PHOTO ALBUMS!
Great pics from our Alumni Reunions + Events
CLASS MEMORIES SLIDESHOWS
2014-15
2013-14
REUNION SLIDESHOWS
2014-15
2013-14:
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PRIOR ALUMNI eNEWS
Missed a Ramaz Alumni eNews? Check out past editions...
2015-16
2014-15
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AMAZON SMILE!
Are you an Amazon shopper? Did you know Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to Ramaz?
All proceeds raised go toward programming for all Ramaz divisions. It's as easy as a click of a button!
CLICK HERE for the Ramaz link and start shopping Amazon Smile.
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SHOP & SUPPORT RAMAZ!
Get a Fairway card and support Ramaz with your everyday grocery shopping.
Cards sold in $100 increments can be ordered ONLINE and picked up in the Development Office (Middle School, 114 East 85th Street, 3rd Floor)
For more info or to make other pickup arrangements, please contact the Development Office.
Cards benefit Ramaz Parents Council, can be used at any store location, and do not expire!
NOTE! Fairway contributes 10% of card sales to Ramaz's Parents Council, which in turn supports activities for current students.
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GET INVOLVED!
Your Reunion and other Alumni Programs and Initiatives will be enhanced (and more fun!) with your involvement. To help plan an event or to serve on a host committee, please be in touch with Lauren Katz, Director of Alumni Relations, at
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ALUMNI NEWS &
CLASS NOTES
Please continue to share your smachot, happy occasions, and please know, in times of need we are here for you, too.
EMAIL US to share alumni news and CLICK HERE to submit class notes.
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SHANA TOVA!
What an amazing month! We began our programming year on September 18th, when the Ramaz Alumni Association hosted its annual Fall Shabbat dinner event for young professionals. The dinner was held in the Lower School's newly renovated Heyman Auditorium with 180 alumni and friends - our largest Shabbat dinner ever! It was a very special night - an amazing crowd,  wonderful energy in the room, and great food. As host committee member Michael Abramson '09 shared, "It was incredible to see participation among such a wide range of grades. All of the alumni I spoke to were so excited by the turnout and were able to catch up with even more people than they expected. The food was phenomenal, and there is nothing that induces nostalgia more than those Upper School chocolate chip cookies! It was also a special treat to see the newly renovated KJ and to meet Rabbi Grossman and his family, whom the school is lucky to have."
Earlier in the month, I had the privilege of accompanying a group of 15 Upper  School students to Masbia, the kosher soup kitchen servicing the community in Flatbush. We spent several hours volunteering as part of a 9/11 day of chesed scraping, chopping, and preparing hundreds of pounds of vegetables in preparation for their Rosh Hashanah meal program. It was great to connect with the students, our future alumni. Later that week, we opened the doors to the new KJ sanctuary and expanded Ramaz Lower School. We kicked off the celebrations with a special donor event followed by a community-wide gathering two days later, where it was great to see many alumni come back to the building. It was an amazing and special moment in the history of the Ramaz and KJ communities.
We're gearing up for many exciting programs and initiatives in the year ahead, including our participation in next month's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, October 18th. See the events section below for more details.
As always, please be in touch with CLASS NOTES, to make professional connections, and to get involved in the alumni community.
Warmest regards and chag sameach!
Lauren
P.S. please be in touch if you didn't receive your New York area SHABBAT TIMES MAGNET for the coming year!
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RACHEL WOLF '95
For the last 16 years, Rachel Wolf has dedicated her career towards working for the Jewish non-profit sector, a path that led her to her current job as Chief Executive Officer for the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. According to Rachel, "I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have found a cause that I so deeply believe in and feel so proud to represent."
Since 2002, Rachel has been working for Shaare Zedek in various capacities, including Director of Special Events and Chief Operating Officer. In her current role at Shaare Zedek, Rachel is responsible for overseeing the administrative and development efforts of the American office for the hospital. Most recently, she was proud to travel to Israel to celebrate the opening of Shaare Zedek's new Wilf Children's Hospital and the Nagel Family Pediatric Inpatient Pavilion. Rachel explains: " I still remember when I first started working for Shaare Zedek, I learned that we were known as the "Hospital with a Heart." With my patented NY cynicism, I assumed that this was just another PR tagline. The amazing thing is that I have now spent the last decade learning every day just how much that description is true. Just a few weeks ago, I had the honor of seeing firsthand the impact of our efforts, as we ushered in a new era in cutting-edge compassionate pediatric medicine in Israel." R achel continued, "I am truly honored to not only meet and work with the most spectacular professionals, donors, and lay people (who have become like family to me), but I get to see the impact of our efforts and watch as thousands and thousands of babies are born and lives are saved with the highest levels of medical excellence and personalized care each and every day." 
