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The Hillel Happenings
The Official e-Newsletter of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh
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December 19, 2014
 26 Kislev 5775 Parshat Miketz/Chanukah
Candle Lighting: 4:37 pm
Shabbat Ends: 5:50 pm
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The essence of Chanukah commemorates two distinct miracles, the Chashmonaim's unexpected victory over the Assyrian Greeks and of course the miracle of pure olive oil that sustained the Menorah of the Beit HaMikdash for eight days. What is interesting about these two components of the holiday is that throughout our sources only one of these events is mentioned and not both. The text of Al-HaNisim contains the story of the Chashmonaim's victory, but makes no mention of the oil, and the Talmud which discusses Chanukah, focusses on the miracle of the oil.
Rav Aaron Lichtenstien points out (http://www.vbm-torah.org/chanuka/chan64-ral.htm) that these two miracles relate to vastly different contexts. The Maccabi victory took place on the battlefield, whereas the miracle of the oil took place in the holy and serene confines of the Beit Hamikdash. War is often a time rife with moral conflicts that can cause even the most ethical person to lose his dignity and ethical bearings. The Beit Hamikdash, in this sense, is the precise opposite of the battlefield, representing an idyllic, serene atmosphere of holiness and closeness with G-d. Warfare threatens the spirit whereas the Temple uplifts it.
Significantly, the Chashmonaim insisted on establishing a single holiday to celebrate both events in both contexts. They perhaps sought to emphasize the fact that our success as a nation is measured by our achievements in the realm of the purity and serenity of the Mikdash, and by our success in the "trenches," in our unpleasant and unwanted but vital struggles with the unfortunate realities of the world. Just as the miracle of Chanukah would have been incomplete had success been achieved in only one of the two areas, similarly, our success requires triumphing in both the "Mikdash" and the "battlefield."
In the Jewish world it is becoming exceedingly difficult to be successful in both of these areas. Much of society eschews an idea of balance, and instead extremism is the new normal. It is important to realize that Judaism requires us to excel across the varied landscapes of our life.
Just as the Chashmonaim combined the victroy in battle with the miracle of the oil, so must we, as a nation, focus our attention both on the "Mikdash" and on the "battlefield," and strive for greatness and excellence both in the sacred realm of Torah and prayer, and in the more complex areas in which we engage for the benefit of ourselves and our nation. This is something we take very seriously at Hillel Academy as we continue to educate the future leaders of the Jewish people.
Chanukah Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!
RSW
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Announcements and Reminders
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Remember:
- DATE CHANGE - Mother/Daughter Melave Malka
- December 27, 2014 at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh - WE AER LOOKING for VOLUNTEERS email efratkagan@verizon.net.
- GHS Production - Sunday, March 1 and Monday, March 2 in the Robinson Theater at the JCC - Peter Pan.
Click HERE to start shopping.
Websites and Social Media: 
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Hillel Academy Student Blog
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We are launching the Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh Student Blog. This project was designed to give Hillel Academy GHS student Rivka the opportunity to share with the Hillel Academy Nation interesting topics about a variety of things, ranging from human teeth to bio-luminescence.
http://hillelacademyofpittsburgh.blogspot.com/
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Pittsburgh Tomchei Shabbos Begins
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If you are interested in volunteering or donating, please click here:
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Family Feature: Cecilia and Robert Banks
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Q: Welcome to Hillel Academy! Your son Charlie is in nursery. But. what's your favorite part of Hillel Academy, thus far?
A: The observable development of my son. 
Q: Share something about your family that makes you unique.
A: My family is very involved with Monroeville Fire Department 6. I serve multiple positions and my wife is an associate member. My children are also involved and enjoy the environment a lot.
Q: What do you do with the projects your children bring home?
A: 1/3 are displayed at work, 1/3 displayed at home, and 1/3 are given to the grandparents of my son.
Q: Where did you move from?
A: I have moved many times, but most recently moved from Beaver County to Monroeville 5 years ago.
Q: Any special family Chanukah traditions?
