Volume 47, Issue 5 (February 2014) - The Rampage

Volume XXXXVIII Number 5

February 2014/Adar A 5774

The 77th Annual Ramaz Dinner

By Skyler Levine ’15 On Sunday January 12, Ramaz celebrated the 77th Annual Dinner. The spectacular evening was an opportunity to celebrate two well deserving honorees, Pamela Rohr ’78 and Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz. In addition, parents, supporters, and teachers saw performances celebrating music and dance.

The evening started with a Smorgasbord extraordinaire. The food was plentiful and varied.

Whether your interest was sushi or duck, hot dogs or corndogs, salad or steak everything was available.

After the culinary treats, the event

By Alex Ratzker ’14

The Ramaz Upper School

moved into the ballroom for the program.

The theme of the evening was “Lead by Example.” A video

presentation produced by Elena Lefkowitz highlighted how many of Ramaz’s recent graduates lead by example. Jacob Doft ’87, cur-

rent Chairman of the Board, then introduced Pamela Rohr. Mr. Doft used the theme of Harry Potter as the framework for his heartfelt introduction. He announced the new Rohr Faculty Fund, which was established by Mrs. Rohr and her family. The fund will help faculty members pursue opportunities that the school would not otherwise be able to support.

The Copying Controversy

On January 14, just three school days before the start of finals, Mr. Shaviv pulled the plug on copying. Mr. Shaviv’s decision to disable copying facilities took administrators, teachers, and students by surprise. Immediately after hearing that they would be allowed to print a maximum of three sheets of paper before their upcoming exams, students of all grades reacted with outrage, with some protesting in the library.

“Shutting down the school’s printers is completely ridiculous!

We are expected to know certain information for our finals and without other people’s notes or slides, doing well on our tests will be much more difficult. Plus, we were only given three days notice that we couldn’t use the machines,” said David Major ’15.

Benjamin Schiff ’16 suggested that students “occupy the library” until all printers in the building were restored.

Sensitive to the students’ need for copying machines before exams, some faculty members directed kids to nearby FedEx Kinkos Office Print & Ship Center. However, many students felt that this was unfair. Some did not have the time, while others believed they should not be charged to use what has always been a basic school amenity. One anonymous student

Once the copying issue was resolved, the GO uploaded the above photo to its instagram account.

student chose to use his quota of paper to print signs that read, “Apparently $35,000 doesn’t buy you more than 3 pieces of paper.”

These signs were hung up in the library and outside of Mr. Shaviv’s office.

About a half an hour after students first learned that they could not make copies in school, some began to think about how they would approach finals this year. Typically, each student has unlimited access to copy machines. Oftentimes before finals, each student uses these machines to copy and print hundreds of sheets of paper. Rebecca Schwartz ’16 anxiously said, “I really don’t know what I’m going to do,” while Natan Tauber ’14 offered to bring his own paper to school.

GO President Sam Feldstein ’14 and Vice President Jonathon Silverman ’14 met with Mr. Shaviv to express the sentiments of the student body. They learned that Mr. Shaviv did not intend to make students’ finals experiences more difficult, but that he was concerned about the extraordinary cost to the school. Mr. Shaviv agreed to restore the copying facilities and within the hour the crisis was resolved.

Continued on page 2

We Say Farewell to Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz after 53 Years at Ramaz. See the article on Page 5!

INSIDE

2 SECURITY IN RAMAZ

4 JOE LHOTA COMES TO RAMAZ TO SPEAK

WOLF OF WALL STREET REVIEW

7

SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS

In addition, the fund will help faculty who may be undergoing difficult times in their homes by providing financial and emotional support.

Continued on page 4

Women Donning Tefillin

By Eddie Mattout ’15 The recent attention to the issue of women laying tefillin began in December when SAR High School allowed two female students to lay tefillin. Two female students, who have been putting on tefillin since their bat mitzvahs, approached Rabbi Harcsztark, principal of SAR, asking for permission to lay tefillin in school.

According to Rabbi Harcsztark, “Both students, in their respective ways, have shown real commitment to this mitzvah. Since their bat mitzvahs, they have been taught, in accordance with their family practice, to daven each day with tefillin.” After considering the issue, SAR High School decided to allow those two women to don tefillin at the school’s daily all women minyan. SAR did not, however, “create new policy nor invite any female student who wanted to don tefillin to do so,” said Rabbi Harcsztark in his email to the parent body.

Following the decision at SAR to allow two of their female students to wrap tefillin, Ramaz was asked about its policy regarding the same issue. New York correspondent for Haaretz, Debra Nussbaum Cohen, contacted Rabbi Lookstein and Mr. Shaviv and informed them, “I am writing for Haaretz from New York these days and am now working on a story about SAR allowing two girls in their high school to wrap tefillin. Can you tell me what the policy is at Ramaz?” After discussing the matter, Mr. Shaviv and Rabbi Lookstein told the reporter, “Ramaz would be happy to allow any female student who wants to observe the mitzvah of tefillin to do so.”

8 Continued on page 3

Page 2

The RamPage News

Keeping Us Safe and Sound

By Gabriel Klapholz ’17 A couple of Shabbats ago, I was returning from a local teen shiur when I was accosted by a deranged man. He scampered over to us, blocking our path and with a red face and clenched fists shouted terrifying insults that I do not wish to repeat. Immediately, the group scattered, some running into the nearby nail salon, some looping around this mentally unstable man, yet I just walked directly forward in wide-eyed shock. The experience was a wakeup call to me regarding the danger that can lurk outside the safety of our homes and school. In light of this incident, I decided to look into security in the context of the Ramaz Upper School. Many students are not aware of how our school security system operates and why it is an integral part of Ramaz Upper School day-to-day life.

I conducted a series of interviews with the security staff, asking them a wide range of questions. Dwight Johnson explained that Ramaz uses “locked doors, outside guards and cameras” in order to keep us safe. He claimed that the key to safety is being “attentive” and “alert.” There is a lot more to the security department then just security cameras. Dwight said that he will often be “aware of situations and upcoming events in the city” in order to adapt and better the daily security protocol and keep an eye out for something out of place.

Additionally, while the security guards always greet the students with a smile and a friendly ‘hello,’ forming personal relationships with the students is a very advantageous security tactic for guards that see hundreds of people entering the school each day. Dwight

explained to me that forming relationships with students “allows me to recognize, without a doubt, someone who doesn’t belong.”

Mamadou Deme, Ramaz Director of Security, said that knowing the students is essential. Ever since he became the director, he has made it “the duty of the guards” to know the students by name and face because it makes them more successful in keeping the student body and faculty safe.

Not only are the security guards constantly keeping a watchful eye over the students, they also maintain their skills through routine training exercises. “We even do anti-terrorism training here in the school,” which “helps the guards to identify” possible terrorist threats and “disarm” a foe, says Mamadou.

“Every year we have training and security guard classes” which help to “refresh our memory.” The security staff maintains close ties with other security companies as well.

“We work with an Israeli security company called MIT, which helps in conducting risk assessments on Ramaz.” MIT helps teach the security staff exactly what to do in certain situations. Mamadou also informed me that the security staff works with a New York City company that has a similar function.

Even though the students only see the indoor and outdoor guards, Ramaz also uses a large group of parent volunteers who act as the “extra eyes…on the street,” Mamadou informed me. Because guards cannot be stationed around the entire block, the parents “can call us on walkie-talkie to let us know” of certain problems or suspicions that are out of sight of the security staff, who operate mostly

within the vicinity of the building itself. According to Mamadou, there have been “a lot of robberies around this neighborhood in the past two years,” so “these parents really save us.” Many other schools are also adopting this same security method that Ramaz has proved effective.

When asked how he thinks Ramaz security can improve, Mamadou said, “we have been working on emergency plans in case of fires, hostage situations, lockdowns, and for intruders in the building.” But, for Mamadou, “it is important that everyone, students and teachers, know their role” in such situations. He hopes the school can improve on making the students and faculty more aware of courses of action that must be taken during certain situations.

