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By Tamar Willis, Editor-in-Chief

Courtesy of Sigal Spitzer

Firehawks4Israel delegates to the AIPAC policy conference posed in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 4. They lobbied Congressman Paul Cook (R-CA), advocating for the Strategic Partnership Act and for maintaining foreign aid to Israel, but missed local Rep. Henry Waxman, who will retire at the end of this term. The 19 students were joined by Firehawks4Israel advisor Mr. Jason Feld.

Magical season sends Lady โ Hawks

Continued on Page 7

By Alec Fields, Staff Writer

By Mati Hurwitz, Sports Editor

Continued on Page 15

By Maayan Waldman, Staff Writer

Continued on Page 24

New coach from MLB

Rabbi Lord Sacks

Inside

Continued on Page 3

The Boiling Point

March Sun.

Purim

Fri.

CSPA Trip

Thurs.

Taanit Esther

End of 3rd Quarter

Mon.

Penn Model Cogress

Tues.

April Mon.

Pesach Break

Wed.

Rosh Chodesh Iyar

Sun.

Yom Hashoah

By Alexa Fishman, Community Editor Escrow closing on Shalhevetâ€™s property sale has been postponed once again and now is other delay in the start of construction on the schoolâ€™s new building. Ms. Renee Weitzer, chief of land use planning -

and recreational space. Despite assurances that construction will

the last delay.

not been true, and that half our school is sitting

peal process has an end date, and if no

said there is a â€œtiny one could sue to stop

Mon.

Erev Pesach

Community

Construction of new school may begin this month

telephone interview last week. Shalhevet board

Rosh Chodesh Nissan

March 2014

cob Dauer.

Graphic by CWA Architects

STREET VIEW: The new driveway into the school from Fairfax will be on the north end of the building, as seen above.

escrow while there is any risk at all.

Helfand is also really disappointed that construction hasnâ€™t begun. whole grade would want construction

received assurances that it will not have to begin being held now.

the start of construction, which would begin with

to tear down the building- if not literally the next He said he believes that as long as construction begins in March, the new building will be

that, Shalhevet would have had to pay. cision and we can stay on the property for the full

PhotoOfTheMonth

BP Photo by Goldie Fields

INSPIRED: Tikvah Juni speaks at Town Hall Feb. 27 in honor of North American Inclusion Month. She described living with Down Syndrome and was joined by a panel of people who have experience with special needs kids. Tikvah also spoke at a Shalhevet oneg that Friday night.

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The Boiling Point

March 2014

Community

Outspoken Insider Mini-mesters: A rocky road that’s worth the ride As a part of the ever-evolving curriculum in Shalhevet, an interesting project known as “mini-mesters” is now in its third year as a substitute Judaic Studies school. The idea behind this program is that the stanphy are replaced with smaller courses that focus on ornaments and antiquities. First I was very excited for this mini-mester program because I loved the idea of tapping into a handvors of Judaism. But then came the orientation for the program. Mini-mesters started out almost as roughly as Obamacare’s website, and was rife with confusion and frustration both from students and teachers. On day one, when the faculty handed out what would be our schedules for the coming months, no student was able to decipher the Divinci-esque code that was the mini-mester calendar. By the end of the orientation we were left with more questions than there were classes available. each respective mini-mester class by following teachers, and asking faculty members the location of said classes multiple times. In the end, I was hit with more hostility than help, as members of the faculty took my confusion of the schedule as an inability to learn and follow it. They actually blamed me for not being able to understand what they claimed to be a totally clear and understandable schedule. It was not. In fact, what they called a clear schedule turned out to be several schedules, all of which needed to be found and opened separately through Schoology. I had to look through two or three sheets of paper or somewhat irritated me that they didn’t just consider replacing the Judaic courses on our normal schedules with the new mini-mester classes. Of course, schedules are by no means easy to make. this and just run with the excuse that it’s “hard to do.” If it’s hard to do, don’t do it. Why would such a complex curriculum be presented if the people involved And yet Mini-mesters eventually built up enough momentum to become somewhat routine, albeit unconventional, and have lately become much more enjoyable. I’ve almost mastered the puzzle of the schedthemselves. In spite of a lack of academic value, the tional appetite that kids like me have. In the most recent class up to the writing of this article, titled “Moral Dilemmas,” we had the privilege of having Dr. Jerry Friedman, founder of Shalhevet, teach the moral dilemma for the day. To preface this, I would like to note that making a moral dilemma that the dilemma was heated, and the conversation was moving almost as quickly as a ping-pong ball in the middle of a match. It ended with Dr. Friedman explaining how moral development played a key role in the development of Shalhevet as a unique establishment that challenged moral thinking and ethics. I didn’t even want to leave that class when it ended, as a matter of fact, I was rather upset that the conversation was limited to that one session. It was an incredibly satisfying experience made richer by the fact that the founder of this very school took the time to sit and essentially teach us for the day. If there was one thing I had forgotten in my tantrum around this whole program, it was that these classes hoped to give me the opportunity to enjoy being in the classroom. It took me some time to realize that I was sitting in a desk, absorbing information, and participating- all out of the sheer desire to learn- which was something I always dreamed of experiencing in high school. It may have driven a rocky road, but mini-mesters is just making the turn onto a newly paved street, and the rest of the ride is looking to be pretty smooth.

Continued from Page 1 with Habitat for Humanity, an organization that brings program. In December, the moms began researching senior people together to be a part of building homes for the programming in such high schools as Harvard-West- homeless, though the seniors still don’t know where the lake, Ramaz and Milken. They then presented the idea house will be or exactly what they’ll be doing there. The idea for incorporating video blogs into the anof Impact14 to the Shalhevet administration, who nual Poland-Israel quickly incorporated it trip came from into the curriculum. The Righteous Congoal -- as suggested in its versation, an orname, they said -- is to ganization run by give seniors the opportuthe Los Angeles nity to make an impact Museum of the Hoin the real world, with locaust that facili“14” being replaced by tates connections each new class’s gradubetween teens and ating year. Holocaust survi“Our responsibility vors. as a school is to try to The senior class make second semester of are set to meet senior year meaningful with Holocaust by giving them as many survivors three chesed opportunities as times in March and possible,” said Ruthie April. Skaist, advisor of the The carnival Chesed Committee. BP Photo By Tamar Willis that the seniors CHESED: Senior Sarah Soroudi packs bags of pears at the L.A. Food Bank are organizing is ing opportunity with ImFeb. 24. Seniors have visited the Food Bank twice so far. planned for Camp pact14 was an all-class Max Strauss in trip to the LA Food Bank, which distributes food to needy people in the Los An- April through Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, an organization that assists underprivileged kids. geles Community. The seniors packaged food in boxes that would be distributed to kids in elementary schools, and also committees to use their unique strengths to put something together as a group, planning games, arts and helped categorized various items on a conveyor belt. The seniors returned to the LA Food Bank on Feb. 24 crafts, and music, Mrs. Miller told the Boiling Point. There will be over 100 underprivileged kids that will and plan to visit again later this month. - enjoy the seniors’ carnival. “We want the seniors to not only become involved pact14 will become a lasting tradition in the Shalhevet community and look forward to seeing unbelievable with chesed in high school, but to develop lifelong habits and give back to the community as they get older,” student growth through this program. Later this month, the seniors plan to spend a day

By Eric Bazak, Features Editor In a school where everyone knows everyone and the student population is about 165, it’s hard to imagine that there were more than 20,000 visits to the Boiling Point website in a period of four days. But that was the power of social media when, between Jan. 19 and 22, Jewish newspapers all over the world cited www.shalhevetboilingpoint.com as the source for the tradition-shattering news that two girls at SAR High School in Riverdale, New York, had been ilah group. Websites of Haaretz, the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post, the Forward, the Jewish Press, the Jewish Star matzav.com and failedmessiah.com were just a few of the sources that cited The Boiling Point’s story. Most other websites put it this way, quoting the Boiling Point’s reference to SAR Head of School Rabbi Harcztark: “’I have given permission to two female students… to Rabbi Harcsztark wrote on December 8, in an email to the school’s faculty, obtained by The Boiling Point.” A more typical number of hits for the BP website less on Saturdays, more on Sundays, and more when Analytics. The original article was written by current Torah in October. Later, someone familiar with that coverage sent Noah Rabbi Harcztark’s letter to the SAR faculty. The Boiling Point’s story was published Jan. 16, and posted on Facebook Jan. 19. That started an avalanche of “likes” and “shares,” and above all, click-throughs to The Boiling Point’s web page. At the bottom of the story as of March 6 are 5,065 “likes.”

SAR's newspaper, the SAR Buzz, published a story revealing the news before Noah's story was online, but did not have a Facebook page. In a letter to parents published Jan. 26 in The Jewish Star, Rabbi Hartzcark himself credited The Boiling Point’s publicity. week in light of The Boiling Point article recently published at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles and circulated on Facebook,” SAR’s head of school wrote. “It has since become an international topic of discussion.” The Boiling Point’s story was the main reference for other publications because Rabbi Harcsztark did not newspapers could quote him was by quoting his letter published in The Boiling Point. When Noah checked his Facebook, he said that he saw dozens of no-

Graph by Google Analytics

regarding the story. According to faculty advisor Mrs. Joelle Keene, The Boiling Point website’s average number of daily hits is now approximately 110, up from the 95 it collected

prior to this story. "When something big happens, like 24,000 people reading our story, it’s not just one thing that made it happen, it is a combination of many things,” said Mrs. Keene. “It was obviously a topic waiting to explode and we just were the ones to get it up, and it is thrilling to think that we played even a small part in the explosion of such an important discussion." "When I truly understood how big it had became I was kind of awed," Mrs. Keene said. “I don't think it is an achievement of the Boiling Point as much as it has been achieved by Rabbi Segal, for opening the question in a public way, and Rabbi Harcsztark." After learning that the number of hits had risen so high, BP Web Editor-in-Chief Nicole Feder bought the tory. “I think it was a great accomplishment for The BP to have this and it just shows everybody’s hard work and

The Boiling Point

Color War

March 2014

Community

Blue wins close contest; confusion makes breakout a surprise after all

By Jonah Kaye, 9th Grade

BP Photo By Goldie Fields

TOSS: Pairs from the Red Team and Blue Team line up to toss balloons at Rancho Park. Red won by a close margin.

It gets competitive when you’re in the games, but we’re all friends outside of it so I think everyone had a lot of fun.

BP Photo By By Goldie Fields BP Photo

FINALS: Schwarzberg as he asks the last round of questions in Color War’s Bracha Bee.

