Panther Post The
In-Person Extra-Curricular Activities Resume with Panther Bachutz
YULA Boys High School VOL. V NO. 1 November 2020 | Cheshvan 5781
Pandemic Piskei Halacha
By Aidan Stephen (‘22), Managing Editor
By Moshe Feldman (‘23)
Shimon Abramczik Rabbi Dror Baalhaness grills chicken for freshmen and sophomores at Panther Bachutz.
YULA launched Panther Bachutz, a program that has reintroduced in-person Torah learning and extra-curricular activities. The program begins with mincha, followed by a Torah class. Rabbis lecture on topics, ranging from the parsha, a section of Torah read each week in shul, to Jewish theology. On Thursdays, Dean of Students Rabbi Shimon Abramczik prepares cholent that he serves during the class. After the lecture, students participate in extracurricular activities that they select the week before. Grill-and-Chill seems to be the highlight of Thursday nights on campus. Students watch sports games and enjoy a barbeque together. “Grill-and-
The Panther Preview
Chill is the definition of good memories in YULA,” said Akiva Brookler (‘21). “It makes me feel like I’m back at camp YULA again.” While some students like to sit back and relax at Panther Bachutz, others take advantage of the Samson Center’s new gym. A personal trainer for professional athletes offers strength training in the new weight lifting space, while other students practice their shots on the basketball court. In addition, Panther Bachutz offers college guidance for juniors and seniors. “Mr. Heeter has been amazing in helping me prep for my SAT and my col-
In the midst of a global pandemic, leading rabbis had to determine safe and halachic ways to practice the traditional rituals of the High Holy Days. Rav Hershel Schachter, one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and a halachic advisor to the Orthodox Union, issued a series of Piskei Corona, halachic enactments to guide Orthodox Jews and mitigate health risks during the pandemic. The High Holy Days are replete with both halachot and minhagim, religious customs. Halachot are inviolable requirements that must be adhered to unless extenuating circumstances emerge. Minhagim are binding practices that can be temporarily abrogated under certain circumstances. Rav Schachter’s Piskei Corona advises to temporarily set aside certain minhagim because of pikuach nefesh, life saving concerns. Hatarat Nedarim, the nullification of vows, is a ritual typically performed the day before Rosh Hashanah and must be performed in the physical presence of three adult men. Rav Schachter ruled that virtual Hatarat Nedarim was permissible this year, as long as the three adult men, who were the ones nullifying the vows, were in the same location. Leading up to Rosh Hashana and until Yom Kippur, selichot, prayers of repentance, are typically recited with a minyan. The main component of the prayer is the yud gimmel middot harachamim, a section that may be recited only with a minyan. Rav Schachter ruled that one could have recited yud gimmel middot harachamim at home
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YULA’s Return to Campus: What You Need to Know By Israel Gootin (‘22) & Noah Chriqui (‘22)
Renovation of Science Labs Complete 2
Learn to Cook an Israeli Recipe 7
Student Perspectives on the Politicization of Sports 12
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic constantly presenting new challenges to schools, YULA Boys’ administration has been working hard to make the campus as safe as possible for when students and staff eventually return to in-person learning. Over the summer, YULA shared a detailed path to reopening with families. Administrators stressed that their main priority is maintaining the “safety and health of all stakeholders on campus.” To achieve this goal, YULA has implemented a series of precautions for in-person learning, when it resumes. Many of these COVID-19 safety precautions have already been implemented for daily davening and after-school activities, which occur on campus. Before people can enter campus, they must undergo temperature checks and answer a series of questions to determine whether they pose a risk of spreading COVID-19. As a precaution, YULA’s campus undergoes thorough disinfection procedures each day. Ventilation systems are “sanitized using virucidal cleaners to clean coils and upgrade filters,” according to the administration.
When students return to campus for actual school, they will be subject to even stricter safety precautions. Different bathrooms on campus will be assigned to each grade in order to minimize contact among students. Plexiglass shields have been erected around each desk to minimize health risks. The 22” x 18” glass shields will allow for the best learning experience, while still keeping students safe. According to Principal of General Studies Rick St. Laurent, new sanitizing machines will be used to thoroughly “disinfect classrooms and public space after use.” Additionally, the ventilation systems on campus have been upgraded to provide “more fresh air in the buildings.” Large rooms inside YULA will be transformed into classrooms to ensure social distancing. “Doors will be propped open to allow entrance and exit without the need to touch them,” said Dean of Students Rabbi Shimon Abramczik. Director of Development and Operations Rochel
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Community
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Renovation of Science Labs Complete By Coby Karben (‘22) With students off campus, YULA completed the renovation of two new science laboratories. Students can look forward to a modern space and state-ofthe-art lab facilities when they return, thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Ronnie Nagel, who donated Lab A, and Dr. and Mrs. Sherwin Isenberg, who donated Lab B. The labs have been strategically designed to maximize student efficiency. New sinks, counter space, eyewash stations, and cabinets have been placed
These science labs, and everything that we’re doing is an investment into the future of our students -Head of School Rabbi Arye Sufrin
alongside the walls of the labs to streamline experiments. Moreover, the labs have large movable desks, which allow teachers to customize the laboratory set up for each experiment. Additionally, new science equipment has been purchased for the renovated labs. For example, the labs feature probeware, a learning tool that uses probes and sensors to allow students to relay live digital data directly to their computers. Scientific posters line the walls, and the periodic table of elements is displayed on the ceilings of each classroom for both decorative and practical purposes. These laboratories were YULA’s next step in improving the learning environment for students, a process that began with the campus expansion. “Our mantra is that we always have to be pushing forward towards excellence; mediocrity is unacceptable. Therefore, I’m not just talking about just [astheic improvements]. It became clear that our existing campus looked more dated,
Vickie Bellomo The new labs feature updated workplaces for students. and we needed to move things forward,” said Head of School Rabbi Arye Sufrin. “These science labs, and everything that we’re doing is an investment into the future of our students” The science department has adapted to distance learning by adopting virtual labs that mimic the outcomes of physical experiments, along with experiments that students can perform at
home with household items. Although YULA has continued to offer virtual science labs, the newly-renovated labs will enhance the experience. The science department faculty eagerly awaits the return to in-person learning, so they can use the new labs. “I’ve been waiting 22 years,” said Science Department Chair Vickie Bellomo.
