each other nearly twelve years later.

After going to Shaare Tefillah preschool together for three years, Arber and Salzberg split ways, attending different elementary schools. But in 2010, Salzberg switched to CESJDS, where Arber had been since kindergarten.

Salzberg had previously attended the Hebrew Day Institute in Silver Spring, Md., and he and Arber hadn’t been

photo by hannah nechin Eli Lerner and Eliana Mendelson spend their Senior Shabbaton together.

classmates since preschool.

“I’ll never forget my first day at JDS in sixth grade. I was so nervous to meet everyone and Maya was standing at the front of the school waiting for me and said, let’s go to Hebrew together,’” Salzberg said. “It was the cutest thing ever.”

Since Salzberg came to JDS, he and Arber have shared a special friendship. Salzberg said that his relationship with Arber is so natural and steadfast that even on days that they don’t talk, they still feel very close.

Arber guesses that their shared

interests would have provoked a strong friendship even if they hadn’t met in preschool.

“Jason is really funny and makes me laugh and I think I would have been attracted to that as a friend,” Arber said.

photo courtesy of Jason Salzberg

photo by dahlia lehman

Current juniors Maya Arber and Jason Salzberg rejoice together at their preschool graduation.

Maya Arber and Jason Salzberg are all smiles in the hallways during their junior year.

Eighth graders Ava Fradlin-Ryan and Isabelle May can honestly say that they have been friends since before they could write; they both recall learning to write their names together when they were in pre-K. May recalls that she used to write Fradlin-Ryan’s name during writing practices because “Ava” was far easier to spell than “Isabelle.” Fradlin-Ryan and May’s friendship has since continued to blossom as they have grown up, and the pair has created a multitude of memories together over the years.

In addition to modeling shoes photo courtesy of Isabelle May Inseparable since age 4, current eighth graders Ava Fradlin-Ryan and Isabelle May sit together in their preschool.

together in a fashion show, another experience that continues to strengthen Fradlin-Ryan and May’s friendship is their time spent at Camp Ramah in New England during the summer. May explained that being in a bunk with Fradlin-Ryan brought the two even closer to each other, while still allowing them to reach out and make new friends.

Despite their close friendship and long list of shared memories, May said that perhaps she and Fradlin-Ryan would not have become friends if it were not for their history in elementa-

ry school.

“We’re completely opposite,” May said, noting that she is more extroverted than Fradlin-Ryan. Fradlin-Ryan agreed, adding that May’s artistic personality may not have overlapped with her own athletic interests.

Nonetheless, May and Fradlin-Ryan cherish their close friendship and all of the memories that comprise its foundation.

photo by dahlia lehman Seeing double: Ava Fradlin-Ryan and Isabelle May sport matching t-shirts in the eighth-grade hallway.

the lion’s tale

features

13

A class divided Mixed advanced and ECP classes evoke mixed feelings isaac silber reporter CESJDS began providing combined classes that have both advanced students and enriched college prep students (ECP) a few years ago in order to offer a greater variety of classes.

“We want to make sure that all the opportunities are there,” Academic Dean Aileen Goldstein said.

She added that because of how small JDS is, it is hard to offer many classes. According to Goldstein, mixed classes were implemented to address this problem.

The combined classes span disciplines and grade levels. All of the classes are areas of choice such as electives or Jewish history classes. Subjects like math, English and Hebrew are never combined. All arts classes and some other electives do not have a level and are therefore defaulted to ECP. The challenge that these combined classes pose is how to meet the needs of the advanced and ECP students at the same time.

Romance Language department chair Silvia Kurlat-Ares teaches the combined advanced/ECP classes for Spanish IV and V. Though the advanced and ECP students sometimes sit on separate sides of the class, Kurlat-Ares always delivers the same material to her advanced and ECP students, but the workload and assignments between the levels can vary.

For example, while students might have a test on the same vocabulary, the ECP students would often have a word bank, while the

advanced students would not.

“I don’t want to have two classes in one. I want everyone to be classmates,” Kurlat-Ares said.

Goldstein affirmed that although it depends on the class, the assignments and expectations are often different for the advanced and ECP students.

History teacher Michael Connell teaches two combined classes in War and Civilization. He tries to compensate for the differences by giving a 10 percent bonus to the ECP students on all assessments. The advanced students also create a presentation on a military figure and interview a World War II veteran, while the ECP students are exempt from those assignments.

