Shalhevet Boiling Point September 2017

SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL • Los Angeles, CA August 2017 • Elul 5777 • Vol. 18, Issue 1 shalhevetboilingpoint.com

Coyote pack from Cheviot Hills menaces Beverlywood

By Hannah Jannol, Editor-in-Chief Imagine you are taking a leisurely stroll down your block, when you notice a stray dog in the distance trailing toward you.

I t looks like a husky, or maybe a German shepherd of some kind.

But upon closer inspection, you realize that it is not a stray dog, but a coyote, complete with glowing yellow eyes and a sharp black snout.

This is not an uncommon experience for residents of Beverlywood, because coyote sightings have been on the rise in the last year there, according to locals and officials of the city’s Animal Services department.

Coyotes, normally standing at around two feet tall, have gray or light brown fur with triangular ears that stick straight up. Unlike dogs, whose tails occasionally wag upward, coyotes’ tails drag on the ground and

By HannaH Jannol, Editor-in-cHiEf

HABITAT: A coyote, easily identified by its blacktipped tail, trotted along Bagley Avenue in July.

BP Photo by Micah Hiller

Beyond courtesy: Titles raise conundrum for schools and synagogues nationwide

By Clara sandler, Community Editor When Judaic Studies teacher Ilana Wilner arrived at Shalhevet in fall 2015, it wasn’t clear what she was going to be called.

She did not want to be called Morah, or teacher, because that’s what elementary school teachers are called and she felt it didn’t fit with her experience, education and knowledge. Ms. Wilner is a graduate of GPATS, the Graduate Program of Advanced Talmudic Studies at Yeshiva University in New York.

According to Principal Dr. Noam Weissman, his wife Raizie Weissman, then Director of Student Life, jokingly suggested the title Chachama, which means “wise one.”

Ms. Weissman lightheartedly introduced her that way to students and she was soon being called Chachama by both students and faculty.

She is not called that any more.

Dr. Weissman says he was surprised to see her referred to as Chachama Wilner in a Boiling Point story in March 2016, and after that said the title had to go.

Ms. Wilner didn’t mind.

Reb

area is so habitable and welcoming to the animal.

“These are urban coyotes, so believe it or not, they probably stem from the golf courses,” Mr. Dinh said. “But some of these coyotes are just born and raised in people’s backyards, so a lot of these coyotes don’t even know what the hills look like.”

Mr. Dinh wishes he could take residents along on patrols he does of the Beverlywood area so they could see what he sees: homes that provide everything coyotes need.

“You got big properties, some vacant lots, and then you have people that own multiple homes so they’re there temporarily,” Mr. Dinh said. “When they’re not there, the coyotes know they can live there.”

Another major factor is what Officer Dinh called “attractants,” primarily food people leave out for stray cats or outdoor cats or other pets. This essentially trains coyotes to come to humans for food, thus increasing the residential

typically have black tips.

Esther Levine, mom to Jordan Levine ‘17, said she has seen countless coyotes at all times of day near her home on Oakmore Road. But one of the most frightening experiences she when was watching one approach her neighbor while she was unloading her groceries. In her fear, the neighbor actually dropped all her groceries and suffered a concussion from running into her garage.

“It’s also very scary, because we all have pets and we like to walk our dogs,” Ms. Levine said in an interview, “and I’m scared to walk my dog because I’m scared I’m going to see a coyote any time of the day.”

The Levines’ small Labradoodle is especially vulnerable to a coyote attack, as small dogs may look like squirrels and rabbits, which are mainstays coyotes’ diets.

According to Mr. Hoang Dinh, Animal Control Officer assigned to the City of Los Angeles Animal Services’ Wildlife Division, coyotes are such a problem in Beverlywood because the

“If people call me that, call me that, but I don’t introduce myself as that any more,” Ms. Wilner said in an interview. “It actually carries a lot of weight—a chacham is a rabbi, so a chachama is technically a female rabbi, which I don’t have and I don’t want.”

Dr. Weissman said she should be called Ilana, Ms. Wilner or Morah Ilana.

“She is not a chachama,” Dr. Weissman said in an interview with the Boiling Point. “That is a formal title, and that is not what she is.”

Judaic Studies faculty titles are a sort of a mystery at Shalhevet, and not only the titles for women. Rabbi doesn’t always mean a person has s’micha -- rabbinic ordination; Reb definitely doesn’t mean rabbi; and women’s titles have generally been decided after a conversation.

The situation isn’t much different at other schools. Women who have received ordination at Yeshivat Maharat in New York have titles ranging from Rabbanit (at LA’s Bnai David-Judea) and Rabba (at New York’s Hebrew Institute of Riverdale) to Maharat (at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley, CA).

Ramie Smith, a Maharat graduate who is teaching a sophomore Talmud class at Shalhevet this year, has arrived with no title at

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How well do you really know all the teachers, new and old? Test your knowledge with our crossword puzzle, prize goes to the first

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Trump remarks after Va. rally change few views among his supporters at school By tobey lee, Sports Editor When President Donald Trump blamed recent events in Charlottesville on both neo-Nazi demonstrators and the counter-protesters who organized against them, 62 percent of Republicans thought he was right, according to a Washington Post poll.

And that was about the percentage among Trump supporters at Shalhevet, where to the surprise of many he won a student mock election last fall.

“I think that’s an accurate point of view,”

said sophomore Joseph Klores, who had voted for Trump in the Mock Election.

“Both sides were fighting each other, and in between the fighting riots occurred,” he said, “and out of the fighting unplanned injuries and casualties were caused by that, unfortunately.

Many, including most Republican party leaders and a majority of Americans, thought the president was wrong -- 56 percent of U.S. adults, the poll found, while only 28 percent approved.

On Friday, Aug. 11, protesters marched near the University of Virginia, screaming slo-

gans such as “White Lives Matter,” “blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us.” They carried Nazi flags, torches reminiscent of marches by the Ku Klux Klan, and perhaps even more menacing, rifles, shields and pepper spray as they marched through the streets of the college town in a protest that had been long planned, as well as permitted by city officials.

They gathered again on Saturday, Aug.12, this time met by thousands of counter-protesters, many yelling or carrying signs telling them to go home. Television news reports showed people being beaten and even shot by dem-

onstrators, although it was not always easy to tell who was who. As the melee died down, a car being driven by James Alex Fields Jr. drove toward the anti-protesters, backed up to gain speed, and then rammed into them, killing 32year old Heather Heyer.

“I think there is blame on both sides,” President Trump said at a New York news conference Aug. 16, after the protests against the proposed removal of the statue of Confederate general

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The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Community BIGGER: Over the summer, Shalhevet’s custodial staff expanded Room 216 by the Genius Bar to hold 28 desks instead of 16. They did this by breaking down the wall behind the tech department and building a new one further out into the hall, shrinking the tech space and increasing the size of the classroom to 22 feet by 8 feet. Executive Director Sarah Emerson said students would also now be able to move the furniture around to collaborate more effectively. The tech desk, where students charge their devices and ask IT director Mr. Robert Meszaros for help with computer and software issues, is not moving but will occupy a smaller space because of the expansion.

-- Nicholas Fields, Staff Writer

Classroom expansion

Calendar SEPT

Mon, Sept 4 Labor Day (No school) Wed, Sept 6 12th grade college night Sept 15-17 Freshman Shabbaton Mon, Sept 18 Picture day Wed, Sept 20 @ Night Rosh hashanah Sun, Sept 24 Tzom Gedaliah Wed, Sept 27 Back to school night Fri, Sept 29 @ Night Yom kippur

OCT

Wed, Oct 4 @ night Sukkot Oct 4-13 Sukkot break Oct 19-26 Rav Judah visit

IN THIS ISSUE: Community, Pages 1 - 7 Outside News, Pages 8-9 Arts, Pages 10-11 Features, Pages 12-15 Opinion, Pages 16-17 Torah, Pages 18-23 Sports, Page 24

MORE ON THE WEB: Daniel Lorell’s full campaign pledge Farewells to each staff member who left last spring Opinion: 13 reasons why not VIDEO: Coyotes roaming in Beverlywood VIDEO: New teachers say hi VIDEO: Solar eclipse on the roof VIDEO: Last spring’s Yom Yerushalayim celebration

Lunch is back as new schedule fixes problems created last year straight year, everyone needs to adjust to a new schedule.”

Sophomore Neima Fax thought she’d miss last year’s FriAfter a year of complaints that 25-minute lunch was day lunch chaburas -- learning and singing on the roof with hurting co-curriculars and making it hard for teachers and Judaic Studies teacher Rabbi David Block.

“I just really enjoyed those every single week,” Neima said. students to meet, school officials restored 20 minutes to freshBut fellow junior Ami Nelson complained that the change men and sophomores’ lunch period this year while keeping last year’s major innovation -- the 45-minute daily “MAP” had taken too long.

“I’m a little bit annoyed that it took them a whole year to periods created so that math could meet four times a week decide that [30] minutes was not long enough for lunch,” said instead of two.

Officials also implemented a decision made by the Just Ami. “I think we made our opinions pretty clear to them, in Community to end classes on Fridays at 12:45 instead of 1:15 terms of why we wanted a longer lunch and how we thought by eliminating the 30-minute lunch break. That change is that it was unreasonable.”

Shalhevet’s schedule is shorter than what is found at other experimental, however, and officials said the break may be Modern Orthodox schools, restored second semester. though ending five minThe new schedule utes later at 4:35 brings it was announced made closer. Shalhevet starts at 8 in a community-wide a.m., or for those who go email sent by Principal to the Hashkama minyan, Dr. Noam Weissman at 7:25. YULA Girls high July 28. school starts at 7:45 and “There were cerends at 4:20, and YULA tainly successes of the Boys starts at 7:30 and new schedule, but there ends at 5:15. were a few challenges we Ida Crown Academy of wanted to address based Chicago runs from 8:05 on the feedback we a.m. to 5:39 p.m. on Monheard,” Dr. Weissman days and Thursdays, with 5 said in the email. p.m. dismissal on Tuesdays “We were responding and Wednesdays. SAR to student and parent (Salantar Akiba Riverdfeedback on this issue BP Photo by Neima Fax ale) of Riverdale, N.Y., where they were saystarts at 8 a.m. and ends ing that a little bit longer UPDATED: During orientation, the freshmen at 5:10. lunch would be helpful,” On the other hand, at he elaborated later in an arranged their schedules as tiles on a grid. Lunch Shalhevet, most students stay interview. “In terms of is 15 minutes longer for 9th grade than last year. after school for a co-curricurunning the school on a lar such as Model Congress, day-to-day basis, I noticed choir, drama, robotics and sports practice, which may end at that Mincha was a little bit rushed as well.”

In the new schedule, underclassmen lunch has been ex- 7 p.m. or later. Other students have commitments outside of tended to 45 minutes from the 25 to 30 minutes of last year school.

“The change from 4:30 to 4:35 is not earth-shattering,” (it was different on different days). Mincha break has been extended by five minutes, to 20 minutes, “so that students Dr. Weissman said. “It’s still insanely early for a Modern Orhave more of a break in the afternoon as well,” the email said. thodox school.”

Junior Donna Grunfeld pointed out that school ended at In addition, dismissal will be at 4:35 p.m.

4:20 p.m. her freshman year. instead of 4:30 Monday through “I know that it seems like only 5 Thursday, and most class periods will The change from 4:30 to minutes, but it’s been 15 minutes in be reduced to 58 minutes from a full hour.

4:35 is not earth-shattering. the past three years,” said Donna.

“I’m late for soccer every day An exception to that is that junIt’s still insanely early for a now,” said junior Isaac Kahtan, who iors and seniors will have 63-minute plays on a club team. “[The] coach periods immediately before and after Modern Orthodox school. gets mad.” lunch.

--Dr. Noam Weissman Junior Sadie Toczek said she The two MAP periods, one of wouldn’t able to attend her 5 p.m. math and the other alternating beSoulcycle class now. tween arts and PE, will remain 45 “I always had five minutes to get ready at home,” said minutes right after lunch.

Before school began, students had mixed feelings about Sadie.

Still, Dr. Weissman sees this schedule as an example of the the announced changes. Junior Aaron Wiesel was unhappy that he had to learn a whole new system and odd class times, Just Community and its democratic values in practice. “[The] Just Community is so alive,” he said. “It’s an imsuch as 2:13 to 3:11 p.m.

“It’s a lot easier to memorize your schedule and class times portant nod to the Just Community and more than Just when they end with intervals of five like they did the past two Community, it’s a nod to hearing from others and making years,” Aaron said, adding, “It’s annoying that for the second decisions that are very thoughtful and thought through.”

BY CLARA SANDLER, COMMUNITY EDITOR

The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Community

New schedule reflects our school’s values

By SHANA LUNZER, StAff CoLUmNiSt At the end of every August, I spend 10 days with my entire extended family on my mom’s side. We are around 40 people, each with our own very strong opinions and personalities. This sometimes makes for frustrating conversations, as you may fundamentally disagree with what another family member might have said.

During lunch on one of those days, my parents and I were discussing high schools with two of my cousins.

One of them very loudly told us that she would never send her kids to Shalhevet because she disagrees with it “hashkafically.” When I asked her to elaborate, expecting her to take issue with the co-ed environment, she said she didn’t like the extent to which the school “empowers its students.”

At first, I was a bit flabbergasted that a mother wouldn’t want her children to feel empowered. But the more her statement marinated, the more pride replaced my initial frustration. Pride that I belong to an institution with such a reputation. An institution that recognizes its students as people and not sponges, a school where the administration explains the psychology behind our new ridiculous schedule, so we know that there is a method behind the seeming madness.

Many of us, myself included, jokingly comment about our school’s uncanny ability to shorten the amount of It may be annoytime spent on learning in ing to have a new favor of making publicity music schedule every year, videos, allowing sometimes every longer Mincha breaks and in week. But what’s general creating worse is when the more free time for the students. administration of However, I don’t a school becomes think we stop to realize how inapathetic and indifcredible it is that ferent, and nothing the administration values our changes at all. time as much as they expect us to value theirs.

Revolutionary in its founding, two decades later Shalhevet is still continuously trying to reshape its structure, literally and figuratively, to better mould itself to our learning. Some of these attempts fail, like the hollow beams connecting some of the classrooms, which force you to listen to Hebrew songs as you take a math test. But as of now, they haven’t stopped trying.

Similarly, it may be annoying to have a new schedule every year, sometimes every week. But what’s worse is when the administration of a school becomes apathetic and indifferent, and nothing changes at all.

This year, the school recognized the flaws of last year’s new schedule and has tried to fix them. We should appreciate that.

-Two years ago, then-Agenda rep Will Bernstein ‘16 credited Shalhevet for trying to create a “utopia” when officials cancelled many hours of class for a schoolwide “Just Community Reorientation.” Personally, I didn’t find the reorientation to be wholly effective, and therefore the school failed in its attempt at creating a utopian institution. Where they succeeded was in proving to the students that we are all equal members of our community.

As the ever-evolving changes continue in different forms, and realistically some more effective than others, it’s important for us as students to recognize the meaning behind them and how they contribute to Shalhevet’s mission as a whole. If we can see them without the cynic’s lens, we can all hopefully embrace the empowerment our school has always been, and will continue to be, attempting to instill in each one of us.

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Agenda’s summer meetings focus on Town Hall changes, proposals and constitution BP Photo by Neima Fax

PLAN: The Agenda Committee’s officers and faculty advisers discussed this week’s Town Hall during their last meeting on Aug. 28.

Different ideas were tossed around, such as having more formal debates at Town Hall, The Agenda Committee did not let summer or having an Agenda member interview somestop it from meeting to improve the Just Com- one if they’re the expert on a specific topic. munity. While their peers were at the beach, For example, there could be a public interview leaders of the committee discussed increasing with the Science Department Chair if there proposals, re-formatting Town Hall and a were a moral dilemma or controversy within plan for a Constitutional Convention during the Science Department.

The second meeting planned three meetings in July and the first two Town Halls of the August.

So many people have school year, along with different Calling them “Summer ways to increase the number of Summits,” only the execuso many complaints proposals to vote on and a Contives of the committee and and so many things to stitutional Convention, Daniel faculty advisers were presfix, but never the time said. ent, Agenda Chair Daniel Early Town Halls will orient or motivation. So by Lorell, Vice Chair Talia Gill the student body to “to the new and Secretary Tobey Lee giving people a time order of things,” he said, but met with Faculty Advisers and place, with the “not at all in the way that it’s Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg and right atmosphere, we been done before.” He said the Aviva Walls, Dean of Acafirst half of the first Town Hall demic Affairs, to discuss the could get a lot done would be introductory, and the upcoming year and plan the by giving everyone second half a normal discusfirst Town Halls. a platform to write sion about Confederate monuOnly the leaders were proposals. ments, hopefully involving Dr. there because the gradeKeith Harris, who teaches SAS wide representatives for this year had not yet been elect-- Rosie Wolkind, 12th Grade CivilToWar. bring more proposals to ed. be voted on, the group consid“It was an early orientaered ways to inspire community tion to make sure everyone was in the same direction, and the last meet- members, including having new legislation be formulated through a Town Hall conversation ing was finalizing everything,” Daniel said.

The first meeting was held on July 11, and then finalized and voted on at the end.

The committee also discussed senior Rowhen the committee brainstormed how to make weekly meetings more efficient, along sie Wolkind’s idea to have a “proposal party,” with re-constructing Town Hall to “change where there would be tables with pens and modalities,” as Daniel described it -- changing proposal sheets all around the gym during Town Hall, with representatives at every tathe way it works and looks.

BY HANNAH JANNOL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ble to help facilitate the completion of legislation forms.

“The reason behind it for me was that so many people have so many complaints and so many things to fix but never the time or motivation,” Rosie said in an interview. “So by giving people a time and place, with the right atmosphere, we could get a lot done by giving everyone a platform to write proposals.”

Rosie was not present at the meetings since she is running to be a 12th-grade representative a few weeks after school starts. She had mentioned the idea to Daniel after she lost the election to be Agenda Chair, since Daniel’s biggest campaign promise was to make Town Hall a legislative body.

The group also discussed what to do about the school’s 2003 Just Community constitution, which had been lost for several years and then re-found in June 2016. Last year’s Agenda Committee had promised to address the question but never did.

This year’s committee, Daniel said, is planning a Constitutional Convention for sometime in the first semester, likely in October or November. A multi-week process that would take place during the regular Thursday Town Hall periods, the plan is to split grades up to discuss different sections of the Constitution, and elect representatives specifically for the constitutional convention who would meet to draft the Constitution. Some items of discussion for the new constitution are “the roles and rights of the committees, things like establishing the press,” Daniel said.

“We do want this to be something that is able to be amended and able to be amended in a way that makes sense and is easy,” he added.

60 new freshmen meet, greet and learn Orientation takes them first to the beach, then back to school to meet teachers and the block schedule

BY RAMI FINK, 9TH GRADE The class of 2021 was welcomed with a mixture of fun-and-games and nuts-and bolts at an all-day orientation last Thursday, starting at the beach and ending with kids feeling less nervous about starting high school.

Beginning with a two-hour trip to Santa Monica beach, the event was followed by a return to school for advisory meetings where students received their schedules and details about Shalhevet life.

“It kind of relieved that awkward first moment of school and made it easier to socialize,” said freshman Max Wintner in an interview later.

According to Admissions Director Ms. Natalie Weiss, this year’s ninth grade has 60 students. She said a third came from Gindi Maimonidies Hebrew Academy and the rest are graduates of Hillel, Pressman, Yavneh, Kabbalah Center Academy, Emek, Ohr Eliyahu, Alice and Nahum Lainer School (formerly Sinai Akiba) and four different public and charter schools.

The orientation began just as a regular school day would, at 8 a.m. with davening and breakfast.

Then came a 45-minute bus ride to the beach, accompanied by Judaic Studies teachers and various administrators, including

General Studies Principal Mr. Daniel Weslow, apparent on the faces of freshmen, seniors and Awaiting them were jenga, a marble track faculty alike, but after some time and much race, a giant puzzle, and -- a fan favorite -- teamwork, everyone figured it out.

Finally, students met with every one of rubber chicken shooting.

Back at school for the afternoon, the stu- their teachers for a few minutes, toured the dents were split into their advisory groups, school with a 12th grader, and received their and Rabbi Schwarzberg and Dean of Ac- locker assignments. Seniors then presented all ademic Affairs Ms. Aviva Walls presented the co-curriculars.

“Now I’m a lot more comfortable with the “commandments” for the Shalhevet community. Among them were to be engaged; to kids we’re going to school with,” said freshactively seek out relationships with teachers, man Hannah Poltorak.

Features Editor Lucy Fried contributed to fellow students, and faculty; to connect with the Shalhevet community; to be yourself; and this story. to present the best version of yourself in an appropriate manner.

