Volume 8 Issue 4, February 2010 - The Heschel School

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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.
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Volume 8 Issue 4, February 2010 - The Heschel School

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