Volume 47, Issue 3 (December 2013) - The Rampage

Volume XXXXVII Number 3

December 2013/Tevet 5774

The Ramaz Upper School

Politics of Ramaz: Examined

By Dan Korff-Korn ‘14

“Argh Pirate!”

SHOWTIME: Students performed in the show “Pirates of Penzance” in the Upper School Auditorium on November 26-27. For more photos and a review of the play, see page 5.

Ramaz Prepares for NYSAIS Evaluation

By Tess Solomon ’16 Every ten years, private schools accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) are reassessed for a position in the prestigious association. This year, it is Ramaz’s turn.

The NYSAIS organization began in 1947, when a private school in Brooklyn wanted to be completely independent of the rules governing the curricula of New York State schools. Although New York State has an accreditation process for private schools,

the curricula of schools that are part of that accreditation process are still partially dictated by the state. Their students, for example, are required to take the regents exams. Schools accredited by outside bodies must satisfy whatever rules are required of schools in general, but they are also given independence to determine much of their own curricula. “All good independent schools in America seek accreditation by outside bodies,” said Mr. Shaviv. “The best and biggest of the accreditation bodies

[for New York] is NYSAIS.” This accreditation, he said, is a badge of quality.

The process of the independent NYSAIS evaluation began with the school going through about a year of self-evaluation. “We have been going through this process since last January under the able leadership of Mr. Ira Miller,” said Mr. Shaviv. It is an ongoing procedure in which all aspects of the school self-assess and submit reports on their findings. Mr. Shaviv said, “This is a huge exercise,

involving all the academic departments in this school, plus all the operational departments, we need 32 or 33 full reports.”

In addition to writing the reports, employees are required to hear summaries of every report. It is for this purpose that there was an early dismissal on Monday, November 11. There will be a second early dismissal on Monday, December 9.

Continued on page 6

One-on-One with Ramaz Fashionista Claire Distenfeld ’04

By Elianna Doft ‘16 Claire Distenfeld is the founder of Fivestory, an art, jewelry and fashion boutique in the heart of Madison Avenue. She has been featured in many fashion magazines, such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Gotham. She graduated from Ramaz in 2004.

RamPage: Who are some of your style icons?

Claire Distenfeld: I would say one of my favorite style icons is Diana Vreeland; she was an iconic

INSIDE CHECK UP ON THE G.O.

Vogue editor back in the 60s and 70s. Everything she ever did was grounded in something timeless and elegant, but she always pushed the boundaries a little bit without being too out there. If she wanted to wear red lipstick, she would wear the reddest of red.

She made fashion exciting without being over the top.

RamPage: When did you decide that you wanted to start Fivestory?

Claire Distenfeld: When I gradu-

ated Ramaz, I was very interested in art. I went to NYU and studied art as and undergrad, and got a masters degree in art. Everyone would tell me that I was so lucky that I knew exactly what I wanted to do and went on a straight path.

I worked at a museum and then I worked at a gallery. But sometimes you wake up one day thinking that you know what you want, but then you walk in to work and you say, “I hate this, what am I going

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THANKSGIVUKKAH

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RAMS TAKE PEP RALLY

FFRESHMAN SHABBATON

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to do?” I only studied one thing, but my advice is that every day you should be super excited and passionate about what you are going to do, and if you find you are not, don’t be afraid to walk away and find what you really want to do. So I walked away, and spent four months soul searching and not doing anything, which was very scary. I had an idea to open the store, and I just went for it.

Continued on page 4

You may have been one of the 115 Ramaz students who were randomly selected to participate in a survey generated by The Ramaz Politics Society, RamPo to most. If you don’t already know, RamPo is a forum dedicated to fostering political discussion and debate amongst high school students, with over 150 students from multiple schools across the tri-state area involved in political conversation through its Facebook group. RamPo also hosts guest speakers as well as faculty and student debates, and is nonpartisan.

Everyone is encouraged to speak his or her mind. RamPo publishes the only purely-opinion-based publication at Ramaz, RamPost, in which students can write on issues important to them.

On November 1, RamPo surveyed students on the following five questions. Their corresponding answers follow: 1. How do you align yourself politically?

Very liberal, liberal, leaning left, moderate (centrist), leaning right, conservative, very conservative.

2. How do you align yourself on fiscal (economic) issues?

Fiscally conservative, fiscally liberal.

3. How do you align yourself on social issues?

Socially conservative, socially liberal.

4. Which political issue do you find most important?

Israel, economy, taxes/healthcare, military/terrorism/foreign affairs, social issues.

5. Are you well informed on political issues?

Yes, no, somewhat.

A week before last year’s presidential election, RamPo polled 100 Ramaz students, asking them which candidate they’d elect if they could. A whopping 78% gave their vote to Republican nominee Mitt Romney and a tiny 22% selected Democrat incumbent Barack Obama. I, and many others, was persuaded that Ramaz was mainly composed of a conservative student body. This most recent survey suggests otherwise.

Continued on page 4

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7 HUNGER GAMES REVIEW

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Ealier SAT: Not Necessarily Better

By Eddie Mattout ‘15

December 2013/Tevet 5774

Fantasy Sports Tackles Library

By Alex Leibowitz ’15

When Ramaz students think of the infamous junior year, words such as term paper, physics, and “impossible” come to mind. One of the most daunting factors of the year though, is the SAT or ACT. According to the College Board website, “it is advisable to take the SAT once in the spring of one’s junior year and again in the beginning of one’s senior year.” PSAT scores aren’t returned until December of junior year. The Ramaz college office’s website agreed with this method, stating: “The College Office generally recommends that those students who take the SAT I take the test once during the spring of junior year.”

However, such an approach to the test has lessened in popularity this year. When thirty Ramaz juniors were asked when they planned on taking the exam, 35% of them hoped to take the test

by February, or latest, March. “I just wanted to get it over with,” said Alex Agus ’15. “Junior year is stressful enough and ACT studying does not make it any better.”

Having a tutor once or twice a week was just a huge burden and the sooner I could have been done with the entire test, the better,” said Hannah Scherl ’15. Some juniors even took the test in early September or October. These students began their studying late in their sophomore year, continued through the summer, and took the test in the fall of their junior year. “It was a great relief to have taken the test so early. It removed a huge weight off my back from an already stressful year,” said Avi

By Noah David ’14

The RamPage News

Goldman ’15.

Many tutors also stress that taking the test earlier is better for a student. In response to this Mr. Blumenthal said, “The entire test prep system has become a business. Tutors often tell kids to take the test earlier and then after they receive their scores they will tell them how they can improve and get them as clients for as long as possible. A student might do just as well if he starts his tutoring later. The SAT business just pushes for an earlier start, and advertises on taking the test earlier, but in truth it is not necessary.”

So what is the reason that the College Board as well as the Ramaz college office encourages students to take the test later rather than earlier? After all, most students learn all the technical math they need for the SAT and ACT by their sophomore year.

Mr. Blumenthal’s reply was that, “The SAT and ACT are not only tests that require knowledge of the material, but also a certain maturity. A student might know all the possible material he/she needs but taking it later will get him/ her the highest results they can get.” In a study conducted by the College Board, the average student increases a total of 90 points when they take the test in the fall of their senior year. Mr. Blumenthal also noted that “There are students that are ready early in their junior year, but I do not believe this is applicable to the majority of the grade.”

In the past few years, fantasy sports have taken over the country’s interest. In a fantasy sports game, different owners (the participants in the game) draft players and build their own teams. The owners then compete with one another to see who has the best team over the length of a season. About 32 million people participate in some form of fantasy sports each year. So it comes as no surprise that a very large number of the Ramaz student body plays fantasy sports. Miro Sutton ’15 estimated that, “75 percent of boys play fantasy and are devoted to it.”

