The Rampage The Newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School
New York • Volume 65 • Issue 2 • November 2020 • Cheshvan 5781 • the-rampage.org
Social Distancing at Ramaz
Ashley Behm ’24 and Sarah Silverman ’24 “Social distance!” These words surround Ramaz students everywhere they go and are the new normal. But what exactly does it mean? The CDC defines social distancing as, “keeping a safe space between yourself and other people who are not from your household.” Properly social distancing entails staying at least six feet away from others, and, most importantly, wearing a face covering that covers both your mouth and nose. This school year, the administration has taken serious measures to ensure social distancing
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throughout the school building. This includes requiring parents of students to fill out an at-home questionnaire before school on the Magnus App to ensure that one does not have coronavirus symptoms, and insisting that students and teachers must wear masks at all times unless eating or drinking. Desks in the building have been placed six feet apart from one another. The school has also been able to arrange for 78th street to be closed during school hours to accommodate eating lunch and spending more time outside. While all these measures can be effective, they only work if the students adhere to the protocols. After being apart from friends for almost six months, it is understandably hard to catch up while socially distanced. Students congregating in various parts of the building is a possible cause of the spread of the virus resulting in the two-week quarantine for the juniors and seniors. Students have also flocked to the third floor terrace and removed their masks, potentially allowing the virus to spread. As for outside of school, some students have tried very hard to stick to social distancing by opting out of events, gatherings, and mask-less meetings throughout the summer. On the other hand, there have been a handful of students not following safety measures, by attending parties without wearing a mask and playing close-contact sports, which are considered dangerous. Nurse Nechama said, “People congregating is the worst thing that could be done right now.” The administration’s response to positive
cases in the high school was to switch to remote learning for the first day and quarantine the juniors and seniors for two weeks. The high school also was addressed by Mr. Cannon, who urged the students to practice social distancing in and out of school. Numerous emails were sent advising families to practice social distancing over the holidays. Mr. Cannon, in an email to the Ramaz Community stated, “This year, we need to forego most of these interactions and activities and strictly observe the rules of masking, social distancing and staying within our close family unit. I know this is difficult, but you will be helping to reduce the spread of Covid-19, and most important, you will be saving lives.” When the freshmen and sophomores returned to school, mask-wearing outside and staying apart inside was strictly enforced. In addition, the two-week quarantine appeared to have scared students, as students became more wary of taking off their masks. Most Ramaz students and faculty want to return to the building full-time. The Ramaz community can achieve this by practicing social distancing and adhering to the proper health and safety protocols. Some students, however, feel that Ramaz is not doing enough to enforce the restrictions they created. “The school is doing the best they can, but I think they could improve their approach to keeping people separate,” Kira Gitelman ‘24 said. On an Continued on Page 3
Should Teachers’ Political Opinions be Censored? Charlotte Kleeger ’24
During the first week of school, the Ramaz students attended an assembly regarding the presidential election. While the students were quite vocal about their political opinions and showed their support with Biden masks and Trump flags, the faculty seemed to hold back. One may wonder how the teachers felt about the topic, and if they were even permitted to share those opinions with the students. This election in particular has been so polarizing, and it seems to have brought out the worst in people. When a political or religious controversy enters its way into Ramaz --be it in a conversation, a club, or a class-- can teachers share their thoughts with students, or, must they remain neutral? Evidently, there are pros and cons to allowing teachers to share their opinions. On one hand, students are young and impressionable. An educator’s thoughts on a subject could be perceived the wrong way, turning respectful discussions into disrespectful arguments. Teachers are in a powerful position, and students might be afraid to argue with the people who are writing their report cards and grading their tests. Alternatively, hearing what your teacher has to say provides an opportunity to learn new perspectives, have meaningful discussions, and possibly reveal what you think or add to it. Additionally, the students are young adults, not
children, and they their students. A small can form their discussion in school can own opinions. prepare students for larg Accorder life situations, as, both ing to Rabbi Stoin and outside of who chel, “We do not have different political have an estaband religious opinions lished policy. We than them. Most students don’t want the agree that it is important classroom to be a to recognize that political place where curand religious controverrent events, consies can be polarizing, but temporary moral it is equally if not as imissues, politics, portant to note that a civhistory, culture il conversation is the best are not addressed way to somewhat settle because we want things, even if it means our students to you continue to disagree. be exposed to What is most important multiple points is that one not only learns of view. There is a a different opinion, but also Yoav Shames ’21 and Ralph Nakash ’21 slight distinction how to have a respectful condon’t mask their political opinions. between religious versation. This is how stuopinions and political opinions. Religious opin- dents can grow. ions are more complicated because the school is “I think that as long as it is done approan Orthodox school.” Rabbi Stochel also added priately in the correct environment, teachers and that views contrary to the mission of the school students should be able to share their religious and could still be discussed. Students and teachers have varying opinContinued on Page 4 ions on how much teachers should be sharing with
Inside This Issue ... “Rise
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The Rampage
Rebecca Silber ’23
was behind most of the decision making and recommended against testing for a few reasons. First, he said that tests are “only good for that moment in time,” meaning that if a student tests negative on a Tuesday, the student could contract the virus on Wednesday or at any subsequent point following the last negative test. Second, a negative testing test could give people a false sense of security against the virus, and discourage the need for other safety precautions. And finally, while positive results will prevent some people from coming to school and potentially spreading Covid-19, the larger problem of ensuring the entire school stays healthy, remains unsolved. Instead of testing, the health committee for Ramaz recommended the Magnus App, which every student is now required to complete each morning before he or she enters the school building. While Ramaz did not require negative corona tests before returning to school, there is still a question about whether the school should implement surveillance, meaning randomized testing. According to Rabbi Stochel, the administration is still exploring that possibility, and will readdress the matter in the future. However, no further changes in the school’s testing policy seem to have been made yet.
Many students feel that the school should have taken extra precaution by testing, and some agree with the school that testing would have had no positive effects. A poll sent out to all four grades holds that 60% of students think that Ramaz should require students to test for Covid-19 in order to attend in-person learning, while the other 40% do not. Regarding the senior and junior grades having to learn from home for the crucial first two weeks of school due to multiple Covid cases, Emily Rosenfeld’ 22 said, “If the school tested before the students entered the building, they probably would have caught some positive cases and that therefore would have limited our exposure to the virus.” On the other hand, Caleb Rosenfeld ’22 argued, “Covid testing only captures that one moment in time and who knows if a particular student would be exposed to the virus after their negative test. It would ultimately give students a false sense of security.” Emily also voiced her opinion on the possibility of having frequent surveillance testing. She believes, “[Random testing] would make students and parents more cautious, as they would fear not being able to attend school if their results came back positive.” Fighting Covid-19 requires a multi-layered defense. Although the school chose not to require students to have a negative test before reentering the building, many students do believe that it is a valuable tool to utilize in order to help keep the Ramaz community safe.
To Test or Not to Test With the reopening of schools for the 20202021 academic year, many schools who have opted for in-person learning find themselves conflicted with the following question: to test or not to test for Covid-19? A large number of Jewish high schools, including Frisch and HAFTR, chose to test students and faculty prior to the reopening of school in September. Fortune 500 companies, like Amazon and Apple, continually screen employees for corona in order to ensure maximum safety measures. New York City public schools conduct random surveillance testing on a percentage of their population when the school buildings are open. However, other institutions decided not to require a negative Covid-19 test from students and faculty before opening their doors. Ra- maz is in the latter category. The real question is: What ultimately drew the administration to this decision, and how does the student body feel about it? Rabbi Stochel provided much insight into the rationale behind the school’s decision not to test. According to him, the school’s health committee
November 2020/ Cheshvan 5781
Investigating the Air Ventilation at Ramaz Sarah Silverman ’24
One aspect of the safety precautions that many students overlook, is the importance of air ventilation. With mask-wearing, social distancing, contact tracing, and a whole laundry list of rules, we had to adopt in the last seven months, air cleaning units don’t get the same attention. In reality, they are very important. According to the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health, healthy air circulation is central to the effectiveness of other safety precautions. A reopening guidebook by Harvard stated that “this long-range airborne virus can infect even people who haven’t had close contact with the infectious person if they inhale a sufficient amount of virus.
Filtration in school buildings can help mitigate long-range airborne viral transmission by removing SARS- CoV-2 from any air that is recirculated through the building.” Coronavirus can linger in the air for hours at a time and the only true way to eradicate its presence is to clean the ventilation system. Ramaz has acquired several purifier machines called HEPA air scrubbers, that dispel the virus. Nurse Nechama said that the HEPA filter “is very good at filtering out tiny particles like viruses and bacteria. If I need it in the isolation room for students who have symptoms of Covid in school, we can quickly try to clean the air thoroughly.” This machine is one of the best on the market and immensely helps in the fight against Covid.
HEPA air scrubbers are used if a student in the building has Covid symptoms.
Behind the Scenes: The Ramaz Open House
Alexa Gribetz ’23 and Eliana Davidson ’23 This year’s open house was like none ever before. The Open House is an exciting event for prospective students to learn more about Ramaz. The Open House allows students, both who come from Ramaz Middle School and students from other schools, to meet each other and experience all of the aspects that make Ramaz so special. Current freshman, Jordana Stonehill ’24, said, “I had a really fun time! I got to meet some of the new kids, and experience what the High School is like and how it works.” The night is filled with brilliant performances and
captivating student speakers, and blended typical Open House traditions with new ones to accommodate the current climate. This year the Open House took place virtually, on a Zoom webinar, unlike previous years where it was held in the Upper School. Ms. Aviva Lieber, Assistant Director of Admissions said, “There’s too much room for error with an interactive Zoom with so many people.” Like years prior, the Open House included several student speakers to create as much student interaction as possible. Shara Lipson, Director of Upper School Admissions explained, “In our [admissions officers’] minds nothing sells our school more than our students and our faculty. It is the classes and the kids interacting. All of the other stuff we do is amazing, but those are the things that are special for Ramaz.” In order to accommodate the new reality of the Open House, Ms. Lieber and Ms. Lipson created a new program suit to this event. In the week following the Open House, there were week-long “panorama sessions”, sessions consisting of various classes that incoming students opted to attend. Everybody had the opportunity to sign up
for whatever they were interested in. Although it seems like a virtual Open House only poses negative changes, there are advantages to having this event on Zoom. Zoom has effectively no space constraints, so capacity was unlimited, allowing the Open House to include both current Ramaz Middle School students, in addition to prospective students from other middle schools. Another change made this year is that students are now able to participate in the Q&A session, an event which had only been available to parents in the past. Current freshman, Evie Rosenfeld ’24 stated, “Some advice I would give to incoming freshmen next year would be not to stress about things like the social aspect. You’ll obviously make friends; the people and your peers are going to be so accepting and warm to you.” Although it may be more difficult for prospective students to experience all Ramaz has to offer, there is hope that the webinar was successful in giving them a sense of what being a Ramaz High School Alexa Gribetz ’23 hosted student is like.
the open house after party.
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781
The Rampage Raise the Bar Ramaz Upper School
The Rampage
New York • Volume 65 • Issue 2 • November 2020 • the-rampage.org
FACULTY ADVISOR Dr. Milowitz EDITORS-IN-CHEIF Caitlin Levine ’21 Rebecca Massel ’21 Gabby Ostad ’21 Samantha Sinensky ’21 LAYOUT EDITORS Julia Feit ’22 Rachel Freilich ’22 Sarah Ginsberg ’22 PUZZLES & MEME EDITOR Isaac Silverman ’21 PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Tammy Palagi ’21 SENIOR WRITERS Charles Spielfogel ’21 William Kremer ’21 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rachel Abelson ’24 Raymond Ashkenazie ’24 Ashley Behm ’24 Ethan Davidovitch ’22 Eliana Davidson ’23 Sydney Eisenstein ’22 Julia Feit ’22 Rachel Freilich ’22 Sarah Ginsberg ’22 Alexa Gribetz ’23 Molly Hiltzik ’24 Nicole Hirschkorn ’22 Daniel Kalimi ’23 Eric Kalimi ’22 Rebecca Kalimi ’23 Joe Kaplan ’24 Charlotte Kleeger ’24 Clementine Roth ’22 Jake Rubin ’22 Joyce Salame ’23 Rebecca Silber ’23 Isaac Silverman ’21 Sarah Silverman ’24 Raffi Sobel ’22 Andrew Spielfogel ’23 Hannah Tambor ’23 Yitzhak Tucker ’23 Moriel Weitzner ’24 Noam Woldenberg ’22 Aaron Zanger ’21 The Rampage is the student newspaper of the Ramaz Upper School. It is published on a monthly basis. Letters to the editors may be submitted to rampage@ramaz.org. Letters must be signed and may be edited to conform to The Rampage style and format.
