The Ralll Page\Y Volume XXV Number 1
The Ramaz Upper School
The Bet Midrash Program: Success or Snafu? by Jtrtmy Stern h was hailed as:,, new and great educa1ional opportunity. It would bring Ramu up to par in Talmudic learning with other Yeshiva High Schools. preparing studenu for • year of study in Israel. Above all. it would inspire students. 1hrough use of the traditional chavruta style. to enjoy siudying Talmudic and rabbinic texts. But something in the elaborate plans the school undcnook went wrong. From day one of ots in stitution. 1hc Bet Midrash pro gram has not succeeded in its aims. with nearly every p:ir ticipan1 voicing negative feelings atx>ut ii. The Bet Midra.sh idea was first brought out into the open during the last school )'C3t. After rumors of • schedule change 1ha1 would keep students in school until 5:20 in the afternoon, R3bbi Look.stein scru a lcnc:r 10 the p:u-ents de.sent,.. ing and justifying a r3dic3.I 0'3ns• formarion ofdae school day. Jn I.he letter. \he rabbi made public lhc school's decision to add four extra periods to the schedule. ln 1he junior grade. these periods would be appended to the Honors Tai• mud classes, rcsu1ting in :,, .. Bc1 Midrash" program. Twice in 1he six-day schedule. s1udcnts would engage in independent ctuvrut3 study during three successive p e r i od s of Talmud. Rabbi Looks1ein explained the need for such long durations of class, saying at a RamPagc press con• fcn:ncc held last year that Bc1 Midrash lcaming was only pos-
he Material irl age 5 rap-up age 6
Students Opt for Reform With Election of New G.O.
by Ariane Mandt! No movies. No audience par• 1icipation. No singing. These were tJ1c rules implemented this yc:ir regarding 1hc G.0 clcc1ion assembly Ycl II d1dn"1 Slop the jokes from rolling. Tht curnnt G.O. (from ltO): Jason Goldberg, Btn Lcb,.ohl, The ckcuon assembly took Perry Smilh, Ari Tuchman , and E•le Dabah. place on Thursday. May 28. Bn:11 Zuckerman 100k 1hc opportunity 10 1hank Mr. Kennclh Rochlin. 1hc new D1rcc1or of Student Ac• 11v111cs. and called him "a fncnd 10 all." He also rc3d cxcerp1s from 1hc G.O. cons111u11on concerning elected posi11ons prior 10 every forced to wc.ir lighl clothing in 01her speech. by Ariane Mandel 1he harsh winter. The first candidate 10 speak . . It w3s incrcd1blt." expressed was frcshm3n Charles Fagm, who On Sunday. April 26. 1992. fif. ont ju. m or. "On the March. look teen Ram3Z students and one ran for the posi1ion of treasurer. Ramaz teacher boarded El•AI ing ahead and behind you. all )OU He made the audience laugh by night 30().4. This was no ordinary could sec for miles and miles were saying. "l may be small. bu1 l"m trip. These students were on lhcir the blue March of the L1vingjack tough. Young enough 10 care and way to Wars.1w, Poland 10 pay cts. The Nazis have failed. The old enough to dare." Some or his homage to the six million Jc"' ish March was proof that the nation of pr oposals for bcncnng the G 0. included wnncn mmutcs to stu• souls who perished dunng the Jsr:acl is Mill aJive and flourish• Holocaust These were the 1992 mg." dents as "'ell as parents on SFAC "The here place "'. the �alny of meeungs. and guaranteed com panicipanu m The Marc:h of the lhe Hvlocau•I hit me::� mos1 wu-munication between srudenrs aml Ltving:-Thc two.week tour included Majdanck," related ano1her sru - G.0. officers. Ben L,bwohl. another fr,sh visits to the remains of some of the den,. There lay piles of hair. major concentration camps and shocs, glasses. and clothing. m:in. took a more humorous ap ghenos. Five thousand teenagers While walking through the b:u-- proach 10 his speech. Ben marched the 1hrce kilomcler lrCk racks one coold view names and asserted 1hat muffins could 001 from the labor camps of addresses of the inmates C31Vcd solve all of our problems but 1f . Auschwitz 10 1he death camps of into the beds. Nail marks were elected. he could. The contenders for secretary Biri:.enau, yet this lime they come dug deep into the walls of the gas ofZyklon chambers and remnants wen: Jason Goldberg and Debbie out alive. The Death March, cx ealtcd during the Holocaust. was B stained the ceilings a deep. Lefkowitz. Jason promised to change 1he G.0."s image. and a march of the same distance from gloomy blue. wori. hard with much determina which few remained alive.while (continu,d on pag, 6) tion if clcc1cd. Debbie Lcfl.owitz
March of the Living: "It was Incredible!"