Some of these students enjoy fantasy sports so much that they play on the school’s computers during their free time. Simply walking into the library during a lunch period one finds hordes of teenage boys updating their fantasy websites. Jack Bonime ’15 said, “We use the school computers to discuss trades and criticize each other’s teams.” Jacob Berman ’16 added, “I see my friends playing fantasy sports commonly on school computers.”

This seemingly harmless game has created a real issue for school administrators. All forms of gambling are against Halacha.

In addition, the school has taken a strong stance against playing cards and poker in the hall. Some students are curious as to why the school has left fantasy sports alone. The Ramaz IT department blocks certain websites that the school perceives to be inappropriate and objectionable, however they have not taken action against

fantasy sports yet. Mr. Miller said, “It’s not the same as kids playing cards in school because of the enforceability.” He added, “When it’s online it’s harder to detect. You don’t make a Gezarah that is not going to be able to be enforced.

It’s not as if we are not sensitive to the issue - the question is how do we implement behavioral change, and we can’t enforce behavioral change when it isn’t in front of us.”

Some were in support of the school’s policy claiming that any ban would not be enforceable.

Berman said, “There may be betting. But stopping betting is a separate issue and I don’t think that banning it on school computers will in any way discourage betting.” Others felt that the school shouldn’t ban fantasy sports because fantasy sports are a positive activity. Bradley Brecher ’15 said, “There is no reason to block it, it’s out of class and if anything it’s a social skill or way to make friends or get into deep conversations.” Brecher added that fantasy sports is preparation for the real world. He said, “That’s life. When we are out of high school that is how it will be. So why not do it before it’s someone’s life savings on the line?”

This question led to an examination of the school’s policy on filtering what students can access on the Internet. According to Mr. Miller, Ramaz has “not tried to block each and every objectionable site--that is pointless and endless.

New sites are constantly popping up and we can never be so thor-

ough and exhaustive as to ensure enforcement in that method. We having acted on fantasy sites the same way we have acted against other gaming sites. We need to develop students’ self regulation and internal awareness of appropriate use of school resources and continue the process of education and ethical awareness.”

He also commented on the games students play on the computers saying, “I am also disturbed that sometimes there are kids playing games on the computers while others are waiting to use the computers for school work. If they are doing it, that’s one thing, but if they are playing and kids are waiting that’s really wrong. So kids should have the ethical sensitivity to get off the computer.”

Students tended to agree with Mr. Miller about the importance of trusting the student body.

Camren Villinskey ’15 said, “I think that we are in high school and that we are mature enough to not have to have any filters on the computers.” In addition, students confirmed Mr. Miller’s fears about students playing games.

When asked if students get up for others who need to do work, Alex Mosseri ’16 responded, “No they don’t.” Sam Fried ’15 answered similarly, saying, “They don’t, it’s pretty annoying.”

In the end Mr. Miller did say that he might need to review the parameters as to what is allowed on school computers. Many students are hoping that he continues to allow fantasy sports.

An Alarming Number of Fire-Drills

In recent weeks, students have become very accustomed to sitting in class and suddenly jumping up from their seats after hearing the deafening wails of the fire alarms. The reason for this is that throughout late October and early November, there has been an increase in the number of fire-drills.

A few times, these drills only resulted in emptying the school for about ten minutes, as each student checked in with a faculty advisor.

However, in one case, the fire-drill lasted nearly 45 minutes, causing a major disruption of school not only during that time, but also as students struggled to return to their schedules and get back on track. The justification for this upsurge in fire-drills is that Ramaz needs to meet its state requirement of eight drills for the year, and it has become apparent that students aren’t fully aware of how to act in the emergency situation of a real fire.

Although some would expect all students to welcome the idea of missing classes for this important safety precaution, there has been much informal debate about this topic. While the opinions can be generally broken up into the categories of being in support

or against the drills, there are different factors causing students to feel strongly in either one of the directions.

Some students were excited about the drills because they gave a break during the long school day. Josh Garfunkel ’14 said, “I have really been appreciating the crazy number of fire-drills we’ve been having because they make those long string of classes with no breaks more enjoyable.” Like Garfunkel, Naomi Bouaziz ’15 said, “There is no better feeling than having that siren go off when I’m starting to become bored in a class.” Others also supported the many fire-drills on the basis that they can only result in a positive effect on the student body. Michelle Bensadigh ’14 said, “These fire-drills can be the difference between life and death and it is crucial to know what to do in them, so I am in favor of any number of them occurring whenever the administration decides.”

Another argument in support of the concentrated fire-drills this past month is that it’s a good thing to get them over with. Instead of drills messing up one period each month of the academic year, some students have argued that it makes

more logical sense to have a few rather hectic weeks followed by months of quiet.

On the other hand, many have been against these fire-drills for various reasons. First, students have expressed concern that many people know when the drills are coming, which eliminates the element of surprise and thereby diminishes the true benefit of these preparatory exercises. There are two main ways that students find out when exactly a drill is going to occur. Teachers have told students both by accident and as an incentive to fit in all of the necessary material in the time before the drill occurs. In addition, rumors have been spread from student to student before nearly every drill due to the school’s obligation to warn specific students in advance.

For instance, Shoshana Edelman ‘14, with a cast on her leg that would prevent her from being able to hurry down the crowded stairwell, was told of the drills beforehand. When people overheard this, they would tell their friends and the message would spread like wildfire (no pun intended).

When students found out the exact time of the fire-drill, they prepared for it by getting their

winter coats, expecting to rush out of their classrooms. Alex Agus ’15 expressed the concern that “If we know when these fire-drills are going to occur and prepare for them, it contradicts the entire point of them in the first place and makes them worthless.”

Another factor that caused students to be against the drills was the school’s choice of timing in organizing them. Many of the drills occurred on days where it was frigid outside, leading the mass groups of students who didn’t have time to get their jackets, scarves or gloves to huddle together and insulate their bodies.

David Tahari ’14 complained, “I think the school should’ve been more careful to plan the drills on some of the warmer days which we’ve seen this fall.”

Similarly, students have argued against having the many drills in such a short span of time. Alex Hershman ’16 said, “I don’t think it made sense for the school to have all of the fire-drills in the span of a few brief weeks. Unless there was a specific reason for this, such as having to complete the state requirement by the end of 2013, I think they could have been more spread out. They

would’ve been more enjoyable if they occurred during springtime, anyway.”

All in all, in the aftermath of this fire-drill hysteria, few would argue that they are now less prepared for a real and dangerous situation. While it may have been slightly excessive of the school to cram many drills into such a short span of time, it was very important for students to learn the procedure early on in the year--even if they knew when the drills were coming. Also, the benefit of the sometimes undesirable timing of the fire-drills is that it accurately reflects the unforeseen nature of a true emergency. Whether in favor or against the manner in which the school handled their state requirement of fire-drills, the truth of the matter is that the student population is now in a far better place than we were beforehand.

December 2013/Tevet 5774

GO: Less Visible, More Active?

By Alex Leibowitz ’15 With four new members, the GO has undergone major changes this year. Some students felt that this year’s GO is not as active as previous years and needs to be more involved in student’s daily lives. Jack Tauber ’15 said, “They’re doing a solid job but let’s see some more GO cares stuff.

Lets get some more ice cream in lunch!” President Sam Feldstein ’14 acknowledges the difference from the past years and explains that the GO’s focus has changed.

“We have been working on a lot of long term things. We have also been working on getting a lounge with video games, flat screens, and cool chairs to put in the auditorium. There were issues with budgeting and fundraising rules but we’re close to making that happen.

