Observer Fall 2013 by The Observer

ue Is s cs i ti

Po l

O BSERVER

THE

observerjchs.com

FALL 2012 | JEWISH COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL OF THE BAY

A FEMALE KNESSET

“Audemus jura nostra defendere”

POLITICS Interview with Dr. Draskoczy

Roots of Russian right-wing views

sergei l. loiko/los angeles times/mct campus

jenna zimmerman/the observer

Senior Adi Alouf is the first female student body president and presides over a Knesset with 11 women.

The right ladies for the job JCHS students elect most women to Knesset ever, plus a female president By KAYLA LEVY With Knesset elections behind us, JCHS has elected its first female president and likewise a Knesset that seems to follow suit. Out of the 13 available positions on our student government, five on the executive board and eight being Rashim, 11 are filled by female representatives. Though there are differing opinions about how this ratio came about, the results of this year’s Knesset elections could be attributed to a plethora of reasons. Disputes aside, this year’s Knesset is breaking down any previously established norms for female representation in our student government, and, led by its first elected female president, is preparing to lead the JCHS community through the year to come. Twenty-two candidates, a

Kiosk More Gym Plans Revealed JCHS has released more details of their plan to build a multipurpose building on what is now the Terrace. p.2

What Time Is It? In the JCHS Journal, Sarah Bloom delves into the clock problem at JCHS, and takes a peek inside the drama department’s wardrobe. p.4

record breaking number, ran to represent their respective grades as Rosh. Among the 22 students, both genders were represented equally. The campaign for president, which took place last school year, also equally represented each gender. Even with these statistics in mind, some students attribute the greater success of the female candidates to the fact that JCHS has a higher percentage of female students and in turn, more female voters. Jenna Zimmerman (‘13) said of Rosh elections, “Girls vote for their friends and boys vote for their friends and because there’s a higher female population at this school the girls win.” However, other students saw it as an equal fight in which the female candidates emerge victorious based on their campaigning and leadership capabilities. “I think it could be just because the girls seemed like better candidates,” explains Gabriel Seidman (’14). Beyond JCHS, women are seen

rising in the political arena. In 1920 women were officially given the right to vote in the United States national elections by means of the 19th amendment. This step forward not only increased female voice in public policy and lawmaking, but also the likelihood of female leaders. Ninetytwo years later women have begun to rise in the political sphere and assume influential positions of legislative power. Currently in the United States women hold roughly 17% of the seats in Congress. Nancy Pelosi of California was the first female Speaker of the House and explains about her position in politics: “For me, politics is an extension of my role as a mother and a grandmother…our [the women of the House’s] work is not about the next election, but rather the next generation.” Although the majority of the current Knesset is female, there are still two male representatives on the Executive board: Boris

continued on page three

Brutal communist dictator Joseph Stalin, pictured above on notebooks in Moscow, is part of the Russian political legacy.

The elements behind common Russian American political sentiment By JAKE ROSENBERG At JCHS, it is a well known fact that there is a significant precense of students who are first generation Americans hailing from parts of the former Soviet Union. November’s presidential election had many students flying their political flags. All the while, the Russian faction has emerged as a driving conservative factor in the JCHS student body. Why is this? I sat down with Dr. Julie Draskoczy, teacher of the 20th century Soviet History course, to gain insight into the broader historical context of the conservative dynamics. Observer: The vast majority of JCHS students who are first generation Americans hailing from Russia have conservative proclivities. Is this common to most first generation Russians, or just specific to San Francisco, or JCHS Russians? Dr. D: I think that’s very common with the Russian population and I think historically, Russians

When Facebook statuses get political During election season, things can get heated online By KAYLA LEVY With the presidential election just behind us people all over the United States are buzzing with political opinions and looking for forums to express them. The students at JCHS are no exception. With the many different issues both economic and social that the candidates are voicing through their campaigns, students are forming views and want to express them with others in their community. Currently, a popular way to express these opinions is through social networking, more specifically, Facebook. Though

some students believe that posting a political status is just sharing an opinion or offering insight on a specific issue, others view this as provocative and are willing to offer a retort, which can lead to public disagreements on the Internet. These disagreements give students the opportunity to debate their political opinions but can also lead to full fledged “Facebook fights,” which can negatively affect the way JCHS students view or interact with one another. Since its launch in 2004, Facebook’s mission has been to “give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.” Eight years after its inception, Facebook currently has about one billion active users who take advantage of this

