The Panther Post Vol 1, issue 1 Jan 2017

COMMUNITY

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 1 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2

January 2017

Tevet 5777

The end of one era. The beginning of another.

Rabbi Abraham Lieberman announces his departure

Rabbi Joshua Spodek set to assume YULA Girls leadership

Rabbi Abraham Lieberman, the YULA Girls’ widely beloved Head of School since 2008, announced on Nov. 2 in a school wide email that he will be stepping down at the end of the 2016-17 school year. Replacing him next year will be Rabbi Joshua Spodek, the principal of Scheck Hillel Community School in Boca Raton, Florida.

In his nine years at YULA, students and teachers could find Rabbi Lieberman in his office, or strolling around the high school, almost always with a smile on his face. Students would often approach him for academic help or for personal advice.

“He always has a positive attitude and gives off a warm and safe feeling, like you can tell him anything.

He is just someone you can approach who will accept you for who you are no matter what,” said Liana Seidenfeld (‘18).

Before becoming an educator, Rabbi Lieberman had a different path in mind. As a high school student

As Rabbi Abraham Lieberman winds down his celebrated tenure as the head of YULA Girls High School, Rabbi Joshua Spodek is preparing to assume leadership beginning in the 2017-18 school year.

Spodek, the current principal at Scheck Hillel Community School in Boca Raton, Florida, will officially make the move west in June with his wife, Tova and their four children.

A Toronto native and also a U.S. and Israeli citizen, before joining Scheck seven years ago, Spodek was at Yeshiva High School of Boca Raton, and, prior to that studied and lived at Yeshivat Shaalavim for eight years, four of them in kollel.

Rabbi Spodek sat down with The Panther Post for an interview to discuss his background, his new role, and his hopes for the YULA Girls School in the years ahead. Below is a lightly edited transcript.

Panther Post: Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you and your wife

Hannah Gootin, Contributing Writer

Meital Gershov, Contributing Writer

(cont’d on pg. 17)

(cont’d on pg. 17)

What’s Inside: Torah

After years of delays, YULA’s massive construction project takes off Benjamin Tarko, Staff Writer

Q&A with prof. Avi Helfand (pg. 6) Feature

Ben Shapiro (pg. 9) Community

Boys’ new Masmidim class (pg. 3) Sports

Boys varsity basketball (pg. 12)

After millions of dollars pledged, years of One reason for the long wait before the start planning and a series of unexpected delays, YULA of construction was the difficult process of obtaining Boys High School began its $15 million expansion construction permits from the city, a particularly difproject on Nov. 17 with the destruction of the parking ficult task in a residential area. YULA made several lot and basketball court. concessions with the neighboring residents in order

YULA has to secure the necgone through essary permits, twenty graduating most notably the classes and three addition in 2015 heads of school of the cul-de-sac since the project’s on S. Castello Ave. inception in 1996. to prevent through “There’s always traffic on the resibeen a plan for a dential street. second phase of The project, construction,” said which is being Head of School managed by Ed Rabbi Dov EmerGrush General son, referring to Contracting, Inc. the building’s first is expected to take phase of construc15 to 18 months to tion in the early complete. Of the 2000s. “Together $15 million price Gym Construction (Source: Gavriel Gershov) with some very tag, $9 million has dedicated membeen raised so far. bers of the community, we’ve worked very hard in The construction project will also add two the last couple years to make that vision a reality.”

STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)

By the time it’s completed, YULA will have a labs complete with new technology, including the Ocnew state of the art gym that will double as an assem- ulus Rift virtual reality headset and a number of 3D bly hall, an underground parking garage and a library, printers. Additionally, the renovation will allow for an providing new resources for students, teachers and outdoor courtyard that will provide a place for stusports teams. dents to eat, relax, and get some fresh air and sunlight.

1

(cont’d on pg. 17)

COMMUNITY

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Students and staff react to Rabbi Lieberman’s departure Negin Nili, Staff Writer

Rabbi Abraham Lieberman’s announcement in November of his departure at the end of this school year took much of the YULA Girls family by surprise. The Panther Post spoke with several members if the YULA community to gauge their reactions. Everyone interviewed is sad to see Rabbi Lieberman to go, and spoke of his profound impact on them individually and on YULA.

“I will really miss Rabbi Lieberman’s compassionate nature and I am in awe of his love of Torah. I am so impressed at how he loves and lives by the Torah and I appreciate him as a leader” -Ms. Kathy Newton, History Teacher

“He’s done so much for YULA, and he is the foundation of YULA. He has always reached out to the students and has made the students feel comfortable to approach him.

Although I am sad that Rabbi Lieberman will be leaving, I am looking forward to see[ing] what Rabbi Spodek has in store for YULA.” Lauren Kamjoo (‘18)

“It’s something particularly difficult for the Judaic studies faculty who [has] worked under Rabbi Lieberman. He has really led us to inspire the students and instill a love for Torah in the students for the faculty... As difficult and as sad as it may be, we have to come to terms with it and prepare for a new leadership and be optimistic and positive and get excited to have a new leader.” -Rabbi Yaakov Cohen, Judaic Studies Staff

“It’s very sad, Rabbi Lieberman is someone that I love, admire, and look up to. He is probably the most calm and serene person I’ve met, and it’s a very sad feeling when the person you know is leaving. I will miss him very much.” - Rabbi Meir Prengler, Judaic Studies Staff

AIPAC summit brings students to- Polymatheus receives prestigious gether to learn about U.S.-Israel award and relationship nomination from Columbia Meital Gershov, Contributing Writer

Jonathan Mizrahi, Community Editor

Every year, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) holds a conference directed towards high school students. And at this year’s Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit in Alexandria, Virginia, three boys and three girls from YULA had the privilege of attending.

The three-day summit primarily consisted of lectures from AIPAC leaders such as Michele Freesman, AIPAC’s Campus Political Engagement Coordinator; Ryan Wonders, AIPAC’s National Field Organizer; and Ed Miller, AIPAC’s Political National Deputy Director.

The programming taught the stuYULA kids at the summit (Source: Jamie Frankiel) dents how to effectively advocate for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. Many of the breakout sessions were about the history of the modern state of Israel dating back to before its founding in 1948, Israel’s post-Six Day War borders, and the intricacies of the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Each breakout session had about 40 students, who came from private and public schools across the country. The speakers encouraged all students to participate, discuss their opinions, and ask questions.

“High School Summit was an extremely educational experience for

Polymatheus, the boys school’s interdisciplinary journal, is an award-winning interdisciplinary journal this year after receiving a nomination for a Gold Crown Award and a gold medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for the 2016 publication, published last June.

A play on the Greek word polymath (“well-versed on many subjects”), Polymatheus is a compilation of the student body’s most outstanding work, organized by subject into one book. It’s staffed by 20 students from every grade and is run by English Department Chair Ms. Pamela Felcher.

This year, the CSPA awarded the 2016 edition of Polymatheus a gold medal with All-Columbian Honors, and also nominated the journal as a finalist for a Gold Crown Award in the Design category. Gold Crown winners will be announced for last year’s publications will be announced by Columbia in March.

The recognition from Columbia is gratifying for the editors who work year-round to compile and edit the top works of YULA students in English, science, math, engineering, technology, history, Judaic studies and art.

For each year’s issue, upon publication, the staff submits it to the CSPA’s annual competition for high school and college publications. It takes month for Columbia to review all of its submissions, and then its review team sends out its comments and critiques, along with its final nominations and awards.

me. I learned all about Israel, the importance of the American-Israeli relationship and how I, as a high school student, can advocate for, and have an effect on this relationship,” said Ayelet Topp (‘19).

2

(cont’d on pg. 18)

COMMUNITY

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 1 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Early-morning “Masmidim” class brings new learning model to Gemara Benjamin Tarko, Staff Writer

For the first time in the school’s history, YULA Boys created a every day (an entire amud of Gemara every class), the students are enMasmidim (roughly translated as “those who are diligent”) class this se- couraged to review the material on a nightly basis. The students log in mester, in which exceptional students with good attendance, along with 10 minutes of review every night, regardless of how much material they the ability and desire to learn, come to school 10 minutes early for an ex- cover. With this method, the students are guaranteed to review each page tended Gemara class. more than 12 times.

Rabbi Shimon Abramczik,

After their nightly review, the class’s instructor, arrives every the students write into their class weekday at 7:20 a.m. -- 10 minutes WhatsApp group to keep track of earlier than the regular morning Hatheir progress. Using data comlakha class -- every day to teach the piled from the group chat, Rabbi class.

Abramczik has calculated that, in

The idea for the class came total, the students have learned over from Principal Rabbi Arye Sufrin, 6,000 pages of Gemara outside of and Rabbi Abramczik was a natuschool alone. ral fit to lead it on a daily basis. His

The program has 18 stupassion is a mainstay of the class, dents currently enrolled, ranging even on those early Monday mornfrom sophomore through seniors, a ings coming out of a weekend. “I number that far exceeds initial exam always amazed to see Rabbi pectations. Rabbi Abramczik is not Abramczik’s fervor just as intense only impressed by the number of as any other morning,” said Masstudents, but by their maturity and midim student Daniel Razi (‘18). “I eagerness to learn. He reports that, am continually inspired by his eaone Shabbat afternoon, he saw three Paired students learning in Masmidim (Source: Rabbi Abramczik) gerness to learn.” of his students carrying a Gemara

The class provides students Masechet Chagigah down Pico with the opportunity to learn an entire mesechta of Gemara in a relatively Blvd. The students’ dedication, he said, just “blows my mind.” short amount of time. The class utilizes the “Bekiut” learning technique Although Rabbi Abramczik is pleased so far with Masmidim, he -- a quicker style of learning Gemara that still stays in-depth and includes has even higher hopes for the program’s future. By the end of the year, he a strategic chazarah program, in which the students frequently review the hopes that any student enrolled in the class will be able to open to any page material to reinforce previous sections of Gemara. of Chagigah and learn it without hesitation. He’s also excited to see the

Although Rabbi Abramczik covers a vast amount of material, he development of the current sophomores, who, by the time they graduate, still caters to the unique needs of each student. will know over 150 blat (double-sided pages) of Gemara.

“The beauty of Masmidim is that it focuses on the individual,” Rabbi Abramczik envisions Masmidim expanding to other local Rabbi Sufrin said in an interview. “The way Rabbi Abramczik runs the Jewish schools, and eventually across the country. program allows each student to develop, grow, and continue their personal Rabbi Sufrin said that there has already been some talk between journey of becoming independent learners.”

YULA and other schools interested in replicating the program.

In order to retain the vast amount of information the students learn “The sky’s the limit,” Rabbi Abramczik said.

Local Modern Orthodox schools look to reduce spending on recruitment expenses Itzchak Maghen, Staff Writer

In November, the heads of four Modern Orthodox high schools in Los Angeles met and unanimously agreed to lower the amount of money their schools spend on the annual recruitment process.

In a joint open letter sent to the faculty, student body, and parents of many families who send their children to Modern Orthodox high schools, YULA Boys’ Rabbi Dov Emerson, YULA Girls’ Rabbi Abraham Lieberman, Shalhevet’s Rabbi Ari Segal, and Valley Torah’s Rabbi Avrohom Stulberger outlined their new budget plan for recruitment. Although the agreement is not binding, it’s a landmark signal that local Modern Orthodox schools want to work together to reduce the amount of money each spends to attract a largely similar pool of students.

“As far as I can recall, it’s the first time we’ve discussed it in that context,” said Rabbi Emerson. “We’ve always had conversations about looking very carefully at how much money we’re spending. But in that group setting, amongst the heads of school, I think that was the first time that this particular subject has been discussed.”

Recruitment season, which runs from the beginning of the school year through the first months of second semester, marks the schools’ most competitive time, as they go head-to-head to enroll soon-to-graduate eighth grade students from local Modern Orthodox middle schools. With

academic talent and tuition dollars on the line, each school puts a high priority on recruitment season.

The joint letter’s preface explained that, in order to remain steadfast in the schools’ joint values, they must identify areas of extraneous recruitment spending and cut that spending, so the schools can instead use those savings to improve the education they provide to current students. Rabbi Emerson expects that a joint reduction in recruitment spending will lead to increased “investment [in] the school and academic programs, improved facilities, and a focus on making the educational experience better.”

