Volume 48, Issue 4 (December/January 2016/2017) - The Rampage

The Rampage The Newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School

New York • Volume 48 • Issue 4 • December 2016/January 2017 • Kislev/Tevet 5777 • the-rampage.org

Students Organize "RamJam" Music Festival Helps Students Transition into Channukah Sophia Kramer ’20

RamJam, Ramaz’s spirited musical celebration, kicked off with the Ramaz Rock Band performing The Police’s “Message in a Bottle,” with Elizabeth Newman-Corre ’20 as lead singer. Next, the students had the chance to hear from the Chamber Choir, which sang a rendition of Pentatonix’s “Daft Punk.” Then, the Guitar Ensemble took center stage with Game of Thrones’ “Song of Fire and Ice” and, later in the show, played Calvin Harris’s “Outside.” The Ramaz Choir sang “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” followed by a performance by the Dance Team. Soon after, students performed the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black.” And, lastly, as the grand finale, all the groups together performed “Ocho Kandelikas,” a Channukah song in the spirit of the upcoming holiday.

Sarah Cohen ’18 from the guitar ensemble said, “Being on stage with the whole Ramaz Upper School cheering me on was an amazing experience.” The crowd had so much spirit and positive energy. Everyone could feel the ruach and hear the enormous amount of cheering from the crowd.

If hearing their classmates belt out their favorite classics was not enough, the students were especially excited about the desserts and beverages served after the performances. It Continued "RamJam" page 2

XANADU. See page 10 for a review of the performance and interviews with the actors.

Ramaz and Boyar School Unite in Solidarity Naomi Freilich '18

Ramaz was treated to a visit by the Boyar High School from Jerusalem. The Ramaz boys’ varsity basketball team played against the Boyar team. The Boyar students were in the country because they had participated in the Beth Tfiloh Basketball Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland. Ultimately, the Ramaz Rams won the game, yet the sportsmanship from

Students Visit Jerusalem Exhibit at the Met Rebecca Araten '18

Ramaz students were given the opportunity to learn in an interactive manner through their trip to the exhibit "Jerusalem: Every People Under this Heaven" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All freshmen and sophomores had the privilege of seeing the exhibit, while one junior class and three senior classes went to see it as well.

The Ramaz website states that the "Museum Mile is our backyard" and uses the phrase "New York City - an extension of our classroom" to advertise to potential students. After this trip, students realized how ideal the Ramaz location is, as the Met is little over a seven-minute walk away.

Students from all different grades went to see the exhibit, which displayed the ways in which different religions view Jeru-

salem. Throughout history, Jerusalem has been seen as a holy location in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The exhibit showed artifacts from these three different religions, while also displaying the manner in which their distinct cultures blended. The exhibit was arranged as a series of rooms that one could walk through in a variety of ways, symbolizing that each trip to Jerualsem takes a unique cultural and spiritual path. Additionally, the different rooms had windows pro-

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both teams was commendable. The game was a great opportunity for Ramaz to show its support for Israel.

Ramaz students sold apparel in honor of the game, and the money raised went towards an organization that aids victims of the recent fires in Israel. The Boyar students also sat in on Ramaz classes, meeting students and talking about the differences between Continued "'Boyar'" page 2

Freshmen Help Prospective Students During Visits

Zachary Buller '20 For the past few weeks, the freshmen have been showing prospective 8th graders around the school in order to spark their interests in attending Ramaz next year. The 8th graders’ time at Ramaz includes their interview and their “half-day,” when they experience a day in the life of a Ramaz Upper School student.

Each 8th grader is assigned to a particular freshman to show them around for the day. Their 9th-grade “buddy” serves as a chaperone, taking them through all of their classes that day. The prospective students come from various schools and backgrounds, so they are interested in Ramaz for many different reasons. Prospective students are generally paired with freshmen who come from the same school or share the same interests as them, thus creating a bond between the 8th- grade prospective

student and his 9th-grade buddy and making the student’s day less stressful.

One of the main goals of the freshman buddy program is to give the prospective students a chance to have their personal questions about Ramaz answered. Freshman buddies will answer any questions that the 8th graders have, including those about the abundance of extracurricular activities that Ramaz offers, how to manage one’s homework, and anything else a prospective student has on his or her mind.

Not only the 8th graders enjoy their half-days, but also the 9th graders have a blast. The freshmen are so grateful for the incredible time that they had at their Ramaz halfdays when they went through the high school application process last year, that they want to give back and show around the people who are go-

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Inside this issue...

Should Languages be Mandatory at Ramaz?... See what students are saying about this issue Second Avenue Subway... All you need to know about this NYC development The Situation in Aleppo... An analysis of the facts on the ground in Aleppo, Syria Baltimore Basketball Tournament... Learn about how Ramaz played against other yeshivot Crossword... How quickly can you solve the puzzle?

page 5 page 6 page 7 page 11 page 12

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The Rampage

The G.O. Corner What Has the Student Government Accomplished This Year?

David Grinberg ’19

The GO is a crucial part of Ramaz, and Ramaz students tend to forget how hard the GO works to make our academic lives less stressful and more fun. Nancy Toussie ’17 is currently the President of the GO. So far, under Toussie’s administration, Ramaz has had a pep rally; “Stochella,” a celebration to welcome students back to school; and its new initiative known as Community.

Community has had mixed responses. On the one hand, Toussie said, “It allows students to display their talents to the rest of the school and makes the school about more than academics. We’re still working on it, but hopefully, it will improve each time we have it!” Toussie added that “We really want to do the best we can to make sure your day is as good as it can be! If you have any ideas, let us know!” Despite the GO’s efforts, a significant number of students have expressed their discontent with the policy because it cuts into their free time. However, it does bring the school together in a way that has not happened since the pep rally.

The GO is focused on relieving some of the stress during the upcoming midterms. “Midterms are super

stressful, and we want to try to lessen that stress. We can’t take away midterms, but we can hopefully make your day better by putting things on your desks, giving out snacks, and decorating the school,” said Toussie.

Other than the upcoming attempt to relieve the stress of midterms, the GO has some special plans that should start taking effect after Midterms. Shelli Cohen ’17, Senior Vice President of the GO, said that “there’s just not much that’s going to go on until the second semester.” This statement could be true, or it could just be a way for the GO to surprise the students, as they did with RamJam, the musical celebration that students enjoyed before winter break.

Overall, the GO has done a lot in one semester, and they will continue to work tirelessly to make sure that Ramaz is much more enjoyable.

There will be many more opportunities for the GO to keep making the school enjoyable, and President Toussie is always open to students’ suggestions and complaints. “I really want to stress that Shelli, Jonah, Naomi, Richie and I are open to hearing your ideas and opinions 24/7!

Good luck on midterms!” she said.

Prospective Student Visits

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ing through the same experience. As Sam Deutsch ’20 said, “I remember my halfday and how nervous I was, but everyone was so inviting and talked to me, making me feel really good and excited...I wanted to make sure these kids got the same experience.” The current 9th graders truly feel grateful for all that was done to help

them last year and strive to return the favor. “I’m so glad I got the opportunity to give the 8th-grade students the experience of a day in Ramaz,” said Roni Denti ’20.

“I remember how I was welcomed when I was applying, and I hope they can feel as welcomed and connected to the Ramaz community as I did,” said Denti.

Dec 2016/Jan 2017

RamJam

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seemed like cinnamon buns and hot chocolate never looked so appealing, as the students pushed to get near the buffet tables.

Students and faculty decided to make RamJam a “for student by student” event, as Rabbi Dov Pianko explained. Rabbi Pianko elaborated, “We wanted to make the event organized by students and showcased by students.” In previous years, teachers spearheaded assemblies of this kind, but

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this year, the students took on that responsibility. The result was an experience that was even more heartfelt since the students knew that their schoolmates organized it.

The overall consensus was that assembly brought unity to the school. Because this year’s winter break overlaps with Channukah, the event gave everyone an opportunity to come together to celebrate the holiday.

Boyar

life in Israel and in America. In addition, of Boyar girls joined in on the singing.

Ramaz welcomed eleven IDF veterans, After playing in the basketball who served in Israel’s Special Forces and game against the Boyar team, Jonny Beretz were in Amer’18 noted that ica on “A Tour the experience of Happiness” “fun” and Whenever I hear about tragic was - a sponsored “one of those trip that al- events in Israel, I try to connect to times where lowed them the situation on a personal level. you could just to come to But, being here, creates a void, and go out onto the New York court and not makes it hard to do so.” and enjoy worry about themselves. the results.”

He -Ido Denti '18 I d o also said that Denti ’18 ineven though troduced the basketball game, explaining it was just a basketball game, “playing how the recent fires in Israel affected his against the Boyar team from Israel realfamily overseas. "Whenever I hear about ly made me feel a connection to Israel.” tragic events in Israel, I try to connect Jonny Povman ’18, also a member of to the situation on a personal level. But, the boys’ varsity basketball team, said being here, creates a void, and makes it that the game was “a great experience, hard to do so,” he said in front of the and what was even greater was that we entire Ramaz student body and the stu- were able to bond with the Israelis.” dents from Boyar. “My family in Haifa was directly affected. My grandma had to be evacuated from her home, her bayit.

I had no way to even begin to visualize the chaos, confusion, and panic that ensued. And yet, in an odd way, I feel blessed. The direction of the wind that day was blowing away from grandma's house, and that prevented it from being totally reduced to ashes,” said Denti. After the game, a group of Ramaz students from the Chamber Choir - Lillian Pravda ’18, Danielle Ben-David ’17, Rachel Wahba ’17, and Raquel Michel ’17 - sang “Arim Roshi.” In a show of solidarity, a group

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Founder of Coding School Speaks at Ramaz

Mark Marcus ’18

Recently, Ramaz alumnus Avi Flombaum '02 came to Ramaz to discuss various aspects of programming and technology with juniors and seniors.

