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Se ptemberl990 /Elul
Volume XXIII Number 6
Teachers Enjoy the SummerToo
F.clucation at Hebrew University in Israel. 23 out of the 87 leachers and adminisrr.:uors who attended the lhrcc -and-a-half week pro gram from July 1- July 25 were from Romaz. They were the largest group the Mellon Centre had ever hosted from one school. The teachers were involved in dif ferent seminars offered by the pro gram. Mrs. Lassoer and Dr. Jucovy studied Hebrew. Mrs. Lassoer en� joyed the 6-<iay-a-wcck,- S hour Hebrew Ulpan course she was in. She was in the highest level and s1udicd Hebrew poetry. newspapers. and grammer inten sively. She feels that it was "a special cxpc:ncncc to be with my colleagues in Israel." Ms. Annon p:inicipatcd in a syllabus seminar for No wccb. and worked on Cl"C3ting a syllabus for T•NaCh. Or. Shudofsky. R&bbi Loo:..st.ein. Dr. Ha.rthei,nu. and Ms. Abramson participated in
a seminar for teachers of TaNaCh. Ms. Weinstein, Ms. Nussbaum, and Dr. Simon pankipated in a seminar on Judaica enrichment. General Studies teachers, 115 well as Judaic Studies tCochers, par• ticipatcd in the program in order to involve the General Studies 1eachcrs in the Jewish cducauon aspcc1 of Rama1During the program there wM a three day seminar for ad minisu·:uors and there were spe cial seminars exclusively for Ramaz faculty. The teachers learned about the teachings and innuences of Israel. Israeli politi cal panics. and ethical training that soldiers undergo 10 help them deal with the ln lifad a. Mrs. L:i.ssner found the professors to be "incredibly s1imultuing 1euchcrs." Ms. Gnbctz said thal since "1hc program wa.s such a success. l hope to do 11 every year." Ms. Shennan did nol go to Is• rael this pa.st summer but she did go on a three.and-a-half week lour of 1he Netherlands, Gcnnany and Poland. The Jew1.sh-focuscd pr� gram wBS intense Md 1hcrc were 1hrec hours or lectures daily. lhe 'ethci:lam1$.- Ms. Sbcr m:tn learned t1bout current and
by Guy Bcni.aminovitz The time has come again when newcomers to Ramaz must face the dreaded Freshman Orienta• tion. In previous years Freshman Orientation was a time when trepidation and shyness prevailed. However, 1his year promises to be different Under the leadership of Elana Brown. Alex Waldman and lhiny able-bodied seniors. Fresh man Orientation looks appealing.
The orientation will take place on the weekend of September 7 at Camp Lavi. Each senior will be responsible for a group of three or four freshman probably from 1hcir own elemenlnry school. Elana and Alex have prepared a video about Ramaz 10 oricn1 people a.s to the various clubs and lhe type of at· mosphcrc tha1 exists in Ramaz.. On Saturday night a type of comedy act like Sa1urdoy Night Live has been arranged. Also
by Nina Teicher
This past summer. Ramaz
Upper School Assistant Dean Ms. Beverly Gribetz organized an ex
pedition to the Mclron Centre Summer Institute for Jewish
Finals Changes?
Rabbi'Lookstein, Ms. Gribetz,und Ms. Armon convene in Israel. pa.�t Jewish lifo there. She mcl a fonncr Freedom Figh1er and dis• eus�cd with him how the Dutch foughl off the Nazis. In Germany. Ms. Sherman visited Bcrgcn.Belsen and a11ended a lecture about 1he d1f. ferent aspeclS of the rel:itionship bc1wccn Jews and Gennans. Finally. Ms. Shcnnan visited lhrce different cities in Poland. The firsl. Posnan, had some Jewish life. Then she went 10 Craco,\Y3J\dtow:cdAuschwitt.a.od Birchcnau. Lastly, M.s. Shcnnnn
vis1 1et1 Warsaw and s a w Trcblmka, which she felt was the mosl moving moment of her trip. In Poland, Ms. Sherman [ell the prcv:ilen1 anu-Semit1sm and un• for1unatclj. even w11nesscd a Rabb, being beaten. Coinciden1ally, Ms. Rosen and Mr. Goetz were both in Costa Rica 1his summer. M� Rosen was there v1s11ing a fncnd who 1s m the Peace Corps there and Mr. Goetz was 1herc on ll b1rd•wa1chmg CX· pc<hnon.
The Freshmen are coming! The Freshmen are coming!
