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

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Yom Hashoah at Heschel By Ben Shapiro On the morning of May 2, sixth and seventh graders came to school wearing dark pants and white tops to mark the remembrance of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. First there was a reading of poetry and then there was a special guest speaker, Ray Kaner; she was introduced to describe her experiences as a survivor of Auschwitz. Ray spoke of starvation, horrible disease, cruel punishments, and the loss of loved ones. She had personally experienced all of this, and she said that, “the luckier ones died from illness in their own home; my mother and father were ‘fortunate’ enough to experience this, but my two brothers weren’t so lucky and died painfully at the hand of German soldiers.” Ray revealed that one of the worst parts of her experience was the feeling of starvation. She only received one slice of bread in the morning, nothing for lunch, and a small bowl of soup for dinner. Later, conditions became worse, when she only had one bowl of soup to share with nine others for the entire day. It takes a great deal of courage to speak of times that were so painful, but she feels it is important that her story is heard, and passed on to a new generation. Candles were lit in the memory of all those who perished. During T.S.B.P that day, everyone went to the memorial, set up every year in the lower school lobby, to light candles, and watch a slide show of the many Heschel family members who died. Some students served as quiet guards; to silently protect the lit candle in the center of the room at the lower school. At eleven o’clock that morning a siren went off in memory of the millions who died, and no matter where students were, everyone stood in silence to listen and remember. ◆ A Celebration of Independence By Sonia Epstein On Tuesday, May 10, Jewish adults, children, and Israel supporters alike celebrated Israel’s hard-fought independence. It was celebrated, in Israel, countries all around the world, and at the Heschel School. First, let us go back sixty-three years, to May 13, 1948. The British Mandate was about to expire; the British Mandate was the period of time when the British governed Palestine, the country now known as Israel. After World War I, the British seized Palestine from the Ottoman Empire of Turkey. After some time, because there had been so much war in Palestine, the British didn’t want to be involved with the country anymore. Their plan was to divide the state between the Jews and the Arabs, but the Jews had other plans. This was their chance to take the state they had always wanted. If they acted, they would have to do so right after the British Mandate expired, which would be in twenty-four hours. There was a lot to be done in so little time. First, the Administration had to decide on a name; David Ben-Gurion suggested the name “Israel.” Then they had to find a place to hold the reading of the Declaration of Independence. They decided that the Tel Aviv Museum, on Rothschild Boulevard would be the best place. Most important, they had to write a Declaration of Independence. David Ben-Gurion and twelve members of the Administration wrote it together. The first issue was whether to mention God in the Declaration of Independence. Once more, David Ben-Gurion solved the dilemma, and decided to use the phrase “Rock of Israel.” He convinced half the Administration that this referred to God, and the other half that it did not. On Friday, May 14, 1948, about 250 people gathered at the museum, and many more turned on the radio to hear the proclamation. It contained three sections: first was the reading of the Declaration, and the signing of the Council members’ names to it; second, was the reading of the first laws that would begin to govern Israel; finally, Israel’s national anthem “Ha-Tikvah” was played. At 4:38 pm, David Ben- Gurion declared the assembly officially over. The State of Israel had been established. Sixty-three years later, Israel’s independence is celebrated at Heschel. This year celebrations included: learning Israeli songs and dances, eating Israeli food, watching Israeli movies, creating posters to encourage travel to Israel, Israeli military training, and learning about Israeli history. One student commented, “The Israeli dancing was great fun, and other parts of the festivities were wonderful too.” All in all, it was a day to be celebrated. Happy Birthday, Israel! ◆ Synagogue, cont’d from page 7 the word “Kadosh” (holy) traced three times each in a different color. Originally Rabbi Cohen wanted it to read “Kadosh” three times, but since there was not enough room, Wright traced it three times instead. Lining the walls opposite the sanctuary are little triangular lights with plastic three-dimensional pyramids directly on top. The lights are actually models of the Star of David. Facing directly in the center of the chapel is (again) a triangular light filled with many colors. The light was actually inspired by the kabalistic idea that God has many sides, and that idea is shown through the eighteen different colors. After looking inside, we were lead outside into the warm Pennsylvania air to look at the exterior of the building. The pyramid building, costing about 1.3 million dollars to build, resembles a tepee. This design was meant as a tribute to the American Indian motif, which was part of Wright’s idea of the American Synagogue. Sadly, Frank Lloyd Wright never lived to see the completion of this masterpiece. A masterpiece that was praised as, “an immortal gift to Frank Lloyd Wright’s memory,” and as “a singular gift to American Jewry.” ◆ 12 ◆ Heschel Herald, Volume 1, Issue 5 The Abraham Joshua Heschel School
Book Reviews By Hannah Zhukovsky Grad Pix Leonardo’s Shadow is an historical fiction novel written by Christopher Grey. The novel takes place during the Renaissance in the home of Leonardo Da Vinci. The main character, Giacomo, a servant of Da Vinci, is unaware of his own past and parentage. As his servant, Giacomo learns of the financial situation of Leonardo Da Vinci, and strives to help Leonardo become the greatest artist of all time. This is an easy to read novel that records historical moments such as the painting of the “Last Supper.” Reading Level: Sixth Grade My Name is Asher Lev is a fiction novel written by Chaim Potok. The novel follows Asher Lev, a Ladover Hasid living in Brooklyn. Asher has always been a talented artist; a skill his parents thought useless. After being introduced to artist Jacob Kahn, he starts to take lessons, plunging him into the world of art, and pushing him farther away from the ways of the Ladover. When his art causes controversy for the people he love, he is forced to make the biggest decision of his life. This is a harder novel to read that is recommended to lovers of The Chosen. Reading Level: Eighth Grade East is a fantasy novel written by Edith Pattou. The story follows Ebba Rose, a young girl living in Norway. She has always been an adventurer, and one day a white polar bear comes to her house and requests that she come with him in exchange for health and prosperity for her already ailing family. She reluctantly accepts the bear’s invitation, and follows him into the world of magic, and there, finds herself a purpose and starts her own quest. Reading Level: Seventh Grade ◆ The Joseph Slifka Middle School June 2011 ◆ 13
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Volume 1, Issue 5 (June 2011) - The Heschel School

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