The Rampage - October 2023

The Rampage The Newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School

New York • Volume 68 • Issue 1 • October 2023 • Heshvan 5783 • the-rampage.org

Inside This Edition...

The Upper School’s Mission to Support Israel

The New Digital SAT

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Ramaz’s Involvment With Israel Rallies

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The New Advisory System

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What Is Going On With Gap Years?

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Meet The New Teachers

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CHARLOTTE KLEEGER ’24

The Ramaz community was devastated by Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israeli civilians on October 7. As members of a Jewish institution in the United States, students, staff, and faculty alike wondered how the school should proceed. While the administration certainly encouraged everyone to get involved, adding extra Tehilim to davening, urging students to attend rallies, and hosting speakers such as Rabbi Steinmetz and Rabbi Lookstein, it was the students whose activism and leadership stood out in light of this tragedy.

Multiple opportunities for Ramaz to show its support for the state of Israel were presented this week, with students spearheading the overall initiative. Nicky Chalme ‘25 shared with Rampage that although she was stricken with grief over the recent acts of violence, she recognized that she had a mission, and began attempting to complete it in the best way she knew how: “After a rough three days, I realized that I needed to pull myself together, pray and help everyone I can in Israel, starting with my kids from Kol HaNearim.” Nicky, with the help of Dr. Block, coordinated with the head of all of the Emunah orphanage homes to send pizza, games, and anything to keep the kids occupied. “Their staff and madrichot were mostly called to the army, so they don’t have school and need activities to keep them entertained,” Nicky said. “I contacted the head of Belev Echad and received a list of all the newly injured soldiers. I set up boxes in the lobby for students to write letters. They are being sent to Israel to be distributed to Neve Michael and other homes.”

Noyah Misaghi and Ben Norman ‘24 introduced several ways for the Ramaz community to advocate for the state of Israel, including setting up a station to write letters to civilians and soldiers and boxes in the

lobby for various drives, hanging up posters around the Upper East Side, and encouraging students to go to as many rallies as possible to show their support. “I was shocked and heartbroken, not only for the families of the victims but for the Jewish people as a whole,” Noyah explained. “I felt so helpless being here while my family and friends were in Israel, so I decided to convert my distress into something productive. If I can’t be there physically, I want to make sure the soldiers and civilians know that we all stand with them and are doing as much as we can to help from here. After the first batch of letters got to the students, we realized that one minute of our lives made their whole day.” Noyah described her approach to taking action as hands-on and student-focused: “On the first day we returned to school after the attack, I met with Rabbi Schiowitz and a couple of other students. We explained to him that the students need to be the ones to take initiative and speak up, as it means more coming from us. As a result, everyone got involved, and these efforts brought everyone together.” Ben shared his recognition of the necessary actions that needed to be taken by Ramaz students as part of the Jewish nation: “Our family, friends, and Jewish brothers and sisters were attacked in Israel.

Although not everyone was hurt physically, everyone was hurt emotionally because of this traumatic experience. I am grateful to be in the United States, but that comes with the guilt that our people are hurting while we are safe. I knew that I had to do something where I was to help the people in Israel who are suffering.” Ben noted that these initiatives truly made an impact. He heard how glad the soldiers were to receive the donations and cards from Ramaz, and to be assured that we were thinking of them during this difficult time. “We couldn’t have done it without

our classmates, specifically the seniors, who worked tirelessly to help people in Israel, and set an amazing example for younger students.” Ben also added that a strong sense of unity pervaded the entire school this week, with all of the students collaborating for the same cause. “Every day, we daven Mincha together and we say Tehilim together; our city is uniting and attending rallies - tens of thousands of people. Everyone is raising awareness on social media as well. The circumstances are unfortunate, but it’s beautiful to see how we are all supporting each other.”

As G.O. President, Raymond Ashkenazie ‘24 played an integral part in the unification of the student body through his leadership position. “I think the most important things I can do during these horrifying times are encouraging the student body to get involved and helping everyone contribute in their own way,” he said. “Throughout the last week, I have worked with faculty, administration, and students to encourage full participation and support from the student body. We are truly finding the passion inside each and every student so they can help lead and make a difference.”

This difficult time truly allowed the Ramaz family to unite. Students are joining forces across grades to advocate for Israel and the return of the hostages. All of the students have been involved in some way, no matter how big or small, in the Ramaz effort to support a common cause from afar. Each and every endeavor has made and continues to make a big impact, restoring hope to the Jewish community here in New York as well as to Israeli soldiers and civilians. This mission has revealed the power of community, showing what we are capable of when we work together towards a common goal.

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The Rampage

October 2023/Heshvan 5783

Ramaz Rallies For Israel!

New Digital SAT GRACE KOLLANDER ’25

The SAT dates back to 1926 and originally stemmed from a U.S. Army IQ test. This standardized IQ test rapidly spread to be used by colleges as part of their admissions process. By 1935, Harvard required all of its college applicants to submit SAT scores. Throughout the entire history of the SAT, it has been modified only slightly and rarely critiqued. It is now facing the most drastic shift in nearly a century, in a seismic switch to digital format this upcoming spring.

The first question that comes to mind about the switch to a digital SAT format is, “Why make this change?” According to the College Board website, the COVID-19 pandemic was the main impetus for the new digital SAT. The College Board website explains that students are now more regularly taking exams and doing schoolwork digitally, “and the SAT shouldn’t be the exception.” The College Board goes on to explain that they are “listening to input and adapting to ensure we continue to meet the needs of students and educators.”

