Volume XXXXVIIII Number 1
The Ramaz Upper School
Freshman Orientation
By Josh Sarachek’17
Ramaz Freshman Orientation is a once in a lifetime experience that generates mixed feelings among its participants. On the one hand, it is a right of passage for all incoming ninth-graders about to embark their high school experience. In this way Freshman Orientation is exciting and enjoyable. On the other hand, it is terrifying to realize that you are no longer in middle school and that you are in high school now. Dov Pianko, organizer of Freshman Orientation, said, “Freshmen Orientation is an integral program at the Ramaz Upper School.” Freshman Orientation is an opportunity to make new friends, to find out who your advisor will be, to figure out how to open your locker for the first time, and to adjust yourself to your new surroundings in the building and in the neighborhood. Dov said, “the goal of Freshman Orientation is for incoming freshmen to acclimate themselves to their new school physically, socially and emotionally.” Incoming Freshman Zach Wildes ’18 said, “Freshman Orientation is a great opportunity to meet kids and get set up in an unfamiliar building. Overall it was a very fun day.”
In the past, senior advisors and faculty advisors took the freshman to Asphalt Green. There, the freshman would engage in team building exercises, sports, and other ice breaking games. This year, however, the freshman did not go to Asphalt Green. Instead, they spent most of the day in the High School and were treated to a scavenger hunt around the Upper East Side. Jonny Povman ’18 enjoyed the scavenger hunt and said it was the best part of the day. Povman commented, “my senior advisor, Eddie Mattout ‘15, was very helpful. He moved me into my locker and set me up. He also gave me a lot of great advice about the coming year.” Freshmen Orientation is not just about the freshmen, it is also about the Seniors giving back to the freshmen and providing them with a moral understanding of Ramaz and its standards. Alex Agus ‘15 said “ it was an honor giving back to the freshman. It was a lot of fun getting to know them and I had a great time.”
The Times Are Changing
Club Fair
By Jasmine Levine ‘17
By Elianna Schwartz ‘17
On the first day of school, students were introduced to the numerous changes that were put in place for the 2014-2015 academic year. The schedule has changed from a six-day rotation schedule to a seven day rotation schedule. Monday (“M”) and Thursday (“R”) will be now be fixed days instead of Monday and Wednesday. Tuesday and Wednesday alternate between “A,” “B” and “C” days, and Fridays between “E” and “F” days. Mr. Miller explained that the reason for making Thursday fixed instead of Wednesday is to allow students time for breakfast on mornings on which the Torah is read. Tyler Mandelbaum ’17 said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I do better in school when I
RAMAZ DAY OF SERVICE
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
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eat.” Fridays will now have uniform fifty minute periods, instead of periods ranging from 29 to 31 minutes depending on the season. Teachers had been concerned that there was not suficient time to teach effectively on Fridays. The ability to have Friday tests will make the rest of the week easier by allowing better spacing of tests. Students will get home at 1:30 pm on regular Fridays and 12:50 on Winter Fridays, to allow adequate time to prepare for Shabbat. Jack Hartstein ’16 voiced his approval and said, “I enjoy my Friday afternoons and getting home to Westchester earlier will improve my weekends.” All Fridays will now also have a homeroom period to allow students to
INSIDE
INTERVIEW WITH RAMAZ ALUM WHO SERVED IN GAZA
grab a snack which will give them energy for the rest of the day. Options include: yogurt, fruit and the famous Ramaz chocolate chip cookies. An innovative change has been the introduction of a B4 assembly period. Students will never have class on 4th period B days. Instead different programs such as advisory, guest speakers and grade/school assemblies will occur then. Finally, mincha will no longer take place at Shacharit locations (e.g. the auditorium, the gym, etc.) but on the floor where one had class the period before mincha. Mr. Miller remarked, “These changes have been evolving over the last 3 years and we have finally implemented them.”
Every year, the Ramaz Upper School students have the wonderful opportunity to attend the annual Club Fair and every year, the Club Fair has a significant number of new clubs fighting for the spotlight. The Ramaz students never cease to find new innovative clubs to bring to the school. You name it we have it; whether it is sports, health, creative arts, technology, politics, news, chesed, or just about any hobby. The students have an endless amount of ideas, each one more original than the next. With Dov Pianko in charge,
fresh hot churros and popcorn flowing, new club additions, and the freshmen joining the mix, this year’s club fair was more than a success! This is the first year Dov Pianko was in charge of club fair. Although this is not his first year in the school, organizing the fair made Dov realize the extent of the variety and assortment of clubs that the students run. Dov admits, “I wanted to sign up for some of them! Some of the clubs are so cool!”
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4 READ WHAT STUDENTS DID OVER THE SUMMER
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CLUB FAIR: Students clamor to sign up for clubs for the coming school year. For more pictures see pages 6-7
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The RamPage News
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
New Teachers at Ramaz
The RamPage Editorial Staff
By Akiva Gold ’16
Editors-in-Chief Skyler Levine Andrew Lobel Eddie Mattout
Ms. Lindsey Axel: First Impression of Ramaz: Very friendly and hardworking students and faculty. Hometown: Woodbury, New York Favorite Musician: Dave Matthews Band Favorite TV Show: The Office Biggest Goal for this year: To promote healthy behavior and effectively communicate with the students.
Ms. Miriam Cohen: First impression of Ramaz: I’m glad to be here! Hometown: Riverdale, New York Favorite song: Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” Favorite TV show: Veep Biggest goal for this year: To learn everyone’s name! Favorite activity: Reading
Design Editor Olivia Hershkowitz
Online Editor
Photography Editor
Alex Leibowitz
Michael Low
Opinions Editor
Faculty Advisor
Will Fried
Dr. Steven Milowitz
Sports Editor Yale Buchwald
Service Day By Gabrielle Amar-Ouimet ’17
The devastating destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, dramatically changed our modern society. Each year, in honor of the tragedy that occured on this day, RAMAZ students perform various acts of kindness. This year, on Sunday, September 7th, approximately
forty students volunteered for either Friendship Circle or Masbia Soup Kitchen. Volunteers for Friendship Circle joined fifteen mentally challenged children in the Upper School Building to cultivate new friendships and care for the children. The volunteers prepared
for the upcoming holidays with the children by telling stories, creating jars of honey, making bracelets, and discussing the holidays over lunch. The Ramaz students formed close bonds with the children. “Friendship Circle is all about inclusion. Caring for someone who may struggle when
Vending Machines Go Plastic
cause. Caroline Jaspan ’17 said, “After volunteering at the soup kitchen, I felt accomplished and happy to have helped.” On Service Day, the student volunteers tried to mend our country’s injuries from the past by attempting to improve the future.
Club Fair Continued from front cover
By Yale Buchwald ’15 At the start of this new semester, there have been various significant changes that have altered life in school. While the new schedule and pop up Mincha minyanim certainly highlight some of these changes, the change that seems most popular among students is the addition of credit card slots on the vending machines. No longer do students have to beg their friends for a dollar, but can simply buy a snack or drink with one quick swipe. Additionally, due to the old and broken vending machines that constantly plagued students, the school has purchased brand new machines. “The instillation was a difficult process,” said GO treasurer Joseph Cohen ’15. “We had to convince administration that it would be used often and benefit many Ramaz students. The process then had to go through the vending machine companies. Once they agreed to have the credit card slots due to the anticipated profit margins, we got it done.” Despite the addition of credit card slots, many students are angered
finding his or her place in a community is extremely important and worthwhile,” said Ms. Benel. Student volunteers at Masbia Soup Kitchen helped prepare meals for the needy by peeling, chopping, slicing, dicing, picking, and cleaning. Students enjoyed working for such a worthwhile
by the rise in prices in the drink machines. In the past years, drinks cost $1. They have now been raised to $1.75 and $2. “I Like being able to use my credit card on the snack machines, where the overall prices didn’t go up that much,” said Ethan Heller ’15. “I’m not in favor of it on the drink machines, because the usually fair prices have increased,” he added.
Dov actually could not resist buying his own camera and joining the talented and artistic photography club. Heading the Club Fair is a big task since there are so many students involved. Dov admits, “I’ll be honest with you, I’m not super organized to begin with, but when I’m running things I try to be as organized as possible”. Dov was worried that it wasn’t all going to get finished on time, but “was very impressed by how seriously the students took it and it really showed me their level of professionalism.” At the end of the day, all of the students got their jobs done. The freshmen’s reaction to the Club Fair is one we all experienced our first year at Ramaz. The excitement generated by the fair, while determining which clubs to join for the next four years, is a lot to digest. Gabe Fischer ’18 says, “There were too many clubs almost. It was overwhelming just because I wanted to sign up for everything.” The club leaders all try to recruit the fresh meat. The freshmen are their main target because they are hoping to catch them before they get invested in other school activities. Brianna Rubinstein ’18 tells it as it is; “I was not expecting so many clubs and
a lot of people shoved papers in my face. I had no clue what I was signing up for!” But the freshmen had a positive experience and are looking forward to trying out all of their new clubs. Emily Ratzker ’18 explains, “I signed up for more clubs than I thought I would because I want to try different things and see which ones are best for me.” There are many new clubs that appear to be extremely similar in purpose to the clubs that already exist. For example, there is a Yoga Club, Zumba Club, and Gymnastics Club. Technically they are all different, but in reality they all fall under the same genre of women’s exercise. Natalie Dicker ’16, head of the Gymnastics Club reassures us that there is no competition; “it did seem a little harder to get people to sign up but I think we actually ended up getting more people than last year!” Shelli Cohen ’17, founder of the new Yoga Club, agrees with Natalie in that “Yoga Club attracted a large crowd. I think yoga offers something new and different from all the other clubs.” Another type of club Ramaz is known for is its variety of news, writing and literature publications: including Rampage, Yearbook, Parallax, Rambuzz and Ram-
bunctions to name a few. Just when we thought there were no more ways to express ourselves, leave it to Ramaz students to think of something new and creative. Moselle Kleiner ‘17, founder of Rise, exclaims, “Rise is so different from all the other artsy school magazines. It comes out quarterly, it is online, and it brings together art, photography, creative writing, fashion, indie music, and movies.” The students keep on finding new ways and generating new ideas to continue to further enhance our school and the enjoyment of the student body. The Club Fair this year portrayed the amazing and unique creativity of all the students. It is evident that the 2014-2015 school year is going to be a great year for clubs filled with dedicated students participating in the things they love to do!
