SHALHEVET HIGH SCHOOL • Los Angeles, CA June 2018 • Sivan 5778 • Vol. 18, Issue 6 shalhevetboilingpoint.com
Student parking lot to reopen, seniors will have priority Administration says it will follow results of Town Hall poll; Tom Bergin’s not responding to inquiries on leasing unused lot next door BY Lucy Fried, Torah Editor
BP photo by Neima Fax
BRAID: Ms. Yona Nadelman, second from right, described her Holocaust experiences while making bread with students in the Wildfire Theater May 17. The event was sponsored by the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust and led by students.
‘La Dough Va Dough’ weaves challah and history Holocaust survivors share their stories with students while making bread By MOLLY LITVAK, Staff Writer Holocaust survivors and high school students braided challah together in the Shalhevet theater last week, sharing the life-changing events of World War II in a means they hoped neither would forget. The event was called “La Dough Va Dough,” a pun on the Hebrew expression l’dor vador which means “from generation to generation.” Sophomore Noa Nelson, one of the organizers, said it was put together with the idea that students would learn more about the Holocaust in an environment away from textbooks. Additionally, she said, braiding challah is a tradition that both generations can bond over. It’s not so much that the challah has
anything to do with the Holocaust,” said Noa. “It’s more that braiding the challah creates an open new environment for the survivors and students to share and connect.” Three survivors — Martha Sternbach, Yona Nadelman and Gabriella Karin — were there, and each shared her story with one third of the group, which was divided among three tables for the May 17 lunch. The event was organized by Noa, sophomore Emma Mackler and junior Jonathan Fishman, all of whom are on the teen advisory board at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. Ms. Karin, who spent the war hidden with her family in a small apartment in
Slovakia, has spoken all over including Yad Vashem in Israel and at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. She also has gone on the March of the Living trip seven times and been featured in multiple publications, including the Los Angeles Times and as a cover story of the Jewish Journal. “It was nice to speak to a small group,” Ms. Karin said. Ms. Karin is also a sculptor. Her work can be found in Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, the Museum of Tolerance, the Slovakia Holocaust museContinued on page 2
A legacy of excellence as Ms. Sunshine retires BY CLARA SAndler, community editor, and Hannah Jannol, editor-in-chief Mrs. Tove Sunshine, known for her commitment to advanced subjects, her organized teaching style, her fairness to all students and her readable facial expressions during Town Hall, is retiring this month after 11 years of teaching psychology, history and Jewish history courses at Shalhevet. Alumni and current students praised her as being inspirational, some saying she sparked an interest in psychology that they plan to pursue professionally. She believes she has taught somewhere around 935 students since arriving in 2007. “I want to slow the pace of my life down,” BP Photo by Neima Fax Mrs. Sunshine said in a Boiling Point interview. “I still really enjoy teaching -- the nitty gritty FAIR: Students said Ms. Sunshine's classes went by quickly and changed isn’t so fun. [There are] other things I could be the way they think. She inspired several alumni to become psychologists. doing that I really love and value. I want to do Continued on page 8
After four years of time-consuming and often expensive student improvisation to find parking spots -- including paying upwards of $20 daily to park at the Petersen Museum, or risking a ticket at the meters on San Vicente -- Shalhevet’s old student lot will reopen for school use next fall. Seniors will get priority for the limited number of spots, after administration approved the results of a non-binding survey taken at Town Hall on May 17. Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal said he had decided to follow results of the vote, in which a plurality of students favored “senior priority” as a means of dividing up spots. Other choices had been priority for carpools, distance from school, and some kind of combination of those. “I would defer to the vote,” Rabbi Segal said. “I just always ask that the seniors and the Just Community consider students who are coming from far, far away. I think it’ll depend on how many spots we can get out of there.” The lot was closed to students in 2015, when Alliance Residential began using it to house trailers connected to construction of the Vinz apartment complex. Now that the Vinz has opened, the lot is empty. “We have to repave it,” Rabbi Segal said, “so once we repave it and put the new fence up we’ll be able to see how many spots we can get and then we’ll know how many people wanna drive, carpool.” He also said the school had approached Tom Bergin’s restaurant -Shalhevet’s neighbor to the north, which now operates only on Fridays -- to see if it would be willing to rent its parking lot to Shalhevet during school hours. The restaurant has not responded, he said, in spite of numerous attempts to reach them. “They’ve been completely unreceptive to it,” Rabbi Segal said. “You’d think they would say sure, because we literally need the parking lot when they’re not there, and we’re happy to pay a normal amount for it.” Still, there is hope for student parking next year. With about 20 spots somewhat up for grabs, the Agenda Committee devoted Town Hall to the topic while seniors were in Israel. Incoming Agenda Chair Talia Gill said that the lot, located at the northwest corner of Fairfax and San Vicente, would be given to students -- but would only allow for approximately 20 cars, not nearly enough for the entire driving population. At the end of Town Hall, Agenda posted an anonymous survey so the community could give feedback as to how the system should work. It was not meant to be binding, the committee said at the time. The survey asked first whether students should have to pay for parking, and then how the spots should be given: a first-come, first-served or random basis; priority to residents of the Valley; priority to seniors; priority for carpools; or various combinations of these. The results were calculated automatically, and Talia posted them later that evening. Eighty-two percent voted that students should not have to pay. Out of 163 votes in the survey, senior priority won a plurality with 41 percent; “Must meet certain criteria” was second with 18 percent. “First semester just seniors, second semester seniors and juniors” came in third with 16 percent; while a combination of Valley and senior priority came in fourth with 9 percent. Valley priority received 6 percent; and carpool priority and no priority tied for last place with 5 percent each. Preceding the results, Town Hall had consisted of constant hands flying in the air and passionate speeches made in attempt to persuade the community of various views as to who deserved the parking priority. Freshman Noa Silberstein, who lives in the Valley, said that giving priorContinued on page 3
WHAT’S INSIDE... Outside News, Page 6
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GAZA Students defend Israel's reactions on the border while also struggling with their fatal results
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Features, Page 5 POLAND + ISRAEL Feeling farther than ever while being closer than before
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Community, Page 3 ELECTIONS Another Gill takes over, and SAC leadership grows from 2 + 1 to 3+2
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The Boiling Point • June 2018 • Community
College counselor Lisa Gruenbaum departing to focus on kids By Jacob joseph lefkowitz brooks, features editor Writing a college essay requires self-reflection, and departing college counselor Ms. Lisa Gruenbaum said last week that helping students do that helped her decide to move on from her position as Associate Director of College Counseling and Academic Guidance. “I was just at graduation today and I think I will be bawling my eyes out in seven years when my own son graduates High School,” said Ms. Gruenbaum said June 4. “It goes really fast and I want to enjoy all the amazing things we have going on in our personal life.” Ms. Gruenbaum, who arrived at Shalhevet in 2013 as College Counseling Associate, assisting then College Counseling Director Ms. Aviva Walls, said helping students articulate their dreams led to her decision to leave, which was announced May 4. She said high school students want to figure out their future and how they can contribute to the greater good of the world. “That doesn’t end when you graduate high school,” Ms. Gruenbaum said in an interview. “That’s something that you’re constantly seeking to find. Trying to find meaning in your everyday interactions and purpose in your life.” Ms. Gruenbaum took maternity leave in September and October of 2016, and her children are now 11, 9, 4 and 1 year old. “We all know life is a journey that steers us in many different directions, and the next step for me is to focus fully on raising my own four children and be at the helm of my family life,” Ms. Gruenbaum wrote in a letter to the Shalhevet community included in Rabbi Segal’s weekly newsletter. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Ms. Gruenbaum had worked in Penn’s admissions office from 2011 to 2013, and had been an editor’s assistant at US Weekly, a kindergarten teacher at Yavneh and social events planner for AishLA. She said she had especially enjoyed helping Shalhevet students with their essays. “That’s when I find I can connect to students most,” she said, “and try and get them to dig deep inside of themselves, pull out who
they really are and what they want to say about themselves and how they want to present themselves to the world.” Students found her guidance helpful. “She helped me figure out where I should apply,” said senior Ariel Cohen, who will start at Yale next year, “patiently went through all of the considerations when I was deciding on where to apply early, and encouraged and supported me throughout the whole process -- including celebrating the acceptance.” Ms. Gruenbaum said her favorite experiences at Shalhevet had involved school spirit. “Singing in the hallways when the choir will sing, in the atrium in the lobby, and the whole school gathers around to have that emotional, spiritual, religious experience all together as a community -- that’s definitely one of my favorite moments that happens fairly regularly,” she said. “It shows the heart of the school and the real community vibe that is present at those times and really at all moments. Wherever you’re at -- at a baseball game, a basketball game, at Town Hall -that’s one of my favorite things.” In addition to working in college counseling with Dean of Academic Affairs Ms. Aviva Walls, Ms. Gruenbaum started a running club which took place every Friday after school. “I love connecting with students outside of the intellectual academic environment,” said Ms. Gruenbaum. “I think that’s what Shalhevet does well, is give students and faculty ways to engage with each other beyond the normal student-teacher relationship. It gives you a time to let loose together, relax together and realize that we’re all human and that we can enjoy the same things, and get to know each other on a deeper level which I think helps you inside the classroom as well or in your typical day-to-day job.” Sophomore Maya Schapira, a member of the running club, said she would miss Ms. Gruenbaum and hope the club would re-start next year after being mostly dormant in 2017-18. “She ran it really well and considered everyone’s different paces,” said Maya. “I know I felt like it was a great experience for me. The club made me realize how much I like to run… Hopefully we can
keep the club going next year.” On the same day he announced Ms. Gruenbaum’s departure, Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal announced that Ms. Gruenbaum’s position will be filled by Eli Shavalian.