then spoke. citing several tdcas she had concerning lhe S1udent government Among them were a student complaint box and a stu• dent coun to bringJusticc lO unfair punishments 1mplcrnenced by the adm1nis1ra11on. Jonathan Rosenfeld promised 10 iniU3.tc inter..school 3Cllv11ies and improve the nutritional vaJue of 1hc candy machines 1f clcc1cd junior vicc•prtSidcnt Before his speech. he handed ou1 roses 10 many students as a promotional gimmick. He ended with a quo1e from tlie famed Dr. Ruth. saying . . You don'1 have to be cxpcnenccd to be an cxpcn." Evie Dabah countered this closing remark in her speech by saying th:u the G.O. couldn't funcuon w1thou1 someone with previous experience. Havrng served on the G.O. as freshman and sophomore class president. she made clear 1hat she w115 well qualified . lf elected. Evie pmmi�. 0ilbc11 facellously, to m· stall hot chocolalc and 1cc cream truJchincf. The speeches for scn.ior vice president proved 10 be quite inrcr• esting and entertaining. Ari Tuchm3n, former junior clan president. spoke to the school on 3 personal level. withoul a formal written speech. Ari went so far as to dee Ian: 1hc tic rule absurd. argu ing tha1 1f a student can control himself in May without a tic, wtw changes during the winter and (conlinu�d on page 6}
Crime Wave Washes Over Ramaz
(conlinu,d on pag, 4)
Inside This Issue:
June 1992 / Sivan 5752
by Uri Heilman Theft in Ramaz has always been a problem. bu1 for the first time in ycaB. 1he school is taking steps to try 10 curb the crimes within its walls. Most studenu in Ramaz have had something stolen from them at one time or anolher during their high school career. Although the school cducalcs stu• dents to be honest and moral people. the 1cachers arc nol al ways successful in their en deavors. Accordingly. 1he school has chosen to try to prevent the thefts. 'Jbcre were signs put up in the boys' and girls" locker rooms 1hat . say, . Students may not apnicipale in gym without a lock ." This hns always been policy. bu1 uniii l01ely it was not strictly enforced. S1udents an: no loogcr allowed 10 hang their coats in the coot room in the lobby, and the school urges
students not to leave any valuables 1herc or anywhere else. for that matter. Mr. Miller said, ''It's probably only one or 1wo kids who arc doing all the stealing, and it's almost impossible 10 caich them." He also expressed his opinion 1hat robbery in Ramaz is more vandalism than thefl. He was referring 10 the oulbreak of theft from 1hc candy machines earlier 1his ycor. Only aflcr repealed thn:au by the administr.uion to 1akc the machines away if the 1hef1 continued, did the vandals stop at lcmpting 10 rob the ma.chines. Teachers as well as students have complained or stolen books. ahhough moSI of Che time the books wen: la1er found to be jusl misplaced. Open closcu in the classrooms have been raided, as well a.s coot pockets in the coal room. Students who arc not on hot lunch oflcn lake the school's lunch wi1hou1 paying for it. Food hu been 1ak c n from lhc
refrigerator in the coat room, and that. two-way radios were stolen, items from the Lost and Found in addi1ion to 3 fax machine. The 1ha1 have been 1aken wrongfully. administr.1.tion is mystified as to Things have been taken from how the thic vcs were able to steal the SAC, and Mr. Rochlin of1en a fax machine unnoticed, but 1hinks tha1 the privilege of stu "where there's a will there's a dents .. h:inging out'" lherc is way," staled Mr. Miller. He said abused. Many times s1udents 1h01 in all probability the thieves have come to him with complaints of 1hc cquipmcn1 wen: part of the abou1 thcfl, ond he n:fcrs them 10 janitorial staff that was dismissed Dr. Shudofsky. Ahhough no a few mon1hs ago. They mighl money has been 1aken from the have taken the machinery out of SAC. people h3'e gone in10 the spi1c for the school, and might no1 desks there and l3ken 1hings have known that it was insured. without returning them. Seth Gribctz advises s1udcnts When asked if hc had any ideas to simply not leave their belong on how to curb theft in R:unaz Mr. ings unwatched. One student Miller said. "You can'1 have an agreed wilh him. but added. "the assembly 10 yell at people for fact is we shouldn't have a prob s1ealing. lt"s only a small group of lem like this in our school. You people doing it.· would lhin.k that in a Jewish S1Udents h3.vc not been the school people would be more only ones suspcc1cd of robbing the though1ful. but the oucsidc world school. A liulc while ago some Slill gets in10 our school. h really equipment was stolen from the is a shame." video room after school, including several video cameras. Before