Basketball Takes Toronto Page 16
Upcoming Sports Games! Page 15
The Chess Nerds Page 3
Parents Get Schooled Page 5
Guess this issue’s Mystery Face Page 10
the rampage Volume XXXIV Number 3
The Ramaz Upper School
December 2008/Kislev 5769 Ramaz Rocks Early Decision Ellery Kauvar ‘09
Photo by Melanie Gersten ‘09 The chemical mishap at Ramaz on Wednesday, November 26th forced everyone outside for nearly an hour as several crews inspected the smoldering potassium. Article on Page 2
Ellery Kauvar ‘09 The recession that has destroyed multi-billion dollar companies and crippled the American auto industry has begun to affect Ramaz in significant ways. New spending has been halted, most notably on the proposed new lower school, a multi-million project that was abruptly cancelled this past September. Furthermore, The New York Times reported that Ramaz lost an additional $6 million in investments with Bernard Madoff, the alleged Wall Street defrauder. While Rabbi Lookstein insisted that “We’ll be able to continue functioning normally,” there have been clear repercussions. On September 29th, just as the financial crisis was beginning, Ramaz announced that they would be cancelling plans for a new $60 million Lower School, instead opting to renovate for less than half the cost. “Even though significant funds have already been raised. It was felt that launching a community-wide building fund campaign at this particular time did not take into consideration sufficiently the overall needs of the community,” said Ms. Fagin, the Head of School.
Recession Hits Ramaz While there have been almost no changes on a dayto-day basis, there is increased scrutiny into projects and Shabbatonim and Chaggigot. “We are looking much more carefully now,” said Mr. Miller. “The eighth grade Israel trip was just canceled.”
the Israel portion of the trip has been dropped due to financial constraints. “I have been working on the numbers since August, and only now do we have a clearer picture on what the cost will be,” said Rabbi Goldmintz, who is in charge of the trip.
Ramaz’s new scholarship program offered 14 students grants last year, 12 of whom are in Ramaz. “There will probably be fewer students receiving scholarships. We’ll have to look carefully at the budget,” said Mr. Miller. Another important program has been severely curtailed: There will still be a Poland trip, despite numerous rumors that it would be cancelled, yet
Many students say that the lack of an Israel component has made them much more unsure about whether they would go. “It was a really tough decision,” said Rabbi Goldmintz. “We made a number of tough decisions like moving it to March, which is more off-season than May. The quotes we got were still astronomically higher,
especially with the Israel component. We decided to go only to Poland to maximize the number of students who could go.” There is also a doubt about the senior and school-wide Shabbatonim, which are costly endeavors. “The place we used last year for the senior Shabbaton had a great atmosphere,” said Dr. Warshall, the senior grade coordinator, “but it was very expensive. It’s going to be a challenge to find a habitable place that doesn’t cost too much.” The Senior Day Out, which was suspended until after the break, was ice-skating. The original plan was to go to the circus or a Broadway production. However, it would have cost over $45 a person, whereas ice-skating is only $15 per person. “It’s a real challenge coming up with fun, interesting activities that meet the new monetary constraints,” said Dr. Warshall. Mr. Miller insists that no expense will be spared for education and the quality of a Ramaz education will not be diminished.
Early decisions are in and Ramaz is up. As the final letters are still being mailed out, it is clear that this year might be the best one on record. While no official tallies have been completed by the college office, it seems that there were a record number of early applicants and acceptances. “This year we had a few more students apply early and a higher percentage admitted,” said Mr. Blumenthal, one of the Ramaz college advisors. Eight out of 13 students were accepted at Penn, while six out of 10 were admitted to Columbia with no outright rejections. Seniors have also been accepted to schools such as Dartmouth, Vassar, NYU, Michigan, Northwestern and Yale. “I think our grade is extremely competent and is more focused on schoolwork than previous grades,” said Dara Marans ’09. “I wouldn’t say the success of the senior grade is necessarily based on a greater intelligence than in past years nor is it due to a larger class size,” said Mr. Blumenthal. “The most important factor was the high number of appropriate early applications, with very few reaches.” The college office insists that these schools do not have quotas for Ramaz students, and that sometimes students are just unlucky. “It’s not a precise science,” said Mr. Blumenthal. “Sometimes an application just resonates with an admissions officer and sometimes it doesn’t. However, not being accepted does not mean the student was not qualified and cannot get into a comparable school.” Additionally, there is a general trend during economic recessions that the number of early decision applications at private schools goes down, while state schools get a tremendous boost. Many students at Ramaz are able to pay tuition, a factor at some colleges, such as Washington University, which is not “needblind.”
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The RamPage News
December 2008/Kislev 5769
Lice Give Administration a Headache Licole Paroly ‘10
On Thursday, November 20th the Ramaz High School was invaded. Rumors spread quickly through the building,
bringing word of an epidemic so terrifying that before three classes were over many girls in the building had their hair pinned up or wrapped in a scarf or jacket. Lice. The line that formed outside of room 201, the temporary premises for The Lice Checkers, filled the entire second floor corridor and crowded towards the safehaven of the lice-free zone behind the wooden doors. “It was crazy,” said Olivia Oshry ‘09. The terror continued into Friday’s classes, with announcements over the loudspeakers providing frequent interruptions of the daily routine by calling
someone to the nurse’s office for a head check. Everywhere, students flinched away from the horror of small insects creating a home and family amongst the hair follicles on their heads. Ramaz has never experienced an outbreak of this magnitude before. When two students were discovered with cases of head lice, the school called in a company to inspect the entire school population. “We found two cases and now we’re checking everyone,” said Diane Lewis, of Lice Enders. “It could spread from traveling, or sleepovers, sharing hat.” To contain the outbreak, every student was subjected to a head-check, and before half
the school was inspected eight cases were discovered. In total, 13 students were found with lice. “We check some schools three times a year. It’s a very good idea,” said Diane Lewis. However, the administration does not plan to institute new precautions against outbreaks. “We just have to be vigilant and any time we hear of one instance we have to make sure its contained and not spreading,” said Mr. Miller. “I don’t think we can really prevent anything. If we’re vigilant and thorough we can make sure it doesn’t spread.” As it is possible to have lice for up to a month before you begin to notice the symptoms, it is difficult to prevent multiple
outbreaks where there is just one case. Before someone even thinks there might be a problem, the lice may already have spread. Therefore, all of the people who are walking around the building scratching frantically at their scalps, they’re probably hallucinating, imagining the tiny creatures stomping around in their hair. Ramaz’s first major experience with lice is likely to leave a scar on the student psyche. In the corridors and the classrooms, students are covering up their hair and shielding themselves from the terror of a personal lice infestation. Headbands are out; babushkas are in.
Fire Fire Play’s on Fire Sandra Rubinchik ‘09 On Wednesday, November 26th, when freshmen and sophomores were in their afternoon classes, and juniors and seniors were watching the final performance of the school production of Anything Goes, the fire alarm rang. The upperclassmen looked around in confusion, wondering if the bell was part of the play, while the underclassmen trudged downstairs quickly, thinking the alarm was another drill in the long series that week. Students, faculty, staff and guests who’d arrived to see the play were all ushered out of the building where they were met by firefighters and trucks. Everyone was told to leave 78th Street and to line up on either Park or Madison Avenues as firefighters taped off the street. “This just added to the excitement of the play,” said Hannah Eidman ’09, as she looked over at the scene unfolding in front of the school building. “I want to finish the play really badly, and I want to take my final bow,” said a still incostume Sophie Lee Landau ’11. “We were in the lab and Ms. Conte cut up the potassium. During the experiment, it started sparking and it sort of went on fire,” said a sophomore in the class. “Mr. Holzinger and Ms. Fung came in with a fire extinguisher, and then we all left.” In his e-mail, Mr. Miller explained that once the school was notified of the situation in the lab, “we contacted our chemical supplier who advised us to inform the fire department of the occurrence.” When the fire department arrived, they directed that the school be
evacuated “until a unit could arrive to assess the situation.” “There was a spill of potassium, about 10 to 20 grams, and they were scared that there would be more of a reaction than there was. There was some reaction. We came in and took a look,” said Deputy Donahue as students returned to the building to retrieve their belongings and begin their long weekend. “It was in the lab, under the hood, and presented no major danger which is why you guys (students and faculty) are being let back in.” Lieutenant Louis Cook, a paramedic with the hazard control unit explained, “Potassium, as you know, is a natural element that will react, and unfortunately the fumes can become harmful to humans. In this situation everything was under control and everyone is fine.” “They wanted to test us to make sure we were okay,” said Meryl Fontek ’11 who was in the chemistry class. She, her classmates, and Ms. Conte were taken aside and examined by the hazard control unit. “They just asked us questions.” “I’m actually not wearing shoes,” said Ethan Fuld ’12, who played a recovering sinner in the play and who stood on Park Avenue trying to avoid a few large puddles.
