The Rampage The Newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School
New York • Volume 65 • Issue 1 • Summer 2020 • Elul 5780 • the-rampage.org
Six Months Later.... Finally Back on 78th!
Follow us on Instagram
@ramazrampage
to see teachers and students in person is essential to a healthy learning environment. This situation tasked the Ramaz administrators with finding a balance between ensuring the health and safety of students and faculty while maintaining efficient and beneficial learning. On July 22, Rabbi Stochel emailed tentative guidelines for Ramaz's reopening plan for September to the upper school students' parents. The administration decided to begin the school year with hybrid schooling, meaning a combination of in-person learning and Zoom learning. Ninth and eleventh graders will learn on 78th Street three times a week, and tenth and twelfth graders will learn in person the other two days of the week. On days when a student’s grade is not in the building, he or she will have classes on Zoom. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on August 10 that schools have the green light to open, solidifying Ramaz’s reopening plan. Since then, he has announced that New York City public schools Socially-Distanced Students will be opening in-person on September 21. Eric Kalimi ’22 for the rest of the school year. Six months later, To be as safe as possible while in the buildthe city is no longer on lock down, and yet, it is ing, the administration mandated various precau Last March, when COVID-19 hit New not up-and-running. This places schools in a dif- tions for students and faculty. In Rabbi Stochel's York City, the city that never sleeps quickly shut ficult position. Bringing students back to proper email, he detailed the various precautionary down. In-person school was closed to prevent the protocols without changes could spread the virus spread of the virus, and classes switched to online and start a second wave of COVID-19. Being able Continued on Page 4
Educational Diversity Julia Feit ’22
As a leader in Jewish education, Ramaz’s students are expected to have a broad understanding of American History and the forces that shape our current political and social climate. Ramaz has the responsibility to educate students about the world with particular emphasis on the plight of oppressed minorities with whom we so strongly identify. Throughout history, Jews have been victims of oppression and targets of persecution. Despite the challenges, the Jewish nation has played a central role in shaping the modern world and impacting society. As a minority in the United States, the Jewish people must recognize the injustices towards other religions and races, which closely resonate with us. In identifying with an oppressed minority, one of the charges of Jewish education is to teach about Black history. In a short four years at Ramaz, the history department must prioritize which aspects of history align with the ultimate goal of cultural literacy. Dr. Jon Jucovy, head of the history department, explained, “Throughout our history courses, we develop a theme. At the beginning of our curriculum, humans thought in terms of order and stability. However, they quickly learned that things ultimately disrupt that stability. Despite their best efforts to restore the original situation, they never succeed in doing so. We make certain
Eliana Sobel ’22 showed her support for the Black Lives Matter Movement by posting this on her Instagram. choices in planning the curriculum in order to best illustrate this theme and ensure that our students have the knowledge of well-rounded citizens of the United States.” The Ramaz history curriculum incorporates African American history into the larger curriculum, highlighting significant events in Black history. Historically, Jewish support for African American equality stems all the way back to before the Civil Rights movement. Noam Woldenberg ’22 said, “I think Ramaz does a de-
cent job providing information regarding African American history. The sophomore history curriculum focused largely on the Civil War and went into depth about slavery, referencing major African American figures like Harriet Tubman and Crispus Attucks. However, there are still many African American figures we haven’t learned about; Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth come to mind. I don’t think Ramaz necessarily avoids African American history or favors one historical group/ethnicity, but I know there is a lot I have yet to learn.” Samara Blatt ’22 expressed a similar argument, “Ramaz teaches the various aspects of slavery in America well and in detail, but other than that, I don’t know a lot about African American history.” Blatt recognized that Black history is more than just slavery and also includes the Civil Rights movement and the progress and setbacks that have been made since emancipation. In light of the current Black Lives Matter movement, many students are hungry for additional education about Black history and the role of the police and government in our daily lives. However, Dr. Jucovy stated, “I’m not a believer in the idea that we should learn about something because it’s driven by a present political movement or cultural attitude. There are many different types of minorities, and I don’t Continued on Page 6
Inside this issue... Ramaz Alumna Shares her NYU Experiance p.
6
Meet the Editors p.
9
Break the Outbreak p.
10
Should Ramaz Denounce Anti-Semitic Comments? p.
12