have always valued a very strong, very firm ruler. There’s this idea of the zheleznaia ruka, the Iron Hand that should rule the country, and especially because Russia is so large, covering 10 time zones before the number was decreased by Medvedev, to have that large of a country needs to have a really strong leader in order to keep everything in check. There’s a different approach to what symbolizes good leadership to the Russian point of view in general. This separation may be because the economy is of such prime importance in Russia or because they’ve had so many economic issues after the fall of the Soviet Union that they implemented “shock therapy” capitalism, where you have a lot of really big businessmen in a very short period of time. To me, it makes a lot of sense that Russians tend to stray towards the right because the country was so left for so long, and that failed miserably. Observer: With the presidential election coming up, do you think there are specific issues in this election that first generation Americans and conservatives are more likely to latch onto that weren’t as important to previous elections?

mission by using the plethora of networking tools, such as status updates, sharing pictures and videos, creating group events, chat, and much more. With all of the opportunities to share what is happening in your day-to-day life, it is inevitable that personal opinions will be expressed. Founder Mark Zuckerberg speaks directly to this issue of personal expression: “I think that people just have this core desire to express who they are. And I think that’s always existed.”# This opinion extends beyond Zuckerberg to JCHS where Sophomore Oren Abush-Magder shared a similar opinion: “I think Facebook is a forum to express whatever is on

Dr. D: I think that at certain times, social concerns are more important, but in this election it really is economic concerns, and I think that varies from election to election, and it’s endemic to this particular election because the economy has been so bad. That’s why the economy is becoming such a focus. What’s interesting, I think, is that as the election has progressed, you’ve seen different issues come to the forefront. Now, Obama and Romney are trying to get women voters, who apparently are the largest group of undecided voters. So now, they are addressing abortion more often, they’re addressing women’s issues more often, which would fall under social issues, not economic issues. Foreign policy, which also

continued on page three

THE OBSERVER JEWISH COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL FALL 2012

Athletics

A gym for all reasons, all seasons

stark weather bondy architecture

A sketch of Brandeis Hillel Day School’s gymanasium, designed by Stark Weather Bondy.

School divulges plans to transform scarecly used Terrace into home of multi-purpose building jchs

By NATASHA TABACHNIKOFF

Seen here on its opening day in 2010, the Terrace will soon be home to a multi-purpose gym.

Many students wish they had more opportunities to utilise the grassy JCHS terrace that sits alongside the courtyard. Those students are in luck because with the approval of the Board of Trustees, the terrace will one day be the home of a new gymnasium. In November, the Board will be presented with blueprints, produced by the firm Stark Weather Bondy Architecture, who did the original renovations for the Keren Keshet Foundation to turn the building, formerly a podiatry school, into the home of the Jewish Community High School. While the plans, which Maxine Epstein, Director of Institutional Advancement anticipates will be approved by the Board, include a gymnasium, they envision even greater additions to the school's facilities. A yes vote will be a go-ahead to the Administration and Professional Community to start advancing the possibilities that will have the greatest positive impact for the community and are financially reasonable,

basketball and volleyball games so accessible would make showing up to support our classmates and show our Wolf pride much more attractive to JCHS students. The gym's retractable bleachers, which could accommodate up to 600 people, would make it a versatile space which could serve as a gathering place for a growing JCHS community. As the faculty and student body outgrow the theater, a gym could house Hakhel as well as events hosted by the school or other organizations and serve the greater community that brings in speakers and performances. Instead of dances in the Commons, we could even have the quintessential high school gym dance. Many other additions have

knowing that there will, inevitably, be more phases of renovation in the future of the school. A gym is among the highlyprioritized additions because it would serve JCHS athletes as well as other students and the greater community. It would house courts for basketball and volleyball, meaning that teams could practice and host home games on campus, instead of leaving school (and sometimes having to miss class) to travel to other facilities. Minimally, the athletic director's office and the equipment room could be moved, opening up that space to other uses. (This would allow greater access to the outside from the kitchen, making the ventilation necessary for an oven range more achievable.) Possible weight and aerobic facilities in the gym could be used by athletes or fitness classes. The facilities could even be open to students for their own workouts at some times to benefit the health and wellness of the whole community. And having the site for home

