Volume 34, Issue 2 (September 2003) - The Rampage

EDITORIALS The R:un P11ge

S,•plcmber 2003/Elul 5763

Speak Now or School Does Students Disservice Forever Hold by Not Offering the October SAT Your Peace With each successive Ramaz genera­ tion, a new set of values shapes the insti­ tution. 11,e students of 2003 face chal­ lenges that were different from those foced by students five and ten years ago.

Ramaz has guided its students through eras of political and religious change. We owe a grent deal to Rabbi Bakst and past administrations for steer­ ing the community through difficult times. In the past, they have provided the emotional and physical security necessary after 9/1 I and throughout turmoil in the Mid-East.

The Ramaz administration has d1anged policies over the school's 65-year history as a resu It of lhe give-and-take necessary to react to developing chal­ lenges. A shift in administration provides a unique opportunity for the school to re­ evaluate where its students are now, what they need, and how they can most suc­ ceed.

Students. as well, should Lake this time to show an unusual amount of effort to communicate with the administration.

Every year, Ramaz can reform its bounda,rics as a living and growing insti­ tution. Additionally, NYSAIS has turned these two years into a period or further renection and self-evaluation. Now is the time for students to let lheir interests be known and involve themselves in defining Ramaz. 11,ey have the responsib,hty to enlighten the administration as to how the school can better cater to student needs.

Over the years, the role of the New York prep school and yeshiva student has become increasingly trying. A Ouctuating state of world affairs and a physical vul­ nerability that doesn't seem to be easing only add to these tensions.

Amidst the building stress and dimin­ ishing free time in a high schoolers life, students need a base of support from the school.

It's all the little things that can make or break a student's Ramaz experience. Tests, scheduling, and sympathy in general for the sense of d1aos in a hard-working stu­ dent's life can all foster a grateful student body.

As administrators revisit the role of a Modern Orthodox yeshiva this year, they should also re-examine the role of a stu­ dent in such an ins Ii tu lion. And, it is the duty of students to express to administra­ tors how they define themselves, with aU the pressures and perquisites that accom­ pany high school life in 2003.

We cannot expect the administration to change policies and re-evaluate pro­ grams without direction from those whom they serve. The student body must voice its concerns.

We loo!< forward to a year in which students, new and old faculty, and admin­ istrators can work together to examine once again how the school can mold its own agenda to help students achieve all that is demanded of them.

A� SAT test dale is rarely an auspi­ cious day for students. TI1is October, it happens lo fall on the eve of Yorn Kippur, the most solemn and sacred day of the Jewish calendar. This occurrence has led Ramaz, a central Sunday testing site, lo close its doors and refuse to administer lhe exam to students who intend lo take the test on October 5.

Ramaz's decision to remove itself as a lest center on October 5 is especially harm­ ful to seniors who intend to take the exam on that day. As anyone who has taken a standardized exam can at-test, familiilr sur­ roundings and personal comfort can pro­ vide an immeasurable edge. By closing its doors to the October lest, Ramaz is giving its own students a disadvantage.

Ramaz has stated that its decision to withdraw itself as a test center is a reli­ gious one. This decision is fundamentally Oawed. 11,e SAT begins at nine in the morning and ends at approximately noon; over six hours before the holiday begins.

A Word From the GO

Welcome back to all returning Ramaz students and incoming freshmen! \,Ve hope that the new Ramaz pens, a small gift to bring in the new school year, will serve as a reminder of how much we care.

We're very excited for the upcoming school year; the GO is working very hard to plan events that will make this year more enjoyable than those past. To start off the school year in a fun way, the GO arranged for 130 Ramaz students to attend a Yankees/Red Sox game. We thought this would be a great way to start off the year in a relaxing, non-school envi.ronmc.nt.

You will all have a truly enjoyable Chol Ha-Moed Succot. We will be going to Hershey Park for a day, and the GO is in the midst of planning an amazing Simchat Beil HaShoeva.

We look forward to more enthusiastic students joining in student government.

Class president elections will be held on October 2, so start thinking about what you can do to help your grade!

The GO is ready and willing to help with any problems students might encounter throughout the year. Please talk to us, or email us at GO@Ramaz.org!

We wish you the best of luck this year and a Shana Tovah, GO 2003-2004 President Jonathan Goldman Vice president Jeremy Waldstreicher Junior Vice President Gabriel Slamovits Treasurer David Itzkowitz Secretary Alex Meirowitz

Students who require time to prepare themselves for Yorn Kippur have ample time to do so.

We recognize that an a.rgument can be made that it does not look appropriate for a day school to stay open on the eve of a holiday; but, closing the school exalts tra­ There is no dition over substance. halakhic reason for the school to be closed.

Indeed, by forcing testees lo take the test in Washington Heights (the next-closest SAT test center), Ramaz significantly shortens many students' Yorn Kippur preparation lime. Ramaz's decision causes students to tTavel a greater distance from their homes lo take the SAT, further con­ tributing lo the very problem Ramaz pre­ sumably sought to avoid in the first place; allowing students to prepare for the holi­ day. Given the importance of the test to college-bound seniors, it is a disservice and inconvenience to those seniors who plan to take the test on October 5.

ease JOlll US or our firs amP eeting oom 604 hu r sda $,eptember25. �eRamPage EOITORS-IN..ClllEF Mn,.�IIBrycr • fatltbwohl • Jnu1yMcrlin • Em.,lyM()U ASSOCIATE f.DrTOR Sh1fr11M11Xer JUNIOR EDITORS MmMTi Kn1h: • G� � SPORTS EDITOR YxlSlc!ncr n:ATURES £DITOR RacbtlTngtt COPY l:DITOR i.&nlUMUOO PIIOTOGRAPlll' EDITOR RORl)n Spier RAMCIIOPS EDITOR Oen Octm1t1n WEBl'.:DITOR Lahay llar\:ov F,\ctJLTY ADVISER Mr AlbmG.xt;i

Seplembrr 2003/E:lul 5763

The R2mPage

ADVICE Welcome To The Jungle

Page J

Freshmen Advice

By Jonathan Berken '06 I have lo confess !hat, like a certain blond-haired girl in the movie version of Alice in Wonderland, "I give myself some very good advice, but I very sel­ dom follow ii." With this admission out o( the way, I would like lo allempl to impart some words of ra.si­ ly discarded "wisdom" lo thC' incoming Ramaz fresh­ man class.

Ranuz is composed of �tudents who come from a vancty of different elemen­ tary schools. Some have bt'('n m the Ramaz system since kindergarten, some come from so-called "f e..'Cl­ er schools," while olh\.'rs, li�e myself, come from day schools that have h,1d a ralhcr variable representa­ tion at Ramaz from year to year.

Rcgardles.s of

whether you come with a group or by yourself, you will not fed like an out­ sider for very long.

Freshman Orientation is a time during which lhe sense of inclusion b�gins.

As you r('("civc your sched­ ule and p,ck up your books, you will begin to forge friendships w1lh your other classmates.

The adminbtration makes a great effort lo case lhc tran­ sition lo high school, and by the lime classes begm, you will already foci ,ls U1ough you arc part of lhe Ramaz system. .11ur,1lly, lhere w,11 be some initial .1nxicty about your courses and .1bout staying on lop of the work.

Afler .111, you ore no longer in middle .chool, and your grades w,11 suddenly lake

By Sbifra Mincer '04 You've survived two years al Ramaz. Only two lefl to go. You·ve heard that these two years are the hardest, so here's some advice 10 guide you through junior year. You've heard lhat it's the hardesl year, w1lh lilllc sleep and lale lunches You've heard of lhc impossible malh 11.'SIS 'and physics fmals.

You've heard of the PSAT, the SAT and even 1he SAT II subJecl lests. You've he<>rd it's going lo be hard­ er lhan you could ever imagine. \Vh ,le many of lhcse legends prove to be !rue, you'll be plc,1sanlly sur­ pnsed al how many do nol The mosl imporlanl thing 1s to budget )Our hme cor­ reclly. You·11 learn how lo become cxpcrls at skim­ ming ;ind focu� on what you really need lo know.