Nicole Hirschkorn ’22 Every year, the Ramaz administration chooses an appropriate and meaningful theme to represent the school-year. In 2018, “Menschlichkeit” symbolized the values of the school; in 2019, “See Different” embodied the ideas of the Ramaz community, in more ways than we initially intended. This year, “Rise Together” was chosen as the theme to represent our much-needed support for each other during the Covid-19 pandemic. While this message is significant during these strange times, some students wonder how “Rise Together” will translate in their day-to-day actions. “I think this year’s theme is really needed now more than ever,” said Aviva Lehman ’22. “As a community, we rely on each other for strength and support. But I’m not sure how ‘Rise Together’ will really affect our daily lives.” To answer this question, The Rampage interviewed Mr. Jonathan Canon, Head of School, who explained the meaning behind the catchphrase: “I truly believe that our students can connect to
‘Rise Together’ in myriad creative ways: they can find opportunities to learn Torah together, perform acts of chesed (a challah bake -dough literally rises), and create communal events (engaging club activities).” He elaborated, “The upward movement of “rise” signifies that we are emerging from something (most obviously, the pandemic), but the “together” reminds us that only when we are united, will we be able to overcome our challenges.” Mr. Cannon went on to describe the ways Ramaz students actually take action and “Rise Together.” “I’ve already witnessed our students rise to the occasion in unprecedented ways. They’ve mobilized chesed opportunities (delivered food to first responders), used the time to creatively lift each other’s spirits (the Minecraft design of our building comes immediately to mind), advocated for those who were unjustly treated, and prayed for those who were ill (tehillim).” And indeed, Ramaz students have already risen together in ways that were inconceivable before the Covid-19 pandemic changed the world. Many students agree that we have and will rise together during these unimaginable times. The Ramaz G.O. strives to implement this theme into the daily lives of the student body. G.O. President Caitlin Levine
September Sports Season Daniel Kalimi ‘23
For some more than others, sports play a big part in The opinions expressed in The the Ramaz Upper School experience. This year, however, there was a big question of whether there will be any sports because of Covid. The rapid spreading of the disease raises concerns about the safety of playing contact sports and sitting in large, dense crowds. The Rampage interviewed a few students to get their opinions on if and when they thought the sports season would happen. Noah Libin ’23, a player on last year’s JV basketball team, said that he doesn’t know what will happen but assumes there will be no sports until at least the second semester. He said that the students on JV basketball weren’t
Ben Rimm ’23 and Solly Taragin ’23 shooting hoops on the roof.
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’21 said, “As president, I want to infuse a positive spirit amongst the students so together we will all rise to new heights of happiness and enjoyment. I will look out for the things that need fixing and work hard to improve the Ramaz experience as best as I can.” Caleb Rosenfeld ’22, G.O. Vice President, explained how he will embrace the slogan, “As Vice President, I am excited to make school as amazing as possible. Obviously, this school year is different from others but I look forward to working with the administration and the rest of the GO to utilize what we have, like Central Park, to help us rise together and
The G.O. embraced “Rise Together” by initiating a socially-distant lounges. have the best year ever!” Both the Ramaz G.O. and administration are clearly committed to making the best of our unique situation in 2020, and ensuring that all of us truly “Rise Together.” As students, it is imperative to continue to support and strengthen one another in a time where the future is shrouded in mystery.
given any information on the plans this year regarding the team. Cy Aminzadeh ’22, a member of last year’s varsity basketball team, said, “It sounds like there will definitely be no basketball, but it’s been overall pretty vague.” Another student, Eric Kalimi ’22, a cross-country member and volleyball member, said, “Nope, no information yet from either team. I think it would be great for all of us if the leagues try to continue with the low contact sports while still following all the protocols.” Despite students’ skepticism, Ms. Cohen initiated a plan to help resume non-contact sports, such as basketball, hockey, and table tennis. Students are able to sign up for weekly training sessions. Although this is a great step, students are hoping that by the second semester they will be able to compete in games against other schools.
Covid Protocols at Ramaz is not clear that this process is being followed by all. It is entirely understandable that students don’t like being in stuffy ordinary school day it rooms all day, wearing sufRamaz said that desks would be is possible to see large focating masks, and not sanitized after each class; it is not groupings of kids not sobeing able to hear ourselves cially distanced. Elevators and the teachers, and it is clear that this process is being folare meant to be occupied understandable that over lowed by all. by a maximum of two time people will get complapeople, but have been obcent about following every served with more than two people. When announc- protocol. Yet, there are only two options: in-person ing school safety precautions in the summer, Ramaz learning or Zoom learning, and it is widely agreed said that desks would be sanitized after each class; it that the former is preferable. Many students are willContinued From Page 1
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ing to do whatever it takes to have a chance to leave the house again. Liam Gomberg ’24 said, “I don’t care about how many safety procedures there are, as long as I get to go to school and actually see my friends.” Ramaz has come up with some new and innovative ways to get students outside and having fun, while still adhering to safety procedures. While it is clear that Ramaz is working hard to make this year the safest and most enjoyable it can be, it takes everyone to make certain that this is accomplished.
News 4
Chesed Doesn’t Quarantine
The Rampage
Andrew Spielfogel ’23
Yachad and Friendship Circle activities are now held virtually on Zoom, and students who nor Every Ramaz student understands the hard mally would visit the elderly in hospitals, can make work Ms. Benel put into chesed programming, phone calls and get-well cards. ensuring many opportunities for participation. Students are eager to continue the work The Midnight Run, sandwich packing, donating they have done in the past. Jordan Mittler ’22 said that, “since big trips won’t end up happening this year, there are many ways to engage in chesed virtually. We can take advantage of the period we are in now, where chesed is more needed than ever.” Jordan and other students visited the local fire station on 85th street this past September 11, where firefighters belonging to that station were killed on 9/11, 19 years earlier. This is one example of students voluntarily performing The JDC Club continues their chesed activities over Zoom. acts of chesed outside school supplies, visiting local firefighters on 9/11, the classroom, while staying safe and adhering to and challah baking are popular service projects at Covid-19 protocols. Ramaz that Ms. Benel introduced. However, due While chesed opportunities may seem to the protocols of keeping distance in the build- limited this year, the chesed leaders are striving to ing and Ms. Benel’s retirement, students wonder make it as accessible as possible. In addition to the what is being done to continue chesed at Ramaz, many community service orientated clubs at Rasophomore chesed hours, and ultimately what will maz, representatives of these clubs will also meet as work differently. Ms. Senders and Dr. Block, the part of a larger group in the newly created Chesed new leaders spearheading chesed at Ramaz, are Committee. The aim of this committee is to make currently working to find solutions to these prob- students more aware of the community service oplems while carrying on the legacy that Ms. Benel portunities in an organized manner. This Chesed introduced! They are committed to continuing, Committee will work as “a consolidation of all of and growing, chesed programming at Ramaz. our different chesed initiatives...It will function Many events that Ramaz typically plans kind of like SFAC in the sense that there are group unfortunately can’t be held in-person this year. Ms. members who will meet at least once a month to Senders said that “even though our circumstances review what we are accomplishing in terms of the make it very challenging, chesed is more important different chesed opportunities,” said Ms. Senders. than ever, as people need that connection and help. The hope is that new students will join consistently We feel that it’s a critical part of students’ education and offer their own ideas and solutions. While this and [helpful] for the groups that we serve.” Chesed committee was formed as a direct response to the initiatives during the pandemic are still possible: pandemic, this structure will remain permanent
Teachers Have Political Opinions Too Continued From Page 1
only a good thing--as long as they stop short of proselytizing.” political opinions,” said Jordan Mittler ’22. Mittler At Ramaz, one area where this could be proposed that it is best for teachers to share their problematic is the topic of religion. As a Modopinions in a way that is not criticizing someone ern Orthodox school, Ramaz values the Torah else’s point of view, rather respectfully debating and the principles of Judaism and Zionism. If a a specific topic. In addition, the correct environ- teacher did not agree with these morals and was ment for these conversations is during a class to offer their opinion to students, what exactly discussion or during would that mean? Rabbi an after school club Albo believes, “Religious Teachers should share their “I think that teachteachers, in a religious ers should be able institution, are expected religious and political opinto share them, but... to teach about religion. ions--assuming those opinions If there is something they shouldn’t force an opinion upon stuhappening in the politiare germane to the subject. dents…. [rather] they cal sphere or in current should encourage events that intersects - Dr. Gaylord students to form their with religion, then it is own opinions,” said appropriate for a discusAvital Sarao ’24. sion within that facet. I Dr. Gaylord said, “Teachers should share stay away from politics and feel that all teachers their religious and political opinions--assuming should in their classrooms.” Rabbi Albo also adthose opinions are germane to the subject at hand. vised that even history teachers should not share Education thrives on diversity of opinion. The best political opinions, as they are not political science kind of education is one that exposes students to teachers or news anchors. However, he added that a whole range of ideas, beliefs, philosophies, and Ramaz can choose to have events that involve poperspectives. Real education dies when it becomes litical discussions. insular and afraid of outside ideas. So I believe that Like the rest of society, Ramaz is divided teachers sharing their opinions on big life issues is during this time. Political differences have infil-
November 2020/ Cheshvan 5781
for chesed at Ramaz. The chesed requirement for sophomores is being amended as well. Of course, it is more challenging to complete the required two service days and ten hours of chesed for each semester. In fact, the sophomore chesed requirement didn’t even end up happening last semester! The service days are for participating in larger events such as the annual Friendship Circle walk or delivering a Rosh Hashanah care package to the elderly with the organization, Dorot. The ten hours can be fulfilled with activities such as sandwich packing or challah baking. “You can complete chesed hours by doing [almost] anything…[The requirement] is not so hardcore or strict. [Last year], mostly all kids completed it,” said Mittler. According to Ms. Senders, the future of the sophomore chesed hours is still unknown. More importantly however, Ramaz believes that students of all grades should be involved in chesed in some way, even though the requirement pertains to sophomores. Through the new Chesed Committee, and ongoing acts of chesed done in and outside the classroom, it is clear that Dr. Block and Ms. Senders are determined to create opportunities for students to accomplish acts of kindness! They are ultimately grateful for continuing Ms. Benel’s legacy of implementing chesed for the students, and are dedicated to making it happen!
Yachad Thanksgiving Trivia Night
trated every facet of students’ lives - the streets, social media, retail stores, and even families. However, regardless of these differences, it is important to be able to have a civil conversation. People will not always agree, but they must agree to gracious-
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Brayden Serphos ’22 and Emmet Ades ’22 expressing their political views. ly disagree. There are many different ways to look at the topic of teachers sharing their religious and political opinions. It is possible that these conversations could help both teachers and students understand the opposing opinion, or it could erupt into a hectic argument.
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781
The Rampage
Putting a Face on Your Student Government Position: President Objective: I plan to work my hardest to restore our school to the best version of itself despite the current pandemic. Caitlin Levine ’21
Position: Vice President Objective: I want to make our school as fun and as painless as possible by planning exciting excursions to make this year the best one yet.
d ’22
senfel Caleb Ro
Position: Associate Vice President of Student Life Objective: I plan to enhance the student experience creatively given these strange times. Izzie Ottenso sser ’22
Position: Associate Vice President of Operations Objective: I hope to create chair subcommittees so that more students can get involved in student government.
ad ’21 Gabby Os t
Position: Associate Vice President of Communications
Rachel Freilic h ’22
Objective: I hope to be the bridge between the G.O. and the students to make sure that everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinions and suggestions!