THE RAMPAGE
THE RAMPAGE
Editors-in-Chief
The RamPage is the publication of the Ramaz Upper School
David Baruch Ellery Kauvar Aaron Wilson
Associate Editor Hannah Rubin
Copy Editor
Photography Editor
Sandra Rubinchik
Melanie Gersten
Senior Staff Caroline Alexander, Jason Edelman, Alexandra Gurvitch Miriam Olenick, Natalie Stein
Faculty Advisor Dr. Steven Milowitz
RamPage Staff
The RamPage meets in Room 604 every Thursday niight at 5:00. New members are welcome and encouraged to join. Email us as RamPage@ ramaz.org to write a Letter to the Editors The RamPage comes out once a month. Individual opinions do not reflect the views of the paper itself.
December 2008/Kislev 5769
The One...The Only... Dr. Koplon
The RamPage Features
Page 3
Revenge of the [Chess] Nerds Katie Wachsberger ‘10
Photo by Melanie Gersten ‘09 Ellery Kauvar ‘09 There is scarcely a minute that goes by in which the office across the hall from the Israel Guidance office isn’t full of students from all grades. Dr. Koplon, the head of the math department, has “guests” standing around her desk during any free period she has and before davening, not only asking math questions, but talking about life in general. “Last year, when I switched to a fourth floor office, I had a few students who would pop in to say hi or ask a mathrelated question,” said Dr. Koplon. “But this year, there are kids in my office at all hours of the school day.” Dr. Koplon has quickly become a cult-figure, gaining the honorific title “mom” from her senior BC Calculus class. “They all come to me with Sandra Rubinchik ‘09 Nearly Headless Slomnicholas strolled down the Shlamaz
hallways, wondering what magical lunch would be served later in the day. In an effort to make the best of his time, he resolved to study some Torah, so he took the elevator from the third floor down to the second. Gliding towards Room 201, he noted a peculiar sight and an intolerable pain in his ears. Ninth year girls from all corners of the building stood in front of the double doors, touching their hair more than usual and screaming at the tops of their lungs. And suddenly a silence fell upon the shrieking females. One of the doors of the room opened, and Slomnicholas could just catch a glimpse of Rabbi Peekstein’s portrait from within, before a little girl with bright red hair rushed out of the room slamming the door behind her. “Well well well,” said a prim little girl from the back
personal questions or issues, and Dr. Zeitchik is right down the hall,” said Dr. Koplon. “Her office is just great,” said Michael Reidler ’09, a frequent guest. “There’s a fan, sometimes food, and ‘D-Kop’ loves to talk.” Dr. Koplon shares an office with Rabbi Slomnicki, the new Gemara teacher. “It’s an honor to share a room with Dr. Koplon and I love seeing how she interacts with the students,” said Rabbi Slomnicki. “It’s a really good learning experience and a lot of fun.” As the ninth grade advisor, she expected to see a lot of kids this year. However, her office is filled with students from every grade, whether she ever had taught them or not. Dr. Koplon has become a treasure for the entire student body.
The chess team, an intellectually motivated cocurricular, has generally attracted the so-called smarter, more dedicated students. The newest team members, however, are shattering all the preconceptions. “The chess team stereotype is boring, smart, and not funny,” said Jackie Oshry ’10 as she described her newfound pastime with the Ramaz chess team. Jackie is not the only new member of the chess team that has changed her opinion about this co-curricular. Rikki Neiman ’10 and Joshua Brill ’10 have also both joined a team that they had not initially considered a likely activity. “When people think of the chess team they wouldn’t think of me in a million years,” said Neiman. “It just doesn’t seem like something I would do. People just don’t think I’m that kind of smart.” But these rising stars are not novices in the game. “I used to play in lower school,” said Brill. “I didn’t start again until this year when I felt the lack of raw, ruthless desire for competition in my academic life.” Both Oshry and Neiman took chess lessons when they were younger, but the desire to play was not rekindled until their junior year of high school.
Photo by Melanie Gersten ‘09
All three newbies possess the abilities and the motivation necessary to contribute to a possible championship victory. Still, their involvement has taken several large moves beyond the chess board. “I am there for comic relief,” said Oshry, “and to design jerseys and tracksuits.” This addition to the team will not cause opponents to lose points, but Oshry is well aware of that. “My role is to keep everyone excited and on their feet,” said Oshry about her role as motivator. Neiman, too, sees her role as not traditional. “Do I contribute to the team? No; not in the sense of doing well,” said Neiman. “More like in
Harriet Potterstein and the Ten Plagues
of the line amidst the daunting silence. “Ronda Weasleburg has got the pixies.” The redheaded girl turned all the more red, causing her freckles to disappear. “Shut up, Draclyn,” said Harriet Potterstein. Draclyn Malfoyman ignored the protest and continued,
“Everyone knows that only dirty grimy people get the pixies. And that explains it all, doesn’t it, Ronda? Don’t you live in Brooklyn?” The line of girls gasped but said nothing. “That’s not true!” cried a frazzled Herman Grangerbaum. “Pixies are attracted to clean
hair and they are not linked to socio-economic status at all! I read up on them in all of my Biology textbooks printed in the 1970’s, and Professor McMiller even said so himself!” Slomnicholas drifted away, having heard enough. Ronda went home, followed by her
the sense of fun.” Brill, as much a motivator as his fellow new juniors, feels that it is his responsibility to see that the team enjoys itself and leaves the season with several trophies. “We’re gonna beat all those other nerds,” said Brill. “I have what it takes. We have what it takes. It’s just a matter of precision.” Brill is also committed to making sure that humor is incorporated in this mind-straining sport. “We don’t match the stereotype of what chess players are supposed to be,” said Neiman. Look out for the chess team and these three new players as they begin to win over the league.
seven siblings and the twentyfive other students they’d infected. Conveniently, Ms. St. Petersburgitz was absent on that fateful day. Rumor has it that her inquiry for a salary increase hadn’t been taken seriously, so she’d brought the pixies from home and had caused the infestation, taking the day off to prove that her services truly were needed. Really, she’d proven nothing except that the entire female population of Shlamaz was unhealthily dependent on her tea and crackers. The ninth years, despite their pixie troubles, were still allowed on their Hogsmeade trip, so long as they were accompanied by long-haired twelfth years. The pixies were soon caught, but Ms. Prote refused to take any chances. In an attempt to detoxify the school, she decided to work her magic in the 5th Floor Potions Lab.