To feed those growing bodies you'll learn lh,11 lunch during 8th period 1usl isn'I suff1c1cnl. .. cspc­ dally ,f you're not ,, fan of FLIK lnslead, you should brmg your own food lo school and munch aw,,y on an apple or on c,urol stick.c; Anr,lhcr fear of I Ith grade has always bwn the college and Israel advisement processes thal take off

around lhc middle of the year. Jusl remember thal not only are the ad\ri.sers there lo help you, bul all of your cl,,ssmates will have to deal with the exact same issues. Before you know it you will be swepl into a room of smiling parents and a reassuring Rabbi Lookslcm al lhc fronl on College Nigh!. lnslcad of being worried, you mighl be excited to lr:,m more about colleges you don 'I know so much about.

Perhaps the h.udest dec1s1ons you will have to make w,11 be your course selechons for senior } ear Though lhc prospect of Advanced Plilccmcnl class­ es and \\Ork-sludy might seem daunting, don't worry aboul this cilhcr.

Eventually you will figure out whal you want to learn in your senior ycJr II might surprise you when you're told about the PSAT that you'll l,1kc one morning in � hool 111c lest mighl c,1tch you by sur­ prise JUSI when you thought you had way too mud, work to do already.

Because of thal you may even walk Into the lcsling room with lillle Idea of \\ hat an ;malogy is or what the tcsl even looks like, but

on o newfound importance.

II is counterproductive to feel intimidated, however.

Although we come lo Ramaz with different strengths and weaknesses, we all have a way of catch­ mg up and there is always someone lo help gel you back on lrack.

The weekly schedule of A, B, C, D, X and Y days may appear a bit like "alphabel soup" al first glance, but ii is really a very ralion,1I system th,1t becomes "old hat" almost 1mmediatdy. II allows you to plan your activil"ies and lo know ,f you mighl be able to throw together a study group before an exam.

Also, enjoy the smor­ gasbord of afler-school activity possibiJiHes. You

Movin' On Up: Advice for the Juniors

11 doesn't malter because the grade you get doesn't counl. Thal means lhat only you and your college adviser know what you got on the lcsl (your parents don't have to know either if you successfully hide away your score). Bui, honestly, the lest is made jusl lo help you do belier on U,e SAT, which you only need lo start preparing for once you find out how you did on 1he PSAT. When your grade final­ ly dO<'s mallcr, you'll rcal11c that with some study­ ing and with the righl books. a few hours on Sunday w,11 be a pcrfecl time to study for our fovontc standardized ll�t.s.

You'll be surprised to �ow that an SAT score can be dependent on how much sleep you get the night before. Take lhe opporluni­ ty lo get extra sleep instead of stressing oboul the 25,000 words tn the diction­ ary you still don·t know.

In the worse case sce­ n;1rio, junior yc.1r will tc.ich you lo tough out on occa­ sional bad grade or scory teacher. And think of what you have to look fonvJrd to - senior pn vilegcs �,t Lhc end of the year

can't do everything, but you can ccrlainly try!

There is something appeal­ ing lo everyone, and I advise you to get out there and participale. Extra-cur­ riculars provide a nice way to relax aflcr classes, even if it docs mean eating a later dinner, and the cama­ raderie lhat develops m the process is its bes! part. In add11ion to after-school activities, the numerous chagigol sponsored by U1c school, as well as Freshman Seminar, a program jointly sponsored by Ramaz and lhc Ycshiv,1 of Flatbush, provide good opporluni­ t1es lo unwind and to get to know your cla�.smates out­ side of the classroom.

For those of you who live far away but must still deal wilh a dual curricu• lum with lols of home­ work, I can only recom­ mend efficiency and per­ specbvc. Perfection some­ times has lo be sacrificed

for �nity. Procrastination is almost always a bad thing when taken to excess, unless you are remarkably focused when you have to be. Staying on top of your assignments, especially the papers, makes the pace seem much more relaxed, and you will find that being well-prepared for class makes exams less of a cram.

Above all, plan to make lhc most of your lime al Ramaz. II is a different place for everyone, and you will, without a doubt, carve out your o,vn niche w1U1out too much effort There is a grcal deal of supporl from the very start, espc-­ ci;illy from among your peers. Bcsl of all, you w, II make some very good friends who will help you to nt1v1gate .iny "'bumps in the road" thal you might encounter as you make your way through your freshma.n year.

Words of Wisdom for Wise Fools

By Emily Belfer '05

1111.� word "sophomorcH is defmed as a pupil who is learning in his second year of American upper school­ ing. The etymology of the word comes from the Greek roots sophos-wisc and moros-foolish.

11,ercforc, a �ophomorc i, a w1� fool . You will be more kno,, ll-dgcJblt.• and more e,pcnenced, yet at the s,1me lune, slightly haughly or foolish You "111 prob.ibly find !hat you have become much more at case in the building as your grade will no longer be composed of Wldt'-C) t-d rrc.�hman new­ comers who arc too nerv­ ous to function normally.

At the same time, you are stall lower cl,1,smcn, rcla­ livcly unexposed to !he greater pres<urcs of high school.

Students have s;,id !hat sophomore year Is ,1 boring one, without characterizing events, almost 11"-e a con­ t1mrnllon of ninth grade.

11,is Ii. unlnie. For starters, your workload will incrc,1-.e. Your clt.1�sc-s will gel a b11 more demanding,.

not to mc.nt,on interesting, and you will get newer and sometimes harder teachers.

You will also have to obtain forty hours of chesed work by the end of the second semester, assuming you want to a,·01d exposure to J\ls. Bcnel's wra lh. Take advantage of this mandato­ ry assignment and do some-thing that interests you, and slarl doing ii lx•fore spring or )'OU will yourself over­ fmd whelmed ln grncral. seize , our special opporlunttie!!>, as you probably won't be as whiny as last yeais sopho­ mores. They sci o h1gh water mark for whminess. unlikely lo be matched for many years to come.

13ranch out soci;illy now that you have discovered how to survive Ramaz.

Have fun now that you are hopefully a bit more relaxed. 13asically, the adm1111,trJtton doesn't h,n·c 1t� eye on ) ou thi� ye,,r and you are going to bolher all lhc other grades anyway, so don't forget lo have a gooJ I 1mc

Page 4

Sum

Costa Rican Adventure

By Larissa Marco '04 Costa Rica7 II sounded like a strange place lo visit, but nonetheless, the United Synagogue Youth was organizing a trip to this Central American country for the f1rsl lime, and I signed up lo join this group of pionc-ers. The progrJm, called Outdoor Adventure: Costa Ric.1. was dC"SCribed

as a true adventure, filled wilh numerous hikes, whitewater rafting, and some Spanish lessons. I was hardly able lo contain my excitement as I looked forward lo joining the sev• enteen other teenage par­ ticipants on the trip.

July 9, the d ale of departure, finally arrived , and I left New York to embark on what would become one of the most treasured experiences of my life. The group assem­ ble d in Florida, and we departed for Costa Rica lo begin our three-week jour­ ney. As is typical, all the participants had a difficult time adjusting al first, but we became comfortable with �ach other surprising­ ly quickly. We soon got to know one another and it was clear that we were on our way to forming a solid and cohesive communjty, As we journeyed through Costa Rica, we witnessed the conditions in which the local people live.

With their standard of liv­ ing being so low, techno­ logical ad,vancements such Larissa Marco '04 and friends went on ,11 white water r.1fting trip down a river in Costa Rica.

Stptcmber 2003/Elul 5763

The llaml'agc

as lnternC't accC'ss were hard lo come b)'. While we were aware of the environ­ ment lhat surrounded us, we didn't let that under· standing hamper our enjoyment of Costa Rica's natural wonders.

During the trip, I had some thrilling experiences.

Secured to a rope several above hundred feet ground, I went zip-lining through clouds above the rainforest at incredible speeds. The adventure could only be topped b)' dipping in the steaming waters of the hot springs later that evening. With each adventure, the group grew closer.

Punta Mona, located off the Caribbean Sea, was unlike any place I had ever been. We lodged in Punta Mona for six days, sleeping in a wooden loft. The group was submerged in an entirely different lifestyle, one that promoted sustainable living in which nothing is store-bought and nothing is wasted.

This austere lifestyle came as a shock to us, but we and soon adjusted embraced it as a u.nique and challenging learning experience.