Mr. Flombaum began his speech by how difficult Ramaz was for him as a student. From a young age, Flombaum was obsessed with coding. When he was 16, he got an internship at a startup called Cityfeet. com and started programming. His parents wanted to send him to SAT camp for the summer, but he really did not want to go, so he made a deal with them. He told them he would try to get a summer job programming, and if he got that job, he would not attend SAT camp. They challenged his bet because they thought, “Who hires a 16-year-old kid?”

So, Flombaum started searching for jobs in the advertisements of The New York Times and applied to anything that mentioned computers. To his delight, he got a job and proved his parents wrong.

After Ramaz, Flombaum attended the University of Wisconsin for two years with a major in creative writing, but he later dropped out. After his brief stint in college, Flombaum worked at a hedge fund for four years as the director of information technology. He then quit the job

to start his own project called DesignerPages. com, a website which helps designers find and manage product information. Four years later, at the age of 28, Flombaum founded the prominent coding school, Flatiron. The school boasts a 98% job placement rate after graduation, with salaries over $77,000. Flombaum started Flatiron because he does not think people should have to struggle on their own to master coding. He has personally taught over 4,000 people how to code.

During the speech, Flombaum stressed the importance of coding and how it is the future of the world. He quoted Marc Andressen, CTO and founder of NetScape.com, as saying, “The spread of computers and the Internet will put jobs in two categories: people who tell computers what to do, and people who are told by computers what to do.”

Flombaum said there is no such thing as a natural programmer - as long as you immerse yourself in the field, the skill will come. He said that for him, in terms of his skills, it took a lot of hard work to get where he is now. Flombaum ended off his speech by encouraging students to start coding now.

Mr. Avi Flombaum '02, founder of Flatiron School.

Dec 2016/Jan 2017

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Jerusalem Exhibit

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German wedding ring, 14th century. Image: Thüringisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie

Becky Tauber ’19

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Illustration in a copy of Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, ca.

1457. Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Mosque Lamp of Sultan Barquq, 1382-1399. Image: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

jected onto the walls, with skyline views of Jerusalem. The scenes from these windows presented the different angles from which various nations looked out upon Jerusalem, based on the areas in which they lived.

Rabbi Sklarin, who is the head of interdisciplinary learning at Ramaz and is connected to various programs at the Met, led the students on a tour of the exhibit and explained the significance of many of the artifacts. Rabbi Sklarin said,"My favorite thing about the exhibit was being able to show students small details that could be missed, like a sword from China on a Crusader coffin, the folds in a Rambam letter, or a miniature angel in a doorway to the Gates of Mercy. These small things could easily be missed, but add so much flavor and insight to these artifacts." His favorite artifact was the Steinhardt Mishnah Torah from 15th-century Italy, which combines beautiful Renaissance art and illumination with a halachic book that is still in use.

Students really enjoyed the exhibit and felt that it helped to connect their knowledge of Jewish history with the history of other nations. Avi Solomons ’18 commented that "it gave [him] a much better sense of what was going on in Jerusalem at the time." Rabbi Sklarin said, "Many of the items in the exhibit directly related to what the 9th graders will be learning about in their World Jewish History classes when they study the Crusades." Josephine Schizer ’20 said, "I think it’s nice that Ramaz gives us chances to see exhibits at the Met and other museums that fit with what we are learning in class.” Furthermore, it was fascinating for students to see original manuscripts of major Jewish figures,

such as the Rambam. "I feel that the exhibit gave a wonderful representation of Jewish life in the Middle Ages," said Rabbi Sklarin. "There were items from different countries where Jews lived, including Spain, Germany, Italy, Egypt, and France.

These manuscripts showed that Jewish life throughout the history was vibrant and alive even in the diaspora," he said.

Rabbi Sklarin expresses hope for more trips like these in the future. "I think these trips are valuable and can help complement the curriculum," he said. "I think when there is something important to see and go to, Ramaz has always [gone] out of their way to arrange for these educational trips...Realize how lucky we are to be around the corner - no other school was able to bring even close to this many students to the exhibit.” Natalie Kahn ’19 agreed, saying "I think that Ramaz should try to do more of these trips, because they're interesting" and a "nice break."

While students really enjoyed the learning experience, some wished that the museum trips could have been scheduled at a much more opportune time. Kahn said, "I think it's really important that the school makes sure the trips are at a time that works for everyone. My class had a test [during] one of the periods missed, and it ended up messing with the whole schedule." Schizer said, "This particular trip felt very rushed to me; we were only in the exhibit very briefly, so we didn't get to see that much, which was a shame.”

Despite the scheduling issues, the trip was a success, and students could not wait for another opportunity to get out of the classroom and learn from the city around them.

Sophomore Shabbaton

Ramaz Shabbatons give students a chance to grow as people and experience Shabbat in a way that they might not on a normal weekend. Ramaz hopes to give students a fun and meaningful Shabbat, with an opportunity to connect with students as well as teachers. As Sophomore Shabbaton approached, many students were excited to go. Others, however, were nervous to go away for the weekend with so many assignments due for the coming week. However, almost all students came home on Saturday night with great things to say about the Shabbaton, with many new stories and better relationships with their classmates.

Sophomore Shabbaton kicked off with all the students, Sephardic and Ashkenaz alike, coming together for shacharit. After a special breakfast, students congregated on the buses to officially start the weekend. After an hour-long bus ride, they arrived at the first destination - ice skating. Almost all students, even those who did not really know how to skate, got on the ice to participate in the group activity. This activity gave the grade a sense of unity, as there were almost no people who did not want to be apart of this group experience.

The next stop was the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Back at the hotel, many students reminisced about their experiences from freshman Shabbaton and were excited for what the coming Shabbat had in store for them. After a quick min-

cha, sophomores received their room assignments and were able to go to the rooms in order to prepare for Shabbat. After everyone finished taking pictures in the lobby for close to an hour, the entire grade went to the main room for pre-Shabbat dancing. After the completion of Kabbalat Shabbat and maariv, students and faculty members engaged with one another by playing “To Tell the Truth.”

Four teachers on a panel all said the same fact about themselves, with only one of them telling the truth. It was up to the students to try to figure out which teachers were lying and which teacher was telling the truth. Students were then assigned to tables for dinner in order to further stress the point of the Shabbaton, which was to better relationships with people one normally would not encounter or communicate with at school. Although the assignments were a little disorganized, many students used this opportunity to connect with other students with whom they would not normally socialize. Sophomores enjoyed the combination of a calm and playful environment, while still keeping to the Shabbat decorum. “Sitting at Friday-night dinner, I enjoyed the opportunity of being able to spend Shabbat with friends and appreciated experiencing Shabbat the way Ramaz planned,” said Paola Mattout ’19. “My favorite part was when Rabbi Dov showed us his special talent of swallowing a full matzah ball without chewing! The whole table burst into laughter, and the environment felt playful and fun.” After breaking into groups for a session of “Would You Rather” with different faculty members, sophomores enjoyed a little more free time than freshman year for socializing and games. After a long but eventful night for both the boys and the girls, everyone returned to their rooms and rested for the next day.

On Saturday, after an enjoyable but lengthy davening, sophomores had a quick kiddush, and moved on to the second session of the Shabbat. In this session, each student had to work with a partner in order to produce a two-minute Dvar Torah.

The best Dvar Torah of each group was then selected in order to compete against the other groups in the next round. After a

long morning, students sat down for lunch and enjoyed more free time before seudat shlishit. The sophomores then gathered in one large circle to sing Shabbat zemirot, one of the many highlights of Ramaz Shabbatons.

After maariv and the conclusion of Shabbat, the entire sophomore grade danced and sang while a DJ played popular Hebrew music. Everyone expressed the great time they had over the 25-hour Shabbat by dancing and singing with excitement and enthusiasm. The whole grade then used that energy in order to pack up their items and prepare for the final stop of the Shabbaton. At Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline arena, the students ended the Shabbaton experience on a high note, as everyone enjoyed the final activity. “Sky zone was a great way to end the shabbaton, since

everyone had a great time jumping on the trampolines and playing dodgeball,” said Jacob Bengualid ’19. “It was definitely one of the highlights of the whole weekend,” he said.

Overall, even students who were not expecting to enjoy their Shabbat had a great time. Alex Doppelt ’19 said, “I thought the Shabbaton was very fun, and I’m hoping that next year, on Junior Retreat, they give us a little more freedom than they did this year.”

Grade Coordinator Rabbi Slomnicki mentioned to the grade that although the expectations for behavior were high, for the most part, the grade met them. Both the students and faculty considered the trip an overall success, and the sophomores are now looking forward to next year's grade-wide retreat.

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The Rampage

Dec 2016/Jan 2017

Chamber Choir Enjoys Shabbaton on Upper West Side

Yoni Linder '18 and Emily Stemp '18

Over the weekend of December 1617, the Ramaz Chamber Choir, led by Mr. Henkin, Director of Music at the Upper School, enjoyed a Shabbaton on the Upper West Side, performing at multiple synagogues in the neighborhood. The group kicked off the weekend with a preliminary rehearsal immediately following last period on Friday. After the rehearsals, the students went to their hosts for Shabbat, staying at Ramaz families’ homes in the area.

After preparing for Shabbat, the students prayed with Congregation Shearith Israel at the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue. The students were fascinated by the angelic choir and the attire of the rabbi and cantor. “It was very fitting to listen to such an amazing choir while embarking on our own musical journey,” Rebecca Araten ’18 said.

