Volume 31 Issue 2 by The Lion's Tale

Do y u Have Faith?

page 05 The Lion's Tale

Volume 31 Issue 2

October 18, 2013

cesjds

Book Club

“It’s [just] Book Club” Assessing annual summer reading program

by urischwartz reporter

She came to CESJDS four years ago and immediately made an impression. When school returns each year, she comes for one day, for one club period. Some students love her. Others feel her visits are pointless. She is not a strict or controversial teacher, nor is she is a student that some people like and some cannot stand. She is Book Club. According to Director of Arts Education David Solomon, who runs book club, the purpose of this program is “for students to gather and share the common experience of reading the same book and discuss[ing] what that book meant to them. [It is] an opportunity for bonding.” While Solomon said that this program can potentially be successful, a survey of 111 Upper School students reveals that 58 percent did not read any Book Club book and 80 percent do not find Book Club useful. Senior Noah Mayerson suggested this is because students have other priorities during the summer. “It is ridiculous to expect students to read required books [for Book Club]

over the summer in addition to summer English and History [readings],” Mayerson said. “I know for my English class we had to read three rather difficult books.” Sophomore Miles Waldman disagreed, arguing that having to read an extra book gives students something positive to do with their free time. “Not many kids read books anymore,” Waldman said. “They go on the Internet or TV for entertainment, and Book Club gets kids to experience the joys of reading a book, not to write a report on it, or have a test on it in English class, but just to read it.” Most students surveyed did not read Book Club books because there are few consequences for ignoring the assignment. Some seventh-grade English teachers had their students make a cover page for the book they read, while others had them review the novel. No other grades were assessed on their Book Club readings. “Students aren’t graded upon [Book Club] reading and [the reading] isn’t necessarily enforced,” sophomore Jonah Gordon said. “I could have easily just not read a book. The whole format of the summer Book Club program is so loose that students find their ways around it.” Solomon, however, said that the fact that students are not graded is a true “philosophical” test of the human desire to learn. “Can you do a program without assigning a grade to students for it?” Solomon said. “My thought is yes.” Another issue that students found with Book Club was the time allotted for the discussion. Only one club period was allowed for students to discuss the book they chose to read, and some students questioned the way in which the

time was managed. Gordon is skeptical about the club discussion he participated in. “We basically talked about the book for 10 minutes but then the discussion shifted to just about anything,” Gordon said. Sophomore Mayan Beroukhim, on the other hand, enjoyed the discussion. “I like engaging in conversations about a book that I like,” Beroukhim said. “I really like reading and when I found a book I enjoyed, I had fun.” Senior Evan Satinsky led the group discussion for the J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” “I wanted to allow the people who joined the book club about Harry Potter to be able to express their opinions and thoughts about the book,” Satinsky said. “I was partially successful. Unfortunately there were a few people in the club … who I suspect did not read the book, nor did they listen to the conversation.” Gordon thinks that the lack of instruction and leadership made his discussion less productive and makes the program fundamentally flawed. “It’s really never going to work out in my opinion, because I just don’t see how else the school could either enforce or monitor the summer book club program efficiently,” Gordon said. Solomon stressed the benefits of reading for students. “There is no doubt that reading a book advances you in terms of your knowledge of the world and your enjoyment of the world, and I hope that this is not something that students would pass over,” Solomon said.

news

Detested Detention by jonahshrock reporter

This year CESJDS implemented a new detention policy that punishes students with Sunday detention if they are, according to the student handbook, “tardy to school (unexcused) more than five times” or “inappropriately dressed three times.” In contrast, last year students were limited to serving detention during lunch. JDS had Sunday detention for many years until it was removed a few years ago, according to Dean of Students Roslyn Landy. Sophomore Mayan Beroukhim

sees the lesson that can be learned from Sunday detention. “We have to learn to deal with the consequences,” Beroukhim wrote in an email to The Lion’s Tale. “If you’re late to school, then it’s your fault for doing so. They have this whole detention rule just because they think that it will benefit us in the future. Being late is an extrememely bad habit to have, and they’re just trying to break us out of it. Sure, it might be a little extreme to have detention on Sunday, especially for those who are observant, it’s just the way that is and I think it’s a good way for us

to learn a lesson.” Landy defended the new policies, arguing that lunch detention was an ineffective penalty. “We decided that we would see if students could get to school on time if the consequence was merely a lunch detention,” Landy said. “We found that lateness to school increased greatly.” Last year 50 to 75 students were tardy to school every day. This year, there has already been a huge improvement. Eighth-grader Ari Feuer agrees with Landy that excessive tardiness should be punished, but that the

new policy may be too strict. Feuer suggested that the school raise the number of tardies necessary for a detention to account for extenuating circumstances. “I think that five [unexcused tardies] could potentially be too few [to merit a detention],” Feuer said. Junior Moses Milchberg, who used to attend Winston Churchill High School, offered a comparison between a public high school and JDS. According to Milchberg, there was no weekend detention at all at Churchill. Milchberg said that at his former school detention was mostly

used as an idle threat. “In class a lot the teacher would get frustrated and give you a warning,” he said. “Most of the time the thing you did to be worthy of detention is not worth the teacher coming in early, so they won’t give you detention.” Landy said that ultimately only having lunch detention was doing a disservice to the students. “We decided that we really weren’t doing what we should do that means helping children to be responsible,” she said. “So we [went] back to Sunday detention.”

Shutdown takes its toll by alysseweinberg reporter

On Oct. 1, most of the federal government shut down due to congress’s failure to approve the federal budget for the coming fiscal year. Since then, the House of

Representatives and the Senate have been unable to pass a bill that will reopen the parts of the government that shutdown. About eight hundred thousand “nonessential” federal employees have been furloughed, meaning they have been put on indefinite leave, or been asked to work, without pay.

18.9%

Students whose parents work for the government

Survey of 164 Upper School students conducted by The Lion’s Tale.