BP photo by Alyssa Wallack SPIRIT: Ms. Gruenbaum’s loved Shalhevet's communal bonding.
Math teacher Ms. Greenman leaving By Clara Sandler, Community Editor Math teacher Ellen Greenman, known for kind and reasonable teaching policies over five years at Shalhevet, told students May 23 that she would not be returning next year. Ms. Greenman has taught Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and Precalculus for the last three years after spending her first two years working in the Educational Support Department through Title I. She said she had had a great experience at Shalhevet overall and as a teacher, focused on being a role model. “I loved the one-on-one interaction where you can be more than a teacher,” Ms. Greenman said. “I’m not there to really just to teach math, I’m there to be a good human being and show BP photo by Kate Orlanski how to approach life, how to think about things. When students leave, even if they don’t remember the math, they’ll take that THINK: Ms. Greenman said she tried to show students how to approach not only into the rest of their lives.” math, but life. Above, she taught 10th-graders in Room 307 last month. Junior Jackie Faerstain had Ms. Greenman for 9th grade Algebra 1 and 10th grade Geometry. “She was so dedicated to teaching, and she would work with my class to motivate us and help us appreciate math,” said Jackie. “She made us motivated and determined to learn, and we’re all
IN THIS ISSUE:
Community, Pages 1, 2, 3, 8 Outside News, Page 6 Features, Pages 4 - 5 Opinion, Pages 7
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going to miss her positivity and motivation.” Ms. Greenman was viewed as fair and respectful toward students, often allowing them to submit homework late so long as it was before the unit test. She employed sometimes gave group quizes, and during her seniors’ last exam of the year, she removed a question because of complaints that the test was un-finishable in the 50-minute period allotted. Students said her classes moved at a manageable pace and she worked with students rather than against them. “She was one of the only teachers I’ve ever had that believed in me and always found ways to make sure I got the grade I deserved due to the amount of time and effort I put in,” said junior Eliana Cohen, who had her for Algebra and Geometry. “She never gave up on our class despite all our challenges.” Ms. Greenman said she was unsure what she would do next. She’s considering working in ceramics or landscape architecture, which she has done in the past, and “maybe some tutoring.” “When I was just in a Title 1, I had made the decision to stay out of the classroom,” she said. “But [Shalhevet] needed a teacher in the math department, and going back to the classroom would be quite pleasurable. I enjoyed it and the students overall. It’s been very positive.”
‘La Dough Va Dough’ weaves challah and history Continued from page 1 um in Bratislava, and museums in Warsaw, Krakow and elsewhere.In 2017, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the city of Los Angeles for “her dedication to preserving the memory of the Holocaust,” according to her website. Students listened intently as she led them through her journey. She grew up in Slovakia — a strategic partner of Germany, so deportations were managed by Slovakians themselves rather then by Germans. According to Ms. Karin, there were 90,000 Jews living in Slovakia and two-thirds of them were deported. Of those 60,000, only 230 people returned. Her family was not deported. When she was 11, her parents put her in a boarding school convent run by nuns, where she stayed for three years. “I learned all the Christian prayers, I went to mass everyday, and I cried myself to sleep every night,” Ms. Karin said. “About a year later my mother came, and when she saw my cried-out eyes and my skinny face, she decided for the night she will take me wherever she is and in the morning I will come to school. I did this for the next two years.” When her mom discovered that Slovakia would soon be occupied as well, her family went into hiding in the one-bedroom apartment of a 25-year-old non-Jewish lawyer named Karol Blanar. There were
eight people hiding in that home. One day Gabriella saw two girls from the convent — which was in close proximity to her hiding location — get caught in the street. She never saw them again. Ms. Karin stayed in Mr. Blanar’s home for nine months. All she was able to do there was read the books he brought her — long, serious books which were not written for a pre-teen. “Can you imagine yourself for nine months sitting on a chair not being able to move around and not being able to speak, a whole school year!” she exclaimed. “The only thing I could do was to read, and I was reading 14 hours a day.” This turned out to be a good thing, she added. “Everything can be taken away from you, even the clothes you wear,” Ms. Karin said. “But nobody can take away from you what you have in your head.” After the war was over, she went back to the railroad station hoping to find a familiar face as trains with survivors came in. She did not recognize anyone. She was 14 years old. “I decided, in myself, Hitler did not get my body and he did not get my soul,” she said.“I will smile, and I will be happy. And I am.” Ms. Sternbach spoke about her life after the war, when she lived in New York; what her life was like before the war; and the moment her liberation. “It was really interesting to see how positive she
was after the fact that she went through all that,” said freshman Noa Silberstein, who braided dough with Ms. Sternbach. “It really gave me perspective into my life, and how the things that I get upset about are nothing compared to what she had to go through.” Ms. Nedelman’s native city was Krakow Poland, but soon after the Natzi invasion, her family left for Lutsk, in the Soviet Sector. Her parents continued to Siberia and Yona was left with her grandparents, who arranged for her and two of her siblings to live on a farm for the duration of the war. When it was over, her father found her. “I recognized him and he smiled, and apparently as a child I used to touch one of his teeth which had a gold thing on it,” Ms. Nedelman said. “It was a very dramatic moment, because here they had gone when I was six years old, and he found me.” The program drew to a close at the end of lunch, and later on in the day it was announced on Schoology that the challahs the group had made were available in receptionist Daniella Silva’s office. Noa said the museum teen board planned to bring the dough program to all of the their schools and communities. “Our committee decided that ‘La Dough Va Dough’ was one of the best and most engaging platforms for students to connect with Holocaust survivors,” said Noa. “It keeps students engaged, it keeps the Holocaust survivors and everyone interested.”