Later, splashing through the rapid s, we pad dled for miles down the Pacuare River as we whitewater rafted for two days. We swam in natural pools and un der waterfalls

On one of lhe many hikes on lhc trip, Ma.rco '04 saw walerfalls such as the one piclured above (courtesy of Larissa Marco '04)

Szarvas Experience

By Daniel Marans '05 and Sarah Sabshon '05 This summer, we p�r- Loves Saturday Night.. in ticipatcd in il two week different languages. program in Hungary called When the American the Szarv�,s Fellowships. group arrived al 51..arvas, \.Ve ·were members of a we recognized the vast group of approximately 20 diversity of the entire inter­ American Jews from totally national group.

There different backgrounds and were campers from al.I over places, and each was Eastern Europe, including accepted to spend time m a Russia, Poland, Hungary, Jewish summer camp in Romania and KaUningrad.

Southeast Hungary. Our We were able to put faces intimate group of to the countries that we American fellows spent the had learned about in hislo­ first weekend getting ry class. We realized that, acquainted with Hungary's despite our dissimilar capital city, Budapest, backgrounds, they were before heading out to the not so different from us; camp where we would they enjoy the same activi­ spcnd the summer as ties we do and their every­ campers with Jewish teens day life is similar to ou.rs. from all .

Shabbat in camp was around the f t an incred.ible globe.

After we that this boy exper i e n c e . landed in On Friday night, the Budapest, we whole camp went to U,e ZS O beautifully assembled for Kab baIat ornate castle • Shabbat servon the Buda ices.

There sid e of the I was singing D a n u b e

WaS amazzng

and saw the wildlife of U,e area. We spent the night at a campsite on the side of U,e river, where we pre­ pared our own meals.

However, before we knew it, the trip was begin· ning to wind down. We wrapped it up in San Jose where we had Shabbat meals and d avened at the local Orthodox shul. waters were Although only 70 in num­ lined with ber, the congrcgants were ancient bridges and build­ very friendly and commit­ ings constructed in old ted to maintaining their style architecture. The cas­ Judaism. tle was enormous and pro­ Finally, ii was time to vided a breath-taking view go home. We packed up of the city. After our castle our suitcases and flew back excursion, we went to the to Florida, where we were secon d biggest synagogue all together as a group for in the world-the Dohany the last lime. Even though Street Synagogue. The it was d ifficult to leave, I sanctuary within was knew the friendships and gigantic an d was filled memories created wou Id with detailed craftsman­ never come to an end. ship. Its stained glass and huge Aron Kodesh were truly awesome. The syna­ gogue was a powerful reminder of the depth of Jewish heritage in Eastern Europe.

Havdalah was the event that stands out most in our memory of that weekend in Budapest.

When the sun was no longer visible, the group gathered in a circle by the river. A spiritual recitation of Havd alah was followed by singing "Everybody

. h ad fh e enfzrety if h , b ar

mz'tzval� z'n camp as this is �::;· :;:;: not typical of :;' wt: ��� e chanting.

Amercian Jews. We ha disd

n

n

d

cussions about faith with less religious participants, bringing an interesting per­ spective to the issue.

The next morning at shul, a Russian camper, Anion, celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. He slowly recited the brachot for the aliyah, showing that he had been practicing for a long time.

When we d anced and threw can d y at him, he started to smile. Anton looked bewildered and elated at the same time. It was amazing that this boy had the entirety of his bar mitzvah in camp, as this is not typical of American Jews.

In retrospect, this life-­ altering journey has allowed us to learn more about other countries and understand who we are as part of a Jewish nation, not just an American Jewish one.

Srplrmbrr !O0J/Elul 5763

r�gc s

The R:unPagc

Story of Switzerland Vie,.,,• of St. Moritz. Switzerland from ;a cable car. (Courtesy of Sophia �·Jerkin)

By Sophia Merkin '06 After spending a month in a German speaking city, coming home lo Kennedy Airport where all the signs nrc written in English was indeed a relief. My sister and I spent lhe month of July working at Fondalion Beyelcr, a museum in Basel, Switzerland. The museum was preparing to put on an exhibit showcasing the later works of Paul Klee, a German painter who was exiled to Switzerland during the Holocaust due to his Jewish hcril.ige. I conlnbutl"<I by helping in the museum gift shop and storage room, and pulling together over two thousand press dossiers in Englosh, German, French and

Italian. I can now say "Paul Klee: Fulfillment in the Late Works" in four differ­ cnt l,mguagcs. My sister and I also spent some time touring the country. We went hor,;eback riding and hoking in the Alps. and s,1il­ ing on Lake Lugano. We traveled to Paris and spent a day at the Chatcau Vers,1illes.

Basel is located in the Germ.in speaking area of Switzerland and, therefore, the majority of people thcrc---including some o( those woth whom I worked--did not speak English I did manage lo learn some basic German, and I mastered Basers tram systrm.

Surprisingly

enough, despite living in the Cerm,,n sectmn of the country, I was able to use my French in order to con­ verse with the locals. \-Vhcn I arrived at home in �'lanhattan, it was a little discomfiting to bump into people on the street and have them apologize m English, as opposed to something incomprehensi• ble in German. After spending a month with people whose language I didn't speak, and "'ho, con­ versely, didn't speak mine, I needed ;;mother month to adjust to speaking English again.

West Bank: Summer on a Settlement

By Rachel Trager '04 I chose to spend my summer in Israel with Betar, a right-wing org-ani• z.-1tion which is particula.rly active in Cleveland, Ohio. \Vith five ot.hcr high school sludenb, I love<l for much of the lime in a settlement called Kedumim, located in the midst of the Shomron and surrounded by Arab

planted trees and grass, beautifying the area around the synagogue. \·Ve worked hard, reliving the days of Israel's first pio­ necrs. But, even that was not the most gratifying experience. lnstc,1d, it was meeting selllers who live our summer adventure all year round, toiling the land of Israel, hik­ ing through hidden trails, hitchhiking to J whatever des� tination they ' desire, forev­ er wide-eyed, dete rmined, � and fearless. � One of these people ..;ia ■ Students sta-;;d with the mayor of the settle• \"•las named menl, Kedumim. (Courtesy of Rachel Elnatan. On Trager) one of my first villages such as Jeer and nights in Kcdumim, we sat Shechrm.

There, we atop a \\-.1ler lower over­ worked in a new communi- looking all o( the endlessly ty, 11,u Chemed. After a expanding Kedumim. He history of evacuations and told me th,11 when he was controversy, an influx of fifteen years old, he had left fom1lics to I.he community school for scver.1I months forced the Israeli govern- to help start an outpost menl lo recognize Har called Chavat Cilad, local­ Cheme<l as ,1 legal expan- ed on the Sloomron. With sion o( Kcdumim, an no fence to protect the out­ undl.spu1.1blc settlement. post f.lmilies and teenage On I lar Chemed, we boys from predators

j,

1.<1a.,.,i,

Elnatan would sit m a chair late into the night at the . outpost's entrance, revolver in his hand and pure belief in God in his heart.

After spending seven months at Chavat Gilad, he told me, the police came to evacuate the settlers.

Holding onto any scrap belonging to the outpost, the settlers were tom away and beaten. Elnatan was arrested. In his one-day stay in jail, the police placed handcuffs on him, tightening them to squeeze information from him, so that eventually blood ran down his wrists when he lo refused speak When he was released, he went back to live with his family in Kcdumirn, as 11 W ilS tune lo return to U1e tenth grade He continued to work at Chavat Cilad t h o u g h , believing lhal all of Yehuda the and S 1/6 m r o ti

were rightfully lhe Jewish nation's, promised to it by Cod in the Torah. He believed th.it the tcrrilories, won back in the Six Day War but not legally annexed to lsrJel, couId be settled the way Har Chemed was. 1l1is would ensure thJt Israel would never h�,ve to surrender that Elnatan which, claimed, is rightfully its own. \Vith his vibrant love for the Jewish homel,1nd alw.iys visible in his eyes, spt-cch, and deL'<ls, Elnalan showed me a beautiful Israel in U1e lh1d.. of a h.·rror

1onc. \,\'hilc hiking in the Colan, rapelling from mountains in the Judcan dcc;crt, or swimming in the pools of the Sachne, he con­ stantly reminded me to notice my surroundings, the plush green hills, the chiseled mountains, the crashing waterfalls.