One area of recruitment that the heads of school believe can be pared back is the “swag” handed out to rising freshmen at open houses and visiting days. It’s an expense that adds up, but does not provide any information to recruits about a school’s religious, academic or social experience.

Nily Steinberg, a current YULA parent and former Shalhevet parent, said she is “fortunate to have [...] had great experiences with children at each.” Her eighth grade son, Noah, is currently at the City Charter School, and is deciding between YULA and Shalhevet.

3

COMMUNITY

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Girls school gets new college guidance counselor Miriam Waghalter, Community Editor

When YULA Girls High School college guidance counselor Ana Berkman announced her departure in November, anxiety could easily have set in among many students. After all, early November was when early decision college applications were due for many seniors.

Thankfully, Ms. Berkman’s replacement, interim counselor Nia Kilgore, has put those concerns to rest.

Ms. Kilgore said she was able to smoothe the transition by “not absorbing everyone else’s stress.” She recognized that most seniors are overwhelmed in November and December—either from completing a large number of applications or from just starting to make a last minute college plan.

“I was surprised that in November, not more girls were further along on this journey,” Ms. Kilgore said. “[But] by keeping [my] cool, [I] was able to defray some of the students’ anxiety.”

Leeat Hatzav (‘17) said that Ms. Kilgore has “[minimized] her stress” by assuring Hatzav that she “is making the right call” in applying to and not applying to certain programs. “She really wants the best for my future,” Hatzav said.

Isabella Kest (‘17) said Ms. Kilgore was of major help when she fell ill. “I was sick for two weeks…she helped me get back on track,” Kest said. “She is very organized.”

Before joining YULA, Ms. Kilgore had years of experience in college counseling at Phillips Exeter Academy (1998-2000), Oakwood School (Spring 2010), Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences (Fall 20102013) and Milken Community Schools (Fall 2014). She has worked in admissions at Georgetown University (1994-98), and Harvard Graduate School (2000-01) and she is currently a reader for UCLA (2014-present) and the Presidential Scholars Committee (2013- present), which reviews the top 2,500 test takers in the country.

“The experience has given me insight into how the UCs review applicants, their values as a university system, and the forward direction of admissions in the public university sphere,” Ms. Kilgore said. “This wisdom and experience is what helps me...and ultimately, [the students].”

Ms. Kilgore added that her experience gives her a sense of the competition YULA girls are facing from students in other schools, a major factor in determining which schools a student is more or less likely to get into.

“The best preparation for any college counseling job is admissions experience…I’ve seen what is behind the curtain.”

Although YULA is unique in its Jewish and Torah mission compared to any other school Ms. Kilgore has worked at, Milken included, she said her Milken experience has equipped her in many ways.

“[Milken] is larger and [more] pluralistic in how students experience and express their Jewishness, [but] the fact that both schools have a dual curriculum and that they are 100 percent Jewish in the student body was a wonderful preparation,” Ms. Kilgore said, adding that she “gained a better cultural and religious understanding of Judaism” while working at Milken.

To students applying to colleges, Ms. Kilgore advised, “Don’t procrastinate [when it comes to] application essays and deadlines. Have patience with your parents, [with] me, and [with] yourself. Celebrate your triumphs and mourn the disappointments, but do both appropriately and maturely. Support each other.”

And, finally, Ms. Kilgore said, while the transition process in November may have been at first hectic, she can now see that “Coming to YULA was b’sheret.”

Ms. Nia Kilgore in new office (Source: Parmis Fakheri)

Armed guards highlight new security changes at boys campus Ilan Bocian, Staff Writer

Anyone visiting the YULA Boys campus during the second semester of the 2015-16 would have quickly noticed the new security officers stationed at the front gate. These new officers, each of whom are armed with a handgun, replaced YULA’s previous unarmed watchtower guards, who were belovedly known by students and faculty as Troy and Alfredo.

“We live in a world that has unfortunately seen increases in acts of violence,” Head of School Rabbi Dov Emerson explained. “Our number one priority is to do everything we can to protect our students and staff here in YULA”.

After assessments of the previous security team, advice from YULA’s security firm Universal Protection Services, and feedback from the The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles’s Community Safety Initiative, the school determined that it needs more guards, and that those guards should be armed.

In addition to its work with YULA, Universal Protection Services also protects the Museum of Tolerance, the building adjacent to the school campus. Rabbi Emerson described the security relationship between YULA and the Museum of Tolerance as a “close-working relationship.”

The new security team is comprised of former Marines, and its members are expected to stay in superb physical condition and to maintain their marksmanship.

One such officer, 34-year-old Lakeith Alsobrook, has been serving

YULA for nearly one year. Mr. Alsobrook spent seven years in the Marines, including deployments to Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. He is a firearms specialist with extensive experience with a number of pistols and rifles.

To stay in shape for the job, Mr. Alsobrook lifts weights, does CrossFit, jogs, boxes, practices Jiu-Jitsu, and plays basketball regularly.

“If an active shooter were to enter the campus,” said Mr. Alsobrook in an interview, “Any one of us officers would have the ability to neutralize him immediately.”

On the other hand, the former unarmed guards would most likely have had Wesley, one of the school’s new guards to wait for law enforcement to arrive if a similar situation arose, instead of an engaging with an active shooter. For the new officers, safety is the number one priority. As Mr. Alsobrook put it: “You [students and faculty] are our family, and you don’t mess with a Marine’s family.”

4

COMMUNITY

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 1 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Witnesses of witnesses: Recounting a student trip to Germany Tzofiya Bookstein, Staff Writer

Students visit Holocaust memorial in Germany (Source: Nick Parsons)

From Nov. 20 to Nov. 27, 13 YULA girls embarked on a trip to Berlin, Germany, as part of a program called “Witnesses of Witnesses” launched last year by Ms. Bridgette Wintner, Rabbi Yaakov Cohen, and Mr. Nick Parsons. The program aims to educate students about the history of the Holocaust while also engaging them in projects to preserve and transmit survivor testimonies.

The group spent a week in Germany, centered in Berlin. Students experienced the city with a native Berlin tour guide and used Berlin’s extensive public transportation to get around. The group visited many important Jewish landmarks, such as Moshe Montefiore’s school, the reconstructed New Synagogue, and the old Jewish cemetery.

“I felt a sense of pride that these structures remain. After all the Jews have been through, life prevails,” said Chaya Dina Ram (‘18).

The group also had the opportunity to visit the newer structures of Jewish Berlin. YULA students met with a class of students attending a Jewish high school in the heart of Berlin. The students asked questions about each other’s lives, discussed religion, and made some new friends. “It was amazing to see our similarities and how, although we grew up in incredibly different circumstances, at the end of the day, [we have] a lot in common,” said Sarah Wintner (‘18).

Throughout the week, the group visited several museums, including Otto Weidt’s Workshop for the Blind, the Topography of Terror, and the museum attached to Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered of Europe. The many memorials present in Berlin prompted conversation about how modern-day Germany remembers the Holocaust, and still processes its own societal guilt.

In addition, the students traveled to historic sites such as the House of the Wannsee Conference in southwest Berlin, the underground bunkers of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, the site of the

former Propaganda Ministry, and the former S.S. headquarters. The trip’s itinerary was designed to show not just the atrocities that were perpetrated by men with guns, but also by clerical workers and bureaucrats who were crucial to the Nazi regime’s efficiency.

The most emotional part of the trip came later in the week, when the group visited Ravensbruck, an all-female labor camp famous for its horrifying medical experiments, and Sachsenhausen, a men’s labor camp. The group first went on a guided tour of the remnants of Ravensbruck and watched a film of survivor testimonies. Afterwards, the students visited Sachsenhausen, where they learned about the unique structure of the camp and visited reconstructed barracks and a museum. The group also visited the site of executions and the crematorium, where students recited Tehillim in memory of the deceased.

As the group left the camp to prepare for Shabbat, the students walked together and sang Jewish songs. On Shabbat, the group ate at a communal dinner with some of the Jewish community and davened at a local shul.

Overall, the trip was both educational and motivating. The group learned a tremendous amount about the history of Jews in Europe before and during the Shoah, and also visited the current Jewish community of Berlin. The students created memories with friends and found inspiration in studying one of the darkest chapters of Jewish history.

The next phase of the program will be meeting with and interviewing Holocaust survivors in our community. With the support and guidance of Director of Technology Mr. Nick Parsons, students will learn how to shoot, light, edit, and publish short videos that will eventually be put online.

5

TORAH

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

A Q&A with “Jewish Justice” professor Avi Helfand Michael Szabo, Contributing Writer

Prof. Avi Helfand teaching ‘Jewish Justice’ (Source: Ethan Kohanteb)

Prof. Avi Helfand, an Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies at Pepperdine University, as well as an arbitrator and consultant for the Beth Din of America (BDA), joined the YULA Boys teaching staff this year.

Helfand teaches a course called “Jewish Justice”, which teaches about landmark Supreme Court decisions on religious freedom, comparing and contrasting how American law and Jewish law treat these cases.

The Panther Post sat down with Dr.. Helfand to learn more about his career and his personal interests. Below is a lightly edited transcript.

undergraduate students, which is not what I’m trying to achieve if I’m teaching high school students. I think it’s important to recognize that every class has to have its own unique set of objectives. In YULA, the most important thing is student engagement.

Panther Post: Who was your favorite teacher and what inspiration did you draw from him or her?

Dr. Helfand: In law school I had one professor who had the biggest brain on the planet, just amazingly brilliant: Law degree from Yale, PhD from OxThe Panther Post: When did you decide to get into the field of teaching? ford. Every time I showed up, he asked me: “How’s your wife? How are your kids?” I would say [he maintained] that degree of intellectual aptitude Prof. Avi Helfand: I have always wanted to teach in some capacity. When without losing the emotional component of being a teacher. [It] is something I was in college I actually used to visit classes at Flatbush High School on I remember quite a lot.

Fridays, because I thought I wanted to teach high school. So I did that for a little while. Life took an interesting turn. I ended up going to graduate Panther Post: Now to the fun stuff: What do you consider your main hobby? school, and as a result I pursued teaching in a university setting. But a piece of me just likes teaching and I think that’s been the case for a long Dr. Helfand: I’m football-obsessed in ways that are probably unhealthy. I love fantasy football and I would say I probably spend too much time on that. time.

Panther Post: What’s your favorite memory from any class you’ve taught? Panther Post: Who is your favorite team?

Dr. Helfand: [In] my first year of teaching contracts at Pepperdine, the Dr. Helfand: I’m a big New York Giants fan. class coordinated a flash mob, which you can find on YouTube if you Google “contracts flashmob.” It’s pretty hilarious, and it was kind of a nice Panther Post: Who is your favorite player? tribute to a fun first year of teaching at Pepperdine.

Dr. Helfand: I think I’m going to have to go with Lawrence Taylor. Sometimes, if I need a break I’ll still watch Lawrence Taylor highlights. He Panther Post: What is your general philosophy in teaching? fundamentally changed the way the game was played. I see football as a Dr. Helfand: I don’t have one philosophy for every single class. I think game of chess and he essentially changed his position from a bishop to a every different kind of class is different. What I’m trying to achieve for queen. The outside linebacker simply became something else. The most my first-year law students is not what I’m trying to achieve if I’m teaching enjoyable offensive player to watch was Barry Sanders. What’s cool zone (cont’d on pg. 18) 6

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

TORAH

Parashat Vayigash: When an embrace is not just an embrace Rabbi Dov Emerson, Head of School

It is certainly one of the most dramatic moments in the entire Torah. A story that has begun in Parashat Vayeishev was now coming to a thrilling conclusion, 22 years after it had begun. Yosef, in a true testimony to his righteousness, harbored no ill-will towards his brothers despite all that they had done. Instead, playing the role of angry Egyptian leader, Yosef hatched a plan, calculating each move to give the brothers an opportunity to look out for one another, and in doing so, truly repent for their actions against him so many years before.

The story concludes with a standoff over the fate of Binyamin.

Yehuda begs to be taken as a servant in his place. Finally, Yosef clears his servants and staff out of the room, and reveals the truth: “I am Yosef, is my father still alive?” He explains to the brothers that all that has transpired is part of God’s plan, and was really for the best. Finally, he breaks down, unable to contain his emotions. Yosef and Binyamin embrace: “Then he fell upon his brother Binyamin’s neck and wept, and Binyamin wept upon his neck.” (Gen. 45:14)

One can only imagine the thoughts going through the mind of these two brothers: Thinking about the lost years, the memories they were unable to share, thoughts about their shared mother Rachel Imeinu. If there was every a time where two people were invested in the moment, in the here and now, it was this!

