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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With the past few weeks full of highs and lows, it's been extra special to see how the Ramaz community comes together in moments of sadness and in celebration.
Last month, we hosted the Annual Sam Gyenes Memorial Basketball Tournament and Alumni Game. While Ramaz was defeated in the first round of games, it was a moment to celebrate Sam's life and the legacy of friendship and sportsmanship. It's always nice to see the Gyenes family each year for this annual tradition.
The following week, on Monday, November 9, we once again came  together as a community to mark the 22 nd birthday of Ilan Rasooly z"l, the son of Rebekah (Zuckerman) Rasooly '78. Members of the class of '78 graciously sponsored an after-school snack of pizza--Ilan's favorite food!--for Middle and Upper School students to honor his memory and to celebrate his birthday. It was amazing to see all of the Facebook posts to pay tribute to such a special young man and we were honored to be part of such an effort. Even alumnus Isaac "Buji" Herzog '78 enjoyed a slice!
From there, we celebrated the milestone reunion for the Class of '90. It was an incredible night of reminiscing and catching up on each other's lives and was special to see so many members of the class from near and far. See below for a full recap.
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Class of '90 - 25 Years Later!
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Less than a week later we were all stunned by the sudden and tragic death of Ezra Schwartz z"l, son of Ramaz alumnus Ari Schwartz '88 and nephew of Peter Schwartz '86 and Yoav Schwartz '90. RAbbi Lookstein and Mr. Ira Miller, together with a group of Ramaz community leaders, went to visit the Schwartz family to be "menachem avel" during shiva. I was touched by the number of email communications and the words expressed by members of the Class of '88 in show of support for Ari and his family. It was extremely moving and epitomizes what it means to be Ramaz alumni.
That same night, I went to a book launch event for Aviya Kushner '91 and it was nice to celebrate a moment of achievement and success for one of our talented Ramaz alumnae. Click HERE to read an article written by Aviya, connected to the story of Chanukah.
Chanukah came at the right time. From darkness, we turned to light. On this last day of the holiday, we hope it was a holiday full of joy, hope, and high spirits. Click the link to enjoy this edition of Illuminations, the Torah Journal written and published by Ramaz Upper School students. Also, watch Ramaz students "SPIN the DREY DREY" in celebration of Chanukah!  Warmly, Lauren Katz Director of Alumni Relations
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The evening of November 14 was a lively night of reminiscing, reconnecting, and catching up for the Class of '90 at their 25 year milestone reunion. Classmates from the Tri-State area, Florida, Israel and even Hong Kong were in attendance. Members of the class  who left after 8th grade were also in attendance and it was great to celebrate the milestone with former faculty, Mr. Ira Miller, Rachel Weinstein, and Rabbi Bienenfeld. The evening was made complete with the bootleg prom video and tuna on kaiser rolls with potato chips -- Ramaz alumni just love that Friday lunch!
It was quite amazing to see where people landed in life since graduation. The Class of '90 lives around the world, from right around the corner
from Ramaz to Shanghai, China. Over ten members of the class served in IDF, and eleven currently live in Israel. One classmate is the VP of Marketing for ESPN, several run their own businesses; another is a stand-up comedian; there are authors, Jewish community leaders, medical professionals, and so many more accomplishments and achievements. Most of all, it was nice to see learn about alumni's families and communal involvements.
As Matthew Hiltzik shared, "It was very comforting to know that our classmates have aged so well and we were able to recognize almost everyone. We missed our friends living in Israel and elsewhere who weren't able to make it. Definitely a great surprise to see Eitan Erez who made a special stop in New York and to know that Prof. Jonathan Tannenhauser has more hair than the other 33 male graduates from the class of '90 combined."
The evening was celebratory in nature, but the night was not complete without paying a special tribute to classmate Shahar Genosar z"l, who was part of the class for just a few years, but made a lasting impression on many. As one classmate shared, "Shahar always had a smile on his face, liked to crack jokes, and had a great spirit." Shahar was 19 years old when he was killed while serving in IDF. There is a memorial sculpture to honor his memory in a Tel Aviv park.
At the end of the night, people exclaimed, "What a wonderful night!" "The evening was too short, we need more time to talk to people!"
We had such a great time reconnecting!" "An evening filled with laughter!" As Nicole (Boyarsky) Fisher shared, "I enjoyed laughing and reminiscing with old friends and reconnecting with people
I haven't seen since high school. It was incredible to be transported back to the "good old days" by the 90s music, old pictures, and even our prom video! I was really touched to see Mr. Miller, Mrs. Weinstein, and Rabbi Bienenfeld at the reunion, and how excited they were to see the Class of '90."
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SARA HILTZIK '98
There is no shortage of lawyers among our alumni community (thank God!), but it is always amazing to see the professional path each individual takes--especially when it may not be the most common route.