Surrounded by these people, the students on my tnp and I foll in love with Israel on a completely dif­ ferent way lhan ever before, knowing the hard truths of the land, seeing ,ts natural beauty, and feeling the settlers' boundless love.

Students on Detar trip

work

on the sctllcment.

(Courtesy of Rachel TrJger)

Sc11tcrnbcr 2003/[lul S763

R.Nhtl FntJm,n '04

Arych Roskies ·04 "I was at the airp ort in Israel and my flight was delayed because there was no power in New York."

Above:

picture taken of America the night o(

'-,, August 14. The east coast

cannot be seen because of the blackout. (Courtesy of

Dr. Honig) L�Jt� Street vendors

Hana Weinstein ·as "I was in my pool and then all of a sudden everything just shut down."

began to sell souvenirs a few days later (court�sy or Eve lebwohl).

Hit the Lights: Blackout

By Malka Fleischmann 'OS 59th Street, a green dump truck, splat1ered with mud and packed wilh men and women, headed toward the Queensborough Bridge, ils crammed ·passengers together like sardines.

New Yorkers came rule out terrorism as the their various places of together in order to help source of the power failure, work, struggled to make ...each other make it through leaving New Yorkers to their way home. On East the blackout. Many of

Suddenly attacking major cities along the Eastern seaboard and the Canadian province of Ont-ario, August 14's power outage c,1Ught an alnrmed New York City off guard.

Authorities were quick to

Samson Kohanski '04 "I was watching TV when all our power went out. II was kind of weird but the power came back almost immediately so I could finish the show."

"I was stuck on a NYC subway between slalions. It was pretty freaky. The whole thing shut down."

Michael Gluckstadt '04

continue their lives with difficulty but without fear.

Subway service came to a halt, cell phones were rcn­ dcrt.-d useless, and the Mets game was canceled. The streets teemed with people who, having evacuated

"I was al my house watching a movie about a blackout, "Police Academy.

6." It was kind of freaky. Six minutes later the blackout happened."

Jon Kimchi '06

September 2003/Elul 5763

The RamPage

• "Miami 2017," Billy Joel

Out of Power: How Ramaz Handled the Blackout

By Miriam Krawitz '06 The blackout which crippled the northeast on August 14 did not leave Ramaz unaffected. With

everything went out- the computers, the fons, the

lights, everything,· Mr. Evnns expl.1incd.

Cito Alicea, C('m was security. Rudy Superintendent at the the Arjune, Chief Upper School. remained in Superintendent of the the building throughout Lower, Middle and Upper the blackout in order to Schools was at the Lower help reboot t!-ie school's School when the power sy�lcms when the clcctric1wcnl out. Mr. Arjune made 1y camL" back. Mr. Alicea sure that Jl least two secu­ also helped security guard rity guards stayed al each Kenneth Hume protect the building until the power building by guarding the Cilmc back. Mr. Arjune lobl>y and patrolling 1he stayed with Robert Evans, halls. another security ornccr, at Although many people the Lower School from five look at lhe blackout as a o'clock Thursday morning frightening night, Mr. until ten o'clock Friday Alicea h.1s a more positive night. recollection of the night.

Robert Evans was at the "Did we sleep? No we did­ front desk of the Lower n't, but it was really nice School at 4:11 in the after­ .1nd quiet. I never experi­ noon when he noticed lhc enced a blackout before initial signs of the power and it was funny to sec the outage. "Lights flickered city so dark. I could s..--e all once or twice and then the stars." the power out, the first con­

Brings Region to Standstill Easl Harlem neighbors lcfl

them look to lhe slreets and volunteered lo direct traffic Shopping coolers throughout lhc affecled areas posted signs apolo­ gizing for their low stocks.

Because ii was cooler out­ side th.1n in their cmmped

ous barbeques. Despile New York's optimistic illti­ lude, many people were unable to bathe, flush lhe toilet, fuel !heir cars or

un-air conditioned .ipart­

set.

many people menls, lounged on stoops and in bc,1ch chairs outdoors. In

the power outage, newspa­ pers and mag,1zincs were

their apartments for v,ui­

even sec, o--,,ce the sun had

In lhe days following

"The power wenl out just as my dad came home from work. We used lanlerns for everything lhat night.

Even showers- luckily we didn'I have an eleclric pump so we had water."

Robert Ferrer '04

brimming wilh "I-low To" articles, preparing the pub­ lic, in case of future cmcr­

I

gcncit..--s. When the power

returned, many retailers.

eager to capitalize on the blackout began selling var­

ious "blackout memorabil­ ia," such as, "I Survived the

Blackout of 2003" shirts.

tee­

"I was across lhe street from City Hall. Later, in City Hall, the situation seemed very much under conlrol. The Mayor was surrounded by the Fire Chief Commissioner and the Chief of Staff, all try• ing to reslore normalcy. It was great to sec firsthand how the city handled itself during a lime of crisis."

Hannah Zweig '04

b

People left in lhe dark were forced to be resourceful during the blackout and used candles il.S an altcm.1tive lighl source.

Page 8

Bottom: �fa)'Or Bloomberg

lights .1 undle in memory of August 19 bus bombing (Courtesy of Kristin Art7.).

(co,ituuu:tlfrom pagt 1)

The RomPogc

'

Rigl1t: Mayor Bloomberg spe;iks at 1-IJdassah University Medical Center

News '

Scplembcr 2003/Elul 5763

Smaller Grade for Incoming Freshmen

By Ben Bernslein '05

Rabbi Lookstein and Mayor Bloomberg Visit Israel

wmd. 36 hours of non•stop We.,k along with his report . reinforced the Mayor's action. The most hectic l n his art icle, he responded resolve. The Rabbi under­ time I've ever been in to .another ilrticle in The stands why it was an Israel." The group visiled Jewish Post tha t dubbed importlnt trip to take dur• lhe sile of a suicide bomb­ Bloomberg an "unaffiliated ing terrorist attacks. He ing lhal had taken place a j{'\\r." -rhc �layor's mission managed to lighten up a week earlier. the Hadassah very serious trip, also."

Hospi t al in Ein Kirem, and There arc .i few people the Western Wall. A picture who arc criticizing the of t he Kotel visi t, which Mayor for his overt display featured �layor Bloomberg of religion, saying that kissing the st ones of the being t oo affiliated w,th a wall, was displayed promi­ particul,u religion can nently on August 31 in The Rabbi alienate voters.

Lookstein emphasized that New York Times Metro he "would be proud if the Section.

Irish Mayor was an Rabbi Lookstei n Catholic and ran to comfort e><plained lhat this mission vict"ims of an Irish bombing 10 Israel reminded him o( his missions to Russia in to Israel was a resounding and then went lo church to .iff1rmation of his true affil­ say mass. 1 think a leader t he 70's. ·1 had somet hing lake lhe feehng thal I had iation; he is a proud .ind should ideally be a reli­ gious person." In Rabb, lhcre ( in RussiaJ: every courageous Jew." l\ls. Fud,s observed Lookstcin's report, he minute doing mitzvot.

Mayor Except i.n lhis case. 11 was that there "was Jn cxtraor­ described really Mayor Bloomberg d inary rapport" between Bloomberg as "extremely Rabbi Looks t ei n and the bright," "Mayor Bloomberg doing the mitzvot'" Rabbi Lookslein also Mayor. She said Rabbi was the right person, in the wrote an article which was Lookst cin was "so support­ right place, al t he right time submilled lo n,e Jewish ive of lhc trip and really and he did the right thing."

"Mayor Bloomberg was the right person ... and he did the right thing."

Many have experienced the cr,,mpcd elev,,tors ,,nd congest ed stairwells o( the Upper School, but the new freshman class might bring relief. With 108 freshmen, the newest class at Ramaz. is about twenty students ,mailer than the sopho­ more, ju nior and senior gr.ides arc.

With the recent open­ ings of the SAR Academy, Nor th Shore Heschel, Hebrew Academy, and Solomo n Schechter in Westchester high schools, some were suspicious that Ramaz was being passed over for other yeshivot.

However, Mr. Miller and Rabbi Lookstein both held that the downsizing of the freshman class of 2007 was intentional.