Inside this Issue:
Interview with GO President page3 Summer Movies Review page4
planned is a panel of scmors who will answer questions about !he school. Freshmen will also have time to talk 10 their fonn advisers and have meetings with faculty members. In this time they will ask questions, become better in• fonned about the school, and cre ate bonds with their pee� and with the administration. There will also be an extra-curricular fo1r in which students will get first hand
informa11on about the specific clubs. Many seniors arc exci1ed about Orienrntion. They look upon it as a chnnce 10 represent the school at its best. The process of choosing the seniors was a long and dirficult one. Many eligible seniors ap plied, however many were not ac cepted. A meeting on September fifth will brief 1he scmors on 1heir duucs.
by Oshr.at Carmiel The Ramaz January finals schedule has gone through yet ano1hcr mc1amorphos1s Before last year, the period of tesung oc curred 11,1,0 1,1,ccks af1er s1udenUi returned from winier vacation. These two 1,1,ccks were used for review. A shon inu:rscss1on fol lowed exams and 1he month or January was los1 for all learning purposes. The idea of gelling finali, out of the way lx::forc winier vacn11on, and staning a new quaner upon rcluming. was brought up con• stantly by faculty members 10 the admtnistr.uion . So. la�t year, Mr. Miller brought 1his 1dc3 into being. The new schedule, ho-...evcr. brought on some unexpected re.suits. One of the problems that arose when finals moved 1 0 December, was thal thcenure first semester"� shoner than the third quarter alone. Another area or CO(aC'em was that dtrou3hou1 the school, first semt'ster grades were significantly lower 1t-un they" ere in previous years. W r Miller has credi1cd this to 11ic calendar change. So this year Ramaz has revened back to the old syslem. Mr. Miller tells students to keep in mind that "Ahhough they may not like having to work during winier vac:rnon and to come back to face finals. the fact that there 1s more 1ime gives lhe teacher additional 1nforma11on atx>ut the student, and helps him bring up his grade." According 10 Mr. Miller there were no regrets, about using last year to test the new schedule.
"No More Teachers, No More Books ..." by Alexandra Moller
Now that the summer is over and we arc back at school, lhc academic year sccm.s endless and nexl summer very for away. A consoling 1hough1, though, is 1ha1 it will come sometime and lhen there will be new plans 10 mnkc and experiences to savor, and for now, memories of lhis pa.st sum mer such as the following. Michal Agus went on the USY 1ourofEas1em Europe. The group traveled 10 Hungary. Czeckos lovakia, Poland, Russia, and Is rael. h visi1ed conccn1ra1ion camps, including Treblinka and Auschwitz. various Jewish com munities and shul..s, and 1ourcd sorr : of lhe cilie.s. Michal found Pra[ uc and Leningrad particularly nice l>ecausc of the colorful
scenery and bustling movement. In Russia her group spoke wuh families who gave them an idea of 1he changed Jewish life there and the anti-Semitism that is felt. She feels 1ha1 the whole experience is something 1hat everyone should do at some point in his lifitobcner understand lhe past and future or Jews. Rebecca A. Weiss was also on • USY trip, bur her group spcnl one week in Poland and then went on tour in Israel. "Poland made a very strong impression on me as a sad and· depressing place filled with anti-Semitism. People ac tually spat al our group and sent our dogs 10 boric a1 us. The whole country smelled of gas and death. II was a big rclid to finally get to Israel." Michael Kule and Elliot Freilich were in Oxford, England
on o study prognm called American S1udcnts Abroad. Michael rook an SAT course and a class in expository writing. while Elliol studied Brihsh history. ··we enjoyed life in Oxford, both the learning and independence which we were given." Elena Kntzap and Sammy Ras coff participated in 1he Edgar M. Bronfm11n Youth Fellowship pro gram in Israel. The group con• sistcd of 25 students from the U.S. and Canada. 115 goal was lo ex plore Israel's problems. and 10 help build a sense of what ii really means 10 be a Jew no mailer what religious background one comes from. "Everyone worked very well 1oge1h,er and through dialogue, discussions, religious and political speakers, talks wilh Knessel members. actors and poelS, and some explorotion offs.
racl, !they lcamedl an incredible amowu about Israel." Dvora Shuck, Abigail Linden baum, and Danielle Upbin went on rhc maiden voyngc for an or• ganization called ShalhevcL The Ramaz. members were really h a p p y with the results. Shalhcvet's a,,proach was similar to the Bronfinnn program in 1hn1 touring was not the main focus. For 1hem, bnJging the gap be tween Jews in the Diaspora and the Israelis was a prim_ary gool of the trip, along wilh learning oboul lhe need for lhe rest of the world to give Israel as much suppon as possible. Ovora said 1ha1,"No1 only did I have 3 fanta.stic lime, bul I believe 1h31 by living wilh Israeli kids for ten days, I under stand their mentali1y, and feel much closer 10 Israel than ever before."
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September 1990/ Elul S7S0
The RamPuge
Editorials
Letters to the Editor
Don't ban T-Shirts
Edi/or's Nolt: due to a Rampagt tn"Dr, this lttler was excludtd/rom the last issue.