Following services, the students listened to an interesting speech by the rabbi on the tallest menorah in the world and the role of the shamash on the menorah.

The students then began their first concert of the Shabbaton, singing a French Sephardic song “Benissez-Nous,” specially prepared for the synagogue. The choir also did a few more songs from their usual repertoire.

Following this first concert, the choir ate din-

ner with the Solomons family, whose son, Avi ’18, is a tenor in the choir. After eating dinner and singing “chamber style” zemirot, with a few songs sung on request, the choir went to an oneg at the home of Rabbi Allen Schwartz, the honors Tanach teacher for juniors at Ramaz, who was hosting his class for a Shabbaton. After even more singing and performing, Rebecca Araten ’18 gave a Dvar Torah on Parshat Vayishlach. The students - those in the Choir and in junior honors Tanach enjoyed participating in both Shabbatonim.

“It was great to be able to share our love for song with others, singers and non-singers alike, all bonding over our love for Judaism and music together”, said Mr. Henkin.

The next morning, the students trekked through the snow and sleet to KRA, a small synagogue on the Upper West Side. Despite the rain, all choir members came to davening on time for the performance. The congregants were very engaged in the music. The performance also happened to coincide with an aufruf that Shabbat, preceding the first chuppah in the synagogue's history. “Performing on the Shabbat before the first chupah in KRA history was a pleasant surprise,” said Sam Iofel ’17.

Following the performance that morning, the choir rushed quickly to Lincoln Square

Synagogue. The acoustics of the recently renovated synagogue amazed the students. There were children at the performance who helped the congregants become even more engaged.

At the kiddush that followed, the choristers and their leader, Mr. Henkin, received praise multiple times from a wide array of people.

After both performances, the choir ate lunch at the home of Shara Lipson, Director of Admissions at Ramaz. At lunch, the Chamber Choir performed most of the songs within its repertoire for the family and other guests. The students spent the rest of the afternoon at the home of Ms. Lipson, and the choir was able to have quality time together.

Following Shabbat, the choir went to the Broadway musical In Transit, the first show in Broadway history to be all a capella. The vocal percussionist amazed the audience. He was incredibly talented and was able to produce difficult sounds at rapid speed. “The concept of an all a cappella broadway show was fascinating. The actors and actresses were amazing. The plot did not come together, but the whole a capella thing was so cool,” said Rachel Wahba ’17. Hyatt Aronoff ’18 said, “We just didn’t stop singing the whole Shabbat! It was nice to watch someone else perform after it all… a pretty

amazing performance too!” In the playbill, there was a slip of paper encouraging a capella groups to sing in front of the “aca-pillars,” an area right outside the theater. So following the performance, the students performed one last time in front of the “aca-pillars,” ending the Shabbaton on a great note.

Overall, chamber shabbaton was a success, and a true pleasure for both its audiences and its members. Gabriel Klapholz ’17 said, "Having the Chamber Choir on the Upper West Side was an absolute pleasure. I had the opportunity to hear from the choir at my local synagogue, and by the end of the performance, the whole community was applauding the choir's incredible demonstration of talent. I felt so much pride in Ramaz and my peers. I also had the privilege of hearing the choir at Shabbat lunch.

What a treat!" Rachel Wahba ’17 expressed, “I was pleasantly surprised by how much I bonded with everyone. It was so nice to get so much closer with the people I spend so much time with!” Chamber choir is looking forward to their next bonding experience.

Community:

Abigail Huebner '18

Debuted at the beginning of this school year, Community seems to be here to stay.

The pre-Thanksgiving Community consisted of a Thanksgiving-themed pictionary game in which a team of students played against a team of teachers. After four rounds, the students emerged victorious. A pre-Channukah Community also took place. Members of the debate team debated “Channukah vs.

Hanukkah” - whether the holiday should be spelled with a “C” or an “H” - and “Judah Maccabee vs. Darth Vader” - who would win in a battle between the two. Afterward, the students watched the Chanukkah-themed acapella videos of Six13 and the Maccabeats.

These two assemblies, along with the “RamJam” performance, in which students showcased their musical talents to the school, are the latest manifestations of this year’s new initiative: Community. “The more we do things together as a school, the more we're community, family. We are a family - what kind of family doesn't spend time together?” explained Rabbi Stochel about Community.

However, as Rabbi Slomnicki put it, “It’s still very new, and very much a work in progress.” Some students think that this Community idea is being overused. “I feel like community time [corrected by Rabbi Slomnicki to just “Community”] shouldn’t be manufactured, but should only happen when it’s warranted…It’s fine right before Purim, but we shouldn’t have it in the middle of February,” said Yoni Linder ’18.

Many students still don’t value Community yet. “Speaking for what students have said and what I feel myself, we don’t understand what it’s accomplishing,” said Derek KorffKorn ’18. “I don’t think it has any purpose,” added Ido Denti ’18. Yet, over time, the believers in Community hope and anticipate that it will make more of a difference.

GO Treasurer Jonah Sobel ’17 said, “I think that kids don’t appreciate it for it’s goal yet, and the more kids appreciate it, the more

A Work in Progress kids will value and enjoy it.” “I think teachers need to value it also,” stressed Rebecca Araten ’18. If the teachers think it is extraneous, so will many of the students, argued Araten. “Many students think being part of the Ramaz community is academic stress, but we want to turn it into something more - a real community,” explained Ms. Krupka.

“You can’t have a sense of community in one second - it takes time!” said Korff-Korn. But

Community is not expected to change the whole atmosphere of Ramaz overnight.

“One is not going to feel the purpose of this right away - probably not even within the first year. It takes some patience for us to figure out what this is, and even longer to appreciate it,” said Rabbi Slomnicki. In fact, Community is not even necessarily intended to change Ramaz for the students who are here now. By the time next year’s freshmen arrive, Community will just be a part of Ramaz, and they will never know this school without it.

Over time, this program should build a real sense of community and family. Rabbi Slomnicki said that Community is “very slowly” evolving into what it was originally intended to be, with “the students getting used to the format of coming together and recognizing that this is a value. They’re talking about it, even if they’re trying to understand it. It’s a topic of conversation for people.”

Although Rabbi Slomnicki thinks that these past two Community assemblies went as planned programmatically, in terms of student feedback, he is not as confident.

“It’s hard to know how any person, let alone 400, feel about it. But I’m inviting students and faculty to let us know so that we can work on Community and improve it.

Having feedback will help foster a sense of community - with a lowercase ‘c’ - and also enhance Community - with a capital ‘C.’” “If I was asked for one quote or a title for this article, it would be ‘Rabbi Slomnicki welcomes feedback on Community,’” Rabbi

Slomnicki said. Ms. Krupka added, “This is something we want to invest in and want to improve. We want to turn these 45 minutes once every two weeks into the feeling of community,” she explained. “I love Community,”

said Rabbi Dov Pianko, “but I think that we can do a better job involving more people, and then, it’ll be more enjoyable for everyone. The most important thing is to have volunteers.

We’re really open to anything and everything.”

Tech Update

New Software at Ramaz

Mark Marcus '18

On December 13th, the Ramaz IT team initiated a new technology update to the computers in the 704 computer lab, wiping all internal files. The new software installations include a new operating system, replacing the 32-bit system with a 64bit Windows 7 system, and a 3D modeling program. The technological updates should result in more reliable and faster computers. The changes were seamless and went unnoticed by much of the school. The Ramaz IT system is structured in such a way that computers on the network can be instructed to auto-update when they restart.

Students may be able to recognize the new software through several new programs that are visible on the computers. Other computers in the school are already running 64-bit Windows 7 systems and possess all other software updates.

Indeed, computers should be refreshed every once in awhile, as they accumulate corrupted and unnecessary files over time.

The updates give the computers a clean state and the ability to work efficiently without the clutter. The change from a 32-bit to 64-bit operating system is based on a software request for a 3D modeling program, Solidworks, that only runs on 64-bit systems. The IT team will also be upgrading the random access memory (RAM) on these computers so that Solidworks, a powerful program with high memory needs, will run smoothly.

The school runs general updates all the time on school computers. However, an update that wipes the computers of their files is usually reserved for the summer. The new timeline is a result of a large number of reports from the students and faculty that the computers are not working properly. The IT team could have spent the time to fix those problems, but with an update necessary in the near future that might nullify these issues, changing the update timeline seemed like the better option.

Features The Rampage • January 2017

Esti Beck '19 and Natalie Kahn '19

Should Languages be Mandatory at Ramaz?

Many students, especially here at Ramaz, struggle with having to learn a new language on top of all of the rest of their schoolwork.

The question remains: does the school’s requirement to learn a new language benefit or hurt the students?

Kahn: We already know how essential it is for Ramaz students to learn the Hebrew language in order to better study Talmud and Tanakh. Hebrew language is an important part of our culture. However, it is not the most applicable language in society today, and with America being a cultural melting pot, it’s important to learn languages that would be more useful on a daily basis. France and America have always been strong allies, while the Spanish-speaking immigrant population is only growing.

Beck: Every day, we sit through around ten periods of classes, about half of which fall under the category of “Judaic Studies,” something that our school holds as of utmost importance to our religious education. I am not arguing with how crucial these studies are to our learning and development as students, but it is important to consider how much time this already steals from our day-to-day schedules when compared to students at secular schools. To add the requirement of learning an entirely new language on top of the cultural one we’re already trying to learn (Hebrew), which is a hard enough task, is often an insurmountable imposition on students who are trying to balance the stress of a dual curriculum.