BP Photo By Dorelle Nahmany

--Adam Kaufler, Blue Team general

Events & Winners Flag Football: Blue Fear Factor: Blue Banner: Red

Song: Red Trivia: Red Bracha Bee: Blue

Dance: Blue Girls Basketball: Blue Boys basketball: Red

BP Photo By Goldie Fields

Girls soccer: Blue Boys soccer: Red Overall Winner: Blue

SHALOM: The Red Team, whose theme was “shalom” (peace), presents its winning banner, designed by Rachel Spronz, Elianna Hjortzberg Litov and Sarit Ashkenazi.

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Community

New fellowship at LA Holocaust Museum lets seniors see history through the eyes of victims By Nicole Soussana, Staff Writer, and Tamar Willis, Editor-in-Chief

“I am here as one of the

serving the memories of all

www.shalhevetlamothfellows.weebly.com

LEARNING: Seniors Liat Bainvoll, Liat Menna and Sharona Sedighim hear from Dr. Rachel Korazim, a Holocaust education specialist, as part of the new Shalhevet-LAMOTH fellowship. The girls visit the museum three times a week to learn about the Holocaust.

Going to the museum has allowed me to gain a a more personal experience with the survivors and the Holocaust.

-- senior Sharona Sedighim, Shalhevet-LAMOTH fellow

Middle-schoolers try out Shalhevet co-curriculars at ‘Winterm’ By Eva Suissa and Jordan Fields, Guest Writers

BP Photo by Eva Suissa

IMPROVISED: Seventh- and eighth-graders spent three Sunday mornings learning from co-curricular teachers.

this story.

BP Photo by Katia Surpin

PROGRAM: CIJE Winterm students use computers to make Lego robots follow a path.

The benefit for the students was they probably learned something new about debate, journalism, or whatever the topic was.

-- Natalie Weiss, Admissions Director

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Community

Town Hall debates who should shush

By Shirel Benji, 10th Grade

At the close of a Town Hall devoted to davening behavior and food cleanup issues, Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal turned the running of Mincha over to students instead turned out to be temporary. The change was meant to solve three problems that had been addressed during ing during davening, teachers’ attempts to stop the talking, and students being unable to concentrate on their prayers because the teachers were distracting them by shushing talkers, particularly by using the microphone to stop the service. “I have asked the Judaic faculty not to be in davening for the next few days,” announced Rabbi Segal just seconds after the bell rang to start Mincha. Davening started moments later with no Judaic Studies teachers in the room. There seemed to be no talking at all during that day’s davening. Students arrived home that night

shushing people, waiting for quiet before starting, and stopping the service when the noise got too loud. However, as of March 3, the microphone had not been used.

discussion about the davening behavior showed a strong disconnect between how students and faculty viewed the situation. Also on the agenda was some students’ failure to clean up after eating breakfast and

ignored when they speak to students individually. “I’ve ruined relationships with students over telling them to be quiet,” said Judiac Studies teacher Reb Tuli Skaist. “I feel like a tape recorder telling students to be quiet.” Some students suggested dividing into

dents and tell them that they are disrupting others.” Teachers said one problem with controlling davening was that it’s not an acathat the same problem extends to getting students to clean up after they eat. They said cereal bowls are left outside the doors of their classrooms and sometimes spill on Director of Admission Ms. Natalie Weiss said she is sometimes embarrassed to take prospective students and parents on tours around the school because of used bowls and plates left out in the hallways. “We should have a rotation by grade that hangs out for the last two minutes of lunch and cleans the tables on behalf of everybody,” Ms. Weiss said. But taking over food cleanup was not met with the same enthusiasm as taking charge of davening behavior. The concept of toranut, or taking turns, was dismissed after students said that they did not want to clean up other peoples’ messes. Math and science teacher Mr. Christopher Buckley suggested giving the cus-

Segal posted onto their Schoology pages. “While I admit I was a bit disappointed by the lack of responsibility-taking and the ubiquitous Hall,” wrote Rabbi Segal, “I am willing to acknowledge that allowing you to monitor your own [prayer] may be a more productive option.” The policy lasted for three

BP Photo By Goldie Fields

QUIET:

quiet, and Rabbi Segal was happy with the change. But gradually the noise returned, and with teachers unable to interfere, on Feb. 25 the experiment was declared over. “I would love to hear your feedback the results speak pretty unequivocally for Segal wrote in a Student Activities post on Schoology. “Perhaps in the future, after the culture has improved, but not yet.” He went on to say the Judaic Studies faculty would meet, “and I am guessing we are going to revert back to faculty leadership of the minyanim for the next few weeks.” The next day, teachers were back to

lunch. The meeting ended without a plan for the food cleanup issue. But the davening issue saw both discussion and action. Teachers said that when students talk, they approach them and ask them to stop. If that doesn’t work, they use the microphone to stop davening until the room is quiet -- making Mincha longer and the post-Mincha break shorter. Students complained about this stopping. “When teachers use the microphone it disrupts my davening even more than the small whispers around me, and I kind of just lose kavanna,” or focus, said junior Rina Katzovitz.

of davening or changing the mood so people would like it better. However, Rabbi Segal thought that perhaps students might listen better to each other than to teachers, and might even succeed at creating a quieter environment for prayer on their own. set up the mechitza, handed out siddurs to one another, and delivered a strong Mincha without any chatter. eter recently because the teachers don’t get up and make announcements anymore,” said sophomore Daniel Shoham a few days ruptive when students go up to other stu-

clean-up over to the entire student body at once. “Let’s have the custodiwe can see how nasty the school can get,” said Mr.

Buckley. The davening policy at Shalhevet has always been that students are not required to daven under the condition that they hold a siddur in their hands and do not talk to others. However, some students have used davening as a time to socialize with their friends and use their phones. Right after Rabbi Segal announced that Judaic teachers would again be allowed to supervise davening, he walked up to a group of girls who were sitting in the back row, pinpointed a girl who was using her cellphone, and took it away. “It was like she was waiting for that moment her entire life,” said sophomore Shir Zahavi.

Students’ choice as Impact14 program. In December, the moms began researching senior programming in such high schools as Harvard-Westlake, Ramaz and Milken. They then presented the idea of Impact14 to the Shalhevet administration, who quickly incorporated it into the curriculum. The goal -- as suggested in its name, they said -- is to give seniors the opportunity to make an impact in the real world, with “14” being replaced by each new class’s graduating year. “Our responsibility as a school is to try to make second semester of senior year meaningful by giving them as many chesed opportunities as possible,” said Ruthie Skaist, advisor of the Chesed Committee. an all-class trip to the LA Food Bank, which distributes food to needy people in the Los Angeles Community. The seniors packaged food in boxes that would be distributed to kids in elementary schools, and also helped categorized various items on a conveyor belt. The seniors returned to the LA Food Bank on Feb. 24 and plan to visit again later this month. Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Glouberman hope that Impact14 will become a lasting tradition in the Shalhevet community and look forward to seeing unbelievable student growth through this program.

Later this month, the seniors plan to spend a day with Habitat for Humanity, an organization that brings people together to be a part of building homes for the homeless, though the seniors still don’t know where the house will be or exactly what they’ll be doing there. The idea for incorporating video blogs into the annual Poland-Israel trip came from Righteous Conversation, an organization run by the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust that facilitates connections between teens and Holocaust survivors. The senior class are set to meet CHESED: with Holocaust survivors three times in March and April. The carnival that the seniors are organizing is planned for Camp Max Strauss in April through Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, an organization that assists underprivileged kids. mittees to use their unique strengths to put something together as a group, planning games, arts and crafts, and

BP Photo By Tamar Willis

music, Mrs. Miller told the Boiling Point. There will be over 100 underprivileged kids that will enjoy the seniors’ carnival. “We want the seniors to not only become involved with chesed in high school, but to develop lifelong habits and give back to the community as they get older,” said Mrs. Glouberman.

THE BOILING POINT

Outside News MARCH 2014

Continued from Page 1 do my job and not think too much about it.â€? Currently serving his 20th term

on Energy and Commerce and also the Oversight and Government -

been instrumental in maintaining

does not necessarily share the -

sues are resolved and concensuses -

www.facebook.com/henrywaxman

FAREWELL: Retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman is a member of the Conservative Adas Israel synagogue in Washington. Though he has grandchildren living in Israel, he said he could be a good Zionist living in the U.S.

and really has his heart and -

should be registered and voting. community at the neighborhood -

Waxman understands the political temperament of United States politics but he also understands very well Israeli politics, and the considerations that go into their policies and positions. -- Mr. Jason Feld,

Modern Middle East teacher

things a little harder.â€? credits his motivation to leg-

back and have more niority.

Young people should recognize that being involved in our community at the neighborhood level, or the city or state or national level, is an important way to accomplish Jewish values.

-- Representative Henry Waxman

his daughter and grandchildren live in children are currently serving in the Israeli army.

one like him retires think the majority is coming back any time soon.â€? sional district.

The Boiling Point

8 News to help you shmooze

BP ILLUSTRATION BY YAN KLIGERMAN

TableTalk

March 2014

Outside News

SpaceIL: Israel’s new NASA

Russia and West edge toward new Cold War over Ukraine Violence has erupted in Ukraine, where it looks like civil war may be coming. The country is divided between the Crimea, a primarily Russian-speaking and semi-autonomous region in the east, and the rest of Ukraine, centered on Kiev, the capital, in the west. Street demonstrations erupted after then-Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych chose to side with a Russian alliance over the European Union, enraging many Ukrainians looking to get over the Cold War. believed to be Russian. The Kiev-based Parliament is now being led by the pro-Europe Oleksander Turchnyov, who is supported by Yulia Tymeshenko, a pro-Europe former opponent of Yanukovych who was in jail on corruption charges, but was pardoned the same day Yanukovych was sent by Putin to prepare a takeover. But, on Mar. 4, both Putin and Petro Poroshenko, a Ukrainian Parliamentarian tasked with dealing with the pro-Russian Crimean Government, made public comments saying that neither of them wanted war, and Putin denied responsibility for the soldiers who moved in Mar. 1. Only time will tell what will come out of this region, with the emergence of a 21st-century Cold War frighteningly possible. -- Jonah Gill, Outside News Editor

U.S., Kerry leading peace talks between Israel and Palestinians On repeated trips to the Middle East throughout January and February, Secretary of State John Kerry presented a proposed “framework” accord to Palestinian and Israeli leadership in hopes of establishing a basic agreement now before coming to terms on a comprehensive treaty in April. The document is expected to be short without fully discussed annexes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed doubt about whether the Palestinians are invested in securing peace. should the talksw fail. Other people have criticized Israel’s negations saying that they lack sincerity and are instead pursuing other Despite the importance of the talks in recent news the talks have been eclipsed by developments in the Ukraine (see related story above).