arisen in the brainstorming phase of the development and are represented in the blueprints to be presented to the Board. Another priority is accommodating a STEM program, where science, technology, engineering, and math learning could be applied, connected and emphasized (possibly expanding the robotics program). A separate Beit Midrash would make it possible for students to observe, analyze and argue Jewish law vehemently, without worrying about disturbing studying students or library patrons. At the moment, there are few areas in JCHS for students to gather in small groups, so smaller study rooms would help students to work together. A teen center would be a place for

students to gather, relax and destress. Eventually, as the JCHS community grows, extra classroom space will be needed to house all the classes and the new space could accommodate that. In the case of a yes vote by the Board, some of the ideas in the mix would advance into the planning phase, and some wouldn’t-for now. As Head of School, Rabbi Ruben, put it, JCHS is "a young school with mature dreams." The greatest priority is opportunity--for health, academic advancement and community engagement. Every idea will be weighed by both JCHS and the professionals at Stark Weather Bondy for plausibility, cost and impact, and then a plan for construction will emerge.

Making the JCHS Yearbook Learning what goes into the creation of lasting memories By ABBY KOSTOKOVSKY

THE

O BSERVER Established April 2010

Editor’s Note Executive Editor Jenna Zimmerman (’13) Web Editor Evan Fenner (’14) Copy Editor Sofi Hecht (’13) Faculty Adviser Karie Rubin Printing Maura Feingold

The Observer is student run and not a product of any formal academic instruction. The paper undergoes prior review by the Administration of JCHS and content may have been altered in order to allow publication. The paper is an open forum.

Letters Policy Please send letters to Observer. JCHS@gmail.com Letters under 150 words are given preference.

At the end of every school year, JCHS students receive a beautiful, glossy, hardcovered yearbook, but very few know the process of its creation. Kept behind closed doors, nearly every aspect of the yearbook remains secret until its big unveiling each spring, at the end of the school year. Making the yearbook is a team effort. Editor in Chief Sophie Hecht says, “We have meetings every Tuesday and Thursday after school and we go through pictures, and we always have to be aware of all the events going on to take pictures of.” Every student, teacher and faculty member has their picture in the yearbook, in addition to pictures of every event hosted by JCHS, every sports team, every drama production and everything else JCHS related. Then the yearbook

staff has to put the pictures on the pages, design the pages according to the theme, which Hecht created in yearbook camp, write captions and get quotes from people. As for deadlines, they have four: November, January, March and April. Anything after the April deadline, including the spring play, prom, and graduation, doesn’t go in the yearbook. The yearbook staff also has the help of their faculty advisor Maura Feingold, who teaches design,

photography and writing skills related to yearbook and creates an excitement among the students in anticipation of the yearbook. Despite the extreme amount of work that goes into making the yearbook, it also has its rewards. As Maura Feingold says about working on it, “I love my team. I like the people that I work with. I like their creativity and inspiration and dedication to the program. It’s one of my favorite parts of the job.”

THE OBSERVER JEWISH COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL FALL 2012

Women Take Hold of Knesset

FROM THE COVER

With Politics on Facebook, Staying Civil Can be a Challenge

jeff durham/bay area news group/mct campus

continued from page one your mind and if politics is what’s relevant to you right now, that is what you post on Facebook.” Many JCHS students share this same viewpoint and openly post their opinions for people to see. Aside from posting statuses or links to videos or articles, there are other ways to share thoughts with the people around you by commenting on what they say. Genya Peregudov (’13) explained that he has no desire to post his own views, but rather express to others when he thinks theirs might be incorrect. But similar to what Zuckerberg said, there seems to still be a certain allure to posting your views on Facebook, whether it is the fact that you can share your views with your entire community or you simply get the chance to be heard. “[a political Facebook status] is not meant to start a fight or get people angry with one another, it’s not even to provide a space for debate,” says Ava Burton (’14). “It’s just for people to know what you’re thinking and hopefully influ-