What is extremely interesting to me is how the students themselves feel towards the school security system. Do they, indeed, feel as safe as they should? When asked whether or not she actually feels safe, Jessica Gruenstein ’14, said “yes—even though Jewish schools are sometimes a main target, I think the security staff and administration do a great job at keeping us safe.” Ilan Kogan ’17, said that he “feels safe in the school environment,” but “we’re still a school and these things,” meaning security crises, “could happen anywhere.” He said that this “thought is always still in the back of [his] mind.”

Mamadou claims that “in this day and age, when violence is everywhere,” potential trouble-makers focus on “soft targets, like a school, because they know the media will start paying attention.”

To inform students that they once again had access to the copy machines, Mr. Shaviv hung up signs that stated, “We know that finals are imminent, so we are not blocking this facility now.” Additionally the signs, of which Mr. Shaviv printed multiple colored copies, said, “The school makes photocopiers and printers available to students as a courtesy, for their individual use for personal study and research. They are not intended for making multiple sets

By Alexander Leibowitz ’15

bar of gold. Furthermore, they were able to hold the special shoes that workers must wear to protect their feet. The walk through the vaults was an eye opening experience for the attendees; it was the first and probably the last time many students would be in the presence of such immense wealth.

The trip was a fascinating opportunity for students to learn about the inner workings of government. In addition to walking through the vaults, the students learned firsthand about the high levels of security used to

protect the billions of dollars of gold stored at the Federal Reserve.

They saw a humungous door used to lock the vaults, hundreds of cameras and a police force the size of a small city.

Max Doppelt ’14, president of the club, said, “This trip was different than the typical BIC trip.

Rather than a trip that was purely informative, we were able to see the amazing features of the Federal Reserve. We actually got to step into the vault of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which was exciting for all of us.”

of notes, adding up to hundreds of thousands of pages of copying or printing, at huge cost to the school – and at an enormous cost to the environment.”

When Mr. Shaviv explained his decision to limit copying, he said, “This matter didn’t come up yesterday. It was raised some time ago, but I was assured that multiple copies of notes were circulated instead by emails. Then it became clear that photocopiers were running red-hot and this was a matter

that had to be dealt with because of the costs and the dangers to the environment. The point was made and the facility was restored within the hour.”

However, many students felt that they were not given this explanation, or any for that matter.

Perhaps they would not have been as upset if they had known what Mr. Shaviv knew, that last academic year “the total cost of in-house photocopying in the whole school was $521,825 (!).”

Mr. Shaviv said, “We are committed to significantly reducing these costs, which represent funding which could be used much more beneficially elsewhere.”

After the paper crisis was resolved, some expressed that the source of anger and anxiety for the students was that they felt blindsided. Many believe that in Ramaz, we do things by empowering the students and consulting them. However, the students were not informed of the budgetary

By Alexander Leibowitz ’15

Continued from front cover

Work on a Snow Day

On February 12 Mr. Shaviv sent an email to the student body.

He said that school would be canceled the next day, but he encouraged teachers to utilize technology and give students online assignments.

Dr. Koplon explained the new policy: “The purpose of a snow day is to keep everyone safe when the roads are dangerous. Many years ago, if we had a difficult winter with a lot of snow, then schools would extend the school year in June or cut back on vacation days to make up the time. I’m hoping that we don’t need to do that.

Since everybody has textbooks and computers at home, we don’t have to lose instructional time just because we can’t all be in the same building at the same time. I hope that most teachers will send their students reading assignments, videos, or problem sets and that a good number of teachers will make themselves available through video chat. Moving forward, I am working with a few teachers to help train the whole faculty in using technology to connect to students when we are unable to make it to school.” Mr. Miller added that “The idea has appeared in several educational journals and even in local newspapers. It makes sense. There are some teachers who are currently using this opportunity, and I suspect more will follow.”

Following the administration’s policy change, Rabbi Sklarin sent out an email to his students informing them that they would be responsible to summarize some online lectures that he had sent them. He said, “Right now I am quite satisfied. Four students did the work within the first day and I was very impressed with the quality of their work. This initiative enabled me to keep moving the curriculum forward and learn in ways I would not have been able to do otherwise. It also gives me some ideas of things I can do if I would need to miss class on future occasions. I also did something similar for my 10th graders. They had to watch a video and respond to questions in a Google doc form (this way they couldn’t see each other’s answers).”

Dr. Jucovy used Google hangout to teach students new material. He said, “Aside from some glitches when adding students, it worked out fine. Only

BIC Federal Reserve Trip On Tuesday February 11th members of BIC (the business investment club) went on a trip to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Mr. Miller’s son Jeffery Miller, who works at the Federal Reserve in the risk management department, was able to set up a behind the scenes tour. After undergoing an extensive security check, students went down five floors to the vaults of the Federal Reserve, where foreign countries store billions of dollars of gold.

Inside the vaults members of the club got to hold a forty-pound

February 2014/Adar A 5774

Papergate Scandal

two students took part (it was not mandatory), but this was a good way for me to see how some online session might work. I would have preferred to be able to use a ‘board’ but that will await further investigation and other tools. I was happy with the result, able to teach what would have been done in class and, with the other part of the assignment, “cover” some material and not fall further behind.

I think it was very thoughtful of the school to encourage this.”

Student responses to the new initiatives were mixed. Erica Newman – Corre ’15 talked about Rabbi Sklarin’s online learning project: “I think it was effective at teaching each student one topic.

I liked that it didn’t require too much time but was still a full assignment, though I did think that the rabbi who did the shir was a little hard to follow, because he spoke fast and it was only audio.” Ben Nissim ’15 spoke about an online assignment from Dr. Nassar, “I thought it was helpful.

The videos were good and not that long.”

However, not all students thought that the online learning programs went well. Orly Mintz ’15 said, “ I understand why they’re trying to do it but I don’t think it’s effective because it’s really hard to focus and learn new material without a teacher there to guide you.” Oren Oppenheim added, “I felt that the online work was somewhat helpful, since it allowed me to cover what was missed because of the snow but overall the online work didn’t really explain the material to me as well as a class would and I know I’ll still need class time to understand it (which somewhat undermines the idea of snow day work).”

In the end some students just didn’t want to work on their day off. Noam Kaplan ’14 said, “I’m not learning, I’m not in school, why do I have to learn on a snow day? The teachers are more or less free, and much of the work they are giving us is irrelevant to what we are learning. It is just busy work to use up our time.” Beckie Cohen ’14 added, “I understand why they are doing it but it is really annoying. It’s not our fault that there is a storm. It’s a day off, and just because it is attached to a long weekend shouldn’t make it any different.”

problems and the need to find different sources of money.

For now, copying has been restored, so students should take advantage of the free access to these facilities. In the future, there will most likely be changes and students may have to buy prepaid cards to use the photocopiers.

Teachers were approached but declined to comment on the record.

February 2014/Adar A 5774

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The Rampage News

Bekiut Policy Changes Cause Controversy

By Tess Solomon ’16 On January 7, students received an email from Rabbi Kleinberg with the subject “Bekiut Semester #2- Please Read Carefully.” In it, he enumerated four rules regarding criteria for being marked absent. These clauses make it much easier to be marked absent, and therefore have since become the topic of many conversations. The new rules include marking absences even if a student has a meeting with a teacher or administrator, if the student has an obligation to another club, if a student is disruptive, and most controversially, if a student is sick at home.

Bekiut was started six years ago under Rabbi Stechler (who left to start his own school, Heichal HaTorah, before this year). Rabbi Stechler’s idea was to create an extra curricular program for learning parts of Jewish traditions that students wouldn’t otherwise learn in the classroom. In past years, students had been learning Mishnah and Gemarah. This year, however, Rabbi Kleinberg, who took over, decided to learn the Kuzari with students.

“I was already teaching those subjects in school and I wanted to do something that the students wouldn’t already be hearing,” Rabbi Kleinberg said. “That was why I picked something that was more Jewish identity, Jewish philosophy, that kind of topic.”

However, Bekiut is not simply an extra curricular activity for the motivated Torah scholar. If a student is absent fewer than three times, and, as of this year, completes responses to blog posts on time, that student is exempt from taking his or her Talmud final. Rabbi Kleinberg’s policies on marking absences are stricter than ever before, making is a lot harder to be exempt from the final.

Rabbi Kleinberg opened the first session of the second semester of Bekiut on January 8.

