Volume 9, Issue 3, January 2011 - The Heschel School

שבט ה“תשע‘‏ א
January October 2010 2011
Helios Volume 9 Issue 1 Volume 9 Issue Page 31
The Official Student Newspaper
of the
Abraham Joshua Heschel
High School
“We stand for what we utter…”
- Rabbi Heschel
Heschel Breaks Ground for One Campus Plan How Much Does Heschel
Know About Heschel?
By Becca Schwarz
Head of School Roanna Shorofsky speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Heschel building.
Photograph By Lizzi Rauner
By Zachary Stecker
“Thank you for coming to celebrate a big hole
in the ground,” said Jonathan Kern, a member of Heschel’s
executive committee, referring to the empty dirt
lot adjacent to the high school. Kern, who addressed the
attendees of the school’s groundbreaking ceremony on
December 5, was not speaking of any ordinary hole in
the ground – he was speaking of the land that will soon
be transformed into Heschel’s lower and middle school
campus.
The new building, which will complete the
school’s “One Campus Plan,” will allow Heschel to welcome
more than 225 new students, as well as their families,
into its growing community. Reaching this point, of
course, was no easy feat for Heschel. “Many meetings,
drawings, and spreadsheets later,” quipped board member
Alisa Doctoroff, “the One Campus Plan was born.”
The groundbreaking event itself, which marked
the commencement of construction on the new building,
was built around the Talmud’s theme of “Ma’alin
Banned Textbook Finds Home at Heschel High School
By Emma Goldberg
In October, both the Israeli Education Ministry
and the Palestinian Education Ministry banned
classroom usage of the textbook, Learning Each Other’s
Historical Narrative: Palestinians and Israelis.
Gershon Baskin, founder and co-director of the only
joint Israeli-Palestinian think tank, the Israel/Palestine
Center for Research and Information claimed
that the textbook was too controversial to ever be put
into classroom use.
Heschel’s senior dual narratives class is proving
Baskin wrong.
Israel’s Education Ministry explained that
the book was banned because it “is based on the dangerous
post-modernist premise employed by ‘new
historians’ and post-Zionists that there are no such
things as objective historical truths.”
Israeli history classrooms often present the
1948 War of Independence, in which the Jews triumphed
against great odds, as, according to New
B’kodesh,” taken from Talmud Bavli Shabbat 21B
and translated as “We always ascend in holiness.”
Ariela Dubler, co-chair of the groundbreaking ceremony,
explained that this ties into Hanukah’s theme
of expansion as told by the sage Hillel, who taught
that one should add a candle each night as a symbol
of growing in holiness rather than descending.
Similarly, explained Dubler, the construction of a
new learning institution symbolizes the miracle of
expansion.
In keeping with the theme of ascending
in holiness, the eighth graders, fifth graders, and
Heschel Harmonizers each performed a song. The
songs shared the general theme of “Hallelu” – praising
God through song and music.
Kern, who gave an update regarding the
building plan, said the school’s plans for expansion
will include a gym that can be converted into a theater,
a regulation gym (this received particularly
Continued on Page 4
York Times reporter Ethan Bronner, “a near
miracle of David-and-Goliath proportions.” The
Palestinian narrative presented in Learning Each
Other’s Historical Narrative suggests that the
Jews had a military advantage during the war,
and exploited Palestinians who were thinking of
leaving behind their land. The Ministry is not
happy that the traditional Israeli historical narrative
is being challenged.
Sarah Fendrick, who instructs the senior
history elective discussing both the Israel
and Palestinian perspectives on the Arab-Israeli
conflict, said that in order to foster dialogue between
Israelis and Palestinians, the traditional
historical narrative of Israel must be analyzed.
“Palestinians and Israelis are both the subjects
and the objects of the history of the conflict, and
their personal biases will definitely influence
the narratives of their history.”
Continued on Page 3
Inside This Issue
The answer? Not very much.
As Heschel at Heschel week approached, the entire
school began to prepare for a week of reflecting upon
Rabbi Heschel, his values, and his teachings. Assemblies
were planned, and the senior class, armed
with weeks of studying Heschel’s writings, prepared
a range of programming to bring Rabbi Heschel into
focus for the entire student body.
While Rabbi Heschel was being commemorated,
however, questions arose regarding the general
student body’s knowledge of his life and his teachings.
A survey of students across the grades yielded
a wide range of results. Very few students had indepth
knowledge about Rabbi Heschel. One of those
students, freshman Yuval Pearl, said, “Heschel was
born in Warsaw and was one of the leading philosophers
of the 20th century… Heschel believed that
racism is man’s greatest threat and for that reason he
marched with Martin Luther King Jr. against racism,”
“Rabbi Heschel was a revolutionary thinker,
with an amazing mind. His thoughts on pluralism
within the Jewish community changed the world we
live in in terms of interdenominational tolerance,”
offered Asher Elbaz, a sophomore. Asked where he
learned this information, he responded, “Most of
my knowledge on Heschel came from that time his
daughter came to the school to talk about him, his
views, and his accomplishments.” He continued, “I
really still don’t know as much about him as I think I
should.”
The majority of respondents knew very little
specific information beyond his involvement in the
civil rights movement and his belief in religious pluralism.