Kahn: It’s true that learning a foreign language does elongate our day, but part of Ramaz’s goal as a dual-curriculum school is to balance Judaic with secular studies. Hebrew is considered a Judaic subject, and in many other non-Jewish schools, a foreign language (usually French, Spanish, or Mandarin) is mandated. Ramaz students must be able to compete with these other students who speak Spanish or French. In fact, nowadays Spanish and French are basically considered staples in education, and Hebrew allows Ramaz students to distinguish themselves even more. Also, when students get to college, if they are already proficient in Spanish or French from high school, they could very likely continue to learn those languages and increase their fluency.

Beck: As much as Ramaz considers Hebrew a Judaic subject, from an outsider’s perspective, it already looks like a foreign language that we’ve dedicated our twelve years of education to learning. Not only that, it’s a language without Latin roots, making it twice as hard to learn. We pres-

ent well enough already having Hebrew in our skillset and don’t need to be forced to master another language.

Kahn: Hebrew is not a romance language, and students should be exposed to the more classical languages of today’s secular civilization to broaden their interest and capability in foreign literature and culture. Knowing a romance language makes it all the more easy for students to learn other romance languages, many of which have a practical application to today’s society, whether through travel or business. Some languages are just more applicable to modern-day society than others.

Beck: In a world where everyone wants to keep moving at lightning speed, where we don’t take a break from work even after we’re done with our schooling, I highly doubt that most people will take it upon themselves to learn a third, fourth, or even fifth language, something that takes an extraordinary amount of time and effort to achieve. The time to learn a language is childhood. With the structure of the modern education system, we no longer allow for enough time (or mental space) for a student to learn more languages then they must. Especially in a time when we have technological corporations such as Google (which runs Google Translate) and Microsoft (the backer behind SpanishDict, a widely used tool for Spanish students) creating online translation engines, the importance of adding to one’s linguistic repertoire is not nearly as great as it used to be. We no longer need to learn several languages - AI systems and the internet can to it for us. As technology advances, we can find ways to communicate without having to slave over pages of conjugations in the past and future tenses or obscure vocabulary we’ll never use.

Kahn: But what about famous music, art, and writing written in French or Spanish? Reading the translation never has the same effect as reading the text in its original language, and it would be much easier to appreciate Flamenco music or French opera if one actually speaks those languages.

We can’t always be dependent on translations to help us... eventually, there will be no one left to translate anything.

Beck: Translations in the 21st Century can carry the same elegance as the original piece, meaning that we can appreciate classical pieces without having to learn the language.

Maybe, with the old versions of Google Translate, sentences would get jumbled and broken and wouldn’t carry the flow that they did in the original language. The new, rebooted Translate - run by AI- translates almost the same way as a human fluent in both languages would, retaining the beauty of the original piece. The argument for mandatory language-learning shouldn’t rest on the backs of classical pieces - if anything, the only modern use for other languages is communication, and even that’s diminishing.

Kahn: Some students seem to struggle more with Hebrew than with Spanish or French, as the romance languages are very different languages from Hebrew. If a student is only exposed to Hebrew and struggles with their Hebrew, Spanish and French give students a chance to distinguish themselves as language speakers. Learning different types of languages widens a student’s perspective about the world at large and about foreign culture in general. Learning these languages should be mandatory, because if students were to be given the option to take a third language, let’s be honest: how many would actually choose to take one? Then they would be missing out on an important opportunity.

Beck: I want to make it clear what I mean when I say that languages shouldn’t be mandatory classes in school. Languages should be offered as a choice for students to take - as in the model in other modern-Orthodox yeshivot should they wish, with alternatives such as art, music, or STEM. A student will receive an equally immersive and elevated education no matter which choice they’d select, but it would be more tailored to their personal strengths and thereby alleviate much of the stress that comes with extra classes. It’s the best solution for both the students - who would much rather play a more active part in developing their own schedules - and teachers, who find it hard to teach students with no interest in their subjects.

Above graphic by Moselle Kleiner '17

Second-Semester Student-Teacher Conferences?

Abigail Huebner '18

Every year, in the middle of November, the first quarter ends and students receive their quarter reports, their teacher evaluations from every class. Soon after, there is a day of student-teacher conferences. Similarly, every year, in the middle of March, third quarter ends and students receive their quarter reports. Here, however, the day of student-teacher conferences is absent. Many students and teachers have asked the question: why should there be only one scheduled day for students and teachers to meet in the entire year? Given that we have two semesters, many think it would make sense to have student-teacher conferences in both semesters.

When asked about the lack of student-teacher conferences in second semester, Rabbi Stochel explained that “this topic has come up in the past, and I actually think it’s a good idea...but we need to balance that against the loss of another day of learning.” He feels that the November student-teacher conferences are much more important because the students and teachers are just getting to know each other, and the conferences take place right after students receive their evaluations and right before parent-teacher conferences. By the end of the third quarter, when a second student-teacher conference day could potentially fall, Rabbi Stochel feels that “we don’t need to impose a day for this, as it should happen naturally.” By March, he explained, students and teach-

ers know each other better and have many opportunities to meet and talk - during homeroom, lunch periods, B4 (the communal free period), after mincha, or between classes.

Many teachers seem to agree with Rabbi Stochel’s assessment of the situation. Rabbi Stavsky said that “it’s always important for there to be communication between teachers and students, but I do think the one in first quarter is more important.” Ms. Litwack, too, agrees, saying “I think it could be beneficial. My problem is, then we lose another day of instruction. And we lose so many days of instruction for so many assemblies.” She does still think that for second semester “some sort of modified version” of student-teacher conferences should be instituted, perhaps only for those students who are struggling or in cases where the student or the teacher requests a conference. “That would eliminate the kids who know they’re doing okay or those who I know are doing okay,” she continued, “There’s no point then. I’d probably end up seeing around half of my students.” Ms. Barak thinks we need to go even further, saying that “we need student-teacher conferences twice in the year. Parent-teacher conferences too. Once in November, once in March.”

Students seem to be overwhelmingly in favor of second semester student-teacher conferences. This issue was even brought up in a recent SFAC meeting. Naomi Freilich

’18, GO Secretary, explained that “many people think having student-teacher conferences second semester is a good idea because not having them gives off the impression that second semester doesn’t matter.” Sophomore class president Danya Jacobs ’19 said that “I, and many other students, think having them second semester would be extremely beneficial for students because they need feedback from teachers about anything concerning them in the class and about issues like their midterms, which the first semester conferences clearly cannot address.” Jonah Sobel ’17, GO Treasurer, thinks most students would really like this idea. “These conferences would be conducive to students’ academic success because they foster more communication between the students and their teachers, so students know what teachers want from them and how to do better,” said Yoni Linder ’18.

Although most students seem to support the addition of second semester student-teacher conferences, the consideration of missing another day of class still remains. However, Rabbi Stochel said that he is open to the idea of a second semester student-teacher conference day, and that he is ready to survey teachers and students to see how they feel about it.

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Dec 2016/Jan 2017

Politics: At Ramaz And Beyond Examining Calls for a Reccount The Presidential Election Saga Continues... For Now

Derek Korff-Korn ’18

Dr. Jill Stein’s attempt to salvage Hillary Clinton’s campaign by recounting the votes in the key states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania was in trouble even before a federal judge ended it on December 12th. In late November, with a very narrow lead in three swing states that Trump won, Stein called for a recount, citing voter fraud. She raised more than three million dollars and gained the support of Clinton’s campaign. Many people, mostly Republicans, discredited her efforts, describing them as desperate and pathetic.

Clinton needed to win over the votes of all three states in order to surpass Trump in the Electoral College. However, even after Stein failed and Trump was declared the next president by the delegates of the Electoral College, the issue of detecting voter fraud (or error in the vote) was brought to light.

Primary voting in the three states above used electronic machines, without printed ballots. Thus, there was no way to tell if the states accurately recorded individual votes or if anyone had tampered with the count. These paperless digital voting machines were used by about one in five U.S. voters in November. Thus, Stein described her efforts as a method to ensure that the election was not tainted by hacking or fraud. The U.S. voting system employs more than two dozen types of

machinery from 15 manufacturers. Election officials say they take great care to protect their machines from hackers or other criminals who want to rig voting.

The machines are locked away when not in use and sealed to prevent tampering.

One likely cause for concern about voter fraud is the discovery of Russian ties to hackers who might have tampered with election results. Following the hacking of

voter registration databases of Arizona and Illinois using Russia-based servers, Russian meddling with the 2016 presidential elections became a major national concern. During the last press conference of the year, U.S. President Barack Obama made clear that Russia would be held responsible for targeting the U.S. and attempting to sway the presidential election.

Jill Stein, the Green Party's 2016 presidential nominee, at a news conference in New York. "We do not have a voting system we can trust," Dr. Stein said.

Club of the Month: Support Our State

Julia Levi ’18

Support Our State, founded by Darbie Sokolow ’18 and Brianna Rubinstein ’18, is one of the several new clubs this year at Ramaz. This club, nicknamed “SOS,” meets for an hour, once a month, to discuss and inform students about current news and the situation in Israel, finding ways to help families there in need. “We decided to create this club because we wanted a club dedicated solely to Israel, as we felt that in general, it was important for students to know and understand what is going on daily there,” said Rubinstein. This club not only strives to inform students about tragic situations in Israel, but also exhibits Israeli culture and new advances in the technology world or pop culture, Sokolow said. “Overall, this is a club for all things Israel, in any way we can support it,” she continued.

At the September club fair, SOS gained many sign-ups from students, filling out five signature sheets. Their past two October and November meetings were just as successful with around 25 students attending, and they welcome any new students to join. As Rubinstein said, “We can’t wait to see the development of SOS this year and in the years to come!”