Explaining the rules that he will now enforce, Rabbi Kleinberg said, “If you say to me your sick, I’ll say to you refua shleima.

You’re still not here. If you need to meet with a teacher, do it before, do it after, do it during the summer. If you want to be part of Bekiut, you need to be here.”

Rabbi Kleinberg said the policy changes were partly a result of his own observations and partly a result of conversations with other people in the school who have also expressed frustration at students trying to beat the system. He said, “Our stricter policy was to force people to be more honest about it.” He said that his main goal is a culture shift in the way people look at the club: “the school has had this culture that people can do what they want, but if we don’t create a way for it to be an honest system that goes by

integrity, then the whole program is going to get lost.”

On the topic of absences, he said, “The program was created as an in-school program. If you think about committing to any other club, if a person misses a certain number of times, it’s very unlikely that they would be able to participate in the program in its

bigger picture. You have to do a minimum amount of requirement.

I’m not going to personally hold it against a student if they’re sick, but the reality is that you can’t participate if you’re not in school.”

Rabbi Kleinberg has, however, hinted that “If at the end of the semester you missed a certain

number of times and all of those times you were sick, I might be lenient.”

Dr. Koplon defended the new policies. “There are no excused absences next semester, but students do have three possible absences.

This way, it takes the responsibility away from that teacher to have to make a decision about each absence.

Some members of the student body have been understanding of the policy changes. Jared Feingold ’16 said, “I think it’s fair.

If you don’t go, you shouldn’t be excuesed. Even if you’re absent from school, you still missed it.”

However, he seems to be in the minority. Andrew Lobel ’15 said, “I think that it is commendable that the school is trying to make Bekiut more intense than it has been in previous years. However, I am not in favor of the policy whereby students are unexcused for being absent from Bekiut due to meeting with a teacher or administrator or because they are sick. Those are both absences that most teachers would excuse if supplied with a note, and I think Bekiut should follow suit.”

Daniel Gutkind ’16 described the new policies as “overreaching.” A picture of the email was posted in the sophomore group.

It received 52 comments, most of which described how “unfair” the policies were. One student

wrote, “Get sick on a Wednesday and I take the Gemarah final? Do I choose when I’m sick?” Two sophomores wrote him emails to try to dissuade these rules. Though unexcused absences if a student is sick is the most controversial issue, the issue of unexcused absences when a student has a meeting with a teacher or administrator has also received some attention. This is largely due to the lack of alternate time to meet with teachers or administrators. Especially during daylight savings time, when there is no Friday lunch, students have three other lunch periods a week and one free period (the whole year in 11th grade and half the year for 9th and 10th grade) to meet with people they need to see.

Ava Adler ’16 said, “I do bikur cholim at Lennox Hill hospital on Tuesdays and Thursday, I have Bekiut on Wednesdays, and this coming semester, I don’t have a free in the rotation. I basically have Monday lunch to meet with anyone I need to meet with.”

It seems unlikely, despite the strong feelings of many students, that these new policies will be changing any time soon, or, in fact, that they are even being reconsidered.

Women and Tefillin Continued from front cover This was not the first time Ramaz was faced with the question of women putting on tefillin. In 2002, a female student asked Rabbi Lookstein to put on tefillin in the Upper School, a practice that she had been doing since her bat mitzvah. Rabbi Lookstein decided to let her daven at KJ with her tefillin since letting her put tefillin on in the Upper School, “might lead other girls to act out their normal teenage rebellious inclinations and suddenly we would have a whole group of young women davening in talit and tefillin as some kind of demonstration of individuality.”

This year on Januray 21, Mr. Shaviv sent out an email to the Ramaz community, which stated Ramaz’s stance on the issue. The email also included a few notes of halacha regarding women and tefillin prepared by Rabbi Schiowitz.

Following the news of the recent decision, the Ramaz hallways were filled with conversation and debate over the issue. Several Talmud classes in the school, including Rabbi Stochel’s and Rabbi Schiowitz’s even held entire class periods dedicated to the issue. “Almost every conversation I heard in the lounge, library or lunchroom related back to the issue of whether a woman can put on tefillin,” said Alex Agus ’15. Student Facebook

groups, such as the Ramaz Politics Society, discussed the topic passionately.

So what were students’ and teachers’ stances on the issue?

Many felt that the issue of women and tefillin was a gender equality issue more than a religious, spiritual issue. “I think it’s an issue about egalitarianism, not just connection to God,” said Danielli Gutkind ’16. Some argued that the decision was unnecessary at the time and was only made for political reasons. “While Rabbi Lookstein acknowledged a spiritual desire to do the right thing, the decision was likely done for political reasons. Ramaz came out with its statement the same time SAR’s decision was in the news. In fact, Ramaz even acknowledged in the email that they were responding to questions from the press,” said Andrew Merczynski- Hait ’15.

“Women’s rights does not equal putting on tefillin. Women are not the same as men, and we both have different roles in Judaism, and we are obligated in different things. Why should someone take on a mitzvah (which is actually objected to by some people) before doing everything she is obligated in?” said Andrew Lobel ’15. Others, however, were very supportive of the decision. Shohshana Edleman ’14 said, “I support the

statement simply because there is no halachic obstacle to women laying tefillin. I personally would not take on the mitzvah of tefillin because I don’t feel spiritually inclined to do so. Although I consider myself to be a feminist, I don’t see tefillin as a necessary or productive means of expressing my feminism. I think it’s wrong to do it just to make a “feminist” point and not for the value of the mitzvah.” Currently there are no female student at Ramaz that have requested permission to put on tefillin.

Many were disappointed not by the actual policy itself but by how the decision-making process was handled. “While I support the idea of girls wearing tefillin, I think Ramaz handled the situation in a rushed manner. By immediately hopping on the bandwagon, teachers and members of the administration did not have the chance to exchange feelings about the policy, which seems to have irritated some of the faculty members I have spoken with,” said Dan Korff-Korn ’14. Some teachers felt that when the school makes such a serious decision regarding religious policy, the Judaic studies faculty should at least be made aware of what is occurring. Mr. Rapp said, “Mr. Shaviv and Rabbi Lookstein clearly felt strongly about leaving

the reporter with a response.”

When interviewed, Rabbi Schiowitz said, “I do not think that women should wear tefilin because the Rama in the Shulchan Aruch is opposed to it, and that has been the longstanding practice in the Jewish community. At the same time, I understand the school policy that gives students the ability to make independent, informed decisions.” Head of school, Mr. Shaviv said, “We should not inquire what people’s motives are in wearing tefillin. I am totally against the idea that any girl has to be interviewed to explain her motives.” In his sermon Rabbi Lookstein states, “I do not recommend it and I do not expect that the young women in Ramaz will routinely ask permission to put on talit and tefillin in our davening. But if they want to do so and they are sincere in their desire to accept upon themselves this religious practice, I believe we should honor them and give them this opportunity.” Some stated that a woman has enough mitzvot as it is. Women are very much clocked in time and there is a reason they are exempt. Why should they take on another mitzvah if there are so many others to perfect. Lastly, Mr. Rapp stated, “Orthodoxy has historically defined itself as non-egalitarian in

Jewish ritual, while Conservative Judaism is egalitarian. I also felt that when I personally read the sources regarding the subject, the practice seems to be discouraged as much as possible.”

Following both SAR and Ramaz’s public statements regarding women and tefillin, the issue received an enormous amount of media coverage. Over eleven newspapers wrote articles regarding the decision and many more blog posts were put up. “The matter received such an astonishing amount of publicity not because of Ramaz or SAR, but rather because of the controversy with women in the Orthodox world, which include, agunot, Women of the Wall, and the Haredi representations of women. ‘” I think we have expended a lot time ensuring equality for both genders over the last century and it should be no surprise that young Jewish girls want equality. As I said in my email, in today’s day and age we should be happy when people want to observe more mitzvot,” concluded Mr. Shaviv.

Page 4

The RamPage News

Ramaz Dinner Continued from front cover Mrs. Rohr grew up on the Upper East Side and was one of the first three bat mitzvahs at KJ. She graduated from Ramaz in 1978 and served as the first female Chairman of the Board of Ramaz. After Mrs. Rohr’s speech, Rabbi Lookstein introduced Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz.