Rachel grew up in Great Neck, NY, and attended Ramaz for high school. As a student, she recalls being challenged by her teachers and classes and enjoying the opportunity to connect with fellow students throughout the Tri-State area. One of Rachel's most formative academic experiences was Rabbi Gordon's Talmud shiur. She shared, "It was through his rigorous, stimulating, and thought-provoking teaching style that I first developed a real confidence in my own academic prowess and potential." Rachel's experience playing on the girls varsity basketball team for her four years of high school (led by coach Howard Stahl) taught her the values of "camaraderie, competitiveness, and working as a team to strive for excellence." After graduating from Ramaz, Rachel went on to Barnard College where she earned a BA in Psychology.
While living on the Upper West Side and working for Shaare Zedek, Rachel often comes into contact with alumni, and is constantly reminded of how proud she is of her Ramaz education and the experiences she had throughout high school. It was at her 20 Year Reunion, she explains, "where I was reminded once again of how special my grade was and and how lucky I was to spend four years with a group of such exceptionally talented, unique and special individuals."
Among colleagues and friends, Rachel is described as energetic, dedicated, and an effective, true leader. Rachel is married to Andrew Borodach and is an active member of The Jewish Center on the Upper West Side. We are proud to count Rachel among our 5500+ alumni community and wish her continued success.
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MICHAEL SNOW '09
It is not often one hears about a Ramaz alumnus moving to Germany, but that's exactly what Michael (Mikey) Snow did in August of 2014.
Mikey grew up on the Upper East Side and attended Ramaz from Nursery A through high school graduation. Following graduation, Mikey spent a year in Israel at Yeshivat Orayta, a transformative experience where he grew personally and became more focused on his future goals and aspirations. After his time in Israel, Mikey went on to Binghamton University where he studied Philosophy and English Literature. During his time in college, Mikey wrote for the student newspaper, Pipe Dream, and eventually served as the editor of the paper's opinion section during his final year of school. Mikey also served as the Vice President of Chabad on campus, where he gained teaching experience coordinating learning groups. In addition, he worked as a tutor at the University's Writing Center, and served as a Teaching Assistant for a Greek philosophy class. These experiences led Mikey to want to teach -- and to teach in Germany, no less!
But why teach in Germany?
 As a philosophy major, and with thoughts of pursuing a Ph.D., Michael started studying German with the goal of reading German philosophers in their original. The summer prior to his senior year at Binghamton, Michael participated in Germany Close Up, a seminar sponsored by the German Government's Transatlantic Program and organized in conjunction with the American Jewish Committee (AJC). This led Michael to apply for a Fulbright grant, the flagship international educational exchange sponsored by the U.S. Government. Michael was accepted as a Fulbright teaching fellow. One year later, he landed in Berlin for what would be a very rewarding year.
During the 2014-15 academic year, Michael taught English at the Wald-Gymnasium, a high school in a leafy part of West Berlin. Michael shared: "Developing lesson plans and leading classes on issues such as nationalism, gender, and identity was really gratifying. I learned a lot." Mikey eventually began a weekly club for 11th grade students that covered topics such as free speech, the media, and American politics.
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Michael with some of his German students
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During his Fulbright, Michael decided to extend his time in Germany. He is now working for the American Jewish Committee in their Berlin office. Part of Michael's work involves researching Islamic extremism in Berlin high schools as part of a project that will develop a curriculum to teach values of democracy and pluralism. This is especially important now, in light of the refugee crisis and expected influx of over 800,000 migrants into Germany this year.
"It's a very exciting time to be in Berlin," Michael shared. "Berlin was only reunified in the early 1990's, so the city is very much like a 24-year old: full of potential and energy with many possible directions forward." Michael has also immersed himself in the re-emerging Jewish community in the former East Berlin, where he lives. "It's a very meaningful place to grow and contribute Jewishly," he reflected.
"You've got the huge Israeli influx, visible on nearly every street corner, and a whole new generation of Jews, primarily from the former Soviet Union, discovering what it means to be Jewish for the first time." Mikey has been active in Jewish circles in Berlin such as the Lauder community, Chabad, and L.S.D. (Let's Start Davening), a monthly Kabbalat Shabbat pot-luck dinner.
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Mikey explaining Chanukah to a group of German friends
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In looking back on his experience at Ramaz, Mikey said, "Ramaz gave me a strong intellectual orientation and ability to think critically. At Ramaz we learned that Judaism should not seal us off from the world, but rather, precisely through our Jewish values we should look for ways to engage the broader community." He recalled travelling with his father and friends from the Ramaz / KJ community to Washington D.C. in 2006 to participate in the Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide as a formative experience that exemplifies this concept. "I'm proud, and still see the effects of Ramaz's emphasis on political awareness and social consciousness."
In addition to the academic, intellectual, and spiritual foundation he received at Ramaz, Michael is grateful for the friendships he made and appreciates being part of a special class.
We are very proud of Mikey's accomplishments.
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September was quite the month! 
Between celebrating the reopening of the KJ synagogue and expanded Lower School building, going to shul for the chagim, attending many smachot, and unfortunately, going to funerals, I experienced a full range of emotions this past month.