Senior Sivan • Shilo, who is enrolled in the ECP level of two different mixed classes, is frustrated by the workload in those classes, and feels that she is doing the exact same work as the advanced students without getting the credit for an advanced class.

“If I’m doing the same exact work, I should have just been in advanced,” Shilo said.

Sophomore Justin Marks is in a similar position as Shilo. He is in the ECP level of the combined Spanish IV class, and finds the dynamic of the class frustrating.

Specifically, Marks is frustrated with class participation because the advanced students speak Spanish better than the ECP students Sophomore Abbie Svoysky,

who is in the same class as Marks, but is in the advanced section, said that she does not really mind the combined class, and said the class has been similar to her other advanced classes.

However, Svoysky said that because the ECP students are not required to speak Spanish during class discussion, the discussion trends towards English, which makes it harder for the advanced students to fulfill their requirement of speaking in Spanish.

“Having an all advanced [class] would be better because I would be more immersed in Spanish, but oth-

“

I don’t want to have two classes in one. I want everyone to be classmates.“ Romance Language department chair Silvia Kurlat-Ares erwise it’s not that big of a deal,” Svoysky said.

Shilo shared Marks’s frustration about being combined in a class with advanced students.

“Being an ECP student, I tend to feel like whatever I say is going to be wrong because the advanced students are always right and a lot smarter,” Shilo said.

She said that she feels much more comfortable in her ECP classes, and thus participates a lot more when she is not in her combined classes.

Although the combined classes open more opportunities for students to take different classes, Shilo does think it is worth it based on the

reality of the combined classes.

“I think mixed classes are a very bad idea. At JDS, grades are divided by advanced and ECP. Putting both in one class is bad for both sides,” Shilo said. “JDS cannot offer two levels if they are just going to combine them.”

Goldstein noted that this type of class is not only challenging for the students but also for the teachers who sometimes are essentially forced to prepare two classes for one. Kurlat-Ares said that she has been very organized, and when planning classes she has to make sure there are things for both the advanced and ECP students.

Kurlat-Ares said that these classes offer a lot of advantages for students, especially in the way they allow all students to learn from each other. She acknowledged that the pace of the class could be a disadvantage for both sections, but said she does not dwell on that.

Goldstein said that while administrators are mainly concerned with the students, they cannot forget about the challenge that the mixed classes puts on the teachers.

“It’s this very delicate equation that we’re constantly looking at,” Goldstein said. “The biggest question in the whole equation is to what extent are we best serving the student by offering Advanced ECP classes combined.”

180 students

are in mixed advanced and ECP classes

mixed classes this year

There are

11

On average, there are

seven ECP students in every mixed class

the lion’s tale

14 chadashot

miriam minsk news editor Junior Sophia Godin has found her place in the Yetzirah Zman Kodesh.

Godin, who was in a prayerbased minyan from seventhgrade through sophomore year, is currently in the Yetzirah Zman Kodesh which focuses on nonprayer based Jewish experiences.

leads the Yetzirah Zman Kodesh and believes that non-prayer based ways of connecting with Judaism are important because prayer does not resonate with everyone.

“If you grow up and a traditional synagogue environment doesn’t work for you, there’s a million and one ways to be connected to the Jewish community,” Savopoulos said.

Junior Av i t a l K r i f c h e r, who has been in the

PRAYER

PATHS

In Yetzirah, students discuss movies and current events, read articles, listen to music and do art activities. Godin, who finds her strongest connections to her Jewish identity at her Jewish sleepaway camp, has begun connecting to Judaism in a similar way in Yetzirah.

“I started to realize that this minyan was allowing me to ... shape my Jewish identity,” Godin said. “I was sort of figuring out who I was and what was important to me ... I decided to explore my Jewish identity even more and actually engage in the minyan.”

Jewish History teacher and parttime librarian Elizabeth Savopoulos

Ashkenazi Mechitza Zman Kodesh since seventh grade, has noticed that some girls in her Zman Kodesh also respond better to discussions about Judaism than they do to prayer. The Ashkenazi Mechitza Zman Kodesh has a women’s discussion group every Wednesday. Krifcher has enjoyed this weekly opportunity and said that it can often be the “highlight of her week.” In fact, girls in the Ashkenazi Mechitza Zman Kodesh expressed interest in holding women’s discussions on Friday as well.