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The Rampage
November 2020/ Cheshvan 5781
Mental Health During a Pandemic Sydney Eisenstein ’22 The pandemic has forced high school students to experience unforeseen challenges. A new school year typically causes anxiety, as students must adjust to new teachers and new classes with different classmates. However, Covid-19 has brought on additional abnormalities and has led many people wondering how students will obtain mental support. The virtual school system has caused some students to feel a sense of loss, as they are more isolated than they have been in previous school year due to a lack of socialization with students and faculty. A poll sent out to 65 Ramaz students showed that 40% of students have been in low spirits lately. Other students are coping well and are not feeling down. High school students are not the only ones feeling down during this time, many adults are in low spirits too. Dr. Zeitchik pointed out, “Kids do not exist in a vacuum. If families, faculty, or friends understandably feel stressed, kids will feel stressed. I do not want to make generalizations about how every student is feeling, but I do think there is an element of stress for kids which did not exist before Covid.” Teachers are working hard to help their students during this challenging time, and students have expressed that teachers have been sensitive to their feelings. The same poll showed that 72% of students noted that their teachers have been asking them how they are doing during Zoom classes. Ms. Senders worries about her students’ “opportunities for socialization.” She noted that “given that we have such strict social distancing procedures in school and we really don’t have a lot of chances for students to just hang out, I’ve noticed that it’s not as easy for some of our 9th graders and transfer students to acclimate and meet people. If students aren’t given the opportunity to mesh together, and younger students miss out on that important bonding time with upperclassmen, that could also have a significant effect on mental health and just positive feelings about school in general.” In addition, the Guidance Department has been working on ways to reach out to students and their families. Before the school year started, the guidance department sent a survey to parents asking them how their children are dealing with their situations. Over 200 parents responded to the survey, which demonstrates that the guidance counselors’ efforts of communicating with families have been effective and a helpful resource to many. Ramaz is paying proper attention to students’ mental health in a genuine way. While interactions during online school are more scripted, formal, and goal-oriented, there is still support available for students. A main aspect that contributes to students’ negative thoughts about Covid stems from the fact that Covid has been going on for many months. Dr. Zeitchik noted, “People feel worn
down from Covid and social distancing because this situation has gone on for many months. Even if people have adapted to Covid protocols and are used to social distancing, people do not feel a sense that there is an end in near sight. I think it is really difficult for people to be unsure of how long Covid will last.” When asked about his impression of his students’ mental health, science teacher Mr. Klotz said that he noticed a definite difference in his students’ demeanor when we switched to online classes last year. Mr. Klotz said, “I noticed many students were participating less in Zoom classes, and heard from quite a number of parents about how their kids were feeling down about the whole situation.” Further, Dr. Zeitchik has noticed that Covid has made it fundamentally difficult for some students to learn. The pandemic can be distracting and make it difficult to focus on other aspects of life like school. Ms. Senders observed that a big difference between pre-Covid times and Covid learning is that she is “seeing some students become a lot more withdrawn over Zoom or with masks in the classroom.” Ms. Senders said, “I wonder what will happen to a generation of high schoolers who could potentially lose their sense of comfort, as well as their interest, in being really present and involved in their learning. For a teacher like me, who really thrives off the energy and dynamism of the classroom, it’s somewhat disheartening to really struggle with getting students motivated to chime in or feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.” In addition to difficulties regarding learning, there is a significant correlation between mental and physical health. School nurse, Nurse Nechama said, “Mental pressures will always make a person more susceptible to physical difficulties. It is not uncommon for these mental pressures to cause symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, etc.” The hybrid model of learning at Ramaz has created an unexpected normal. Some students make effortless transitions from in-person to virtual school, and find it easy to juggle the two types of learning. Other students find the inconsistency difficult to manage. Nurse Nechama said, “It is an aspect of human nature that consistency in a person’s life promotes stability and productivity. The reverse also holds true. Inconsistency will cause anxiety and unnecessary frustration.” Nev-
Belated “Banner Year” On November 17, Ramaz held a belated banner reveal marking the achievements of two sports teams for being named champions - the 2019 Boys Varsity Volleyball Team and the 2019-2020 Boys Varsity Hockey Team. GO RAMS!! Watch The Rampage’s Broadcast of the celebration with an exclusive interview with Assistant Captain Jeremy Baruch ’21 at: www.the-rampage.org
Tests are only administered in-person, only contributing to students’ anxiety. ertheless, people are adaptable and can acclimate themselves pretty quickly. Students who are struggling have access to many support systems. Nurse Nechama noted that “we don’t have to allow the physical distancing that protects us from Covid-19 to isolate us from the social support systems that help us cope.” Dr. Zeitchik offered some advice to students on how to stay positive amidst Covid. Not every student feels down during this time, but Dr. Zeitchik said that the students who are really struggling during this time have to figure out who they can trust to get support. There is an important distinction between feeling stressed about individual events, and constantly feeling distressed to a point where it interferes with other aspects of your life. Dr. Zeitchik described a presentation Rabbi Steinmetz gave to the freshmen as “psychologically astute”. “The takeaway of the presentation was to look inwards and reflect on the things in life that are meaningful to you and then engage those significant relationships or activities. I would say that being in a mode of isolation makes most people very unhappy. We should make an effort to talk to the people who understand and support us, and to gravitate towards the things that we deeply care about.” In addition, Dr. Zeitchik thinks it is important for adults to encourage children to do the things they love (of course, in a socially distanced way).
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The Rampage
News 7
Ramaz Helps Freshmen Acclimate Despite the Unprecedented Times Rebecca Kalimi ’23
Neither grade began the school year the way they had in prior years. The challenges of Covid-19 posed unique challenges for the class of 2024. The freshmen had to learn how to acclimate to the ways of high school during the pandemic. While the administration is working hard to make the student experience more normal, they have to work extra hard to make sure the freshmen have a smooth transition to a new school. Dr. Aharon, the freshmen grade dean, has Ramaz initiated the NYC Scavenger Hunt to been at the center of this effort to help freshmen adapt to help freshmen socialize. their first year of high school. program to ensure that the incoming grade would Dr. Aharon mentioned that this year freshman advisors met with the freshmens’ feel comfortable, supported, and inspired, despite parents earlier in the summer to build connec- the restrictions of the pandemic. Dr. Aharon also tions, especially considering the special conditions mentioned that the freshmen have a large support this year. Dr. Aharon and Rabbi Dov, the director team including their faculty advisers, senior adof student activities for the Upper School, planned visers, guidance department, teachers, Rabbi Dov, a multitude of virtual activities during freshmen and, of course, herself. Most importantly, she notorientation week to provide a space for them to so- ed that students in the upper grades also helped cialize and to “bring them into the larger Ramaz to welcome the freshmen by encouraging them to community” said Dr. Aharon. She and Rabbi Dov join numerous clubs and get them excited about also tried to reexamine the freshmen orientation high school. Simone Shatzkes ‘24, a freshman from Great Neck from North Shore middle school, said
that although this is a huge transition, the teachers and senior advisors have been extremely helpful in making her feel comfortable in school. Shatzkes added, “I wish things could be normal, but I know that there is nothing that anyone could do.” During the senior advisor training sessions, senior advisers were briefed on the diverse circumstances this year and were taught to make extra effort to connect with the freshmen, even over Zoom. Michal Seinfeld ’21 who was a senior advisor this year said, “I feel that input from a student on school and student life is a completely different perspective than from teachers”. Seinfeld added that the transition from middle school to high school can be difficult and that she wanted to be there to help ease the transition for the incoming freshmen. Seinfeld found the sessions that Dr. Aharon, Rabbi Dov, and Ms. Bernfeld held to be helpful, but felt that Zoom did pose a barrier to casual interactions since people had the ability to mute themselves and turn their cameras off Dr. Aharon also noted that this year’s theme, “Rise Together”, speaks to freshmen resiliency, and determination to move forward. “When the Class of 2020 graduated in June, it left us at 75%. Now that the freshmen have joined us, we are complete and truly have the full force to “Rise Up”.”
Parents Council’s New Covid Lunch Program Aviva Schilowitz ’24 If Charles de Gaulle really asked, “How can you govern a country that has 246 varieties of cheese?” then he would probably have sympathy for Ramaz administrators, considering all
the lunch options students have this year. Ramaz announced over the summer that it could not provide its usual lunch program this school year because of Covid restrictions. In response, the Parents Council stepped in to offer a substitute lunch program and fill an important need for both parents and students. The new lunch program allows students to choose lunch packages from surrounding restaurants and caterers. Lunches are provided by Eighteen Restaurant, Mazza and More, Olive Tree Catering, Park East Kosher Butchers, and Zami Caterers, depending on the day of the week. To receive lunch, students or parents must place an order online at least three days beforehand, with most options priced between
$8-$10. The food is then delivered to school pre-packaged for each student. Upper School students’ opinions about the lunch program are thus far generally positive. The variety of options to choose from has been particularly appreciated. Grace Cohen ’24 said, “[While] there are so many great nutritious options to choose from,” students are still “getting used to their options.” Students are split on their favorite lunch order. The sushi was singled out as a favorite by several students, including Evie Rosenfeld ’24. “Monday is my favorite because I like the kale salad but I also like Friday because I like sushi,” she said. The program has not been without growing pains. The Parents Council reported, “The biggest challenge has been ensuring accurate delivery and for that, we are so appreciative of so many parent volunteers as well as our liaisons in each division and Casey Talmas, who have donated their time to ensure that the lunch program is successful.”
One improvement Upper School students would like to see is more flexibility. Claire Landy ’24 said, “The [one] negative part of this program is I don’t know what I am going to be in the mood for in advance.” She would like the ability to choose her lunch the same day she will eat it. The Parents Council says it is aware of this issue but feels that they are not set up to offer same-day ordering at the moment. According to the Parents Council, students and parents can expect tweaks and improvements to the lunch program as the year progresses. “We feel it’s going well and are constantly trying to learn from our mistakes and improve. For instance, for some vendors, we offer too many options and we will be streamlining menus for December. We also recognize that the Lower School food choices should not be identical to what we offer in the Upper School and the December run will reflect that.”
Features 8
The Rampage
Features
Parents’ Review: The Ramaz Hybrid System Rachel Abelson ’24
Every morning, Ramaz parents fill out the Magnus App, choose to send their children to school amidst a pandemic, and work hard to ensure their safety. The parents work tirelessly to weigh the health risks of sending their children to school versus the value placed on education. Most parents feel that the school has created effective protocols and are comfortable sending their children to school. Parent of a senior, and upper school teacher, Ms. Newman said, “[The administration] worked hard all summer to make the building as safe as possible …. Nazario Alicea (“Cito”) and his team have been doing an amazing job at keeping the building clean and wiping everything down.” Mr. Henken, a parent to a ninth-grader and music teacher, explained how he balances the costs and benefits of in-person learning. He commented, “Could the school do more in theory? Sure it could! But, I think there is also a value to in-person learning.” Dr. Naama Weinstock, parent of four, in-
cluding two highschoolers, recognized the different challenges the school faces each day and thinks, “It’s great that the school is allowing anyone who still feels uncomfortable to be able to join school via zoom.” Ms. Newman believes that it might be safer to only allow one grade in at a time. She said, “Maybe until we’ve got a handle on how it’s all playing out [only] one grade per day [should be in the building].” Although teachers and faculty are constantly reminding students to social distance, they tend to forget or ignore the warnings. Ms. Newman raised some concerns when it comes to teenagers following the rules set in place. “The problem is that a lot of people, particularly teenagers in high school and college, don’t follow rules to the letter. [For example,] we saw little mini-clusters of students in the junior and senior grades.” One parent to a ninth-grader commented, “I don’t believe that students are social distancing enough. I think that sometimes they don’t understand what social distancing means. It comes down to the responsibility of the parents to educate their child on knowing
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how to social distance.” Dr. Weinstock mentioned that if a student gets corona, parents need to know the name of the student to ensure that their children have not been around the infected student. The school requires every person in the building to wear a mask with two or more layers, and everyone must wear their mask correctly at all times. Parents of the Ramaz community have mixed feelings about the mask policy. A parent of a freshman commented, “I don’t believe that two-layer masks are enough. I have seen the mask that Ramaz has given. They were thoughtful, but too thin, so it does not meet my parental standards.” On the other hand, Ms. Newman said, “I think that it’s hard to ask people to do more than [wear a mask with two layers]. It’s hard to breathe.” Even if some parents do not like the school’s policy, students can still take precautions to make some parents feel more comfortable, like wearing masks properly all day (including during lunch and breaks) and social distancing from others to prevent the spread of Covid.