Rabbi Schwarzberg explained that Shalhevet works better when students see these rules as a covenant instead.

“When the Shalhevet community observes these guidelines, it is beneficial to the students and helps them have a better Shalhevet experience,” he said.

Next, students were preBP Photo by Noa Segal sented with the block schedule template. Puzzled and HELP: Freshmen learned their schedule with stickers corresponding confused expressions were to their classes, assisted by Dean of Academic Affairs Ms. Aviva Walls.

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The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Community

BP Photo by Neima Fax

BP Photo by Neima Fax

BP Photo by Neima Fax

New math chair loves English, too

Chem teacher fell for Science teacher cooks foreign food Jewish religion

By HANNAH JANNOL, Editor-In-Chief

By Lucy Fried, Features Editor

Though many believe the world is split up between “math people” and “English people,” Dr. William Walton -- new math department chair and Dean of Curriculum and Instruction -- is a walking objection to this common view.

Dr. Walton, who is teaching Algebra, Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus, has degrees in both Math and Creative Writing from Carnegie-Mellon University. He believes math and English have more in common than people think.

In an interview last week, he quoted Herbert Simon, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, who said, “Math is nothing more than a system of permissions and prohibitions.”

“So you can look at it as if it’s halacha,” or Jewish law, Dr. Walton said. “You can also look at it as a way of argument, you can also look at it as a way of being creative. If I’m trying to prove something, how can I find the most convincing route to explain to the reader that this is the way the limit works, for example.

“If you major in math,” he continued, “you find that math is really about writing and not solving problems.”

While working toward his degrees, Dr. Walton was also the creative non-fiction editor of Carnegie Mellon’s literary magazine, the Oakland Review.

Then in 2000, a personal essay of his was published in the famous Sewanee Review, which has also published William Faulkner, Albert Camus, Saul Bellow, Ezra Pound and Sylvia Plath. The essay offered candid experiences from his childhood and that of his sister, Ann. “Whenever we were scolded for misbehavior, Ann and I would remind our biologist mother that, ‘All we are is recycled genes -- we’re you and Dad, again,’” Dr. Walton wrote in his essay. “Mom would usually find this funny and pleasing and at times she even smiled and said, ‘You have a point.’”

In other parts of the work, Dr. Walton veered into a deep analysis of religion and Monet’s cathedral painting series. Monet’s paintings of the cathedral in Rouen, France, look as if he painted them on the spot, though he frequently went back to his studio to work on them.

“Suppose we are God’s impression and what might have been his initial ‘painting at Rouen’ is of our conception,” Dr. Walton wrote. “But during the next nine months, God revises and revises. The weather there influences his feel for us, and in the end, when we are produced, we are not the lump sum of an evolution and an improvement in the workings of an original essay, but rather the product of disjointed and disturbed emotions, of the collision of weather at Rouen...”

This theory of things being drafted and re-drafted is another way in which Dr. Walton compares math and English. Equations and novels all take a long time to finally formulate, he explained.

“And now, [they’re] fully codified and neatly packaged to students, but that took a long time,” he said.

Dr. Walton taught at Milken Community High School, then at Pilgrim School, then at Tarbut V’Torah Day School.Then for the last five years, he taught in the middle school at Gindi Maimonides Academy.

“He’s a good teacher because we learn the material really well, but he’s also a really friendly teacher who knows how to engage a class,” said senior Ariel Cohen, who studied with Dr. Walton at Maimonides.

After receiving his undergraduate degrees, Dr. Walton pursued a doctorate in English from Syracuse University, but left the program after two years.

“I didn’t want to stay in a library all day, I get energy from being around people,” he said.

Dr. Walton said he knows how to engage kids because of his own experience as a young math student.

“For me math was never the easiest topic, I loved writing the most, so I had to work at math,” he said. “I always try to figure out a way to explain it, and I’m also aware that you can look at different things from more than one way, and I also know that you can have multiple interests and still be good at math.”

In 2014, Dr. Walton received his Ed.D. from UCLA. His dissertation was about financial aid and financial management of independent schools, using data from the 2008 economic crisis, which was the first time the number of students on financial aid went above 20 percent.

When he is not philosophizing about art, religion or math -- or teaching the latter -- he said he enjoys visiting Death Valley.

Coming into a school that has seen six science teachers depart in the last five years, new department chair Mr. Pavel Lieb is adamant that Shalhevet’s Science team be given the tools needed to do their best work. This year, the department includes him and Dr. Elizabeth Basheer, who is also new to Shalhevet.

“It’s difficult to hypothesize what the troubles might have been in the past,” said Mr. Lieb, who is teaching Chemistry and AP Chemistry this year. “One of my biggest priorities is to support Science department staff, and that will come through much more communication between teachers.

“What’s really important is to look forward and try to identify what teachers need and what students need and just work towards providing really meaningful learning experiences in the classroom,” he said, “This should be the factor that contributes to longevity and long term success of the program.”

Originally from Moscow, Russia, Mr. Lieb and his family immigrated to the United States 25 years ago after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He remembers anti-semitism being a prominent part of childhood there.

For example, he experienced being singled out as one of the few Jewish children in school.

“Very few Russian Soviet Jews practiced [Judaism] because it wasn’t really legal,” said Mr. Lieb, who will be teaching Chemistry and AP Chemistry this year. But “on the roster at school, everyone’s names were written. Next to my name it would say ‘Jewish,’ so me and two other Jews in class, we always knew we were Jews, even if we didn’t practice any traditions.”

Despite having a distinct external identity as a Jew in Russia, Mr. Lieb was raised in a non-practicing family. He became interested in Judaism in his early teens, when he began educating himself on religion and Zionism, later deciding to take on an Orthodox lifestyle.

“It just felt so incredible to be part of this people that I kind of absorbed it a lot,” he said. “There were all these other people who were just like me.”

Although he does not consider himself Orthodox now, he said that he is “forever deeply connected” to the religious identity that he created.

Before coming to Shalhevet, Mr. Lieb taught for 14 years, tutoring for the first two and the next 10 teaching at Milken. After that he taught for two years teaching at the Wildwood School in West L.A. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Cal State Northridge after attending Washington University in St. Louis for two years. He then went on to obtain a Master’s degree, also at Northridge, in education.

Mr. Lieb’s professional science background began his freshman year of college, when he accepted a work-study position in a human genome project lab. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he was offered a job doing HIV genotyping in a clinical lab. Following this, he was given a position at Cal State Northridge running their DNA sequencing lab before being invited to teach at Milken.

At Shalhevet, he wants students to find their individual passions in science, and hopes to add science classes that are more unique and based on students’ interests.

“We’re curious to see what other course offerings we might bring into the scope,” he said. “Maybe something along the lines of a bioethics course or literature in science - something that could address as many students’ passions as possible.

“The most important thing is for all of us in the science department to start generating meaningful experiences for our students,” he added. “I really want every time a Shalhevet student walks into a science class, I want them to walk out with a sense of accomplishment and a sense of fulfillment,” he said.

In order to engage students, Mr. Lieb wishes to offer opportunities for science projects outside of the classroom, or teacher mentorship.

“If a student identifies a specific interest of curiosity, we will try to generate some sort of mentorship relationship that they can actually start exploring it,” he said.

By Benny Zaghi,Senior editor Don’t be afraid to dance like nobody’s watching in front of new Physics and Biology teacher Dr. Elizabeth Basheer.

Growing up in in Springer, N.M. -- a town of only 1,000 people -- did not prevent her from getting into international cooking and dancing, which she still enjoys today.

Dr. Basheer, who will be teaching 9th grade Biology, SAS Biology, and Physics this year, attended New Mexico Highlands University and joined the International Club, where students from a myriad of nationalities would share their culture. But it was at a science awards banquet where she met her Lebanese husband, on a night where they both received awards -- his for best student in General Chemistry and hers for best in Organic Chemistry.

“We have a lot international friends, and I like to learn their dances,” said Dr. Basheer. “I also like to cook international food so if I have a friend let say from Japan, I would want to learn any dishes that they grew up eating.”

Her openness to other cultures lends itself to her teaching style, which involves seeing students as different from one another.

“I am a teacher who pushes my students hard to go as far as they can, but I consider myself nice in that I try to listen to my students and work with my students,” Dr. Basheer said.

“If my students want to talk to me about something they are having trouble with, I don’t say, ‘it is due, get it done,’ I generally work with them and helping them cope with the problem.”

Dr. Basheer began tutoring science and math to middle and high school students when she was an undergraduate in New Mexico Highlands U. Then she taught chemistry labs for four semesters in graduate school in South Carolina, where she earned her PhD in Chemistry in 2013.

She moved with her family to Los Angeles in 2014 and since then has been tutoring students from Milken, Beverly Hills, and Palisades Charter high schools.

Dr. Basheer’s favorite meals to make are adas bi hamood, a lentil and lemon soup that she learned how to make from her mother-in-law, and green chile stew, a New Mexican dish she learned from her grandmother.

She also learned how to make Ukrainian Borscht, a beet soup, from a friend from Ukraine, and how to make Chinese dumplings while living in China for a summer. Another dish she makes is spicy Indian-style green beans and potatoes, taught to her by a neighbor from India.

If you like to dance, don’t worry if you have no moves to show her. Dr. Basheer said she can teach you various types of dances that she learned from her husband’s friends. Her favorite dances are the bachata and the salsa -- which of course is also a type of spicy food..

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The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Community

BP Photo by Neima Fax

BP Photo by Neima Fax

Two guidance counselors, one mission: looking at the ‘whole person’

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BP Photo by Neima Fax

Math teacher loves a good board game

By TOBEY LEE, Sports Editor

By Tyler Ekaireb, Outside News Editor

If you’re feeling stressed or blue or nervous, Shalhevet has two new guidance counselors for you to talk to -- and they’re a little nervous, too.

“I wouldn’t use the word “scared”, but there’s definitely a little nervousness,” said Ms. Gabriela Marcus, who along with Ms. Esther Rbibo has replace Ms. Rachel Hecht, who founded the school’s counseling department when she arrived in 2008.

The pair will be sharing Ms. Hecht’s old office, and they also share similar goals.

“My philosophy is basically just kind of like an open door,” said Ms. Marcus, who grew up in a Modern Orthodox family and attended North Shore Hebrew Academy of Great Neck, N.Y. “I want everyone to feel super comfortable to come and talk, check in, if something is going on that you know you feel overwhelmed with -- just kind of need somebody to vent to or work some things through with,” she said. “That is kind of what I’m here for.”

Ms. Marcus is married to the brother of Daniel Schwartz, who helps with lunch duty and is the office assistant.

Ms. Rbibo grew up in LA and attended Bais Yaakov high school. She likes surfing, traveling, cooking and hanging out with people she loves.

“My philosophy is just kind of looking at every person,” Ms. Rbibo said, “looking at all the different aspects of the person, their emotional reality, the way they think about things, their talents, their abilities, their strengths, challenges, and kind of how do we bring that all together to help every student be as successful as he or she can be.”

Mrs. Rbibo has prior experience working as a counselor, at feeder schools of Shalhevet such as Maimonides and Emek. Ms. Marcus just graduated with her masters in social work last June.

Both women hope to see students beyond their school identities.

“We try and look at the whole person,” Ms. Marcus said.

“Being whatever issue you might be having, but what’s going on at home, what’s going on socially… I think the most important thing for me as a counselor would be building really good rela-

tionships with you guys.”

Ms. Rbibo will be working four days a week, while Ms. Marcus, who is expecting her first child before Rosh Hashanah, will only be working part-time after the chagim.

Both hope to pick up where the counseling department left off last year.

“I think that you know you guys had a great counseling department before, so just continuing that,” said Ms. Marcus.

“We’re trying to hopefully do some really cool programming with the parents and all the students, and trying to do programming that’s interesting.”

“Also, having people know that they have two people they can come to about whatever they want,” she added.

Ms. Rbibo and her husband have four children, two at Emek and two in preschool at Chabad of Burbank.

Mrs. Marcus studied theater at NYU and was an actor before she became a counselor. She also likes to write and hang out with friends. When Marcus is on maternity leave, Rbibo will be at Shalhevet four times a week.

Ms. Rbibo and Marcus are not necessarily scared to transition to Shalhevet, however, are both nervous.

“I wouldn’t say I’m scared, I’m actually super, super excited… of course there’s always a little bit of apprehension whenever you start something new… I’m super excited to be here,” said Ms. Rbibo.

Ms. Marcus has a similar feeling about coming into Shalhevet.

“I wouldn’t use the word “scared”, but there’s definitely a little nervousness,” said Marcus.

Ms. Rbibo has similar goals for the department.

“Generally, my goal is to just help every student feel that he or she has a place to come to, that there’s never a time where he or she feels alone or they are struggling with something and think they can’t access any type of support.”

“I want every student to feel supported at Shalhevet,” said Ms. Rbibo.

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Make sure to say hello to Mr. Andrew Sinajon, a new face in Shalhevet’s math department. If he is not rushing off for a hike -- or concentrating on a board game -- he will likely be delighted to meet you.

And though he is new to Shalhevet he is no stranger to mathematics. Mr. Sinajon -- pronounced SIN-a-john -- has spent the past few years working for Mathnasium, a group of learning centers dedicated to helping students of all ages with math. He began there as an instructor and later developed curricula for the group.

Before Mathnasium, Mr. Sinajon worked at Brentwood Science Magnet, an LAUSD elementary school that emphasizes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects.

He comes to Shalhevet armed with a passion for math and a simple philosophy: “I think every student is capable of learning math and gaining a solid foundation,” said Mr. Sinajon, who will be teaching Algebra 2 and Geometry.

“Some students may take to it more naturally,” he said. “But I firmly believe that all people can gain that foundation. I want to help students develop that confidence.”

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Sinajon enjoys spending time outdoors, usually hiking and camping.

He is also partial to a good board game, and maintains a sizeable collection. His current favorite is “Food Chain Magnate,” where players vie for business in the food industry.

Mr. Sinajon grew up in Costa Mesa, which is about one hour south of Los Angeles. He attended UCLA as an undergraduate and has lived in the area ever since. He currently resides in Culver City.

R A New Judaic Teachers on Page 22

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The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Community

Aviva Walls moves beyond college counseling to become school’s first female academic administrator

BY LUCY FRIED, FEATURES EDITOR With the new title Dean of Academic Affairs, Ms. Aviva Walls has expanded her role beyond college counseling to become the first-ever female educational administrator in the high school.

Ms. Walls will be undertaking some of the responsibilities of former Dean of Students Jason Feld, now Head of School at Northwest Yeshiva High School in Seattle in the fall – ironically, the high school that is Ms. Walls’ alma mater.

Among her areas of responsibility will be student welfare, discipline and working with the Agenda Committee and Just Community, all previously led by Mr. Feld. She will also manage the master schedule, make sure Schoology is updated and ensure that students are enrolled in the proper classes.

But she will still be involved in college counseling, alongside Ms. Lisa Gruenbaum, Associate Director of College Counseling and Academic Guidance.

“It’s a lot of what I was doing before with a little more on top,” Ms. Walls said of her new position.

Shalhevet has had often women lead the school’s business, administrative, counseling and admissions departments, but she is the first in an academic role. Being the first female educational administrator in the high school is something Ms. Walls described as exciting both for herself and for Shalhevet. (Dr. Deborah Parks was General Studies principal in the old Shalhevet Middle School.)

“We’re very coed and want to inspire our male and female students in all sorts of ways, whether it be science, math, engineering, computer science, athletics, Talmud, or Tanach,” Ms. Walls said. “To be a role model of educational leadership is really powerful, and I hope I am up for the task.”

She has moved into a new office, located on the second floor. It is half of the split space where Mr. Feld’s previous office was; Judaic Studies teacher Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg, who now is co-leading the Just Community, has moved into the other half.

Describing Shalhevet as a “give-and-take” community where everybody’s voices are heard, Ms. Walls is planning to have a discussion board in her office, where students will answer prompt questions on post-it notes, making the wall an interactive space.

“I think it’s gonna be a challenge to stay present with every student even when there’s so much to do,” she said, adding, “so I have set up my new office in a way that really reminds me to be present as possible.

“I want my office to be a place where students come,” she said, “a place where people feel like their voice is heard.”

Ms. Walls joined Shalhevet in 2013 as Director of College Counseling, and since then has greatly increased the number of college admissions officers visiting school, as well as the number of different colleges and universities Shalhevet alumni attend. These include schools such as Yale University, the University of Chica-

SCIENCE CHAIR

BP Photo by Neima Fax NEW: Aviva Walls now has her own office on the second floor.

BP Photo by Neima Fax CHANGE: Aviva Walls has a new office on the second floor adjacent to Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg’s. go, and California State University of Northridge (CSUN).

She said no one should worry about her stepping away from that role.

“I love college counseling and it’s not something I’m giving up,” she said.

However, while overseeing college counseling had previously been split 50-50 between Ms. Walls and Lisa Gruenbaum, it will now be divided into thirds. Two-thirds of the role will be filled

by Mrs. Gruenbaum.

“We’re still working together, and we’re always going to be partners, but Lisa’s going to be taking more day-to-day responsibilities with college counseling,” Ms. Walls said.

Ms. Gruenbaum said she would be doing the same work as before but now fulltime instead of part time. She will also be writing more letters of recommendation.

“I’m gonna write 40 and [Aviva] will write 20,” said Ms. Gruenbaum. But she added that “every recommendation will have both of our eyes on it, because I edit what she writes and she

edits what I write.”

Mrs. Gruenbaum said that they’ve chosen which students to write about based on their relationships with them.

“If I felt like I knew a student more, then I would take them,” Ms. Gruenbaum said, “and if there were students Aviva felt like she had a really good close relationship with, she would choose those students.”

Ms. Walls said her main goal for the upcoming year would be to know more students individually – not just 12th-graders planning for college.

“Getting to know students and having relationships with students is important,” she said. “I honestly just want to know all of the students.”

She also plans to take special interest in the ninth grade.

“It can be really hard to move from one stage of life to another, from middle school to high school,” she said. “We really want our 9th-graders to feel like they’re part of a community, and to understand what Shalhevet is.”

New Agenda Committee revives proposal process at May Town Halls Community approves no-lunch Fridays and public defender for Fairness cases, turns down change in election timing ment, not one that exists on an as-needed basis,” Daniel had written in a Schoology post during campaign week. “A weekly meeting of At the first two Town Halls of Daniel Lorell’s Agenda chairship, ideas and proposals of action to our immediate lives is far more more proposals were brought to the community than in the previ- valuable than contemplating hypotheticals, and a far more fitting fixture of what we call our Just Community.” ous two school years combined.

Days later, he defeated four other candidates, Rami Gruman Daniel was elected May 5 and jumped in as soon as last year’s seniors left for Poland and Israel, just 5 days after ballot day. There and Sam Hirschhorn, leaders of Model Congress and Mock Trial respectively, and Rosie Wolkind, 11th-grade Agenda representative, were two Thursdays left of the school year.

Sticking to his campaign promise of making the Just Commu- former Agenda secretary and another leader of Model Congress. nity “an Athenian democracy” where hypothetical moral dilemmas (Two others had dropped out before election day.)

Jordan said he brought the Fairness proposal because it would would be Town Hall topics only if there was no legislation to dismake the process of initiating cases more “accessible,” and thus cuss, he led spirited discussions of three separate proposals.

Two of them passed. The first was then-junior Jordan Fields’ more common.

“The public defender would do whatever the person who is recommendation, drafted with the help of former Dean of Students Mr. Jason Feld, that a set “public defender” selected by the Fairness bringing the case wants,” Jordan said in an interview. “If the person Committee help students bring teachers to Fairness. It passed 93- wants the public defender to write the case, they can do that, or if they want the person to represent and make the case for them, he 31.

The community also considered whether to cancel Friday lunch or she would also do that.”

The new policy states that the Fairness Committee will choose in favor of earlier dismissal, and whether to change the timing of class representative elections. The lunch proposal passed, and the public defender at the beginning of each school year. However, school officials said a trial run of that would start this fall. It was using the defender would be optional.

The public defender is meant to be used by students taking exactly what Daniel had promised when he ran for Agenda Chair.

“Town Hall is the perfect platform to build a living govern- teachers to Fairness. If a student takes another student to Fairness, Jordan said he hoped the Fairness Committee would pick a second defender. But this was not mentioned in the proposal, which was drafted specifically for cases against teachers.

The public defender has not yet been chosen.

The second proposal was brought to Town Hall on May 12 by the Agenda Committee itself. It suggested that the election for grade-wide representatives be held in the spring, just a week after the election of the committee’s officers. In the past, they have been held the following fall, at the beginning of the school year the reps would serve in.

