Volume 8 Issue 4, February 2010 - The Heschel School

‏ְשבטׁ‏ ה“תש‘‏ ע
February 2010 2010
Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 Volume 8 Issue Page 41
The Official Student Newspaper
of the
Abraham Joshua Heschel
High School
“We stand for what we utter…”
- Rabbi Heschel
The Hesed Wars: The
Competitive Nature Of Hesed at Heschel
In This Issue:
American Creativity
Reduced to Remakes
By Gabriel Fisher
Walking through the hallways of the Heschel
High School and encountering walls that are increasingly
cluttered with posters from various student-run hesed, or
social action groups, one may have to ask whether it is
possible that the Heschel High School is suffering from
too much of a good thing. Such questions have arisen in
light of recent clashes between two student-led hesed initiatives.
During Hanukkah, tensions rose between two groups
that were planning to sell bracelets to promote their separate
causes. In the month of December, the Hesed Minyan,
an alternative minyan devoted to helping others,
was selling bracelets made by Tibetan monks to support
a monastery of Tibetan refugees. Meanwhile, the Human
Rights Alliance, another student-run group, was also planning
to sell bracelets to provide a micro-loan for a Mexican
woman and her family.
Sensing conflict, the Human Rights Alliance
asked the Hesed Minyan to postpone its project for a
few days, and the Hesed Minyan obliged. As sophomore
Lizzie Davis explained, “In the interests of cooperation,
we agreed to postpone our bracelet campaign once theirs
began, but it was a less than satisfactory situation.”
Illustration by Talia Niederman
In spite of the fact that the two groups eventually settled
this dispute, many members of the Hesed Minyan were angry
about the events that had unfolded. One member of the
minyan, who requested anonymity, said: “We were merely
selling bracelets and the Human Rights Alliance, for whatever
reason, asked us to stop selling bracelets so they could
sell, and we politely agreed to stop. We were just upset
that they decided to turn this into some type of competition,
either intentionally or unintentionally, while we were just
trying to save the Tibetans.”
Although this specific issue was resolved some
time ago, many members of the Hesed Minyan insist that
the repercussions of the dispute are still felt. Some claim
that after the Human Rights Alliance requested them to
postpone bracelet sales, they were never able to regain the
momentum of the project and consequently were unable to
sell the remainder of the bracelets.
As one member of the minyan, who requested
anonymity, explained, “Now people have lost interest in
our cause and we are losing money for our cause. We are
now taking money from the vending machine tzedakah
box, which was originally supposed to go to Lawrence, a
boy from the Philippines. In their attempt to save a woman
(Continued on page 4)
Illustration by Rebecca Schwarz
(Page 4)
True
compassion for
Haitians
Needed
(Page 3)
TMI on High School Conferences
By Lizzi Rauner
When our parents went to school, they
definitely did not use computers. They did not
have First Class or the advantage of teachers
“posting” homework, and they certainly did not
have access to a full school conference to find
out classmates’ birthdays and where misplaced
Mac chargers were last seen.
The high school conference board’s purpose
is to inform every one of school-wide issues,
such as the recent postings about Haiti and
how everyone in Heschel can help.
Jessica Gribetz commented that the main purpose
of having a high school conference board
is, “To let students know on the whole about an
upcoming event, responsibility, code of behavior,
and possibly to share a positive YouTube
video.”
However, much that goes on in the conferences
is not related to these topics, and there
has been a lot of discussion about what is appropriate
to post on conferences.
Some frequent posters do not think that
the high school conferences are meant only for
school issues. One regular poster, David Mishaan,
a junior, said that, “The high school conference
board is a place where all students can have fun
and discuss things, without it going to their inbox.
If it were restricted to only school or academic related
questions, the most exciting topic that would
come up is if it's Friday A or B tomorrow. Yawn.”
Sophomore Lizzie Davis commented that, “High
school conference isn't the best place for school
announcements because most people don't check
it frequently. In fact, a number of people don't
check it at all.”
One student claimed that the conference
posts are “obnoxious” and disagreed with the idea
of “bonding” over the conference board. Another
student said that, “They are not distracting, but
some people could just have those personal
conversations on their own account. There is no
reason to post pictures of other people or just
say ‘hi’.”
“A downside to the school-wide conference
is meaningless posts that people make to
pass the time in class,” said sophomore Gaby
Sherman. Sherman added that the posts are also
distracting during class, which raises another
issue: should the conference board encourage
students to send joke emails during classes?
Jessica Gribetz answered that it might be a
problem.
There has been an increase in posting
private jokes on the conference board. Many
students have said that they prefer those emails
to be sent to their personal inboxes.
Senior Sammy Mernick said that, “It’s

Page 2 Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 February 2010
The Pluralistic Paradox: Coming Out in
Heschel High School
By Emma Goldberg
Emmy Tauber, a sophomore at Heschel
High School, came out in her freshman
year. At first she enjoyed support from close
friends when she disclosed her homosexuality,
but as the news spread, reactions began to
vary. Tauber is the first Heschel student to come
out as gay while still attending the high school.
When she first came out in the winter of last
year, she told her two closest friends and family,
but the news soon spread.
Tauber felt that many in the community, while
not openly hostile, were not very accepting.
“People have felt uncomfortable when I talk
about anything related to homosexuality at
Heschel,” Tauber explained. The fact that the
reception she received was so mixed may be
a reflection of a paradox within the Heschel
community. Although the Heschel community
prides itself on pluralism, its acceptance of homosexual
students is ambivalent, according to
Tauber.
When asked what behavior caused
her to feel so excluded as an openly gay student,
Tauber cited the fact that
many Heschel students are
not sensitive to the impact
of language. Phrases like
“that’s so gay” and “no
homo” are often tossed casually
around the Heschel
hallways, justified with
responses such as, “well,
I obviously didn’t mean it
that way.” Many students
confess that they often
casually use the phrase,
“that’s so gay”, and that
they hear it used often as
well. “I hear it all the time
in completely random
contexts,” said a sophomore
who asked to remain
anonymous. “When
I hear people respond to
a song or movie with the
comment, ‘that’s so gay’
I always call them out on
it and say, ‘Wait, so you
think gay means stupid?’”
Another approach offered by a student
was the response, “How would you feel if
someone said, ‘that’s so Jewish’?”
Tauber stated that phrases such as
“no homo” make her feel uncomfortable because,
even if they are not intended to be hurtful,
their connotations suggest homophobia and
exclusion. “Ask any sophomore, I am the chief
policewoman at Heschel on homophobic language,”
she said. Tauber stated that on average
she hears between two and five homophobic
remarks a day in the Heschel hallways. “Many
times I try to stop them [other students using insensitive
language] but they never listen. They
either completely ignore me or tell me… it’s
not important.”
Two years ago, the Heschel Shabbaton
theme was, “words that hurt and words
that heal.” It focused on inspiring students to
speak more sensitively, bearing in mind that
their choice of language affects everyone surrounding
them. Students explored phrases such
as “that’s so gay,” which target homosexuals,
as well as words such as “retard,” which offend
those who are mentally challenged. Seniors and
juniors who experienced the Shabbaton called
it highly effective. Several said it inspired them
to speak more sensitively and to be aware that
their language could hurt those around them
even if it was not intended to be derogatory.
In Tauber’s view, Heschel is due for another
“words that hurt” session. Tauber added that
outside of the Heschel community phrases such
as “no homo” are widely interpreted as homophobic—in
other words, that, “I obviously
didn’t mean it!” doesn’t stand as an adequate
excuse.
In fact, just as words often translate
into action, homophobic phrases have translated
into violence across the nation—even
towards gay teenagers. Carl Walker, an 11-
year-old from Massachusetts, hanged himself
in response to comments from classmates who
saw him as flamboyant and feminine. Lawrence
King, a 15-year-old homosexual student from
California, shot and killed in 2008, has become
an icon of the movement against homophobic
violence towards youth.
Tauber explained that violence towards homosexual
teens is common across the nation, citing
studies she has read. “That gives us, communities
like Heschel that stand for pluralism,
the obligation to really take a stand.”
And yet, even within the small Heschel community,
students are not always accepting of
differences, especially where sexuality is concerned.
According to a poll by NBC, 5% of
American high school students identify as gay
and 72% of high school students have friends
or relatives who are gay. And yet Tauber is Heschel’s
first openly gay student. Could this be
due in part to an atmosphere of closed-mindedness
and insensitivity that deters others from
coming out?
“Heschel is tolerant of homosexual students,
but it’s not accepting.” said the sophomore
quoted above. “There’s a huge difference.”
