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

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Washington, DC and Philadelphia Lockup: The Eastern State Penitentiary By Eliana Salmon The sixth graders’ last stop on their Pennsylvania trip was the notorious Eastern State Penitentiary. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Eastern State Penitentiary was once a prison for some of the world’s worst criminals, including Al Capone. The penitentiary opened in 1829 and housed criminals for 142 years, until it was shut down in 1971. The penitentiary reopened as a tourist site and is now a U.S. National Historic Landmark. It has become one of the most famous prisons in America; people visit to see the architecture of the structure. There are tall walls that surround the prison that reach up to 30 feet high and are anchored 10 feet under the ground. From the outside, the penitentiary gives the viewer the impression of a Gothic castle; the tour guide explained the design was intended to scare off any unwanted visitors. One thing that truly surprised the students was that it was one of the most expensive buildings in America of its time, and the prisoners had indoor plumbing before it was installed in the White House. There was a very specific reason for this. The builders believed in “reform.” Before Eastern State Penitentiary, prisons were very violent places and all types of criminals were mixed in together. For example, murderers were put in the same cell as thieves. The founders of Eastern State Penitentiary believed that all criminals (even if they had committed notorious crimes) were created in the image of god, and they could be reformed. They believed that other prisons made prisoners worse than when they arrived. When criminals arrived at Eastern State, they were held in solitary confinement. They did not leave their cells and received their food through a slot in the door. Indoor plumbing meant that criminals could remain in complete solitude. The founders of the Eastern State Penitentiary believed that their way would cause the criminal to regret what they did, and feel shameful. Each cell was twice the size of cells at other prisons. The cells consisted of a cot, a toilet, and a small table. Each cell had its own small yard where the prisoners would exercise for one hour each day, but in solitary confinement. Every cell had a skylight that the prisoners called the dead eye or God’s eye. The walls were very thick so that the criminals heard no noise and there was absolute silence all the time. When the prisoners first arrived, they were led to their cells with their eyes covered. The blindfolds prevented the prisoners from seeing the layout of the prison; nor could they see any of other prisoners and their cells. As soon as they entered the prison, they were no longer addressed by their name, but they only had a number. As a reward for being good prisoners, the criminals would receive a book to read, the Holy Bible. The prisoners were allowed only two to three showers a month although there were unsanitary conditions. Mice, rats, and insects were common in the prison. At the turn of the century, conditions got even worse. At that time the prison population increased and they could no longer keep the prisoners in solitary confinement. Inmates started sharing cells and there were 4 to 5 prisoners in one cell. The number of criminals arriving at Eastern State kept increasing, and the prison had to build a second floor. The prisoners no longer had an exercise yard, and the criminals on the first floor had no skylight. They built a field for the inmates to exercise together outdoors. Over the period of time in which Eastern State was an active prison, there were only 100 escapes and only one escaped without getting caught. His story is the most famous escape story at the penitentiary. Six men gathered together to plan their escape. One of the men was a carpenter and he built a ladder. In broad daylight, the 6 men climbed over the wall using the ladder and once out of the prison, they hijacked a few cars. Five of the men were caught and brought back to the penitentiary, but one was never found. One thing that many of the sixth graders found surprising was the fact that the prison had a synagogue. About 80 inmates were Jewish and went to the synagogue to pray. They had a kosher kitchen and an ark that held a Torah. Interesting Facts • Al Capone had his tonsils removed at the prison infirmary. • Babe Ruth came to play baseball with the inmates. • They had a greenhouse where they would grow vegetables for the prisoners. • There were many cats roaming the prison when it first opened. • In the mid-twenties, there were more than 1800 inmates at Eastern State. ◆ 8 ◆ Heschel Herald, Volume 1, Issue 5 The Abraham Joshua Heschel School