The new policy would have turned over all the positions in a two-week period in spring, instead of having new officers work with outgoing representatives who may not be on the committee the following year. But the proposal did not pass, with 57 votes against it and only 35 BP Photo by Honor Fuchs in favor.

Daniel Lorell was disappointed that it failed, explainWINNER: New Agenda Chair Daniel Lorell defeated four candidates in last ing that it meant only three people -- himself, new vice May’s election, promising to turn the Just Community into an “Athenian dechair Talia Gill and new secretary Tobey Lee -- would mocracy.” His second Town Hall saw a vote to cancel Friday lunch and end early.

BY HANNAH JANNOL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

plan the opening Town Halls of the year by themselves, without the help of grade-wide representatives. It is also inconvenient to introduce new reps to a committee of executives who have already bonded, he said.

“It’s more apparent to us now than ever that we’re going to have to plan every Town Hall with a committee with only executives” for the first few weeks of the school year, until new grade-level representatives are elected, Daniel said in an interview.

“I was honestly pretty dumbfounded it didn’t pass,” he added.

“I think some of it was people who were planning to run [for a representative position] didn’t want to deal with it right, then but that’s not a huge amount of people. I don’t know, it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

At the new Agenda Committee’s second Town Hall on May 19, most of the hour was spent discussing a successful proposal brought by then-junior Amin Lari to eliminate Friday lunch and end school a half-hour earlier, at 12:45 p.m. instead of 1:15.

Some speakers voiced concern that having three classes in a row without a break would be too much. But this seemed to be resolved after underclassmen said that under last year’s new schedule they had had three classes in a row multiple times a week already and were able to manage.

Amin’s proposal was approved 118 - 32. At the end of the Town Hall, Daniel announced the new Friday schedule would run for a trial period of “a few months” this fall. Daniel had spoken beforehand with Principal Dr. Noam Weissman and Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg, who were both on board to test the new Friday schedule if the community wanted to try it.

The Town Hall, also the last one of the 2016-17 school year, ended with a rap battle featuring then-junior Rami Gruman, then-sophomore Sam Navon, then-freshman Leah Golfiz and many more. No one won; it was just a way to end the last Town Hall of the year, planned by the incoming Student Activities Committee co-chairs Ariel Cohen and Summer Gershon -- also fulfilling campaign promises as soon as the seniors had left town.

Summer said Daniel Lorell had contacted the SAC leaders to collaborate for the last Town Hall.

“I thought it would be a great idea to allow the students who may or may not speak often at Town Hall to have a voice, and show everyone how talented they are,” said Summer.

“At that time of year, every time I would walk around at lunch I would hear people spitting out raps and everyone was very into it,” Summer said. “Ariel and I thought it would be a great first event to start off our term and I really think it ended up successful.”

The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Community

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On the move: New titles, offices for administrators

BY TOBEY LEE, SPORTS EDITOR When it comes to the school’s support staff, students returning to school this week are not going to see usual faces in usual places.

Over the summer, there were 10 office changes, two title changes and a whole lot of switching suites and floors among the people who run Shalhevet’s various departments. So here is a rundown, organized by floor, of who’s where and who’s what.

On the first floor, Raizie Weissman has switched from Student Activities Director to Development Coordinator. Her new office is where Michelle Baxter and Stacey Enoch used to be, just off the main foyer near the front door.

“It’s a great office; I have a photocopy machine so people come in,” said Ms. Weissman, whose previous office was in a hidden spot on the third floor behind the staircase. “Then I have someone to talk to.”

She added that this office will be the first one she uses, since she didn’t like her old one.

“I haven’t really had an office before this point, or one that I actually used,” said Ms. Weissman.

Raizie also explained her new job as Development Coordinator, which includes fundraising, handling money, and more.

“I’ve been doing student activities for eight years,” Ms. Weissman said, “and I loved it and I really had an awesome time. But I

think nine years would have been too much. I love the school, I didn’t want to leave the school, but I just need a change of pace.”

Stacy Enoch, admissions assistant, did not like the hecticness of the front office. She now has Muriel’s former office.

“I like the size and the spacing,” said Ms. Enoch. “It’s, you know, enough for one person -- it’s kind of cozy.”

“I like it just because you know there’s more privacy… it’s quieter, the front office definitely gets a lot more traffic, so it’s nice to kind of be secluded to get some things done,” said Stacey.

In other changes, Muriel Ohana, Rabbi Segal’s assistant, took Claire Benyowitz’s old office.

Claire Benyowitz, the director of development, is in Stacy and Michelle’s old office.

Michelle Baxter, the business office associate, has the former security office, right next to the Wildfire Theatre.

Security no longer has an office inside the school, but it still has a booth overlooking the gate in the driveway.

And Coach Ryan Coleman, the Athletic Director, has a new office adjacent to the gym.

On the second floor, Aviva Walls has half of Mr. Feld’s old office and is the new Dean of Academic Affairs. She likes it, but expressed sadness that she would not be in the same office as Ms. Gruenbaum.

“I’m really going to miss working with Lisa in the same office,”

Ms. Walls said. “She and I had a really great vibe.”

Jen Hurvitz, who works in Student Support, now has half of Ms. Walls’ old office. The other half will be used for student and teacher meetings.

Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg, the new Agenda committee advisor and director of Shalhevet Institute, has taken the other half of Mr. Feld’s old office.

And up on the third floor, Lisa Gruenbaum, the Associate Director of College Guidance and Academic Advising, now has part of Raizie’s old office, just clockwise from the top of the stairs and abutting the Art Room.

Ms. Gruenbaum was at first very skeptical about this change, but now feels comfortable with the new scenery.

“I was very nervous at first [that] being in a space that no student has accessed before, I would be really isolated,” said Ms. Gruenbaum.

“Now that it’s really up and running, a little bit more functional and I’ve kind of got my space in here, I’m really excited about this space because I think it’s such a good space for students,” she said. “It’s a really good way for them to just think about what’s after high school in a no pressure scenario.”

There have also been changes to the Music Room, including risers for choir practice where the cabinets used to be.

Unwanted neighbors: Coyotes from Cheviot menace Beverlywood Continued from Page 1

truth: a coyote had actually eaten her rabbit, whose name was Bella. and Los Angeles, it was a desert, and the population of coyotes is “Now we bring them back in at four, when no coyotes are com- going to be determined by the carrying capacity of the land.”

Meaning, if there’s an apple tree that produces one apple a day, ing,” Katia said. “We believe they should be free and not just sit in residential coyote presence. and it takes one apple to sustain two squirrels everyday, there will be “It’s important that as a community, we try to curtail that,” Offi- a cage all day, so we’re just more careful now.” two squirrels, because that’s what the land will support.

But she still opposes trapping coyotes. cer Dinh advised. “Make your property uncomfortable for wildlife.”

“The desert doesn’t support much,” he added. “But we brought “I’m still not a fan of trapping and killing any animal, no matter This would also include making sure someone - either a house-sitter or neighbor - watches your property while you’re away. what happened with my rabbit,” Katia said. “Because I don’t think with us irrigation, fruit trees, garbage day, pets, so there is much more wildlife in the pound than in the desert, and we made it hapHe said if you do come home to find coyotes in the yard, it’s im- any animal should be killed. pen. We have nobody to blame but ourselves for the population of “But I do think preventative measures need to be taken, espeportant to scare them off. While they will inevitably then disperse around the neighborhood, he said, they will at least know they’re cially considering our lack of responsibility with leaving out the wildlife in Los Angeles.”

Mr. Dinh agrees attractants are part of the problem. He also rabbits until midnight when we usually try to bring them in before not welcome around humans. believes that killing is not only not a solution, but also a possible sunset.”

Mr. Dinh said it is unnatural for coyotes to be Katia lives near the corner of Sawyer Avenue and Hillsboro Ave- cause of the coyote problem. walking in front of humans the way they have “Since the history of the U.S., we’ve done a lot of trapping and nue, and said the attack took place on Dec. 19, 2016. been in Beverlywood and other places like ChevThe argument against trapping and killing usually offered killing,” according to Officer Dinh. “Yet these coyotes stemmed iot Hills. Coyotes are naturally afraid of humans, is that it’s not a long-term solution, accord- from middle America. Now, they’re everywhere in all 49 states exso the fact that they’re showing themselves to ing to research that shows killing them cept for Hawaii, and even Canada. This just shows that as we’ve residents means they’re used to seeing people as actually increases their population in been killing them, they’ve been spreading further and further.” food providers, not threats.

Officer Dinh believes it’s possible that the coyote surge in Beverthe long-run. According to the HuThe problem has divided residents of affectmane Society of the United States, lywood represents a possible migration from Cheviot Hills, a comed areas into two main camps: those who believe “coyotes can increase their repro- munity that was previously plagued with the canine presence. in the trapping and killing or removal of coyotes, He said he worked with that community to get rid of the animal ductive rate by breeding at an earlier and those who believe in coexistence and prevenage and having larger litters, with a by using prevention, as the City will not support or finance traptive measures. higher survival rate among young. ping and killing.

Relocation of coyotes is illegal in California beThis meant working to ensure people did not leave food out, This allows coyote populations to cause it endangers them, but people can acquire a quickly bounce back, even when as and also organized their trash so food scraps would not spill over on license to trap and kill them by taking a series of much as 70 percent of their num- trash day or during the week. He believes the same method could courses. According to Officer Dinh. More comwork in Beverlywood. bers are removed.” mon in communities like Beverlywood, though, “If we could get whole communities to work together with the But Mr. Flick, a trapper BP illustration by Eva Suissa is to contract a professional trapper and killer of over 18 years, city, then I could see the coyotes staying out of sight in a couple of and killer. disagrees, and says he has years,” he said.

“I euthanize them,” states Mike MIGRATE: The coyotes in Beverlywood may be a pack that moved They never really leave, as they’re now a part of the Southern not seen that growth in areas he Flick, a trapper and killer who runs over from Cheviot Hills, which used to be plagued by the animals.

California landscape, but they will stay out of sight if humans train has serviced.

Los Angeles Wildlife Removal and “They can’t produce any fast- them to be scared. One way to do this is to stare them down.

Anytime Animal Control, on his websites. “I have a company poli“If you don’t feel comfortable hazing them, then you want to at cy here at Anytime Animal Control. No Coyote gets out of the trap er than they are. If they have four pups, they have four pups, and least stand your ground and keep eye contact with the coyote until alive. After my own dog and several others were eaten in 2005, I they’re going to do it every year,” he said.

He said after he reduces a local pack, it generally regains its it leaves,” he said. refuse to let another Coyote walk away alive.

Mr. Flick also said part of the problem is that residents do not “If that isn’t what you are looking for, you can call PETA to numbers after three to five years.

“They will re-populate, but my goal is not to destroy the popula- instill fear in the coyotes. have them wish your rogue Coyote away with a bag of tofu. Coyote “As far as being afraid of humans, they don’t trapping is serious business, and there isn’t any time to discuss how tion entirely,” Mr. Flick said in an interview. “My process that that quickly,” he said. “Unless every goal is to weaken the pack.

A strong pack of coythe Coyote might feel about the situation.” human they see shoots at them or gives them a In 30 days, he killed 153 coyotes in San Diego, eight with a otes that is 15 or 20 strong will eat anything they These are urban coyotes, negative view of humans, they’re not going to have the mind to. My goal is to make the pack bow and arrow. so believe it or not, they get that healthy respect of people. Most people It’s hard to say no to killing when small, cute pets and children weaker so they’re forced to eat smaller rodents. I probably stem from local in L.A. when they see a coyote, they usually run, don’t want to kill them all.” are at risk. Senior Emily Schoen said she saw one walking down y’know? So why would they want to run? Now Though they come back, he said it is still benRoxbury Drive while driving in the early evening. parks to golf courses, but they’re the king of the hill.”

“While following it, I saw people walking their dogs and people eficial to hire a trapper and killer, since it gives a some of these coyotes instill fear in the coyotes. walking, so I yelled to them that there is a coyote and they picked community peace and quiet for three to five years were just born and raised “As far as being afraid of humans, they don’t and might permanently rid them of the coyotes. their dogs up or walked the other way,” Emily remembered. in people’s backyards, process that that quickly,” he said. “Unless every But junior Katia Surpin experienced the worst-case scenario. During those years, the few that are left behind human they see shoots at them or gives them a Her family normally lets their pet rabbits roam in the backyard un- by Mr. Flick often retreat somewhere else while so a lot of these coyotes negative view of humans, they’re not going to til sunset, and then puts them back in their cage. One night, they they re-populate enough to go back to the cities don’t even know what the get that healthy respect of people. Most people where food is.

If a city meanwhile gets rid of its came home late and Katia’s father noticed one of two rabbits was hills look like. in L.A. when they see a coyote, they usually run, attractants, the coyotes could go somewhere else. missing. y’know? So why would they want to run? Now Because of this, Mr. Flick believes people He told his daughters that it had died of a heart attack from the they’re the king of the hill.” shock of seeing a coyote. But later on, she saw footage from the fam- should not feel bad about hiring trappers and -- Officer Hoang Dinh, He added that it is for this reason people killers. ily’s backyard security L.A. Animal Services should kill and trap, not have to scare away wild “I’ve actually heard people say this, and it’s ricamera showing a animals. large coyote tearing diculous, is ‘Well, I have to do this [trapping and Watch video of coyotes “People need to realize that we are the top of their pool toys into killing] but I’m not happy about it, this was their roaming in Beverlywood the food chain and we should stop looking at it like it’s a Walt land first,’” Mr. Flick said. shreds. Katia then reat shalhevetboilingpoint.com “The animals are opportunists and they are going to take every Disney movie,” he said. “The safety of your family and your pets is alized her father had not been telling the opportunity you put out there. Before people came to San Diego the most important thing, and people need to grow a thicker skin.”

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The Boiling Point •August 2017 • Outside News

Outside News

AUGUST 2017

Trump remarks after Nazi rally change few views among his supporters at school and evil things.”

Senior Maya Schechter thinks President general Robert E. Lee. “You had a group on one Trump should have been more sensitive, but did side that was bad and you had a group on the not see his comments as having supported Nazi other side that was also very violent. Nobody or right-wing views. wants to say it, but I will say it right now.”

“From my understanding, the controversy Joseph Klores said it was both sides’ faults. was about how he didn’t completely and abso“It was a tragic event that unfortunately… lutely condemn white supremacy,” said Maya. “I alt-right, Neo-Nazi, and KKK atthink he could have been more tacked innocent Jews and killed incareful about it, but I don’t think “I fully stand by nocent people,” he said. like he’s secretly like a white suFellow sophomore Ben-Tsion OlPresident Trump’s premacist.” iel also supported the president. Ben statements.

She also said his comments thinks that the president condemned He totally and didn’t change her view about the Nazis in “an amazing way.” him, because she thought he just strongly explained “He came and he actually called was trying to be sure he had all that such violence them out by name, which is I think the information. doesn’t belong in sufficient,” said Ben. “I fully stand “From the way that it soundour country.”

by President Trump’s statements. He ed, like he just didn’t want to get totally and strongly explained that like any of his facts wrong,” Maya -- Ben-Tsion Oliel said. such violence doesn’t belong in our country.”

However, some Shalhevet Ben also believes the media Trump supporters thought his should have focused on “Antifa” -- an anti-fas- comments were flawed. Senior David Khakcist umbrella group -- in addition to the white shooy thought they leaned toward one side supremacists.

“It seems like it was only the Neo-Nazis and “The thing that he [Trump] said that was the white supremacists fault,” David said. “It true was that the radical left, led by Antifa, are seemed like Trump was being a little biased.” extremely dangerous,” Ben said. “Nowadays the He was also extremely opposed to the events media would try to incriminate the President, that occurred in Charlottesville. but they should have focused on both the white “If people want to share their beliefs and be supremacists and Antifa, who are doing horrible

Continued from Page 1

proud of that, it’s fine, but when it turns violent, that’s when it becomes an issue,” said David.

Associate Director of College Counseling Ms. Lisa Gruenbaum said the incident had caused her to question her support of the president.

“I think that Donald Trump could’ve taken a stronger stance against the issue at hand,” said Ms. Gruenbaum. “Those guys are the people that Trump should’ve spoken out against... Perhaps he didn’t because he got votes from them.”

Noting that Charlottesville was chosen for the march because of a Robert E. Lee statue there -- which was scheduled to be taken down -- Ms. Gruenbaum said she agreed with the marchers that it should stay. Robert E. Lee was the general who led the army of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. “I appreciate history -- I do see some value in remembering,” she said. “So you know a statue that’s been in our country, that does have that history to it, I’m not immediately feeling the need to get rid of it just because that person expressed an opinion that people don’t agree with anymore.”

Still, she said she doesn’t know whether she would vote for Trump in an election again.

“My views have definitely changed over time,” Ms. Gruenbaum said. “I was a Trump supporter at one point, but it’s in times like this where I question my support.”

BP Photo By Katia Surpin

BP Photo By Katia Surpin

UNSURE: Seniors David Khakshooy and Maya Schechter, who both voted for Donald Trump in last fall’s mock election at school, had differing views about the president’s comments after neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville, Va.

Will Macron’s election keep French Jews in France?

Shalhevet’s French-American families left the last time a LePen was almost elected.

By JACOB FEITELBERG, Deputy Editor-in-Cheif

they perceived, and that was part of the decision for us to leave.”

Almost all Jewish communal leaders in France supported MaFrance’s election of Emmanuel Macron as president May 7 was cron, according to Times of Israel. France’s Chief Rabbi Haim greeted with relief by Shalhevet’s French-American families, but Korsia -- along with Protestant, Muslim and other religious leaders leaders -- wrote a statement endorsing Macron. they also said it would not make the country more safe for Jews.

“Fully aware that our roles require us to be non-partisan, we His opponent, Marine Le Pen, would have been worse, they said, but they don’t expect Macron to make a difference for Jews are, however, first and foremost responsible citizens and therefore openly are calling for a vote in favor of Emmanuel Macron,” still living there.

“I’m not sure that there is a future in France for Jews anymore,” the statement said, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

According to TimesofIsrael.com, 96.3 percent of French-Issaid Mrs. Severine Chriki, mother of sophomore Tara Chriki.

“Whether it’s Macron, whether it’s Le Pen, whether it’s anyone, I raelis voting in Tel Aviv, Netanya, Haifa, Ashdod, Eilat and Beersheba voted for Macron. think that France is slowly going to become a France Overall, Macron won 65 perwithout Jews.” cent of the French vote to Le Shalhevet alumnus Nathaniel Kukurudz ‘11, a Pen’s 35 percent inside France.

French citizen who is currently studying in London, Supporters of the European said that he did not expect any major change for Union were relieved as well, as French Jews with Macron as president.

Mr. Macron’s opponent, Ma“There are soldiers in front of every single Jewish rine Le Pen, had vowed for most establishment in France,” said Nathaniel, who is enof the campaign to follow Brexit rolled in a master’s program that meets half in London with “Frexit” and take France out and half in Paris. “In front of every school, in front of of united Europe. every shul. It’s not a normal situation. People don’t Speaking to a Jewish audience want to have the feeling that they are threatened.” in March when he was a candidate, “You have an entire group of Jews who are becomMacron said that he planned to ing more wary of the rising situation,” he said in an keep the status quo in French forinterview. “[They] understand that perhaps the way eign policy. of life they had before won’t be there. They fear their That apparently did not go over safety.” well with the audience, though However, Nathaniel also said that the situation they support membership in the would have become much worse if Le Pen had won.

VERSAILLES: Alumnus Nathaniel Kukurudz EU. According to Times of Isra“If Le Pen had won, of course you would have had ‘11, now a graduate student in France, said el, they responded by hissing and even more Jews leaving France, with a sense of urgency I the country is no longer safe for Jews. His booing. would imagine,” he said. family left France in 2003.

“Oh, no?” said Macron, who Nathaniel’s family left France in 2002 after an elecseemed surprised, the report said. tion very similar to this one, when Jean-Marie Le Pen “Perhaps it’s not your policy, but it is mine.”

-- Marine’s father -- made it to the second round.

In July, however, during a visit from Israeli Prime Minister Ben“My family was worried that this blatantly anti-semitic guy was in the final of the election,” Nathaniel said. “That was a threat that yamin Netanyahu, President Macron spoke out strongly in Israel’s defense and took responsibility for French anti-semitism during

World War II. On July 17, he said anti-Zionism was a form of anti-semitism, just a day after apologizing for the role of France’s then-government in the rounding up of its Jews during the Holocaust.