Two plead guilty in beating of Giants fan at Dodger game Marvin Norwood and Louie Sanchez, both of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty Feb. 20 to the nearly fatal beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow at a Dodger game in March of 2012, which left Stow brain-damaged and in need of constant hospice care. Norwood pleaded guilty to assault and will serve eight years,and Sanchez pleaded guilty to mayhem and will serve four years, after making plea agreements so other felony charges -- including battery with serious bodily injury -- were dropped.They will receive credit for time served, which could mean that Norwood will be imes, which could put them in jail for up to 10 more years. Norwood and Sanchez both had prior arrests for bodily injury of a wife or partner. Judge George Lomeli described them as having no remorse. “Rarely do I comment, but this is the kind of case that demands it,” said Judge George Lomeli. “Even now, with your smirks, you show no remorse. You’re complete cowards.” -- Noah Rothman, Torah Editor

BP Photo by Goldie Fields

LIFTOFF: SpaceIL founder Yariv Bash discusses landing a rover on the moon at a special Town Hall.

By Jonah Gill, Outside News Editor

one of their main hardships in putting a rover on the moon.

United States, Russia, China: one would probably say these are the three biggest countries in “and we are serious and a front runner in this the world. Or the strongest. Or the wealthiest. Another thing these countries have in common lion, and raising that kind of money might be our is that they all have sent a spacecraft, manned or biggest challenge yet.” unmanned, to the moon. And as Shalhevet stuNevertheless, Mr. Bash said that he’s optimisdents learned in an assembly Jan. 29, SpaceIL, a tic and that SpaceIL is a front-runner in the comcompany based out of Tel Aviv is attempting to petition today. add Israel to that list — and without government “We and two other companies from California sponsorship. are by far the closest in putting our robot on the A program arranged by Bnai Akiva brought moon, and most likely the winner will be one of in Yariv Bash, one of the co-founders of SpaceIL, us,” he said. to the Beit Midrash, where he described his comStudents seemed to enjoy the presentation. pany’s current work to students and answered Sophomore Will Bernstein, who attended a proquestions about his goal of gram at the Technion in reaching the moon. As Mr. Bash explained, made him proud. SpaceIL is one of 18 teams “I have an obsession SpaceIL is one of 18 teams left left in the Google Lunar X with anything involving Prize, or Moon 2.0, compein the Google Lunar X Prize, or space,” said Will, who is tition. The contest, which a member of the optional Moon 2.0, competition. was launched seven years CIJE Engineering course ago, challenges privately for freshman and sophofunded teams to land a romores. “So when we have bot on the surface of the an assembly involving my moon and travel 500 meters on the ground. The two favorite things, Israel and Space, I was absoDuring the assembly, Mr. Bash said his company had been born the modern way — on social media. “I posted on Facebook about wanting to join the challenge,” he said, and received a reply from That’s how SpaceIL was started.” SpaceIL he said, turned out to be the only noton donations, unlike other entries in the competition which rely on investments promising a reenterprises. Mr. Bash said this made paying for the launch

lutely amazed and felt so much pride.” And while three years from now, today’s Shalhevet students may not remember the assembly, there will be something of it that will still exist — because at the end of the assembly each grade posed for a picture with Bash and Damarai. The photos will be put on a microchip and the microthe moon. “The possibility of my picture being on the moon is very cool,” said junior Margo Feuer. “But what I think is even cooler is that my picture, stored on an Isreali-made microchip, is part of an Israeli team’s space campaign, which is an awe-

The Boiling Point

March 2014

By Eric Bazak, Features Editor Flu season has hit young people particularly hard this tionwide -- but not necessarily among Shalhevet students, who don’t seem particularly worried. In an informal survey taken Feb. 10, 11 out of 25 students – 44 percent -- said they had received a vaccine ly and people with weakened immune systems, this year in California alone at least 243 people younger than 65 had that number was 26, according to latimes.com. “We have seen healthy young adults and children be-

More people are being vaccinated than last year but still too many are not.

Outside News

Dr. Lehman said more people are being vaccinated than last year but still too many are not. “Vaccination rates have steadily risen over the past several years, particularly in medical centers and hospitals Dr. Lehman said. “Vaccinated rates among the public do For example, Cedars-Sinai employees and volunteers, as wells as their families, are all encouraged to become contact with the illness. Dr. Lehman said 90 percent of the

an illness, got the vaccine and said others should likewise avoid the risk. ed, yet so many still die each year because they weren’t Some families who normally would not become immu-

--Dr. Deborah Lehman Cedars-Sinai, Infectious Disease Dept.

said Dr. Deborah Lehman, Clinical Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in an interview.

Flu is said to be most prominent during the months of December through March, and peaks during though

epidemics

year, the severity of constantly and new emerge.

change diseases m a y -

BP Drawings by Annelise Asch

virus. Once the virus enters the body, it attacks the immune system by copying its information onto a host cell. It repeats this process several times, thus multiplying the amount of viruses present, until the host cell cannot contain those viruses anymore. So then, the cell bursts open, which releases thousands of viruses looking for other cells to infect.

attacked, so the immune system creates antibodies. Once they come into contact with the virus, the antibodies turn into goo and surround the virus, thus preventing it from spreading.

is a milder form.

four days.

year -- and both groups are highly encouraged to become vaccinated. The Federal Centers for Disease Control re-

Despite the surplus supply however, not everyone goes to get the shots, even in the most threatened groups.

because the shot does not guarantee full immunity.

Dying due to contracting the flu can be so easily - avoided, yet so many still die each year because tiveness for children between they weren’t vaccinated. the ages of six months is 67 percent -- about two-thirds.

--Rina Katsovitz, 11th grade

shot, your chance of catching compared to if you didn’t. Dr. Lehman admitted that the vaccine is not a full guarantee, but said it’s far better than other solutions. “We are fortunate to have vaccine technology to pre-

she’d get sick, and then take medicine if needed.

shown vaccines to be safe, and that anti-viral treatments only reduce the time you’re ill by one or two days. “There is a misconception within the general population that vaccines are dangerous and unsafe, with some people even claiming that there is a link between autism shown to be safe over and over again.

Dr. Noel agreed, and noted that the more people who are vaccinated, the fewer people will get sick – whether they’ve been vaccinated or not. vaccination greatly reduces the chances of infection and “That means that if more people are getting vaccinated, munity.

The dominating illness this year has been the type monly referred to as swine taken the lives of over 250,000 people worldwide since its appearance in 2009, according to cbsnews.com. It has been a

has been so dangerous.

partment of Health advises people to constantly wash their rather than going to school if sick and highly encourages have started to abate. few weeks various indicators show activity may be plaDr. Lehman agreed, saying that the peak is most likely past us, but adding that it is not too late to get the shot.

vaccinate, then the chances of infection within a commu-

Did This year’s epidemic is taking aim at teens, but fewer than half at Shalhevet are immunized. Josh Goldner, 11th grade

NO: “I have a pretty good immune system and if I don’t need the flu shot, I won’t get it.”

Dr. Melissa Noel, Biology teacher

YES: “In terms of my own

health, it’s a no-brainer. I prefer to get the flu shot and avoid getting myself and others around me sick.”

Sam Bernstein, 10th grade

NO: “I’m going to try to be more careful in the future to not get sick.”

Mark Miller, 10th grade

Shirel Benji, 10th grade

YES: “It’s a small hassle con-

NO: “It just seems unnecessary. There are so many medicines that can cure us nowadays, so why fill our bodies up with more?”

sidering the benefits, especially since I got immunized with the mist rather than the shot.”

Torah THE BOILING POINT

MARCH 2014

Women should not be barred from mitzvot -or coerced into them, says Rav David Bigman

www.maalegilboa.org

Rabbi David Bigman, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Ma’ale Gilboa in Israel and a leading thinker in Modern Orthodox Judaism, sat down with The Boiling Point for an exclusive interview after leading a shiur and answering questions from Shalhevet sophomores Feb. 7. He had been invited to Los Angeles by B’nai David-Judea Congregation as scholar-in-residence that Shabbat. opinions. One of them, about kol isha (women’s voices), was among several cited by Head of School Rabbi Ari Segal when he changed policy to allow girls to sing solos at Shalhevet.

writings? I don’t know of schools but I do know of communities that have changed. In some communities they did this [already] but felt they were wrong halachically, and now feel they are in the right halachically. By the way, it changed people’s behavior both stringently and leniently. People are now more concerned about the cultural setting, the lyrics and the way they present themselves. I also mentioned that men should be careful about how they sing in front of women. What inspired you to write the paper on kol isha? The local schools always had women singing on Yom Ha’atzmaut, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Hashoah and they always had people knocking on them for that. I wrote the teshuvah as a response, to show that it was appropriate.

: Rabbi Bigman wrote the paper which allows women to sing solos at Shalhevet. More of this interview can be found at www.shalhevetboilingpoint.com.

I would say you should form an opinion yourself as you take advice from your elders and your friends. It is important that you get advice from a posek that can admit that he was wrong. I have had this experience with poskim -- where we have been arguing and at a certain point they admitted, “You’re right.” In sum, we should get advice from the poskim but we should not be so centralized that decisions are made from far away and the posek doesn’t know the particulars of the situation. When I was active in B’nei Akiva in America, I thought that anyone who didn’t go on aliyah was hypocritical because anyone who said Vtechezena einanoo v’rachamim (may we witness your merciful return), shouldn’t be hanging around here. In those days we knew that Rav Soloveitchik was very against B’nei Akiva in this sense. He said you are going to drain Modern Orthodoxy of its leadership. At that point I couldn’t agree with him; I was young and very ideological. But, I saw the process unfold and a lot of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s later generation of students all came to Israel and left a gap in American Jewish leadership. If all the most committed Modern I think it is very important for people to most committed Modern Orthodox Jews make aliya we become vulnerable to those

Orthodox Jews make aliyah, we become vulnerable to those who have a different approach to Jewish life.

I had no idea. I thought of it as something minor, I had no idea it would blow up like that.

and we have no way of countering with our approach in a serious vibrant way.

I think that we are over-centralized, I think that we should let lesser, younger poskim (someone whom decides the law) make decisions but I think they should get advice from their elders. But it is their decision to make. That is what I was taught by my mentors, in the Charedi world.

It is hard to rank it because everything is dependent on it at a certain point. On the one hand I think in the end the actions of a Jewish life are more important than learning. However you cannot live a Jewish life properly if you don’t learn. Moreover, when done correctly, learning is one of the most exciting parts of our lifestyle. So I refuse to rank it. It’s very high up but I don’t think it is more important than Shabbat or lo tirtzach (don’t kill). I would add that I do think that if you don’t learn, especially Torah sheba’al peh (the Oral Law), you will have a skewed approach to what Yahadut (Judaism) is. As my Rosh Yeshiva in Detroit used to say, some people take Torah sheba’al peh into Torah shebichtav (the written Torah) -- if you don’t get the dynamics of Torah sheba’al peh, your whole approach to Yahadut will be skewed and you might even view Yahadut as like Catholicism. You don’t view the discussions and the arguments that are really part of our system.