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
The RamPage News
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9/11 Commemorated
By Eliana Doft ’16 The Upper School’s memorial of 9/11 began before students even entered the building. A table draped with an American flag displayed photos of the nine firemen from Engine Company 22 and Ladder Company 13 (the companies that serve Ramaz) who perished in the towers on 9/11. Students, dressed in black and white, handed out American flag pins and pamphlets to all who entered the building. The pamphlets listed the names of the nine fallen firemen, and gave suggestions of good deeds to do in order to honor the day. Immediately after davening, a different speaker addressed each minyan. Mr. Sam Benson, a paramedic who worked in Emergency Management and Disaster response, addressed the freshmen. He was the Director of Health and Medical Branch of the 9/11 response, and was responsible for casualty and fatality management along with safety operations. Hanna Sholes ’18 recalled, “Mr.
Benson’s focus was on the positive side of things. He wanted us to remember all the people who came together to help on 9/11.” Mr. Joseph Olidort, father of Jacob Olidort ’03 and Julian Olidort ’07, addressed the sophomores. Mr. Olidort was in the second tower on 9/11. As an engineer, he realized early on that the buildings would fall, and rushed his coworkers out of the building. “I was interested to hear Mr. Olidort’s insight into what it was like as an engineer to watch his office building crumbling around him, and having to navigate through obstacles in order to save himself,” said Moselle Kleiner ’17. Mr. Deutsch, who lives in Lower Manhattan and was there during the attack, addressed the Sephardic minyan. “Although Mr. Deutsch is usually full of fun and games, he was able to put on a serious front and give an incredibly inspiring speech that left the whole group feeling a great sense of pride and community,” recounted Nathan
M. Shams ’16. Mr. Howard Fried, father of Elle Fried ‘13 and Sam Fried ‘15, addressed the juniors and seniors. Mr. Fried worked on the 85th floor of the south tower, and fortunately did not go to his office on the morning of 9/11. He recounted how he felt on the day of 9/11, frantically trying to get in touch with his colleagues. He also gave tribute to his colleague Andrew Zucker, who helped his co-workers escape and ultimately did not make it out of the building. “Mr. Fried’s speech really evoked what it was like to feel the panic during 9/11,” said Anabelle Ritz ’16. “Also, the fact that he is a Ramaz parent brought the event closer to home.” Students were all given a card with a blurb of a different victim of the 9/11 tragedy. During each class, students read their card. Some teachers shared their experiences during 9/11. The programming set a somber and serious mood for the day.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: commemorative table outside High School; students visit local fire department; Mr. Olidort shares his story.
New Security Measures at Ramaz By Gabriel Klapholz ’17 Last month, a Jewish couple walking on East 63rd Street, was attacked, presumably because the man was wearing a kippah. The event put many on edge about the safety of their neighborhoods. Director of Security, Mamadou Deme, said that “with all that’s happening in Israel now and the rise of anti-Semitism, we decided to increase” the level of security at Ramaz in a number of ways. Mamadou responded to the attack on the Jewish couple by saying that although there’s “no immediate threat to Ramaz,” it shows that new security measures are needed. “The need is timely, especially with the upcoming high holidays, when Jewish poeple keep a higher profile and are constantly traveling to shul and back,” he said. One of the most noticeable changes in Ramaz security is the addition of an armed NYPD police officer to stand guard outside of the school. Mamadou explained that “Ramaz has a close relationship with the 19th precinct and because of this, we are able to have police officers when we need to.” He described our current situation as “an example of when we need the additional guards.” Some believe that the NYPD officer is too extreme. Beckie Cohen ’16 said, “I don’t know how necessary it is.” Perhaps
the presence of the police officer is simply making students worry. Other differences in day-to-day security include checking bags and IDs of all visitors. “This was something we added because we are on high alert,” Mamadou said. He said that the bag-checking policy was in place even prior to the new security
reforms. Teachers have always been required to have their IDs as they enter the building, or else face a bag check. The school will also be adding scanners for the students to scan their IDs in the morning. The scanners are “more for attendance,” but will help the security staff know exactly where students are – at home or at
school – during an emergency. The scanners are a way to bolster security, but at the same time make attendance more efficient. When asked about what advice he would offer the students, Mamadou said that “we cannot police the whole city and I would advise students to call 911, and not the Ramaz security staff, if something happened outside of school.” The logic behind this, Mamadou explained, is that if the security staff were to leave their post and an open door, something could happen here at Ramaz. Additionally, the guard would have to call 911 anyway on scene. The NYPD will not raise the official threat level because there is no direct threat to the safety of the city, but Mamadou advises that “students should change the way they do things in the street” and “beware of [their] surroundings.” Mamadou added that students, teachers and parents should not congregate in front of the school buildings and that the administration should be better informed by the students about who they are expecting as visitors and when they are expecting those visitors to arrive. Mamadou concluded and stated that the school would “rather be safe than sorry.”
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The RamPage Israel and Ramaz Students
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
The Things He Carried: An Exclusive Interview with Jonathan Deluty, Paratrooper By Andrew Lobel ‘15 Jonathan Deluty graduated Ramaz in 2012. He attended Yeshivat Har Etzion for one year followed by a year of service in the IDF. He served in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge as a Paratrooper in the 101st Battalion. He is currently a freshman at Columbia University. Rampage: Can you give a brief overview of your summer? Deluty: When the boys were kidnapped on June 12th, we were sent into Chevron to search for the boys and for weapons. A couple of days after the boys were found we were sent to a section of the Gaza border called Tze’alim. We knew we would be sent into Gaza for two and a half weeks prior to our actually being sent in, it was just a matter of when. Each day we did not go in we trained in a fake Arab city built by the IDF called Maleh. There were mosques, city halls, cemeteries, and an old age home based on city plans from Gaza, Syria, and Egypt. Everyday was filled with nervous anticipation- we never knew when our phones would be taken away from us and we’d be given our order to go in. When Operation Protective Edge started we finally went into Gaza. We came out of Gaza to commemorate Tisha B’av on August 5th. A day or two later we were sent home and I started my process of leaving the army and coming back to America. I was released from the army on a Monday. My flight to America was on a Wednesday. Freshman orientation week started the next Monday. Rampage: Did you feel prepared- physically, mentally, emotionally- to fight in live combat? Deluty: Training was great for preparing me physically. We carried very heavy things all day- combat gear, backpacks, weapons, extra ammo, etc. Being able to carry very heavy loads on your back for a very long time- that’s what the training is, with different tactical exercises thrown in every now and then. I hated it at the time but I later learned it was invaluable. It’s not that it gets easier, but after awhile you’re able to train yourself to say to yourself in the real battlefield “I’ve gone way further in training, I can do it now.” In terms of mental preparation, there are never people actually shooting at you in training so there is no concrete way to train for battle. However, it’s not something I think you need training for. How you react in the battlefield is intuitive. Some people may think you would go into shock, but you have your weapons, your officers, your communication, and your friends. War isn’t as complicated as we would think from the fancy terms we use to describe it like tactical positions and 5.6 millimeter bullets and terms of the like. Those are just words used to cover up something very simple conceptually- you have a mission you need to accomplish. Mine was to find tunnels and “We carried very secure the area, and heavy things on our if you encounter obbacks all day...I hated stacles along the way it at the time but I you take care of them. later learned it was The enemy shoots at invaluable...you train you, and you shoot yourself to say ‘I can back in self defense. do it’” The biggest mental component is how the mental informs the physical in terms of pushing your body to keep going no matter how hard it may be. In terms of my emotional response, thankfully I’ve been fine so far- I haven’t had any bad dreams. In fact, I’ve been sleeping like a baby. I believe that what’s important isn’t necessarily the training before
combat, or even how army responds after. Rather, I think each person has their own way of coping with war. I know the army offers support after soldiers’ service, but thank God I have not needed it. Rampage: When you joined the IDF, did you ever think there was a chance you would be fighting in Gaza? Deluty: I didn’t think about it that way. It didn’t seem so likely at the time because things had been quiet when I enlisted. Nonetheless, I went into the army so in case there was a war I would be in a position to serve. I had finished all the training and preliminary requirements. It was just crazy that things turned out this way; the chances of my being sent to the battlefield in the last month of my service are really slim. Rampage: Why did you decide to enlist in the IDF? Deluty: Generally as a Jew, and personally as the grandson of an Auschwitz survivor, I felt I had an obligation to give back to Israel. On a personal note, my parents told me that when my grandpa saw pictures taking my oath he got very emotional. I firmly believe it is very important to reassert ourselves as a strong Jewish nation and as a people who will fight back against those trying to hurt us and our families. Rampage: Did you feel you had a sense of purpose while fighting during the war? Deluty: Yes. In terms of serving in this war, I believe the war against Hamas is merely the front lines of a much bigger war. I didn’t feel that my mission was just to stop Hamas from infiltrating Israel through tunnels and firing rockets. I felt I was fighting a war about a greater question: can an evil, inhumane terrorist organization use women and children as shields, and win a war using that tactic? I believe this war was not just about the future of the Middle East, but also about the future of warfare. If Israel let Hamas win the war using this tactic it would be a blow