After Two Long Years, Vending Machine Finally Shut Down—For Good By Daniel Ernst The decision to permanently shut down the vending machine was made earlier this semester by principal Lori Skopp, and Beverly Shnaps-Morris. After going through numerous vendors, while facing constant problems, it was decided that having this vending machine was simply not worth the countless hours spent managing its flaws. The vending machine, sometimes considered Student Council’s greatest A Sarcastic Ode To the Vending Machine By Amelia Sylvor-Greenberg I have sad news to report; the vending machine died. It’s gone. Everyone really loved that thing, and I’ve got to admit that it was pretty swanky. I mean, you could put $1.50 in, and that magic food robot would give you a bag of “organic” potato chips or a “healthy” soda. So like I said, swank-o-rama. I didn’t have much against the vending machine, only one or two issues with it. Or three or four… Issue #1: The fact that people would always hang out in front of the vending machine. People are like moths, and for some reason they’d just flock to the machine. They would stand there without buying anything. They would press their faces against the glass and stare at the food for an entire 10-minute break. Come on, people. Were the snacks in there REALLY that exciting? Issue #2: The healthy snacks that weren’t really that healthy at all. Think about it: just because the soda was mango flavored didn’t mean it was better for you than Sprite. Just because the cookies said “natural” on the packaging didn’t mean that they were not cookies. Naturally blue potato chips are still just starch fried in oil. But the vending machine brainwashed everyone with the big slogans written on it: “Health! Environmentalism! Organic!” Issue #3: How people complained when the machine was closed because there were some peanuts in it. It’s pretty inconsiderate. So many people in this school have nut allergies, and it isn’t cool that people want to risk other kids’ lives so they can have a snack. It makes me want to ask them, “Hey, you want that granola bar so very much that you will risk making someone have an allergy attack in order to eat it?” Issue #4: this one is the most obvious. The machine was just a money waster. I mean, I think we all have access to snacks at home, so why should we pay extra to eat snacks that have been regurgitated by the school’s residential robot? And worse, not only did the robot eat money, but also it never spat up change. You could give the robot your $5 bill for your $1 snack, but the robot might decide to be greedy and take all your money. Silly robot. So there you have it: my four complaints about the vending machine. Despite those four tiny issues, the vending machine will be missed. Rest in peace, oh great snack robot. Rest in Peace. (You can e-mail me your angry rants against this article at ameliasy@ heschel.org.) ◆ accomplishment, was brought to the Middle School by the 2008-2009 Middle School Student Council members. It was received extremely well by students, and was frequently used- while it was working. But what came with the vending machine was a series of never-ending problems and elusive vendors. Most recently the vending machine had to be temporarily unplugged due to nut products being found in the vending machine. Unfortunately the vendor was on a three-month long vacation, and could not fix the situation. When the vendor finally returned, the nut item was replaced, however this time, with a nonkosher item. And this was not the first unsuccessful vendor that the school has used. Finally, the decision was made to discontinue its use, and just chuck the thing. The vending machine does not cost money to house and the money from sales go directly to the vendor. However the hassle of dealing with unreliable vendors pushed the school’s decision. The current Student Council has been dealing with possible alternatives for the vending machine, although it is unlikely that they will come up with any significant replacement. ◆ Soaring Words By Ariella Kahan On Thursday, May 12, the Hesed Club decorated a blanket that will be delivered to a sick child in the hospital. This event was run by the Soaring Words foundation. The head of Soaring Words, Lisa, and two Heschel High school interns came during clubs to the Hesed Club. Lisa explained that she started this organization to brighten the time that sick children spent while in the hospital. The idea was to create blankets made by children of the same age as the recipients. Every member of the Hesed Club had an opportunity to decorate at least one square of a quilt. Everyone was told not to write anything on the blanket that might remind the sick child of their illness like, “get well,” or “feel better soon.” Instead, everyone drew pictures of rainbows, flowers, hearts, and covered every inch of the quilt with happy images. This activity gave the Hesed club the opportunity to do something that did not involve money or fundraising, but will improve a sick child’s day with their hands-on effort. Although at first, many Hesed Club members were not very excited about doing an activity with Soaring Words, many people grew to appreciate the organization, and enjoyed decorating the blanket. Several Hesed Continued on page 11 The Joseph Slifka Middle School June 2011 ◆ 9
Page 1 and 2: “…Know that every deed counts,
Page 3 and 4: Winding Down? Another Urban Myth By
Page 5 and 6: Masada By Coby Goldberg On the rece
Page 7: Washington, DC and Philadelphia Bet
Page 11 and 12: Hip, Hip, Hoorays for the Hot Summe
Page 13: Book Reviews By Hannah Zhukovsky Gr

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

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