Volume 8 Issue 3. December 2009 - The Heschel School
Volume 8 Issue 3. December 2009 - The Heschel School
Volume 8 Issue 3. December 2009 - The Heschel School
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ִֵּכסלוּ ה“תש‘ ע<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> Page 31<br />
<strong>The</strong> Official Student Newspaper<br />
of the<br />
Abraham Joshua <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
High <strong>School</strong><br />
“We stand for what we utter…”<br />
- Rabbi <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
Health Bill Side Effect: Abortion Tiff Heats Up<br />
By Emma Goldberg<br />
<strong>The</strong> 2008 hit film “Juno”<br />
features a scene in which Juno, preparing<br />
to enter an abortion clinic,<br />
has a run-in with her pro-life classmate<br />
Su-Chin. Su-Chin is protesting<br />
outside the clinic, chanting, “All babies<br />
want to get borned” and informs<br />
Juno that her friend’s developing fetus<br />
“already has fingernails.” Upset,<br />
June flees the clinic, deciding to give<br />
birth to the baby and put her child up<br />
for adoption.<br />
Juno is not the only one<br />
divided in her feelings about abortion,<br />
especially right now. As health<br />
care legislation and the Stupak-Pitts<br />
Amendment hit Congress, the prochoice<br />
and pro-life camps burst back<br />
onto the nation’s front pages.<br />
For months, the health care<br />
buzz focused mainly on the so-called<br />
public option, a proposed healthcare<br />
plan that would be run by the federal<br />
government. When a health care<br />
bill that included the public option<br />
passed in the House, an amendment<br />
was tacked on, the conservative<br />
Democrats’ condition to signing the<br />
bill. <strong>The</strong> Stupak-Pitts Amendment states that, while the<br />
public option guarantees coverage of the costs of most necessary<br />
medical services, it cannot be extended to cover an<br />
abortion, regardless of the circumstances. Current legislation<br />
states that government money cannot pay for abortions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Stupak Amendment takes this law further, stating that<br />
any health care plan involved in the government exchange,<br />
even private ones, cannot cover abortions.<br />
Many conservative citizens and politicians sup-<br />
Illustration by Hannah Kober<br />
port this amendment. Some explain that the federal government<br />
has no responsibility to spend tax money to compensate<br />
for Americans who have unwanted pregnancies.<br />
Many liberals also note that abortions are<br />
expensive, costing anywhere from $300 to $5,000, and that<br />
affording one can be impossible for a low-income woman.<br />
In <strong>Heschel</strong> student Sarah Freedman’s words, “We have a responsibility,<br />
especially as Jews, to help others in their times<br />
of need. Why should someone have to suffer emotionally<br />
<strong>The</strong> Orthodox Impact at<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong><br />
and economically from a single mistake,<br />
if the government does indeed have the<br />
power to help?”<br />
In Congress this polarized issue<br />
has spawned two camps within the<br />
pro-choice movement. Some feel that,<br />
while the Stupak Amendment does restrict<br />
female reproductive rights, prochoicers<br />
must accept this setback and<br />
move on so that Congress can pass a<br />
health reform bill. President Obama said<br />
to <strong>The</strong> Washington Post that, “I laid out<br />
a very simple principle, which is this is a<br />
health care bill, not an abortion bill.”<br />
Many, however, disagree, maintaining<br />
that 35% of women of reproductive age<br />
have undergone abortions; the Stupak-<br />
Pitts Amendment would therefore effectively<br />
exclude 35% of American women<br />
from a key aspect of health care.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Stupak-Pitts Amendment has left<br />
the United States, <strong>The</strong> <strong>Heschel</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
included, grappling with longstanding<br />
controversies. Where do we draw the<br />
line with regard to abortion? Is an abortion<br />
morally correct? Given that it is legal<br />
in all states, should abortion receive<br />
the same level of health coverage as any<br />
other medical services?<br />
Freshman Isabel Tsesarsky, who calls herself “extremely<br />
pro-life,” stated that not only is abortion immoral and<br />
akin to murder, but it is irresponsible. She claimed that<br />
a pregnant woman should be responsible for her mistake<br />
because abortions are expensive and should not have the<br />
same level of coverage as medical services such as cancer<br />
treatment.<br />
Ariel Kattan, a senior, calls herself “strongly against abor-<br />
(Continued on page 2)<br />
Can a Boy<br />
Wear a Skirt to<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong>?<br />
By Aliza Rosenfeld<br />
By Anna Rothstein<br />
An interesting question arose in Moshe Goodman’s<br />
11th grade Tanakh class. A student asked Moshe,<br />
who is Orthodox, how he feels about some of his students<br />
completing and sending in homework on Shabbat.<br />
Moshe responded positively to this question. “I<br />
want people to be who they are in front of me. I don’t<br />
want to tell you, ‘Don’t do my homework on Shabbat.’<br />
You should make the decision for yourself.”<br />
Moshe added, “If you believe you are obligated<br />
to keep Shabbat and that is difficult for you, it would make<br />
more sense not to do that homework on Shabbat. Kids<br />
By Rachel Zeuner<br />
should decide for themselves based on how they feel. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
should not decide based on what I think about it.”<br />
Natan Kapustin, another Orthodox Limudei<br />
Qodesh teacher, responded to the question of doing homework<br />
on Shabbat a little differently. Natan replied, “I try not<br />
to think about it. It’s beyond my control and it’s not my fault<br />
that people decide to do homework on Shabbat. Truthfully,<br />
I never look at when the e-mail come into my inbox.”<br />
In one case, one of Natan’s students did his homework on<br />
Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days of the Jewish year. Natan<br />
said, “This year, when someone told me they did my<br />
assignment on Yom Kippur I was a little taken aback, but<br />
(Continued on Page 3)<br />
On November 6th, a controversial article appeared in<br />
the style section of the New York Times. “Can a Boy Wear a<br />
Skirt to <strong>School</strong>” reported cases in which high school administrations<br />
reprimanded students for cross-dressing. Boys wearing<br />
wigs or makeup were immediately sent home for violating the<br />
school dress code. A girl in Mississippi was not allowed to appear<br />
in the yearbook because she wanted to wear a tuxedo.<br />
It seems that teenagers today are more comfortable<br />
breaching gender boundaries. <strong>The</strong>y do not want to be defined<br />
by a certain look or a particular way society expects them to<br />
dress and act. Classic images of femininity and masculinity are<br />
being redrawn. Is this just a new way teenagers have found to<br />
defy authority? Or is it a new attitude toward gender identity?<br />
Some school administrations feel that school is a place for<br />
learning, for academics and nothing more. It is not a place to<br />
express oneself, but to follow a curriculum and learn information.<br />
Anything that might interfere with this goal is considered<br />
destructive. What students do in their private lives is up to<br />
them, they argue, but school is a public place.<br />
Should students have to live secret lives outside of the classroom?<br />
“You can't tell a boy that he can only cross genders<br />
on weekends. That’s telling him that he doesn't deserve to be<br />
the person he really believes he is,” said senior Sarah Roger.<br />
Learning is just a minute part of what high school is for teenagers.<br />
It is a place where teenagers explore themselves and their<br />
identities. <strong>The</strong>y should be able to do this in a safe and accepting<br />
environment.<br />
“This then raises the question: what kind of environment do<br />
we go to school in if the adults and people who are supposed<br />
(Continued on Page 4)
Page 2 Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
Point-Counterpoint: Should the<br />
Drinking Age be Lowered Back to 18?<br />
No, the Drinking<br />
Age Shouldn’t be<br />
Lowered!<br />
By Jessica Appelbaum<br />
Yes, it’s true: America<br />
has one of the highest legal ages<br />
for drinking in the world. It’s<br />
also true that because of this,<br />
many teenagers under the legal<br />
age dangerously consume alcohol<br />
because they have to do it<br />
secretly. Ironically, the drinking<br />
age is meant to benefit American<br />
youth, not deprive it of a<br />
privilege.<br />
American teenagers<br />
often complain about the legal<br />
drinking age, referring to many<br />
countries in Europe, where the<br />
drinking age is sometimes as<br />
low as 16. However, they do not<br />
take into account that in some<br />
countries, the drinking age is<br />
even higher. In some states in<br />
India, the drinking age is as high<br />
as 25. In many Muslim countries,<br />
drinking is banned altogether.<br />
Taking these countries<br />
into account, America seems to<br />