“It is convenient to see the Vichy regime as born of nothingness, returned to nothingness,” Macron said, according to theguardian.com. “Yes, it’s convenient, but it is false. We cannot “Whether it’s Macron, build pride upon a lie.” whether it’s Le Pen, Under former President Francois whether it’s anyone, Hollande, France had voted in favor of I think that France is a UN resolution denying Judaism’s conslowly going to become nection to Jerusalem, and had proposed a a France without Jews” Palestinian-Israeli peace conference without Israeli support. But Macron, a for-- Mrs. Severine Chriki mer economic minister without foreign policy experience, was According to the Jerusalem Post, Macron plans on working very closely with Israel on policies that encouraged innovation.

Jean-Marie Le Pen was head of the National Front party until 2011, when his daughter took over. He was accused and convicted this past year of “inciting religious hatred” for his anti-semitic comments, according to independent.co.uk. His daughter ousted him as party leader after that.

Neither Le Pen nor his daughter won election as president of France, but both won many votes. Jean-Marie Le Pen won 17.8 percent of the vote in the second round in 2002, representing about 5.5 million votes. Marine Le Pen did even better, with 33.9 percent in the second round, about 10.5 million votes.

Mrs. Chriki said President Macron would not be able to change the current state of affairs for French Jews.Ms. Chriki, who left France with her family in 2003 but still has French citizenship, predicted that Jews would keep leaving France.

“It’s too late,” she said. “It’s out of control. How could they get rid of all the extreme Muslims that are already in France and Europe? … You cannot do anything in France. You cannot wear a kippa, you cannot be jewish outside of your house.”

The Boiling Point •August 2017 • Outside News

Table Talk

9

News to Help You Schmooze

Health care repeal stifled after summer of effort by Republicans

By JACOB FEITELBERG, Deputy Editor-In-Cheif

BP Photo By Hila Machmali

ECLIPSE 2017

BP Photo By Hila Machmali

SOLAR: At top, faculty and students observed the nationwide solar eclipse outside on the third floor Monday morning, Aug. 21. Above, Judaic Studies teacher assembled a cardboard contraption to allow students and faculty view the eclipse without damaging their eyes.

On the roof, awe, omens, and humility

By HILA MACHAMALI, Web Editor-in-Cheif Most of Shalhevet’s faculty and about 15 incoming ninth-graders gathered on the roof at 10:15 a.m. Monday, let out of their respective meetings and classes for a brief viewing of the nationwide solar eclipse. To the naked eye, the eclipse — which covered about 70 percent, according to the Griffith Park Observatory — of the sun here — had no effect on the sunny California day, but once each person got a chance to view the sun safely, they stood in awe and urged their peers to experience it with them Protective glasses were passed around so that each person could watch the sun safely. In addition, Gemara teacher Ms. Atara Segal had configured a cardboard box to block the vision-damaging UV rays exerted by the sun;it projected a small, bright image of the moon’s passing over the sun onto the cement pavers in the lunch area, so that even those without the glasses could watch easily.

New Judaic Studies teacher Rabbi Abraham Lieberman said solar eclipses, which occur when the moon passes between the earth and the sun during daytime, are controversial in Jewish thought.

“Solar eclipses are mentioned in the Talmud and are viewed as a bad omen,” Rabbi Lieberman said, “although there are also some rabbis that will explain a solar eclipse to be showing God’s perfection — a way to humble us and remind us that God is there.”

Rabbi Lieberman also said that the because some view it as a negative sign, there are different opinions on whether or not a bracha should be said. A handful of those viewing this week’s event said the blessing, which thanks God for renewing creation.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is prov- the cost of healthcare in general, One of the ways it tries to do this is by requiring all Amering pretty hard to repeal in Congress.

The Senate Majority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell icans to have health insurance, bringing more money into the of Kentucky, had been working for months to repeal it and re- system to support those who need extensive care. The support is place it with new health insurance legislation. But after delaying popular, but the mandate for everyone to buy insurance is not.

According to Forbes.com, Obamacare has provided more the Senate’s summer recess in hopes of succeeding, the effort went down to defeat when Sen. John McCain cast a no vote -- than 22 million previously uninsured people with insurance, including many young adults. At the same time, about joining two other Republican senators -- for the so-called 5 million have lost insurance, for a net increase of “skinny” repeal. about 17 million more insured people than That repeal would have repealed two parts of Obabefore the law. macare -- including the individual mandate which reA few taxes were put into place in quired people to have health insurance or pay a tax order to fund Obamacare such as -- and left 44 million people without health insurnew taxes on medical devices ance, according to the Congressional Budget and pharmaceutical sales. The Office. “skinny repeal” would also However, the repeal was never meant have repealed those. to become an actual law, according to Premiums have risen Senate Republicans. It was meant to for many people who alto pass the Senate in order to open ready had coverage, partly up negotiations with the House, because insurance compawhich had already approved an nies have to cover people Obamacare repeal earlier this year.

But along with Sen. McCain, BP Drawing By Eva Suissa Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski Huffing and puffing. with pre-existing health condiof Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, tions and partly because of uncertainty over the joined by all 48 Democrats, voted to defend the current future of the bill. For example, if Congress votes law, worrying that there were insufficient protections for low-income people in their states. McCain’s vote was a surprise. to remove the mandate, there will be less money in the system to Other plans have been put forth in the Senate to partially cover pre-existing conditions.

Some of the more popular parts of Obamacare are that womreplace Obamacare, but none have passed so far.

When it was passed, the Affordable Care Act had three main en cannot be charged more than men, nobody can be denied goals: to make health insurance available to more people, to ex- coverage for a pre-existing health condition, and children can pand Medicaid to more people who couldn’t afford insurance, stay on their parents’ plans until 26. and to support new ways medical care delivery methods to lower

U.S. and North Korea exchange threats of Armageddon

By DAVID EDWARDS, Staff Writer On July 4, North Korea successfully tested the Hwasong-14 ICBM, which some U.S. experts say could hit Alaska. But the tables turned on July 28, with a second test of the Hwasong 14 showing a maximum range of over 6,200 miles, meaning cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York could be within range.

North Korea, whose official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, already has nuclear weapons that could be dropped from a bomber, but any aircraft would likely be shot down before getting close to the U.S. mainland -- which is why the regime there has focused on building an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM. Missiles are classified by their range. For example, a ‘battlefield range missile” has a range of about 124 miles, while any missile that can hit a target at a range of 3,418 miles or more is considered an ICBM. Since the distance from North Korea to Los Angeles is about 5,800 miles, an ICBM is the regime’s only option. And now it seems that they have succeeded in designing one, a claim confirmed by the Pentagon.

President Donald Trump replied Aug. 8 at the Trump National Golf Club, saying: “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” This left many to wonder whether war was imminent.

Though the US and other countries have tried to cripple North Korea by not buying its exports or otherwise trading with it, China, DPRK’s largest trading partner, has kept the smaller country’s economy alive. Two-way trade between North Korea and China increased to $2.55 billion in the first half of 2017.

As a result, President Trump is attempting to convince China to reduce its trade with the DPRK, because without it North Korea would lack the resources to continue its nuclear weapons program. And on Aug. 14, China announced it would stop importing North Korean coal.

But despite US negotiations and diplomatic pressure, Chinese officials apparently believe that North Korea is too vital an ally to undermine too severely. Not only does the DPRK provide a buffer zone on their border against the American ally South Korea, but if the regime in the North were to collapse, millions of refugees would flood across the Chinese border.

After President Trump’s “fire and fury” warnings, North Korea replied by threatening to attack Guam, which is both an important US military base in the Pacific and a home to over 200,000 Americans.

On Aug. 15, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he had opted to wait for the U.S. to make a move before acting.

BP Graphic By Zev Kupferman

10

Arts & Culture AUGUST 2017

Through difficult times, music has accompanied Natalie Dahan

By MAITAL HILLER, Staff Writer It’s impossible to find the right words to say. All I can do right now is tell myself I’ll be okay.

“Impossible” is a song that alumna Natalie Dahan wrote to help her overcome the rough patches in her life through the musical career she has embarked upon -- not that it’s her real career though.

Natalie, who graduated in 2014, is a junior pre-med student at Cal State Northridge. She has volunteered with sick children in Haiti and currently maintains a job working with patients at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in the Emergency center. But in her free time, she sings in front of large crowds and has released a full studio vocal album.

She credits her singing with making the rest of her life, well, possible.

After graduating from Shalhevet, she decided to start a musical career as an escape from her academic life. Her passion for music had been consistent, though she only discovered her performance talent as a high school student.

Her first album as a singer-songwriter is called Forbidden Love.

“After I broke up with my boyfriend, I wrote a song about him and it ended up being good so I continued,” said Natalie in an interview with the Boiling Point.“I was just messing around with my sister, playing random chords and wrote a song.”

The tracks on Forbidden Love reflect her journey into the professional music world. For instance, she wrote “Impossible” to help her overcome her obstacles as she navigates a performance career in its infancy. The song describes the hard times she has been through, times when singing was her outlet to express inner feelings.

These days all of our fighting will come to an end. We don’t have to pretend, one of these days.

During this song, Natalie plays the chords on her guitar and has a

beat from an electric piano in the background. In vocal development to the group.

“My voice improved throughall of Natalie’s songs, her voice is heard throughout the lyrics. The music itself is very intense, in out every day.” Natalie said.

The subjects of her songs vary, the sense that she offers us a vivid picture of how though Natalie often draws upon she is feeling inside.

“My songs are very personal and come from real-world experiences. One song hard times I have come across,” Natalie said. from her debut album, titled “When I decided to pursue this album and post “These Days,” is a reflection on it on music sites, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever the modern state of the world and gone through in regards to music. I wasn’t sure if Israel—and the impact current events have on our lives. anyone would like it.”

In it, she sings, “Don’t want to But her songs have always been well-received. be forever fightShortly after high school, Natalie ing, caress the had her first big break when she held cracks on the her first sold out performance at a “When I decided to black road.” music venue, AMPLYFi on Melrose.

Judaism itFrom there, her passion for the art pursue this album and self has providand a following of fans started to post it on music sites, ed Natalie with take off. it was the hardest some cracks in “It was the most amazing feelthing I’ve ever gone the road. In ing,” Natalie said of the full-toJudaism, pub- SING: Natalie Dahan sold out her first show at AMPLYFi on Melrose. capacity the performance at AMthrough in regards to lic vocal perPLYFi. “A dream come true—the music. I wasn’t sure if formance by room hit max capacity, and all my sing a solo at Shalhevet. She chose her first song anyone would like it” women is often limited due to CD albums were sold.” carefully -- “Someone Like You,” by Adele. the restrictions of kol isha—litNatalie got her start in musical “This was the only time I felt super-nervous,” performance when she joined the -- Natalie Dahan erally “voice of a woman.” In she said. “But it helped me with stage fright.” some communities, this conChoirhawks during her freshman Like her singing, Natalie’s interest in medicine cept precludes women from year. Over the course of her four goes beyond the classroom. Her experience volperforming alone in front of years at Shalhevet, she sang under unteering last summer in Haiti, where she prothe direction of Mrs. Joelle Keene, the group’s audiences that include male observers. On her vided medical assistance to Haitians who had no album, as with her performance at AMPLYFi, director. access to hospitals, contributed to her desire to “I have rarely seen a person grow as much Natalie’s voice is the only one present. enter the medical field.

When she came to Shalhevet in ninth grade, through music as Natalie,” said Mrs. Keene. “She “I want to provide underserved communities girls were not allowed to sing solos with the choir. has a very memorable voice that I could liswith health care and eradicating racial biases in But midway through her sophomore year, Head ten to for a long time. She worked hard, the medical field.” she said. of School Rabbi Ari Segal issued new guidepracticed a lot and took lyrics seriously.”

Having medicine as her primary career focus, lines for observing kol isha, allowing girls Natalie attributes her she said, means her music can be personal -- and a to sing solos at school if they followed relief from stress, instead of a cause of it. certain rules. These included ensuring “I’m not in it for money,” she said. “I’m in it that songs not contain any suggestive because I cannot imagine my life without music. lyrics, that females are dressed modTo step out of stressful situations. Music is my estly and the performance venues are healing therapy and I use it to help other’s to the appropriate. best of my ability.”

At the Purim talent show that year, Natalie became only the second girl to

n i i n Alum Music

Alumna Naomi Robin ‘10 signs deal with Republic Records

By Rachel metzger, Staff Writer Naomi Robin, Shalhevet class of 2010 and former Choirhawk, has had a passion for music since she was young. Now, the old musicals and choir practices have given way to something much bigger.

On March 14, Naomi signed an artist deal with Universal’s biggest label, Republic. The same label also has deals with award-winning musicians such as Taylor Swift, Drake, and the Weeknd.

The contract means that she will be recording a lot of songs and will release them as they are perfected, either one at a time or a few at a time.

While still a student at UCLA, Naomi released an EP -- an “extended play,” more than one song but not yet an album -- with her band, which was called “Naomi and the Bandits” Now she records as a solo artist. She describes her music as “dark pop with a sprinkle of Middle Eastern melodies.” She is aiming to make

her music uplifting like pop but also slightly “darker.”

All of her songs are written by her. Her lyrics, she said in an interview, are based on events in her daily life, feelings and emotions of hers, and her relationships with her friends. She declined to share any of her lyrics with Boiling Point because she wants to wait until her music comes out.

“I wrote my first song ever for my final project in guitar class, and when I performed it, a bunch of girls in the class started crying,” said Naomi, who majored in Musicology and minored in Music Industry.

“At that moment I thought, ‘Oh my God -- I can affect people through music,” she said. “This is what I want to do for a living.’”

But her interest in music had started well before college.

While at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Acad-

emy, Namoi acted in plays with the Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts, or YADA. Then at Shalhevet she sang in the choir during first semester of her PRO: Alumna Naomi Robin records as a solo artist and writes her own songs. freshman year, an experience she said has Mr. Beer took on Naomi as a new client and influenced her composing. played her song for an executive at Republic Re“I try to include interesting vocal harmonies cords of Universal a week later. within all of my songs,” Naomi said. “I wouldn’t “I’m very, very proud of her,” said her mothhave thought to do that if it wasn’t for singing in er, Shalhevet Hebrew teacher Ms. Flora Robin, Mrs. Keene’s choir.” “because it’s not easy to get to this point, and Her break came when she sent an EDM song also some people wait years and years to work she wrote to Lenny Beer, the editor-in-chief of and some never get to work, but she wanted it so Hits Magazine and the head of an artist managebadly and loved it so much.” ment company called The MGMT Company, which boasts a vast array of clients including Pentatonix and Eagles of Death Metal.

The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Arts & Culture

11

Famous Israeli street artist flash-paints mural of Jerusalem on the third floor The vibrant colors made famous in the Jerusalem shuk now adorn the outdoor wall that rings Shalhevet’s spiral staircase as it arrives on the third-floor roof.

Head outdoors from the top of the stairway, turn right, and a mural featuring bold

blues, greens and browns encompasses most of the curved wall, brightening the outdoor lunch area and the view from the Beit Midrash.

The mural was painted over two days by British-Israeli artist Solomon Souza, 22, who

gained fame for cartoonish portraits of famous Israelis on the metal roller shutters that cover stores at night.

Shalhevet’s mural depicts the city of Jerusalem with a batik-like psychedelic sky teaming with fish. It was donated by Eric Kranzler in

honor of his father, Arthur “Fishy” Kranzler, grandfather of many Shalhevet alumni, and commemorates Fishy’s nickname along with his passion for the city of Jerusalem.

-Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks, Arts and Culture Editor

12

The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Features

Is Reading Being Replaced?

With so much to watch and so much to do, a long-loved pastime seems to be fading away -- though it still has its fans

By Lucy Fried, Features Editor, and Maayan Waldman, Editor-in-Chief Emerita

It is well known that the current generation over-consumes media. Smartphones, video streaming, and social media seem to have taken over the lives of children and adults alike.

Less well known, however, is that with the increase in media usage has come a drastic decrease in another activity -- reading.

Both recreationally and academically, reading was once an enjoyable, daily pastime in which people of all ages participated. However, it is now considered anby many to be almost obsolete.

Each day, the average American teenager spends over six-and-a-half hours consuming media via screens, according to a 2015 study conducted by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco based nonprofit that provides research and analyses on healthy media use.The study showed that electronic media take up most of an average American teenager’s time. Books often don’t make the cut.

And when it comes to reading for school, students almost automatically turn to online resources to somewhat do the work for them -- even if that means reading a classic.

“I’ve spoken with students who very rarely read a book in its entirety – and that’s an issue – and either use their peers or online resources to kind of skate by,” said General Studies Principal and English teacher Mr. Daniel Weslow.

An online Boiling Point poll of 60 girls and 47 boys last spring found that 43 percent of students reported relying on online resources rather than books to pass English class and opted not to read in their free time.

Half the students polled said they never read books that weren’t assigned for school. But the poll, supported by student interviews, found an undercurrent of readers as well, with seven students who reported reading for pleasure every day and 22 who read leisurely at least once a week.

Still, there are some who still read regularly, and enjoy doing so. Around 30 students polled said they read either every day or at least once a week, and others who did not take the poll said they enjoy reading and often discuss books with their friends.

Senior Sam Hirschhorn’s love ofreading began as a kid, when he read instead of watching television. He recently read The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. Then again, Sam didn’t have the usual media distractions.

“I actually don’t have a TV in my house,” Sam said. “So I read when I was a kid. I couldn’t watch TV.” Still a reader today, rather than reading consistently every night, Sam said he “binge reads.”

“Sometimes I don’t read for a while, and then I’ll read an entire book in one or two nights.”

Sophomore Neima Fax reads every night. For her, reading is a routine that is rarely hindered by schoolwork. She is now reading the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.

“I always read books that captivate me, so I want to read more,” said Neima. “It’s not like, ‘Oh I should make time to read.’ I want to read.”

Mr. Weslow wishes that were not so unusual.

“There is a subculture of real readers that enjoy it, and I don’t think that they shy away from engaging in that conversation,” said Mr. Daniel Weslow. “But I’d love to see that a little bit more enhanced around the community for sure.”

Another challenge is the availability of online “cheat sheets” such as SparkNotes, Cliffs Notes, and Shmoop, which summarize books in relatively simple English.

Sites like these are tempting for many students and pose big challenges for teachers.

For some students, such resources have completely replaced reading. Asked whether they had ever read an entire book for English class, 28 students, or 26 percent of those who participated in the poll, said no.

Nearly half, or 43 percent, said such resources supplement their reading, and 35 students, or 33 percent, said they use Sparknotes instead of reading for some parts of the book.

Only 13 percent of students polled said they read the entire book assigned for school.

In another question, the poll found that 65 students, or 61 percent, were more likely to use an online book shortcut when they disliked the book.

For some students, using SparkNotes feels immoral -- though they may do it anyway.

“For me personally I feel it’s kind of like a shortcut,” said Neima. “I feel guilty about that. It’s kind of like cheating, I guess, but not really. I just read the book usually.”

English teachers at Shalhevet apparently do not micromanage student’s usage of resources like SparkNotes, according to British Literature and Jewish Literature teacher Ms. Na’amit Nagel.

“You could spend so much effort making sure kids don’t read them that you forget to focus on what’s actually important,” Ms. Nagel said.

She suggested that perhaps students are using

SparkNotes because they are fo swers. She wishes they would the questions.

“I’m sick of students th they need to find the answer Nagel said. “And that’s why t on these websites. You need the questions. Hold on to th tions. Don’t be obsessed with quick answers that someon wrote for you in a really snap way so you actually want t them. That’s when you lose the it. Maybe that’s why you don to read.”

SparkNoting -- so commo it’s now used as a verb -- a bo means losing out on an au reading experience, sh “The author you to read it fi said. “They are t thing deep, and put the time a out what that is Junior Ariella “There’s just that you’re miss derstanding whe read the book an summary version English class game when stud but it might no Daniel Lorell is who doesn’t read “If the goal to have the kids Daniel, “then ye to have some so tests that can’t b Shmoop or Spar or anything like “But if the p philosophical dis condition, then bad thing [to no While a signi dents may not be of those same stu grades in English are not affec “I do fairly well in Englis gaged, even though I don’t re Daniel said.

For some students, even a teachers are not an incentive find other ways to make the te read.

“Kids will just randomly their books so it looks like the alumnus Micha Thau ‘17, wh read the books.

Mr. Weslow said he was aw enon.

“I have heard students in th you fill me in on exactly wha just give me a quick summary Mr. Weslow said he woul him for extensions and assist class.

“I’d much rather have tha have that conversation a cou think something is amazing th come to find out like two mo

For some students, such resources have completely replaced reading.