Continued on page 13
Why Can’t Students Campaign On Their Own for G.O.? Ethan Davidovitch ’22
Although students enjoy the process of voting for class president and student government, or as Ramaz students know it as, the G.O., there is not much of a platform to base a vote on. Rather, students running for position face strict guidelines concerning how they may campaign. This year’s G.O. handbook states that any candidate who does one of the following is subject to disqualification: spending money on campaigning, posting on social media, printing flyers/posters, or any other means of campaigning unapproved by the G.O supervisor. In fact, the only way students were allowed to campaign during this year’s elections was through an essay or video released to all voters for the primary elections at the same time as their competitors’. Thus, no independent campaigning was allowed. Rabbi Dov Pianko, who is the G.O. supervisor and in charge of all elections, said that changing the rules never crossed his mind. Simply, as Rabbi Pianko put it, “in my eight years, [of working at Ramaz], no one’s ever asked about the campaign process for students or to reevaluate the process.” According to Rabbi Pianko, when he came to Ramaz and took control of the elections, the handbook was a mess and included very little information regarding the election process. So, after consolidating all the information that was there, the idea was never revisited. The people best in position to make changes to the campaign rules, the G.O., have never had it on their minds because they have won their respective elections. It is no concern to an election winner as to how the election system works if they are already elected. And since the election rules are obviously determined before anyone is elected, students do not feel like they are in any position to change them then. The only update to the list of campaign nono’s is flyers, which were added to the list after the 2017/2018 school year. Rabbi Pianko cited reasons such as inappropriate posters or lack of enthusiasm around them as the reason for their dismissal. He also questioned posters’ effectiveness, because, as of the 2017/2018 school year, Schoology had already become the main form of communication for the school. And even before that, social media sites like Facebook had taken the Ramaz student
body by storm. Rabbi Pianko made clear that the current rules were created long before Schoology was implemented into Ramaz and before Snapchat and Instagram existed, the two most prevalent social media platforms among Ramaz students. Additionally, Rabbi Pianko pointed out that clubs have used flyers and posters in the past, but that too was overtaken by the convenience and practicality of Schoology. Students running for positions in government have expressed their disapproval of the current system. “I did not feel like I was able to campaign enough because there were a lot of confusing rules
“I didn’t understand why I
wasn’t allowed to post on my social media to promote my campaign.
”
and I did not want to risk being disqualified,” said EJ Singer ’22, who ran for Associate Vice President of Communications and lost. “I wish there were less rules so people running could express why the students running should vote for them before the assembly speeches.” Julia Feit ’22 ran for class president of the Junior grade this September and won. “I didn’t understand why I wasn’t allowed to post on my social media to promote m y campaign,” s h e said. “I did text people right before voting which
proved to be effective.” To put the latter statement into context, though, it is objectively harder to reach out to as many students as possible in the entire student body than to do so in a single grade. One of the campaign rules that Rabbi Pianko said will not change is not allowing students to spend money. He said that spending money for campaigns inevitably leads to competing students trying to one-up the other in order to secure as many votes as possible, (and there have been many instances which show this). Rabbi Pianko also said that the spending issue is one reason why campaign rules have been a neglected topic. “For a few years, things got out of hand, and instead of thinking of better guidelines so [campaigning] would be fairer, it was easier to remove the problems without real analysis.” Since those few years, no one has asked the question, or at least asked it loudly enough, about why students cannot campaign. Because of that, there has been no initiative to change. Going forward, Rabbi Pianko is happy to hear arguments for change. “I think the current campaign process needs to be reevaluated,” he said. “I’m very much open to suggestions from G.O. members and non-G.O. members alike about what we can do to make it better.” A committee of students have made it their mission to reevaluate the rules of campaigning for future years and hope to use student feedback to reform the campaign guidelines.
Cartoon by Raffi Sobel ’23
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781
The Rampage
Features 9
Chemistry and the New Testing System: A Successful Bond? Eric Kalimi ’22
Last year, the science department decided that sophomores taking chemistry would no longer have conventional tests, but instead have a standard-based learning system, which grades students based on their mastery of a skill. The science department made this decision primarily because they hoped to reduce the students’ stress the week before a test while allowing students to more easily organize their strengths and weaknesses in specific topics in the curriculum. The administration was excited by the idea of creating a new method to evaluate students. After a year of implementing this system with the class of 2022, students can now ask teachers to reflect on this system and share how they will revise the system for the upcoming years. After a year of using the system, science teachers found grading many short quizzes easier than grading tests, but they had difficulty scheduling and creating makeups. Since students requested to retake so many different weekly quizzes, it became very difficult to schedule makeup quizzes if students wanted to retry a standard; however, teachers decided to keep the makeup quizzes. Rabbi Blaustein explained that make-ups are important because they more accurately reflect life, in that one can initially fail at something but one can always learn it later to make up for it. Although tedious for the teachers, make-
up quizzes created an incentive for students who are struggling in a specific topic to master that topic even after the quiz.
Students learning virtually in the science lab. Ms. Brachot and the science department believe that the new system decreased the stress level of the students. The lack of regular tests covering months of material eliminated the anxiety students experience while trying to cram before the exam. The quizzes also allow for greater organization of the material in students’ brains; each skill is graded in its
own category called a standard instead of grouping it with many others in a test. Although Ms. Brachot is unsure how the overall grades compared, Rabbi Blaustein said students feel that the class of 2022 did significantly better than the class of 2021 because of the new grading system, another indication that students are less stressed about chemistry. After last year’s success, the new sophomores, the class of 2023, will also use the quiz system. In terms of safety for the coronavirus, students will take both online and in-person quizzes to help minimize the number of papers passing between the teachers and students. Before school closed, the chemistry teachers held a town hall meeting to discuss students’ opinions about the new system to help improve it. Dr. Rotenberg says he made the decision to be more lenient in terms of grading because of what students said at the meeting. The science department seems open to constructive criticism for the new testing model despite its apparent success. Ms. Brachot mentioned the possibility of implementing this testing method in physics classes as well. She says the science department would at least like to see a full year of the new system in action before deciding to implement it in other science courses. Given last year’s success, it seems that tests will be a thing of the past in the science department.
Alma Matters From Ramaz to UChicago: Interview with Adie Present ’16 Charles Spielfogel ’22 another version of CS: Why did you choose UChicago? AP: I chose to attend UChicago because I was really attracted to the liberal arts environment where I would be challenged to pursue courses in my areas of interest and comfort zone while also being exposed to its reputable core curriculum. I wanted to leave New York and experience a university that exposed me to a new city, while also giving me the fabled “campus life” experience. Lastly, the size of the Jewish community seemed ideal to fulfill my desire to be a part of a Jewish community, while also meeting new people and making new friends. CS: What is your major and why? AP: I am majoring in economics and minoring in computer science. I initially chose to study econ because I did not want to pass up the opportunity to study econ at a university known for their economics department. In reality, though, I have always had a proclivity for quantitative courses and was drawn to the more tangible practices of economics as opposed to the theoretical. I challenged myself to pursue the CS degree to challenge myself with new practical skills that would allow me to pursue a career in my specific area of interest. CS: What is the Jewish Community like at UChicago? AP: The Jewish community at UChicago is growing at a very fast pace and I have had the opportunity to watch it develop over these past four years. As the community has grown, we still managed to stay a very close-knit community; everyone knows one another and we often have full community events. While the community has always been particularly close, everyone engages with the larger campus community and other friendships throughout the week as well. CS: Could you tell us a little bit about the different Jewish programs on campus?
AP: While UChicago has many Jewish programs rooted in its deep history, there are also new programs and institutions popping up each year. Hillel has always been a home for all Jews on campus, regardless of affiliation. They provide meals on Shabbat, a place to hang out, and countless social and academic programming throughout the week. We are also lucky to have a JLIC couple on campus, a program through the Orthodox Union (OU) that sends young couples to college campuses to enliven the Jewish community. The couple plans traditional religious programming, guidance, and Shabbat meals. The Chabad couple also services students of all affiliations with Shabbat meals and a weekday café. We are very lucky to have so many institutions and programs that work hand in hand to service the larger Jewish community.
CS: Do you find the Jewish community is separated by religious affiliation? AP: One of my favorite aspects about the Jewish community is the integration among religious affiliations. In a non-Covid year, the Hillel building is very welcoming and I love seeing the unity on Friday nights as everyone eats their Shabbat meals together. As the orthodox community is growing, I have been really impressed by the attention that is made by Hillel leaders to ensure that this dynamic does not fade away. CS: Do you live on campus? How often do you leave campus? AP: I live in “off-campus” housing which essentially means I don’t live in campus dorms, though my apartment is still right on campus. Especially in the first few years, most students spend more of their time socializing on campus and engaging in the campus life environment. Many students also take advantage of the close proximity to downtown and go there occasionally to see and do new things. CS: Part of the excitement of going to college is being in a new place. Do you feel like you are just in
New York City? AP: Not at all! As I mentioned, New York and Chicago are very different cities and our campus is even removed from the main downtown area. Even more so, I love that I get to travel to and from school and really feel like I am leaving NY. All the while, Chicago is still only a short plane ride away. CS: Do you think your transition to college was smoother than students coming from other schools? Why? AP: In general, I think Ramaz students are positioned very well to transition to college smoothly because of the academic preparation. Especially after taking a gap year in Israel, I had a much easier time living away from home. While I do credit my Ramaz education by giving me the tools to adapt to college, I also think that, to some extent, our personalities define our ability to handle this change. Everyone has their own inherent time management skills and work ethic that can, of course, be improved over time. CS: Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience at UChicago with the students of Ramaz? AP: I have had an amazing time at UChicago. I have been lucky to meet like-minded students from around the world while simultaneously being exposed to people that are very different from myself. There are so many types of people, programs, majors and activities to get involved with that it is nearly impossible not to find a community where you belong.
Election 10
The Rampage
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781
ELECTIO
Election Poll: Would you vote for Trump or Biden? Moriel Weitzner ’24 The Ramaz Student population is heavily involved in politics. With Rampo, the Ramaz politics club, being one of the most popular clubs among the entirety of the school and the presidential election less than a month away, Dr. Jucovy anonymously polled Ramaz students in hopes of getting a small picture of the student populations’ hypothetical influence in the 2020 presidential election. 214 students responded to the poll, 45.3% of them choosing Donald Trump (red) while 48.6% settled for Joe Biden (blue). It looks like the Ramaz student body gave a glimpse into the result of the election.
Adam Vasserman ‘21, Arielle Butman ‘21, and Rebecca Massel ‘21 voted for the first time in the 2020 election.