Junior Isabel Merrin said, “Throughout lower
school, middle, and high school… we have learned
that he was a big civil rights activist and marched with
Martin Luther King.”
Those who knew little were not necessarily
eager to learn more. One junior went so far as to say,
“I don’t know anything about Rabbi Heschel. I have
never read his books and I don’t think I ever will.”
But is it possible that the students have more
of an understanding of Rabbi Heschel’s values than
they are aware of? Rabbi Natan Kapustin said that
students in ninth through eleventh grades actually do
have exposure to Heschel’s teachings. “In some parts,
the LQ curriculum is heavily focused on Heschel’s
writing. This is called the Heschelian Overlay.”
This curriculum is built on Heschel’s book, “Heavenly
Torah,” which is an analysis of rabbinic literature.
Many students may know this better by its subjects:
Rabi Akiva and Rabi Yishmael, and their two schools
of thought regarding immanence and transcendence.
As Rabbi Natan noted, students are not really
aware that this curriculum is based on one of Rabbi
Heschel’s writings until they are in twelfth grade.
Senior year is also when students begin to read and
analyze Heschel’s work. This happens during senior
seminar, a weekly class dedicated specifically to Rabbi
Heschel’s writings.
Asked why students do not start studying Heschel’s
texts earlier than twelfth grade, Rabbi Natan
responded that this issue was “something that the LQ
department asked itself five years ago.” The answer
was, as many seniors will confirm, that Heschel’s
writings are incredibly challenging, and not necessarily
appropriate for younger students. “We started with
seniors because they are the best suited for this [type
Continued on Page 4
Chronicles of the
New Jersey Bus
The Buzz About
Caffeine Fiends
Heschel
At
Heschel
Week

Page 2 Helios Volume 9 Issue 3 January 2011
By Gabriel Fisher
One Student’s Opinion: Students Benefit from
New Approach to In-Class Essays
In my first English class in
10th grade, the teacher told the class
that we would be writing only in-class
essays that year. There would be no essays
to work on at home; instead, we
were going to write every analytical
piece in a 40 to 50 minute period, without
notes or other documents. By 11th
grade, I was expected to formulate my
own thesis in that one period as well as
write a complete five-paragraph essay.
My first reaction was to ask
why this policy was instated. My second
reaction was to ask myself how I
could ever complete this seemingly
impossible task.
A few years ago, the English
department decided to give no takehome
essays; rather, every few weeks
students would write an essay in class.
The department felt that too many essays
were being written or significantly
edited by either parents or tutors.
This concern is serious. It is
important that students write and edit
their own essays. It is also important
that teachers see their students’ raw
abilities and analyze their skills without
worrying whether the work was altered
or improved by another person.
The English department also
believes that in-class essays teach students
how to write clearly and concisely.
Audrey Sieger, head of the English
department, said in an email, “Writing
an essay in class encourages students
to organize, structure, and present their
ideas in writing within a specific time
frame, which is a necessary skill…The
“We say words but make no decisions,
forgetting that in prayer words are
commitments, not the subject matter
for aesthetic reflection, and that prayer
is meaningless unless we stand for
what we utter, unless we feel what we
accept.”
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
wrote this passage as part of an
essay featured in his book Moral Grandeur
and Spiritual Audacity, compiled
and edited by his daughter Susannah
Heschel in 1997. Eight years later,
Helios adopted an excerpt – “We stand
for what we utter” – as its motto.
It would be easy to accept our
motto for what it is, to notice it and
neglect it or even to disregard it all together;
but doing so would be irresponsible.
As the school’s leading source of
Helios is a newspaper published
approximately seven times a
year by the student staff of the Abraham
Joshua Heschel High School, 20
West End Avenue, NY, NY 10023.
Telephone: 212-246-7717. E-mail: helios@heschel.org.
Helios is distributed free to all
members of the student body. The publication
is a member of the Columbia
Scholastic Press Association.
Commentaries and opinion
columns are the expressed opinion of
the author and not of Helios and its
editorial board or its advisors. Furthermore,
the opinions are not those of the
Abraham Joshua Heschel School faculty
or administration.
goal is to write concisely.”
It is also important to note
that for myself and other students, the
task of writing an in-class essay is not
nearly as daunting as it first seemed.
My worst fear – not being unable to
complete the essay in time - has never
happened.
Still, I question whether the
in-class essay is the most effective system
to gauge students’ abilities, a doubt
that has also been expressed by many
“To put it simply, it’s
pretty hard to write a
complex and insightful
essay on a novel when
given only one class
period in which to
complete it.”
of my peers. Juniors David Benhuri
and Max Lippman both commented on
the difficulty of writing in-class essays.
Lippman said, “You don’t really have
45 minutes to write the essay since
it takes some time to formulate your
ideas before you can even start.” Benhuri
added, “You simply don’t have
enough time.”
Under this time pressure, I
have often found that my ideas are neither
completely clear nor fully developed.
I have also noticed that my writing
is never crisp or succinct. While I
have been able to submit something
when the bell rings, I have always felt
that it was far from my best work. To
Editorial
news and opinion, we must strive to
make relevant the words of our namesake.
We must write, in the words of
Heschel, as though “each word has a
soul.”