There is no definite date as to when the government will reopen. Many CESJDS students have parents who work in the government and some were furloughed. “I think that [the shutdown] is the result of the government being out of order and not really knowing what they’re doing,” freshman Ariella Kulp said. “I feel like they should have been more prepared for something like this because it

really is affecting a lot of people around America.” The shutdown has not only affected students and parents but also friends of school employees, such as security guard Jamaal Hall. “[The government shutdown is] kind of crazy because right now [the furloughed employees

are] trying to figure … [out] how they want to go on [with] their daily lives as far as taking care of bills and ... tak[ing] care of their families as well,” security guard Jamaal Hall said.

13.4%

Students whose parents work for the government and are furloughed

illustration by Malka Himelhoch

chadashot

The God question

The challenges of pluralism, from observant, agnostic and atheist perspectives photo by Jonathan Reem

Losing time for schoolwork on Shabbat by michaelberkowitz reporter

CESJDS’s mission is to be open to Jews of all denominations. But there have been times when observant students complained that observing Shabbat takes away a day that they could do school work. Many have also complained that at times the school has made them feel uncomfortable of their higher level of observance. Junior Danielle Galitzer said that if Shabbat is a disadvantage, it

is only a slight one. “[People who keep Shabbat] have to work harder,” Galitzer said. Sophomore Mikhael Hammer-Bleich also said that observing Shabbat has had little effect on his school work, but holidays do cause trouble. “I would not say that I lose much time over the weekend [because of Shabbat],” Hammer-Bleich said. “[Holidays], maybe, but I do not feel that one day for Shabbat really matters. It does not make a difference in my opinion.”

Hammer-bleich added that “Some teachers do [understand the rules and halachot,] but at times, some teachers that you think would understand don’t.” Senior Jason Cohen, an observant Jew, does not think that Shabbat and holidays are much of an issue for him. “I do sometimes feel like I am at a disadvantage because I am unable to work on Saturday,” Cohen said. “But most of the teachers are very conscientious about it and the workload is not usually that bad.”

In terms of being made uncomfortable because of their observance, Cohen has a similar response. “[I don’t get uncomfortable because] I have the free will to choose what I do and what I don’t do,” said Cohen. Hammer-Bleich agreed, saying that while he is usually comfortable in the school, there were times when this was not true. “There are some small things [that make me uncomfortable], like I would prefer not to have to come to

school on [Chol Ha’moed] Sukkot,” Hammer-Bleich said. In the end though, there is a reason that even those that are critical of the school keep coming here. “I believe that being exposed to the different denominations, and different levels within each denomination helps people adapt to other sects because in the real world, not everyone is [the same],” Galitzer said. “[It is] part of the reason I like JDS and keep coming here.”

chadashot

Balancing personal beliefs with school requirements The Numbers by mijalaltmann reporter

This month, the Pew Research Center released the results of a poll called, “A Portrait of Jewish Americans.” One statistic showed that 22 percent of Jews in America are “of no religion.” Head of School Rabbi Mitch Malkus addressed the survey in his Oct. 3 blog post on the CESJDS website. “For most Jewish Day School parents, the Pew study will not resonate with the experience they see from their children, whether current students or graduates. However, anyone who cares deeply about the future of the Jewish community will be troubled by the Pew survey’s findings,” Malkus wrote. In a survey of 180 Upper School students, 58 percent of students said that they believe in God, 26 percent identified as agnostic and 16 percent said they are atheists. Senior Andrew Siegel calls himself an athiest. His doubts stem from his disbelief in the Tanakh. “I doubt that Adam talked to a snake,” Siegel said. “I doubt that Moses parted the Red Sea. I doubt that Moses talked to a bush. I don’t live in ‘rainbow land.’ That stuff didn’t happen.” All students are obligated to attend minyan, but they have a choice of which minyan they want to participate in. The choices include traditional egalitarian, Sephardi and Ashkenazi mechitza minyans, and drisha (which includes social action and spiritual walking). Sometimes atheists or agnostics are forced to attend praying minyans because the non-praying ones have already been filled, like sophomore Alexandra Wolff. “I’m in a religious minyan because I was originally in a non-praying minyan but it was full,” Wolff

said. Wolff identifies herself as an atheist. She does not appreciate the fact that she is required to attend minyan. “Minyan is a big waste of time since I’m supposed to be praying to something I don’t believe in,” Wolff said. JTTP teacher Rabbi David Greenspoon strongly believes all students should be required to be in a minyan, regardless of their beliefs and religious affiliations. “In minyan, students get a special sense of community,” Greenspoon said. “Whether or not people believe in God, as human beings, we all have a ‘spiritual DNA,’ which causes us to be hardwired for spiritual awareness, something that minyan can really help out with.” Senior Eitan Armon agreed with Greenspoon. “I think not attending minyan and being an atheist are two separate issues,” Armon said. “Whether or not one believes in God, going to minyan, whether that be a traditional prayer minyan or meditation minyan, is beneficial. At the very least, minyan is a time where one can mentally prepare for the day, set goals, talk to friends, cram in that last bit of homework or studying maybe.” Sophomore Rachel Steren is unsure of whether she believes in God. Steren gets frustrated because she feels that she is being pressured to believe whatever her teachers teach in their classes. “I feel like they are forcing their beliefs down my throat when I’m not sure if it’s what I believe in,” Steren said. “I want to be able to develop my own opinion on God, and it’s hard to do that when I’m being constantly fed other people’s opinions and ideas.” Wolff said that some of her