Students' wardrob4!s at Romaz June so many restrictions thut it Is highly unnect!ssury lo add lo these. Yet, the adminlstrallon has added a new rule to Preludes forbidding girls to wear T-shirts to school. It is unclear what would fall under this category. "T•shirts 11 is a ,•cry brood lerm. Does the administration mean conei!rt T-shirts only? This can be understood because they tend to give their wearer a messy look. Do they mean any shirt without buttons that does not -..-utcgurize a� a turllcnL"1:k? Or is what is meant" anything Improper looking," in which case that too would have to be defined. Life ror students at Ramaz can be tough and the more restrictions on dolhing. the more tendency for resentment is stirred.
....... .,. ........ ., ..
The Ram PageV a-u,..1c11ee1
al 6- lldl st. N.Y., N.Y. IOCIZJ Tit: (212) 517-955
EDITORS-IN-CIUEF Leron Kornreich • Arielle Waldman LAYOUTEDITOR Elana Brown ASSOCIATE EDITORS Michelle Gn:enberg • Aviya Kushner EDITORIAL EDITORS
Lisa Aschkenasy • Leah Friedman
FEAnJRES EDITORS
Lisa Rothman • Nina Teicher
MANAGING EDITOR Guy Beniaminovitz OP-ED .8DITOR AsafHabami
SPORTS EDITOR LaWICllCC Zuckcnnan FACULTY ADVISER Mr. Alben Goetz n.e JwaPace wdcomes J011r liped leUen and op-ed coalribadaas. Oa occasion. names ■-7 be withheld nq-.
Ramshackles by Benjamin Simon
To 1hc Editor: Although investigative jour• nalism serves a very important role in society. is it congruent with the laws of Lashon Harah and other Torah ethics? This question is especially important in a modem society where journalistic cxccllencc ca1alyzcd ch,mgc from Willowbrook 10 Washington. However.the theme of how to reconcile Jewish law with jour• nahsm should be reserved for a Halachic journal whose purpose is to evaluate contemporary problems. The question of journalistic responsibility vis a vis Jewish ctlucs was raised most recently m the April cdiuon of RamPage. where an article appeared on the front page concern mg Clas.; Prcs1• dcn1s. The article spcc1fically thrashed one president and for
If the editors feel an obligation extra effect, his picture appeared 10 reveal the facts in order 10 effect adjacent to the article. change. then they must do ir in a My letter is a reaction to a process that may be considered manner more consonant with the successful journalism but unsuc school's Statement of Ethic and educational goals. cessful education. Why not allow the accused to A yeshiva like ours prides itself on leaching midol. Our as refute the article in 1he same sernblie� and programs arc all issue? Allow him lhe opportunity directed 10 arouse our commil to address himself to the accusa. ment 10 a wide variety of social, lion thus insuring fairness 3Jld religious and historic lhemcs. greater accuracy. If the goal of the Moreover, our S1a1emc n1 of Ethics newspaper is to stimulate refonn, emphasizes 1he importance to a response article in the same cdi• "...strive 10 achieve such a stand 1100 should not dc1rac1 from it m ard of honesty within o u r any way. Although this practice may be e v e r y d a y dealings wilh one considered unorthodox J 0ur anolher...... RamPai;e canno1 be the cw nahsm. it 1s a step in lhc nght York limes. 7 Days. or People direction towards Orthodox magazine: ii ts a yeshiva Judaism. Sincerely. newspaper 1hat must reflect the Rabbi Rubin values of our yeliluva.
Pros and Cons of the Final Schedule Point
Counterpoint
by Enka Adler and Alexandra Moller The Ramaz administration has decided this year to change the schedule back 10 the old system of having finals at the end of January. The old syslcm replaces last year's scheduling of fin:1ls at 1he end or December righ1 bcfoTe winter vaca1ion. There a� a few posilJvc aspects 10 the switch. First of all, in last ycar·s system second quarter only lasted for one month and a week but the teachers insisted on compleung 1he preplanned amounl of material. The cram became a severe burden on the students. Addi1ion:illy the year was d1v1ded unevenly and during the months of January . February, and March there were very few days off. Midterms llus year are after wmtcr break but hope• fully the extra time may be well spent rcviewmg m a relaxed manner. Also during January, before finals, 1here is extra time for cl:iss review of the final ma1erials. The rcinst11u1ion of the old system puls Ramaz txick m10 normal scheduling relative 10 other schools. January is midterm season!
by Leron Kornreich During· the 1989-1990 school year, when the adm1nistra1ive dec1s1on to conduct midterms before winier vacauon was made, a bulk of srudcnrs hailed it Finally, they would be able 10 expencncc a true vac::u,on. An anen1p1 w:u �ing made to allevi11re 1he pressure or studying over wmter break. Over summer vacauon there :ire mandatory reading hsts. Dunng the high holidays. Judaic s1ud1es 1eacheN give out rcadmg matcn:il pcrtam mg to 1hosc holidays and over Passover vacation an enom10u.; workload 1s already 10 be expected. W11h 1he amount of pressure 1he average Ramaz swdent has 10 face m school, vaca11on should be a rime of relaxation and not of work. No studying should burden students in addition 10 their vacauon readmg. By adrnin�stering finals before vacation, s1u dcn1s can go away wnhout the worries that are mevilably intertwined with midtCJlJl examinations.