Another thing we promised and we’re still working on is charging stations in the lounges.”

Feldstein doesn’t completely ignore the current relationship with the student body. He added the GO would try to fix its lack of day-to-day presence saying, “The students could see more events like the milkshakes in order to

rectify that.”

Junior Vice President Talia Sterman ’15 added that the GO has still worked on current projects. Sterman said, “I think our pep rally and chaggiga were really successful in getting more into school spirit (that was one of my campaign promises). And another one that has been a bit harder to actually accomplish is fixing the vending machines but we are trying our best.” Alex Eisenstein ’16 said that “the pep rally this year was better.”

Feldstein blamed much of missing day-to-day presence on the change in the Sukkot vacation.

He said, “There was no school during Sukkot so we could not plan a special trip. We tried to plan one, but there were issues.”

The Sukkot trip had been a signature event in the past, especially for incoming freshmen.

Overall, while some students desired a more active daily presence, they generally felt that the GO was doing a great job, especially after they got those milkshakes going.

The RamPage News

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Israel Night

By Zimi Sloyer ’14 On Tuesday, November 12th, Ramaz hosted Israel Night for the senior class and their parents.

There was a fair set up in the auditorium, so after an introductory speech by Rabbi Lookstein, students and parents were encouraged to walk around and learn about as many schools as possible.

Israel night used to be set up a little differently. There were individual sessions for each school, and you would choose four sessions to attend. However, what ended up happening was that after five minutes you would realize you didn’t like the school but you would still have to sit there for another 15 minutes. Also, you were only able to see four schools, whereas with the newer fair setup you could see all the schools which were represented at Israel night.

In general, Ramaz prefers to limit Israel night to established programs, not first year programs.

Also, they try to have Israel programs represented that they think Ramaz students will have an interest in. For example, if a Kiruv institution asked to come, the Israel advisors would probably say no, because that is not the type of institution that usually attracts Ramaz students.

One thing that bothers some students is the lack of non-orthodox programs at Israel night.

Programs like Nativ, Kivunim, and Yearcouse have all attracted Ramaz students in the past, so it’s confusing why Ramaz wouldn’t want them to come to Israel night and help students make their decision.

Shoshana Edelman ’14 said, “It really bothers me that only orthodox programs were at Israel night. The school should cater to the students’ interests rather than the school’s mission statement.

The only programs I am looking at are not orthodox, so I didn’t even go to Israel night.”

The administrators and Israel advisors feel that since Ramaz is an orthodox school, Israel night should only have orthodox programs. Ms. Krupka, one of the Israel advisors, said, “Israel night is a school event and a school promotion, so Ramaz only wants to promote and expose students to programs which are in line with the mission statement of the school.”

As annoying as it might be for students that the school doesn’t allow these programs at Israel night, some people understand the

decision. “It’s kind of inconvenient,” Alex Weinberg ’14 said, “but I totally understand the school’s decision not to have non orthodox programs.”

Even though the school feels like they cannot promote a non-orthodox program at a school event, the advisors said they are prepared to give students information about these programs, and encourage them to attend if they think it’s the right fit. Rabbi Schimmel, another Israel advisor, said, “If a student wants to go to a conservative or pluralistic program, that’s an option. We will tell them about the programs, we will write them recommendations for the programs, we just can’t invite them to Israel night because that would be like endorsing them.”

Overall, students found the night very informative. Alison Molchadsky ’14 said, “It was good to be able to see a lot of different schools and compare them. I think it will definitely help us with our decisions about a year in Israel.”

Opinion Piece

By Avi Goldman ’15 This past summer, I interned at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, and interacted with students from top schools across the Northeast, such as Fieldston, Horace Mann, Collegiate, Stuyvesant, Hunter College High School and the Phillips Exeter Academy. This elite group is part of the top tier of high schools in the entire country; a class that paces its students in top colleges in the country, a class that includes Ramaz. We discussed how each of us heard about the internship program. While I was the only one who had searched online for an internship and

Summer Internship: A Proposal stumbled upon it, they said their college advisors had given them a list of internships and alumni to contact for information about them. My immediate thought was, why doesn’t Ramaz have an alumni network like that? Ramaz has graduates who have gone on to enjoy incredible success in almost every field, not just law, business and medicine. So why not create an alumni-student network to organize mentorships, summer and senior year internship programs and career nights?

Summer internships and programs are valuable additions for a college application. Some

students struggle to find summer programs that interest them and a connection with an alumnus may give them an opportunity to find an interesting job that they can also use on their application. Our college advisors would have a robust list of potential summer positions as an alternative for touring and traveling during the summer.

Additionally, alumni may be more interested to contribute financially to Ramaz if they are re-connected through this program. Alumni of Ramaz may also be connected at their colleges and universities which could serve the summer intern well when he or she applies

to that school.

Such a program could also help with upper school admissions; parents of potential students would recognize the value of a school with Ramaz’s heritage, utilizing its alumni nor only for financial contributions but for mentoring and summer opportunities.

I propose we establish a student-alumni organization to promote mentorship, career choice events, summer programs and scholarship. The school may have an alumni organization already.

But I would send a survey to all alumni over the last 25 years (25 x approx. 100 students per year =

2,500 opportunities or more), asking for their college, post-graduate and work experience and if they could offer a summer program in their present or past place of employment. If they were willing to participate in our program we could then solicit summer opportunities, mentorship and volunteer for career guidance events. I would volunteer to work with fellow students to organize the program so that we could have it available for Summer 2014.

“Thanksgivukkah”

By Olivia Hershkowitz ’15 As the Jewish holiday of Chanukah and the national holiday of Thanksgiving created a mash up commonly known as “Thanksgivukkah” much excitement filled the air. The holidays have so much in common; the most important being that they are both celebrated through feasts. So with our sweet potato latkes and turkey menorahs, this was the brightest Thanksgiving yet! As students awaited this break after nine straight weeks of school, everyone was excited to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Chanukah together.

Dani Scheinberg ’15 said, “I broke

out the ‘menurkey’ in Scarsdale with my family-friends and my whole family. We always celebrate Thanksgiving together and I look forward to it every year. This year was even more exciting because we also got to celebrate Chanukah!”

The “once in a lifetime” holiday Thanksgivukkah was one not only spoken about in Ramaz but also discussed by countless Jewish Americans. But is it really once in a lifetime? There have been many people researching the history and future of Thanksgivukkah. Cer-

tainly, we can say it was a “once in a lifetime” holiday for us but it has proven to have happened before and it will undoubtedly happen again. Eli Lansey, a research scientist from New Jersey, states that Thanksgivukkah has happened before in 1888. This was only 25 years after President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Lansey also believes that this will not happen for at least 10,000 years. Different from Lansey, Jonathan Mizrahi, a quantum physicist from Maryland, believes that it will not occur for the next 70,000 years. There are many disputes regarding the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars with overlapping dates, which makes it uncertain when, or if it will for sure happen again.

Not only does the timing of

Thanksgiving and Chanukah out in December, around the overlap with their dates but also same time as Christmas. Although the themes of the two holidays having Chanukah and Christmas seem to be similar. Jews celebratoverlapping every year can bring a ing Chanukah are sense of jolliness to the rejoicing and giving winter atmosphere as a thanks for the Great whole, Christmas usualMiracle, the “Festival ly becomes over-hyped of Lights” that saved and Chanukah becomes the Jewish people. a bit less acknowledged The ancient Jews to the country. With won over the Greeks Chanukah falling out who banned them on Thanksgiving, we to practice Judaism had a chance for our while many years own acknowledgement later the Pilgrims got of Chanukah while Emily Adler ’16 in a religious freedom in “Thanksgivukkah” shirt experiencing a new exthe New World. Both citement of celebrating of the holidays symbolize freedom it with Thanksgiving. So with all and give us a great opportunity to the ‘Menurkeys’’ and sweet potato come together and show gratitude latkes this was defintely the best toward one another. and brightest Thanksgivukkah of Lastly, Chanukah usually falls our lifetime!