Yet strangely, Rashi comments that what was really going on in Yosef and Binyamin’s heads, what was causing them to weep so deeply, had nothing to do with the moment, and everything to do with events far of in the future. Rashi explains that the reason Yosef was crying on the neck of Binyamin was because he experienced a prophecy, and he knew that the two Temples, the Batei Mikdash, would eventually be built in Eretz Yisrael, in the section of the land that belonged to the tribe of Binyamin.

Yosef was crying because he knew that these two Temples would one day be destroyed, and Binyamin’s territory would be decimated.

And why was Binyamin crying? Rashi explains that he too was experiencing a heavenly vision, and he perceived that the Mishkan was going to rest for many years in Shilo, in Yosef’s section of Eretz Yisroel, and it would eventually be destroyed.

How utterly strange! Here we have the most epic reuniting story of all time, emotions are running wild, and our two protagonists are crying about events that will occur in a different country, hundreds of years later?

What is going on?

To take the question one step further, Yeshiva University Rosh Yeshiva Rav Baruch Simon in his Sefer Imrei Baruch quotes Rav Yechezkel of Kazmir who points out that if in fact Binyamin is crying over the future loss of the Mishkan, doesn’t he realize that in order for the Batei Mikdash to be built on his lands, the Mishkan has to be destroyed? The Beit Hamikdash is what REPLACED the Mishkan! So why is Binyamin crying? He is the one who benefits, so to speak, from the destruction of the Mishkan!

Rav Yechezkel explains that the beauty of the embrace between Yosef and Binyamin was that each one was focused solely and selflessly on making sure that his brother would benefit. Even when it meant that he would lose out himself, Benyamin still was ‘rooting’ for Yosef to benefit, and Yosef the same. What an incredible example of Achdut, of unity. Each brother was actively looking to make the other one better, rather than themselves.

When you actively seek to make others better, to benefit others instead of yourself, you are the one that benefits. When you reach out to others, it makes you feel incredible. Moreover, that is the key to living the way Hashem wants us to. We are taught that all of Klal Yisroel is viewed as one being. In our own body, one arm would never actively seek to harm the other arm. It’s all connected! It’s all one body. If my hand is hurting, I am hurting, not just my hand!

This approach requires a subtle, but very significant shift in our outlook. Basketball legend Bill Russell won 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics. An interviewer recounts discussing with Russell the revelation in his biography that he scouted the Celtics after joining them in 1956:

“Why would you scout your own teammates? What does that even mean? Russell wanted to play to their strengths and cover their weaknesses, which you can’t do without figuring out exactly what those strengths and weaknesses were. So he studied them. He studied them during practices, shooting drills, scrimmages, even those rare moments when Red Auerbach rested him during games. He built a mental filing cabinet that stored everything they could and couldn’t do, then determined how to boost them accordingly. It was his job to make them better. That’s what he believed.”

Imagine: What kind of world would it be if we all viewed it as our job to make our fellow man better?

Joseph: A man of wisdom and discernment Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom, Judaic Studies

At the beginning of Parshat Mikeitz, Pharaoh experiences two famous dreams. Seven fat cows emerge from the Nile River.

These are followed by seven emaciated cows, which eat the fat cows. Pharoah subsequently sees seven healthy stalks come out of the ground, followed by seven sickly stalks. The latter similarly devour the former, and, at that point, Pharaoh awakens and is sorely troubled by what he has seen.

His court wizards are incapable of explaining his dreams.

His chief butler speaks up, mentioning the Hebrew slave, Yoseph, who served him while in the royal prison and accurately explained the baker’s dreams and his own. Pharaoh has Yoseph brought before him to interpret the dreams. At this point, the narrative becomes confusing and enigmatic.

Yoseph’s “big news” is that Pharaoh’s two dreams are really one. We conventionally understand this to mean that the two dreams have the same message – plenty being swallowed by famine. This does not impress us much. The dreams, as presented by the text, seem to obviously have parallel messages. How couldno one else in Pharaoh’s court figure that out when it’s so evident to the reader?

We are equally perplexed at how impressed Pharaoh and his courtiers are with Yoseph’s common sense “insight.”

R. Saadiah Gaon, arguably the first systematic commentator on Tanakh, has a brief observation in his commentary to Mishlei (1:5-6) that opens up a novel understanding here.Commenting on the word “melitzah,” R. Saadiah states, “As Yoseph explained Pharaoh’s dream of the seven cows and seven stalks, he [actually]

deconstructed it and re-ordered it and said that the seven healthy cows were eating the seven healthy stalks, which portends fat and plenty, and seven emaciated cows were eating the seven poor stalks, which alludes to famine and hunger.”

The key words that drive R. Saadiah’s innovative approach are Yoseph’s first words to Pharaoh: “Pharaoh’s dream is one” – a notion he repeats throughout his explanation. Using the principle explicated in the Gemara (BT Berakhot 55b) that a person never sees an impossible thing in his dreams, R. Saadiah reasons that Yoseph calculated as follows: Since cows are herbivores and do not eat other cows, and since stalks do not eat anything, Pharaoh must have “jumbled” his two dreams up and mixed up what happened.

Yoseph understood that cows eat stalks, and this is something that anyone in an agrarian society would easily dream about.

The symbolism of cows and stalks is doubly meaningful in second-millennium B.C.E. Egypt, as Upper Egypt was a grazing land and Lower Egypt was grain farmland. The Pharaohs’ sarcophagi depict them holding either a cattle prod or a scythe. What was remarkable was that in one night, Pharaoh dreamt that healthy cows were eating healthy stalks, and then he dreamt that sickly cows were eating sickly stalks.

Pharaoh’s wizards were unable to see the “jumble” and tried to interpret his dream(s) based on the way that he reported them. Yoseph’s wisdom was, first and foremost, in his ability to reconstruct what Pharaoh really saw and explain the dreams that way.

7

TORAH

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Why didn’t we celebrate Chanukah for seven days?

Rabbi Yaakov Cohen, Director of Beit Midrash, YULA Girls School

We all know Chanukah is eight days long because the oil miracu- a Jeep pulled up in front of us. The driver got out, walked towards us and lously lasted eight days. But, since there was sufficient oil to burn for one suddenly fell to the ground. He was unconscious. As we ran over to him, day, the miracle actually only lasted seven days. So, why celebrate the first a doctor in our group said that he had gone into cardiac arrest and began resuscitation. Another man called an ambulance, which arrived minutes day?

The answer comes from the essence of the ideological battle be- later.

A police officer arrived and asked if anyone else was in the car. tween the Ancient Greeks and Judaism. The Greeks only recognized that which they could measure within the universe. Their gods are divorced No one had even thought to check! After finding the man’s car keys, the officer opened the car to from the world and find a two-year-old girl, have nothing to do drenched in sweat, harwith guiding events. nessed in a car seat in the Judaism, in contrast, back. The officer quickbelieves that God ly unbuckled the child not only created the and took her out into the universe, but is confresh air. We stood there stantly sustaining it. in shock, realizing that We believe that He is this little girl could easily ultimately the cause have died in the intense for everything that heat of the closed car as happens in our world. we stood by, oblivious.

Nothing is random; The man soon beathere are no coincigan to regain consciousdences. ness. The child’s mother

Therefore, even arrived and we watched events we see as munher cry as she held her dane are also miracles. daughter in her arms. AfThe only reason oil ter hearing why we were even burns for one day all outside right when her is because Hashem husband collapsed, she makes it burn. He is said that a true miracle behind everything. So, Source: Micah Steinberg had taken place. Had the the first day of the oil shul been opened like evburning is a miracle as ery other day, her husband and daughter may not have survived. well.

The Greeks would have viewed this as a coincidence. We all felt

This past summer, I witnessed Divine Providence firsthand. It was an extremely hot afternoon, and I was locked outside of the shul with fif- that we had personally witnessed a miracle. Albert Einstein said, “There teen other men, waiting to go inside to pray. One man said that, over the are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. past thirty years, he has never seen the shul locked like this. It was getting The other, as though everything is a miracle.”

As you light your menorah, remember that everything has a purlate and one man yelled out, “Gentlemen, we’ll have to daven right here in pose, that nothing is random, and to look for the miracles embedded within front of the shul.”

As we all prayed together, wiping the sweat from our foreheads, every day.

Trusting the Man upstairs Rabbi Arye Sufrin, YULA Boys School Principal

The first words of Parashat Mikeitz state: “Va’Yhehi Mi’Keitz Shnataim Yamim...” - “And it was after two years…”

This verse teaches that two years passed between when Yosef interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker, and the actual events of this week’s parasha with Pharoah’s dreams. Rashi asks why Yosef had to wait two years after interpreting those dreams before being freed from prison. Why couldn’t Hashem have sped up the process a bit. Two years? It seems unjust and pointless. But Rashi teaches that Yosef’s mistake was telling the butler to remember him and mention him to Pharoah. Rashi teaches that this showed a lack of bitachon--trust in Hashem--on Yosef’s part. As a punishment for this lack of faith, he remained two extra years in prison.

But there is a difficulty here, because our Rabbis teach us the importance of hishtadlut – human effort. Along with trust in Hashem, there must also be human effort. For example, while we rely on Torah learning and God to protect Israel, we do our hishtadlut by supporting the Israel Defense Forces and making sure it can defend the homeland against its enemies. So couldn’t Yosef’s actions be interpreted as hishtadlut? He was proactive and tried to ensure that the butler mentioned him to Pharoah.

The Chazon Ish zt’l answers that it is indeed true that humans must place our trust in Hashem and fulfill our own necessary actions.

After all, ein somchin al ha’nes -- we should not rely on miracles. But this idea only goes so far. The Chazon Ish zt’’l elaborates that during

8

course of human events, there is no conflict between bitachon and hishtadlut. However, when circumstances are extraordinary, a problem arises.

For example, when a situation seems hopeless, ishtadlut has no power. At that point, a person of faith must turn to God and have full trust in His hands. However, for the person who lacks faith and does not trust in God, and relies only on himself he has nowhere to turn when the situation seems hopeless.

The lesson we can derive from the Chazon Ish zt’’l is that we cannot expect that the butler, once restored to his prominent position, would have had the sensitivity and care to remember a prisoner who is a slave.

To the butler of the most powerful man on earth at that time, Yosef was a sidenote, a man not worth remembering. Yosef did not understand this.His imploring the butler to remember him stemmed more from desperation then hishtadlut. And desperation does not accord with bitachon.

In Messechet Shabbat 105b, the Gemara tells us to view someone who, in his wrath, breaks vessels as if he were an idol worshipper. Calling this person an idol worshipper seems extreme – how can we justify such a thing? The Ran zt’l teaches us that when someone has an outburst of uncontrolled anger, it’s because he does not truly believe God has a hand in everything, and does not truly believe that God has our best interests at heart. A God fearing person learns to control their anger because they have bitachon in Yad Hashem. Yosef, if he had full bitachon, would not have made the desperation play of imploring the butler to remember him.

The Chazon Ish’s insight offers us a powerful lesson for any (cont’d on pg. ?)

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

FEATURE

Ben Shapiro: L.A. native, YULA alum, and a star in conservative politics Noam Gershov, Executive Editor

In the world of conservative politics, Ben Shapiro is, quite simply, a superstar. He is co-host on the local Morning Answer radio show on KRLA 870, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Wire, host of The Ben Shapiro Show, a podcast with over 200,000 daily listeners, a regular guest on cable news, a frequent public speaker and a New York Times bestselling author.

At a recent Friday afternoon interview at a local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Mr. Shapiro arrived for an interview with the Post, in a hurry, and wearing a black sport coat, with earbuds dangling around his neck. For 30 minutes, he discussed his days at YULA (‘00), his political views and his very successful and still very young career.

Although Mr. Shapiro is Orthodox, his family didn’t become Orthodox until he was 11 years old. The following year, Mr. Shapiro, who excelled in school, enrolled in YULA as just a 12-year-old.

Prior to YULA, Mr. Shapiro had attended a secular elementary school, but felt that YULA “was a great academic environment” in which he particularly enjoyed the Torah classes. At YULA, Mr. Shapiro said, he participated in several extracurricular activities, including Model U.N., the golf team, and the YULA newspaper.