enforce a reasonable drinking<br />
age, not an outrageously high<br />
one.<br />
Consuming alcohol<br />
can be dangerous for people of any age.<br />
In the short term, it causes the drinker to<br />
lose judgment, have delayed reflexes, and<br />
experience plummets in blood sugar level.<br />
If too much alcohol is consumed at one<br />
time, alcohol poisoning can cause death.<br />
In the long term, it weakens the liver and<br />
is known to impact heart disease, diabetes,<br />
and even cause strokes.<br />
<strong>The</strong> effects of alcohol on the<br />
health of children and teenagers are even<br />
more severe. Alcohol inhibits brain development,<br />
which has many serious ramifications.<br />
America is looking out for the future<br />
wellbeing of its youth by setting a high<br />
drinking age.<br />
<strong>The</strong> most upsetting possible ramification<br />
of lowering the drinking age is that<br />
even younger children may be influenced<br />
to drink. Often, teenagers begin drinking in<br />
high school when they have older friends<br />
and siblings who can acquire alcohol for<br />
them. <strong>The</strong>refore, if teenagers are able to<br />
purchase alcohol, they can provide it for<br />
younger children. What is to stop children<br />
from beginning to drink at ages as young<br />
as 13, if 16-year-olds can buy alcohol?<br />
tion.” Ariel stated that aborting a fetus is<br />
killing a human life because “knowing it<br />
will be alive in nine months is still something<br />
huge.” She argued that fetuses represent<br />
the potential for human life; by killing<br />
the fetus one destroys its potential future as<br />
a feeling, sentient individual.<br />
Molly Goldman, a <strong>Heschel</strong> freshman,<br />
agreed, saying that fetuses, like all humans,<br />
deserve a chance to survive.<br />
One former <strong>Heschel</strong> student who<br />
now attends <strong>The</strong> Bronx High <strong>School</strong> of Science<br />
said that, “Teenage pregnancy often<br />
feels surreal, only in the movies, but it’s real.<br />
And seeing pregnant girls at school, though<br />
there are few, who have to drop out—it’s not<br />
only real, it’s frightening. That’s why I feel<br />
like I have to take a stand.”<br />
During the Panim El Panim trip, an advocacy<br />
and community service program for<br />
<strong>The</strong> main reason to lower the drinking<br />
age is not to discourage binge drinking.<br />
Studies have proven that in countries with lower<br />
drinking ages, there is still binge drinking<br />
and reckless behavior among the youth. According<br />
to a Eurocare representative quoted in<br />
<strong>The</strong> Washington Post, binge drinking is actually<br />
rising among European youth. It seems that<br />
lowering the drinking age would make it legal<br />
for Americans<br />
to begin taking<br />
up dangerous drinking habits at a younger<br />
age.<br />
Yes, the Drinking Age<br />
Should be Lowered!<br />
By Becca Schwarz<br />
In 1984, Congress passed the National<br />
Minimum Drinking Age Act, which<br />
required all states to raise the legal age for<br />
purchasing and publicly possessing alcohol<br />
to 21 or lose 10% of their federal highway<br />
funding. By 1988, the legal drinking<br />
age had been raised in every state from 18<br />
to 21.<br />
If American citizens are able to<br />
get a driver’s license, obtain a permit for<br />
a rifle or shotgun, sit on a jury, fight in a<br />
war, and vote at age 18, then why is the<br />
legal drinking age 21? Examples like this<br />
make our government seem hypocritical;<br />
18 year olds are treated as adults for such<br />
important things as selecting the leaders<br />
of our country, but they cannot even select<br />
high school students, juniors Ariel Wiener-<br />
Bronner and Zoe Goldberg met with Senator<br />
Gillibrand’s legislative correspondent<br />
and explained that, “We find it hugely problematic<br />
that the health care bill ignores the<br />
millions of women who, in addition to basic<br />
medical coverage, need to be given the<br />
right to an affordable abortion.” <strong>The</strong>y cited<br />
the case of a formerly homeless man who<br />
had spoken on a Panim panel. He dropped<br />
out of high school to care for his girlfriend’s<br />
baby. His lack of education led to his homelessness<br />
later in life. In Ariel and Zoe’s<br />
words, “Americans everywhere face the repercussions<br />
of unwanted pregnancies.”<br />
Jenny Katz, a junior, struggles to find the<br />
middle ground in this polarizing issue.<br />
While she upholds a woman’s right to<br />
choose, she does not condone abortions in<br />
cases where the abortion does not threaten<br />
beer or wine from a restaurant menu until<br />
they turn 21.<br />
<strong>The</strong> legal drinking age in many<br />
other countries ranges from 16 to 19; the<br />
most common age is 18 to 19. However,<br />
our higher legal drinking age does not appear<br />
to have solved any of the underage<br />
drinking problems America faces.<br />
When the drinking age<br />
was raised to 21, the liquor<br />
cabinet did not close completely<br />
but instead moved<br />
underground. Young adults<br />
are currently forced to hide<br />
their alcohol consumption,<br />
often pre-gaming and preloading<br />
before they head<br />
out with their friends. To<br />
make up for not being able<br />
to drink throughout the<br />
evening, some will drink<br />
dangerously large amounts<br />
early on, enough to keep<br />
them buzzed for most of<br />
the night.<br />
A lowered drinking age<br />
could help make drinking<br />
back into a more public<br />
and social event. Bartenders<br />
or restaurateurs would<br />
be able to monitor their patrons’<br />
alcohol intake, and<br />
could cut them off from<br />
more drinks should they<br />
think it necessary. In addition,<br />
a bar or restaurant<br />
is not conducive to binge<br />
drinking because the<br />
drinks are expensive and there is no need<br />
to pre-game if one can order another drink<br />
later in the evening.<br />
One common argument is that<br />
the decrease in teenage driving fatalities<br />
has been due entirely to the higher legal<br />
drinking age. Indeed, there has been a<br />
decrease in these accidents, but it cannot<br />
be attributed solely to the drinking age.<br />
Improvement in car design, introduction<br />
of graduated licensing systems, air bags,<br />
and the intensification of seat-belt laws<br />
and their enforcement can also be credited<br />
with the improvement in teen traffic<br />
safety.<br />
Since raising the legal drinking<br />
age has not been totally effective at curtailing<br />
either underage or binge drinking,<br />
perhaps the focus needs to be on educating<br />
young adults to drink responsibly whether<br />
at home, in a public place, or at a party, regardless<br />
of age. Education about the risks<br />
of drinking, as well as the risks inherent<br />
in drinking and driving might be the best<br />
way to deal with this persistent problem.<br />
Health Bill Side Effect: Abortion Tiff Heats Up<br />
(Continued from Page 1)<br />
Illustration by Gaby Belok<br />
the life of the mother. Jenny said that, “As a<br />
woman, I believe that we deserve the right<br />
to our own bodies. Why should the government<br />
be able to make those decisions<br />
for me? I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion.<br />
I think that wording makes a huge difference.”<br />
Some in <strong>Heschel</strong> oppose abortion altogether,<br />
calling it, in the words of Emil Nusbaum,<br />
“the destruction of life at its roots.”<br />
Others just as adamantly demand that health<br />
care reform not exclude women’s reproductive<br />
rights. Yet another point of view is<br />
that excluding abortion coverage may be<br />
a necessary sacrifice to ensure health care<br />
reform.<br />
As one <strong>Heschel</strong> High <strong>School</strong><br />
sophomore said, “I’m pro-choice, but that’s<br />
not my priority right now. We need health<br />
care reform, and I’m willing to sacrifice the<br />
public option.”<br />
Helios Staff<br />
<strong>2009</strong>-2010<br />
Editors:<br />
Jessica Appelbaum<br />
Aliza Rosenfeld<br />
Gabriel Fisher<br />
Emma Goldberg<br />
Art and Layout Editors:<br />
Hannah Weintraub<br />
Hannah Kober<br />
Talia Niederman<br />
Sports Editor:<br />
Brandon Bell<br />
Contributing Writers:<br />
Jessica Appelbaum<br />
Brandon Bell<br />
Naomi Blech<br />
Samantha Brandspiegel<br />
Rebecca Cooper<br />
Rachel Fell<br />
Gabriel Fisher<br />
Eno Freedman-Brodmann<br />
Emma Goldberg<br />
Zoe Goldberg<br />
Michaela Hearst<br />
Michele Kaplan<br />
Gabriel Klausner<br />
Talia Kula<br />
Aaron Ladds<br />
Aliza Rosenfeld<br />
Anna Rothstein<br />
Rebecca Schwarz<br />
Andrew Udell<br />
Beatrice Volkmar<br />
Victor Weberman<br />
Rachel Zeuner<br />
Contributing Artists:<br />
Gaby Belok<br />
Lauren Finzi<br />
Hannah Kober<br />
Talia Niederman<br />
Eileen Sutton<br />
Andrew Udell<br />
Hugo Uvegi<br />
Aaron Weil<br />
Rachel Zeuner<br />
Faculty and Staff:<br />
Lisa Cohen<br />
Gabe Godin<br />
Audrey Sieger<br />
Dena Schutzer<br />
We would like to formally thank<br />
to Samuel Freedman. His dedication<br />
has helped us move Helios to<br />
the next level<br />
Printing courtesy of Tri-Star<br />
Offset & Barry Goodman<br />
Send your<br />
comments<br />
to<br />
HS Newspaper on<br />
First Class.