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The RamPage Features
December 2008/Kislev 5769
The 411 On Your Schedule Avi Grunfeld ‘10
Ethan Plaue ’11 found himself in a bit of a quagmire when he received his schedule at the beginning of this year. Plaue wanted to be in Regular Second Year Spanish, as opposed to Honors, but when he filed to switch classes, he was told that he could not move out of his Spanish class without also giving up Honors Chemistry. “This most likely happened a good amount of times to other kids in other classes,” said Plaue. But according to Mr. Miller, Plaue’s case is remarkably rare. “It happened twice, maybe, in the past 27 years,” said Mr. Miller. So how does this happen? How is the complex web of student, teacher, and room schedules made in the first place? According to Mr. Miller, scheduling begins as early as December, because the school needs to know how many teachers will be needed for the following year. First, Mr. Miller creates the bands such as History, English, Language and Science. When this is done, Dr. Koplon and
Samantha Sharon ‘10
With SATs approaching, Ramaz juniors are feeling the pressure. Not a day goes by when juniors aren’t studying endless vocabulary lists in the lounges or discussing the scores they received on practice tests. When it comes to the SATs, one’s primary worry is what type of study method he or she should use in order to achieve the best score possible. Whether it is a tutor, a class, or the old school and seemingly riskier method of studying on one’s own without any outside help, each student will have a choice to make. This may seem like a relatively easy decision, but it should be viewed as significant. Choosing the wrong study method could mean performing worse on the SATs than one would have otherwise. This would ultimately affect what colleges one could get into. With dozens of tutoring companies to choose from, and with prices ranging from somewhat expensive to very expensive, choosing the best study method requires some
Mr. Markowitz enter the process. For the past two years, this duo has been working together during the summer to
three weeks, working six to nine hours a day. “The first part is kind of interesting. It’s like a big puzzle
Photo provided by Google Images
create teacher schedules, student schedules and room assignments. During the second semester finals, after they receive the bands from Mr. Miller and the list of the courses for every teacher and student from the department heads, the two teachers get together and start making the teacher schedules. Dr. Koplon and Mr. Markowitz say that the teacher schedules take them two to
that you have to put together to fit all of the teachers’ schedules,” said Mr. Markowitz. While making the schedules, Dr. Koplon and Mr. Markowitz try to vary the times that classes meet. “We try to make sure that every class meets sometimes early in the day and sometime late in the day,” said Dr. Koplon. After they complete the teachers’ schedules, Dr. Kop-
lon and Mr. Markowitz work on the room assignments, a separate process that takes two or three days. “The room assignments are a little tricky because a lot of teachers have their own rooms,” said Dr. Koplon. “Also, we try to give the teachers schedules so they don’t have to run up and down the stairs too much.” With the completion of the room assignments, Dr. Koplon goes home and leaves Mr. Markowitz to do the students’ schedules, a process that takes four to six weeks. “The students’ schedules are mostly done automatically, so it only requires one person,” said Dr. Koplon, justifying her absence during this portion. “A really boring person,” added Mr. Markowitz. Throughout the process, the two have the aid of some computer programs created by Mr. Markowitz. Before Dr. Koplon and Mr. Markowitz got involved in this process, Mr. Miller used to make the schedules manually by flipping through papers and reading the schedules to another teacher.
So You’re Taking the SAT’s... time and serious thought. This decision is probably easier for students with older siblings who have gone through the entire SAT process
demand for an SAT Clinic.” However, she seemed to think that it was a good idea. “[An SAT Clinic] seems democratic; there would be equal access
Photo provided by Google Images
before. However, for students who are the oldest in their families, the SAT process is most likely unfamiliar and overwhelming. As Ramaz doesn’t offer any form of SAT preparation, students are forced to look for outside help. “I don’t understand why there isn’t an SAT Clinic at school just like there is one for math and writing,” said Danielle Reisman ’10. Ms. Litwack, head of the English Department, explained that “there hasn’t been a huge
for every student.” An SAT Clinic at school may take away some pressure from students and their families when debating how they will go about studying for the SATs. Still, Mr. Miller expressed the contrary view by saying, “We have found that when students go outside for tutoring, they take it more seriously.” Ramaz has experimented with the idea of an SAT Clinic in the past; unfortunately, it was found ineffective.
Another concern regarding the creation of an SAT Clinic at school is the issue of which company to hire tutors from. “It’s a competitive marketplace. Ramaz doesn’t want to put its weight behind any one institution,” said Mr. Miller. In addition, if Ramaz was to have an SAT Clinic, even if a Ramaz English teacher taught the course, there would still be a price to pay, perhaps equivalent to the price of hiring a private tutor. “Tutoring services prey on people’s fears and insecurities,” said Mr. Miller. The belief promoted by tutoring companies is that if one does not enroll in one of their courses then one’s scores will be sure to suffer. This belief is most likely exaggerated in order to make the most money possible and is not necessarily true. Nevertheless, if hiring a tutor means easing one’s fears about the SATs, then students (or their parents) will be sure to do so.
R!A!M!S! RAMS! RAMS! RAMS! Raquel Wildes ‘11
“R-A-M-S, RAMS, RAMS, RAMS!!” This famous cheer has been bellowed at Ramaz athletic competitions for the past 60 years. Recently, Ramaz has been seen as having a cold atmosphere where school spirit is a rarity. In an attempt to regain the might of our Navy and Gold, Ramaz has finally instituted a Spirit Squad! Rachel Marcus ’10, one of the spirit chiefs, excitedly explained that the goal of the Ramaz Spirit Squad was “to have a lot of fans at games [and] to increase the overall school spirit.” The Spirit Squad hopes to organize School Spirit Days on big game days, during which the halls will be decorated with posters and the student body will wear Navy and Gold in support of our athletes. Other incentives have been discussed as well. The administration has even discussed getting involved by banning homework on School Spirit Day as an incentive for the students to show camaraderie with our teams. The JV boy’s basketball team, which up to now had been undefeated, faced their first loss against Heschel just prior to Thanksgiving vacation. Spectators acknowledged that the overwhelming enthusiasm of the Heschel fans in contrast to the limited Ramaz attendance might have had a psychological effect on the team. The Ramaz gym could either be one of two places: the enormous sub-cellar room where Ramaz athletic teams single-handedly defeat their opponents, or a vibrant and intimidating dungeon, where athletes and athletic supporters unite opposite their opponents to “RAM IT UP!” Note: If you are interested in joining the Spirit Squad feel free to inquire.
Photo by Raquel Moffson ‘10
December 2008/ Kislev 5769
The RamPage Features
Page 5
Ramaz Schools the Parents Avi Grunfeld ‘10 Both Dr. Gaylord and Rabbi Schiowitz have been teaching classes to Ramaz parents in their respective subjects as a part of a new parent learning program introduced this year. Dr. Gaylord’s class, entitled British and American Literature: A Ramaz English Department Sampler, has been meeting every available Wednesday since November 19 in room 301 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Rabbi Schiowitz’s class, entitled Sanhedrin: Talmudic Analysis and Case Applications, meets roughly every Monday in room 604 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM and started on December 1. According to Mr. Miller, it is unclear who was the first person to ponder the idea of Ramaz faculty members teacher parents. “Everybody’s trying to lay claim to this idea,” said Mr. Miller. “Dr. Gaylord happened to have had this idea, but it terms of precedence, I don’t know whose idea it was first.” Dr. Gaylord was inspired by parents, who on Parent Simulated School Night would sometimes tell him they wished they were able to take his class. The program models Dr. Gaylord’s expe-
rience in the New School, where Dr. Gaylord also teaches once a week for two hours. Dr. Gaylord liked the idea since parents and students would be reading the same
involved, and we thought of Rabbi Schiowitz, along with other people. But he was the first to say yes, so he got it.” Both Rabbi Schiowitz and Dr. Gaylord developed their lesson plans based on
books and would have more to talk about. “If I were a parent, that’s something I’d want,” said Dr. Gaylord. Dr. Gaylord brought the idea to Mr. Miller and Ms. Litwack about two years ago. Mr. Miller realized that the plan fit in well with some plans he had with the Parents Council, and decided to go through with it when the plan got support and consensus. “ Dr.Gaylord had the idea so we tapped him to start the program,” said Mr. Miller. “We were thinking about having a Judaic Studies person
the school curriculum. Dr. Gaylord picked books that we read in 10th, 11th and 12th grade. Rabbi Schiowitz, on the other hand, tries to compress each unit from this year’s Talmud curriculum into one night class for parents. Both educators find that the class dynamic differs between parents and students. “It’s definitely a different dynamic because the parents are coming completely by choice, they’re not forced to be there,” said Rabbi Schiowitz. Dr. Gaylord raised some
other reasons as to why a different class dynamic exists between the parent and student bodies. “The students are much more open than the parents,” said Gaylord. “The students are much more willing to embrace new ideas, abandon old ideas, take chances with their ideas and think new thoughts.” Dr. Gaylord attributes this discrepancy to the difference in age. “The older you get, the more firmly you believe the things you believe,” said Dr. Gaylord. “And the kids, they don’t really know what they believe. As kids, your beliefs are kind of ephemeral.” Dr. Gaylord has some rules that parents must follow in his class. They can’t have their phones out, they should come on time, and they should respect each other. Rabbi Schiowitz, on the other hand, feels that parents have generally behaved well and raised their hands to speak in his class so he never had to bring up any rules. Because of budgeting issues, this program is unlikely to continue into the spring semester. The entire program is funded by the Parents Coun-
The Return of Rabbi Moskowitz Jonathan Baumgarten ‘11 A noted and highly regarded member of the Ramaz faculty, Rabbi Moskowitz, took a welldeserved sabbatical after 45 years of teaching. It was certainly a year well spent. With visits to various locations from New Zealand to the exciting West Coast, there was never a moment of boredom. Rabbi Moskowitz kicked off his sabbatical year with a trip to California, spending some quality time with four generations of the Moskowitz family. From California, he and his wife made their way back east, stopping in luxurious Las Vegas for Shabbat, and then made their way to the national parks, Brice and Zion of Utah. The couple ended their coast-to-coast adventure in Washington DC, after which they spent a total of three weeks between Australia and New Zealand. Rabbi Moskowitz says that the highlight of his adventure was spending ten weeks in the
German Colony of Jerusalem, Israel. There, he worked on his newly-released book. The first half of the book consists of short stories entitled, “I did not die I am here to tell the stories,” while the second half, consisting of poetry, is entitled “I sing to god with my life.” The book is a compilation of works throughout his youth until this very day. Aside from fulfilling his dream of publishing his book in Jerusalem, Rabbi Moskowitz spent his time in Israel with family. He celebrated and partook in several Bnei Mitzvot, and went sightseeing with his grandchildren in order for them to “experience Israel at an age where they will understand” the beauty and culture. There was, of course, time dedicated to learning Torah at various yeshivot and institutes such as the Herzog Institute of Gush Etzion. It was there that every Shabbat afternoon was set aside to learn with the revered Rabbi Benny Lau, who Rabbi Moskowitz describes
as “one of the most brilliant young rabbis” of our time, and who has published several books regarding Jewish ethics and halacha. “It’s truly beautiful to see the great number of people that go out and learn just for the sake of learning,” said Rabbi Moskowitz. In retrospect, Rabbi Moskowitz describes his time abroad as productive and “recharging.” Even during his sabbatical year, Rabbi Moskowitz made it a point to visit his students and fellow faculty members at Ramaz whenever he was able. He also made sure to let everyone know that even though he had the year off, he truly missed them. Rabbi Moskowitz’s book, Kazeh Ri’eh V’kadesh, has recently been released in its Hebrew edition and an English translation is expected to come out by the end of the year. Recently, Rabbi Moskowitz gave an evocative reading of his book. The reading was attended by over 150 people.