Iraq: An Israeli Point of View 5,//7 -fi-est. ..,. ",
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by Leron Kornreich Having recently returned from Israel this reporter can give an ac count of the general sentiments in regard to 1hc Mid-East crisis, from across the sea. On the surface, everything is nonnal. Buses run on their daily schedule. People go about their usual business and if one did not hcnr the news one would nol know that there nists a "situation." Yet, people are scared, not so much about war. because that con cept is not at all new to Israelis, but 1hc idea of chemical war frightens C\'Cn the toughest citizens. Al first, all I would hear was jokes and husbands mocking wives for their fear of a chemical bomb being dropped on their home. I soon discovered. how ever, thal the jokes were made in
self defense. The husbands were nervous 100. "How will we know how to use the gas masks?" was a question I oflen hc:ird. I had learned about "Abach"(chcm,cal warfare) dunng my stay at an am1y OOso in Israel so I would demonslrate and cxplam what I know about the usage of the m:isks. Israel is now on guard. It has enough gas masks for every sol dier and citi1.en nnd even for the newly amved Russian immigrants 1l1e bomb shelters nre not of any use in chemical warfare. fThe idea is 10 get :is high up of the ground as possible. "You arc lucky you live on the lop Ooor of an aparlment buildmg," I heard a guest tell my host Israelis arc sea.red because a proud mad man could act imuion ally Md needs no provoc:ition.
The panic began to get serious when. on the weekend of August 11. an ultimatum was given 10 the Iraqis to pull out their forces from Kuwait :ind, in rcsponcc, S:id::am Hussein told Israel to expect a chemical bomb that Saturday. The result was that a youth tour in Is• racl was curtailed by a week be· cause of nervous parenrs back home, Senous debates were also launched concerning the disrribu• lion of gas masks and these debates are still going on today. 1l1e situation is serious, but it must be kept in mind that 1he way lhat the American media born: bards the country with news of the situation tends to m a k e the American citizens feel 1ha1 the bomb is aimed at their homes and not at lsrael.
September 1990/ Elul 5750
Ramaz gets involved by Alisa Singer AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Commitee, is a registered lobby for Israel in Washington. It is not a political action committee. h was created by the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations in order to rally the US government behind Israel.Its main function is m gather suppon for Israel in Con gress. The lobby in Washington meets with Congressmen and tries
to convince lhcm co vote favorab ly in regard to Israel. Towards tbe end of the 19891990 school year a group of juniors went to Mr. Angstreich ex pressing their desire to stare a NYSIPAC group at Ramaz. Tite New York Students Israel Public Affairs Commiuee is affiliated with AIPAC and unites students in New York in support of Israel. The fonnation of the group was am1ounccd in davcning and
"Help Wanted" by Leron Kornreich \Vith th..: Yamim Noraim ap proaching.Jews everywhere try to improve on 1heir relationships with 1heir fellow man. People are careful in the way they behave towards family members and aquaintances. But, one must not forget those whose families have abandoned them towards old age. those who are helpless and alone. This year. when you sit down to write Rosh Hashana cards you may want 10 add these elderly
Pagel
TheRamPage
people 10 your list and possibly consider continuing 10 write 10 lhcse homebound citizens throughou1 the res! of the year. Dorot." a social service agen cy," is known throughout Ramnz for organizing student volunteers to deliver packages to senior citizens in honor of Purim and Passover. But a new project in tended for the High Holiday season is in lhe midst of prepara tion and, again, Ramaz students are asked 10 join.
agazn
60 students signed up. Each mem ber must pay five dollars 10 join. The group was started not only 10 help Israel through supporting AIPAC but also to involve and educate Ramaz students about Is rael. Michael Fragin, cohcad of NYSIPAC at Ramaz said,"There is a lack of awareness aboul Israel at Ramaz and hopefully starting a NYSIPAC chapter will help the situation." The group plans on gelling out a newslcllcr every lhrcc weeks
aboul the situation in hnel and writing pro-Israel letters to con gressmen and newspapers. They intend to send students 10 the NYSIPAC lobbying seminar and the AIPAC Public Policy Con ference in Washington.NYSIPAC also would like to have guest speakers. As part of NYSIPAC, members will attend protests and receive the NYSIPAC newsletter. Most of what lhe group ac complishes is up 10 its members.