Judaic classes are beneficial to her, but only the classes that are not based on belief, like her Moral Themes in World Literature class. She enjoys these classes because the focus is on learning about her own spirit learning and not about the spirit of a god that she does not believe in. Director of Jewish Life Miriam Stein argued that every student should have to take religious classes. In contrast to Steren, Stein maintains that instruction in religion can be beneficial to students of all beliefs. “We require every student to take science, but that doesn’t mean that every kid who leaves the school is going to become a scientist,” Stein said. “Just because every student is required to take classes on religion does not mean that we expect every student that leaves the school to become a religious leader. We have a responsibility to teach the kids what’s out there so that they can make their own decisions about what they believe in.” JDS has no protocol for dealing with students struggling with their beliefs. However Stein expressed that students should take an opportunity to seek spiritual guidance from any teacher. “Talk to teachers,” Stein said. “We want the best for you. I am always happy to be a source.” Stein thinks that JDS is a good environment for everyone, including students who either do not believe in God or who carry doubts about God’s existence. “Kids who don’t believe in God should feel comfortable in our community,” Stein said. “We are a pluralistic school, which means that we accept everyone, regardless of observance or beliefs.” Greenspoon believes that even if somebody does not believe in God, they can still thrive in the

Out of 180 students surveyed, 28 do not believe in God, 104 do and 48 are undecided.*

Do not believe in God

Undecided

Believe in God *each figure represents 4 students

setting of a Jewish school. “There are lots of ways to connect Jewishly, even if not religiously,” Greenspoon said. “There are Jewish connections like the culture, i.e. tikkun olam [repairing the world]. Sometimes people can con-

nect on the belonging level. There is always something that people can connect to, even if it is not through belief. It is not necessary to be a theist to be a Jewish person.”

“God Bless the U.S.A.”

Proud to be an American? Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” divides community by eitansnyder and gabypilarski entertainment editor and reporter

The gym is silent. Lights off, heads face the front, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” plays to conclude the 9/11 memorial assembly, coming to the declaration: “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free and I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me.” These words are supposed to unite Americans, but the song has had the opposite effect within the CESJDS community. Director of Jewish Life Miriam Stein led the student committee that planned the assembly. Stein is happy to include the song into the program, but understands the controversy that surrounds it. “I know that there is a difference of opinion in the school among teachers and students alike [about] whether we should sing it at our assemblies,” Stein said. “this program was planned with a student committee [and] the students on the committee felt very strongly that we should have that song.” Junior Falicia Elenberg, who was on the student committee, acknowledges the difference of opinion concerning the song. She believes

that the song’s themes and values perfectly represent the feeling of appreciation toward America and the pride of Americans that surrounds 9/11. “A lot of people have called it corny and said that it doesn’t match the occasion, but it does match,” Elenberg said. “A lot of it is

about patriotism, which always rises after a disaster in America because it is about rebuilding, coming together and defending your country. That is what the song is all about.” Although some believe that the song can instill a sense of American pride, others, like Upper School Assistant Principal and Director of

Studies Robert Snee, call attention to non-Americans, worrying that the song actually divides the community and the country. “I always wonder if the person next to me is not whatever the song is defining as an American,”

Snee said. “I’m not suggesting that the song itself is a bad song. It just makes

me wonder if there is someone here among us who feels somehow marginalized now simply because we don’t share the same history.” People often think that the song is cliché because the entire student body stands up when the singer sings the line “and I’ll gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.” Stein explained that this tradition started during one of these assemblies, when a student felt genuinely inspired to stand up on that

line of the song. A standing ovation from the student body followed, and it has been a JDS tradition ever since. “It was a very

powerful moment and it was totally spontaneous,” Stein said. “I think, since then, people have felt like this should be our anthem.” Elenberg enjoys seeing students stand up because she believes that the physical action of rising sparks a sense of American pride. “It just shows what the song is about,” Elenberg said. “We are literally standing up for America.” One of the goals of the 9/11 assembly was to create an emotional connection to the event for the younger students in the school, many of whom were born after the event. Seventh-grader Aliza Rabinovitz is one of those younger students and she felt that the song conveyed the right message to her peers. “I think the song is very American,” Rabinovitz said. “Even if bad things happen to America, it says that you’re still proud to be an American.” Despite the disagreements, Stein believes that the song has become a staple of JDS’s communal expression of American patriotism. “I think some people feel like this is our song,” Stein said. “Even though there are other very patriotic songs out there, people feel like this has become a tradition at JDS.”

“It’s very hard to convince somebody of a feeling. But, if somebody feels strongly about it and somebody feels an emotional connection to it, then you have to do it.” - Director of Jewish Life Miriam Stein

Daniel Pearl World Music Day

“[The third movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”] is something that I have been playing for a while and I felt comfortable with it. I thought it would be a good piece to play.” junior Sophie Kader

“I chose [“Pachelbel’s Canon”] because I wanted to do something with my sister, and I wanted to do something that she liked the sound of and that it would be possible for us to play together.” sophomore Miles Waldman

Daniel Pearl World Music Day Concert

Daniel Pearl World Music Day commemorates the life and achievements of Daniel Pearl. Pearl, an American Jewish reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002 by al-Qaida. To observe this day, people all around the world celebrate music to remember Pearl and his love of music. “[My brother Miles and I] were really excited. We practiced a lot. It was a good bonding moment for us. It was really nice.” freshman Emma Waldman

in-depth

1981

photo provided by

JOURNEY OF A From Bedouin village to Maryland: Arabic teacher

photo provided by Episcopal Florida via creativecommons

Moved to Jerusalem to pursue undergraduate and masters degrees in Arabic language and literature