Photo by Ethan Stein ‘10
cil and is free of charge for the parents who attend the classes. While the future of this program raises several questions, such as how long funding will last for and which other teachers will get involved, the program has been going well so far. Dr. Gaylord gets from 20 to 25 parents per class while Rabbi Schiowitz gets from 10 to 15. The educators and parents agree that the program has been enjoyable and interesting. “We are all having such a good time in Dr. Gaylord’s class,” said Jane Lewittes, mother of Josh ’10. “It’s so much fun to be back in school without any tests. Dr. Gaylord gives really complex and unusual analyses of the books we are reading. It is also interesting to hear other parents’ views.” “I never had the opportunity to take a Talmud class before,” said Deborah Shimko, mother of Zev ’09, Eitan ’09 and Ephraim ’11, and a student in both of the classes that the school offers. “It’s great to be able to sample some of the teachers my kids have had and to get a feel for the Ramaz learning experience.”
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The RamPage Opinions
December 2008/Kislev 5769
Longing for a Loving Library Miriam Olenick ‘09 A senior girl is silently standing by a table in the library, staring into space, clearly deep in thought. Her thoughts are rudely interrupted by a librarian who tells her that if she doesn’t have some work to do then she must leave. This seems ridiculous, but students
that they did not spend too much time in the library anyway. Those students who had been reprimanded felt unjustly treated. “I was in the library with only one other person after school and the librarian kept
students to keep it down when they’re not bothering anyone. This year there is no talking allowed—only whispering. There is no laughing, no excessive crossword puzzle consulting, no checking of fantasy football, and no sitting quietly
“I was in the library with only one other person after school and the librarian kept telling us to keep it down” who frequent the library are well aware of the increased strictness there—a strictness, many feel, that is beyond reason. 144 students responded to a recent survey about the librarians’ severe rules, with 92% admitting to being told to “keep it down this year,” and 37.5% admitting to being kicked out. The other 7% answered that they were neither hushed nor expelled, but most also noted
Photo by Ethan Stein ‘09 telling us to keep it down, which was utterly pointless,” said Yossi Quint ’11. Although it’s understandable why people shouldn’t be yelling in the library, it does indeed seem pointless to tell
in the library if you don’t have some work to do. Apparently, you can’t even work on group projects for school. With a student body of around 500, Ramaz has dedicated very little space for stu-
dents to hang out. There are only two furnished lounges and no seating in any of the other hallways. Where are students supposed to go? The library has become Ramaz’s only haven for students to socialize, and now even that has been stripped from us. “I was on the computer with someone doing work for school and I was told that I had to do my own activity,” said Josh Levy ’10. So what next, no breathing allowed? Because really, who is bothered by the indoor voice conversations, people working on projects, or people who don’t know the answer to 29 down on a Friday crossword puzzle? The librarians seem to be making the library less appealing to students. Because when it comes down to it, the library is for the students’ utilization, and if we want to laugh there, we should be allowed to laugh.
Student Teacher Conferences Improved? I Think Not! Daniel Blas ‘10 The new two-day system for Student-Teacher Conferences is flawed. Freshmen were still bullied, we all waited in long lines, and the illegal lists were thrown out mercilessly. Even teachers were fed up because students felt entitled to conferences before teachers headed downstairs to lunch. Overall, the only change was the amount of free time on Day Two of the fiasco. I’m not even a senior, yet I had six straight hours of frees that Wednesday. I was “lucky” enough to finish all my Student-Teacher Conferences in one day, like many of my peers, leaving me the entire second day to dawdle aimlessly for hours. Many people went home to play video games or take a
Finding Our Happy Place Aaron Wilson ‘09 Is it just me or do the halls of our school seem a bit brighter this year? I’m not just talking about the new paint job. At risk of ruining the cheery view of Ramaz with which the freshmen have been endowed, I’ll be the first to admit that it hasn’t always been this way. As a matter of fact, I can remember a time when students wrote angry letters equating the temperature of the school with that of the teachers’ hearts. At the beginning of last year, I interviewed Mr. Miller for a “school year outlook” article and he told me that although people might be upbeat now, “talk to me in December, when it’s dark out, and it’s snowing outside, and everybody’s trudging to school.” And indeed, by the middle of last year, everyone seemed to be pretty downbeat; the student body wasn’t looking its best. But this year, as if out of the blue, school morale seems to be at an all time high, at least as far as my Ramaz career goes. Here we are at the end of December and as far as I can tell, things look pretty darn
good. Kids are still smiling, the halls are still filled with excited energy during homeroom, and the majority of the faculty seems to be getting along quite well. As much as this all seems to
of disciplinary reports that was delivered, but instead one that proves to the student body that Ramaz can actually be a fun place to spend four years. It’s really the small things that count. Getting out forty min-
Photo by Melanie Gersten ‘09 come out of nowhere, things like school morale being up and shoes being thrown at Bush actually have definite causes. Truth be told, everything really starts from the top. The administration and faculty seem to have started this year with a new outlook. One that doesn’t revolve around trying to use up an extra box
utes early on cookie-filled Fridays just makes people happy. With the help of a genuinely dedicated GO that is committing itself to getting everyone excited about everything that Ramaz has to offer, things are looking up. But none of that really matters unless the student body is jiving. And you know what?
We are; we’re jiving! Forget that I’m a senior for a second when I say that this year’s senior grade is setting an incredible tone. Finally, we have a group of seniors that’s gone through Ramaz appreciating everything that it has to offer. Influenced by their seniors, this year’s freshmen seem to be getting what school’s all about. And the way that the grade has come together certainly hasn’t hurt matters. In the middle of this all-star sandwich are the juniors who, after winning Battle of the Grades last year, finally seem to be coming into their own. The grade has meshed more successfully recently and, with some of those who may have been bringing the grade’s spirits down no longer enrolled, the Juniors’ approach to Ramaz seems to have improved drastically. And the sophomores… well, they’re doing whatever it is that sophomores do. At least they’re not making headlines this year. I don’t want to jinx anything, but if we keep at this pace, it looks like this may just be one of the best school years in recent Ramaz history.
long nap, while others decided to skip the day completely, missing five periods of class. The two-day schedule is not even the second method attempted—it is actually the seventh or eighth approach Ramaz has adopted in order to perfect the conferences. The solution is to have Student-Teacher Conference Week. During this week-long affair, regular classes would be held. Instead of teaching, faculty members would hold conferences with several students each period. The rest of the class could still have their coveted free time while they wait their turns. Then, when all the conferences are finished, the class can resume as usual. Although a week seems longer than necessary, it would ensure that students could meet with all of their teachers in an orderly fashion with only a small amount of class time wasted. This system would effectively eliminate the exceedingly long lines, lists, bullying, and utter chaos that envelop Ramaz once a year.