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The RamPage News

Rallying Ramaz Pep

By Skyler Levine ’15 At the beginning of this school year it was clear that Ramaz was lacking school spirit. Therefore, the GO made it one of their goals this year to increase school spirit, as seen in the November chagiga, when all the students danced together as the Ramaz choir and the Ramaz Band performed, or Friday tishes when a group of boys sing in honor of Shabbos together. All of these additions led up to the big event the GO was planning, the pep rally. On Wednesday morning, November 20, the Ramaz halls filled with students dressed in shades of blue and yellow, in team jerseys, all in honor of spirit day. Later that day, students crowded in the gym for a performance by the dance team and hyped-up calling of team captains.

Kelly Sterman ’15, Junior Vice President, said regarding the pep rally, “I thought it went really well. We put in a lot of work to decorate the school, contact captains to come out, and come up with unique ideas for what to have. I think Ramaz school spirit is getting a lot better.” In particular, the free towels and t-shirts, along with the unison cheering of “Frisch Stinks,” increased excitement for that night’s varsity and junior varsity basketball games against Frisch.

While it is clear that the GO put a lot of effort into the pep rally, the event received mixed reactions from Ramaz students.

Everyone agreed that putting the pep rally right before the Frisch games was genius, as it definitely increased the number of people who showed up to the game.

However, some students do not feel it increased school spirit as a whole. DJ Presser ’16 said, “The pep rally was not so exciting. It did get people into the game against Frisch that night, but the point of a pep rally is to get people excited about school sports in general. It would have been better had there been something more than the calling up of the captains.

The dance wasn’t enough; it may have been, had it been longer than 20 seconds, but it wasn’t so it was not sufficient.” Although the school put a lot of money into the special effects and showed aesthetic improvement from last year’s pep rally, some thought the event needed more personality and entertainment. Eliana Doft ‘16 said, “I was surprised by how many people were really into the pep rally and I had a lot of fun, but it would have made it better if they had made a video like the GO did last year.” Ava Adler ’16

agreed, as she said, “During last year’s pep rally jokes were told about each captain and a video was shown making fun of our school. This year’s pep rally was a bit drier and lacked this entertainment.” Others enjoyed the way it was planned, but felt the switch of its location from the auditorium to the gym took away from the event. Jack Tauber ’15 said, “I thought it was well planned and very cool but I think it was better in the auditorium. People would have been way more into it if they were all together rather than in different sections like the gym.”

Aside from this criticism, many still enjoyed the event which had a positive effect on attendance at the basketball game that night. Ilan Bley ’17 said, “I loved the pep rally. My friends and I had the best time. It was so cool seeing the school take such an interest in school spirit.”

Rachel Kraft ’17 said, “I really liked the pep rally. I thought it was a lot of fun and a great way to get people pepped for the games.

There were so many people at the Frisch game that night as result of it. I think the GO should do this more often.” Even though our school spirit may still need a little improvement, the pep rally was a great step up, and students now wait eagerly to see what the GO will plan next.

December 2013/Tevet 5774

Student Teacher Conferences

By Skyler Levine ’15 On Friday, November 22, 2013, students bustled around the Upper School, bouncing from teacher to teacher in order to review their performance from the previous quarter. Student-Teacher conferences used to be scheduled on a weekday, and the entire school was required to attend, but last year, due to the number of days lost because of Sandy, the administration switched it to a short Friday in order to minimize the amount of class time lost. Under this new procedure, students in grades nine to eleven attended school on Friday for their student teacher conferences, and seniors had to schedule their conferences during their free time. After seeing the success of short Friday student teacher conferences, the administration decided to continue this process this year.

Freshmen had heard negative things about the day, and were dreading a long, tedious day spent waiting on lines for teachers.

However, they found it to be a lot less stressful than they expected.

Julia Krevat ’17 said, “It was a lot less stressful and hectic then

people said it would be.” Some freshmen think what helped was the fact that the seniors were not there. Ilan Bley ’17 said, “I felt the older grades were respectful and did not cut us. If the seniors had been there, it may have been a different story because they might have cut lines and made it more difficult for those who are new to the process.” The fact that it was on a short day also did not hinder students, as some freshmen finished as early as 10:30 A.M., but were not allowed to leave the building until 11:00 A.M. Students also felt that the day helped them academically. Shelli Cohen ’17 said, “I found them really helpful because I was able to find out from my teaches what I need to improve on.” Students also felt like they were prepared for what teachers would tell their parents at parent teacher conferences the following Sunday.

Overall, the freshmen enjoyed this new experience, and the sophomores and juniors thought that this new procedure is one that should be kept for years to come.

The Political Nature of the Ramaz Student Body Continued from front cover At first glance, about 30% of those polled identify as left-leaning—meaning they consider themselves as either liberal or very liberal. About 45% identify as leaning right—considering themselves as either conservative or very conservative. The remaining 25% identify as moderates—having no political leanings. No surprise here, right? Well I beg to differ.

Here’s why. The survey shows an overwhelming majority of the student body—78%—align as fiscal conservatives. Of the 45% who fall on the right, all view themselves as fiscal conservatives.

Of the 25% who align as centrists, 70% fall into the fiscally conservative group.

And most surprisingly, of the 30% who align as left, a majority—53%—hold to be fiscal conservatives.

A similar breakdown applied for Ramaz student opinion on social issues. A majority—70%— voted as social liberals. 80% of

those who identify as moderates also identify as social liberals and 76% of those who align as leaning right also consider themselves socially liberal.

But perhaps the most surprising facet of all the statistics was the response to the question

“which political issue do you find most important.” In a school so supportive of the Zionist cause, one would expect Israel to be at the forefront of students’ political concerns. But shockingly, that is not so. Less than 16% of all

students polled listed Israel as a priority. The economy (40%) and social issues (23%) turned out to be the top concerns of the Ramaz student body.

Data. Data. Data. Let’s simplify it. The statistics show a few important and unexpected trends.

First and foremost, what divides the Ramaz political spectrum is not the general liberal versus conservative debate, but the fiscal one. Ramaz students come, largely, from relatively upper class, privileged backgrounds, and, as a result, students see more benefit in lowering, not raising taxes. Typical fiscal conservative ideology takes that position— opposition to tax increases on the wealthy—holding that it is an ineffective way to benefit the less wealthy. For that reason, it is not surprising that nearly 80% of Ramaz students identify as fiscal conservatives.

A similar trend holds for

the majority on social ideology.

Ramaz students live in one of the most liberal regions in the United States—the Northeast—and in, arguably, the most progressive, enlightened and educated generation ever. Further, Ramaz staffs a chiefly liberal general studies faculty and represents many of the liberal ideals not typically sup-

ported in mainstream Orthodox Judaism. It’s understandable that Ramaz students support same-sex marriage (or don’t oppose it), want stricter gun control laws and desire more racial equality—whether through finances, a stronger education system or a reduction in

racial profiling policies. It follows that the student body espouses a socially liberal opinion (70%), despite its conservative fiscal views.

Expected. Right? But what explains the tiny portion—barely 16%—of students who selected Israel as their top political concern?

It’s not Israel, but other issues, mainly the economy, that are plastered all over the media. What we see, read and hear most about is our country’s increasing debt, faulty healthcare system and high unemployment.

In this media environment, we hardly are cognizant that Israel is indeed a political issue.