Asked whether they had ever read an entire book for English class, 28 students, or 26 percent of those who participated in the poll, said no.

ocused on getting and instead grapple with

hinking rs,” Ms. they go to find he quesh these ne else ppy fun to read e fun of n’t want

on that ook also uthentic he said. r wanted five times,” Ms. Nagel trying to get at somed you’re supposed to and effort to figuring s.” a Sassover agreed. t so much imagery sing out on and unen you don’t actually nd you’re just getting a n online.” s is a different balldents are not reading, ot be all bad. Senior s one of the students d most books. of an English class is s read the book,” said eah, it’s on the teacher ort of really rigorous be beaten by reading rkNotes or Cliffnotes that. point of English is this scovery of the human maybe it’s not such a ot read the book].” ificant number of stue reading books, many udents still claim their cted by that choice. sh and I am very eneally read the books,”

annotation checks by e to read, as they can eacher think they have

y underline things in ey’ve annotated,” said ho said he usually did

ware of this phenom-

he halls like, “Hey can at happened, can you y?” Mr. Weslow said. ld rather students ask tance than fake it in

at conversation – and uple of times – than hat somebody said and onths later they pulled

The Boiling Point • August 2017• Features

that directly from SparkNotes.”

The problem is national. In 2014, Common Sense Media published a 25-page research brief on reading among children and teens nationwide. The report found that 53 percent of American 9-yearolds read for their own enjoyment every day, compared to only 17 percent of 17-year olds.

Overall, the report showed that teenagers are not only reading less than children, but less than teenagers used to read as well.

Daniel Lorell said he read books a lot more when he was younger but hardly finds the motivation to read anymore.

“I have just like started watching a lot more videos and listening to podcasts more instead of reading, and that’s sort of replaced that want to absorb stories,” said Daniel, who is taking Honors Film this year instead of a literature course.

Another factor that may account for the lack of reading is that relaxation and media consumption are simply done differently by today’s teenagers.

Freshman Hannah Berman said she reads a lot less than she used to, and said that technology usage prevents teens from reading.

“I can never find a book that’s really interesting to me the way I used to,” said Hannah. “They probably think that they have better things to do, like be on technology. If I didn’t have a computer or phone, I’d probably read more.”

With the ability to take in information through apps such as Twitter, which only allows users 140 characters for text messages and links, reading full-length articles or books seems impossibly old-fashioned and slow.

Unlike television or movies, which draw viewers in from the start, books take time until readers get to the point where they are fully engaged.

With digital media readily available and requiring minimal brain power, it can be hard to pick up a book instead.

“A lot happens before you see any action and it takes a long time unless you’re a very quick reader.” said Micha Thau. “It takes something out of you.

“Why would I imagine a paradise world with great colors and magic and whatever when I could just watch it on television – have someone else imagine it for me?”

Mr. Weslow thinks the reading – or lack of reading – trend may also be attributed to students’ poor time management skills.

Last February, Mr. Weslow gave his sophomores a week-long reading assignment that was due on a Friday, and noticed when most students turned the assignment in.

“It was fascinating to see the Schoology discussion board emails that I got coming in Thursday night or Friday morning right before class,” he said, noting that the assignment could have easily been done much earlier in the week.

But time is an issue even for students who enjoy

reading. Ironically, sometimes what prevents them from reading is other schoolwork.

By the time some students get home from school or a co-curricular and finish their homework and studying, it can be well into the night, so they reason it is better to get the extra hour of sleep than spend an hour reading.

Ariella Sassover, an avid reader currently reading Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells, said that when she doesn’t have enough time to read, which is often the case, it is because of school.

“I have so many classes and so much homework and reading for school that I don’t have that much time to read my own books just out of self interest, but I try to as much as I can,” said Ariella.

According to Ms. Nagel, finding time to read is not just a challenge for high school students, but for adults as well.

“It’s a real challenge at all points in life, but I do think you have to work to make it a priority,” Ms. Nagel said.

Even as an English teacher, Ms. Nagel herself said it is hard to find time to read outside of what she needs to do to prepare for her classes.

But just days before her Boiling Point interview, Ms. Nagel read a transcribed interview with former president Barack Obama about his favorite literary pieces and his view on the importance of reading. “ O b a m a read while in the White House,” she said. “If the president of the United States can make time to read, then I really have no excuse for not making time to read.

“He is the busiest man in the world probably and he knew the importance of reading literature.”

“I’m sick of students thinking they need to find the answers, and that’s why they go on these websites. You need to find the questions. Hold on to the questions.”

--Ms. Nagel

The question many students might have about all this is whether it matters. Their teachers, of course, think it does.

Ms. Nagel said that reading is important because it gives kids tools to understand the world and themselves.

“I think reading helps you understand people in worlds that are different than you and the more you can understand the other the more you can grow as an individual and the more you can understand the world,” she said.

Micha Thau said the fact that students are not reading means the community has a lot to think about.

“I have a friend who told me she hadn’t read any book at all throughout all of high school and got an A in English in every semester,” Micha said. “It is something to consider. Like what are we doing wrong or what can we do so this doesn’t happen?”

Mr. Weslow said changing the culture around reading is “going to come through a number of different changes” that range from finding a space on campus to dedicate to quiet reading to instituting school-wide summer reading.

“Some of them can be how we approach it in the classroom,” Mr. Weslow said, “Some of it’s coming from our student body, some of it can be like even doing some funky, cool things with our space on campus to promote that.”

In her 12th-grade Creative Writing class, Ms. Michelle Crincoli has tried to combat the lack of interest many students have in reading by introducing her students to flash fiction, shorter pieces of literature around 1,000 words.

Ms. Nagel said she encourages reading by requiring students to do a close analysis of excerpts from the readings in class or in essays, a practice she calls “close reading.”

“I try to do a lot of close reading and just keep kids in the book as much as possible -- not have screens out in class, read from the book– so even if a kid doesn’t read it for homework they have had to read in the book somehow,” she said.

Perhaps the future will offer modernized forms of reading.

Daniel Lorell said that instead of reading Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray for this past year’s summer reading assignment, he listened to an audio book.

“That kind of made me wonder, what is the difference?”

Daniel said.

“It’s the same text. It’s just not my mind saying it to myself. I’m listening to someone else say it. If that’s the same as the book, is it really such a huge leap from a book to a TV show or movie?”

Another such method may be through graphic novels. In Ms. Crincoli’s ninth-grade class, students read the graphic novel version of The Odyssey and the graphic novel Persepolis. Both use graphics and minimal text to convey the storyline.

“I know a lot of literary people will say, ‘Kids shouldn’t be reading graphic novels,’” Ms. Crincoli said. “I disagree. I think that might be a little bit of the way of the future for students, where they can kind of get that depth for storytelling along with the art.”

Ariella and Micha said they look back favorably at their reading experiences in middle school, where they were often incentivized to read outside of schools by fun assignments or reading competitions.

And even though Micha said he reminisces about those days, he knows said it wasn’t practical for high school.

“I think that was very good,” Micha said during second semester of his senior year. “It required a lot of outside reading. But that’s something I don’t have time for anymore.”

Similarly, Mr. Weslow said he liked the structured community reading that he experienced while working at New Roads, but does not see something like that realistically playing out at Shalhevet.

“I love that kind of concept,” Mr. Weslow said.

“That’s not the answer, but it is something where we can be better at creating a culture of reading.”

BP Page Art by Ari Sassover Page Design by Abbi Sentchuk

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FEatures

CHONOMIC S IR S H

AUGUST 2017

Students learn swimming, sports and empathy at special needs camps

Invest? Yes. But maybe not with a broker.

By Sam Hirschhorn and zack hirschhorn, Staff Columnists

BP Photo by Naomi Bijou KINDNESS: Shalhevet seniors Maya Schechter, left, and Naomi Bijou, right, worked were assigned to the same camper last summer at Camp Chesed in Reseda. “When you’re doing this, it’s really just for the soul of it,” said Maya, who worked there last summer as well.

By Lucy Fried, Features Editor Like many of their peers, seniors Maya Schechter, Naomi Bijou and Noa Segal spent their summer at Jewish summer camp.

But their job descriptions were different from those of their friends. Maya and Naomi worked at Camp Chesed in the Valley, and Noa worked at Camp HASC in New York -- both camps for people with special needs.

Summer camp is a vital part of life and Jewish education for many Jewish kids. But for special needs children, finding a summer camp to enjoy can be a challenge.

“The campers at Camp Chesed have a wide range of special needs and disabilities, and all year they look forward to this twoweek chunk that’s so amazing for them,” said Maya.

She said the camp is very personalized and individualized, with a 1:3 camper-to-counselor ratio.

According to its website, Camp Chesed is the oldest Jewish camp for special needs children, having opened in 1995. Located in Reseda, California, it is a daycamp that is completely free of charge to all campers, and counselors volunteer their time for 14 day-long sessions.

“When you’re doing this it’s really just for the soul of it,” said Maya, who worked there last summer as well. “To be able to give these people an experience that they deserve and that they’re not going to get unless you give it to them.”

Camp Chesed offers field trips to amusement parks including Disneyland and Universal Studios, and campers’ families can join their children at 4 p.m. of each field trip.

“Most camps aren’t so personalized and individualized,” Maya said.

“Everything is completely taken care of,” she said. “The families are just sending their children, or brothers or sisters for free and they’re just having an amazing experience.”

Naomi said working at Camp Chesed was “harder than it looks.”

She and Maya were assigned to the same camper, but sometimes if their camper did not need attention, they would help other counselors, Naomi said.

“It made me reflect on how there are families that deal with this,” Naomi said. “It feels good to know you’re helping out.”

Noa worked as a lifeguard at Camp HASC, a 7-week-long sleepaway camp for children and adults with specialized needs in New York’s Catskill Mountains. HASC stands for Hebrew Academy for Special Children.

Camp HASC’s programming targets campers’ individual social, emotional, therapeutic or physical needs. Its camper-counselor ratio is more than 1:1, compared to Camp Chesed’s ratio of at least 1-3.

“We have something like 500 staff for 300 campers, including nurses, recreational staff, kitchen staff, and therapy staff,” Noa said.

Campers take academic classes Monday through Friday during their summers until age 21. But they aren’t typical classes one would see in school.

“They work on goals that they work on the whole year,” Noa said. “For one camper it might be identifying their name in a line of three names, for another it’s reaching out to touch a ball, or reading three pages, or doing multiplication.”

Once they turn 21, they begin participating in recreational activities rather than academics, including drama, art, music and swim.

Noa didn’t take care of campers as she wasn’t a counselor, but she enjoyed seeing the relief that swimming in the pool brought the campers.

“There are some campers who it takes so much stress off of them that they’re able to talk when they’re in the water,” she said.

“Because other times they’re so focused on just sitting up that they can’t speak.”

She said the large number of staffers made it possible to provide care that the kids can’t get at any other time of year.

In Los Angeles, Noa works with special needs through Yachad, a Jewish organization that creates year-round activities for special needs children.

She attended HASC as a “staff kid” during her summers going into 9th and 10th grade, when her mother worked there.

“My two summers there were the best summers I’ve ever had,” Noa said, “I just loved the camp and I loved the people and I loved the campers there. I knew that I wanted to come back to HASC.” Maya also had had past experience working with special needs people, and described it as something she’s passionate about.

Both of her older sisters participated in local special needs organizations Yachad, Friendship Circle and Etta.

“My older sister met her husband because they both worked at Etta,” Maya said. “Working with special needs has always been a very big part of all of our lives.”

In 9th grade, she was paired through Friendship Circle with a special needs camper for activities every Sunday.

“They don’t have these experiences otherwise,” she said. “They don’t have a lot of opportunities to be social, so it’s a really great thing to do for them.”

Noa said that a fully special needs camp is more beneficial than similar sleepaway camps with mainstreaming programs.

“The whole entire camp is just people with special needs,” she said. “Their tagline is ‘Heaven on Earth,’ and I’ve never seen a place where that’s more true.”

Both Noa and Maya said their experiences this summer made them more empathetic. Maya said that working at Camp Chesed challenged her and made her grow.

“I know some campers are amazing and such a handful, but they’re so much fun and super wild and full of life,” she said. “It was definitely a bit challenging but it’s for sure worth it.” Noa held a similar opinion and did not cease to gush about how much she loved each and every camper.

“I just enjoy so much making them happy,” she said. “When you’re able to connect with a camper it makes you feel so good, and you just see the world differently.”

Summer is over and it’s time to go back to school. Hopefully, you did something with your summer, and didn’t just hibernate in your room watching Game of Thrones all day (especially since Westworld is definitely better). If you did manage to get out of the house, you may have earned some money from a summer job, and if it hasn’t all been spent on food, clothes, and shoes, you might want to invest some.

Investing is a great way to make money without the hassle of actually doing anything.

There are three options: invest the money yourself, invest it in an index fund, or invest it in a managed fund. Obviously, since you are not a stock market expert, you should invest in a fund instead of investing by yourself (and we’ll later see that even if you are an expert, you still shouldn’t invest by yourself ).

To choose between a managed fund and an index fund, you need to understand their differences. A managed fund is exactly what is sounds like: you pay a stock market expert -a manager -- to invest your money in companies that he or she thinks will do well. An index fund, on the other hand, simply buys all the stocks in a given stock market index, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, or even niche indexes like silver mining stocks.

Now you might assume that you should choose the managed funds. After all, these funds are managed by professional investors; they should know what they are doing, right? However, when you look at the numbers, you’ll find index funds consistently outperform managed funds.

According to a study by S&P Dow Jones Indices, over a 10year period the vast majority of index funds outperformed all three main types of managed funds, known as large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap. The index funds outperformed 82.14 percent of large-cap managed funds, 87.61 percent of mid-cap managed funds, and 88.42 percent of small-cap managed funds.

Given this surprising result, there is an obvious question: why does this happen?

One reason is actually that the managed funds have managers. These managers command high salaries, and the money to pay those salaries is taken out of the money you invest.

Because they don’t have managers, index funds can charge fees less of than 0.2% for investing, compared to managed funds’ 1% or more. This means that in order to outperform index funds, managed funds don’t just have to beat the market, they have to beat the market by enough to cover their extra fees. And most managed funds simply can’t do that.

The second reason is much simpler: you can’t beat the stock market. This can be explained by the Efficient Market Hypothesis, which states that stock prices reflect all available information and trade at their true price. That means that it is impossible for a manager to buy undervalued stock or sell stock at a higher price than its actual worth, because all stocks buy and sell at their true price. This isn’t to say that managed funds won’t sometimes give huge returns, but when they do it will be due to luck, not skill. People like to think that managing stocks is full of skill and intelligence, but in reality, it’s more like being a professional gambler.

So, if managed funds consistently cannot outperform index funds, and usually perform worse, why do they still exist? The answer is twofold: People feel more comfortable having a professional manage their portfolio, and investing companies encourage their clients to use managed funds so they can charge higher fees and make more money.

In other words, even though managed funds are not in an investor’s best interest, they are in an investment company’s best interest. So companies they have an incentive to get people to sign up for them, despite the fact that their customers will be losing money.

Reading this column won’t make you an expert in investing and making money, but luckily, you don’t need to be one to turn your hard-earned summer money into extra cash. Simply invest in an index fund and your returns will be better, without the added difficulty of having to go to business school.

The Boiling Point • August 2017• Features

Ex-member says Twitter helped her break from Westboro Baptist Church

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By Hannah Jannol, Editor-in-Chief When Megan Phelps heard the news about the 9/11 terrorist attack from a friend in 2001, she said “awesome.” The 3,000 who died that day were a sign of “God’s vengeance against the rebellious people,” she then believed.

An ex-member of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) — the fringe, self-described Christian group that picketed Shalhevet with anti-semitic and homophobic slogans last year — Ms. Phelps has since denounced all of the convictions she held so deeply during her two decades as a member of the church. Three months later, she came to Shalhevet and described her transition from picketer to peacemaker.

Positive experiences with people she’s met since leaving the church, she said, have given her hope for others like her who have been indoctrinated with hate. Contrary to popular belief, she said, the best thing to do when encountering extremists is engage with them and share your own viewpoints.

“When we view things very deeply, it’s easy to assume that your values and beliefs are good and self-evident,” she said in response to a question June 7. “And that you don’t have to make the argument, to show the other side the goodness of your position.”

That’s a misconception, she said. On the contrary, “You have to be willing to try to reach across and help them understand.”

All students and faculty gathered in the same arrangement as for Town Hall, but no phones were out and few were talking during the special morning assembly. If students were talking, it was probably a discussion that stemmed from something Ms. Phelps said. Bringing her to the school took months of planning and preparation, officials said while introducing her.

Her questioning of the church and its practices started on Twitter in 2009, the year she created a Twitter account for WBC. She started tweeting back and forth with David Abitbol, a Jerusalem-based web developer and creator of the Jewish-culture blog “Jewlicious.” At first, the 140-character-and-under remarks were vicious and crude.

One of her first tweets to him was, “Jews need to repent for their

sin of killing Jesus.” Over the course of a few months, their tone gradually changed. He asked her questions about WBC’s picket signs and she asked him questions about Jewish theology. Both of them were genuinely curious about how they came to completely different conclusions about the same Bible and its verses, she said.

However, Mr. Abitol’s friendliness worried her. She had been warned about being “seduced away” from the truth by a “crafty deceiver.”

“I felt I liked David,” Ms. Phelps said in her talk. “So of CHANGED: Megan Phelps, the granddaughter of founder of the Westboro course, I thought it was time to picket him.”

Baptist Church, spoke at an all-school assembly June 7.

The two met for the first time when she picketed at the Jewlicious festival in Long Beach in February, 2010, When she approached church elders with this quesand again at the General Assembly of Jewish Federations in New tion, she was shut down.

Orleans. Both times she and David chatted. He brought her chal“It was the first time that I could believe the church was wrong lah, and she brought him kosher chocolate and held a “God hates and I was right,” she said.

Jews” sign.

After that, when other ideas came up that she disagreed with, But her faith was most consequentially challenged when David she felt she could challenge them. “It became less terrifying to leave, asked about a picket sign that read “Death penalty for fags.” Noting and more terrifying to stay,” she recalled. that the church bases its views on Leviticus 20:13, which states that So in late 2012, at the age of 26, she left. homosexuality is an abomination and is punishable by death, he Ms. Phelps herself has now formulated a recipe for engaging asked about the member of the Westboro Baptist Church that had with the “other.” This ideology is also the focus of her Ted Talk, a child out of wedlock — Ms. Phelps’s own mother, Shirley Phelps. which has accumulated over 1.5 million views on Youtube.

Isn’t that punishable by the death penalty, too, he asked?

Its four points are to not assume bad intent, ask questions, stay Church members had always defended Shirley.

“Everyone sins, we would say; the question is whether or not calm and “make the argument.” Assuming bad intentions on the you repent,” Ms. Phelps told Mr. Abitol; Shirley Phelps didn’t de- side other causes you to dismiss it, and this prevents discussion.

“By asking questions, you’re signaling to the person that you’re serve punishment because she had repented.

“We had been calling for the death penalty for gays since the hearing them, that you’re listening,” Ms. Phelps advised.

Staying calm is difficult, but that is why social media is actually 90s,” she said at Shalhevet. “But this was the first time I thought a perfect platform for hard conversations, she says. the fact that instituting the death penalty completely cuts off the “The great thing about Twitter is that there is a buffer of time opportunity to repent and be forgiven, which is a major foundation and space between the person you’re talking to,” she said. “So if of Christian theology.

“Why were we trying to destroy others before they had the op- you’re getting worked up and upset, you can pause the conversation and walk away.” portunity to repent?”

Seven teachers and staff left last spring.

Here’s who we lost.

Faculty finder Last names only. If two share the same last name, add the first initial.

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By Lucy Fried, Features Editor Seven teachers left at the end of last year, moving on to do various things outside of Shalhevet.

Math department chair Ms. Katya Malikov, guidance counselor Rachel Hecht, Science department chair Mr. Ayden Jacob, Hebrew teacher Shlomit Abrams, girls’ basketball coach Ronnie “Flava” Winbush, Math teacher Ms. Suzanne Halloran, Tanach teacher Mr. Noey Jacobson, and Tanach teacher Dr. Sara Smith are the faculty members who left.

After six years at Shalhevet, Ms. Katya Malikov is now teaching at UCLA’s new Geffen Academy, which will eventually hold grades 6 - 12.

Guidance counselor Rachel Hecht left after nine years at Shalhevet.

Mr. Ayden Jacob left after one year to pursue scientific research outside of the classroom.

After eight years here, Hebrew teacher Ms. Shlomit Abrams has gone on to teach at YULA, where she actually worked before Shalhevet.

Coach Flava had coached various Firehawk basketball teams here for 11 years, but is maintaining his job as Physical Education and basketball coach at Pressman Academy.

Mrs. Halloran is now teaching at Harvard-Westlake, where her daughter attends school. Mrs. Halloran worked at Shalhevet for 20 years.

Maccabeat and former Tanach teacher Mr. Noey Jacobson has left after three years to focus on his music career.

And Dr. Sara Smith has taken up a post as assistant dean at American Jewish University’s Graduate School for Jewish Education graduate department, departing after just one year.