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 Page 3<br />
Editorial: Challenging<br />
Ourselves Beyond Gilad Shalit:<br />
<strong>The</strong> Next Chapter in Jewish<br />
By Gabe Fisher<br />
For most Jews around the world,<br />
and specifically people here at <strong>Heschel</strong>, it<br />
is axiomatic that Gilad Shalit needs to go<br />
home. Over three years ago, militants, members<br />
of the terrorist organization Hamas,<br />
captured Shalit, then a nineteen-year-old<br />
soldier. This, among other events, was one<br />
of the main causes of the Second Lebanon<br />
War.<br />
Since this war, Gilad Shalit has<br />
been held captive in Gaza, with no major<br />
signs of progress until two months ago when<br />
Israel traded twenty female Palestinian prisoners<br />
for a video of Gilad Shalit talking and<br />
walking. Now, Israel and Hamas seem close<br />
to a deal that would trade thousands of Palestinian<br />
prisoners for Shalit.<br />
This possible trade poses many<br />
ethical problems for all the people who<br />
have consistently called for the release of<br />
Shalit. <strong>The</strong> situation becomes much more<br />
complicated when Israel must trade more<br />
than a thousand prisoners, many terrorists<br />
with blood on their hands, in exchange for a<br />
Activism<br />
By Lauren Finzi<br />
single soldier. It has forced many to question<br />
Israel’s policy on recovering their captured<br />
soldiers, both dead and alive.<br />
If Israel were to make this trade,<br />
they would be releasing terrorists, many of<br />
whom have been sentenced to multiple life<br />
sentences for having murdered Israeli civilians.<br />
What makes us so sure that, once free,<br />
they wouldn’t do this again?<br />
On the other hand, Israel has always<br />
promised its soldiers and citizens, that<br />
if soldiers were captured, the country would<br />
extend itself to the fullest to ensure that they<br />
are brought back. By turning down an opportunity<br />
to free Shalit, Israel would be telling<br />
its soldiers, people who have agreed to<br />
die for their country, that the country will<br />
not try to rescue them if they are captured, a<br />
message that is less than reassuring.<br />
All of this aside, another major<br />
issue arises from Gilad Shalit’s potential<br />
release, one that is less crucial to Israel’s<br />
national security, but nonetheless important.<br />
For three years now, the release of Gilad<br />
Shalit has been the major cause that Jews<br />
all over the world have rallied for. His captivity,<br />
which has caused many people pain,<br />
has also served as a way for Jews to channel<br />
their Zionist feelings. Whether through<br />
prayer, posters, or protests, Shalit has constantly<br />
been on the minds of all Jews. Although<br />
hard to admit, his plight has connected<br />
Jews all around the world to rally for<br />
a cause.<br />
Here at <strong>Heschel</strong>, the senior class<br />
has started a campaign to help raise awareness<br />
for Gilad Shalit. <strong>The</strong>y have put up<br />
somewhat provocative posters, challenging<br />
the students of our school to remember<br />
Shalit throughout the day. Some of these<br />
posters stated, “What will you be doing this<br />
weekend? Gilad Shalit will be in captivity.”<br />
What happens, though, when<br />
Shalit is no longer a captive? What happens<br />
when he is free, and no longer serves<br />
as a symbol of Jewish and Israeli pride? Although<br />
it sounds somewhat strange, Shalit’s<br />
freedom will mostly likely make us feel as<br />
though there is no need for more activism on<br />
behalf of Israel because the main issue that<br />
many of us feel passionately about has been<br />
resolved.<br />
Gilad Shalit’s captivity has transformed<br />
into one of our only ways to express<br />
our patriotic feelings about Israel. It might<br />
be because it is the most interesting issue<br />
that exists, but it also is probably partially<br />
because it is the only issue that requires no<br />
real political association or ideology. It is<br />
indisputable among all Jews, whether on the<br />
right or on the left, democrat or republican,<br />
that Gilad Shalit’s freedom is an unquestionable<br />
necessity, regardless of the messy details<br />
that come with it. Most other issues in<br />
politics, but specifically regarding Israel, require<br />
a strong opinion that one must be able<br />
to defend; however, Gilad Shalit’s captivity<br />
is an easy way for people, especially teenagers,<br />
to get involved without really understanding<br />
the issues.<br />
Although it does give people the opportunity<br />
to become involved, it also protects people<br />
from the real truths - that in order to really<br />
get involved one must create their own opinions,<br />
regardless of their controversial nature.<br />
Now that Gilad Shalit might be released, it is<br />
time for us to examine what we stand by and<br />
why we stand by it.<br />
It is time for us to choose issues that<br />
really resonate with us, even if other people<br />
do not agree with them. <strong>The</strong> only way to create<br />
any real dialogue or conversation within<br />
our school is if people have strong opinions<br />
that they are willing to defend. Once in a<br />
while an issue such as Gilad Shalit’s captivity<br />
emerges and gains unanimous support,<br />
but in most cases people disagree.<br />
This dialogue though should extend beyond<br />
issues related to Israel. It is time for the<br />
students at our school to make their voices<br />
heard on all issues, whether foreign or domestic.<br />
Everyone in our school has interesting<br />
opinions to share; the question is, why<br />
don’t we?<br />
We made our voices heard regarding<br />
Gilad Shalit. After years of our rallying<br />
and protests, our signs and bracelets, his<br />
freedom seems imminent. So to all those<br />
people who say we cannot change anything,<br />
let Shalit’s freedom serve as an example that<br />
we can.<br />
Now, as Gilad Shalit begins a new<br />
era in his life, a new opportunity and challenge<br />
opens for us. We should now begin to<br />
think of new causes to support, even if they<br />
are controversial or deemed unpopular. We<br />
have already seen the impact we can make<br />
when we champion a cause, so, keeping Gilad<br />
Shalit in mind, we should start to search<br />
for new issues that may allow us to have a<br />
profound effect on our world.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Orthodox Impact at<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong><br />
(Continued from page 1)<br />
I have never said in class that people cannot<br />
work on Shabbat, even while making it<br />
clear that I don’t.”<br />
Regarding students going out on<br />
Shabbat, Natan said, “I really try not to<br />
think about students’ social lives. I do think<br />
it’s a shame if people have never tried to<br />
observe Shabbat traditionally, only because<br />
it’s such a positive experience, but I’m very<br />
comfortable accepting different religious<br />
practices.”<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> offers many tfillah options,<br />
from the Orthodox and egalitarian<br />
minyanim to various Iyun minyanim, which<br />
focus on discussion. Are Orthodox teachers<br />
opposed to the idea of Iyun tfillah?<br />
Moshe said, “Having options<br />
is a good thing. Sometimes I wonder if it<br />
wouldn’t be a bad thing to have a mandatory<br />
traditional service. <strong>The</strong>re is educational value<br />
to knowing what a prayer service looks<br />
like. But I like the idea that we give the kids<br />
a chance to decide for themselves.”<br />
Natan responded, “Tefillah is<br />
about you and God, and perhaps your community<br />
as well. We have people from different<br />
communities here and so we should<br />
have options. I teach here precisely because<br />
it is pluralistic, and making it Orthodox in<br />
that regard would not only be a disservice<br />
to the students, but to me as well.”<br />
Natan and Moshe both regard a<br />
pluralistic environment as beneficial to<br />
themselves and the community. As Natan<br />
put it, “What makes the range exciting is<br />
not the denominationalism; it’s that people<br />
think different things and are comfortable<br />
saying them, and that most of the people<br />
here don’t shy away from the tough questions<br />
and thoughtful answers that are necessary<br />
for learning and living meaningfully.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Road to Success:<br />
Justice Breyer’s Legacy<br />
By Gabriel Klausner and Andrew Udell<br />
<strong>The</strong> old adage “hard work pays<br />
off” has been passed down from generation<br />
to generation. Justice Stephen Breyer, one<br />
of two Jewish associate justices in the Supreme<br />
Court of the United States of America,<br />
followed this advice, passed down<br />
from his father, and achieved great success.<br />
When Justice Breyer was a child, he said<br />
that his father would remind him to “do his<br />
job well, then maybe someone will notice.”<br />
Justice Breyer said, “My father would explain<br />
that doing your job well is a win-win<br />
situation. If someone notices, then maybe<br />
they offer you a better job. If not, you have<br />
still done your job well.” Luckily for Justice<br />
Breyer, he did his job well, someone<br />
noticed, and he received and accepted that<br />
better job.<br />
Justice Breyer hosted the annual<br />
American Association of Jewish Lawyers<br />
and Jurists awards dinner at the Supreme<br />
Court building in Washington, D.C. During<br />
his warm and thoughtful speech, he<br />
discussed what he thought was the beauty<br />
of law in the United States. He said, “<strong>The</strong><br />
treasure of this country is that we resolve<br />
He added, “Teaching such a range of people<br />
is probably the best part of my religious<br />
life.”<br />
Moshe loves teaching at a pluralistic<br />
school as well. He regarded it as<br />
“awesome.” He said, “I like hearing different<br />
perspectives and opinions and sharing<br />
ideas when the kids don’t agree with each<br />
other. I like helping students from different<br />
basic belief systems figure out their own<br />
truths.”<br />
While Orthodox teachers may benefit from<br />
teaching at a pluralistic school, does their<br />
Orthodoxy influence the way they teach?<br />
Moshe believes it affects his teaching “in<br />
some ways but not many.” He tries to be<br />
true to what he believes but he doesn’t<br />
“push [his] beliefs on others.” He adds, “I<br />
will say that I believe God wrote the Torah.<br />
It doesn’t affect my teaching, it just affects<br />
who I am.”<br />
Natan believes it absolutely does<br />
influence how he teaches and “[he doesn’t]<br />
think anyone would want it any other way.”<br />
He responded to this question saying, “<strong>The</strong><br />
Orthodox mindset is part of who I am.<br />
Sometimes that works to my benefit, and<br />
sometimes not. But it always adds to the<br />
richness of the learning experience. I don't<br />
often teach 'as an Orthodox rabbi'. I teach<br />
'as Natan', just as students don't think about<br />
their denominations when they speak. Most<br />
of our classes do not touch on observance<br />
or on authorship of the Torah, so 'being Orthodox'<br />
doesn't factor into class in a tangible<br />
way. In my 12th grade classes - where<br />
it does factor in - I think that being open<br />
about my own thoughts is a positive addition<br />
to class, especially considering that it<br />
is usually a different perspective than most<br />
students have heard.”<br />
our problems under the law. All religions,<br />
races, and ethnicities are bound by the<br />
Constitution”. For Justice Breyer, it is not<br />
all about the accolades and honors associated<br />
with being a justice in the Supreme<br />
Court. He is enthralled by the pursuit of<br />
justice and the powerful changes in society<br />
that he can help enforce.<br />
Before the night was over, Justice<br />
Breyer made sure to address the younger<br />
generation of Americans. In addition to<br />
stressing his father’s honorable advice, he<br />
emphasized the idea of taking advantage of<br />
opportunities. Justice Breyer was offered a<br />
seat on the Supreme Court in 1994 and he<br />
described the offer as “a bolt of lightning.”<br />
He was ecstatic as he admitted anyone<br />
would be and could not refuse the offer.<br />
Justice Breyer took advantage of this rare<br />
opportunity and said that new opportunities<br />
and experiences should be explored<br />
whenever one gets the chance. “You never<br />
know what kind of exploration or adventure<br />
in your life might lead to something<br />
special,” he stated.