A: This year I will be celebrating Chanuka with my mother and children. It's my daughter's first Chanukah.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: I met my wife while working on the ambulance during the G20 summit and the only reason I asked for her number was because my partner, who is also one of my best friends, would never let me live it down. Three years later we were married. To make things even crazier, we were both working extra shifts for our respectable companies. Our meeting and relationship was set forth by G-d alone due to the numerous factors that had to equal out before we even met.
Thanks so much for your time!
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Alumni Spotlight - Yishai Pliner- '00
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Q: Hello Yish! Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. When did you attend Hillel Academy?
A: 1994 - 2000
Q: Share a favorite memory or two with our readers?
A: I have to pick 1? It's a tie between going on Mesivta Missions and Cogos.
Now from the past on to the present...
Q: How do you earn a living?
A: Living the dream @ prong.com
Q: How did Hillel Academy prepare you for the future?
A: Hillel and the Sq Hill community, in general, was, and I'm sure still is a great place to grow up. The
tight-knit community, the expectations that are set by our parents relative to family, career, and personal conduct have had a huge impact on me and play an important role in guiding me through life. My closest friends to date are ones I grew up with in da burgh.
Q: Share some info about your family.
A: I have a big one so I'll try to keep it relatively brief. The majority of my family lives in the NYC area and I'll just go through the lineup. My father (Rabbi Pliner) - Leading a day school in NY and trying to help modernize the way Jewish day schools educate their students. My mom (SuAnn Pliner) - Customer Service & Shipping Coordinator @ prong.com, Temima - 3 children (Chava, Batsheva, Shira) living in the NYC area and helping guide expecting mothers through labor, Chana - twin girls (Ayelet & Dalya) living in Boston where her husband, Akiva, runs a nursing home. Adina - has a son (Yitzchak) lives in Queens, NY and is a Lead PA at a local medical practice. Her husband Yerachmiel learns in Queens and is preparing to go into education. Yerucham - lives in Queens, NY. Has a baby girl (Ora), his wife (Rebecca) is an awesome cook and sells cupcakes. Rooks is a mechanical engineering student at City College (something tells me he won't have a hard time finding work). Elisheva - lives in NYC and is getting ready to take the nursing exam. Ruchama - lives in NYC and is pursuing a degree in criminal justice. Yaakov - I'm not sure where to start here; lives in NYC and he's supposedly in 11th grade, although this kid has more things going on than everyone else combined. Oh yea...My Man, Griffin "Beastmode" Pliner.
Q: What do you do in your free time? A: I didn't realize I had any ;). I ride my 
Boostedboard (if you don't know what this is....you're missing out on life) around NYC. Taking my man Griffin to the dog park. Playing pickup basketball with my close friends, Eitan Earnest ('01) and Matt Weinbaum, working @ Prong, ordering in, watching Stiller football (how about them 'lers) & Pitt hoops (looking forward to next year). Ocean Beach Fire Island (heaven on earth in the summer time...they have an insane hoops tournament out there every August....highly recommend getting involved). Also, I dream about the 2015 Hillel alumni game and dropping 40 points. Start practicing boys!
We might start Hillel Boostedboards, can you help us finance that? We would love to have you back for an alumni game. You repeatedly decline our invitations. So, keep dreaming about 40.
Q: Hillel Trivia - How many parking spaces in the lot?
A: At least one based on how many times we ran into a car while playing football during recess. Elliot Joseph ('00) might be able to answer this better than I. I led him on a few fly routes that ended up in some random bumper (or maybe it was a basketball pole....or both?).
If I remember, it was both.
Now for some more Hillel nostalgia...
Q: Who was your first Hillel teacher?
A: Rabbi Rosenberg
Q: What was your favorite class?
A: It's a five-way tie between Elmer Pohl, Paula Homa, Coach Quinn, John Taylor Meister and I'm not sure what class it was but Ackerman was up in the ceiling climbing in Wohnseidler's office.
I love all of those answers. Great memories!
Q: Did you have a favorite teacher?
A: Yes, it is a close tie between Dr. Boingggg - no explanation needed and Al Meyers' math class in 7th grade.