Individual stories about their times at Shalhevet can be found at shalhevetboilingpoint.com.

MOVING ON: Ms. Suzanne Halloran left for Harvard-Westlake after 20 years at Shalhevet.

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BP CROSSWORD

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ACROSS

35 First person at Shalhevet to see ‘Hamilton’

2 Back from gap year 4 Founder of Maccabeats 6 From Detroit 7 Volunteered in Ethiopia 8 Faint Russian accent 10 Son is a Choirhawk 12 Was on maternity leave last Spring 14 Graduated from the school where Feld is now 15 Prefers sandals 18 Cooks foreign food 21 Has an Instagram for her dog 22 Loves transitions 25 Has long dreadlocks 26 Mrs. Shine 27 Went to SAR 29 Nicest teacher in the school 30 Law professor at Pepperdine 31 Has a tattoo of pie on his wrist 34 Wife leads chesed at school

DOWN 1 Used to be in a blues rock band 3 Published in same literary journal as William Faulkner 4 Has a son in 10th grade 5 Has an engineering degree from Columbia 9 Leads the Grappling club.

11 Occasionally teaches via video 13 Top feminist at Shalhevet 16 Hardest teacher in the school 17 Has red hair 19 Very into board games 20 Used to work at Hebrew Institute of Riverdale 23 Speaks Danish 24 Daughter is a professional pop singer 28 Got married earlier this year 32 Has longest commute 33 Hails from London

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Opinion

EDITORIALS

Our series ends, but not our commitment

By The Boiling point editorial board

The Shalhevet student body has had a tumultuous relationship with alcohol. Both teenagers and adults in our community often drink because it’s social norm or family custom or because of peer pressure. Whatever the reason for drinking, Shalhevet staff has tried to bring awareness to the dangers of binge drinking, recognizing the reality that every person has control over his or her own actions.

In May of 2016, the Editorial Board of the Boiling Point pledged that for the next year, every issue of The Boiling Point would address drinking in some way, “recognizing that journalism has a unique capacity for advocacy, especially in a high school setting where we are true peers.” That coverage became a series called Alcohol Roulette.

We started by describing teen party culture and offering alternatives to partying such as

bowling, mini-golf, and even just watching a movie with friends on Netflix.

The then-Editorial Board pledged to not binge drink and challenged other students to do the same.

In later issues, we analyzed the popular Jewish tradition of Kiddush clubs; shared the aftermath of a car accident involving an intoxicated driver through the eyes of a columnist who witnessed it; and watched school administration start enforcing a policy to prevent drinking at parties off campus. Two Boiling Points of View wondered whether it would work.

We concluded with a look at alcohol’s physiological and psychological effects according to

more recent studies. Overall, it seemed that even a little alcohol could have detrimental effects on our development and well being.

Our series of “Alcohol Roulette” is ending now, but the problem remains. This year’s Editorial Board starts the 2017-18 school year by reaffirming our stand against binge drinking.

We want all of our peers to live safe and healthy lives, and as a newspaper it is our duty to remain an evolving and relevant force.

We hope that this topic will continue to be on the minds of our community members and -- so you know -- we ourselves once again pledge to abstain from binge drinking.

Constitutional convention will revitalize Just Community

By The Boiling point editorial board

In 2003, Shalhevet’s students, faculty, administration and staff together created a constitution that outlined the purpose and practice of Town Hall, school election guidelines, and a procedure and policy for bringing proposals to the community to debate and decide. Over time, much of the constitution was lost, and the Agenda Committee essentially made up rules and policies as needed.

In the last few years, Town Halls have almost always been about hypothetical moral dilemmas, so a constitution outlining a process for proposals was not entirely necessary. But this school year will be different. New Agenda Chair Daniel Lorell has made Town Halls all about proposals. Three were brought to the first two he chaired last spring. Two were passed by the student body and staff in that room, with

the okay from administration.

This is encouraging to us, as it is a sign of the Shalhevet’s Just Community moving towards a more democratic ideal.

Now the Agenda Committee has decided that the best way to revive our constitution is to create a constitutional convention. The Boiling Point not only strongly encourages this but also calls for it to be a democratic and fair procedure. Rewriting the Constitution with input from the entire student body will revitalize the Just Community, because the student body will own it. The hardest part of organizing the convention will be actually following through, and we believe that the only way for the Just Community to live up to its name will be for this convention to take place. We will be watching to see this follow through.

Editor-in-Chief Hannah Jannol

The Boiling Point

Managing Editor Noa Segal Website Editor-in-Chief Hila Machmali

Sweepstakes Awards, Blue and Gold Comprehensive Writing Award 2016 Awards in Jewish Scholastic Journalism 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017

Deputy Editor-In-Chief Jacob Feitelberg Senior Editor Benny Zaghi

International First Place Award 2011-2016 National Award Winners 2007-2016

National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Finalist 2015, 2014, 2012 Online Pacemaker Finalist 2015, 2017

Simon J. Rockower Awards 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

Story of the Year Awards 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010 All-American 2009, 2012, 2014

Gold Crown Award 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Gold Circle Awards 2011-2016 Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Without a constitution, there is nothing stopping anyone on Agenda or in the Administration from making up rules as they go, perhaps to avoid a proposal even being discussed in Town Hall, let alone voted on. Our recent elections have had different rules every year, always arrived at at the last minute and sometimes resulting in bad feelings, suspicion or chaos.

This is why it is so important to have a functioning constitution, not an old one whose amendments and sections we follow only partially. The new constitution should be a representation of the current student body, not the student body of 2003, and a democratic constitutional convention is the way to achieve this.

Features Editor Lucy Fried Arts & Culture Editor Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks Sports Editor Tobey Lee Layout Editors Abbi Sentchuk Maya Miro

Community Editor Clara Sandler

Photography Editors Neima Fax Katia Surpin

Outside News Editor Tyler Ekairab

Advertising Editor Jonathan Fishman

Torah Editor Eva Suissa

Graphic Design Editor Zev Kupferman

Opinion Editor Aidel Townsley

Faculty Adviser Mrs. Joelle Keene

THE BOILING POINT is the student-produced newspaper of Shalhevet High School and a public forum for the students and the community.

Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the members of the Editorial Board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor, Senior Editor, Web Editor, Community Editor, Photo Editor and Faculty Advisor. We welcome submissions for signed editorials from members of the Shalhevet Community, and the final decision about printing them is made by the Editorial Board.

Letters to the Editor may be submitted via e-mail to shalhevetboilingpoint@gmail.com. The Boiling Point reserves the right to edit letters and opinion submissions and all become the property of The Boiling Point. Corrections should be sent to shalhevetboilingpoint@gmail.com.

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2017 THE BOILING POINT

The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Opinion

As

t I I See

BY EVA SUISSA, TORAH EDITOR This past November I started driving, and I love it.

Driving down Pico Boulevard on my way to school makes me feel independent, like an adult. But it also, surprisingly, makes me feel part of a community, because everyone follows the same rules on the road.

I find following the rules to be exhilarating.

I actually get a rush sitting in traffic, or slowing down when driving over a speed bump, or thanking the man in the car behind me for letting me merge into his lane.

Before I started driving, I took for granted the fact that everybody abides by these rules.

At red lights, cars stop. At green lights, they go.

When a sign says no right turns, no one turns right. There may be the occasional rule breaker, but for the most part, drivers respect the law.

This may seem insignificant, but it’s actually

17

More than a traffic light a big deal. Fortunately, we live in a country where everyone agrees to observe the law. That’s an accomplishment for a society. It is amazing that we stop at red lights, and it is amazing that we go at green ones.

There’s something liberating about living in a society of laws. It gives me a sense of protection and freedom to focus on the things that I love. I am able to dance, write, draw, live without the fear that someone will purposefully crash into my car or that the government will hunt me down for publishing an anti-Trump piece in the Boiling Point. Although the law removes action-movie-like drama, it allows me to live a relatively stable life without any major distractions. That’s something to be grateful for.

I am proud to be apart of this community of rule-followers.

Come to think of it, it seems that as I get older, I’m pulled into more and more circles — the newest of them being this community of drivers. I was born into my immediate family circle, but at age four, I was introduced to the Maimonides Academy circle. Then, when I

enrolled at Shalhevet, I became apart of the Just Community.

Maybe I like driving so much because it welcomes me into a new circle of humanity.

This new circle is a sign of adulthood. Being a driver, I feel as if I’m starting to participate in the larger circle of America’s democracy. I’m beginning to appreciate the laws that this country has in place, because they protect our liberties and bring our nation together. The laws of the road gracefully weave democracy onto every street in America. Every stop BP Photo courtesy of Jose Polanco sign, every green light, every SIXTEEN: Eva Suissa practiced driving in Culver City. speed bump represents an agreement by the people to follow the law. And let me tell you, stopping at abide by the rules. a red light has never been so exciting.

Since starting to drive in November, I feel as if I’ve been welcomed into a new community — America. I too have a responsibility to

All opinions should be heard, including those on the right should view Jewish Americans who serve in the U.S. army as opposed to the IDF. A girl in my class said it was ideal for them to serve in the Social, political, and religious openness are IDF, and as she was speaking, other kids in class all things that immediately come to mind when shook their heads vigorously in disagreement. thinking of Shalhevet. The school prides itself She did not speak again for the rest of class. on giving students the ability to confidently ofTeachers contribute to this fear as well by fer ideas and opinions whether it’s during Town strongly expressing some of their views in classHall or an average Tanach class. es. For example, the day after the presidential However, over the course of my two years in election a few teachers got extremely emotionShalhevet, I’ve noticed a gradual transition in al, to the point of tearing up in front of the the opinions being offered. The evenly diverse class. These emotional outbursts from teachers environment that I was exposed to made it almost in my first year at Shalhevet has now The evenly diverse environimpossible for become an environment which seems to be heavily left-leaning and intolerment that I was exposed to in my anyone in the class to express ant. This transition has been visible in my first year at Shalhevet has now any kind of (especially Judaic) classes and even in the become an environment which disagreement.

Boiling Point itself. seems to be heavily left-leaning AdditionalWhy has this happened? Students and intolerant. ly, it surely are afraid that they may be judged or embarrassed thought of differently by classmates students who and even administrators if they offer either supported President Trump themselves or a non-mainstream or “politically incorrect” whose family did. approach.

Another example of this intolerance For example, an event occurred in my appeared in an issue of the Boiling Point in Tanach class when we were discussing how we

BY ASHER DAUER, 11TH GRADE

October 2016. In this issue, two opinion pieces supposedly offered “two points of view” on the question of whether conservative pundit Ben Shapiro should have been allowed to speak at school. But both viewpoints were actually quite liberal. The supposedly conservative piece,

by Clara Sandler -- who defended his right to have appeared -- called some of Shapiro’s views radical.

The issue was that the pieces were not even about the merits of Mr. Shapiro’s actual points -- neither piece even tried to entertain the thoughts of someone conservative. Instead they analyzed his right to share his opinion at a high school -- surely the most basic right for those holding minority views in a democracy.

It is unlikely that making other students scared or embarrassed to express their opinion is anybody’s intention, but the reality is it is happening, and it is harming everyone. It is harming the nervous students, who find themselves unable to express their opinions and engage in class conversation. It is harming the inflicting students, because they are only hearing from others who agree with them, which does not strengthen their arguments.

And finally, it is harming the conversation as a whole, because a discussion which is completely run by one side of the spectrum is not a healthy one and doesn’t go anywhere. This harms the intellectual life of our school.

Although challenging, this unbalance of opinions is easily resolvable, and all it requires is a simple change of behavior. Teachers should promote discussion by challenging both sides of the argument as opposed to influencing the discussion in just one direction.

Additionally, when someone hears an opinion offered which they don’t necessarily agree with, instead of making condescending gestures or verbally attacking, they should disagree point by point, giving them the respect they and their ideas deserve. We should all be able to debate while not putting others in a position where they feel uncomfortable expressing their own view.

Beyond that, we should not only make each other feel comfortable, we should also listen to each other. This is what is needed if we truly want to restore the great sense of diversity and open feeling that Shalhevet was founded upon.

Eerie silence about North Korea’s Holocaust-like actions riences through written memoirs or films the world would show more sympathy to the issue. Though this is not the possible realIt is understandable for the U.S., let alone any country ity, which makes it is up to us fortunate Americans to recognize to be wary about entering involvement in this situation due the Ever since World War ll the United States has been viewed the truth of the matter and be active in spreading awareness of nuclear repercussions that could ensue. However as the World’s as the world’s most powerful nation, with tremendous wealth, what is occurring behind the scenes in North Korea. leading power, the United States has a reresources and military strength. The U.S. liberated the Holocaust Hitting even closer to home, Holocaust education is sponsibility to offer support to the trapped concentration camps in 1944, toppled the Berlin Wall ending about spreading awareness about the deaths and tragedies that civilians. the Cold War in 1990, and this year issued an air strike against befell Jews and outsiders during the Nazi regime. It would What is most both- ersome pro-Assad forces in Syria. go against this education to act as if we are not is not the fact that AmerOur country has become known over the years for prioritizing aware that these very same atrocities ica has not invaded, but fighting civilian oppression occurring around the world. are befalling the North Koreis the mentality that the So why is the U.S. ignoring the atrocious human rights dilemma ans at this moment, by their violations occurring in North in North own governKorea?

Korea is ment When North Korea What is most bothersome to me viewed as a no less. emerged from the Korean War is the mentality that the dilemma in lost cause and I its first dictator Kim ll-Sung North Korea is viewed as a lost cause there is no use in believe modeled it to be a communist offering help. if we isolationist nation. Its citizens and there is no use in offering help.

BP Illustration by Summer Gershon In the past, even if continue to sweep are prohibited from having military action had not been taken to lend support to aside the matters in North any contact with the outside an oppressed population within a country, discussions and media Korea not only has North Korea taken world, and there is very limited self-expression that is tolerated still targeted those areas. However unjust treatment has been away free speech from its citizens but from within the society. prevalent in North Korea since 1979, and no one appears to even us. There is a power in our words and in our Since 1972 North Korea has been running secretive recognize these horrific events. actions that is not only limited to news sources and the governconcentration camps comparable to those employed by the I refuse to believe that people aren’t talking about stopment. Learn what you can about the issues and talk to your famNazis, holding 120,000 political prisoners hostage. This number ping North Korea because they simply don’t care. ily and friends about what you learn. Hopefully we can be on the includes opposers to the regime and their families.

The government of North Korea has clearly achieved right side of history, knowing we did our part to enlighten others Today, North Korea is armed with Nuclear weapons their goal of disabling all contact from within the country to the on the importance of the North Korean communist regime. and missiles, which makes it easier for its current leader Kim outside world.

Jong-un to keep his people oppressed without fear of conseMaybe if the victims were allowed to share their expequences from outside countries looking to provide help to North

BY ARI SASSOVER, 11TH GRADE

Koreans.

18

TORAH AUGUST 2017

Chac

ham

Dr.

Mrs.

a

Beyond b Rabb courtesy: e anit R Titles raise conundrum for schools and synagogues nationwide Continued from page 1

of s’micha right now.”

at all. She was called Rabba at Hebrew Institute Judaic Studies teacher Rabbi Ari Schwarzof Riverdale, and Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal berg said the concept has evolved greatly since the said it would be up to students to decide what to original s’micha, when Moshe appointed Yehoshua call her, as long as it was “appropriate.” to succeed him as leader of Israel.

“We are not going to be discussing a title this He said that at first, s’micha meant a physical year,” Rabbi Segal wrote in an email to the Shal- “leaning”; a rabbi would lay his hands on a new hevet community June 16. He rabbi’s shoulders and confer s’micha said the school had decided onto him. Later it turned into apto have her teach in spite of pearing before a court of witnesses, in the controversy, which he acIsrael only. This early, formal s’micha knowledged. ultimately ended at an unclear time, “While we recognize this probably around the fourth or fifth legitimate point of contention, century C.E., and Rabbi Schwarzat this juncture our priority is berg thinks it probably had somefocused squarely on the quality thing to do the destruction of the of our education,” he wrote.

Second Temple and the ensuing exile.

“We have made the joint deEventually, s’micha became more cision that limud ha’Torah of a graduate degree that is “very should trump the political difsimilar to a graduate degree that is ficulties.” used for any other discipline,” Rabbi Faculty and clergy titles Schwarzberg said. It takes four years might not matter so much to earn s’micha from Yeshiva Univerexcept that “rabbi” is the unisity, where most of Shalhevet’s faculty versal title of authority in Judaism, and at least in was trained. our time, there is no other. Those of either gender “Ordination became something that is formal, who don’t have it may seem somehow diminished to receive a title,” Rabbi Schwarzberg said, “and it or “less than,” especially in a culture where titles certainly was influenced by the rest of the world, convey meaning – and sometimes respect – that [including] the Christian communities.” can’t be put into words.

Now, the process is complicated throughout “I wish titles didn’t matter,” said Rabbi Segal the Jewish world. And titles have become the subduring a Boiling Point news conference in May. ject of rabbinic analysis, synagogue board meet“In schools in particular, I think people are overly ings, and plenty of Shabbat conversation. invested in titles. Titles are very delicate -- I don’t Rabbi Segal said how a person got the title is mean to be flippant.” not the important thing, at least as far as what he In secular society, the title “Dr.” is compa- is willing to call them. rable, he said.

“If somebody asked “There are a million docme to call them a rabbi, tors in the world,” Rabbi SeI’d call them a rabbi,” he Faculty and clergy titles might not matter so gal said. “The title ‘Dr.’ just said. “If they got a s’micha much except that ‘rabbi’ is the universal title means someone conferred from a school that doesn’t of authority in Judasim, and at least in our on you the title doctor. Bematch my hashkafa, I’m time, there is no other. ing a rabbi to me means still happy to call them someone conferred on you Rabbi. I don’t think that the title ‘rabbi.’” it means that I agree.”

Rabbinic ordination, or s’micha (pronounced At Shalhevet, titles have been conferred by SMEE-kha), is partly the same way, Rabbi Segal Rabbi Segal in his e-mail announcement to the said. community of new hires. Rabbis David Stein, “If you want to do research historically, the David Block, Yagli Tsaidi and Rabbi Schwarzberg notion of s’micha was literally a very specific topic were all called Rabbi in these announcements, in the Gemara -- how it took place and one per- though only Rabbi Schwarzberg had completed son gave s’micha to another person,” Rabbi Segal his education and attended the s’micha ceremony said. “It was a very specific, prescribed process.” before starting to teach at the school.

That, he said, is no longer the case.

Rabbi Schwarzberg received his rabbinic or“The modern-day world has moved away from dination in 2009 from Yeshiva University, then that,” he said. “There are many different types attended the Harvard Divinity School where he of s’micha, across all different denominations,” earned a Master’s Degree in theological studies. and there are types of s’micha that apply only to Rabbi Block earned an M.A. in Jewish Hiskashrut and education. There are a million types tory, M.S. in Education and received his rabbinic

h a or

M

Rabbi

Ms.

Dr. Weissman, before he finished his docordination, all from YU. He completed his rabbinical studies at RIETS, YU’s Rabbi Isaac El- torate, was always called Reb Weissman or Reb chanan Theological Seminary, in 2015 and is now Noam, choosing “Reb” over Rabbi because getting s’micha was never in a doctoral student there. his plans.

RIETS holds its orAccording to Shalhedination ceremony only I think in many ways s’micha is not relevant vet Judaic teacher Rabbi once every four years. for a high school educator. It can be relevant , Abraham Lieberman, Rabbi Block was formalbut it’s not always relevant . reb is a Yiddish word ly ordained there this -- Dr. Weissman, Principal short for “rebbe,” and is past March, along with the equivalent of mister Rabbi Stein; both had or sir. finished their studies during the past four years.

Dr. Weissman graduated from Beth Tfiloh in Rabbi Stein arrived at Shalhevet in the fall of 2012, after graduating from Yeshiva University in 2003, then attended Yeshiva Mevaseret in Jerusa2009 and receiving his Master’s Degree in engi- lem for two years, and then studied history at YU, graduating in 2008. He spent some time at Yeshineering from Columbia in 2011.

Rabbi Tsaidi is working on his ordination un- vat Hakotel in Israel, and then received a Master’s der the supervision of Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Degree from YU in Jewish Education in 2012.

He says he never felt the need to get s’micha.

Goldberg in Israel. He graduated from the Farber “I’m in Jewish education,” said Dr. Weissman.

Hebrew Day School, also known as Akiva, in Detroit in 2009 and then attended Yeshivat Hakotel “I think in many ways s’micha is not relevant for for two years. He then graduated with a Bach- a high school educator. It can be relevant, but it’s not always relevant.” elor’s Degree in psychology from YU. Now that he has his Ed.D. – received in June He said that he’s “not fully comfortable” with being called Rabbi, seeing as he does not have his from USC -- Dr. Weissman wants the students to decide what he is called. s’micha yet.