Page 4 Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
(Continued from page 1)<br />
Can a Boy Wear a Skirt to <strong>Heschel</strong>?<br />
<strong>The</strong> three annual Hesed days<br />
have provided students of all grades with<br />
the opportunity to participate in community<br />
service activities. Some of these<br />
include packaging<br />
food, interacting<br />
with young children,<br />
and beautifying<br />
parks. <strong>The</strong><br />
V’adat Hesed, the<br />
student committee<br />
that organizes<br />
community service<br />
throughout<br />
the school, decided<br />
that the school<br />
needs additional<br />
programs to infuse<br />
more Hesed work<br />
into the culture at<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong>.<br />
On Sunday,<br />
November 8th¬¬,<br />
Jewish teens with disabilities came to<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> for an evening of fun and games.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were from an organization called<br />
Yachad that is dedicated to addressing the<br />
needs of all individuals with disabilities<br />
and including them in the Jewish community.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Heschel</strong> soccer and volleyball<br />
teams, along with members of the Va’adat<br />
Hesed, played basketball, volleyball, and<br />
soccer with the Yachad teenagers.<br />
After the first block of activities,<br />
to be protecting us are targeting us? Pressure<br />
and torments from peers is one thing, but adults<br />
should practice what they preach: tolerance, acceptance,<br />
and respect,” continued Roger.<br />
However, many adults with more traditional<br />
mindsets feel uncomfortable with this<br />
idea, as proven by the harsh reactions of administrators<br />
in some high schools. When teenagers<br />
wear these clothes, teachers feel uncomfortable<br />
teaching.<br />
<strong>The</strong> issue is not just one of self-expression.<br />
This is also an issue of safety. In some<br />
schools, teenagers get beaten up and abused by<br />
their peers for dressing in a way traditionally<br />
viewed as atypical. <strong>The</strong> Times article reports a<br />
boy in eighth grade who was shot by a classmate<br />
for wearing high-heeled boots and makeup to<br />
school a few times.<br />
Where should the line be drawn?<br />
What is self-expression and what is protecting<br />
the students? Is cross-dressing breaking the<br />
dress code? If a school’s dress code requires a<br />
skirt to hit the knee, what if a boy wears that<br />
skirt? He is not breaking this rule, but he still<br />
might be punished for his actions.<br />
Some <strong>Heschel</strong> teachers brought the<br />
New York Times article in to discuss in class.<br />
Ilana Gleichbloom presented it to the women’s<br />
minyan and Joe Moreau spoke about it with<br />
several of his history classes for current events.<br />
A range of opinions was voiced on the issue,<br />
some students supporting any form of expression<br />
and others uncomfortable with allowing<br />
cross-dressing.<br />
In one class, common misconceptions<br />
relating cross-dressing to homosexuality<br />
arose. Though <strong>The</strong> Times article discussed<br />
this issue, there were students who did not yet<br />
understand that not all gay people cross dress<br />
and all people who cross dress are not gay. <strong>The</strong><br />
conversation “quickly escalated” according to<br />
junior Benjamin Heller, who was in the class.<br />
“Some people said really hateful comments,<br />
and I was shocked. When we scratch away the<br />
all-accepting façade that many students wear,<br />
a lot of intolerance becomes exposed.” When<br />
students left the classroom, many of them were<br />
upset or disturbed.<br />
Joe felt the need to talk about what<br />
had occurred in the next class so he prepared<br />
a mini-lecture in which he explained the idea<br />
of not fitting into a certain category. In reaction<br />
to this event, Joe was torn about whether he<br />
should give similar assignments in the future. On<br />
the one hand, it made people very uncomfortable.<br />
On the other, the majority of students responded<br />
respectfully and with perspective. Joe explained<br />
how important it is to bring up controversial topics<br />
and make it more comfortable to discuss them,<br />
especially for people who have never encountered<br />
them.<br />
While cross-dressing has never been an issue in<br />
this school, the administration is beginning to<br />
think more about it. At this point, the school’s<br />
dress code does not clearly prohibit cross-dressing.<br />
However, it does make distinctions between<br />
clothes that boys wear versus clothes that girls<br />
wear.<br />
Jessica Gribetz, assistant to the principal,<br />
explained that if a boy were to wear a skirt<br />
to school he would not be suspended or even sent<br />
home. She would probably ask him to change and<br />
not to repeat the action. <strong>The</strong> administration will<br />
most likely discuss the issue in the future. Next<br />
year, the dress code may more clearly distinguish<br />
between dress for males and females.<br />
Gribetz said that cross-dressing would<br />
be extremely distracting to the teachers and students<br />
and would detract from learning. While<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> Welcomes Yachad<br />
for First Annual Event<br />
By Gabriel Klausner and Brandon Bell<br />
Photo by Brandon Bell<br />
a pizza dinner was enjoyed by all. This was<br />
a chance for everyone to interact and create<br />
friendships. After dinner everyone went to the<br />
gym to participate in a second block of sports<br />
and other fun activities. <strong>The</strong> Va’adat Hesed<br />
recognized that a night<br />
like this would be a<br />
challenge, but one that<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> students could<br />
handle. As expected,<br />
the students stepped<br />
up to the plate and had<br />
a blast, while making a<br />
few new friends along<br />
the way. <strong>The</strong>re were<br />
smiles on everyone’s<br />
faces throughout the<br />
night. High-fives and<br />
hugs were exchanged.<br />
This inaugural<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong>-Yachad program<br />
was a huge success<br />
and the Va’adat<br />
Hesed expects to continue<br />
this partnership. Asked how he felt after<br />
partaking in the program, sophomore Ethan<br />
Finkelstein said, “Definitely one of the most<br />
fulfilling couple of hours in my <strong>Heschel</strong> career.<br />
To see the happiness and joy on these<br />
kids’ faces was really special.”<br />
Va’adat Hesed would like to thank<br />
the league champion volleyball teams and the<br />
soccer team for taking part in this inaugural<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong>-Yachad program.<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> has a loose dress code for a Jewish<br />
school, <strong>Heschel</strong> “tries to set a balance between<br />
comfort and modesty,” according to<br />
Gribetz. <strong>The</strong> issue is also about “reflecting<br />
the norms of our society. If in ten years it becomes<br />
a norm and society changes, [perhaps<br />
the dress code would change]” she said.<br />
When <strong>Heschel</strong> students were asked how<br />
they would react if a student cross-dressed<br />
at <strong>Heschel</strong>, responses were mostly positive.<br />
“We’ve seen people come in crazy clothes<br />
and in nice clothes, and what happens in this<br />
school is that people are pretty accepting. It<br />
draws attention, it’s a conversation starter,<br />
and it sets you apart. No one would view it<br />
in a strange way,” said senior Matthew Grobman.<br />
A range of students, both male<br />
and female, was asked how they would react<br />
in four different situations: when a female<br />
student wears clothes to school that are perceived<br />
as more masculine, such as basketball<br />
shorts and a baggy sweatshirt; if a female<br />
student were to wear a tuxedo to prom; when<br />
males wear clothes like skinny jeans and tight<br />
American Apparel sweaters; if a boy were to<br />
show up in school in a skirt or a dress.<br />
Illustration By Adiel Schmidt<br />
Mima'amakim kar'ati elaikh,<br />
B’oi elai beshuvekh yah'zor shuv ha'or<br />
be'einai…<br />
From deep depths I called to you to come to<br />
me<br />
With your return the light in my<br />
eyes will come back...<br />
<strong>The</strong>se beautiful, spiritual words set<br />
to music by the Idan Raichel Project have<br />
filled the souls, minds, and hearts of millions.<br />
Although Idan Raichel is a Jewish Israeli artist<br />
and sings in Hebrew, his music appeals<br />
not only to members of the Jewish community,<br />
but to people of many different religions<br />
and cultures.<br />
What attracts so many people to his music?<br />
Some <strong>Heschel</strong> students had the opportunity<br />
to answer this question after attending one of<br />
his concerts weeks ago.<br />
As the lights dimmed and cheering<br />
filled the theater, a teary-eyed Raichal spoke:<br />
“Our ability to live in peace with each other,<br />
depends first and foremost on our ability to<br />
Students agreed that women can wear slightly<br />
masculine clothes and men can wear slightly<br />
feminine clothes with no problem. Senior Emmet<br />
Padway viewed girls who dress in baggy<br />
clothes as “just not in the mood to dress nicely.<br />
It’s the same way that guys might get lazy<br />
sometimes.”<br />
Junior Sharon Amir notices when<br />
girls dress in this way only because she pays<br />
attention to what people wear, not because she<br />
is judgmental of it. In terms of a girl wearing a<br />
tuxedo at <strong>Heschel</strong>, she said that people would<br />
talk about it. “But since we know the person,<br />
it makes it different. <strong>Heschel</strong> is a small community<br />
where we all know each other so we are<br />
more understanding.” At another school, she<br />
might be more judgmental of the person if she<br />
didn’t know her personally.<br />
Limor Cohen, a sophomore, said that,<br />
“Society is modern enough to know that women<br />
don’t have to fit into a certain stereotype.” Regarding<br />
a girl in a tuxedo, “If she can rock it, go<br />
for it. Some girls look really great and fashionable,”<br />
she asserted.<br />
An anonymous student said that he<br />
would “not talk to that person. [<strong>The</strong> tuxedo<br />
would] make me feel uncomfortable, but they<br />
can do what they want.”<br />
When asked about male students<br />
in skinny jeans, most people thought tighter<br />
clothes were completely normal. Cohen said, “I<br />
like when guys dress like that. <strong>The</strong>re’s something<br />
about those clothes that are more aesthetically<br />
pleasing.”<br />
Senior Nathan Katz humorously criticized<br />
the skinny jeans looks. “It’s unnatural.<br />
Dress for utility. If I need to wear a fanny pack,<br />
I wear a fanny pack. If I need pockets I wear<br />
pants with pockets. Do what’s practical.”<br />
All students said they would question or feel uncomfortable<br />
with a male student wearing a skirt.<br />
“I really don’t know why,” said Cohen. “That’s<br />
just the way it is. Girls already have the option<br />
of wearing pants on a daily basis. Tuxedo pants<br />
are just like jeans made out of different material.<br />
But [they can] also [wear] a dress or a skirt.<br />
Guys never have that option.”<br />
Padway agreed, saying that he would be, “More<br />
judgmental towards the guy because it doesn’t<br />
happen as much.”<br />
Concert Review: From the Depths…<br />
<strong>The</strong> Idan Raichel Project<br />
By Michaela Hearst<br />
Picture by Hugo Uvegi<br />
accept all that is different between us.”<br />
During the more solemn songs, every person in<br />
the audience had his eyes closed in meaningful<br />
reflection. During the upbeat songs the crowd<br />
was spirited and lively; everyone clapped and<br />
tapped their feet to the beat; some got up out of<br />
their seats and began to dance.<br />
"It was amazing to feel the music coming from<br />
their souls and not only from their instruments,”<br />
said junior Hannah Kober.<br />
Raichel’s music is a spiritual combination<br />
of Israeli pop with the ethnic folk music<br />
of Ethiopian immigrants, each song a display of<br />
hope and an expression of the desire for peace<br />
and love in the world.<br />
“It introduces me to the musical style<br />
of the culture, because every different area of<br />
the world has a different style, from Argentina<br />
to Yemenite music, and, of course, Israeli,” said<br />
an anonymous sophomore. “When I listen to<br />
different songs from different cultures, it really<br />
gives me a taste of what these different cultures<br />
are all about.”
