Volume 1, Issue 5 (June 2011) - The Heschel School

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atzmaut, cont’d from page 4 about 9:30PM and the place was packed. At about 10:00PM there were fireworks and then we departed at 10:30. There were many protestations from the students when it was time to leave . Many of the students, including myself, believed that we should celebrate for a little bit longer, because it wasn’t every day that you get to celebrate Yom Haatzmaut in Israel. Some were annoyed because people of our age were only just arriving as we were leaving; it appeared to us that we were leaving along with the strollers and grandparents. The majority of the grade was very disappointed with how the night panned out; everyone had heard from former eighth graders that Yom Haatzmaut was the best night of the trip, and that they always stayed out late having fun. We were angry and wanted to stay; we even tried to convince the teachers to let us, but there were six kids who were sick, and it wouldn’t have been good for their health to stay out any later. That night, I was one of the six sick ones, and even I wanted to stay out longer to celebrate. Looking back, I think that no matter how long we stayed, orwhere we went it would not have made for a greater time. We had a great night, because we were there as a grade- smiling, laughing and just having fun. At the time I was pretty upset, but now I regret that I got so upset, because it soured the moments that we did get to celebrate. In truth, until we were informed that we had to leave, I had a great night celebrating with Israel, and that’s what I believe made that night so special. In addition to enjoying it with my friends, I was feeling such joy for Israel, and recognizing a strong connection with Israel that I hadn’t felt before. ◆ Synagogues, cont’d from page 4 singing and harmonizing. The service is completely egalitarian; both men and women led the service. The Conegliano Synagogue is a small Italian shul, which many students went to for a new experience. Joseph Harari said, “It was very small and the ark was very intricate… They even had a key to open it!” The Great Synagogue is an enormous modern orthodox shul, in a beautiful building. The women are seated upstairs in the huge sanctuary. The singing is grandiose and impressive. Hovevei Zion is a traditional Israeli modern orthodox synagogue. The service there is quick, with minimal singing. There is a translucent mechitsa. Chesed VaRachamim is a small Sephardic synagogue. The women sat upstairs and the service followed the orthodox rules in general. Very few students chose to visit this shul, but one of the three who did, Dylan Posner, said “it was a really, really beautiful synagogue, and the members were very welcoming.” All in all, everyone really enjoyed the opportunity to visit different kinds of services in Jerusalem, and many hope for a chance to revisit the service they went to, next time they’re in Israel. ◆ Politics, cont’d from page 5 the very least, students did make their own opinions “stronger.” Although, the Israel trip which included hiking through the desert, reliving Masada’s story, visiting David Ben- Gurion’s former home, and experiencing the lively culture of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, did not impact the politics of three quarters of the eighth grade- it did result in stronger ties to Israel. Whether or not the trip was politically inspirational, eighth graders loved it to such a degree that it had meaning in it for everybody, whatever form that meaning may take. ◆ Deception, cont’d from page 6 and having a good time, lastly, there was even a part of the exhibit with entertaining board games. All of these things demonstrated how much a government could do, to in this case, to make the world believe in the Nazis, and believe that their leadership will benefit the greater good of the people. Most of the seventh graders thought that this exhibit was extremely powerful. Although this is a gloomy subject, the majority of the students learned a lot. It made people eager to want to learn more about this subject next year in Social Studies. Grace Gilbert from the seventh grade said, “ It was scary how convincing the propaganda was.” I think that many students would agree with that statement. The seventh grade has been learning about propaganda for a long time, but it was still hard to imagine how people can get manipulated so easily. After seeing this exhibit, it became more understandable how people can get brainwashed into beliefs quite easily. That was the most frightening part of the whole thing. Propaganda is a systematic use of words in order to manipulate the target audience. The question is: how can we resist this? ◆ Different, cont’d from page 6 the age of sixteen and ends when each young person chooses to either be baptized at the Amish church, or choose to leave the Amish community. He told students that he decided to be baptized at the church and become a farmer. He also told students that it is rare for the members of the Amish community to leave after “Rumspringa.” After saying our good-byes to Sam Riehl, we went into the barn and watched the cows being milked by an Amish woman. Then, we went into the gift shop that sells trinkets, candles, books, and more, and were able to meet the farmer’s wife and granddaughter. For most sixth graders, this visit was an amazing experience that allowed them to learn more about the Amish community in an enjoyable way. One sixth grader, Aaron Priven, said that visiting the Amish “was exquisite, and a good learning experience; I had never met or even seen an Amish person before the trip.” ◆ 10 ◆ Heschel Herald, Volume 1, Issue 5 The Abraham Joshua Heschel School