I think it is inappropriate to say to anybody, ‘Don’t do this mitzvah that you want to do.’

I am not adamant about old fashioned feminist equality. I think that we should give come of exactly where we are going. Women should partner in deciding what their role will be in the future. I don’t think it is an appropriate mode to say that women now all have to do all mitzvot. It is dependent upon them. As we have more and more women who are becoming Talmidot Chachamot (learned women) it is fair for them with the general population to call the shots and see exactly where we are going with them. I do think more things can be done that are not being done for sociological reasons, think it is inappropriate to say to anybody, “Don’t do this mitzvah that you want to do.” It is inappropriate to tell people who want to get involved not to do something just because of a custom. We should allow women to be more participatory, and let women decide what course they want, and not be coercive about this.

I would not make the decision for somebody else. In considering the halachic process and halachic matters, when do you think it’s necessary for leaders to consult poskim (halachic authorities) and when is it not? Firstly, I want to refer you to HaRav Broin’s book, Shaarim Mutzaneim BaHalacha. Ideally each individual should go through the halachic source material from the Gemara to the modern poskim and then paskin on his or her own. I like that idea. When I was studying with HaRav Aharon Solovetchik it was clear that that was what he thought -- that it would be better for each of us to make their own decision on the basis of source material. through all the material. Second, the average layperson doesn’t have a lot of experience posek. Nevertheless, I think we are too centralized. There is a very deep problem. They used to say that when you got s’micha (rabbinic ordination) you would also get Rav Moshe Feinstein’s telephone on the back of the klaf (ordination document). That doesn’t make for developing good poskim.

Agunot. There are many husbands who blackmail their wives; either they don’t give the get (halachic divorce) or they give the get only after they have extorted the woman’s rights beyond what they have coming to them, both in Israel and in America. In Israel, the rabbinic courts could solve the problem, and they don’t. In America, it is work on this. This literally keeps me up at night. There is another issue that keeps me up which is halachic infertility, but I am able to contribute to help solving that.

I think we have, in a strange way, to learn something from the Charedi world. The Charedi world has a claim to authenticity. They are not more authentic, in some ways they are less, but somehow their claim gives us the feeling that we are not authentic. They also have vibrancy.

form, and do so by writing authentic teshuvot (halachic legal opinions). We may also need to admit that some of the things that we do may be wrong. Sincerity is essential. If we do things with a sincere passion and vibrancy, with a love for Torah, that will create change. Concern, both the physical and the spiritual being of human beings, and yet making a meaningful life in a way that includes serious and open discussion and scholarship. --Noah Rothman, Torah Editor

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Torah

A weekly look at the parsha, produced by students By Sigal Spitzer, Opinion Editor Mish-

kan

parshat

haâ€™shavuah

found a lineup of writers who contribute to the paper each -

hevet never had any sort of Torah publication, started by last years seniors toward the end of the however, a range of sponsors have been

with the Judaic studies faculty, he decided to start shiva high school to have a consistent Torah pub-

their learning, be it in or out of the classBP Photo by Ezra Fax

cies of the Mishkan (tabernacle) as found in Parshat

SPARKS: Sophomore Micah Gill, founder and editor of Nitzotzei Torah, hands out copies of Nitzotzei Torah to juniors Jillian Einalhori and Shana Chriki Feb. 21.

supporting a love of Torah within its stu-

a dvar Torah newsletter that will serve as an outlet for

kibud av va-em (hon-

A chosen people, but chosen for what? Rabbi Sacks answers By Anna Gordon, Staff Writer Jews were not chosen because they are superior to other nations, but rather because God wanted to show the -

chesed ally acceptable for people in one group to have, by birth,

pride he felt when he heard that children of Holocaust survivors had created BP Photo by Goldie Fields

The rabbi replied that all people have their chosen roles about how Jews die, but I want to see a

UNITE: Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks tells students to start focusing on the positives in Jewish life. He spoke at an L.A. synagogue and school on Feb. 20.

ing, but I also thought that it was a bit condensed and I

encouraged the ideas of tikkun olam

percent of Jewish students were in Jewish day schools, -

The Boiling Point • March 2014 • Fea!res

Party Cult BP P hoto by

Gold

ie Fi

About a quart and school ev

elds

People think they’re so uptight and when they drink they can do whatever they want at a party and blame it on being drunk. -Ellie*, junior

E v e r B u e o e Y n ) s t e n e d v u t s Ha (Shalhevet AT least once

no 73%

If Yes, more than three times No 31%

yes 27%

YES 69%

SourcE: BP Poll of 116 students, Nov 2013

runk

The Boiling Point • March 2014 • Fea!res

ture

Page design by Margo Feuer

ter of Shalhevet students have been drunk, way below national averages. Homework vents compete for their attention, but those who party give the usual reasons.

A n a c i r e m A How many d e s u r e v e Teens have 10th Grade

cohol

12th Grade

YES No 68% 32%

YES No 52% 48%

Source: NIDA, 'Monitoring the future' study, 2013

Not drinking is definitely a decision that I’ve made from what I’ve seen. Being around people who are drunk isn’t always fun and it makes me feel worried for them. -- Jennie Drazin, senior

What did you do last Saturday night? 7

Party School Out with Stayed in Homework Hung with Other Event friends with friends family Source: BP Poll of

82 students, Feb 2014

*Names have been changed

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Fea!res

S t a r S t r u c k Celebrities seem to be a constant presence in students’ By Hannah-Leeba Ellenhorn, Editor-at-large Celebrity culture has hit Shalhevet and hit it hard. Take a walk around the halfschool and annex and you’ll notice that Shalhevet is home to, arguably, the most fashionable students. But it’s not the rabbis who are setting the trends. It’s Hollywood. Take, for example, senior Yarden Harel, whose Macklemore-inspired haircut is all shorter length sides and longer length hair on the top. “I saw the haircut on Macklemore, who has similar coloring to me, and I thought it was pretty cool,” said Yarden. “If he could do it, then so could I. So I got it myself.” Senior Josh Einalhori and even

through traditional mass media, magazines and social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. “When I want to keep it elegant and sweet, I go to Lauren Conrad or Ariana Grande’s instagrams because they always wearing in stores,” said sophomore Dorelle Nahmany. “However, if I want something with more of an edgy look, I turn to Kylie Jenner’s Instagram.” Students like Dorelle turn to celebrities for creative style because they admire what and how they wear things. “I practically idolize Kim Kardashian,” said senior Melissa Ohana, who follows the reality TV star’s trend of crop tops over high-rise pencil skirts. “I like a lot of the always knows what to wear.” Some m a l e students

Donadic don the Some people believe that stars are their same happening role models and that they can live their haircut, but with a slightly more indreams through the stars they admire. tense buzz cut on --Yan Kligerman, senior the sides. celebri“Living in Los ties have Angeles with three a big imsisters makes it a pact on necessity for me to their wardrobe as well. Sophomore Micah keep up with what’s new,” said Josh. “A Gill draws inspiration from many male year ago my sister asked me to get this haircut so I got it.” Wade’s dynamic style is something Micah Celebrity trends extend further than looks up to. just hairstyles, however. Most at Shalhevet “He has a dynamic style in a profesblend celebrity fashion with modesty in sion dominated by masculinity,” says Mialso follow trends that are characteristic of less edifying societal habits, sometimes thinking about the implications and sometimes not. When juniors Jillian Einalhori and Sara Friday, they decided it would be fun to don some “Miley buns” and mimic the singer’s appearance during her infamous VMA performance from last year. “I thought it would be funny,” said Jillian. “We love her. We think she’s so funny, really crazy.... I obviously I don’t want to be as crazy and psychotic as she is, but I slightly admire her because she really doesn’t care sometimes, I think that’s good, to sometimes just do what you want.” Either way, celebrity inspiration arrives-

cah. “He has his own fashion line and even though it may only be for a press conference, he makes sure to be impeccably dressed.” While many take pride in their celebinspired threads, there are a few students who disagree with the celebrity-worship mentality. Freshman Dana Alkoby believes thing they see on a big-name somebody. “To be honest, I really don’t care about what celebrities are wearing,” says Dana. “I just buy whatever I like and whatever is comfortable and I wear it.” Love it or hate it, celebrity culture runs rampant among teenagers – especially because in the age of mass media, stars and wannabe stars of all stripes are a steady presence, from TV and Twitter to websites and billboards. Why is it that stars have this capacity role models, people strive to become everything that a celebrity is. “People copy stars because of the star’s Kligerman. “Some people believe that stars are their role models and that they can live their dreams through the stars they admire.” While high regard toward celebrities plays a role in people’s need to worship them, celebrity culture sometimes doesn’t wane even when celebrities take a 180-degree turn. “If Macklemore were to be tried for murder or something awful, I’d still keep my haircut,” said Yarden Harel. “It’s not like I’m supporting his every action just because I have his haircut, I just support his fashion sense.”

COURTESY OF MELISSA OHANA

FIRST-WORLD PROBLEMS: Every time she looks at her phone, senior Melissa Ohana sees an abundance of crying Kims.

“I don’t really think people would stop dressing like a celebrity because they do something terrible,” said senior Danielle Lowe. “I don’t think people immediate-

dressing like that celebrity!’” When students folBP PHOTO BY HANNAH-LEEBA ELLENHORN low a celebrity trend JUST BEIN’ MILEY: Juniors Jillian Einalhori, left, and Sara for the sole purpose of the trend’s aesthetically pleasing look, they have no problem continuing the trend even when the muse does inspiration from places other than Holsomething unforgivable. But if the student lywood. For example, their siblings and follows a trend because of a prior interest classmates. “I’ve never really looked at celebrities in and admiration for the celebrity, they might stop following that celeb. “If Kim Kardashian were to do some- “Most of my reference is just from what I thing absolutely absurd like, for example, see other people wearing around me. “For example, when people started incite hate-crime, I would not follow any of her trends anymore,” said Melissa Ohana. wearing skinny-slim straight jeans, I fol“It’s ridiculous to look up to someone who lowed up, and when they started wearing does something really awful.” Meanwhile, not all celebrities are cre- ahead and did the same.” Dana Alkoby looks up to her sister’s ated equal – at least as far as copying them goes. When asked, no students said they’d style. “When I see something that I like that ary Clinton can seriously rock a pant-suit, she wears, I wear something similar,” says but Shalhevet students tend to stray away freshman Dana Alkoby. In Los Angeles, where celebrity culture from more professional looks. good, it’s to look professional, and you ager with a Macklemore-esque haircut or a in professional fashion,” said senior Benny Balazs. Student mimicry may also depend on the amount of exposure they have to a cerspotlight often, celebrities seem to always be the center of media’s attention. “It might have something to do with how often people see celebrities on TV or in ads or in concert, as opposed to political said Benny. And of course, many students draw