Of course, this applies not only
to Helios but also to the entire school
community at large. We must strive
to welcome Rabbi Heschel’s philosophies
into our lives, not only because
he is our school’s namesake, but also
because doing so will repair the way in
which each of us uses words and help
us to understand the power of words, in
prayer and in daily conversation.
It is not enough to read Heschel’s
teachings for one week each
Helios Information and Policies
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refuses to print criticism that is not
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Helios will not intentionally
invade the privacy of any person and
will make every effort to correctly
put it simply, it’s pretty hard to write a
complex and insightful essay on a novel
when given only one class period in
which to complete it.
Recently, my English class
wrote an in-class essay in two periods.
On the first day we wrote our
thesis statements and formulated our
ideas for each paragraph, and during
the following class we wrote the essay.
Sieger explained that she thought
of the new method after noticing that
many students struggled to formulate a
compelling, complex thesis in the one
period allotted to them. She said that,
“By providing the topics for the essay
in advance, everyone could experiment
with various thesis ideas and meet with
me to discuss the strength of their arguments.”
Many students in the class
found this to be a far superior system
that led to more insightful and wellformed
essays while also decreasing the
usual stress as a result of time pressure.
They also felt that having the extra time
allowed them to think through their
ideas and focus more on their writing
style. The process, many claimed, was
not only less pressured, but also a better
learning experience.
Ethan Finkelstein, a student in
Sieger’s 11th grade class, believed that
the new in-class essay format allowed
him to write a better essay. “My grade
dramatically increased and I found it to
be much more helpful in understanding
how to write an essay.”
It seems that being able to let
students prepare for an in-class essay at
home may be just the right solution.
year, to hear his quotations over the
loudspeaker without contemplating
their meanings or the impact that they
can have on our lives and our relationships.
Each student and faculty member
must take it upon himself or herself to
fully absorb Rabbi Heschel’s philosophies
and then allow them to infiltrate
everyday life. It is, however, not something
that can simply happen; rather, it
is something that requires a bit of effort.
If every person, following in
the historic footsteps of Rabbi Heschel,
were to treat each word as a though it
has a soul, as though each word is a
commitment in itself, we might succeed
in paying closer attention to the words
we choose when addressing God and
our peers, as well the manner in which
we deliver them.
spell names and make accurate class
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author will not receive a byline.
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principles of responsibility, fairness,
and accuracy.
Helios Staff
2010-2011
Editors-in-Chief:
Gabriel Fisher
Emma Goldberg
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Gabrielle Belok
Talia Niederman
News Editors:
Rebecca Schwarz
Zachary Stecker
Sports Editor:
Gabriel Klausner
Culture Editors:
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Contributing Writers:
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Elliot Allen
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Printing courtesy of Tri-Star
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Send your
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helios@heschel.
org on
First Class.

January 2011 Helios Volume 9 Issue 3 Page 3
Banned Textbook Finds Home at Heschel High School
Continued From First Page
Fendrick added that the course helps
students to develop their critical
thinking and analytical skills. “The
prism you are looking through will
change your view
on any historical
narrative. We do
not study history to
merely learn facts.
Rather, we are
learning to become
critical, analytical
thinkers.”
Junior Sharona
Nahshon,
who spends much
of her time in Israel
with family,
takes a more skeptical
view of the
textbook’s exploration
of history’s
subjectivity. “It is
often difficult to
draw the line between
perspective
and fabrication,”
Nachshon said.
“And that is an
important line to
draw.”
H e s c h e l
High School history
teacher Joe
Moreau authored
a 2003 book called
Schoolbook Nation:
Conflicts
over American
History Textbooks
from the Civil War
to the Present that
explores the subjective nature of
history. Though he understands the
thinking that went into the stance
of the Israeli Ministry of Education,
Moreau fervently disagrees
with it. He explained that the Ministry
was trying to conjure an image
of the textbook as supporting
extreme relativists who use the idea
of subjective history to present dual
narratives on subjects such as the
Holocaust—something that Moreau
sees as “offensive and unacceptable.”
However, Moreau said,
“That is not what the dual narratives
textbook debate is about. The
textbook does not represent extremist
relativism. It is about the story
of the formation of the State of Israel,
which really is informed by so
many different perspectives.”
Many see the textbook as
helpful for the facilitation of a peace
process in the Middle East because
it presents opposing viewpoints and
thereby has the potential to foster
productive dialogue between Israelis
and Palestinians.
Fendrick explained that the
textbook is not only a source of information
on the conflict, but also
a model of a grassroots initiative
addressing tension in the Middle
Illustration By Rebecca Schwarz
East. Fendrick said, “We look at the
course from a meta-perspective. We
question the course itself, asking if
the textbook does a good job at enabling
us to hear both sides of the
issue or if the two sides presented
are just irreconcilable.” Fendrick’s
course culminates with students developing
their own grassroots peace
initiatives addressing the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict and presenting
them to the class.
Bradley Burston, senior
editor of Haaretz online, emphasized
the importance of including
American teenagers in the Israeli-
Palestinian peace process dialogue.
Burston, who made aliyah to Israel
“Palestinians and Israelis
are both the subjects and
the objects of the history of
the conflict, and their personal
biases will definitely
influence the narratives of
their history.”