2009 photo provided by Rambling Traveler via creativecommons

2011

Doctoral candidate in Education and History at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

photo provided by Eduardo Castro via creativecommons

Returned to his village and taught Arabic for 2 years

“I am an Israeli Arab,” Arabic teacher Hani Abo Awad said by way of introduction to Yaffa Dagony’s first period Hebrew class. “And that is a complicated identity — Arab, Muslim, Israeli.” Abo Awad, named for the famous Arab singer Hani Shaker, was born in one of the illegal settlements established by nomadic Bedouins in the Negev. As part of an Israeli government initiative to improve living conditions for Bedouins, his family moved to the village of Segev Shalom. “Usually the Bedouins stay in the Negev, in the south of Israel,” Abo Awad said. “They have a story of love with the desert. They love the desert.” Another major aspect of Bedouin life is the importance of a strong, unified family. After high school, Abo Awad faced this when he decided to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, despite his parents wanting him to stay closer, in strong Bedouin tradition. They suggested other universities in the Negev, but he had his heart set on Jerusalem. “Jerusalem is a big, beautiful, complicated city,” Abo Awad said, smiling. “Every morning, you wake up and you see Al-Aqsa [mosque] and the Old City … I had a lot of experience[s] in Jerusalem.” Indeed, studying in Jerusalem proved to be a life-changing time for Abo Awad. As a Bedouin from an Arab village in the south, Jerusalem’s diversity proved to be something entirely new for him. “It was unique,” Abo Awad said. “I loved the experience there. For me it was the first time [I] left my family, my village, the people that I know and they know me. … I met new people in Jerusalem, Jews, Druzes, Chris-

tians.” Abo Awad also happened to be in Jerusalem at a particularly tumultuous time in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — he began studying at Hebrew University a few months before the beginning of the Second Intifada. “As a person who looks like an Arab the experience was very complicated for me and sometimes scary on both sides,” Abo Awad said. “The Jews would look at you and be a little bit scared because I look like [those who are] suspicious.” After receiving his master’s degree in Arabic language and literature from Hebrew University, Abo Awad returned to teach Arabic in his village. He felt obligated to return to his village because of its poor state of education. According to him, only about 63 percent of Bedouin high schoolers achieve their ‘bagrut,’ the Israeli equivalent of a high school diploma. “The education there is not the best,” Abo Awad said. “... You need to work with the people and educate them.” Abo Awad decided to come to America in order to further this goal. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Education and

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copy editor

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by aaronboxerman

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Born in Bedouin settlement in southern Israel

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photo provided by Brewbooks via creativecommons

in-depth

A WANDERER

2013

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a few days before the beginning of the semester. “I was all the time thinking ‘my dad, my mom, my family, are they okay?’” Abo Awad said. “[Eventually], I called my friend from the airport and said, ‘I am going.’” Abo Awad returned to his village and taught Arabic for two years. During this time, he began to broach the idea of going abroad again to get his doctorate to his family. Eventually, his family members agreed. Abo Awad returned to the United States two years ago on an academic scholarship and enrolled in the doctoral program at Howard. This year,

however, his scholarship was reduced due to the budgetary strain faced by many higher education programs. The pressure on him to leave increased when his old school offered him a job — not just as a teacher, but as the principal. “I almost went home before this year, because the school cut my scholarship by 50 percent,” Abo Awad said. “… I got a very good offer from back home to be a principal, and my brother said, ‘they called you, they want you, you can come now, you will get it. It’s good money, and you will be back home.’ I said, ‘You know, I came here to finish my degree and I cannot go back home without my degree. I will fight. I will do my best.’” Though Abo Awad received other job offers, he decided to teach at JDS because, with Hebrew spoken daily in the hallways and Israeli food eaten in alcoves and departments, it felt a little like home. “[From] the very first day, I enjoyed the time in the Hebrew department,” Abo Awad said. “I felt like I was in Jerusalem with all the food and the shwarma at Moti’s. All the students are very quiet, they want to learn, they have a commitment to the classroom and to the school. I really enjoy my time here.” Abo Awad is happy that JDS is actively pursuing a strong Arabic program. But more than that, teaching Arabic here is, for him, “more essential than at other schools.” For Jewish students to learn Arabic in addition to Hebrew, he says, is critical to untangling the knot of Arab-Jewish relations. “I have a dream that the program will continue and that more students will study [Arabic] because it is very important for the Jewish people,” Abo Awad said. “We are cousins at the end of the day, if we want it or not. We must know each other’s language.”

photo

History at Howard University in Washington, D.C. This is not Abo Awad’s first attempt at studying in the United States. In 2009, he had reached a similar decision. However, events did not unfold as he initially planned. “I had decided to get my doctorate, and I had told my parents, ‘you know, I’m leaving,’ which is a big thing for Bedouins,” Abo Awad said. “You always want the family to be close … I’m leaving, and I see my dad is crying, and it was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry. … When I saw my dad crying, I wanted to cancel my flight.” Within a month, after a few bouts with homesickness — it was his first time living out of Israel — Abo Awad decided to leave his program

rkin

Hani Abo Awad begins first year at CESJDS

day in the life

An autumn day in the life of sophomore Elie Katz

6:28 a.m. Woken up by Mama Katz singing to me, telling me to get up because it is 6:30. WRONG. I have two more minutes to sleep. I sleep for a good 10 minutes longer until I get a not-so-pleasant awakening from Mama Katz saying that if I don’t get up then she will take the covers off of me. That is NOT acceptable. 6:45 a.m. Get up for real this time and make my way over to the bathroom. 6:50 a.m. Look at at the day’s weather and get extremely excited that it is sweater weather. Put on sweater. And jeans. And boots. ‘Cause it’s faaaallll. 7:18 a.m. Finish getting ready and go downstairs to see my brother already done eating breakfast and all ready. Ugh. Guys have it so easy. 7:27 a.m. Finish eating breakfast (seriously, I should enter a speed eating competition). I get a snooty remark from the littlest Katz, Zev, about how I am seven minutes late and how I am always late and how I am going to make him late for everything.