Dean of Admissions, Ms. Corlin Daniele Lassner, admitted that Ramaz lost applicants because o( the new Jewish high schools and that lhe admissions board did not init ially get all the matricu­ lations it wanted. This year Ramaz. ,1cceptcd more stu­ dents from the waiting list than in previous years.

However, shL" did insist that "Although we t ook students from the wailing list in greater number, we did nol accept anyone that we felt wou Id not excel in our program at Ramaz."

Mr. Miller added, "We plan on keeping a rigorous curriculum and we will not sacrifice quality for quanti­ ty. " Though faced with a dccrc,,sc in malriculati.ng studen t s, Mr. Miller said that a smaller class would "improve the quality of life at Ramaz." . . Now with fewer stu­ den t s I will not feel cramped," Adam Starkman '05 concurred, Tll have more room to breath."

'The classes will be smaller and it wil l be a bet­ ter m-class environment for bo t h t eachers and st u­ dents," Rani Oishi '05 agreed.

Rabbi Lookstcin under­ stood the decre,,se in appli­ cants as J result of demo­ graphics, not as a decline i.n interest in R.. 1maz. H e explained that students would be more willing lo attend a school closer to home rather than to make a commute into long Manhattan every day, espe­ cially after September 11.

"All the new Jewish high schools arc a t least hclpang t o develop modem Jewish education," said Rabbi Looks tein. ·11 wi.11 be a great thing when every Jewish child can have a proper Jewish education."

Administrators Plan School Year

By Jenny Merkin '04 W,th t he start of lhe new academic year, the admjniWf,�P,n has laid out ne_w irtans which it hopes 1 wif( better lhe l aves of its students.

One of t he changes is the Implementation of the Grade Coordinator system.

Each cl,,ss as assigned a gr,1de coordanator to look to for supporL Ra bbi Goldminlz considers 11 to be "one more step in trying to give greater attention lo student needs and t rying to enhance communication in the school. Students will now know th .it there's at least one more administra­ tors door a ht tie more

opc.n." The administrators plan to davcn with their grade and have grade out­ ings during school hours. It is the also Grade Coordin,1lor's resp onsibility 1o organize its c

questionnaires regarding the qualit y of life in school.

R,ibbi Goldmintz says U,at "we're always excited about self-evaluation," and that

to school in February to assess the school.

More imminent on the c.1k•ndar is n school-wide trip lo Hershey Park. Rabbi Rubin Oiews it as a "com­ munal event, whid, brings t o g e t h e r thous,,nds o( stuJewish dent s from many states.

11 It's a wonder­ ful way to eel­ the challenge U,is year wil l ebrate Chol HaMoed and be lo use the information the diversity of our people from last year to better the in a splendid envaron­ school. NYSAIS repr�ta- mcnL • Despite connicts and tiv� are expected t'O 'come' '

·zz

"St UdentS Wl now know that there's at least one more administrator's door l't t[ e more open.

�;::,,: \�1� ing sd,edule. n tion� l :�:�; on the admini s t ra t i v ea [ ag�nda is to conlinuc 11s prcp,,ration (or the NYSAIS evalua t ion.

The school will undergo a self-evaluation Jnd some studen ts will respond to

cancdlJtaQJ1S l,1s1 year, the administration .igain hopes to launch a mission lo l>racl, lo which nin t h, tenth, and eleventh graders arc i.nvitcd. This trip will take place in November over Thanksgiving. Rabbi Rubin feels this voyage is essential, as "we need to create an intellcctu.al and emotional connC"Ction to the State of Israel in an era when the morality o( Zionism is deb,,tcd. Our students have to experience f irst hand the beauty, Importance, and validity o( Zionism and the modern State o( Israel."

Septemb<r 2003/Elul 5763

The RamPage

Page 9

News

"And the floodgates of the sky broke open."

By Miriam Krule '05 and Jenny Merkin '04 On Friday, September 5, there to serve as buckets to Ramaz had its own equiva- catch the dripping water. lent to the flood in Parshat Ms. Nussbaum, the school Librarian, is "grateful Noach.

At around 10 AM, the that the leak didn't damage maintenance men tested the books, magazine rack, the emergency showers in or computer-server room. the fifth floor laboratories Damage was minimal to in order to avoid any crises. what could have been a However, sediment in the catastrophe." pipes made it impossible to Plumbers were called in tum off the showers. The to fix the showers. Frank laboratories were flooded and Shccky from A. Plumbing and waler leaked into the Steinmann library downstairs. changed the t.hree valves Garbage cans were put for the emergency shower

and installed a spare ball smooth opening of school valve. They said "every­ on Monday." thing is going to be OK." Freshmen were in the building for their orienta­ tion at the time of the leak.

Most were not fazed by the crisis. ""I didn"I think any­ thing of ii," claimed Louis Potok "07.

The leak did not affect school on Monday. ··we arc taking care of it au;· said Mr. Rochlin on Friday, 'There is no call for alarm.

We will have a perfect and

Garbage cans were set up to catch the water dripping from the laboratories above

Seniors Set Record As They Leave for Israel

By Daniel Marans '05 For most American teenagers, Israel is the distant center of a violent conflict in a dangerous region.

However, in the yeshiva world, Israel is not quite as distant for many reasons, including the option presented to graduating high school students to spend a year in Israel before college to study, renect and solidify their Jewish identities.

This year, as in the past, Ramaz is sending its own group of graduates to Israel in September. The ·03 graduates set a Ramaz record, with 61 of them spending an interim year there.

The new alumni are ,, attending a wide array of Israel pro_ • grams which IS incIu des J Brovender's, Midreshet HaRova and Migdal Oz (for the girls) II and Kerem B'Ya v n e h , Sha"arei Mcvaserct-Tziyon, and Yeshiva! Har Etzion (for the boys).

The graduates spending a year in Israel also includes eight students who are participating in non-yeshiva programs.

They are headed for Shalcm, Bar-llan University and the Conservative movement's Nativ.

Rabbi Shlomo Stochel, Chairman of the Israel guidance office, said "Our principal goal is to get students to spend a year in lsrael. Although we prefer that that year be spent learning Torah, we arc happy to entertain other

options."

Surprisingly, students are going in r'('('()rd num­ bers this year, the third year of the Palestinian Intifada. The Intifada has plagued Israel with terror attacks, deterring thou­ sands of potential foreign visitors from making the trip. Rabbi Stochel attrib­ uted the sudden increase in numbers to the prolonged length of the Intifada. "As the Intifada continues, many people have gotten accustomed to the terror and so the deterrent is no longer there in force."

"I always knew that would go, D a n i �I Weaner 03 commented. "'Of course the danger is in the back of O my mind, but this is somcthing I have to do. I will JU st have to be careful."

W h i l e most colleges have little or no problem with a year's deferral, certain schools have policies that make the Israel decision a difficult one. Barnard College, for instance, does not permit deferral from students who arc accepted early decision or from the waiting list.

One fear colleges have in allowing deferrals for a year in Israel is that stu­ dents might change their minds about attending the school.

The Israel olfice contin­ ucs lo expand. In this past "02-"03 school year, Ms. and Rabbi Strapp Menachem Unzer joined

I always knew I would go ... this some• h h ave t t zng do. I will 7'ust have to be careJul

!

Rabbi Stochel and Rabbi Yossi Weiser as Israel advisers. Rabbi Stochel and Ms. Strapp advise the girls, and Rabbi Linzer and Rabbi Weiser advise the boys. This year, as a result

of logistical changes, the four advisers will be occupying Mr. Kenneth Rochlin's former office.

Rabbi Stochel said the move was important because it gave the Israel

office ··a special place. where all the advisers could be together.'" He added, "The move truly shows the school's commitment to Israel guidance...

!Alumni Spotlight

Ramaz Graduate Invited to White House _By Eve _ Lebwobl '04

Few people are invited to the White House in their lifetimes. Even fewer are invited hvice. Jay Reidler '03 was invited this past June, his second time since the previous December, when he sang with the Ramaz chamber chorus there. This time he attend­ ed with a very different invitation. He had been chosen as one or New Jersey·s three Presidential Scholars, a prestigious award that recognizes aca­ demic accomplishment.

Students are invited to apply for the program by the US Department of Education based on SAT and ACT scores. A semifi­ nalist round of 500 appli­ cants is narrowed lo a list of approximately one boy

Jay Reidler

and one girl from each state, varying by popula­ tion, 20 students from out­ side the United States, and 17 art scholars.