to civilization. I felt that I was serving on the front lines of a war that fulfilled my responsibility to humanity, not just Israel. Hamas threatened people who tried to leave places they knew would be bombed. Hamas willfully allowed their children to die. When I listened to the reading of Akeidat Yitzchak over Rosh Hashannah, I couldn’t stop thinking about how child sacrifice is the greatest evil in Judaism. To me, that passage teaches us that our children don’t just belong to us, they belong to God as well. We don’t get to sacrifice our children, to do so is the greatest evil on earth. Rampage: Do you have any regrets from serving in the IDF? Deluty: Definitely not. Rampage: Did serving in the IDF affect your thoughts on making aliyah? Deluty: I’m not sure I would say it affected my thoughts one way or another because I have always wanted to make aliyah. However, serving in the IDF was a great experience because it gave me the opportunity to meet all kinds of
people from around Israel. It was a unique was to meet a lot of secular Israelis I didn’t have the chance to meet while at Gush. Rampage: Do you think people who make Aliyah have an obligation to serve in the IDF? Deluty: I think it is important for Jews making Aliyah to give back to Israel in some way, but I think it shouldn’t be underestimated that there are ways to give back aside from serving in the army. The IDF is not glorious- it’s grimy and can feel like a waste of time sometimes. There are other important ways to help Israel- you can tak an EMS course through Magen David Adom, you can do volunteer work, or you can donate money. The army allows the other things to happen, and without them the army is meaningless. We like to glorify the army because people are putting their life on the line, but no service is any less important than another. Rampage: Has it been hard to adjust to college life after serving in the “We can help build army? our nation into a Deluty: The army takes model for all other over your whole life. nations. But in order There is no second in to succeed, we need to the army where you get personally invest- aren’t under the watch of someone else telling you ed.” what do in some capacity- when to rest, when you have free time, when you can go home, you’re always awaiting orders. It was weird to go from that kind of rigidity to not having any structure at all. Coming to college less than a week after serving in Gaza was very jarring. Everything around me for a month straight was just all war all the time, I was incapable of thinking of anything else. You have a mission to protect everyone and that’s all you have to think about. To go from that to a “regular life“ is just weird. That being said, I recently went to a Yankee game and someone hit a home run. Someone brought some sort of noisemaker with them and there was a siren. In my head, for a split second, I panicked thinking it was gunfire. Rampage: How do people react when they find out you served in the IDF this summer? Deluty: When they find out they say, “wow, you went to the army? That’s a cool fact about you.” I don’t go around shouting it out. And anyway, I tell them that my summer consisted of me carrying heavy things while crazy things went on around me. Rampage: What would you say to Ramaz students who are interested in serving in the IDF? Deluty: I think that each person should make his or her own informed decision and I would be more than happy to give anyone who is interested personal advice (my email adress is jdeluty@gmail. com). I really think this is the type of decision you don’t make on a whim. This isn’t a program, you’re a full fledged soldier in an army and you can die. I once heard that when it comes to serving in the IDF, it’s not that you want to serve, it’s that you can’t not serve. If this is how you feel, that you have an obligation to do serve, you should. Joining and serving in the army is hard and you need to expect that going in. It is a grueling process: Israelis are always screaming at each other and the bureaucracy is a nightmare. I definitely don’t think serving in the IDF is for everyone. The army is not always a productive use of everyone’s time. I had great advice from friends and family going in. I spoke to a lot of people and was able to set up a network by going to Gush. By the time I was in the army, I understood Israeli culture, had people to host me for shabbat, and had a group of friends I could hang out with in my
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September 2014/Tishrei 5775
The RamPage Israel and Ramaz Students
Page 5
How to Bring About Paral-ISIS By Will Fried ’15
As the Islamic State menace continues to grow and threaten the West, the United States needs to devise an aggressive strategy that can both eliminate the present threat and pave the way for future stability in the region. This is not the time to harp on the past and show how the situation could have been averted years ago had we adopted a different policy in Iraq and Syria, and it is certainly not the time to allow politics to influence our judgment. ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is a Sunni jihadist terrorist organization that seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate throughout the Middle East. It has embraced a radically conservative and anti-Western version of Sharia law and largely maintains its power by ruthlessly killing religious transgressors and political dissenters. In line with its strategy to degrade and destroy ISIS, the U.S. needs to continue its policy of launching airstrikes against ISIS targets in coordination with Iraqi and Kurdish forces. These strikes have already helped Iraqi government forces liberate cities in northern Iraq and retake strategic sites such as the Mosul Dam. They have also raised the morale of the Iraqi forces, motivating them to fight instead of crumbling the moment they make contact with ISIS. The impact of these airstrikes, as well as America’s humanitarian airdrops to stranded Iraqi civilians, extends beyond the battlefield. They’ve reassured the Iraqi government that the U.S. is still committed to the safety of Iraq and the Arab world, and have sent a clear message to both the international community and ISIS itself that the U.S. remains committed to fighting terrorism and will continue to stand up for the free world. While the airstrikes are a good idea, the U.S. should not be drawn into committing conventional ground troops to Iraq. Doing so would not only endanger our soldiers’ lives, but would also get us too entangled in the conflict and anger the Arab world, which would likely view our activities as meddling in its affairs. However, I support the decision to send military advisors to Iraq to guide the Iraqi military leadership and train new recruits. And I’d like the government to deploy Special Forces to target ISIS leaders and extract Western civilians and journalists. While the U.S. assumes an active role in supporting the Iraqi government and Kurdish fighters, it must make sure not to fall into an alliance with the Shiite militias of Iraq that are also fighting ISIS, as these are the same radical fighters who inflicted heavy casualties on American forces during the recent war in Iraq. Aiding the Shiite militias would undermine our principles and strengthen these insurgents who could potentially cause instability in Iraq if ISIS is ever neutralized. Similarly, the U.S. must not form a partnership with Shiite-dominated Iran, which also sees ISIS as a danger. It would be unwise for America and Europe to accept the military assistance offered by Iran in return for reduced sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program. While this deal might seem advantageous in the short term, it would only heighten Iran’s
threat to the world down the road. Diplomatically, I commend the Obama Administration for creating a coalition of both European NATO members and Arab League countries to combat ISIS. However, while the U.S. should be willing to take the lead in this joint operation, it should not be coaxed into taking on the greatest military role and bearing the largest financial cost. We should not feel obliged to resolve all the world’s problems by ourselves and continue our policy of over involvement that characterized the Persian Gulf War, which was primarily a threat to the Arabian Peninsula, and the 2011 operation in Libya, which mainly threatened Europe’s oil interests. Instead, the U.S. should pressure coalition members to assume more prominent roles in fighting ISIS, especially as ISIS is directly threatening both the stability of neighboring Arab countries and the security of European countries more than it is threatening America. The backing from Arab countries in particular should extend beyond verbal support and limited funding to direct military involvement. It seems nonsensical, for example, that Saudi Arabia, which bought 84 advanced warplanes from the U.S. in 2011, has not yet committed itself to launching airstrikes against ISIS. Most important, the U.S. should use its diplomatic influence to supplant sectarian governments in the Middle East that have helped give rise to ISIS. ISIS has been able to thrive in Sunni-majority regions of Iraq because the Iraqi government, dominated by Shiites, has often discriminated against Sunnis and ignored their interests. In turn, these alienated Iraqi Sunnis have willingly lent their support to ISIS, which promises them enfranchisement and military protection. Therefore, since this conflict has come about because of political and social grievances as well as Islamic extremism, the foundation of ISIS could be undermined if Iraq can win back the support of its citizens. The U.S. has already made an effort to induce Iraq to form a more inclusive government by pressuring longtime Prime Minister Nuri al Malaki to resign and encouraging the establishment of a new government coalition. But it needs to do more to convince the Iraqi government to make overtures to supporters of ISIS. Allocating NATO and Arab League funds to Iraq that must be spent on programs dedicating to the Sunnis and increasing Sunni representation in the Iraqi government could go a long way toward achieving this goal. The U.S. has already made the mistake in 2011 of abandoning Iraq and Libya, after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, without first giving those countries time to form stable and popular governments. As a consequence of pulling out of these countries prematurely, ISIS has been able to thrive in Iraq, and Islamic extremist groups are sprouting up all across Libya. While the U.S. can’t reverse these ill-advised policy decisions, it has the opportunity now to make the right decisions that would both eliminate ISIS and thwart any future attempt to create a safe haven for terrorism.