“The fact that YULA was a school that was dedicated to academic excellence on the secular as well as the Hebrew side had a major impact,” Mr. Shapiro said. “[YULA] reinforced what I had always believed, which is that one of the obligations for anybody who is Orthodox is to make a difference in the world, and you can’t hide behind a wall in order to do that.”

When asked how he would improve Jewish education at Orthodox day schools like YULA, Mr. Shapiro recommended that schools should better prepare their students for when they will inevitably be challenged in regards to religious observance on college campuses and in workplaces.

“They can focus in on the fact that when you’re preparing for college, you’re going to be facing down real questions about not only politics but also religion and values, and they should teach to that,” Mr. Shapiro said. “They should teach more about how the secular [world] thinks, what the differences are, and why in their view the secular way is wrong.”

Asked to explain why college campuses have seen a sharp spike in anti-Israel activity, and why the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement has become popular among many young Americans, Mr. Shapiro gave a brief history lesson.

“In the 1960s, Israel started to become successful, and the left has an addiction to the unsuccessful, so the left embraced anti-Zionism,” Mr. Shapiro said. “[The left] grants you an unearned moral superiority. You don’t have to do anything. Just by declaring that you are in favor of fairness, you have suddenly become a better person.”

Mr. Shapiro’s workday is, suffice it to say, very busy. He wakes up at 5:30 a.m., checks the news, davens, and then heads to Glendale to co-host The Morning Answer. “During the radio show, I send out all the assignments for my [Daily Wire] staff writers, write usually two pieces, and create the schedule for my podcast during the breaks and while [my co-hosts are] talking.”

After the show ends at 9 a.m., Mr. Shapiro then swings by his office hosting The Ben Shapiro Show at 11:00 a.m. He then writes stories and has meetings, finds time for lunch, tries to exercise, and returns home at around 5:00 p.m. to spend time with his wife and two young children.

“I sort of lucked into it,” Mr. Shapiro shrugged, when asked to explain his professional success. Originally, he planned to learn at Ner Yisroel in Baltimore while concurrently studying to be a violinist and a genetic scientist at Johns Hopkins. However, because he was only 16 when he graduated from YULA, his parents felt that he was too young to live so far from home, so he enrolled in UCLA instead.

During freshman year, Mr. Shapiro read an article in UCLA’s newspaper, The Daily Bruin, in which Ariel Sharon, the former prime minister of Israel, was compared to Adolf Eichmann, the infamous Nazi war criminal. He wrote a rebuttal, and then became a regular columnist for the newspaper.

“[At 17] I wrote my first book, Brainwashed, and so things sort of snowballed. It was clear that this was what I was really interested in, and I moved to political science as a major,” Mr. Shapiro said.

Upon graduating summa cum laude and Phi Betta Kappa from UCLA in 2004, Mr. Shapiro enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he

also worked as one of the youngest nationally syndicated columnists in the Shapiro lecturing at University of Missouri (Source: Wikimedia)

country for Creators Syndicate.

Mr. Shapiro frequently speaks on TV and around the country, often on college campuses. Notably, he wears his kippah in public, one of the nation’s few Jewish figures to do so, and likely the most prominent.

“It’s not something I thought particularly hard about,” Mr. Shapiro said, explaining how he balances the demands of his professional life with halacha. “I got a call from Sean Hannity and it was Yom Tov. I couldn’t pick up the phone, so I was a little frustrated, but it is what it is. You have to keep in mind that you’re seen as an Orthodox Jew, and that comes with its share of responsibility.”

When asked what he finds most challenging about his job, Mr. Shapiro said: “The most difficult part is telling the truth and being willing to take the hit for it. You don’t make anybody happy when you say ‘I stand with the principle and not with the person,’ “

“If I try to call it straight on the best available evidence, then I will take what comes, and that means you’re wrong sometimes,” he continued.

The most rewarding part, Mr. Shapiro said, is receiving positive feedback from people whose lives he has impacted. Mr. Shapiro said he’s particularly proud when he convinces someone about the importance of marriage or persuades an ambivalent Jew to remain observant.

Asked whom, among the many prominent people Mr. Shapiro has met, he finds most impressive, Mr. Shapiro avoided specific names, but rather offered some general wisdom. “A lot of people are impressive in different ways, but I’m more impressed by actions than by people,” Mr. Shapiro said. “I have more respect for values than I do for intelligence. I find people standing up for morality and decency impressive.”

Concluding the interview, Mr. Shapiro offered some advice for leading a productive life. He suggested that people should structure every hour of every day in order to not waste any time, but also should remember that rest is important.

“You have to understand that you should schedule in times to relax, and that’s what Shabbat is for. Understand that time is a commodity and you shouldn’t waste it,” Mr. Shapiro said, adding, “Read, write incessantly, work for free, look where you want to go and take as many practical steps toward developing connections in those fields as you can, and go in with the mindset that everything has to be earned.”

9

ELECTION

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Analysis: Trump wins big in YULA Votes polling Ari Willner, Staff Writer

On Nov. 7, one day before the presidential election, The Panther Post conducted a school wide survey to get a sense of the presidential leanings of students, staff and faculty members. And, suffice it to say, the voting pattern of YULA’s students were very different from that of California as a whole.

While 61.8 percent of California voters voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, 60 percent of YULA voted for Trump, with his numbers buoyed by his strong showing among the student body, 67 percent of whom voted Trump. Among faculty and staff, though, Clinton won handily at YULA, garnering 58 percent of the vote.

Trump’s strongest showing among students was among junior girls, who voted 82 percent for Trump. Freshman boys were a close second, coming in at 80 percent for Trump. The president-elect’s weakest showings were among freshman girls and junior boys, where he got 58 percent and 59 percent support, respectively.

Clinton’s strongest showing, meanwhile, came from the girls school’s more than younger students. In total, Clinton received just 7 percent of staff, 75 percent of whom supported the former Secretary of State. Fur- the ninth-grade vote, 15 percent of the tenth-grade vote, 11 percent of the thermore, the results show that older students tended to support Clinton eleventh-grade vote, and 24 percent of the twelfth-grade vote. the ninth-grade vote, 15 percent of the tenth-grade vote, 11 percent of the

Voting breakdown

10

ELECTION

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Trying to predict the Trump presidency Eliana Sisman, Staff Writer

“America first” philosophy will look like in practice, he has indicated that his strategy will be markedly different from both President George W. Bush’s and President Barack Obama’s.

Trump criticized the Obama administration’s foreign policy very harshly over the course of his campaign, saying it was weak and hampered by political correctness and bad deal-makImmigration

Trump vowed to deport 11 million illegal ing, and he blamed the chaos, bloodshed, terrorimmigrants, force Mexico to pay for a wall along ism, and warfare around the world on American inaction. He specifically criticized the Iran Deal, our southern border, and tem Donald J. Trump will enter the White House on Jan. 20 as perhaps the least conventional or predictable president in U.S. history.

Will he stick to his campaign promises? Or were those just opening “bids” as part of his negotiating tactics?

porarily ban people from terrorism-prone nations (mostly or exclusively Muslim-majority countries) from entering the country until there is improvement in the vetting processes.

However, in a 60 Minutes interview after the election, Trump changed his tone, suggesting a more moderate immigration position. In the interview, he replied to a question about whether he still planned to deport “millions and millions” of illegal immigrants by saying, “What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers--we have a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million--we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate…

After the border is secured and after everything gets normalized, we’re going to make a determination on the people that you’re talking about who are terrific people.”

After he won the election, Trump also said he intends to cut off federal funding for cities that refuse to help federal law-enforcement agencies capture and deport illegal immigrants.

Trump and his cabinet appointees thus far (Source: Talya Sawadayi)

and said that he would rip it up and replace it with a better deal if he were elected. It’s unclear whether he will in fact do that.

But Trump has also slammed the foreign policy of Obama’s predecessor, saying the Bush Administration was too focused on nation-building, and that the war in Iraq was a mistake that Bush lied the country into.

“We’re getting out of the nation-building business,” Trump said.

But while Trump has criticized the “neo-conservative” foreign policy hawks, he is also an outspoken critic of radical Islam, and has repeatedly said that ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, must be destroyed swiftly. Whether he will commit the American ground and air power necessary to destroy ISIS is unclear. He has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as Foreign Policy While it’s unclear what Trump’s overarching a “strong leader” who is popular and “highly respected” in Russia, and has said that he wants

good relations with them, declaring “that if Russia and the United States got along well and went after ISIS, that would be good.” Trump’s seeming warmth towards Putin, and desire to work closely with the Russians would mark a highly unconventional break from U.S. foreign policy.

How Trump’s anti-free trade campaign language will play out in terms of foreign policy is also anyone’s guess. Trump has accused China of currency manipulation, and has threatened to impose tariffs on imported Chinese goods. In a break from decades-long practice, Trump accepted a congratulations call from Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-Wen. Since 1979, as a nod to China, the U.S. government has not officially recognized the government of Taiwan, and no President-elect has accepted such calls. Does Trump’s move signify a more aggressive posture towards China? An opening negotiation move? It’s anyone’s guess.

Israel

Trump has frequently praised Israel, describing the Jewish state as “our great friend and the one true democracy in the Middle East.”

His appointment of bankruptcy attorney David Friedman as the U.S. ambassador to Israel indicates that the Trump Administration’s posture towards settlements and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations will be markedly different from that of the Obama Administration.

On Dec. 22, Trump clashed with the outgoing Obama Administration’s decision to break from the U.S. tradition of vetoing anti-Israel resolutions in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). When it was clear that the U.S. would abstain from an Egyptian-sponsored resolution that called Israeli settlements illegal and blamed them as a major impediment to peace, Trump (cont’d on pg. 18)

Trump and Israel: What should we expect?

Mendy Sacks, Staff Writer

Embassy Location

Will Trump move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem? The odds appear high, especially with the nomination of Friedman as ambassador. Kellyanne Conway, who was Trump’s campaign manager and will join him in the White House as a counselor, has said that moving the embassy is a major priority for Trump. The U.S. State Department does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, even though the embassy would be located in West Jerusalem, which is not internationally disputed like East Jerusalem. The U.S. currently has a consulate in Jerusalem, and if Trump moves the embassy from Tel Aviv, it’s expected that he would convert the Jerusalem consulate into the embassy.

On Nov. 9, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump became President-elect Donald Trump. And on Jan. 20, he will become President Donald Trump. What will the Trump administration’s policies be as it pertains to Israel? Here’s what we know.

Settlements

Trump’s nomination of bankruptcy attorney and pro-settlement activist David Friedman as the U.S. ambassador to Israel indicates that Trump will have a more favorable attitude towards West Bank settlements than any president in U.S. history. In 2003, Trump donated $10,000 to the Israeli West Bank settlement of Beit El. And on Dec. 22, Trump helped scuttle an Egyptian-led anti-settlement resolution in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and then criticized the international body the following day when it still managed to pass the resolution.

United Nations

All indications are that Trump’s relationship with the U.N. will be markedly different from that of his predecessors. While his precise plans are unclear, his opposition to the anti-settlement UNSC resolution that passed on December 23rd indicates that he will push back against what he sees as U.N. bias. Just after the resolution passed, Trump tweeted, “As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.”

Iran

Although Iran has been relatively absent from the news in recent months, it remains Israel’s top geopolitical foe. Trump has promised numerous times during his campaign to rip up the nuclear deal that President Obama signed with Iran, despite current CIA director John Brennan’s recent warnings that such a move would be “the height of folly.” The deal removed numerous economic sanctions placed on Iran and released billions of dollars of frozen assets, in exchange for temporary limits on Iran’s nuclear program.

11

SPORTS

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Boys basketball sees defense as key to successful season Noah Hyman, Sports Editor

Varsity basketball (Source: Damian Rodriguez)

Early on in the 2016-17 season, the YULA Boys varsity basketball team, led by Head Coach Eli Hami and Assistant Coach Mike Pollack has one thing on the front of their minds during their thrice-weekly two-hour practices: Defense.

Junior Noah Pomerance, the Panthers’ starting point guard and assists leader, believes getting into shootouts with opposing teams will not be the way to go far this year. “The key to success this season is to play together, execute, and keep the games from getting into the 50s,” Pomerance said.