Daily In-Person Davening By Michael Nagel (‘22) Even with all the COVID-19 safety restrictions, YULA students and rebbeim continue to daven every morning. YULA hosts four minyanim: Ashkenazi and Sefardi minyanim on the Nagel Family Campus, and Ashkenzai minyanim in Hancock Park and the Valley. Before students enter campus, they must have their temperatures taken and sanitize their hands. Students must wear face masks and social distance, and all minyanim are held outdoors. Students sit on either side of six-foot-long tables to ensure social distancing guidelines are followed. Approximately 90% of the student body attends each morning. If a student cannot attend davening physically in the morning because he is ill or out of town, he can join davening on Zoom. “I really enjoy davening because it makes me get up and get ready and gives me an opportunity to socialize with my friends,” said Ethan Frankel
(‘22). “[It] truly starts me off for a successful day.” Davening at YULA has been modified to comply with all restrictions put into place because of COVID-19. During Torah reading, the person who reads the Torah now receives all of the aliyot, hagbah, and galilah. YULA is doing everything it can to still have in-person davening. Although it is not the same system to which students are accustomed, they can still pray with one another daily without risking the spread of the virus. “Standing outside and greeting our talmidim (students) daily as they arrive for minyan is truly inspiring. I am extremely proud that we host a daily minyan in three different locations,” said Head of School Rabbi Arye Sufrin. “This is an important chinuch (education) to our talmidim, emphasizing the importance of starting your day right, and daily davening with a minyan.”
Arye Sufrin Science teacher Mr. David Pulitzer davens in the YULA parking lot with the Ashkenazi minyan.
Commission-Free Trades Lead to Market Volatility By Ben Rubin (‘22), Torah & Israel Editor Thousands of individuals are increasingly investing in the stock market, but this is not necessarily a good thing. Throughout history investors have relied on solid information, strong research, and consistent strategies to make money in stocks. But in 2013 Robinhood, then a small company, announced that they would begin performing commission-free trades. Investors slowly began using the Robinhood platform. Then E-trade and Charles Schwab began offering commission free trades as well in 2019, which caused virtually the whole industry to follow suit. Commission-free trading made investing in the stock market a game to play rather than an investment for
many Americans, so investors are now trading more often and more speculatively. “I like it because it is so cool. Hundreds of thousands of people trading. You can make money based on your [favorite] company’s success,” said Doni Berenson (‘22). Now the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, the two largest stock exchanges in the world, are seeing more volatility now than ever. Volatility in the stock market generally indicates uncertainty among investors. While those contributing to its volatility may not care, others who invest for financial security have reason to worry. According to CNBC, Americans’ pension and retirement funds make up about 20% of
the total U.S. stock market. Retirees who have picked “safe” blue-chip stocks, most likely with some form of reliable dividend, don’t want to see this volatility play out in their life-long savings. But don’t fret too much. About 80% of the stocks in the United States are owned by high-net-worth individuals and institutions, according to former White House Economic Advisor Gary Cohen. So, you can still sleep at night knowing that millennials on cell phones have only minimal impact on the market. Most of it is in the hands of seasoned professionals.
The Panther Post • November 2020 • Community
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New Workout Equipment has YULA Boys Pumping Iron By Aidan Stephen (‘22), Managing Editor National Basketball Association (NBA) players practicing at YULA rave about the Samson Center, but there has always been one thing missing from the jaw-dropping facility–a weight room. Over the summer all that changed when NBA players, using the Samson Center basketball court, needed a place to lift weights. They sponsored the installation of a temporary state-of-the-art gym and workout space in the corner of the Samson Center. Students now use the gym during Panther Bachutz under the supervision of athletic trainer Reuben Gonzalez, who works closely with NBA athletes. “Over the course of the summer, I was restricted to a broom and backpacks that I filled up with my old textbooks as weights,” said David Hazani (‘22). “When I first got into that gym, it felt like the virus had vanished, and I was back at LA Fitness lifting with my buddies.” The temporary fitness center contains equipment for all types of exercise. It includes a hack squat, a leg press, a leg extension machine, a multi-functional weight machine, and a pull-up bar. “The machines give me the best workout pump I have ever gotten,” said Jacob Goldschein (‘22). “My favorite exercises are the tricep pushdowns. After a couple of sets, it always makes my arms look huge.” Whether a student wants to work on his individual muscle groups like legs, back, and chest, or wants to do cardio with the athletic staff, YULA’s temporary gym setup has it all. In a year full of uncertainty, students can count on this gym to provide them with a way to stay in shape, spend time on campus, and
Akiva Brookler (‘21) Aidan Stephen (‘22) squats in the new workout center with the school’s trainer, Reuben Gonazalez. interact with their friends once again. Because students are enjoying working out at school so much, YULA is in the process of purchasing its own fitness equipment, which it will permanently install in
Real Distance Learning By Ethan Frankel (‘22), Community Editor
the basement. This basement facility will free up space in the Samson Center, so the equipment will not interfere with games and will be more readily accessible.
YULA’s Return to Campus Continued from front page
While all California high school students have been forced into distance learning, a handful of YULA students have taken the idea of distance learning literally. They have moved to different cities while still taking classes at YULA. Moving to a new city is difficult at any time, but during a pandemic, YULA students have found it even harder. “I have not seen a kid my age for two months because of the whole COVID situation. Moving to a new place makes it really hard to meet and hang out with new people.” said Boaz Edidin (‘22). After taking a road trip to Florida this summer, Edidin and his family decided to spend the year there. That Edidin could attend YULA on Zoom made the family’s choice to stay easier. At first glance, it may sound great to start the day at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, but Edidin explained that this is not really an advantage: “My sleep schedule is different from my family’s, which makes it hard. I am up till 3 a.m. and must be super careful to be quiet around
my home at night,” said Edidin. “It’s also hard to stay asleep in the morning when my family members wake up and begin to make noise two hours before I want to wake up.” At the same time, the temporary move has benefitted Edidin. “The change of location has really helped me relax. It feels like I am on vacation, but I am still working hard in school,” said Edidin. Edidin is not the only student who is taking YULA classes while outside of Los Angeles. Elliott Halwani (‘21) moved to Palm Springs in March. The move has had its ups and downs for Halwani.“I enjoy the solitude of it because I have a lot of work, and I still work with people in my classes online. It is not that bad. I am able to do much of the things I like, but the only thing I have is FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). But, it was worse at the beginning. Now I am kind of over it,” said Halwani. Edidin and Halwani are two of several students who have chosen to stay close to YULA despite being physically far away.
Gargir and Principal Rabbi Joseph Schreiber head YULA’s COVID-19 compliance team, which ensures that YULA follow state guidelines by establishing and enforcing safety protocols. In addition, IT Director Yossie Frankel, a certified COVID-19 tracer, will track any potential contact between infected students and anyone with whom they may have come in contact. YULA’s Medical Task Force will help guide the school through opening when permitted. “We will have to make certain decisions on what certain things will be allowed and what will not in terms of safety and precautions,” said Rabbi Schreiber. “We will make sure everything that must be done, will be done, and we will be monitoring the situation for a safe return back.” YULA wants to make sure it does not recklessly open too quickly and risk the health of students and faculty. “If there indeed will be on-campus learning, I think we would not start the school at one time,” said Rabbi Schreiber when asked if the school plans to open as soon as it can legally. “Even if we were allowed to, we would want to do it in phases.” When students do return to campus, YULA hopes they will have a safe and healthy environment. “If anyone could tackle the issue of remaining safe once school resumes, it would be YULA,” said Doni Berenson (‘22). “ I feel safer at YULA than anywhere else.”