ence what they’re thinking too.” But with a topic that can be as controversial as politics, some students are doubtful that it is possible to post something without any repercussions. “When someone posts a status like go Romney, or go Obama, obviously it’s going to provoke people,” said Junior Zoe Kamil “The only thing it does is make people pissed off and mad, and then the next day it’s awkward at school.” Furthermore, other students doubt how much of an impact you can have by posting your opinions or commenting on those of others. Senior Havneh Haugabook questioned the motives of people who post political items by saying, “What possible impact are you having on the world by arguing with other people on Facebook about politics? If you really think you are making an impact by doing that then you need to reevaluate your goals and values.” No matter if you agree that Facebook is a forum for political expression or you think people

should take their opinions elsewhere, the truth remains that with a social network that is all about expression, views inevitably will be shared. “Free speech applies to Facebook, like it applies anywhere else. However, because it’s Facebook it’s written and mediated through the Internet and therefore, when we speak, we don’t see the human being in front of us and we don’t see our impact on them as readily,” explained Dr. Sandel, Dean of Jewish Studies and Hebrew. Even students who get involved in these “Facebook fights” see the truth in what Sandel is saying, and when Peregudov was asked if his level of aggression on these Facebook conversations was too high, he responded: “probably.” Sandel elaborated on her point: “I think it’s perfectly fine to express political views on Facebook, but I think we have to be all the more vigilant in watching for tone. It is harder to control for tone in writing. We need to think carefully about the way that we express our views to others.”

continued from page one Shkurko is this year’s Community Service Executive and Gabriel Seidman is this year’s Communications Executive. When speaking about his experience working and making leadership decisions in a primarily female environment, Seidman remarked, “Being one of two guys on Knesset is not overwhelming but at times it seems a bit unbalanced. At the same time, it kind of makes me feel special that I’m one of the only guys, like part of the elite!” Since this is the first year JCHS has elected a female president, Seidman also addressed the issue of how a female president would potentially differ from a male: “I don’t think there’s a big difference in a male or female president because Knesset and student life don’t deal with issues or topics that are categorized by gender, but rather by student.” Though Seidman has made his personal assertions based on his experience working with the females of Knesset, other members of the student body share some similar assumptions as to how a female president might potentially differ from a male. “I don’t think there is a major difference between a male and female president because some people have the skills to be president and some don’t-- whether this has to do with gender, I don’t think so,” says Ilya Shrayber (’15). President Adi Alouf (’13) has addressed this issue head on during the beginning of her presidency and is working on maintaining a balanced Knesset. “With exceptions and more nuances, women and men think

certain ways so it means that we have to work harder to ensure that we represent the school and are cautious in our decision making, gender withstanding.” This is but one of the many things that Alouf is working towards during her time as president. “I’ve known for sure since Freshman year that I wanted to be president” explains Alouf. “I didn’t have an epiphany all of a sudden, Knesset has always been a really big part of my JCHS life,” she says. Alouf’s participation in Knesset is apparent throughout her time at JCHS in which she served as her grade’s Rosh for two consecutive years and as Jewish Life Executive last year prior to being elected as student body president. Alouf looks back fondly on her experience running last spring, despite it’s various stresses and competitive nature, recalling the moment she came up with her clever slogan “Adidoes” based off of the popular German athletic brand Adidas ®. Calling to mind her speech writing and the opportunity to express her hopes for the upcoming school year to the entire student body, she giggled and claimed that, “wearing a dress was probably the hardest thing that I had to do!” As this year’s first academic quarter came to a close, with it came the end of Alouf’s first quarter in office. Though the campaigning process seemed almost second nature to her, she has now officially taken on the title of president and remarks on the difficulties of the position: “It’s less the actual position that I find hard, but more the immense sense of responsibility that I feel to make this school all that it can be.”

‘Zheleznaia Ruka’ and Russian Communism Account For Right-Wing Views, JCHS Teacher Says continued from page one

learn politics from their family members, and you can imagine that if you grew up in Russia, or was not really important in the the Soviet Union, and you saw beginning of this election, with what happened in Libya and with what ultimately happened, you’d be very anti-left. Romnney trying to capitalize on the incident as a political maneuObserver: So in summation, ver has become a more promi“Their families want to be as nent topic. We’ve seen more discussions also of foreign policy far away from the far left that they grew up with as possible, issues. So I think that while they latch on to the conservative overall the economy has been more important, even within one policies and the far right in this election cycle, you can see how it country”? fluctuates. Dr. D: I think that’s saying it a little bit extremely. I think it’s a Observer: And that’s what’s so little more complex than that, but interesting, that there’s so much I think that’s really important. I discussion within the JCHS student body, and that people are think that also Russians in general, and again I’m generalizing, talking about economics just as appreciate and respect a leader much as the social policies, and who’s tough with the military, in those conversations, the conservative voice is almost synony- strong in a central government sort of way, not that they like big mous with the Russian voice. government, but they like that strength it projects. Dr. D: And, you know, people