Q: Most interesting person in your contacts?
A: Hmmm....thankfully this is a tough question to answer because I have a lot (at least I think so).
George Du - VP of Manufacturing and China Operations @ Prong. I went to China not knowing anyone or anything in 2012 looking to start Prong with my partner Lloyd Gladstone. I met George the second day there and we spent 18 hours a day together for the next 7 months. That experience and my relationship with George has changed my life. We will work together for the rest of our lives.
Q: Share something with our students you wish someone had told you when you were in school?
A: So many, but the most difficult is to be able to take a step back in even the most impossible situations and find the beauty and opportunity.
Q: Best Mesivta meal?
A: Breakfast. It came with a shot from Izzy Joshowitz.
Q: Best hiding spot in the MGP (Mesiva of Greater Pittsburgh)?
A: Front left bench of the Beis Midrash
Q: Share a Mesivta Magic basketball memory with us?
A: Just the fact that there was a Mesivta Magic. Getting that team together and making it happen wasn't easy.
Q: What will it take to get Hillel back to basketball greatness?
A: I catch Benjamin Button Syndrome And a final question about your business...
Q:Can you explain the company you started and how it came about?
A: There are two key problems with Mobile Power. Firstly, you need to carry additional accessories to stay powered throughout the day (charge and a cable) even if you have a battery case and secondly, while you're charging you need to be tethered to a wall. I had battery cases and found that I would rather have the charger built in if I had to make a choice. At the time, I was working at AOL and my partner was in law school. We had been writing various business plans for almost a year. When we came upon this problem and realized that it wasn't out there, we decided to roll the dice. It has been a great journey and an awesome learning experience. I can go into detail about the experience (which is unreal) but it's a lot and that's a topic for another day.
Q: Where do you envision it going?
A: We have a great roadmap of products that we'll be bringing to market in 2015 both hardware and software. The goal is to penetrate the market, really gain brand recognition and just keep on pumping out great ideas. Ultimately, we have been assembling a great team and it's my hope that we can keep that team together for a long time.
 | | Yishai, with fellow alumni; Danny Brent ('02), Nissan Earnest ('00) and Etan Ernest ('01) at Etan's wedding. We don't know who the child is |
Q: Subway or taxi?
A: Neither. Boostedboard
Q: Pizza or hoagie?
A: I'll go with hoagie
Q: Chana or Tamima?
A: Trying to get me in trouble?
Q: Lakewood or China?
A: This is close. I'll go with China.
Q: Mesivta Magic Ball or YU Ball?
A: I came to understand the game on a whole new level by playing in College, but Mesivta trumps YU ball. Too bad we didn't get it started until senior year. It's fun playing with your boys.
Q: Sammy or Rabbi Weinberg?
A: Geez!
Q: Jordans or Pumps?
A: Jordans
Q: Chumash or Navi?
A: Tosfos
Q: Black hat or gray hat?
A: Black and gold hat
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Mrs. Erica Tipton (former teacher) - The students! 100% the students. They are smart, inquisitive, and most of all, full of love and kindness.
Meira Sacks (former parent, their family made aliya) - My kids would probably say oneg.
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Teacher Feature: Morah Alisa Fox
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Q: You came to Hillel last year and were an assistant in the preschool. This year you are one of four lead teachers in the kindergarten. What's that like?
A: I absolutely love teaching this year. I jump out of bed excited to be at work every morning. Even when I'm feeling literally exhausted I remind myself that I get to hang with 38 awesome little personalities. The kids are fantastic, like sponges, excited to learn and do new things. They all bring something rewarding to the experience. 
Q: What's the best part of moving upstairs to the second floor?
A: A few things, for one it's really great to get to collaborate with such an experienced, seasoned and amazing teacher like Mrs. Pfeffer. I am learning so much from her already. I also really feel like a part of the Hillel team upstairs, getting to know the other teachers. it's been great working with Ella, Elky and the support staff as well.
Q: Pop quiz (let's see if you have read previous HH). How many hooks line the second-floor hallway?