It’s not accurate to presume that the Ramaz student body is predominantly Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, left or right. But it is fair to claim that the Ramaz student body is fiscally conservative yet socially liberal. And along with that, the student body is more politically concerned about issues of a domestic nature—principally our country’s economy.

December 2013/Tevet 5774

The RamPage News

Page 5

A Shabbat of “Many Ramaz Brings You ‘Pirates of Colors” Penzance’

By Esti Flamenbaum14

By Elianna Schwartz ’17 Bags and jackets flooded the auditorium stage. Boxes were stocked with the freshman chesed project, Chanukah presents that were to be sent to an organization called Ohel. The room was filled with excitement and eagerness to spend time with friends and soon-to-be friends. After the long countdown the day had finally arrived, freshman shabbaton was here.

Following shacharit and a hilarious music video created by two freshman senior advisors, the freshmen were all in the right mindset for the weekend!

The freshmen headed on the buses to Bogota Golf Center in Somerset, NJ where they played many different sports. Jake Lefkowitz ’17 said, “I had a lot of fun playing golf and basketball with my friends and I especially enjoyed the batting cages. It was a great opportunity to bond over sports with kids who I had not met prior to the trip.” The students then proceeded back to the hotel where they ate lunch and had time to prepare for Shabbat.

Once dressed in their dresses and suits, it was time for pre-Shabbat ruach lead by a great band. “The pre-Shabbat dancing was so much fun! It really got me into the spirit of Shabbat and excited for the rest of the weekend”, said Sonia Dushey ’17. After lighting the Shabbat candles, the freshmen joined together in the shul for a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat. Dr. Aharon then spoke and introduced the theme of the weekend, the freshmen’s “many colors”, based on Dr. Seuss’s book.

The freshmen played some fun icebreaker games to get to know their peers and senior advisors a little better. Shabbat dinner followed and was filled with zmirot, delicious food, and more singing.

The first session, after dinner, run by the senior advisors and faculty, discussed personal relationships between friends and G-d. The freshmen were challenged to think about their relationships in a new light. They were then welcomed to the tisch, a table full of desserts and fruits. To end the night, there was free time to socialize in the lobby. Rebekah Fenster ’17 said, “The chill time was one of the best parts of the shabbaton. It gave our grade as a whole time to talk with our classmates in a totally different environment than what were used to.”

Shabbat morning began with Shacharit, Kiddush, and another session. Session #2 further delved into the theme of the freshmen’s’ “many

colors” in relation to G-d and tefillah. “I felt that the sessions both Friday night and Shabbat day were the two most central parts of the shabbaton as they gave the students the wonderful opportunity of airing their opinions of the key aspects of high-school Jewish life; your relationship with your friends

and G-d and what does davening mean to you”, said Matthew Hirschfeld ’17. Lunch was another delicious meal consisting of zmirot and devrei torah followed

by Mincha and menuchah (rest).

By late afternoon, it was time for seudat shlishit. The freshmen ate some more, sat in a circle and sang beautiful songs. Finally, the class presidents, Gabriel Klapholz ’17 and Shelli Cohen ’17 addressed the grade and reflected on the Shabbaton and the importance of recognizing each other’s different “colors” and qualities. The freshmen concluded their amazing Shabbat experience with maariv and a beautiful havdalah, sung with arms around each other. The room then broke out into dancing and post Shabbat ruach and spirit.

The freshmen packed up their bags and headed to the last stop of their fun-filled weekend, bowling! They ate pizza, played some competitive and exciting games, and arrived back to the high school. There is no doubt that the freshmen returned from the shabbaton feeling as though they became closer as a grade and as a community. They were exposed to and enlightened by the “many colors” of their peers.

Pirates of Penzance is a Gilbert and Sullivan classic, told in operatic fashion; i.e., through song. The musical teems with characteristic British wit and satire, as relatable now as it was when it was written, in sentiment if not in plot.

The Upper School cast of Pirates of Penzance did a spectacular job with the musical. As a story told through song, strong singing skills were needed, and the cast stepped up to the plate.

From long-held notes to fast-pace tongue twisters, the cast did it all, while performing complicated and chaotic dance routines, to boot!

The entire ensemble performed outstandingly. Many of the songs, and especially the dance numbers, depended on the coherence of the cast, usually in smaller units, such as “the girls,” “the pirates,” and “the police.” The cast worked almost seamlessly, an impressive feat.

Benjamin Shiff ’16, as Frederic, did a phenomenal job, appearing in almost every scene, and singing in many of them. Both Jack Hartstein ’16, as the Pirate King, and Elizabeth Bier ’16, as Ruth, were hilarious, as was their band of Pirates. Extra kudos to Jack,

for wearing what the reviewer is pretty sure was a Captain Jack Sparrow costume. The “girls,” led

by Gaby Stemp ’15 as Mabel and Shoshana Edelman ’14 as Edith, were charming. Shoshana was a special treat, performing even with a broken foot and a cane. Lastly, Rachel Kastner ’14 did double-duty, as assistant director for the show and as Major-General Stanley. Rachel managed to turn out both a wonderful performance by the entire cast and a delightful performance of her own.

While there were a few slip-ups during the play, they were minor, merely a couple wayward props

and some hesitant dialogue. On the whole, the Ramaz drama department did a fantastic job with a theatrical classic.

Claire Distenfeld Interview Continued from front cover RamPage: What inspired you to start Fivestory?

Claire Distenfeld: I think it was that time when I left my job, and I had four months in the summer with nothing to do and no friends around. I had to force myself to spend time with the city. I felt really lonely and very bored. My only reference point to those feelings is in college when I spent the summer in Paris abroad.

I didn’t know anybody and I didn’t speak the language, and I would literally spend days alone.

I felt lonely and isolated and I didn’t know my purpose. My saving grace was when I would walk into stores, and they would enlighten me. People in the stores would remember me, and they would become my quick friends for the day. I remember always loving the idea of having the place where I could discover new things, talk to new people, and feel comfortable. I couldn’t find something like this in New York. In New York, a place that’s so oversaturated, when you find something that doesn’t exist, you should create it. I never could have imagined that I had this in me, but you don’t know until you try.

RamPage: What influences your buying decisions?

Claire Distenfeld: I think at the beginning, my one up on everyone was that I said to myself, “I’m me, and nobody else knows my style

or has my eye.” So as long as I’m just going with what I think and what I feels right, the whole store will stay consistent, and it will be completely unique. I think over time, like any business, you learn what works and what doesn’t, but I always stay true to my own style.

But you have to be smart, look at the numbers and statistics, and be able to accept that sometimes

something you want just doesn’t make any sense.

-RamPage: What would you suggest to a teen interested in perusing fashion?

Claire Distenfeld: I would say try every element. Try websites, magazines, and stores. There are so many different dynamics

to fashion. If one doesn’t work, there’s always another. But, it’s not as glamorous as it seems. If you’re willing to work hard, it could be very fun.

RamPage: What trends should fashion conscious high schoolers be looking for?

Claire Distenfeld: I’m in love with skirts; femininity is a really big part of fashion for spring. The colors are really feminine, like pastels and people are really into the idea of feminine, flowy skirts as opposed to tight short ones.

RamPage: What did you learn from your high school experience that applies to your career today?

Claire Distenfeld: Ramaz really teaches you how to multitask, and that you can’t do everything but you should do what you can.

You should fill your time with what makes you happy, if you want to do extracurriculars, don’t do something for the sake of it, but do it because you really want to get better at it. When you go into business, time management is the most important thing.

RamPage: What do you miss most about Ramaz?