30 years ago, explained, “Right
now there are a lot of Jews—both
in America and Israel—who don’t
want to discuss politics at all. They
only want to hear that Israel is
right and Palestine is wrong. The
battle over this textbook is really a
struggle over a larger issue. This is
a struggle to bring these Jews into
the dialogue, to teach the narrative
of the conflict in a balanced but accessible
way. And it’s great to in-
volve American Jewish teenagers
in that struggle as well.”
Fendrick said that the goal
of the course is also to teach students
conflict resolution skills,
which are applicable even in the
everyday lives of students.
Aside from providing
information on
Middle East tension,
the textbook conveys
the importance of understanding
alternative
perspectives.
Junior Sasha Gayle
Schneider spent this
summer in Israel with
a program bringing together
Americans and
Israelis from a variety
of backgrounds, and
she believes that it is
vital for high school
students to learn the
power of understanding
others’ points of
view. “The perspectives
on the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict
offered in mainstream
United States media
often generalize and
portray the conflict as
Jew versus Arab, Israeli
versus Palestinian.
If we, as Jewish
students, could learn
more about the Palestinian
perspective, we
could begin to have
a more informed dialogue.”
Though many praise
the textbook as a valuable educational
tool that balances Israel’s
historical narrative, even proponents
of the textbook raise critiques.
Burston warned that using
the textbook runs the risk of pitting
classmates against one another, as
Middle East tension touches on
many issues, both personal and political.
Fendrick emphasized that
the Heschel course focuses more
on humanitarian issues than on political
issues.
Fendrick finds it fitting that
Heschel High is working with this
textbook, as its approach is aligned
with so many of the Heschel
school’s core values. “This textbook
is all about understanding the
perspective of the other—whether
you are Israeli or Palestinian,”
Fendrick said. “The heart of Abraham
Joshua Heschel’s mission was
to march in the other’s shoes, and
to put your arm around the other
and embrace their perspective,
while still holding on to your own
beliefs.”

Page 4 Helios Volume 9 Issue 3 January 2011
Heschel Breaks Ground for One Campus Plan
From left: Cookies from the reception. The Heschel Harmonizers performing during the ceremony. Photographs By Lizzi Rauner
Continued from Page One
loud applause, as the middle school
currently has only half a gym), study
rooms, a larger student life office,
state-of-the-art science and computer
labs, art studios, and a new cafeteria.
“Parents will have to make lunch no
more!” Kern said, receiving thunderous
applause and cheering from the
more than one hundred parents in attendance.
Kern noted that a school is
not just about the physical building.
“What makes a school great is what
By Zoe Goldberg
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
is not only the namesake of our
school, but a Jewish theologian who
built a unique, original philosophy
of Judaism and life in general. Rabbi
Heschel was born in 1906 in Warsaw,
Poland to Moshe Mordechai Heschel,
who died young, and Reizel Perlow,
Heschel attended traditional yeshiva
in Warsaw and then attended the University
of Berlin. He received ordination
at the Higher Institute for Jewish
Studies in Berlin, where he later taught
Talmud.
In October 1938, Heschel was
living in Frankfurt, Germany when the
Gestapo caught him and deported him
to Poland, where he spent some time
teaching at the Institute for Jewish
Studies in Warsaw. A mere six weeks
“High school
students will be able
to teach lower school
and middle school
students, and middle
school students can
teach lower school
students.”
Not Just a Namesake:
The Life of Abraham Joshua Heschel
before the Nazis invaded Poland,
he fled to London where he
founded the Institute for Jewish
Learning.
After leaving London in
1940, Heschel joined the faculty
at the Reform Movement’s Hebrew
Union College in Cincinnati.
Soon afterwards, he became
the professor of Jewish Ethics
and Mysticism at the Conservative
Movement’s Jewish Theological
Seminary in New York
City. He gained American citizenship
in 1945 and then married
Sylvia Straus, a concert pianist.
Rabbi Heschel had one child,
Susannah Heschel, who spoke
about her father last year at the
high school. Heschel stayed in
New York City until his untimely
death on December 23, 1972.
Heschel’s primary goal in his
work was to establish a modern philosophy
of religion that he based on Jewish
texts and traditions. He also believed
strongly in social action and did much
to try and improve his world. He was a
dear friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
and a strong advocate for civil rights and
against the Vietnam War. The two leaders
had much in common. Both referenced
the Bible and the liberation of the Jews
from Egypt in their speeches, believed
in a God that was very present among
the people, and advocated both for black
civil rights and against the Vietnam War.
Rabbi Heschel spoke at Dr. King’s funeral,
while Dr. King once referred to Heschel
as “one of the great men of our age,
a truly great prophet.”
How Much Does Heschel Know
About Heschel?
Continued from First Page
of study].”
Some seniors expressed
doubt about whether younger students
should struggle with Heschel’s
dense writings. One senior felt that
analyzing Heschel’s work before
twelfth grade would be “torture.” Andrew
Berson said, “I am not sure I or
the majority of my grade could have
completely
comprehended
his ideas
before senior
year. I still
don’t think I
comprehend
all of his
ideas.”
O n
the other
hand, senior
David
Mishaan said,
“Why wait
until our final
year of
high school to
start this? I mean, it would be nice
if it started in freshman year in small
bits and built up to what it is now in
twelfth grade. [That way, throughout]
our whole experience at Heschel
we’d be immersed in Heschel, and by
the end of our senior year, we’d have
a real sense of accomplishment.”