photo provided by Elie Katz

7:55 a.m. Get to school after having a Katz family sing-along in the car and surprise surprise we get to school on time. Take that, Zev. 8:28 a.m. Time to go to first period. Oh, lordy, today is gonna be a long day. When’s lunch? 10:26 a.m. Classes, notes, classes, BuzzFeed, notes, bubble shooter, classes. Is it lunch yet? 1:06 p.m. FOOD. It has been too long, old friend. Lunchtime it is. Joy to the world. 1:44 p.m. Only two more classes left until school’s out for summer LOL JK just ‘til tomorrow. Blah blah blah essay. Blah blah blah test, blah blah blah worksheets. The usual. 3:45 p.m. School is over for today which means it is time to go home and relax ... haha NOPE. I have to stay at school until 7:30. Woot woot go a cappella! 3:50 p.m. I tell myself that I will be productive, but really I just wander aimlessly around and be my social self. 6:00 p.m. Aca-scuse me? Where

has the time gone? It is time for a cappella … and I have not done any of my homework. … Cool. 7:30 p.m. After an hour and a half of unproductiveness, loudness, hugs and just a small bit of legitimate singing, I go home to eat delicious dinner made by grade A chef Mama Katz. 8:49 p.m. I suck at math. 9:23 p.m. I still suck at math. 10:00 p.m. Finished my math homework and earned an REI online shopping break. My SmartWool socks are getting lonely. 10:57 p.m. Perfecting my shower break-dancing routine. It’s getting good. Shampoo bottles applaud. 11:13 p.m. Fall asleep with exactly eight hours until my next meal. Score.

profile

Retracing the steps of Administrative Assistant Marilyn Davis by margalitzimand reporter

Adminstrative Assistant Marilyn Davis was in fifth grade when she decided she wanted to be a teacher, but she never predicted where that decision would take her. In the 1980s, with a new baby in tow, Davis became the first Head of School at Gesher Jewish Day School in Alexandria, Va., where she grew up. Davis attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and George Washington University, and taught in the Alexandria public school system for seven years. One day Rabbi Sheldon Elster of Agudas Achim, a Conservative synagogue in Davis’s hometown, and his wife, former CESJDS Head of School Shulamith Elster, offered her a surprising proposal. According to Davis, they approached her saying, “We know you’re not working full time, we know that you were a teacher, we know you were a good teacher, and we want to know if you would like to start a day school at Agudas Achim.” At first, Davis did not believe she was qualified for the job. While she had been a fifth grade teacher for many years, she had little experience with Hebrew. But the Elsters had a solution. Davis would start the school and they would provide her with an adviser from JDS. That adviser was current JDS Middle School Principal Joan Vander Walde. Vander Walde visited Gesher a few times a month and encouraged the students to attend JDS after they graduated from Gesher. At the time, Davis had no idea that she would soon leave Gesher and join her former students at JDS. In its first year, Gesher had just enough students to pay one teacher, Susan Koss. She is the former JPDS Head of School and current MJBHA Lower School Principal. Davis also used her connections with the Alexandria public school system

to bring in volunteer retired P.E., Music and Reading teachers. Soon, the school began to grow. There were new grades every year and it was clear that the school was going to succeed. However, Davis’s initial concern was finally confirmed. The school needed a head with a stronger Hebrew background, and Davis was not right for the job. The board hired a rabbi and Davis moved on. Davis initially planned to stay unemployed for a while, but when she saw an ad in the paper for a position at JDS, she was intrigued. She called Shulamith Elster and found out that JDS needed a “front office person.” It did not take Davis much thought; this time she knew she met all of the qualifications. “After putting a school together, I thought probably I would be okay,” Davis said. “So I came here as the front office person.” Davis has enjoyed working at JDS for a number of reasons, but most importantly, the JDS community was there for her during a difficult time. “My husband died when my children were young, and I became a single parent,” Davis said. “I had three kids, and I had to think of a way that I could keep the community and work, and do everything that I had to do, and I thought, ‘Well, Jewish Day School.’” Davis’s children already attended JDS, so working at JDS gave her an opportunity to keep an eye on them during the day. “I had all these eyes that suddenly helped me raise my children,” Davis said. She recalled several teachers still at the school who acted as second parents to her children. “It was very comfortable; it was very nice,” Davis said. “[Being a parent] was much easier to do than it would have been if I had been a single parent raising three kids.” photo by Alison Kraner

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alexander flum, jeremy kaplan

Staff editorial

Forming a kehillah in the halls Comedian Louis CK, in an appearance on “Conan” in late September, offered the following meditation on the creeping dominance of cell phones in our lives: “You need to build an ability to be yourself and not be doing something,” he said. “That’s what phones are taking away — to just sit there. It’s being a person, right? Now we gotta go, we gotta check. … And sometimes when things clear away, you’re not watching anything, you’re in your car, and you start going, ‘Oh no, here it comes. That I’m alone.’ It’s starts to visit on you. Just this sadness. Life is tremendously sad, just by being in it. “The thing is, because we don’t want that first bit of sad, we push it away with a little phone. ... You never feel completely sad or completely happy,” he continued. “You just feel kinda satisfied with your product.” This experience most clearly

manifests itself in our day-to-day lives during that most awkward moment when, as you’re cruising down an empty hallway, you past by someone else and your body freezes up. Afraid of making eye contact, you quickly stare at your feet or, more likely, pull out your cell phone. Although this year’s new cell phone policy stipulates that students are allowed to carry and use their cell phones around school, we hope that this is not interpreted as a license for students to become their own isolated bubbles floating through the halls. In the spirit of kehillah, and because of our desire to see that value demonstrated outside of the classroom as well, The Lion’s Tale proposes that the school adopt the renowned “speaking tradition” of Washington and Lee University, which “strongly” suggests that each time a student passes

web copy

cole aronson, jonathan orbach

another, they acknowledge each other simply by saying “hi.” No, this doesn’t mean that you will have to say “hi” 300 times to every single person you see between classes. We merely propose that students acknowledge one another when alone or in very small groups. We recognize that the school cannot enforce this. But we hope that the administration initiates and promotes this new concept, and that students buy in to this very small but potentially significant action of acknowledging their peers. This will make our community an even more welcoming place to be. Washington and Lee’s website says that participation in the speaking tradition “is one of the little things that makes W&L your home away from home.” We hope the same can apply here. Teachers are people, too. We ought to make new teachers feel like veterans by making them feel

welcomed. It should go without saying that teachers are a part of the speaking tradition as well, but special attention should be given to new teachers to ensure they feel as at home here as students do. With the onset of BYOD, it is easier than ever to, as Louis CK put it, “feel kinda satisfied with your product.” We think that students must also “build the ability to be yourself and not be doing something.” Simply walking alone down the hallway and having the ability to just be yourself, and perhaps to be a bit uncomfortable in the process, is part of being human. We should not fear expressing ourselves to a student in a different grade whose name we may not know. We should not keep “pushing away” emotions with our phones. Let’s set our phones aside and simply say “hi.”