While most of us know Rabbi Moskowitz as the bright Talmud chacham that he is, we do not know his entire story. Rabbi Lookstein briefly explained that as a 9 year old Rabbi Moskowitz saw his father murdered at the hands of the Nazis. He then survived the War and moved to Palestine. He was later reunited with his mother who also survived the Holocaust.

He went on to become one of the first teachers Rabbi Lookstein hired for Ramaz.

Then it was time for the music, singing and dancing extravaganza. The night could not have taken place without the dedication of Daniel Henkin, Randi Wartelsky, Chaya Glaser, Oded Lev-Ari, Ruth Goodman, Rami Yadid, Ehran Elisha, Juliana Crawford, David Baris and Monica Valley to name a few.

There were many highlights.

The addition of an awesome Guitar Ensemble drew loud cheers

from the crowd. The percussion ensemble was brought back due to popular demand. The singing by members of the Lower,

Middle, and Upper School were well received as well. All of the

soloists were amazing. Seventh grader Talia Justin brought tears to many and the performance of True Colors and its soloists , Malka Chu ’16 and Gaby Stemp ’15, became the talk of the dinner. The dance performers moved in sync and the costumes were better than ever.

Upon completion of the program, guests turned to the sides of the room where dessert was being served. No one went home hungry! While the opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of our leaders, especially Mrs. Rohr and Rabbi Moskowitz, was important and much needed, as usual the focus was on the children. Myrna Alpert, grandmother to five Ramaz students and three Ramaz alumni put it best, “The kids are the best part; it is all about the kids.”

February 2014/Adar A 5774

Freshmen Show Their #RamPride

By Jasmine Levine ’17 On January 9, the Ramaz freshman class received a jolt of energy as they participated in Spirit Night. The timing of the event was perfect. Spirit night preceded the boys JV basketball game against MTA, scheduled for later that evening at Ramaz. The goal was to whip the freshman into a frenzy so the freshman class would be ready to play the role of “sixth man” as MTA came to play on our turf.

There were many activities involved with Spirit Night. Before the game, the freshmen went to room 603-604, and that was where the fun began. The freshman class listened to Hebrew music and played musical chairs.

There were also face paint and headbands for all. Before the game, the freshman class carb loaded on pizza and washed it down with ices. Even though choir had practice during the game, as the school dinner was the next week, some freshman choir members stopped by during

breaks and joined in the fun.

As hoped, the energy carried over onto the court. Shelli Cohen ’17, one of the freshmen class presidents, said, “I had a great time and really felt like Ramaz showed a lot of spirit during the game!” Ramaz went on to easily beat MTA and had a great game with the aid of the Ramaz school spirit and support.

Former Mayoral Candidate Joe Lhota Speaks

By Eddie Mattout ’15 In early December, Beckie Cohen ’16, an active member of the Ramaz Politics Society, otherwise known as Rampo, approached the RamPo leadership with news that her family was connected to Joe Lhota, former candidate for NYC mayor. Cohen spearheaded the campaign to bring Mr. Lhota to Ramaz. She stayed in touch with Lhota, confirming dates, times and speaking topics. “My dad introduced me to Mr. Lhota when he came to speak at KJ before the election, saying that Mr. Lhota was his first boss after college.

After the election, I emailed Mr. Lhota and invited him to speak at Ramaz,” said Cohen. It was the job of the RamPo leadership to organize the event, which started with notifying the student body.

Emails were sent, flyers were hung up and all sorts of social media sights publicized the event that took place on Wednesday January 8. For the month leading up to the event, all four leaders; Alex Weinberg ’14, Cyril Putzer ’14, Yona Kornsgold ? and Dan KorffKorn ’14, had to stay in constant contact with students, getting them excited for the big day. “The entire event really demonstrated how far student leadership can really go. An opportunity was presented to the Rampo leadership, and with diligence and hard work the event really turned out to be a great success,” said Hillel Rapp, faculty advisor to the RamPo. The event was held in the Beit

Midrash on the second floor. Over one hundred students were in attendance as well as several faculty members. Not only did Ramaz students attend the event but students from neighboring Yeshiva as well as non-Jewish schools came to the event. After the founding of the Ramaz Politics Society, several other schools moved to create their own “Politics Societies” such as SarPo and HeschPo. SAR brought their entire club to the event and individual members of HeschPo also came to the event.

Furthermore, many students from around the metropolitan area have gotten involved in the RamPo Facebook group since its inception, making it their playground for political discussion. They too heard about the upcoming event and were in attendance on January 8. “It was pretty remarkable to have so many students from other schools join us in the event. It really showed what Ramaz stands for. We attempt to give the best opportunities we can to our students. If it is possible for us to

offer these educational opportunities to kids that do not necessarily attend Ramaz, we should do so. It not only benefits the non- Ramaz students, but brings new ideas and perspectives to the conversation,” said Hillel Rapp. Students agreed with this. As Hannah Scherl ’15 stated, “It was very interesting to hear what other non- Ramaz

students had to say about certain issues that Joe Lhota brought up.

At Ramaz I interact with the same group of kids everyday, and it was exciting to bring in a different flavor to the conversation.”

As for the actual program itself, Lhota arrived at Ramaz and was introduced by Dan Korff Korn and Beckie Cohen. Lhota began by saying how happy he was to be at Ramaz because, “at least here I was the one the blew out De Blasio,” he said. He first spoke about his stop and frisk policy. He moved to open the floor for questions and discuss any topic that were of the crowd’s interest. He moved to talk about public transportation, voting in the country and a few other topics.

Flora Lipsky ’15 was particulsrly impressed by the former mayoral candidate.

“I don’t know whether I agree with his politics, but I do know that he came across as a much more reasonable, accessible candidate than he did during the election. I think that the press and the opposition skewed his opinion. He is

smart, knowledgeable and would make a fine mayor as far as I could tell,” she said. “After getting a more personal interaction with him I definitely think more highly of him than I did before,” she continued. However, some students were a bit disappointed with his presentation. “I thought he was a very intelligent and competent guy with some very good points but he did not talk about himself as much as I would’ve liked. He spent too much time discussing what other people should currently do, such as Raymond Kelly, and not enough time discussing his person experiences with running for mayor” said Ben Kaplan ’16.

Dan Korff Korn ’14 reflected on the future of Rampo and the effect of an event like this on the club.

“We have a strong lineup of events and speakers set to come by the end of the year.” He went on to say that, “As I graduate in June, I have made it my mission to ensure that RamPo stays strong after my departure. This includes selecting a strong future leadership and leaving current RamPo members with the desire to stay committed.

Alex, Cyril and I, have spent a lot of time working out ways to strengthen RamPo’s foundation, and much of that rests in the ever-growing Facebook group. As long as the group stays popular and busy, I am certain RamPo will continue to power ahead as the unique political forum it has become.”

February 2014/Adar A 5774

The Rampage News

Page 5

Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz Retires After 53 Years

By Andrew Lobel ’15 Rabbi Mayer Moskowitz retired this month after fifty three years of service to Ramaz. The Ramaz community expressed its gratitude with a week’s worth of tributes and special celebrations.

At the Annual Dinner on January 12 faculty, administrators, students, parents, alumni and friends bid a fond farewell to Rabbi Moskowitz and heard a loving and moving tribute by his longtime friend Rabbi Lookstein.

Later in the week the Senior Parshat Hashavua class held a special siyyum in his honor. The following day, Rabbi Sklarin organized an extraordinary celebration to recognize Rabbi Moskowitz’s achievements. What was intended to be a grade-wide event for Seniors turned into a school-wide event, as so many teachers wanted to participate and brought their classes with them. Students were treated to personal reminiscences

by Rabbi Mokowitz’s colleagues, expressions of thanks from classmates, readings from his book and a poignant montage. The week ended with a special dvar tora, by Rabbi Lookstein in honor of his good friend, which was emailed to the entire Ramaz community.

Rabbi Moskowitz’s story is remarkable. He was born in Chernowitz, Romania, the oldest and only son of Reb Avraham Chaim, the Shotzer Rebbe and the scion of a long line of Chassidic rabbis.