Anti-Semitism in France
By Gabrielle Amar-Ouimet ’17
This past summer, “Operation Protective Edge” generated a wave of anti-Semitism across the world, especially in France, Europe’s second most anti-Semitic country. In Paris, I have always seen Jews on the streets, concealing their kippot with baseball caps. I am diligent not to wear my chai or megen david necklaces outdoors. The anti-Semitism has been increasingly violent these past few years, and unfortunately, there have not been many efforts by the French government to put an end to it. As the Muslim population in France rises, it fuels anti-Semitism and creates a constant threat to Jews. Personally, walking past the Eiffel Tower daily to find Pro-Palestinian and Anti-Semitic riots at one of the most renowned tourist sites in the world was horrifying. Seeing Frenchmen brandishing banners declaring “death to the Jews”, I was appalled by the intense, violent hatred. My grandparents also watched the news, with memories of the Paris operation and rise of the Nazi movement. They worried about what this violence could possibly mean for the Jews of France. I observed that the French news was incredulously biased, often defending the Palestinian cause in fear of a Muslim uprising in France. Perpetual projections of the same graphic photographs and video clips of crumbled buildings that were claimed to be “Palestinian” and injured by “the Israelis” were constant. It is clear that when it comes to choosing factions, the majority of France tends to side with the Muslims, perhaps out of fear or deep hatred.
It seems as though Operation Protective Edge is the main motive for the raging anti-Semitism in France; however, this is not the first time that I have seen something similar to this before in Paris. For Example, in September 2012, Muslims gathered at the Champs-Elysees shouting, “Slay the Jews”, and praying in the middle of the streets in large groups. However, not until this year did the Muslims in France begin to attack Jews directly within Jewish neighborhoods and communities. At the center of the Jewish Quarter in the 4th Arrondissement of Paris, 50 Pro-Palestinians demonstrated in the area, throwing debris at shop windows, burning cars, and creating a brutally destructive scene. The attackers almost raided a busy Jewish restaurant, though, thankfully, one of the workers closed the doors and locked the windows as the demonstrators passed. Additional attacks included Jews trapped inside of synagogues and the flinging of tear gas grenades and projectiles between the French police force and Pro-Palestinians. Although constant aggression and violence do not cease to take place, the French government is indolent when it comes to stopping it. Thus, the number of Jews making Aliyah is on the rise (3,120 up from 1,916 in 2012) as Jewish communities are losing protection and therefore disappearing from the French society for fear of possible harm towards their communities. In addition, Jean-Marie Le Pen, a former French politician and the former leader of the Front National (FN), the third largest, right wing political party in France, is a notorious anti-Semite.
While most of the FN members used to be followers of the Nazi party, Le Pen impetuously answered to a journalist who questioned him about his opinion on French-Jewish singer, Patrick Bruel, “Next time we’ll put him in the oven.” This comment demonstrates that the French political parties continue to fuel their own hatred towards Jews. For nearly twelve years, a French comedian dubbed “Dieudonne M’Bala M’Bala,” constantly made anti-Semitic remarks in his shows that were absolutely inappropriate and offending as well as bringing Holocaust-denial into the mainstream. Yet, his anti-Semitic performances were not banned in France for years until France’s interior minister, Manuel Valls, permitted local officials to proscribe these performances, or any performance that yeild “a grave disturbance of public order”(Minister Manual Valls on ‘The Struggle Against Racism and Anti-Semitism – demonstrations and public reaction – performances by Mr. Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala’), for that matter. Back home, as we witness more anti-Jewish aggressions, things are starting to look a little bit more like France. However, unlike France, in which these assaults remain ignored, in America police are attentive in protecting the Jews. In Rabbi Lookstein’s article “Standing Our Ground On Wearing Kipot In Public” for the Jewish Week he states, “The yarmulke of yesterday may have been an indoor garment; but the kipa of today and the public pride in our Jewishness is not negotiable. We must exercise prudence, diligence and common sense, but we must maintain our exclamation point posture.”
Deluty Interview Continued from previous page free time. I am very happy I served in the army but it was not fun. More than anything it was important. Rampage: Why made serving in the IDF so important to you? Deluty: Israel is the center of Judaism. It is important to feel personally invested in what happens in Israel and to genuinely understand what happens beyond the political situation. I believe that it is critical to have a personal stake in the country and how it goes forward. The general diaspora community has this amazing opportunity to assert ourselves Jewishly and have strong Jewish identities. We can help build our nation into a model for all other nations. But in order to succeed, we need to get personally invested and not just watch from the sidelines. Everyone can invest themselves differently so long as they are investing themselves. Rampage: What was the most memorable thing that happened to you while serving in Gaza?
Deluty: After a week of being in Rajah we were taken out of Gaza for 20 hours of rest. Our next assignment was going to be an offensive attack. The plan was for us to start walking to the battleground at night so we would arrive at our destination at sunrise. Ideally, we would be walking in the cover of darkness and starting our attack in light. However, we were held up before we could begin our journey so we ended up walking while it was light outside, which was very dangerous because it gave away our position and the element of surprise. Suddenly, a very dense fog came out of nowhere. I couldn’t see two feet in any direction. All I could think was, “shoot, I can’t see anything.” It turns out that the fog gave us the best cover. The entire month we were in Gaza there was no fog any other day. No one appreciated it at the time, but that fog saved my battalion’s life.
MOMENTS
Page 8
By Oren Oppenheim ’16 You’d think that after spending a whole long school year commuting from Fair Lawn, New Jersey all the way to New York, I’d want to take a break from commuting for a while and maybe do something closer to home. And you’d be right, except for the caveat that the Big Apple still offers far more opportunities for internships and programs than Jersey. So even after school ended, I was still heading off to Manhattan daily— at least the public bus was much more comfortable than my usual school bus! I ended up doing two internships this summer. My first one was at the JCC on the Upper West Side. I got a chance to work in their Israeli Film Department. That might just sound like the branch of the JCC that shows films at their events or something, but it’s actually far more than that. At the JCC, there is an
The RamPage Summer
The Two Internships online database of hundreds and hundreds of Israeli and Jewish films—sort of like a Wikipedia dedicated to kolnoa (“cinema” in Hebrew). They also run a streaming website where people can access a decently-sized collection of Israeli movies to watch at home. The JCC even runs two massive film festivals in NYC, one dedicated to Israeli films and one to films about special needs. I had various roles over the course of the three weeks that I worked there. I helped with the streaming website, making sure the database entries were all correct and written well, and finding photos for pages that needed them. Later I got a chance to work with the main database itself, adding new films from a catalog that had just come in recently and making sure things were fine there. What was cool about both of these things is that once I saved
my work, I could actually see the changes I had made appear on the website! Maybe I was only an intern, but in some ways I could tell that I was making a difference! I also spent a few days helping sort physical disks into containers; this was less exciting, but I suppose a reprieve from the usual staring-ata-screen work wasn’t a bad thing. My second internship, a few weeks later, was at HSG Literary Agency in downtown Manhattan. I’ve always been passionate about writing and would love to have a novel published one day, so it was very exciting to work in the publishing industry. A literary agency acts as the middleman, soto-speak, between the author and the publisher. An author submits a manuscript to the agent, and if the agent sees enough potential in it, he or she works with the author to perfect the manuscript, and then submits it to editors
Opinion: Summer ≠ Homework By Jasmine Levine ‘17 What is the purpose of homework? This is an age old question. Some kids may think that homework is a way to keep them busy at home. However, this is not the case. Homework is a way to expand one’s knowledge and reinforce and solidify what one learned in school that day. Which brings us to a second question. What is the purpose of summer homework? Reading a few books over the summer makes sense. This helps maintain reading and thinking skills and allows English classes to start off the year strong with material to write and talk about. However, recently, many seniors anonymously voiced concern that the summer work is getting unbearable and illogical. Honors history students com-
plain that a summer term paper serves no purpose other than busy work. It is bad enough having to write a paper over the school year,
they argue. Why would anyone want to write one during summer break? Giving honors chemistry students a few chapters in a chemistry textbook to review over the
summer is fine. But why would a science student want to read an English book about a chemist who survived the Holocaust? What relevance does this have to a science class? But it is not just the seniors who are complaining. The Talmud assignment assigned to the entire school over the summer is disliked by most. All year we don’t self-teach Talmud, but over the summer we do? I feel like I am preparing to go to an online college, as I have to watch the videos just to understand. In addition, some teachers make light of the assignment and don’t test, and others test harshly. Summer homework is meant to prepare students for the coming year. The school should reassess summer homework in the coming year to accomplish this. Until then, Ramaz students, summer school is still in session.