Limudei Qodesh teacher Ruth Satinover
Fagen said that several students who
graduated from Heschel High
School over the past few years came out after
leaving the Heschel community.
Heschel is not unique in its struggle
to retain pluralistic values where homosexuality
is concerned, especially among Jewish institutions.
Idit Klein, the executive director of
an organization called Keshet that advocates
for the rights of homosexual Jews across the
United States, explained that, “It is common
for people to immediately picture the Christian
Right when discussing homophobia, to picture
really egregious actions, but what is more
common, especially in the Jewish community,
is subtle homophobia—it’s easy for the Jewish
community to let itself off the hook.”
Jewish denominations struggle with
a concept introduced in Leviticus, which is
commonly translated as, “"[A man] shall not lie
with another man as [he would] with a woman,
it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22).
Klein, like many Jewish gay rights
advocates, believes that there are “ways to
work with a text and interpret it in ways that do
not condemn gay rights.” Many disagree, however.
The Orthodox Movement, upholding the
strictest interpretation of Jewish law, does not
permit the ordination of openly homosexual
rabbis; the Conservative movement abandoned
this policy only four years ago.
“It’s a very difficult issue to reconcile,”
said Moshe Goodman, a Limudei
Qodesh teacher at Heschel. “I know that people
are born with their sexual orientation and
the idea of being celibate for life is an unrealistic
idea for most people. Therefore this law
becomes, for many people, literally impossible
to keep...For a homosexual to read in the Torah
that something so essential to their life is a sin
is extremely painful and I do wonder how it's
possible that God could have possibly made
such a cruel law.”
According to a study done in 2008,
98% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender
(LGBT) students report being harassed, verbally
or physically, because of their sexual orientation.
According to the same study, 15% of
high school students who dropped out of high
school did so because of this harassment. Many
students say that they know of this harassment
but are uncertain how to react and be supportive
of homosexual rights within the Heschel
community.
According to Tauber, some students
have already begun to react in a supportive
way. “My friends especially those closest to
me have expressed immense support for my efforts
to advocate for gay rights at Heschel and
it has made me feel that with a little coaxing
the whole school can reform their ways and
come to support all LGBT students for years to
come.”
Tauber said that after speaking to several sophomore
advisories about her experiences with
homophobia at Heschel, several student senators
offered to dedicate a town meeting to this
issue. Other students declared their willingness
to cut the words “that’s so gay” from their vocabularies,
and willingness to support Tauber
in any way possible. The
recent establishment of
a Gay Straight Alliance
at the high school has
added to this support as
well.
Heschel’s GSA began
to meet weekly as of
January 21st and its
blurb, sent out through
student conferences,
explained that it will
be, “creating a comfortable
environment for
students to congregate
and converse.” Esther
Lenchner, co-leader of
the GSA, stated that in
creating the club they
hope to “spread awareness
about gay-straight
issues and reduce homophobia.”
When asked what
a student can do to support
fairness for lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender
students, Tauber
provided several alternatives. She stressed that
it is imperative that students cut homophobic
language from their vocabularies—as Klein
put it, “As long as a word you are using represents
a social identity, you can’t empty it of that
meaning.”
In addition to paying closer attention
to language, students willing to take the next
step can generally raise awareness by wearing
pins to support LGBT causes and participating
in rallies. One freshman stated that she observes
the Day of Silence each year, an annual
day in May when students refrain from speaking
for the entire day to symbolize the silence
and exclusion of the international community
where homosexuality is concerned.
Klein recalled how 20 years ago,
when she was in high school, she and a friend
were the only two in the school who supported
a bill to allow same-sex couples to adopt children.
“That was in 1989, which in some ways
feels like a long time ago, but, in social change
years, is actually not so long,” said Klein. Her
organization has worked with many Jewish
high schools, training faculty to be sensitive
to issues of homosexuality, and producing and
screening a documentary called Hineni that tells
the story of a 16-year-old girl who established a
GSA in a progressive Jewish high school much
like Heschel. Klein stated that, though attitudes
towards homosexuality have changed over the
past few decades, it has been a slow process
and it is the duty of students to speak up and
take action.
Tauber shared her personal credo.
“Ignorance is not bliss,” she declared. “Ignorance
leads to hate, and hate leads to violence.”
Illustration by Anna Rothstein
Helios Staff
2009-2010
Editors:
Jessica Appelbaum
Aliza Rosenfeld
Gabriel Fisher
Emma Goldberg
Art and Layout Editors:
Hannah Weintraub
Hannah Kober
Talia Niederman
Sports Editor:
Brandon Bell
Contributing Writers:
Jessica Appelbaum
Brandon Bell
Rebecca Cooper
Jenna Doctoroff
Rachel Fell
Gabriel Fisher
Aaron Freedman
Emma Goldberg
Ari Kramer
Talia Kula
Aaron Ladds
Esther Lenchner
Elizabeth Rauner
Aliza Rosenfeld
Mani Schlisser
Luis Serota
Zachary Stecker
Andrew Udell
Victor Weberman
Rachel Zeuner
Contributing Artists:
Hannah Kober
Rebecca Leeman
Julie Maschler
Talia Niederman
Sigal Palley
Andrew Udell
Faculty and Staff:
Lisa Cohen
Gabe Godin
Audrey Sieger
Dena Schutzer
We would like to formally thank
Samuel Freedman. His dedication
has helped us move Helios to
the next level.
Printing courtesy of Tri-Star
Offset & Barry Goodman
Send your
comments
to
HS Newspaper on
First Class.

February 2010 Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 Page 3
Opinion:A Risk Worth Taking
By Talia Kula
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict began
in the 1900s when Zionists began immigrating
to Palestine in organized groups. From 1917
through 1948, Palestine was under the British
Mandate, and all its residents were under British
rule. In 1948 Palestine was declared a Jewish
State and renamed Israel. In 1967, during
the Six-Day War, Israel expanded its borders
to include the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip,
the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan
Heights. Since 1967, outside countries and
organizations have made many efforts to help
bring about peace.
Israel’s failure to commit to and
follow through with promises made in agreements
such as the 1993 Oslo Accords regarding
settlement freeze and disengagement in the
West Bank has been a significant contributor
to the constant turmoil in Israel. Palestinian
reluctance to use all means to eliminate and
delegitimize terrorism, as well as the ongoing
promotion of anti-Israel rhetoric and ideology
in school textbooks and media have equally
contributed to the situation.
The arguments of both sides have
varied very little over the past two decades.
Palestinians maintain that the Israeli government
is not taking initiative in ending settlement
construction. They believe that the Israeli
army does not try to stop the theft of Arab
land. Israelis continue to argue that West Bank
settlement must be maintained and enlarged in
order to show Palestinians that Israel will not
back down. They believe it is important for
Palestinians to understand that peace cannot
be achieved by destroying Israel; instead, they
A Debate on High School
Newspaper Censorship
By Aliza Rosenfeld
Heschel students are encouraged to
voice diverse opinions in and out of the classroom.
Students make their opinions heard by
debating with teachers and shouting in the halls.
Because Heschel is a private school, however,
the student newspaper does not legally have
First Amendment rights.
Edmund Sullivan, Executive Director
at the Columbia Scholastic Press Association,
explained that private schools are “not required
by the U.S. Constitution, the New York State
Constitution or local laws to provide freedom
of expression for student journalists or editors.”
This does not mean that private school
students are not allowed freedom of expression,
but it does give each school the power to make
its own rules regarding its student newspaper.
Some schools have strict policies; others have
administrative review of all material before it
is published. Some schools are very liberal and
give students free rein to represent any issues of
their choosing in their newspaper.
To date, Head of High School Ahuva
Halberstam has read over every Helios article
before it has been published. Sometimes she
makes grammatical corrections, but in general
she checks to see if the reporter accurately portrayed
the topic. According to Helios faculty
advisor Lisa Cohen, “she is very attuned to the
tone of our articles. She wants to ensure that
no inappropriate sarcasm, mockery, etc. appears…”
“I'd like to differentiate between censorship
and additional oversight. I've never felt
that Helios has been censored,” said Lisa.
Ahuva emphasized that if someone else wanted
to take over the job of providing an additional
level of editing, she would gladly give it up.
“It’s not about censorship,” she explained.
For a Jewish school, Heschel allows
students to report on a liberal variety of topics—
some of which can be quite controversial. In the
past few years Helios has run articles on drinking,
abortion, and homosexuality. Editorials
have criticized some of the practices of both the
students and the administration. Additionally,
the school has not tried to hide the fact that students
are not all observant and has not stopped
Helios from publishing articles acknowledging
that many students do their homework on Shabbat.
One topic that Ahuva will not allow in
the paper is reviews of non-kosher restaurants.