As Rabbi Lookstein recounted at the Annual Dinner, the Nazis murdered his father right in front of him and marched him, his mother and sister to a concentration camp. He found a way to escape during a work detail,

made his way to Russian occupied territory, and was smuggled to Palestine with the Aliyat Noar youth movement. There he first studied agriculture at Mikkveh Yisrael in Holon, and then philosophy at Hebrew University. Upon discovering that his mother had survived the war and was living in the United States, Rabbi Moskowitz uprooted himself and joined her in New York City. He studied with and received smicha from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein at Mesivta Tiferet Yerushalyim and began working as a teacher at Ramaz in 1961. In addition to being an educator at Ramaz, Rabbi Moskowitz held numerous positions at Camp Massad and is the author of the book A Memoir of Sanctity.

Rabbi Moskowitz’s journey at Ramaz began when he met Rabbi Haskel Lookstein at Camp Massad. They became good friends and Rabbi Lookstein asked Rabbi Moskowitz to consider working at Ramaz. In Rabbi Moskowitz’s words, when he came in to meet with Rabbi Joseph Lookstein, “it was love at first sight! Rabbi Joseph Lookstein was bright, sharp and insightful. He was a short man but still a giant.” During his tenure at Ramaz, Rabbi Moskowitz held an incredible range of positions. At various times he taught Judaic studies in the Upper

School, was chairman of the Bible and Talmud Departments, head of Hebrew Grammar, a guidance counselor, an adviser, head of Hebrew Dramatics in the Upper School and Principal of the Lower School. In the course of his more than five decades at Ramaz, he impacted the lives of almost 2,000 Ramaz students and alumni. And

according to Rabbi Moskowitz, “I loved every single day of it. Every day was exciting.”

For Rabbi Moskowitz, the best parts of his career at Ramaz were “the friendships I made with the students and teachers, both in the Hebrew and secular departments.

These are relationships I will always cherish.” Rabbi Moskowitz taught at a yeshiva in Borough Park, and at Camp Massad but for him, “the students at Ramaz are a special breed. They have a certain combination of sophistication, finesse and menschlekeit that is just not found elsewhere.” Asked about the legacy he hopes to leave

his students, Rabbi Moskowitz replied: “love of Torah, the Jewish people, Israel, mankind and most importantly, love of themselves.

The more you love yourself the more you can love others.” In thinking back on his tenure at Ramaz Rabbi Moskowitz admits “I may not have been an easy teacher, and I demanded a lot. But I hope students will understand that it was not because I was mean. If students needed help I would always give my time and help and study with them. I just wanted them to learn, feel love of Torah, and know the source of our religion and culture.”

Rabbi Moskowitz says the most emotional moments of his career were the mornings at 8 am when the school busses would pull up to the building.

Watching “hundreds of Jewish students come to study on Park Avenue on the Upper East Side, I would say to Hitler, with tears in my eyes: you lost; we won.” He cherishes the lighter moments as well. He recalls acting in “Fiddler on the Roof,” a play the teachers put on for parents. Rabbi Moskowitz laughs, “I was Tevya, Mrs. Lassner was my wife, and Ms. Litwack and Ms. Rosen were my daughters. Noam Shudofsky, the Ramaz fund raiser, was the poor man collecting money!” Looking ahead, Rabbi Moskowitz sees “a

new chapter opening.” He is preparing to write a second book and “to make each new day different than the one before.” He knows he “will miss students and friends but I plan come back and visit.”

Rabbi Moskowitz has had a tremendous impact on both students and teachers at Ramaz. Mr. Lupinacci recalls, “even though I was an outsider in this community Rabbi Moskowitz treated me like he knew me my whole life. He was welcoming, kind, happy and above all humble.” Mr. Lupinacci is especially inspired by Rabbi Moskowitz’s positive outlook, noting that “even though he faced many difficulties he made a choice not to be angry and to persevere.

After 53 years he’s lost none of his enthusiasm, is still curious and interested in growing.” Daniel Berg ’14 agrees: “He has such an amazing attitude despite having been through so much. He taught me and many others how to live life to the fullest. He has been a role model to me and everyone who know him.”

Rabbi Moskowitz points out that in gematriya, 53 is the Hebrew word “gan” or garden.

Rabbi Moskowitz likens his career to “being a gardener in a beautiful garden where each year I grew beautiful flowers, each with its own unique color, size and fragrance. These were my students and I tried to care for each one of them attentively and differently.”

Ramaz is extremely fortunate to have had Rabbi Moskowitz—survivor, scholar, author, and above all cherished teacher and “gardener” who shaped our school and all those he taught within it.

Rabbi Lord Sacks Speaks to Students

By Andrew Lobel ’15 Last week, the juniors and seniors had the privilege of listening to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. The title of his speech was “Judeo-Christianity: Allies or Adversaries?” Rabbi Sacks spoke about the history of the Judeo-Christian relationship throughout the ages. He touched on issues such as Christianity being born out of Judaism, and the development of the modern Judeo-Christian affinity. He concluded that: “we’ve been enemies long enough, let’s be friends. With mutual respect and friendship, we can help to bring the Messiah, regardless of whether it is his first or second coming.” After speaking to the two grades for about twenty minutes, Rabbi Sacks opened the floor for students to ask questions. Erica Newman-Corre, ’15, commented, “Rabbi Sacks was a great speaker and he was able to engage the students on a very high level.“ Newman-Corre continued,“I felt that Rabbi Sacks was highly responsive to student questions.” Eddie Mattout, ’15, echoed her statements, “Rabbi Sacks is an incredible speaker and his presentation was fascinating as well as thought-provoking.”

The two figures in the school

most responsible for bringing Rabbi Sacks to Ramaz were Mr. Shaviv and Rabbi Sklarin. Mr. Shaviv and Rabbi Sacks have known each other since they were 14, went to university together, and have stayed in touch over the years. Mr. Shaviv had been in contact with Rabbi Sacks’ office and said that there was a plan in place to bring Rabbi Sacks to Ramaz to speak to the students at some point. While it was a team effort, ultimately it was Rabbi Skarin who sealed the deal.

According to Rabbi Sklarin, “we have been talking internally about how to promote YU at Ramaz. I have a good friend who works in the Office of the President of YU and he suggested to me that we host Rabbi Sacks. We wanted to showcase the great things YU has to offer, and Rabbi Sacks is a great advocate! Moreover, I was able to share with the kids my appreciation for YU as a student, teacher, and person. The presentation was a great success. It was positive PR for YU and the kids loved it.”

Faculty members as well as students were thoroughly impressed with the former Chief Rabbi’s oratory prow-

ess. Mr. Rapp commented, “Rabbi Sacks is a wonderful communicator. He is very talented and is able to take very complex ideas and distill them into clear communications.” Mr. Miller agreed, “I thoroughly enjoyed Rabbi Sacks’ presentation and the content about which he spoke was very interesting.” Mr. Shaviv concurred with that statement; “Rabbi Sacks’ presentation was excellent. He clearly had a great rapport with the students; from what I could see, they appeared to be enchanted. He has a very compelling and charismatic presence. Moreover, I thought the questions the students asked were very intelligent.” Alex Agus, ’15, said, “Listening to Rabbi Sacks was an incredible experience. I was blown away with

his command of the material and the eloquent manner in which he was able to present his ideas.”

While students and faculty seemed to agree on Rabbi Sacks’ aptitude as a public speaker, some did not feel that his presentation did justice to the complexity of the Judeo-Christian relationship.

Dan Korff-Korn, ’15, remarked, “obviously he spoke very well and was interesting to listen to, but the topic he presented is not something that can easily be explained to a group of 200 high-school students in 20 minutes. The history of the Judeo-Christian relationship is too broad of a topic to explain in such a short time and I feel he oversimplified the topic.

In my opinion, the speech was not intellectual or scholarly; it was generalized and not specific.” Alexander Weinberg, ’14, echoed Korff-Korn’s sentiments, “Rabbi Sacks is an excellent speaker, but ultimately I was disappointed with his presentation because the ideas he conveyed were ones containing a political message; they were not intellectually stimulating.“ Flora Lipsky ’15, disagreed with that assessment of the

former Chief Rabbi; “I thought Rabbi Sacks gave a very nuanced view of anti-Semitism in Europe and made some really interesting points regarding the innate relationship between Judaism and Christianity.”