Over four hundred New Year packages are going to be delivered on Sep1embcr 16 and inlercsled students can help in 1wo ways. Volunteers arc needed to help fill out as many New Year cards as possible to elderly New Yorkers. This facet of the proJcct must be completed by September four• tecnlh in order to mccl packaging deadlines. In addition, students arc needed on September 16 10 help deliver the packages. Each volun teer will be assigned a convenient
location and will spend an hour delivering the package and speak ing 10 1he senior citizen. Doro! is a nonprofit organiza tion loca1cd on lhc Upper Wcsl Side. II cries. through 1hc help of volunteers and social workers. to provide for homeless and isolated ciders. 11 has !:lunched many projects in the past which Ramaz volun1eers have hel ped make suc cessful. Those interested in filling out New Year cards should con1ac1 l.cron Kornreich.
What Will the Future Hold? by AsarHahami Over the years. American Jews have. fell comfonab[c with the close United Stales-Israel relationship. This relationship has provided a cushion for any possible future identity crisis. While most American Jews arc satisfied with the U.S . response to the Persian Gulf crisis. in the long tenn, the U.S. and Israeli interests may be diifcrcnt. For now. both the United States and Israel are united against Saddam Hussein. But what will happen after 1his crisis is over? Will increased military coopera tion with "moderate" Arab nations tum itself againsl Israel? To understand lhis, one must realize that before lhe Persian Gulf crisis, U.S.-Isracli relations were at an aJ(.[ime low. Secretary
of Stale James Baker denounced will be in line with pro-Arab inter- the increi.L.;;cd military coopcr-Jtion is not beneficial. Other "concc:,. the newly formed right-wing ests. government of Israel one day after The "moderate" Arab leaders :,.ions" will be on the <liplomatic itw.was.Jonncd.__ J.srael:S Foreign-have-taken-a big ri:ik by support front. The Arabs will demand. in Minister could not even arrange a ing the United States in this crisis exchange for their continued sup meeting with Baker. and mcmber1 because they will face pressures pon. major U.S. pressure on hrJcl of Congress began making threats by fundamenlalists at home. to give up the West Bank. Ga1.a w cul aid to Israel. When Iraq These pressures pose a threat to Strip, and the Golan Heights. invaded Kuwait, the U.S. rcaliz.cd their regimes �o they will want Finally. the ArJbs will demand a that the Israelis were right all concessions from 1hc U.S. once cut-off of all aid received by l� along about Iraq. In 1981. the U.S. the crisis is over. Egyptian Prcsi rael. Will the U.S. agree'! Probab criricizcd Israel for making an air dent Hosni Mubarak, who is con ly ..;o, A� long a:,, Syria. Egypt. and strike against an Iraqi nuclear in� sidcred amoung the Ambs to be Saudi Arabia are on the U.S. side. s lallation, Now world leaders over pleasing 10 lhe United States, it will be more beneficial to the quietly commmendcd Israel for will personally seek U.S. conces U.S. to:,,upport lhc Arab<i. There i� taking that action. But as much as sions. as will President Assad of no longer a major Soviet threat. there is a temporary "I told you so" Syria, who i� trying to open up to A� long as !he Americans look out for 1heir own interest\, 1:-.rael will relationship, which does benefit the West. Israel. an alanning new alliance What docs lhe future hold for have to stand the next Middle Ea:,,t shift is gradually forming. This the U.S.-lsracl realationship? The crisis alone, As for American new alliance may, in the long run, outlook is bleak. Saudi ArJbia Jews, they can :,,till ex.en pressure endanger Israel's security and ere- and other Gulf counlrie.�.although here at home. It is bc11er to take ate an identity crisis for American 1hey are supponing the American care of long tenn l\rJ.eli interest� Jews if U.S. inlcresls in the region side, are still enemies of lsrJcl and now and avoid an i<lentity crisi... later.
Senior Minyan Canceled by Arielle Waldman This year rhe administration has reverted back 10 an old Shacharit format of having a freshman minyan in the Beil Ha Knesset. l11e senior1. who have occupied the second floor davcning area for the last eight years, arc being moved to davcn• ing with 1hc sophomores and Juniors in the auditorium. The reasons for the change. according 10 Rabbi Bakst. was s o 1hat the seniors, "could lead the younger grade s." Another reason given by Rabbi Bakst was so that the freshmen could ac quaint lhcmsclves with one another before integrating with the rest of 1he school. Some Ramaz 1eacher.i have their own opimons. "The senior minyan was a joke. They would be done by 8:28AM," said one faculty member. Anothe1 reacher added, "This way the fre:,,hmcn will be taught proper Kavanah." In the la."t few years there were u11cmp1s to change the davcning system. but angry seniors and parents protcsred. This year nothing was men tioned of a freshman minyan until it w a s announced in "Preludes." Nevenheless, "The change will be an improve ment." said a confident Rabbi Bakst. Some seniors disagree. As one angry ..;cnior exclaimed, "One of the few privileges given lo senior\ was lhe senior minyan. Thal :,,hould not be taken away from us!" Senior class president Sarah Altman vowed to, "Speak to whomever is rc.�pons1blc for the change." "If lhc reason be hind the switch i� lo get the fre:-.hmen accus10med to daven ing together," added Sarah, "then give them the Beit HaKnesset fo1 a month to learn how 10 daven in a group and then put them with the rest of the school. so we c::10 have our senior minyan back."