Ramaz Students at Electric Zoo By Olivia Hershkowitz ’15 Every Labor Day teenagers fly, drive, boat, and even walk, to Randall’s Island’s biggest event of the year. Electric Zoo is an annual three- day music festival bringing top international DJs and live acts from multiple countries along with hometown favorites to four big states. In past years, ‘EZOO’ has had many medical incidents and in response to that, festival organizers worked with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to conduct a review of Electric Zoo’s health and safety practices. A stronger security and medical presence was present at Electric Zoo 2014, with particular focus on preventing illegal substances from being brought into the festival grounds, and to provide treatment for attendees
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
who needed medical attention. All attendees were required to watch a two minute-long, anti-drug public service announcement before they entered the festival. Molly Heller ‘15, attendee of Electric Zoo 2014, says, “I’m not going to lie, that video scared me. It made me realize how important it is to be careful and aware of my surroundings at all times, especially at a crowded festival like EZOO.” Additionally, to minimize sun exposure, the festivals daily start time was push to 1:00 PM from 11:00 AM. Due to Shabbat on Friday and Saturday, Ramaz students were only able to buy ‘one day’ tickets for Sundays show. As thousands of people commuted to Randall’s Island, decked
out in neon funky clothing, the vibes and weather were better than ever. Everyone was all ready for the final day of Electric Zoo 2014. About half-way through the performances, an unexpected flash flood occurred and the festival was immediately shut down. Everyone was in complete shock and disappointment. In the pouring rain, all attendees quickly tried to get out of the area as soon as possible. Very upset attendee Margo Oshry ’15 stated, “Although I was only there for one hour, my experience at Electric Zoo was one like never before. It was by far the best concert I have ever been to. I would one hundred percent come back next year, without the rain of course, so I can have the chance to stay for the full day!”
who take it to the publisher’s editorial board. Then, if the stars align, the editorial board will agree to publish the book. I interned for literary agent Josh Getzler. Mr. Getzler or his assistant Danielle Burby would send me a manuscript from an author. I would take notes—my Ramaz note-taking skills helped— on the manuscript and draft up a report on what worked with the novel and what didn’t. Maybe the novel had some great character moments but the plot meandered too much. Maybe the story was among the funniest things I’ve ever read but sometimes got too ridiculous. I not only got to read but I got to critique, and by doing so I felt like my own writing skills were improving as well, as I analyzed what was right and what was wrong. I also learned more about the publishing industry by talking to Mr. Getzler and quietly
listening in on conversations that happened in the office. You can learn a lot by keeping your ears open! Overall, what did I take away the most from the internships in general? First off, that I’ll definitely miss being a teenager and having a childhood once I truly enter the work world, so I better enjoy it while I can. While the internships were enjoyable, they gave me a taste of what being in the work world is like, and it’s not always the most exciting. The internships also though gave me a newfound feeling of confidence. I managed to rise to the challenge with a new set of tasks and to feel that even as just an intern, I could leave my mark and make a difference. It made me think more about the future, about the paths I could choose after I’m finished with my schooling—and the future looks bright.
Opinion: New Schedule By DJ Presser ‘16
This year, Ramaz decided to change its normal complicated schedule, to a different even more complicated schedule. The main points of the new schedule are to extend the length Friday class periods, in order to make class periods on Fridays more productive and give students time to eat breakfast on Mondays and Thursdays. At first, I was outraged by the new schedule. The thought of having fifty-minute classes every Friday was fairly nerve wracking. My mind raced to the fact that teachers could potentially give extended tests on a Friday, which would make the test much harder. The other thing was, Friday used to be a joke of a day, because each class was very short, and we would get nothing accomplished in class. My last thought was, now that there were no lunch periods on Fridays, the school has to give us cookies during homeroom, but I was surprisingly displeased. Thankfully, the school has since fixed the issue, and started giving out cookies. After experiencing a couple of rotations of the new schedule, I have realized that not only is it logical, but students actually benefit from this new schedule. While students do have to prepare for and sit through the classes that they have on Friday, they only have to prepare for four or five classes, rather than ten, depending on which day it is. The other major change that has a material affect on the schedule, is the additional five minutes after davening, before class, on Mondays and Thursdays. This change makes a lot of sense logically, but it is not beneficial for students. Personally, I liked being able to show up to class on Mondays and Thursdays a couple of minutes late, because davening was a legitimate excuse as to why
I was late to class. With this new schedule, I am no longer able to do that, and I lose out on a few minutes of my free homeroom time. I think that there are some potential issues that could arise once we have classes on days when we do not say Selichot. On Mondays and Thursdays, some students will probably end up showing up late to their class right after homeroom, because they think that they have more time than they actually do. We will only know how big of an issue this will be once we start with our regular davening schedule. Teachers are also negatively affected by this change in schedule. By increasing the length of periods on Fridays, and decreasing the frequency of having class on a Friday, teachers lose out on some precious minutes of class. When school is in the regular Friday rotation, teachers only gain ten minutes of class time, but when the Winter Friday schedule starts, teachers will lose about twenty minutes for every two Fridays. My last problem with the schedule, is that it takes away some of the legendary reputation that the Ramaz schedule had. The schedule also provided for a great connection between alumni and students. For current freshman and future Ramaz students, they will no longer have that connection with alumni. Even thought the length of classes on Fridays may be annoying, the homeroom rotation confusing, and the change in Friday period lengths creating for fewer total times spent with each teacher, in my opinion, they are still worth it, to create a slightly more logical schedule for students.
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
The RamPage Summer
Page 9
Olivia Hershkowitz ‘15
Summer in the Pyrenees By Gabrielle Amar Oumiet ‘17
This past summer I was photographer at a bilingual French summer camp in a small rural village called Paziols. Paziols is located in the Pyrenees of France and has a population of 519. Throughout summer, I captured the essence of the French way of life beyond merely the Eiffel tower, croissants and loaves of baguettes. I had the experience of a lifetime in a place so small, yet immersed with a culture that is so different from the one I find back home. Although I travel to France each summer with my family, traveling a little farther down the map made
all the difference. Coming from New York City, where the smog fills your nose, the lights are always on, and the noise is constant, the environment in Paziols forced me to appreciate the small, unusual things. The tastes and smells of Mirabelle, freshly picked apricots, and chestnut jam were unique and scrumptious. The campers and I often swam at La Fountaine des Eux, or La Pas Chère Rivière, both located near the village. We would feel the flow of water from France to Spain as we floated on our backs, comfortably far away from
and used a thermometer to check how hot the compost was getting. Each day after we finished our farm chores, the other participants and I visited a different type of farm. Every farm that we visited tried their best to use sustainable farming practices and made sure to farm in ways that were best for the environment. When we arrived at the farms, we were given a tour and a description of what occurs there daily. We then spent several hours laboring on the farm. I learned so many different things from each place we visited, and each
Eliana Doft ‘16
This summer I traveled to three different continents, six different countries, and flew on 16 flights. I toured New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, and California as a camper on Camp Kanfei Nesharim, and visited South Africa and Zambia with my family shortly afterward. But the country that had the most impact on me was the final stop on our trip, Malawi. Malawi is a country in southeast Africa, with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Since Malawi is a very religious, Christian country, education about HIV/AIDS and safe sex is
at a siege of the city. Another highlight was when the camp arranged a medieval feast in which campers would dress and eat like the people of the medieval ages. With old, torn, vibrant hues, I sewed gowns for the young campers, cooked adafina, and created spiced fruit juices with locally grown fruit. With avocado skin for bowls, bread for plates, also called trencher, and tablecloth for napkins, we gorged on the delicacies. Following dessert, the campers were warriors. Dressed in costumes representing Jean D’Arc, Charles Martel, and
Roland, the young campers practiced archery using a homemade set and even rode on village horses; I was lucky enough to take photographs of the event and recreate history! The art of Southern France swarmed around me as Picasso, Dufy, Chagall, Matisse and Marquet captured the beauty of the harbors of Collioure. With painted faces, sashes of red white and blue, and steaming emotions the camp celebrated Bastille Day. The campers sang Douce France before the habitants of village. We danced for hours, as
fireworks shot up in the sky. The vibration of old-fashioned traditional French music by artists like Charles Trenet and Jacques Dutronc swam all throughout the village. This journey helped me discover that a country’s tourist attractions do not define its culture. The mountains, rivers, trees, and vineyards in Paziols hold timeless connections only accessible to those who are willing to travel farther and deeper than the typical vacationer. I learned that to find where a country’s true history lies and where it all began.