Mr. Rapp took issue with part of the presentation’s substance, “I was disappointed that Rabbi Sacks presented Christianity without and mention of avodah zarah. He implied we have the same God, and while that may be partially true, Judaism does not agree with the idea that God allowed a woman to be impregnated with His son. Rabbi Sacks made a skillful political statement but he also made some very strong theological statements that Judaism doesn’t agree with. While the friendship between Jews and Christians is valuable and commendable, I found the absence of any mention of avodah zarah conspicuous.”

Ramaz is the only high school at which Rabbi Sacks is speaking during his spring semester in New York City. Students and faculty alike agree that it was a unique privilege and honor to hear the former scholar, Chief Rabbi, and life peer.

Page 6

The RamPage Opinions

February 2014/Adar A 5774

MLA Campaigns To Boycott Israel

By Akiva Gold ’16 Many Ramaz students know the Modern Language Association as the creators of the citation guidelines followed in both English and History classes. But, it seems the MLA has decided to be more than just the creators of the most renowned citations used by writers, as they recently entered into the political realm. The Modern Language Association, during its recent annual convention, held a roundtable to discuss what to do with the current conflict in Israel. At the conference, a few resolutions were put forward to a vote by a group of MLA members. The first resolution was to support the American Studies Association in their boycott of Israel, and the other resolution was to create a boycott of Israel by the MLA. Thankfully, neither of these resolutions passed, although two depressing results did occur.

The first was that although there was no official boycott passed, the MLA did condemn Israel, and, the second is that according to a well-regarded American professor, these resolutions are just the beginning of something greater, and more anti-Israel resolutions will be brought up by the MLA. Also, on

a separate note, it is interesting to note that at the roundtable held at the conference, there was a distinct lack of Pro-Israel discussion. This is because no Pro-Israel groups were notified that such a discussion would take place, so any Pro-Israel organization wishing to speak against a boycott could not, as they missed the cutoff for sign up.

Why is this a big deal, you may ask? Why does it matter if one more group condemns Israel? It matters for a few reasons, including the importance of the MLA, and the blatant hypocrisy exemplified by the MLA in their handling of the situation.

The MLA is considered one of the foremost leaders in citations, and it is used by academics worldwide in their writing. The guidelines set by the Modern Language Association are considered the crème de la crème of citations, and the MLA has much power within the academic-writing business. For the MLA to now begin to dictate a political opinion degrades the quality of work that may include the MLA guidelines, and it delegitimizes the MLA itself. It is not proper for the MLA to dabble in

politics, as through these politics they begin to set precedents that should not be set. Also, it is wrong for the MLA to give an opinion on this highly controversial and hot topic, since now people who accept the MLA are forced to take its side on this issue. Due to the strength, size, and power of the MLA, for the MLA to make blatant political statements endangers their ability to be used as a proper academic tool.

Also, another reason this MLA topic is so controversial is the clear bias the Association has shown against Israel. According to two Pro-Israel groups, Hillel and the Israel on Campus Coalition, word about the panel was not told to them until December, eight months after the deadline to submit a presentation, so, there was no alternative presentation to the anti-Israel, Pro-boycott views given at this panel, as both Hillel and the Coalition were rejected from attending. Clearly, the MLA was not interested in vetting both sides of the issue. Rather, they had one opinion that they wanted presented.

Because of these previously mentioned reasons, something

The Fairness of Extra Time: Revisited

By Skyler Levine ’15

In the December 2013 issue of Rampage, Alexander Leibowitz wrote a controversial article on the subject matter of “extended time.”

Leibowitz presented the opinions of many frustrated students who resented those who are in honors classes that are receiving extra time on tests. These individuals shared an opinion that students who receive extended time on tests have a distinct advantage over those who do not. Leibowitz offered an explanation by Dr. Zeitchik who stated that there exist numerous reasons why an individual student may qualify to receive extra time.

Leibowitz also quoted Dr. Koplon who explained that someone could be very smart but still have learning and/ or testing issues necessitating extra time, and that one does not exclude the other.

While the article was written with excellent journalistic integrity, presenting both sides of the conflict, I feel there is still more to add to the topic. Perhaps if we all understood the types of conditions for which testing conditions are altered, we would be more accepting of the accommodation.

This response will first examine why someone would need extra time. The types of learning disabilities for which one is most commonly granted special

testing accommodations include, but are not limited to: a central auditory processing disorder, dyslexia, severe anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder, among others. When these conditions have a severe negative impact on a student’s ability to receive a proper education, the student would be eligible to qualify as a student with an educational disability. Mr. Joseph Fein, a special education attorney in New York City, explains, “Accommodations are set in place to provide students with disabilities access to an education.

Without these accommodations, these students would be unfairly discriminated against as a result of their disabilities.” He further explains, “Most people do not take issue with accommodating individuals with physical disabilities.

For example, a service dog for a blind person or a special parking spot for someone who is wheelchair bound.

Similarly, we should not question providing altered testing arrangements for someone with a learning disability. Exams are meant to test aptitude and special accommodations are a way to allow a student with a learning disability to demonstrate mastery of a subject matter and that aptitude is

properly assessed.”

Despite assurances from the school administration that proper protocols have been established to ensure that only those with diagnosed educational disabilities receive proper accommodations and only to the extent necessary to even the playing field, much skepticism continues to exist building wide. However, we should be watchful regarding what we say on this topic. On several occasions, I have overheard students in the honors class say to a fellow student, “you are so smart, why do you need extra time?” This comment, although expressed as a compliment, can nevertheless be hurtful to the point of embarrassing the person who truly has a disability. For one, it insinuates that smart and learning disability do not go hand in hand. Moreover, confronting someone to the point where they are forced to openly defend their condition can be embarrassing. Arguably, while some may mention this casually and consider it to not be a “big deal,” to the person who is sensitive about their learning problems, the reality is that it can be extremely upsetting.

While I agree that the system may not be perfect and at times seem unfair, we need to afford anyone who is given extra time with the benefit of the doubt, alas we humiliate someone who is truly in need.

must be done here at Ramaz about this unfortunate turn of events.

Whether that means a switch to other citation forms in our work, we create an alliance to stop the MLA, or we flood the Association with voices of displeasure, it is on each and every one of us to let the MLA know that we will not stand idly by while they launch a biased and disgraceful attack on Israel.

To Beard, Or Not To Beard?

By Alexander Leibowitz ’15

Take a look around school.

Take a stroll into Dr. Gaylord’s room. Then waltz past Rabbi Kleinberg and tiptoe by Rabbi Stochel. On your walk don’t forget to stop by Rabbi Sklarin and Mr. Deutsch. What do these men have in common?

During this trip you might have noticed the commonality; many teachers in the school have facial hair. They do it for stylistic reasons. They do it to make statements or for religious reasons.

Some even do it because they are too lazy to shave. Yet, the point is, regardless of their reasoning they are allowed to have facial hair.

They have complete freedom of facial self-expression. Even though some may think their beards are unprofessional, there is no school rule that prohibits them from growing one.

Now go back on that walk.

Look at your fellow classmates.

Notice something: not one has a beard. No Mutton Chops, no Fu Man Chus and certainly no goatees or mustaches. Preludes states that students aren’t allowed to grow facial hair. In effect Ramaz has created an odd dichotomy: teachers are allowed to express themselves freely while students are completely restricted in their freedoms.

It is time for this hairless rule to end. First, the school’s position is illogical. The school takes the position that beards are an acceptable form of self-expression and therefore allows adults to wear them. It is irrational for the school to set this standard for students when they clearly take the position that facial hair is acceptable. The administration is banning us from doing something that they clearly are allowed to do.

In addition, this rule impedes on our ability to express ourselves. Ramaz dress code

allows little room for self-expression (there are only so many ways one can wear a tie or a sweater or a skirt) so why not allow students a little freedom. We can’t dye our hair, wear certain colored jeans and we certainly under no circumstances can un-tuck our shirts. The school should give us this one small concession. Aren’t we old enough to make one small decision about the way we present ourselves?

The administration shouldn’t fear that students might take advantage of this leniency and wear inappropriate styles. There is really no inappropriate way of wearing facial hair. It is not disrespectful.