By Sarah Soroudi, Editor Emeritus Does idolizing a celebrity qualify as According to Judaic Studies teacher Rabbi David Stein, when there is no inherent value incopying a celebrity, one could potentially be violating the prohibition against following the ways of society. “If Shalhevet students are doing something just to be like a certain celebrity, Rabbi Stein said. “Even though they aren’t committing idol worship, because of the prohibition that tells us not to follow in the ways of the pagans.” However, he continued to say that simply being inspired by someone’s style, or dressing in a contemporary fashion -while remaining modest -- is not a violation of the prohibition. Idolatry in the Torah, based on the Second Commandment, is referred to as avoda zara, which means foreign worship of a god that is not God. Rabbi Stein believes that there is a certain point at which worshipping a celebrity violates this, but that students are not likely to reach it. “I don’t think any of the copy-cat thing at school is anyone thinking this celebrity is actually God,” Rabbi Stein said. “One could potentially violate a

Just like most teens, Shalhevet students are susceptible to celeb trend-following – both the good ones and the bad. But for Jillian -- and perhaps others -mimicking a signature style does not mean she’ll start acting like that celebrity all the time. “I’m not going to be crazy, twerking on a stage,” she said. “But [Miley] has a lot of fun with her life and I love her music. And I think sometimes it’s good to just do what you want.”

commandment worshipping Kim Kardashian but they have to actually see her as a God and start a religion saying Kim Kardashian is a savior.” Rabbi Ari Schwarzberg agreed. “Worshipping secular culture certainly does not qualify as an actual violation of idolatry,” said Rabbi Schwarzberg. “I think it is important to distinguish bething and calling it worship.” Still, he said, there might be spiritual consequences to idolizing celebrities. es and become distractions from more important values, then they become highly problematic,” Rabbi Schwarzberg said. Some believe that though idolizing a celebrity is not actual idolatry, it opens a gate to violating the prohibition. “People are obsessing over a celebrity who has done nothing but the materialistic,” said senior Yosef Nemanpour, “and avoda zara.” But Rabbi Stein pointed out that celebrities do good things, too. “We have to constantly be asking ourselves about the good things that celebrities do and appreciate that,” said Rabbi Stein. “We have to be cognizant about our relationship with celebrities, and if they do something that falls in line with our value system than we can’t ignore that either.”

THE BOILING POINT

Arts & Culture

MARCH 2014

Computer art goes beyond four-cornered paper Continued from Page 1

art form. Senior David Ohana taught himself how to use Photoshop, the popular software application that allows people to create and edit or adjust images, through computer art tutorials on YouTube. He enjoys manipulating photos and The Boiling Point. gan to learn last summer. But eventually he got to know the program well.

“The idea is like using principles of physics, but instead of worrying about data or trying to study something, you’re more interested in how they visually interYou don’t have to be a professional coder, he added. Anyone can learn, as he did. Dr. Smallwood is cur-

Shalhevet’s Fairness Committee. Layering and merging multiple images he gathered from the internet, he created an elaborate portrait of a Firehawk wearing a powdered wig – like an English judge –

There are also some who don’t really like computer art. Shalhevet Art teacher Roen Salem is one, though she acknowledged that it is “the way of techniques and tools, including recyclables, to create art, she remains a traditionalist. “If I can’t smell the turpentine, then I

Though it’s just a hobby now, David said that if he is able to make money through computer art, then maybe one day he will make it his profession. Tenth grader Gabe Silverstein, another computer art enthusiast, said it

But last year’s Rain Room installation York showed how it could be popular. The exhibit consisted of an area of falling water that used cameras to trace a person’s movement, providing the visitor with the sensation of walking through droplets of rain without actually getting wet. Designed by the art collective Random International, Rain Room immersed the viewer in an extraordinary virtual experience, which evoked the smells, sights, and sounds of rain. But the artists mostly create their art for sheer enjoyment. Gabe Silverstein said he derives a sense of satisfaction from the creative process, and an appreciation of his own artistic journey over time.

students can improve with practice and dedication. Gabe used Photoshop tools to create with images of personal relevance. The focal point is a blue and green earth identifying his parents’ Ukrainian heritage, their respective hometowns, meeting place and current residence. Retro representations of Gabe are in the lower right corner, and a large pencil on creation -- explaining that “All great artOver the past few years, chemistry teacher Dr. Smallwood, who painted and studied art history while in college, became intrigued by the diand sciences should be more closely related. Triangle Cloud by Now he mixes traditional media with modern techDenis Perevalov and run on a MacBook Air (mid 2012) nology, for example projecting various images onto large screens or surfaces which change as sensors are acti- rently working on multiple projects, and devotes 30 to 40 hours per month to his computer art projects. Several of vated by the viewer. Dr. Smallwood’s art pieces have been shown in galleries, and recently he started incorporating digital imagery with

Offering endless possibilities, computer art can tell a story or evoke an image or feeling, and integrate one or more senses.

Artwork by David Ohana

Computer art can be difficult to define because it takes many forms. But both students and teachers at Shalhevet are engaging in this new art form.

That may be why Dr. Smallwood would not show students any samples of his work. Computer art is “not just about being pretty -- it In spite of many requests, Dr. Smallwood declined to share his artwork with The Boiling Point, saying, “And

beeswax. Dr. Smallwood said not many people collect computer art, mainly because most pieces are temporary. Others,

EXPRESSIVE: Denis Perevalov’s Triangle Cloud, above, rotates gracefully in 3D on computer screens. Below left, senior David Ohana created a lava background for his yearbook page and, right, imaged lightning from scratch

lect computer art, and even some of the best installations

Horwatt’s business.

Artwork by Gabe Silverstein

Artwork by David Ohana

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Arts & Cul!re

Birthday for a dress: LACMA celebrates the ‘wrap’ script -- hangs above the entrance to exhibit hall, and introduces the dress worn by several generations and many millions of women since its launch in 1974.

n all, 200 variations of the wrap dress are brought

grouped by pattern and style: the black-and-white array, geometric shapes, animal prints, pop-art patterns and Like pieces of art, all are strategically lit in the dim hall to enhance their beauty and individuality. Selective room, creating an exciting backdrop to the collection. The adventurous brown snakeskin wrap dress with an A-line frame is there, as is the classic collared dress imprinted with red lips set against a black background. Amy is displayed among the geometric patterns, as is one of the original wrap dresses produced in 1974. Every dress in the exhibit is displayed with a date; BP Photo by Goldie Fields

CLASSIC: A bubblegum-pink hallway studded with blown-up photos of Diane von Furstenberg and women in her signaThe Journey of a Dress will be open until April 1. By Goldie Fields, Managing Editor

ration. A blast of 70’s music and bursts of psychedelic color greet visitors at the entrance. The exuberant hot pink walls leading into the main exhibit hall are playfully paired with a black and white

urning 40 is always a milestone, but for Diane von Furstenberg’s iconic wrap dress, four decades of unequaled fame in fashion is cause for celebration. In , an exhibit commemorating through the years, the dress is elevated to high art – and

Visitors get a front-row seat to design history. Lining

and Fairfax. high fashion meets high art vibe. Explosions of color and vibrant patterns streaming throughout the halls lend an excitement beyond the typical staid museum experience. the walls of an adjacent gallery, add glamour and exhila-

Follow The Boiling Point on Instagram! @shalhevetboilingpoint

Furstenberg working in her showroom, magazine covers showing the dress and its designer, and numerous pictures of the wrap dress, as worn through the years Penelope Cruz and, Obama. “Feel like a woman, wear a

be sold individually after the exhibit has ended.

ou can see them all just north of school at the

even make it there and back some Tuesday durends its four-month run on April 1 of this year. It might make you wonder what clothing you own now that will still be around in 40 years – or even just when today’s students turn 40 themselves.

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Fashion Micah

Arts & Cul!re

Outside the

WhatWe’reWearing

Bubble

Spend a little, have it all

Fashion, food and fun at the

By Micah Gill, Staff Columnist By Rose Lipner, Arts and Culture Editor

Just last week, an old friend whom I was meeting plaint among men. However, I’m here to turn your world upside-down and change the way you look at this problem. ly than one that is made of a high-end material. trum, let me try to explain. It is commonly said that “clothing makes the

revamping your room or even just people-watching, -

walking into an interview, or going on a date, people respond to how you present yourself; this starts with what you wear. Now, it’s always an option, if you’re willing to mortgage your parents’ house to spend money on a Gucci or Tom Ford suit and slap on a Louis Vuitton People certainly respond to someone who spends money on what he wears. But for those of us who’d like to keep roofs over our heads, I suggest saving a couple of bucks on your It’s as simple as that. If you show up to an interview wearing a suit that’s two-and-a-half sizes too big, you’ll look foolish. If you show up to an interview wearing a jacket that’s so tight you can’t button it, you will also look foolish. might feel a bit inadequate, the tag on a man’s suit is as private and personal as his social security number. It is meant for your eyes, and your eyes only. Sure, some high-end suit makers will pride themselves on being manufactured in America and stitched with the most expensive cloth known to man, but a nice suit is considered nice because of what it’s made of. ion department is taking care of your less-expensive suit. Even though you’re not spending a lot of money on it, your suit will not fall apart unless you don’t take care of it. That entails folding it on the creases, ironing when necessary, and please -- always hang it up. But after you’ve bought your suit, maybe it’s from

gains and entertainment.

side religious neighborhoods where most of us live — the parking lot of Fairfax High School at the corner of Every Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm, for $3 you can

BP Photo by Goldie Fields

VINTAGE:

yellow and red balloons marking the entrance. There, full of second-hand art, clothes and accessories, along with the relaxing Los Angeles vibe. You can park your car on the streets with meter parking, or you can pay extra to park in the parking lot near the vendors. All across the lot, groups of friends, small families

their small dogs. crowd is sparse, most likely due to the cold shift in the Los Angeles weather. In summer and fall it is packed with kids and adults soaking up the sun. The arts are well represented with modern artwork such as the New York skyline, and at separate booths, classic portraits and still life paintings. Clothing-wise, there are vintage band t-shirts, leather jackets and edgy shoes every few booths. Accessories like delicate gold necklaces, sparkling pendants, oxford and silver rings are among the options. At the southeast corner of the lot near a fence

an online accessories website, which has a physical searched for jewelry, scarves and glasses. A few of the vendors sell music vinyls, featuring artists such as the Beatles and Jimmie Hendrix. In addition to selling music, all of the salespeople are listening to music of their choice in their tents: pop, rock and indie. Right beside one of the music booths, another merchant is selling a jukebox for $2,000 and a green vintage radio for $200. along with the mix of perfumes and incense, made soaps and candles, and one vendor provides massages for a price of $10 for 15 minutes.