December 2008/Kislev 5769
The RamPage Opinions
Another Look at Chessed Hours
Page 7
Our Very Own Classroom Politicians Uri Siegelman ‘10
Photo by Ethan Stein ‘10 Ellery Kauvar ‘09 One of the hallmarks of sophomore year is the mandatory chessed requirement of at least 40 hours. The project is early in a student’s high school experience and helps prepare students to be engaged in our communities, hopefully for life. The idea of giving back to society and helping others is at the core of Ramaz’s values and is exemplified by this assignment. “The chessed requirement was introduced many years ago, even before Ms. Benel,” said Mr. Miller. However, there are certain leniencies built into the system that reduces the impact of the projects. Through no fault of Ramaz, there are kids who credit themselves more time than they’ve spent doing projects and engaging themselves. Similarly, some
students each year do a lot of small projects that together accumulate to 40 hours, rather than sustaining effort in only a few ongoing projects. The ability to do a lot of small projects that do not truly require a lot of sustained effort somewhat undermines the point of the chessed project. “There are a lot of small things we do, like the Ohel Chanukah dinner and the Thanksgiving dinner, which take place in school which encourages student participation,” said Ms. Benel. “I think it’s a generational issue, that our culture is really about instant gratification that it’s difficult to get students to commit and actually experience something first hand.” While there are few easy solutions to motivating people to give their time and energy to help others, and this goal is a truly remarkable endeavor, it would be helpful if there was
more oversight for the chessed projects. If the administration were more forceful in approving long-term chessed activities that require a consistent, weekly or monthly commitment, it would serve not only to ensure that the 40 hours are dedicated to true chessed, but would also further instill a sense of responsibility to the community at large. This added supervision would also prevent people from “slipping through the cracks” on their hours and prevent the last-minute scramble for the hours needed to graduate sophomore year. While the current method is sound and has significant merit, it can be improved in order to instill a more serious devotion to community service.
We constantly see them on TV, chatting endlessly about why they are right and why their opponents are not. We see their campaigning, voting, rhetoric and propoganda. Politicians and their politics. However, students should not be subjected to the same political influences in the classroom. Namely, teachers should abandon any partisan politics during class discussions. “The classroom should not be a soapbox for teachers’ own ideologies and opinions. When asked outside the classroom, they can share,” said Rabbi Goldmintz. This is an acceptable stance, encouraging non-politicized teaching while still allowing for teacher-student dialogue outside the classroom. Teachers should not share their own political views in the classroom, but could freely express their beliefs outside. “Students feel that faculty members are more knowledgeable, and therefore students are influenced by what they hear. It is not appropriate at all,” said Dr. Warshall. Some teachers, like Dr. Warshall, will refuse to share any personal opinions on politics. The idea that an educator has a captive audience of students may, and does, tempt certain teachers to assert their own political opinions in the classroom. “It is appropriate to show both sides of an issue in the
classroom,” said Dr. Stone. Yet many teachers who have strong beliefs only emphasize their own dogma and avoid discussions about opposing views. Students who may or may not know the issues listen intently to their teachers’ orations and may be quick to understand their opinions as truths. It is the teachers’ duty to refuse to share their own political ideologies in the classroom. If teachers begin to encourage students to learn about issues by themselves, the result will be more fair, balanced, and informative.
Hebrew: Ramaz’s Endangered Language? Ellery Kauvar ‘09
Photo by Ethan Stein ‘10 On November 3rd, Rabbi Lookstein introduced Rabbi Weiss, the Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav, to the senior class in the auditorium. As part of Rabbi Lookstein’s in-
troduction, he announced that Rabbi Weiss would be speaking exclusively in Hebrew. Unfortunately, after the speech, many students admitted that they could not comprehend the spoken Hebrew. “I felt really stupid that I
couldn’t understand him, and I feel like I should be able to understand him after so many years of Hebrew,” said one senior. “I was sitting next to someone who is in honors Hebrew and she could only understand half of what he said.” This talk illustrated an essential problem. For many students, after 12 years of Hebrew studies, the ability to converse fluently in Hebrew is lacking. In Preludes, part of the mission statement is that Hebrew “is central to our identity as Jews in the modern world.” Several times this year alone, Rabbi Lookstein has stressed the importance of learning “Ivrit b’Ivrit.” Despite this obvious institutional emphasis, many students are still incapable of conversing in Hebrew. Whether because of the stu-
dents’ inability to understand the Hebrew or even due to individual teacher’s discomfort with lecturing in Hebrew, many teachers appear reluctant to teach exclusively in Hebrew. In the Chumash Department, there has been an unofficial consensus among teachers not to teach in Hebrew. In the other Judaic Studies departments, English is used at least part of the time. The exact reasons for this are unclear. Ramaz as a school certainly espouses the goal of us being fluent in Hebrew, and most students agree that it is a worthy goal. All teachers believe that teaching in Hebrew would be the most effective method to teach the language. Nonetheless, the consistency of the application of Ivrit b’Ivrit is lacking and
our language skills are less than ideal. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is a common problem across the New York area day schools. While the vast majority of schools promote Hebrew language instruction, all recognize that some students require some English to aid in comprehension. Unfortunately, the overall language skills are eroded and too many high schoolers graduate with less than optimal Hebrew skills. One senior summed up a common feeling among students by saying, “I think it’s too bad that very few people in the senior class are fluent in Hebrew, especially after 12 years or so.”
Mr. Miller A: “The silent page point”: a type of bookmark B: A student brought this crystal globe back from Poland. C: Block given to Mr. Miller by a friend as a thank-you for being an usher at his wedding in 1973 D: A gift from Ms. Aranzazu from Egypt E: This is the 2004 debate team’s championship gavel.
A B
C
D
E
A
Ms. Amparo Baron B
C D
A: Amparo is a proud supporter of Obama. B: Picture of Gabriel Garcia Marquez C: Toy car from Colombia D: A shell found in Puerto Rico
A
Mr. Blumenthal A: He loves giraffes because the word “giraffe” sounds like Josh (his brother) and Rafi (him): Josh+Rafi=Giraffe B-E: Chewbacca memorabilia. Chewbacca is his absolute favorite character in Star Wars. There’s a scene in the 3rd movie where Chewbacca’s name is repeated multiple times, which Mr. Blumenthal finds very funny.
B
C
D
E
Dr. Zeitchik
A
B
C
A: “Grow a Therapist”: Dr. Zeitchik loves this because it contains therapeutic cliches and he has been told it resembles him. B: The “physics geeks” love to try and figure out how this works. C: Competitive people love to play with this toy that Dr. Zeitchik stole from his son.
Photos and design by Melanie Gersten ‘09 Captions by Caroline Alexander ‘09
Ms. Krupka
A
A: A gift from student Danielle Aronowitz ‘09. It reads “Souper Teacher.” B: “Wubbzy” has a twistable tail and was a birthday present from Ms. Sheinbein. C: Present from Julia Straus and Kayla Kapito
B
C
Dr. Gaylord A: This is Megan’s (Dr. Gaylord’s wife) corner. These are the covers of her books. B: He got this model German town at an antique shop. C: He found these blueprints in a flea market. He doesn’t know what they’re blueprints of, but they’re from 1937. D: Miniature pictures of Idaho which Dr. Gaylord got in an antique store in LA. B
C D
A
A C B
D
Dr. Honig A: “Here in one small place I have a constant moving array of the people I love.” Dr. Honig’s digital picture frame. B: This is a free pen that Dr. Honig recieved from a doctor. C: This was.inherited from previous collge advisors. People often squeeze it when they are stressesd. D: Her husband is a sleep specialist so he thought it would be cute to get her a sheep. Rabbi Stochel A: Beit Hamikdash Model: While Rabbi Stochel and his family were in Israel they bought this project. They finished building it on Tisha b’Av. It took 15-20 hrs. Rabbi Stochel brought it in for Chanukah in honor of Chanukat ha’ Bait. B: Funny cell phone holder C: He bought this from a vendor outside the Met. D: This is the A Galileo Thermometer from the Corning Glass Museum.