The new digital SAT will not simply be the traditional pencil and paper test projected onto a laptop screen. The entire format is changing. For instance, in the reading and writing sections, there will be shorter passages that have just one question related to that text, rather than long passages with multiple questions relating to a single passage. The College Board website also states that the word problems in the math section will be more concise than the paper SAT. Furthermore, the digital SAT is expected to provide a number of tools that the paper SAT could not offer, such as the ability to flag questions to return to them later in the exam. There will also be an embedded graphing calculator in the digital SAT program (don’t sweat this change just yet - students can still bring their own physical calculator, at least for now). Students will also have the option to have a countdown clock visible to them on the top of their testing screen that will alert them when they are running low on time. The digital SAT also gives each student taking the exam a unique test form, making it effectively impossible to share answers with other students seated nearby.

The College Board website also notes that both the number of questions and the overall time allotted for a student to take the test will be shorter in the digital SAT format and will give students more time per question. Whereas the paper and pencil test version is three hours, the digital test will be two. This is because the technology applied in the digital test format is able to measure the skills and knowledge of a student more efficiently.

The College Board website explains that the digital SAT will be divided into two parts called “modules.” Test-taking students must answer a set of questions in the first module before moving on to the second module. The difficulty of the questions a test-taker receives in the second module is dependent on the test-taker’s performance on the questions in the first module. This is called “adaptive testing.” More than thirty years of research show the benefit of this method of testing, including but not limited to shorter tests, questions that test the student’s understanding of the material, more secure testing, and a more efficient and precise way to assess each student’s abilities.

In order to practice for the digital SAT, students can download the Bluebook testing application. Students will have the opportunity to take the official SAT digital practice test in the fall of 2023 so they can prepare for the full digital testing experience being rolled out this upcoming spring.

ASHLEY BEHM ’24

In light of the recent attacks on Israel that began on October 7, Ramaz has been figuring out ways to make an impact. One way Ramaz students are showing their support for Israel and condemning Hamas is by attending rallies.

The first rally that Ramaz encouraged students to attend was on October 10 outside of the United Nations. The rally was organized by the UJA Federation of New York. Many high-profile politicians spoke, such as New York City mayor Eric Adams. Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York also gave a speech condemning Hamas and announcing New York’s support for Israel. Another speaker was Ramaz parent Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. Over 12,000 people attended the rally, including Jews from all different sects of Judaism.

To facilitate students attending the rally, the administration changed the schedule to an early dismissal schedule. Before leaving together, the eleventh and twelfth graders came together to sing prayers and hear stories from students about their connections to people in Israel affected by the tragedies.

Senior, Aviva Weinstock ’24 was asked by Dr. Block and Rabbi Josh Lookstein to say Tehillim at the UJA rally. Weinstock ’24 said, “I still felt this sense of honor knowing I was up in front of so many people saying words of prayer and speaking to Hashem. Once I got on stage and saw how many people poured into the whole avenue straight in front of me it was really a surreal experience and moment.”

This past week, the school announced that another rally would be happening in the same place as the first one. The focus of the rally was to raise awareness about the hostage crisis. Hamas kidnapped over 200 people, including some Americans, and is holding them hostage. Ramaz students brought fliers with the faces of the kidnapped victims and held them up for much of the rally. Some students even hung them up around the city.

The administration highly encouraged all juniors and seniors to attend. Senior grade dean, Ms. Tamar Benus ’10, worked extra hard to ensure all seniors would attend without worrying about missing class. On Schoology, she wrote, “As 12th graders, we believe you are the leaders in the school. We have seen how well you have already risen to that role, and are excited to see you all at the rally tomorrow. Do not feel like you can not attend due to class reviews or quizzes. Your teachers and I are working together to find

alternative times for these things to happen.” Some students still opted to stay in school to do schoolwork despite these accommodations.

The hostage rally had a significantly smaller turnout as Ramaz students, teachers, and parents were the majority of the attendees. While waiting for the rally to start the Ramaz students joined arm in arm and sang songs in unison. Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine was among the local politicians who called for the freeing of the hostages. New York residents with family members being held hostage shared their stories. “Bring them home” was chanted repeatedly throughout the program.

GO president Raymond Ashkenazie ’24 was instrumental in making sure students attended the rallies. He told The Rampage, “I feel that I have that responsibility [to encourage students to go to rallies], but I think that we all have that responsibility. We all should be talking to our friends and our classmates.”

Ashkenazie ’24 texted people individually asking them to attend and utilized social media to spread the message.

Many students attended both rallies and noted the difference between the two. Weinstock ’24 said, “The first rally gave me such a huge sense of unity within the greater Jewish community and New York City area, while the second one gave me a huge sense of unity within the Ramaz community because we all showed up on such short notice, singing and just coming together as a school.”

Regarding the UJA rally, Ashkenazie ’24 said, “Both rallies were incredibly important for us all to go to. The first rally showed me that the Jewish people are united. Regardless of whether you’re orthodox, conservative, reformed… we all came together at the brink of the terrible attacks.” The hostage rally had a different meaning for Ashkenazie ’24 who noted, “Without us it would have just been a press conference, but because we were there the news outlets reported it as a rally. It felt really special to be there specifically because there were so many local politicians there. I think it was an amazing Kiddush Hashem for us to be there and be involved.”

Activism is an integral part of Ramaz’s mission and these past two weeks have shown the lengths the students and administrators will go to facilitate it.