“I don’t care what they call me,” he said in an “I’d ideally like to have my smicha as soon as interview. possible,” Rabbi Tsaidi.

Rabbi Tsaidi says he studied every night and Compared to other Jewish high schools, just this month passed the test for his s’micha, and will soon visit Israel to formally receive his Shalhevet is unique in some ways and typical in others. Last spring, the Boiling Point reached out ordination.

S’micha, he said, confers the authority to an- to eight Orthodox schools and one synagogue around the U.S. swer halachic questions – Most, inthat is, matters of Jewish law, cluding YULA and he hopes to have his by Boys and Girls the end of the year. high schools in “Even David HamelLos Angeles and ech [King David] said that Frisch Academy when he learned one thing in New Jersey, from someone, that perdid not return son became a rabbi,” Rabbi messages or Tsaidi said in an interview last spring. “Anyone who teaches you should have emails -- perhaps a sign of the difficulty.

There was also one school that returned a the respect of a rabbi—s’micha or not. To ask halakhic questions, you should go to someone with phone call and asked not included in this story because its officials planned to revisit the topic of s’micha.” titles in discussions over the summer.

Dr. Weissman agreed.

But four schools that did reply said all current “Historically people who teach Torah, specifically men who teach Torah, were always called faculty who were being called rabbi had completRabbi regardless of if they had gone through the ed their rabbinic training and acquired s’micha.

At Beth T’filoh High School in Baltimore, process of signing and ordination,” Dr. Weissman MD – a community school and Reb Weissman’s said.

Rabbi Segal said he decided to call Rabbi alma mater – some male teachers were called Tsaidi rabbi because he was already planning to rabbi in the past even though they were still in rabbinical school. get s’micha.

Rabbi Mordechai Soskil, the school’s Director “Rather than switching the title, we felt like he was in this process,” Rabbi Segal said. “He was of Judaic Studies, said right now all their rabbis just starting it but he was in that process, so we have s’micha – that is, formal ordination and a certificate that says so. He wasn’t sure why it was called him Rabbi Tsaidi.”

The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Torah

different in the past, but he thought it had to do with convenience.

“They were already in a s’micha program, so it’s easier not have to switch in the minds of the kids,” Rabbi Soskil said. “It was easier this way, that’s my hunch.”

Most of the female teachers at Beth T’filoh go by Ms. or Morah, though the school has just hired a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat who will be called Rabbanit, Rabbi Soskil said.

At Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago, the alma mater of Rabbi Stein, Tanakh department chair Ms. Beth Kirshner said that most female teachers go by Miss or Mrs., but that there is the occasional teacher who goes by Rebbetzin – which traditionally means that she is a rabbi’s wife. “[Titles] are based on preference and level of education,” said Ms. Kirshner.

“If someone will be called a rabbi, he has to have s’micha If somebody wants to be called Dr., they have to have a some type Ph.D. or other doctorate degree.”

At Ramaz High School in New York City, all women teachers are called Ms., including women who have completed the Yoetzet Halacha program, according to Ms. Miriam Krupka, who is Ramaz’s Dean of Faculty.

Ms. Krupka, who was formerly a teacher and

Tanakh department chair, said the only exceptions are those who have doctorates, who are called Doctor.

“When I came 11 years ago, I was Ms. Krupka and all of the other female faculty basically were Ms. as well, and that’s kind of the way it went,” said Ms. Krupka.

“I don’t know why that is or how that came about,” she said. “I do know that I liked it when I first got there. There was kind of objective status that I think I appreciated.”

Ms. Krupka said all the rabbis at Ramaz have s’micha, and male Judaic faculty members are either known as Mr., Rabbi, or Dr., depending on their education.

Ms. Wilner – definitely being introduced as Ms. this year -- attended high school at SAR (Salanter Akiba of Riverdale, N.Y.) and then did a gap year at the rigorous seminary Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim in the Emek Refaim neighborhood of Jerusalem.

She went on to Stern College of Yeshiva University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Judaic Studies before enrolling in GPATS, where women study Gemara and Halakha from nine in the morning until 5:30 p.m.

She chose GPATs, she said, because it was the only Orthodox advanced women’s learning pro-

19

Some people still call her Chachama. Alumgram that focuses on Talmud while not ordaining nus Alec Fields ’17 said he called her that out of its graduates to serve as clergy.

“We have the ability to learn and to know ev- habit, while junior Bailey Mendelson still calls erything that an actual rabbi knows, it just hap- her Chachama because that’s how she remembers pens to be that the time frame of the program is Ms. Wilner introducing herself. Fellow Junior only two years,” Ms. Wilner said, as opposed to Eliana Cohen thought that was what Ms. Wilner the four years at RIETS. “We are as prepared, we wanted to be called.

For now, Ms.Wilner is happy with the title she have the knowledge, we have the skill, we have has. She will be teaching the training; we also 9th and 10th Tanach and have YU backing us.”

12th-grade Talmud this “It’s really cool, When I came 11 years ago, I was Ms. Krupka and year, as well as co-leading a lot of girls on the all of the other female faculty basically were Student Activities with program don’t go into Ms. as well, and that’s kind of the way it went .

Rabbi Tsaidi.

Jewish education or -- Ms. Krupka, Ramaz Dean of Faculty It was not clear on even Jewish commuthe day before school nal work -- people just started what Ramie view it as an amazing Smith would be called, and she had so far deopportunity,” Ms. Wilner said.

In an ideal world with politics aside, Ms. Wil- clined to discuss her views on the subject.

Rabbi Tsaidi will have his s’micha soon, and ner would prefer to be called Rabbanit because of Dr. Weissman, like Ramie the respect it carries.

Smith, is waiting to see what She said that in the students decide.

Israel, female memSo while titles themselves bers of Beit Hillel – and the education behind -- a learning movethem – may be changing, ment that encourages what is likely to endure is women’s leadership the uncertainty surrounding – go by the title of them -- and in Shalhevet’s Rabbanit, but that’s case, the emphasis on probecause in Israel Rabbanit is used interchangeably with Rebbitzin, a viding good Jewish educators, titles aside. rabbi’s wife, making it less controversial.

“Am I qualified to be a rabbanit?” she said. “I don’t know what makes someone a rabbanit. It also carries a lot of weight.”

Titles for women are even more complicated

By Clara Sandler, Community Editor Women’s titles are problematic at Modern Orthodox institutions -- not just at Shalhevet -- because women’s leadership in Orthodox Judaism is still new and controversial.

Reform and Conservative Judaism have ordained women rabbis for many years. But Orthodoxy has held to a tradition that dates from times when few women had the time or means to study as rigorously as men.

In recent decades, Orthodox women have increasingly studied the same material as men, and the Orthodox Union, in statements earlier this year, said there was a need to study the matter.

In its February statement prohibiting Orthodox congregations from hiring women to serve as clergy, it said titles should be considered.

“Though such titles could not – and should not – connote ordination or rabbinic function, the Rabbinic Panel has made clear that words – and titles – matter,” the statement said. “In short, the dignity accorded such positions must be commensurate with the importance we place on them.”

Ms. Atara Segal, who is currently halfway through the two-year Yoetzet Halacha program at Nishmat in Israel, said she would still be called Ms. when she finishes.

The position of Yoetzet Halacha is recognized by virtually all Orthodox institutions. But it isn’t

used as an honorific, or courtesy title, and that’s deliberate, according to Rabbanit Chana Henkin, co-founder of the program with her husband, Rabbi David Henkin.

Rabbanit Henkin says on Nishmat’s website that the program tried to steer clear of the controversy to gain the widest possible acceptance for those she trained, who assist women with observance of taharat hamishpacha, laws pertaining to women’s health and marital intimacy.

According to Nishmat, there have been more than 200,000 questions asked worldwide on the Yoetzet Halacha telephone hotline, and Yoatzot have been employed by communities across Israel, North America and the Great Britain.

“Yoatzot Halacha have given women a dignified and much-needed halachic address for intimate issues...,” Rabbanit Henkin said. “I strongly believe that our decision to avoid fractious titles, while maintaining a sense of what the community is prepared to accept, has enabled us to build a new consensus around the reality of women halachic scholars.”

In the U.S., a rabbanit is usually a woman whom received s’micha from Yeshivat Maharat, a four-year program which educates Orthodox women for clergy roles in the same way a rabbinical school does.

Recognizing the novelty of the concept, the

Riverdale, N.Y., yeshiva invented a new Hebrew word as a title -- “Maharat” an anagram standing for the Hebrew words manhiga, hilchanit, Toranit, which means spiritual leader, teacher of Torah, expert in halacha.

“By providing a credentialed pathway for women to serve as spiritual and halakhic guides, we increase the community’s ability to attract the best and brightest into the ranks of its leadership,” it says on its website.

It does not specify an appropriate title.

BP Photo by Noa Segal “Graduates of Yeshvat Maharat are conferred as toreh toreh – a [decision maker] of STUDY: Ms. Atara Segal spent last year in Israel for Jewish law. We encourage our graduates to the first year of Nishmat’s ‘Yoetzet Halacha’ course. use the professional title most appropriate to them, I consultation with the communities the world at this point. I think it depends on the they serve.”

Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn, a gradu- community you’re in and what’s the right fit for ate of Yeshivat Maharat, began her tenure as the both the person with the title and the community junior clergy member at Los Angeles’ Bnai David- that person’s working in or the institution that Judea Congregation two years ago, with the title person is working in.”

Shalhevet Principal Dr. Noam Weissman acas Morateinu. But she now is being called Rabbknowledged that the subject of what to call highly banit.

“What was most important to me was that educated women is difficult.

“It is a real challenge that the Modern Orthoit would be the right fit for our community and something that would also be a part of the greater dox community should be thinking deeply about,” community,” Rabbanit Thomas-Newborn told the said Dr. Weissman, “and the Modern Orthodox community has started to think deeply about it.”

Boiling Point last year.

“A variety of titles are being used throughout

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The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Torah

There was a time I tried being the opposite, because I didn’t want people thinking I was going to be a rabbi. I started listening to hip-hop, acting rebellious — things people wouldn’t expect from a rabbi’s son...At this point I don’t even have that on my mind, I don’t need to be rebellious or try to be a rabbi’s son, I’m just in between.

-- Yakir Kanefsky

I think I’ve gained a lot of empathy and a lot of sympathy...I feel like I understand more and I’m less accusatory if there’s, let’s say, a teacher who does something I don’t like, because I know a lot about how the school system works and I know sort of what’s going on. So I feel like I’m less likely jump to conclusions with people or attack someone.

- Noa Segal

When you’re the child of

By HANNAH JANNOL,Editor-in-Cheif The already difficult pressures of being a teenager can be even greater when you have to meet the expectations not only of your parents, but of a whole community.

Junior Yakir Kanefsky felt this especially in his early teen years. Coming into Shalhevet was hard for him.

“Everyone knew who my dad was, but no one knew who I was,” Yakir said.

Yakir, whose father Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky is senior rabbi at B’nai David-Judea on Pico, said when he realized people were labeling him as “Rabbi Kanefsky’s son,” he began trying to shake that title so he could create his own autonomous identity.

He felt the best way to shed people’s presumptive perceptions was to rebel directly against them, so he pretended to be into hip-hop and rap. Some of these things ended up being actual interests of his.

“There was a time I tried being the opposite, because I didn’t want people thinking I was going to be a rabbi,” said Yakir in an interview. “I started listening to hip-hop, acting rebellious — things people wouldn’t expect from a rabbi’s son.”

As his freshman year went on, people started to look at him as Yakir. These days, Yakir is just focusing on what he is interested in — which includes music, hip-hop, sports and art. But it took some time.

“I don’t think whether or not my dad’s a rabbi, I just think about myself, so people will look at me as myself,” he said.

“Now I’m just trying to be a combination. At this point I don’t even have that on my mind, I don’t need to be rebellious or try to be a rabbi’s son, I’m just in between.”

Having a parent who is a religious leader, it seems, creates several pressures and identity is-

sues, though there can also be upsides, and some is not difficult since she isn’t a troublesome kid say they are unaffected by it. In interviews con- anyway, and often sees both sides of an issue.

But it can make it difficult to connect with her ducted by the Boiling Point, it seemed at minimum to be a sensitive subject, at worst a problem, peers. Even though her dad tells her it’s not her job to justify the administration’s actions, she still and at best something helpful and wonderful. feels that weight on her shoulders.

But always -- something.

“Whenever I walk into a room, kids will just “If the preacher’s kid isn’t behaving in the way people would expect, there’s a little more of stop talking,” Noa said in an interview. “And I’m people whispering about that,” said Judaic Stud- like, I know you’re either talking about me, my ies teacher Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg, whose father dad, or my mom, or there’s something you’re doing that I shouldn’t know Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg was the about. leader of the shul where he grew “Like on the Shabbatons, up. “People are a little more sur“I do hear a little bit we were walking to the bunks prised about that. And it’s not that where some kids were on their they’re judging the rabbi or the — like ‘Oh your shul is phones,” she continued. “And family differently, but it’s more of Conservative,’” said the second I walked in all the a topic of discussion than if someYakir. “I don’t really phones went away. And I’m one else is not going to shul, or not mind it that much but like, ‘If you’re gonna do it, you wearing a yarmulke.” may as well do it and not try Senior Noa Segal, whose father after a while it can get to hide it, because I know it’s Rabbi Ari Segal is also Shalhevet’s annoying.” going on.’” head of school, feels pressure beAccording to PulpitAndcause people often associate her ac– Yakir Kanefsky, 11th Pew.org , a website that pubtions with her parents. lishes research on pastoral lead“I feel like in Town Hall if I’m Grade ership, so-called “preachers’ going to make a comment, it has to kids” -- “P.K.’s” -- who join the be a very valid point, and it has to clergy themselves statistically be a perfect, clear point, that both sides can agree with, not too controversial,” said feel less satisfied with their “general effectiveness” Noa, whose mother Ms. Atara Segal teaches Ge- and spiritual lives. It seems they put more pressure on themselves to be competent both relimara at the school.

“If I say something, people might look at what giously and as leaders.

A study of 799 Protestant ministers’ families I say and generalize that as the Shalhevet philosophy or my parents’ philosophy,” Noa said. “I have found that ministers’ children “were more active, to make sure that I get great grades, that I do well on average, in church and church youth groups; in all the Judaic classes. I have to make sure I don’t they felt called to ordained ministry somewhat answer a question incorrectly, that I say smart earlier; and, until recently, they were ordained at a younger age than non-P.K.s.” philosophical things and I have great new ideas.”

Tracking the church attendance of kids at She says meeting people’s various expectations

age 16 supported this view. According to the polls, 97.3 percent of P.K.s who became pastors attended church two or three times a month as teenagers, whereas only 81 percent of future pastors with parents in non-religious occupations attended church at the same rate or more.

Ilan Bouskila, whose father Rabbi Daniel Bouskila currently heads the Sephardic Educational Center, said he’s more engaged in Judaism because of his dad.

“It’s really nice that my dad’s a knowledgeable Jew because Judaism is really important to me, he’s the kind of guy that I can talk to and he’s really open-minded, and he knows so much about Judaism and the Jewish community,” said Ilan.

“It’s been good for my upbringing, that there’s been this focus sort of on Judaic studies but it hasn’t been forced, I’m just interested in it because of my dad.”

There are also some challenges that comes along with being a rabbi’s kid. Yakir and Rabbi Schwarzberg, whose father led Congregation Ahavas Achim in Highland Park, N.J., have both heard jokes about their fathers, who are and were the more forward-thinking Orthodox leaders in their communities.

“I do hear a little bit — like ‘Oh your shul is Conservative,’” said Yakir. “I don’t really mind it that much but after a while it can get annoying.”

Rabbi Schwarzberg said he heard most of the jokes about his father’s synagogue in elementary school.

“It was tough that I once heard a couple of my teachers poke fun at my dad’s shul,” Rabbi Schwarzberg said. “And there was definitely a feeling at times that our shul could be the whipping post for people who don’t appreciate some of the progressive elements of Modern Orthodoxy -and not only from teachers. From kids who didn’t

The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Torah

It’s really nice that my dad’s a knowledgeable Jew, because Judaism is really important to me.

He’s the kind of guy that I can talk to and he’s really open-minded, and he knows so much about Judaism and the Jewish community.

It’s been good for my upbringing, that there’s been this focus sort of on Judaic studies but it hasn’t been forced. I’m just interested in it because of my dad.

- Ilan Bouskila

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I felt like it was already in my blood...The language of the Jewish community, the behaviors of the Jewish community, by virtue of growing up immersed in it my whole life and therefore it gave me a certain confidence to not just follow the traditional path of rabbinic students, but to say, ‘Ari you have an idea, you have an approach, there’s a way of thinking.’

- Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg

a rabbi, who are you? get it, or just saw anything different as weird.

“Feeling like I needed to protect the image of my family,” he continued. “That was something that I struggled with, moreso than some shots from friends or teachers every now and again.”

But like Ilan, Rabbi Schwarzberg, Yakir and Noa all said there are also benefits to having a parent who’s a rabbi. Rabbi Schwarzberg said it gave him confidence in his own ideologies.

“I felt like it was already in my blood,” said Rabbi Schwarzberg. “The language of the Jewish community, the behaviors of the Jewish community, by virtue of growing up immersed in it my whole life, and therefore it gave me a certain confidence to not just follow the traditional path of rabbinic students.”

Yakir and Noa said having parents who make important decisions has given them empathy that other students might not have, because they see the process from the inside.

“I know my dad’s always really busy,” Yakir said. “And as a rabbi there’s so much work to do and people to discuss things with, and he also tells me how it’s really hard to work with some people.

So I understand how Rabbi Segal or Reb Weissman could have a hard time making a decision that will satisfy everyone, ‘cause you can never really do that with any decision you make.”

That empathy has been a mixed blessing for Noa. She can see the faculty’s point of view more readily than other students, but that can also divide her from some of her peers.

“I feel like I understand more and I’m less accusatory if there’s, let’s say, a teacher who does something I don’t like,” said Noa, “because I know a lot about how the school system works and I know sort of what’s going on. So I feel like I’m less likely jump to conclusions with people or attack someone.”

She believes people should give community

“People don’t expect me to be the son of a leaders the benefit of the doubt more and “cut them some slack,” since they cannot always give rabbi,” he added, “and I guess there’s a certain mold I’m supposed to fit in, and I don’t and that’s all the details behind a decision they make.

Junior Noa Kilgfeld, whose father Rabbi okay.”

Ilan believes he would have been well-behaved Adam Kligfeld is senior rabbi at Temple Beth Am, did not want to be interviewed for this ar- even if his father were not a rabbi.

“I was raised by my parents to be a well-beticle, saying she did not “feel comfortable talking haved kid,” said Ilan. “I think if my dad was a about it.”

But like Ilan Bouskila, senior Mendy Mentz doctor or something I would still be a normal, said he feels relatively unaffected by his father’s well-behaved kid, but because my dad’s a rabbi I sort of have to, that’s all.” occupation.

It’s possible Mendy and Ilan were not as afMendy, who was at Shalhevet for ninth and fected because their fa10th grade and is now a senior thers were not rabbis of at Harkham Gaon Academy, is a shul or school. Mendy’s the son of Rabbi Yossi Mentz, “People don’t expect me to be father was an elementary currently the Regional Director the son of a rabbi,” he added, or middle school teacher of American Friends of Magen or the leader of a shul’s David Adom (AFMDA). “and I guess there’s a certain youth group during Mendy said he didn’t feel any mold I’m supposed to fit in, Mendy’s childhood, and extra pressure because everyone and I don’t and that’s okay.” now is the regional direcin the communities he grew up tor of American Friends in felt compelled to be obserof Magen David Adom, vant, not just the rabbi’s kids.

-- Mendy Mentz, 12th Grade the Israeli Red Cross.

As a child, he lived in the Long Rabbi Bouskila was Beach Jewish community, which the rabbi of the Sephardic was “more intense” than Los Angeles’s Hancock Park, La Brea and Pico neighbor- Temple Tifereth Israel in Westwood, but only until Ilan was nine. Now he is heads the Sephardic hoods, he said.

He said he gets some surprised comments Educational Center, leads teen and adult trips to sometimes when people find out his father is a Israel and organizes learning events.

One thing that all the rabbi’s kids interviewed rabbi, and he doesn’t mind because overall the exhad in common was a sense that their clergy parperience has been positive.

“Maybe people look at you like you’re sup- ents understood their unusual situation.