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The Panther Post • November 2020 • Features
Unexpected COVID-19 Rates Among Homeless Part 3 in a 3 part series By Boaz Edidin (‘22), Executive Editor
Russ Allison Loar —WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Homeless people spend much of their days outside, and thus, are less susceptible to spreading COVID-19. Experts feared that COVID-19 would devastate California’s homeless community. Suffering many underlying health conditions and substance abuse problems, many homeless people seemed to fit the profile of being at “high risk” of contracting and dying from the virus. However, homeless people seem to have dodged a bullet. While researchers predicted approximately 60,000 COVID cases and 1,200 COVID deaths among homeless Californians, the current numbers have reached only a small fraction of that. In Los Angeles County, the state’s most populous region, only 1,300 homeless people contracted the virus by mid-August, which amounts to only two-percent of the county’s total homeless population––a rate similar to the county’s overall average infection rate. Death rate statistics are even more staggering. By mid-August, only 31 of the 1,300 homeless people in the county who tested positive died––a death rate even lower than the county’s non-homeless average. So, what has caused the homeless population’s rel-
atively good fortune? While we do not know for sure, most hypotheses focus on an aspect of homelessness that initial coronavirus predictions ignored––where they live. Outdoor living conditions usually worsen the lives of homeless people: Uncontrollable weather and a lack of access to basic necessities make homeless people susceptible to numerous potentially fatal diseases. However, in this case, outdoor living does the opposite. Director of Infection Prevention and Control for Rochester Regional Health Melissa Bronstein, explained that “in the open air, coronavirus particles disperse more quickly than they do inside.” Therefore, as confirmed by a recent study published by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and The Cyprus Institute, the coronavirus spreads almost 20 times faster inside than it does outside. According to the Los Angeles Times, the 19% of Los Angeles County’s homeless people who have been living in encampments accounted for only 11% of the county’s homeless cases. That means that the
shelters, hotels, and recuperative centers that were haphazardly set up to combat the virus were responsible for an increase in case numbers. Although the difference in infection rates seems to indicate that the State Legislature’s desperate attempt to protect the homeless from COVID-19 has failed, their safety measures within the shelters actually prevented potentially devastating outbreaks. Had shelters not checked residents’ temperatures daily, made hand washing mandatory, and issued social distancing restrictions, experts’ initial predictions might have proven correct. Also, if the homeless people who temporarily moved to shelters had spent the length of the pandemic on the street, homeless encampments would have been packed more densely, which would have accelerated the spread of the virus. UCLA Associate Professor Randall Kuhn explains that the low homeless coronavirus statistics occurred because “social distancing is what everyone does with homeless people.” Although it might sound offensive, it’s true. Most homeless people are cut off from the main areas where the virus has spread, such as work and school. This logic also explains the higher death rate in shelters since employees and volunteers can bring the virus into shelters. We’ve explained the abnormally low homeless infection rate, but what about the low death rate? Many homeless people still have the pre-existing conditions that experts initially believed made them more susceptible to the virus. Once they catch the virus, logically, they should have a higher chance of dying. But the statistics don’t reflect this expectation. We still don’t know for certain why infection and death rates have veered so far away from initial predictions. Maybe previous exposure to other viruses has built up immunity among the homeless population. Maybe certain immunodeficiencies and substance abuse problems don’t exacerbate the wrath of the virus as we had originally thought. There are too many conflicting studies and too little overall data to form a definitive conclusion. What we can conclude is that, thankfully, the coronavirus hasn’t disproportionately harmed the homeless as had originally been predicted.
Panther Bachutz Continued from front Page lege applications,” said Ethan Frankel (‘22). “His college workshop allows me to be productive with my time and get ready for one of the most important phases of my life.” In the Schlesinger Steam and Entrepreneurship Center, the robotics team tinkers with prototypes in preperation for future competitions. “It was very difficult to keep the robotics team excited and engaged in these last few months without all of our tools on campus,” said Arshia Kohanteb (‘22). “Now that we are back on campus, our team is ready to rumble and reclaim that first place trophy.” Panther Bachutz allows students to retrun to some semblance of campus life. Not only is the program educational, but students also enjoy themselves. “While I wish we could get back on campus permanently, Panther Bachutz has satisfied my desire to be with my friends,” said Yoni Merkin (‘21). “This new program has reinvigorated the senior class, and I’m sure the rest of the school feels the same way.”
Shimon Abramczik At Panther Bachutz, Eliyahu Neissany (‘23) prepares a deli roll to cook at home.
Academics
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Faculty F cus
Model UN and Mock Trial: COVID Update By Jake Stephen (‘23)
Ava Kohanteb (‘23) Mock trial practices at YULA with some students socially distanced and others on zoom.
By Jake Stephen (‘23) Among many recent additions to the YULA Boys faculty is Dr. Yonah Tehrani, who teaches chemistry and physics. He began teaching at YULA in the middle of last year during the hectic transition to online school, and he has stuck with YULA ever since. Dr. Tehrani was born in Tucson, Arizona, but spent most of his childhood in Los Angeles. After high school, he moved to Baltimore, where he received a Bachelors degree in Talmudic Law and concurrently studied Pre-medicine at Johns Hopkins University. He then moved to Israel, where he studied medicine at The Technion, with a focus in cardiology. Before teaching at YULA, Dr. Tehrani practiced medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He gradually shifted to a consulting role in the cardio-vascular field, in which he worked with companies to manufacture devices that help cardio-vascular function. This move gave him the flexibility and free time to begin his teaching at YULA. Dr. Tehrani realized during his years in the medical field that he was passionate about teaching. As a physician, he had always viewed himself as both a student and a teacher. He believes that the current educational system is undergoing a major revolution and feels that it is his job to effect positive change. When he’s not spending time with his five children, Dr. Tehrani enjoys the outdoors. He skis in the winter and enjoys fishing and boating in the summer. Dr. Tehrani also loves playing the piano. Dr. Tehrani’s students are excited about the energy and fairness that he brings to the classroom. “Dr. Tehrani is a fantastic addition to the YULA faculty. Class so far with him has been wonderful, and I’m excited to continue learning with him,” said Aaron Silvera, a student in Dr. Tehrani’s AP Physics C: Mechanics course. His chemistry students expressed the same sentiment. “Dr. Tehrani values the opinions of his students and keeps everyone engaged through his open classroom discussions on the material, which is something that I greatly value,” said Andrew Rubel (‘23).
