The Phoenix 2022-2023 Issue 6

Starbucks coming to Avenue J

By Robyn Beyda School News Editor

A new Starbucks will be opening on the southeast corner of East 16th and Avenue J by September 2023, according to Rabbi Beyda.

The cafe will be located in what used to be Penny Lane, which was then converted to a Covid testing center, directly across Avenue J from 7-Eleven. Students will be allowed to grab coffee during lunch periods and on their way to school. As for breakfast and free periods, the same rules will apply to the Starbucks as to the other restaurants on Avenue J, meaning students won’t be allowed to leave the school building for Starbucks during those times.

The kashrut status of the new Starbucks location remains unclear, but Rabbi Beyda assumes that, like the other Starbucks in the area, the menu will consist of both kosher and nonkosher options. Students will be allowed to purchase only kosher foods and drinks.

Though Rabbi Beyda insists that the change won’t impact his go-to breakfast order at Chock-Full-O-Nuts a few stores away, the new Starbucks on the block is an exciting addition.

“I think it’s nice that we’ll have another good coffee option on Avenue J,” he stated. “Different people have different tastes, so it’s good to be able to suit their needs.”

Students seem to agree. Many feel that the Starbucks is long overdue.  “There’s a

Starbucks on every corner in Manhattan, so it’s about time they built one here,” said junior Marsha Kairy. “Avenue J has sushi, pizza, pasta, smoothies. … I always felt like the one thing it was missing was a Starbucks.”

The other coffee shops on the block don’t seem to be worried about the new competitor hurting their business. Alex, Chock’s beloved manager, insisted that it was “no problem.” He said, “I’m not worried. Thank G-d I have customers, and I will still have customers.”

According to students, Crawford’s will still thrive. “I don’t think it will take away from Crawford’s. Starbucks definitely has better coffee, but Crawford’s is the only place where we can get stuff during free periods and breakfast, so that gives them an edge,” said Freshman Sophia Goldstein. She noted that many students already get their coffee from places other than Crawford’s.

Additional associate principal joining administration

By Alexandra Chabot

Contributing

writer

Dr. Michael Atlas will join the YOF family as an associate principal beginning in September. His position—Associate Principal, Student Life—will be an addition to the current group of four principals. He “will be primarily responsible for student academic and behavioral performance,” according to Rabbi Beyda.

Dr. Atlas is a man of many hats. He worked at Torah Academy Of Bergen County for the past 12 years as the director of student support services. In fact, he created TABC’s support services department.

Dr. Atlas explained that he wants students to have the best and easiest possible experience in high school while having

World News: Page 4

D’var Torah: Page 5 Ask Merle: Page 10

Recommendation policy causes May 1 frenzy

By Maurice Silvera Editor-in-Chief

The College Guidance Department has enacted a new policy this year requiring current juniors to request two teacher letters of recommendations strictly between May 1 and May 31, among other requirements, according to college guidance counselor Ms. Maria Dressler. Dozens of eager juniors jumped into action on May 1, overwhelming some teachers with requests and leading a few to start rejecting requests by May 2.

This new policy was introduced to all juniors between the months of February and March in their weekly college guidance classes and was reiterated in individual meetings. College guidance counselors gave additional instructions in these classes regarding which teachers to ask and how to ask them. Students were told to get their recommendations from one math or science teacher and one English or history teacher. The reasoning behind this is that colleges “want to see perspectives from a multitude of subjects. … It helps them get a different perspective on a student,” explained Ms. Dressler.

the opportunity to thrive, so he created a department through which he and his team are able to assist students with learning difficulties. His job, he said, was to ensure that every student who struggled academically would be assisted in whatever means necessary.

Each day of work was filled with a variety of different tasks. He would teach small groups of students executive functioning skills, which included how to manage their workload, time, and responsibilities, and how to communicate with teachers. He worked individually with high school students and with incoming eighth graders with learning differences. He also met with parents and many learning specialists to ensure everything was going according to plan.

Dr. Atlas said he takes pride in his

work and in all the great things he has been able to accomplish. “It’s extremely important to me that all students, including those with different learning and

College guidance counselors also placed emphasis on the etiquette one should have when asking a teacher to write a recommendation. “We want to make sure that students are being respectful and thoughtful,” Ms. Dressler stated. Students were advised to meet teachers during their scheduled office hours or email them to set up a time at which they could discuss.

The specific asking period in the policy has multiple rationales. Not only is it common in other schools, but it also “gets students thinking about college a little earlier in the game,” attested Ms. Dressler. Proof of this is junior Jacqueline Romano, who appreciates that she “can be prepared from now rather than the beginning of next year.” Furthermore, it enables teachers to write recommendations in the summer if they so choose. Students were also prohibited from asking before the specific time frame, and teachers were similarly told not to engage in any early conversations about letters of recommendation as to give an even playing field to all.

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The new Starbucks is scheduled to open in September

Dr. Michael Atlas

Flatbush has gone soft

By Belle Shatzkes

Entertainment Editor

When you trudge into school at 7:39 AM, you’re most likely thinking, Ugh, it’s too early to be up. When you go to Crawford’s and realize they raised their prices again, you sigh and buy your cookie anyway. When you try to make your way through the Commons between second and third period trying to get to class, you complain to your friend about how crowded it is.

Imagine, for a second, that you enter Flatbush in a different dimension. You walk into the building from the main entrance at 7 in the morning, scan your fingerprint and get annoyed that you chose to give them your thumb and not your pointer finger, and walk past the ginormous copy machine in the middle of the lobby to the staircase that marks the end of the Yeshivah of Flatbush building. That’s right; no Commons, no Crawford’s, no fancy library, no Sephardic Beit Midrash. In fact, the Ashkenaz Beit Midrash is called just the Beit Midrash! And, as an added bonus, the old college guidance offices don’t exist—they’re an extension of the Beit Midrash.

During your free period, you run down to the lounge in the sub-basement to check who else has no class, dash to your locker to grab your bathing suit because you have Gym class in the pool next period, then have lunch in the gym. Your day continues with classes that last 42 minutes. During mincha in the auditorium (which has red seats), you take your snack out of your backpack because that’s the only place you can get a snack. You end your day at 5:30, thanking Hashem that you have only a little bit of homework—your Hebrew teacher assigned you a book to read, and that’s it.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that sounds horrible. I would say, thank G-d it’s Flatbush in another dimension! But that’s just Flatbush ten years ago.

Flatbush isn’t soft enough

Flatbush has gone soft. Flatbush is spoiling its students.

We’re so used to having the new building and post-Covid changes that we barely even know there was a time before it all. As someone who knew Flatbush preCovid and basically grew up in the prenew building Flatbush, I see the effect it has on all of us.

Don’t get me wrong, all the changes are wonderful. Flatbush is now more enticing, prettier, grander, and bigger.

But students don’t appreciate what they have. We’re so lucky to go to a school that cares about everything Flatbush cares about. We’re so lucky to have a two-floor library. We’re so lucky to not smell like chlorine all the time. We’re so lucky to have the new gym. We’re lucky to have Pathfinders. We’re lucky to have so many clubs. We’re lucky to have so many events.

So many positives. So many wonderful additions.

But Belle, you may ask, are there any negatives? Absolutely.

Remember at the beginning of the year when all the Hebrew teachers told you they’d be speaking only Hebrew in the class? Yeah, tell me, how’s that going?

With all the spoiling Flatbush has done over the years to empower and inspire their students, they forgot one of their three core values: educate.

Programs are taking students out of more and more classes. Teachers are so busy trying to make sure that their students aren’t ditching class to go buy Crawford’s that they don’t focus on teaching.

תירבעב תירבע, the one thing Flatbush is known for throughout Jewish schools in America, barely exists anymore!

Students, you are so, so spoiled. Take it from someone who grew up in this building. Appreciate your time in Flatbush. Remember how lucky you are. And thank Hashem every single day for Crawford’s, because God knows we all need a milkshake every once in a while.

By Robyn Beyda School News Editor

A commonly shared sentiment by the bitter senior citizens of society is that the world has gone soft. Kids these days, with their technology and their fragile mental health, are spoiled brats who don’t appreciate the gifts of living in their time. Don’t they know what things used to be like?

High school students Uber to school? We used to walk 10 miles in the snow! Flatbush students aren’t forced to swim in a crusty swamp at the bottom of the basement and walk around with wet hair all day? They actually get to see the light of day, instead of walking up before the crack of dawn to get to school and leaving hours after the sun has set? What kind of blasphemy is this?

Wait, don’t tell me: Flatbush students actually understand what their Judaic studies teachers say in class? They changed the test schedule to minimize student stress? The kids have time for a social life? They enjoy going to school? Oh, shame, shame! Flatbush has gone soft. Kids these days, unlike the hardworking pioneers of the early Joel Braverman days, are a bunch of sissies.