This year one reported wanted to write about
the new Subway restaurant that opened across
the street. Heschel students who are allowed to
go out for lunch have been frequent customers
at the sandwich chain.
Some of the editorial staff felt that this
was the wrong decision, that the administration
was hiding certain truths about Heschel students.
“Our job is to report on what is happening
in school, and the opening of Subway was
definitely a hot topic. Hiding it did not make
the issue go away,” said editor Gabe Fisher, a
sophomore.
“It’s not like Subway
offends anyone by being a non-kosher restaurant.
It’s perfectly easy to just get vegetarian
food there,” explained Helios co-editor-in-chief
Jessica Appelbaum. “And the newspaper is supposed
to reflect the reality of our school.”
At the same time, the newspaper has
to represent the values of the school. While
students differ in Jewish observance outside
of school, all food brought into the Heschel
building is supposed to be kosher. Instead of
a review of a non-kosher restaurant, “I would
encourage an open debate of the existing policy
at school,” said Ahuva.
Additionally, R-rated movies are never reviewed
in the paper since most of the student
body is not allowed to see them.
According to Frank LoMonte, Executive
Director at the Student Press Law Center,
“It is just too tempting for an administrator
to abuse prior review authority to try to
protect his image or the image of the school...
Because the SPLC’s experience is that administrators
cannot resist the temptation to censor
if they are given prior-review authority, we advise
against giving administrators mandatory
prior-review authority.”
“Administrators should keep a hands-off policy
when it comes to editorial content decisions.
It is clear that students learn more, and take
more pride in their product, when they make
the ultimate decisions,” said LoMonte.
In the 1988 Supreme Court case Hazelwood
School District v. Kuhlmeier, parents
of editors from a St. Louis public high school
newspaper sued the school for censoring articles
about teen pregnancy and the effect divorce
has on teenagers. The decision in this case was
that schools may censor articles that are not in
public forums, with reasonable cause. “Unfortunately,
we still see legitimate student stories
on important subjects being censored because
of administrative concerns,” said David Hudson
from the First Amendment Center.
In one case Helios journalists have
felt limited. During the 2008-2009 school year,
then-juniors Talia Kula and Jenna Doctoroff
wrote an article about the effect of the economic
crisis on Heschel. They interviewed Head of
School Roanna Shorofsky and Head of Development
Carol Weintraub. According to Kula,
the two reporters wrote down what they heard
“word for word.” After they wrote the article,
they sent it to Carol to check over at her request
and she changed some of the quotes.
In professional journalism, writers do
not allow interviewees to review articles before
they are published, and an interviewee cannot
retract his or her statements.
Talia also felt that the administration’s
concerns were with “the image of the
school and what parents would think, rather
than whether or not the article was true.” In
the end, Talia and Jenna changed some of the
quotes and used some of the original ones.
“Protecting the image of the school
is never, under any circumstances, a legitimate
reason for a school to alter or remove content
from a student publication. If something at the
school is embarrassing to its administrators,
chances are it is something that the students
and parents need to know about,” explained
LoMonte.
Yet, while the school newspaper’s
function is to give students a means of expression,
it is also meant to represent the school and
the views of its administration. Students cannot
necessarily override the school’s concerns.
“When I read an article, I don’t really think
about what parents who want to send their kids
to Heschel would think,” says Ahuva. “I want
them to know what the school is really about.”
must make peace with Israel.
The peace process seems to be at a
stand still. What has become clear is that one
side will have to take the risk of fulfilling its obligations
first. There is no such thing as perfect
simultaneity, and if each side waits for the other
side to fulfill its obligations before fulfilling its
own, no progress will be made.
In my opinion, Israel, as the more powerful of
the two parties, must take this chance.
Currently, each side makes promises
but waits for the other side to fulfill its obligations
precisely to their liking. This dynamic must
be broken. This method of negotiation does not
work because neither side can keep its promise
in a way that satisfies the other. The conflict itself
has become the method of interpreting everything
that happens. Rather than looking for
By Luis Serota
As everyone is aware, a devastating
earthquake struck Haiti on Tuesday,
January 12. With over 200,000 deaths confirmed,
it is estimated that the death toll
will be still higher by the time the search
for bodies is over. Disease, death, homelessness,
and starvation are quickly spreading,
and many Haitians seek an escape from
their country, which has become an abyss
of anguish and suffering. With the help of
many countries, including Israel, the United
States, Brazil, the Dominican Republic,
and China, the situation in Haiti seems to
be improving. But even with the help of
these superpowers, homes will not re-grow
themselves and disease will not cease to exist
overnight.
The public has clearly heard the facts, but
they have not yet taken them to heart. I
would like to share some thoughts about
Haiti that have stuck with me.
The day after the earthquake, I listened
to NPR on the way home from school.
The announcer was giving local traffic information
when suddenly an unpleasant
wail broke out from the speakers. The noise
came from a woman who sounded as if she
were being slowly and painfully tortured to
death. The broadcast of this scream lasted
for a long minute as the newscaster’s voice
faded. I learned that the woman screamed,
not because she was dying, but in anguish
as she unveiled the blanket under which her
where promises are kept, each side sees only
the promises that are not being fulfilled. Neither
side will see what the other side does right.
Sometimes a conflict becomes so ingrained
in a culture that it is no longer the participants
that cause the conflict. Rather, the conflict
creates the participants. Each side’s identity
is connected, in an unconscious way, to the discord.
If the tension were resolved, the participants
might no longer know who they are. They
have been shaped by the ongoing trauma.
Right now, the psychology of both
sides is so distrustful that it is impossible to
move forward. This attitude must be shifted.
In order to do so, Israel must, independent of
what the Palestinians do, take a risk and fulfill
its promises first.
Illustration by Talia Niederman
True compassion for
Haitians Needed
lifeless husband lay. The announcer stated
that the woman fell to the floor and would
not rise.
When I heard this scream, the first
thoughts that came to mind were, “What if
I had been this man’s son?”
Imagine coming home from an ordinary
day of school and finding out that you must
drop out of high school in order to support
your family. This is that situation that thousands
of children in Haiti now face.
Imagine if one of your siblings
were lost, and you and your family had
been worried sick about them for days, unsure
whether he or she were alive. Frantically
you join millions of others searching
through piles of corpses around the city.
Additionally, most Haitians do not have
life insurance, and will be forced to live on
the streets along with thousands of others if
the source of their family’s income died in
the earthquake.
One could argue that the people
who remain alive in Haiti are the unfortunate
ones, as those who passed do not have
to suffer what millions are suffering at this
very moment.
Please continue to donate at every
opportunity you possibly can, as every little
donation adds up to one large donation.
Remember that you are contributing to a
shattered country that remains desperately
in need of your assistance.

Page 4 Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 February 2010
The Hesed Wars: The
Competitive Nature Of
Hesed at Heschel
(Continued from page 1)
from Mexico, they essentially took money
from this boy from the Philippines, which
frankly isn’t what the Human Rights Alliance
is about.”
Senior Janet Rubin, founder of
the Human Rights Alliance, was surprised
to hear of these allegations, saying, “I was
unaware of that claim, but I doubt our project
seriously impacted theirs. I think that
both projects were great initiatives.”
“The mounting tension between
the Human Rights Alliance and Hesed Minyan
really forces me to reevaluate hesed in
our community. The Human Rights Alliance
and Hesed Minyan are both supporting
such important causes, but it's troubling
for me to see all this tension between these
two well-intentioned groups,” said sophomore
Emma Goldberg.
Adding to the tension between
the hesed clubs is the existence of Va’adat
Hesed, an elected body that is part of the
student government and plans school-wide
hesed activities, as well as multiple fundraisers
and drives throughout the year.
Members of the Va’adat Hesed stated that
they have not felt competition or animosity
between themselves and the other hesed
groups this year, though they have felt it
in past years. Senior Sammy Mernick,
the president of Va’adat Hesed explained,
”There is not really animosity [this year].
Last year we were trying to do similar
things [as the Hesed Minyan] and we never
got it together to work with them and
it ended up being a tiny bit of a competition.”
Another member of the Va’adat
Hesed, who requested to remain anonymous,
added, ““There are some hard feelings
between us and the Hesed Minyan.
Some of us highly dislike the Hesed Minyan.”
Mernick believes that some of
the competition began when the Va’adat
Hesed club was disbanded several years
ago. The students in this club advised and
assisted the Va’adat Hesed. Although these
students were not elected like the members
of the Va’adat Hesed, they were considered
helping hands who promoted the
drives and fundraisers led by the Va’adat
By Jessica Appelbaum
It’s a new year, yet much
of American culture does not seem
all that original. This is mainly the
result of reinvigorating franchises
which had seemed worn out and
turning them into new pieces of pop
culture.