B
C
D
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The RamPage Opinions
December vs. January: The Showdown
December 2008/Kislev 5769
Letters to the Editors
Palin Poster Fury
Jason Edelman ‘09
Dear Editors, As I was reading the lastest copy of Rampage, I came across the article “My Take on the Palin Posters” by Geena Frumkin. In this article, Frumkin criticizes Hannah Rubin for putting up flyers about Governer Palin. She compares them to the posters put up by the Young Republicans Club, in which PresidentElect Barack Obama is cropped into a muslim prayer shaul. This poster implies that Obama is Muslim and therefore antiIsrael. To her credit, Frumkin does call these flyers “derogatory” but then goes on to say that “their purpose was to drum up support for a club.” As if that’s a plausible justification! Should we be allowed to hang up whatever we want in our school, no matter how despicable, as long as it’s for a club? Frumkin’s main argument, that “the bulletin boards are meant for announcements about clubs” would have been stronger if she added a quote from Preludes or an administrator. In my experience, over the past three-plus years, I have seen numerous flyers about all sorts of things not related to school clubs. Frumkin criticizes the posters that “had actual quotes and facts pertaining to Palin” but defends the ones that are “derogatory.” I just don’t see the logic. The Ramaz Upper School is unique in many ways; it provides a challenging dual curriculum, attracts a broad range of students, and has many after school opportunities. Ramaz distinguishes itself in one other crucial way: The December Vacation. Although we get off almost all of October or September, there is only so much school a student can handle. The December vacation and January intersession provide the adequate break needed until Passover in April. A January vacation would be too far removed from the earlier breaks. The December vacation is useful as a time to recuperate after a long session of school, and have a nice relaxation period before finals come around. “Ramaz most likely has its break in December because
of its compatibility with the vacations of other family members,” said Mr. Kuck. Vacation is not just a time for the students to relax and catch up on work. The faculty, who work just as hard, need time off too. If a December break is more convenient for them, it is Ramaz’s duty to ensure their happiness, even if it does not coincide with other yeshivas. Another advantage is that the December model mirrors the college breaks. Many Ramaz students have siblings in college who get off during December, not January, which enables Ramaz families to share their time off. “I like to have vacation when others don’t have vacation,” said resident misanthrope Mr. Markowitz in response to which vacation he preferred. Still, some argue that as a Jewish institution, Ramaz
should avoid taking time off during non-Jewish holidays to avoid any misconceptions. However, a December break is not inherently non-Jewish; Chanukah also takes place during the end of the secular year. “We chose the December vacation because the Ramaz community thought that it kept families together,” said Mr. Miller. Pupils should be thankful that they can have their vacation from school earlier in the year. With this early vacation, students get a nice break before their finals and an opportunity for some quality time with their families. Ramaz does many things correctly; the break during the Christmas is just another example of Ramaz’s foresight.
¿¿¿ GUESS WHO ??? Congratulations to last month’s winners, Glory “Millhouse” Goodman, and Lilly “Ingebar” Sassoon. Be the first to email us at
RamPage@Ramaz.org and have your name printed in next month’s issue.
Jonathan Gottlieb ‘09, “My Take on the Palin Posters” Dear Editors, I was deeply disturbed upon reading the article titled “My Take on the Palin Posters.” I feel a few issues need to be readdressed. First of all, it was wrong for the Young Republicans Club to post the posters which were clearly inappropriate and distasteful mudslinging aimed at President-Elect Barack Obama. It was also wrong for Hannah Rubin to post posters with a similar message against Governor Palin. Although they were both inappropriate and insensitive, I feel that the Young Republicans Club is slightly more at fault for two reasons. First, as a new student organization trying to gain respectful recognition, posting posters of this caliber did not indicate worthiness. They certainly have now been recognized, but they have miserably failed to gain an ounce of respect concerning these posters. Instead of putting an effort into trying to show the positive attributes of their candidate during the election, they went ahead and focused their attention on putting down their candidate’s opponent. Considering that this had been their only form of propaganda throughout the entire campaign, one wonders how much they actually know about Senator McCain and President-Elect Obama. The only thing they demonstrated in their sole poster was incorrect, in that they portrayed Obama as a Muslim. Obama can certainly not be a Muslim considering all of the criticism of him being a longtime member of Reverend Wright’s church. Last time I checked Christians, not Muslims, prayed in churches. Second, to put it very simply, they started it. When you start mudslinging during a presidential campaign, or any campaign for that matter, expect retaliation. Some people strongly supported each candidate during this election, and if someone puts one candidate down (especially in an untruthful matter), expect retaliation against an unwarranted and uncalled for attack. Finally, after this escapade there seems to be a need for somebody in this school to filter and determine what is deemed appropriate to post on school bulletin boards. Clearly after this incident we as a whole are not capable of voicing our opinions in an appropriate fashion. In the future, in order for a poster to be posted on the bulletin board, a member of the faculty or administration should have to sign off on it. Therefore, in the future problems such as these can be avoided. Russell Mendelson ‘11. “My Take on the Palin Posters”
Any and all Letters to the Editors may be sent to RamPage@ramaz.org
We welcome your thoughts.
RamTech
RamTech by Aaron Wilson ‘09
Music-ify Me, Cap’n!
I feel almost entirely comfortable assuming that you have already gotten or will soon get a gift certificate to Best Buy with which you will have no idea what to do. I feel almost equally com-
fortable assuming that you have once experienced the frustration of having your iPod battery die at the most inconvenient time imaginable. Well, I’ve got your solution. How about music-ify-
ing you phone this year? Almost half of all phones sold in the U.S. now have mp3 capability. Plus, micro SD (that’s the little memory card you can put in your phone) technology has exploded recently, allowing
for tiny cards with up to eight gigabytes of memory (that’s about 2000 songs). So why not go online and buy one of these cards for 30 bucks, and a pair of phone ear buds for another ten bucks?
Transferring your music is shockingly easy and you and your dwindling attention span will never be the same again.
BlackberRy Nation Click click click click click… Blackberries have invaded Ramaz. You’ve got your Pearls, your Bolds, your Curves and the occasional old school 8000 Series (I’ve yet to see the Storm in the hands of an Ugg-texting student). I’m not quite sure how I feel about the whole phenomenon yet. Is it really worth paying $30+ extra a month to be able to use an almost functional internet
browser, BBM, and play Brick Breaker? And what about the behaviors that it stimulates. Is it okay to play Brick Breaker subconsciously and BBM slightly less subconsciously, while speaking with someone face to face? On the other hand, the Blackberry is at the forefront of modern communication, and after all, this is the age of technology. Just something to think about.
Calling it a Company Might be a Stretch Have you walked into a Verizon store recently? I pity you. Let’s get back to basics. Real corporations attempt to create the most pleasant experience for their customers in their retail stores. Verizon makes no such attempt. Walking into my local Verizon store a few weeks ago, I was confronted by a mob of cranky customers staring at the almighty screen that would inform them when it was their turn to yell at the quasi-trained sales person behind the desk with the peeling veneer. So I put my name on the endless list, like everyone else, and decided to peruse the store. Now, I had this crazy idea
that the phones might be grouped intelligently, but I was quickly proven wrong. I wandered around the notquite-bright-enough store for 10 minutes, attempting to test out the phones that were tethered to the wall with thick plastic bands that wrapped around the entire screens. The phones that were still in working order were warped from their plastic shackles and were hard to use because half of their buttons were covered a question, I was quickly the back.” And so, I left, and the existence of a pleasant up. When I finally found one of the three salespeople abandoned with an almost- went next door to the Apple consumer experience. to whom I could address courteous “let me check in store to restore my belief in
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The RamPage Arts
December 2008/Kislev5769
RamArts Winter Movie Preview Jason Edelman ‘09 With the slew of films coming out this holiday season, it can be tough to decide which ones to see. Here are my top six picks: Seven Pounds (out 12/19): Will Smith stars in a film about… Well, no one quite knows what it’s about, but we do know it has something to do with Smith portraying an IRS worker looking for redemption of sorts by helping seven different people. It should be nice to find out what the film is really all about. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (out 12/25): Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in David Fincher’s new film. Pitt stars as Benjamin Button, who is born an old man and ages backwards. Blanchett plays the love of his life. It’ll be interesting to see how this film, nearly two decades in the making, compares to the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story on which it is based. Valkyrie (out 12/25): Tom Cruise might just be back in form with this action thriller.