Claire Distenfeld: Being around friends, and, it might sound weird, but I miss learning. In school, you get to learn about different things all day long, but when you have a job, you learn about the same thing all the time. There’s something really eclectic about Ramaz.

Page 6

Shabbat: An Alternative Persepective

By Andrew Lobel ’15

I am writing to offer a different perspective on the issues related to Shabbat observance raised in last month’s opinion piece “Not Enough Time in the Week.” As an observant Ramaz student, I do not see the correlation between working on Shabbat and “remain[ing] competitive both in Ramaz and on a national level.” And I have never “faced the stark choice of working on Saturday or watch[ing] as a friend who does score higher.”

I have always viewed Shabbat as a benefit when it comes to school, not a burden. It is the one day that I have to rest, regroup and recharge for the demands of the other six days. If anything, keeping Shabbat has helped my academic performance, because it is the only day that I can read with absolute focus and without the distractions of my cell phone or laptop. And I am pretty sure that not writing for one day makes me more productive and efficient the other six. Having the time on Shabbat to read the entire newspaper might even do more to boost my verbal SAT score than using Saturday to do one more practice test.

Going to shul on Shabbat also helps. Davening, singing, participating in familiar rituals, and hearing something inspiring, are surprisingly effective in reducing the academic stress that accumulates during the week. Shul is also a time I can socialize, guilt-free, with friends. Even if we complain about our workload, we have the time and a place to support each other. I cannot imagine cycling through each week of the school year without one day out of seven to engage in something other than school work.

Shabbat is also the only day that I can spend a significant amount of time with my family at a meal and discuss current events, sports, or just what is happening in our lives. It is these Shabbat meal conversations, more than extra hours highlighting a textbook, that have taught me valuable lessons about politics, the business world, and what matters in life.

And it is precisely these conversations about what is going on in the larger world that help me keep my own challenges in perspective.

Observing Shabbat is a challenge that will continue far beyond Ramaz, throughout college and into our professional lives. As we get older, we cannot expect our schools or employers to make it “as easy as possible for observant students to remain observant.”

It will be our choice whether we view Shabbat as a day that limits or enriches us. While it is tempting to think that having 24 more working hours in the week will correlate with more success, the law of diminishing returns would probably yield the opposite result.

In fact, it is precisely the things that I can do only on Shabbat, not the things I cannot do, that have helped me become the student I am.

The RamPage News

Clubbing Controversy: The Latest Political Scandal

By Alex Leibowitz ’15 Clubbing seems to be the new Yeshiva sport. Three political minded clubs have banned together, RamPo, HeschPo and SARPo. Over the past year, the new political clubs have become some of the most popular clubs at each of their respective schools. With over 150 members in the RamPo Facebook group, it has gained serious popularity throughout the student body. It underwent a merger over the summer with both SARPo and HeschPo, two other like-minded clubs. According to Dan KorffKorn ‘14, “Over the summer, students at SAR and Heschel got in contact with RamPo to ask us how they could set up their own political discussion groups and how their schools could work with Ramaz to further political debate amongst high school students (many SAR and Heschel students had already been active on the Facebook group).”

However, recently the merger caused major problems within the schools and threatened the relationship of RamPo and HeschPo, creating the first ever Yeshiva clubbing controversy.

According to Korff-Korn, “The Ramaz administration received an email from Heschel concerned about why their school’s logo was on the RamPo website. They asked about the exact status of RamPo’s relationship with HeschPo.

RamPo had originally put the logo up on RamPo’s website after the Heschel students confirmed that HeschPo had been approved. But as it turned out, HeschPo had not been approved, as RamPo failed to confirm their status with the Heschel administration. RamPo cleared up the situation by removing the logo and HeschPo has since been approved by the Heschel administration.”

Alex Weinberg ‘14, a co-captain of the club said, “the whole situation was based on a series of miscommunications between the RamPo leadership and HeschPo leadership. Basically, the student RamPo leadership got way ahead of itself designing the website and initiating inter-school cooperation. And we failed to stay in the loop with Mr. Rapp and the administration.”

Weinberg also added that the situation did not occur with SAR because, “SAR has similar sorts of standards for faculty advisors that we do and everything worked out perfectly in setting up SARPo.” The RamPo website was briefly shut down until the miscommunication was resolved and KorffKorn said that SARPo, HeschPo and RamPo are, “looking forward to holding joint guest speaking engagements.”

December 2013/Tevet 5774

NYSAIS Continued from front cover The next step occurs in March, when a visiting committee of 2-5 faculty members or administrators of other NYSAIS-accredited schools will be visiting Ramaz.

They read the compiled report, in addition to looking at the curriculum for all students, reading some of the emails sent within the school, and meeting with parents, board members, and faculty members. Most immediate to the students, however, is that they will be sitting in on several classes and are able to stop students in the hallways and ask them questions.

“What they are looking for,” said Dr. Koplon, “is whether we provided the NYSAIS with an accurate self-evaluation and whether we are satisfying the requirements for accreditation: that we reflect our mission statement; that we have enough fire drills, (which is the reason we’ve been having so many); and whether our academics are up to their standards.”

At the end of their visit, the committee will issue a report of commendations and recommendations. In five years, there will be a short reevaluation to check up on how the school has responded to the recommendations.

Mr. Shaviv said that he has experienced inspections like this before. “In Toronto, the province of Ontario conducted the inspection. However, this is much more thorough and vigorous than any of the kind I’ve previously been through.”

In terms of students, the accreditation committee meets with student leadership. There will also be a student survey, in addition to surveys of the parents and faculty.

However, the visiting team also has complete freedom to ask anyone they meet whatever they want about the school. There will be some notice of this, says Mr. Shaviv, but since the point is for the committee to get a real perspective of the school, there won’t be much more than a notice.

“I hope everyone says they love the school, but no one will be telling the students to act or dress a certain way. I am absolutely confident that the normal behavior of the students will show the school in an excellent light. This is a great school, I’m sure that’s the impression the NYSAIS team will take away.” Dr. Koplon echoed him saying, “For students, the point is not to act like it’s an open house. Students don’t have to say it’s awesome, we just expect them to be honest—we’re not trying to recruit.”

From the school’s point of view, this is a big deal, because if it receives too many recommendations, it could lose its accreditation. However, Dr. Koplon said, “I think this is a great school, and we do a lot of great things. I don’t think that possibility [of losing accreditation] is very likely.”

“It is very important for a school to get accreditation, but it’s also a very healthy process,” said Mr. Shaviv. “It pushes forward something I’ve been trying to encourage since I’ve gotten here, which is cooperation between departments. And even more so, it encourages us to be self-critical.

We have to look at ourselves and ask ourselves what we’re doing and what we aren’t.”

Senior Trip: Where is the Rest of Our Grade?

By Alex Ratzker ’14

On Thursday, November 21, afternoon classes were cancelled for the senior grade so that they could spend the remainder of the day ice-skating at Bryant Park.

According to many of the students who attended the trip, the ice-skating outing was the one of the best excursions that the twelfth graders have had throughout their Ramaz experience. The weather was nice and the activity was fun.

However, teachers and students alike were disappointed that only about 50% of the grade showed up for the trip.

Going into the trip, I expected that attendance would be better than it has been in previous years.

As seniors, we have more free time on our hands than we did during junior year, and therefore, I assumed that more students would opt to attend the trip. Admittedly, I was incorrect.

Senior class president, Esther Malka Issever ’14 said, “It is sad to know that there is very little sense of community in our grade. Most likely, the reason that half the grade did not come is simply because they did not think it would be fun, or they just don’t see the

point in investing time in something that they won’t be graded on or something that doesn’t ‘matter.’