YULA’s Model United Nations (UN) and Mock Trial seasons will look quite different this year with new COVID-19 health guidelines that prevent normal practices and competitions. YULA’s Model UN team flies to New York each year to participate in Yeshiva University’s Model UN Conference. This year, they will not attend the conference in person. Instead, Yeshiva University will hold the conference over Zoom. YULA Model UN tryouts and practices will be held outdoors with proper safety precautions. YULA’s Mock Trial team also had to adapt to accommodate social distancing guidelines.
Faculty advisers Mr. Gregory Zlotin and Mrs. Annie Nagel, along with captains Michael Dahan (‘21) and Leila Fishman (‘22), have worked tirelessly to ensure that the team run smoothly this year. Practices now take place during Panther Bachutz hours at YULA Boys. Just as the Model UN team will not travel, the Mock Trial team will not be able to make its annual trip to the courthouse. Instead, Mock Trial will be held over zoom. Even with these potential obstacles, the YULA staff have made the best of the situation and have enabled their students to participate in another exciting year of extracurricular activities.
Online Teaching Platforms By Jeremy Wizenfeld (‘22) As a supplement to Zoom, teachers are using other programs to make their lectures more interactive and to assign homework and assessments. Nearpod and Explain-Everything, two of the leading programs for online classroom engagement, completely transform the learning experience. Instead of students staring at the screen and listening to a lecture the entire period, both these websites allow students to join the presentation and actively participate in the class. On Nearpod, teachers create interactive slideshow presentations and videos in which students answer questions throughout the presentation to stay engaged. At the end of lessons, teachers can also create review games, a fun learning tool, again to keep students engaged. Explain-Everything offers an interactive classroom experience through a digital whiteboard. This whiteboard has a wide range of features for teachers to enhance their lessons. Explain-Everything is particularly useful in
STEAM classes, so students can solve long math problems and create diagrams in front of the class. Just as teachers are utilizing new programs to make their classrooms more interactive, they are also using online programs that change the way students submit their work. Bakpax and Turnitin both utilize artificial intelligence to give students insight on their work. Bakpax, which specializes in grading math assignments, scans and grades the work. The system offers specific feedback to students and identifies areas that need improvement. While Bakpax is geared toward math classes, Turnitin offers useful software for humanities classes. The program detects plagiarism to ensure academic integrity, allows teachers to submit comments online, and allows students to peer-mark one another’s work. These platforms have helped teachers adapt to virtual teaching and offer their students as close to an in-person experience as possible.
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Defunding the Police: What It Really Means By Aaron Silvera (‘23), Features Editor
Thomas Hawk—FLICKR ANALYSIS—The past few months have seen relations worsening between the African-American and police communities, and the Black Lives Matter movement has catapulted to an influential position in modern politics. As a result, many are calling for a massive structural change in police departments across America and are asking to “Defund the Police.” Liberals hail the idea as a necessary change for police departments to function with respect and dignity while conservatives have insisted that police carry out important roles and that abolishing the police would be a reckless overreaction. Liberals argue that the role of police should be reduced. The first job of the police is to protect citizens, but over the years, police have amassed other duties unrelated to their original role: they have to enforce curfews, supply first aid in crises, direct and regulate traffic, and crack down on homelessness. Liberals believe police shouldn’t be taking on additional roles. Their only job––as expressed in their oath––should be to protect and serve by keeping the peace. Playing these other roles takes away from their ability to perform the roles they actually need to play. Liberals
believe that other departments should handle traffic and social workers should handle housing, curfew, and mental health. Streamlining their duties would help police keep the peace and would create a more effective police force. Conservatives have been rather unreceptive to this argument. They point out that police are pivotal in the areas they patrol and that budget cuts for the police would be a reckless response to nationwide rioting. They argue that the national chaos we are now seeing proves we need more policing, not less. Liberals also point out that the overextension of police into other roles forces them take more heavy-handed approaches to maintaining order. Since 1996, the U.S. military has given $5 billion in weapons and vehicles to local police departments; $760 million, since August, 2017. This equipment includes riot gear, armored vehicles, assault rifles, gas masks, tasers, and other equipment that militarize the police. Arming the police like soldiers may seem like a good idea, but when the police act like an army, they appear to be at war with the very communities they are meant to protect.
Although the Constitution places limits on police power—they cannot search your home without a warrant, hold you indefinitely without trial, force you turn over evidence against yourself, or arrest you without a specific charge—police still abuse their power, often with no recourse for those they abuse. In the past 15 years, just 42 officers have been convicted of a crime as a result of a police shooting, and only five of them have been convicted of murder. Civil lawsuits rarely go anywhere either because police possess a legal defense called qualified immunity, a legal principle that grants police immunity from civil suits unless the plaintiff shows that the officer violated clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known. The court may agree that the police’s conduct was unlawful, but because there is no precedent, qualified immunity usually applies. A notable case to the contrary was Breonna Taylor, whose family received millions of dollars when the police department settled a wrongful death lawsuit. The police could have actually won that lawsuit if they wanted to, but the department chose to settle because of the overwhelming national attention to the case. The avoidance of paying out a few million dollars was not worth the public relations disaster that would have ensued for the police department. If national attention is required for a police department to even consider taking responsibility for their actions, the system is not holding policemen accountable in a fair and just manner. So when you hear the term “Defund the Police,” take both arguments into account: Law and order is necessary as violence and rioting increases nationally, but one could argue that the police are not best suited to manage these problems. An accountable, demilitarized police that can delegate non-police roles to other departments, can then focus on maintaining peace and improving our communities.
The Social Dilemma: A Teenager’s Perspective By Arshia Kohanteb (‘22), Layout & Graphics Editor REVIEW—Directed by Emmy-winning director Jeff Orlowski, The Social Dilemma, available exclusively on Netflix, pulls back the curtain on the amorality of tech giants, which has been swept under the rug for far too long. Ex-Google employee Tristan Harris explains that a handful of designers and engineers influence the way millions of people become addicted to technology, such as email. So, he created a presentation that exposes big social media companies’ manipulation of users through algorithms that encourage addiction to their platforms. Harris shared the presentation with several colleagues, and it quickly spread to more than 5,000 Google employees and CEO Larry Page. As a result, Harris created an open dialogue about what he called the “social dilemma.” But Harris wasn’t prepared to stop there, so he created the non-profit Center for Humane Technology, which aims to mitigate the profit mongering of big tech companies. In the movie, three imaginary “people” live inside a teenager’s brain and manipulate his attention to gain ad revenue. These three imaginary people represent
the three industry giants, Google, Apple, and Facebook. The addictive quality of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), fomented by social media, wires teenagers to use these platforms whenever they have a moment of free time. This is just one of many manipulation tactics social networks use that appalled Harris. “If you’re not paying for the product, then you’re the product,” said Andrew Lewis, a politician and attorney, serving as a member of the Seattle City Council. Social networks lure people by making them think they are interacting with friends, while in reality this interaction is a façade, and their privacy is being sold. After watching the documentary, you might feel a strong urge to delete your social media accounts, even though, as Harris points out, social media has done
NETFLIX many great things for the world like helping people find organ donors and connecting users with friends around the world with a press of a button. But if you do suffer from this addiction, try to delete your social media accounts and see how long you can last. The Social Dilemma is a compelling and relevant watch. I highly recommend it for people who feel technology dominates their lives.