More and more frequently,
movies are released that are either
new installments of old franchises
or remakes of old movies. For instance,
recent box office hit Sherlock
Holmes was a new installment
in the old franchise, based on books
originally written by Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle in the late 1800s. Since
his creation, Holmes has been portrayed
by 75 actors in over 211
films, making him one of the most
frequently portrayed characters in
movies.
The newest Sherlock Holmes
attempted to take a new approach
Hesed. Now, instead of one large club under
the Va’adat Hesed umbrella, there are several
groups with no unifying cause.
The three independent groups, the
Human Rights Alliance, Hesed Minyan, and
Va’adat Hesed, are all trying to appeal to the
same limited base, the Heschel student body,
a situation that is conducive to tension. When
all three groups are trying to raise money from
the same people for different causes, they are
forced to compete in order to achieve their
goals. Granted, all three groups have very
different agendas, but the question of why it
has taken so long for them to collaborate remains
unanswered.
Mernick believes that Va’adat Hesed
could “really help make their [Hesed Minyan
and Human Rights Alliance] drives more
successful” and thinks that at some points it
is “overwhelming” for the student body to be
faced “with all the different drives.”
Rubin said that, “I think this can be
solved by the different hesed groups coordinating
more. At our next meeting, we're going
to discuss ways to further avoid overlap.”
Sophomore Adam Cole, a member of the
Hesed Minyan, added, “we would be very interested
in trying to collaborate more, but no
one has approached us about it.”
Indicating a lack of communication,
Mernick explained that, “ideally we would
like to work with them and co-sponsor drives,
and help them in any way we could, but no
other groups have expressed interest.”
However, some people feel that collaboration
will not solve the fundamental issues.
Many acknowledge that the Heschel School
has always promoted and encouraged acts
of hesed. However, those involved
in the multiple hesed groups have begun to
question whether they are the only ones receiving
the message.
Mernick believes that the real problem is that
t he only students who are interested
in hesed are competing against one another,
preventing them from progressing, while the
rest of the student body remains largely apathetic.
“Even if we were to cooperate, I don’t
think the situation would improve because a
lot the student body still does not commit to
participating regularly in hesed initiatives.”
Illustration by Julie Maschler
TMI on High School
Conferences
(Continued from page 1)
fine to post private jokes on the
board; by posting private jokes
people are purposely making
them public.” Mernick said the
private jokes and funny posts are
beneficial to the interactions between
students and can help the
faculty monitor what students are
up to.
Although the “high school
conference is a way for the entire
school to bond,” according
to sophomore Sarah Freedman,
some people are not comfortable
with posting to the entire school.
Freshman Aaron Mayer said that
he is, “Always reluctant to post
anything because I fear that others
will judge.”
to the old story to appeal to a modern
audience. In order to do so, the
detective was reinvented, complete
with incredible martial arts skills and
idiosyncratic, quirky dialogue. Watson,
Sherlock Holmes’ traditional companion,
was altered from his usual portrayal
as a roly-poly sidekick into
a strong secondary protagonist.
These alterations to the
Sherlock Holmes franchise reflect
The high school conference
is not meant to be a place for others
to feel bad, and most jokes passed
that are posted are meant to address
that problem. Mernick pointed out
that by posting jokes on First Class,
everyone is being included and everyone
has the option to respond.
The high school conference
board continues to be a good place
for students to connect and get a
deeper look at the personalities of
students in other grades. Whether
it’s a funny YouTube video, an invitation
to a Jersey Shore marathon, or
post about the reoccurring lost Mac
charger, the high school conference
is a fun place for many students, at
home and at school.
American Creativity Reduced to Remakes
Illustration by Hannah Kober
what audiences currently look for in
entertainment. Often audiences look
for an action-packed thriller and
less of an intellectual or understated
movie. Yet, Holmes enthusiasts were
split over the new portrayal of their
beloved hero: while some thought
that his makeover was a great way
to draw in new fans, others found it
to be a perversion of the classic stories.
Freshman Gracie Freeman
Lifschutz commented, “They did an
excellent job taking what was already
part of the franchise and adding to it.
All they did was make it better and
more adventurous. In this case, adding
to the franchise just made it better.”
Similarly, the new additions
to the Batman franchise were a resounding
success among fans both
(Continued on page 6)

February 2010 Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 Page 5
Aftershocks from Haitian Earthquake
Reach Heschel
By Aaron Freedman and Aaron Ladds
Along the halls of Heschel are
bright neon posters shaped like the Caribbean
island nation of Haiti. In a school where
the only countries generally shown on the
walls are Israel or those in South America
(courtesy of the Spanish department), the
sight of a nation whose name usually isn’t
in the news is very striking. But, for the past
few weeks, Haiti has been everywhere.
On January 12, a massive earthquake
struck Haiti, reducing much of its
capital, Port Au Prince, to rubble. It was the
worst earthquake in 200 years in the region,
which already suffers from widespread poverty.
As many as 200,000 people are feared
to be dead. The devastation created serious
obstacles to those attempting to deliver
promised foreign aid. When several aftershocks
again rocked the country it became
even harder to provide food, water, and care
for the hungry, injured, and impoverished
people of Haiti.
Many organizations, from both
America and abroad, are working to provide
relief to Haiti in the forms of money,
food, water, health supplies, and temporary
housing. IN addition to large groups, like
the American Red Cross, who are collecting
money for Haiti, fundraising is also being
conducted by many small groups, some
within this school.
The neon signs at Heschel advertise
this year’s winter dance. The proceeds
from ticket sales for the annual dance, run
by the Va’adat Hesed, always go to a charity
or humanitarian cause. This year, the
Va’adat Hesed chose to give money to helping
the Haitian people.
“We were having trouble picking
Have
you ever wanted
to be a vegetarian?
This February,
with the
help of Veguary,
a student run organization
that
is raising awareness
about the
problems of meat
consumption,
you can finally
give it a try!
This
year the average
United States
citizen consumed
over 200
pounds of meat,
or more than 1/2
pound per day.
Americans spend
$142 billion annually
on meat,
a combination
of beef, chicken,
pork, turkey and
lamb, in food
stores. The percentage of meat consumption
world-wide has climbed substantially
since the 1960s, with a staggering 79 pound
increase in meat consumption per capita in
the United States alone. While eating meat
was once a privilege, it has now become the
norm.
This enormous intake of meat is
not only harmful to one’s health, causing
high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease,
but it is also extremely detrimental to the
environment. It is responsible for major
deforestation, water waste, and emission of
carbon dioxide and methane. Meat production
and transportation are responsible for
18% of global carbon emissions, though
an organization to donate the money to, and
it had been two weeks of arguments and we
couldn't decide on a place,” said Ethan Finkelstein,
sophomore representative to the
Va’adat Hesed. “But, when the earthquake
hit Haiti and the news about the tremendous
devastation, we couldn't donate the money
to somewhere else; we knew that we had to
donate the money to disaster relief in Haiti.”
According to Va’adat Hesed representative
Gabe Klausner, a junior, the club plans to
donate all of the funds raised to American
Jewish World Service, which is running an
emergency fund for relief organizations on
the ground in Haiti.
The Va’adat Hesed’s work involving
Haiti isn’t limited to the dance. The
group plans to send the donations from the
school-wide can drive that took place a few
months ago to Fort Myers, Florida; from
there they will be brought to Haiti and distributed.
Since the earthquakes destroyed
much of Haiti’s infrastructure, the availability
of non-perishable food is extremely
important. Additionally, the Va’adat Hesed
is putting some of their other initiatives on
hold in order to focus on Haiti.
Others in the Heschel communiy
are also working to raise awareness of and
support Haiti. According to Jessica Gribetz,
the Assistant Head of the High School,
on the day after the earthquake, Head of
School Roanna Shorofsky sent a letter to
all division heads and assistant heads with
a list of reputable organizations involved in
relief efforts in Haiti. Additionally, Jessica
sent a letter to the Limudei Qodesh department
encouraging the discussion of Haiti in
the various minyanim, as well as collecting
tzedakah for this cause. Many of the
recent research suggests
that it may be
responsible for up
to 51%; soy (to feed the animals) is often
grown in Brazil, shipped to farms, cows are
taken to slaughterhouses, and then the meat
is sent to supermarkets all over the world.