Some students still remain

68say %

interested in prayer-based activities.

The Masorti Zman Kodesh, a prayerbased egalitarian minyan, functions on the premise that all of its members feel an obligation to pray each day. But according to Jewish Text teacher Marci Aronchick, who leads the Zman Kodesh, students still sometimes struggle to connect to prayer. She has noted, however, that students tend to participate more when Zman Kodesh is longer.

“I’ve noticed that when there are more opportunities for singing, when we have longer Zman Kodesh on Torah reading days or holidays and Rosh Chodesh, that we benefit from having that time,” Aronchick said. “When we have the moment to take a little more time with what we are doing,

were more engaged than usual.

Until two years ago, Zman Kodesh, which was then called minyan, was first thing in the morning. Despite some student opposition, the school moved it to after first period in order to make more students come to school on time. The thought was that if students wanted to come late to school, they would have to miss class time, which students are often more reluctant to do.

Senior Anna Rose Osofsky wishes that Zman Kodesh were still held first thing in the morning.

She thinks that it would be more meaningful that way and also wishes that the school would care more about the religious requirement to pray first thing in the morning. Osofsky says parts of the morning service at home before leaving for school,

that allows people to get warmed up enough, to plug in more.”

Two weeks ago, Zman Kodesh was moved from its usual spot after first period to first thing in the morning. The temporary change was made to accommodate more religious students, as daylight savings time had briefly shifted the window of time for saying the shema to unusually early in the morning.

Aronchick noted that during that week, students in her Zman Kodesh

as she does not eat before saying the shema.

A few weeks ago, Aronchick began leading weekly discussions with Zman Kodesh members about how they can improve as a community, especially during shorter Zman Kodesh periods when there is less time for students to engage in prayer. Students demonstrated interest in learning more about the

THAT THEY DO NOT FEEL SPIRITUALLY CONNECTED

DURING ZMAN KODESH

12

Zmanei Kodesh

Data collected from Lion’s Tale survey of 71 students

meaning of the individual prayers, because many Masorti Zman Kodesh members currently feel as if they are saying prayers without understanding the true meaning behind them.

Individuals in the Masorti Zman Kodesh have also demonstrated interest in learning more about Jewish prayer rituals. According to Aronchick, a student in her Zman Kodesh was reluctant to put tefillin on at the beginning of the year because he did not remember how to after Aronchick’s guidance, he now excitedly comes into Zman Kodesh and puts them on without hesitation.

“So I think there are experiences that people are having where they are building some skills,” Aronchick said. “A few people already have led for the first time ever or in a long time. We are giving people an opportunity to build some skills, gain new experiences, grow in that way.”

SPIRITUAL

STATISTICS OF THE

ZMANEI KODESH:

3 PRAY DAILY

5 PRAY WEEKLY

4 DON’T PRAY

the lion’s tale

chadashot

15

Parental concern rises as Israel trip approaches alysse weinberg managing editor, design Ping. Another CNN notification alerting of another attack on an Israeli citizen. It is already the fourth of the day. For the parents of JDS seniors, these notifications are especially alarming as the capstone trip draws closer, and no signs of decreased violence have been indicated.

Alexa Lerner, mother of senior Olivia Lerner, is one such parent.

Along with several other parents, the violence in Israel has made her and her husband hesitant to send

their daughter on the senior trip next semester.

“We have registered her to go on the trip, but we will evaluate the situation in early February,” Lerner said. “If the conflict is ongoing or worse, then we may make the decision that it is not safe for her to go.

We do not intend to put Olivia in an unsafe situation.”

Alexa Lerner attributed her cautiousness to her eldest daughter Haley’s (‘14) experience at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, the program that runs the senior trip.

Muss did not respond in time for the

printing of this article, but Alexa Lerner said that Haley’s group would have free time in Tel Aviv and other places without any security escort.

Under the present conditions, Alexa Lerner believes that such practices are “not a good idea.”

“Wherever the students go, Muss should provide security, and their plans to keep the students safe at all times should be communicated to parents well in advance of the trip,” Alexa Lerner said. “Muss has a responsibility to have a heightened security plan and to tell students and parents about that plan in light

of the current situation.”

Dean of Students and Interim High School Principal Roz Landy feels that Muss is more than capable of handling the current crisis and is equipped to deal with any threatening situation.