In his application's five short essays and one longer essay, Reidler mainly focused on Judaism and its influence on his life. 'Those topics just describe-what inspire me," he said. you truly believe in G-d and Judaism, that should be the center of your life. In defin­ ing myself, I had to include religion."

In keeping with this chose he theme, Maimonides's '"Guide to the Perplexed"' as the work that most inspired him and wrote about Rabbi Fiallo as a teacher who had inspired him, influencing him inside and outside of the class­ room.

Unlike his first visit, Reidler could seize the opportunity over the week­ long stay in George Washington University dorms lo appreciate diver­ sity among the Scholars. As the only Jew of seven to kippah, he wear

·u

explained that wearing his kippah was "quite a chal­ lenge. I didn't feel exclud­ ed, but I ended up having almost all of my discus­ sions about religion because I was the religious Jew there.""

The many conversa­ tions he had, especially with Christians on the trip, he explained, turned the event into "a religious experience more than any­ thing else. I hope to have made a kiddush Hashem."

While he realizes that he is privileged to have received the awat'd '?P, his second invitation to 'lthe White House, Tm not walking around with U,e gold medal around my neck,"' he said, referring to the medal that President Bush signed and which was presented to each Scholar during the events.

For now, Reidler has settled back into daily life.

He spent the summer on the sports staff at a Jewish summer camp, will be attending yeshiva In Israel this year, and Harvard the following year.

Page JO

News The RamPage

Stplember 200J/Elul 576J

SMARTBoards Light Up Class

By Brandon Paroly '05 Pesky chalk dust, an age-old staple of the class­ room, may soon become a thing of the past. Three SMARTBoards, computer­ ized whiteboards manufac­ tured by SMART Technologies, Inc., will be introduced into classrooms this year as Ramaz experi­ ments with a new way tu further integrate technolo­ g)' into the curriculum.

In a classroom with a SMARTBoard, instead of using marker, and dry erasers lo display class material on the board, teachers can u�c four col­ ored ,tyli and digital eraser, m ron1unction w I l h Po,,•crP01n t

spread­ presentations, shttts, computer-drawn graphics, typed text, or many other computer files.

The touch-sensitive board is connected to a computer and an overhead projector.

"For example, if you have the 'Start' button on your Windows desktop, you could lake your longer and push the SMART Board at the 'Start' button. and the 'Start' button bar will pop up; e,plaoned Mr. Philip Goldw0»er, director of information technology at Ramaz. 'Then you can

One of lht- n�w SMART boords .1w.1ils tht: first d•y of closses in room 606.

actually take the markers and write on the SMART Board."

The board will serve many didaclic purposes and will allow students an unprecedcnled amount of access to the curriculum from home. Whatever is written on the SMART Board, even in handwril· ing. co1n be converted into a 1,.1 documenl on print, and saved to a file on the com­ puter. In addition, every­ thing done on the board throughout the entire cla.ss can be saved to a file using lhe "SMART R e c o r d e r" runction, and as .t video in Quicklime or \VI n d o w s Media Player.

Jonathan Speiser '06 expressed enthusiasm ror the innova• l i o n

Ramaz Closes It's Doors to the October SAT's

(ro11tinurdfrom png< 1/ HaOin and the SATs." He noted, howC\/Cr, that stu­ dents ..,,,ho were deter­ mined to lake the test on Sunday would be frtt to do so al olhcr tc,t centers that arc open on Sunday.

As opposed to Ramaz, lhe v..:Shl\,1 of Flatbush w,11 be orrerony, SAT 1es1ing then bcc..1u� ·students will be finished by noon and will have enough time before Yom Kippur," said Ms l..luroe Kleonhouse, lhe Ooreclor of College Guidance at flatbush. She added 1h.11 at this point, !here seems lo be no problem mth. orfenng the lest ort thnl Sunday· Mr. �!,lier c,prcsscd surpr ise ,11 the knowledge 1ha1 other Jewosh schools wou Id be open on Erev Yom Kippur. I le explained thal lh,, prohlcm had aris1.•n wvcral ycJh ago, and then all the Jew"h schools n,--got1.>IC'J lo)�C'thcr with I rs and were lhcrcfore .1blr lo mJ�l .icc.ommod.1• lion\ lor thl•1r lliludcnts. <;.•vcr,11 ullwr Jewish S<hools, llh• I ro'l<.h, ha, c also mi.l<l� othrr o1ccommo­ c.JatH>n"i for lhl'1r ,tudcnl5.

Some students who will be affecled by the changed test date agree with Flatbush's policy. Flatbush senior, Am,chai Strassburg thought lhat students have enough lime before the hol­ iday to prepare aHcr the lest. I le added that the rla1bush pohcy enables "students from nearby schools lo have opporluni­ lit-,; 10 lake lhe SA l's on a Sunday for rcltg1ous rca• sons Mr. Moller denied caus­ ins any 1nconvcmcncc to non-Rama� !!tludcnt.s and c,plained that because lhere arc.• -,o many other test centers open on Sunday, those studc'flls would have no problem taking ii in other schools 111stcad. I lis bollom lone: "I would not want lo h,wc an SAT on my mind before Yom Koppur.

Studenl• ha.c lo ha,c a ht­ tk• b11 or pcr.p,.,_1,vc" Or. I lonoi:, ,, college ,1dv1 -er, felt lh,1l allhough the aHer-school opllon "wac. a poor ,1lkrn1lli\lC, it's ,.dlnna11vc" She ;rn C).plainccl that ..",()fflC slu­ dcnlB will nerd lhc Oclober lest dale ·

One of the main con­ cerns for many studcnls has been early decision application for college.

Because those students h»e lo linish testing by No.,ember, the October dale change po,c,; a prol>­ lem for lhem. Or. llonog felt, h01, ever, lhal "early decu1on LS �ing OV('ru�cd If sludcnls arc good candi­ d,1le< for it, lhcy should have fini,hcd theor tc,tong already" El,ad Shaporo '0-1, decided that he w,11 lake the SAT after school on 1hu "day. Although he compl,11ncd, "after school we c.1n't think straight any­ more," he frlt lhat lhe Ociolx,r date was the most convenient for him. Elisa Mala '0,1, however, has dccidc�I lo take her SAT on another lest center that Sunday For studcnls who f'-'CI uncomfortable !honking of SATs before Yorn Kippur, Or. 1 lonlg ,1dvlscd that when 1,1kong lhc lesl after ,chool, studcnls "should try to get n good night's sleep bdorr the IL"I dale and c,11 right bcfurc the lest

"Sometimes, at first, you're not able lo understand what the teacher is talking abou� but ii you're able to look back at it again, you might be able to under­ stand it belier," he said.

Olher high schools, such as Heschcl High School, have decided to distnbute laptops to stu­ dents as part of the same quest to bring a 1echnologi­ cal dimension lo basic teaching lechniques. Mr. Goldwasser addrCS>cd the school's decision not lo pursue this oplion 'There is a model out !here thal says, 'Let's have a laptop for every student' Through a lot of research, lhal con-

cepl has bttn basically tabled at Ramaz because we don't fttl thal there's a big benefit,· he explained.

Mr. Miller elaborated on the school's choice to limit the number of devices lo three, explaining that the boards arc easily movable and will

RD<4/yn Spin 'CU t e a c hcr s throughout the building.

Both administrators and st"udents showed cagcrnc.� to make use or 1he new technology Ihis year.

Tenafly Maccabi

Games (co111i111wdfrom pagt• I)

the Stalen Island Games in 2000.

In addition to fierce compet.ilio� the Macc4lbi Games focus on fostering good w,11 betw'-'Cn the alh• letes and the community. A common Maccabi tradition is the trading of pins between delcgales of differenl stales. Upon m'-'Cling a new compl•litor, athletes arc encouraged to give away their l('Jm pm in exchange for the pin of anolher delcgalion. By the tune the W'-'Ck o_f compel_,. hon 15 lhrough, most parhcopants h,we dozens or pins ,,nd new friends to show off, "I slartcd playing on the team lo.nowing three p<.'O- / pie," said JO\h I loffman 'Cll, a member of the ,1ge 14-and-under baseball leam. 'The great lhing about the Mnccabi� i.s that it brings people logcthcr from all over the world." the Exemplifying Maccab1 mission to combone athlctocosm and Judaism, each )Car's Games began with the admonislralion of the Rachmanul Rule, which demands lhal compctilor� I re,11 each olhrr 1n n kind rmd r('spectful manner . Sport11111.111shlp

is of the utmost imporlance.