But even for those who think like this, there should be a sense that this is a grade-wide trip and they have a responsibility to our grade to show that they care about their classmates and that they’d like to spend time with them.”

Dan Korff-Korn ’14 continued, “The ice skating trip was a special treat for our grade and it’s a shame that many of our classmates neglected to take part in it. We rarely get the opportunity to bond outside of school, and excursions like the one to Bryant Park and grade-wide shabbatons give us good chances to do so.

The fact that a large portion of our grade does not wish to take part in events is disrespectful to our class presidents, who work hard to have the administration approve their trips, and disrespectful to their fel-

low classmates. I really hope that the lack of attendance does not hurt the chances of our grade to go out on future excursions, and I also hope students can make more of an effort to be part of a grade that only has six or so months left together.”

According to Issever ’14, KorffKorn does not have to worry that there will not be trips planned for the future. She explained that de-

spite the rumors stating otherwise, “We were definitely not going to cancel the trip because people didn’t want to come and we won’t do so in the future. As class presidents, we have to cater to the kids who want the trips, those who do feel a responsibility to go on trips.”

Following the trip, Dr. Warshall’s senior class discussed their thoughts as to why students chose

not to go to Bryant Park and how attendance can be improved in the future. GO President Sam Feldstein ’14 suggested that, “trips be scheduled in between classes so that students feel compelled to stay.” He also said, “ It may be too late for the seniors, but for younger grades, there should be more of an effort made for grade bonding outside of the once a year shabbaton. If students feel that they are at least friendly with everyone, I think that more kids would come and enjoy the trips.”

What happened on the senior ice-skating trip is not an isolated event. On grade-wide shabbatons, the Upper School overnight at Camp Seneca Lake, and during Color War, attendance tends to decrease tremendously. Many students acknowledge that like Ramaz itself, we place much greater emphasis on the academic aspect of the institution, rather than fun activities that occur outside of the classroom. However, if we want these activities to continue, we must show the administration how much we value them by simply attending them.

December 2013/Tevet 5774

The RamPage Arts

Page 7

The Jewish Spirit Beneath the Facade: Kanye West Reviewed

By Josh Sarachek ’17 Does Kanye West promote Jewish values in his concerts?

There are several reasons to believe he does. Kanye West performed four nights at Madison Square Garden including the Saturday night show on November 19th which I attended during his Yeezus tour. Kanye’s show opened, motzei Shabbos, to flashing lights, flurries of snow, a dozen dancers, a red-eyed demon, and visuals of a mountain, Jesus Christ and, Kanye himself.

Kanye is a deeply religious artist and refers to Jesus, as Yeezus.

Before his opening march, Kanye (a.k.a “Yeezy”) was preceded by 12 female dancers in flesh-colored tights, leaving nothing to the imagination. With the schizophrenic bleeps of the song “On Sight” blaring through the speakers, a masked-Yeezy strutted down the stage’s extension about 50 feet

into the middle of the arena where he would perform for most of the night. West fed the feverish crowd hearty helpings of tracks like “New Slaves” and “Mercy” before he would climb the sets mountain to perform “Heartless” from his 808 Heartbreak album. There

were several costume changes- first a black mask with a black jacket, then he wore a white mask with a white robe. Kanye ended the show with “Bound 2”, where he got the whole crowd singing his songs bringing the concert

to a crescendo with an emotional end. Some say that Kanye is ignorant and self-centered, but if you examine his words, there’s a deeper meaning to his lyrics. For example, in the song “Runaway,” Kanye toasts the people that do something wrong, and talks about the various acts they commit.

Every time Kanye performs this song, he goes on a 10 minute rant about his own struggles in life and the world in generally. In essence, it is a pep talk to the crowd with the message that anything is possible. This is certainly a core belief of Judaism, particularly the miracle of Chanukah. It’s also my favorite part of the concert because of the raw emotion he infuses in his words and the inspiration he serves to his audience. It is something all of us can relate to and the reason I encourage people to attend Kanye’s concerts.

Are You Hungry for the Hunger Games?

By Skyler Levine ‘15

By Jasmine Levine ‘17 In the second installment of the hunger games trilogy, Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen is every bit the heroine that she was in the first movie. Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is brilliant. In the first movie she was a somewhat unknown entity.

Now she is a huge silver screen star. Despite that, she does not rely on her reputation to do this movie. She is spectacular from start to finish and makes an already great movie better.

When we last saw Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), they emerged as the unlikely champions of the state-sponsored “Hunger Games.” The movie opens with the duo on a victory tour of the nation of Panem, seeing and hearing firsthand the consequences of their suicide pact, which forced the organizers to declare them joint winners of what had previously been a fight to the death. That simple act of survival was seen as an act of defiance and is in turn inspiring civil disobedience in Panem’s 12 Districts—and it is making the government, headed by the scheming President Snow (Donald

Reviewed: The Book Thief

Sutherland), apprehensive.

As Catching Fire begins, Katniss and Peeta are readying for their victory tour, pretending to be a couple, though Katniss’ heart belongs to Gale (Liam Hemsworth), the boy she leaves behind. While in each district, Katniss and Petta have to try to convince the citizens of each district that they are madly in love with each other to prove that their conduct was not meant

sent back into the arena and are, again, forced to fight against each other and others for the chance of survival.

The story, just like the first movie is intriguing and exciting.

However, a new director, Francis Lawrence, directs Catching Fire.

He is credited with notching up the action, adrenaline and special effects of this movie. While the first movie moves along at a steady

as acts of rebellion and to help stifle a citizens’ rebellion. However, Katniss and Peeta do not succeed in doing so. President Snow announces the commencement of the Quarter Quell, a “Hunger Games” all-stars variant occurring once every 25 years, with participants selected from former champions. Snow wants Katniss dead. Katniss and Peeta are

rate, the energy and excitement of this movie is brought to a much higher level.

The conclusion is unexpected and dramatic, keeping your interest and creating a hunger for the third and final stage of this trilogy.

I for one cannot wait for that to happen!

“The Book Thief,” the 2005 bestselling novel by Markus Zusak is now a major motion picture showing in theaters today. The movie takes us back to 1938 Nazi Germany. We follow the story of a young girl named Leisel Meminger as she moves to a small town in Germany into a new adoptive family. Just like the book, the movie hints to the fact that her mother was a communist as the reason why she is moving in with her new father, Hans, played

by Geoffrey Rush, and her new mother, Rosa, played by Emily Watson. Hans is a sign painter who is struggling financially as a result of refusing to join the Nazi party.

He is devoted and caring to Liesel as he comforts her and teaches her how to read.

As the war develops, Hans and Rosa put their lives at risk as they hide a young Jew named Max in their basement to repay a debt to Max’s father. Max’s father saved Hans life during World War I. Hiding a Jew is very dangerous, especially as conditions in Nazi Germany worsen for Jews, but this just awakens Hans and Rosa’s innate nature to stand up for what they feel is right. Max and Leisel form a strong connection as Max teaches Leisel, now a good reader, how to write. Like the book, the film is narrated by the angel of death.

In the book death as the narrator

added a new layer of depth to the already deep storyline. In the movie I did not feel this same complexity, I think because it was hard to depict this in a two hour film. It is hard to achieve the same feel in a motion picture. Most of the movie though is told from Liesel’s point of view as she witnesses the terrors that the Nazi’s unfold around her. Throughout her struggle we see her inner strength, uncertainties, and worries.

Sophie Nelisse as Liesel conveys the strong girl described in the novel, but also depicts her more vulnerable side, giving the audience a full sense of Sophie’s talents as an actress. Geoffrey Rush is phenomenal as a compassionate man who refused to give up and back down from his strong morals, even when faced with major difficulties. My only critique is with Director Brian Percival who fails to create the danger and horror of the streets of Nazi controlled Germany. The daily pressure of a Jew on the streets of Nazi Germany or a person harboring a Jew could have been better conveyed.