An Interview with GO President Alex Waldman
newsleucr. That way we can make sure that everybody par This is the first of two install ticipates. If we have the whole ments ofan interviewconructed by school behind us. we will be able Asa/Hahami wi1h Alex Waldman, to achieve school unity. RamPage: Will anyone be al GO President-elect. The second in.stallmtnl will appear in the next lowed to panicipate in GO meet ings? issue. Waldman: Of course 1here arc Ram.Page: How do you view meetings like 1he SFAC meetings the GO one year from now? Whal arc your aspirations and what do and certain closed GO meetings, but I do plan to have some mcc1you hope to accomplish? ings open for anyone who wants Waldman: I think that 1His to come. year we probably have the best RamPage: You talked about potential. With this staff. we hope to run more lrips. Our goal is to reslructuring 1he GO in your cam paign and "gelling to the core of make students cognizant of what the problem." How do you plan to happens in the GO. do this? RamPago: W h a t specific Waldman: When I was talk steps do you plan to take to ac ing about restructuring the GO I complish that goal? was referring to the GO commit Waldman: Wh3t we need is 10 tees. These committees have inget the kids together through a GO by AsafHahami
credible potential to do a lot of things for the school. If each com mince would function the way it i� supposed to, lhen we could or gani zc all sorts of activities, event..; and Chescd project\, RamPage: Did 1he....e commit tees work improperly bccau1ie of 1heir leaders or becau.� of other reason 'i? \Valdman: The.\e committee:,; failed because the chairman would be appointed without any idea of what to do. In addition, they had terrible organization, For example, they would have an opening meeting in September and then 1hroughout the year people wouldn 't hear from the chairmen, no other meetings would get scheduled, and the whole committee basically went down the drain. Whal we arc
working on, and should complete by December, is a system 10 max imize the potential of these com miltees and for the first time, make them really work. What we arc planning to do i� lo make each GO member a chair• man of one commiuee. That way each pcrmn will be re\ponsible for knowing whal actually is going on in the commiuee.". II will be much more direct. Before lhe chainnen were not actually part of the GO. There was• total lack of communication between the actual GO and iL-. commi1tecs. RamPage: Is there • lack of school spirit in Ramaz? Waldman: We have the potential to have incredible spirit but lhere ha.<in'I been a GO or someone in the school 1hat hns actually tried to bring out this
spirit. We need someone who will be in charge of getting more people 10 come to baskelball games and the activities. We do have school spirit•-it is just a mat ter of showing it. RamPage: The students of this school were promised by pre• vious s1udent governments a new GO constitution. After two years, how about a new conslitution? Waldman: I think tltat the only rca�on that there was a need for a constitution then was be· cause people felt that the GO was not doing anything. But hopefully we will have some kind of struc tured GO and I don't think we will need a conslitution. However, if people do feel that they need a new constitution to guarantee cer tain things, we will be willing to write one.
The RamPage
Page4
What Happened Here? them, nnd donated and sold many or 1he ones which were n o t Brniaminovitz needed. In the library, modem hookups While the Ramaz s1uden1 body and faculty were vacationing, the were installed and there will be an building was undergoing more on line communication system modem for the librarians' use. changes than in previous years. The building also underwent Many of the renovations were structural. The subcellar under many cosmetic renovations. The went the heaviest changes. There auditorium floor was refinished. is a new learning center primarily T h i s involved sanding and 10 help Fonn I students. In the polyurcrhaning rhc floor. This bookroom, Rabbi Frankel has process had previously been done computerized the book distribu every year. but aflcr thC discovery tion system. He also rook inven that the treatment won: down the tory of all the books. evaluated floor. the school limi1ed it to every 1hrcc yem. by Nina Teicher and Guy
The stairwells were painted as 1hey are every three year,;. The rooms and some hallways were also pair1tcd. All the painting was done by the Ramaz maintenance Slaff. New mailbo,i;es were installed for the facuhy in the sixth floor office. In Ms. Gribctz's office new carpeting has been laid and the fourth floor loungc's seals were also recarpeted. but. no, 1he orange painting on lhe fourth floor has not been removed.
RamPage needs writers, layout artists, typists and photograghers for the 1990-91 school year. Please Contact Leron Kornreich, Arielle Waldman or Mr. Goetz.