The Panther Post • November 2020 • Features
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Israeli-Inspired Pargiot and Roasted Cauliflower By Yehuda Holender (‘22) These two recipes are a couple of my favorite quick meals for Shabbat. The cauliflower is perfect for Friday night. If you make it shortly before Shabbat begins and leave it covered until dinner, it will still be perfectly warm and have a nice consistency. The pargiot is great for Shabbat lunches because it heats up well, and leftovers can last for days in the fridge without losing quality. The mayonnaise in the marinade makes the Pargiot recipe unique. It allows the marinade to form the delicious signature char marks on the chicken’s crispy skin. Use the spice measurements as just a guide, but follow your own culinary instincts. Just make sure to taste the marinade for seasoning before you put it on the chicken. Be cautious not to use too much lemon juice in the marinade because the acidity will make the chicken mushy. Don’t worry about
overcooking, though, because chicken thighs are delicious even when overcooked, and the char marks are what make this pargiot dish special. The cauliflower dish, when plated right, is a very simple yet elegant-looking side dish. The only tricky part of this recipe is seasoning the cauliflower and knowing when it is done. Season with slightly more salt than you think, and make sure you season all sides of the cauliflower. I poke the lightly charred cauliflower with a fork and look for an easily-pierced yet firm texture to know when it has cooked. This bland-looking and overly-rich dish screams for colorful, acidic toppings. A squeeze of lemon is a must with some red pickled onions or fresh herbs. Adding pine nuts or pistachios provides a good textural contrast to the soft, yet toothsome cauliflower. Other Israeli toppings also work very well, such as tahini, roasted garlic, and schug.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Pargiot
Ingredients: • 1 head of cauliflower • ¼ cup of olive oil • 2 tsp. of salt • ½ tsp. of pepper • ¼ cup of tahini
Ingredients: • 1.5 lb packet of boneless, skinless chicken thighs • ½ cup of mayonnaise • 1 tsp. of cumin, paprika, dried oregano, and salt • ½ tsp. of turmeric and crushed black pepper • Shake of red cayenne pepper (optional) • Half a lemon’s worth of juice • 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
Instructions: • Preheat the oven to 450°F. • Place cauliflower in a cast iron pan or on a baking sheet and coat it thoroughly with olive oil, salt, and pepper. • Roast at 450°F for 45-60 minutes. • Take the cauliflower out of the oven and let cool for a few minutes. • Drizzle with tahini.
Yehuda Holander (‘22)
Instructions: • Mix all ingredients other than the chicken in a bowl. • Add the chicken and let it marinate for at least 4 hours. • Take the chicken out of the marinade and cook over high heat on a preheated skillet until cooked through (about 10 minutes). • Serve with pita and toppings.
Student Develops Wellness Survey App By Andrew Rubel (‘23) When Tuvia Frankel (‘23) got word from his father, IT Director Yossie Frankel, that YULA was interested in developing an app to help ensure the safety of students and staff on campus, he jumped into action. Tuvia Frankel, a self-taught computer programmer, spent his summer creating the YULA Wellness Survey, an app-based questionnaire that screens people for COVID-19 symptoms before they enter campus. Students and faculty sign into the app with their YULA email account. Each time they want to enter campus, users are asked five short questions that check symptoms and require a promise to adhere to the school’s COVID-19 safety guidelines. If a user’s answers to the survey indicate that he or she is
healthy, the app displays a green clearance message to inform security to allow the user access to campus. If an answer indicates that the user might have COVID-19, the user is denied entry to campus and the app informs the school administration, so it can monitor potential COVID-19 developments. In these uncertain times, the YULA Wellness Survey app has allowed for a smooth transition back to campus by providing peace of mind for the YULA community. Frankel encourages others who are interested in app development to learn more about the topic. “If you have an idea to make an app, there are a lot of really cool places that you can learn on the internet, you don’t need any special skills or anything,” said Frankel. Arshia Kohanteb (‘22)
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The Panther Post • November 2020 • Features
Apple’s Latest Product Lineup By Arshia Kohanteb (‘22), Layout & Graphics Editor This year, Apple live-streamed its annual conference, where it unveiled the new iPad, Apple Watch, and HomePod. But the fact that this was a virtual unveiling did not make the show any less captivating. Ever since Apple launched its Series 4 watch, the general public’s interest in the Apple Watch declined because Apple kept releasing new versions with only minor changes and a $100 markup. So Apple enthusiasts expected Apple to release a groundbreaking model this year to drive up sales. Unfortunately, the only major change Apple made with the Series 6 was the addition of a blood oxygen sensor. Apple also unveiled a cheaper version of the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch SE (Special Edition), starting at $279, a good but less advanced alternative to the standard Apple Watch, which starts at $399. Apple also refreshed the iPad lineup by giving the iPad Air a much needed makeover. Apple slightly redesigned the body and removed the home button from the iPad. Instead of getting rid of Touch ID on the iPad Air, which Apple has done with many products in the past, Apple put a fingerprint sensor into the power button on the top of the iPad. Apple has inched closer to the ultimate goal of embedding a fingerprint sensor into the display to unlock a device. The long awaited iPhone 12 was nowhere to be found at this event, but it was instead unveiled the fol-
lowing month. The iPhone 12 Pro was released alongside the iPhone 12 with the primary difference between them being improved camera capabilities on the iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 features flat aluminum siding, highly resembling the iPad Pros and even the legendary iPhone 4, and the screen is coated in a new Ceramic Shield, which makes it less likely to shatter. Unfortunately, the notch at the top of the iPhone remains and does not seem to be disappearing anytime soon. The new iPhones feature magnets on the back, a feature Apple calls Magsafe, and as a result created a new industry for iPhone attachments, accessories, and wireless chargers. By far the most notable feature on the iPhone 12 models is the new 5G capability. Although some Android phones have sported 5G capability for a while, these are the first iPhones with the technology. In theory, 5G can reach speeds that are 20 times faster than 4G LTE, the current standard. 5G is revolutionizing the smartphone industry, and though Apple is a little late to the party,
APPLE it’s better late than never. Last but not least, Apple added the HomePod Mini to its virtual assistant product line. Homepod Mini is exactly what it sounds like: It contains the internals of the HomePod crammed into a miniature encasing.