Along similar lines, Zoe
Grossman, another senior, offered,
“I think it’s really important to have
all the grades learn about Heschel,
mainly because it is very frustrating
we teach each other, and how we
interact with one another,” he said.
Given the new building’s adjacency
to the high school, Kern hopes
that “high school students will be
able to teach lower and middle
school students, and middle school
students can teach lower school
students.”
All those who spoke at the
event on behalf of the building
committee and the school’s executive
committee expressed their belief
that everyone will benefit from
the school’s physical unity, having
all students from kindergarten to
twelfth grade on the same block.
No feat as large and as expensive
as this one could be carried out
without proper fundraising and generous
donations. Ronald P. Stanton,
the project’s main donor, addressed
the event’s attendees, receiving a
standing ovation from the grateful
crowd. Stanton shared his dream
for Judaism’s growth and his belief
that the new building will bring the
school one step closer to reaching a
much larger goal. The new campus is
to be named in Stanton’s honor.
to learn so much in so little time.”
Senior Jacob Abudaram said, “I
stand somewhere in the middle. While I
do think we would get less out of Heschel’s
writings if we were to study them
as underclassmen, I still think it is important
to understand his core values.
Though he does write in a fairly esoteric
way, students at the Heschel School
need to understand the principles upon
which their school was built.”
Regardless of
whether or not
students below
twelfth grade
should read and
analyze his writings,
this year’s
Heschel at Heschel
week was
a step toward
h e i g h t e n i n g
awareness of
Rabbi Heschel’s
values. According
to Rabbi
Illustration By Julie Maschler Natan, Heschel
at Heschel week
has become a
bigger deal than it was in previous
years. If freshman, sophomore, and junior
students now decide that they want
to learn more about Heschel, then the
curriculum could change.
“When could have only hoped
for a day where students said they wanted
to learn more about Heschel,” said
Rabbi Natan. “That’s a sign that our
focus on putting Heschel into the upper
grades is now seeping down and spreading
into the other grades.”
“And that’s a good sign.”

January 2011 Helios Volume 9 Issue 3 Page 5
By Anna Rothstein
In a recent New York Times
article titled “Behavior: Too Much
Texting Is Linked to Other Problems,”
Roni Caryn Rabin wrote,
“About 20 percent [of high school
students] sent at least 120 text
messages a day, 10 percent were
on social networking sites for
three hours or more, and 4 percent
did both.”
These statistics may not be
so shocking to Heschel students.
Because Heschel is a “computer
school” and all homework assignments
are posted and submitted
through FirstClass, students spend
much of their time on computers.
In addition, throughout the
day they may use other electronic
devices, such as cell phones, iPods,
or even iPads. Socializing
is a prominent part of a teenager’s
high school experience and
it is easy to text friends at other
schools, in other states, or even in
other countries.
There are definitely advantages
and disadvantages to the
teenage technology rage; however,
problems arise when technology
starts detracting from a student’s
time for other activities, such as
recreational reading. Most Heschel
students feel that they have
no time to read for pleasure.
Asked whether he has
the time to read books outside
of school, Junior Joaquin Acrich
commented, “I did in middle
school…[but stopped] once school
started to deprive me of sleep.”
Reading Time: a Scarce Commodity
Heschel students have more difficulty
finding time than students
who attend public school because
of Heschel’s later dismissal time.
Because the school day ends so
late and many students commute
from outside of Manhattan, a student’s
time to do work, let alone
read for pleasure, is extremely
limited.
Renee Berger expressed
feelings similar to Acrich’s regarding
the issue. “I really don’t
Illustration By Shipley Mason
“Students should start
spending less time on
Facebook and more
time facing books.”
have time,” she said. “I read baby
books [if I want to read for pleasure]
because I don’t have time to
do anything that has substance because
of the vast amount of school
work I must complete.”
One student who wishes
to remain anonymous said s/he
doesn’t have time to read mandatory
books for school, let alone
to read for fun. If students are
assigned new books to read for
English or History class on top of
the rest of their workload, arrive
home after 5 p.m., and want to get
to bed at a reasonable hour, they
will rarely find the time to read
for pleasure.
Both during the school
year and over the summer, students
are assigned books to read
for school, so how might a student
have time to read for fun even in
the summer?
Senior Deborah Gross and
Freshman Josh Rudin each make
an effort to find time to read outside
of school. Rudin said, “I read
for fun [because] I like learning
new things and reading exciting
stories.”
Gross added, “I’m a big
reader because it’s an intellectually
stimulating way to pass time.
I find time to read because I make
time to read. When I’m reading
I don’t have to worry about anything
else – it’s literally an escape.”
Though a student’s workload
is a significant factor in depriving
students of sleep, Rabin
points out in her article that students
also need to learn to manage
their time better. Her article seems
to suggest that students should
start spending less time on Facebook
and more time facing books.
New Jersey Bus Faces Bumps in the Road
By Hana Joy Ain
Heschel High School students
who live in New Jersey
face some challenges getting to
school. Living in New Jersey
means long journeys to get to
and from school. Because many
of the New Jersey students live
near one another, Lindsey Rubin,
High School transportation coordinator,
was able to arrange for
a bus, known as the Jersey bus,
to transport the New Jersey students.