It’s easy for aging generations to lament any significant change to the school that they grew up in. Everyone wants to feel like they had a better high school experience than everyone else, which is why it ails many old-timers to see current students enjoying a school that looks and feels so different from the one they attended. What critics of change are missing though, is that students, too, look different than they did 20 years ago, and that each change made to Flatbush is a change that directly benefits the students of the present and the future.

But … but … but … students are so spoiled! They’re having too much fun! They aren’t studying enough, and they don’t know what it means to work hard!

Let’s be real here. In terms of education and rigor, Yeshivah of Flatbush definitely passes the bar. Even the rare student

Faculty Freshman: Mr. Cahill

By Albert Shamah

Contributing

Writer

Mr. Daniel Cahill is the newest World History teacher at YOF, but he expresses that even from a young age he had a fondness for history. “When I was eight years old, my dad and I used to watch the History Channel. I played a game called Civ 6, which tied my love for gaming and history.”

Growing up he attended PS71, MS101, and Salesian High School in New Ro-

The Phoenix Staff

Editors-in-Chief: Jeanette Cohen, Maurice Silvera

Senior Editor: Isaac Dweck

chelle, NY. Mr. Cahill chose to minor in history and major in political science at St John’s University. After earning his undergraduate degree, he attended Duke for a year and then completed his master’s degree in history education at NYU. Although early in college he was torn between teaching and law, he soon realized that he preferred education and decided to pursue it with vigor.

Before coming to Flatbush he taught at the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts and Carle Place High School. He told The

School News Editors: Robyn Beyda, Beverly Dweck

Religion Editor: Arlette Anteby

World News Editor: Michelle Belenkiy

Features Editor: Hanna Mishan

Entertainment Editors: David Marcus, Belle Shatzkes

Phoenix that working at public schools and working at a Yeshivah are “mostly the same. People are people. The biggest change for me was that now I end work at around 5:15; I used to end at 2:30-ish and, before that, 1:45. However, I get Fridays off, which is a very nice perk.”

He said he chose Flatbush for a few reasons. Firstly, it was a new experience for him and he loves finding out more about new cultures and ethnicities. Sec

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whose only goal is to graduate with a diploma must succeed in taking as many as 11 courses per semester. Because of the high course load, they rarely catch a break from all of their assignments and tests.

In fact, many Flatbush parents are astounded by the amount of work given to their children. They scratch their heads watching their sons and daughters fall asleep on the couch again because they were up all night doing work. I don’t remember it being like this. It’s true, the world has changed.

With the rise of the internet making education much more accessible to everyone, the world is faster, smarter, and more competitive. To even be considered for acceptance into a top college, a student must take a minimum of four APs, stack their resume with extracurriculars, and maintain a high GPA in all eleven of their academically rigorous classes. Let’s not forget about the SAT, chesed hours, driver’s ed, and the countless other ordeals that eat away at every student’s free time, sleep, and mental health.

What good does a great education do for kids who are burnt out and uninspired? How hard can Flatbush work its students before they forget why they’re working in the first place? That’s precisely why Flatbush has made so many positive changes in the past few years. They’ve minimized tests to make life less stressful for students. They built a lovely new building to make sure students actually enjoy coming to school. They infuse the calendar with fun and spiritual programming to uplift the students and give them a sense of purpose.

So yes, Yeshivah of Flatbush today looks different than it did 20 years ago. But so do the students. Getting “spoiled” has made them happier, less stressed, and more equipped to take on the fast-changing world around them. Let’s keep the changes coming!

Fashion Editors: Clara Edery, Arlette Mann

Fun & Games Editor: Robin Rawas

Sports Editor: Simone Amkraut

Junior Editors: Aliya Abergil, Jacqueline Halabi, Nitza Hanan, Aleen Jaradeh, Sophia Madeb, Esther Shemia

Sophomore Editors: Samantha Ryba, Sylvia Saad

Design: Carolina Cohen

Faculty Adviser: Adam Hofstetter

High School Administration

Rabbi Joseph Beyda, Head of School

Ms. Esther Hidary, Associate Principal

Rabbi Yigal Sklarin, Associate Principal

Rabbi David Galpert, Assistant Principal

Mobile blood drive location leads to fewer donors

By Sophia Madeb Junior Editor

This year’s Spring blood drive brought in many fewer successful blood donations compared to other years, according to official records. Organizers cited several factors in the drop-off, including inconvenient timing, the school’s construction, and space constraints.

A usual school year includes two blood drives; one in December and another in March. This year’s second blood drive was planned on Tuesday, March 28. However, there were many obstacles to securing a time and a place to make this blood drive happen. “The blood drive was canceled a couple times because of all the commotion happening in school,” said Nurse Fagye.

The usual spot for the blood drive is in the main gym. Construction made that impossible, and damage to the auxiliary gym from a burst pipe left that location unavailable as well.

“The school still wanted to have a blood drive because we think the cause is very important and because of our great relationship with the New York Blood Center,” Rabbi Galpert explained. There were many ideas for different places within the school to hold the blood drive, but each attempt was unsuccessful, leading

the school to cancel the blood drive for the first time.

Ultimately, a solution was found: the New York Blood Center provided a truck specially designed as a mobile donation center, and parked it just outside school

‘Phoenix Live’ podcast tells students’ stories

ments made, and only 62 people successfully donated, which is barely half the usual total.

Many people offered explanations for the drop-off in donations. Moving the blood drive outside the building made it less visible to students. Additionally, the truck can hold only four donors at a time, which led to longer wait times and might have made some students decide to back out while waiting. The chilly, drizzly weather also may have discouraged some students from heading outside to donate.

By Ralph Braha Contributing Writer

After more than 50 years, there’s a new branch to The Phoenix Phoenix Live is Flatbush’s new, student-run podcast.

The podcast has already produced two episodes; each one covers a complete range of topics of concern to Flatbush students, including SGO, college applications, sports, and the latest news on Taylor Swift’s concert tour.

The students behind Phoenix Live say its purpose is to give a voice to the students. It’s a podcast from the students, for the students.

on East 17th Street.

“It was actually not the school’s idea to use mobile buses, but the New York Blood Center’s. Initially we didn’t think this was a good idea and I was very hesitant, although the directors from the center were really persistent with the idea and we decided to follow through,” said Nurse Fagye.

Nonetheless the responses for the drive started to flood in. According to the school’s records shared by Nurse Fayge, in a usual year there are approximately 150 people registered to donate at the Spring blood drive, and about 120 successfully donate. This year there were 110 appoint-

“This was one of my worries about the mobile drive,” Nurse Fayge said, “so I got two helpful students, Jacob Azarbad and Shimon Elbaz, to make sure everything would run smoothly and avoid these types of issues.”

Azarbad and Elbaz tried to make the blood drive run as organized as could be under hectic circumstances. “Nurse Fayge asked for some help. I didn’t hesitate, initially trying to get out of class, but it turned out to be a lot of work,” Azarbad said. “I had to be super organized getting everyone in at the designated times, I had to squeeze in kids who didn’t sign up who decided to donate. I learned about what really goes into running a blood drive. It was pretty cool seeing how organized and precise everything is. I even donated myself. I went back and forth calling names at least 100 times, no joke.”

Additionally, some seniors decided to back out because of other school activities. “I wanted to give but then I realized that I have a game tonight and didn’t want to feel all gross from giving blood,” said one student athlete. However, other seniors just simply forgot that the event was happening at all. “There was a blood drive?” said several confused seniors when asked if they donated.

With so many obstacles, the event’s organizers saw 62 donations as a success. “There were many factors to play in this event being not as successful as past times, but a good amount of people did still donate and that is still considered a success because lives were still saved as a result of the donations,” said Elbaz.

Eric Azrak, a current junior, and his crew of about eight students were able to make this idea of a Flatbush podcast a reality. Azrak, who first proposed the idea and took initiative, quickly inspired other students to get involved in the project. Now, it has a full team of students working hard to produce episodes. Along with assistance from faculty advisor Ms. Deutsch, Ms. Shatzkes, and use of the new Multimedia Studio, the podcast is up and running.

Each episode of Phoenix Live starts with an intro from cohosts Azrak and Morris Shamah and then contains a variety of segments, aiming to include something for everyone. Each segment focuses on its own topic and usually has its own student leading the conversation. This allows many different students to talk about what interests them. They discuss events inside and outside of school and even have many guests join the conversations. Students, teachers, and even alumni have been included to give the listeners diverse perspectives. The episodes vary in length but are relatively short, intended to offer quick bites of entertaining, informative conversation.

The Phoenix Live team has been working hard to bring students a platform where their voices can be heard. “The podcast gives all students a way to express their thoughts and share their opinions. We want to represent as many student voices as possible and want to hear your thoughts and ideas about the podcast,” Azrak said.

The blood drive’s outdoor location made it difficult to find

New recommendation policy causes May 1 frenzy

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In previous years, students were asked to have their requests for recommendations made by the end of their junior year, but it was flexible. The hope with this new policy is that it will provide more leeway, thus making it “easier across the board for everyone involved,” expects Ms. Dressler.