Ranked Choice Voting By Boaz Edidin (‘22), Executive Editor This November, Maine was the first state to use ranked-choice voting (RCV)––a system in which people rank each candidate by preference––to select a victor for its elections. In addition to Maine, four Democratic states and two Republican states used RCV in their primaries and conventions, respectively. Voters usually choose a single candidate for each position on their ballot, and the candidate with the highest percentage of the vote, even if the candidate has less than 50% of votes, wins. RCV is a bit more complicated: Voters rank their favorite candidates in order of preference and then submit their ballots. After all ballots are counted, if one candidate has over 50% of the 1st place votes, he or she wins. However, it does not usually settle so quickly because if no candidate receives a majority of the total votes, the election committee enters the second round of vote-counting. The candidate with the least votes in the first round gets eliminated. In this round, the second-place votes of everyone whose first-place votes were for the eliminated
Ranked-choice voting ensures that the ideology supported by the majority of voters prevails.
MAINE’S DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
candidate are counted instead. This process repeats until one candidate receives a majority of votes. Some states are already implementing this unique voting system in place of the typical winner-take-all and plurality systems because RCV makes the election more representative of the true majority of the country. In typical elections, “spoiler candidates” split the vote with candidates who share the same ideology. Those who split the vote sometimes end up losing the election to an opposing candidate even though the majority of voters support their values. In contrast, by gradually eliminating minority candidates and factoring in voters’ second choices, RCV ensures that the ideology supported by the majority of voters
prevails. RCV does not only improve the electoral process, but it also provides more flexibility to voters. If multiple candidates appeal to voters, RCV allows voters to support multiple candidates. So if RCV helps the electoral process and the voters, why hasn’t the country adopted it for all elections? RCV is an unfamiliar system for most voters, so state governments, which determine the election style, are cautious about adopting a new system. Ranked-choice voting may never fully replace the current winner-take-all system, but it does offer an innovative approach to improving the electoral process.
Torah & Israel
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A Political Shift in the Middle East By Akiva Brookler (‘21), Editor-in-Chief
Haim Zach—Israel GPO
Shealah Craighead—OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO President Donald Trump, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyanisigns sign the Abraham Accords. ANALYSIS—The Abraham Accords, brokered by the Trump administration, made the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain the third and fourth Arab countries to formally normalize relationships with Israel. The treaty signifies the recognition of Iran as a common regional threat, the priority of economic growth, and the Arab world’s evolving position on Palestinian statehood. The common threat of Iran has catalyzed peace between these Arab countries and Israel. Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, there has been a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which represents a greater conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims. The civil wars in Yemen and Syria represent the current
The peace deal marks the first time Muslim countries made peace with Israel without any land exchange.
battlegrounds between them. The UAE alone spends $16 billion annually supporting Sunnis in Yemen. Over the past decade Iran has steadily gained power in the Middle East, establishing terrorist proxies around the region. More concerning to Sunni countries and Israel is Iran’s pursuit of developing nuclear weapons. Despite the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018, Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons, which threatens to destabilize the region. As a result of the UAE signing the peace deal, the Trump administration has promised to sell F-35 fighter jets to the UAE, which will bolster their air force against threats from Iran. The proverb “My enemy’s enemy is my friend” is quite fitting to describe Israel’s normalized relations with the UAE and Bahrain. While the Sunni Muslims may not love Israel, they recognize Iran as a greater threat. Beyond political catalysts, normalizing relations makes sense for both countries economically. Israel and the UAE have become regional economic powerhouses over the past 50 years. The UAE has the second largest economy in the Arab world and has been diversifying its economy beyond just oil, which has led to its rise. Israel’s high tech sector, one of the most advanced globally, provides opportunities for Emirati investors. Additionally, Israel may share their water
desalination and conservation technologies with the UAE, which is crucial for the desert country. Perhaps the most surprising part of the peace deal is the lack of resolution for Palestianians. Palestinians have long assumed that no Arab countries would sign peace deals with Israel unless the deals granted Palestine statehood and control of the West Bank, especially since Israel’s only other peace deals with Arab nations have included stipulations for Palestinans. The 1978 Camp David Accords that preceded the Egypt peace deal called for Palestinian autonomy and an end to Israeli occupation, and the 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty included a provision to help settle Palestinian refugees. The Abraham Accords signifies a potential shift for Israel in the Middle East. The peace deal marks the first time Muslim countries made peace with Israel without any land exchange. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula that it captured in the 1967 Six Day War to Egypt and ceded control of disputed lands to Jordan. The Abraham Accords signifies a shift in support from Muslim countries, some of whom have expressed support for the peace deal. Saudi Arabia even agreed to allow Israel to fly into its airspace. The deal promises hope for more widespread peace between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.
Pandemic Piskei Halacha Continued from front page as long as he was on a Zoom call, which contained a minyan in one location that was saying selichot together. The central mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah is shofar blowing. In order to mitigate the possible health risk, Rav Schachter ruled that shuls could blow only 60 blasts instead of the typical 100 this year, because the excess 40 blasts are a minhag. Psalm 47, an introductory prayer before shofar blowing, is normally recited seven times, but Rav Schachter allowed people to say it only once this year. Many Jews immerse themselves in a mikvah before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Rambam was of the opinion that mikvah immersion is a minhag. Immersing oneself in a mikava during the pandemic poses a health risk, given the crowded nature of men’s mikvahs and the prevalence of high-contact surfaces. Rav Schachter wrote that this minhag may be fulfilled by showering at home, as sug-
gested by previous halachic poskim. One must use nine kabim, approximately four gallons, of water to fulfill the practice. This leniency applies only to men’s mikvah immersions, which are minhagim, but does not apply to women’s immersions, which are halachot. In addition, many piyutim, liturgical poems, were omitted from the regular High Holy Days prayers to decrease the amount of time people spent in shul together. These temporary modifications were necessary “to be very stringent in the mitzvah of pikuach nefesh,” said Rav Schachter. “We hope that next year, things will return to the way they used to be … and next year we will fulfill all [halachot] and minhagim properly.”