-The Lion’s Tale

web section editors

evan kravitz, matt litman & adina pollak

senior reporters kobi fodor, matthew halpern, gefen kabik & danny waksman

reporters mijal altmann, robbie belson, michael berkowitz, harris block, cole cooper, naomi cohen-shields, isaac dubrawsky, emma enig, yonatan greenberg, emma hofman, sj hyman, yonah hyman, hannah nechin, josh paretzky, gaby pilarski, mark reichel, jeremy schooler, uri schwartz, jonah shrock, carol silber, gabi swagel, alysse weinberg, margalit zimand

staff adviser claire burke

adviser emerita

art by R’ay Fodor

susan zuckerman The Lion’s Tale Editorial and Ethics Policy As the student newspaper of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, The Lion’s Tale is a forum for student opinion and expression. All content is determined by students. Its purpose is to inform the CESJDS community and to express the views of its staff and readers. The staff has made every effort to ensure the accuracy and objectivity of its news. Signed columns reflect the opinion of the writer; staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of The Lion’s Tale editorial board. The Lion’s Tale staff welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns, all of which must be signed. The staff reserves the right to refuse any material and may edit letters or columns for length, clarity, libel, obscenity and/ or disruptiveness. Submissions may be emailed to jdslionstale@gmail.com, mailed to The Lion’s Tale, or brought to room 328. The Lion’s Tale is funded by The Simon Hirshman Endowment for the Upper School Newspaper and The Kuttner-Levenson Endowment for the Upper School Cultural Arts and Student Publications, and community advertisement. The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisement for any reason. The staff will adhere to the ethics policies of The Society of Professional Journalists and the National Scholastic Press Association. The adviser will be held to the Journalism Education Association’s Adviser Code of Ethics.

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guest columns

Senior to teachers: Cut us some slack (until Nov. 1) by colearonson online copy editor

I’d like to make an unauthorized plea on behalf of my senior comrades. To our teachers: please, more easy assignments and fewer harder ones before the end of the first quarter. At least fifty of us are submitting early applications — due November 1 — to our firstchoice schools, and, over these next weeks, we’ll be exhausted and very stressed. Furthermore, we have both a perverse motivation and a gargantuan amount of pressure to perform well in school right now. Here’s why: At least from my perspective, college was far enough away for most of high school that it didn’t occupy four-sevenths of my thought time. It was also a motivating enough prospect that, even when I wasn’t enjoying school, I

always had reason to work hard. Now it’s college time, and the bottom of my Powerschool page says “Y1 GPA: w.xyz.” That’s the number that most greatly affects whether I will be admitted anywhere ... sort of. As it turns out, the colleges to which seniors apply early can request students’ first quarter senior grades. Semester grades are sent to every college to which a student applies, but this is only after early admission decisions have been released. This means every assignment and test I complete now is both a hedge against my not getting into college early or, equally as distressing, an oversized effector of my chances of admission. Now, if a college asks for my first quarter grades, a single bad essay or test will have a large impact on the grade they put under the category of “How Cole is doing as a senior.”

This contradiction simultaneously racks nerves and depresses — if juniors think every point counts, well, to seniors, every point counts times four. Worse, it makes me and all of my classmates not enjoy schoolwork, the thing we spend the most time doing. Saving the fun, more analytical, high-risk stuff until after the first quarter ends helps seniors’ first quarter grades. It also should not, if executed properly, change the number of assignments (and points) a teacher plans to give during the first semester (thereby not affecting the composition of the final grade). It will give seniors extra hours for the most important application they submit: the one to their first-choice school. And most importantly, it will allow

us to get back to applying ourselves to our studies, rather than to those stress-inducing universities.

When faculty become friends

by rinabardin and dianabender-bier seniors

Krifche r

so why should there be any problem? “Friending” teachers on Facebook gives the alumni an opportunity to stay in touch. As seniors, the idea of soon being able to“friend” a teacher makes us reflect on the nature of our relationship with the faculty. At certain times during the day, we find ourselves discussing the same social and cultural topics with our teachers

This is because the dynamic at JDS allows its students to be close with their teachers even outside of the classroom. We share daily BuzzFeed posts, YouTube videos, and news articles with our teachers. It all starts there. We send our teachers a peppy email, excited about an article we read or a video we watched, and then continue our evening engaged in a friendly email exchange. As students, it’s not weird or unconventional to talk to our teachers outside of class. Rather, it’s what’s expected. This should continue well after graduation. In order to maintain these relationships, students should be encouraged to reach out to their teachers by “friending” them on Facebook. So once we graduate, we can actually plan to visit Sprinkles with Ms. Ball and Ms. Armstrong.

y Yael photo b

Everyone knows that a significant moment for seniors is sending their teachers “friend requests” on Facebook after graduating. On the one hand, it’s a fun tradition that shows how our relationships with teachers have developed during our time at JDS. On the other hand, this tradition can be viewed as uncomfortable or inappropriate. Technically, graduates and faculty are on the same social level,

as we do with our friends. We often have lunch with our teachers or just pop our heads into their offices to say hello. Granted, we may just be doing that to get some candy, but ultimately we see no problem with wanting to continue these causal relationships throughout college and even afterwards. Contrary to popular belief, seeing JDS teachers at the mall or at the grocery store is rarely awkward. We would love nothing more than to accidentally run into Ms. Armstrong and Ms. Ball at Sprinkles. Janis Ian of “Mean Girls” compares seeing a teacher in public to “seeing a dog walk on its hind legs.” While this observation may apply to most high school students, it has no resonance to JDS. It’s actually exciting for us to see teachers outside of school.