Despite being established with good intentions, the policy seems to have backfired on some teachers, specifically those teaching humanities subjects as they are often the most requested teachers. Mr. Hofstetter, who had already agreed by midday on May 2 to write 25 recommendations, expressed that “it was very

overwhelming to get so many requests in one day” and that he “felt terrible turning people away on Day 2.” Similarly, Ms. Bloom divulged that she was “inundated with emails on May 1” from students asking to meet with her. Mr. Engel said he had received about 10 requests in the first few days of May.

Regardless, Ms. Bloom acknowledged that the school must try out new initiatives to see what works and what doesn’t, and she admires all the work College Guidance has done, saying “hats off to them.” She admitted that she doesn’t know if there is a better way to go about this process; she gets so many requests

each year that she’ll still have to turn away kids regardless of whether they ask all at once or sporadically.

Despite the initial frenzy, 117 juniors—almost two-thirds of the grade— still had not secured a single teacher recommendation by May 10, according to College Guidance records.

Ms. Dressler believes that it is too soon to say what the future of this policy will be. However, she elucidated that “we always have the best interests of the students at heart,” and agrees that, if need be, the policy will be adjusted accordingly.

Despite its name, Phoenix Live is not directly affiliated with the school newspaper. With permission and encouragement from the Phoenix leadership, Azrak used the name because “we try to adhere to the same quality standard,” and the podcast has the same goal as the newspaper: to tell the story of what’s happening in and around the Yeshivah, from the students’ perspective.

Phoenix Live can currently be found on Spotify under “YOFHS Podcasts!” and it is expected to be released on Apple Podcasts in the near future. New episodes are released every other Friday.

Senior Eli Mizrahi in the mobil donation center

Sudan descends into civil war once again

By Michelle Belenkiy World News Editor

Sudan, the third largest country in Africa, is currently experiencing a military conflict tearing the country apart. The fighting is between two opposing military forces loyal to two rival generals. Each general leads a faction of the country’s military regime.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). He can be understood as something along the lines of the country’s president. However, the recent struggle has put that position in question. The opposing side is run by al-Burhan’s deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, more commonly known as Hemedti. He is the leader of a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The official start of the conflict was marked on April 15 with shots rocketing through Sudan. The tension had been slowly ramping up between the army and the RSF for quite a while as the leaders jockeyed for power. The rival generals had ruled the country together since they took

power in a coup in the year 2021. Their alliance broke down over how to manage the transition to a civilian government (the now long-forgotten steps toward democracy) and a disagreement over how the RSF should be merged into the armed forces. In addition, they squabbled over what authority should oversee the pro-

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cess. Many observers thought that Sudan was taking its first steps to democracy after the 2021 coup, but the military rivalry has made that impossible for now.

The UN refugee agency has stated that tens of thousands of refugees from South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea living in the country have fled or escaped the fighting

between the SAF and the RSF in the Khartoum area. This refugee crisis has joined a multitude of others around the world, like the Ukrainian refugee crisis. The new refugees have been able to find shelter in existing refugee camps further east and south of South Sudan.

The United States has also been plagued with the task of evacuating all the U.S. citizens from the dangerous zone. Armed drones have escorted hundreds of Americans as they escaped from the remains left in a war torn Sudan amid the fighting between the military and paramilitary.The drones flew above a convoy of buses as they made the 500-mile journey from the Sudan’s capital, Khartoum— the heart of the conflict—to Port Sudan on the east coast. Several hundred Americans were on about 25 buses, and were then led onto a Navy ship, ultimately escaping safely.

Meanwhile, even a fragile truce between the two generals has not stopped the fighting. The conflict and the fighting continues to rage on.

Taking Ozempic for weight-loss could be dangerous

By Rachael Kopylov

Contributing

Writer

A drug that efficiently treats diabetes and induces weight loss may seem like a medical miracle, but many doctors are warning their patients that the drug may be dangerous for people who are not diabetic.

Ozempic became an FDA approved medication in 2017, intended only to treat diabetes. But now, the FDA has listed Ozempic as a medicine in short supply, because many people have started using Ozempic to induce weight loss.

Influencers and celebrities started publicly speaking about their use of the drug for weight loss purposes; it soon started trending on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. When Elon Musk was asked how he looked so fit and healthy, he replied that he was using Wegovy, a stronger version of Ozempic.

As Ozempic’s popularity heightened, many doctors believe that people found alternate methods for acquir-

ing the drug—either by purchasing it online or by finding a physician who may prescribe it to them off-label. “It’s not unusual for doctors to prescribe medications for ‘off-label’ use, or for a different purpose from what the medication is explicitly intended for,” said Dr. Disha Narang, an endocrinologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital.

Though it was not designed specifically to do so, Ozempic causes weight loss in many ways. The main active ingredient, semaglutide, induces satiety in the brain. After one eats, body cells in the intestines release glucagon-like-peptide-1, also known as GLP-1. This triggers the release of insulin, and blocks the production of the body’s glucose. The drug also slows digestion and reduces appetite.

Despite all of this, Ozempic is not authorized by the FDA to be used as a weight-

Additional associate principal joining administration

loss medication. When nondiabetics use it, it can have extremely detrimental side effects, including nausea, dehydration, fatigue, severe constipation and diarrhea, and maybe even gallstones and pancreatitis. Diabetics who take Ozempic are meant to be very closely monitored. They start off with a very small dose and gradually increase their dosage if necessary. Although the idea of a weight loss drug may be tempting,

getting it off-label is like gambling with one’s health, doctors warn.

Overall, Ozempic is strictly meant to be used as a diabetes medication. Using it for any other purpose, including weight loss, is dangerous and ill-advised, especially because of the lack of sufficient research conducted on its effect on nondiabetics.

Faculty Freshman: Mr. Cahill

continued from page 2 personal profiles, are put in a position to thrive in school,” he said.

continued from page 1

He said he is very pleased to be joining the YOF family because he sees great opportunities here. He is aware of the excellence Flatbush students are able to achieve with the help of the administration, faculty, and staff, and he is excited to be a part of that mission. He will be working alongside the principals to support students, improve teacher-student communication, and much more.

Even outside of school, Dr. Atlas takes

on many roles. He lives in Great Neck with his wife and four daughters. He loves to play pretty much any sport, but especially basketball and tennis. His love for tennis extended to the students, as he coached a high school tennis team. And Dr. Atlas enjoys his role as Ba’al Tefillah on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in Great Neck Synagogue.

Dr. Atlas describes himself as driven by others’ success. He lives a life filled with good midot, and he enjoys spreading his knowledge to students daily.

ondly, it is only a 20-minute drive from home, as opposed to the much longer commutes to his previous jobs. Thirdly, when school reached out to him they were all very friendly, welcoming, and professional. After that, he fell in love with the school.

In class, Mr. Cahill says his job is all about getting his students to think. “I give a lot of open-ended questions. In history it’s important to build off each other, so I try to incorporate that in the classroom.”

His favorite part about teaching is seeing the progress in his students throughout the year. He also enjoys knowing that, in the real world, whenever his students

travel they can apply their knowledge to have a much greater understanding of that place’s history and culture. His least favorite part about teaching is all the grading involved, as it takes too long to grade and return all of his classes’ assignments.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Cahill does not seem to have any shortage of interest and hobbies. He loves movies and said he usually goes to the movie theater three times a month. In addition, he also built his own PC and loves playing video games on his PS5. His biggest passion is baseball: he played on his high school team and is a huge Mets fan.

Armed soldiers are now a common sight on city streets

Israel

Fewer girls headed to Israel

By Sylvia Saad Sophomore Editor

As the end of the year approaches, seniors have begun deciding how they plan to spend their first year out of high school. Currently, around 20 senior girls have decided to attend seminary next year in Israel, in contrast to the 30+ of the graduating class of 2022. This subtle decline seems to be related in part  to the several girls who came back from Midreshet Eshel, a seminary in Israel, half a year early.

At the beginning of the year in Israel, over 30 students walked into Eshel with very high expectations based on the positive reviews of the girls from the 2021-22 year. But a number of the girls were disappointed with their dorm apartments after finding the rooms small and lacking closet space. Many girls were so dissatisfied with their living conditions that they decided to return home to Brooklyn at the end of the first semester, or even earlier. “The dorms did not meet our standards, and it was affecting my year,” an anonymous Eshel student remarked.

Some current senior girls are passionate about the prospects of the year in Israel, and were not fazed by some bad experiences at one school. Senior Tunie Hanon says that she did not apply to Eshel because of its negative reviews, but that it

was not a deal breaker for going to Israel as a whole.

Ms. Wielgus, head of Israel guidance for girls, commented that this year’s positive experiences of so many outweigh the negatives. “Since it was the thing to do last year, many girls didn’t think their decision through and went for the wrong reasons. Minor setbacks, such as rooming situations, sent them over the edge. Many other girls who were really enthusiastic about going to Israel and stuck it through learned to live in more spartan conditions than they are used to at home and came to appreciate all of what the seminary experience has to offer. These girls are currently having an amazing time, and that is filtering through to next year’s group of Flatbush girls who are committed to going to seminary in Israel.”