The Boiling Point • June 2018 • Community
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Talia Gill is new Agenda chair as election approves changes SAC will have three chairs instead of two; Jonathan Fishman and Jordana Glouberman will lead Fairness
SAC began adding new elements right away. As soon as the seniors left for their Poland-Israel trip, next year’s officers organized a Yom Yerushalayim lunch activity in the cafeteria, where they played Israeli music and gave out pita with hummus to make sure everyone knew it was the anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967. Both of the new Fairness leaders have experience on the committee, which holds confidential meetings to mediate disputes between community members including students, teachers and administration. Jordana Glouberman has been on the committee since her sophomore year. “Fairness is a really great tool for students and teachers to ensure that they are feeling heard in school but I don’t think people are using it enough,” Jordana said after her election. She said this year’s Fairness chairs, Benny Zaghi and Jonah Sanders, had created a more ap-
By Sivan Karz, Staff Writer Talia Gill was elected Agenda Chair for the 2018-19 school year May 4, following a week of speeches, posters and promises from the gym to the roof and throughout the school hallways. Additionally, two referenda were passed, and in all, 12 people were elected officers for the SAC, Fairness and Agenda committees. Talia becomes the second member of her family to serve as Agenda Chair. Her brother, Micah Gill, held the post in 2015-16, when Talia was a freshman. She said they’re both similar and different. “Micah was the first person I saw ever lead a Town Hall, so he’s really the first person who influenced me to be involved with Agenda in the first place,” said Talia, who has been an Agenda officer or representative all of her time at school. “My brother and I are really similar in a bunch of ways, but we’re also really different, and I think those differences really emerge when contrasting our leadership styles.” Also elected to lead Agenda were sophomore Maya Tochner as vice chair and freshman Kate Orlanski as secretary. The Student Activities Committee, better known as SAC, will be led for the first time by three chairs -- seniors Isaac Kahtan, Maya Miro and Abbi Sentchuk -- all of whom advocated passage of a referendum to make that possible. The referendum passed. Newly elected vice-chairs are sophomores Maital Hiller and Caroline Edry, and freshman Shani Menna is secretary-elect. The Fairness Committee next year will be led by co-chairs Jonathan Fishman and Jordana Glouberman and secretary Evan Rubel. Campaigning began on April 30 with posters and slogans displayed around the school and on Schoology. Several candidates took the opportunity to share funny videos, or even sing songs about why they were qualified, all posted on the school’s information management system. Most candidates delivered speeches in the gym on Wednesday, May 2, and the next day, Town Hall was used for a debate among the candidates for Agenda Chair -- Talia along with Eva Suissa and Daniel Medavoy. Voting and a Schoology announcement of winners came on Friday. At Thursday’s debate, candidates answered questions posed by a panel consisting of Rabbi
BP photo by Neima Fax
DEBATE: Candidates Eva Suissa, Daniel Medovoy, and Talia Gill answered questions during Town Hall May 3. Ari Schwarzberg, Just Community adviser, current Agenda Chair Daniel Lorell, and Clara Sandler and Lucy Fried of The Boiling Point. Students also had the option of writing their own questions on cards, which the panel could add to its list of questions. All three said they loved Town Hall but that it could improve. Talia said she was best qualified to make that happen because of her experience on Agenda. “The way to actually change Town Hall is not to elect someone that has never served on the committee,” Talia said. Eva Suissa said she had the skills needed for the role, which involves choosing topics and then leading the weekly schoolwide meeting. “I can listen, I am organized, I am able to manage a group, and I can foster projects,” Eva said. The two approved referenda both involved SAC. One increased the maximum number of co-chairs from two to three, and the other increased the number of vice chairs possible from one to two. Although there have been many changes to
school elections in recent years -- including candidates having to be approved by administration, and a short-lived “instant runoff” computer program -- it was the first time since 2010 that changes in election procedures had been put to a vote of the community. SAC Co-chair-elect Isaac Kahtan said the two approvals would be good for the committee. “This specific referendum of Maya, Abbi and me is special because we each contribute different things to the position,” Isaac said, “and when we combine and work off of one another great things are bound to happen.” “I ran because I see SAC as a way to bring the community together in a fun and exciting way,” said Isaac. “I want to be part of this community building as well as showing Shalhevet students what spirit is all about.” Abbi hopes to expand SAC’s activities next year. “A lot of people see SAC as just the fun stuff in the school, and next year I hope to make it not only more fun, but also add educational pieces within the fun and have people learn from the fun that they’ve participated in,” Abbi said in an interview with the Boiling Point.
proachable environment than in previous years. “Benny and Jonah did an awesome job making the committee more accessible, but I want to push that a little further and I want people to be more comfortable with it and understand that it’s okay to use Fairness,” Jordana said. “Seeing what they did this year made me really excited to be able to that next year and hopefully even a little bit more. ” Rabbi Schwarzberg posted the winners’ names on Schoology just 30 minutes after school was let out that Friday. “Congratulations to the JC Leadership on putting together a great three days of speeches, debates, and elections,” Rabbi Schwarzberg wrote. “This past week included a fury of creative and fun campaigning and some great action on Schoology. We’re super proud of the candidates who courageously put themselves out there, spoke from their hearts, and continued to keep our JC moving forward. “For those who did not win, we hope that you will run again during Rep elections next year.” Another change to Agenda next year will be its faculty advisers. Rabbi Schwarzberg is staying on, but English teacher Mrs. Na’amit Nagel will replace Dean of Academic Affairs Ms. Aviva Walls in the second spot.