The Panthers’ record currently stands at 6-5.

The team’s captains this year are seniors Alan Gindi, David Sassoon, Evan Teichman and David Haboosheh. Joining the team anew are seniors Gal Ben Shushan and Elchanan Gabbai, along with juniors Noah Hyman, Luria Hadad, Eli Isaacs, and sophomore Joseph Sassoon.

The season opened up with a series of three tournaments: The Cooper Invitational from Nov 3-6 in Memphis, the Glouberman tournament from Nov 10-13 here in Los Angeles, and the Heritage Christian

Tournament from Dec 5-12 again in Los Angeles. After losing their first game of the season in the first round of the Cooper Invitational , the team rebounded with strong performances but fell short of their ultimate goal, losing to deToledo High School in the Tier II championship game.

The Panthers, had to move on from the loss quickly, though, as the Glouberman Tournament began immediately after they returned to Los Angeles. The exhausted team fought hard but ended up falling to visiting Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy (SAR) in the semifinals. All in all, the team played 9 games in 10 days, going 4-5.

That preseason win preceded the team’s five-game win streak to open the season before falling to Shalhevet and Valley Torah.

During the recent losses, the defense remained stout but the offense sputtered. Junior guard Luria Hadad understands the need for improvement on the offensive end, saying “We have established our identity as a defensive team and now we just need to execute on offense to win games.”

Despite 0-4 start, girls varsity soccer sees success within its grasp Rivka Abrams, Staff Writer

The YULA Girls’ varsity soccer team has started off the year 0-4, but senior captains Tali Tofler and Miriam Arnan believe the Lady Panthers can turn it around.

Despite losses against Cavalry Chapel, New Roads and Glendale Adventist Academy, Tofler thinks the Lady Panthers can build upon its strengths thanks to its rigorous practice schedule and team unity, and win upcoming games against PC Newport, Glendale Academy, and New Roads.

One of Tofler’s main challenges this season is integrating new players into their optimal roles, and keeping up team spirits despite the so far winless sea-

son. “It’s important for us all to keep our spirits up; with our positive attitudes and hardwork we can turn this season around,” Tofler said.

Golda Valensi, one of the team’s two freshman and a forward striker on the team, said the warm atmosphere among the players has helped her weather the rocky start.

“There is a good environment and the girls are really nice and welcoming,” Valensi said.

So far this season, the team has played three games against Cavalry Chapel, New Roads, and Glendale Adventist Academy. Although they lost all three games, the girls are confident of stacking up 12

some wins down the road. “Even though we have not won any games yet, we are improving as a team and hope to start winning as the season progresses,” said stopper Kayla Mahboubi (‘21).

The team has not let these initial losses get them down. As sophomore and midfielder Molly Cate said, “Everyone on the team has a positive attitude, and I am confident that we will win in the future because we are all pushing ourselves to our limits.”

With their confidence and skill, the YULA Girls’ soccer team hopes that their dedication and perseverance will lead them to a successful second half of the season.

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

SPORTS

Should we look to athletes as role models?

Noah Hyman, Sports Editor

As I walked out of school one day recently, I overheard a fellow student exclaim, “Russell Westbrook is a god.” (Westbrook is a basketball superstar for the Oklahoma City Thunder.)

Obviously, this was tongue-in-cheek. The student who said this does not believe Westbrook is a deity. But still, I found the characterization of any person as a god to be surprising. At YULA and in our homes and synagogues, we are surrounded by the commandments of the one God.

My initial reaction to the Westbrook-as-god statement led me to wonder the following: Just as Jews try to imitate God by acting in a holy manner, many boys, including religious Jews, imitate sports stars like Russell Westbrook. Is that appropriate? Should we look up to sports stars?

Star athletes have become role models for Jewish teens at YULA and nationwide. The next time you’re in the cafeteria or in the halls, try to count how many conversations about athletes you overhear.

Is that a good thing? A bad thing? Neither?

After all, many athletes do not display exemplary behavior, and consistently act in ways unsuited for a role model. On the minor end, this could range from an arrogant on-field celebration to an inappropriate comment at a press conference. On the major end, it could range from misdemeanors to violent felonies.

To name a few famous athletes, Ray Rice, Josh Brown, Greg Hardy, and Adrian Peterson have all been accused of domestic violence. These represent only a handful of many more cases ranging from gambling and

substance abuse to DUIs and assault. Are these the type of people that we should be looking up to?

Charles Barkley, the former Phoenix Suns star and currently a renowned TNT commentator, famously said in a 1993 Nike ad, “I am not a role model. Just because I can dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”

Barkley hit on a key point: Athletic prowess does not automatically qualify a person to be a role model. Athletes are paid to win and generate revenue, not to be beacons of morality.

That said, even if athletes shouldn’t necessarily be role models, their prominence automatically give them outsized influence. Another NBA great, Karl Malone, responded to Barkley’s ad by saying, “Charles…

I don’t think it’s your decision to make. We don’t choose to be role models, we are chosen. Our only choice is whether to be a good or a bad one.”

Malone is right. Great players will always be idolized, and the burden is on them to make sure they set a good example. And many do.

Golden State Warriors’ star Kevin Durant, for example, always made a point to thank his mother along every step of his basketball journey. In his emotionally charged MVP speech in 2014 he credited his mother with the award and deemed her “the real MVP.”

The NFL, meanwhile, recently decided to designate a week in which players could advertise a charity of their choice. They gave the slogan “My Cleats, My Cause” to week 13 this season. Each player specially

Lady Panthers basketball team heads into a new season

In a first, Lady Panthers basketball hires male coaches

By: Madeline Rubin, Staff Writer

With new (male) coaches, regular practices and two pre-season tournaments, the YULA Girls basketball team is geared up for what they hope will be a successful start to a new season on Jan. 3 against Glendale Adventist Academy.

This year’s team of three seniors, five sophomores, one freshman, and new coaches, Tyree Burnett and Tyus Tillman, have had a busy preseason. From Nov. 10-12, the Lady Panthers participated in the Steve Glouberman Basketball Tournament held at Shalhevet, where schools from Florida, New York, and Israel came to compete.

YULA lost against Katz Yeshiva High School and Shalhevet, while twice defeating Elitzur Petach Tikvah.

“Having this be my second year on varsity, I can really see the difference in the dynamic of the team,” said sophomore and shooting guard Rebecca Rabbanian. “I’m excited to see what the future has in store”

The team also competed in the Milken Community School Tournament from Dec. 5-8, losing to Campbell Hall, Milken Community Schools, and The Archer School for Girls, but defeating New Roads High School. Although the girls faced harsh competition and only came out with a single victory, they believe the experience was valuable preparation for the upcoming season.

“I am very excited for the rest of the season, and hope that with our new coaches our team can reach our potential and continue with a strong season,” said senior shooting guard Ariella Javidzad.

As part of the team’s preseason bonding exercises, Mrs. Natalie Williams, YULA Girls Associate Principal,

led the girls in an erev Shabbos chessed activity, visiting residents at a nursing home and bringing Shabbat kits. The team spent that afternoon lighting Shabbat candles, reciting kiddush, and playing music. With tambourines in hand, the girls sang and danced with the women at the home.

“I have never been a part of such a cohesive team before, and I am looking forward to continuing to grow in my basketball skills and remaining a part of the YULA Girls basketball team for the next four years,” said freshman center Elinorah Kavosh.

The girls team played two non-league games one against New Roads High School, and the other Pacific Hills. Both the coaches and players value these games as a good practice and a test to see the effects of their practice and efforts.

“It is very important to give the girls an opportunity to shine, so these games minimize the pressure to let them demonstrate their skills as a team,” Tilman said.

In February, the Lady Panthers will fly to Miami for the annual six-day Hebrew Academy Captain Hyman P. Galbut Girls Shabbaton and Tournament. Senior captain and center Sahel Basiratmand said she particularly wants to finish in first at this year’s tournament, as it will be her last with the team.

“I am excited to lead the team to success and leave our mark in Miami,” Basiratmand said.

13

(cont’d on pg. 18)

By: Madeline Rubin, Staff Writer

Breaking from its past tradition of hiring only female coaches, the Lady Panthers, for the first time have hired male coaches Tyree Burnett and Tyus Tillman to lead them this season.

And with a 5-5 preseason record heading into the team’s Jan. 3 opener, Burnett and Tillman think 2017 can be a special year.

Burnett was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has played basketball for over 40 years. Before joining YULA athletics as head coach for the varsity girls’ team, he volunteered to coach teenage boys. Among one of many differences that he sees between coaching boys and girls, Tyree thinks giving directions and having them followed may be easier with girls. “Unlike in my experience coaching boys, I do not see ego getting in the way,” Tyree said.

Tillman has played basketball internationally, competing in Germany and previously playing for Northwestern University.

He is excited to start off the season strong and show the Panthers new exercising techniques he has learned from his years as a sports therapist.

“I love teaching basketball because it enables me to give back the gift that has helped me tremendously throughout my life. I am also looking forward to a great season, and am especially enjoying coaching the girls because they are cooperative and utilize our advice to improve,” Tillman said.

Candy DeSpain, the YULA Girls Athletic Director, Burnett and Tillman decided to combine the varsity and junior varsity teams this year, in an attempt to improve YULA’s chances of making a deep playoff run and hopefully winning a championship.

“We want to go all the way, we aren’t going down without fighting for our spot,” Tyree said.

In preparation for having male coaches, during tryouts from Nov. 1-3, girls from every grade were given a new set of rules. Among them were attire specifications and rules stipulating that there can be no physical contact between students and coaches.

Varsity captain Sahel Basiratmand (‘17) expressed her excitement to compete under “a knowledgeable coach who will ultimately lead the team to success in the championship.”

SPORTS

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

A man with a plan: Boys’ JV soccer gets new coach Caleb Aranoff, Staff Writer

The YULA boys junior varsity soccer team began the 2016-17 season with a new coach, Paul Walmsley, who hopes to use his experience both playing and coaching college soccer to lead the junior varsity team to a successful season.

Walmsley played college soccer in Scotland, at the University of Aberdeen, after which he moved to the United States, where he has coached at the college level for several years, most recently at Whittier College, a Division III team east of Los Angeles.

At Whittier, Mr. Walmsley inherited a situation that made him the team’s fifth coach in six years. And it was a team that, to put it mildly, needed a lot of help. Mr. Walmsley focused on optimizing the team’s defensive line, and trying to win in low-scoring affairs.

“Any soccer team that concedes the least amount of goals, if they really can defend a team well, they have the ability to win a game 1-0,” Mr. Walmsley said. “Although the win may only come by one point, the win is the only statistic that really counts.”

Mr. Walmsley therefore developed a defensive-minded team and an unconventional style of play. The defense would get the ball and clear it as quickly as possible, without worrying about its destination. The results were slow but the team gradually progressed. The first two seasons their defense was the only part of their game that clicked, and the team finished with season records of 2-15-1 and 3-15, respectively. In Mr. Walmsley’s third season, his first full recruiting class, the offense started to flow as well. Theteam’s playmaking improved, and they began winning games,

Junior Varisty soccer game (Source: Damian Rodriguez)

finishing 9-5-4, and then 10-8-1 in Mr. Walmsley’s fourth season.

Mr. Walmsley hopes to bring a similarly defensively-minded focus to YULA’s soccer team, which has started the season 1-2-2 under captain Mendy Sacks.

“I enjoy this type of challenge,” Mr. Walmsley said. “The team has already shown progress in the first three games.”

YULA Panthers box their way through a second season Rivka Abrams, Staff Writer

Last year, the YULA Girls school launched its first boxing club. with learning the basic boxing moves. These moves included jab crosses, The team captains, sophomores Mia Fishbein and Ayala Shriki, collabo- left and right jabs, hook punches, and knee strikes. As the club progresses, rated with Athletics Director, Candy DeSpain, to maintain the club for its they will build on these moves when learning more complex plays. second consecutive year.