Rachelle Beyda and Louise Sitt, graduates of ’22 and current Eshel students, are two examples of the other end of the spectrum. While some students did not have one good thing to say about Eshel, Beyda and Sitt had many. “Midreshet Eshel has been the tool for me to develop into a better version of myself! Eshel is a small sephardic girls seminary, so they understand where we come from. They teach us based on our environment back home so that we are well prepared and ready for life post year in Israel.”

Alum in Israel: Ronnie Mizrachi

By Samantha Ryba Sophomore Editor

Yeshivah of Flatbush graduate Ronnie Mizrachi (HS ’22), is currently spending his gap year studying at Yeshivat Har Etzion, more commonly known as “Gush.”

At the Yeshivah, Mizrachi takes daily Judaic studies classes including Gemara and Tanakh. The classes are highly detailed and focus on the close meanings and commentaries of the text. In the evenings, he continues to learn Gemara using a method called Bekiut. With this style of learning, he learns broad topics at a fast pace, especially focusing on the literal text, also known as the p’shat

His favorite class is Tanakh with Rabbi Menachem Leibtag. Mizrachi said he especially enjoys the Rabbi’s interpretations and methodology of analyzing text. The style the Rabbi uses is how Mizrachi was taught at home and in school, which makes him appreciate the class even more. The class consists of doing an objective

D’var Torah: How to be an angel

By Joseph Farca Contributing Writer

This week’s parasha is Parashat Behar-Bechukotai. In Behar, Hashem gives us many new laws, including the shemitah year. The parasha starts off by stating that the laws of shemitah were given at Har Sinai, which is odd since we know all mitzvot were given at Har Sinai. Why does the Torah go out of its way to mention that it was given there as well? Rashi gives an answer, saying that the Torah mentions Har Sinai to tell us that all mitzvot, including all the details for the mitzvot, were given at Har Sinai. This is because when Moshe repeats the mitzvot in Sefer Devarim, the laws of shemitah aren’t mentioned, so it must be that this mitzvah and all other mitzvot were specifically explained and given at Har Sinai

Another possible answer comes from a midrash on Tehillim 103:20.

Midrash Tanchuma Buber explains that those who follow the laws of the shemitah year have strong will and strength. This is because the yezter to not follow the shemitah is so strong that a person who is able to defeat his yetzer and follow the laws is

. The midrash also says that such a person is like an angel. How can he be like an angel? The answer is that at Har Sinai Moshe was able to listen to Hashem’s voice without any consequence and B’nei Yisrael would perish from Hashem’s voice, while the angels can’t listen to Hashem at all. This is because at Har Sinai we were elevated to be like angels. Although the Torah wasn’t given to the malachim, a distinction is made between םיכאלמ and יכאלמ

תרשה being that the former is our ability to rise above our limitations and the latter being literal angels. It happens to be a midah kneged midah that the ability to overcome the yetzer during the shemitah year is what elevates us, since the transgression of Adam and Chava–their not being able to overcome their yezter–is what lowered their status from angels.

This answer can even help us give an answer to a famous question in the Haggadah on Pesach. We say that it would’ve been enough just for us to be brought to Har Sinai without being given the Torah. The question is, why would it be enough? Isn’t the main event of Har Sinai the giving of the Torah and mitzvot? The answer is the same: that just by being at Har Sinai we were elevated to be like angels.

From the mentioning of Har Sinai next to the laws of shemitah we learn the power of overcoming one’s yetzer We see that when a person overcomes the yetzer to be able to follow the shemitah year, knowing that he can’t work for a full year and letting anybody into his field to take freely, he is elevated to be like an angel. We have to try to incorporate this into our daily lives with whatever yezter we each have to overcome, however big or small. We have to know that, as it says in Midrash Shemot Rabbah, Hashem gives us tasks which can be difficult, but only those that are within our capabilities. We have to strive to suppress our inclinations and try to get back to that level of being like an angel, like Adam and Chava before the transgression.

analysis of the text and then focusing on the bigger picture. The Sephardic way of learning greatly emphasizes studying the p’shat; as a Sephardic Jew, Mizrachi especially appreciates that aspect of the class.

Mizrachi said he definitely recommends taking a gap year in Israel to other students. “It’s one of the most meaningful experiences a person can go through as a young adult,” he said, particularly for those who live in Brooklyn and are not as exposed to the rest of the world and the holiness of Israel. “You feel kedushat ha’aretz emanating from the people, from the land itself, and from Torah learning. It combines for a year of focusing on one’s relationship with G-d, and appreciating the era of redemption in which we are living—both with the establishment of the state of Israel and the level of Torah study that came with it.”

Additionally, he said taking a gap year gives students the opportunity to leave the comfort of their own home. An experience like that teaches independence

and is a great opportunity for growth and overall development. “You learn what it means to live alone and how to be responsible for things that other people won’t help you with,” he added.

It helps that all of the students who attend class with him are, in his words, “incredibly bright.” He said there’s always someone intelligent to turn to, whether for a question about Torah or general advice on life. The program is full of people

to look up to who are ready to help in any way they can. “They have allowed me to flourish here,” he says.

Mizrachi says he misses his family very much while he’s away. He also mentioned that he’s had a difficult time keeping in touch with his teachers and Rabbis in Brooklyn.

Mizrachi is enrolled in Yeshiva University for September, but is still considering spending a second year in Israel.

Yeshivah of Flatbush regularly celebrates the students who excel in the classroom and on our many teams. But many Flatbush students’ most impresive accomplishmnets occur beyond school’s walls. In this special feature we shine a spotlight on 18 Flatbush students who are achieving remarkable things in a variety of fields and activities outside of school.

By Isaac Dweck Senior Editor

Chuckie Sultan, 12 th Grade, Athletics

In November 2021, Sultan turned to the internet for fitnesss help and followed various workout programs he found, but soon realized that wasn’t the way to achieve lasting results. So, he educated himself in fitness and nutrition, and created a tailored workout program. Utilizing Jack’s Gym in school every day, Sultan made significant progress and decided to switch to a commercial gym, where he continued to improve his program, constantly educating himself along the way. This instilled within him a passion for fitness, and he realized he wanted to help others achieve their goals.

Sultan pursued personal training certification and created his own brand, Champion Fitness, which offers customized workout programs and flexible scheduling to accommodate clients worldwide. As his online business grew, he also began offering in-person training sessions. To establish himself as an expert in the industry, he stayed up-to-date on the latest research and sought mentorship from experienced trainers. “Starting my own personal training business was challenging, but extremely rewarding,” Sultan said.

Victor Braca, 11 th Grade, Videography

Before he jumped into the world of video production, Braca first dipped his toes in by working on some videos for his eighth grade graduation, particularly the senior slideshow. He continued honing his skills by editing videos for Flatbush Elementary, as well as for friends’ and family events like bar mitzvahs and birthdays. Braca soon purchased a camera and learned how to film professionally. This allowed him to incorporate his own footage into his edits, which opened up new opportunities for his company, Top Notch Visuals, including video production for CARE, Pantry Packers, Yachad, and Flatbush events such as Seminar and concerts. It has become a familiar sight for Flatbush students to see Braca moving around strategically and skillfully with his self-swiveling camera.

“I love making something out of nothing and figuring out how to make videos in new creative ways,” Braca explained. This passion for creativity and innovation is what drives him to constantly explore new techniques and approaches to video production.

Grace Bawabeh, 11 th Grade, Food

Baking since 2015, Bawabeh is most at peace when in the kitchen. With the help of the cookbook Kids in the Kitchen, she learned and perfected many different recipes. With feedback from her parents, she kept altering and repeating until she was able to bake the perfect cookie. After Bawabeh achieved the flavor and texture she worked so hard for, her mom made her an Instagram account to sell cookies to friends and family. By seventh grade, Bawabeh upgraded to her own Instagram account, @gracies_goodies, where she started posting her famous Nutella chocolate chip cookies, s’mores pies, and croissants. As her business grew, she reached a point where she was making 20 pies each Thursday night for her friends to buy and bring to their family Shabbat tables. She makes sure her prices reflect the quality of her work and make the customers happy, a great combination for success. Although her business slowed as a result of Covid, she picked it back up off the ground and is continuing to sell her

delicious desserts.

“My favorite part of baking is, of course, having a physical object in which I put my heart and soul,” she said. In the future, Bawabeh hopes to continue selling her baked goods as a side job while studying biology or engineering in college. “Baking will always have a special place in my heart, and I know my nine-year-old self would be happy with the business I have built.”

Danny Hanan, 12 th Grade, Music

Hanan has been playing the guitar and piano from the age of eight. When an opportunity arose to teach music to a group of second, third, and fourth graders, he jumped at the chance. Throughout the summer of 2021, Hanan shared his passion for music with 20 young students, helping them understand the basics of music theory and teaching them how to play the guitar and piano.