Farm to Fork
Skyler Levine ‘15
This summer, I escaped the New York City summer heat and lived on a farm in Bar Harbor, Maine. Waking to the roosters’ crow and the tunes from my counselor’s ukulele, I was completely removed from my comfort zone on the farm. Every day was packed with a combination of farm labor and lessons about our food system. We began each morning by doing chores. We fed the chickens and ducks, changed their water, and moved the sheep from the barn to their pens outside. We then took out the compost to the composting machine, turned it,
home. One of my favorite parts of the summer was when the camp organized a trip to the fortified city of Carcassonne, a medieval fortress shrouded in myth and legend. In the South of France, the streets radiate with history and act as transporters through time. The chateau of Carcassonne amazed me, as the walls told the story of Dame Carcas, whose sculpture stared down from the fortress’s façade. Even as I wandered through the city, I imagined the medieval residents, Charlemagne and his soldiers waiting below during their failed attempt
taboo. Many Malawians are scared to get tested, and if they do get tested and receive positive results, they are too ashamed to admit it. Therefore, many Malawian children are left as orphans. When I told people about my family’s trip to Malawi, the responses I received were mostly along the lines of “Where’s that?” or “That’s so random!” or “Isn’t that where Madonna gets her kids?” The main reason my family and I went was to visit a chicken farm in Mchenga that my cousin Lucy donated for her bat mitzvah. We started off vis-
farm required a different type of mental and physical strength. They all had a common theme; the need to get dirty and become one with the surroundings. I performed varying tasks depending on the type of farm. I milked cows at a dairy farm, helped kill and gut a chicken at a poultry farm, and grafted apple trees in an orchard (coolest process ever). I trellised tomatoes and thinned carrots in a community garden. I also weeded and picked different vegetables in a vegetable farm. I was an active participant in bringing the food from the farm to the
fork, as I brought the vegetables we picked in the farm to the local food pantry. After we returned from our work, we listened to guest speakers’ insights about the politics of current topics such as food insecurity and corruption in food production. After the afternoon lectures, we spent each night participating in an exciting, thought provoking, or relaxing activity. Some nights were spent watching documentaries about issues with our food system and the political and economic motives behind these issues. Other nights consisted of us going down
to the dock (the farm we were working on was on a bay), watching the sunset over the water, and when the sun was finally down, lying on our backs and looking up at the infinite amount of shining stars in the sky. One night, we even had a bonfire on the farm, which we built ourselves with sticks that we scrimmaged from around. Each night activity was exciting in its own way. Another incredible part of my experience at the farm was the food I ate there. As a practical carnivore, I expected myself to be extremely hungry and
unsatisfied eating the food grown on the farm. The opposite turned out to be the case. Nothing compares to the taste of freshly grown fruits and vegetables that come from a mile away, not halfway across the world. This only made me want to use the skills I learned on the farm to eventually start my own garden. Who knows, maybe the third floor terrace will soon be filled with carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce.
iting the chicken farm itself, which was located in a quiet area outside of the village. Since I am very interested in different types of philanthropy, I was extremely intrigued by this project. At first, I was a little unsure of how a chicken farm was supposed to help fund such a large community. However, I quickly learned that the chicken farm embodied the “teach a man to fish” approach to charity rather than just the “give a man a fish” approach. With this chicken farm, the community will be self-sustaining. Jobs will
be created, and the profits of the farm will be used for scholarships, clothing, food, a community center, and shelter for the orphans of the village. After we visited the chicken farm, we visited the community center in Mchenga where 70 children under the age of five immediately greeted us in song. They ran up to our van and screamed out what little English phrases they knew. We were also greeted by the village chief, who wore his special 70’s shiny disco shirt for the occasion. After we were introduced to the community,
we helped distribute porridge to the young children. They sat patiently around in a circle while we served them their only meal of the day. We spent the rest of the day playing soccer with the kids and visiting the house of one of their families. The house that we visited had five orphans being cared for by they grandmother, as their parents died from HIV/AIDS . There was truly a lot to take in from these visits to the villages. I was touched by everything that I saw, but there was one thing that surprised me the most:
the children that I met in Mchenga and the other villages I visited, no matter how dire their situations were, always had smiles on their faces and a happy disposition. For the rest of the trip, if I was tired and sweating from the long day in the sun, or scared of the multiple geckos under my bed in the lodge, I would think twice about complaining and try to keep a positive attitude. Hopefully, I will be able to emulate the children of Malawi’s positivity and optimism throughout a strenuous Ramaz junior year.
All Four Seasons
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The RamPage Opinions
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
To Wear it or Not: That is the Question
By Akiva Gold ‘16
Jill Adler ‘15
By DJ Presser ‘16 This summer I had the privilege of spending five weeks traveling Israel on Sulam, a summer teen tour. In the weeks leading up to the trip, tensions between Israel and Hamas began heating up. The day that we landed in Israel, The Israeli Defense Forces began operation Protective Edge. That first day, as we roamed through Malka Mall in Jerusalem, we heard an announcement made on the loudspeaker. The announcement was made quickly and in Hebrew, which made it difficult for me to understand. I was going up an escalator when the announcement was made so I asked some Israelis what was happening. But they did not seem to know either. I decided to look down and all I saw was people running for one spot on the bottom floor of the mall. When I got to the top of the escalator, I alerted a few of my confused friends, who did not believe me at first, but once I started running, they quickly followed. I was in a state of panic. I did not know what was going on, I had a feeling that it was a rocket, but I could not be sure. When I arrived at the place to which everyone had been running, it was a bomb shelter, I was overcome with a feeling of safety and relief mixed with fear.
On the eve of the new school year, Mr. Shaviv sent an email to Ramaz parents informing them of the security in store for the coming year.As the result of the military operation in Israel and resulting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments expressed world wide, Ramaz beefed up its school security. This included a police presence in front of the lower, middle, and upper school, and newer, stricter visitor rules. Included in the email by Mr. Shaviv was a suggestion from Rabbi Lookstein that “parents may consider advising their children to be discreet in wearing uncovered kippot, tzitzit, etc.” This suggestion caused a minor uproar, and in the following days, newspapers like the Forward, the Times of Israel, and the Jewish Standard all ran an article published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, in which Rabbi Lookstein ammeneded his original statement. In the JTA article, Rabbi Lookstein said that he “absolutely did not agree with that policy”, and that it “is giving the lunatics and terrorists a real victory.” According to Mr. Shaviv, “Rabbi Lookstein has now reconsidered and may not want to suggest that after all.” Finally, around a week later, Rabbi Lookstein published an opinion in the Jewish Week where he emphatically said “… the kipa of today and the public pride in our Jewishness is not negotiable…[and that] we must maintain our exclamation point posture.” When I first read Mr. Shaviv’s email I could not believe that he was really passing along this suggestion. Here we are, in the 21st century, in New York City, at a Jewish school, and we are being recommended to even consider being discreet in our wearing of religious garments. Although throughout the world there has been a sudden rise in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rallies, and although there was even an anti-Semitic attack in New York City this past month, I never could have imagined that Ramaz telling its students to hide their religion. As a school, Ramaz always seems to have a speaker on tap to discuss their role in the world. We have had soldiers from the Unites States military discuss their experiences being Jews in a sea of non-Jews. We have had Israeli soldiers share with us what it means to them to protect the State of Israel. We have had people like Gilad Shalit and Natan Sharansky come and be examples of Jews who have never lost sight of home, and who stopped at nothing, even oppressive regimes and prison cells, to be free and liberated Jews. We have even had sessions with regular Jewish men and women who have flourished in the world, regardless of their religion and their choice of clothing. This is the school that so often is reminded by Rabbi Lookstein that in the past thirty years ,the Jewish people have gone from a weak and timid people, who hid their Judaism in the street, to a proud and mighty community, not only with a country and an army, but also with full-fledged members of society. And yet, one summer filled with anti-Semetic incidents was enough to derail all the progress that the Jewish people have made in the past century? All the work the founders of the State of Israel had put in to make the Jewish people legitimate, all the lives lost fighting for the right for Jews to have a safe haven. All the work that men and women worldwide had put in in order to make Jews respected members of society was being torn down. By Rabbi Lookstein suggesting that we consider hiding our Kippot he was telling us to throw all that away, and go back to being the fearful and oft-hurt people we once were. This was the first time in a long time that we as a community were experiencing anti-Semitism in our own home, and I felt we were being told to revert to our old ways and hide, to forget all the progress we have made in the past century and return to state of being “bent over like question marks”, as Rabbi Lookstein put it. But, we must not, and we cannot. Never before have the Jewish people been more united, and never before have the Jewish people had the ability to stand up to anti-Semites and quiet them. Today we have this ability, and this is the challenge presented to us by the current situation. We cannot go about pretending we are not Jews. We must grab our Judaism and use it for the greater good. So here is how we must respond to anti-Semites. Wear the kippa and the distinctly Jewish garments in the street. Even if you normally don’t, put it on. There is no tool more powerful to fighting the current wave of anti-Semitism than saying, “I am a proud Jew, and you cannot stop me”. The Jewish people is at an important crossroads at the moment, and the strongest way to support the community is to proudly embrace our Judaism, even if it means going out of our comfort zone and regular habits. We must shout from the rooftops that we will never be led like sheep to the slaughterhouse again. When we say “Zachor Al Tischkah, Remember, Do Not Forget” every Yom Hashoah, that cannot be just rhetoric; it must be a feeling felt deep within the heart. And it must be worn proudly on the head.