Because of complaints
concerning last year’s bus service,
Rubin has arranged for a
new bus service and a new route,
which stops in front of each student’s
house to pick him or her
up in the morning. With all of the
added bus stops, the route is longer
and students have to wake up
very early. Rubin explained that
she has dealt with this issue by
working with Assistant Head of
the High School, Jessica Gribetz.
“Since the kids were waking up
so early, we confirmed with Jessica
that it is fine if they arrive a
little late to t’fillah.”
Despite the bumpy road
of the Jersey bus route at the
beginning of this year, many
students have good experiences
with the Jersey bus.
“It’s an accepted
fact that in the
morning
everyone must
be silent on the
Jersey bus.”
Junior Adam Cole said,
“My experience on the New Jersey
bus has been positive.” Cole
said that he is able to sleep on
the bus, so “I have a necessary
extra 45 minutes of sleep every
morning. I even bring a pillow
with me to school every morning
to make my morning slumber
more comfortable. It’s an accepted
fact that in the morning
everyone must be silent on the
Jersey bus.”
There are still a few obstacles
that New Jersey students
face, but Rubin is working to address
them. Many students have
complained because the school
doesn’t provide a late bus to take
home the students who stay after
school for clubs.
Cole commented, “I’m
not sure there are enough kids
who stay after school for it to
be worth it.” Lindsey Rubin, in
agreement with Cole, said, “I
would be more than happy to
have that, but it will cost more
money to the school and to the
students who want the bus.“
Jersey students have also
complained that the bus sometimes
leaves after school before
all students are on board. Rubin
said that the bus policy promises
that the drivers will wait ten minutes
after school before leaving.
Rubin said, “If they [students]
are running late, they
need to ask another student, or
the bus driver to stay a few extra
minutes... Communication is the
key.”
The last hitch in the Jersey
bus ride is that the bus is not
very comfortable. Cole reported
that, “It throws students out of
their seat when it goes over a
pothole.”
Rubin said that discomfort
is often the fault of students
who do not sit in their seats correctly.
During school field trips
she has witnessed students sitting
on their knees facing the
seat behind them in order to
chat with their friends. “ If you
are sitting in the seat in the correct
way you will not fall, but if
you are sitting on your knees or
standing up, then you are going
to fall over. Sit safely.”

Page 6 Helios Volume 9 Issue 3 January 2011
Assessing Computer Use at Heschel
By Adam Chanes (with assistance
from Jordan Katz)
From its beginning, the Heschel
High School has required that
each student have a laptop computer.
This decision, part of the
vision for the school, was based
on the realization that computers
are beneficial to learning in many
ways. As Information Technology
director John Hutzler said, “Computers
are magnificent tools.” His
comment referred to the use of
FirstClass as an academic tool,
with its interconnected student-teacher-class
e-mail
system, as well as to other
applications that speed up
the progress of the class.
Among the students
and faculty, however, are
varying opinions regarding
the use of computers, and
whether they enhance a student’s
learning experience.
In Jon Greenberg’s biology
class, for example, only
five percent of the course
requires the use of laptops.
Greenberg believes that,
in general, a student learns
better when s/he writes than
when s/he types. “When
you are writing, you are
thinking more about what
you are writing,” he said.
In addition, he has noticed
a major deterioration in
the handwriting of students
with the use of computers.
On the other hand,
laptops can be used in many ways
in science classes. In Moshe Halpern’s
ninth grade Physics class,
students make use of photogates
connected to an application called
Logger Pro in conducting experiments
related to speed, length of
pendulum periods, and other topics.
Despite all of these technological
learning tools, students
also have a range of opinions
with respect to using computers
for schoolwork. In general, upper
classmen — especially seniors —
are of the opinion that laptops add
to the learning experience, while
freshmen more often believe that,
although there are many pluses to
the use of computers, computers
hinder their learning.
Freshman Samuel Marrache
has a nuanced perspective
on the matter. “I think that we
are not using the computers to
their [fullest] ability.” He feels
that although students can use
the Internet to search for information
and to access course material,
students could make good
use of the computers in many
other ways that would be helpful
in their work.
Senior Deborah Gross
views computers as enriching the
learning experience because it is
easier to take notes on the computer;
differing from Jon Greenberg,
she feels that, by taking notes in
this manner, she is actively keeping
the academic material in her
head.
Bernard Remaud, the Latin
and Classical Greek teacher, has
all of his textbooks, dictionaries,
and class material computerized
and stored in the students’ computers.
Bernard feels that this system
is more advantageous to the
students because, on computers,
everything is organized by content
and subject, not only by chapter;
everything is interconnected in
one big folder. “When you have
a regular textbook, it is harder to
remember things that were learned
previously; with computers, one
may always look back.” Another
important benefit of using the computers,
he noted, is that “on the
computer, I can edit material in different
ways, always to the benefit
of the students’ learning.”
Faculty are concerned that
computers offer too many distractions,
usually, but not limited to,
games. According to John Hutzler,
the difference between doodling
as a “distraction” and games
is that a game actually gives you a
response, unlike a drawing.
Freshmen at Heschel, who
over the past few months have been
getting more serious about work,
report that the games they played
during class in the beginning of the
year still serve as a means of procrastination
at home.