“My passion for teaching and sharing music grew stronger with each passing day, and I soon found myself with a growing group of students eager to learn all things music-related,” Hanan said. “My love for music has allowed me to make a difference in the lives of those around me, and for that, I am immensely proud,” said Danny, who has fostered that same love in so many kids.

Kaden Teper, 10 th Grade, Athletics

Kaden Teper, an avid New York Rangers fan, has been playing ice hockey since he was five years old. Since then, he has played on multiple state championship teams and traveled to compete in places as far as Minnesota and Canada. He plays around four to five times a week, dedicating a very large chunk of his free time to the sport he loves. Teper, who sports number 97 on the ice, is now the captain and starting center for the New York Aviators, a travel team, and has won many regional championships. Teper said a big part of why he loves to play is the relationships he has created with his teammates, who share the same love for the sport as him.

Elliot Soffer, 12 th Grade, Magic

Elliot Soffer was 10 years old when he found himself mesmerized by a magician at his brother’s Bar Mitzvah. He had practiced card tricks he learned on YouTube here and there, but now Soffer decided he wanted to truly master the art of magic. He was so encapsulated by the magician’s abilities that he convinced his parents to hire the same magician to be his mentor. Under this magician’s tutelage, Soffer mastered the art of sleight-of-hand tricks and more.

“I love seeing people’s reactions when they have no idea how I did something,” Soffer said. “They always look at me and ask, ‘How did you do that?’ And I say, ‘A magician never tells.’” Whenever a magician is performing in Elliot’s presence, he loves to dissect their tricks to discover how they did something so impressive. If you ever want to test Soffer’s abilities, just had him a deck of cards and you’ll be amazed at what he can do.

Michelle Baum, 12 th Grade, Photography

It was in the halls of Flatbush that Baum’s photography career began; she would often pester her friends and force them to do small photoshoots. What started off as bringing her digital camera to just the first day of her junior year quickly escalated into something far greater. She became “the photographer” among her friends and at every school event. Any senior can tell you that Baum’s red digital camera is grade-renowned.

“Taking pictures in the halls of Flatbush during color war and on days like pink day really gave me the confidence to start my photography career,” Baum told The Phoenix. She used this newfound passion to volunteer—taking pictures for the elementary school’s Reading in Pajamas program and at last year’s CARE carnival. As a result, Alyssa Shamah asked Baum to photograph an event this past summer, which really allowed her to start a real photography business. “She had faith in me,” said Baum, “She helped me get my name out there.”

Albert Shamah, 9 th Grade, Gardening

Hydroponics is a method of planting and growing nearly any type of produce by using a water-based nutrient solution instead of soil. When Albert Shamah gets home from school, he is welcomed by his very own hydroponic garden, where he grows different herbs, flowers, and produce. Shamah has always found agriculture fascinating, and started a traditional garden at his house last June. Later that summer his father, supportive of his botanical passions, drove him to a hydroponics store and he immediately fell in love.

“I love how it takes so many biological concepts—which I am already fascinated by—and combines them to produce the most fruitful harvest.” As the school year progressed, Shamah added to his hydroponic garden, purchasing new deep water culture beds in which he planted heirloom tomatoes along with red jalapeño peppers. His accomplishments and passion led to an inevitable acceptance into the Blumenthal Scholars program, where he tracked his hydroponics progress and wrote a research paper on his belief that modern hydroponics will reinvent traditional agriculture. He also restarted the school’s Environmental Club with the help of Pathfinders, and has goals to build a new composter for the school.

Emma Dayan, 11 th Grade, Academics

The Jerusalem Science Contest is an international science and Torah competition for 11th and 12th grade Jewish high school students. This year, contestants watched Zoom lectures on environmental sustainability and renewable energy, then competed in a series of eight tests and a research project for a chance to win prize money, a college scholarship, and a trip to Israel.

Dayan was one of five finalists. Her project examined the option of using nuclear energy to power rockets using nuclear electric and thermal propulsion to deliver mankind to Mars. It also discuss whether it would be halakhically permissible to go to Mars because of the health risks of being in space.

Science and Tanakh have always been Dayan’s two favorite subjects, but sometimes they can seem contradictory, so she loves seeing the two interact. Additionally, Dayan enjoyed meeting some of the other participants at the presentation in Chicago. “I’m very excited to go on the Israel trip in May,” she said about the trip she won, “where they will be taking all us around Israel, both touring and exploring different scientific initiatives throughout the country.”

Sally Jaradeh, 12 th grade, Fashion

When the pandemic hit, Jaradeh turned to crocheting and knitting to fend off boredom. When a few of her friends offered to purchase some of her pieces, Jaradeh realized that she could turn this hobby into a business. She created an Instagram account to display some of her handmade pieces and sell them. Although she has some ready-made items for sale, her business deals more commonly with custom-made items to fit her customers’ specific measurements and fashion tastes.

“I love having this business because it allows me to share one of my hobbies with the world,” Jaradeh told The Phoenix. She also loves how the unique taste of each customer forces her to expand on her design and crochet skills. So if you’re looking for something truly one-of-a-kind to add to your wardrobe, be sure to check out @crochetedbysally on Instagram account. Who knows? You may just find your new favorite piece of clothing.

Abie J. Tawil, 12 th Grade, Food

Over the last two years, Tawil has become a crucial contributor to his family’s Friday night meals, and if you ever have the chance to try his smoked meats, you’ll understand why. Tawil’s rise to chef of the house stemmed from his fixation with YouTube and Instagram videos of professional meat smokers. Inspired, Tawil bought himself a smoker. Watching YouTube videos, he learned how to marinate, season, and smoke meats to perfection. For those who are unfamiliar with the strenuous smoking process, it involves hours of preparation and cooking, including salting and marinating before the smoker, a total of around 13 hours in the smoker, and frequent care along the way to add liquids or wrap in tinfoil.

Although he is rewarded with delicious meat, Tawil said his real reward comes from seeing everyone’s reactions when they try his recipes. “The main reason I like to cook is not for myself, but rather to see others lean back content after enjoying something I cooked,” he said.

Danielle Dabah, 12 th Grade, Chesed

When senior Leor Edri, cofounder of Kulanu Ozrim, asked Dabah if she wanted to tutor for the family of a cancer patient, she was hesitant, but ultimately agreed. At first, she forced a friend to come with her so she wouldn’t be uncomfortable. However, when she knocked on the door, “the boys opened the door for me with the biggest smile,” Dabah recounted with a smile of her own. After helping them with homework, Dabah spent the next hour playing with the children. Her experience left her elated at having done something so special with her time, and she kept going back whenever she got the chance. Dabah continues to visit weekly; she describes the bond she has created with the kids as “everlasting.” Dabah said she now looks at life with the mindset of helping others and enjoys making people who need it happy.

Shimon Elbaz, 12 th Grade, Athletics

Shimon Elbaz is the captain of the Flatbush surf team, which he cofounded in 2019 as a freshman along with a couple of sophomores, and he competes with the team a few times a year. Elbaz’s affinity for surfing, however, is exemplified in his commitment to the sport and the surfing community outside of school. During the summer, Elbaz works as an instructor at Skudin Surf, a surf camp in Rockaway where he teaches children to surf. Additionally, through Skudin, Elbaz volunteers with an organization called Surf for All, a charity event where volunteers teach children and adults with special needs and/or various physical handicaps to surf. Elbaz spends time with children after camp as well, using his own boards to teach them.

Moshe Scaba, 12 th Grade, Business

Like many other students featured here, Moshe is someone who pushes himself to do more than the required amount. Last year, he wanted to work after school and really achieve something outside of school. He did some research into jobs in real estate, a field that has always interested him. He landed a job at real estate company KSR, where he started off by making cold calls to try to get potential clients to purchase real estate, then contacting the sellers and acting as a middle man. He has since closed countless deals, and he enjoys traveling around the city to check out different properties. Make sure to ask Moshe about one of his stories from the Bronx, where he’s closed multiple deals and met some interesting people, to say the least.

Fortune Chakkalo, 12 th Grade, Fashion

Chakkalo spent the summer of 2022 working for a hair stylist. One day, her boss’s makeup artist canceled at the eleventh hour, leaving Chakkalo as the only viable option to do her boss’s makeup for an event that night. Chakkalo’s talent and skill pulled through, leaving her boss impressed. “You should definitely start a business,” Chakkalo’s boss told her. Heeding that advice, Chakkalo started Makeup By Fortune, a makeup business that she operates through Instagram.

What makes Chakkalo’s business so special is her focus on utilizing makeup to enhance her clients’ natural beauty. As she explains it, her job is to help people feel confident and beautiful while staying true to their unique identity. “My heart is filled with joy after seeing my clients’ confidence being lifted, making them feel like the best versions of themselves. Makeup combines my passions for art, fashion, aesthetics, and self-care, making me truly passionate about my work.”