A Summer Dictated by Hamas
This was my first time experiencing a warning siren, even though I have been to Israel many times, including during times of heavy rocket fire. For me, it was an extremely frightening That night, it took me a long time to fall asleep. I was worried that there would be a siren while I was asleep, and I would not hear it. As I lay in bed trying to sleep, I thought about how difficult it was for me to fall asleep, even though I was quite far from Gaza. If there were a siren, I had a minute and a half to get to a bomb shelter, which is quite a lot of time, compared to someone living in a place where there are only fifteen seconds before impact. We heard one more siren the following day, but thankfully that was the last time we heard a siren for the rest of the summer. Nonetheless,, we were still always thinking about sirens; trying to avoid them on a daily basis, by not traveling to places at certain times. Jokes were even made that Hamas had gotten hold of our itinerary, and they were firing rockets in the general direction of where we were and where we were going to be. On the trip, there were quite a few Israeli counselors. Two of the counselors got called back to the army on the first day of the pro-
gram, one of whom was a medic. We had to get another medic in order to replace the one that was called back to the army. The new medic was very upset, because he felt a responsibility to his country, and yet his unit had not been called back to do their service. The night before we were supposed to drive down to Eilat, we went on a late night hike in the desert near the Dead Sea. The next day was Shiva Asar B’Tammuz and the goal was to stay up all night in the desert, so we would be able to sleep through the fast. When we finished our hike at about 3 am, we found out that a rocket had hit Eilat just a half hour earlier. The program tried to make accommodations in the middle of the night for the next day but to no avail; nothing would be open until 6 am. During those hours of uncertainty, I experienced an array of mixed emotions. While I knew that the program would figure something out, and we would have somewhere to stay, it was a confusing and nerve-wracking few hours, because I simply did not know where we were going to be next. One of our first days in Israel, we visited an army base in the north of Israel. We brought snacks
and cards with us to the base. The soldiers on the base told us that they had been told to stay on standby, because they would be calling them soon to tell them where they should go position themselves. The soldiers who we met were excited to see that we were taking time out of our day to go see them. The soldiers told us that they were preparing to fight for their country, whatever that mission might entail. As a group, we had a couple of other chances to make packages that would be delivered to soldiers on the Gaza boarder. In these packages, we sent basic toiletry supplies and some small snacks for the soldiers. One of the counselors who left us on the first day was given a twenty four-hour break about three weeks after he was called up from the reserves. During his break, he came to speak to the group about his experience in Gaza. He kept telling us that everything that we hear about Hamas using human shields is much worse than the paper makes it out to be. He also told us a story. He said that the soldiers were at their base just outside of Gaza, and a man showed up to bring them some packages sent by people looking to support the
soldiers. He said that as he was returning to his car, a mortar shell hit, right near his car, and he was hit. The counselor, as the medic in his unit, ran out to try and save him. Unfortunately, this man who was attempting to help out the soldiers was killed. When he told this story, I was shaken up. This young man, who only a couple of weeks earlier had been planning on spending his summer hiking and traveling around Israel with teenagers from America, was now fighting to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis. His story put the entire operation into perspective for me. It made me realize how important it was that Israel go into Gaza and try to destroy the tunnels, rocket launchers, and rockets that Hamas had and make Israel safe. Over the course of the summer, I realized how important the Israeli army is for Israel, and how proud people are to serve their nation. Going through my summer having the program’s schedule changed constantly because of the fear of rockets, made me realize how difficult life is for many Israelis, who live through this far too often. I realized how important support from Jews around the world is for the State of Israel in times like these.
September 2014/Tishrei 5775
Varsity Basketball at Magen David
By Avi Goldman ’15
On September 15, 2014, the But Sammy’s performance was Ramaz Varsity Basketball pre-seanot the only remarkable one; son kicked off with a bang against Coach Dulny managed to subYeshiva Derech Hatorah. This stitute in every player from the game was the first in the Magen bench with, perhaps surprisingly, David pre-season Tournament and excellent results. Bench points the pressure on the team, espeaccounted for almost half of the cially its returning members, to team’s 83 total points. Led by live up last year’s team’s standards Senior Allie Haber ’15 and Junior was definitely felt. Said Assistant Eddie Batash ‘16, the bench’s Captain Jack Tauber ’15, “There is production is something that this definitely a chip on year’s team was our shoulders since “We still have a long way missing at the JV the past two teams to go, but it was nice to get level, and having were very talented a reliable bench, everyone in the game.” ones that were not assuming its play-Mr. Dulny able to finish. But ers continue to the truth is that I produce at such a don’t really see it level, will definiteas pressure as much as I see it as ly serve as a powerful weapon for motivation. It is our last chance to Coach Dulny to use as he sees fit. get it done and we refuse to leave Ramaz was led by Captain our high school careers the same Sammy Merkin ‘15 with 28 way the past two teams have.” points, Adam Bandler ‘15 with One could see from the first 12, Allie Haber ‘15 with 8, AC half of play that the team was Jack Tauber ‘15 with 7, Gabe extremely nervous. A few unRoth ‘15 with 5 and Noah Greencharacteristic mistakes, such as wald ‘16 with 5. missed layups, missed foul shots, By the end of the game, Ralapses on defense, careless fouls maz’s lead had ballooned to 83-35, and turnovers, resulted in a small a certifiable blowout, an excellent lead of ten points (35-25) heading way to begin the long road of the into halftime. However, from the season. Said Coach Dulny, “We start of the second half, it was clear still have a long way to go, but that the team had gotten over these it was nice to get everyone in the early jitters and was playing the game.” When asked for a quote dominant basketball that Ramaz about the game, Adam Bandler ’15 is renowned for throughout the merely said, “The only thing on Yeshiva League. my mind is March 15th (ChampiCaptain Sammy Merkin ’15 onship Game Day).” If the team came out on fire to start the third continues to improve, it will be quarter, lighting up the defense for very difficult for anyone to stop it 18 points in that quarter alone. from getting there.
Let’s Be Cops: Reviewed By Caroline Jaspan ’15
One morning in August, I excitedly lined up outside the movie theater to view the debut of the not widely anticipated movie, Let’s Be Cops. Despite the movie almost becoming a direct to DVD, I went to see it. While clearly not one of the finest pieces of art, the movie did have its laughs. The movie is about the struggle of two middle-aged jobless men with limited skills. The two main characters, Justin and Jake, move to Las Vegas to find jobs. Invited to a costume party, they come dressed as policemen. They then become the
top sensations when they pretend to be cops. The initial euphoria disappears as their “job” as policemen presents danger in the main characters’ lives. They get caught up in a mess of gangs, mobs, and corrupted police officers. As their badges are put to the test, so are their lives. While this movie is clearly meant to make you laugh, it also is an interesting assessment of police officers on a deeper analysis. While being a cop may seem to be fun and games, it is also serious work- just not in this movie.
Your GO has been working hard this year and we have a lot planned! We are creating a new line of Ramaz apparel just for Upper School students. We plan to sell sweatshirts, t-shirts, sweatpants, hats, kippahs, and hopefully more. All the profit from the apparel will go into the GO budget so that we can plan activities and more. We have heard
complaints that students never get to leave the building, so we are planning a school-wide picnic in Central Park. We hope this will give students a chance to bond, relax, and enjoy the fresh air. Food is another major priority for this GO. We are now giving out cookies every Friday instead of only on Winter Fridays. We
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The RamPage Sports/Arts
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Fantasy Football By Josh Sarachek ’17 An estimated thirty million people in the United States play fantasy football, an online competition in which individuals can act as general managers of virtual (“fantasy”) NFL teams and test their skills against other those of
player in the NFL is available to be drafted irrespective of his professional team. Most leagues have a thirteen-week season that corresponds with the first thirteen weeks of the NFL season, a small playoff bracket that takes place
other team managers. It is fair to say that more than fifty percent of the Ramaz student body is engaged in drafting, trading and changing fantasy football rosters every week. Whether through Yahoo! Fantasy Sports, ESPN Fantasy Sports, or CBS Sports, fantasy football is one of the most accessible sports to play. The basic setup is as follows: between eight and ten friends get together and draft their fantasy teams, similar to the way the professional sports leagues conduct player draft. Each year, every
during weeks fourteen and fifteen, and a single week championship in week 16 of the season. Each week two teams play each other in fantasy matchups and teams are awarded points for touchdowns, yards accumulated, and a myriad of other metrics depending on the preference of each league. The team with the most points wins the matchup. The NFL has had a propitious start to the season which has impacted many fantasy teams. As the season began, several NFL players, including household
names such as Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, were charged with various degrees of domestic violence- these players are inactive indefinitely. In addition, many players are suspended on a regular basis for use of performance enhancing drugs and other banned substances. The impact these suspensions has on fantasy football is that if a player is unavailable to his real life NFL team, h e is unable to accrue any points to fantasy team owners. At Ramaz, there are more than 15 leagues within the school. One league has stood out though. Some of the seniors who attend Ramaz are in a Ramaz senior’s only fantasy football league. This league’s draft was highlighted by a guest appearance by hall of famer Curtis Martin. Martin, a former Pro Bowl running back for the New England Patriots and New York Jets, is no longer eligible to be drafted in fantasy football leagues, but was more than welcome at the draft. Ori Goldring 15’ said, “It was very shocking when Curtis walked in. Everyone was kind of frozen and had no idea what was going on. It felt like we were in a episode of The League.” Daniel Dishi 15’ added, “Curtis said my team was the best- hopefully he was right!” Martin’s visit to a Ramaz fantasy draft has to be one of the more exciting ways to start off a senior year, and the football season.