Veguary is facing this problem
head on. Founded by sophomores Andrew
Udell and Lizzie David and junior Skyler
Siegel, Veguary encourages people to
pledge either to eat no meat or to reduce
their consumption of meat during the month
of February. While they do not expect Veguary
to lead to full-time vegetarianism, the
students aim to increase awareness about
minyanim have followed through, whether
through prayers for the victims of the earthquakes
or with plans for a bake sale to raise
money for Haiti. Discussion about Haiti
also occurs in secular classes. According to
junior Zoe Goldberg, current events in her
Social Studies class focused on Haiti.
Still, some students don’t feel that
there is enough discussion about Haiti in the
school. "I think kids have been trying to be
proactive but the school itself hasn’t really
spoken or encouraged anything,” said junior
Aaron Schwartz. Junior Naomi Blech
agrees. “Besides raising money in t’fillot,
there haven’t been any assemblies or anything
to raise awareness. I think Heschel
should definitely do more.”
But, how much should Heschel’s
predominantly American students, who
have virtually no family ties to Haiti, be
involved in the problems of far-off Haiti,
especially considering the many problems
that are present in this very city? After the
initial earthquake, President Barack Obama
declared to the nation that, despite our differences,
there is a “common humanity that
we all share.” That common humanity has
brought together even the most unlikely of
allies, such as Former Presidents George W.
Bush and Bill Clinton, whose fund has already
received over 130,000 donations for
relief in Haiti. Echoing these sentiments,
Jessica remarked that, “the students should
be involved and motivated on their own as
responsible human beings with hopefully
some influence from their parents, but certainly
it is our responsibility as a school to
come together and spread the word, be active
and generous in our aid to the Haitian
people.”
Going Meatless for a Month
By Jenna Doctoroff
meat-eating habits
and decrease meat
intake over the longer
term. On their
website, veguary.
org, you can pledge
to be a veg, learn
about the harmful
effects of meat consumption,
or read
the blogs about being
a vegetarian.
Over the next
month, the Veguary
team plans to contact
news stations,
synagogues, other
high schools, and
college communities
and increase the
number of participants
and pledges.
Udell
explained,
“Through my research
I learned that
I really shouldn’t be
eating the amount
of meat that I eat.
People know that
Andrew Udell preparing for Veguary- cars harm the environment,
but nobody
Photo by Lizze Davis
really knows that the
food on your plate can be just as damaging.
We can use the power we have to spread this
information and make a big difference.”
While they hope to reach 1,000
pledges, the group has managed to obtain
334 confirmed pledges in the three months
since they began their effort. As Siegel said,
“Making a difference sometimes has to be
this huge extravaganza, but you can also
have an effect by taking small steps and we
have proved that.”
Heschel
Seniors Reflect
on Iran
By Rachel Zeuner
In his State of the Union Address on
January 29, 2002, President George W. Bush
bestowed the name “The Axis of Evil” on Iran,
Iraq, and North Korea, three countries he believed
were furthering terrorism and seeking
weapons of mass destruction. For almost half a
century the United States has faced tension with
the Islamic Republic of Iran on political and
military grounds.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the
Iranian people have been scared into submission
by the leading Ayatollahs, religious figures who
head the religious government. Since December
2009, with protests during the weeklong Ashura
Festival, the Iranian people have continuously
shown their disapproval of the Iranian government.
The government has responded with hostility,
arresting many political activists and journalists
who have spoken out against the regime.
The situation in Iran has left the country
in shambles and possibly on the brink of
revolution. Although a revolution would be beneficial
in order to bring new leadership to power,
the implications of such a revolution would be
dire for the United States and the world. Further
domestic unrest could cause the Iranian government
to take hostile actions internationally.
Because of the turbulent history between
the United States and Iran, it is unclear if
intervention in Iran would be beneficial or detrimental
to U.S. foreign interests in the region.
Some, like senior Nadav Pearl, feel that, “the
United States should not and cannot intervene
directly with Iran right now; it just can't. Instead,
America should focus heavily on uniting with
others, specifically China and Russia, against
Iran in an attempt to stop the growing threat of
its nuclear power.”
Others feel that the United States
should take action in Iran. “If the U.S. has sufficient
intelligence to believe that Iran is in possession
of or is attempting to develop a nuclear
threat, then a covert precise strike is necessary,
but we should not engage in any prolonged military
action. There should be an attempt to engage
in diplomacy, but Iran has shown itself to
be so hesitant in the past that diplomacy may not
be viable,” said senior Barack Bacharach.
In the past, the United States has engaged
in sanctions against Iran. But some say
that the sanctions have had no positive effect.
“Sanctions implemented against the Islamic Republic
of Iran have failed. It's time for the international
community to take decisive military
action and bomb the Iranian nuclear enrichment
facilities in Natanz and Qom,” said senior Ari
Weisfuse.
There are pros and cons to each possible
path: whether the U.S. does not take action
or take actions through diplomacy, sanctions
or military intervention. For people outside the
world of politics, it is difficult to weigh the different
sides and come to an informed conclusion
about the correct course of action towards Iran.
In December, the senior class concluded
a three-month Arab-Israeli Conflict
simulation, aimed at deepening students’ understanding
of foreign policy and diplomacy. In the
character of the world’s leading politicians, the
seniors interacted through the simulation with
high school students across the country in seeking
solutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The simulation allowed students to
approach the issues from new perspectives, because
in many cases, they were representing politicians
who did not share their own opinions.
Students who represented Iran faced
the challenge of approaching the simulation objectively.
While playing one of the world’s most
hated superpowers could make students feel uncomfortable,
the students who played Iran took
the experience beyond the game. Aaron Freedman,
who represented Iran, said, “It was kind of
fun to be the enemy… But, I also think I learned
a lot from the experience and I did get to see
things from Iran's perspective which, while it
surely didn't make me sympathetic with their
side, did make world affairs a little clearer to
me.”
Putting aside political agendas, personal
viewpoints and the somewhat unrealistic
“simulation-land bubble,” as it was dubbed by
Jessica Appelbaum, the situation in Iran is serious
and the U.S. government has a difficult
choice between action and non-action, both to
protect the lives innocent Iranians and to protect
the world against the rise of a hostile nuclear superpower.

Page 6 Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 February 2010
Illustration by Sigal Palley
American Creativity Reduced
to Remakes
(Continued from page 4)
old and new. Senior Jenna Merrin,
lifelong Batman fan, remarked,
“Batman Begins, and later The Dark
Knight, brought respect back to Batman's
name. They made him the
dark, somewhat disturbing character
that he is in the comic books and
the original animated series, rather
than the butt of thousands of jokes
that Adam West's Batman or George
Clooney's Batman turned him
into. Batman fans were thoroughly
pleased.”
While these two franchises
did extremely well with their new
installments, other franchises had
less luck with remakes of old movies.
Recently, The Pink Panther, The
Heartbreak Kid, Disney’s A Christmas
Carol and The Last House on the
Left all did extremely poorly among
critics and audiences. Perhaps this
comes from a sense of nostalgia –
while a new installment can be either
good or bad without ruining earlier
installments, a remake of a classic
movie can potentially kill all fond
memories of the original.
Junior Esther Lenchner noted, “I
think that when movies are completely
redone, there is a new creative
opportunity for the film maker,
though it is more challenging since
they have to be very creative to not
simply make the same movie.” In
the case of classic and beloved movies,
any change that the film maker
makes in order to differentiate his or
her movie from the original can be
seen as a negative change. Therefore,
remakes of old movies must be done
with just the right amount of innovation
to the idea and preservation of
the classic movie.
Hollywood is not just remaking
classic movies, but TV shows,
as well. Recently, a slew of remade
shows have been aired, including
Melrose Place, 90210, Battlestar
Galactica, and V. For the most part,
these shows have done resoundingly
well, with large fan bases and critics’
approval. The new Battlestar Galactica
is often hailed as far superior to
the original. While the original was a
campy series with cheesy costumes
and sets, the new version is a complex,
beautiful, and meaningful television
show.
Merrin commented, “A new
show doesn't ruin the old show – [it
has] no impact on the previous show.
New shows are different enough that
they don't affect our views of the old
show.”
This sense of separation from
the original series allows television
shows to exist on their own, and not
simply as an extension of an old one.
Creators of televisions shows have
creative license that creators of remade
movies do not.
Even current fashion is becoming
a reflection of the past. Leggings,
high-waisted skirts and pants,
and cardigans are all making a reappearance
on the fashion scene.
Many fashion critics attribute this to
a sense of nostalgia – time has a way
of making fashions of the past appear
more glamorous than they were
at the time. For instance, Hollywood
has made powdered wigs an 18thcentury
fashion staple, while in reality,
they turned hair a dingy shade of
gray and were not completely enjoyable.
In their new versions, fashions
eliminate all the undesirable aspects
and simply become trendy.