While the circumstances are unfortunate, the Ramaz community is banding together and staying strong during this crisis.

New Freshman Advisory System

RACHEL BULLER ’25

Every year at Ramaz brings new innovations and updates to routine. This year, the school updated the system for the freshman advisory program.

Freshman advisory is a fundamental and very important tool for the new high schoolers. Each freshman’s advisor is their “go-to person” to answer questions,

help with classes, and guide them through their first year in high school. Freshmen rely on their advisors for almost everything and as a result, the advisors should ideally have a close connection with each of their students. Freshmen need to feel comfortable CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

October 2023/Heshvan 5783 Ramaz Upper School

The Rampage New York • Volume 68 • Issue 1 • October 2023 • the-rampage.org

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Aviva Schilowitz ’24 Ashley Behm ’24 Romi Chavot ’24 Moriel Weitzner ’24 Charoltte Kleeger ’24 Sarah Silverman ’24

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Charlotte Kleeger ’24 Aviva Schilowitz ’24 Rachel Buller ’25 Grace Kollander ’25 Keren Teichner ’25 Romi Chavot ’24 Maya Puterman ’25 Moriel Weitzner ’24 Ashley Behm ’24 Sarah Silverman ’24 Orli Rabbani ’25 Gavi Sobel ’25 Sylvie Pagovich ’25 Lindsay Chuback ’25 The Rampage is the student newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School. It is published on a monthly basis. Letters to the editors may be submitted to rampage@ramaz.org. Letters must be signed and may be edited to conform to The Rampage style and format.The opinions expressed in The Rampage are of the author’s alone, and do not represent the views or opinions of Ramaz, The Rampage, or its editors.

The Rampage

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New Freshman Advisory System CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

with their advisors in order for the system to fully serve its purpose. However, according to some, the freshman advisory system was not working to its full potential. Associate principal Rabbi Kenny Schiowitz says that in the old system, “advisors would usually meet their group maybe seven times a year and the advisor doesn’t have the opportunity to get to know them that well.” Rabbi Schiowitz views this as a major problem with the old system and says that because of this, “students don’t always go to their advisors for the issues they’re having.” This was a significant issue that the administration wanted to address.

In response to this, the administration took it upon itself to create a better and more comfortable system for the freshmen. In the new advisory system, instead of having a random teacher as an advisor, freshmen will now have one of their Judaic Studies teachers as their advisor. In this setup, the advisors will be able to get to know their students in the hours spent in the classroom in addition to the few advisory meetings throughout the year, creating a stronger bond between them. Rabbi Schiowitz said, “I feel like I always knew my students better than my advisory group because I had much more contact with them and I thought that if I had the role

of advisor it would actually just deepen that relationship and make it more successful”. Based on personal experience, Rabbi Schiowitz believes that being an advisor to his students will lead to a far better advisory experience.

In theory, this idea seems very logical, however, students raised one issue when they heard this. What if the freshmen have complaints about the teacher who is their advisor?

Who should they turn to? While acknowledging that these are valid questions, Rabbi Schiowitz reassures the student body, “I think it’s a slight drawback but I think that if you want to, there’s always someone else you can go to to navigate that, and I think that the benefits outweigh that one thing… and I think most of what an advisor does is not just to get you out of a class where you don’t like the teacher but it’s just like general guidance.” According to Rabbi Schiowitz, the potential benefits of this new system far outweigh the negatives. He also said that the new setup is experimental as this is the first year Ramaz has implemented it. The administration is confident and hopeful that this new system will greatly improve freshman advisory.

Ramaz Reacts to Hamas Terrorism In Israel

AVIVA SCHILOWITZ ‘24

On October 7, 2023, Shemini Atzeret Hamas invaded Israel, killing over a thousand people and taking an estimated two hundred hostages.

Israel responded by declaring war. Unsurprisingly, Ramaz did not remain silent, and sprang into action almost immediately, consistent with support for the State of Israel being a central aspect of Ramaz’s mission statement, and a critical value for Ramaz as an institution and the faculty and students who walk its hallways. Seemingly everyone in the school knows someone impacted.

Two hours after Simchat Torah ended in the United States, Rabbi Schiowitz posted a message to Schoology informing the school that the situation would be discussed with the entire school the next morning at davening.

That Monday morning, October 9, students and faculty gathered for an all-school shacharit davening, followed by remarks of Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Senior Rabbi of Kehilath Jeshurun, followed by Tehillim for the injured and missing. First period was canceled to accommodate the proceedings. Rabbi Schiowitz said that canceling a period was necessary to make the program meaningful.

Regular Shacharit returned later in the week, but all-school mincha continued. The school utilized these all-school mincha gatherings as an opportunity to announce upcoming Israel-related events and have speakers speak about the on-going situation in Israel. Speakers have included alumni Rebbeca Kalimi ’23 and Eliza Binstock ’23, current students Noya Mishagi ‘24 and Liam Gomberg ’24, Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, Eurovision third place

winner Noa Kirel, and many Ramaz faculty.

Asked why all-school shacharit was discontinued while all-school mincha continued, Rabbi Schiowitz said that “everyone was really serious the first couple of days of the full school shacharit, but I felt like it was going to start to just become a little bit more chaotic and also draw people out of the routine. In the middle of the week, we shifted gears and we said we’ll go back to their regular minyans, a little normalcy, a little bit easier to manage.

Everyone’s doing their routine and doing their own nusach. Then the mincha became an opportunity to bring everyone together.”