Opinion
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Editorial
Propositions: Obfuscation or Opportunity? An important part of our ballots here in California are the propositions. Propositions are a way in which special interest groups can propose laws on the ballot. But what might appear to be initiatives designed to help the public—from uber drivers to poor renters to dialysis patients—has actually become a tool for special interest groups to push their own agendas. Follow the money to find these special interest groups’ true intent. The first step for special interest groups is to get their initiatives on the ballot. Just 5.1% of voter approval is required for proposed constitutional amendments; 3.2%, for statutes. So all special interest groups need to do is convince voters to sign petitions for
More often than not, the side that spends the most money wins.
their proposed initiatives. Once special interest groups have their agendas on the ballot, they spend millions in advertising and on garnering endorsements to pass their initiatives. In California special interest groups have spent over $700 million on ballot initiatives in 2020. That’s nearly a third of what the Biden and Trump campaigns spent on the entire presidential election—a national contest. Ride-share companies have spent the most on their proposition, 22, which seeks to define ride-share drivers as independent contractors, so they will not have to provide drivers benefits. If the initiative does not pass, California Assembly Bill 5 (2019) will be used to decide whether drivers are employees or independent contractors. The reason ride-share companies have spent more than $190 million to keep ride-share drivers independent contractors is that it would save the companies hundreds of millions in the long run. But even when ballot initiatives are rejected, they may very likely reappear next election as we have seen before. Proposition 23, which would require
The Panther Post Editor-in-Chief: Akiva Brookler (‘21) Executive Editor: Boaz Edidin (‘22) Managing Editor: Aidan Stephen (‘22) Faculty Adviser: Ms. Pam Felcher
Community Editor: Ethan Frankel (‘22) Academics Editor: Moshe Epstein (‘21) Features Editor: Aaron Silvera (‘23) Torah & Israel Editor: Ben Rubin (‘22) Opinion Editor: Yoni Merkin (‘21) Photos Editor: Benjamin Mansano (‘22) Layout & Graphics Editor: Arshia Kohanteb (‘22)
Please be mindful that this publication contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect.
YULA Boys, 9760 Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035
VoteNoOnProp22—TWITTER Ride-share drivers protest Proposition 22. dialysis clinics to have a physician present, mirrors 2019 Proposition 8, which was rejected. But the Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers West has reintroduced the initiative, claiming that it would provide a safer environment for patients. But the initiative is just a battle between the union and corporations that run dialysis clinics. Doctors already are on-call and trained nurses are on site, so the proposition doesn’t really help paitents. Instead, it would cause many dialysis clinics to shut down because costs
would soar. It would be one thing if the average voter were educated on the initiatives and could make informed decisions. But most voters don’t know the first thing about the initiatives. The voter information guide is pages long, unclear, and doesn’t provide enough information for voters to hatch well informed opinions. So when voters head to the polls, they just remember the ads they saw on tv for the initiatives. More often than not, the side that spends the most money wins.
A vital part of The Panther Post is our extensive opinion section, which includes both the Editorial Board’s opinions as well as op-eds written by the student body. But these pieces should not be the end of the conversation; instead, they should catalyze a meaningful conversation within our community about important issues. So we want to hear your opinions. Any article you read––whether you agree, disagree, or have a relevant comment––we want to hear how you feel. Letters to the Editor are an essential part of all newspapers, and ours should be no different. We ask that you send your brief reactions (an edited 150 words) to letters@yula.org, so that we and all our readers can hear our community’s diverse opinions.
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The Panther Post • November 2020 • Opinion
Student Perspectives on School Opening Give Students the Best School Possible By Eitan Gelb (‘22) Since March, a hot topic has been the reopening of schools. Schools should open because providing education is an essential service. Many schools have not yet opened because people fear that students and faculty will spread COVID-19. But reopening actually will not lead to the devastating consequences people fear, especially since children are less susceptible to COVID-19. Closing school seems disproportionate. Though people worry that students would contract COVID-19 at school and transmit it to parents and grandparents, students already spend time with friends, often without social distancing. At school, students would have to adhere to health guidelines, so school would be a safe place for students to see their
friends. But even if one could prove that going back to school would increase COVID-19 cases by a substantial margin, there are still numerous benefits to going back that outweigh the potential risks. For starters, students learn more when in school. This especially applies to younger students who are just learning to read and write. In addition to the educational benefits, there is a social benefit to going back to school. It is of utmost importance that children aged three to seven attend school in person; otherwise, they will fall behind in learning how to relate to others their age. If a whole generation fails to learn how to socialize, the repercussions could be catastrophic.
Finally, families in which both parents work desperately need their kids to return to school. Imagine how hard it is to constantly adjust the screen for your children, while working. Or imagine having to go to work and leave children unattended. Since poorer families and families of essential workers have limited options, school closures disproportionately impact them. When people are allowed to protest, gather socially, celebrate sports victories, and open businesses, it makes no sense that schools cannot open. COVID-19 will plague the world until there is a vaccine, but at some point we must evaluate whether the danger is great enough to hinder education, which could hurt our country for years to come.
Save Lives or Open Schools? By Boaz Edidin (‘22), Executive Editor Sure, I’m sad I might miss the entirety of my junior year, the social pinnacle of highschool, but I’d rather keep myself, my classmates, and all of our family members alive for senior year. School, please stay closed. The apartment building in Miami that my parents and I moved to over the summer greeted me with an unpleasant surprise. Signs reading “Masks Required,” “Adhere to Social Distancing Restrictions,” and “Remain 6 Feet Apart” filled the hallways. I had made the 3,000 mile trek from Los Angeles to Miami for what? More quarantine? Would I even get to spend quality time with the friends and relatives whom I moved across the country to see? In my naiveté, I thought that Miami, which had been spared the initial wrath of the virus, would be open for me to hang out with friends, free of social distancing. In the scenario I envisaged, after a summer of COVID-free fun in Miami, I would return to normal, in-person school in the fall. Little did I know that the very week of my family’s cross-country road trip, cases in Florida skyrocketed.
If you let a bunch of kids who think they are invincible back into school, it’s safe to say that safety won’t be their first priority. The problem grew across the country. As states and counties lifted restrictions, many people returned to work, which created surges in new coronavirus cases. When state governments were forced to reinstate restrictions to protect their citizens, I realized that there is no escaping the virus––no matter how far you run. We need to stay put until a vaccine is introduced.
