תמונת מצב:בוגרינו
its students to follow their dreams. The profiles below highlight the accomplishments of some of our alumni.
Benjy shamah
sharon flatto
1986
1998 Being in the kippah business was probably the farthest thing from Benjy Shamah’s mind when he graduated from Ramaz in 1998. Now, 13 years later, he is the managing partner of Klipped Kippahs, a kippah company based in Florida with a patent (pending) on the builtin clipping system. The specially designed “klips” are permanently built-in to every kippah. As Benjy said, “the questions and comments of ‘where’s your kippah?’ or ‘put your kippah on your head!’ are nearly eliminated. The kippot stay on!” Benjy notes the inspiration for the idea came from always seeing kippot end up on the floor during yeshiva basketball games. The company grew very quickly through word-of-mouth efforts. They are in 175 day schools (and growing!), establishing relationships with yeshivot in Israel and university Hillels, taking custom orders for smachot, and teaming up with MLB and NHL teams for Jewish Heritage nights. Along with the patented klip system, Klipped Kippahs come in every style; they even will personalize kippot for weddings. One can even see many Ramaz students wearing Klipped Kippahs with the Rams logo! Check out the company at klippedkippahs.com or say hello to Benjy at ben.shamah@klippedkippahs.com. Benjy grew up in NYC and started at Ramaz in kindergarten. “Ramaz gave me a tremendous foundation and fostered my love of music. I would not be who I am today if it had not been for certain teachers looking out for me and guiding me. Ramaz is a part of my identity.” Benjy says, still to this day, his closest friends are those that he made at Ramaz – a comment we so often hear from our alumni. Benjy attended NYU and, throughout the years, while living in NYC, remained connected to Ramaz by playing his guitar at chagigot and other school celebrations as part of the band Aspaklaria. Benjy and his wife Venessa now live in Hollywood, FL (near many other Ramaz alumni!), and have two daughters, Brianna (6) and Rebecca (4). Benjy reconnected with other Ramaz alumni at the Florida event the Ramaz Alumni Association hosted in February 2011. When he is not running Klipped Kippahs, Benjy spends his time working with the Sanford Barrows Group, an executive staffing firm, where he is Senior Vice President of the Accounting and Finance division.
Ramaz nurtured Sharon Flatto’s love for learning and pursuit for knowledge. The skills she learned back in the Upper School still influence her today in her career. Sharon, a member of the Class of ’86, is currently an Associate Professor of Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College. She teaches courses in Early Modern Jewish History, Kabbalah, Hasidism, Medieval Jewish History, Classical Jewish Texts, and Modern Jewish Thought. She has taught at a broad range of educational institutions—including Yale University, Queens College, and Brown University—and at a number of adult education programs. She is the author of The Kabbalistic Culture of Eighteenth-Century Prague: Ezekiel Landau (the ‘Noda Biyehudah’) and His Contemporaries (Littman Press, 2010) as well as various articles, and is in the process of working on two more publications. One project focuses on the Kabbalah and its surprisingly important role during the Haskalah, while the second examines three generations of acculturation in the Jewish community of Prague. Sharon grew up in Riverdale and came to Ramaz to attend the Upper School. Following graduation, she went on to earn a B.A. in European History from Barnard College and a Ph.D. in Jewish History from Yale University. Sharon enjoyed the academic rigor at Ramaz, noting that it was very exciting to be among such a highly engaged group of students. She recalls her classroom experiences being eye-opening, exposing her to varied points of view on politics and culture, and helping her appreciate the school’s diverse Jewish student population. Sharon has fond memories of Honors Talmud with Rabbi Bieler, AP European History with Dr. Jucovy, Chumash with Mrs. Weinstein, and Hebrew/Jerusalem Exam with Ms. Melnick. As a student, she remembers people talking about the Ramaz family, and now, twenty-five years later, she realizes how true that sentiment really is. Of course, like many other Ramaz alumni Sharon affectionately remembers her favorite lunch: Friday tuna sandwiches with potato chips! Sharon is married to Rabbi Ysoscher Katz (who teaches at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah) and they have two sons, Avi (4) and Gabriel (2).
To be featured in an upcoming Alumni eNewsletter or to get involved in alumni initiatives, contact Lauren Katz, Director of Alumni Relations at alumni@ramaz.org.
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