True to Ramaz’s long history of political activism, including being a prominent voice for Russian Jews in the 1970s and 1980s, the school has also been a constant presence at local rallies on behalf of Israel. Rabbi Haskel Lookstein spoke to the entire Upper School about this history and encouraged every student to stand up against antisemitism by coming to a rally organized by the UJA on October 10 at the UN. The UJA rally was not the only rally Ramaz students were encouraged to attend. Ramaz students also attended another, smaller UJA-organized rally on October 18. The second rally was smaller than the first, with more than half the rally attendees being Ramaz students and parents. There was also another rally at the UN on October 20, which Ramaz students not only attended but helped set up.

Beyond these Ramaz initiatives involving tefilah and activism, many Ramaz Upper School

students started their own chesed initiatives in support of Israel. Ramaz’s weekly challah bake proceeds went to different funds to help IDF soldiers for the two weeks after the initial attack. Every challah had a soldier’s name pasted on its wrapper.

Students have also organized and run a number of fundraising drives, supported by the administration, including for supplies for soldiers, and toys for families of victims.

The future of this war is still unknown but Ramaz administrators expressed their intention to continue to engage in activism and chesed to help.

When asked about the future of programming regarding Israel Rabbi Schiowitz responded, “I don’t know the full answer.

I definitely feel I’ve definitely been trying to keep a balance of not being afraid to cancel class for something important, but not feeling chaotic.We canceled a class on Monday. We canceled a class on Tuesday. We’re trying to be a little bit grade specific sometimes. In other words, not everything has to be for everybody.”

Ultimately, Rabbi Schiowitz thinks it’s important for the school not to lose focus on the situation. “I really was motivated by what Rabbi [Haskel] Lookstein said, that you have to maintain your focus even after everyone gets fatigued and they’re not thinking about it anymore. I don’t want to be like, ‘Okay, now we’re back to normal.’ But there’s also a focus within a sense of normalcy,“ he said.

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The Rampage

October 2023/Heshvan 5783

Gap Year Impacted by War

Rabbi Josh Lookstein ‘88, Associate Head of School, vists Ramaz Alum in Israel MORIEL WEITZNER ’24 AND ROMI CHAOVAT ’24

On October 19th, the Ramaz Upper School building saw a flood of returning alumni from the 2023 graduating grade. Some of these returning alumni were students who had their bags packed, plane tickets secured, and plans in place for their gap years but were advised to remain in the United States following the war in Israel. Also among the returning class were students who had already been in Israel when the war started and had returned home.

Brayden Kohler ‘23, one of the students who chose to return from his Yeshiva amidst the war, began studying at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem in mid-August and planned to return in June.

Although currently in New York, Kolder ‘23 can still have the yeshiva experience from his home. He listens to recordings of his shiurim and video chats with his night chavrusa to continue learning even when physically separated.

When asked about his decision to return to the U.S., Kohler ‘23 expressed his initial opposition to the idea, stating that he “felt very guilty leaving, even if I’m not serving in the army.”

The turning point in his decision was his father’s adamant concern for his safety. As many others feel, the uncertainty of their families is always on their mind. Although Kohler ‘23 was living in Jerusalem, a relatively safe area at the moment, his father urged him to return to New York because, as Kohler ‘23 put it, “The situation, even in Jerusalem, can go from calm to a storm in less than one day.”

With the future uncertain and a return date out of sight, Kohler ‘23 plans to continue his Talmudic studies online and work on personal coding projects as he waits to return to Yeshivat HaKotel.

While he plans to devote a lot of time to his projects, Kolder ‘23 stated, “G-d willing, I will be back in yeshiva before I finish any of them,” expressing his hope that the war will end as soon as possible.

Unlike Kohler ‘23, Mikaila Badner ‘23 had yet to leave the U.S. when changes were made to her gap year program. Badner ‘23 was supposed to leave for Bar Illan in Ramat Gan on October 10th, but is now taking classes exclusively on Zoom until November 6th. “I basically have a mix of Judaic and

secular classes every day,” she said. But because of the online component, Badner ‘23 lacks the motivation to participate. “I haven’t really been going. It’s hard to just sit at your desk with a bunch of people you don’t know for hours on end.”

“It stinks having Israel postponed,” Badner ‘23 said. “Most of my friends who took gap years were at least able to go for a month or two, but I haven’t been able to go at all.” After four years of a rigorous dual curriculamat Ramaz, many graduates opt to take a gap year for the excitement and opportunities for relaxation and spiritual-growth.

The effects of the war in Israel are proving to be drastically far-reaching. It’s uncertain what the future of Yeshivat HaKotel, Bar Illan, and other schools and programs will look like this year, but at this stage, Badner ‘23 doesn’t have any new plans.

Graduates whose gap years are being affected by the war may choose to postpone their college experience for another year, and some may disregard their plans entirely and attempt to start college.

October 13th, The Day of Rage

SARAH SILVERMAN ’24

Walking into school on October 13th, an emptiness permeated the halls. It wasn’t the day before vacation, or a national holiday, but there was something different about the atmosphere. It is an understatement to say that the last few weeks at Ramaz have been eventful.

As shown by the abundance of Schoology posts detailing Chesed initiatives and rallies, the student body has been unified to support Israel during this time of crisis.

But with this advocacy comes increased security and the spreading of inaccurate/vague information.