The club does not intend to participate in any competitions this

In the past, YULA year. As an amateur club, has run self-defense courses they feel they should first for their students; however, focus on mastering the basic these were all temporary. The moves. Outlining the club’s boxing club is going strong, goals, Shriki said, “So far, and is likely to remain a stawe do not intend to compete. ple sport in the athletics deWhen we improve and department. velop our skills we will con Members feel strongsider this as a possibility.” ly about spreading aware The club has drastically exness for the club. As teenpanded from 12 members age girls, they identify with last year to 23 members the importance of learning this year; and some accredself-defense, particularly in it YULA’s “POWERUP” an urban environment. “As theme with its growing ina woman, I wanted to learn terest among the students. how to defend myself,” ShriPOWERUP is a YULA Girls ki said. term that focuses on empow Once Fishbein and ering women to maximize Shriki became interested in their talents and pursue their initiating the sport, they apdreams. proached the athletics de Julia Levine, a freshpartment. After receiving man member of the boxing approval, DeSpain agreed to club, said the practices have Boxers practicing (Source: Rebecca Rabbanian) coach the club and took their given her valuable self-deidea to the administration. fense skills.

“After talking to [Ms. DeSpain], she worked tirelessly to receive permis- “It makes me more confident,” Levine said. “At school, we learn sion from the administration to start the club,” Fishbein said. about our power as women in this community and the world at large, and

The main challenge in getting the club started was the location for this club really helps me understand my abilities, stand up for myself, and practices. Due to the numerous fall sports that train in the gym, the pros- recognize my talents.” pects of securing a time-slot for boxing practice seemed slim. DeSpain, Another member, sophomore Shayna Feldman, said, “I feel safer along with Fishbein and Shriki, searched for other gyms in the area. How- walking around. It is a healthy sport and good exercise.” ever, they ultimately managed to secure YULA’s gym.

Sapir Mangoli, a sophomore, said that boxing and self-defense are

“We looked at various boxing studios, but decided on YULA’s gym “especially necessary for women nowadays due to all the dangerous incito make scheduling rides easier,” said Shriki. Once settling on the gym, the dents happening around the world.” club decided that they would meet and train once a week.

“It is not an exercise form I dread,” Mangoli continued. “It is fun

Since all club members were new to the sport, they had to start and enjoyable because I am able to participate with my friends.”

14

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

OPINION

The pressure point of the college application season Amira Felsenthal, Op-Ed Contributor

Everyone knows what social pressure feels like, whether it comes from parents, friends, or even ourselves. One of the most powerful forms of pressure for teens in the Jewish community is academic pressure, and the sense of obligation to excel in school and be accepted by highly-ranked colleges. As a senior, I have seen firsthand how powerful and, yes, harmful this pressure is for my peers.

People describe students that go to high-ranking colleges like Harvard and Princeton as brilliant. Those who attend these schools may be very smart, but speaking this way equates attending a high-ranking college with intelligence, which is just not a fair designation. Bright people attend mid or low-ranking schools for financial and logistical reasons all the time.

Students grow up believing that to be recognized as smart they must attend high-ranking schools.

This pressure often comes from home. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth studied students who were at or above the 97th percentile on an achievement test. Of these students’ parents, 73 percent said they thought it was important for their child to attend a top college. These parents are likely pressuring their children to remain in the top percentile. The summer before 11th grade I attended Elite, a standardized testing prep school, which I was self-motivated to attend.

But the majority of my classmates were forced to attend by their parents.

One of my classmates only came to class because his parents revoked his driving privileges until his scores went up.

The pressure to go to high-ranking colleges has become all too apparent in my life. Since the first day of this school year, my conversations with friends have revolved around SAT and ACT scores, college essays, and applications. I have watched my friends stress to no end to accomplish one goal: get into a high-ranking college. This ubiquitous pressure follows seniors around, pushing them to do what often does not make sense financially, or in terms of their physical or mental health.

Pressure leads to stress. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, 83 percent of teens report that school is a partial or significant source of stress. The tests and homework don’t stop in senior year just because we are applying to college. I have watched too many of my friends cry over the strain they feel trying to juggle schoolwork and college applications. No 17 or 18 year-old should have anxiety because they feel pressured. We are creating an atmosphere where stress is inevit-

able, so it is ignored, despite the fact that it is detrimental to our health.

Furthermore, going to high-ranking colleges does not make sense financially for many students. The 15 best colleges in America listed by the U.S. News & World Report are all over $40,000 per year, plus room and board, not to mention the astronomical costs of textbooks. Financially, it makes more sense for many students to attend public schools or schools that are not as highly-ranked that give scholarships, rather than more expensive schools that are higher-ranked. People say that students who attend high-ranking colleges will quickly get jobs and pay back their debt, but the U.S. News & World Report says that on average it takes 21 years to pay off a bachelor’s degree. We are irresponsibly pushing many young people to take on debt that can last for years.

It does not always make sense to go to a college just because it is high-ranking. Every person is different, and it is wrong to assume that a student would succeed at a college just because it was the “best” college they could get into. If you want to be a social worker, the best schools for you are not found in the aforementioned list of the top 15 colleges. If you want to go to a school with a lively Jewish community, Washington University’s Hillel has stated that it cannot guarantee a minyan, though it is a top-tier school. A college’s high-ranking simply does not mean it will be the best fit.

Pushing students to get into high-ranking colleges causes them to overextend themselves in activities and classes they do not necessarily enjoy, but partake in anyway because they think they will appear impressive to a college’s admissions committee. It’s hard to believe that every student in AP Calculus or AP European History is in that class because they care about the subject. The same goes for extracurricular activities like Model UN and robotics. When we focus on what seems impressive instead of what we like, we forget that high school is supposed to be enjoyable.

High-ranking colleges are highly ranked for a reason. They are great schools with fantastic programs. But not every student belongs at one of these schools. School rankings are subjective, and pressuring students to get into colleges that won’t be the right fit just because they are “good” can be detrimental to their future. Obsession over getting into a “top” college brings more negative effects than positive, and should not be the norm.

This article is not clickbait Eitan Tennenbaum, Op-Ed Contributor

“YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT THIS ARTICLE SAYS!” This snippet of text, a standard headline for online “clickbait” articles, is both immediately familiar and frustrating to anyone who’s used the internet in recent years.

Clickbait is defined as “[Internet] content, especially that of a sensational or provocative nature, whose main purpose is to attract attention and draw visitors to a particular web page.”

Clickbait is usually a picture that will grab your attention, like two celebrities smiling together, or a bizarre, outlandish object, accompanied by a head-turning title. For example, “10 PICTURES YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE EXIST!”

Pictures of something ridiculous peak your curiosity, and the title both challenges your intelligence and makes you more curious about the content of the article.

What exactly is the problem with clickbait?

Why is an enticing headline and an eye-catching picture a problem for internet users?

Clickbait often makes readers susceptible to malware and viruses through visiting unsafe websites. You’ll find that when you click some shifty headline, the URL at the top of your screen switches rapidly. That’s your computer going through several websites in rapid succession, so as to regis-

ter as many advertisement views as possible, which gives money to the owners of the websites. These websites are paid by advertising companies to get as many views on their ads as possible, so naturally the websites take full advantage of that. Oftentimes these websites will have slideshows where each picture reloads the entire page, because each reload is a separate page visit and each page visit counts as more ad views. Clickbait turns journalism into an enterprise more focused on ad revenue at any cost and less focused on news.

Successful journalism should be about quality news reporting. Today, though, successful companies are the ones who can get enough users to interact with their website enough times. A media outlet that refrains from using clickbait as a means of revenue would fall behind the dozens of other outlets that sacrifice quality to stay afloat. In an article written by Jeffrey Dvorkin, a professor at the University of Toronto and the director of its journalism program, Dvorkin said, “This increased competition from media organizations like Buzzfeed, Vice Media and Vox have put renewed pressure on legacy media.Broadcasters especially try to entice their audiences through clickbait.”

These pieces can be seen on almost every news outlet website, while the handful of main15

stream news outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that don’t swim in clickbait are in the minority.

Is this clickbait problem solvable? No, and yes. News sites will resort to clickbait for as long as it makes them money. No amount of shaming will change that. However, web users should learn to recognize the difference between journalism and entertainment.

Clickbait articles are a simple form of entertainment that grabs the attention of the reader and that gains revenue for websites. By definition, clickbait disappoints users. The website baits you to click on something that delivers low-value content, but brings the website revenue. People who are tired of clickbait need to identify the difference between entertainment and journalism, and then ignore clickbait, so that companies stop seeing it as a source of revenue.

An article about a speech by the president should never be categorized in the same section as an article titled, “The Top 10 Harry Potter Characters and Their Zodiac Signs”. The media outlets themselves will not likely draw a clear line between journalism and entertainment, because it’s not in their interest to. It’s our job to draw that line, and to stay on the right side.

OPINION

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Can you be pro-Israel and support U.S. abstention?

Daniel Silvera, Opinion Editor

On Dec. 23 the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) ruled that West Bank and East Jerusalem land captured by Israel in the six-day war holds no legality in the eyes of international law. Resolution 2334, in its own words, “Reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”

This decision, and most notably, the United States government’s abstention, shocked many of us in the Jewish community, dividing those in the more conservative “AIPAC camp,” to put it broadly, from those in the more progressive “J Street” camp.

My question is: Is it possible to support this resolution and still call oneself pro-Israel? Or is this beyond the pale?

The resolution rules that East Jerusalem is occupied Israeli territory. But East Jerusalem is where the Kotel is. Behind the Temple Mount, which we can’t visit, the Kotel is the holiest Jewish site on earth. How can this be called “occupied”? Aside from its obvious religious centrality to Jews, Israel captured East Jerusalem in a defensive war in which it warned Jordan not to attack. As Hillel Neuer of UN Watch wrote in The Times of Israel, “The resolution is offensive to Jews worldwide by absurdly defining the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, and the holiest Jewish sites of the Temple Mount and Western Wall, as ‘occupied Palestinian territory.’ ”

On the other hand, the resolution’s supporters in the Jewish community argue that it is the first step on a long and winding road to peace.

Note the last line in the resolution itself: “[The settlements are] a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.” Most who are in favor of the decision point to

this as the heart of their argument. As J Street put it: “J Street welcomes the decision today by the Obama administration to abstain from voting on a United Nations Security Council resolution, which reaffirms the need for a two-state solution and calls for a halt to actions by both sides that serve to undermine the prospects for peace.” They believe that a twostate solution is Israel’s best bet for peace, and that the U.S. abstention in the United Nations brings a two-state solution closer.

And, as Secretary of State John Kerry strongly implied in his hourplus press conference on Israel and the Palestinians, the Israeli government has become too comfortable with the status quo, and only international pressure will move it towards making concessions to the Palestinians.

Resolution opponents point out, though, that land-for-peace will not work--at least for as long as the Palestinians only want peace without Israel. After all, when Ariel Sharon unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians democratically elected Hamas, which is explicitly sworn to Israel’s destruction. But that move was unilateral, and lacked a formal agreement with the Palestinians. When Israel did make an agreedto land-for-peace deal with Egypt, it ushered an a long-lasting (if cold) partnership, between two previous enemies. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Israel’s former Defense Minister, said in 2011, “Egypt is not only our closest friend in the region, the cooperation between us goes beyond the strategic.”

It’s important to remember that both sides of the resolution argument are pro-Israel and both sides want peace among the Palestinians and Israelis. Regardless of your opinion on this issue, it is crucial to not let UN Resolution 2334 divide the Jewish people. The controversy and debate over the resolution has brought tension between those of differing political opinions, when in reality we all have the same goal: a nation of Israel in a time of peace.

Women in the IDF: Making a kiddush Hashem Rachel Simon, Staff Writer

From the time of Israel’s establishment until today, most Orthodox Jewish women have refrained from serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) due to a lack of female religious presence. However, recent exceptions have pierced the barrier between secular and religious Jewish women in the Israeli army.

In the history of the IDF, most army units have been secular. But in the past few decades, several Chareidi army units for men have been established. The most well-known Chareidi unit is Netzach Yehudah. In these units, halacha is strictly observed. Yehudah Shaffer, an American Orthodox soldier who previously served in Machal Chareidi-a unit for non-Israeli Chareidim, said there are no women allowed, there are set times for davening, and said in a telephone interview that on Shabbos, “It’s like being in a Yeshiva except everyone walks around with machine guns.” On Friday night, soldiers wear white shirts with their uniforms in honor of Shabbos.

The existence of Chareidi units, though, does not extend to women, who can only serve in secular units. Many Orthodox women, therefore, choose to participate in Sherut Leumi (national service) rather than in the IDF. However, some women feel inspired to serve more actively in the army.