sports

Boys varsity basketball heads to Memphis by alexflum online editor-in-chief

Leading 24-15 with two quarters left to play in the semi-final matchup against the Grace Brethren Christian School Eagles, the boys varsity basketball team could taste the finals. Fast forward two quarters. The scene: hanging heads and frustration, the excitement turned to dismay. Eight months later, the team is prepared to put the past behind them and jump into their 2013-14 campaign. Taking on this new mindset, the team will embark on a trip to Memphis to compete in the Cooper Invitational Tournament, which hosts 16 Jewish high school basketball teams from all across the nation. This falls on the heels of an 18-5 season in

which the Lions rose to number eight in the country among Jewish teams, according to Jewish Hoops America. The Memphis tournament will be the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season. “There are a lot of good teams in Memphis, so playing them will prepare us for the teams in the PVAC,” senior Jon Prigal said. Coached by David McCloud, the Lions are led by two captains, Prigal and senior Ari Charnoff. The team boasts nine returning seniors and several key underclassmen. “We have nine returning seniors who have been part of our program for two years and have a thorough understanding of the expectations of the coaching

staff,” Assistant Coach Bob Marshall said. “In addition, we are anticipating several of last year’s JV players will move up to varsity to give us some much-needed depth.” Despite an abundance of seniors, the team will be without last season’s leading scorer who posted 17 PPG, due to the graduation of Ethan Walfish (‘13). This will pave the way for the rising seniors and newcomers to figure out their place in the offense. Senior Daniel Kravitz, who was second in scoring with 14 PPG, is expected to be instrumental in this process. The Lions will once again have to deal with being undersized; they have only one player measuring above six feet. “While we anticipate that overall we will be a bit bigger

than last year, we know that we will be among the smaller teams in the conference,” Marshall said. Senior Adir Hakakian believes that the team managed to overcome their lack of height last season. “I think it was due to the hard work and dedication that we put in,” Hakakian said. They have their work cut out for them, but the Lions have no intention of leaving Memphis without being crowned tournament champions. “We are going to go down there and show them what CESJDS basketball is all about,” McCloud said.

LT file photo

Senior Daniel Kravitz looks to hone his skills in Memphis.

From department to department and coast to coast, fantasy football unites Starters

by jeremyschooler reporter

As summer turns to fall, millions of Americans get excited for football. Despite not having a football team, CESJDS is certainly no exception. Along with rooting for certain NFL teams, many students and teachers play and obsess over, fantasy football. Although it has been around since the 1960s, the immense level of popularity that the game of drafting NFL players and winning match-ups based on the players performance has skyrocketed since the inception of the Internet. When popular sports sites such as ESPN, Yahoo! and NFL. com made free fantasy football leagues available, millions of people joined because fantasy football combines their knowledge of football with their love of the game in a fun and competitive way. “I think it provides another aspect of being a fan,” sophomore Daniel Levy said. “Although I am a huge [Washington] Redskins fan, I know a lot about all the players and teams, so playing in a league with my friends is a way to put our knowledge to the test. It also makes games with bad teams way more interesting to watch if you or your opponent has a player in the game.” JDS fantasy football leagues are enduring and last after graduation and members part on their own ways. Alumnus

2013 Season

Mike Freishtat (‘06) has been in the same league with his JDS friends since 2001, and it is still going strong. “We did our first draft at the lunch table in eighth grade,” Freishtat said. “We all wanted to be together when we did it, so we had the offline draft and later put the players in our Yahoo league. It’s just as fun now as it was 10 years ago, and now it’s also a way to keep in touch with my friends that I don’t see that often. Even though we’re spread out all over the country now, and can no longer do the draft in person together, this is one thing that has been consistent and kept us in touch all these years.” The fun does not end with the students; teachers are also being pulled into the excitement fantasy football has to offer. Educational Support Services teacher Brett Kugler has been through a few different leagues in his 17 years of fantasy football. “I started out in a league with my father and his friends when I was 13 years old,” Kugler said. “Back then we had a guy who would add and keep track of all the statistics by paper and pencil, and as technology has picked up over the years I switched to a Yahoo league with people my age.” Kugler thinks that a fantasy football league can also be a way to connect members of his community. “When new people move in to our community I ask them

Week 7 Projections

if they like football and want to join our league,” Kugler said. “It’s a communal league, and I think it really helps bring people together. We might all watch the games together, and people like having that competitive atmosphere where they can enjoy football with neighbors, while engaging in some friendly banter with their opponent.” Among the various leagues that Kugler participates in is the JDS teachers’ league. Rounding out the 10 person league are Health and Exercise Science teachers Steven Forestieri and Brian Westerman, Math teachers William Kaplan and Andrew Goldman, History teachers Carl Atwood and Marc Dworin, Jewish History teacher Aaron Bregman, Science teacher Raymond Hodges, and Chris Appouh of the technology help desk. However, although many teachers and students alike enjoy and even spend many hours on fantasy football, not everyone is a fan of the fantasy football craze. Freshman Reuben Winston is one such student who does not understand what is so great about the fad. “I have played fantasy football in the past, and I didn’t get into it,” Winston said. “I like football, but I don’t see the fun in the game. I’ve also seen some people get so competitive about their league that it threatens their friendship.” illustration by Evan Kravitz

field conditions

Field of dreams?

