Vol. 1, Issue 3, Quarter 4 - May 2017 - Sivan 5777
many students’ anxieties at YULA’s many changes. “I know that not everyone will agree with every decision, but I can promise you we will go to great lengths to take care of our students and to do everything we can to ensure that our students are happy, growing and learning,” he said. As the students adapt to the upcoming changes next year, Rabbi Spodek believes that “with a positive outlook and with the support of our incredibly talented and caring faculty, our students will adjust quickly and seamlessly.”
How and why Senate Republicans went nuclear, and what’s next for the Supreme Court cont’d from pg. 6
eral judge in the past. Senate Republicans refused to consider him, denying him a confirmation hearing and an up-or-down vote. This outraged many Democrats, who accused them of engaging in unprecedented obstructionism. Eventually, Obama left office, and Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court prospects ended with Hillary Clinton’s electoral defeat. Several weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch, a widely-respected federal judge. The American Bar Association unanimously rated him as “well qualified,” the highest possible rating for a Supreme Court nominee. In 2006, when Gorsuch was nominated to be a federal judge, he had been unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, and Hillary Clinton voted to confirm him. Senate Democrats, infuriated over the refusal of their Republican colleagues to consider Garland, and under heavy pressure from their liberal constituents to oppose President Trump’s agenda, were not about to let Gorsuch be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the same man he had voted to confirm in 2006 as an extremist who had repeatedly valued corporate interests more than the rights of “average Americans just trying to get a fair shake.” Gorsuch’s opponents also accused him of lacking the impartiality he would need to serve as a check on any unconstitutional acts the President might engage in and claimed that the seat Gorsuch had been nominated to fill had been “stolen” from Merrick Garland by the Republican Senate majority that had denied Garland a hearing and a vote. Schumer vowed to lead a Democratic filibuster against Gorsuch. Only 4 Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heitkamp of South Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Michael Bennett of Colorado, refused to join the filibuster. The politicization of Supreme Court nominees can be dated back about 30 years, when President Ronald Reagan nominated Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. The Democrats rejected his nomination. The next episode in this drama came when Clarence Thomas, a conservative federal judge who George H. W. Bush had nominated to the Supreme Court, was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill. He denied her allegations and Thomas was ultimately confirmed, 52-48. (11 Democratic Senators voted to confirm him; 46 voted to reject his nomination.) For all the other controversies and scandals that surrounded Bill Clinton’s administration, it was mercifully spared this particular trouble; both of Clinton’s liberal Supreme Court nominees were confirmed with little trouble or opposition. But this respite ended when Democrats filibustered 10 judges who President George W. Bush had nominated to federal courts. A bipartisan group of 14 Senators came to a compromise, in which five of the filibustered judges were confirmed. But three of the original 10 had already withdrawn their nominations. During Obama’s presidency, many of his judicial nominees were filibustered. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, responded by employing the nuclear option for nominations to the executive branch and all federal courts other than the Supreme Court. While Democrats were infuriated by Republican Senators’ refusal to consider Garland, Republicans said that the Democrats decision to politicize judicial nominations in the first place was the original sin. All of this led to Gorsuch’s 54-45 confirmation, nearly entirely by party lines. Gorsuch, who is 49 years old, will likely be on the Supreme Court for decades. And together with the extraordinarily polarized state of American politics, the use of the nuclear option will change the nomination and confirmation process for the foreseeable future. It may give presidents whose parties have Senate majorities free reign to nominate anyone they want. How will this impact the Supreme Court’s development under President Trump? No one knows. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that a Supreme Court Justice will step down this summer. He declined to name the retiring justice, but most political commentators suspect it is Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court’s swing vote. Two staunchly liberal Supreme Court justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 84, and Stephen Breyer, 78, may also leave the Supreme Court soon. If either Kennedy, Ginsburg, or Breyer leave with Trump in office, the court could very well have a solid conservative majority for decades.
Shavuot, Bikkurim, and Matan Torah cont’d from pg. 7
ateinu, the time of the giving of Torah, not Zman
Kabbalat Hatorah, the time of the acceptance of Torah. We are required to accept the Torah each day, on a daily basis. The giving of Torah was a one-time event, and that is the reason why on Shavuot we celebrate the giving, but we need to re-receive the Torah all the time. May we all merit a true Kabbalat Ha-Torah!
An interview with Mr. Dennis Prager cont’d from pg. 8
write and prepare the next day’s show for the rest of the night. But it’s not all work. I take my interest in photography and music very seriously. PP: What do you do to relax when you need a break from working?
DP: Listen to music, take pictures, go to audio shows, play hearts on the computer, surf the internet, go out with my wife. PP: Can you describe your Torah commentary for those not familiar with your Torah lectures?
DP: I’ve been teaching the Torah for 35 years, and taught it verse-by-verse in formal classes over the course of 18 years. Many people – Jews and non-Jews – have bought these hundreds of hours of recorded classes. And now, finally, I am putting it all into print. I am making the case for the Torah as the greatest book ever written, and explaining it so that anyone – from a yeshiva student to a Chinese man or woman who never met a Jew – will understand it, and (hopefully) have their lives changed by it. PP: Is there anything you have said or done in your career that you wish you could have said or done differently? DP: I think I could have said something better after every show and every speech. PP: What message would you give high school students today about the value of education and how to live productive lives? DP: Character trumps everything, including education and brains. Smart people are a dime a dozen. Good people are much rarer – and far more important. And don’t pursue fame. The famous are rarely significant, and the significant are rarely famous.