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 Page 5<br />
Illustration by Andrew Udell<br />
“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” But Does That<br />
Bring Fans?<br />
By Talia Kula<br />
On Monday, November<br />
16th, both the boys’ and girls’ varsity<br />
basketball teams played at home<br />
against the Yeshiva of Flatbush.<br />
<strong>The</strong> games were back to back, with<br />
the girls playing directly before the<br />
boys.<br />
While the difference between<br />
the number of fans who attend<br />
boys’ games and girls’ games<br />
has always been clear, it was accentuated<br />
at this double header. At the<br />
beginning of the second quarter of<br />
the girls’ game, almost twenty <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
students were present. At that<br />
same point in the boys’ game, over<br />
Because of a recent injury, this rep<br />
o r t e r<br />
has had<br />
permission<br />
to<br />
take the<br />
elevator<br />
and<br />
has witn<br />
e s s e d<br />
the number<br />
of<br />
students<br />
abusing<br />
the elevator<br />
rules<br />
firsthand.<br />
T h o u g h<br />
it has<br />
a l w a y s<br />
been an<br />
issue at<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong>,<br />
students without passes are<br />
now taking the elevator much<br />
more often than in past years. In a recent poll,<br />
nine out of ten students acknowledged having<br />
taken the elevator without permission.<br />
You might ask, is it really that bad<br />
if students take the elevator? As junior Mani<br />
Schlisser argued, “We pay good money to go<br />
to this school. Shouldn’t we be able to take<br />
the elevator?” If the elevators were affecting<br />
our class participation by causing us to<br />
fifty <strong>Heschel</strong> students were in the<br />
bleacher.<br />
A member of the girls’ varsity basketball<br />
team, who requested to remain<br />
anonymous, noted that the<br />
difference between the two games<br />
extended past the statistics. “<strong>The</strong>re<br />
was less excitement at the girls'<br />
Flatbush game, and the fans that<br />
we did have were not cheering or<br />
into it at all.”<br />
This discrepancy is not specific<br />
to the <strong>Heschel</strong> <strong>School</strong>. In 2000,<br />
a national survey was conducted,<br />
asking Americans how interested<br />
they were in sports. While 54% of<br />
Excessive Elevator Usage at<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> Affects Those in Need<br />
By Aaron Ladds<br />
be late, wouldn’t it be our responsibility, not<br />
the schools?<br />
T h e r e f o r e ,<br />
perhaps the<br />
school should<br />
not limit elevator<br />
usage.<br />
However,<br />
there is<br />
a tremendous<br />
flaw in the<br />
argument for<br />
changing the<br />
elevator policy:<br />
it ignores<br />
those who<br />
truly need<br />
the elevator<br />
to get from<br />
class to class.<br />
<strong>The</strong> students<br />
and teachers<br />
who fit into<br />
this category<br />
have been<br />
significantly affected by the students who<br />
do not need the elevator, but use it anyway.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se students slow down those in need tremendously.<br />
As ninth grade dean and English<br />
teacher Judith Tumin asserted, “I shouldn’t<br />
have to wait seven minutes for people who do<br />
not need it… it is almost like someone who is<br />
not handicapped stealing a handicap parking<br />
spot.”<br />
Illustration by Aaron Weil<br />
Letter to Editor:Orthodox<br />
Minyan Faces Midlife<br />
Crisis<br />
Letter to the Editor:<br />
After reading the article Orthodox<br />
Minyan Faces Midlife Crisis,<br />
I felt that I had to respond. I am<br />
a devout member of the egalitarian<br />
minyan at <strong>Heschel</strong>, as well as a longstanding<br />
believer that women should<br />
be counted as part of a minyan. But<br />
what exactly does it mean to be<br />
‘counted’ as part of a minyan?<br />
In a traditional egalitarian<br />
minyan, women are no doubt included<br />
in the requirement of ten people<br />
for a minyan, whereas, in an orthodox<br />
minyan, this is not the case. However,<br />
in the Orthodox minyan, women are<br />
still obligated to daven shacharit. Just<br />
because women in the orthodox minyan<br />
are not counted in the ten-person<br />
those surveyed reported being fans<br />
of the National Basketball Association<br />
(NBA), only 35% reported being<br />
fans of the Women’s National<br />
Basketball Association (WNBA).<br />
When asked why she thought this<br />
was so, Leah Kahan, a member of<br />
the girls’ varsity basketball team,<br />
stated, “I believe the reason guys<br />
have more fans is that maybe their<br />
games are just more exciting. For<br />
the most part, they don't [make]<br />
error[s] as much and there is a more<br />
consistent flow of the game.”<br />
Perhaps the lack of attendance<br />
at professional female sporting<br />
events is more understandable<br />
than at high school sporting events.<br />
One must pay to attend professional<br />
games, and therefore, it makes<br />
sense that one would only be willing<br />
to do so in order to attend a<br />
game that promises to be especially<br />
entertaining. However, attendance<br />
at high school sports, specifically<br />
at <strong>Heschel</strong>, should be about more<br />
than amusement. It should be about<br />
friends coming to show their support<br />
for the players and their passion,<br />
and female athletics should be<br />
no exception.<br />
requirement for a minyan, it does not<br />
mean that they are unable to have a<br />
meaningful davening experience.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are days in the egalitarian minyan<br />
when I feel that my connection<br />
with God is weaker, while on other<br />
days I feel closer to God. However,<br />
this is completely separate from the<br />
fact that I am ‘legally’ considered<br />
part of my minyan. <strong>The</strong>re is a major<br />
difference between being part of the<br />
minyan in a spiritual sense, and being<br />
counted physically as a part of the<br />
minyan. <strong>The</strong> spiritual aspect should<br />
not be confused with halakhically<br />
being part of the minyan.<br />
Michaela Hearst
Page 6 Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
Human Rights Alliance Battling<br />
By Rebecca Cooper<br />
Environmental<br />
<strong>The</strong> Human<br />
to do better things with the<br />
Rights Club is dedicated<br />
to devoting time as<br />
women become farmers, Injustice<br />
money than the men. <strong>The</strong><br />
a group to maintaining<br />
fishers, shopowners, which By Andrew Udell<br />
awareness of the injustices<br />
occurring around<br />
nity, while the men tend and as far away as Native American Reser-<br />
helps their entire commu-<br />
In communities as close as the South Bronx<br />
the world. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
to spend their money on vations, corporations are taking advantage of<br />
<strong>School</strong> often focuses<br />
alcohol. This organization disadvantaged groups through a phenomenon<br />
on such issues, but the<br />
(http://www.worldvisionmicro.org)<br />
receives dona-<br />
refers to environmental damages, such as close<br />
known as “environmental injustice”. This term<br />
Human Rights Club creates<br />
a space for thinking<br />
tions and loans the money proximity to power plants, exposure to dangerous<br />
toxins, or a deficiency in green areas such<br />
about these issues not<br />
out to those who need it.<br />
only on special occasions,<br />
but consistently<br />
the money to finance their on economically disadvantaged neighbor-<br />
<strong>The</strong> entrepreneurs use as parks. <strong>The</strong>se damages are usually inflicted<br />
throughout the year.<br />
businesses; once they make hoods, the traditional victims of environmental<br />
<strong>The</strong> Human<br />
enough money to keep their<br />
injustice.<br />
Rights Club recently ran<br />
On the Mississippi River in Louisiana,<br />
an 85-mile region famously known as<br />
businesses afloat, they repay<br />
the money to the or-<br />
Stand Fast, a nationwide<br />
“Cancer Alley” is home to manufacturers<br />
project, and the group’s<br />
ganization to be loaned to<br />
who produce one quarter of the petrochemical<br />
first major project of<br />
another person. A donation<br />
products, derived from petroleum or natural<br />
the year. Stand Fast<br />
to one person makes a difference<br />
to many different these enormous amounts of petroleum is un-<br />
gas, made in the United States,. Living near<br />
asks people to give up<br />
one luxury item a day,<br />
people and many different safe and Cancer Alley’s African-American and<br />
something they might<br />
communities.<br />
Latino residents experience an elevated risk of<br />
usually spend money on,<br />
Micro, a project that helps women in countries<br />
all over the world, such as Rwanda,<br />
<strong>The</strong> Human Rights Club cancer.<br />
such as a cup of coffee or a taxi ride, and<br />
is making and selling bracelets, earrings I n 2002, Louisiana had the secondhighest<br />
death rate caused by cancer in the<br />
to donate that money to the Genocide Intervention<br />
Network, which, according to<br />
and the Philippines, to name just two. This<br />
and other miscellaneous jewelry.<br />
You can buy the jewelry<br />
organization<br />
their website, “empowers individuals and<br />
lends women Photo by Eileen Sutton<br />
United States. This is no coincidence; it is directly<br />
related to the dangers of Cancer Alley.<br />
for yourself or send it to a<br />
communities with the tools to prevent and<br />
money to become<br />
entre-<br />
friend. (Members of the Human<br />
Rights Club will deliver the bracelets (TRI) data revealed that Louisiana was ranked<br />
Moreover, in 2000, Toxic Release Inventory<br />
stop genocide.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Human Rights Club has also<br />
preneurs in order to support their families<br />
during lunch.) All the proceeds made from third in the U.S. for the amount of toxic releases.<br />
engaged in raising funds for World Vision<br />
and communities. <strong>The</strong> organization believes<br />
that women in those countries tend<br />
the jewelry sales will go to the World Vision<br />
Microloans organization.<br />
In her book, Environmental Justice:<br />
Creating Equality, Reclaiming Democracy,<br />
Kristin Shrader-Frechette explains that citizens<br />
living in Cancer Alley have “low socioeconomic<br />
status and limited political influence”.<br />
Twilight: Still a Craze or Just a Phase?<br />
African-American communities have been<br />
disproportionately impacted by the dangers of<br />
Cancer Valley.<br />
Cancer Alley is one of many examples<br />
of environmental injustice in the country;<br />
there are many examples of environmental<br />
injustice in our own community as well. Environmental<br />
injustice is prevalent in the South<br />