“The Alexander Muss High School in Israel program takes precautions all the time and is very, very focused on safety and security. They have groups on campus all year round, even now, so they are constantly assessing the situation and making changes,” Landy said.

Jill Myers, mother of senior Ja-

cob Myers, echoed Landy’s faith in the program.

“I am not hesitant to send Jacob to Israel. The current events cross my mind but I see Israelis living their lives and feel he will be okay.”

Lerner hopes Muss will take further initiative in updating parents on the whereabouts of their children. She also thinks that JDS should be more involved in communicating students’ whereabouts to parents, as well as the security procedures that Muss will be implementing over the course of the trip.

Social circles transcend religious observance mark reichel chadashot editor

24% of students hang out with friends on Saturdays in shomer Shabbat settings

70% of students partake in a Jewish youth group 24% of students say their close friends come from different religious backgrounds Data collected from Lion’s Tale survey of 71 students

Confronted with the question of who keeps Shabbat and who doesn’t, the table of middle school boys in the atrium had to look around. Then, a chorus of voices as they turned to each other and asked “Don’t you?”

Eighth grader Doron Fox was one of the students at the table.

When he came to CESJDS in sixth grade, he began working on creating new friendships. Although he is moderately religious and keeps Shabbat, he said that was not a large factor in ini- • tially determining his friend group.

It’s understandable: everyone in the school is held to the same standards, like eating a kosher lunch, wearing a kippah, and taking academic courses in Judaic topics, so religious difference is less of a dividing factor.

Senior Mikhael Hammer-Bleich has a slightly different story. Hamer-Bleich, who came to JDS in ninth grade, is from an observant Orthodox background, and although he eventually made friends with a religiously diverse group of students, he initially found a more natural

connection to his Orthodox counterparts. Nevertheless, he was eager to branch out and make friends with students who were not as religious as he was.

“A big reason that I came here was because we are a pluralistic school, and there are at least a few Orthodox kids within each grade,” Hammer-Bleich said. “But I also, at the same time, didn’t want to have only religious friends. I also wanted

“

I also wanted to have secular friends who i could learn different perspectives from“ senior Mikhael Hammer-bleich to have secular friends who I could learn different perspectives from.”

The intra-demoninational relationships that Hammer-Bleich developed are frequent among JDS students.

Senior Gabi Swagel has created several of these relationships outside of JDS, through a program called Nivonim, which has its roots in the Ramah summer camp. Its members, he said, are of different backgrounds, but the sense of connection is incredibly strong.

“The form of that community

is unbreakable,” he said. “It crosses over time and space. There are no boundaries to that community.”

At school, it would seem as though Zman Kodesh would be one of the only times when students are grouped according to their religious practices. However, JTTP Teacher Paul Blank, who runs an egalitarian minyan during Zman Kodesh, said that he does not even know the different religious backgrounds of his students because it is not important to the operation of the minyan.

“I don’t think [background] is even relevant,” Blank said. “I never thought about it.”

Blank, whose mother died recently, said that afterwards he briefly considered whether the environment of his Zman Kodesh would be serious enough to warrant a proper recitation of Mourner’s Kaddish. He quickly dispelled the notion that it would not, saying that sense of community is the more important factor for him.

“Every morning in minyan I say Kaddish, and I don’t ask about what the religious observances or ideologies of the students are as long as they feel part of our minyan,” Blank said.

the lion’s tale

16 sports

The Price to Play How the CESJDS Athletic Department Spends Its Money

malka himelhoch editor-in-chief Two weeks ago, students crowded around computers and TV screens all over the CESJDS building. They cheered and booed as the boys varsity basketball team competed in the Cooper Invitational Tournament in Memphis, Tennessee. In a few weeks, parents and students will pack the gym, waving signs and wearing blue and gold to support the basketball team in their game against rival Berman Hebrew Academy.

The communal hype that surrounds the boys varsity basketball team has created frustration among other JDS athletes who frequently feel as though their athletic achievements are not properly celebrated.

Many of these frustrated students propose a direct correlation between the lack of enthusiasm surrounding

their teams and the disproportionate funding distributed by the athletic department. Nevertheless, while it may seem as though the boys varsity basketball team receives more funding than other school sports, this is not the case.