After this realization, I had qualms about returning to school in the fall. If people going back to work caused such a spike in COVID-19 cases, what’s stopping the same from happening if students throughout the country return to campuses. My life and the lives of the people I love would be endangered if schools were to open. If I can recognize this, why can’t those advocating the reopening of schools? According to Marco Ajelli, a mathematical epidemiologist who studied the impact of COVID-19 on children, a similar surge might occur if in-person schooling returns. When researchers analyzed data on the virus’s impact in two Chinese cities, Wuhan and Shanghai. They found that although children are approximately a third as likely to contract COVID-19, attending school would expose them to three times as many people as the average adult. While closing schools might not be enough on its own to stop an outbreak, researchers found that it can slow the epidemic’s course by 40 to 60 percent. If we can cut the pandemic’s growth in half, why not stick with online school for just one year? Nevertheless, President Donald Trump wants schools to reopen so that the economy can follow suit. He hopes that working parents will be able to send their kids to school and return to work. However, by pushing to reopen schools despite warnings from experts, President Trump is taking an unnecessary risk. The push for in-person schooling is coming from both sides of the political aisle. California Governor Gavin Newsom is steadfastly pursuing reopening physical schools. “We need to get our kids back to school,” Newsom said in his daily press briefing on the state’s response to COVID-19. “But we need to do it in a safe way.” If someone figures out how to herd ten million children into virus incubators safely, please let me know. Although Trump and Newsom may have good intentions, their plans would inevitably result in more illness and death. They have miraculously torn down the barriers of partisanship, but in doing so have put the country’s fate in the hands of my 11-year-old sister and eight-year-old cousin’s ability to adhere to
COVID-19 restrictions. As a student, I know firsthand that we can’t be trusted to follow these rules. Children’s brains aren’t generally as attuned as adults’ when it comes to mortality. We think we’re invincible. Regarding COVID-19, why wouldn’t we? For months now, our parents have been telling us that we’re okay because the virus doesn’t affect kids. If you let a bunch of kids who think they are invincible back into school, it’s safe to say that safety won’t be their first priority. American citizens feel a sense of unity right now. We might be isolated, but we also know that we’re isolated together. But if physical school returns, those who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19 will be excluded. Two members of my family are high risk, so even if schools open, I cannot attend. Many other students have found themselves in this same predicament. We would suffer educationally because teachers would be addressing physical classrooms, while we at home would be trying to decipher what they and our peers are saying through a screen, layers of plexiglass, and masks. If school returns to campuses next year, teachers who are older or immunosuppressed will not want to attend school with children who could have unknowingly been exposed to the virus, so they will be forced to stay home. Will they teach remotely? Will they be furloughed? Will they be forced to retire? We can prevent exclusion and save all of the lives that could be lost if we just remain patient. In a remake of the famous “Stanford Marshmallow Experiment” by the University of Minnesota, children, used as psychological subjects, were given the choice to eat one marshmallow immediately or wait 10 minutes and get a second marshmallow. Those who delayed gratification ended up seeing more long-term success across several facets of their lives. Schools have a similar decision on their hands, the only difference being that instead of a marshmallow, they hold people’s lives in their hands. Schools can either wait and feel the gratification of preventing unnecessary fatalities, or schools can choose the instant gratification of having their beloved hallways temporarily filled, but at the risk of student, teacher, and family lives. Trust me. This patience will pay off.
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The Panther Post • November 2020 • Opinion
Should Athletes Politicize Sports?
Keith Allison—WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Members of the San Fransisco 49ers kneel during the national anthem before a football game to protest racial injustice.
Athletes Should Make Their Voices Heard
By Aidan Stephen (‘22), Managing Editor After its season was originally postponed due to COVID-19, the National Basketball Association (NBA) resumed July 30. Sixteen of the league’s 30 teams packed their bags, left their families, and headed to the NBA’s “bubble” at Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. But even though they were secluded from the rest of society, NBA players were not shy in using their platform to advocate against racial injustice––and rightfully so. To say silent and just dribble the ball has never been less of an option for NBA stars. After the Jacob Blake shooting, Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James led a players-only meeting that lasted well into the night, August 24, in which players discussed ways to use their combined influence to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Players’ voices were so powerful that the NBA Players Association almost considered shutting down the league for the second time this season. Originally, the bubble served two purposes: The NBA wanted to crown a league champion and help spread widely the voices of a minority. Continuing le-
ague play initially brought the players to the NBA bubble, but ultimately, expressing their social grievances was the crucial reason they decided to stay. Players received backlash from some sports analysts, political figures, and fans who believe that sports figures should leave societal issues to others and stick to playing the game they are paid to play. Those critics wanted to suppress NBA players’ freedom of speech. But players have a right to use their national stage to promote positive change. Just playing basketball is not enough for NBA players. Playing basketball didn’t save an innocent Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back in August. Playing basketball hasn’t provided justice for Breonna Taylor, who was killed in police crossfire within the confines of her own home. Playing basketball hasn’t brought comfort for George Floyd, who was suffocated to death under the knee of a police officer. Sports figures have one of the most influential platforms to call for social change. Americans idolize these players, so simply boycotting a single game or wearing shirts that read “BLM” can elicit more chan-
Simply boycotting a single game or wearing shirts that read “BLM” can elicit more change than weeks of protests. ge than weeks of protests in the streets of America. Basketball players can’t just dribble the ball; they must speak up and not stay silent about the social injustices that need to be addressed. We should be applauding athletes, not criticizing them, for using their platforms to lead by example. Sports players need to continue using their greatest weapon, their influence, to promote real change in America.
You Were Paid, Just Play By Eitan Gelb (‘22)
Sports have historically been a politics-free zone in America. They have been a way for fans to interact regardless of race, gender, or political beliefs. At a game, a member of the far left could bond with a white supremacist without even realizing that they are mortal enemies. As social justice makes its way to the forefront of American Politics, sports players are finding it hard to resist taking political stances and using their influence. The Milkaukee Bucks refused to play a playoff game against the Orlando Magic this summer to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake. The boycott started a chain reaction in which most American sports cancelled all games for the next few days. But that is just one example of the increased politicization of sports. The National Basketball Association (NBA) painted the words “Black Lives Matter” on their courts every game this summer and allowed players to substitute the names on the back of their
jerseys with social justice messages. The NBA has alienated many of its fans by pushing for a movement that many viewers do not support. I have no problem with individuals voicing their political beliefs, but fans never asked to have their sports distracted by controversy sparked by political messages. Fans who disagree with their messages can’t even respond, so the whole event becomes a polarizing experience. The National Football League (NFL), on the other hand, embraces social justice without supporting a specific movement. End zones have signs that read “End Racism,” and players can put political messages in tiny writing on their helmets—far less aggressive than the NBA’s approach. The players are allowed to kneel when the national anthem is played, but fans are allowed to boo players for kneeling. While politicization of sports in any way corrupts its intent, at least the NFL allows both sides to be heard.
Sports provide a useful spotlight for people to influence a majority of the American population. But just because athletes have this influence does not mean they should use it. Political views from both sides of the spectrum are all over news platforms, social media, and even billboards. Sports should be a safe haven that could instead unite a divided America.
Fans never asked to have their sports distracted by controversy sparked by political messages.