Aleppo: A Broken Siege and an Uncertain Future Derek Korff-Korn '18

On December 13th 2016, the Syrian government forces captured Aleppo, ending a four-year siege of the city by rebel forces. The Syrian civil war has been deadliest conflict of the 21st century. Five years since the conflict began, more than half a million Syrians have been killed in the fighting, more than a million injured, and over 12 million Syrians have been displaced from their homes.

In 2011, in what became known as the "Arab Spring," revolts toppled Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the hope of more democratic governments.

That March, peaceful protests erupted in Syria as well after 15 boys were imprisoned and tortured for vandalism in support of

the Arab Spring. One of the boys was killed after having been tortured brutally. The Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, responded to the protests by killing hundreds of demonstrators and detaining many more. In July 2011, defectors from the military announced the formation of the Free Syrian Army, a rebel group aimed at overthrowing the government, and Syria began to slide into a civil war.

Multiple factors contributed to the uprising. Economic hardships fueled resentment for the government. Also, a severe drought that the country suffered from 2007 to 2010 caused more than a million people to move from the countryside to cities, intensifying the poverty and social unrest.

The effective uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt

motivated Syrian pro-democracy activists.

Foreign intervention has also played a vital role in this conflict. Many western countries, including the United States, have backed the rebel forces. Russia, only joining in publicly mid-2015, supports Assad’s forces to suppress ISIL and the Syrian opposition. Regional supporters of Assad include Iran and Hezbollah, a terrorist group centered in Lebanon. ISIL, after seizing land in Iraq, made their way into Syria, taking control of both military and civilian assets. Before a ceasefire, Aleppo became the final city under control of the rebel forces. Civilians in Aleppo were living under the blockade and suffering harshly from the shortage of medical provisions, water, electricity, food, and other

necessary resources. On December 14th, however, the government ended the supply line of the FSA, capturing the city of Aleppo. The future of Aleppo remains uncertain, as government control may prove no better than that of rebel forces.

From left to right

A member of Syria's government forces in Aleppo; Syrian families waiting to board buses for government-controlled western Aleppo Credit: George Ourfalian/Agence France-Presse

Dec 2016/Jan 2017

The Rampage

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The Second Avenue Subway Opens, Finally Yoni Linder '18

At long last, there is another subway line on the Upper East Side. The Second Avenue Subway is an extension of the Q Train, going up to 96th Street and Second Avenue. Stops south of Second Avenue along the Q line include Times Square and Coney Island. Select N trains will also serve the extension during rush hour.

The Second Avenue Subway has unique features. The tracks make less noise, so the train is not as loud as it is on other lines. The platform has no columns, making it feel more open and less cramped. Also, the stations are climate-controlled, so the temperature will be more comfortable than the vast majority of the other subway stations in the city.

The extension brings the grand total of stations in the New York City Subway System to 472, only adding to the international lead it has over other subway systems. New York City has more subway stations than Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. combined. “This isn’t your grandfather’s subway,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Artwork

The new stations have vast amounts of artwork, a lot of it by famous artists. Sarah Sze is responsible for the artwork titled “Blueprint of a Landscape” in the 96th Street station. In the concourse, there are images of blowing paper, dense at one end and light near another, helping to move commuters in the right direction.

Chuck Close, whose work is part of the sophomore art curriculum, designed the artwork in the 86th Street station. In his typical style, he created 12 different large scale portraits, which are highly dense and intricate mosaics. In his portraits, he depicted older and younger artists. In some areas, the portraits may seem like they are “watching over” the escalators.

Vik Muniz designed the artwork at the 72nd Street station. The series, “Perfect Strangers,” contains 36 life-size portraits of people who look like they are waiting for a train to arrive. The portraits, placed all around the station, are based on people Muniz knows. Many of them are odd characters, like a police officer with glasses holding a popsicle. In Muniz’s view, the artwork creates a perfect stranger. “In the subway, you don’t end up remembering anything but the people. You remember the characters, and you make up stories,” Mr. Muniz said.

At the Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station, Jean Shin was the designer of the expanded entrance on Third Avenue. Her work, called “Elevated,” is reminiscent of when there were elevated lines on Third and Second Avenues. These lines were taken down in the 1940s and 1950s to increase property value and in anticipation of the Second Avenue Subway. (The Second Avenue Subway has been delayed for nearly 100 years due to multiple wars and recessions.) Shin’s artwork is supposed to remind New Yorkers of the everyday commuters and pedestrians from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. One of Shin’s pieces

depicts the dismantling of the subway. To truly understand the basis of her design, Shin dove into the archives at the New York Transit Museum located in Brooklyn.

The Effect on Ramaz

The new line may look newer and have amazing art, but how does this development affect us at Ramaz? One problem for the school community is the fact that there is no station on or near 79th Street. All other subway lines going through 79th Street have a station within a twoblock radius. There is no station on 79th Street because there are exits at 73rd Street for the 72nd Street station and at 83rd Street for the 86th Street station. The designers thought it would be too expensive and redundant to add another stop at 79th street when there are entrances within a 4-block radius. Rachel Wahba ’17 lives along the Q line and takes the Q train frequently. “While the idea of having a continuous subway ride with no transfers is amazing, the nearest stop to school is at 72nd Street.” There are some instances in which she would take the Q to Second Avenue. “If it were a nice day and I was in the mood to walk to or from 72nd Street to take the train, it would be really nice not to have to transfer.”

There is still one major benefit to those who continue to ride the Lexington Avenue line. The Lexington Avenue Line is the most heavily ridden subway line on planet earth because of the lack of options regarding subways on the East Side of Manhattan. The Second Avenue Subway is projected to carry 200,000 people a day on average. As a result, it is expected to alleviate some of the crowding on the 4, 5, and 6 trains.

Ramaz students have a wide range of opinions on whether this development will actually happen. Henry Koffler ’18 takes the 6 train every day. “I don’t think there will be any change in the crowding problem, at least not significantly. The Second Avenue Subway is useless,” Koffler said. Derek Korff-Korn ’18 is also a frequent rider of the Lexington Avenue line. He, on the other hand, sees value in the Second Avenue Subway. “I don’t think there will be less crowding, as much as it is an opportunity to reach the few areas other subway lines don’t reach,” Korff-Korn said. Jordan Beloosesky ’18 lives in Queens.

He is cautiously optimistic. “Hopefully it will reduce some of the crowding,” Beloosesky said. He is desperate to see the delays go down. “The 6 train is extremely overcrowded in the mornings. I often have to wait for several 6 trains to pass to get on. Sometimes this contributes to lateness to school. Occasionally, the overcrowding causes verbal standoffs,” said Beloosesky. Gaby Kassman ’17 is much more confident about the new subway line. “I think there will be less crowding as a result of the Second Avenue Subway. It will be great, Be’ezrat Hashem,” she said.

All photos by the author.

Phase Two and Beyond

The extension of the Q train to 96th Street is only the first of four phases of a larger subway development project. The second phase is another extension of the Q train to 125th Street-Lexington Avenue, in order to enable transfers to the 4, 5, and 6 trains currently stopping there.

It also will connect to the Metro-North station nearby on Park Avenue, in addition to the M60 Select Bus Service, which connects Harlem to LaGuardia Airport. This phase is in the very early stages, with $1.5 billion already earmarked. The second phase may cost as much as $6 billion, while the first stage only cost about $4.5 billion. This high budget is causing anxiety among government officials.

During the third phase, the city will start tunneling southward on Second Avenue to Houston Street in downtown Manhattan. The train going south of 63rd Street on Second Avenue will be called the T train, with a teal-colored sign. The fourth phase will extend the T to Hanover Square, completing the Second Avenue Subway. Rebecca Araten ’18 lives where the third phase of the project will eventually have an effect. “It will help me get around more easily to places on the East Side because it will be so much closer to me than the 6 train,” she said.

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Dec 2016/ Jan 2017

Channukah and Christmas Coincide Yasmine Sokol ’19

This year, for the fifth time in 111 years, the first night of Channukah fell on Christmas Eve. This situation presented a unique opportunity for both Jews and Christians to celebrate their respective holidays simultaneously. December 25th was a day in which Jews and Christians alike could rejoice. The celebrations might have been for different reasons, but overall, the excitement was for one reason only: to enjoy the arrival of cherished holidays.

New York is a city that comes alive like no other during this time of year. From the clanging sounds of Salvation Army Santa Claus figures ringing their bells and the Christmas carols that one can hear blasting through the speakers of store window displays to the bright lights of the channukiot shining in the windows of Jewish fam-

ilies, the city sometimes feels like an outdoor holiday concert. Nothing can compare to the sight of the glimmering trees with yellow lights hanging across their branches and the enormous menorah situated in front of the landmark New York City Plaza Hotel.

This time is undoubtedly the most beautiful of the year in New York City.

Danya Jacobs ’19 said, “It’s really nice to see how all the kids in my building come down to the lobby, whether they are Jewish or Christian, to celebrate Christmas and Channukah together, setting up the menorah and putting candy canes on the tree.” So, given that these two holidays fall out on the same day, the celebration became all the more incredible. December 25th this year was a night of family, happiness, and excitement for America as a whole.

Rebecca Araten ’18

The Rush for Food

Five Star Caterers has treated the Ramaz students multiple times with special snacks and foods, such as assorted pies prior to Thanksgiving and a gorgeous display of winter treats after the RamJam. These snacks, while beautifully presented and delicious, often generate a mob scene, similar to something one might experience at a Black Friday sale or in Times Square during popular times for tourists. Some students give up on trying to fight the crowd, deciding instead to go upstairs to their classes defeated. Others struggle to maintain their spot in the crowd, hoping for a small space that they can squeeze through to reach a coveted spot at the table of food.