Overall, the movie delivered a touching and strong depiction of the strength of youth and of moral strength for those fighting the atrocities in Nazi Germany.

Page 8

The RamPage Sports

December 2013/Tevet 5774

#TwinningAndWinning

Senior twins, the Taharis and the Cappells (pictured to the right), dominate Varsity Basketball.

By Josh Sarachek ’17

Brook and Robin Lopez, Jason and Jaron Collins, and Marcus and Markieff Morris are on a list of professional basketball players who are twins. Someday that list may include Ramaz’s own sets of twins, senior athletes, David and Lauren Tahari ’14 and Jamie and Anna Cappell ’14, who play high school basketball for Ramaz.

David is on the boys varsity basketball team and Lauren is on girls varsity basketball. David started playing basketball at the end of 4th grade when he went to Camp Seneca Lake for the summer. He was interested in basketball because it was the main sport at Seneca at the time and his older brother, Aaron was a talented basketball player who led his middle school team to the championship. This motivated David to be better at basketball because like all younger brothers, he wanted to be like his older brother. Lauren was inspired by David. She

became interested in basketball in middle school, but did not make the team. Whenever David was playing he would encourage her to come play with him and would help her work on her shot. When I asked Lauren if David had an effect on her being motivated to play basketball, she said “For sure, he always wanted me to get better at basketball, and seeing him excel on varsity as a sophomore really motivated me.” David made JV basketball in 9th grade, practice squad for varsity in 10th grade, and has been on varsity ever since.

Lauren made JV in 9th and 10th and varsity in 11th and 12th .

The two siblings have made a big impact on Ramaz basketball.

Another set of twins who both play basketball are the Cappells.

Jaime Cappell is one of the captains of the varsity team but what many people do not know is that his sister, Anna is also unbelievable and debatably has a better jump

shot than him. Jaime started playing basketball first. He is one of the best players in the league and his shot is spectacular. Jaime wanted to play basketball because he thought it was fun and he enjoyed playing the game. Anna started playing for the same reasons.

The Taharis and Cappells are big contributors to Ramaz basketball and they are four very proficient basketball players.

The two sets of twins played a two on two the other day and the Cappells won 11-3. David joked, “I couldn’t focus on the game, I was too busy screening for Jaime.” Lauren and Anna won the championship last year on Varsity but Jamie and David have never won and are hoping to have one last crack at the title in their senior year. Wouldn’t it be something if both sets of twins made it to the Maccabee games?

The Trials of JV Hockey

By Oren Oppenheim ’16

The Ramaz Rams JV hockey team has faced its share of challenges this year, which began even before the start of the season. D.J. Presser ’16, one of the four new captains, said, “Going into the season, I was concerned. The team consisted of very few players.” A small team could make it harder to triumph against larger, more robust teams who can switch out more players. In addition, the former coach of the team suddenly quit the team before the beginning of the season, a startling blow that was quickly rectified by the entrance of a new coach the next practice.

The new captains, while excited about their new positions and ready to guide the team, were aware of the obligations that were placed on their shoulders.

Nathan M. Shams ’16, another of the captains, felt a sense of pride when he was appointed, and at first thought being a captain was just a fun gesture. “But as the team started to lose games, I began to feel responsible for all of those losses,” he said. Captain Jared Feingold ’16 echoed his words. “When we are losing, I feel a responsibility to score,” he said, showing the stress placed on the captains to “lead the team to victory” and to be role models to their players.

How do the players feel about the new team in place, a mix of old and new, as well as without those who have moved on to varsity? Michael Low ’17, a newcomer, enjoys being part of JV hockey despite the challenges the team has faced. “I think that we are a great team with a lot of potential,” he said. “But we have to figure out how to work together better.” Low thinks that the players need to act

more as a unit and realize that it “is about something more than ourselves.” If the team works together, it could “crush any team.”

Max Teplitz ’16 shares his optimism. Having transitioned from a spectator to a player, he said of the team, “Everyone is working really hard and hopefully we can improve our record soon.”

Sadly, that record has become a sore point. With four losses offset by only one win, the players have started to feel unsure of their chances in the playoffs. A victory against Hillel in their second game, with a score of 6-0, galvanized the team after a loss to

TABC, 7-3. But subsequent losses against Frisch, TABC, Kushner, and Frisch again haven’t helped the morale of the team. “I think everyone played hard at Kushner,” Teplitz says of the most recent game. “Unfortunately it came down to only one goal,” with a final score of 4-3.

Presser said that while the first game started off well, “we let it slip away”. And the subsequent string of losses the team has been going through creates a worrying situation for the players. Presser says he feels concerned that the team may only have a slim chance of making playoffs at this point.

Captain Jared Feingold ’16 agrees.

He said he thinks the team can pull off playoffs but, “We need a lot of wins.” But not everyone feels so negative about not making playoffs. Max Koffler ’16, another captain, agrees that playoffs are a long shot at this point. “But it allows for us to play for fun and for the game’s sake, without the pressure or competition,” he said.

Losses aren’t the only challenges that the team has faced. In one of their early games, Presser suffered a terrible leg injury and has since been forced to sit out for a while, cheering on his team from the sidelines. He feels that even if he can’t play, “it is my responsibility to go encourage my team in any way possible.” As gallant as that may be, the team is still anxious to have Presser back on the court. “I cannot wait until Presser recovers and shows the opposing team what we are made of,” Low said.

Still, despite the bleak outlook, the players try to maintain a positive attitude. Describing the team as a “close-knit fraternity”, Koffler said, “We all are on the team because we love to play hockey.” Even if they don’t make playoffs, if the players can mold themselves into a team that cares about each other and works hard, next year—or even this year, if they work hard—they may have far better odds. “It’s a great group of kids this year and win or lose, we always get Dunkin Donuts or Chickies,” Koffler said. And perhaps there is hope. “Lately we have been playing much better,” Shams said, after mentioning how the team should “improve on defense because… lately we have been giving up too many goals.”

The JV hockey team has faced its fair share of challenges this year— but its ready to settle the score.

Girls Swim Team Victory

By Eliana Doft ’16

If you were to ask co-founder and captain of the swim team, Esther Malka Issever ’14 what her goals were for the team, she would have said, “I want it to be an opportunity for girls to learn how to swim properly, but can’t because of the lack of pools on the Upper East Side.” Issever and her co-founder, Sydney Sarachek ’14, could have never imagined that the team would grow to an extremely successful squad of 16 swimmers. At their first meet of the season on Sunday, November 17, the Ramaz girls swim team placed first with a score of 65, more than three times that of each of their competitors, Ma’ayanot, Frisch, Bruriah, and Kushner.

“Whenever I tell people I’m on the swim team, the first thing that they ask me is, ‘where do you guys even practice?’” said Elizabeth Ritz ’16. The swim team practices at the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House on 70th Street between

First and Second avenues. They meet twice a week, on Tuesdays for dry-land exercises to build strength and endurance, and on Thursdays to swim.

This year, the swim team saw an influx of new recruits, mostly from freshmen. “I joined swim because I thought that it would be a fun thing to do after school, but I ended up learning a lot about technique and how to be fast in the water,” explained Hannah Hoff ’17. However, there were also some experienced new recruits such as Jasmine Levine ’17, who also participates on a swim team outside of school, “I love swimming for my other team, but it’s even more exciting swimming for my school team because I get to swim with my friends, making the meets and practices a lot more fun.” The team is looking forward to more successes in their two upcoming meets, scheduled for December and February.

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