Student parking lot to reopen, seniors will have priority Continued from Page 1 ty to anyone but Valley residents would be unfair. “I have a lot of experience coming here with traffic and then not being able to find parking and it’s just really frustrating,” Noa said. “I know a lot of people at our school live in Beverlywood, and they don’t carpool, and I have a full carpool coming all the way from the valley and I don’t get a parking spot. I just don’t think that’s fair.” But junior Tara Chriki said 'You should prioritize people from the that parking privileges should farthest places, like the valley, like Bel Air, belong to seand then afterwards prioritize people who niors. do carpool, because that’s fair, because “It just makes sense that sethey’re the ones that need to travel here the niors get priormost and often have the most difficulties.' ity -- I mean we are seniors and -- Daniella Silva, Receptionist we should be rewarded somehow,” Tara said. “Valley people, yes it’s annoying and it’s a long trek, but you’ll get it when you’re seniors. You just have to suck it up in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade and wake up earlier.” According to a Boiling Point Schoology survey posted on June 4, 26 percent, or 27 of the 110 students who responded will be driving themselves to school next year, including five with a commute over 20 minutes. Ten percent will be driving a carpool. Forty-two percent will be driven to school by adults and therefore will not need to find parking. As reported by the Boiling Point in 2016, Shalhevet lent the lot to Alliance Residential as part of a deal in funding the construction of the new building. School Executive Director Ms. Sarah Emerson said that the logistics would be determined early this summer. Since the new building opened in fall 2015, students have found
two-hour meter parking on San Vicente Boulevard, which results in students frequently running out of classes to move their cars, or risking expensive parking tickets. On Mondays, however, there is street cleaning on San Vicente, and they must find alternatives. Some park at the the Petersen Automotive Museum, located at Fairfax and Wilshire. The museum charges $20 dollars for parking to those who enter between 6 and 8 a.m., when most students arrive at school. Costs are lowered to $15 after 8 a.m. At the Town Hall, Talia said YULA Girls High School provides free valet parking for students, DeToledo High School provides free parking in a lot, and Milken Community Jewish High School charges students approximately $2,000 dollars to park for the whole year. BP photo by Neima Fax There were audible gasps at the mention of a PARKING: A parking lot on the corner of Fairfax and San Vicente once belonged to Shalhevet but was lent to $2,000 parking price, butjunior Maya Miro said that Alliance Residential in 2016 and will be returned next year for student use. was actually comparable to the amount that students had been paying at the Petersen and at meters every year. and Valley priority, but thinks guaranteeing Valley residents a spot “Everyone was like, whoa, because that’s a ton of money, but I just want to put this in perspective, that we also pay a is crucial. “My carpool has to leave at 6:30 every morning -- most people ton of money for parking,” Maya said. “Logistically, as seniors, we’ve been spending a lot more money aren’t even awake yet,” Donna said in an e-mail interview later. “I than sophomores who have been driving for not over a year, so am the only Valley person in our grade driving to school so I am the it makes sense for seniors to get the spots in terms of how much minority. The sophomores have at least three Valley carpools all of which are going to be driving soon and probably taking carpools. money we spend.” Receptionist Daniella Silva said the spaces should go to whoever It really helps us when we are guaranteed a parking spot for free. “I think senior priority should have won by far,” she added. needed them most. "You should prioritize people from the farthest places," Ms. Sil- “We’re the ones who drive the most and by this time, most of us can va said, "like the Valley, like Bel Air, and then afterwards prioritize legally drive others so it’s more convenient for us. “But there’s not that many spots that would be taken by Valley people who do carpool. Because that’s fair, because they’re the ones people but it would help us a lot.” that ...often have the most difficulties.” Junior Donna Grunfeld said she voted for the hybrid of senior
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The Boiling Point • June 2018 • Features
On writers’ wings, a trip bridges history By Hannah Jannol, Editor-in-Chief
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s someone who connects to things through writing — whether my own or someone else’s — I wanted to experience the senior Poland-Israel Experience through the written word. So I borrowed some books from a rabbi of mine that would relate thematically to the week in Poland and one-and-a-half weeks in Israel that would end my senior year. The first book I read was The Story of a Life, by Aharon Applefeld, a famous Israeli author. In this memoir, he writes about his experience growing up in Germany, blissfully split between his Yiddish-speaking grandparents who lived in the forest and his secular parents who lived in a bourgeois, metropolitan apartment. Applefeld describes the rise of Hitler through the eyes of a seven-year-old, and life alone in the forest as a child orphan, learning to live off the land in the Polish countryside. After the war, just old enough to be a bar mitzvah, he moves from refugee camp to refugee camp until he finally finds himself in Israel. Weak, starved, scared, alone, he is thrust into a life of physical labor, kibbutzim and mandatory army service. I decided to read this book as we traveled, to feel the true Poland-to-Israel experience that really was. The one where millions of Jews’ lives were uprooted as they left their homes and businesses behind, put their children away into hiding, lost family members, saw and experienced the sadistic horrors of work camps -- and then after years of torture and not knowing, jumped on a ship to Israel, a war-torn country with guns and worse pointed at it from every direction. On my second day in Poland, as I rode past picturesque forests and lakes and looked with wonder at the infinity of slender trees outside my window, I thought about all the horror those tree trunks had seen -- the teeth-chattering and starved-tothe-bone bodies. At the same time, that cobweb of greenery spanning Warsaw to Krakow also saved much life -- including Applefeld’s. Much of what he wrote about sounded familiar to me: the baskets of food his grandmother always gave his mom to take home after a visit, the solitude of his grandfather, the wonder of a young child having first encountering the mystery of religious worship. And then five days later, as I sat on the plane to Israel — for my first time ever — I read about Applefeld’s hatred for the Hebrew language that he was suddenly forced to speak. “My mother and her language were one and the same,” Appelfeld wrote. “Now, as that language faded within me, it was as if my mother were dying a second time.”
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myself was still reeling from the sense of loss that I felt visiting empty shuls and yeshivot in Poland. Krakow is the most beautiful city I have ever seen, and even now back in Los Angeles, I still wish it could be made once again breathtaking by Klezmer music, Yiddish, and Jewish religious practice that once filled its brick homes and fresh air. So on the plane to Israel -- which at this point, represented to me the final blow to the world of Eastern European Jewry -- a loathing similar to Appelfeld’s: “From the moment I arrived in Israel, I hated the people who forced me to speak Hebrew, and with the death of my
INTRICATE: The Lancut Synagogue in Poland is a 257-year-old shul painted with Hebrew prayers and adorned with complex designs frauht with religious symbolism.
The edifices of Jewish Krakow were made of stained glass, marble, granite, smoothed and painted stone. If the cantor’s hymns did not remind you of God’s existence, glorious frescos above your head would.
made of sandstone; in Israel, there was no time for paintings o stained glass or marble. There was just build, build, build — fa We have another boat of refugees from Italy coming in today! can hear the architects of sprawling buildings yell. They grabbe thing they had -- the sand on their shores -- and built, built, b stone. That Israel is a product of Jewish trauma was thus felt at ev and made even more intense for me by the reminiscences of A I looked at the men in Mea Shearim in their heavy black jacke chaperone told me there is actually a fainting problem in the s to the layers of polyester worn for modesty by Orthodox Jews triple-digit summer hear. This was another reminder to me of Jews. Ashkenazi Jews and their heavy garb come from the snow of Europe; shtreimels come from the dress of Russian nobility say Jews were made to wear fur hats to make them identifiable The fact that such traditional wear is born of a faraway clim Israel — not here, not our original place — reminds us again o exile. Had we stayed in Israel, Haredim would not wear such s clothing. Most of what is seen as “Israeli culture” is not Israeli amalgamation of our past. We call things “Israeli,” but the term nothing, few things are actually Israeli because the state was no for centuries. Israel as a place with a real national cultural is re there are people older than the state of Israel. Cucumber-and-t li salad” is actually an Arab dish in origin, Halvah is not exclus Naot are basically Birkenstocks, Blundstones are actually Austr many other classical features of Israel are inherited from our D