According to many Hamas-supporting social media pages, October 13th was supposed to be a day of hatred/violence against American Jews. An Instagram post was sent around grade group chats, spreading fear throughout the student body. Manychose not to come to school because of this uncertainty.

"I decided not to come because I felt very unsafe.

I was also scared because on social media, people kept posting it. I know the school had protection and that it was fine, but a part of me was nervous," says Rose Nakash '24, who missed her Blood Guts and Judaism exam on Friday and took a makeup exam along with over a hun-

dred other students Wednesday after school.

Although taken after school, any exams missed due to fear surrounding the “day of hate” will not count as true makeups. According to Rabbi Schiowitz, the school understands and respects individual families' safety concerns and did not want to penalize students who were worried. However, the Ramaz administration decided that they would not be closing school or rescheduling exams (which would inconvenience students who chose to come) due to this fear.

"Ramaz consulted with police and was advised it was safe to be open. Ramaz feels that we need to have objective standards to determine whether we close, and not just whenever people start feeling nervous, because then there is really no way of making a definition of when it is unsafe to be open. There was no credible threat to dictate that we should be closed," said Rabbi Schiowitz Student body president Raymond Ashkenazie echoed this statement: "On Thursday night, so many students were reaching out to me saying, ‘Is it possible for school and the test to be canceled tomorrow? We are very afraid and don't want to go to school.’ Due to no official

threat the police or FBI knew of, the administration and I concluded the importance of coming on Friday. Something Mr. Cannon said that I shared with the student body and found particularly meaningful, is that if we don't show up to school, we are essentially letting Hamas win by allowing them to dictate when we open and close school. Imagine if we were unable to come together, at the end of the day Kumzitiz, pouring out our hearts to Hashem because Hamas said we shouldn't. I am really not just proud of how all the student body has reacted to this devastating news over the last two weeks, but how we showed up and will continue to show up with our support of Israel."

With the addition of two security guards, as well as a police car stationed outside the building for the time being, the Ramaz administration stands by its philosophy that Jews should not allow fear of antisemitism to dictate their life decisions while also acknowledging the ever-present security risk presented by the current situation.

October 2023/Heshvan 5783

The Rampage

Get To Know Ms. Wapner KT: Where are you from? What school did you go to?

Ms. Wapner: I grew up in Toronto, Canada and I went to Ulpanat Orot which is the girls branch of Bnei Akiva schools, the yeshiva high school in Toronto.

KT: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Ms. Wapner: In my free time I love hosting Shabbos meals, I love listening to music, I like movies, I really like traveling, I did some cool trips this past summer.

I went to Europe a couple of times. I read, I like cooking, but I would say my number one hobby is hosting Shabbos meals.

KT: What is your favorite book and/or movie?

Ms. Wapner: I’ll give a book and a movie, this is hard, I love Hemingway so it’s got to be For Whom the Bell Tolls, no I change my mind A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway A Farewell to Arms is my favorite book, and my favorite movie is probably Rushmore, it’s a Wes Anderson movie.

KEREN TEICHNER ’25

KT: If you could go any place in the world where would you go and why?

Ms. Wapner: I haven’t been to Italy. I really want to go to Italy, I want to explore Jewish history, I want to eat amazing food, it’s been on my list.

KT: What were your favorite and least favorite sub-

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jects in high school?

Ms. Wapner: In high school my least favorite subject was math, and I failed 11th grade math so you too can fail 11th grade math and teach at Ramaz. My favorite subject was history and now I teach JLT and I teach history and I love the interconnection of judaic studies and history.

KT: What is your favorite thing about Ramaz so far?

Ms. Wapner: My favorite thing about Ramaz so far is the community. The community of faculty, parents, and students have been very welcoming, I feel right at home. There has been a lot that has to be done in the first month of school but I just feel like everyone has been very warm and very welcoming and I feel that as a new faculty that feels really great.

KT: What are you most excited for about Ramaz?

Ms. Wapner: I am excited to build relationships with students, I am excited to help mentor students, I am excited to write letters of recommendation for students. I am excited to get to the end of the year and look back and see how you start off the year as total strangers and by the end of the year you have really developed different kinds of relationships with different kinds of students which I think is a wonderful thing.

Get To Know Ms. Yaday LC: Tell me a little bit more about your life before you came to teach here HY: I came here to teach at Ramaz, before I was a Tanach and English teacher at a high school in Jerusalem, and I was also teaching at a seminary called TVA. I did that for six years so I had my fair share of speaking English before I came here.

LINDSAY CHUBAK ’25

being a teacher.

LC: Is there anything about this year you’re particularly excited or nervous for?

HY: Well, since I’ve only been here for a month, everything is still exciting. I’m really excited about how hands-on my students are, how much they want to engage and share their thoughts, which I find the best LC: What drew you to come to teach at Ramaz? way to have a class, not just the teacher telling you evHY: It started with me wanting to do Shlichut, a teach- erything. The students are probably the best part of ing shlichut. I wanted to challenge myself and expand my year so far. my experience as a teacher.I talked to the WZO and they asked what do you want and they suggested Ra- LC: If you had a day where you didn’t have to teach maz. A friend of mine taught here 8 years ago and and you could do anything you wanted to, what would when I told her they suggested it, she said it was great you do? and that I should definitely go there. So I thought ‘OK HY: I want to see America. I want to see nature, but if if I was going anywhere, it should probably be New I only had one day and couldn’t go too far, I would go York, and what better place to be than Ramaz’? to Broadway. I want to see all the musicals I can this year. I want to see Hamilton the most.