The sports budget is determined each year by the board of directors along with the rest of the school’s budget. Once determined, Athletic Director Mike Riley is in charge of allocating the budget to the 37 JDS athletic teams. This year’s sports budget is $116,100.

Of that $116,000, $12,000 is devoted to equipment. The equipment budget is distributed based on need. Every year, at the end of the spring season, Riley sends out an email asking all of the coaches what equipment they need for the next season. Many of these requests are typical. Soccer coaches ask for

new soccer balls, volleyball coaches ask for more volleyballs. However, occasionally the requests are more exorbitant. Two years ago it was brought to Riley’s attention that the tennis courts were falling apart. So, last year a portion of the equipment budget was devoted to repaving the tennis courts.

The smallest portion of the budget is allocated for special events.

According to Riley, these events vary from year to year, but a consistent amount has been used to send the boys varsity basketball team to the Cooper Invitational Tournament for the past three years.

The rest of the money is saved in case other teams need the money to attend tournaments. For instance, Riley scheduled a tournament for the wrestling team this year, but due to financial difficulties the organization planning the tournament

cancelled it. Primarily due to the challenges of accommodating Shabbat observant players, Riley has not been able to find any other tournaments.

“I’m all for making sure that everyone has the same opportunities,” Riley said. “We just haven’t come across any tournaments that fit our girls basketball or soccer programs.”

The special events budget covers the entry fee to the Cooper tournament, but the majority of the cost is shouldered by members of the basketball team who each pay $449 to attend.

This is just one of many costs that varsity basketball team members cover themselves. This year, senior and varsity basketball player Brian Shorr paid $250 in addition to the cost of the tournament. This covered a team backpack, shoes, warmup jacket and a JDS sweatsuit.

Players on the girls varsity soccer, girls varsity volleyball, girls varsity tennis, boys varsity soccer and coed cross country teams also purchased sports attire out of their own pockets this fall. The maximum amount that any one athlete on these teams spent was $40 — nowhere near the $250 that is common for the boys basketball players.

Shorr was quick to point out that the additional costs paid by the boys varsity basketball team members were not mandatory and that anyone who did not feel comfortable paying for anything could opt out.

“But you don’t want to be the odd one out,” Shorr said. “You don’t want to be the only one without the shoes or the jacket; you want to be a part of the team.”

Senior Commits to Attend Division III School for Athletics carol silber editor-in-chief When he was 5 years old, senior Sam Solomon started attending gymnastics classes. What started out as a fun way to burn off energy and get good exercise soon became a focal point of Solomon’s life. In 2013 and 2014, Solomon competed at the Junior Olympic National Championships for men’s gymnastics, and in 2014, won second place in the double-miniature trampoline event and third place for tumbling.

By the fall of his junior year, Solomon was practicing gymnastics for 25 hours each week.

A few weeks ago, Solomon spoke to an admissions officer from Williams College to finalize his verbal agreement to attend the school if accepted. Verbal agreements are used by Division III colleges like Williams to confirm attendance for students who are committed to being varsity athletes for the school.

However, Solomon’s verbal agreement was not for him to be a gymnast at Williams, but rather for him to be a member of the Williams diving team.

The first time that Solomon

practiced diving was during the summer of 2014, at a diving program that he participated in. When he signed up for this program, he had no intention of diving competitively. He just wanted to hang out with his friends who were divers. For two hours a day, he and his friends would hang out by the pool, diving, swimming and having a good time.

Diving came easily to Solomon, something he attributes to the similarities between it and gymnastics. Both require a high level of agility and strength, and the flips performed in gymnastics are easily translated to the flips performed in diving. There are a few adjustments that Solomon had to get used to, like ending flips headfirst, something that is never done intentionally in gymnastics for obvious safety reasons, but is preferred over landing feet-first in diving. But overall, Solomon took to the sport easily.

After a few days at the diving camp, a coach noticed Solomon’s diving performance, approached Solomon, and recommended that he try out for the Montgomery Dive Club National Team. Solomon did

so, and made the team.

At first, Solomon planned to continue doing gymnastics and add diving to his schedule. But when junior year rolled around, and college loomed closer in Solomon’s future, he realized that it would be advantageous to switch to diving permanently.

The only colleges that had gymnastics programs and matched Solomon’s academic expectations were Stanford and Berkeley. Unlike diving, gymnastics coaches only recruit one or two athletes as any gymnast can perform all six of the gymnastics events.