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visited a friend on Ben Yehuda Street for dinner, and as aliyah, he has a lot of Israeli friends. He told me repeated having lived in the country for only one year, that “this is a cou trauma.” We davened Kabbalat Shabbat in the Old City. Our security guard sat back, relaxed with his peyot danging behind tzittzit swaying with the same rhythm. But also hanging with t nonchalance was a gun from his belt loop. It was an unusual si as an American Jew, who experiences Orthodox Jews as nonvio physically weak. But that is how I will forever see Israel -- the i religious man or woman, who anxiously carries a gun at all tim off-chance a moment will come to drop everything and shoot. My friend and I went to a public restroom in Tzfat, where t man whose job it was to collect two shekels from those who w that this job of sitting all day and collecting money from touri ask him where he was from, because his broken skin and glass I could, though, as if he had a sixth sense, he started shouting told him my grandfather was from Poland and walked away, w Nevertheless, it felt as though he was trying to preserve som and that the generation of Jews who came from Europe, North the 20th century’s terrifying persecution and murder of Jews is as we walked back out onto the street, like he was trying to rem stores and art boutiques and paved roads are all just natural, th someplace a few miles away. But people like that bathroom at first. The experience in Poland, mixed with the truth I felt only I Appleman, left me utterly disengaged from Israel. My whole li belonging” they feel there. But I felt more warmth in Poland t asking myself at various points, “Do you feel like you belong n I felt momentarily connected to Israel during the all-nighte the view, but standing on a Jerusalem rooftop — overlooking Yerushalayim. As my whole class sang zmirot at dawn, I felt lik scathing reminder of my own nothingness. The second book I in which he d stroyed and r lover after lo black widow A tour of literal and m and reading t arrived in Isr ty-stricken. Th the barley fie from Moab, decades ago,
mother tongue, my hostility toward them only increased.” And then, Jerusalem. Everywhere I walked in Jerusalem I saw the Holocaust. High-cheek-boned women with light eyes and headscarves looked like the unsuspecting Hungarian Jews in line at Auschwitz, waiting for a selection they could not have known would make a difference of life or death. Men in shtreimels and peyot looked like the yeshiva brains of Poland, Lithuania, Hungary and Galicia I had given a Los Angeles-prepared presentation on at Yeshivat Chochmei Lublin. In their thick black cloaks and hefty black hats, these men looked bizarrely out of place in Jerusalem’s desert heat. They looked like they were in exile in their own country. They seemed like they belonged in a more agreeable climate — like Poland’s, like Russia’s, like anywhere in the Eastern Europe that had thrust them out. Seeing them was just a painful reminder for me as to why they are not there, and why they were here, against their own will. Nowadays, we act like Israel was a choice — as though Herzl and so many others had awoken something that was mistakenly dormant for 2,000 years. In many ways they did — but in other ways they were reacting involuntarily to the lethality of anti-semitism. The largest migration of Jews to Israel came directly because of the Holocaust. And it was only three years after that cruel blessing-in-disguise genocide that we were able to get our Jewish state. The fact that Israel was not a choice but a life raft presented itself to me mercilessly, endlessly, unsuspectingly. I felt it when I walked around Tzfat or other residential parts BP Photos By Tyler ekaireb of Israel. The apartments all look the same -- ugly -- and seem like they were built too quickly. One can tell Jews were JUXTAPOSITION: The rapid shift from the fresh, gray air of cobblestoned Poland to the hot, arid sand and blue skies of just trying to slap together four walls and a ceiling, over and Israel left a lot of questions. But one thing that stood out was the way in which so much of Israel evoked Europe. over again, just saying “yallah,” just to get another body into another home, just to get rooms and bathrooms together to I flipped past the last page of Ruth in my Tanach, and foun fit in more refugees, more bodies, more soldiers, more people. More life. for Jerusalem. Perhaps presaging Oz’s point, Lamentations ope cheeks; she hath none to comfort her among all her lovers; all ack in Krakow, by contrast, the buildings and shuls had been awe-inspiring. Walls had Hebrew writing on them her enemies.” and paintings which bore carefully curated spiritual significance. Even the corners of buildings seemed to have had Lamentations tell the story of Jerusalem’s worst years. Time thought put into them. The Judaism in Poland had fermented slowly, over 700 years. Like a dish slow-cooked with thoughtinfants fresh out of the womb, where trash and bodies piled up ful sprinklings of choice spices, Judaism there had time to infuse beauty, meaning and architecture into every aspect of its women have boiled their own children,” and the final line in w existence. may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly re Judaism in Israel came out of a microwave set on high for 30 seconds, trying to heat up a refrigerated meal at the end of a me deeply of the Warsaw ghetto. The siege, the entrapment, th long day. It was fast, desperate, do-or-die, frantic. unforgiving space which was once vibrant and now reeks of de The edifices of Jewish Krakow were made of stained glass, marble, granite, smoothed and painted stone. If the cantor’s People believed God had given up, forgotten Zion, forgotte hymns did not remind you of God’s existence, glorious frescos above your head would. But the buildings in Israel were often
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or delicacy or ast, fast, fast. Yallah! You ed the only built. Sand-
very moment, Applefeld. As ets, my Israeli summer due in the city’s f the history of w-laden lands (though some e). mate and not of the original suffocating — it’s an m means ot able to exist elatively new -tomato “Israesive to Israel, ralian, and so Diaspora.
he is making dly, despite untry of religious d his ear, his the same ight for me olent and image is a mes on the PAST: A wall of Krakow’s Ramuh Jewish Cemetery pieces together broken parts of gravestones. Rabbi Moses Isserless and many other Jewish Krakow community leaders are buried there. . ing the Old City, I forced myself to remember that. As much as I see Israel through the lens of Holocaust survival, and as a there was a painful proof of that genocide, I am grateful to live during a point in Jewish history of rebirth. wished to use the bathroom. He was really old, so old it seemed ists was even too much for him. On my way out I wanted to mos Oz, whose parents never let him visit the Europe they had fled, recently said in an interview with the German eye made me realize he could not have been born here. Before international broadcaster Deutsche Welle: “My parents never shared with me their disappointed love of Europe. But eerily: “From Belorussia! Belorussia! Belorussian.” I smiled and I could sense that pain and the longing. I could even guess that they were trying to artificially create a little enclave of Europe which is the biggest regret I have from my time in Israel. in the middle of the heat and arid atmosphere of Jerusalem.” mething that is coming to an end. He knows he is an old man If he had seen what I saw, he would have understood the truth h Africa, the Middle East -- everywhere -- whose experience of Men in shtreimels and peyot looked about the Jewish transition from Europe to Israel. s evaporating. He was yelling his heritage to my friend and me like the yeshiva brains of Poland, Though I did not connect with Israel in the way my friends mind us where we all really came from. We think these jewelry Lithuania, Hungary and Galicia. In did, I connected deeply with the literature surrounding my hat God just put this here the way He put the Garden of Eden their thick black cloaks and hefty experience. I learned from cobblestones and sandstone, Appelttendant built this place, they watched Israel grow. He was here black hats, these men looked bizarreman and Oz. ly out of place in Jerusalem’s desert The Jews have never come to Israel at a convenient time or I knew by living my travels alongside an author-survivor like heat. They looked like they were in exarrived in comfort or in style. Whether it was after 40 years ife I listened to friends and acquaintances describe a “sense of ile in their own country. They seemed than in Israel. Guilt lingered over me as I tried to connect, often wandering the desert, fleeing some sort of persecution, or like they belonged in a more agreeable hoping for a better life, Israel is a small lifeboat for Jews in the now?” climate — like Poland’s, like Russia’s, er I pulled on Shavuot. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or simply prodigious ocean of an often forbidding world. So as its stony like anywhere in the Eastern Europe streets only reminded me of the cobblestone in Krakow, and the Old City — I couldn’t help but understand the beauty of that had thrust them out. the sandstone reminded me of the urgency of the State of Iske I was singing to Jerusalem, a historic city which served as a rael, and cloaked men provoked memories of grave sites, I was I read was A Tale of Love and Darkness, a memoir by Amos Oz, just happy to see all of this at a time of such prosperity, born describes Jerusalem: “The city has been destroyed, rebuilt, deout of desolation. rebuilt again. Jerusalem is an old nymphomaniac who squeezes over to death, before shrugging him off her with a yawn like a w who devours her mates while they are still penetrating her.” the caves beneath Jerusalem two days later revealed both the metaphorical layers of the city. Megillat Ruth is read on Shavuot, the story reminded me of Israel’s purpose. Ruth and Naomi rael because both were abruptly widowed, and thus poverThis was the only land in which peasants like them could glean elds. They were not Israeli women, they were newly arrived but Israel welcomed them with open arms, just as it did seven and as it continues to do.
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nd Lamentations. I read several pages to myself as a silent prayer ens: “She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become
es when the city was laid siege to, where mothers ate their p in the roads. The descriptions, “The hands of compassionate which the writer cries, “Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we ejected us and are angry with us beyond measure,” reminded he starvation; the poverty, disease; thousands cramped into an eath. en Jerusalem and the Jews. But Jerusalem was rebuilt. Overlook-
HOLY: Students visited Tzfat, one of the four holy cities in Israel. But the city was not always so built up.