LC: What made you decide to become a teacher?

HY: I think it’s one of those things where you don’t LC: Is there a fun fact about you that you want your choose your profession, your profession chose you. students to know?

I couldn’t do anything better than being a teacher. I HY: I love chocolate, or what you guys would call tried for a short and hated it. I can’t sit in an office, or dark chocolate. I can’t handle how sweet everything send emails all day. I need interactions with people, in America is, so I’m on the hunt for my favorite chocand people being excited about biblical texts and jew- olate from Israel ish thought, and there’s no better way to do that than

Get To Know Ms. Frank

ASHLEY BEHM ‘24

Ms. Yael Frank is officially joining the Upper School fac- studio art and fine arts. ulty after directing The Addams Family last spring and will be leading the performing arts programs at Ramaz! AB-Did you study theater at all?

YF-Although I never studied theater formally, I did theAB-How long have you been involved with Ramaz? ater in high school and college as an actor. I use what I YF-I have been involved with communications since learned during my time as an actor while working as the last September and have been with the Upper School creative director of the play. since August.

AB-How did you become the yearbook advisor?

AB-What roles are you taking on at the Upper School? YF-I have a previous background in graphic design, and YF-I am directing the plays, I am the advisor for the the school wanted me to use those skills to help make yearbook, and I teach the theater elective. I also do some this year’s yearbook. graphic design stuff for the school.

AB-What are you most excited about for this upcoming AB-What did you study in college? school year?

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 YF-I went to school for art. I graduated with a degree in

October 2023/Heshvan 5783

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Get To Know Ms. Frank CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

YF-Definitely the shows!!! We are going to do Shrek in December and a regular play in the spring. It is not going to be a serious play; it just means a non-musical, but it will be fun and funny. I only do comedies and fun shows.

AB-What is your favorite musical?

YF-Chicago!!!

AB-What do you hope to accomplish with the performing arts this year?

YF-I want to make the performing arts a more consistent program at Ramaz. I want people to be excited about the performing arts and for it to be fun. There are a lot of really cool shows that are serious, but what I want to accomplish and what the environment needs is fun, funny, exciting, and colorful extravagant shows.

Get To Know Ms. Ohayon GK: Hi! How was your first week at Ramaz?

RO: It was busy. I was a little nervous, but I feel better now.

GK: What grades do you teach?

RO: I teach 10th and 11th grade.

GK: What are your goals for your students?

RO: I hope that they will enjoy learning (and speaking) Hebrew and that they get to learn about Israeli history and culture.

GRACE KOLLANDER ’25

GK: Why did you move to the U.S.?

RO: I moved here because I have always loved living in NYC, a city that is diverse and culturally rich. I also think it is a life-changing experience for my 12-year-old daughter to live in the city.

GK: What are some fun facts about you?

RO: I was in the army for two years; I worked in reserves to make sure that we were prepared to prevent anything from happening. I also got my license when I was 31 years old. I went to a women’s college in Massachusetts. I started college at 26.

GK: What do you like most about teaching?

RO: I love meeting students, getting to know them, and talking with them. I like interacting with the students.

GK: What are you most excited about for this year?

RO: I am most excited about getting to know my students GK: What did you do before Ramaz? and teaching them about Israel and Israeli culture, as well RO: I was a teacher in Israel. I moved here just 3 weeks as teaching them Hebrew, of course. I am also excited to ago. explore NYC!

Get To Know Sr. Fernandez Maya Puterman: Where are you from?

Sr. Fernandez: I was born in Venezuela and was raised between Venezuela and Spain, because my mother is from Spain and my father is from Portugal.

MAYA PUTERMAN’25

at Ramaz is very well known. I am so honored to get to work under the umbrella of Dr. Roldan.

MP: What are some of the goals you have for your students?

MP: Why did you decide to become a teacher?

CF: I want my students to do well in my class and to have CF: When I finished high school, I got my degree in hotel fun. Communicating with my students is very important. management, where I got to explore the different dialects of Spanish. It opened the window for me to start teach- MP: Do you speak any other languages? ing Spanish. When I came to New York 25 years ago, I CF: I speak Portuguese, Spanish, and I understand Italian. saw how important speaking Spanish was in the country, and decided to get a B.A. in Spanish Literature at Hunter MP: What is one of your favorite parts about living in College.

NYC? CF: Central Park!

MP: Why is the ability to speak Spanish important?

CF: Having another language is important in any career. MP: What do you like doing in your free time?

Spanish speakers are always needed at companies.

CF: I enjoy outdoor activities like walking, running, and doing yoga.

MP: Why did you decide to work at Ramaz?

CF: I live in the community and the language department

Get To Know Mr. Ginsburg

MAYA PUTERMAN’25

Maya Puterman: Where are you from? wanted to give back.

Mr. Ginsburg: I am originally from Silver Spring Maryland.

MP: What did you before coming to Ramaz MP: What inspired you to learn how to code?

DG: I was working at Amazon as a software developer.

DG: I was always a math-guy and more of a logic person and saw computer science as a really cool cross qualifica- MP: What was it like to work at Amazon? tion of math. In 10th grade, I took an AP computer science DG: It was a nice experience but I didn’t find it as fulfillclass with professor Broder, who is now the head of com- ing as I would have liked. We worked remote and very ofputer science at Stern. ten you would be coding at home all day and occasionally speak to a coworker.

MP: Why did you decide to become a coding teacher?