Freshman Harrison Braha,
a serious enthusiast of online golf
and Mario games, has complained
that one of the few negative effects
computers have on learning
is distraction. “Sometimes my
focus drifts away from my work;
this is mostly caused by online
Juniors Ma’ayan Eldar and Michael Cooperstein push their computers aside as they study together from the
textbook. Photograph By Cara Leiderman
“I think that
we are not
using the
computers to
their [fullest]
ability.”
chatting and/or socializing.”
Irene Meisel, a Tech Ed teacher
and one of the IT Department staff
members, said, “Computers in the
classroom are a mixed blessing.”
She thinks that the use of computers
should be based on the subject
and the students’ learning styles.
John Hutzler sees blocking
distracting sites and services
–– especially Facebook –– as
critical, so that students can focus
on their academics in the
classroom/ “We do try to keep
the available distractions to a
minimum.”
Every week members of
the IT staff teach a technology
class. Meisel said that, “One of
the goals of Tech Ed is not only
to teach certain computer-use
skills, but also to increase
students’ comfort level using
computers [in an academic
setting].”
A big question at
Heschel is whether computers
are used enough in
classes, and whether there
has been a decline in computer
use over the past
few years. Seniors say
that they do not use computers
in class as much as
they did in previous years.
“We [seniors] do not really
need to use computers
a lot, because our classes
are more discussion
based,” said Gross. Although
this is true mainly
in senior year, freshmen
have made similar reports
about their computer use.
Freshman Sasha Bronfman
said that she does
not use her computer very
much throughout the day.
“When I came to Heschel,
I thought that we would be using
our computers in every single
class, but now I realize that there
is a good balance,” she said.
Are Computers Beneficial To Your
Learning Experience?
Total Responses: 177
NO: 31
YES: 146

January 2011 Helios Volume 9 Issue 3 Page 7
The Buzz About Caffeine Fiends
By Shoshana Lauter
It stunts your growth. It
stains your teeth. And it wakes you
up - which is exactly why Heschel
students love caffeine. Some say
that caffeine is a student’s best
friend; it keeps you motivated,
alert, and happy. Whether it is in
the form of a sweet iced coffee, a
thermos of tea from home, a can
of soda, or an energy drink from
the corner store, caffeine is always
ready for consumption in times of
need.
Right in front of the school,
a vendor sells more then two-dozen
cups of coffee to students from
Heschel every morning. A few avenues
east is a Starbucks at Columbus
Circle. Going to Dunkin Donuts
is routine on many commutes.
Every morning at Heschel, watching
people try to not spill their
drinks in the elevator is comical,
and coffee cups fill the trashcans
before first period.
Caffeine fiends are not just
at Heschel; they are all over the
country. Despite the knowledge
that caffeine is not particularly
good for a person’s body, teenagers
have increasingly become
more dependent on it. A study by
Diet Health Club Magazine states
that a teenager should be consuming
“less than 100 milligrams of
caffeine a day. But on average, a
typical high school student is consuming
over 200 milligrams a day,
simply by buying a small cup of
coffee at the local coffee shop.”
Surprisingly, caffeine has
some benefits. Caffeine is known
to help strengthen weak muscles,
lower the risk of liver failure, assist
in chronic fatigue, and boosts
Illustrated By Shayna Hertz
metabolism. But the more one consumes
caffeine, the more typical it
is to see negative results. Studies
have shown that people become
restless, irritable, and anxious
when addicted to coffee, or soda.
Heartburn, severe headaches, and
high blood pressure are common
side affects. Drinking caffeine late
at night or early in the morning often
results in nausea.
So why do Heschel High
students feel the need to down cups
of coffee after dinner, or before
going into minyan in the morning?
First, it helps tremendously by giving
a temporary, but strong focus
on the task at hand. When students
are working on homework,
and know that they have a project
or test coming up, caffeine helps
push through an extra few hours of
studying. And after finishing work
late at night and getting little sleep,
the same students feel the need to
have a cup of coffee in the morning
to make it through the day. Tenth
grader Sam Wachsberger attested
to that. “I have a cup of coffee every
morning, and I rely on it because
I don’t get enough sleep.” It
is an ongoing circle of constantly
needing a caffeine fix- and it is extremely
difficult to break the habit.
Not only does caffeine provide
the energy that Heschel students
love, but some people love to
drink it because it tastes good. In
the summer, Iced Aromas at Aroma
Café are a huge favorite (both in
Israel and on the Upper West Side).
Starbucks is constantly coming out
with new, tasty, caffeinated drinks.
Tenth grader Nicole Farage exclaimed
one morning, “Starbucks
Double Shots are so good! Plus
they give me the same energy as
three hours of sleep could.” In the
winter, coffee is great because it’s
hot.
Drinking caffeine addictively
has negative repercussions,
but imagine Heschel without it.
Students would be quieter and less
motivated in the morning, and less
work would get done at night. The
vendor outside of school would
lose a tremendous amount of business.
Tenth grader Kayla Joyce,
who walked into school drinking
her second cup of coffee on a recent
morning, explained, “Coffee
keeps me going- and no matter how
bad it is for me in the long run, I
think you’d rather see me smiling
in the morning than falling asleep
in class.”