Another Blockbuster Season? by Arielle Waldman Afler last summcr·s block buster movie sea.son. motion pic ture companies like Universal. Columbia and Paramount were anticipating yet ano1her billion dollar n:cord-brcnk,ng season.. A c tion films l i k e "Total Recall" and "Die Hard 2" were expected 10 rc::teh the one hundred million dollar mark in gross earn .. ings. Warren Beany·s Dick Tracy" was supposed to be 1he l990s answer to "Batman." But to the dismay of these companies. this summer's crop of movies did no1 fa� as well as expected at 1he box office. "Die Hard 2," lht" summer's biggest hit, has only grossed S70 million since it opened. Both "Total Recall" and "Dick Tracy" quickly faded after enjoying a strong first mon1h. . . Arachnaphobia." Steven Spielberg's summer offering
about thousand� of Liller spiders. never found its 1argctcd audience. After a few \I.eeks at the 1hca1cr :sdveniscrs dropped the "1hril� lomcdy" concept and tried 10 hype it as a horror movie usmg Joel Seigel's quote, "'It"s hke Jaws with legs!" in their ads. Bui that did not work enher. August movies did not fair any belier. Mel Gibson"s "Au Americn." and "Young Guns II," bombed at the box office. "The TwO Jakes. directed by and Siar ring Jack Nicholson in a much awaited sequel 10 "Chinatown," received critical acclaim. bu1 only debuted m the number five �pot in us first week. "WIid at Heart," from lhe bizarre mind of "Twin Peaks" creator David Lynch, debuted at number ten. The film. which won the top pnzc al 1hc Cannes film festival this year, stars Nicolas Cage and Laura Dem as a con victed killer and his bimbo on the N
run from her psychollc mother who is out 10 kill him. The swpnse hll of the summer starred Patnck Swayze and Demi Moore in "GhosL" In u. Swayze plays a murdered Wall S1rce1 ex ecutive whose spirn comes back 10 find his killer and communicate with his girlfriend (Moore) through a psychic played by Whoop, Goldberg. Even as the summer comes to a close more movies are still being released. Two new movies arc vying for the high school crowd. "Pump Up lhc Volume" with Chnstian Slater as a high sch ool sludcnt who runs a p1rale radio station at mght, opened two weeks ago 10 very good reviews. And Men at Work s1amng brothers Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen as a couple of garbagcmen who find a corpse is also expected to draw teenagers and young adults.
So Long, 1990 Graduates by Guy Beniaminovitz Graduation for the class of 1990 took place on June 13. I 200 people jammed the halls of Kehilath Jeshurun for this gala event As in the past student speakers reflected on their years at Ramaz and also ralked about 1hc future. The evening began wi1h the na• tional anthem and • prayer given by Amram Tropper. Adam Szubin. one of the class speakers spoke of learning Talmud in Ramaz and whar ii taught him about life. He also spoke of how he learned diversity in school and how this is an important lesson for the future. Yechezkel Khnyyat. lhe Hebrew speaker. gave a dis• cussion of the Shas, a close look at lessons he had learned from Tnl mud. I-l e linked these lessons to
modern day occurrences. Yechczkel's speech was difficuh 10 follow because of its compli cated theme and his cxquisi1e use of Hebrew. Following the speeches. lhe graduating seniors presented a can 1arn. The theme was a re1rospcc1ive on Ramaz and a look at the future. Afrer 1hc play Greet• ings were given by Debra Lookstein Scndeis, daughter of Ramaz's own Rabbi Lookstein. Every year Ramnz rakes an alum• nus from a decade ago in order, as Mr. Miller said, 10 "link lhe past whh the prcscnl." The ad• ministration chooses lhc person on the basis of who they think best reprcscn1cd lhe class of tha1 year. De bra was from the class of I980. After the greetings, diplomas were handed out. Then a closing Prayer was rccilcd and then came lhe Hatikvah. Following the
Harikvah the students left lhe room. After the gradua1ion ceremony ended cherc was a Col• l:uion with punch. No awards were given at the graduation. The awards were given before so as nol to make 1hc evening monotonus. Among rhe award winners were Jonathan Tanncnhnuscr who won numerous awards such as: Highest General Studies Average award, Hebrew Li1eraturc award. Math award, and the Science Award just 10 name a few. Ycchezkel Khoyyat also won numerous awards as well as Raphael Tzadik, Adina Shoulson and Talya Toledano. Mr. Miller described the event as "one of1hc most beautiful even• ings in Ra maz." All in all it was a "very cffeclive night... 1hc parents loved it.''