Ramaz Round Table
What are the top three issues that are important to you when selecting a presidential candidate? Raymond Ashkenazie ’24 In the beginning of 2020, I felt that the most important issues when selecting a presidential candidate were: climate change, gun violence prevention, and Middle Eastern policy. But, because of the upheaval we are living with today, my mindset has changed. This upheaval includes: rampant forest fires in California, institutional racism across America, and the Covid-19 crisis. America is leading the world with over 6.5 million coronavirus cases and 200,000 deaths while schools all over the country are unable to reopen. Millions of Americans are unemployed, being kicked out of their homes, and are unable to put food on their tables. The issues that matter to me have changed significantly from before the pandemic to today. I now believe that the most important issue is fixing the economic and health crisis of the coronavirus, while keeping equality and climate change in mind. Although no longer part of my top three important points, Middle Eastern policy is still crucial to me when selecting a presidential candidate because I believe that we, as American Jews, need to continue to strengthen the US-Israel relationship to benefit democracy in the Middle East. It is super important for me to ensure that the four billion dollars (24% of Israel’s defense budget) that America grants Israel in defense spending is appropriated each year. This money is crucial to Israel’s existence and its ability to protect itself from terrorism.. The US Israel relationship is a reciprocal one with the technological advancements and medical breakthroughs Israel shares with the American government and military. The next issue I care about when discussing the presidential elections is racial inequality. The housing and education inequalities are hurting the African American and Latino communities. African American men are routinely killed for resisting arrest which is not a crime that is justified by the death penalty. The last issue that I believe is crucial to think of while selecting a presidential candidate is the economic and health crisis that we are living in today. Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, been kicked out of their homes and do not have the money to help their families survive. There are also 200,000 people dead and so many others sick, and millions of senior citizens and people with pre existing conditions will die if the Covid pandemic isn’t handled properly. The candidate should not only rebuild our system but to build it back better and to try to solve the climate crisis we are living in Climate change and rebuilding our system are intertwined in a proper society. The issues that matter most to me today are how to handle the economic and health issues we are dealing with today, peace in the middle east and racial justice. Yitzhak Tucker ’23 I think people have a tendency to get caught up in the seemingly endless list of issues a candidate will address leading up to a presidential election. There are three issues that I look at before anything else, issues that have been problems for years, and will likely continue to be relevant. One of these is climate change. Climate change can sometimes slip under the radar, because people will not necessarily see the effects of it in your daily life. But it is a massive problem, and it will start to affect your life much sooner than you think. According to NASA, droughts and heat waves will become much more common over the next century, and sea level could rise as much as eight feet. This will definitely affect states on or near the coast, like New York, and could lead to dramatic changes in our lives. Climate change is an important issue, and seeing as there is not necessarily a clear cut solution, I will always be very interested in what a candidate has to say about it. A candidate’s thoughts on racial issues are also very important to me. Far too often, people are discriminated against, injured, and even killed because of their race. Incidents like that of George Floyd, Eric Garner and so many others can cause a nationwide uproar, however, I find that the outrage often dies down after a couple of weeks. In order for momentum not to be lost, important and powerful politicians need to throw their weight behind a movement that will affect serious change. A third issue I am passionate about is an issue that again, is not necessarily a big discussion point, but one that is definitely a big problem: homelessness in the USA. As of 2017, there are over half a million homeless people in thae country. We need a solution to this problem, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which more people are losing their jobs than ever before. Recently, homeless people in NYC were moved into hotels, potentially better living spaces than the shelters they had been living in. But this was only a temporary solution, and is already being undone. We need big, systemic changes in order to fix this problem, and it would be nice to see a candidate address it and give it more attention.
November 2020/ Cheshvan 5781
The Rampage
ON 2020
Election 11
Isaac Silverman ’21
ever before due to the Covid-19 pandemic. People with pre-existing conditions are left most susceptible to contracting the virus, and they are the ones who will have the larg I believe that climate change, student debt, and universal healthcare are three est medical bills. Some have gone into hospitals leaving you in so much debt that they important issues that need to be focused on when contemplating potential presidential might as well have died. It seems there is no way that they can pay that bill off as well as candidates. The climate crisis has impacted the world since temperature rates began their pre-existing condition coverage. Healthcare is a basic necessity as everyone has the to accelerate in the mid 20th century. The fossil fuel industry became the largest con- right to live. There needs to be certain limits put in place for how much debt one can go tributor to environmental destruction, and has continued to lobby congress to ignore in from medical expenses. The president needs to be in favor of helping people get the their harm. It is vital that the president acknowledge this issue, as it has become even medical help they need, especially those with serious conditions. I can be as passionate as I want to be about these issues, however, our counmore dangerous and prominent. Climate change affects people in a variety of ways from creating climate refugees to creating health issues. It is not just a planet, penguin, polar try’s future isn’t decided by people who agree with me in New York, it’s decided by bear issue, but a people issue as well, as Dr. Ed Maibach, a professor at George Ma- people in Florida, Pennsylvania, and a handful of other states that will be swing states in this election. It is people like me’s responsibility son University, states. We need a president who will to inform those voters of the importance of certain actively take action against this issue. This is a time issues even when their issues contradict ours. We sensitive issue as well. Unlike other debated issues, cannot really pick the best candidate that suits our this one has a timer. In fact, if this issue isn’t prioriviews either as America is a two party system, and tized then all of those issues are likely to worsen. we must choose between who closer fits our views. Additionally, the student debt crisis has In the end, this election will be decided by swing reached 1.6 trillion dollar this year. College is only state voters, and we must watch our televisions as becoming more and more expensive. In large part we hope for a certain outcome. this is because of students choosing to go to private However, at the end of the day, for most schools instead of state schools. As a result they are people who the president is doesn’t have the biggest left with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt effect on their lives. As I have learned from readwhich will take them nearly half their lifetime to pay ing Rip Van Winkle, major events don’t really have off. Although state schools are a cheaper alternative, the biggest impact on most of our day to day lives. most academic elite students choose the prior beIn fact, for most people whoever the president is cause of the negative association with state schools. doesn’t matter, it is who is in their senate and house Joe Biden is a great example of what one can become Students are divided when it comes to the 2020 election. representatives that matters. The turnout for those after attending a state school and shows that state schools provide similar opportunities to private school for the future. Biden went to elections during years when it doesn’t coincide with the presidential election is horrible, the University of Delaware and became successful. Perhaps if state schools were better with only around a third of eligible voters coming out. People can get all riled up for funded and or students were motivated to go, then more students would consider at- every presidential election, but if they don’t show the same attitude for house and senate tending and saving themselves a lot of money. Regarding the crisis at the level it’s at, it elections and don’t show up then, then it’s their fault what congress does or doesn’t do. won’t be possible to scale back so easily. What is the best solution is decreasing interest People have the right to vote, and if they don’t use it then they are shooting blanks with their political opinions. That is why as high school students we must become informed rates on loans and making sure that people are able to find jobs. Further, healthcare has become an even more prominent issue this year than and be ready to vote in each election because our voice matters.
Jake Rubin ’22 When I think of a good presidential candidate I imagine one with three core qualities: honesty, education, and versatility. People who can uphold their promises and who are knowledgeable and open minded enough to be able to handle tough decisions in the best way are great candidates for the presidential office. People who have these three traits are the best types of leaders. Aside from these virtuous qualities there are three important factors I look for in a presidential candidate to distinguish them from each other: their approach to economics, the climate crisis/environmental conservation, and gun control. My ideal economic system is a capitalist one, with some socialist concepts. Ideas like social security and free public schooling are important to me, but a free market economy is also something that I believe is crucial to growth. A blend of these two is an ideal economic system and it’s very similar to the one we have today. Biden’s ideas are rather socialist and expensive, but there is value in them and if implemented his plans may work. Biden plans to raise taxes for everyone, especially the rich, and to redistribute the wealth through government funded healthcare, education, saving the environment, etc. Trump’s economic ideas are capitalist with little government intervention into the markets although the stimulus and liquidity injections into the economy this year do contradict his views. His economic plan seems to be working as the economy has been prosperous for the last four years. Both economic plans have merit but Trump’s seems like a better option. The climate crisis is something that’s very important to me, and should be important to everyone. One billion birds and mammals die each year due to plastic ingestion, and there are far more problems than plastic pollution such as greenhouse gases/ CO2 emissions, resource depletion, water pollution, climate change, etc. In January of this year, Trump removed Obama clean water protections from rivers, streams, and other wetlands. Biden on the other hand has promised to ensure all communities have safe and clean drinking water and to prevent pollution in vulnerable communities. On the topic of climate change, Trump has denied it in the past and claims the rising temperatures will reverse at some point. Biden is advocating for a Green New Deal which although seems like a good option, it does have some flaws. The cost on average would be $600,000 per household in the United States through taxes and some estimates say that a peak reduction of more than 1.4 million jobs is to be expected. Overall Biden does agree with my views on the environment the most and seems like a more suitable candidate to handle the environmental crises facing our country and the world. Gun control has been an issue in this country for decades and we need a president who can handle this crisis properly. I believe that guns should remain accessible, but to the right people. People will always have guns, and if we limit the supply of them to the right people, the wrong ones will be the only ones carrying guns. In today’s world
we need to be able to defend ourselves and a gun is a great way to do that. A political candidate who supports the second amendment, but places some restrictions on it to prevent guns getting into the wrong hands as much is an ideal candidate. Trump seems in line with these ideas and he signed the Fix NICS Act in 2018. Trump is also endorsed by the NRA, an organization devoted to guns rights advocacy. Biden proposes a one gun a month limit per person and a ban on assault rifles. His ideas seem positive in principle but they wouldn’t have much of an effect on gun violence in America. Although Biden is somewhat pro gun ownership, the NRA opposes him, which isn’t a good sign for the changes he might try to make if he is elected president. There are a plethora of factors to consider when it comes to electing a presidential candidate, and I’ve only touched on a few key topics out of dozens, but these three issues are some of the most important ones that we face as a country and must consider when voting. It’s understandable how split the population is for this upcoming election, and only time will tell who will be our president for the next four years. isting condition coverage. Healthcare is a basic necessity as everyone has the right to live. There needs to be certain limits put in place for how much debt one can go in from medical expenses. The president needs to be in favor of helping people get the medical help they need, especially those with serious conditions. I can be as passionate as I want to be about these issues, however, our country’s future isn’t decided by people who agree with me in New York, it’s decided by people in Florida, Pennsylvania, and a handful of other states that were swing states in this election. It is our responsibility to inform those voters of the importance of certain issues even when their issues contradict ours. We cannot really pick the best candidate that suits our views either as America is a two party system, and we must choose between who closer fits our views. In the end, this election was decided by swing state voters. However, at the end of the day, for most people who the president is doesn’t have the biggest effect on their lives. As I have learned from reading Rip Van Winkle, major events don’t really have the biggest impact on most of our day to day lives. In fact, for most people whoever the president is doesn’t matter; it is who is in their senate and house representatives that matters. The turnout for those elections during years when it doesn’t coincide with the presidential election is horrible, with only around a third of eligible voters coming out. People can get all riled up for every presidential election, but if they don’t show the same attitude for house and senate elections and don’t show up then, then it’s their fault what congress does or doesn’t do. People have the right to vote, and if they don’t use it then they are shooting blanks with their political opinions. That is why as high school students we must become informed and be ready to vote in each election because our voice matters.
Features 12
The Rampage
Julia Feit ’22
understand that the original setup would be unsafe and grade cohorts would meet each day. In order to ensure that grades did not mix, the administrators only occupied every-other locker for one grade. Other grades, which visit the school on different days, were assigned the empty lockers in between. Additionally, the administration had to take into account the floor separation and ensure that grades on the bottom half of the building were isolated from those on the top half. These barriers delayed the reopening of lockers, but by the end of October, lockers were assigned to students from each grade.