Julian Horovits, 9 th Grade, Athletics

Julian Horovits has tennis in his veins. His dad played Division I tennis in college and won nationals, and also played pro in Israel. His uncle was ranked number one in New Jersey during high school. Horovits has been learning how to play under his father’s tutelage since he was two years old. When he was eight he won a community father-son doubles tournament. A few years later, Horovits decided he wanted to commit fully, so he started playing four days a week.

Last summer, Horovits quit a job that he wasn’t enjoying and, heeding the advice of his sister, he started giving tennis lessons to younger children. “When I give lessons, I see myself in a lot of those kids and I feel like my dad,” he said. He enjoys seeing them have fun and improve their game with his help at the same time. Horovits is very excited for the upcoming summer, when he will continue teaching tennis to children of all ages.

Lilly Salame, 12 th Grade, Chesed

Salame first met Mikey, a Yachad member who frequents the halls of Flatbush, at Camp Seneca Lake. The youngest in a family of five, Salame was used to being taken care of. However, when she met Mikey, she came to understand the importance of responsibility and caring for others. Every Friday, Salame and Mikey would have lunch together, and their connection grew so strong that she decided to join the Yachad play.

“I got to meet so many wonderful people from the Yachad program,” Salame said. Because of her experiences with Mikey and Yachad, she has decided to pursue a career in special education. She says that she owes Mikey tremendous gratitude for teaching her how to care for others as well as find her passion.

Nicole Reghini, 12th Grade, Fashion

After school, Reghini works at Emme by Michal, a clothing company that specializes in helping religious Jewish women find clothes for Shabbat, holidays, and every day. Reghini helps customers select clothes and try them on and later rings up the sale. She says the best part of her job is the enjoyment of putting different outfits together and seeing them on her customers.

Nationwide TikTok ban gaining steam Daisy Jones and the Six Letter of Recommendation:

By Esther Shemia Junior Editor

Daisy Jones and the Six, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is a historical fiction novel that follows a fictional iconic band’s rise to stardom in the 1970s and their eventual fall. It was recently adapted into a TV series currently being streamed on Amazon Prime Video. But the book stands on its own and is absolutely worth reading.

By Aleen Jaradeh Junior Editor

The U.S. government has increased their efforts to execute an official ban on TikTok throughout the country, while individual states are already taking measures to ban the app in a variety of ways.

Tiktok, an app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, currently has 150 million American users, almost half the U.S. population. Americans use Tiktok for a multitude of reasons, whether for entertainment, promoting their businesses, or making their livelihood by posting content on the app.

However, regardless of the seemingly positive aspects the app may provide its users, the federal government has been pushing for a ban of the app on all electronic devices in the United States. Due to concerns that the Chinese government is using the app to gather sensitive data and spy on Americans, the White House announced to federal agencies in late February that they had 30 days to delete TikTok from all government-issued devices. However, the government did not just stop there. Rather, they pushed for a more extreme matter: banning TikTok from all devices nationwide. President Biden’s administration has demanded that TikTok be sold to a different company, or the app

would be banned entirely.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. said the reason for the ban is that the company which owns TikTok is Chinese. This poses significant security risks for all Americans who use the app. China’s government could have unlimited access to information about the United States, because a Chinese law requires all Chinese companies to provide the government with data if requested. The Chinese government could collect data regarding TikTok users’ browsing history, location, and personal information. “Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the [Chinese government] a backdoor to all their personal information. It’s a spy balloon into their phone,” says Michael McCaul, member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Like the federal government, several individual states have already banned use of the app on state devices and through state-provided networks, which has affected government employees. Some state university systems, such as the University of Wisconsin, have banned the use of TikTok for both staff and students. Montana recently passed a bill banning Tiktok throughout the state, the first state to do so. If Montana governor Greg Gianforte signs the bill, it would be illegal to download TikTok in the state.

The book was inspired by one of history’s most fa mous rock bands: Fleetwood Mac. The premise of the nov el is that the band members have been gathered years later for interviews on why the band broke up. This keeps readers flipping the pages to find out what happened next. Reid has such a unique and realistic writing style that when reading the book you will be questioning whether this is factual.

The early story line shows the band’s early roots and how most of them feel that their talent is underappreciated. When they are put together by famous producer Teddy Price, there is an undeniable chemistry and tension between lead singers Daisy (Riley Keough in the TV series) and Billy (Sam Claflin). They clash heavily. Billy wants full control but Daisy walks into the band without a care in the world. What’s shocking is that while they push each other to be the best musicians they can be, they both deeply love each other. However, Billy’s wife, Camila, is the anchor that holds back the spark from becoming flames. This constantly finds Billy torn between his familial ties and his addiction issues.

The series explores hot topics like the pressures of becoming famous, questions of sexuality, and the obligations of relationships, but mainly reverts back to the love triangle between Daisy, Billy, and

Concert ticket prices double in four years

By Ilana Kroub

Contributing

Writer

“I was anticipating this concert forever, but as soon as I logged in to the online queue for tickets, I realized how high the prices were and how hard it would be to get tickets,” said Sarah Kezra, a freshman. She was talking, of course, about her experience trying to get tickets for Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated Eras tour. But Taylor Swift is hardly the only tour that is priced beyond the reach of many fans.

Kezra is just one of the thousands of fans to learn that finding tickets is only part of the problem. If it feels like concert tickets are much more expensive than they were just a few years ago, that’s because they are. According to The Wall Street

Journal, the average concert ticket has doubled in price just in the past four years!

On popular ticket reseller Seat Geek, the average price of a concert ticket in 2019 was $125; today, the average is $252. For top-tier artists like Swift, Beyonce, and Bruce Springsteen, the average prices are significantly higher—often hundreds of dollars more.

There are many factors in the steep rise in prices. Pent-up demand during Covid shutdowns has led to more sold-out shows across all musical genres all over the country. Inflation has contributed as well. But the biggest factor has been the practices of major ticket sell-

ers like Seat Geek, StubHub, and Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster is under investigation by the Department of Justice, accused of creating a monopoly. And all online ticket sellers add on significant fees to the purchase price of all tickets. But perhaps the biggest factor is the relatively new practice of dynamic pricing.

Dynamic pricing is when ticket sellers change the prices of tickets in real time based on demand, much like the way Uber prices go up in busier times and locations. As demand for a particular concert increases and tickets get rarer and

Camila. The book and show allow the audience to root for both of them, instead of tearing either character down.

The other members of the band are drummer Warren Rojas, bassist Eddie Roundtree, guitarist Graham Dunne, and keyboardist Karen Sirko. They each have their own personal issues and deserve the spotlight that Billy and Daisy usually hog. Some critics say that the TV show focuses too much on the love triangle, which leads to the underdevelopment of the other characters’ stories.

The costume and set design of the series is faithful to the book and recreated stunningly. Whether performing to a sold-out crowd, on Saturday Night Live, or just partying, the characters are dressed how the book describes them. The characters capture what ’70s fashion really was in their own ways. Designer Denise Wingate explained how Daisy specifically had signature looks explained in the book, her bangles, borrowed menswear, and they “couldn’t not do that” in the series. She wanted to capture that ’70s carefree look because she thought that “Daisy was a person who just wore whatever she wants.” The series also includes Billy’s denim on denim look and gives each character their own unique style catered to their personalities.

The TV show is mostly accurate, besides the fact that it completely leaves out a member of the band who is mentioned in the book. Many viewers are also unhappy with the sound of the songs, as they believe that it doesn’t really capture the essence of ’70s rock and, rather, it sounds more country. Besides this, the TV show captures each specific story of the band members excellently. Both the book and TV show are highly recommended; no matter which you decide to start with, it truly doesn’t matter because both are outstanding.

rarer, algorithms instantly raise the prices, often exponentially. A normal lower bowl ticket for an upcoming concert might start at, say, $250, but as more and more tickets are sold, the tickets start to deplete. If buyers keep appearing while tickets keep disappearing, prices rise, and the price of that lower bowl ticket might now be $450. It’s not just the best seats that are affected: a normal “nosebleed” ticket, which is the farthest seat away from the stage, might have started off at $100, but is now the same price where that lower bowl ticket started. This is exactly how tickets for Swift’s Eras Tour started at $49–$450 but quickly jumped up into the thousands. When Kezra got into the queue, she was appalled to see prices over $1,000 for some of the worst seats in the building.

The next time you want to hear your favorite artist sing live, make sure you have some money saved up!

Standard of Fabulous

Hot trends for summer

By Arlette Mann Fashion Editor

The summer is quickly approaching, and the summer trends are making their way to our Instagram and Pinterest feeds. There’s a very large variety of new trends, from long dresses and chunky jewelry to athletic wear and cargo style clothing.

One of the trends we’ve been seeing recently are maxi dresses. Long dresses have always been a summer staple, but there seem to be a lot more maxi dresses appearing on our social media feeds. Whether for beachwear or formal events, we can’t seem to get enough of the long dresses. If you are interested in partaking in this trend, you can find many of these cute dresses on sites like Revolve, Bloomingdale’s, and many more.