“I realized that, am I really going to risk that one or two slot just for Stanford?” Solomon said.

Additionally, Solomon’s preferred type of gymnastics, tumbling and trampoline, is not offered as an official college sport anywhere in the United States.

So, he broke the news to his gymnastics coach in the fall of 2014 -- that after more than 10 years of gymnastics, Solomon was calling it quits, and would start diving competitively.

“It just made more sense,” Sol-

omon said. “If it’s such an easy transition, why not?”

Solomon said that his coach was disappointed, but also understood, given that Solomon’s switch is common. Many of Solomon’s former gymnastics teammates had also switched to diving for college recruitment purposes. Solomon’s choice was only surprising because it was made so late in the game.

But just a year later, Solomon found himself completely immersed in the process of recruitment for diving. He has spent much of his senior year travelling up and down the East Coast visiting the athletic programs of various schools. During these visits, Solomon roomed with members of the diving team, practiced with them and met with coaches and admissions officers.

Solomon visited Brandeis, Brown, Harvard, Williams, M.I.T. and Columbia, but ultimately chose Williams.

“The people there weren’t really cocky, they were down to earth,” Solomon said. “It’s also a really small community, which I wanted.”

While he misses gymnastics,

Solomon has found diving to be more relaxed and enjoyable in several regards. Instead of doing gymnastics for 25 hours a week, Solomon now dives for 17 hours a week.

He has also found his new teammates to be more supportive and less competitive “In gymnastics, you had a lot more people going, ‘Yes! He failed.’

But in diving it’s kind of more like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’” Solomon said.

Despite his change, Solomon’s ambitions have stayed the same. He hopes to qualify for Nationals for diving in 2016, and will be training all year to achieve this. Solomon will not be attending the senior Israel trip because he believes that time off could impact his qualification for Nationals as well as his college recruitment.

“You can’t really say you’re being recruited and then say to the coach, ‘By the way, I’m not going to do training for three months,’” Solomon said.

the lion’s tale

sports

Reliving the History of JDS Sports bennett bramson reporter There have been 50 years of CESJDS, but only 41 years of Lion’s athletics.

JDS did not have an athletic program until 1974, eight years after the school’s establishment.

According to Michael Papa, JDS’ first athletic director, in the beginning years of the school, the sports teams were not affiliated with any specific athletic league, except for the boys varsity soccer team which competed in the Metro Conference.

Papa was the first president and one of the original founders of JDS’ current athletic league, the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference.

In 1982, the boys varsity basketball team captured JDS’ first ever PVAC championship. Soccer and track and field gained popularity in the early years of JDS sports as well. Initially there were no girls sports teams, though one girl played on JDS’ first boys varsity basketball team.

The earliest girls teams were gymnastics,

basketball and soccer.

When sports were just beginning, JDS sports suffered from the school’s low enrollment and needed most of its students to participate in athletics.

“As our school grew so did our program,” Papa wrote in an email interview. “I am pretty confident we always had more than 50% participation in interscholastic sports.”

According to Papa, this high rate of participation was not out of obligation, but rather due to a strong connection that

students felt to the sports themselves. The high rate of involvement, according to Papa, made JDS “feel like a real school.”

Although much has changed since that time, one thing that still remains is the rivalry with Berman Hebrew Academy.

“During my years we never lost to them in any sport,” Papa wrote. “When I walked into their gym I always felt like Darth Vader.”

2015 - Boys Varsity Cross Country wins their second straight PVAC championship. Pictured are runners junior Rueben Winston and sophmore Alex Arking.

Courtesy of Reuben Winston

2012- Catcher Max Ungar (‘12) is drafted by the Washington Nationals after four years as a starter on the JDS varsity baseball team.

1965 - CESJDS is established

Courtesy of cesjds.org

Courtesy of Dimensions Courtesy of Dimensions

1974- JDS sports teams are established

Pictured: a boys varsity basket2009- Varsity Hockey Team ball player and a cheerleader in wins MSHL Conference 1983 Championship.

1984- JDS wins its first PVAC Championship

Courtesy of Jeremy Schooler

17

the lion’s tale

18 entertainment

“My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in the thing that we call rap, this thing that we call hip-hop.”

-Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar performs during the BET Experience at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 27, 2015.

courtesy of Los Angeles Times/TNS

Kendrick Lamar displays his genius at Washington, D.C. concert gabe krantz reporter It doesn’t take more than a quick search of Twitter or Facebook to find out that Kendrick Lamar’s Nov. 1 concert in Washington, D.C. was widely considered to be lifechanging.

I was one of the lucky people who had the privilege of attending the concert at the Lincoln Theatre, a relatively small venue not exactly known for hosting rap concerts, let alone one of the most influential rappers in the world.

While most people would not necessarily consider going to a concert a privilege, after listening to his uplifting hour and a half set, I could not think of it in any other possible way.

As the lights dimmed, the theater’s curtains were pulled back to reveal a funky, highly-thoughtout stage design, which featured a glimmery, silver background. It was supposed to resemble a retro club that seemed to resemble the

old-school approach of Lamar and his concert.

Lamar’s set, which mainly featured songs from his new album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” featured various instrumental solos from members of Lamar’s four-piece backing band “Wesley’s Theory.”

This made the concert feel more like a rock or blues concert than a typical rap concert.

One of the more memorable parts of the experience was the intimate feel of the concert despite Lamar’s celebrity status. This was largely due to Lamar’s choice to perform in small, intimate settings such as the Lincoln Theatre during his “Kunta Groove Sessions” tour.

While this caused tickets for the concert to sell out in under 15 seconds, those fortunate enough to get tickets did not regret their decision when they experienced the intimacy of the concert.

Arguably the best part of Lamar’s set was not a song he performed, but when he took a

five minute break from rapping to speak from the heart. Among the topics he touched on in the “spoken freestyle” was the choice to perform in small venues.

“I have performed in front of 80 thousand and 100 thousand people and I know I could sell out my tour if I was in those big arenas,” Lamar said. “But I wanted to come back to my core who have been with me since day one, and this is my core.”

It was not just the size of the venue that seems to differentiate Lamar from seemingly every other rapper. Those in Lamar’s “core” know that his music does not center around the typical “money, drugs, women” glorification that is common in contemporary rap music. Lamar’s music delves into deeper problems in today’s society.

Some of his songs require deep thinking to figure out what those problems are.

“Blacker the Berry,” one of the hit songs off his new album

and the second-to-last song Lamar performed, touched on issues Lamar sees in the African-American community.

Throughout the song, Lamar refers to himself as “the biggest hypocrite of 2015,” and in the closing words says: “So why did I weep when Trayvon Martin was in the street, when gang banging make me kill [someone] blacker than me? Hypocrite!” In these lines, Lamar seems to be criticizing himself for focusing on certain sensationalized killings of African Americans, such as Trayvon Martin, when so many more AfricanAmericans are killed as a result of black-on-black violence.

During his dialogue at the concert, he commented on this too.

“We need to have respect for ourselves before other people will respect us,” Lamar said.

While part of his message is a call to change, part of it also seeks to offer comfort to a country and community reeling from all sorts

of issues. This is the meaning of Lamar’s last song of the night, his encore “Alright,” in which the main line is “we gon’ be alright.”

Prior to Lamar re-entering the stage to perform the song, a reinvigorating five minute chant of “we gon’ be alright” broke out in the audience. Lamar even came onstage himself to witness the chant from the crowd as we reassured ourselves that everything is going to end up “alright.”

Lamar believes that he can help create this change through his music and that truly everyone will be “alright.”

“Some people say my album is the album of the year or even of this generation,” Lamar said. “I don’t look at this album as anything but therapy, and sometimes you need therapy to change people and change the world.”

entertainment 19

the lion’s tale

LT Food Review: Sheba Ethiopian Restaurant Distance from school: 0.3 miles Approximate walking time: 8 min Approximate driving time: 2 min joey shoyer Reporter Eating at Sheba, an Ethiopian café on Nicholson Lane, can start off rocky, but don’t shy away, because the food is exceptional.

When I got to Sheba the exterior appearance of the restaurant did not draw me in. The neon “Open” sign that welcomed me gave off a dingy vibe, clashing with the general atmosphere of the interior decorations, which are somewhat more classy. Once I was seated, things did not improve.

The menu was overly long, and

could use refining to guide the customers to the most appealing dishes. Additionally, there was a convoluted system of explaining the special of the day. It was so confusing that I did not try to understand it. These problems could easily be remedied by a smaller, more focused menu and a simple explanation of the special of the night.