Bronx. A leader of environmental justice advocacy,<br />
Majora Carter, has been fighting environmental<br />
injustice there for many years.<br />
Recently, she founded an organization called<br />
Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx), which has<br />
been successful in “greening the ghetto”.<br />
SSBx projects have included sustainable construction,<br />
political advocacy related to environmental<br />
injustice, fitness, food choices, and<br />
air quality.<br />
Ms. Carter has said, “<strong>The</strong> business of<br />
poverty is too expensive a bill for humanity to<br />
By Rachel Zeuner<br />
Illustration ByTalia Niederman<br />
pay any longer. All of our solutions must incorporate<br />
poverty alleviation and policies that<br />
acknowledge and mediate the environmental<br />
inequities that poor communities have traditionally<br />
experienced.”<br />
It might be difficult to feel connected to Cancer<br />
Alley in Louisiana, but the South Bronx is<br />
right outside our door, and injustice is being<br />
committed against our neighbors daily. Ms.<br />
Carter believes that the environmental justice<br />
campaign is a crucial cause—what she calls<br />
the civil rights battle of the 21st century.<br />
Fads can define a generation. For our<br />
parents, it was tie-dye, mood rings, bell bottoms,<br />
mix tapes, pet rocks, Pong, <strong>The</strong> Rocky<br />
Horror Picture Show, Madonna, shoulder pads,<br />
and ouija boards. <strong>The</strong>se fads, whether they were<br />
long-term crazes or passing phases, have come<br />
to symbolize the culture of the 1960’s through<br />
the 1980’s.<br />
For our generation, it is Tamagotchi,<br />
Pokemon, beanie babies, boy bands and hiphop<br />
music, Bop-It, Harry Potter, Ipods, skinny<br />
jeans, Uggs, razor scooters and Facebook.<br />
Throughout the 90’s and the 00’s, kids have<br />
embraced these fads to such an extent that they<br />
will eventually define our generation.<br />
With the recent release of the movie<br />
<strong>The</strong> Twilight Saga: New Moon, one may begin<br />
to wonder if Twilight will be added to our<br />
list. Will it remain a craze and join the likes of<br />
Harry Potter on our bookshelves? Or will it just<br />
be another phase, forgotten with the times?<br />
In order for Twilight to be remembered,<br />
the movies and novels must be intriguing<br />
and exciting enough that fans will want to<br />
watch or read them again and again. In order to<br />
make the movies appeal to non-Twilight fans,<br />
the director was faced with the challenge of<br />
how much of the book’s plot should transfer<br />
into the movie and how much could be fabricated<br />
or taken from other books in the series.<br />
To many avid New Moon fans, the movie was<br />
an accurate representation of the book. Junior<br />
Ilana Rayport, who liked the movie, commented,<br />
“Twilight was completely inaccurate while<br />
New Moon stuck much closer to the actual<br />
book.”<br />
According to general consensus, although<br />
New Moon was indeed a much better<br />
movie than Twilight, once the fan-girl obsession<br />
passes, true fans will realize that New Moon really<br />
is not a high quality film.<br />
As for New Moon being better than Twilight,<br />
this could have been due in part to the change<br />
in directors from Catherine Hardwicke to Chris<br />
Weitz, who managed to make a more cinematically<br />
and dramatically interesting film. In addition,<br />
the increase in popularity of the New<br />
Moon film could be because the film so closely<br />
followed the well-known plot. Finally, the addition<br />
of a bigger role for the character Jacob<br />
Black, played by Taylor Lautner, may also have<br />
contributed to the increase in popularity, especially<br />
among the pre-teen and female teenage<br />
fan base.<br />
Although the movies are not exactly<br />
Academy Award winning quality and the books<br />
are, as junior Rebecca Cooper commented,<br />
“a beach read,” Twilight seems to have taken<br />
over the bookstores, movie theaters, and female<br />
teenage minds of America and the world. (<strong>The</strong><br />
books have been translated to over thirteen languages.)<br />
So is Twilight just a phase that will<br />
pass with the times, or will the craze continue to<br />
develop and be added to the list of fads from our<br />
generation?<br />
Self-described level two Twilight fan,<br />
(on a scale from one to ten, one being “I hate it”<br />
and ten being “it is all I live for”) senior Jessica<br />
Appelbaum said, “It's a complete phase; that's<br />
why they're cranking out the movies so quickly.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y know that if more than a year passes<br />
between movies, the craze will die out. <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are no new books coming out, and by this time,<br />
anyone who will read the books has read them.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y know that if they don't keep creating press<br />
through quick movie production, everyone will<br />
stop caring.” Jessica is an example of a Twilight<br />
reader who only read the books because of the<br />
craze around the movies.<br />
Level seven fan Ilana Rayport said,<br />
“Everyone is reading the books because of the<br />
movies and because it's the fad, but I read them<br />
before anyone told me about them. I was a fan<br />
from the beginning, not the beginning-beginning<br />
like when they were first published, but<br />
early enough that none of my friends were reading<br />
them. I started reading them way before the<br />
craze started.” Even fans who loved the books<br />
from the beginning recognize the craze but do<br />
not feel it is a phase.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n there are fans who fall somewhere<br />
in the middle. Senior Nora Swidler says,<br />
“Last year my obsession was around a 9.5. This<br />
year my obsession ranges around 3 or 4… It's<br />
totally a phase. I am mostly out of it already. I<br />
was crazed last year when it was new and exciting,<br />
but now I realize that the excitement has<br />
passed and so will the 'craze'.” Nora, who read<br />
the books when the craze was at its height before<br />
the release of the Twilight film, is an example<br />
of someone for whom the craze has become<br />
just a phase.<br />
Will the Twilight craze continue or will newer<br />
story lines eclipse the phase? Only time will tell<br />
if <strong>The</strong> Twilight Saga will join the likes of Harry<br />
Potter or Ipods in defining our generation. But<br />
for now, anyone who is looking for a very light<br />
read or for a movie that’s just okay, <strong>The</strong> Twilight<br />
Saga would be a good choice for you.<br />
Earthjustice is one environmental<br />
justice organization focused on national, as<br />
well as international, governmental policies.<br />
To anyone who wonders why its members<br />
lobby for environmental justice, their slogan<br />
answers: “Because the Earth Needs a Good<br />
Lawyer.”<br />
Even as <strong>Heschel</strong> students, including<br />
the new Sustainability Committee led by<br />
junior Daniel Kressel, think of ways to green<br />
the <strong>Heschel</strong> <strong>School</strong>, it is important to extend<br />
ourselves to other communities who are suffering<br />
from the effects of environmental injustice.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se other communities, such as the<br />
South Bronx, need help defending themselves<br />
through political lobbying and volunteering.<br />
If you feel inspired to join the battle for environmental<br />
justice issues locally, nationally,<br />
or internationally, visit http://ssbx.org/index.<br />
php?link=24 for SSBx volunteer opportunities<br />
and http://www.earthjustice.org/how_to_<br />
help/index.html for ways to help Earthjustice<br />
through advocacy and lobbyism.
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong> Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 Page 7<br />
Mohammad Bakri Op-Ed<br />
By Eno Freedman-Brodmann<br />
Before I knew Mohammad<br />
Bakri was coming to visit our school,<br />
I had the chance to see two of his<br />
films at Cinema Village. <strong>The</strong> first one<br />
I saw was Laila’s Birthday in which<br />
he played the role of a father trying to<br />
get home in time to give his daughter<br />
a present. <strong>The</strong> second film, Zahara,<br />
featured Bakri as a director telling the<br />
story of his aunt.<br />
Bakri did not appear in the<br />
theater until the film was over and it<br />
had spoken for itself. I did not know<br />
anything about his history or his past<br />
films. During the question-and-answer<br />
session, I did not look at Bakri<br />
as a Palestinian or an enemy. I viewed<br />
him as an actor and filmmaker. He<br />
was like me. An artist.<br />
Bakri had an incredible comfort<br />
in the theater, filled mostly with<br />
Israelis and Jewish Americans. He<br />
smiled and talked openly about his<br />
life and views. He spoke about how<br />
excited he was to come to the country<br />
and walk the streets. He was comfortable<br />
with people knowing where he<br />
was from and who he was. He was<br />
happy to listen to others and talk.<br />
I had the opportunity to speak<br />
to Bakri alone twice. We smiled while<br />
he lit his cigarette and talked about<br />
filmmaking. He told me that his voice<br />
was muted where he came from, and<br />
that films were a way to express to<br />
the world what he had gone through.<br />
We left our past behind that night.<br />
He knew I was Jewish and I knew he<br />
was Palestinian. He might have had<br />
something against my people and<br />
vice versa, but the fact that we were<br />
both artists allowed us to discuss topics<br />
besides the conflict.<br />
Even with this in mind, I<br />
understand how students are taken<br />
aback by Bakri’s visit to our school.<br />
I, too, admit that I do not know so<br />
much about his past work. However,<br />
Bakri is indeed a symbol of future<br />
dialogue. Not only does he want to<br />
talk to the other side, but he is a dual<br />
citizen. Although he lives in Be’ina,<br />
he attended Tel Aviv University and<br />
works with Israelis on a daily basis.<br />
On November 19, Mohammad<br />
Bakri took a brave step. He came<br />
from Ramallah and stepped foot in<br />
the beit midrash of a Jewish school to<br />
talk with Jewish students for the first<br />
time in his life. This was new to him<br />
and he did not know exactly what to<br />
expect. Although he travelled a long<br />
distance with a smile on his face and<br />
had good intentions, some students<br />
thought of protesting the event.<br />
One senior said, “I felt it was positive<br />
that people attended, but there<br />
was some disrespect in the tone used<br />
by students asking questions. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
repeated their opinions and insisted<br />
that he answer, unsatisfied with his<br />
responses. It was not that Bakri was<br />