These dresses are commonly paired with another trend that has been taking over; chunky jewelry! We’ve seen everything from big necklaces to a pair of chunky earrings, and there are so many ways to style it. These statement pieces are either the classic silver/gold, or they can come in a variety of different colors. In addition to the large size of these pieces, many of them also come in irregular and funky shapes, which adds another cool element to your outfits!

Another trend that has been making way is athletic wear, and specifically sports headbands. People are starting to pair every casual outfit with a sports headband. The thick band can be worn with a pair of jeans, some sweatpants, or a variety of other casual everyday outfits.

Lastly, many runways included utility-style clothing for this spring/summer season. At first, it was just cargo pants, but now it is everything: shirts, jackets, and even skirts! Cargo-style clothing is extremely versatile, and can be worn in a

very casual setting or a more formal setting. For a casual outfit, a pair of cargo pants with a tank and sneakers is a good option. But for a more formal event, a matching cargo top and skirt with a pair of heels can be very cool as well. The cargo trend is constantly evolving by designers who are trying to spin it in their own way, and it has proven to be very popular.

There are many summer trends that have been coming into style this year, with plenty of variety. There’s everything from girly to more tomboy clothing, so there’s definitely something for everyone!

Sephora’s Latest and Greatest: News, scoops, dupes, and more

By Jacqueline Halabi Junior Editor

Especially with Sephora’s recent sale, the last few months have felt like a huge, social-media-induced makeup craze. Viral makeup and skin- care products have been living rent-free in my For You page, and I’ve never been more eager to buy and try them. But when my expensive Sephora package finally arrived last week, I found myself wonder ing which products were worth the hype.

Alongside the rise of TikTok over the last few years has been the ever-increasing rate of consumer trends going in and out. Last year, the big store to hit was Brandy Mellville, where you could purchase comfortable and trendy clothing. This year, Sephora has become the focus of our wallets’ attention. Not only are new and interesting beauty products exciting to try out, but beauty enhancers and self care products also provide the confidence boost that so many young adults crave. The post-covid societal stress on health and wellness has allowed for the popularity of clean makeup and natural makeup looks, commonly dubbed the “Clean Girl” makeup aesthetic.

Is it time for a haircut?

By Clara Edery Fashion Editor

Short hair has made a huge comeback in recent years, with many women opting for a cleaner, simpler look. In fact, short hair has become so popular that many celebrities and influencers have been cutting their hair to stay on trend.

In the 1920s, short hair became a popular style for women as a way to break away from traditional norms and expectations. The iconic flapper look of the ’20s included a short bob haircut, which was a major departure from the long, elaborate hairstyles that were popular in previous decades. The bob cut was liberating for women, as it allowed them to move more freely and participate in activities like dancing and sports without the constraints of long hair. The bob also came to symbolize women’s newfound independence and equality.

Today, short hair is once again seen as a symbol of independence and freedom for women. Many women who opt for a short haircut feel empowered and confi-

dent. Short hair is also very versatile and can be styled in many ways. From a sleek and sophisticated pixie cut to a more relaxed bob, there are many possibilities for short hair. It can be easily maintained with regular trims and styling products, making it a practical choice for busy women who don’t have a lot of time to spend on their hair.

Many celebrities and influencers have been at the forefront of the short hair trend, with stars like Emma Watson, Charlize Theron, and Kristen Stewart all rocking short haircuts in recent years. These women are often seen as trendsetters, and their short hair has inspired others to try out the style for themselves.

Hailey Bieber, wife of pop star Justin Bieber, recently made headlines when she revealed her new short haircut. The model had previously sported long, beachy waves, but opted for a sleek and sophisticated bob that got praise from fans and fashion critics alike. Many applauded her bold decision, and noted how the new look emphasized her striking features and made her appear even more confident and

“I feel like a new person every time I get new makeup,” expressed junior Bella Soudry. Freshman Eliana Bonduryansky explained in addition that “a lot of the time we see [beauty influencers] getting a product, so we want to get it, too.” These feelings are amplified when we watch a “Tik Tok made me buy” video. However, after trying so many of the hyped makeup products and brands, I’ve begun to question which ones were actually worth their sizable price tags. “Every time an influencer posts something, everyone runs to get it, but their money is wasted by the next month when the new product comes out,” stated junior Danielle Kraiem. It’s also important to remember that, regardless of how clean or good quality a product is, it’ll never work

self-assured. Bieber’s short haircut is just one example of how women are embracing this style and finding inspiration from celebrities and influencers who are leading the way.

for everyone, so finding products that fit your specific needs should be your primary interest when filling your Sephora cart.

With all that in mind, here are some thoughts on some of the most viral beauty brands of late. The Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara has been my go-to this entire year and still remains in my heart; I especially love how clean and affordable the brand is. Another popular clean brand is Glossier, and after speaking with so many girls in school who are Sephora regulars, the consensus was overwhelmingly positive (their brown mascara in particular looks great on people with light eyes and hair).

I have tried the viral Drunk Elephant Bronze Drops (thanks, Alix Earle), and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the splotchy application and oily feeling. And if we’re supposed to mix it with a moisturizer, what would be the difference between that and a regular tinted moisturizer? I tried the Saie drops as well and found them to be not only more affordable, but also easier to apply. When I first tried out Glow Recipe’s products, I was disappointed; however, their clean skincare, specifically their toner and serums, grew on me hugely (though I would not recommend this brand for people with oily-type skin).

While Charlotte Tilbury has been so popular, specifically their contour, blush, and highlighter wands, I enjoy the highlighter but feel that there are better blush and contour products out there. Products like the Gissou lip oil, Rare Beauty liquid blush, and Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush have been, in my opinion, largely overrated. I would instead recommend the Merit Tinted Lip Oil and One Size Cheek Clapper 3D Blush Trio. I’ve also heard a few bad reviews about the Refy brow gel and would instead recommend the Great Lash Clear Mascara as a fluffy, but not sticky brow gel.

Whether it’s a symbol of freedom and rebellion, a rejection of traditional beauty standards, or simply a practical and low-maintenance choice, short hair is a versatile and empowering look.

Ask Merle

Dear Merle,

I’m a disgruntled, overworked, and overtired Editor-in-Chief of a highly successful school newspaper, and it feels like the work never ends. I’m still harassing poor freshmen to write articles and stalking Rabbi Beyda for endless quotes. I’m afraid I’ll be in my cap and gown and still be correcting the spelling of the word Phoenix (O, then E) on every article that gets handed in. When will my work be done?

Miserably, Prospective Brown Student

Fun & Games

to wait until September to move into their spot in the Commons, or can we do it now? I’m not going to lie, that corner’s looking pretty tempting. Is there some kind of unspoken rule we should be aware of?

Sincerely, A Bunch of Eager Juniors

Dear Juniors,

I remember this confusion like it was yesterday! It’s tough, because there’s no rule book or any guide to these types of things, and everyone’s just expected to know their place. I mean, if you guys move into the spot, you might get some shade, but nothing major. Technically, we won’t be sitting there anymore anyway. The shade will just come from a place of jealousy, because most of us wish we could travel back in time and experience senior year all over again. Don’t take it for granted and enjoy the Commons corner! (It’s great for naps.)

Love, Merle

Dear Merle,

Dear Brown,

That sounds like a really tough job. I know it seems like the work is never-ending, but it actually is coming to an end quite soon. After this issue, you will never have to rewrite the word Phenoix again. I still don’t know how to spell it correctly (thanks, by the way). I know that it may be frustrating at the moment, but at least you’ll be able to look back in a few years and be proud of all the issues you published. And it couldn’t have been too bad editing the Ask Merle column at least. Anyway, cheer up because Mr. Hof’s barbecue is coming up!

With much love, Your Favorite Section Editor

Dear Merle,

Since the seniors are technically finished with school now, are we supposed

I made so many new friends this year and built such great connections with the people in my grade. I definitely want these friendships to last me throughout high school, but right now I’m just worried about them lasting through the summer. How do I stay in touch with my friends if they all go to Deal and I don’t? I feel like they’re all just going to forget about me. Please help!

Sincerely, freshmangirl225

Dear freshmangirl225, I’m so glad you made so many new friends. I remember when you were all so nervous in the beginning of the year and I’m happy to see all my advice paid off. But I do know that with meaningful friendships comes the need for effort and time to hang out. It will definitely be more difficult to maintain these friendships in the summer as you don’t live in the same place. But thanks to modern technology, you’ll be able to stay in contact with them

What’s in the Senior’s Bag?

Have you ever wondered what unusual items students carry in their backpacks? We could have asked them, but where’s the fun in that? Here’s a list of what (we assume) seniors are carrying.

Suzanne Mosseri: the red camera

Fortune Chakkalo: makeup products

Mark Mosseri: today’s newspaper

Sammy Weinwurzel: his baseball jersey

Ezra Kababieh: a pre-workout

Erica Lincer: a blanket

Maurice Silvera: Champion merch

Joe Tawil: his massive water bottle

Yitzchak Kroub: red flannel jacket

Cynthia Ashkenazie: JBL speaker

Alan Mehani: green Jeep keys

Caesar Tbelie: DJ set

Solomon Kamagi: his whole locker

through text, call, FaceTime, Instagram, Snapchat, and every other app in existence. Don’t worry, summer is only two (short) months and it flies by quicker than any of us want it to. And you can always sleep over at a friend for the weekend!