Hip, Hip, Hoorays for the Hot Summer Days! By Alexa Ringer Russell Baker, a notable journalist and author of the Pulitzer Prize- winning autobiography, Growing Up, said this, “Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.” This could be interpreted in several different ways, but here is one. After a long, grueling year of school, children and adults alike suffer from the need for a summer break. Just as suddenly as it comes, it goes, and upsets almost everyone. Despite all of this, we all still love it. Inventions made in winter for our summer enjoyment: Did you know in the winter of 1905, an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson invented the first popsicle? He created it completely by accident by leaving a mixture of powdered soda and water with a stirring stick, on his porch. He awoke the next morning and found a frozen pop! He first named his frozen pop an “Epsicle”, but when he got older his kids asked for “Pop’s” sicle and the new name was born. Here are some summer themed jokes to start an enjoyable summer: Q: What does the sun drink out of? A: Sunglasses Q: Which letter of the alphabet is the coolest? A: Iced tea Finally, for those of you traveling, Russell Baker had this to say, “The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist.” Have a wonderful and safe summer. ◆ The Heschel Herald Needs YOU in September! Sleep Deprivation By Jonathan Mack Usher says in his song, “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love Again,” “Thank God the week is done, I feel like a zombie come back to life.” He could not be more correct. There are many students who complain about their lack of sleep. It is recommended that the average middle school student get 9 hours of sleep per night, according to an article in The Science Daily.* A small sampling of Heschel students revealed that the average Heschel Middle School Student gets 8 hours of shut-eye a night, with many getting below 7.5 hours. A group of students were recently interviewed to find out the causes of this issue, as well as their comments. Sixth grader Eliana Salmon says, “You wake up in the morning and go to bed late. Then you wake up early the next morning and go to bed late also. It’s just a big cycle and the tiredness builds up as the week progresses.” Jordan Ofek, who gets an average of 6.5 hours of sleep per night and Clara Eshaghpour who gets an average of 7 hours of sleep per night, both agree with Eliana. Fly, cont’d from page 7 advance the study of anatomy, astronomy, and civil engineering. DaVinci was born in Vinci, Italy, in 1452 and died on May 2, 1519, in France. He was left-handed, and wrote in his journal in Italian, backwards. ehT naM etorW sdrawkcaB ekiL sihT. DaVinci’s father was an artist, so that is probably where Leonardo, early on, learned his skills. Several sixth graders had positive responses to the exhibit: “It was amazing! It was a really great way to introduce our current science unit on flight.” Nathan Finkle said, “I really thought it was fascinating how DaVinci was 300–400 years ahead of his time. I thought that seeing his journals and some models of his ideas was fun and interesting. Overall, I had a great time.” Ilana Stein added, “I liked seeing all the cool sculptures he created.” Leonardo DaVinci defined what a renaissance person is: a man of multiple talents and interests. ◆ According to students, there are many reasons for lack of sleep. “Lack of sleep causes lack of focus, and therefore teachers should think about this when they assign homework, and they should think about whether they want their students to pay attention in class the next day, or not,” says an anonymous sixth grader who thinks that homework is the greatest cause. “Many students get little sleep because they are apprehensive about a test/quiz the next day, or are anticipating an exciting event,” says Logan Geller. He thinks that apprehension is a major reason for sleep deprivation. “Some students don’t get enough sleep because they feel the need to beat their video game record, and not get their needed rest,” says Noah Shapiro. Another big reason for lack of sleep is procrastination, which leads to pileup of homework, and late nights with little sleep. So when you can, see if you can catch nine hours of this essential shuteye; you will greatly appreciate it later! ◆ *Source: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/ 06/080609071341.htm Soaring, cont’d from page 9 club members commented on their experiences with Soaring Words. Two sixth graders said, “We really enjoyed the project.” Another sixth grader said, “It was really nice and fun to make the blankets.” After the program, it was clear that people enjoyed decorating a simple blanket, and giving a short time of their lives to improve another child’s life. Most people also agreed that this would be a fun activity for the whole school to take part in after Hesed Day, instead of watching a movie. Everyone could decorate one square of a quilt that a sick child might treasure for the rest of his or her life. Most members agreed that this organization is powerful, because they have the ability to make a sick child happier with something as simple as a blanket; a blanket that took the group twenty minutes to make. ◆ The Joseph Slifka Middle School June 2011 ◆ 11
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Page 13: Book Reviews By Hannah Zhukovsky Gr

Volume 1, Issue 5 (June 2011) - The Heschel School

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