Players address field conditions, gameplay and safety

by carolsilber reporter

During the fall sports season, a lot of student-athletes have been spending two hours of their afternoons on the playing fields. Although many soccer players are excited for the season, one obstacle that has stood in their way is the condition of the playing fields. Juniors Samantha Knapp and Aaron Handelman, who play soccer, said that poor field conditions caused injuries in past seasons. “Last year at the end of the season I was going to the ball and my foot got caught on the edge of a bump,” Knapp said. “I fell in the opposite direction and got an upper ankle sprain.” This injury had a significant consequence for Knapp. As a result of the sprain, she was on crutches for two weeks and could not play for four months. Knapp explained that the conditions of the soccer field are hazardous to the safety of the players. “It’s just covered in bumpy patches and uneven ground,” Knapp said. While several student athletes feel that their injuries and complications during games are due to the conditions of the fields, Athletic Director Michael Riley said

‘‘

that there are many other possible causes for injuries. “I’m not sure if they [the injuries] have been caused by the field conditions,” Riley said. “There are some parts of the field that are not completely covered with grass, but I’m not sure how they’re related to the injuries. I mean, injuries can happen because of a number of different reasons.” Montgomery County holds CESJDS responsible for the upkeep of the fields, according to Riley. “We reseed the fields every year and have the fields cut every week,” Riley said. Despite the school’s efforts, Handelman said that the fields are not well taken care of. “The fields are worn out and

“It is harder to practice and have games on these fields because sometimes the ball doesn’t go where you want it to go due to the fact that the field is so uneven,” Handelman said. With the current situation at JDS, Handelman looks forward to playing on other schools’ fields because of their superior conditions. “The only other school that I have played at which had worse conditions than ours was Hebrew Academy. Every other school either has very well-maintained grass fields or turf fields,” Handelman said. Knapp agrees that the conditions are detrimental to soccer games. “Sometimes during games the ball will bounce around on the uneven grass and make it hard to control the ball. It makes it much harder to make good-paced, accurate passes,” Knapp said. Several soccer players argue that the school has paid more attention to the gym than to the fields. The gym’s conditions affect volleyball and basketball players, as well as students who take P.E., while the fields conditions affect the soccer, baseball and softball

The fields are worn out and not kept up well. The grass is very uneven and there are large parts of the field that don’t have grass at all.” -junior Aaron Handelman

Photo by Brian Schonfeld

not kept up well. The grass is very uneven and there are large parts of the field that don’t have grass at all,” Handelman said. Aside from the safety threat that the fields pose, Handelman added that their poor conditions lead to problems when trying to play.

players. “I think it’s fine that they have renovated the gym. However, it would be nice if they could also pay some attention to the fields outside,” Handelman said. Knapp feels that the appeal of the gym was being prioritized over the safety of the soccer players. “Getting the gym renovated was just an upgrade and a nice addition to the school, but it wasn’t necessary for safety,” Knapp said. “Basketball games were not affected by the state of the court but our games are [affected by the field].” Riley said that one factor leading to the poor conditions is out of the school’s control. “Our fields are used by more than us,” Riley said. “They’re rented out during the week and on the weekend so they get a lot of use, because it’s a public field and it’s something that we don’t own exclusively. Both of our fields are used extensively during the weekends, so some areas of the field get worn out more than other areas.” While some soccer players seem to have multiple concerns about the conditions of the playing fields, baseball players, who use some of the space, do not share the same opinion. “There are no problems with the fields except for that I wish we had nicer dugouts,” said sophomore Eli Lerner, who plays on the varsity baseball team.

7th heaven

iOS 7 Notes Design Expert view “It’s not just about the flat design. The first time I laid hands on the new operating system, I felt like I had a new phone, one that looked prettier and, more importantly, felt more useful.” —Adam Clark Estes, Gizmodo

What students say “It’s annoying because when you want to set a lock screen picture, the time always covers the person’s face in the picture.” —eighth-grader Emily Cohen

What students say “It took me a long time to switch from the old interface to the new interface but now that we’re in the groove, there’s not much I don’t like.” —sophomore Harris Block

Expert view “Inside, you’ll find more efficient ways to alter the settings that have the biggest effect on battery life. For instance, you can switch off Wi-Fi with a single touch. It used to be a multiple-tap process. ” —Kif Leswig, Wired magazine

Control center

Multitasking

What students say “If you’re in the middle of something, instead of going back to the main screen, you can just double click and go [wherever].” —sophomore Shoham Lewin

Expert view “Safari’s new unlimited tabs feature makes browsing on the phone feel more like browsing on your desktop. ” —Adam Clark Estes, Gizmodo What students say “It’s easier to keep track of which [websites] are open and its easier to get rid of them.” —sophomore Liat Bregman

Expert view “ ... There are too many options and too many icons, and there’s absolutely no reason this shouldn’t be customizable.” —David Pierce, The Verge magazine What students say “It can be really hard to get the tab up from the bottom of the screen.” —freshman Ethan Kramer

What students say “I love the control center because as soon as I get to school, I can put it on airplane mode so the battery doesn’t run out.” —junior Hannah Handloff Expert view “Although iOS has had multitasking since iOS 4, the new update adds live previews and a handy gesture for closing apps you don’t want.” —Kif Leswig, Wired magazine

Expert view “[The new icons are] a devastating mix of ugly ... and inscrutable, like the color pinwheel and the oven burner that supposedly represent Photos and Settings.” —David Pierce, The Verge

Expert view “The icons and the screenshots move at different speeds, the screenshots are only updated when you open the app, and it’s all a little slow and stuttery right now.” —David Pierce, The Verge What students say “It’s unnecessary because it shows you the entire page you were on. I don’t want to know the pages, I just want to know the app I used.” —sophomore Mayan Beroukhim

Safari

Expert view “Safari now also allows you to open more than nine browser tabs at once, but this means it’s easier to leave too many old tabs open.” —Kif Leswig, Wired magazine What students say “The buttons are very confusing. ... When changing tabs, they go in a direction that makes you nauseous.” —junior Molly Silverberg

compiled by Alison Kraner, Yael Krifcher, Hannah Nechin and Mark Reichel