Who can remember the last time a beard caused someone serious outrage. They are an innocuous form of self-expression that the school should allow.

Most importantly, there are those who need extra time to shave every morning, and with no shaving accommodation they are consistently late to davening.

It’s not a baseball game and we certainly aren’t the Yankees.

The school needs to reverse this draconian policy and allow us to finally gain some freedom of expression. I hope that next year at this time I will be able to walk around the building with a handle bar mustache! How will I look?

February 2014/Adar A 5774

Frozen

By Esti Flamenbaum ’14

Frozen is the most recent in a succession of Disney princess movies featuring strong, independent heroines, which is a welcome change from the passive princesses of the past. Neither of the princesses in this film is perfect, and they spend a large portion of time working to rectify their mistakes.

The film follows the lives of two princesses, Elsa and Anna.

Elsa, gifted with powers over snow and ice, withdraws from her younger sister after accidentally hurting Anna.

Years later, on the day of Elsa’s coronation as queen, the sisters fight, and Elsa’s power is revealed to the kingdom. Elsa loses her already tenuous control over her abilities, plunging the kingdom into eternal winter and running away out of fear. The plot then begins in earnest, with Anna setting out to find her sister and set things right.

At times, the film seems to be mocking its Disney predecessors when it comes to love, dismissing Love at First Sight as a stupid idea and expanding True Love beyond the romantic aspect. At its core, however, Frozen is still a Disney film, with love triumphing over evil.

The animation is remarkable, especially the intricacy and diversity of the ice and the snowflakes.

Particularly impressive are the paintings in the palace, animated reproductions of classics.

The musical numbers vary from adorable to powerful, with a couple that were just plain silly (I’m thinking about you, Reindeer are Better Than People).

Idina Menzel voices Elsa beautifully, calling to mind another scared young adult grappling with powers – that of Elphaba, played by Menzel in the original cast of Wicked.

Also like in Wicked, the villain is not whom you would expect.

Frozen is definitely worth seeing for those who still enjoy a good Disney film.

Children will enjoy the film too, though there are a couple of scenes that may scare an easily frightened child. Overall, Frozen is a film for the whole family, and a more interesting princesses feature than previous Disney movies.

Frozen, directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, features the voices of Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, and Santino Fontana. The film is rated PG and runs for 1 hour and 42 minutes.

The Wolf of Wall Street

By Josh Sarachek ’17

Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street holds a world record for dropping 500 plus f-bomb references in 180 minutes. That’s 2.7 curses per minute. You might hate that this movie runs three hours, but consider that it’s a movie about the excesses of Wall Street; lying and cheating and doing everything to make a buck, so cursing is merely another aspect. The movie is full of pretty girls, expensive cars, and of course, drugs and alcohol. There are certainly not values a Jewish Day School promotes, but that’s not the point of the movie.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a New York stock-broker with enough talent to sell you almost anything. “Sell me this pen,” Belfort implores his muses. Dicaprio said that “playing Belfort was like playing a modern day Caligula.” And you really get that impression after seeing all the nudity and outlandish skits that filled his days. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Belfort moved from hawking penny stocks in a rundown garage to running Long Island based Stratton Oakmont.

Belfort’s companion Donnie

Azoff, who is played by Jonah Hill, was hilarious as he performed shenanigans including swallowing a live goldfish. But as we know, the craziness always has to stop, even when it’s in the hallway.

Belfort ends up doing 22 months of jail time for his crimes, while Azoff served 39 months. Whether he’s lying to his trophy wife, Naomi (Aussie actress Margot Robbie in a star-making role), convincing clients to buy penny stocks or pepping up his “Strattonites” in his exhilarating speeches, DiCaprio is a marvel.

But remember that, excess cannot prevail in the long run.

In a world where it costs twelve dollars to see a movie and twenty dollars to fill your belly with popcorn, sour patches and a Coke, Wall Street makes its point. Look closely and you might be able to identify some of the characters, but don’t attempt to be like any one of them. You might end up in jail.

The RamPage Arts

Page 7

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

By Skyler Levine’15

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which was originally a short story written by James Thurber, came to theaters on December 23rd.

It tells the story of Walter Mitty, the manager of LIFE Magazine’s vast collection of photographic negatives. He is a day-dreamer who does not experience life in the present. Mitty continuously imagines himself on great adventures, but does not embark on any.

When his job is threatened because he cannot find an important cover photo shot by photojournalist Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), he heads out to find O’Connell and retrieve it before the deadline.

As you would expect, his journey proves life-altering. Mitty is led on a trail of real adventures, and as a result gains new confidence and a greater understanding of what he has been missing out on. There is also a romance involved in the

film between Mitty and pretty co-worker, Cheryl (Kristen Wiig).

The first part of the movie was dull and unorganized. The depiction of Mitty’s fantasies in the first half was intended to add excitement to the beginning of the movie, but in my opinion failed to do so. I also thought the relationship with Cheryl felt forced, and took predictable turns. On the other hand, as Mitty embarked on his journey and began to experience real life adventures, the film became more entertaining. As the plot began to improve, I saw a development in Mitty’s character as a result of his adventures. The film had an encouraging message that we need to stop thinking and start doing. It was a clean, family movie with a nice moral. Nonetheless, you do need patience to enjoy this movie, as it is a bit slow at times.

The Desolation of Smaug

By Esti Flamenbaum ’14

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug picks up not long after An Unexpected Journey ends, providing just enough background at the start of the film to catch up those who didn’t see the first.

The film covers a large swath of the novel it is based on, taking the company to Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt) and seeing them through the forest of Mirkwood. The company escapes from captivity in the dungeons of Thranduil (Lee Pace) and travels to Lake Town, where they meet the serious, honorable Bard (Luke Evans) and the Master of Lake Town (a charmingly pompous and corrupt Stephen Fry). Finally, the company makes it to Erebor, where they encounter Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch, delightful in both his voice acting and his motion capture).

American Hustle

By Yale Buchwald ’15

American Hustle, directed by David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fighter), a dark comedy and brilliant drama about con artists during the 1970s, is definitely worth seeing. Although a little long, with a plot that seems a bit confusing at times, the movie provides superb entertainment, along with excellent acting from an A-list group of actors.

The film’s first words read, “Some of this actually happened,” and it is based loosely off of ABSCAM (short for Arab Scam), the sting operation held by the FBI in the 1970s. In this operation, undercover FBI operatives dressed up like Arab sheikhs, along with the help of a convicted con artist. The FBI videotaped the fake sheikhs offering envelopes of cash to Senators and Congressmen seeking their assistance with a range of illegal activities. The Congressional culprits were arrested, convicted, and sentenced to prison terms for bribery and conspiracy. The operation was one of largest exploitations of corrupt public officials in American history.

Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), one of the film’s main characters, is a lazy, yet cunning con artist. Rosenfeld, along with his seductive and equally cunning British partner, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), are forced to work for the

tough FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso arrests Rosenfeld and Prosser for acting as their usual con artist selves and stealing money from gullible people. However, DiMaso offers them a deal that would discard their jail time: to assist him in exploiting corrupt public officials through an FBI sting operation. This operation, much as the actual ABSCAM operation, involved a fake sheikh who bribed senators and members of the New Jersey State senate.

To make things even more exciting, Rosenfeld has a crazy wife named Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) who does anything she can to manipulate Rosenfeld. The movie progresses into a wonderful tale of bribery, corruption, wire fraud and of course proudly exhibits the flamboyant outfits of the 70s that Christian Bale and the rest of the cast dutifully wear.

This movie was great, but Jennifer Lawrence was the icing on the cake. She added humor, manipulation and a superb New Jersey accent to the table. She played a completely different role than in her previous movies and it seemed to really work out well.

Hustle your way to a theatre and see this movie, you don’t want to be the only one who didn’t watch one of this year’s best films.

While changes have been made to the plot, the changes, other than the increased attention on the elves, are not glaringly obvious until the company is making its way out of Lake Town.

While the first movie had some major differences from the book, most of the additional material came from other books by J. R. R. Tolkien. For Desolation of Smaug, however, a new character was added: Tauriel, an elf of Mirkwood, and head of King Thranduil’s guard. Tauriel, played beautifully

by Evangeline Lilly, was certainly added to even out the gender disparity in the main cast. Tauriel is, however, an enjoyable character, and fits seamlessly into the storyline, adding welcome intrigue to the plot. She is accompanied by Legolas, played again by Orlando Bloom.