evading the questions or avoiding accountability<br />
for his views. He wanted<br />
to show respect so that that the<br />
dialogue would continue.”<br />
I then asked myself the question,<br />
would I be able to go to an Arab<br />
school and open a dialogue like Bakri<br />
did?<br />
Lashing out at<br />
By Zoe Goldberg<br />
<strong>The</strong> theme of the <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
school shabbaton was the importance<br />
of accepting, not just tolerating<br />
people who are different from us.<br />
In groups led by the student senate,<br />
students defined the words “accept”<br />
and “tolerate” and brainstormed how<br />
to incorporate the idea of acceptance<br />
into their daily lives. This could mean<br />
just saying “thank you” to the people<br />
who serve lunch and wash the dishes<br />
at school, but it could also mean defending<br />
the rights of others.<br />
Acts of racism and anti-<br />
Semitism are on the increase around<br />
the world. In Europe and Britain,<br />
anti-Semitic leaders and Holocaustdeniers<br />
have been elected into government<br />
positions. A black man was<br />
kicked out of a jazz club in Kansas<br />
City because of his color. On <strong>December</strong><br />
5th in Switzerland, nearly 60% of<br />
the population voted to ban minarets,<br />
the tall spires on mosques. Black<br />
Italian soccer player Gabriele Marcotti<br />
has been abused by Italian citizens.<br />
Soon after, three people were<br />
caught on camera knocking down a<br />
big menorah in Long Island. Several<br />
weeks ago, three anti-Semitic acts<br />
Jews<br />
were committed in New Jersey.<br />
This year at Stanford University, the<br />
Hillel sukkah was vandalized by an<br />
unidentified student when it was left<br />
unattended over night. <strong>The</strong> students<br />
of Stanford did not take this act lightly.<br />
A large number of students, both<br />
Jewish and non-Jewish, slept around<br />
and inside the sukkah to protect it.<br />
Though they were not all believers in<br />
Jewish ideals and traditions, they all<br />
believed in religious tolerance.<br />
Many day school students<br />
never experience acts of anti-Semitism<br />
and may therefore feel somewhat<br />
distant from the issue. However,<br />
the <strong>Heschel</strong> <strong>School</strong> believes<br />
in tolerance and acceptance and in<br />
social action. Students are taught to<br />
accept everyone as they are, regardless<br />
of their background, and are<br />
taught to do hesed, acts of kindness,<br />
in order to help the world become a<br />
better place. <strong>The</strong>se lessons teach us<br />
that it is important to take issues of<br />
prejudice seriously. As one <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
student commented, “even when we<br />
don’t see anti-Semitism in front of<br />
our eyes, it’s still important to keep it<br />
in our minds and try to prevent it.”<br />
Teacher Profiles: Sophie<br />
Rapoport and Tanya<br />
Freedman<br />
By Beatrice Volkmar<br />
Photo by Hugo Uvegi<br />
This year Sophie Rapoport<br />
joined the <strong>Heschel</strong> Limudei Qodesh<br />
staff. Sophie grew up in Minneapolis<br />
and attended a middle school much<br />
like <strong>Heschel</strong>. She then attended St.<br />
Louis Parks, which was a mid-sized<br />
public high school. Sophie learned to<br />
be an active, religious Jew even in the<br />
non-Jewish setting of her high school.<br />
She believes that her endeavor to retain<br />
her connection to Judaism in a<br />
public school ultimately made her a<br />
more strongly connected Jew. As a<br />
college student at MIT she studied<br />
math and minored in music or, as she<br />
put it, she “majored in Hillel.”<br />
Sophie has two younger sisters<br />
and a long list of hobbies and<br />
passions. In high school, Sophie<br />
participated in many extracurricular<br />
activities, including the math team,<br />
quiz bowl, orchestra, cross-country,<br />
and lacrosse. Although Sophie misses<br />
playing team sports, such as hockey,<br />
and also misses playing in the orchestra,<br />
she still keeps busy. Sophie enjoys<br />
playing violin, reading, hiking,<br />
biking and running. She stays active<br />
and bikes to school almost every day.<br />
Readers may wonder—how<br />
did Sophie end up at the <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
High <strong>School</strong>? Sophie has always<br />
loved helping people learn. She wanted<br />
to be a math professor for a long<br />
time, but realized in college that she<br />
cared more about Jewish communitybuilding<br />
than “staring at blackboards<br />
hoping for mathematical inspiration.”<br />
After falling in love with Torah study,<br />
she decided that teaching Talmud<br />
would be a perfect combination of<br />
Torah and math-- using mathematical<br />
logic to addresses deep human questions.<br />
Sophie still aspires to teach<br />
math someday. For now, co-advising<br />
the math team gives her the opportunity<br />
to work through challenging and<br />
interesting math problems with students.<br />
Sophie is enjoying working<br />
at <strong>Heschel</strong>, both because the students<br />
are exciting and thoughtful, and because<br />
the faculty is so cooperative.<br />
And the students are enjoying having<br />
Sophie work at <strong>Heschel</strong> as well!<br />
By Samantha Brandspiegel<br />
This year a new art teacher,<br />
Tanya Freedman, has come to join the<br />
high school art department. As the<br />
artist-in-residence at <strong>Heschel</strong>, Tanya<br />
is working with the Student Life office<br />
and with different clubs throughout the<br />
year.<br />
Tanya was born in Saint Louis, Missouri,<br />
and grew up in an Orthodox<br />
community. She attended Brandeis<br />
University, where she received her diploma<br />
in Art. Some of the students at<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> might like to know that she is<br />
the cousin of Anielle Freedman, who<br />
graduated from <strong>Heschel</strong> last year. Before<br />
coming to <strong>Heschel</strong>, Tanya taught<br />
at high schools in Rwanda and Israel.<br />
<strong>The</strong> community atmosphere at the high<br />
school she taught at in Rwanda was<br />
like <strong>Heschel</strong>’s, which is what brought<br />
her to the high school.<br />
Tanya wanted to be a teacher<br />
from the time she was 12 years old. At<br />
first, she wanted to teach in the Judaic<br />
Studies department in a Jewish high<br />
school, but in her teenage years she discovered<br />
her passion for art. She wanted<br />
to be an art teacher because, she said,<br />
“I love creating things based on what I<br />
see in the world.” She also likes to see<br />
the ideas that other people can come up<br />
with, because to her, “ art is a way to<br />
challenge your [own] ideas.”<br />
Tanya primarily paints portraits.<br />
She also loves working with a<br />
lot of people on big projects, such as<br />
community murals. While in Rwanda,<br />
Tanya helped the villagers paint a beautiful<br />
mural to beautify their village.<br />
Tanya is not just an artist. She<br />
has many other hobbies, which include<br />
skiing, exploring nature, and African<br />
dancing.<br />
In the few months that Tanya has been<br />
at <strong>Heschel</strong>, she has already come to<br />
love it. She said that the students are<br />
really motivated and have great ideas.<br />
She cannot wait to help the students at<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> make those ideas come alive<br />
in art. She said that she likes that all the<br />
teachers have their own styles of teaching.<br />
She added that she has seen that the<br />
teachers work to make their classes fun<br />
and interesting for students. She especially<br />
enjoyed going on the Shabbaton<br />
because she was able to meet and see<br />
the <strong>Heschel</strong> community as a whole.<br />
Welcome to <strong>Heschel</strong>, Tanya!
Page 8 Helios <strong>Volume</strong> 8 <strong>Issue</strong> 3 <strong>December</strong> <strong>2009</strong><br />
Horoscopes<br />
Heliostyle:<br />
Leo:<br />
Shorts in<br />
Since vacation is coming<br />
up, try and think of<br />
doing something new.<br />
Winter<br />
Book a flight with your<br />
By Rachel Fell<br />
family or friends to<br />
a place you’ve never<br />
Hello, Style Students!<br />
been before. Take a<br />
Welcome back to our 3rd edition<br />
road trip! Visit a beach! You will have a<br />
of HelioStyle this year! I’m sorry to say,<br />
great time experiencing all these new places<br />
with people you love around you.<br />
style advice, but boys, keep the questions<br />
but today we are going to return to female-<br />
Virgo:<br />
coming!<br />
It’s time for you<br />
to change up your<br />
An anonymous female student asked:<br />
look. Get a dramatic<br />
haircut. It’ll<br />
Q: How can I wear shorts in the wintertime?<br />
be fun to get all<br />
the compliments and<br />
you will be inspired to keep changing your<br />
look. With winter around the corner, get<br />
cool hats--from barrettes, hunter hats, or<br />
Eskimo hats. <strong>The</strong>re is a big variety of fun<br />
winter clothing. Have fun! Be original!<br />
By Michele Kaplan<br />
Aries:<br />
B r o a d e n<br />
your music selection.<br />
Try to listen to<br />
different genres and<br />
artists. You will love<br />
the different types of<br />
music you’ve never<br />
heard before and they will inspire you to<br />
try other new things.<br />
Taurus:<br />
Try to exercise.<br />
During the winter it<br />
is easy to stay inside.<br />
However, try signing<br />
up for classes or<br />
even just exercising<br />
at home by doing crunches and push-ups.<br />
Stay active and don’t give up.<br />
Gemini:<br />
Spend less time watching<br />
television this week.<br />
It may be tough to give<br />
up, but when you realize<br />
how much time you<br />
save you will be glad.<br />
You will soon have so much free time,<br />
you’ll be less stressed, get work done, and<br />
even be able to pick up a hobby.<br />
Cancer:<br />
This week<br />
you’re inclined<br />
to get hurt. Be<br />
careful and try to<br />
avoid rowdy situations.<br />
If you get<br />
some rest and think clearly to prevent<br />
these situations you will be okay.<br />
By Victor Weberman<br />
On October 28, Head Coach Kevin<br />
Flynn told his varsity players that he had resigned<br />
from his position under pressure from his full-time<br />
job at the Hoboken Charter <strong>School</strong>. He ultimately<br />
had no choice, and told his boys several times he<br />
wished he did not have to leave the <strong>Heschel</strong> family.<br />
Mark Wiseman was promoted to head coach<br />
and Abraham Keita remained as assistant coach.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Heat’s season opener took place<br />
at the high school against Magen David Yeshiva<br />
(MDY) with a more than substantial crowd in attendance.<br />
<strong>The</strong> game moved at a slow pace, with<br />
no team totaling more than 45 points by the final<br />