For example, YULA graduate Deena Felsenthal, a former weapons instructor in the IDF, described her motivation for serving in an interview with the Post: “I decided that for myself, personally, I would be able to give a lot more back to my country… I wanted to have a direct effect specifically on the safety of our country.”

Fayga Marks, a Chareidi woman from Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, chose to serve in the IDF despite legitimate concern from her family, friends, and teachers regarding the secular environment of the army. “I was very determined. I didn’t really care what people had to say,” Ms. Marks said in an interview.

The demands of the army can be challenging for Orthodox women in particular. Ms. Marks found the need to use her innate firmness and determination in order to preserve her Yiddishkeit during her two years of service. Although the Israeli army accommodates the religious needs of Orthodox soldiers, it is not automatic for an Orthodox woman in a secular unit to receive every special accommodation she needs. “You have to fight for it,” Ms. Marks said, recalling some of her argumentative experiences with commanders when she insisted on maintaining certain religious standards.

She recalled that on Shabbos and Yom Tov, “I had to challenge my commander She recalled that on Shabbos and Yom Tov, “I had to challenge my commander in the morning, ‘I’m going to sit in shul and I’m going to get my forty minutes to daven.’ ”

When Marks entered into basic training, she was faced with her first religious challenge. “I came in in a long black skirt, [and] a long sleeve black top,” she said, and when the time came to receive her uniform, she recalled, “They handed me a pair of pants, and I said, ‘Nope, I want a skirt.’ ”

Ms. Marks was told that no skirts were available on base. “It took them, like, over 30 minutes, ‘I’m going to sit in shul and I’m going to get my forty minutes to daven.’ ”

When Ms. Marks entered into basic training, she was faced with her first religious challenge. “I came in in a long black skirt, [and] a long sleeve black top,” she said, and when the time came to receive her uniform, she recalled, “They handed me a pair of pants, and I said, ‘Nope, I want a skirt.’ ”

Ms. Marks was told that no skirts were available on base. “It took them, like, over 30 minutes, and I ended up holding up a line of about a thousand girls over a skirt.”

Later on, it was noticed that Ms. Marks was not eating enough food; “I didn’t know the kashrus of the food on the base,” Ms. Marks said. In retrospect she explained, “I ended up serving in the kitchen and I learned that every base is kosher; some levels are mehadrin, some are not.”

“They took me to the head commander of the platoon,” Ms. Marks continued. After Ms. Marks expressed her uncertainty of the kashrus, the commander told her about religious men who came a few times a week for special training. “‘We bring them corn-schnitzel,’” the commander said. “‘So would you like corn schnitzel?’ ” Such moments provide religious women such as Marks and Felsenthal with the opportunity to make a kiddush Hashem.

Felsenthal saw her potential impact when, out of 50 women in basic training, she realized that she was “the only Orthodox girl.”

One might assume that a non-religious environment may cause strain on one’s individual religiosity. However, for Felsenthal and Marks, it had the opposite effect.

When asked whether or not the secular environment had affected her level of religiosity, Felsenthal replied, “Not at all. If anything it made me feel more connected to Judaism.”

Having mentioned that there were four hundred girls in her group, Marks said that “no one else during my basic training was religious.” She admitted that the new irreligious environment was a “culture shock,” and for a frum girl, it was a difficult transition.

Through their religious differences, Felsenthal and Marks were able to connect with their fellow soldiers in a profound way. By being ‘the Orthodox girl,’ Felsenthal and Ms. Marks laid a precedent of respect and approachability.

Ms. Marks recalled, “I had one girl who didn’t know what Purim was all about, and one night, she was like, ‘Tell me a bedtime story!’ So I literally started telling her [the] story of the Megilla.”

Felsenthal felt similarly. “I felt that people really respected me as the frum girl on base,” she said.

16

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

Rabbi Abraham Lieberman announces his departure cont’d from pg. 1

in Brooklyn, he aspired to be a psychiatrist. However, when he heard from his guidance counselor how many years of schooling he would need before being able to practice, he decided to try to become a psychologist instead. While he was in Brooklyn College to get his degree in psychology, one of his friends asked him for a favor: Teach one class of Jewish eighth grade boys Chumash, Navi, and Dinim for a few months.

After graduating college in 1977, Rabbi Lieberman taught Torah studies in the boys’ department of Ezra Academy, a Jewish school in Forest Hills, New York. He then left Ezra Academy in 1979 to become one of the founding teachers of Shulamith High School for Girls in Brooklyn, where he worked for 30 years.

One day in December of 2007, Rabbi Lieberman received a call from a friend in California, asking him to spend a week out west to see if he would like to move there.

“No snow in the middle of January was a great sign to say ‘Hey, let’s go!’” Rabbi Lieberman found that there was a job available at YULA Girls High School as Head of School. He interviewed for the job, and got it.

At YULA, Rabbi Lieberman’s main focus has been instilling in the students a passion for Torah. “You want to make Torah come alive,” Rabbi Lieberman said in an interview. “You want your students to love learning and to have pride being a part of the Jewish nation.”

When asked how he gets young Jews interested in Torah, he said, “I think that Torah is so beautiful, that if you really show them this, then it’s not that hard for them to see its beauty.”

But Rabbi Lieberman added that he also grew through working with YULA’s students. “I think that the beauty of being around teenagers who are trying to figure out who they are and they include you in their journey and struggles is definitely a process of growth both ways,” Rabbi Lieberman said, smiling, adding that he has learned something new from every student.

Rabbi Lieberman did not specify any concrete plans for his post-YULA career, although he does plan to stay in California. “I’ll figure it out as I go,” he said.

Mrs. Bluma Drebin, the General Studies Principal, described Rabbi Lieberman as an open-minded, humble, and positive man.

“He looks at people and the quality of their ideas,” Drebin said. “He does not look and decide that must be who they are.”

Asked to recall some specific memories with Rabbi Lieberman, Drebin smiled, and said, “Well, there are a lot of quotes that Rabbi Lieberman says that have really impacted me and now are part of my vernacular.” Drebin mentioned Rabbi Lieberman’s oft-used line, “It’s all good,” meaning that G-d has a plan for everyone and whatever happens is meant to be.

When she first met Rabbi Lieberman, Drebin recalled, he had all the teachers send him a copy of their students’ final exams.

“When he first came to school, it was so clear that he had read all the exams and he understood something about us as teachers from looking over the exams,” she said. “I was blown away from that.”

“He really made this a place that was really safe and comfortable for all the students,” Drebin continued. “He has a complete open door policy. Girls can come to him for anything.”

Rabbi Joshua Spodek set to assume YULA Girls leadership cont’d from pg. 1

What are their names?

Rabbi Spodek: I am originally from Toronto and my wife Tova is from Montreal. We made aliyah the summer we were married back in 1998 and just became U.S. citizens 6 months ago, after living in the United States for the past 14 years. We actually have 3 passports that we travel with at all times—Canadian, Israeli and American. Fun fact: Tova is my brother’s wife’s sister...They set us up and we got married two years after them.

Our two oldest, Yitzchak, 17 years old and Yael, 14 years old were both born in Jerusalem while Adina, 12 years old and Akiva, 8 years old were born in Boca Raton.

I studied and lived in Yeshivat Shaalvim for 8 years--4 of those married and in Kollel.

We moved to Boca Raton in 2002 to start working at the Yeshiva High School of Boca Raton, a Modern Orthodox, Religious Zionist Yeshiva High School. I was hired as a full time rebbe and Student Activities Director, and during my time there was involved in alumni affairs, public relations and marketing for the school, and [I] served on the administration of the school for six years.

For the past seven years I have worked at Scheck Hillel Community School in Aventura, Florida serving as the Principal for Judaic Studies, Hebrew Language, and the Arts for a campus of 1,100 students from nursery to grade 12.

Panther Post: What goals do you hope to achieve in your first year as part of the YULA family?

Rabbi Spodek: My goal and priority for my first year as part of this incredible YULA family is to get to know YULA. To get to know all of you — our students, our faculty, our parents and alumni. I plan on meeting with as many of you as I can over the next few months and will ask many questions, such as: What is your experience like at YULA? What are your favorite classes? What are the best parts [about] school? What are the things you wish we could change or improve upon?

I will sit in on classes, walk the hallways, and just watch and observe life at YULA.

My priority is to learn; to ask lots of questions; to observe, to study and to understand what has made YULA...YULA for all these years. And then and only then will we talk about a vision for the future and where we want to go.

I would like to understand the culture at the school from a students and from a faculty perspective. I need to understand the academic program and schedule. The co-curriculars, the athletics, drama and student activities.

Panther Post: Do you plan to teach any classes?

Rabbi Spodek: Great question. [It’s] too early to tell about teaching classes yet but one thing I will certainly do, and have been doing here at Scheck Hillel for many years, is to be available to sub for teachers when a personal emergency comes up and a teacher has to leave campus last minute for some reason. Subbing for so many different classes and teachers, across all grade levels, has 17

really given me an incredible opportunity to connect and learn with as many students as possible on campus and has helped teachers feel less stress and anxiety about leaving their classrooms without lesson plans or work for students to do.

I would also like to create an opportunity to give a weekly shiur to either an entire grade or the entire school--hopefully something inspiring, engaging and thought-provoking.

Panther Post: Are there any ideas or programs from Scheck Hillel that you would like to introduce to YULA? Rabbi Spodek: Over time I would like us to take a look at our tefilah program and how we can ensure that “more girls more of the time” are connecting to Hashem through tefilah and find that time meaningful, inspirational and purposeful.

I would also like us to look at our Judaic Studies and General Studies programs to ensure that our curriculum and assessments are relevant, contemporary, and purposeful for our students. We have to ensure that we are truly preparing students to live in our modern, global 21st century world and that the skills and opportunities we are providing our students serve to help them transition and move seamlessly onto a college campus and beyond. Skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. The “four C’s” are crucial for our students to develop and hone during their time at YULA.

After years of delays, YULA’s massive construction project takes off cont’d from pg. 1

The construction project also includes updates to many of the school’s existing buildings. When asked how the plans will change the way students interact with the campus, YULA Principal Rabbi Arye Sufrin said, “The campus expansion will allow our students to elevate their learning in both Judaic and general studies to an entirely new level.”

“Even with the exciting campus expansion, it is clear that our beit midrash will continue to be the center of our campus. The central beit midrash serves as a reminder that spiritual growth pervades everything that is done at the school. It is crucial to the school that it retains its core philosophy, even when surrounded by exciting and meaningful enhancements,” Sufrin said.

“We all owe hakarat hatov to Mr. David Nagel, Rabbi Dov Emerson, and our lay leadership for helping turn this dream into a reality.”

Most students who were asked what they looked forward to the most about the new campus said the new gym, which will be YULA Boys’ first. Yet, excitement also exists for other aspects of the new campus. The robotics team, for example, is thrilled to be receiving a room dedicated to their team, instead of sharing a room, as they do now, with other classes.

Eli Isaacs (‘18), an avid reader, is most excited for the library, as it will create a space for him to read in silence. “[At YULA] it’s pretty hard to find a nice, quiet place to concentrate, but hopefully the library will fix that,” Isaacs said.

Two temporary drawbacks to the construction project finally kicking off have been noise issues, and the removal of the new construction area as a space for parking, recreation

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

and hangout. Parking has been moved to a lot across the street, just a one-minute walk from the school; students have no basketball court to use for the time being, and there are no outdoor benches on which to eat.

Although the construction process is disruptive to everyday student life, the administration has tried to limit nuisances and accommodate students and faculty. In addition to the adjacent temporary parking lot, some classrooms have been opened during lunch to give students more room to eat, and the administration has communicated with students via email when, for example, a certain entrance is closed for a day due to construction.

The administration has also been open to suggestions for further changes that might ease the discomfort, recently hosting open discussions in the beit midrash to give students the opportunity to present their ideas.

“Thanks to the efforts of Mr. David Nagel and other key lay-leaders the vision has emerged in the last couple of years to truly make the new campus something special,” said Rabbi Emerson. “We’re really excited that the work will result in a world-class campus. We have the best students in the country, and they deserve the best campus in the country.”

Polymatheus receives prestigious award and nomination from Columbia cont’d from pg. 2

This year’s award and nomination is the most prestigious yet for Polymatheus, which was started by advisor Pamela Felcher in 2013. Polymatheus Managing Editor Noah Hyman (‘18) attributes the achievement to a talented and dedicated staff.