Longing for Lockers Students began the September school year without lockers and had to carry their textbooks and binders to each class. The Ramaz administration and medical team originally deemed lockers unsafe and feared that students would gather in large groups around the lockers. To reduce this risk, they decided to eliminate lockers during this strange year. However, when students learned that the lockers were closed, they voiced their complaints and argued that their heavy backpacks were unnecessary. The medical advisory successfully returned lockers to all students, spacing out the lockers to ensure safety and social distancing. In September, the class presidents and G.O. met with Ms. Schlomovitch and Mr. Cannon to discuss issues and raise suggestions. When student representatives explained the locker predicament, Ms. Schlomovitch and Mr. Cannon promised to explore the possibility of reinstating lockers. Students suggested cubbies in the backs of classrooms, understanding that lockers may not be the safest option. Rachel Freilich ’22 explained, “The administration has been very accommodating to the G.O.’s suggestions and understands that this year is difficult for many students. They have been trying to restore normalcy to the building while balancing the health and safety of the students. I know that many students appreciate their efforts in returning lockers this year.” In previous school years, students from different grades had lockers throughout the entire building and interacted with one another while visiting their lockers. Almost every locker was filled with books, the locker coves packed with students in between in each class. However, this year, most
Bruchim HaBaim Mr. Adelman! Clementine Roth ’22 and Noam Woldenberg ’22
This year, Ramaz welcomes a new member of the Hebrew Department. Mr. Adelman, who has recently moved back to America after teaching in Israel for a couple of years, is extremely excited to begin teaching at Ramaz. With insights and nuanced perspectives influenced by his experiences, Mr. Adelman hopes to leave students with meaningful life-long lessons. The Rampage interviewed Mr. Adelman to learn more about him and what he plans to bring to Ramaz. Clemi Roth: How is it being a new teacher during the pandemic and not meeting all your students and colleagues in person? Mr. Adelman: It’s been challenging. I think the most positive aspect has been to be a new teacher, specifically at Ramaz, which is a very supportive and welcoming school. Landing, both with my correspondences with colleagues and administration before the school year started and then once everything started, has been very smooth. I felt that everything has been very transparent and supportive and everybody is just very nice and welcoming so it’s kind of been easy. And yes, it’s definitely been difficult to get to know students. I’m either meeting mostly on Zoom or I have one class where it’s completely on Zoom. So it definitely makes that initial connection a little bit more difficult. Like many teachers, I’m very active and I like to talk and walk around. So, for some students to mostly just experience me sitting down at a desk and talking to the screen I feel is not the best way I could be teaching. At times, it is also confusing because there are students that half of the time I see them with a mask on and then half the time without, so I’m always a little bit confused. But, I’ll get used to it. Noam Woldenberg: Can you tell us a little bit about
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781 Although lockers help alleviate heavy backpacks throughout the day, they are not as functional as in previous years. Due to the current hybrid system, students are still forced to bring their books back and forth at the end of in-person days. In the past, most students left their binders and textbooks in school each night, only carrying home a few books, usually those needed to study for an upcoming test. However, classes at home make it very difficult for students to leave their materials in their lockers because almost every book is needed on Zoom. The lockers effectively mitigate heavy backpacks during the school day as students leave their books instead of carrying them throughout the building. Lockers also provide a place for students to house their jackets and lunches during the school day. “I don’t think lockers are as useful as in the past because we still need to carry our books home every day. We cannot leave our school materials in our lockers overnight because they are needed at home for Zoom. I enjoy having my locker to keep my lunch and Tefillin, but still think there is another issue of the back-and-forth to discuss,” explained Jordan Mittler ’22. The administration is open to student suggestions, and the monthly meetings with Mr. Cannon and Ms. Schlomovitch have proven to be helpful and effective. It is hard to replicate a system that worked well in the past and adapt lockers to the numerous changes made this year. Ideally, students will be back in school for five days a week soon and schedules can return to normal.
yourself? Where did you last work, and where are you from? Mr. Adelman: I’m originally American, and I grew up in Western Mass. And then, when I was in junior high, my family moved to Israel. I mostly grew up in Jerusalem, where I went to high school. Then I went to college and did my bachelor’s and my master’s degree at Hebrew University. I studied literature and musicology. I also got my teaching certificate in literature and music at a place called the Kerem Institute for Jewish and Humanistic Education. I began teaching there for a few years at a high school in the suburbs of Jerusalem. Three years ago, I moved to Jaffa, which is kind of an extension of Tel Aviv. I taught for the last three years there at a public high school there. That was really my most meaningful and important job. It was very interesting and challenging. Jaffa is a very strange place. I assume a lot of Americans know it because it’s a very big tourist attraction. There’s the old city in the sea and people are kind of used to going to those places, but it’s also a very complicated place just in regard to the people who live there. It’s a mixed town, it’s both Jewish and Arab, and the school itself was a public school. There was a very interesting dynamic to be an Israeli public school teacher of a very diverse student body, some of whom weren’t even native Hebrew speakers! It was also interesting to see how when people are lumped together they get along without having to deal with the political aspect of it so much. It’s just a very natural progression that if you grew up with somebody, you usually get along with them, so it was a very meaningful place to be.
that professionally. I’m originally from here, and all of my family has since moved back. And so it was a decision to kind of come back to America and I was very lucky that Ramaz was hiring. I immediately felt a very good connection with people that I spoke to and heard great things about the school. Speaking to Ms. Barak, the head of the Hebrew department, made it seem like a place that would be a very comfortable and interesting place to work.
CR: Was there a specific moment when you realized that you were inspired to teach, and why did you move back here to teach us? Mr. Adelman: I had a few moments where I was inspired to teach, but I don’t think I can really pinpoint one. I’ve always liked to talk a lot about stuff that I like so it seems like a natural progression to do
Overall, there are many lessons to learn from Mr. Adelman. The Rampage staff is very excited that Mr. Adelman is now a teacher at Ramaz and can’t wait to learn from him in the future! We wish him success in his new role! Watch The Rampage’s Broadcast at: www.the-rampage.org
NW: What are some fun facts about you? Mr. Adelman: I play music. Specifically I play guitar and the trombone a bit. I also used to perform a lot. Overall music is a big part of me. CR: If you could only teach your students one thing, what would it be, and what do you want your students to take away from your class? Mr. Adelman: I have two things that I want students to take away. The aspect and the value of empathy is so important. It is important to be able to see yourself in somebody else’s place. I find that reading texts and learning a language, especially, is a way to discover a new culture. I also really believe in the aspect of creativity and curiosity. If students of mine would be able to develop skills to pursue their own interests independently of the classroom I think that that’s the most important thing. That’s what’s going lead students to all of the interesting endeavors that they’re going to have in life. Finding out what interests them, researching it, and discovering it on their own without their teachers telling them is so important.
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781
The Rampage
Features 13
Variations of Hybrid Learning from School to School Molly Hiltzik ’24
“Back to school” took on a new meaning in September 2020 as schools across the country struggled to reopen school in the midst of Covid-19. Schools had many options to consider in light of the pandemic, choosing the structure that best suited their students, faculty and staff. Jewish Day Schools, like Ramaz, SAR, Frisch, and Heschel, each established their own policies based on the institution’s individual needs. In Ramaz’s hybrid system, students alternate between in-person learning and virtual learning. According to Hannah Kanbar ’24, a freshis in-person learning as well as virtual learning man, “I really like the new Ramaz hybrid system because you look forward to being on Zoom and being at home, and then it gets you excited to be in class and see all your friends.” While these are the Ramaz guidelines, many other schools have different approaches. The administration chose not to test students for the virus, while Frisch, SAR, and Heschel required returning students to be tested. Frisch, located in Paramus, New Jersey, is conducting mostly in-person classes. Unlike Ramaz, the suburban setting allows them to have a large outdoor campus. Tents were set up throughout the campus allowing for four out of the five weekdays to be in-person learning for each grade. Ramaz, SAR, Frisch, and Heschel each have difStudents are provided with a locker and lunch is ferent versions of a hybrid schooling system. served daily. Similar to Frisch, SAR, in Riverdale, also has from home throughout the week. One Heschel stuin-person learning four out of five days of the week. dent, Ginger Weinstein, commented, “I feel safe Students are not given lockers. SAR has the benefit and happy to actually be in the school building.” It of being near a few Kosher restaurants, so students is clear that schools with less space, like Ramaz and are allowed to buy lunch outside of the building. Heschel, which are both in the city, cannot safely Heschel, also located in Manhattan, follows teach all of their high school students in-person at a similar approach to Ramaz’s hybrid system. There the same time. Both administrations resourcefully made adjustments to provide the most amount of
days for students to learn inside the school buildings. Many students across the board are excited to be back, even if learning is not in-person every day of the week. While schools may have different considerations, they are all prioritizing the safety of their students, faculty, and staff while ensuring a solid academic program.
What Do Ramaz Parents Think of the Hybrid System? Continued from page 8 Ramaz had students, parents, and teachers sign a contract (the “Brit”) saying that they would follow the rules and guidelines that the school put in place to keep everyone safe. Not everyone has followed these rules and restrictions. Should Ramaz make these stricter or will students eventually learn to compile with the rules and regulations? The parent of a ninth-grader commented, “I think the rules are pretty clear. It’s not a question of making the restrictions and guidelines stricter, it’s a question of people following what’s already there (The Brit).” Mr. Hanken commented that the school can not be on everyone’s case at all times, but the school is extremely clear on what is and isn’t allowed. He feels that the school is doing the best they can. While most families abide by the rules,
parents were split on what they would do if people do not follow the new policies. One parent of a ninth-grader said that they would refuse to send their child to school if people break the rules because her family’s health is more important than arguing about the rules. Another parent of a freshman said, “As long as the school is open, I will be sending my child in.” Mr. Henken very thoughtfully said, “If people continue not to follow the rules but there are no more cases, I would be less inclined to pull my kids out.” This means that if students and their families do not follow the rules and there are more cases, he would consider pulling his children out for health and safety reasons. Parents were split on this question but all concluded that they would do what is best for their family. Ramaz staff and administration work ex-
tremely hard to keep students and teachers safe. Parents know this, but now it is up to the students to follow the guidelines that have been set. These circumstances are not ideal, but to make this situation better for everyone students must do what they are told. This means social distancing and wearing masks correctly. If students follow the rules, they will create a safer environment that the school is working to develop. Each student should ask himself or herself: Would you rather follow the school regulations which have been put in place to keep you, your family, friends, and those around you safe (and, of course, see your friends, in person, on a regular basis)? Or, would you rather the school have to close again and be entirely remote for an indefinite period of time?
Heard by the Herd Revisionist History
The freshmen are no longer required to write the annual history research paper.
The Best Gelato Answers to a Higher Authority
Gelateria Anita is now certified Kosher by National Kosher Supervision (NKS). Anita is located on Second Avenue and 81st Street.
MET Identified as Source of Gossip
The reboot of Gossip Girl is being filmed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art #xoxo
Student Spotlights 14
The Rampage
Student Spotlights
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781
Innovation in a Virtual World: Updates to RamLife Coming Soon Rebecca Kalimi ’23 The start of Covid-19 in New York meant that, almost overnight, almost every human interaction was transferred online. This past year, new and innovative technology has been more important than ever before. How fitting is that only a few months before Covid hit, the RamLife App was released? The RamLife App, developed by Levi Lesches ’21 and Sophia Kremer ’20, provides students with easy access to their schedules and classes and even features a sleek dark mode. This year, Lesches and Mr. Vovsha, the faculty advisor, are partnering with Josh Todes ’23 to improve the app. Lesches and Todes are working to update the app to fit this year’s new hy- brid system; however, there is a slight delay due to the fact that the IT department just recently sent over all of the students’ class schedules. Another complication they are having is with the App Store. Although Lesches has reached out to Apple multiple times, they are not being cooperative. To finally get the app on the App Store, Lesches needs to work with Apple’s app review board, which only consists of three members. Lesches explained, “Since the app is not in the App Store, automatic updates don’t work, so I need to work with the code already in the
old version.” Lesches even made a website just for the code because of how complex it is! There are a lot of future plans for RamLife. Lesches has created a sports page. He mentioned that a lot has changed but it’s in the background until the app is officially on the App Store. Another direction for the app may center around parents. Lesches has been in contact with Kenny Rochlin in regard to making the app more accessible for parents and expanding it to the lower and middle schools. Additionally, Lesches and Todes are considering adding a publication section, where students can access and read The Rampage, Breakthrough, Xevex, RamMD, and many other Ramaz publications. There is also a possibility of attaching Zoom links to classes on the app or visiting a RamLife website instead of an app on a phone. Todes would love to create an option for students to book meetings with their teachers directly on RamLife. Teachers would have their free periods listed on the app. Students’ schedules would match up, allowing the student to see the time slots where both the student and teacher are free. There would be a master list of classrooms, so students would be able to easily access where and when to meet their teacher. The team has considered incorporating student report cards on the app, but there
are complications with that idea. The app is so special and unique because it is student-run, but once students’ grades are involved, Lesches and Todes would need to turn over the app to the faculty. RamLife captures the incredible innovation at Ramaz. Lesches’ hard work is paying off. Last year, students were excited to download the app and found it very efficient in their day-to-day lives. This year, the Ramaz community --students, teachers, and parents-- are looking forward to adding RamLife to their home screens and seeing what else the Ramaz TEC Team has in store.