While still an ensemble film, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, and Aidan Turner stand out in their roles as, respectively, Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, and Kili. The film is even better than the first, and raises the stakes for the last film extremely high.

Desolation of Smaug is rated PG-13, and runs for 2 hours and 41 minutes. Those suffering from extreme arachnophobia should think hard before seeing it. The film was directed by Peter Jackson, and stars Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, and Richard Armitage.

Page 8

The RamPage Sports

February 2014/Adar A 5774

JV Basketball Makes Playoffs but Fails in First Round

By Oren Oppenheim ’16

Lately, the Ramaz Rams JV Basketball team has seemingly been in a tough position. Hurt by a less than stellar record (3 and 7) and various injuries, it didn’t seem like this year would be a good year for the Rams. “We started the season with our best player injured,” Josh Silberstein ’16 elaborated, “and we had a 1-6 record [for a while].” The players also needed some time to really mesh together. “We needed to improve on chemistry in the beginning of the season, but we’re starting to get there,” said Jack Laboz ’16.

“Knowing each other in the game and how we play, so we’re able to complement each other.” Meanwhile, the captains were doing their best to look after their team and to make sure everyone played their hardest. “It is a big responsibility,” said captain Alex Mosseri ’16, “Because every move you do [is watched by] your teammates [who] look up to you, and it can be a lot of pressure.”

The team had played against five teams. They won twice against Westchester Hebrew High School and once against MTA. But they

By Alexander Leibowitz ’15

lost to MTA in a different game, as well as to SAR, Frisch, and twice to Heschel. One explanation for the losses may be a slightly skewered practice schedule. “Due to our heavy workload from

on playing their hardest, even if it wouldn’t be a banner year for them. After all, the playoffs were a long shot, right? But in a stunning turn of events, the playoffs suddenly became more possible

our classes, our progress comes at a slow rate, as we don’t have many practices,” said Matthew Hirschfeld. “And when we do, we often don’t have a full squad.”

For a while, it seemed like it would be best if the team focused

than ever.

“By some miracle, we were given a chance to make the playoffs,” said Nathan J Shams ’16. The Rams had won just one more game than MTA—and that game seems to have made all

the difference. There was a game against SAR on January 16 that also would’ve scored Ramaz a playoff spot, but sadly, they lost.

However, the Rams still gained access to the playoffs when Heschel lost to MTA on February 3rd.

Just the possibility of playoffs was an amazing reversal for the team—and one that seemed to be indicative of the players’ positive attitude.

“It’s had its ups and downs,” said Eddie Batash ’16, “But overall [it’s been] a very pleasurable experience with all my teammates.”

Silberstein thought the team’s greatest strength was its resilience.

Even after their unenviable record and injuries, “We kept fighting and now we’re in the playoffs.”

When the JV team made the playoffs, tough challenges lay

ahead of them, heading into a stressful set of games. But the players thought the team was up for the challenge. “I believe that we have great potential to succeed in the playoffs… it won’t be easy but it can be achieved with the right amount of effort,” said Shams. And while the team might have needed to overcome some challenges, it had certainly improved enough to become a contender. “From the fundamentals of not having a turnover or letting up offensive boards, to the more complex parts of our game, like running through the offense,” said Hirschfeld, the team “has tremendously progressed.”

A JV boys championship win would have been an amazing score for Ramaz. It would have been awesome to have another banner hanging in the gym. “Plain and simple,” Shams said about what the team would have gained: “Confidence to push forward.”

But chances are the team has gained that already, just by gaining access to the playoffs. Unfortunately, the JV boys lost in the first round of the playoffs to TABC.

Overzealous Parents...Calm Down

Students who spend a significant amount of time in the gym have begun to notice signs telling parents to behave themselves at sporting events. The signs offer tidbits of advice like, “NEVER yell at referees. They are trying.” “How would you like it if someone came to your job and screamed at you? Not so much.”

“If you have a real issue like a grievance then file it the next day.”

However, despite the signs, students believed parents’ behavior at games was within the norm. While acknowledging some incidents involving overzealous parents (ok, perhaps very overzealous parents), students believed most were calm and respectful. Sam Fried’15, a former JV basketball player said, “I’ve seen some parents scream at refs but nothing too serious.

Basketball games get heated.”

Students believed that other schools have significantly worse fan behavior. Joyce Harary ’15, a member of the girl’s varsity basketball team, said, “If anything some other schools are very obnoxious.”

Maz Koffler ’16, a member of the JV hockey team added, “From my 5 years in Ramaz hockey, I can say that usually the coaches (opposing teams of course--ours are menches) misbehave far worse than any

Today). Clearly, many athletes believe that Sochi was not yet fully prepared for the Olympics to begin. As Nathaniel Dickstein ’14 put it, “from what I have seen in the media, it seems that Russia has not fully prepared the city of Sochi for the Olympics.” However, despite all the complaints from athletes and media in the run-up to the Sochi Olympics, excitement has gained in momentum as

their respective countries rather than their NHL teams. The notion of representing one’s country is an amazing opportunity for these great players, and I hope that the American team is able to once again bring home the gold.”

During the Olympics, no matter what sport is being played, it seems that fans come together as a unit in order to root on their countries. Many students expressed their hope for the television sets to be ready for the broadcasts of highly anticipated men’s ice-hockey matches between the U.S., Slovakia, and Russia on February 13th and 15th. Therefore, the G.O. set up television sets in the school auditorium in order for students to watch the Olympics during their lunch periods, and cheer on our American (and Israeli) Olympians. Televisions are set up in the auditorium for students to watch the Olympics, courtesy of the G.O. GO TEAM USA!

Sochi 2014 Olympic Games

By Russell Oppenheim ’14

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics officially began on Friday, February 7th. However, it has opened to a barrage of criticism from media and Olympic athletes alike. Disapproval among the attendees of the Olympics has rooted from uncompleted hotel rooms, with no running water or Internet. In one instance, American bobsledder Johnny Quinn was forced to break through the door of his hotel bathroom as a result of a faulty bathroom door lock. Furthermore, many athletes such as American snowboarder Shaun White have severely criticized the condition of the tracks and slopes in Sochi. As White put it, “The first day, the walls were a little over-[vertical], so everybody was doing airs, and then landing like pretty flat,” White said. “Today, they made the walls better so everybody lands [correctly], but in the flat bottom, where they cut it, it’s like a bump, so everyone is riding along and then hits the bump, and that’s really not very good.” (USA

the games drew closer. As Adam Lassner ’15 said, “I am extremely excited for the men’s ice-hockey competition to begin. It is always interesting to see some of the top National Hockey League (NHL) stars separate from their usual teammates, in order to fight for

Ramaz parents have. Additionally, many parents of opposing teams go ballistic when their child is called for a penalty or is physically pushed around.”

While acknowledging that the issue exists, Mr. Dulny was quick to state that the referees are generally able to handle the situation. Furthermore, he said that the biggest issue was that parents often times embarrass their kids when they scream. He said, “I don’t think it’s a major problem. I think a few parents do scream in some specific games.

It happens. It’s not right. It’s the same at every school and when the

parents or visitors get out of hand the refs then go over to them and probably embarrass them and then they stop. Some parents really embarrass their kids and the kids don’t like it and try to go over and tell their parents to be quiet. We like cheering and we like good sportsmanship and most of the time that’s what goes on.”

Mr. Dulny’s point was driven home by one of the signs in the gym. “It is extremely unlikely you are raising a professional athlete.

Relax. Let them have a good time and learn the lessons they are supposed to be learning in sports.”

The RamPage Editorial Staff Editors-in-Chief Alex Ratzker Sydney Sarachek

Associate Editors Zach Klein Layla Malamut

Arts Editor Zev Prince

Photography Editors Jen Mammon Ariella Schochet

Copy Editor

Esti Flamenbaum

News Editor Zimi Sloyer

Opinions Editor Noah David

Junior Editors Skyler Levine Andrew Lobel Eddie Mattout

Faculty Advisor Dr. Steven Milowitz

Sports Editor Russell Oppenheim