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Outside News JUNE 2018
Was IDF Gaza action justified? Students struggle but most say yes Israel’s military action at Gaza Border in May sparked spectrum of opinion across Shalhevet student body. Most supported it, though some had reservations. All agreed that Israel faced difficult decisions, and that not all demonstrators were dangerous. “So do I feel comfortable with it? No. But on the basis of the information that I have, Shalhevet students were mostly I have to say it’s justified.” supportive of the actions of Israeli With music playing and soldiers who shot into crowds of Palsnacks being sold, it seemed estinian protesters gathered at the Israthat the 40,000 protesters el-Gaza border, but some condemned there would demonstrate the decision to use guns with live ampeacefully. But some had munition. brought knives and wireThe protests began March 30 as a cutters to try and get to the planned “Great March of the Return” fence and cut it down, and coinciding with Palestinians’ annual earlier, on April 23, hundreds observance of Land Day, which proof Palestinian protesters tried tests the expropriation of Arab land in to cross the fence into Israel. 1976. The observance, which began as Based on Hamas’s previous a weekly event on Fridays, ended May history of terror, missile, tun15 -- which Palestinians call “Nakba,” nel and other attacks, this or catastrophe day -- observed each seemed mortally threatening year on the day after the anniversary of to Israel. Israeli independence. Further fueling fear of the In between, more than 100 Gazans, demonstrators’ intentions, including at least six children, were widespread media reports killed and 8,700 injured, according to from the beginning of the The Jerusalem Post. There were no Isyoutube.com protests showed some Gazans raeli casualties, though one person was CONFLICT: While some Gazan protesters marched peacefully, others sent explosives and flying kites into Israel as throw burning tires, rocks lightly wounded. Hamas leaders called on the crowds to cross into Israel. IDF sniper fire killed more than 100, most but not all fighters. and firebombs. In a Boiling Point Town Hall poll A video by Memri.org on May 17, most of the 124 students showed masked Palestinians answering supported Israel’s actions. Freshman Jordan Simon supported Israel’s response completely. describe their plans to use The question was: “Based on what you know about the situation “It is disgusting that people can be firing bombs at Israel and kites to destroy Israeli farms, and Times of Israel showed videos of at the Israel-Gaza border right now, do you support the actions of bullets at Israel and constantly throwing tires that are burning over fires in wheat fields, a warehouse and a nature reserve. Israel and the IDF?” Israel, and blame it on us,” said Jordan. “People think that it is The second-to-last day of the protests, May 14, coincided with Seventy chose “Yes, I fully support their actions, they were act- Israel’s fault when we are just trying to protect our homeland and the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem. Thousands ing in self-defense.” Another 25 chose “Somewhat: They used exces- violence is always our last resort.” of protesters gathered that day, compared to only hundreds on May sive force, but I understand why they did what they did.” Sophomore David Edwards opposed Israel’s actions because of 15, according to The New York Times. Twenty students answered “Not sure.” the gunfire. When the protest was over, Israel received condemnation from Four students were fully against Israel’s actions, choosing “No, “It’s not just to mass-fire into a population that is protesting on countries such as Russia, China and Britain along with Antonio they should not have used lethal force. Many victims were inno- a border for their independence as a country and as a nation,” said Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, who said he was cent.” David. “alarmed” by Israel’s behavior. And three said they did not know enough about the topic to Jewish History teacher Mr. Jeremy Shine said he wasn’t sure he But the United States continued to support Israel and blamed respond. Two others’ answer were invalidated because they checked had all the facts. Hamas. In a Security Council meeting, U.N. Ambassador Nikki more than one response. “With all situations, we’re dependent on the information that The dividing line seemed to be whether people thought Israel we get,” Mr. Shine said in an interview with The Boiling Point. “I’m Haley stated that Israel used more restraint than any other country was shooting at peaceful protestors or people who wanted to harm always asking myself is there something else Israel could have done, would have in that situation. Freshman Rami Fink agreed that Israel’s self-defense was underthe country. and I just don’t know the answer. standable, but thought too much force had been used. “I think that Israel has a right to its protection,” said Rami. “Palestinians also have a right to land, and Israel’s use of force is understandable but excessive.” Sophomore Jacqueline En‘With all situations, glanoff said Israel had the right we’re dependent on the to act. “Yes, it’s a shame that Palesinformation that we get. tinians and Gazan lives are being I’m always asking myself taken because of it,” Jacqueline if there is something else said, “but I think that in the end, Israel knows what it has to do Israel could ahve done, and they have the right to defend and I just don’t know the themselves against those trying answer.’ to harm them.” Some said Israel could have -- Mr. Jeremy Shine, used rubber bullets, but junior Israel Education teacher Eytan Kent said that would not have worked. “What some of the people fail to realize is that those are only for very close range,” said Eytan. Two days after the shootings at the protest, a Hamas official named Salah Bardawil, said that 50 of the 62 people killed by Israeli soldiers on both May 14 and May 15, were members of Hamas. Eytan Kent said that proved Israel had acted in self-defense. “It shows they are not just snipering into anyone they see,” Eytan said. “They are specifically targeting people with guns and weapons that are trying to storm the fence and wreak havoc.” Meanwhile, freshman Hannah Poltorak said that the move of the embassy was more important than what happened at the Gaza Juniors Maya Miro and Mikey Kahtan worked with History teacher Mr. William Reusch, right, to sort through and border. organize donations of food and clothing as a part of their class’s Lynn project. The Lynn project was spearheaded “Moving the embassy was a lot more important than the fightlast year by Mr. Reusch and his students to raise money and necessities for those affected by extreme poverty in ing and the battle,” said Hannah. “The Palestinians are trying to the Philippines. The project is named after Mr. Reusch’s son’s nanny, who is Filipino and whose actual name cannot reverse what Trump has done and I don’t think that they’ll have the be disclosed for personal reasons. Money is still being raised at https://bit.ly/2kRZiWF. power to do that.”
By Nicholas Fields, Arts & Culture Editor
Second annual ‘Lynn Project’ collects 19 boxes for families struggling in the Philippines
-- Hannah Jannol, Editor-in-Chief
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Opinion Gaza and the perils of polarization By the Boiling Point Editorial Board Our school is full of passionate and spirited supporters of Israel. We celebrate Israeli culture, and recognize the religious importance of the nation. But we have gotten to a point where that same emotion bleeds into our discussions of the political side of Israel. We live in time of great polarity among political opinions. If our favorite political leader or nation is not “winning” then it is “losing”. This attitude can be toxic when trying to have a political discussion, especially about Israel. Often, criticism of Israeli policy is seen as anti-semitic. In the past few weeks, with the move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and concurrent bloodshed on the Gaza border, condemnation of Israel has been wide and deep. This can be scary for all who love and believe in the importance of a Jewish homeland. But the response should not be to find ways
to dismiss all forms of criticism. Many have said that the violence by the IDF is just since the protestors included Hamas operatives who were indeed violent; others say this is just a way to disqualify the goals of the protest. The actual message that many peaceful Palestinians are trying to spread is being overshadowed by violent radicals -- this seems plain. So instead of discussing the substance of the protest, we focus on the conflict over its conduct. And by shutting our ears to one another, we are cutting off any hope of eventually achieving peace. Reasonable people -- and reasonable Zionists -- can disagree about whether Israel is using the right tactics in Gaza today. Politics are not black and white. Decisions like those facing Israeli leaders today are difficult in the extreme. But just because a people, a country or a government that you love does things that you may disagree with does not mean that you should give up on it. There are Americans who love their country yet strongly oppose its current leader-
ship. Americans who loved their country equally opposed its predecessor. This is the only way that we can be real supporters, and supporters who remain true to our deepest values. Just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean he’s an anti-semite, or she’s a racist anti-Palestinian or Islamophobe. We should engage with those who have opinions unlike our own in the hope that we can find common ground. Instead of looking at someone who is critical of the Israeli government as a “self-hating Jew” or “anti-Israel,” try starting a conversation. You might find out that you have more that holds you together than sets you apart. If we work hard at this, maybe by the time our generation is in charge, the search for common ground will make a comeback, and polarization will be a thing of the past. At least for a while.
