A Student Publication of the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School • 1609 Avenue J, Brooklyn, New York • Vol 58, Issue 2 • October 2023 / 5784
Eizenberg Mismatched floors in new classrooms returns to leave students, teachers disappointed Holy Land By Margie Souid Contributing Writer
Eizenberg in Israel
By Sylvia Saad and Leah Katash Editors
After eight years living in the United States, Flatbush junior Ariel Eizenberg made aliyah, without his family, on November 29. “I love the Flatbush community and everyone I have met here, but Israel is my home. I can’t be away any longer,” Eizenberg said. He is now living with a family friend in Jerusalem and attending the local high school. Eizenberg was just eight years old when his family moved to Brooklyn from Israel, planning to one day return. At the time of their arrival, Eizenberg did not speak a lick of English. He enrolled in Crown Heights Yeshiva for a year and, after learning the language, transferred to the Yeshivah of Flatbush Elementary School for fourth grade. Eizenberg quickly adapted to his new environment and made lifelong friends. He eventually rose to the top of his class and graduated elementary school as valedictorian. Although he was very successful in Flatbush, Eizenberg yearned to move back to Israel from the beginning. On their usual summer vacation to Israel in 2021, Eizenberg and his family planned to extend their stay and officially live in Jerusalem long term. Unfortunately, their plans fell through, but Eizenberg did not give up hope. After years of begging and pleading, Eizenberg’s parents finally agreed to return this upcoming summer. Eizenberg still had his suspicions that
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In This Issue
World News: Page 4 D’var Torah: Page 5 Ask Merle: Page 9
After a few weeks of learning in the newly renovated east wing classrooms, students have noticed the large new windows, the updated heating and lighting … and the odd mix of floor tiles. In most of the new rooms, roughly half the floor is made up of the old floor tiles, and the other is new, lighter colored tiles. Which sections of the floor are old or new varies from room to room. Many students have grown curious about why there is such an apparent oddity in otherwise beautiful new classrooms. “The floors don’t give that new vibe in the classrooms,” said one sophomore girl who asked to remain anonymous. “I noticed the split tiling and it bothered me. The different tiling do not fit together. It changes how the classroom looks as a whole.” She thinks they should change the floors in the future and attempt to make them all one color. “It looks like they put in the effort
Room 201 has three difference colors of tiles
and stopped half way,” an anonymous senior said. “If they’re going to start the job, they might as well have finished it.” Another senior said that the floors “ruin the whole aesthetic of the room.” Several teachers complimented most
aspects of the new rooms but mentioned that the floors detract from the otherwise clean new look. Biology teacher Ms. Mikhli said, “In general, I do like the new classrooms, but many areas of the floors
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Despite war, senior interest in Israel gap year remains strong By Jacqueline Halabi Editor-in-Chief
As Flatbush seniors consider their plans after high school, the ongoing war in Israel is a large factor affecting whether they choose to spend a gap year in yeshiva or seminary. Senior Ralph Braha explained that, “it makes some of us want to go more. My parents are a bit more edgy, but they’re still letting me go.” Joe Vidal agreed, saying, “I didn’t wanna go before, but now it sounds more appealing.” Other seniors, however, are having a harder time convincing their parents that it will be safe to go. Ezra Harari stated, “It’s going to be harder to go now because my parents are worried about how the war might affect my experience.” Grace Bawabeh explained, “I was never allowed to go, and now it’s not even up for conversation.”
Business Chaos at Chat GPT’s parent company Page 7
Ms. Miriam Wielgus, Jewish History department chair and Israel Guidance counselor for senior girls, has faith that girls will still choose to go. “Certainly at the beginning people were very nervous, and parents who had said yes were now rethinking, but as the war has been progressing, there’s the sense that eventually it will be over,” she explained. She also finds that students are more eager to support Israel by being a part of the action, saying, “there’s a sense of ‘I want to be there; I want to be a part of the story that’s unfolding.’” Though Syrian parents tend to lean more toward the overprotective side, Ms. Wielgus is overjoyed that a lot of them “are supportive of the idea again, with the caveat that they have to see what will be happening.” As for the seminaries that shut down during the outbreak of the war, “just about all the schools are open now. The Syrian girls have been slower to
return, but they are still returning.” Rabbi Avi Harari, Rosh Bet Midrash and Israel Guidance counselor for the senior boys, said that “some boys who would’ve been more certain to go are less willing to engage in more serious conversations about it now.” However, he hasn’t found any definitive “no’s” because of the war, just a little bit of ambivalence and hesitancy. The Rabbi has also had students express that their parents are also more tentative about whether to grant permission to go, but the yeshivas have “enhanced reassurance and push that things will be safe and it’s the right place for you to be.” Ms. Wielgus and Rabbi Harari both remain optimistic. Ms. Wielgus said, “As long as the situation will improve, I am not seeing a lessening of numbers of kids who are interested, which I find very exciting.”
Entertainment: New map revives Fortnite craze Page 9
Sports: Flatbush teams win, get ignored Page 12 phoenix@flatbush.org | 1