Singing Through the Screen Sarah Ginsberg ’22 In addition to entirely remodeling the physical school building and general daily life at Ramaz, school clubs must also reconsider how to run effectively during a pandemic. The Ramaz choir, in particular, is faced with many challenges. The preparation of choral music entails rehearsal time, singing together in an enclosed room and nearly all performances include close-contact formations, clear voices, and audiences. How is the Ramaz choir running this year? The Rampage interviewed choir co-caption Taylor Roslyn ’21 to find out. Sarah Ginsberg ’22: How will the choir rehearse songs with the new system? Do they plan to ever meet in person after school ? Taylor Roslyn ’21: Our plan is to meet after school outdoors once a week. When the senior grade was in quarantine in September, we met virtually and tried to accomplish as much as possible online. SG: Did the day/time that the choir would meet after school, before the pandemic, change because of the new system? TR: Nope! We are still practicing every wednesday! The times vary now that we have flexible schedules. Sometimes we meet later in the evening, but still every wednesday! SG: Is this new way of rehearsing better or worse than how the choir used to rehearse? Do people pay more attention? Are there less distractions? TR: It’s definitely more challenging to have a virtual choir. We are unable to sing
all together due to the lag Zoom gives off and it is much easier for kids to space off on their phones. Before the pandemic, phone use was strictly prohibited and phones were often collected. SG: Do students take turns singing or does everyone sing together in a group? TR: We cannot sing together due to the lag, it just doesn’t sound right, so we go one at a time. For our virtual performances, we all record ourselves singing separately and then combine the recordings virtually into one beautiful choir. It is extremely complicated to have an active choir when we can’t sing together because of the lag. SG: During Zoom practice, are choir students required to sing on mute or off of mute. TR: In choir, students are never obligated to sing off mute unless they volunteer to do so. However, in chamber choir, the expectations are higher and students must always be ready to sing their part off mute. SG: Who decides the songs that the choir will sing? Are they any different because of Covid?
TR: Nothing has changed in that area! Mr. Henkin and the choir presidents, myself included, decide on the songs. SG: Will the choir ever perform live this year? If so, what are your plans on how you will perform? (social distancing, masks, ect.)? TR: It doesn’t look like we will be performing live, for safety reasons, but we have done quite a few virtual performances thus far and those will continue. Mr. Henkin has mentioned special singing masks that allows our voices to be heard while staying safe. These masks are wider and keep our voices less muffled. SG: Will the choir continue to make Zoom videos? If so, will they be presented at the same events that they would usually be performed at? TR: Yes! We are trying to keep things as normal as possible and do our regular, annual performances, however, virtual. SG: Were there more/less people interested in choir because of the new system? TR: Sadly, less. A big part of choir is that we are all one big family and we were able to have fun and bond and go on amazing trips! We definitely lost a few singers for this reason, but we are still going strong! SG: Thank you for your time today, Taylor. The Rampage wishes you best of luck with choir. TR: Thank you so much! You as well!
Watch The Rampage’s Broadcast at: www.the-rampage.org
November 2020/Tishrei 5781
A Yearbook To Remember Clementine Roth ’22
Yearbooks weren’t always about sports, Shabbatons, and seniors. The first yearbooks were described as an individual’s compilation of memories and aspirations for the future. Students would write notes to friends and store keepsakes to look back on. Yearbooks became official school souvenirs in 1806 when Yale printed an end of year yearbook. In fact, photos were scarce in the first yearbooks. Cameras were rare and didn’t capture events like our cameras do today. Schools were lucky if students were able to receive even a single photo of their entire grade. Over time, yearbooks became more multidimensional with jokes, art, and lots of pictures. Yearbooks are made to be a reminder, at some time in the future, of classmates, teachers, and school activities. More often than not, old
Ella Rabbani ’21 is the senior yearbook photographer.
The Rampage
Student Spotlights 15
yearbooks can be found in piles of storage in are happening anytime soon. So, in order to the back of a bookshelf and are only looked fill pages [of the yearbook] we are planning on at a few times in a person’s life. On occasion, filling pages with fun things for everyone to however, a yearbook may memorialize a sig- see”. For instance, the yearbook will have more nificant historical event like the attacks of 9/11 student spotlights and art. While the editors or the moon landing; such yearbooks are more valuable as they provide a broader context to the student’s set of experiences. This year’s Ramaz yearbook club has the opportunity to make a great yearbook that will forever remind us of the global historic pandemic that has impacted the entire world beginning in early 2020. While the pandemic interrupted the 2019-2020 academic year, the impact it had on the yearbook Avigail Dupont ’21 and Lauren Lepor ’21, the yearbook editors, photographing students. was minimal. Thus, given the ongoing pandemic, the 2021 yearbook itself will be a want to maintain “a sense of normalcy” there unique resource that documents the effects of will definitely be significant Coronavirus and the SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19 on our lives. Zoom related content. In previous years, yearbooks were full of pic- As a community, we have been socially isotures of school events, clubs, and school jokes. lated for the past six months and have manBut, given the Covid-19 circumstances, how aged to maintain connection and community. will this year’s yearbooks look? With social Yearbook editor Avigail says that “through this distancing guidelines to prevent us from being yearbook, we want to show that even with all in pictures together, and with no school-wide the distancing regulations and even when we events, sports, or any in-school clubs, how will can’t really be a community, we still are a comthe yearbook team develop content? munity.” The yearbook is a vital part of our RaIn an interview with Yearbook editors Avigail maz community. Like yearbooks of the past, Dupont ‘21 and Lauren Lepor ‘21, I learned this yearbook will have the important role of about the plans for this year’s yearbook. While reminding students of all the challenges that hybrid learning is in effect, the yearbook team were overcome. While this school year may be is “trying to make the most of our time in the different and challenging, the yearbook will building and trying to get as much content focus on the positive aspects of the school year. and pictures (Avigail ‘21)” as possible. Lauren Watch The Rampage’s Broadcast at: explained that “there will be a lot more mini www.the-rampage.org mags because there are no major events that
How Norma Tawil Gave A Basic Summer Meaning
Norma Tawil ’22 serving her baked goods at a dinner party to her father and neighbor. Rachel Freilich ’22 While some students went off to summer camp and others relaxed at home, Norma Tawil ’22 decided to find meaning in the desolate summer 2020. With the help of her cousin, Norma Tawil started a healthy baking business, “The Healthier Alternative”, committed to creating healthy, yet tasteful desserts. When asked what her inspiration was to start her baking business, Norma Tawil replied, “In quarantine last semesters, I really started baking at home. Then this past summer, I was in Deal, New Jersey, as
always, and I did some summer courses. After that, I had the second half of the summer to myself. My cousin and I, her name is also Norma, would bake together just for fun. Then one time, on my own, I came up with this awesome coconut sugar cookie recipe. I had the idea to start a business out of it because it was really just so delicious.” Norma Tawil also explained how her logo, a blue and pink background with a bowl and spoons, was produced. Tawil said, “My cousins and I found this website called Vistaprint, and I typed in baking and I got some really cute options for baking. It was a Saturday night and we were in a rush to start the business already. My cousin came up with the name.” When asked when she realized that she wanted to start a baking business, Norma Tawil replied, “My mom always bought healthier things in our home like almonds milk, non dairy cheese, and stuff like that. So I had to learn how to get a healthy-ish taste.” Tawil also noted that over the summer, “The Healthier Alternative” made her feel purposeful. She said, “I think it definitely still makes me feel purposeful and productive a lot of the time, which is very important to me. I like to have things to do. It helps me stay organized and motivated. Also, it’s fun to have good tasting food or snacks at home.” Norma Tawil’s favorite dessert on the menu is the
cinnamon almond flour snickerdoodle. She said, “It’s amazing and there’s a glaze made of coconut sugar, almond milk, and cinnamon.” Soon, Norma Tawil is releasing a chocolate brownie cookie and a five ingredient chocolate pumpkin spice muffin. Tawil added, “Everything is gluten free and dairy free organic kosher.” T o give it even more meaning, Norma Tawil hopes to donate some of the proceeds to charity. Tawil said, “ I’m going to find some cancer foundations to donate to and something that has to do with coronavirus because that’s significant. I hope I can inspire people or people can enjoy what I bake.” Norma Tawil definitely found purpose in her summer and hopes that she can inspire others with her healthy baking business. Watch The Rampage’s Broadcast at: www.the-rampage.org
Student Spotlights 16
The Rampage
Exploring the Exploratory Minyan
Ari Porter ‘23 and Nathan Haber ‘23 bringing a Torah from one minyan to another. Hannah Tambor ’23 At the start of the year, Schoology was filled with posts about the different clubs, classes, and presidential campaigns, and other start of the year information. Many events were lost in the shuffle, and for some students, one of these was the exploratory minyan. Started by Rabbi Manu Hass and Rabbi Schiowitz, the minyan, led daily for all Ramaz students, goes through tefillot that we say on a daily basis and delves into what each prayer really means.
The minyan is structured so students can both daven on their own and participate in a group discussion. The first twenty minutes are for quiet personal tefillot, and then, the remaining time is for group discussion. Rather than just a lecture or shiur, all students participate in the conversation. On the first day of the year, Manu raised the question: Who has difficulty praying? Very few students raised their hands. Shocked, Manu explained that everyone’s hand should be in the air. Davening is hard, he acknowledged. The words we say are difficult, and most times, we do not understand what we are saying. In school, students have a limited amount of time to daven, and oftentimes, many feel as though there is not nearly enough time to actually work on understanding the words themselves. This minyan was started to serve the purpose of working to comprehend the tefillot students have said their entire lives. To many, this minyan may sound like a class. Why take an optional class? Are students really benefiting? Many say that they like davening, even if they do not understand the words they are saying, and another student said, “I do not have the time to sit around discussing what the prayers mean to me, school is crazy and I cannot spend time trying to understand each prayer.” However, the students who go began to learn a lot, and love the minyan. When asked why she enjoys the minyan, Anna Braun responded saying, “I think often many people complain that they have a difficult time davening, simply because they can’t understand or can’t relate to what they are saying. Ex-
What it Takes to Be a Club Leader Eric Kalimi ’22
Since freshman year, students are invited to participate in club fair. A wide variety of clubs are presented to students, and they’re allowed to tryout and join as many clubs as they would like. Club leadership and opportunities are a big part of Ramaz student life as students spend many years learning about and participating in clubs they enjoy. Later, students that show commitment to their clubs have the opportunity to lead these clubs. Leadership is both a blessing and a responsibility. There is immense work that club leaders put into creating a welcoming and productive club environment for all participants. Students can be leaders of as many clubs as they choose as long as they put the necessary work and effort into that club. Many students lead a range of clubs in many categories including math, science, sports, art, music, and politics. To become a leader, one must show the captain his or her dedication to the club. To demonstrate commitment, a student should be present at club meetings, participate in discussions and activities, and be an active club member. Sophia Rein ‘21, a leader of several school clubs, said that she and her co-captains were chosen to lead their clubs because they actively showed interest in them. Students that stand out among other club members are awarded leadership opportunities. Songwriting club leader and creator Ron Alweiss ‘22 said, “Club leading is beneficial not just for yourself but also for the students who will learn from you and express themselves
through their clubs.” Despite all the club benefits, there is lots of hard work involved in leading, including maintaining deadlines and balancing the extra work and any regular school requirements. Ramaz students are also able to create new clubs when they find that their passion is not represented. Starting a club is a complicated process that requires hard work with faculty advisors and co-leaders. Finding students to participate in new clubs can be a draining but rewarding task that leads to an official addition to Ramaz’s long list of clubs. Faculty advisors can play a large role in club leadership, often dictating the logistics involved with club meetings and competitions. Some faculty advisors are only overseers who are not strongly involved in club meetings and allow the student leaders to take the wheel and run the club on their own and with their co-captains. Akiva Shlomovitich 21’ said, “Co-captains generally take more control of the club; they frequently contact each other, emailing and texting. There are group chats and email chains for captains who are continually discussing meets and how to run their club most efficiently.” For anyone thinking of trying out for a leadership position, it is essential to remember that there is a lot of hard work, late nights, and coordinating that takes place. Despite all the challenges leaders face, becoming a club head is a rewarding experience that allows one to help shepherd the other club members towards success. The most important thing to remember is to try new things, find passions, and work hard.
November 2020/Cheshvan 5781
ploratory tefilla offers the ability to connect to our davening on a deeper level, starting with textual analysis and delving deeper into our relationships with God.” Finley Horowitz said that “I joined the minyan because I wanted to learn more about tefillah and to have something that encouraged me to daven every day.”. Every student at Ramaz has spent hours davening both in school and outside of it. But, many do not spend much time analyzing the words in their siddurim. The exploratory minyan provides the perfect solution to helping every student learn about the age old obligation of davening.