DG: I was interested in the math and math coding field. MP: What classes are you teaching at Ramaz?

What motivated me was that students are often taught to DG: I teach four 9th grade tech classes, one 10th grade almemorize things and not understand. I wanted to under- gebra 2 class, and two 11th grade Python classes. stand how things worked and I wanted other people to unCONTINUED ON PAGE 5 derstand as well. I decided to shift into teaching because I

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MP: What was the first programming language you learned? How many languages do you know? And which is your favorite?

DG: The first programming language I learned was Java in 10th grade AP computer science and at YU. My favorite is Python. I’ve had some experience with Javascript, C, C++, HTML, CSS, and database languages like SQL.

MP: What are some of your favorite coding projects you have worked on?

DG: I made a simulation for a game of War. I thought of a strategy for War and I wanted to test it out. I found some code online, messed around with it, and I was able to test my strategy. I ran it and found out that my strategy has a 66% win rate. I also created an app that told you the time in base 30.

MP: How do you remember all these languages?

DG: Understand the fundamentals of each language, and when you need a refresher, read through some lines of MP: What’s a fun fact about yourself? code.

DG: I’ve been skydiving with my grandmother.

Get To Know Dr. Lekht Gianna Goldfarb: So, where are you from?

Dr. Naya Lekht: I was born in the former Soviet Union, in what is now Ukraine. When we immigrated to America, we came to Los Angeles. I have called California home for many years. This is my first year as a Manhattan resident.

G.G: Were you a good student in High School? What were your favorite and least favorite subjects?

N.L:I was not the best student in High School mainly because my parents wanted me to take AP math and AP science classes, but my heart was always in the Humanities.

My favorite subjects were English, Journalism, and Art.

GIANNA GOLDFARB ‘25

G.G:Why did you want to return to High School/Academia? Why become a teacher?

N.L:I absolutely love to connect with people over ideas. I also believe that a classroom is a laboratory where I can take pedagogical risks; I view my students as being in partnership with me. In other words, teaching is about community—a community centered on ideas and intellectual growth. I have always wanted to teach. Maybe because I am a Levite?

G.G:Why are you passionate about English? What did you study in college?

N.L:I studied Modern Literary Studies in college and fell in love with Russian Literature, so much so that I decided to study the great Russian literary classics in graduate school.

I am passionate about World Literature because literature is the ultimate gateway to the human heart and mind.

G.G:Do you have any special talents or hobbies? Any fun facts?

N.L:I love to paint and take photos. In my free time, I also write fiction and educate the Jewish community on an-

tisemitism. In addition to my passion for teaching literature, my equal calling in life is to empower the Jewish community to be knowledgeable advocates for themselves and the Jewish people.

G.G:Where did you work before Ramaz?

N.L:I taught at UCLA and Cal State Long Beach.

G.G: Do you have a favorite book or movie?

N.L:My favorite book is Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy, and my favorite movie changes over time. Currently, my favorite movie is Zelig by Woody Allen.

G.G:What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

N.L:I like going to cafes and writing, spending time with my son, and going to museums and parks.

G.G:What advice do you have with kids who struggle with English?

N.L:Most people do not know this about me, but because English was not my first language in elementary and middle school, I struggled with writing. I did not let this dissuade me and pursued my love for writing by reading. With English, it is quite simple: the more you read, the better you will write.

G.G:What classes/courses are you teaching this year?

N.L:I teach ninth-grade fundamentals, 10th-grade English, 10th-grade Literary Seminar, and an elective for the Seniors on Propaganda and Russian Literature.

G.G:Is there anything you would like students to know about you?

N.L:I speak Russian and Hebrew and love to sing Yiddish songs.

Get To Know Ms. Samantha Milowitz Gavi Sobel: Tell me what it’s like working with your father, Dr. Milowitz.

Ms. Samantha Milowitz: It’s enjoyable working with him. I used to visit Ramaz a lot when I was little and a lot of my babysitters were from Ramaz, so it feels a little full circle.

GAVI SOBEL ‘25

buddy to take them around school, and that’s always a great time. I’m also in charge of helping coordinate some of our videos and tours.

GS: What do you do the rest of the year?

SM: For the rest of the year, I prepare for the next year and GS: What school did you go to? do a lot of [Ramaz] swag. Once we have a lot of our 9thSM: I went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School, but I went grade class, I’ll come up with some swag for the incoming to Camp Ramah Nyack where there were a lot of Ramaz 9th-graders so they can feel a part of the Ramaz commustudents. nity. Then, I’ll review our admissions season to see what worked and what didn’t, how many kids we managed to GS: How did the Ramaz students interact with you? get in and how many we didn’t, and review some of the SM: They would talk about my dad a lot, whether that feedback that parents left. would be if they got a good grade in his class or if they didn’t get a good grade, but they all loved his class.

GS: Why did you choose this job?

SM: I worked in the entertainment industry for a little bit GS: Tell me a bit more about your job here. as a production assistant, and then I was an assistant to a SM: I am the Associate Director of Admissions. Basically, talent manager, but it wasn’t the most fulfilling job and I I help oversee the admissions process of getting 8th grad- felt it was a little bit isolating. I missed being around peoers and transfer students into Ramaz. I help organize our ple. I used to work at Camp Ramah Nyack as a counselor, Open House events and other little events that we have to and I loved that job––it was probably my favorite job I’ve recruit students, such as the interviews and our half-day ever done. I love working with kids and went to pub CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 visits where we partner an 8th grader up with a 9th-grade

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and welcoming. All of the teachers are really easy to work -lic school, so I didn’t get the yeshiva experience. When I with, and I get to work with them a fair amount for the found out about this job, I liked the idea of working with Open House. All of the students are really helpful too–– people again; working in a school, there are people every- they come by and want to help out with things all the time. where and always coming into your office to discuss things.