want to venture even farther. Pasadena has the Rose Angeles" for details and more ideas. So pop the bubble, grab a friend, sip some lemon-

school bus, repainted white. It’s the home of Looksy,

A life of music, in reality and in dreams

suit that doesn’t need altering, you’re either ignorant when it comes to suits, or you’re lying to yourself. Go to a tailor. If you’ve never been to a tailor, don’t worry. The key to going to a tailor is keeping this in mind: most men wear suits two sizes too big. As far as the jacket goes, you should be able to button it without any visible wrinkles on your torso, but in between your stomach and the front of the jacket. are a few ways a pair of pants can look. You can go

BP Photo Illustration by David Ohana

By Natalie Dahan, 12th Grade

tailor asks you how slim you want your pants, just

daily life, and the dream for my

the back of your pants. This is where the tailor makes

hevet’s hallway, or singing with the Choirhawks, or harmonizing around the table with my sisters and my mom, music has always been a big part of my life. In 1953, a two-year-old girl named Elisa, known as the “Cuban

the pant, it will cost more than if all you ask for is a couple centimeters. For length, you want your pants to reach roughly the middle of the back of your shoe; that will cause a couple-centimeter break over the front of your shoe, but certainly not be long enough to touch the ground. how a suit looks on you is more important than how much you spend on it. So as spring rolls around and you start attending more bar mitzvahs and weddings, you might be embarrassed to tell your friends that you bought your suit at the same place they buy their hoodies. Nevertheless, I give you my dear and valuable opinion that it’s worth it. A suit is judged by how it looks on you, not by from what store it came.

because her voice sounded like a little bird. For most people who lived in Cuba around that time, life was surrounded by music. People sang and played instruments in streets of Santiago, a small Jewish community, one would hear a mixture of several songs, but it still sounded like a masterpiece.

Elisa was my grandmother, and she brought

herited my grandparents’ musicianship. Always singing and playing the piano, her angelic voice makes my house a very warm place. Our Friday night Shabbat dinners consist of blessings that many people would just read, but being a member of the Dahan family, with But singing itself didn’t interhad always been raspy and it was hard for me to reach the notes that most people could. But when my vocal chords matured I realized I sounded a lot like my mother. Suddenly singing became what I focused most on. I began taking voice lessons. I even tried out for the The X-Factor -- I waited 16 hours in a line for

an audition that was only 30 seconds long. I sang in front of 20,000 people, all of them looking at me. The producers shook their head and told me not to give up on my singing dream. I walked to the exit with those 40,000 eyes looking at me. Even though I was rejected, I set myself the goal to push on and take hold of musical passion.

my teachers and counselors ask

way -- to have the spotlights directly facing me and to have those 40,000 eyes looking at me not with sympathy, but with awe. I want the theatre, so people can hear my passion and emotion. I want to play the parts of Juliet, Fantine, Christine and Glinda. I often joke with my friends that if Broadway doesn’t work out, then there’s a little restaurant next to the theatre where waitresses sing and dance while wearing little dresses and rollerblades. So when someone is in the theatre watching the next big show, they might just hear the murmur of my voice, of the stage.

The Boiling Point

18 The Boiling Point Editor-in-Chief Tamar Willis Managing Editor Goldie Fields Chief Layout Editors Rachel Spronz Margo Feuer Community Editor Alexa Fishman Opinion Editor Sigal Spitzer Outside News Editor Jonah Gill Features Editor Eric Bazak

March 2014

Opinion

THE BOILING POINT

The courage of controversy

By the BP Editorial Board

In the recent months, our school has welcomed open discussion of some controversial topics — name-

in the area (not Shalhevet) has been doing.

Torah Editor Noah Rothman

Though these have been sensitive issues for some, being able to discuss them within our own school, without much judgment, is pretty awesome. The Agenda

Arts & Culture Editor Rose Lipner

and fun at the same time. And while the discussions themselves never seem

UNSIGNED EDITORIALS

low us to run the completely uncensored publication principals insist on reviewing their school paper before -

even if it does not shine the best light on the school, is you need to hear. This trust enabled us to write a comprehensive

Sports Editor Mati Hurwitz Photography Editor Goldie Fields Layout Editor Michelle Hirschhorn Technology Artists David Ohana Gabe Silverstein Advertising Editor Shoshi Miller Illustrations Editor Yan Kligerman Website Editor-in-Chief Nicole Feder Faculty Advisor Mrs. Joelle Keene

National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Finalist 2012 National Scholastic Press Association All-American with Four Marks of Distinction

International First Place Award National Award Winner

2007 - 2013

2013 Gold Crown Award 2011 - 2013 Gold Medals Columbia Scholastic Press Association

sitive. There were families who disapproved of even

some chutzpah

our minds and the minds of our readers. We hope our coverage is worthy of that trust, even as it challenges our administration, faculty and students to consider tough issues with an open mind.

Letters to the Editor:

Death of a myth: Building was once a hospital, but there was never a morgue To the editor:

Although my name may not be familiar Point, your advisor should remember me as will many of your older brothers and sisters as I taught at Shalhevet from 1997-2006. contact with the school since I left, is to correct a bit of history about the building which you currently inhabit. Over the past month, I have come into contact with three individuals (two alums and one former teacher) who have told me about the new building plans. They mentioned that my old classroom - “the morgue” - would be disappearing. This brought a smile to my face for you see the concept that the large classroom in the basement was the morgue was a created it. There was no morgue in what was formerly the “Westside Hospital.” This was a

sophomores many years ago.

nal inhabitant of the large lower classroom in the basement. When the hospital was purchased in 2001, it still had all its equipbeds, moni-

There was no morgue. The hospital was

by the county. Initially those rooms downstairs were not used. In 2003, as the school grew, they were remodeled. The principal at the time, classes downstairs. I jumped at the chance. ing the morgue. And here we are, a decade later, with

I assure you there was no morgue. history teacher with a unique sense of humor.

BP Drawing by Rachel Glouberman

even had a functioning heart monitor that There were two of them. They still had the needed for an operation.

Michael J Petrella Former Shalhevet Social Science teacher, 1997-2006

Front-page placement of Middle East class visit to mosque was sensationalist or odd To the editor:

story about the students going to study at

I understand it, the purpose of the feature

munity and the world -- not the biggest deal -- or alternatively, it was an attempt

what the paper considers to be the most newsworthy or the most important. Therefore, the decision to place the

Simon J. Rockower Award - 2013

school years.

wide meeting to discuss it was held after the decision was made.

and be sensationalist.

The Boiling PoinT is the student-produced newspaper of Shalhevet High School and is published 6-8 times yearly. Editorials on the Notepad represent the majority view of the members of the Editorial Board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor, Managing Editor, Web Editor, Opinion Editor and Faculty Advisor. The Boiling PoinT welcomes 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

In a world where too many news outlets are about entertainment, attention and rat-

--Reb Noam Weissman, Principal PoinT reserves the right to edit letters and opinion submissions and all submissions become the property of The Boiling PoinT. Signed editorials and advertisements in The Boiling PoinT purchased by third-party organizations do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editorial Board or The Boiling PoinT as a whole. For information on advertising, please write Advertising Editor Shoshi Miller at shoshimiller831@gmail.com.

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Opinion

TWO BOILING POINTS OF VIEW:

Should Shalhevet limit the number of No, don’t limit school’s best-known path to success

Yes, too many choices leads to failed clubs and stressed students By Nicole Newman, 10th grade

By Sigal Spitzer, Opinion Editor

that win national awards?

singing to human our stu-

team.

nate (and unintended) consequence is that some reach the heights of which our Shalhevet’s com-

several reasons the school should not limit the

ers’ attendance or do not have the coach’s highest the activity in which he or she has invested time and

ceeding.

the average co-curricular is.

tunities to discover talents they may not have

BP Photos by Goldie Fields -

activism at our school has grown.

and whether or not there was someone

Giving students the ability to start and then run a club is hands-on leadership experience, and we should not be hindering that—we should be encouraging it!

dent who is involved in a million strong

maturity than the average high schooler

In order for our students, our faculty and all of our resources to be optimized, we need to strip away programs that are not working.

a testament to that.

The Boiling Point

20 StockTalk

How to join the lucky 13 percent

March 2014

Opinion

Feminists

By Boaz Willis, Staff Columnist I recently completed a Finance of Retirement and Pensions course online, and since then I have been thinking non-stop about whether I will retire comfortably – and whether you, my peers, will also. What is the best strategy for your retirement portfolio? Start as soon as possible, because the money you start saving now is only going to accumulate and yield more money in the future. Research Institute, only 13 percent of workers are con-

For high school students to be a part of that 13 percent is my goal. It’s true as high school students we can’t put our money in a Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, or any other time, we also don’t qualify to start contributing toward Social Security yet, or know whether or not we will get a pension. But we can invest in mutual funds and long-term, dividend yielding stocks. In fact, there are several options to explore at a young age when looking to save for retirement. The have a source of income in any way, and are a high school student, I would recommend putting aside 10 to 20 percent of that money every year for your retirement. As a kid you might think this is irritating and silly, but when you’re nearing retirement you will be happy that it’s a habit you’ve grown into. Trying to pick out individual stocks that are winners can be very hard, and even professionals get it wrong 50 percent of the time. I therefore recommend investing your money in mutual funds such as those from Vanguard and Fidelity with a mixture between growth and value. Buying into mutual funds reduces risk, because each fund is made up of many companies; that means you don’t lose so much if one or two fail. Growth funds are comprised of companies with high potential for growth, whereas value funds compile stocks that are usually more established and pay dividends. You do need to pay attention to the annual fee that fees under 1 percent per annum. For example, if you cent return rate per year, with a fee of 2 percent (not

These numbers were calculated using an interactive spreadsheet from one of my class’s assignments. Imagine, if you were contributing during each of those 40 years, how much more you would have with that lower fee rate. From high school until retirement is a long time, which is why your money will be worth a lot more. Since you need to diversify the investments in your retirement portfolio, you can’t use only mutual funds, and should put in some individual stocks. The most commonly seen stocks in retirement portfolios are large-cap, dividend-yielding stocks. These are companies such as Apple, AT&T and ConocoPhillips, which have been around for a while, and have a history of increasing their dividend payout. It is essential to have these sorts of assets in your retirement portfolio because they pay out sums of cash for every share you own, which in the long term adds up. But by far the most important thing is to start saving now and contribute to your retirement fund on a regular basis. Invest in low-fee mutual funds and some individual stocks, and that golf club membership will one day pay for itself! Following these steps when you’re young is essential to getting into the habit of saving for retirement. dent that we will retire comfortably. So why not start now?