A: So, I remember the question and for the life of me, I cannot remember the answer I remember thinking "how can that be?" I'm gonna guess like 104.
The answer is 150. The secret is there are two rows of hooks outside some classrooms. Those lower hooks are usually covered by coats, you gotta go CSI to find them.
Q: Kindergartners learn so much as compared to when I was in kindergarten. How do they do it?
A: They are sponges, it's incredible! I am constantly amazed by them every day.
Q: Along with Morah Pfeffer, you teach kriya (Hebrew reading), parsha and what else?
A: Those are the main 2 components of the day. We also do art projects that tie in with parsha or chagim. We try and also tie in a lesson in good middos every day too. Kindergarten is the foundation you know.
Q: What's the best part of the day?
A: 38 smiling kids
Q: What are the long-term goals for Hillel Academy kindergartners?
A: Happy kids that love coming to school as much as I do.
Q: What will the Kindergarten be doing over Chanukah? A: We are singing and making cards for the residents at Beacon Place. The kids are pretty excited and they will look super cute wearing the paper flame hats that they are making. I am also hoping to make them all dreidel pros. Q: You ordered a lot of items in the Hillel Gear sale. Will those items be for you and your husband, or are you giving some away for Chanukah?
A: No plans to at the moment. Maybe I will save the basketball shorts to give to my husband as a Chanukah gift. I guess I should have ordered more than three things because everyone deserves to be decked out in Hillel gear. Actually, does Hillel make onesies?
Yes we do.
Q: What do you make of the Pittsburgh weather? It's hot, then it's cold, it's raining and then snowing.
A: Don't even get me started. I haven't quite been in Pittsburgh a full year and the weather is quite confusing to me.
Q: Ok, I need to get in a Bucco question, it's been a while. The Pirates plan to use Pedro Aleverz as their primary first baseman. What do you think of that move? Can he handle moving across the diamond?
A: GO PENS!!! :)
Ok, not exactly what I was shooting for, but I will give you a go Pens!
Q: Are you still thinking of offering a ceramics club?
A: There are lots of clubs I'd like to see offered. So many ideas, so little time in the week ;)
Q: Latkas or Donuts?
A: Oh, that's a hard one probably latkes. But coming from a home where my mother is sefardi I also had bimuelos delicious donuts a real Chanukah treat.
Q: Xbox or Playstation?
A: Playstation.
Q: Coffee or Tea?
A: Both but, tea is for sure my preference.
Q: Spanish or French?
A: Hebrew. But, actually my maternal grandmother who is from Cairo, Egypt spoke to me in
French as a child.
Q: Electric dreidel or wooden?
A: Wooden! No contest!
Q: Oil or wax?
A: Oil.
Q: Gifts or Gelt?
A: Gelt.
Q: Maccabees or Macabim?
A: Macabim, actually.... MaccaBEATS
Well, thanks for your time. Have a wonderful Shabbos and a Happy Chanukah!
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There will be Drama club on Dec 25 even though Ms. Wontrop won't be there (Tamar Skaist and I will run it). We will also have a make-up drama club on Tuesday Dec 30 since there isn't one on Jan 1.
- Middle School Mishmar begins at 6:30pm; students may not enter the building before 6:25pm.
- When hockey or any club ends, students must exit the building. They may not wait for another club to begin.
- Hockey games take between 25-30 minutes to play. Please plan to pick up your children on time.
- There are no Clubs during Chanukah.
- Middle School Basketball begins December 29 at the JCC Robinson gym. It is important for students to arrive on time and be picked up on time as well. Email already went out to students who registered for the team.
We are ready for the....