buzzer. Only 7 out of 14 players played significant<br />
minutes for the Heat, and they were often<br />
struggling during the game. While <strong>Heschel</strong> never<br />
lost the lead in the second half, its lackluster offense<br />
(scoring only 43 points) rarely provided excitement<br />
for the audience. However, on the defensive<br />
end, the Heat held MDY to 34 for the entire<br />
game.<br />
In their second game of the season, the<br />
Heat defeated Ohr HaTorah by a walloping score<br />
of 61-34. <strong>The</strong> game was over after the first quarter<br />
when Coach Wiseman already pulled out some of<br />
his starters while up double digits; every player<br />
checked into the game and scored.<br />
In their next matchup, <strong>Heschel</strong> played<br />
in one of their most revenge-filled games as they<br />
took on a familiar foe from Flatbush in a packed<br />
gym at home. <strong>Heschel</strong> jumped out to an impressive<br />
17-6 lead after the first quarter, mainly due to<br />
the scoring of captains Jack Liechtung and Daniel<br />
Kasman. <strong>Heschel</strong> tacked on one more point before<br />
Flatbush opened up the second quarter with<br />
an 8-0 run, and closed the gap to two points (25-<br />
23) at the half.<br />
Coach Wiseman was furious at his<br />
boys in the locker room and the Flatbush coach<br />
must have given his boys an earful too, as both<br />
teams scored a combined 36 points in the third<br />
quarter with <strong>Heschel</strong> up 44-40.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Heat started the fourth quarter<br />
without sixth man David Yitzhari, who fouled<br />
out, and Kasman who was still on the floor with<br />
four fouls. Less than two minutes into the final<br />
period the Heat found themselves with a starter<br />
and sixth man on the bench because they fouled<br />
out.<br />
Flatbush found their groove on offense<br />
in the third quarter, and carried over their excellent<br />
shooting into final quarter only missing a few<br />
Libra:<br />
Try to stay in for<br />
the weekends.<br />
Lately you have<br />
been really busy<br />
and going out. Just<br />
breathe, maybe rent a movie. Going out<br />
will just make you more exhausted and<br />
you need to rest and rejuvenate for the next<br />
week.<br />
Scorpio:<br />
Don’t trust all your<br />
friends. Someone is very<br />
jealous of you and will<br />
want to make you fall.<br />
Be careful who you trust<br />
and who you tell things<br />
to. Be careful of who<br />
you are surrounded by<br />
and find friends you can rely on.<br />
Varsity Basketball Update<br />
outside jumpers and breaking down <strong>Heschel</strong>’s 2-3<br />
zone defense by getting easy lay- up opportunities.<br />
With 16 seconds left in the game, Flatbush missed<br />
the front end of a one-and-one at the free throw<br />
line, and Coach Wiseman called a timeout to draw<br />
up a play. When the referees called the teams back<br />
onto the floor to resume play, Wiseman burned a<br />
consecutive timeout leaving him with no timeouts<br />
remaining. <strong>The</strong> play broke down, and after Liechtung<br />
lost 8 seconds by dribbling the ball around,<br />
he finally found an open man, Ezra Ellenberg.<br />
Ellenberg started his drive along the baseline,<br />
but stepped out prior to attempting a shot. With<br />
5 seconds left, the Heat fouled Flatbush again,<br />
sending them to the line with a chance to ice the<br />
game with two free throws. <strong>The</strong> first attempt was<br />
missed and the second one was forfeited due to a<br />
lane violation by the Falcons. <strong>Heschel</strong> received<br />
the ball at the opposite end of their basket with<br />
2.8 ticks left on the clock. Junior guard Emanuel<br />
Schlisser had to chuck up a prayer from half court<br />
at the buzzer, and was just a few feet to the left of<br />
a game-winning basket.<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> easily bounced back in their<br />
next game beating Shaare Torah 46-36. <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
was leading by double digits in the second quarter<br />
and grabbed a 33-8 lead in the early fourth<br />
quarter. This really was a 20 point win; however,<br />
Shaare Torah kept their starters in and made the<br />
score look respectable.<br />
Sagittarius:<br />
This is your<br />
month! Your birthday<br />
is coming up or just<br />
passed. Get pumped!<br />
This will be the best<br />
birthday yet. Your<br />
friends and family will<br />
know exactly what you<br />
want to get and you will have a blast.<br />
Capricorn:<br />
Show someone you<br />
care this week. Buy roses,<br />
chocolate, or even a<br />
small card. If you show<br />
your appreciation to<br />
your friend or someone<br />
you like, they will be very<br />
thankful. You will be surprised how grateful<br />
they’ll be to receive your gifts and they<br />
will reciprocate.<br />
Aquarius:<br />
Don’t do anything<br />
you don’t want to do.<br />
If you’re not ready<br />
for something, speak<br />
up. Take your time<br />
and don’t follow your friends. If you don’t rush<br />
into anything, no one will care. You just have<br />
to listen to your inner voice and move at your<br />
own pace.<br />
Pisces:<br />
You are going to have<br />
a famous moment.<br />
Everywhere you go,<br />
someone will know<br />
you and recognize you.<br />
You may even run into<br />
a celebrity at the places<br />
you’re going. Have fun and bring out your<br />
inner super star!<br />
Illustration by Talia Niederman<br />
In the Heat’s following match, they<br />
played MTA on the road for their first away game.<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> started out with a bang going up 8-0 then<br />
13-5, but then MTA had a run of their own, to<br />
go up 18-14. MTA led at the half, 23-20, and a<br />
series of runs turned it into a back-and-forth style<br />
of game, with the deficit never greater than a five<br />
point lead. With 15 seconds left ,<strong>Heschel</strong> found<br />
themselves down by 2 with the ball. Kasman received<br />
the ball in the corner, drove baseline and<br />
missed a lay up in traffic. MTA got the ball, and<br />
with no time left after they missed a free throw,<br />
the scoreboard read: MTA 50, <strong>Heschel</strong> 48.<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong>’s next match up was on the<br />
road at MDY; the first time they faced a team<br />
twice thus far. <strong>The</strong> first half was filled with fouls<br />
(15+ combined), and resulted in a low-scoring<br />
half with <strong>Heschel</strong> up 20-1<strong>3.</strong> <strong>The</strong> Heat controlled<br />
the tempo of the game never letting MDY to gain<br />
a lead in the second half, and hitting foul shots<br />
when it counted. Schlisser, Kasman, and Liechtung<br />
combined for 28 points as <strong>Heschel</strong> defeated<br />
MDY 36-24.<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong>’s next game was against the<br />
Photo by Eileen Sutton<br />
Flatbush Falcons. In this game it was the Falcons<br />
who jumped out to and early lead of 7 points in<br />
the 1st quarter at 8-1 and 10-<strong>3.</strong> In the second<br />
quarter however, <strong>Heschel</strong> outscored Flatbush 16-<br />
A: While the temperature continues to<br />
cool down outside, and the winter months<br />
are quickly approaching, we are forced to<br />
say so long to our summer clothes. Don’t<br />
worry, folks, I am here to let you know that<br />
you don’t have to put away all your summer<br />
clothing. Shorts can be used as an alternative<br />
to a dress or a skirt in the winter<br />
months. <strong>The</strong>y can be paired with boots and<br />
tights to create the ultimate winter-appropriate<br />
look. For example, your khaki shorts<br />
can be used for an equestrian look. Going<br />
for equestrian style, look for clothing in<br />
the brown, tan, and ivory family, including<br />
thick wool tights, riding boots, and a wellfitting<br />
buttoned blouse or sweater to tuck<br />
into the shorts. Jean shorts can create a boho-inspired<br />
look when paired with lace-up<br />
boots, a loose plain or graphic T-shirt, and<br />
a vest or a cardigan. And of course, appropriate<br />
accessories like belts, necklaces, and<br />
bracelets are always encouraged.<br />
I hope this gives you a little taste of how to<br />
keep the summer with you all year long!<br />
Keep the questions coming,<br />
RF<br />
11 to close the gap to 2 (21-19) at halftime. <strong>The</strong><br />
Heat came out with fire in their eyes in the 3rd<br />
quarter as they outscored the Falcons again 14-5,<br />
going up 33-26. In this period Mani sunk a triple,<br />
and Kasman hit two three-pointers; one, a buzzer<br />
beater, that got the <strong>Heschel</strong> players, coaches, and<br />
most of all fans pumped up. Flatbush would not<br />
go away quietly in the final eight minutes of this<br />
game closing the gap to a mere point three times<br />
(35-34, 36-35, and 38-37). <strong>Heschel</strong> would score<br />
their last few points on free throws after their final<br />
made field goal was a beautiful leaning jumper<br />
by Jack from the foul line with 2:30 minutes to<br />
go pushing the score the <strong>Heschel</strong> lead to 4 (35-<br />
31). With six seconds left on the clock, Flatbush<br />
fouled Kasman putting him at the line to push a<br />
nail-bitting one point lead to an ever so slightly<br />
more comfortable lead to three points. Kasman<br />
missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity<br />
giving Flatbush the ball with three seconds left<br />
at mid-court. A broken play resulted in <strong>Heschel</strong>’s<br />
possession; the following play time expired after<br />
one pass, with the scoreboard reading: <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
38, Flatbush 37. Fans and players stormed the<br />
court as <strong>Heschel</strong>’s four game losing-streak (including<br />
playoffs) to the ‘bush ended, and putting<br />
<strong>Heschel</strong> back in the mix of contention for a top<br />
seeding in the playoffs.<br />
As of this writing, the Cooper Yeshiva<br />
H.S. Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring<br />
16 teams representing states across America,<br />
is coming up. <strong>Heschel</strong> has been given the #4 seed<br />
for the tournament, pairing them with #13 Stern<br />
Hebrew H.S. from Philadelphia, PA (a school <strong>Heschel</strong><br />
has never played) in the first round.<br />
Check back for a complete wrap-up of this tournament<br />
in the next issue of Helios.<br />
Come support all four <strong>Heschel</strong> Heat basketball<br />
Teams at Home! Below is the home schedule<br />
for all four teams in the month of January.<br />
Let’s Go Heat!!<br />
Sunday, January 10th – Girls Varsity vs.<br />
HANC 4:00 P.M.<br />
Tuesday, January 12th – Boys Varsity vs.<br />
TABC 8:00 P.M.<br />
Thursday, January 21st – Boys Junior Varsity<br />
vs. Westchester 7:30 P.M.<br />
Monday, January 25th – Boys Varsity vs. Trevor<br />
5:30 P.M.