BP Drawings by Sam Rubanowitz
Thanks and farewell to 11 years of greatness and gravitas By the Boiling Point Editorial Board a period which saw a lot of change. She has taught through it all, and the Editorial Board believes her presence and qualities deserve a song of praise. In class, she carries students blissfully through hour-long lectures on strings of clear and perfect sentences. Words such as “like” and “um,” which most people use to pause and slow down to catch up to themselves while speaking, are not in her vocabulary. While others fragment their sentences with thoughtless syllables, nothing in Ms. Sunshine’s world is haphazard. English is not her first language, as she is a native of Denmark, but her calm command of the spoken word would make you think she taught English Literature, too. It is not just Ms. Sunshine’s verbal expression which brings students joy; her facial expressions, too, are likewise intelligent and edifying. When someone says something factually incorrect or nonsensical, years of students have looked across across a sea of uncomfortable silence and blank stares for heartening solace in her subtle grimaces, frowns,
furrowed brows, smirks and smiles. Her PowerPoints would win Oscars if the Academy created a section for slideshows. Mrs. Sunshine blends in funny cartoons with complicated subjects like parallel processing. And though it brought her closer to retirement, Mrs. Sunshine’s age was for some students a nice break from the cheerleader peppiness of the rest of the faculty, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s. Her life experience imparted a certain gravitas which permeated her classroom, letting students imbibe maturity from someone who easily commanded respect. And so it is with real sadness that we bid Ms. Sunshine a farewell. We hope she finds the same meaning, happiness and spark in her retirement years that you brought to the Shalhevet community for a decade-plus-a-year. Of the many major transition points which divine Old Shalhevet from New Shalhevet, this one certainly hurts the most.
Editor-in-Chief Hannah Jannol
The Boiling Point Sweepstakes Awards, 2016, 2018 Blue and Gold Comprehensive Writing Award 2016
Awards in Jewish Scholastic Journalism 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
National Award Winners 2007-2018 International First Place Award 2011-2016
National Scholastic Press Association Online Pacemaker Award 2018 Pacemaker Finalist 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018 Online Pacemaker Finalist 2015, 2017
Simon J. Rockower Awards 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Story of the Year Awards 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 All-American 2009, 2012, 2014
Gold Crown Award 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Gold Circle Awards 2011-2018 Columbia Scholastic Press Association
Deputy Editor-In-Chief Jacob Feitelberg
Managing Editor Noa Segal
Community Editor Clara Sandler
Chief Layout Editor Maya Miro
Outside News Editor Tyler Ekaireb Torah Editor Lucy Fried
Layout Editors Ellie Orlanski Sara Feuer Honor Fuchs
Opinion Editor Aidel Townsley
Graphic Design Editor Zev Kupferman
Features Editor Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks
Website Editor-in-Chief Hila Machmali
Arts & Culture Editor Nicholas Fields
Deputy Web Editor-in-Chief Gilad Spitzer
Sports Editor Tobey Lee
Photography Editors Neima Fax Zoey Botnick Alyssa Wallack
Faculty Adviser Mrs. Joelle Keene
Photo of Mrs. Sunshine at Town Hall by Kate Orlanski
A recent yet untraceable colloquialism which has entered the lexicon of many Shalhevet students is the term “Old Shalhevet.” There is no exact year which divides “old Shalhevet” from “new Shalhevet” -- perhaps the new building, or changes in faculty and leadership. But “old Shalhevet” seems to evoke something great when spoken about -- the energy of the old building, maybe the smaller size of Shalhevet a decade or less ago, or maybe former teachers whose absence has given them kind of a mythical status in retrospect. Surely added to this pantheon will be SAS Psychology, SAS History and Jewish History teacher Mrs. Tove Sunshine, who is retiring at the end of the year. Mrs. Sunshine taught at Shalhevet for 11 years,
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, Managing Editor, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Web Editor, Community 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. Signed opinion articles and advertisements in The Boiling Point purchased by third parties do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editorial Board or The Boiling Point as a whole. To advertise, please contact the Advertising Editor at 2019.j.fishman@shalhevet.org. The Boiling Point encourages readers to inform the newspaper of any possible factual errors found in print or online by emailing us as at shalhevetboilingpoint@gmail.com. When appropriate, we will fix the story online, and correct the error on Page 2 or on this page in the next print edition. Policies on conflict of interest and the use of anonymous sources can be viewed at shalhevetboilingpoint.com under the “About” tab.
The Boiling Point • June 2018 • Community
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After 11 years of excellence and caring, Mrs. Sunshine retires Continued from Page 1 some of those other things.” back, T. Sunshine.” Known for Powerpoints that mixed in funny The psychology elective, which started out as cartoons with complicated subjects like parallel AP Psych before evolving into a Shalhevet Adprocessing, she openly and scientifically taught vanced Studies (SAS) course in 2015, is one of about such sensitive topics as mental illness and the most popular classes in school. This year there suicide. are two sections with about 20 students each. In the old building, she covered the window of Alumna Adina Weinreb ‘15 took Mrs. Sunher classroom door with black paper so she could shine’s AP Psychology class and is currently madiscuss the biology of human sexuality. She no joring in psychology at the University of Marylonger covers the door, perhaps because her com- land and plans on studying it further in graduate fortable and honest approach to sexual education school. has defeated the stigma. “It was probably my favorite class of all of high “It was sometimes awkward,” said junior Leor school,” Adina said. “I loved it and it really got Kaminski, “but for the most part Mrs. Sunshine me interested in psychology. I was also impressed stayed calm and professional, and made it easy to with Mrs. Sunshine’s breadth of knowledge and learn about something that is usually inappropri- her ability to explain it clearly and in an acceptate for teachers to talk about with students.” able way, but without leaving out any important At Town Hall, her face seemed to be a bea- parts that were necessary.” con of accuracy, with many students saying they Mrs. Sunshine started out teaching ninthwatched her for how to react to something being grade World History and AP European History. said. Junior Nomi Willis said this was particularly In 2014, when then-principal Mr. Roy Danovitch helpful when the topic was not about school. introduced the move away from AP system, she “I always know if a fact someone is saying is was among the first to develop a new Shalhevet true or not based Mrs. Sunshine’s facial reactions, Advanced Studies (SAS) course with “SAS Tipand if she’s nodding her head or if she’s shaking ping Point,” which looked at Europe’s transition her head,” said Nomi, using the recent discussion from medieval to modern government, focusing of the Iran nuclear deal as an example. on England. “I don’t remember who was saying what, but it Next was SAS Eurasia, which she has taught had a lot of hard facts that people were throwing for three years, and SAS Psychology which she has around, and so I looked to her.” taught in its SAS form for two years and previousStudents say they appreciated Mrs. Sunshine’s ly taught as an AP. periodic updates on the pace and schedule of “Being in Eurasia this year has unlocked a the course. Instead of fighting the last-minute portion of my brain that is now so interested in schedule changes, she sometimes extended dead- history and learning about how the world became lines in recognition what it is,” said ‘Being in Eurasia [class] this year has of the exhaustion junior Talia unlocked a portion of my brain that is now so wrought by Color Gill, who is fininterested in history and learning about how War or a bonding the world became what is is, and that never in ishing the class day. If she did not a million years would have happened if I had now, “and that change a test date, not had Mrs. Sunshine.’ never in a milshe would reach out lion years would -- Talia Gill, 11th grade to students through have happened group messages to if I had not had check in. Mrs. Sunshine. In February, she was concerned that one of “The amount of work she expects you to put her psychology classes was ahead of the other, and in, and the amount of work that you have to put would therefore be taking a unit test too long af- in to get what you want out of the class is a lot, ter they’d finished the unit. but it’s also so indicative of what a good learner “I find that we have finished this unit faster should look like,” she added. than I had anticipated...” she wrote in a SchoolMrs. Sunshine said she felt like it was time for ogy message. “However, I’m always reluctant to her to move on, citing paperwork as her least fachange posted dates, especially when it would be vorite part of the job. making them earlier because that doesn’t seem fair “My generation is retiring,” she added. She either...I will not make the change if there is any wants to travel, take classes at UCLA and SMC, opposition.” and get more involved in committees at her synaThe message was signed, “Thanks for any feed- gogue. She also plans on doing some volunteering