There are many factors that might be causing this strong reaction to food. Firstly, some students think that the breakfast at school, which usually consists solely of assorted cereals, is lacking. For many students, this problem is exacerbated by the fact that they do not eat prior to tefilla or do not have time in the mornings to eat before heading to class. After tefilla, many are not content with the cereal options, and even if they are, cereal is not satisfying or filling enough to carry over to lunchtime. Students who have 8th-period lunch have to wait until after 1:00 pm to eat, causing students to feel hungry throughout their long morning.

Naomi Freilich ’18

“What is cheating?” is a question many students at Ramaz ask. Although one basic example of cheating, according to the standards of most high school students, is looking at a peer’s test while taking an exam, cheating can manifest itself in many forms. Everyone knows that the school unapologetically prohibits plagiarizing, and some teachers have taken this prohibition to the extent of sharing homework. While all can agree that copying an essay off of the Internet is an extreme form of plagiarism, the issue is less clear when students share answers to homework problems or questions. Are students merely developing a collaborative environment or are they taking answers from friends in order to avoid doing homework altogether?

There are many teachers who stress the importance of a general collaborative environment in the classroom, and Ms. Litwack is among them. After speaking with Ms. Litwack about what cheating entails, she highlighted the fact that her class is a “very collaborative process.” According to Ms. Litwack, clear ground rules are estab-

Yoni Linder ’18 said, “Every day, I hear people complaining about the consistently late lunch, which just makes me hungrier.” It is not only those with 8th-period lunch who go through the day feeling hungry; students with 6th-period lunch become hungry later in the day, and some students are busy doing work or meeting with teachers during lunch, so they do not have a chance to eat as much as they would like. Consequently, students turn to snacking as the solution to their hunger.

As such, it is not surprising that students flock to the snacks every time they appear.

Netanel Kamel ’18 believes that the issue of the mob scene “can be avoided

by either dismissing grade by grade so that no one gets trampled or placing the food by each lounge and not in the lobby, because the lobby doesn’t have enough room for the whole school to take food.” Students have suggested an array of alternative solutions, including having more satiating breakfast options and allowing students to buy more satisfying snacks throughout the day, such as yogurts or sandwiches. By allowing students access to healthy brain food throughout the day, rather than unhealthy and unfilling (yet delicious) vending machine snacks, the problem can be eliminated.

What is Cheating? lished in her class, such as a strong prohibition against stealing ideas and theses off the Internet. She said, “I make it very clear that the homework in my class is not graded. I ask my students to do it on their own so that they can see where they stand when it comes to the understanding of the material.” She continued, “Because of the way my class is structured, you never hand in something without looking back on the work that you have done.” Ms. Litwack supports the collaborative process and agrees that it reaps tremendous benefits. Her past and present students can attest to this system; every written assignment in her class goes through a round of peer editing and allows students to share their feedback on a classmate’s assignment. However, this collaborative effort has clear parameters. She warned, “During vocabulary quizzes, for example, I have

no tolerance for cheating.”

Other teachers, such as Mr. Jaffe, also feel strongly about cheating when it comes to students’ use of the Internet in order to succeed on assignments. Mr. Jaffe remarked that those who are able to cheat have a “skill” in that they can move their eyes without necessarily moving their head.

Nevertheless, he has no tolerance for cheating. Additionally, Mr. Jaffe noted that, “When students use the web in order to find

out the answers to the Soduko puzzles that I assign, these students are not only cheating, but also missing out on the challenge.”

Although the parameters for what cheating entails are both ambiguous and undefined, many would agree that there needs to be room to allow students to collaborate and share their ideas. With the use of Whatsapp and classwide group chats, students are able to work with one another and promote an environment of sharing ideas.

Arts&Entertainment The Rampage • January 17

XANADU

Julia Levi '18 with Netanel Kamel '18

The fall musical tends to be one of the highlights of first semester. This year, Ramaz students performed Xanadu, a play in which Greek mythology meets 1980s America, set in Venice Beach, California. The play follows two main characters, Kira (Lillian Pravda ’18), a Greek muse, and Sonny Malone (Yoni Linder ’18), an insecure artist, and their love story. Other important characters include Melpomene (Rebecca Araten ’18), Kira’s envious muse sister who plots against her, and Danny Maguire (Hadley Kauver ’19), the authoritative landlord of an auditorium space that Sonny and Kira plan to turn into a roller disco. Based on a book by Douglas Carter Beane with music and lyrics written by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, the musical first opened on Broadway in 2007 and played over 500 performances. Director Jason Robinson and musical director Oded Lev-Ari, as well as Michael Kishon ’18, the student and assistant director, were the minds behind the Ramaz edition of Xanadu.

The cast worked hours since the beginning of the school year to put together this performance, with play practices two times per week and increasing in frequency as the performance date approached. As December 12th drew closer, there was high anticipation among students for this production.

The opening number of the musical, “Magic,” captivated the students with its upbeat lyrics and danc-

ing. It was impressive how much energy the cast had and how well they performed their choreography together on the stage. The lighting as well added to the flamboyancy and energetic quality of the play, with disco and multicolored lights. The costumes, too, depicted a 1980s vibe. The acting was impressive throughout, even through the technical difficulties having to do with the microphones.

Over the course of the play, one could hear bursts of laughter and shouts from the audience, as they themselves participated in the experience of the production. However, there was also a lot of bewilderment among the students, many of whom had never heard of Xanadu, about what exactly was going on, plot-wise. While the dancing and singing was entertaining, the play was slightly difficult to follow. “The songs were super catchy, but I had trouble understanding what was going on. I wish they had written a quick plot summary in the brochures that they gave out,” said Noa Attias ’18. Elizabeth Aufzein ’19 agreed when she described the production as “slightly disorganized.” Overall, the student body viewed the production positively despite its flaws, and the show was a great way to end off a long school day. Throughout the next few days, one could hear students humming to Xanadu’s catchy songs as they went to class.

Manchester by the Sea Reviewed Derek Korff-Korn '18

In Kenneth Lonergan’s recent film Manchester by the Sea, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is a gloomy, short-tempered loner who works as a handyman in Boston. One winter morning, he gets a call bidding him to his hometown, north of the city.

Lee’s brother's heart has suddenly failed, and he's been named guardian to his 16-year-old nephew.

Lonergan's tale of this working-class New England family in a seaside fishing town makes for a heartbreaking film. His elegiac film is brutally honest and real. Lonergan recognizes that sometimes bad things - terrible things - happen.

This description might make the film sound unbearably dark, but while Manchester by the Sea does sometimes throw the audience into pits of despair, it also utilizes dry humor. Lonergan has a fine taste for slight moments of tragedy that can be twisted into comedy, as when emergency medical technicians repeatedly fail to collapse the legs of a gurney so that they can load it into the back of an ambulance.

Some of the wittiest bits in Manchester by the Sea take an instant to appreciate because they are not straightforward jokes. "What happened to your hand?" one character inquires of Lee at the dinner table, alluding to Lee’s bloody fist that he wrapped up after smashing a window. "I cut it," Lee murmurs. "Oh," the other character says, hardly looking up from his plate, "for a minute there, I didn't know what happened."

What was it like preparing so long for this play? Did you feel that all these hours of work was worth it in the end? Rebecca Araten ’18: Being in the play definitely requires a lot of hard work. There are rehearsals for at least seven hours a week, and it takes outside effort to learn lines. However, the effort becomes worth it when you get the chance to be onstage and show everybody what you've been working on. You have a chance to be somebody who acts completely differently from yourself, and it's very refreshing.

Lillian Pravda ’18: Yes. It definitely is a lot of hard work. It is my third year being in the play, so I am very used to it at this point, but there were always points when I got frustrated. Of course, once the actual production date comes along, it is an exhilarating feeling to be performing.

What was it like actually performing up on stage in front of the entire student body? Were you nervous about anything in particular? Leah Kesten ’17: Performing the play as part of the chorus and as one of the

dancers, couldn’t have been more of a blast; initially, I was worried the students wouldn't understand the jokes or like the music, but they responded very well and the cast fed off their energy.

What was your favorite song from the musical and why?

Yoni Linder ’18: My favorite song definitely had to be “Don’t Walk Away,” in which Lillian Pravda and I sang together. I love it because it is such an emotionally charged song, and it also allowed my voice to expand to new horizons.

Michelle Kvital ’17: I really enjoyed the last song in the play, “Xanadu.” It is such a fun, upbeat song and I had a great time dancing to it - it was a perfect way to end the performance.

Why did you decide to be part of the Xanadu production and what was your favorite part about being in it? Rebecca Araten ’18: I joined the play because I love theater and I love the feeling I get when I’m on stage.

I love how much we bonded by working so hard on this play together. One of the hardest parts for me was learning one of my

Fantastic Beasts Reviewed

Hadley Kauver '19

The world of Harry Potter was once again brought to life in film this year with the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Director David Yates manages to recapture the world of Harry Potter. Based on the adventures and misadventures of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a zoologist specializing in magical creatures, a topic largely unexplored in the main novels, the film brings the audience to New York City in 1926. Yates not only manages to capture the aesthetic of the 1920s, but also broadens the Harry Potter world to include a great number of previously unseen magical creatures.

For any Potter fans out there looking for the same great magic, look no further than Fantastic Beasts.

The story takes place in a time of turmoil for the wizarding world due to the presence of the militant Grindelwald, who is wreaking havoc across the globe.