September 1990/ Elul 5750
The Boys of Summer
by Shlomo Baruch Summer has come and gone, and as usual, Major League baseball divisional races were in full swing once again. In the American League West, the World O,ampion Oakland Ath letics appear 10 be on their way towards capturing the franchise's third s1raigh1 division tille. Aflcr spending most of the season in a virtual tic for first place wuh lhc Chicago White Sox. the Athletics were able 10 lake advantage of some mediocre play by Chicago following the All-Star break. and open up a SIX••game lead over the fading second place team. Oak land. the team with the best record in 1he majors, did not seem to be affected by 1hc loss of superstar Jose Canseco when he went down with an injury an early June. perhaps the reason was Rickey Henderson. Henderson, the e.arly favorite to win the Mm1 Valunblc Pl:1yer award. lc:1ds 1he league in hilling, runs scored, and 1-tolen bases. The Toronto Blue Jays, last season's Amencnn League East champions, have fallen m 1he standings recently and have let fir!)I place !)J1p m10 the hands of lhe Bos1on Red Sox. The Red Sox have been able to open up a commanding le;;id over second place Toronto in recent weeks mainly due to some superb pitch• ing pcr-fol"manccs by Boston starting p11ehcrs, including three masterful shu1outs in a row against the Blue Jays. However, it is the "Rocket Man", Roger Clemens, who ha1- emerged once again as the ace of 1he Red Sox pitching staff. Clemens 1s .sc.,-cond m the league m wms. and first in strikeouts and earned run average, stats which position him as the early favonle to win the American League Cy Young award. Locally, lhe Y:inkees arc ex• perieneing their worst season in over twenty-five years. How. ever, under new manager Stump Memll. the Yankees are begin ning to rebuild the oncc• glorious franchise. A youth movement has been stancd 1his year in lhc Bronx, and nick named the ''Baby Bombers." young new playeis recalled this past summer from Colombus in .
elude first baseman Kevin Maas, who set a new record for the quickest rookie 10 reach a Iota.I of fifleen home runs, outfielder Oscar Azoca.r, and third baseman Jim Lcyritz. Under new manager, and fonner Yankee great Lou Piniel la, the Cinncinati Reds are on their way towards clinching their first Na11onal League Wesl division title since the "Big Red Machine" of t h e 1970's. Cincinnati's play has been a full ream effort. Youngsters such as pitcher Jack Armstrong and former Yankee prospect Hal Morris have combined wilh es tablished players like Eric Davis. Barry Larkin. and Chris Sabo to maintain a firm gnp on lirs1 place. So far, the closest race for fi rst place in the Ma Jors this year ha.s been in the Na11onal League East. This tight, l'WO••tca.m race invol ves our own New York Mets. D1n:ctly after the firing of fonncr manager Davey John1-on and rhe hiring of new manager Buddy Harrelson, the Mets. who had played letharg1c::1lly for mos1 of the season wen1 on a 1car in June due lo the p11ch111g of Dwight Gooden and Frank Viola and ho1 h1t11ng of Darryl Strawberry w,d Dave Magadan which vaulted New York inro fira place. The P111sburgh Pm11cs. 1h1s year's biggest surprise in the National League • have been the ones fighting 1t out w,lh the Mets s,ncc June. The success or Pittsburgh i1i mainly due to 1hc piny of the "Killer B's"' tandem of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla. Both of lhcsc nsing sup:rstars arc at the lop of the league in runs balled m, runs scored, hits. b:H• ting average. :ind home runs. These 1wo 1eamma1cs arc a.lso 1hc top candidates for this ycar·s Na. tional League Most Valuable Player aw.lrd. Other lop stories 1his summer included Nolan Ryan notching wm number 300, a new record being set for most no•hiuers pitched during the course of one sc ?son. Pete Rose beginning the pnson term he �ceivcd for tax evasion, and or course, the maner of George Stcinbrcnnner bemg deposed as General Panncr of the New York Yankees.
What is Labor Day? by Leron Kornreich
The average s1udent knows nothing .ibout Labor Day besides its being a "day off." In actunlity, Labor Day has a history in America and throughout 1he world and bears roots in New York City. Labor Day in the United Stotes had several stages or develop mcn1. the first being Peter J. Mc. Guires sugges1ion that this national holiday be established. Mr. McGuire was the founder of the United Brotherhood of Car penters and in I 882 he suffested 1ha1 n day be chosen 10 honor America's word force. In September of the same year the firs1 Labor Day Parade was
held by workers in New York City. The Umon then campaigned to o f fic,altze the holtday. I n 1887. Oregon declared Labor Day a legal holiday within its state and by 1894 President Grover Cleveland signed a bill that made it • legal holiday throughout the entire country. Labor Day is honored in the United S1atc.s. Puerto Rico. and• Canada on the firs1 Monday of September and in Europe on May first It has come to symbolize 1hc end of summer, bul in Australia it commemorates the successful fight for the eight hour day. Yet, for most people it symbolizes a weekend of rccrca1ion and relrum• tion.