BP Photo By Alyssa Wallack
POWERPOINT: Organized class presentations and sensitivity to student schedules are Mrs. Sunshine’s hallmarks. and tutoring. Mrs. Sunshine is a native Danish speaker who was born in Denmark but came to the U.S. at six months of age. Danish was her first language, but she learned English in nursery school. When she was four, her family returned to Denmark for a year where she also practiced her Danish skills. But she was able to pick-up English quickly when she immigrated to America for good at age 5. Mrs. Sunshine is a graduate of Stanford University, where she says she did not face sexism but that Jewish life was limited. “It was a lox-and-bagels Hillel,” she said. She does not remember whether there were weekly Shabbat services. She did, however, meet her husband Karl at Stanford’s Hillel. All three of their sons attended Shalhevet. Jared, the oldest, was in one of the school’s first classes, from 1995 to 1999. Junior Jackie Faerstain was so inspired by Mrs. Sunshine’s class that she plans on studying psychology in college. “She really changed the way I see the world as a whole,” said Jackie. “Specifically how people interact with other people. I’m really going to miss just seeing her around school and being able to see her passion for teaching.” Adina Weinreb had a similar experience. “She was just a really great teacher who explained things really well and in an interesting way that got me hooked on it,” Adina said. “I found that the class was just challenging enough
without being too overwhelming.” Alumnus Zev Kent ‘17 loved her ninth- and 10th-grade Jewish History classes as well as AP Psych. He was always impressed with her creative projects that helped students understand the material. “She obviously cared so much about the material, both Jewish History and Psychology, and she genuinely cared that we knew it well, too,” Zev said. Rabbi Segal sent out the original announcement by email, and included a letter from Mrs. Sunshine herself to the Shalhevet community. It came on the morning of course selection assemblies for the 10th and 11th grades, whose students choose electives and would have been listening for descriptions of Mrs. Sunshine’s 2018-19. “Our sadness at seeing Tove go is mitigated only by our excitement for her as she readily embarks on the next chapter of her life,” Rabbi Segal wrote in an email to the Shalhevet community announcing her retirement on Mar. 8. Rabbi Segal said in his email that Mrs. Sunshine will help the new psychology teacher and continue to consult with him or her. He also said that Rabbi Abraham Lieberman would be taking over 10th grade Jewish History and would work closely with her “to ensure a smooth transition.” Mrs. Sunshine later said that Mr. Weslow will take over SAS Eurasia. She said that she has already met with him to go through the material. The school has planned a faculty dinner for Mrs. Sunshine on June 13.
Books, visits help recovery as Rabbi Tsaidi plans return next fall Israel Experience, which Rabbi Tsaidi was supposed to chaperone, and the class of 2018’s graduation. He was also sad to miss the celeJudaic Studies teacher and mashgiach ruchani Rabbi Yagil Tsaidi bration at school for Yom Ha’atzmaut. “And that was worse than the pain in the ER,” he said from his has remained out on medical leave for over two months, but he has not stopped learning, spending time with students or working home during a phone interview. To heal, he has been reading the toward making a comeback. mussar classic Alei Shur, a machsha“I am getting a lot better -- every day is va (thoughtful philosophy) sefer a little bit better,” Rabbi Tsaidi said. He has about personal growth. The sefer been seeing a specialist for his back pain evholds Harav Shlomo Wolbe’s comery other day, and student visits and learning mentary on the appropriate way of have been helping him with the emotional life for a yeshiva student. toll of staying home. “It’s a reminder of humility in Rabbi Tsaidi injured his back Feb 21 by your process and not to get too engaging with the student body as a “hippo” ahead of yourself,” Rabbi Tsaidi in a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos during said in an interview June 4. “There Color War. Strapped at floor-level to a board are important things to prioritize, with four wheels and wearing a helmet, he one of them being Hakadosh Bawas pushed out into a pit of balloons holdruch Hu” -- the Holy One -- “and ing a basket he was supposed to use to colto prioritize things in the day -- not lect balloons for points. in the week or the month, but just Suddenly, he cried out in pain, the conBP Photo By Jordana Glouberman in a day. It helps me make my days test stopped, 911 was called, and Rabbi Tsaidi headed for the Emergency Room at RECOVERING: Rabbi Yagil Tsaidi has been reading Jewish productive.” He has also been prioritizing his Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Unbeknownst and Psychology texts. His students say they miss his family, comprised of his wife and to most students, he had a history of back guidance and shiurim. seven-month-old son, who he takes a trouble. walk with everyday as a part of his physical therapy. He returned to school a few days later, but was still in pain and Another book, The Divided Mind by Dr. John E. Sarno, about -- apparently against his wishes -- told to go home Apr. 17 and the relevance of the mind in chronic pain, has also been helping recuperate for the rest of the year. Since then, Rabbi Tsaidi has undergone “a few minor proce- Rabbi Tsaidi through the process of medical leave and back pain. dures,” he said, along with lots of physical therapy and rehab. But He said he learned that there are things in one’s life, that if fixed, he said he had suffered most from missing out on major Shalhevet can help speed up recovery. It’s hard to tell who misses what more: Rabbi Tsaidi and Shalheevents. vet, or his students and him. It seems his role as mashgiach ruchani Low points, he said, were the day the seniors left for their Poland
By Hannah Jannol, Editor-in-Chief
-- spiritual supervisor -- involved him in the daily life of almost everyone at school. Senior Jacob Perelman says he misses their Tanya shiur, which Rabbi Tsaidi led every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch. He and other seniors were saddened to learn Rabbi Tsaidi would not join them on Poland-Israel. “I wish he was there,” Jacob said. “He and I have a very close connection. He’s really my rebbe -- it felt like something was missing.” Seniors Ilan Bouskila and Ben Mashiach have visited Rabbi Tsaidi at his home, where they learned, hung out and sang. A group also went to visit him before leaving for Poland. Rabbi Tsaidi said that although staying home has been tough, it has given him a “great perspective” on what he is really a part of at Shalhevet. He said a lot of his friends who are lawyers and accountants were telling him how great it is that he is getting such a long medical leave, with insurance, and that he should be enjoying it. “I’m like, ‘No, it’s been awful,’” he says. “All the teachers at Shalhevet are not trying to get to five p.m. I realize I have the luxury of loving what I do, and being a rabbi makes 24 hours of my day really fulfilling.” In other years Rabbi Tsaidi has run Camp Ariel during the summer, but this year he will not. Instead, he is coming back to Shalhevet part-time to prepare for the 2018-19 school year, during which he expects to be back to fulltime. He will not be making any moderations to his job. “Aderaba,” he said, using a Hebrew term which means, “On the contrary, even more.” That is, he will actually be having a bigger role in the school and more to do -- “as I would expect and want,” he added. “I really can’t wait to get back,” he said, “get back to being a mashgiach ruchani and being with the kids.”