Freshman Kate Prince said,
“I hope sixties fashion never comes
back. Some parts of it would be great,
and some parts would be awful.”
As Merrin states, “I think it's a combination
of lack of creativity, laziness,
and lack of confidence [that leads to
franchise reinvigoration.] I'm pretty
sure the mindset is: If something
has already done well, why not do it
again and make money? That way,
[creators] don't have to think of a
new idea, don't have to work all that
hard, and think that they'll get a big
fat paycheck. I think the best phrase
to describe that mindset is EPIC
FAIL.”
Sustainability Committee Reaches
Out to Young Environmentalists
By Emma Goldberg
On January 20, nine members of
the Heschel High School Sustainability
Committee traveled together to the Heschel
Lower School. The Sustainability
Committee was founded at the beginning
of this academic year and dedicates itself
to raising awareness about environmental
issues, such as recycling and energy efficiency.
Bringing their enthusiasm to the
Lower School, the Committee partnered
with the fifth grade in working on a recycling
project. Rabbi Anne Ebersman, who
coordinated the event, said, “Our 5th graders
are taking a leadership role in teaching
the rest of the school the rules of recycling
and inspiring students and staff to be more
mindful about recycling.”
To aid the fifth grade in its recycling
goals, each Sustainability Committee
member partnered with a group of
fifth graders; together they prepared instructional
skits about how to recycle. The
fifth graders presented these skits to every
Lower School class later that week.
Twenty-seven years ago, nine
years before any of this year’s seniors
were born, Judith Tumin began her career
at the Heschel School. At the time, it was
a small, new school, as it had opened in
1983, the same year Judith began teaching
here. When the principal of the school
where she had been teaching, together
with Rabbi Dov, decided to take the job
as principal of the Heschel School, Judith
followed him, both because “the [Heschel]
school sounded wonderful,” and
because she knew the principal was “a
very exciting and interesting educator to
work with.”
While Judith, who is currently
an English teacher and the Ninth Grade
Dean, misses the intimacy and tight community
of Heschel in its early years, she
appreciates the different kind of ambience
that the school has to offer today. “I
equally like the bustle of a building with
almost three hundred kids and forty or
fifty staff members,” she says, “There’s
an energy—a breath of opportunity that
didn’t exist then.”
Before becoming a teacher, Judith
worked in publishing for three years.
She then went back to school to get a
Masters degree, and has been a teacher
ever since. “After almost forty years I
still love teaching. I’m happiest in the
classroom. I can’t imagine doing anything
else.”
One of the first rules a student
learns after arriving at Heschel is not to
sit in Judith’s chairs. She has four different
chairs strategically placed throughout
the building—one in the teachers’ room,
one in room 322, one in the gym, and one
in her sixth floor office. “This is a very
communal building; we have very few
things that really belong privately to anybody,”
she explained. “This is my chair,
“It was a great experience,” said
sophomore Sasha Gayle Schneider, a member
of the Committee. “I felt like I was educating
the next generation—and partnering
with them—to help our earth.”
The Committee members discussed
issues that have arisen regarding recycling,
such as confusion over paper and
plastic recycling, and found that the Lower
School shared many of these issues.
This activity was part of a long
process that the Committee has been working
on to reform Heschel recycling in both
the Lower and High Schools.
Said Ethan Finkelstein, co-founder
of the Sustainability Committee, “the
mission of the sustainability committee is
to inspire people to live green. The fifth
grade is trying to do so by creating videos
about how to live sustainably and I thought
that it was very meaningful to… see how
such young students care so much about
the environment. I only wish that the students
in our high school could be as driven
and motivated to be green as these young
students are.”
Teacher Profile: Judith Tumin
By Zach Stecker
Photo by Rebecca Leeman
and so I expect students to be respectful
of that.”
Judith is widely known to be a
huge fan both of professional basketball
and of the Heschel Heat basketball team.
Having played basketball in high school,
she appreciates the game because “everybody
on the court is doing something. It’s
fast moving. It’s beautiful in its execution.
It’s accessible, and there’s a lot of
it--it’s a very long season!”
Less well known is that Judith
was at Woodstock. She remarked that
it’s one of those life experiences that just
can’t be replicated. “It’s hard to describe
what Woodstock was like. Sometimes you
could get close enough to hear the music
and sometimes you couldn’t; sometimes
it mattered and sometimes it didn’t. But
there’s something about being in mass
crowds who share a constellation of belief
systems…when you’re with people
who are all there for the same reason, it
creates a world of its own.”
Judith enjoys traveling to different
countries on her own. She’s been to
all Western European countries, and visits
friends from her adolescent years in
Israel every few years. She appreciates
flying, and just being in the air; she has
gone parasailing, which she tries to do
whenever she can, and has been in small
gliders.
One might think that, after almost
forty years of teaching and twentyseven
years at the Heschel School, teaching
might become tedious or monotonous.
But for Judith this is not the case.
“One of the things I like about teaching
so much,” she said, “Is that the chemistry
of the group is different, the individual
kids are different, the energy is often different.
Something has always changed.
Every year is a new year.”

February 2010 Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 Page 7
Exhibit Review: Tim Burton at
MOMA
By Esther Lenchner
Tim Burton the artist and movie producer
is known for having a very unique style
– quirky, at times morbid, fantastical, and always
infinitely creative. He is most famous as
a producer and animator for films such as The
Nightmare Before Christmas, Pee Wee’s Big
Adventure, and Edward Scissorhands. He has
experimented with different genres–science
fiction (Mars Attacks!–1996), biography (Ed
Wood–1994), horror (Sleepy Hollow–1999),
and fantasy (Big Fish–2003).
What many don’t know is that Burton
also created a large collection of drawings
and paintings, and has produced art in diverse
mediums since he was very young. One interesting
object in the exhibit is a children’s book
Burton wrote when he was just eighteen. It’s
a short story with rhyming verses and colorful
depictions of a mean dinosaur that bothers everyone,
but in the end he learns his lesson. According
to information in the exhibit, his story
was never published because it was too similar
to Dr. Seuss’ short stories.
The exhibit at the MoMA provides
samples from all Burton’s fields of work. The
entrance to the exhibit is very creatively designed
– you enter through a big mouth into
a room lit only by black light, creating a cool
Reducing your carbon footprint does not
necessarily mean buying a new hybrid car, cutting
air-conditioning in the summer, or turning off the
heater in the brutal New York City winter. Fortunately,
it does not have to be that extreme. You
can start making an impact by implementing small
changes in your daily life, in and out of school:
1. During lunch, stop using plastic cups in the cafeteria!
This is unnecessary because there are reusable
plastic cups right near the water dispenser.
2. When you see that the smartboard in a classroom
is not in use, turn it off. Smartboards use an enormous
amount of electricity and turning them off is a
simple way to save huge amounts of energy.
3. If you see an empty classroom with the lights
turned on, turn them off. If there is no one in the
classroom, the electricity is being wasted. Also, try
to maximize the use of natural light even when there
are students in a classroom.
4. Recycle. Lately, students have been placing
cans in the paper recycling, paper in the can recycling,
garbage in can and paper recycling, and some
haven't been recycling at all. When students don't
recycle properly, it not only contaminates the batch
of recycling already in the recycling bin, but it could
also contaminate a much larger batch at the recycling
plant. There are easily accessible paper, can,
and plastic recycling bins on every floor. Learn how
to properly recycle at http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/recycle_what.shtml.
5. Try as best as you can to eat locally. Eating locally
means eating food that was produced near you, rather
than food that was imported from far off regions
and countries. You can get local foods from farmers’
markets and many nearby grocery stores. For
example, if you eat fruit grown near you, you will
save the huge amounts of energy it took to transport
the fruit from another country, such as Mexico.
6. Stop using plastic bags at the supermarket. If you
yourself don't go grocery shopping, make sure you
tell family members and friends to bring reusable
Illustration by Lauren Finzi
neon effect in which everything white glows. In
the same room is an imaginative carousel with
little figures on it that Burton built.
The next room is a big gallery showing
a variety of captivating objects – statues of
characters from Edward Scissorhands, and rows
of drawings from Burton’s personal notebooks.
In addition, screens show some of Burton’s
earliest animations. They were made frame-byframe,
something you don’t get to see too often
anymore since animation is now so much more
technologically advanced.
People tend to forget that Burton isn’t
just a film producer. He went to study at CalArts
in 1976 and started working with Walt Disney
in 1979, though his work with that company
lasted only a few years. After that he had a successful
career with Warner Brothers.
Burton’s latest movie was ‘9’ (released September
9, 2009), and the next big production will be
Alice in Wonderland (with Johnny Depp), to be
released in March 2010.