Love, Merle

Dear Merle,

My allergies are acting up in the middle of Algebra. Because of the construction, I’m surrounded by dust ALL THE TIME. If I leave, I’ll miss material and won’t know what’s going on; if I stay, I won’t be able to focus because I’ll be sneezing every second! And when I’m not inhaling sawdust, I’m trekking across Avenue J and up three flights just to get to my classes at Touro. Test week is coming up and I really need all the class time I can get. HELP!

Sincerely, flatbushgirl990

Dear Flatbushgirl990, You’re definitely not the first person who’s complained to me about this problem. You need to weigh your priorities. What’s more important to you, your health or your grades? If you ask the school, they’d say your grades. My personal ideology is why worry about your grades when you’re already technically taking classes in college (physically, at least). But if you do choose your grades, I guess you need to just suck it up and suffer—maybe bring some Claritin or something. And perhaps you’ll consider bringing an electric scooter to get to Touro on time.

Good luck, Merle

Flatbush Cartoon

By Daniela Nacmias Phoenix Cartoonist

Ms. Theil’s Israeli Cooking cultural Cooking Corner

By Lydia Ezon

Contributing Writer

Home to an enriching history of our forefathers, the Jewish nation, and Ms. Batia Theil,  Israel is a special place like no other. In this issue, Ms. Theil shares a special dish called “Gvedge,” an Israeli dish via Europe. This dish always gives Ms. Theil a taste of home, as it reminds her of her childhood in Israel. Her mother, Z’’l,  would make this dish once a week for her. Ms. Theil describes the dish as “a healthy, very tasty vegetable dish served over any kind of grain that you like.”

Gvedge

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:

1-1½ lbs string beans

1 carrot

1 green pepper

2 tomatoes, very soft and ripe

1 zucchini

1 box mushrooms (8oz.)

1 large baking potato

About 1/4-1/2 of a medium-size green cabbage

1/3 cup olive oil

1½ - 2 cups of water

1tsp salt

1/4tsp black pepper

1/4tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

Rinse all vegetables, cut them into cubes (or smaller if you desire) and place in a pot. Pour oil and water over them cover the pot.

Bring to a boil, then lower flame to medium-high.

Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Continue cooking until all vegetables are soft (20-25 minutes).

On the side cook some brown rice, couscous, or any grain you like.  Pour vege tables over grain and serve hot. Enjoy!

Below is an image taken by Ms. Theil of the com pleted dish! She made it just this past Friday night!

National pastime jumps into the present

By Simone Amkraut Sports Editor

Nicknames like “The Grand Old Game” and “The National Pastime” let everyone know of baseball’s place in this country’s storied history and the embrace of recreational pursuits. But recent history has seen baseball’s position drop among the ranks of professional sports as leagues like the NFL and NBA have rocketed past Major League Baseball in popularity. Baseball leadership has been struggling with this issue for years, but could not agree on just what to do.  Until this off-season. The solution, in a word, is speed.

Baseball, unlike these other sports, does not have a clock placing limits on the game. Purists have held fast to this aspect that makes the game of baseball so different. As Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” That only happens when the final out is recorded in the final inning, no matter how long it takes. That aspect was not the problem, according to fans.  What has been a problem is the pace of play. As recently as two seasons ago, the average MLB game lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes.  While some of that can be attributed to built-in time for advertisements between innings (which generates much revenue for the league and, therefore, is not going to change), baseball looked to impact areas it could change. The solution? A pitch clock.

Matthew Cullen of The New York Times explained concisely how it works:

“After a pitcher receives the ball at the mound, a 15-second clock starts to count down (20 if a runner is on base). If the pitcher waits too long, the umpire calls a ball as a penalty; if the batter delays, the

tempt (another attempt to speed up the overall pace of play); and three, “The Shift” has been outlawed, meaning teams cannot overload fielders on one side of the infield before the delivery of a pitch. This last change creates more space for hitters to get a ground ball safely past the defense.

There was concern that players would push back as it forced a change to their ingame routines and that teams would push pack if a game turned on a ball or strike called due to a pitchclock violation. That has not been the case. Short of a few instances in Spring Training, the new rules have had relatively smooth sailing since the start of the regular season.

Boys volleyball having dominant season

umpire calls a strike. The timer means that at-bats now move faster.”

In just a small window of time this season, it is clear the new rule is paying off. The average 2023 MLB game is lasting 2 hours and 39 minutes, down almost a half-hour from last season’s average. Clearly, the pitch clock has been successful in speeding up the game.

In addition to the pitch clock, baseball implemented three other significant rule changes this off-season. One, the size of the bases was increased making it easier –and safer – for players to slide safely into bases; two, limits have been placed on the number of times a pitcher can throw to an occupied base to make a pick-off at-

By Lili Hanan Contributing Writer

The early results seem to indicate baseball has found a winning recipe.  Together, the rule changes have sped up both the pace of play and decreased the overall game time. While there are fans who believe the shift is a defensive strategy and it should be left to the players to successfully adjust the offense to offset the defensive strategies, there is little doubt that the game is moving faster, offense has increased slightly, and fan interest is up—especially among the younger demographic. And when considering the long-term success of the game, what could be more beneficial than increased interest in the new generation of fans?

For MLB, the future has arrived.

Sportsman Spotlight: Benun adds baseball to his sports resume

By Elliot Cohen

Contributing Writer

The ideal athlete has a perfect balance of leadership and skill on the playing field. Senior Sammy Benun exemplifies these attributes well, and shows true dedication in his sports, whether that be basketball or baseball.

Benun began his sports journey at Yeshivah of Flatbush as a freshman on the junior varsity basketball team. Once the season finished, he was ready to put in the hard work in the offseason to improve and play a bigger role. Sadly, once the school year came back around, the season had been canceled due to Covid. Bummed out, Benun continued to work, knowing his junior year was going to come fast. The work paid off, as in his junior year he regained his spot and didn’t let it go to waste.

Benun understands that the time he puts into the game is bigger than basketball. The consistent practice keeps him in shape and improves his athletic abilities such as his speed and vertical. In game,

Benun doesn’t let anything get in between him and basketball. Fatigue doesn’t bother him, and the fans are inaudible. He truly enjoys the game, and his enjoyment and hard work have gotten results. This past year, Sammy was named captain of the varsity basketball team.

“It really brought up my spirits after being injured,” he said. “It was the important position I had been looking for.”

Throughout high school, Benun played alongside mostly the same teammates, which helped him create chemistry with them. It hasn’t been as easy to build chemistry with his coaches. In his three years with the team, he had three different coaches. “It’s like having three different lives,” he said. Surprisingly, this didn’t deter him, and even helped him in a way. Not only did he get to see his and his teammates’ progression with different coaches, but also was able to learn how to work under different coaching styles.

In his senior year, Benun decided to join the varsity baseball team as well. He is a speedy weapon, often used for pinch running. He also plays left field and loves

tracking down fly balls.

No matter the sport, Benun is a hard worker who always pushes himself. “I never ask for a sub out,” he said. “I always want to keep going.”

Their record remains almost pristine as the boys varsity volleyball team storms the court with unwavering skill and determination. This group of boys was committed to making this volleyball season a success from long before they won their first game, against YDE. Through working together and the support of their fans and coaches, these boys are excited to see what the already impressive season will bring for them.

A recent loss was the team’s first after five consecutive victories to start the season. “After that first loss the team broke down, and nobody spoke the whole bus ride home,” said captain Jacob Cayre. Cayre and his teammates were disappointed, but used this rare loss as an opportunity to move forward.

“The boys understand that we could’ve played better, but we learned a lot from the loss; sometimes a loss is healthy,” said coach Charles Harary. Through this loss, the team became motivated to dominate throughout the season.

These boys also have built a special bond while playing on the team together, which helps their performance on the court. The team knows how important it is to support each other in order to help bring out the best in each other, and both the coaches, and captains find it important to set a good example for the team in general. Coach Harari said, “The boys motivate each other. It’s our job as coaches to just support them by being there and helping them improve their game.” Team chemistry is everything, and once the team grows together during practice the boys enjoy playing with each other which makes them more successful throughout the games over the season.

Every teammate has a role to play in any team, and what’s special about this team is that they all make sure to support each other, and be there for each other.

The team’s stars range in age, from seniors like Eli Mizrachi to younger players like sophomore Avi Guttman. The success of the varsity boys volleyball team is not only determined by individual skill, but by the performance of the team as a whole, all players working together to achieve the same goals and make their coaches and fans proud. Players insist that the team’s success shows that dedication, commitment, and hard work can pay off, and can also reflect the strong and unified athletics of our school and the coaches.

Now the team looks to take their strong start and expand it into a season to remember.