Photos provided by Google Images In this film, based on actual events, Cruise plays a German officer who attempts to assassinate Hitler towards the end of the war. The movie was directed by Bryan Singer who has a pretty good track record so far with films such as The Usual Suspects and the first two X-Men films. Frost/Nixon (out 12/25):
Preview: Waltz with Bashir Jonathan Baumgarten ‘11 The year is 1982 and 19year-old Ari Folman is just another Israeli infantry soldier being shipped off to Beirut. Little does he know that twenty-four years later, when reminiscing with an old friend, about this entire period of his life, he will not remember a thing. Understandably curious about this, Ari consults his therapist and lifelong friend, Ori, who advises him to delve into his past. The majority of Waltz with Bashir is comprised of Ari’s interviews with his friends
about their army days. Once Ari begins to unlock the secrets of his past, there is no turning back for better or for worse. Waltz with Bashir was shown at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and was held in high regard for its unique style of animation and its way of confronting and dealing with the hidden secrets of the past. Waltz with Bashir was directed by Ari Folman and is due to be released in the United States on December 25, 2008.
Ron Howard’s latest film, which was previously performed as a play, tells the tale of the televised meeting between talk-show host David Frost and Richard Nixon, who has just resigned from the Presidency. Although this film is more of a political film, any movie enthusiast should check this out.
Yes Man (out 12/19): As usual, Jim Carrey is good for a laugh. In Yes Man, Carrey portrays his usual jerk who is exposed to extreme and supernatural circumstances that put him in awkward, hilarious situations that in turn, force him to become a nicer guy (Think Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty). The Wrestler (out 12/19):
One Republic Review Avital Benson ‘12 Hammerstein Ballroom was packed with eager fans on the night of November 26th when four rock bands performed there. The Hush Sound started the night off, followed by The Spill Canvas, Augustana, and finally OneRepublic. Each of the first three bands played about five songs, and each of their performances lasted for a half-hour. These bands, however, only warmed up the crowd for OneRepublic. When the group came on, an excitement and urgency permeated the crowd of teenagers and surprisingly large group of adults.
OneRepublic began the show with the song “Mercy” from their album Dreaming Out Loud. As the members of the band walked on stage, the crowd went wild; they had been waiting for three hours. The band played about ten of their own songs and a few covers, including “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley which was received very well by the involved audience. OneRepublic’s guitarist, Drew Brown, had a great fiveminute solo in between two songs. The roars of the crowd became noticeably louder as the band’s two famous songs,
Photo by Melanie Gersten ‘09 Photo provided by Google Images
Darren Aronofsky directs Mickey Rourke in this drama about a wrestler who is given one more shot at fame. Viewers of early screenings have praised Rourke’s performance as the main character Randy “Ram” Robinson. Aronofsky’s previous films have included Π (Pi) and the Sci-fi tear-jerker, The Fountain.
“Stop and Stare” and “Apologize” were played. Their songs sounded better live than they do recorded and their performance was extremely enjoyable. The lead singer, Ryan Tedder, was very good at conveying the enthusiasm felt onstage to the listeners in the audience, often asking them to help out. OneRepublic ended their performance with their song “All We Are,” a very fitting closing song considering it is a song about endings. It was a great finish to a great concert.
December 2008/Kislev 5769
The RamPage Arts
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Watch Out for Watchmen Avishai Weinberger ‘12 If you are one of the 50,000,000+ people who got to see The Dark Knight in theaters, you may have seen a very odd trailer for a movie that showcased a series of flashy images of superheroes without giving away a single shred of the plot. This chaotic preview was for Watchmen, directed by 300’s Zach Snyder and slated to come out in March. The story, based on the 1985 Alan Moore graphic novel of the same name, takes place in an alternate 1985 where superheroes exist and are now outlawed. Nixon is running for a third term, and the Cold War is on the verge of turning nuclear. When a former superhero is murdered in his high rise
Fashion Observation Alexandra Gurvitch ‘09 Last night I had a dream. In the dream I was in Ramaz- but I was tiny. As I stood in the hallway, dwarf-style, my view was completely obstructed by large brown objects. All around me were gigantic leather riding boots. I was terrified and couldn’t get away from them. While the significance of my vertically challenged situation is debatable, it is clear why I was being suffocated by leather riding boots: They are everywhere! Ramaz has been infested with this trend. In the years of the past, as it gets cold, it has been standard for the hallways (and streets) to be over saturated with the ever-fabulous UGGs. But the times they-are-a-changin’, and now girls all over are strutting, or shall I say riding, down the halls in their own version of this phenomena. The days of the oversized sweatshirt and UGGs are long gone. The halls of Ramaz have been infused with these impressive and sophisticated boots. It’s nice to see that things besides lice catch on.
apartment, the other former superheroes try to figure out
est graphic novel of all time. This movie has recently
Photo provided by Google Images
whodunit, and stumble upon a plot to start World War III. The comic is considered the great-
fallen on hard times due to an intense legal battle between 20th Century Fox and Warner
Brothers regarding realease rights. 20th Century Fox claims that they still retain all rights to the film from 20 years ago when they attempted and failed to make their own adaptation. Though the movie has already been filmed and edited by Warner Brothers, Fox refuses to allow it to be shown to the public unless they either get money or the rights to Batman. The date in court is January 6th. No matter the legal complications, WB hasn’t stopped promoting their film, releasing a behind-the-scenes featurette online every 6th day of the month. Paradoxically, the book’s author, Alan Moore, does not want Watchmen to be publicly
released either. The movies From Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and V for Vendetta were all based on books he wrote. He was unsatisfied with the outcome of all of them. He claims that the films were tampered with so thoroughly, that they didn’t even resemble the books from which they came. His opinion on the issue? “Will the film even be coming out? There are these legal problems now which I find wonderfully ironic,” said Mr. Moore. “Perhaps it has been cursed from afar, from England. And I can tell you that I will also be spitting venom all over it for months to come.”
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The RamPage Arts
Staff Playlist:
Bands to See Staff (Duh)
1. MGMT The electronic inspiration combined with some strange melodies and different rhythms make for a cool and new sound. 2. Old Crow Medicine Show This band features a prominent Banjo and great country style harmonies. For a good look check out the Bob Dylan “Wagon Wheel Cover.” 3. Herbie Hancock This jazz pianist incorporates inspirations from his Miles Davis years. Hancock, however, also uses synthesizers and funk instruments from that genre. Check out his lates album, River: The Joni Letters. 4. Antony and the Johnsons This platform for Antony Hegarty’s soulful and thoughtful singing abilities is too unnoticed. Check out their newest album Another World, and our favorite song, “Cripple and the Starfish.”
THE G.O. WISHES EVERYONE A FANTASTIC VACATION!!
December 2008/Kislev 5769
December 2008/Kislev 5769
The RamPage Sports
Page 15
The Battering Ram
Varsity Basketball: Midseason Gabriel Merkin ‘11 The Boys Varsity Basketball team has gotten off to a fast start this year winning the Magen David pre-season tournament and starting the regular season with five consecutive victories.
Photo by Raquel Moffson ‘10
Their wins have come in different ways, having to grind out close games as well as coasting to some easier victories. Contributions have come from a variety of players led by Max Feldstein ‘10 and Stefan Sakhai ‘09 and a spark off the bench from senior point guard Jeremy Banon ‘09. Ju-
nior forward Mike Berg ‘10 has also been a strong contributor. Coach Dulny is confident in the whole team, saying that “a lot of guys can come off the bench and help us out,” and he praises the versatility of his team, explaining that “[we have] some big guys that can play guard, center and forward.” The team has been impressive in most facets of the game and Michael Abramson ‘09 is quick to compliment the scoring and rebounding ability of the team, and he enjoys the brotherhood of the squad, explaining “we have the best chemistry since ‘05” - the year varsity started their return to glory– and likes the “Menshlikeit” the team shows. Before the SAR game Coach Dulny said, “We need to show up on defense,” and the team responded holding SAR to just 8 first half points on their way to a dominant performance. The team looks to continue their winning ways all the way to the Sam Gyenes tournament and beyond.