Construction Underway For Heschel One Campus Plan
Photograph By Lizzi Rauner

Page 8 Helios Volume 9 Issue 3 January 2011
Sports Hidden Gems
Heat Heroes
Stagecoach (1939)
By Gabriel Klausner
The jock who carries his
team to an overtime victory gets
his publicity. And recognition
comes by the boatload for the
volleyball captain who leads her
squad to yet another league title.
However, there are those unsung
heroes of Heschel athletics who
do not make their mark by spiking
a volleyball or hitting a homerun.
It is time to recognize team
managers for their hard work
and dedication,
without whom,
Heat teams simply
would not be
able to function.
T e a m
managers have
a long list of responsibilities
at
game time. A
team manager
has to ensure
that all equipment
is accounted for and that
the medical kit is fully prepared
in case of an injury on the court.
Filling the water coolers, packing
the ball bags, and assisting Judith
Tumin, the faculty member
in charge of the managers and all
Heat matters, with all game-related
matters are key components of
the job.
During games, the work
becomes quite intense as the
managers are tasked with keeping
the game’s statistics. They must
keep track of all points, fouls,
timeouts, and turnovers throughout
the course of the game. It is
an enormous responsibility con-
“The managers
are an essential
piece to the
functionality of
all Heat sports
teams.”
sidering that both teams as well
as the referees rely on such real-time
statistics. As freshman
basketball manager Sasha Bronfman
said, “During the course of
the game, we managers certainly
feel the pressure. We know that
everyone is looking to us to stay
on top of everything that happens
during the game.”
Although it may not be
apparent, the players do appreciate
the work that the managers
put in. The managers’ work allows
the players
to focus on the
game plan rather
than on gathering
equipment.
Senior basketball
player Jesse
Miller put it
simply. “The
managers are an
essential piece
to the functionality
of all Heat
sports teams. Albeit, I tend to appreciate
them a bit more after a
great personal statistical game.”
It is important to note that
managing a sports team is an attractive
opportunity considering
because the fact that those who
donate their time to the team are
exempt from taking physical education.
“It’s a win-win situation,
really,” said sophomore Sarah
Krakowski, a a tenth grade manager
for the junior varsity boys’
basketball team. “We get to go to
all of the games and at the same
time are able to secure a few free
periods during the week to get
our work done.”
Varsity Basketball Managers, Zoe Bohrer and Hannah Laytner, pose for the camera.
Photograph By Gabrielle Belok
By Elliot Allen
Howdy partners, today I
present you all with the John Ford
classic western Stagecoach. Ford’s
masterpiece was released in 1939, a
stellar year for movies, with the introduction
of The Wizard of Oz, Gone
with the Wind, AND Mr. Smith Goes
to Washington. This film stands equal
to those others and is indubitably an
absolute masterpiece! Critically acclaimed
and lauded by audiences
when first released, it is shameful that
this film, as well as the entire genre
of the western, has gone unappreciated
in recent years. If I asked people
if they knew who John Ford was, I’d
bet a good 99% of them would not
have a clue who that artistic genius
was.
For those of you who are new
to the classic western genre, this film
is certainly a great film to start with.
Starring the paragon of manliness,
John Wayne, as The Ringo Kid, an
outlaw gunman who joins up with an
eastern bound stagecoach carrying
a diverse assortment of passengers,
who include a beautiful prostitute
played by Claire Trevor, Thomas
Mitchell as an alcoholic doctor (for
which he earned an Academy Award),
a conniving banker portrayed by Berton
Churchill, and the gallant gentleman
played by renowned actor John
Carradine. The plot revolves around
the personal dramas of this group as
they travel together. It also includes
a fantastic chase scene with Chief
Geronimo and his Indian warriors.
It certainly was a different time period
when it was considered perfectly
acceptable to show Anglo-Saxons
slaughtering native Americans.
All the actors in this movie
are fantastic, especially John Wayne.
This was one of his earliest western
films. Ah, but of course many of the
younger generation might not even
be familiar with John Wayne. John
Wayne was one of the all-time greatest
male leads in cinema. Famous
for his westerns, he almost always
played the role of the hero.
What made John Wayne so
awesome was that he was true heroic
masculinity incarnate. Far too often
male leads are portrayed as callous
anti-heroes characterized by their
propensity for violence. For some
reason, modern audiences mistake
the impolite gestures of modern male
leads as heroic. John Wayne, on the
other hand, epitomized true cinematic
valor. For example, in Stagecoach,
the prostitute is hated and derided for
her occupation, yet Wayne treats her
like a lady; he is courteous and behaves
like a true gentleman towards
her. This accurately summarizes
what characterizes John Wayne in all
of his performances. He represents
not just his character in the film,
but the entire attitude of his generation.
Wayne exemplifies the traits of
honor, nobility, and respect toward
all people, and he uses these traits
to shape the very core of the movie.
This sets Wayne and the entire genre
of westerns apart from modern cinema,
in which all too often we are
meant to sympathize with the ignoble
deeds of characters on screen.
This begs the question: why
is there no modern-day John Wayne?
Have our culture and society become
so decadent that film producers no
longer believe we can empathize
with and look up to the values of
chivalry and gallantry?
Well, I am getting off topic,
but in summation I highly recommend
Stagecoach not only as an
amazing piece of cinema, but as one
that encapsulates the values of an entire
era within its frames.