“Never before has Polymatheus had such a skilled and dedicated lot of students to contribute,” Hyman said. “With its newfound success, we hope that Polymatheus’ array of student-staff members will broaden. Ever since its creation, Polymatheus has been an almost ‘underground’ extra-curricular in the sense that it was not advertised as widely as most clubs or after-school activities. Up until this point, the only students to know about the publication were those in Ms. Felcher’s honors or AP English classes. Hopefully, now that it has made a name for itself,

more students will feel compelled to contribute to the publication and its future successes.”

Q&A with Helfand cont’d from pg. 6

about him is the way he played the game. When he walked into the end zone he just handed the ball to the ref as though he had been there before.

Panther Post: What is your best piece of advice for our students?

Dr. Helfand: The next generation of high school students is the next generation of college students, and you’ll control the voice of the Jewish community going forward. I think there’s nothing more important than being deeply engaged with issues of Jewish justice. I believe that and that’s why I teach my class. I think that’s the job of a high school student: developing a view of that. Professionally? Show up! Nowadays, we send emails and think that’s the way to build relationships and accomplish our objectives. If you want something you should be dedicated when you need to and show up to advocate for your cause.

Trusting the Man upstairs cont’d from pg. 8

adverse situation that we confront individually

or as a people: There is no contradiction between bitachon and rational, measured hishtadlut. But once we have exhausted our hishtadlut, once a situation feels hopeless on a logical level, we must always remember that at the end of the day, yesh lanu Av Zaken - we have an old Father in heaven who never forgets about us and always has the best interests of our people at heart, even if it does not always feel that way.

Predicting Trump’s Presidency cont’d from pg. 11

pressured Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to withdraw sponsorship. The move infuriated the White House, but the following day, other countries sponsored the resolution, and it passed on a 14-0 vote, with U.S. abstention.

Trump tweeted in response, “As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.”

ObamaCare Trump strongly criticized Obama’s signature health care law during the campaign, and promised to repeal and replace it. With a Republican-controlled House and Senate, he will almost certainly have that opportunity.

But Trump has indicated that there are parts of the law he would like to keep, such as preventing insurers from refusing to cover people who have pre-existing conditions, and allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ health insurance plan until 26.

His nomination of ex-physician Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as Secretary of Health and Human Services indicates that he will favor a more free-market oriented approach to health insurance, perhaps focused on health-savings accounts, tax credits and state-based plans as opposed to widespread federal oversight.

Trump has criticized laws that bar people from purchasing health insurance across state lines, and he believes that allowing it would decrease premiums and increase options.

Economics

Trump has blamed Obama Administration policies for slowing America’s economic recovery from the 2008 financial crash, doubling the national debt, increasing the number of people dependent on food stamps and welfare programs, and causing widespread underemployment.

Trump says that his economic policies, which include tax and regulatory reform, a huge childcare plan, and a protectionist, anti-globalization trade policy, would cause tremendous economic growth and the creation of millions of new jobs, particularly in manufacturing.

Trump’s childcare plan would allow people to deduct the expenses of child and elder care from their income taxes, would create tax-free dependent savings accounts, expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, and supply six weeks of government-paid maternity leave to mothers whose employers provide no paid maternity leave, which Trump claims will be paid for by a reduction in unemployment insurance fraud.

On trade, Trump has proposed renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and has threatened companies that move jobs out of the United States with a 35 percent tariff on imports.

Education

The focus of Donald Trump’s education policy is school choice, and his nomination for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, is a major school choice advocate.

Trump has stated that he wants all American children, especially those who are poor and disadvantaged, to “have the freedom – the civil right – to attend the school of their choice,” including “private schools, traditional public schools, magnet schools and charter schools.”

In practice, it’s unclear whether Trump will support vouchers that would essentially allow parents to use taxpayer money to send their children to their accredited school of choice, whether public or not.

Trump supports replacing what he described as “the failed

18

tenure system that rewards bad teachers and punishes good ones” with a merit-based pay system that will “reward great teachers.” Trump also opposes the Common Core educational standards. If Trump’s actions on education match his words, he will be in for some major fights with teachers unions. ***

Trump has described climate change as “an expensive hoax” and “a concept...created by and for the Chinese,” but in a post-election interview with The New York Times, he softened these positions somewhat. Responding to a question about whether he believed in man-made climate change, he said, “I have a totally open mind.”

Trump has promised to not cut Medicare or Social Security, and said the increasing costs of these programs could be paid for by increased economic growth, a position that puts him at odds with many Republicans.

In a post-election interview Trump said that whether he supports same-sex marriage or not was “irrelevant, because it was already settled” and he was “fine” with that.

Trump said that “Planned Parenthood does some very good work, but I would defund [it] as long as they’re doing abortions.” On abortion, he has described himself as pro-life, and has said that he will likely appoint conservative justices who would support reversing the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. ***

In conclusion, although it is unclear what all of Trump’s policies will look like, we have a good idea of what his overall agenda is and how he will implement it. Trump’s policies are likely to be a blend of mainstream Republican policies, his own unconventional ones, and even some mainstream Democratic ones on things like infrastructure and publicly-funded childcare.

One thing we do know: The next four years are likely to be a roller coaster of controversy and change.

Should we look to athletes as role models? cont’d from pg. 13

designed their cleats with the name of their favorite charity. Arizona Cardinal’s wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wore cleats with “First Down Fund” written on the side, promoting a charity that supports families during times of crisis.

“It gives the players a chance to promote and publicize some of [the] things they do that is positive off the field,” Fitzgerald said. “So much you hear is mostly negative off the field. I think it’s always good to positively promote guys.”

Fitzgerald is right, and I wish that the actions of Fitzgerald and Durant got more attention than the actions of, say, NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel, whose career has been derailed by drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence cases.

But the problem is ultimately not with the athletes. It is with we fans who look to athletes as role models. Just as actors are famous for what they do on screen, not in real life, professional baseball and basketball and football players are known for what they do on the field, not for what they do off it. We should admire and celebrate athletes and celebrities who happen to be good role models, but we should not generally look to imitate public figures. There are simply too many unimpressive ones. And, anyway, we don’t really know them. We only know what we see on camera or in the news, most of which is superficial.

Instead, we should look up to the people in our lives who are worthy of imitation. Our parents, our teachers, our rabbis, professionals in the community who lead admirable lives. We know them.

We can learn from them. And they have a far better record of moral behavior than many of the athletes whose jerseys we wear. Sure, they may not be able to dunk a basketball, but many of them have a better handle on life.

EDITORIAL

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

The great communication conundrum

Construction for a new gym and underground parking facility has finally started at the YULA Boys campus, and it’s been a long time coming.

A brief recorded in the news section of YULA’s website, dated Aug. 26, 2011, announced the approval of construction plans by the Los Angeles City Council. At the time, instead of excitement and celebration, much of the student body reacted with confusion and skepticism. It may have been for good reason.

While we’re pleased to see this project finally moving forward, it has taken far too long, and the administration’s communication with the student body has at times lacked clarity.

Throughout the last five years, at every orientation, students were told about the impending construction. It eventually turned into something of a schoolwide joke, a myth that few students believed would become reality anytime soon. Many of the boys doubted construction would really begin up until the moment the muchloved outdoor basketball court was fenced off for the last time.

Perhaps the greatest single factor that led to the confusion regarding construction was a lack of communication between the administration and the student body. Besides for the widely-dismissed annual speeches announcing that this time, construction really was starting, students were largely kept in the dark about new developments surrounding construction. On multiple occasions this year, announcements were made that construction was to finally begin on such-and-such date. When those dates came and went without explanation, many students were confused and irritated--not by the lack of construction, but the lack of clarity.

Many students would have been understanding of the delays if they had only known the reasons behind them. We now know, for example, that one such delay was due to the discovery of a sewage line in the place where digging had been set to begin. Unfortunate-

ly, due to poor communication and lack of information about the reasons for delays, the student body was frustrated and confused.

Since construction began in November, the administration has admittedly done a better job communicating with the student body.

Two open brainstorming sessions were held between the students and administration for ideas that could help ease the transition to a smaller and more cramped campus. And on a day in which students had to enter the school through a side door, the administration wisely sent students an email explaining why (it was because of a water boiler problem).

The improved communication is a great start, and it will need to continue, as unforeseen incidents will almost certainly arise during the life of this construction project. The administration should not go back to the days of keeping students in the dark about construction updates and delays.

The cramped quarters and noisy machinery will make the next year and a half fairly difficult on the student body. Students are those most directly affected by construction, and when changes are made in terms of our schedules or our movements throughout the campus, we need to know what, when and, just as importantly, why.

The editorial board believes that the best way to fix the communication problem is with regular, school-wide construction updates from the administration. The Panther Post can also take a leading role in spreading information to the community as a whole. As a newspaper whose chief purpose is to spread information, we believe that through improved transparency and communication, the administration can help make this construction period easier for everyone involved.

Is the new schedule at YULA Girls working?

For many years, the YULA Girls school has run on an eight-day cycling block schedule with six periods per day. However, both students and faculty were surprised in the beginning of the fall semester to learn about a dramatic change in this year’s daily schedule.

Over the summer, the administration decided to add a seventh period to the school day in order to increase the number of weekly meeting times for some classes. With this change, 80-minute classes were cut to 70 minutes, while 55-minute classes were shortened to 50 minutes. Lunch was also lengthened to 35 minutes instead of 30, pushing dismissal time to 4:25 p.m. instead of the usual 4:20 p.m. Furthermore, the Friday schedule was changed, cutting class time from 45 minutes to 35 minutes, running the risk of not giving teachers enough time to get through their material.

The schedule change has been a difficult adjustment for both students and teachers. While some students have found it easier to focus in a shorter class period, and while the school day is only five minutes longer, students are feeling the strain of an additional class every day.

On the other hand, many students appreciate the longer lunch period, as the previous 30-minute time frame was much too short for most students. Students and teachers alike have more time to eat and enjoy their lunch with the new schedule.

Although the extra five minutes is appreciated by many, the adminstar

istration should consider adding a second bell to the end of lunch as a passing period, so that students have a few minutes warning to get to their next class. A second bell would mean students would no longer have to constantly check the time on their phones during lunch.

Furthermore, students who live in the Valley have found that the extra five minutes added to the end of the school day makes it more difficult to get on the freeway before rush hour.

Valley students have reported that they come home from school much later than they did last year, making it more difficult to get through the night’s homework, which now includes more work from an additional class every day.

Lastly, the 35-minute Friday-schedule classes have proven to be a difficult adjustment for both students and teachers. By the time students get settled down and the teacher takes attendance, hardly any time is left to get through material. Admittedly, though, some students have appreciated these quick classes after the strain of a long week.

Overall, as with any major adjustment, there have been mixed feelings about the schedule change. Only time will tell whether students and faculty want to keep the new schedule, modify it, or return to the old six-period one. It’s an issue that we hope the new incoming Head of School, Rabbi Spodek, will address in advance of the 2017-18 school year.

19

EDITORIAL

Vol. 1, Issue 1, Quarter 2 - January 2017 - Tevet 5777

An introductory note from the faculty advisor

Our staff and contributors are proud to bring you the inaugural issue of The Panther Post, a joint school newspaper of both YULA Boys and YULA Girls.

The Panther Post, like any newspaper, will live by traditional journalistic standards and always strive to produce an exemplary product. But unlike most newspapers, The Panther Post will equally live by Torah values. Balancing Torah and journalism may seem to be in conflict in much of the news media, but they don't have to be. The Panther Post will show that as long as truth is the main priority, journalists should never have to compromise either Torah values or journalistic standards.

A little about me. I am a former Senior Writer for The Jewish Journal, where I learned most of my tips and tricks of the trade. For what its worth (honestly, not that much), I won a couple awards from the Los Angeles Press Club. More importantly, I taught myself how to produce a major story from start to finish, a skill that I hope to teach YULA's budding writers.

I am now the Communications Director for PragerU, where I continue to write, albeit for a video medium.

I'm grateful for the opportunity that YULA has given me. To show students that Torah-based Judaism and journalism can work together is a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and I hope that readers of The Panther Post enjoy reading this first issue. To paraphrase a famous saying: Easy reading is very hard writing.

Sincerely, Jared Sichel Advisor, The Panther Post

20