Girl’s Basketball Looks Strong at Midseason David Baruch ‘09
The girl’s varsity basketball team has surprised the league with a strong start this season. “We had big wins against Kushner and Frisch that proved we will be a tough contender,” said an excited coach Dulny. The team certainly proved that they have more to show as Kushner was supposed to be a championship contender and their size should have been a problem for the Rams. “The team plays tough defense and forces a lot of turnovers which translate into easy baskets,” said the coach. A great press and frontcourt defense has contributed to this strong defensive output. Guards Rikki Neiman and Talia Thurm have hustled and it has paid off. The team also has some new talent to be proud of. “Caroline Hoffman is really coming around,” said coach. “We have also seen good play from Zeva Epstein and Julia Menche,” he continued. These young stars are certainly helping the team now but they really make the future seem brighter too.
Photo by Raquel Moffson ‘10 The team also seems to be getting along really well which displays a contrast from last season’s team. “This year’s team gets along better so it leads us to play better together,” said Lauren Schwartzberg ’09. While they might not have been so successful in Toronto, Dulny noticed how they grew as a group. “It was great to see them having a great time especially because all the seniors got into college,” said coach. The team has won six games in a row and they had a big win against Mayanot in which they looked solid. There is, however, some concern over the team. “They score a lot of points but most of them come off turnovers,” said Dulny. “We will need to
Get excited for some of these upcoming games!
Where Are Our Fans? Sammy Major ‘11 Fan attendance for games this year and last has been subpar, and players are taking notice. “It’s terrible when other teams bring fan buses and have more fans than we do on our home court,” said Alex Kluger 11’, a member of the JV Hockey team. Although attendance at games and overall school spirit has improved since last year, thanks to the passionate effort of the spirit squad and G.O., the excess of empty Ramaz benches at every sports game is evidence that there is still much needed improvement. Considering how hard it can be to make the time in one’s schedule for a game on any weeknight, it important to understand how influential coming to a game can be. “Being a player on the basketball team, I know how much I love and appreciate it when fans come to our games,” said Rachel Marcus 10’, a member of the Varsity Basketball team. When asked about the effect fans can have on a game she added, “fans definitely affect
teams' performances, the more fans there, the more pumped up the team gets.” Players appreciate the fans that come to games, and they understand the message that a good turn out for a game represents. “School spirit transcends
administration and G.O. will work even harder to help solve this problem. Although there are definitely many things the administration could do in order to boost attendance at games, the responsibility to support their teams and friends ultimately lands on the student
Photo Provided by Google Images sport games,” said Michael Abramson 09’, a member of the Basketball Varsity team, “It means "hey I go to Ramaz and I’m proud of it, and I support my peers in their endeavors." Players understand that no one person or group can be blamed for the lack of attendance, but they hope the
body. Whether it is too much school work, inconvenience, or just a lack of interest in the school’s many teams, students must overcome their issues and show up to games, especially as the year goes on. The message that an empty gym sends, not only to other schools- but to the students of Ramaz, is very negative.
score more easy baskets in the halfcourt game if we want to keep winning,” he continued. Rebounding is also a concern for this group as second chance points have not come often and they will be necessary down the stretch. “We have become a tougher team this season. We are more aggressive,” said coach Dulny. This has been a surprise around the league. Many teams thought the Rams would be out-muscled by most of the league due to their size but they showed otherwise especially against Kushner. Overall, the girls have proven that they are the team to beat this season. Keep and eye out for them because they are only going to get better.
Ramaz prides itself on its superior sense of community and warmth, yet none of this is translated when it comes to attendance at games. Kids should be excited and eager to partake in the fan experience. Coming to a sports game means acknowledging that your friend’s interests are important and that you care about them. Students on sports teams put their academics and social lives on hold, spend hours running and practicing in the gym, and commit themselves to their passion- and to have all of that hard work and dedication culminate in an empty gym can be extremely depressing and defeating. Even an extremely impressive victory can seem less sweet if the people you care about most are not there to celebrate with you. At the end of the school day- after papers and tests and classes- all you have are your friends. So please guys, show them you care, and take an hour or so off from your busy lives to support them while they pursue what they love. Come to games!
January 7: Boys JV Hockey vs. MTA The boys will be taking on a perennial top team in this division rivalry matchup. It is also an oppurtunity to get a playoff run started if the boys want to salvage their season. January 12: Boys Varsity basketball vs. Frisch The varsity team will look to prove itself against top-notch Heschel. A win could solidify them as the team to beat. Flynn. Need we say any more? January 15: Girls Varsity Baseketball vs. SAR This rematch against the SAR team that eliminated the girls last year will test the girls’ endurance as they will need to grind it out against an agressive SAR squad. January 17: Boys Varsity Hockey vs. SAR The SAR game is always a big one for varsity hockey and it will determine how far this team can go if they want to make a playoff run.
December 2008/Kislev 5769
The RamPage Sports
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The Battering Ram Varsity Basketball Teams Take on Canada
Jake Sarachek ‘12 Even though they lost key seniors James Merkin and Jarett Goodman from last year, the Ramaz Rams boys varsity basketball team rammed it up in Toronto again, going 6-0 and ensuring that another Toronto Tournament Championship banner will be raised above Coach Dulny’s Court next year at the home opener. In the largest Jewish high school basketball tournament in North America, which included teams from Winnipeg, Boston, and Toronto, the Rams proved they are still one of the premier Jewish high school teams by not only winning every game but beating every team by twenty points with the exception of one game. Coach Dulny said that the tournament was “a very good indicator for the rest of the
Photo by Raquel Moffson ‘10 season” and that he saw great team defense and all around team play by the boys throughout the tournament. The team play was so strong that team captain Michael Abramson ‘09 said, “Our team was close before the tournament, but I think we can literally sense each others’ presences on the court now. If the Toronto Tournament is at all a sign for the rest of the season, then it looks like the Rams are championship bound again. Although the Ramaz Rams girls varsity basketball team did not win the championship, they showed a lot of heart as well. They went 0-4 in the
qualifying rounds, but they showed the heart to bounce back and beat Gray Academy in the consolation game. “We were much more inexperienced than last year’s team,” said Mr. Dulny. “We could have used some key players that were not able to play in the tournament,” he continued. However, Coach Dulny said that he still thinks the girls will have a successful season and that they impressed him by playing tougher basketball against the more physical Canadian teams. This should be an exciting year for our basketball teams. Toronto is only the beginning.
How The Rams Won: Stats Score
Leading Scorer
Ramaz 64, TC Wallenberg 43 Ramaz 48, TC Kimel 39 Ramaz 73, Gray Academy 33
Zachary Cooper 11
Ramaz 62, Or Chaim 38
Max Feldstein 19
Semi-finals Ramaz 63, Gann 48 Finals Ramaz 61, Or Chaim 44
Stephan Sakhai 13
Max Feldstein 14 Zachary Cooper 18
Stephan Sakhai 14
OR Recycle Save The RamPage
The Battering Ram Sits Down With Lauren Schwartzberg Jake Sarachek ‘12 Known for her tough defense and solid jumpshot, senior guard and co-captain of the Ramaz Rams girls varsity basketball team, Lauren Schwartzberg, has been one of Ramaz’s premier athletes since her middle school days. The Battering Ram sat down with her to talk about how the team has done so far this season and the challenges it will face in the coming months. Q: How would you compare last year’s team to this year’s team? A: Well it’s pretty similar, but the girls varsity basketball team has surprised the league with a strong start this season. Q: Do you guys think you have a championship team this season? A: Yeah we do. So far we’ve beaten two teams, Kushner and Frisch, that were ranked at
Q: What’s your favorite part about your own game A: Tough defense and when I’m open for the shot, I love taking it.
the top of the league so we feel pretty confident Q: So on that note do you still think this season would be a success without the championship? A: No, nothing is a success without a championship (laughs)
Q: So you would want the ball in your hands for the last shot. A: Oh wow, I don’t want to be arrogant but I think it would be a good idea (laughs)
Q: What’s it like playing for Coach Dulny? A: Its great. He’s a nice guy and a good coach. (laughs) Q: Which team do you think is the toughest to face, one of the one’s you have already beaten or do you think you still have to play the toughest team? A: Well we have SAR and I think that is going to be tough, but I think the toughest team in the league to play would have to be Kushner even though we already beat them but we do we have to play them again and that’s going to be tough.
Q: Do you think you have a home court advantage this season or has the crowd intensity been lacking A: Oh we definitely have a home court advantage this season, the intensity in the crowd is always there.
Photo by Hannah Rubin ‘09
Q: What would you say to the students to get the majority of the student body at big home games? A: Well school spirit’s important and we are an exciting team to watch.