In YULA Girls’ changes, board president sees a bright future cont’d from pg. 9
SB: The first thing I would say is not to sugarcoat these changes in the sense that change is difficult. One of my feelings about this process is that high school is so short, and unfortunately, we had at least half a year of students’ four-year experience absorbed in atmosphere of changes. In that sense, my heart goes out to the young women that have such a short time to experience YULA Girls High School and that they have had to endure a year of change. I think that if we try and take a positive lens, I am very hopeful and optimistic that these changes will immediately positively impact the students’ experiences in the coming academic year. I think that for the YULA community as a whole, it sets us up for what has been a wonderful decade under Rabbi Lieberman to now have the opportunity under Rabbi Spodek to have an even brighter future while building on the success of this past decade. I hope that the students at YULA can have that perspective about what is best for the long-term health of the institution. However, that should not take away anybody’s feelings that they had to endure change and deal with it during what is such a short high school window. If there is a feeling of frustration, sadness, or even anger among the community and the students, I would completely understand. I just hope that they can take a longer view and hopefully they will get a chance to experience some of the changes in the coming year.
An interview with the YULA Boys Board President cont’d cont’dfrom frompg. pg.10 8
DN: My biggest concern with the state of Jewish education is how expensive it is. It’s too expensive. Jewish education is absolutely unaffordable. We can’t have Jewish education simply be for the rich, so instead we allow kids blindly to come and apply to our school regardless of their financial capabilities. The answer to this dilemma is that the board needs to raise money for financial aid, but Jewish education is so high that it’s almost raising an impossible task for the board. The long-term solution is an endowment. There is already an endowment of two million dollars, but can you imagine if we had an endowment of ten million dollars. With that size of an endowment, we would not have to raise tuition every single year.
PP: You’ve dedicated an enormous amount of your
own time and money towards YULA. Why? DN: One of the most impactful times in your life, in steering who you’re going to be, is during high school, so I always felt that that’s what I needed to get involved in. And I’m loving it. I’m taking great pride in what YULA has become in comparison to what it was, and I’m taking great pride in knowing that I’m taking it to a level that will be something that I think the whole community will be proud of for a very long time.
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Did Kevin Durant make the Warriors better? cont’d from pg. 11
rim protector like Bogut or a guy who is a good spark off the bench like Leonardo Barbosa, the Warriors consolidated and focused even more of their cap space on another shooter. Durant added a layer that the Warriors already had. With the Warriors advancing to another NBA Finals after their 4-0 domination of the San Antonio Spurs, all we can do now is wait and see if the their offseason moves will result in the ultimate goal: four more wins.
Former NFL player coaching YULA Girls cont’d from pg. 11
football. I have learned many skills and techniques from my coaches and the other girls on the team.” Many girls chose flag football for the workout and competition, and others to learn the techniques and drills of football. “The girls have not only learned strategies of football, but they learned how to come together as a team and play in symphony. I am so glad that I got the opportunity to coach such committed girls,” Coach Ross said.
Our vastly changing climate cont’d from pg. 13
ness and in extent, and the number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing since 1950. All that information is from NASA, a trustworthy source funded by the American government. The question that inevitably comes up during these debates – “Is this information reliable?” – shows the amount of uncertainty that climate change deniers have introduced into the argument by expressing conspiracy theories and spreading misinformation, so it’s essential to search for truth from trustworthy and accurate sources. Now the question that brings up the real controversy: Is this increase in warmth caused by human carbon emissions? According to both NASA and the United Nations, it is. Before I even discuss that, think about it logically: the temperature increase began around the late 19th century. Before that it remained basically stagnant. What was happening at the turn of the century? The industrial revolution. Oil and coal were burnt for fuel. Huge Rockefeller factories pumped black smoke into the skies, and the Model T car became popular. Since then there’s been a steady increase in the world’s temperature. In 1950, atmospheric carbon dioxide went higher than 300 parts per million – something it had never done before in the history of the world, according to a recent NASA study. We’ve established that climate change is real, and that mankind at least in part causes it. We’ve established some of the consequences, and if you want to read more I invite you to go to nasa.gov. There you can find unaltered, un-manipulated facts upon which to build your knowledge. If you have your doubts about NASA’s credibility, take a look at their FAQ section, where they address their data collection techniques and their peer review process. Or look at Berkeley Earth’s data - Berkeley Earth is an independent, non-profit organization funded by grants, so if NASA’s government affiliation doesn’t sit well, Berkeley Earth might be the place for you. You could even do your own research; spend time at a college or a library collecting your own data. Learn how scientific information is gathered, learn how experiments are conducted, and learn the truth for yourself. It’s essential for people to seek out the truth, which brings me to the most terrifying part of climate change today: Donald Trump’s refusal to act. Inaction will bring an inevitable catastrophe closer instead of combating it with any means we have. On January 28th, 2014, Trump tweeted, “Snowing in Texas and Louisiana, record setting freezing temperatures throughout the country and beyond. Global warming is an expensive hoax!” Trump’s administration deleted the White House climate change web page. And he is now in charge of our country and has a direct say in the amount of money we put into research and green energy, the steps we take in using alternative fuels, and the regulations, or lack thereof, on huge industries that pour black smoke into the sky like the Rockefeller factories of old. Regardless of your opinion on any of Donald Trump’s other policies, this is one area where facts and data exists and cannot be refuted if the people stay informed and educated. If we still want earth to be our home planet in 2100, we need to become more active in helping the environment. Ride a bike once or twice instead of driving. Get solar panels for your house, or maybe drive a hybrid. It might not solve climate change in a day, but it sure won’t make it worse. Above all, stay informed and hold truth dear. These are, quite literally, the facts of life.