Another ollcmpt at integrating ethics into the Games was the we.,lt\y Day of Caring and Shonng, also known as OOCAS. This year's OOCAS aimed to bridge the gap between older and younger gencra­ lions of Jews. Athletes par­ ticipatcd in community service projects at numcr• ous volunteer inshtutions, including the Jewish Home at Rockleigh and ML S inai Hospolal.

Not surpnsongly, the amount of that effort went into planning an evcnl or this mag n i t u d e wa, lremendous But no area "-'<'Cl\ed as much 11 allent,on ns d id sccunty.

TI,e UJA of Bcri;en County donatc-d SS0,000 e,prcssly for security purpo,cs. Al cilch or the .1rcna!t, \/Olun­ leers manm•d ,ccurity checkpoints that, In some locahons, proh1b1ted the bringing or l>ag-; or any kind onto the vormity of compehloon

"The great thing about the Maccabis is flint it brings people together from all over t 1e ·world.

The R2mP2ge

September 2003/Kislcv 5763

Arts

East Side Set

By Gabe Oppenheim '05 \.Vho would want to spend summer vacation

hanging around R.-imaz?

Actt1ally, it seems that movie stars would. While many srudents sperit their summer break trekking to for-off destinations like Australia,

Hawaii,

and

Israel, A-list celebrities Keanu Reeves, Jack Nicholson, and Doane Keaton camped out in trail•

they aren't just romantic comedies.

Indeed, in January 2003, several blocks sur­

rounding Rilm."lz were shut

down as production began on Jonath,1n Glazer"s .. (director or ··5cxy Beast ) "Birth," a dramatic mystery starring

Nicole Kidma n

and Lauren Bacall Other notable movies recently

filmed in the area include "Two Weeks Notice," they shot scenes ,n the "Anything Else," and vicinity for the romantic ·sruart Little." . . Somcthing·s comedy Julie Ann Cho, Public Golla Give." In fact, the Relations Director for the movie's production crew New York City Mayor"s was so enamored of the Office of Theatre, Film, and Ramaz edifice that they Broadcasting, says that used the lobby as a lounge she·s "now issuing about 60 for extras and as a storage permits per day, a good room for props. deal of which are for filmMr. Rochlin related � how the arrangemen t came Block allempted to to be: ine producers for explain what makes New "Something·s Gotta Give" York such an alluring cinewere scouting the area, matic selling: ..New York they saw our building and just doesn·t look like any they liked il So WC just let other city or place in the

ers surrounding Ram,1z as

them use it."

This djdn't prove to be

such

an easy

task,

as

M;guel Olivo, the Upper School superintendent at the time, recounted. "We would open the school for them at siJC in the morning and we couldn't lock the school up until they fin­ ished shooting al four AM the next day." Guard Kenneth Hume recalled the extras "constantly changing their costumes in lhe aJditorium" al all hours or the night.

Wrillcn by Nancy Meyers and produced by Bruce Block (co-producers or ..What Women Want") ..Something's Golla Give·· casts Nicholson as the swinger boyfriend or Amanda Peet who foils in love with Peefs mother (Keaton) following a heart allack. Reeves enters the picture as Nicholson's doc· tor, who also becomes allractcd lo Keaton and forms the final piece or an unexpected love square.

The movie ls due out in theaters on December 12.

Although Meyers' sto­ ryline (and Its complex web or relationships) seems be,1-n11cd to the crazy environment or downtown New York City, an increasing number o(

producers arc shooting their films In New York City's Upper (last Sode, and

Page II

world. The city has so

Movie Review: Pirates

of the Caribbean

By Jonathan Bryer '05 Gore Verbinski, direc­ tor of 'The Mexican" (2001) and 'The Ring.. (2002), brings an epic talc of pira­ cy, loyalty and betrayal lo the screen in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse or the Black Pearl." The story is aboul rogue pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who bravely rescue Will's child• hood friend and adult love interest, Elizabeth Swann

(Keira Knightlcy), a prison•

� �

--"--.J

that Block chose the Big Apple as the backdrop for his latest nick than Baruch Shcmtov '05 was, who hap• pened to be passing Ramaz during one or the shoots. ..I was eager lo discover what

sequences.

However, "Pirates" is not your aver•

age ··shoot ·cm up... TI,c

acting is quite good-as are

the characters--and the dia• logue flows seamlessly. All this is a for cry from what

I saw that they were filming a movie an d I tu med arou n d and saw J.1ck

Nicholson standing within a foot or me," Baruch rccollected. ·Tuey let me hang around the director's tent.

Only in New York!"

the commotion was about.

proportions, without becoming a victim or typi• cal actio n movie cliches, such

as

never

ending

explosions.

Indeed, "Pirates of the Caribbean" has an unquanllfiable and captivating charm to 11.

The movie also manages to avoid falling prey to pre­ Although dictability. everything must rum out okay, the plot twists and turns until you can barely imagine how things will possibly resolve them­ selves.

Plot intricacies aside, you would expect out of a the lead characters arc movie based quite believable. Johnny � a Depp is the real showstop­ D i s n e y l a n d per here, delivering a mem­ orable performance that ride.

If good brings his character or Jack Sparrow almost to the acting and dialoguc were not point that you believe he -../',.,IV e n o u g h , really did exist. Finally, the

LArissa Marco •m

much rulrurc and is con- '-----------, side.red to be h1p. Even it s strects are amazi_ng."

No one was happier

er or the evil Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his crew of pirates.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" is an action film of the highest caliber. It can sit shamelessly among movies like "Die Hard" and .. Lethal Weapon" due to its brilliant. and captivating

.. Pirates"

is

musical score of "Pirates or

visually stun­ the Caribbean,· composed ning as well. The magnifi­ by Grcgson­ Harry cent Caribbea n Sea, the W,lliams does an excellent monstrous sea vessels and job or narrating the (ilm Captain Barbossa's night• and really helps to make marish pirates arc perfect the movie. examples or this movie·s TI,is spcctarular blend usage or brilliant images. of humor, fantasy, adven­ The plot also manages to ture and action is a clear combine clements of action winner. This is the must­ and biting wit in the right see movie or the summer.

Counting Crows Rock Jones Beach

By Naomi Blrbach '04 and Larissa Marco '04

The Jones Beach Theater in Wantaugh, New York was taken over by John Mayer and the on Counting Crows Tuesday, August 16. The show started al seven o·clock, with opening act Stew-a pop artist hailing from Los Angeles, California known for his humorous scmi-autobio• graphical songs. He played

took the stage at eight o·clock. The band, formed in San Francisco in 1989, has been on tour for a year and a hair to promote its new album, "Hard Candy."

The band played many old favorites including "Mr. Jones," "Hanging Around," and "A Long December," in addition lo newer songs from "Hard Candy" such as "American Girls.. and

crowd, as most allendecs chose to socialize in the food court rather lhan lis• ten to his rather dull music.

Ticket holders trickled in throughout his perform· ancc, eagerly anticipating the beginning or the Counting Crows' set.

The stadium, which seals fourteen thousand, was packed by the lime the Counting Crows finally

a Joni Mitchell song. All were well received by U,c audience, who sang along with Adam Duritz, the band·s lead singer.

Duritz charmed the audience with his engaging anecdotes as he revealed personal encounters that had inspired many of the songs. He also Included n special d<.!lc,,tion to Dan Vickrey, the band's gul-

before iln unenthusiastic

"Big Yellow Taxi," a cover of

larist, whose birthday fell nonetheless appeared ruri­ on the day of the concert. ous to hear some of his The crowd joined in as

newer works.

Duritz sang "Happy however, �fayer, Birthday·· to him. TI,c appeared awkward �md Counting Crows closed quirky at times-something their set with a new song, that became evident in his sung for the first lime at the frequent comments previous night's perform­ between songs. On one ance, entitled ·washington occasion, he attributed his Square." state or being to drinking The Counting Crows too much "blackout milk:· were a hard act to follow, However, after realizing but John Mayer prov<.! up that it wasn·t funny, he to the task. M,1ycr, a newer proved unsuccessful as he artist, released his debut tried to retract ii al the end album Room for Squares in of the song.