The movie begins to explore an important backstory of the Harry Potter novels that was merely alluded to and never fully explored - that of Grindelwald, Dumbledore’s nemesis. The wizarding community of the United States is also introduced. The American wizards’ British counterparts consider their society backwards due to their strict laws segregating the magic and non-magic communities as well as their use of the death penalty. The stellar cast, helmed by Redmayne and Dan Fogler, never cease to amaze and delight the audience as they race around New York City, trying to locate Newt’s escaped creatures. While most of the movie tends to be rather lighthearted, it also obtains darker elements, such as Grindelwald and the introduction of the Obscurus, an evil magical force that manifests in children who suppress their power.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a film worthy of praise and recognition. The box office and critics agree. It is the eighth highest grossing movie of 2016 at $746.1 million. If you enjoy the Harry Potter series, the fantasy genre, or merely seek a movie that makes the impossible seem like reality, then Fantastic Beasts will not disappoint.

songs, “Evil Woman,” yet I was grateful for the talented cast I had along side me. I really feel a strong bond with everyone in the play.

Hadley Kauvar ’19: I decided to be part of the play because of my love for acting, and because it is a great way to improve your acting skills, especially when you have several lines to memorize and songs to sing. I also really enjoyed playing the part of Danny Maguire.

What was it like being in the play for the first time, as new students in the school? (directed at freshman members of the cast) Basia Fellner Dublin ’20: Being new, I was nervous, but I have always been into performance and knew I wanted to join the play even before I came to Ramaz. Being part of the chorus and a dancer, I didn’t have any lines, but learning all the lyrics and choreography took a while.

Maxine Pravda ’20: It was definitely nerve-racking. You want to start making a name for yourself, especially since you are the new grade of actors after the previous year’s senior grade left.

In Transit Reviewed

Rebecca Araten '18

The past few years have seen great changes in Broadway shows, with Hamilton making history as the first hip hop and rap musical to hit Broadway.

In Transit, as the first a capella musical, represents further change on Broadway. As audience members walk into the theater, the lack of an orchestra pit is both strange and exciting at the same time. Additionally, the Circle in the Square Theater, where the show takes place, has a setup that is different from most theaters. The stage juts out from the wall, allowing the audience to sit on three sides of the stage. The layout makes for a more interactive theater experience and allows for more diversity in the staging. Throughout the show, the actors and actresses manage to create the illusion of having instruments by making background sounds with their mouths. The sounds come together very beautifully.

The plot of the show is very modern, focusing on the individual lives of the people in the Manhattan subway and telling the stories of the faces that normally blur into one massive mob. The show begins by telling the story of Jane, a forty-threeyear-old woman who has been trying for her entire life to get a role in a Broadway show. While working a boring day job, Jane needs to choose between pursuing a failing career in theater or excelling in a job for which she has no real passion. The storyline shifts to include Trent and Steven, a gay couple struggling with outside pressures and hoping to get married despite disapproval from their families. As the plot develops, Ali is introduced as a person who struggles to recover from a breakup.

She left behind her life and education for a relationship that failed. Her brother, Nate, is financially unstable after losing his job following an unfortunate mistake - he unwittingly "replied all" to an email and sent his boss disparaging comments.

The show is definitely successful in exploring issues common to modern society, yet it ends very suddenly, without satisfactorily resolving all of the problems that are introduced. Nevertheless, the show is entertaining and enjoyable. It proves that having a musical that is entirely a capella is an opportunity, rather than a limitation.

Opinion

The Rampage Ramaz Upper School

The Rampage • January 2017

New York • Volume 47 • Issue 4 • January 2017 • the-rampage.org

Print Editors-in-Chief:

Gabriel Klapholz* Elianna Schwartz* Online Editors-in-Chief:

Jasmine Levine* Gabrielle Amar*

The Lost and Found Quandary

Layout Editor

Moselle Kleiner* Managing Editor:

Nicole Aboodi

*

Associate Editor:

Tyler Mandelbaum* News Editor:

Oriya Romano* A&E Editor:

Caroline Jaspan* Sports Editor:

Jacob Hocheiser* Faculty Advisor:

Dr. Milowitz Contributing Writers: Julia Levi Naomi Freilich Rebecca Araten Louise Sitt Abigail Huebner Derek Korff-Korn Melissa Adler Darbie Sokolow Brianna Rubinstein Netanel Kamel Alexandra Orbuch Zachary Buller Basia Fellner-Dublin Becky Tauber Suzi Dweck Sophia Kremer Josephine Schizer Natalie Kahn Esther Beck Harry Shams Jonah Scherl Talia Katz Rosie Adelman Amedeo Hasson Ayelet Monas Emily Podolsky David Grinberg Mark Marcus Yonatan Weitzner Jack Ottensoser Emily Stemp The Rampage is the student newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School. It is published on a monthly basis. Letters to the editor may be submitted to rampage@ramaz.org. Letters must be signed and may be edited for space and to conform to The Rampage's style and format.

The opinions expressed in The Rampage are of the author’s alone and do not represent the views or opinions of Ramaz or The Rampage and its editors.

Denotes member of The Rampage Editorial Board. *

Rebecca Araten '18

With classes to run to and many books and binders to carry around, it is no surprise that students frequently lose track of and misplace their belongings. Unfortunately, there is no set system for students to recover their lost belongings, and these items often end up being replaced, rather than found. Lost items usually end up in a huge bin that is hidden in the lunchroom, from which they can rarely be recovered.

Other lost items end up on a table in the sixth-floor office, amidst binders and other objects that have accumulated over the years, or in a bin on the SC floor. Oftentimes, something is lost, and it does not go anywhere, because nobody truly knows what to do when they find lost items. The people who lost their items are then left to look at their schedules to figure out in which classroom they could have left their belongings.

Unfortunately, many of the things that people lose cannot be replaced easily, such as notebooks or binders that are

filled with important information. Just imagine how a student might feel if he or she lost a binder, containing all of his or her notes, before an exam and had no way of locating it.

Additionally, the winter season brings with it the issue of losing a coat or jacket, without which one cannot return home.

The solution to this problem is to create a uniform location for people to place missing objects, thereby enabling more people to find everything that they have lost and allowing more people to do the good deed of returning lost items. With a new system, lost items can be found and returned to their owners without a glitch, eliminating one of the worries on students’ minds.

How to Fix StudentTeacher Conferences Josephine Scherzer '20

Walking into school on the day of student-teacher conferences, one can see students crowding the hallways in long lines or clumps, talking to each other or on their phones, impatiently waiting for teachers to be ready to meet with them. Waiting times on lines to meet with teachers vary drastically depending on the teacher - students can be waiting on line for up to an hour or for as little as five minutes. Students generally only talk to the teacher for a minute or two.

Student-teacher conferences are a built-in time to find out how one is doing in his or her classes and to ask any questions one may have. This opportunity for one-on-one discussion is helpful for both students and teachers who usually do not have time within their busy schedules to have personal conversations.

However, I think that there are a few things we could change in order to make student-teacher conferences a more effective use of students’ and teachers’ time and also less chaotic.

There are two main problems with the current system. First, the long lines create a pressured and rushed atmosphere where it is hard to have a real conversation with teachers. Second, and relatedly, many students jump the lines by having friends hold their spots in multiple lines at once, exacerbating the

first problem. I want to suggest two possible ways to alleviate this problem.

First, having fewer students in the building at a time would make the lines shorter and remove some of the pressure from teachers who teach students in multiple grades. This goal could be accomplished by having conferences on a full school day instead of a Friday and having each grade come in approximately two-hour shifts. The hallways would be less crowded, so it would be easier for everyone to get from place to place. The experience would be more pleasant and less rushed for both students and teachers, allowing more complete conversations with less hassle.

A second solution, which works either alone or in conjunction with the first solution, is to use sign up sheets. Since, in practice, people are already holding spots in multiple lines at once (by having friends save their spots), it makes sense to allow everyone to engage in this process in a logical and fair way. Students could sign up to meet with their teachers, either at the door of each classroom or online in advance, and know based on the list when their turn will come. This system would enable the conferences to run in a more orderly fashion with less wasted time and would make the day even more productive.

Yeshiva Break?

Rebecca Araten '18

Winter vacation at Ramaz is often seen as a much-needed break, and it gives students the opportunity to travel and enjoy experiences with their family members. Ramaz differs from other yeshivot in that our vacation takes place around the same time as Christmas and New Year's Eve, rather than during "yeshiva break." Yeshiva break is a vacation lasting about ten days near the end of January. The point of yeshiva break is to give vacation at a pretty random time in order to make travel accommodations easier and much less expensive. Whereas winter break at Ramaz takes place at the same time as most public schools and private schools across America, yeshiva break gives people a chance to travel at times that are less busy.

Yeshiva break might seem like an appealing option to Ramaz families who would prefer cheaper travel accommodations and to students who would much rather have vacation after they have finished their finals. However, as a whole, winter break is much more practical as we have it now.

First of all, most jobs in America give vacations to their employees around the time of the winter holi-

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days, so it is at that time that Ramaz parents are able to travel with their families. If Ramaz gave yeshiva break, students would not be able to travel with their families, so it would not make any difference if tickets were cheaper. Additionally, while having vacation after our finals in January might mean that we would be able to relax more, I think that vacation comes at an academically advantageous time, as students are so mentally exhausted from the long and arduous month of November. To go straight through the month of December and then finals week without a long break could be mentally exhausting, and as such, it only makes sense to have vacation before finals.

The current vacation schedule is also better for faculty and staff. Dr. Aharon said that since she does not usually travel with her family, the scheduling of vacation does not really affect her. Nevertheless, she said that "we do have faculty and staff that celebrate Christmas and New Year, and I'm glad that our current schedule allows them to enjoy their holidays." Ramaz's vacation schedule makes the most sense in its current state, and it should not be changed.