I was able to celebrate so many amazing moments with our alumni community, including the Menche family wedding and lots of engagements and births. We even had a non-Ramaz couple who got engaged after meeting at last year's Ramaz's Young Professionals Society Fall Shabbat Dinner. Speaking of our alumni dinners -- it was an amazing night! It was incredible to see so many of our alumni and their friends gather to celebrate Shabbat together in our newly renovated synagogue, auditorium, and school building. I of course loved being told, "Wow, Mr. Rochlin you don't change!" Boy, these young alumni know how to make a middle aged guy feel good; it must be something we were taught in Rabbi Weiser's class (Yes kinderlach!). Speaking of aging, I was at the bris of the grandson of Merryl (Hiat) Tisch '73, where I had the opportunity to see so many of you celebrating the generational connections, and several people asking when applications are due for next year's nursery class.
Of course, learning about the death of Rabbi Shmuel Klein z"l our Rabbi, teacher, and friend for over 30 years, whose love and warmth are legendary, as well as the tragic death of alumnus Yehuda Bayme '02 made this last month more poignant -- it speaks to our need to celebrate every moment of happiness we possibly can as a community.
I hope you have followed the rededication of the KJ sanctuary and expansion of the Lower School. Many of us celebrated smachot, milestones, or sad moments with fellow alumni and their families in that building. Now the sanctuary is back to its former glory and is a true inspiration. I hope to celebrate many more milestones with all of you there and in your own communities.
Warm regards,
KENNY ROCHLIN '86
Director of Institutional Advancement
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ECC/ LOWER SCHOOL VISITS
Schedule a visit to learn more about our
Early Childhood Center/Lower School
Click HERE to schedule a tour or call 212.774.8025. Click HERE for an application. IMPORTANT ECC/LS DATES:
Sibling Application Deadline: 10/27
Application Deadline: 11/17
ECC Teacher Recommendations Due: 12/9
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"With both of us being proud alumni of Ramaz, we were excited for Leo to begin his own journey at the school. His wonderful experience so far has exceeded all expectations as he loves going to school each and every day!"
Elise (Wolinsky) '99 & Daniel Kasell '98 |
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UPPER SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE
Saturday night, November 7 | 8:00 pm
Ramaz Upper School
PARLOR MEETINGS
Dates Coming Soon
- Brooklyn
- Englewood
- Five Towns
- Great Neck
- Manhattan
- Queens
- Stamford
- Westchester
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"The sheer sense of joy and nostalgia I felt when I brought my son Jacob to the Ramaz Open House was amazing. I had the utmost confidence that Ramaz, having been an incredible experience for me, would also be the best school for my son. It felt even better once Jacob started the year, and he is even happier and more well adjusted than I could have ever imagined."
Amy Budin Leifer '89
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IMPORTANT UPPER SCHOOL DATES:
Sibling Application Deadline: 10/27
Application Deadline: 11/17
General & Judaic Studies Recommendation Letters Due: 12/9
Transcript Submissions Due: 1/5/16 |
UPCOMING EVENTS
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AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY'S
MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER WALK
WITH TEAM SHARSHERET
Sunday, October 18, at 8:00 am
Five-Mile Walk through Central Park
As part of a chesed project, Ramaz Alumni and students will walk together with Team Sharsheret, joining more than 400 men and women, volunteers, and supporters. We will walk to honor the memory of Rochelle Shoretz z"l, sister of alumni Michael Shoretz'05, Jenny Tenenbaum '09, and Lily Shoretz '12. Rochelle was the founder of Sharsheret.
Registration required. CLICK HERE to register for the walk. Choose "sign up" then "join an existing team" and select "Sharsheret Breast Cancer Organization." Please note! There is no registration fee and fundraising is not required.
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PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING EVENTS
Financial Services | Marketing/Advertising/PR | Real Estate
Technology
EMAIL US to join the HOST COMMITTEE and get involved in the planning of these events.
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| MILESTONE REUNIONS |
25 YEAR REUNION | CLASS OF '90
Saturday Evening, November 14, 2015
HOSTS: Seth Ader, Dahlia (Krukofsky) Bellows, Talya (Toledano) Davidovich, Nicole (Boyarsky) Fisher, Dana (Chipkin) & Matthew Hiltzik, Ronit Kahanowicz, Ilana (Klein) Kahn, David Kaplan, Caroline (Arfa) Massel, Norah Mazar, Dov Nelkin, Adam Scheer, PJ (Tanz) Slomovitz, Rachel Stone, and Sara (Messeloff) Tanz
EMAIL US pictures to include in a memories slideshow.
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10 YEAR REUNION | CLASS OF '06
Saturday Evening, February 6, 2016
EMAIL US to join the HOST COMMITTEE. Your reunion will be more fun with your involvement.
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50 YEAR REUNION | CLASS OF '66
Spring 2016
HOSTS: Elaine (Yastrab) Berg, Naomi (Schrenzel) Cogan, Gila (Gitelman) Noam, Eddie Milstein, Joe Salomon, and Carol (Ochs) Wurzburger
EMAIL US pictures to include in a memories slideshow.
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5 YEAR REUNION | CLASS OF '11
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
EMAIL US to join the HOST COMMITTEE. Your reunion will be more fun with your involvement.
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