Girls Intramural Basketball League
Sparks (Black) Team
| | Stars (Yellow) Team
| | Aviva Itskowitz | | Rivka Kaminsky | | Batya Mandelbaum | | Shira Wiesenfeld | | Bracha Berelowitz | | Devorah Milch | | Esther Grossberg | | Chana Yolkut | | Bluma Rodkin | | Rachel Luzer | | Ariella Chinn | | Sarah Kagan | | | | Liberty (White) Team
| | Lynx (Blue) Team
| | Shira Sutofsky | | Avital Segal | | Leora Goldberg | | Chaya Sutofsky | | Elisheva Rosenberg | | Maya Davis | | Talia Itskowitz | | Michal Admon | | Rivky Grossberg | | Sarah Hertzberg |
FINAL MSB Hockey League Standings
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Teams
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W
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L
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T
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Dark Wizards
| 4 | 0 |
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Cavs
| 3 | 2 |
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Pumas
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2
| 3 |
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Tigers
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2
| 2 |
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Rebels
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3
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2
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Thunderbolts
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0
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4
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Hockey Playoffs:
Game 1: Dark Wizards 12
Tigers 6
Game 2: Cavs 2
Rebels 0
Championship Game:
Dark Wizards - 8 -
Cavs - 2
MAZEL TOV Dark Wizards on winning the Championship!
Results:
Sparks 4 Game 1:
Lynx 2
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Game 2:
Stars 12
Liberty 10
Standings:
| Wins | Loses | | Sparks | 1 | | | Stars | 1 | | | Liberty | | 1 | | Lynx | | 1 |
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We welcome any news from alumni; please send it to Hillelhappenings@Hillelpgh.org.
Dr. Adam Aronson ('91) recently received an award from Advocate Hospital in Chicago, Il. Adam is a partner in the 2nd largest pediatric practice in Chicago.
And here it is...the full Alumni Basketball Game - 11/29/14 - Old Alumni vs. Young Alumni
 | | Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh Alumni Game - 11/29/14 |
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Go Figure - Hillel Style Baby!
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Attended the RabbiSutofsky's Chanukah shiur on Bullying this past Wednesday night. 443Facebook "likes" of the Hillel Academy page. One more than last week. We are pushing for 500.  Days from today until the Opening of GHS production, Peter Pan73
150People (and counting) RSVP for Chanukah Family Learning this Sunday!
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Flashback Fridays Photo Challenge
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We are so proud of our alumni! We continue to strive to keep them current on Hillel news and we want to know what they are up to. One of our more simple ways to do this is to post a photo from back in the day. You think you know the people in the photo? Great! E-mail us your guess and we will publish your name if you guess correctly.
Thank you, Ms. Bonnie Morris for correctly answering last week's photo A challenge.
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This Week's Photo A
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This Week's Photo B
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Along with tens of millions of students in 180+ countries, Hillel participated in Hour of Code. According to their website, the Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. Our students has very positive reactions to it and we plan to offer additional coding opportunities at the year progress.
 | | Hour of Code |
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Hillel Gear is back and better than ever! We are ready for our fifth year of bringing you Hillel Academy apparel from around the globe sported by people you know or maybe those you don't know. But we can't do it without you! If you're going out of town, to a ball game, to learn, or maybe to a backyard BBQ, grab your shirt or a magnet and snap a pic on your phone and send it to HillelHappenings@hillelpgh.org. Remember, we have the winter break Hillel gear contest among others, so get ready! We are also looking for #HillelGear to start trending, so feel free to post to social media and use the #HillelGear or any clever ones.
Gedalyahu sports the retro Hillel Academy 2012 intramural jersey during a recent hockey practice. Pictured here as well are Hillel Academy dads (Avram Avishai and Sam Henteleff ('99)) and 3rd grader, Yehuda.
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Eighth grade Challah baking Washington D.C. fundraiser.
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The middle school melave malka. |
Some of our Chanukah Chessed photos.
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WHO
The Twos - The Toddlers
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WHAT
Math/Chanukah Lesson
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WHEN
Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 9:25 AM
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WHERE
Room 6111
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These toddlers learned the number 8 and made an 8 with the Bnot Sharut for the 8 nights of Chanukah.
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Mazel Tov to Rabbi Dov & Rivkey Nimchinsky on the engagement of their daughter Chaya Miriam to Chayim Gerson of Denver!
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5685 Beacon Street - Pittsburgh, PA 15217
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