The show ended al 2001. His set included a med Icy or both old and eleven o·clock, and hoards new songs. Mayer dis• of concert-goers lch the sta­ played his talent as both a dium still singing the vocalist and a guitarist as night's music. he performed older songs, such as "Your Dody Is a Wonderland" and .. No Such TI1lng." which spectators seemed lo prefer. They

Tht R1mPagt

Stpltmbrr 2003/Elul S763

Arts Concert Review: The Boss Plays All Night for Hometown Fans

By Eve Lcbwohl '0-1 \\'hen thou<Jnds ol enlhuscd "1th an onlusoon doehard fan, f oll Goanb' or l'h"C1nc1ty . , the �tad1um Stadium for the 1,•nlh Bnoce lights Oockert'd on to cre.,tc Spnng,1cin concert m a a, orlual da) time JI 10 PM ro,,, en<'rgy ru� as high as The mood was set lor the the meg, 1,, o11t stadium boss to break out .ome of loght> that ollummatcd the hos olde r song<, p<'Ople �irl'n.1 on Au�u,t 31 "ere d,rnnng in the ables SchcduleJ for 7,JO Pl.I, for the h,gh-pm, c,-,t "Born lhc Bo,, tCk.1"'- lh(' �to1ge at to Run '" Jnd, 1romc.,II). �:10. npt.•nmM h� :,.ct ,, 1th Uancmg in th1.-• l).uk .. thL• new r(•IJ1tvt• I) In today's poli l ocal clo­ ·c):nl h1. 1," llll' .,ud!l'ncc m,1h..•, arti,t-, ha, l' l><.•gun w�,., on ,r... tl"('l an J frcn7y u-;ing concerts J� .1 m(•dium rrom the r,,..,t ..:horde;; through which to voice f through the r�c;t o the con­ their political vie\\'S. cert Putting in his h,o H'nt<, on From the bord,-eye the lr.1q ,,tuallon, , 1c1> orfe r-.J b, a S5i lick­ Sp nng,tc-m commcnt(-.;.I cl, on(' couti obs\!rve a that "1l's alway� ,, rong blanket of h,b pounding "h�n the lives of our son, the air in S) nc ,, 1th Jnd daughter� MC on the lont' rte also spok,• about Spnngskon's lync, Songs loke -1.on,"SOme the importance ol support­ Day· and "Emptv Sky" ing the nation's Icade� and showcased Springsteon's remembering that '"it's not talent, 1ustilymg his 10- a Republican qu�llon or J noght stint .,t the Democratic que�11on. It's Me.>dowland,,_ Neither wa� an Amcnu1n qu�llon, hl· as convincing in this s.11d.

Su rpnsingly, he rcgJrd, ho\\cvcr. as was omitted cla•­ ·0n a �nny Day." 1h15 1s socs like "Bo/n prccoscl)· whJt his Ian• in the USA" paid for. n d Audience members 1umpcd lo their lcet as Spnngsll•m procceJcd to put on a show bciilloni; the • ,-, , 11cus theme of the con«•rr; pmgr.lln, Tossing lili ·Th u n d ,. r ,.wWr l>Jd,.,1.,ge, he pcr- � RoJd," lorrnc,l knee ,IIJcs b.,ck // )udgTng frdm .,nd lorU, across Ute (j the mJJority ol ,toge and clunbcJ on New Jer;cy 1hc microphone ,tanrl, liccnsc plalcs in Ull' h mging (rom ,t � par�mg lol, the fan, upside-do,-n Th� •pprecfoll-d u,e clos­ ro.11N.t aud1r,nce ing ")CISl ')" G11 I." ,e "Ith ,ppro,·al al the New Jcrsq-lxirn clownlng around. rc,ck ocon lclt his lilllS lnrough the loUow­ invlgoral..d •• th<•y ong "All Noght." the poured 0111 ol t)w p�'rformtr sho"' cd arc1t.1, heading ho c •� 1ual apprrc101Jon !or '"' audlrncc, takrn;� a .,. . t at the ,-d >;e ol the '"lie a11d serenading th fon'i A• I( ho• admirer,, u,uhi onl)' be lu rlhcr Tht progrJm caplu,eJ lhe ocilement of Springitein's con• urU at C.l.1nt,• NIJdlum,

T.

nc"est bool.. in the ll.1rry Potter nrics.

L�ft: H.1mes .1nd Noble uhibih olhl'r vol• umes of the scrih.

BookRevievv: Has Harry Lost His Magic?

By SarJ h SJbshon '05 Arter a thn..'C year wait, "llarry Potter and the Order of the Phoeni,." the lollh on,tallmcnt ol J K. Rowling's I tarry !'otter �cries, finall )' surfaced.

Although Rm, long's fanta­ sy ,.,go <toll has rc.,dcrs hooh-d, "TI,e Order ol the Phocm," 1� ult,matdy a f,ulurt' .v, Ro\, ling appt .•.m,. to ha\ c run out of frl"":,h idc,1s. I his ncwt'St m�t.-.11ml'nt 1n 1hc J larry rotter ...,,;cs ,s c;,;cnllall) a c.1r­ bon cop)' of oh predcn-s­ �r'!t, 1usl "1th J new cover.

The plot <lructurc ol "the Order ol the Phocom" •� ';1m1lar, 1( not 1dcn11c..1I, lo the pr.·voou, books. lnc hook opens, ,,s usual, woth ., s..cne from the Dursley home at 4 Privet On\<.' Ai; usual. 11•.ury 1s m1scr.1blc in his aunt and uncle's house­ hold a, they treat hoon r,1thcr poorly Upon leav• ong home, I lorry make, a ,top al 12 quick Gnrnm,1uld Pl.1cC', the heaJqunrlcr< ul lhe Order ol the l'hocni,. At the Order's hcadqu.ulcr>, I IJrry conforms the 1c1urn ol lhc evil 0111,,gonlsl, lord Voldemort. I lorry rclums

to lloi;"arts School of \lagoc, "here he is ,1 folth yl"ar student, and o,cr• comes h15 usual ch,,llcnge> Ultomately, I larry and Lord Voldcmort confront c,1Ch other tn ,, clai;s1c, but b)' nm, Intl', good \l'riui; evil battle. As ah,ays, 11.irry prcv.111-, The "Order ol the Ph()('m'('s" grcatl�l f,uling 1sol< l'"�loctJboloty. Dl-Spote Rowlong's attempts lo por• tray I larry, Ron .rnd l lcrm1on� a, adoh•. ••,u.•nl., this coming--of•agc th('mc fails to d1\'crt at1t�n11on from the !Jct 1h,1t Ro"long is stoll using lhe s.,me plot four books alter the much­ pra,sed Sorcerer's Slone.

De-spite her onsisten<c that the characters .ire m.1lur• mg. 1 larry-like the "'"cs itself- seems to be caught on an .urt-stcd state or w11.ud development, prone 10 wild and 1mm.1turc temper tantrums throughout the novel. rurlhcrrnorc, the book 'i. cl11n,1ctic events• albcol sci In., world ol wl,­ ards ,,nd wotchcs-lac� crcd­ ibihly Rowhng 's lrlcd nnd trite notion th,1t I IMry',r; mother's love will shield

thl' Ocdginh \\ 11�ud from ;iny lhlnn• �c\'cn from the mchl p<.l\\crful of(•\ ii \\ 17· ard,- os somply omplaus,ble ,,nd furthl'nnorc, rJ1s...� the que,,;.t,on "1f thi� lo,·c m.1kcs I laol') impel\ oous to any hllm, .. \\hat 1, the point of reading anylhont: but the l,r,t and final chapters ol the book? n,erc ,s nothing that c an slop I lorry from coming out un<.e,,thl'd,"' Ultimalely. unlike the ch.1rming orig111al instJII�,. tion, \\ith 1t.;; mulh•gcncra• !tonal appeal, TI,c Order of the Phoenh n·m�un� stnct• ly ,t children\ hook. l larry Poll<-r and th,· Order ol the Phocnl\ ,, cnlcrl,1lning for ,in eoght-yc,,r old, the beach or a l,'1y W\'Cl..l•nd.