When the Games Stand Tall: Reviewed
By Jasmine Levine ’15
When the Game Stands Tall is an inspiring movie about a high school football team. The movie is based on the true story of the incredible winning streak of the De La Salle High School football team from 1992-2003. The coach, Bob Ladouceur, of this record breaking team, claims that he does not care about maintaining the streak. He only cares about how the team grows together and that the team works the hardest that they can to improve. This team won 151 games in a row, but the movie is not about the incredible unprecedented streak. The movie is about what happens when the team finally loses. The 152nd game starts off the same way the other 151 had, with De La Salle dominating early, but as the momentum
changes and the team ultimately succumbs, the strange surreal position this team finds itself in is new. The movie follows the post-loss transformation of the coach, parents, and the teenage football players. The team ends up growing even more than they would have if they had not lost the streak. The story line is compelling and gives a rare glimpse into the human side of sports. Most sports movies follow the clichéd approach of underdog delivering an unexpected and inspiring performance to win. Here we are seeing the favored, hated team and how they respond to adversity. We see from this movie a new form of winning. Having your team ahead on the scoreboard at the end of regulation usually shows that you
won. This movie presents the argument that winning comes from growth as a person and being better prepared to face future challenges as an individual and as a member of society. The coach and players come away from the loss and coping with it as better people and part of a larger family. By the end of the movie they are presented as champions, regardless of the scoreboard. While the story of the movie is very fascinating and moving, it is is too dramatic. At times it also is slow moving and drags. Despite that, if you are a fan of sports movies and are looking for something different, When the Game Stands Tall is worth seeing.
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The RamPage News
September 2014/Tishrei 5774
The Giver: The Hunger Games?
By Gabrielle Amar Ouimet ‘17
Based on the acclaimed novel by Louis Lowry and directed by Phillip Noyce, The Giver made its debut to theaters on August 14. This tear-jerking, and poignant film reveals the story of seventeen-year-old Jonah, living in a flawed utopian society. After “the ruin”, a horrific war, the society was built in a way that could prevent horrid things from ever reoccurring: former memories, emotions, differences, suffering and colors become erased while a new set of rules takes their place. Examples of the rules include: using precision of language, taking morning injections, adhering to curfew times, no touching people that are not one of your family members, and going over “the edge”, or “elsewhere”, the mysterious side that crosses the border beyond the community. The story begins with young graduates, including Jonas and his two childhood friends, Asher and Fiona, about to be assigned their roles in society by the Elders, after their childhoods come to and end. However, when the ceremony comes around, Jonas’s friends and the other graduates become drone pilots, Birthmothers, or part of the Department of Justice, while Jonas is given the position as the
GO Continued from previous page
community’s Receiver of Memory. The Receiver of Memory’s job is to be given the old memories that were erased from the community by the former receiver, now the giver. Through the possession of these memories, Jonas will gain wisdom in which he will use to
various characteristics that are present in The Hunger Games as well. At the beginning of the film, the futuristic setting resembles the setting of Farenheit 451 (film), a 60’s view of the future, which was exactly what I was expecting. However further into the film I
console the Elders on the decisions to make for the community. However, as Jonah realizes what has been erased and is lacking from his world he daringly attempts to bring the memories back to the community, while the Chief Elder tries to stop him. In my opinion and in comparison to the novel, I found the film adaptation a bit disappointing. The producers of the film filled the plot with multiple clichés, developing the story into a teen dystopian romantic movie. I noticed that the film contained
realized that the setting was a lot more futuristic and technologically advanced than I first perceived it to be. Teenagers took pills each morning to hinder “stirrings” (or more specifically, sexual desires), retina scans are used to open doors, and motorcycles and drones are also used in the film. In addition, the clichés throughout the film felt forced, and it seemed as if the producers were trying to measure up with The Hunger Games. For example, Haymitch, whose job is to train
By Alex Ratzker ’14 and Sydney Sarachek ’14
Peeta and Katniss in preparation for the games, is known to be an alcoholic. Similarly, the Giver, who also acts as Jonas’s preceptor, appears to be drunk in the film (this is not the case in the novel). Furthermore, Jonas and his childhood friend Fiona fall in love after they stop taking their morning injections and ultimately kiss during a time of risk as the characters are stuck in a moment between life and death. Does that sound familiar? Resembling The Hunger Games even more, the producers of The Giver added that the new society developed in response to “the ruin” (there is no mention of “the ruin” in the novel), which is extremely similar to the fact that the Hunger Games started after a massive rebellion/war as well. However cliché and contemporary the film seemed to be, Phillip Noyce did a brilliant job in capturing beautiful shots that made the film marvelous visually. Noyce successfully conveyed the message of the story, being that any utopia will cease to exist and that in life there should be a balance between pain and joy. Yet, disappointingly, the film did not do so as powerfully and as sensibly as the novel.
will keep testing out different foods during Friday homeroom to see what students like best. On select Fridays, our Treasurer, Joseph “Joco” Cohen, hopes to sell delicious Sephardi dishes. We are also working on several long-term goals. We are currently negotiating to use as many B-4 periods as possible for school-wide free periods and early dismissals. We believe these B-4 periods can be perfect breaks for students if used correctly. After hearing complaints about color war in Seneca last year, we are trying to ensure that the two will be separate this year. Be prepared: color war breakout could be at any time this year! We are working to make all these ideas a reality, but we need your support! In order for these ideas to be approved by the administration, they need to see that students are excited about them. Please show your support for your class presidents and the GO so that we can accomplish as much as possible! Love, your GO
Letter to the Editor
One of the best choices we Milowitz is obviously not there. We made throughout high school is the no longer be interrupt Milo’s class very piece of paper you are hold- to go over corrections and finalize ing onto right now: The RamPage. our edits. (We apologize to Dr. Joining the RamPage gave us an Milowitz’s students. We know opportunity to improve our writing you love when we come into your and editing skills as well as a forum classes.) to share our thoughts and voice our There are no more days spent opinions. Since assuming the role sitting in the fourth floor lounge of co-editors-in-chief, we saw first- for hours laying out the paper as hand the importance of design and our fellow classmates asked, “Why layout in bettering the paper and are you still working? You already increasing readership. got into college.” RamPage meant As editors, we strived to set a so much more to us that an orditone of commitment, establish by nary extracurricular activity. example a strong work ethic, and Throughout our year as editors, delegate responwe had our fair sibility. However, share of ups and Teachers have repeatequally important, downs. We had to edly declined to have their we attempted to deal with what we opinions quoted in the create a sense of believe is a new culRamPage. tea mwork a nd ture in the school. encourage writers In the past there to present pieces was an openness on issues that ignite their passions. and honesty between the students Our four years on the newspa- and the faculty, specifically when per helped shape us into who we discussing controversial issues. are today, and working for the While that camaraderie still exists RamPage was a worthwhile and in the hallways and the classrewarding experience for us both. rooms, last year teachers repeatOur graduation marked a major edly declined to have their opinions transition in our lives as we left quoted in the RamPage. Regarding Ramaz and the RamPage family. women wearing tefillin and Rashid We no longer convene on Thursdays Khalidi’s scheduled visit to Ramaz, in 307 during homeroom or in 603 teachers would say, “Here is what I after school. We do not be chase really think, but please don’t quote after students to get a quote or har- me on that.” These teachers were ass writers who did not send in their nervous. While their concerns were pieces on time. We no longer have certainly legitimate, their unwillto find someone willing to write an ingness to comment undermined article in a few short hours to add the ability of RamPage to provide to an issue that must be sent to our a range of opinions. Rather than publisher as soon as possible. reflecting the opinions of the entire There is no more knock- Ramaz community, RamPage was ing on the teachers’ lounge and often limited to reporting only receiving a sly comment from Dr. students’ thoughts. As a result, Gaylord before finding out that Dr. articles were not as balanced as we
would have liked them to be. I n t he s p e e c h M i c h a e l Bloomberg delivered at Harvard commencement, he said, “I strongly believe that a university’s obligation
by the faculty advisor. While we understand that a school newspaper cannot function like a commercial newspaper, we do believe that there should be more room for freedom
is not to teach students what to think but to teach students how to think. And that requires listening to the other side, weighing arguments without prejudging them, and determining whether the other side might actually make some fair points. If the faculty fails to do this, then it is the responsibility of the administration and governing body to step in and make it a priority.” We believe that this needs to be a priority in our high school as well. We felt that some of our most important articles needed to be reshaped, in deference to the requirements set by the school and
of expression in our paper. Though we faced some bumps in the road, we thoroughly enjoyed the majority of our time on RamPage. We loved revamping the paper – from our new logo to our new fonts, to adding pull quotes into articles. Looking at our first issue of last year, and comparing it to our last 16-page issue, we were fully able to appreciate all of the hours we put into redoing the paper To our teachers – thank you for understanding when we occasionally missed class because we were working on finishing the paper on time.
To the student body – thank you for sharing your opinions with us. To the staff – thank you for your hard work and dedication throughout the entire year. We appreciate your understanding when your articles had to be cut. Thank you for getting your articles in on time even when you had history notecards, SATS, and various other assignments to complete. To Ms. Rabhan – we cannot thank you enough for sharing your pictures with us. Even when we emailed you minutes before we needed pictures, we could always count on you to upload everything that we needed. You taught us the importance of high quality pictures, and it truly made all the difference. Finally, a special thank you to Dr. Milowitz – we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for spending countless hours on the phone with us, even when your kids needed to be put to bed and at midnight when you wanted to go to sleep. Thank you for putting up with all our knocks on your door. We will miss laughing with you in school, at meetings, and on the phone. While it’s time for us to turn the page, and hand RamPage over to our new editorial staff, we are going to miss everything about the paper (even the stress). We are confident that you guys will do great things for the paper this year, and that all the issues will be uploaded online so we can continue to read it. Forever and always, #rampageduo -Alex Ratzker and Sydney Sarachek