Anyone who likes Burton’s films
should see this exhibit, especially if you haven’t
yet seen the wide scope of Burton’s work. Prepare
to spend a lot of time there!
The exhibit tends to get very crowded; to get
a full appreciation of it, go at a less crowded
time.
10 Small Steps to Reduce Your
Carbon Footprint
By Andrew Udell
bags. Heschel’s Sustainability Committee created
customized reusable bags with a Heschel logo. If
you would like to purchase one, contact the president
of the Sustainability Committee, junior Daniel
Kressel.
7. Stop using plastic water bottles. Americans use
2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour. Instead, purchase
a reusable water bottle or drink from the water
fountain. If you choose to use a plastic bottle, at least
recycle it properly.
8. Start composting. Composting is the process of
converting food waste into rich and fertile soil. According
to the book A Recycling Revolution, “Every
year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds
of organic garbage that can be composted.” You can
buy great composters at http://www.farmerd.com/
category/composting)
9. Replace conventional light bulbs with fluorescent
light bulbs or light-emitting diodes (LEDS). They
are more expensive in the short tem, but they save
money in the long-run, and reduce carbon emissions.
Replacing just one light bulb will save 150 pounds
of carbon dioxide and, over its lifetime, it will save
you $30.
10. Eat less meat. You can still eat meat, but be
conscious that meat production accounts for at least
18% of global carbon emissions. In fact, according
to a 2006 United Nations report, "the meat industry
produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs,
cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined"
(goveg.com). For more information on the
benefits of reducing meat intake, visit http://www.
veguary.org and pledge to reduce your meat consumption
for the month of February.
Remember, you don't have to be a superhero to
make a difference. You can make a difference by
following these steps and getting friends and family
to follow them too. Together your efforts will make
a large impact.
3D: The Next Dimension in Television
Arrives
By Mani Schlisser
With the recent success of James Cameron’s
Avatar, it seems as though both the movie industry
and the television industry are quickly transforming
into a new dimension, the third dimension. Avatar,
which debuted in the United States on December 18,
2009, has grossed over $1 billion globally, making it
the second highest-grossing movie of all time, behind
James Cameron’s Titanic. With the rapid success of
3D, two televisions stations, the Discovery Channel
and ESPN, have announced that they will begin
broadcasting in 3D in June 2010. ESPN, “the worldwide
leader in sports”, will begin airing in 3D with the
start of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, which will take
place in South Africa this summer.
Globally, the World Cup is arguably the
biggest stage in sports. Due to its popularity, ESPN
thought that it would be the perfect time to unveil its
new medium. After the conclusion of the World Cup,
ESPN will begin airing in 3D for games in the National
Basketball Association, college basketball, college
football, and extreme sports.
ESPN, which has been working on this
project for the last six years, tested the new way to
By Rachel Fell
In this issue I’m going to inform
you about an emerging new fashion
trend:
Glasses!
Although these unisex accessories
are usually worn only by the visually
impaired, glasses have evolved
into a new fashion accessory.
Your eyes are one of the first
things people see when they look at
you. So, why shouldn’t they be decorated?
Glasses don’t just repair vision
and make you look studious; glasses
can indicate your style.
Glasses come in a variety of
different shapes and colors to complement
each individual’s face. There
are glasses with ornate sides, cut out
shapes, contrasting colors, and printed
designs.
Although most styles are
watch sports in September 2009, with the much-anticipated
college football matchup between the Trojans
of USC and the Buckeyes of OSU. The game was
shown in 3D throughout the USC campus and in theaters
in Ohio, Texas, and Connecticut. According to
surveys conducted by ESPN, the quality and picture
that 3D presented astonished viewers.
Although ESPN in 3D seems like many
people’s dream come true, there are many flaws with
the network’s latest innovation. To see sports this
way, viewers must buy a certain type of HD television
and a certain type of 3D glasses. Additionally, ESPN
is still unsure whether customers will have to pay for
access on a per game basis or if they will have to buy
a certain type of cable box.
Alex Weiss, a junior at the Heschel School,
said that he “would be interested in (ESPN in 3D).”
He said that he thinks it would “enhance my experience
as a viewer.”
The question remains to be answered: Is
ESPN in 3D a revolutionary invention that will be a
huge success or is it an overpriced idea that will, in
fact, lose ESPN millions of dollars?
Heliostyle: Glasses give
more than 20/20 vision
James Cameron’s new movie is
about the United States invading a foreign
planet in order to pillage it and take a special
stone called ‘unobtanium.’ This stone
can only be found on the planet ‘Pandora’
and is worth millions of dollars on earth;
U.S. corporations are willing to do anything
it takes to obtain it. Unfortunately
for these corporations, the Na’vi people
who live on the planet are in the way of
their mining the precious stone. The main
character, Jake Sully, is the good guy
who falls in love with a native and ends
up saving the endangered Na’vi and their
planet.
Avatar’s animation is very advanced and
the 3D effect puts the icing on the cake.
Scary objects do not jump out at you as
in some 3D movies, but rather it feels like
you are in the movie with the characters.
The challenge was to get the animation
to look like photo-reality. It was
quite difficult at first to capture the actors
and their emotions in animation. The
animated parts of the movie are not just
voice-overs of the actors – the actors were
wearing special suits that could translate
their actions and facial expressions onto
screen in an alternate, animated reality.
Director Cameron announced his
plans for this movie in 1996, but he put the
project aside when he realized that there
wasn’t yet sufficiently advanced technology
to put his vision into film. Then
four years ago he took another look at the
unisex, the cat eye shape, first made
popular in the ‘50’s, can add a more
feminine touch. The newest trend in
glasses, and my personal favorite, is,
ironically, nerdy styles. These styles
include lots of tortoise shell and thick
frames in squares and circles, complementing
the hipster trend that is now
taking over the streets. You might be
called a ‘poser’ for taking on that style,
but I admit to wanting to dawn this new
trend to fulfill two appearance goals:
looking studious and stylish!
Most people hold off on wearing
glasses until they are more generally
acceptable in the summer but I say,
why not start now? Glasses are available
with or without a prescription. Just
try on different pairs, and find the pair
that complements your look and face!
Movie Review: Avatar
By Esther Lenchner
project, consulted with the right people,
and decided that the necessary technology
and means of production were available.
Wikipedia reported that the movie’s
budget stands at $237 million, and Fox
said it is its “costliest movie ever made.”
Avatar’s gross income has surpassed that
of Cameron’s 1997 hit Titanic’s record,
which took in a total of $1.843 billion.
James Cameron did a fine job
in creating the leading female character.
Not just the usual attractive babe who
hooks up with the attractive male lead,
Jake Sully’s love interest is a fully developed
character with a strong personality.
Neytiri and Jake fall in love halfway into
the movie; she is the daughter of her people’s
version of a priest, and is a strong
independent woman. Her character did
not just support the leading male character
but had its own story; moviegoers
were invested in her fate just as much as
in his.
One flaw in the movie is that it
is predictable; there aren’t many surprises
in the plot. As always, the good guy wins
and saves the day. It also lacks a moral
conflict – there is never a question as to
who the bad guys are. It is clear from the
start that viewers will oppose the annihilation
of the native race just for some
‘unobtanium.’ On the other hand, Cameron
was successful in creating a crowd
pleaser that is visually spectacular and fit
for a wide audience.

Page 8 Helios Volume 8 Issue 4 February 2010
Photograph by Victor Weberman
Finishing 2009 With A Bang
By Victor Weberman
On December 16, 2009, 14 students,
2 coaches, an athletic director, and a
chaperone boarded a plane to Memphis, Tennessee,
to embark on a path to victory. After
a fantastic win against archrival Flatbush,
the Heat members were feeling good, and
looking forward to the Third Annual Cooper
Yeshiva H.S. Invitational. This tournament
hosted 16 teams representing several states
from across the country.
To take home the trophy, one school
had to pull off four wins in four days, no easy
task. Heschel, the #4 seed in the bracket, was
set to face #13, the Stern Hebrew H.S. Storm
from Philadelphia. Heschel gave the Storm
everything from stifling defense to a mass of
three pointers, winning 48-26.
Their next opponent was the #12 Cooper
Yeshiva H.S. Maccabees from the host city,
Memphis. In the first half, Heschel struggled
to score as effortlessly as in their first game,
and found themselves with a small lead. But
Heschel came out with a big second half
and emphatically clinched a final four berth,
winning 40-22. At this point the Heschel defense
allowed an average of 24 points in two
games, while Senior Captain Daniel Kasman
was averaging half of that on his own. Captain
Jack Liechtung, a senior, advanced to
the semi-finals of the 3-point shootout. Cocaptain
Ezra Ellenberg corralled double digit
rebounds in both games.