“My dad is very open to personality and posed to be something, even if you’re not supposed to,” Mendy said. “But at the essence of it, ideas,” said Yakir. “I think he knows how it could the religion is a beautiful thing, even though there be hard when a lot of people are judging me, and is whatever that’s been melded into it over the last I think he’s doing a good job of letting me be mycouple years. Whatever politics have been put in self but at the same time not too rebellious where it, or judgmental factors added to it, overall it’s a I start being immoral.”

He offered advice to both generations. beautiful thing.

“If a rabbi has a kid, I would tell them don’t put too much pressure on them and be empathetic,” Yakir said. “Maybe even talk to them if people are talking to them a certain way. For anyone, don’t even think about what your parents are or where you came from, just be yourself, and hopefully people will just go along with it.”

Noa’s parents often remind her it’s not her job to represent Shalhevet.

“When there are tough, controversial situations in the community...I just need to talk to somebody,” she said. “Because I just get very frustrated when something that seems so obvious to me is not understood by the rest of my peers, or the rest of the community.”

“My dad always tells me ‘you don’t need to stand up for me, some people are always going to hate.’”

Rabbi Schwarzberg said this type of dialogue is important for children of rabbis.

“I don’t blame my parents for this, but what would have been a very healthy thing for me to process and talk about when I was younger is that there is qualitatively a different experience, being the child of a preacher,” Rabbi Schwarzberg said.

These days, Yakir is just focusing on what he is interested in — music, hip-hop, sports and art, he says. But it took some time.

“It’s nice when people get to know me, and don’t just refer to me as ‘the rabbi’s son,’” he said.

The lessons Yakir has learned as a rabbi’s son seem to extend beyond the idiosyncratic experience.

“For anyone,” he said, “don’t even think about what your parents are or where you came from, just be yourself, and hopefully people will just go along with it.”

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The Boiling Point • August 2017 • Torah

Rabbi Abraham Lieberman arrives with experience and ‘gravitas’

Not just apples and honey

BY CLARA SANDLER, COMMUNITY EDITOR

BY ILAN BOUSKILA, 12TH GRADE

Rabbi Abraham Lieberman loves dark chocolate. He believes he has tasted every available kosher, dark chocolate brand, and enjoys them all, but his favorite is Taza Chocolate, a brand from Somerville, Mass.

Formerly head of school at YULA Girls’ High School -- Shalhevet’s cross-town rival -- Rabbi Lieberman will be teaching freshmen and juniors’ Advanced Gemara Shiur, along with freshman Talmud, two junior Tanakh classes, and Advanced Senior Tanakh.

His departure from YULA was BP Photo by Neima Fax announced last November.

“It was God’s idea,” said Rabbi Lieberman of his coming to Shalhevet. “I have no idea where the actual seed was, but it was a very natural process.”

Rabbi Lieberman is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., and has lived in Los Angeles for 10 years.

MANTRA: Rabbi Lieberman, formerly of YULA, said Torah should be taught with love.

He spent time as a student at Yeshiva University, Beit Midrash “On the one hand, I like to think of myself amount of love, honesty, truth and somehow Emek Halacha and Brooklyn College, all in New York. Originally he studied able to bring out the point of why this material as an easy teacher in the sense that people will psychology, but he became involved in teaching is so important,” Rabbi Lieberman said. “It’s a easily enjoy what we’re learning,” he said.

“At the same time, I expect students to do challenge, it’s not always easy. There are so many and fell in love with that instead.

Before YULA he taught at Ezra Academy things going on in our world, especially in the their work and come through and be responsible in Queens, N.Y., and then at Shulamith High teenage world, where they’re so inundated with -- that’s the hard part sometimes.”

Other than teaching, Rabbi Lieberman is School for Girls in Cedarhurst, N.Y., for 28 a tremendous amount of stuff.”

Rabbi Lieberman wants his classes to be in- also known for his lectures on the importance years. He continued to teach classes part-time while leading YULA and does not expect to feel teractive and plans to use chavruta learning, and of the Arabic language and his TEDyula Talk, to feel relevant to the students, while remaining where he teaches General Studies department rusty starting out. teachers the importance of learning Torah.

“I actually think that a head of school that text-based.

In his email announcing Rabbi Lieberman’s “Knowledge is great to have, but the knowldoes not teach and does not get into the classroom misses a lot of what’s really going on,” edge has to be imparted in a way where it be- hire, Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal described Rabbi Lieberman’s experience and character.

Rabbi Lieberman said. “To know where the stu- comes practical,” Rabbi Lieberman said.

“Rabbi Lieberman brings invaluable experiHe does not think that there is a huge difdents are at and what’s on their mind, you need ference between the hashkafot, or philosophies, ence and gravitas to buttress an already electrifyto be in the classroom.” ing Judaic faculty,” Rabbi Segal wrote.

And although YULA has separate campuses between Shalhevet and YULA. “At least as important, Rabbi Lieberman em“We are both Modern Orthodox schools and for boys and girls, he has taught co-ed before all we want to do is educate our teenagers,” he bodies the consummate example of menschlichand said he does “not have a problem with it.”

Rabbi Lieberman said the key to overcoming said. “I think the Modern Orthodox mantra is keit and yashrus, and serves as a powerful role model for our young students and faculty alike.” the challenge of teaching Talmud and Tanach pretty much the same.”

Rabbi Lieberman sees himself as both an easy was love.

“It has to be given over with a tremendous teacher and hard teacher.

The beginning of the New Year is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start again. Aware of life’s complexities and that no year is ever going to be perfect, Jewish tradition offers us the opportunity to begin anew, with the hope that any negativity from our past will be wiped away, and that we will hopefully avoid all potential negativity in the coming year.

In the Sephardic tradition, the first night of Rosh Hashanah is filled with prayers and symbols whose theme is the ushering in of a blessed year. The Arvit (evening) prayers on Rosh Hashanah open with a beautiful liturgical poem – Ahot Ketanah, meaning “little sister.” Each of its stanzas concludes with the words tikhleh shanah v’kileloteha -- may this year and all of its curses come to an end. The finale of the poem is Tahel shanah u’birkhoteha – may this year with all of its blessings now begin.

We then greet each other by saying Tizke l’shanim rabot – May you merit many years (in plural, tizku l’shanim rabot. The response to this greeting is tovot u’neimot – may the many years indeed be good and pleasant.

When it’s time to eat, our Sephardic Rosh Hashanah dinner opens with Kiddush and Hamotsi, but before eating our actual meal, we eat a wide array of symbolic foods whose theme are either the elimination of negativity or the aspiration for blessings.

These foods are called the simanim -- signs or symbols -- and they form what many today call the Sephardic Rosh Hashanah seder.

Each of the simanim was chosen either due to its potential for a creative word play, its physical structure or its sweet flavor.

We eat dates, leeks, beets and pumpkin, all of which symbolize the rooting out of negativity. The Hebrew word for date is tamar, and before eating the date we say “She-yitamu oyvenu,” -- may our enemies be consumed. Yitamu -- consumed -sounds like tamar. The Aramaic term for leeks is karti, and before eating the leeks we say “She-yikartu oyvenu” -- may our enemies be cut off; yikartu, cut off, sounds like karti.

The Aramaic word for beets is silka, and before eating the beets we say she-yisalku oyvenu -- may our enemies disappear; yisalku -- disappear -- sounding like silka.

We eat pumpkin, which in Aramaic is called kra, and in Hebrew the word kra also means “rip up” -- we pray that God will rip up any evil decrees against us.

These simanim reflect our innermost desire to begin a year void of some of life’s most brutal curses: strife, conflict, war and evil.

Another custom is to eat string beans, which when opened are filled with small beans, and we say “May our merits increase” -- like the beans that are multiple.

There are some who eat the meat of a sheep’s head and say, “May we always be as the head and not the tail.”

My family, dating back to my father’s traditions in Morocco, also has the custom of eating sesame seeds mixed with sugar, and we say, “May our mitzvot – our good deeds -- be as abundant as sesame seeds, and our lives as sweet as sugar.”

Of course, there is the apple dipped in the honey -- not originally a Sephardic custom. As a variation, some Sephardim cook the apple in honey and sugar. But Sephardic or Ashkenazic and however we express it, we all wish for the same things, a clean slate on which to strive again for a year without negativity, but full of mitzvot, blessings and sweetness.

Tahel shanah u’birkhoteha?

Something a little calmer for a teacher who dives with sharks: Ramie Smith will teach 10th grade

BY BENJAMIN ZAGHI, SENIOR EDITOR You may not see new Judaic Studies teacher Ramie Smith every day, because she’s teaching just one class this year, 10th Grade Talmud.

She’s also developing a sex education curriculum with Rabbi Block, which will be taught to all grades, not just seniors.

But if you can catch her, she may still have time to speak about her experiences teaching in New York’s Riker’s Island jail, diving in the Ba-

hamas with sharks, or producing and directing a developing YouTube channel.

The Cleveland native taught criminal justice ethics at Rikers Island, New York City’s main jail complex with an average daily population of 10,000 male and female inmates. It was for a chaplaincy unit that was part of her fouryear training at Yeshivat Maharat in Riverdale, N.Y., where she was ordained to serve in clergy roles in Orthodox settings.

“It was a very interesting teaching experience because my students were very religious and not as difficult as I thought they would be,” she said.

“I learned a lot more than they did, my priorities were recalibrated and the experience really made me rethink what is important in life.”

Another passion she has had ever since she was little is sharks. Her interest was so great that she managed to get an internship in the Bahamas for a couple of weeks with 16 scientists to BP Photo by Neima Fax

RESPECT: Ramie Smith, a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, has also taught prisoners. She said she follows the same principles whoever her students are.

study genetic and behavioral research on lemon sharks, tiger sharks and bull sharks. She had to “free dive” with the animals, which means literally swimming underwater with no oxygen tank or no cage for protection.

She loved it, and said the hardest thing about it was keeping halakha.

“The trip was a very transformative experience,” she said. “Always going to a Jewish school and living in the a Jewish community can be very easy when you are living with people who don’t know what Shabbat and kosher is,” which was not the case in the Bahamas.

Yeshivat Maharat graduates have been called Maharat, Rabbanit and Rabba, and Ramie Smith was called Rabba Ramie at her most recent job, which was at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. But Rabbi Segal has said there would be no discussion of her title this year, so students can decide what to call her on their own.

Because she is teaching only part-time at Shalhevet, she will also spend time producing and directing videos for Grok Nation developing their YouTube channel.

She said the same principles guide her teaching wherever she is.

“I teach all my classes based on mutual respect, whether I am teaching middle schoolers or my class of women who are 80+ in shul,” she said. “I love to learn with people; my goal is not to talk at students, but to learn and grow together through the learning.”

The Boiling Point • August 2017• Torah

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Sports

24

Firehawks headed back to Sarachek for a fourth straight year

AUGUST 2017

Dodgers we love it!

By CLARA SANDLER, Community Editor When you go to a Dodger game at Dodger Stadium and they win, Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” rings through the stadium. The song is all about LA pride and superiority. Even though the Dodgers have been playing this song for years, this season it truly reflects their performance. But before I get to that, some context.

The last five years have probably been the hardest to be a Dodger fan. Why? The Dodgers have won their division, the National League West, for the last five years, and they still haven’t won a World Series since 1988.

For some reason, this year feels different. For some reason, everything seems to be falling into place. And I wouldn’t do what I’m about to do if Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig had not said “see you in the World Series” in a postgame interview…

But I’m about to call my shot.

The Dodgers are going to the World Series, and they’re going to win this year. I believe this for five key reasons: Number one, they have offense. If you just look at a typical lineup on a normal day, they are stacked. Chris Taylor tends to lead off, but new acquisition Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets has also began to lead off — both men have high batting averages and on-base percentages.

Then, you have Corey Seager, last year’s Rookie of the Year and an MVP candidate; Justin Turner, a slugging machine and MVP candidate; and Cody Bellinger, Rookie of the Year this year and also an MVP candidate.

The team’s lineup could be discussed for hours on end, but briefly, some other recognizable players—both in the lineup and able to come off the bench—are Yasmani Grandal, Yasiel Puig, Enrique “Kiké” Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Logan Forsythe, Austin Barnes and Chase Utley.

In addition, the Dodgers have clutch veterans Adrian Gonzalez and André Ethier, both of whom have spent most of the season on the disabled list. Adrian is already back, and it looks like Ethier will also be back in time for the postseason.

Number two, they have defense. With an arm like Yasiel Puig’s in right field, the opposition has no chance. The rest of the outfield as well have proven their strength. The infield, made up of Cody Bellinger, Chase Utley (or Logan Forsythe depending on the day), Corey Seager and Justin Turner, is known for its efficiency and dexterity.

Number three, pitching. Both the starting pitchers and relief pitchers are equally effective and have amazing skills. The Dodger pitching staff has the lowest earned-run average (ERA) in the league, 3.14. The starting ace, seven time all-star and three time Cy Young Award winner, Clayton Kershaw, is followed by Alex Wood, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda, Hyn-Jin Ryu and the team’s new acquisition from the Texas Rangers, Yu Darvish.

There have been some bumps in the road for the pitchers.

Kershaw is currently on the disabled list with an aggravated back injury. Wood is also on the DL. And to get Yu Darvish, who is an amazing pitcher with an ERA of 3.83, the Dodgers sacrificed one of their best prospects, Willie Calhoun.

Right now, the Dodgers have a very young team that has excelled in the minors because of its farm system, so trading a young prospect was a risk. It would seem that the risk is worth it so far, because as a Dodger, Darvish is 3-1.

Number four, manager Dave Roberts was a Dodger himself, so he knows the importance of the jersey and the city. Roberts is a fairly young man at the age of 45, and is therefore able to relate to the players. He has faced his own personal challenges as well, having already fought off cancer.

He represents the resiliency of the city and pushes the players to be their best.

Number five, the Dodgers are hungry and consistent.

Some other good teams this season are the Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. These teams are good but inconsistent. They go on winning streaks for four or five days, and then a losing streak for six or seven. The Dodgers have a consistent routine and always come ready to perform.

And even when they lose, they come back the next day, take out yesterday’s garbage, and focus on the game at hand.

So here’s the deal. We have the right team, the right leadership and the right attitude. Sports Illustrated just called the Dodgers the best team ever.

So Yasiel Puig has called his shot, and I have called my shot, and I can’t wait for Randy Newman’s “I Love LA” to ring through Dodger Stadium on that sweet night in October —the night we finally win the World Series.

BP Photo By Neima Fax

PRACTICE: Shalhevet’s Zack Muller passed to a teammate as the Firehawks practiced throughout the summer.

By Tobey Lee, SportS editor Shalhevet’s boys varsity basketball team is headed back to Sarachek for a fourth straight year, receiving a rare honor in having been invited to the tournament now five years in a row.

Normally a school can participate in the tournament in only two of any three consecutive years, and who can play is determined by lottery. But Yeshiva University, which hosts the games, exercises a right to invite any team they would especially like to be there -- apparently including the Shalhevet Firehawks.

So the team will be headed back to New York next March as what the tournament calls a “discretionary pick.”

The Boiling Point was unable to reach to Matthew Schwartz, the director of Sarachek, to see why the Firehawks were chosen.

But Coach Ryan Coleman, Firehawk Athletic Director, thinks it was because of how well they’ve done both on and off the court.

“Basically, they have a lottery and you’re not available for the lottery after you’ve attended three consecutive years,” Coach Coleman explained. “But they reserve the right to select you as a discretionary pick, and we are such mensches when we go there that they couldn’t help invite us back for a fifth consecutive year.”

He said Mr. Schwartz gave him the news June 27, and that he was not surprised.

“Given how well we’ve done the last two years…, I thought that we were going to get invited back,” Coach Coleman said.

Last season, the Firehawks did well both in California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and Sarachek competition. They finished with an overall CIF record of 25-8, 6-0 in league play.

They made it to the Sarachek championship game as well, losing there to the Frisch Cougars, 49 - 47, in 2017. A year earlier, they fell to the DRS Wildcats 47-32, also in the championship.

Meanwhile in CIF play,the team is set to advance to a higher

level, Division 4AA, because of last year’s success. Coach Coleman said he would rather play at the CIF state playoffs, if he had to choose, because the competition would be greater. But he considers it unlikely to happen.

“We’re not going to make it to the state playoffs this year, so we’re not going to have that problem,” said Coleman. “We’re not as talented, and we’re going to be moved up a division, and if our kids want to take the challenge I love that.”

In the past, the Firehawks have had opportunities to compete at state level, and have given it up multiple times to play at Sarachek, most recently In 2013, said assistant basketball coach and Firehawk alumnus Mati Hurwitz ‘15. But this year the YU tournament does not conflict.

Coach Coleman said that CIF now has a formula of placing teams in higher divisions, which will provide competitive equity for teams, which is based off of one team’s success in the previous two years and whether one team was in the CIF quarterfinal or finished as runner up in the previous year.

“The opportunity to play that level of basketball in that environment is very rare,” said the athletic director.

Junior Asher Dauer was excited to have the opportunity to go back to Sarachek. “[It’s] pretty exciting to go back for a fourth year in a row,” said Asher, who plays guard. “I feel like it’s kind of an accomplishment for the team… the fact that we’ve gone to the championships the past two years shows a lot about Shalhevet basketball that they allowed us to go back four years in a row.”

He also said that in spite of Coach Coleman’s comments about the team not making it to state this year, he thought the team could make it happen.

“I think we are [talented enough],” Asher said. “We made it last year, and if we make it to… the finals whether we win or lose, like we did last year, we would make it to the state playoffs.”

New girls basketball coach plans focus on fundamentals the preseason when the girls are going to Hiler, a Firehawk star last year, has question whether basketball is the sport been coached by Coach Remer beMr. Jeff Remer, head of the Showtime for them, because he’s going to break fore and is looking forward to it.

“I’m excited to have a coach that’s had Basketball Skills Academy and parent of them down before he brings them up.”

Coach Remer did not disagree. a lot of experience coaching, and I know Shalhevet basketball players Eitan and “I think that I can instill in them a that he wants to make the girls’ basketball Ze’ev Remer, is the new Firehawk girls’ work ethic that will team the best that we Coach Flava, known basketball coach and plans to allow them to be suc- for working long hours with the girls and echo boys’ coach Ryan Colecessful on the court,” teaching them life lessons on the court, man’s focus on fundamentals.

‘I’m sure there are going Coach Remer said. had led the Lady Firehawks to a win in Mr. Remer was one of three to be times at the beginIn an interview, the championship in the first-ever Steve people who interviewed for the ning of the season and in the new coach com- Glouberman Tournament in 2015, a year job over the summer, according the preseason when the pared basketball to a after bringing them to the championship to Coach Coleman, who is also girls are going to quesfingers working to- game in CIF Southern Section Division 6. the school’s athletic director.

Team captain Loren Edry said gether on a hand.

“He and I share the same tion whether basketball “Basketball is a hand she was keeping an open mind. philosophies as far as fundais the sport for them, “[Flava] is going to be missed and a team is a hand -mentals -- to not only win because he’s going to five fingers, five players greatly, but if Shalhevet thought basketball games but make break them down before and everybody needs that he wasn’t the right fit then I reit fun once you do learn he brings them up.’ to know what they’re spect that decision,” Loren said. the correct way to play the - Coach Ryan Coleman, Coach Remer said he does not exdoing and everybody game,” said Coach Coleman.

Athletic Director needs to support one pect to replace the former coach.

Coach Remer replaces “I can’t replace what Flava did,” Coach another,” Coach Remer Coach Ronnie “Flava” Winsaid. “If you imagine Remer said. “All I can do is earn the rebush, who had led the girls bastwo of your fingers are spect of the girls currently on the team.” ketball team since 2006. In an interview with the Boiling Point, Coach cut off, and you try to use your hand now, Remer shared his views on basketball. you’re not gonna be nearly as success“My basketball philosophy is team ful as you would be with five fingers.”

He said he would work over individual at all times,” Coach Remer said. “I don’t like players who on both offense and defense.

“I think the girls really need want to always look in the scorebook to know how many points they had. to have better discipline on the My philosophy is if you give me seven offensive end, and they also girls with between 8 and 12 points in a have to play a lot more scrapgame, I’m gonna show you a lot of wins.” py and better defense,” he said.

“They’re just going to be in Mr. Remer has coached kids from first grade through high school, includ- a position where every possesing some girls on the team now, Coach sion will be valued,” he said.

“Meaning it’s not gonna be I’m Coleman believes he will work them very hard as their high school coach. coming down on a fast break and I’m “He’s going to demand a lot out pulling up from three and shooting BP Photo By Neima Fax the ball. If you do that you’ll be sitof them,” said Coach Coleman.

TEAMWORK: New girls basketball Coach Jeff Remer compared “I’m sure there are going to be times ting next to me and not on the court.” teammates to the fingers on one’s hand, saying all are necessary.

Sophomore guard Maital at the beginning of the season and in

BY NICHOLAS FIELDS, STAFF WRITER