November 2020/Tishrei 5781
The Rampage
Opinions
Opinions 17
Should Ramaz Have School on Chol Hamoed Sukkot? Joe Kaplan ’24 Every year, Ramaz students ask the same questions: why do we seem to be the only yeshiva day school to have school on Chol Hamoed Sukkot? Why do we have school on Chol Hamoed Sukkot and not Chol Hamoed Pesach? They’re both holidays, and both follow a similar structure. Chol Hamoed is on the same days of the week for Sukkot and Pesach so what’s the difference? There is no difference between the two. They are both meant to be time spent with family. Sukkot should be an opportunity for us to all be with our extended families, many of whom may be students at other yeshiva day schools, who are on vacation during Sukkot. Some of us have siblings at other yeshiva day schools who are on vacation during Chol Hamoed Sukkot. Because Ramaz’s winter break coincides with that of public and independent schools, rather than that of other yeshiva day schools, our students already have less time to spend with their families. Ramaz junior, Caleb Rosenfeld, says that “My cousins don’t have school during Chol Hamoed
Sukkot, and Sukkot would be a great opportunity to spend time with them.” With all of the family time we are missing out on over Sukkot, there should really be a good reason for us to be going to school on Chol Hamoed. I haven’t heard one yet. The most common reason given is that the only opportunity for many students and teachers to fulfill the mitzvah of eating in a Sukkah is during the school day, when they can eat in the Ramaz Sukkah. If there was no school on Sukkot, those students and teachers would not have a chance to eat in a Sukkah. While I cannot argue with the idea of helping others fulfill a mitzvah, I don’t think that requiring all students to attend school is necessary. I would like to propose a simple solution: the building and its Sukkah can remain open to anyone who wants to eat in it. In fact, maybe the upper school building can close completely. The KJ Sukkah already remains open throughout Chol Hamoed, providing a place for all of us to fulfill this mitzvah.
Students tie dying shirts in the Sukkah in 2019.
The School Day is Too Long Sydney Eisenstein ’22
many students might eventually lose interest in their education, and their As most students know, in-person sense of curiosity in learning. Stuschool and virtual classes are different expe- dents are facing a new challenge in riences with varying circumstances. The cur- following Covid protocols, yet tryrent schedule for Monday-Thursday includes ing to remain active participants in seven 40-minute classes a day, plus tefillah, school. lunch, and mincha. However, because we are The length of the in-person learning in two completely different forms of school day must be conducive to school, the schedules should be different as learning and focusing while wearing well. masks. The administration wants Have you ever been sitting in class, try- students to maximize their limited ing to pay attention, yet your mind wanders? time in the school building and to Staying enengage in many gaged in class live classes a Many students can relate to has always day. However, been difficult my experience of staring at the maximizing stufor some students’ time in dents, but now boxes of my lackadaisical class- the school buildstudents siting may lead to mates on their computers. ting in class on ineffective learn78th Street are ing and to students feeling nearly in their drained. Students should own worlds. Students sit six feet away from not be expected to learn productively for nearothers while wearing masks. There is a discon- ly eight hours, while wearing face coverings. nect in classrooms, and students must put in If students are obligated to keep their masks more effort to participate in lessons. Wearing on at all times in school, then they should be masks puts students in their own heads more in the building for less time. A solution would than ever before. In a room full of masked fac- be to revise the schedule for in-person school es, it is more convenient to not contribute to days and cut out two classes at the end of the class because the masks act as barriers against day, resulting in a school day that ends at 2:10 speaking. As a result of Covid-19 procedures, pm. The current length of classes and of the school day are ideal for the virtual school system. The Zoom schedule last year had four hour-long classes a day. Many students can relate to my experience of staring at the boxes of my lackadaisical classmates on their computer screens for hour-long intervals. Although the administration had created hour-long classes because there were fewer periods daily and to make up for technical difficulties, it was extremely difficult to learn anything or stay focused during the last 20 minutes. Hour-long Zoom classes were tedious and drained classes of vibrancy.
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That said, this year’s schedule is preferable to last year’s Zoom schedule because it demands students’ focus for smaller intervals of time. Forty-minute classes give the day a fast pace and keeps students focused for each class. The length of classes are a good balance between having enough time to become situated in the class material, yet not boring students for too long. I am aware that, since students rotate on the days they are in the building, it may be difficult to have schedules that are not aligned for all students. However, it is extremely difficult to sit in a classroom, trying to hear a teacher standing far away and to participate in class discussions. By simply cutting out the last two periods for students who are learning in-person, students would be able to stay more engaged throughout the day and have a more positive experience transitioning back to in-person school.
Opinions 18
The Rampage
Political Opinions
November 2020/Tishrei 5781
Is Trump right about the cause of the Moriel Weitzner ’24 With the California wildfires becoming progressively worse and the air quality following suit, a question lingers amidst the chaos: What is causing these wildfires? President Donald Trump visited California on September 14, to meet with California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, as well as first-responders and scientific advisers. During his trip, President Trump claimed, contrary to common belief, that the wildfires were caused by subpar forest management, not climate change. The president turned out to be correct.
Dr. Jucovy led the 2020 election panel.
Scientifically speaking, one can argue the reason for California’s wildfires is climate change, poor forest management, or both. Perhaps the most logical position would be to declare that climate change and poor forest management are both to blame. However, the argument that climate change is the sole cause of these wildfires is absurd as it neglects the role that the state policy has played in the situation. Despite common belief, the average tem-
? controlled burning. Controlled burning would have prevented these tindered areas from becoming consumed by flames. Not only does the climate change argument lack scientific founding, but Governor Gavin Newsom freely admits that he has done California forest management a great disservice. The governor told President Trump at the briefing on September 14, “We have not done justice on our forest management… We acknowledge our role and responsibility to do more in that space.” Governor Newsom’s acknowledgement of his state’s incompetence really ends the debate. This whole ordeal should serve as a reminder to people of the importance of fact-checking, something Ramaz students are taught as early as 9th grade. If Gavin Newsom were to only do more conducive research, California could solve their wildfire problem in a more logical, beneficial way. Contrary to the end-of-the-world hysteria emerging from climate change alarmists, the California wildfires are mainly an unfortunate example of government inefficiency.
“The argument that climate change is the sole cause of these wildfires is absurd.”
perature in the state of California over the past century has risen 3 degrees Fahrenheit according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The idea that a 3 degree uptick over the course of 100 years is to blame for the violent wildfires in California seems extremely exaggerated. It is much more reasonable to argue that these wildfires occurred as the result of state policy that forbids any sort of
Is Trump Doing Enough to Keep Americans Safe From Covid? Raymond Ashkenazie ’24 Covid-19 has brought America to its knees by killing 200,000 and infecting 6.5 million Americans. 65% of Americans disapprove of the way that President Trump has handled the pandemic. This is due to the fact that the only successful thing he has done to help this pandemic is close our borders with China. During the first few weeks of the pandemic, he minimized its danger by calling it the “Chinese Virus” and a liberal hoax. The current president of The United States frequently speaks from the podium of the presidency and gives the American people facts that contradict the CDC or Dr. Fauci. On one occasion, the president advised the American people to drink bleach. He made wearing a facemask a partisan issue, by not wearing a mask and stating that they don’t work. He encouraged people who violated quarantine and attacked governors who took strong steps to control the pandemic. According to recent Bob Woodward tapes, the President knew about the severity of this pandemic but still minimized it for months. He encouraged churches to open for Easter and compared the virus to the flu season. To make matters worse, he gave the responsibility of handling the pandemic to
his incompetent son in law, Jared Kushner. Jared Kushner has no experience in handling a global pandemic and he is now in charge of handling the epochal health crisis that has killed 200,000 Americans. The U.S. federal response has been disstoriously slow and insufficient. Many of the lives that have been lost were inevitable, but the federal government could have flattened the curve like New York did in the beginning. I believe many tragedies and deaths could have been prevented through proper federal guidance. When there was a coordinated testing system, President Trump refused to implement it on the federal level. Allowing federal testing and contact tracing could have been crucial in the national fight against Covid-19. Dealing with a pandemic is hard, but knowing that you can’t trust what the President says makes it even harder. If Trump cared
about handling the pandemic efficiently, he would have initiated a national testing early on, he would have encouraged face masks and he would not spend rumors. So, when Americans are casting their ballots in November, Americans should ask themselves, “Could President- Trump have done a worse job handling this pandemic?” and the answer will be no.
Created by Isaac Silverman ’21
November 2020/Tishrei 5781
The Rampage
Opinions 19
Jewish Day Schools’ Email Urging for Social Distancing Sydney Eisenstein ’22 Administrators of many yeshivas joined forces to write an email about the importance of social distancing during the holidays. The email addresses whether students can gather with friends and family for the holidays, or if they should to refrain from seeing others. Most teenagers crave social gatherings, and most likely feel torn between their desires and conscience. The email was written with the hope that schools will stay open. In-person classes are vibrant and have a sense of camaraderie that cannot be emulated on zoom. In my opinion, the intent of the email is positive; the administrators wish everyone health and hope their schools can safely open. The message continues by forbidding students to participate in certain social gatherings. The inherent issue with the statements forbidding students to have social events is that they harbor a sense of distrust in the student body. It is difficult
for a student to be mature and careful about Covid, when their school does not trust nor expect them to be careful. “Parents must provide constant supervision” when students social distance outdoors with masks. Emphasizing that parents must supervise teenagers demonstrates that teenagers are unreliable and should be treated like young children. Anyhow, I feel parent supervision of high school students is unrealistic. The administrator’s message would resonate more with me if they stressed that if an individual is not careful, they can jeopardize the whole school closing because no student wants to be responsible for that. I find that the statements in the email do not account for different situations where students might be gathering in safe ways. The administrators stressed that “students may not host friends for sleepovers”. Maybe a student is planning a Covid-frendly sleepover, in which all the guests quarantined for two weeks beforehand and are get-
Crossword Isaac Silverman ’21
ting tested before they come. The administrators only named one holiday, Simchat Torah, where students should not see friends. Simchat Torah is notorious for its parties. Gathering with friends on any holiday is detrimental to the spread of Covid but the administrators wanted to specifically name Simchat Torah to prevent parties. The administrators’ intent in writing an email together was to give the impression of urgency and importance. When an administrator writes an email to the parents and students of their own school, the message is personal and genuine. Many administrators sending a message together makes the message more insincere. How is a member of a community supposed to know if their administrator felt strongly about all aspects of the email or if their administrator had to compromise? Although there are flaws in the administrators’ email, the administrators are trying their best to lessen the severity of the virus within their communities and keep school
Down: 1. Days during Sukkot on which we had online school 2. Piece of clothing kids were banned from wearing 3. Ramaz’s 2020 community uniting slogan 4. Rampage editor-in-chief now also elected as GO President 5. Rampage editor-in-chief now also elected as AVP of Operations 8. The name of the incredible student life app Levi Lesches created for the school last year, and which is now being gupdated by the Coding Club Across: 6. Seniors and juniors had to ____ after some kids were exposed to corona 7. Safer hangout spot for students 8. New club which discusses an issue which has become prominent during 2020 9. Event for prospective freshmen moving online 10. An event the school had for GO and also what the US will have on November 3 11. 9/11 first responder who came to speak to students
Word Search Aaron Zanger ’21
Word Box: Rampage Orientation Textbooks Schedule Leaves Good start Succah Shofar Assemblies Fall Cold Yom Kippur
Solutions to both puzzles are posted online at www.the-rampage.org Solve the puzzles? Send a photo to rampage@ramaz.org to be featured on our Instagram!
The Rampage
Art
November 2020/Tishrei 5781
Art by Rebecca Kalimi ’23 and Samantha Sinensky ’21
Art 20
Instagram Meme Caption Contest
Broadcasting Section... sk
Ramaz Remembers Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks a”h Catching Up with Rabbi Stochel: plans for this year What does it take to become a club leader at Ramaz?
WINNER:
Ozzie Kramer ’22: Say hello to the Wrong Brothers
Watch all broadcasts at www.the-rampage.org or on Instagram @ramazrampage
Follow us on Instagram to participate in the next Meme Contest: @ramazrampage
Email rampage@ramaz.org to join our team!