Love this By Tamar Willis, Editor-in-Chief I recently asked a few of the Girls Learn International club members — both girls and boys — whether or not they considered themselves feminists. Half of them didn’t, though GLI is a club that educates American youth on the gender gap in education around the world, and advocates for girls to have the same educational opportunities as boys in places where equality is lacking. The discrepancy didn’t take me by surprise, but I was disappointed — there are people who are working toward gender equality but who don’t call If you’ve listened to Beyoncé’s new song “Flawless,” you’ve heard a sample of Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TEDx Talk called a feminist as “a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.” The And in fact, though I wholeheartedly agree with it hasn’t been easy for me to embrace it as a label even for myself. Often it feels like in order to call myself a feminist, I need to conform to a standard not a “true feminist” if I don’t. For example, I’m not about to make a feminist critique on everything I see. Clueless, Legally Blonde, and Mean Girls are three of my favorite movies (the trifecta

don’t think so, because I still believe in the core tenets of feminism. The reality is, being a feminist just means you want girls and women to have equal opportunities, and the ability to make their own way about everything I see or hear, or that I should judge someone for wanting to dress provocatively or marry rich. Still, if it hasn’t been easy for me to label myself a feminist, it’s not hard to understand why it members. Some people think it’s a label exclusively for women, and not masculine for a male to use for himself. Others may think that women who call themselves feminists don’t like men, or don’t want men involved in their lives. The word also clearly has some historical baggage associated with early feminism of the 1960s, when what was then known as the women’s liberation movement was still fairly novel and led by radical pioneers. In 2014, the way for feminism to transcend such stigmatized conceptions is for people who don’t hold those radical beliefs to embrace the word nonetheless. An active feminism that pursues social, political and economic equality can be a movement

gradually changes the conIt’s time for the rest of the world’s notation of the word — or perhaps restores it to what feminists — and you probably are Oxford and Webster said it one yourself — to embrace the term was all along. Like any movement — and reclaim the movement. while some may roll their liberalism, socialism and eyes and argue that the Zionism come to mind — feminism has adherents who ate stereotypes of women disagree on lots of things. as manipulative, ditzy, and shallow — and there But the important thing is what we achieve tocertainly are times when they are — I prefer to apgether, and naming ourselves what we are will help preciate the fact that the leads are ambitious women make that happen. If more people call themselves who set goals and actually achieve them, whether feminists, perhaps one day we’ll accomplish our it’s linking two teachers romantically or graduating goals. It sounds cheesy, but there really is strength from Harvard Law. in numbers. For me, being a feminist at 18 means advocating for equality, but also religiously reading betchesto assume the label—and if more people do take it lovethis.com. It’s a lifestyle and pop culture blog written by anonymous women who call themselves nism down, thus reinforcing the notion that really “The Betches.” My older sister considers it misogyeveryone is a feminist, which in turn will propel the nistic, though I prefer sarcastic and satirical. As movement further. If almost everyone agrees that they said in their blog post last Oct. 25, the Betches men and women should be equal, then there’s no Halloween costume” and marrying investment bankers — material that could certainly be considered “unfeminist.” My own feminism perhaps is not what would be called politically correct. But I’d like to I think I can appreciate their humor anyway — just as we Jews can sometimes appreciate a good Jewish joke, like when Jon Stewart makes fun of Jews for complaining. (“Black people have blues music, while Jews complain - we just haven’t thought about putting it

reason why they shouldn’t be, in practice! That’s why I don’t want to be the only feminist

I am. It’s time for the rest of the world’s feminists — and you probably are one yourself — to embrace the term and reclaim the movement. Hopefully the next time I ask, Shalhevet’s GLI club members won’t hesitate to call themselves feminists — and neither will you. BP Graphic by David Ohana

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Sports THE BOILING POINT

MARCH 2014

Girls’ Soccer defeats YULA to end season By Mati Hurwitz, Sports Editor

The vibrant atmosphere created a bloodthirsty, competitive environment. to the girls’ vengeful victory, while the girls had opened up the year with a ship.

BP Photo by Goldie Fields

GOAL: Sophomore Dorelle Nahmany dribbles past the Lady Panthers’ defense towards victory.

while being propped on crutches due to a leg injury.

backs against the wall in the second due to a ferocious attack by the Lady Panthers.

and goalie Avivah Paskowitz keeping the ball out of the goal. Avivah saved four shots and tackles, but a strong sense of sportsmanship. Players live in the same community and played with positivity and menschlichkeit. defeating the Valley Torah Lady Wolfpack in a similar fashion: 1-0 on a goal by Liat. “It was a most satisfying way to end our season,” Liat said. “We held our lines for everything and played defensively.” Shalhevet entered the game with a conservative approach, set up with four defense“We held our lines for everything and played defensively,” Liat said, adding that her teammates played fast and were always “getting ready to make runs.”

Sarah Porgess, who particularly commended the contribution of her teammate, sophomore Dani Gross. “I’m not so disappointed in the loss because my team played very well.” Both teams failed to score in the second half, as Shalhevet blew two fast-breaks. Aviva Paskowitz recovered two very hard-kicked balls to thwart the Panther comeback, in a game that became a nail biter. At the beginning of the season, the team opened up the year with a series of lopsided defeats. Despite the early season struggles, the girls ended the season with back to back wins, their only triumphs of the year. However the girls worked hard all year long in order to culminate in shutout of their crosstown rivals. “They gave it their all, all season,” said Liat. “They pushed through rough patches and made a lot of improvement.”

Ex-MLB coach now managing Firehawk baseball team By Mati Hurwitz, Sports Editor Jerry Royster, former manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and a 16-year veteran of Major League Baseball, has accepted the post of Shalhevet’s new baseball coach – his will have a coach hail from the highest of pro leagues in the world. Coach Royster, 61, has more than 41 years of experience playing and coaching on the professional baseball circuit, extending from Atlanta to South Korea. He was introduced to Shalhevet through three students who he’d been coaching privately – juniors Jeremy Glouberman and and freshman Zev Kent. Coaching high school, the new coach said, would not be “I am given a talent and my job is to get the most out of that person,” Coach Royster said. “I coach talent -- I don’t coach age. I’ll see a kid’s ability and fortunately for me I

Royster embraces the newest chapter in his “baseball life.” “I’m committed to making the best possible situation for the kids that decide to play baseball at Shalhevet,” Coach Royster said. As a player, Jerry Royster played 16 seaI am given a talent and my sons -- including 10 with the hopes to make the most of Shalhevet’s limited prac- job is to get the most out of Atlanta Braves, tice schedule, which competes not just with typical that person. who are Rabbi high school academics but with the Jewish calendar --Coach Jerry Royster Ari Schwarzand an unusually long school day because of the dual berg’s favorite curriculum . team and child“I’m going to try to maximize the time I have with hood obsession. them, which isn’t a lot,” Coach Royster said. “I guarAccording to baseball-reference.com, he scored a career antee by April we’ll be ready to play.” A native of Sacramento, Coach Royster has been in- .249 batting average, belted 40 home runs, and drove in volved in baseball steadily since he was 18. His most recent stint was with the Boston Red Sox, where he coached third base. He served as the manager for 147 games for the Max is exuberant about this new opportunity and eager 2002 Milwaukee Brewers. He coached for the Colorado to get back on the diamond. “It seems that every year since my ninth grade season, nor leagues over the course of a 41- we've been improving the quality of our coaches,” said year playing and coaching career. In the minors, he managed the Las well for us... Last year we had Corey, who was great. And Vegas 51s, a Triple-A ball club for this year we have Jerry.” Although he could not fully experience the Royster the 2005 and 2006 seasons. At the time, the 51s were part of the Dodg- era in Atlanta enough to appreciate Jerry’s legacy, Rabbi ers’ farm system, and now train Schwarzberg looks forward to the 2014 season. “I’m interested in seeing if this guy can import his baseplayers for the New York Mets. Jerry also coached in the San ball acumen to the Shalhevet baseball team,” said Rabbi Diego Padres’ organization, train- Schwarzberg. “I’ll come to a couple extra games because he’s the manager.” hitter Matt Kemp, slugger Adrian Gonzalez, and defensive stud catch- more time with his family, hr dsif. He is not thinking long er A.J. Ellis. Lastly, he spent four term about Shalhevet Baseball and is just focusing on 2014. When asked if he would ever return to his roots in pro years managing the Lotte Giants, a pro team located in Busan, South baseball, Coach answered, “Who’s to say I wouldn’t?” Max said he thought Coach Jerry would improve the Korea. am able to assess that ability pretty quickly.” He told The Boiling Point he was helping to set up a baseball academy in Culver City and had intended to be on the search committee for Shalhevet’s new coach. But when Shalhevet Athletic When the call came in from Athletic Director Eli

BP Photo by Ezra Fax

PRO: Coach Royster works out with sophomore Noah Rothman during baseball practice at Rancho Park. Hi previously coached the Milwaukee Brewers.

baseball talent and experience that Shalhevet hosts compared to the professional world, Coach

team back on the right track for a season of success.”

The Boiling Point

By Mati Hurwitz, Sports Editor, and Noah Suissa, Staff Writer The boys’ basketball season ended Feb. 25 with a 55 – 30 loss to Santa Clarita Christian in the CIF Division 5A quarterBut despite the loss – which felt early in their league) and accomplished all of Coach Colin Jamerson’s goals for a rebuilding season after losing four of last year’s starters. The team played the whole season Coach Colin said, “with a target on our backs,” and in the shadows of last year’s championship run. In addition, the team’s lingering shoulder and ankle injuries. “We wanted to prove the doubters wrong,” said junior guard Zev Marcus. Back in the summer, Coach Colin said he expected his team to achieve a winning record, win the Mulholland League, and Clarita loss, Coach Colin was disappointed, but still felt accomplished because of the team’s preseason checklist. Highlighting this season was a revenge match against rival Valley Torah in the second round, from which Shalhevet emerged Simcha returned Jan. 9 against New Jewish Community High School, the last time the Firehawks lost prior to the postseason. Without a tall center, the team had some veteran leadership in junior starting point man, who emerged as the power big man, and is a converted shooting guard. They

March 2014

Sports

sending a ‘help-guard’ down to doubleteam a big man in the post, and when the ball is swung there is a rotation back to a normal man-to-man set. So the Firehawks relied on their defensive attack and perimeter shooting. Coach -

nents’ defense. There were a variety of options a player could run, depending on how the defense played. The idea was to open up easier

the talent and size of last year’s team. The Firehawks had a lot of momentum entering the round against Santa Clarita. They were riding a nine-game winning in the opening round. The Valley Torah rematch became the most memorable game of the year. Wolfpack are known for bringing their tight-knit Valley community together and pack nation roared throughout the game.

kept back-screening for senior guard Noam Nutkiewicz, who scored three easy layups in the lane. Simcha didn’t shoot too much minutes of action. Defensively, their biggest challenge was overcoming Valley Torah's size advantage. Aside from Liberman, the opponents boastShmuel Duvid Stock. Jeremy once again was put to the test, and had tremendous success against Liberman. “I just try to exploit their weaknesses,”

BP Photo by Goldie Fields

DUNK: Sophomore Jacob Dauer tried to dunk in a game against Santa Clarita Christian. Jeremy said later. “I try to be a pest to him and keep him out of his mindset.” fense, the Firehawks dominated the second quarter. With the help of Simcha and soph-

back. "I had to just keep playing my game and wait for an opportunity to score," said Simcha, who led all scoring with 32 points. Simcha was successful from the perimeter and driving in the lane. His sharpshooting ability was admired by both teams. The second half told a similar story: hot shooting from Simcha. As Valley naseconds and waved to the crowd, the Fire-

Jewish team. Their four regular season falters were all to other Jewish schools: YULA without Simcha, sophomore Jacob Dauer loss in December to Valley Torah. Signature wins this season included a

LA Adventist. Shalhevet beat LA Adventist at the last second by a Jeremy three pointer in the right corner, assisted by sophomore point guard Joseph Schnitzer. The team overcame plenty of adversity cially since they lose no seniors. “I want to win the CIF championship and Sarachek,” said Zev.