I really felt like I understood Ramaz from an outsider’s per- GS: Who is your favorite teacher? spective––a more unique perspective––so I’m in a position SM: I haven’t gotten to work with too many teachers yet. where I understand that I didn’t go to Ramaz, but I wanted I know a lot of the teachers because of my dad, but on the to go to Ramaz a little bit when I was growing up, so I have first day, I got to observe some classes that I had to film for a mentality that I think is good for this position. our videos and Mr. Deutsch is always a favorite. I love the way he teaches, so maybe he [is my favorite] besides my GS: As a production assistant, did you work on any major dad. productions?

SM: I was a production assistant on The Blacklist. I was GS: What is one thing you want to change about Ramaz? a Unit PA, which meant that I was a production assistant SM: One thing I want to change about Ramaz would be to for the locations team, so I had to drive everywhere at like have more students come from public schools who want to 3 a.m. I drove a cargo van all over New York, helped prep learn more about Hebrew and other Jewish subjects. locations for shooting, and would be the first one there and the last one to leave.

GS: What is your favorite place to eat outside of Ramaz?

SM: When I was younger, I loved to eat at Bagels & Co. GS: What’s your favorite part about working for Ramaz? because it was right next to my high school and they had SM: My favorite part about working here is the people. Ev- everything there. And of course, Saba’s Pizza as well. erything is really exciting all the time and everybody is nice

Get To Know Dr. Cervantes Sylvie Pagovich: Where are you from?

Dr. Gabriel Cervantes: I grew up in Jackson Heights in Queens.

when I got to school and they forced me to read, I would like it less. But if something interested me, I was very passionate about reading and thinking about it.

SP: What did you do before coming to teach at Ramaz?

GC: I was teaching. I was working at the University of Glasgow School of Education in the children’s literature and literacies program.

SP: What’s your favorite book?

GC: I don’t have a favorite book, but a couple of books that I really like are Moby Dick, 10th of January by George Saunders, and a book of poetry, The Woman Who Fell from the Sky by Joy Harjo.

SP: Why did you want to become a teacher? Why English?

GC: When I read Charles Dickens’s novel, Tale of Two Cities, I was very emotionally affected and wanted to find out how that happened. It’s been my constant effort to try and understand how literature can have so much power to affect people. And along the way, I learned a lot of other things, but I guess that was the main reason why I got into and have stayed with the study of literature, which is my own personal investment.

SP: What would you do on a day off?

GC: I have two little kids. They’re three and five, a son and a daughter. When I have a day off, I would like to take them for a hike in the woods, look at frogs, poke things with sticks, find mushrooms, observe what’s going on in the in the natural world around us, teach them what I know, and learn about all the stuff I don’t know because there’s so much to discover.

SP: How long have you been teaching?

GC: My first class was in 1998 at the University of Illinois, so that would be 25 years.

SYLVIE PAGOVICH ’25

SP: What’s your favorite part about being a teacher?

GC: My favorite part [about being a teacher] is helping students learn and watching light bulbs go on. When I’m in a class and whatever it is that’s happening works really well–– SP: Did you like English growing up? and I can see that everybody in the room leaves a little bit GC: My first language is Spanish, but my first language that smarter and more engaged than they were when they walked I started to learn in school was English. When I was a kid, I in––that’s my favorite part. loved to read––I would read my books a billion times, and

Get To Know Dr. Lerer

SYLVIE PAGOVICH ’25

Sylvie Pagovich: Where are you from? teacher, though I always knew I’d love a job where I could Dr. Lerer: I grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut. I’ve read, write, and talk about history, politics, and social issues been living in New York for about a decade now. with other people. I became passionate about teaching in graduate school. Doctoral research can be solitary work and SP: What did you do before coming to teach at Ramaz?

I was attracted to the dynamism of the classroom and the DL : For the last several years, I’ve been in graduate school at exciting discussions with my students. As for history, it’s alColumbia University, where I’ve been teaching undergrad- ways been my favorite subject. Even for students who prefer uate students and finishing my dissertation. Before that, I other subjects, I’ve found that there are ways to connect their worked at a foundation that studies economic policy. interests to historical questions and themes. Everything has a history! I also firmly believe that the critical thinking, SP: Did you like history growing up? reading, and writing skills one gets in a history class can be DL: I loved learning about history as a kid. I remember that really useful for anybody, regardless of their academic intermy older brother had a bunch of books about the Ameri- ests and professional goals. can Civil War, which fascinated me. As I got older, I became interested in learning more about my family’s history. My SP: How long have you been teaching for? paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors, and my DL: I’ve been teaching since 2017, first as a teaching assistant maternal grandfather served in the U.S. Navy during World for courses in European and American history and then as a War II. I’ve always been interested in exploring how person- teacher of a “great books” course. al experiences, like my own family’s, intersect with big historical events and trends.

SP: What would you do on a day off? What are your hobbies?

DL: I’d probably play some guitar, go for a run, bake some SP: What made you want to become a teacher? Why history? cookies, and then settle in with a good book.

DL: When I was younger, I never envisioned becoming a