After the conclusion of the game
against Cooper Yeshiva, it was time for
Shabbat and candle lighting for Hanukkah.
All schools attended services at the local
synagogue, and then went to dinner at the
homes of Cooper Yeshiva High School families.
Many houses hosted students from more
than one school, which allowed students to
By Ari Kramer
Is it acceptable for athletes to take
steroids to enhance their performance?
“Definitely not. It tarnishes their career,”
commented Heschel Athletic Director Larry
Rispoli. “Health-wise, they put themselves
at risk. I believe in the days of
[Babe] Ruth and [Lou] Gehrig.”
The majority of Heschel students—as well
as most of America—shares Larry’s sentiment.
If you take steroids, you cheat.
For that reason, Heschel’s baseball fans
tend to have an aversion to Mark McGwire,
a former Major League Baseball
player who admitted on January 12 to using
steroids throughout his 16 year career.
Baseball fans had been skeptical
of McGwire’s strength for years. How
could they not be? The slugger smashed
a league-best 49 home runs in his rookie
season of 1987. Nine years later, he led the
league again with 52 long balls. In the seven
years between, he hit 225 home runs.
Most Major Leaguers cannot hit
49 or 52 home runs in a year, but plenty
have eclipsed those totals. Therefore, the
suspicion didn’t peak until 1998 when
learn about different regional traditions. This
was one of the more special parts of the tournament
as it is not that often that a teenager
growing up in Greensboro, NC, shares a
Shabbat meal with someone from Manhattan
and another kid from Memphis, TN.
All teams attended Saturday morning services,
and after some more inter-team bonding,
Heschel squared off against a familiar foe, #2
Ramaz. Ramaz killed Heschel’s 2-3 defense
with leads of 8-0, 11-2, and as big a lead as
17-4, all in the first quarter. Heschel finished
out the half with an 18-3 run, putting them
ahead by two, courtesy of threes from Juniors
Mani Schlisser and David Yitzhari, and tough
drives with beautiful finishes from all three
senior captains. The Heat never relinquished
the lead for the remainder of the game. Heschel
got one back in this cross-town rivalry,
winning 52-40.
Heschel’s final obstacle was the #7
Ben Lipson Hillel Hurricanes of Miami, FL,
who had just knocked off #3 HANC in their
semi-final matchup. In the first half, the game
went Heschel’s way for the most part, but the
team could not find a way to make a run and
bust the game wide open. The Heat did just
that in the second half, however, due to the
great shooting by guards Liechtung, Kasman,
Schlisser, and Yitzhari. To keep this great
run going, Kasman nailed a 30 foot, 3-point
jumper as the third quarter buzzer sounded.
The game ended with a double-digit lead
(55-42). After handshakes and congratulations,
the Heat was awarded with a colossal
trophy. Individual awards went to Ellenberg,
who was elected to the All-Tournament team,
Liechtung, who received a 3-point shootout
trophy, and Kasman, who received the Most
Outstanding Player award for the entire tournament.
Steroid Issues Cycle the Bases
McGwire shattered Roger Maris’ longstanding
single-season record of 61 home
runs by hitting an otherworldly 70 dingers.
In 1999, McGwire sent 65 pitches
over the fence. The slugger missed close to
half of 2000 and 2001, but he still managed
to hit 32 and 29 home runs, respectively.
In the spring of 2005, McGwire
and several other players appeared before
the House Government Reform Committee
to discuss the use of steroids in baseball.
McGwire, when asked if he played
“with honesty and integrity,” said he was
not there to talk about the past—which basically
meant he did not want to answer the
question because doing so would require
him to admit to taking steroids.
Almost five years later, McGwire
confessed. “After all this time, I want to
come clean. I was not in a position to do
that five years ago in my congressional
hearing, but now I feel an obligation to
discuss this,” McGwire stated.
Although he confessed, McGwire
Derek Jeter: The Last Iconic
Figure in the World of Sports
By Brandon Bell
The number of role models and exemplary
figures in the sports world is decreasing rapidly.
The numerous allegations of Tiger Wood’s affairs
and other unlawful acts have stunned the sports
world in the past few months. Woods is arguably the
most prolific golfer in the history of the sport. Due to
his misbehavior, his career is ruined.
As the number of male athletes participating
in immoral and corrupt behavior increases,
few athletes remain who embody the characteristics
that enable them to perform well on and off the field.
Throughout his career, Derek Jeter has remained untainted
and has proven to be a hero for all.
As the shortstop for the New York Yankees,
Jeter is the ultimate team player. This was a
career year for Jeter in regards to his performance on
the field and his achievements in the community. To
acknowledge his success, Jeter was awarded the 2009
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award. Since
its inception in 1954, Sports Illustrated has annually
presented the "Sportsman of the Year" award to "the
athlete or team whose performance that year most
embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement."
Jeter won a record fifth World Series Championship
in 2009, passed Lou Gehrig’s team record for
hits, won his fourth Gold Glove Award, and he won
his fourth Silver Slugger award as the premier hitting
shortstop in the league. These outstanding awards
hold extra meaning due to Jeter’s age and conclusion
of his career.
As captain of the Yankees now for several
years, Jeter has displayed a tremendous amount
of leadership. His humility and his devotion to his
sport make him a favorite among all baseball players.
Jeter also captained the U.S. team in the World Baseball
Classic. Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major
League Baseball wrote to Jeter saying, “You have
attempted to downplay the effects steroids
had on his power. “There’s not a pill or an
injection that’s going to give me, going to
give any player the hand-eye coordination
to hit a baseball,” said McGwire in an interview
with Bob Costas.
Everyone knows, though, that
steroids aren’t known for improving handeye
coordination. “They make you bigger,
stronger, faster,” added Larry, undermining
McGwire’s implied claim that steroids
didn’t help him hit home runs.
McGwire’s timing is also suspicious. Why
did he decide January 12, 2010 was the
proper time to confess?
Just a few weeks before McGwire
admitted to using steroids, the Saint
Louis Cardinals, his former team, hired
him as Hitting Coach. Perhaps the organization
wanted him to come clean. However,
wouldn’t it have made more sense
for them to encourage him to do so before
they hired him?
The more likely reason for McGwire’s
confession was to improve his chances
represented the sport magnificently throughout your
Hall of Fame career. On and off the field, you are a
man of great integrity, and you have my admiration.”
Elan Holtz, a senior and a Red Sox (rivals of the Yankees)
enthusiast, said, “Although I greatly dislike the
Yankees I have nothing but respect for Jeter. He plays
with nothing but class, he cares about his teammates,
and he is one of the few athletes today who doesn’t
care about the money--only winning. I don’t like him
as a Yankee, but I love him as a baseball player.”
Michael Jordan, the legendary basketball player and
worldwide superstar had this to say about Jeter, “The
dude’s a class act. New York has a special athlete and
an even more special person.”
In today’s sports world, sportsmanship
and integrity are losing importance. A stat-obsessed,
self-absorbed sporting culture is becoming the norm.
This era’s athletes seek stardom and fame, while ignoring
the ethics of hard work and respect.
Jeter is a modest star who represents these
forgotten values. He is a superstar athlete who only
cares about winning, not the stardom and fame that
come with it. Never has Jeter been involved with a
lawsuit, accusation of rape, arrested for DUI or any
other crime. He is a role model not only for how to
Illustration by Andrew Udell
play the game of baseball, but also for how to be an
upright individual. He supports many charities and
humanitarian causes.
Adam Bresgi, a senior and Yankee fanatic,
said, “Since I was four, Derek Jeter has served as a
role model. He does everything right. It's that simple.
He is good-looking, charismatic, a powerful leader,
the captain of the greatest baseball team in history.
What more could you ask for?”
of being elected to the Baseball Hall of
Fame.
Less than a week prior, the Baseball
Hall of Fame conducted its annual
voting process. A player needs 75 percent
of voters to check his name on their ballots
in order to be elected. In his fourth year
of eligibility, McGwire garnered votes on
only 23.7 percent of the ballots. He has
never received more than 23.7 percent.
Now that he has acknowledged he did
something wrong, voters might judge him
differently. While other suspected steroid
users have stayed in the closet, at least
McGwire has emerged.
Just because McGwire has taken a step that
many others are yet to take doesn’t mean
he is worthy of attaining Hall of Fame
status, though. “I don’t think he would’ve
been a Hall of Famer without steroids.
His best years were with steroids,” commented
senior Andrew Statsky. “It probably
[helps his Hall of Fame chances] but
it shouldn’t.”