But despite these problematic features, the experience at Sheba was enjoyable. The space, while small, wasn’t loud, and created a very welcoming and authentic atmosphere, which was

complemented by the incorporation of Ethiopian culture into the restaurant’s decoration. Featured was an intricate display of a recreation of an ancient Ethiopian trading stand, alongside Ethiopian artwork on the walls.

The waitstaff, while only consisting of a few employees, was fast, efficient and most importantly, friendly. The staff was successful in making the restaurant a fun and welcoming environment.

I tried Ethiopian food for the first time at Sheba, and it was a great first experience. I ordered the Vegetarian and Vegan samplers,

which were assortments of small portions of various vegetarian dishes. My waiter taught me how to eat Ethiopian food with my hands by using the injera flatbread. So, after washing my hands, I dug into my meal. The food itself and its presentation were nearly perfect.

All the flavors were interesting and complimented each other well.

Much of the food I ate was spicy, which is customary of Ethiopian food. Fortunately, the food managed to balance the spice with enough other flavors which ensured that it wasn’t overwhelming. The “kick” to each

dish never overpowered the palate -- it added to the dish’s flavors.

Additionally, the portion sizes were perfect. Two samplers was exactly the right amount of food for two people.

Overall, Sheba was a great introduction to Ethiopian cuisine.

The restaurant has great service as well as interesting and delicious dishes which outweighed its flawed menu. I would recommend Sheba to anyone, regardless of their previous experience with Ethiopian food.

The Vegetarian Sampler ($14.95) Gomen: Collard Greens. The vegetables are boiled, dried and then finely chopped and served with butter, chili and spices. 4/5 Ater Kik: Split pea soup, seasoned traditionally with berbere. 5/5 Cabbage: Sauteed cabbage with Ethiopian seasoning. 5/5

Key Misir: Lentils. Uses a spice, berbere, that is very hard to find in the U.S. 4/5

Injera: sourdough-risen flatbread with spongy texture. Used to scoop food in lieu of utensils. 3/5

Egg Wot: Egg cooked in a spicy sauce with various Ethiopian spices. 2/5

House Salad: Lettuce, tomatoes and onions with vidalia dressing. 4/5

the lion’s tale

entertainment

20

CESJDS

Thanksgiving Recipes A Gluten-free Stuffing Recipe

Recipe for a sweet potato cornbread stuffing.

Ingredients: 2 cups cornmeal 1 cup gluten-free flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup canola oil 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 cups non-dairy milk 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt

DAY

1 DAY

Cooking time: Day one, about forty-five minutes. Day two, about two hours

1

Preheat oven to 350 F, line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or spray the bottom lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

2

Ingredients: Cornbread cubes and crumbs (see above recipe) 2-3 large boiled, peeled, and mashed sweet potatoes 2-3 carrots, chopped into thin rounds 2-3 celery stalks, chopped into thin slices 1 medium onion, roughly diced 1 medium Granny Smith apple, cored and diced A sprinkle of olive oil 2-3 fresh sage leaves, chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste compiled by mijal altman and gaby pilarski, entertainment editors

1 2

2 3 4

Serves: 6-8 people

In a medium bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk and the vinegar and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt). Add the oil and maple syrup to the non-dairy milk mixture. Whisk with a wire whisk or a fork until it is foamy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix together using a large wooden spoon or a firm spatula. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once cooled, cut the cornbread in half. Cut one half into 1-inch cubes, and crumble the other half.

Leave the cornbread crumbs and cubes out to become slightly stale, for at least twelve hours.

Preheat oven to 375 F for regular stuffing, 425 F for crunchy stuffing.

Heat enough olive oil to coat the pan on medium-high heat in a large pan. Cook the carrots, celery and onion (adding salt and pepper to taste), stirring frequently, until cooked almost through, about 8-10 minutes. Add diced apple and chopped sage and cook until the apples get lightly cooked, just a few minutes.

3

In a large bowl, stir together vegetable mixture, mashed sweet potatoes and cornbread cubes and crumbs. Pour stuffing mixture into a large casserole dish. Place in the oven and cook for 25-45 minutes depending on desired level of crunch. Check periodically and poke the top with a fork to test the crunchiness. Ideally the stuffing should be a bit crunchy on top but softer underneath.

Recipe from Shira Pilarski