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Sports

By Maayan Waldman, Staff Writer It’s the third quarter of a game against Milken Community High School and the Lady Firehawks are up for defense. Senior Jennie Drazin, co-captain of the girls’ basketball team, sprints down the court with a determined look in her eyes as she sets a screen and catches a rebound, bringing the ball back to her team. A natural defender, motivated player and leader to her teammates, Jennie says athletic prowess comes with lots of practice and hard work. “I wouldn’t say I have natural talent, but I go to every practice and work really hard to perfect my skill,” said Jennie. “I’m also really competitive and I always try to push myself to exceed what I can do.” She almost never misses a practice or game, even though she juggles AP calculus, literature, and government, and is co-chair of the Student Activities Committee. Earlier this month, at the height of basjudged SAC’s annual school-wide Color War event with her co-chair Tamar Willis. As often as the Firehawk team meets, Jennie actually wishes she could play more. “We practice three times a week, although I wish I could play every day,” she said in an interview over Frosted Flakes in the breakfast area. “Sometimes school and other things just don’t leave enough time.” Jennie has played basketball ever since she joined

friends, but her passion for the sport ignited when she joined Shalhevet’s team as a freshman. At the time, she had to choose between soccer and basketball, as they are both winter sports, but she chose basketball and continued to perfect her skills. Coach Ronnie “Flava” Winbush said Jennie’s main responsibility is to get rebounds and pass, while other teammates focus on shooting. notorious defender, and displays great heart and character In fact, Jennie attributes a large part of her skill to Coach Flava, a former pro player in the European leagues who has coached basketball at Shalhevet for six years. “Basketball doesn’t take breaks,” said Jennie. “He pushes us to make sure that we’re doing our best and not slackuntil 7:30 at night.”

Jennie is unique because notorious defender, and displays great heart and charac--Coach Ronnie “Flava” Winbush

BP Photo by Goldie Fields

CAPTAIN: Jennie poses before a league game at against LA Adventist.

Older players call the freshmen “little ones,” and said Jennie takes them under her wing. “Jennie mentors all of us ‘little ones’ and gives us pointers during practices,” added freshman Nicole Miles, who plays almost all positions. Born into a basketball-loving family, Jennie often plays Horse -- a shooting practice game -- and other shooting competitions with her two younger sisters. When she’s not studying or playing basketball, she enjoys reading, watching TV – Suits, Gossip Girl and Brooklyn 99 are some of her favorites -- and spending time with family and friends. She has also been on tournament trips in to Houston and Miami, where many of her teammates saw her true sportsmanship. “I was really inspired by Jennie last year in the Miami Tournament,” said senior Sharona Sedighim. “She was always so good-spirited, even when we lost a game, and that’s what makes her a great co-captain.” Jennie doesn’t yet know what college she’ll attend, but she is planning on taking a gap year in Israel at Midreshet Lindenbaum, also known as Brovender’s. Her teammates will miss her on the team. “I’ve been playing basketball with Jennie ever since I can remember and it’s crazy to think of playing without her,” said junior Sigal Spitzer. “Everyone looks up to her and she is always there for her teammates, whether it is picking up a missed layup or free throw, or just giving them moral support.” Jennie hopes to continue playing basketball in colnitely keep watching the NBA. The fate of the Lakers,

He also got Jennie interested in the NBA. Freshman year, she heeded his suggestion and started following pro basketball, and quickly became a Laker fan. “Coach Flava doesn’t just encourage us to play,” she said. “He also encourages us to watch professional basketball as a student -- not as a spectator -- so we can learn from the players.” Pau Gasol has become Jennie’s favorite player -- not only because of his basketball skill, but because he aspires to be a doctor and does a lot of charity work, she said. According to Jennie, basketball is not just about physiers. Before every game, Jennie is either listening to her Eminem pump-up music, or doing her pre-game stretching routine. “If your mind’s not in the game, it’s really hard to play,” she said. Though sports are always competitive, Jennie said she doesn’t try to compete with her teammates, because every player has a unique set of skills and contributes to the

“For now, they’re too broken,” said Jennie. “I think it’s still a building process, and they don’t have all the pieces that they need. “I hope they’ll get back on their feet,” she continued. “You can’t be the best for eight years, you have to fall and then get up.” Maybe that’s why looking back, her favorite moment of

“That’s what makes basketball so special -- everyone is needed,” said Jennie. Her teammates look up to Jennie as someone always there for support -- especially to the freshman rookies. “In a game against New Roads, Jennie got so many rebounds,” said freshman Liora Rabizadeh, who plays either point guard or shooting guard. “That really inspired me to work harder at defense, even though I am more of a shooter.”

basketball is not one of triumph but of challenge. It came

Jennie was always so goodspirited, even when we lost a game, and that’s what makes her a great co-captain. --Sharona Sedighim, co-captain

against Beren Academy, which the Firehawks lost by just one or two points. “I remember grabbing a ton of rebounds and being connitely one of the most fun games I have ever played.”

the Boiling Point wishes you a chag purim sameach!

The Boiling Point

March 2014

Sports

STAR: Sigal Spitzer, with ball at center, scored

BP Photo by Shoshi Miller

A magical season sends Lady Firehawks to CIF have also all been really dedicated to our practices, motivating and supporting another. I think that blend of friendship and hard work has resulted in the team we are today.” There’s also much variety in age and experience on the team, with all four grades represented – three seniors, one junior, three sophomores and six freshmen – boding well for the future. Coach Flava has instilled a culture of strong ball distribution, a balanced scoring attack and tenacious defense, and the girls have played as one unit all season long. “Playing as a team and communicating with one another really helped us,” said Joelle.

later, the boys would fall to Santa Clarita Christian, leav-

dale Adventist. Students, teachers, family, friends and Firehawks. The crowd roared every time the ball went through the net and created a hostile environment for the visiting team. Sigal led the way with 20 points while Jennie and Joelle dominated the glass and the interior for a 51-38 win. man, and aggressive defense from freshman Nicole Miles. “We played as a team and trusted each other with the ball,” said Nicole Miles.

skipped the post-season, choosing instead to compete in the Galbut Girls Basketball Tournament in Miami, where they took third place. Sigal embraced the opportunity to embark on the journey this year. “I’m really happy we are able to compete,” said Sigal

got nailed hard in the face. The crowd gasped but Sigal returned with the eye of a tiger. Shalhevet comfortably led most of the game because of a pivotal 13-2 run in the second quarter. This attack was highlighted by a breakaway layup by Sigal and a 21-

to use our strengths, passion and unity to bring Shalhevet glory.” A common thread in the girls’ run was overcoming adversity, and also proving they were worth taking seriously. Firstly, they had to overcome the excitement generated by the boys team, which saw the entire school bussed to

second-chance opportunities. Glendale Adventist relied on star forward Madison Federici. She led Glendale with 20 points, most coming in the ess, Madison was a ferocious rebounder, and for much of

Colin Jamerson, the boys had a monumental season last

room,” Nicole Miles said. In the second half, Nicole helped neutralize Madison’s scoring ability by guarding her one-on-one in Shalhevet’s “box-and-one” defense, an adjustment Coach Flava made from their base 2-3 set. “When I was given the assignment to guard her, the whole time she was unable to enter the living room,” Nicole said. The Firehawks shifted gears into cruise control. They gave up two points in the third and shut down Madison until the late fourth quarter when the game was out of

only Saracheck crown. At that point they were named the top boys Jewish basketball team in the U.S. Secondly, the girls were seeded ninth by CIF, two slots Rabizadeh was hardly thrilled with the seeding. them twice by 30 points each time?” she said.

ed girls. After losing a coin toss, the girls traveled over Castle in Central California.

The girls began preparing for the finals, ending a season in which they fought to gain respect previously reserved for the Firehawk boys basketball team. Shalhevet demolished Coast Union 51-18 on Feb. 20. They left school around lunchtime to head up the coast of California and played without many Firehawk supporters. Fortunately, they had a home game in the second round against eighth-ranked Riverside Christian at the Westside JCC on Saturday Feb. 28. They struggled to gain a large boys’ game versus rival Valley Torah over the hill in Burbank at 9. But crowd or no crowd, nothing could restrain the Firehawks’ rage as they unleashed a 50-34 tornado over Riverside. That was a successful night as the boys conducted a monumental upset over Valley Torah and both teams ad-

BP Photo by Ezra Fax

SWISH:

the boys in 2010 – so there was a score to settle. According to Sigal, Coach Flava warned the girls that the girls marched into a hostile environment against a competitive, favored opponent. But again, the girls did not receive loads of fanfare, except from Mr. Buckley, Rabbi Segal and Reb Noam Weissman, who carpooled to the game. The game was tightly contested throughout the battle, bled and reached in a few times, and was penalized for defensive fouls. Clinging to a two-point lead with three minutes and 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Sigal

and Joelle both fouled out by the middle of the quarter, and nobody panicked. son, and it is the biggest yet. Many of the girls have been in championship scenarios before. Jennie, Sigal, Nicole Newman, sophomore Sarah one championship during Maimonides’ three-peat in the enberg, Gaby Benelyahu, and Alex Reich were part of a

sidelined for the rest of the night.

that experience will wipe away any pregame jitters.

weren’t a championship-caliber team, Shalhevet wouldn’t

not be possible came on Schoology Wednesday afternoon,

determination helped them build on their lead. as she sank three of four foul shots in the closing minutes of the game. Sigal, watching from the sideline, described this as “the craziest game” she had ever played. streak. The girls mobbed Coach Flava and celebrated their ever.

Girls Championship on Saturday Night.” Reb Noam said the administration would try to bus the whole school to the game, as it did last year for the boys

where he was getting ready to escort the boys team to an round of games against Jewish schools in New York.