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Sports The Rampage • January 2017

Check Up with Boys' JV Basketball Team

Craig Sager Passes Away

Derek Korff-Korn '18

David Grinberg '19

The Ramaz JV boys’ basketball team is currently 3-4.

There are three more games in the regular season, and they are against Frisch, SAR, and JEC, respectively. Ramaz has recently won two games against Kushner and Hillel, but lost against MTA on December 19.

The home game against Hillel was on December 11, and it was on the same day that the annual Sam Gyenes Memorial Basketball Tournament took place. Ramaz had a well-earned win against Hillel, especially when Ramaz scored more than 20 points in the fourth quarter to put Hillel out of the game.

Ramaz had a late game against Kushner on December 15. Ramaz’s basketball team bus got into a car accident on the highway. After 20 minutes of deliberation, the bus driver and the Uber driver who got hit agreed to part ways. Once at Kushner, Ramaz began to fall behind slightly in the first quarter. The game had

to be paused when Yehuda Levy ’19 went up for a layup and accidentally elbowed a player on the opposing team in the face. The player passed out and had to go to the hospital. Once the game resumed, Ramaz quickly took the lead, and eventually began practicing fast break drills against Kushner. Kushner lost to Ramaz with a final score of 73-53.

Before winter break, the Ramaz JV boys’ basketball team played MTA. As MTA kept hitting all of its shots, Ramaz began to worry about its chance at victory. MTA was very aggressive and grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds during the first half.

The starting lineup was playing poorly, which resulted in a player from MTA attempting to dunk on a fast break. It did not end well; the ball hit the rim hard, and the shock of the collision threw him to the ground, where he landed on his back. Ramaz suffered a crushing loss of 39-71.

Craig Sager, father of five and dear husband to Stacy Sager, was best known as a sideline reporter who paced the floors of the basketball courts in his unique clothing, specifically his colorful suit jackets. Sager recently died of acute myeloid leukemia at age 65. Sager will certainly be missed, as he brought a lot of enthusiasm to sports stadiums throughout his long and successful career.

Sager began his career as a reporter in Florida. He later became a radio news director. Sager’s most famous interview was with slugger Hank Aaron after he hit his 715th home run. He eventually joined Turner Sports, hosting a 30-minute segment called “The Coors Sports Page” as well as managing the reports of the the Hawks’ basketball games. Sager was posted wherever the network needed him, working before the cameras at Ted Turner's Goodwill Games from 1986 through 2001. He also covered the Pan American Games, and the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Sager headed TNT's coverage of the 1992 Winter Olym-

pics. He also covered golf and tennis and was involved in the coverage of the National Football League on TNT's telecasts from 1990 to 1997.

Sager was diagnosed in 2014, missing that year’s entire NBA finals.

After a temporary recovery, he announced that his cancer had returned in March 2016, saying that he only had a few months to live. With his life nearing an end, Sager moved temporarily to Disney’s ESPN, a rival of Time Warner's Turner Sports, to work in his first NBA finals telecast.

Sager partnered with ESPN regular Doris Burke to work on the side-

lines of Game Six of the 2016 NBA finals. On July 13, 2016, Sager was awarded the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards for battling cancer. In a moving acceptance speech, Sager, then terminally ill, said, “Time is something that cannot be bought; it cannot be wagered with God, and it is not in endless supply. Time is simply how you live your life.” On December 13, 2016, Sager was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, just two days before his death.

Ramaz Heads to the Baltimore Basketball Tournament Becky Tauber '18

The boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams spent four days in Baltimore, Maryland, in order to participate in the 30th annual Weiner Memorial Basketball Tournament held by Beth Tfiloh High School. Both teams played a total of seven full basketball games, which is a lot for such a short period of time. The teams arrived at around 1:00 pm on Wednesday afternoon, and after a short opening ceremony introducing the teams who were going to be participating in the tournament, it was already time to start playing.

The first team the Ramaz girls and boys played was Yavneh High School from Dallas, Texas. The girls played first and were able to pull through with a win by about 25 points. As the girls rested, the boys played and put up a tough fight, but ultimately lost 54 to 50. The boys came back towards the end from a twelve point lead by Yavneh, making it a close game. As soon as that game was over, the next round of games against Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) began. Suffering from tiredness, the girls’ team did not have an amazing game, but were able to beat HANC 42-30. Although Ramaz was a much better team, they did not play to their full potential, and the game was close until the last few minutes. With an effective press, the girls were able to finish strong. The boys then played against HANC, and the entire game was close. The lead went back and forth between the two teams, but ended with a devastating loss for Ramaz at a score of 62 to 61. After a long day, the players went to the host families’ houses and rested up for another big day. Although it seemed like the chances of the Ramaz boys making it to the semifinals were low, they did not lose hope. Both the boys and girls had tough teams to beat the next day, since they were going to be playing Beth Tfiloh, a team with home-court advantage and almost one hundred cheering fans.

The following morning both teams arrived a t 8:00 am for davening, with games starting as early as 10:00 am. After a quick breakfast, the girls had to start warming up for their game against The Boyar School from Israel. Although they were extremely aggressive, the girls did not have trouble maintaining the lead, with a final score of 36 to 15.

The girls then sat and cheered for the boys, hoping they could win and keep their chances at the semifinals alive. Although they had lost their two previous games, the boys did not have a defeatist attitude and were ready to play their hardest in order to win their upcoming games. The boys’ varsity team used their losses as a signal that they needed to step up

their game. With this attitude, the boys were able to beat Boyar 63 to 42, keeping their spirits alive. The next game was against Beth Tfiloh, in front of all their cheering fans. Before the game, both teams took a trip down to the harbor where they were able to take a break from the competitive environment and take an hour to relax. Once refreshed, it was time to return to the school to play for the second time that day.

The girls played first, with the Ramaz boys’ team being the only group in the huge crowd rooting for Ramaz. In the first half, it was a close game, but Ramaz kept the lead. In the second half, Ramaz’s strong defense kept Beth Tfiloh from scoring even one basket, leaving with an end score of 30-14 Ramaz. As the boys warmed up, more and more Beth Tfiloh fans entered the stands in order to cheer against Ramaz and root for their school. Winning this game was extremely vital for the boys, as without it, they would be out of the running for the top four seats, eliminating their chances to make it to the championship game. Even with the crazy fans, the boys remained focused. It was a close game in every quarter, but with great performances

by Emanuel Dicker ’18, Jonny Povman ’18, and the rest of the Rams, the varsity boys kept their chances alive, winning the game 45-42. The boys were very excited coming off of a two-game winning streak, maintaining their shot at “the ship.”

The following morning was similar to the previous one, except, because of erev Shabbat, the games started at 9:00 am instead of 10:00. The next opponents were the teams from the Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT). The girls’ team was considered the best in the tournament, beating all of the other teams by 30 points. The Ramaz girls were completely outplayed, and lost to CHAT 53-24. The boys once again stepped up their game, beating CHAT 46-29 and clinching a spot in the top four. Both Ramaz teams would be playing Beth Tfiloh for a chance to play in the championship game. For both games, the stands were filled with Beth Tfiloh students hoping for their teams to avenge their losses against Ramaz in rematches. The girls, still winded and upset about their previous loss, ended the half down 21-12. Although it seemed like winning was out of reach, the girls completely turned the game around. With great defense and teamwork, the girls won the game 46-33, completely outplaying the other team in the second half. Brianna Rubinstein ’18 said, “The boys were really supportive in cheering for us against all of Beth Tfiloh’s fans. It felt extremely good to come back in the game when we all thought there was no chance we were going

to win. It was one of our proudest games as a team, and I’m sure we will all remember how we felt after winning that game for a long time.” With the girls heading for the championship, the boys were ready to join them on that path and beat Beth Tfiloh. In probably the craziest game of the whole tournament, Ramaz and Beth Tfiloh both fought hard for the spot in the championship. It was close the entire game, with the lead switching back and forth between the two teams. With the Ramaz girls cheering as loud as they could, it was hard to keep up with the one hundred Beth Tfiloh fans screaming against Ramaz. Although they had home-court advantage, Beth Tfiloh still lost to Ramaz with a final score of 43-42.

In fact, a player from Beth Tfiloh scored a half-court shot at the buzzer to end the game down by one point. It was a euphoric moment for the Ramaz varsity boys players, because although it looked like there was no chance for them to make the semifinals, they were now headed for the championship.

For Friday night dinner, all players spent the meal with their host families along with other families who were hosting players from different schools. On Saturday afternoon, all the players congregated for davening and ate lunch with all the other schools that were participating. Later that day, all the basketball players heard a speech from a Beth Tfiloh alumnus, who had a prosthetic foot but did not allow that to stop him from playing sports. After some time to finally relax after the hectic days of game after game, it was time for the championship. Both teams were facing opponents to which they had previously, so both teams knew it was going to be a tough fight.

In the girls’ game against CHAT, their opponents were on a higher skill level than Ramaz and defeated the Rams 48-23.

In the boys’ game against Yavneh, it was a much closer game, and the intensity was there throughout the four quarters. Because of Ramaz’s previous victory over Beth Tfiloh, their fans were back and cheering against Ramaz. The game ended with Yavneh victorious 54-49. Even though the girls and boys both had tough losses, they experienced great comebacks at different points in the tournament. Both teams grew closer together and had a fun time playing the game they love and rooting for each other. Although it was devastating to lose so far into the tournament, all players were proud of themselves and their teammates for how much they achieved. “It was a really fun bonding experience for the team,” said Aaron Shapira ’19. “I can’t wait to go back next year and take home ‘the ship,’” he said.

Dec 2016/Jan 2017

The Rampage

Crossword

Nicole Aboodi '17

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