fall 2012 Page 4

JCHS Journal

By Sarah Bloom To the average student, the theatre is a separate world that reveals itself three times a year in the forms: a musical, a comedy, and a drama. For two weeks, though, anyone who wanted a peek of what the commuJeremy Cole, the Facilities Manager. simpler than one might expect – Cole was in charge of the costumes for this fall’s where the actors can easily access them without having to walk all the way to ground in theater (he was involved in performing arts arts all through high school more like a closet. People also kept coming in and gawking at the costumes, so rated on his role in the theater production. Being in charge of the costumes did not only mean making sure all the costumes are in one piece. The role also making some of them from existing clothes or even from scratch. During the actual show however, the role changed from creator to manager. Backstage, Cole and his assistants set up costumes to get ready for quick changes, put away to search for their costumes. among others. According to Ms. Russell, Chair of Fine and Performing Arts, this is exactly why he was selected as head of costumes. However, getting the experienced Cole to continue the great work with costumes he has done this fall

THE OBSERVER ASKS THE ‘FOUR QUESTIONS’ TO FIGURE OUT A JCHS MYSTERY

Why Are Some Clocks Different From All Other Clocks, At JCHS?

hat is one of the most famous jokes at JCHS? The fact that almost none of the clocks match up. With a total of 28 clocks in the school, almost every single one of them is at least a minute off, and a scattered few are fast or slow by as many as five minutes. There are four kinds of clocks at JCHS. Three are analog clocks (the round clocks with hands and numbers) and one digital. Two of those analog clocks have to be set by hand. There are also a few Radio Controlled Clocks that get a signal from the Atomic Clock in Boulder, Colorado – a timekeeping device that does not lose or gain a second for about 30 million years. The fourth type of clock is the one in all the science classrooms, digital and complete with features like the date and temperature. Twice a year, the clocks that have to be reset by hand have their times adjusted: when Daylight Savings Time starts, and when it ends. David Joseph, who resets all the clocks at those times and fixes them when they die, says that they will never all match up. “It’s impossible for them to all line up. That’s just not going to happen,” says Joseph. What’s the best way to keep time accurately? According to Joseph, students should look at the radio-controlled clocks, watch or their cell phone, although those should be put away during class time. In the science or math rooms, rather than the round analog clocks are the square digital clocks. Getting a signal from a nuclear clock, the most accurate type of timekeeper in existence, these clocks are almost all accurate.

“Every day it resets according to a signal sent in from Colorado,” reports Zeke Kossover, the Dean of the Math and Science Department. “They have to face east to get a perfectly accurate reading, or it will get a signal about every three days.” The one inaccurate digital clock is the clock in the biology room, which only resets every few days, and is consequently about 30 seconds slower than its digital companions. Slow clocks have a large effect on the way the school runs. Besides the fact that it is such a big joke within JCHS, some students will be late to many classes depending on which clock they count on, by their own fault or because a teacher mistakenly releases students too late because of this faulty classroom clock. As students are not allowed to use their cell phones in class, having a wristwatch could be a solution. Another problem is that occasionally, students won’t know that they are late. When asked how often she is late to class because of faulty timepieces, sophomore Mikayla Kimel says “Not too much. But usually teachers don’t tell you when you’re late, they just mark it and you only find out after [grades come out].” Additionally, several students say that getting more clocks like the ones in the Math and Science rooms would be helpful, since satellite synced clocks are the ones most accurate. Freshman Roni Greenberg suggests of Joseph’s method that “someone should take the clocks from every room and set them to the same time”. Until there is a solution to this problem, it seems that the best answer would be to invest in a watch.

Keep tabs on the pulse of JCHS log onto

observerjchs.com - Full Observer archive - Breaking News - Exclusive Content + More!