After graduating from Ramaz, Sara Hiltzik attended Barnard College where she created her own major, titled Art History and Political Theory and graduated magna cum laude. She went to Cardozo Law School where she was given an academic scholarship. In addition to receiving her JD, she received a certificate in Dispute Resolution and was presented with the Cardozo Service and Achievement award for her work in the admissions office, giving tours to prospective students.
Following graduation from law school, Sara's first position was as an attorney for New York City's Administration for Children's Services where she prosecuted abusive and neglectful parents in Brooklyn Family Court. Four years later, Sara joined The Children's Law Center, a non-profit law agency that represents children in various family court proceedings including custody, visitation, guardianship, family offense, and paternity cases. She continues to practice there as a senior attorney and finds her work "highly rewarding, albeit emotionally draining at times, too." As Sara shared, "my strong sense of family most likely contributed to my career choice advocating for children, who, to varying degrees, have some drama, trauma, or a void in their family life."
In looking back on her experience at Ramaz and the impact it has had on her career, Sara appreciates the critical thinking skills she developed from her Talmud class with Rabbi Stochel and other rabbis, as well as foundational litigation and public speaking skills she honed from being co-captain of the Debate Team. As Sara shared, "just the other day I essentially asked a colleague the nafka minah (practical difference) between two legal approaches." In addition to the skills learned in the classroom, Sara recalls her time volunteering and spending time with special needs children as part of her chesed project. "It not only reinforced the idea of contributing to one's community, but also offered my first opportunity to interact with children in a more formal capacity." Seeing the passion and relentless commitment to youth exhibited by Ms. DeeDee Benel and Mr. Kenny Rochlin '86 had a tremendous impact on Sara.
Outside of work, Sara has become active in various professional and young professional Jewish leadership programs, most recently becoming more involved in the UJA-Federation and the New York City Bar Association. In addition, she frequently serves on event committees for various organizations, including Reuth and the Columbia Barnard Hillel Young Alumni Shabbat Gala, and even served on her recent reunion host committee. In between work and communal involvements, Sara is an avid runner and has completed three New York City marathons.
In addition to maintaining very close relationships with friends she made at Ramaz, Sara is a proud aunt to five Ramaz students, the children of her
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Sara pictured with fellow members of the class of '98
at their 15 year reunion a couple of years ago.
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siblings Dana (Chipkin) Hilitzik '90 & Matthew Hiltzik '90 and Aviva Preminger & David Hiltzik '93. We are proud of Sara's professional accomplishments, life's work and communal involvement.
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ELISSA KLEINHAUS '96
Elissa Kleinhaus '96, along with Katie Kluger (wife of alumnus Eric Kluger '00), recently launched their business Live Connected. Their new venture focuses on providing customized services for older adults to ensure that they can live a full life and age safely at home. As Elissa shares, "Our focus is to maximize independence and minimize stress while keeping older adults connected to the community and safe at home." At Live Connected, each client has a customized plan and either Elissa or Katie conduct follow-ups as often as necessary, sometimes daily, to ensure that each client and his or her caregiver receives the appropriate services and care. In addition, Live Connected offers support services to families and caregivers. 
Elissa's time at Ramaz, combined with the values learned and reinforced at home by her parents, inspired her passion of working with older adults. Elissa recalls being in Ms. Vicki Ginsberg's 5th grade class and collecting food and donating it to City Harvest. "I was excited by the exposure to such a hands-on opportunity and remember being very much drawn to it." Similarly, her sophomore chesed project was just as impactful. Elissa worked at Kittay House Senior Apartments, connected to Jewish Home Lifecare as part of their "Adopt-a-Bubbie" program, where she formed a strong connection with her "bubbie" with whom she remained in touch until she passed away. It was a relationship that spanned ten years after their initial contact. In addition to these formative experiences at Ramaz, as a child Elissa often accompanied her parents to Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital (a program through Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun), to visit sick and elderly patients. The combination of these experiences led Elissa to devote her career to working with this population
Following her graduation from Ramaz, Elissa went to Barnard College for degrees in Psychology and Art History. She worked at Memorial Sloan Kettering in hospital administration and after a few years she decided to go back to graduate school. With the desire to have a more personal interaction with patients, she returned to Columbia University's School of Social Work for her MSW. Upon graduation, Elissa worked for over four years doing case management for lower- to middle-income older adults, conducting home visits, providing entitlement counseling, managing client's care, and connecting clients to community programs. She then went on to DOROT where she conducted needs assessment, matched seniors with volunteers for support, supported friendly visiting matches, provided case assistance to clients, and connected seniors to appropriate resources. Elissa worked at DOROT for over seven years, where she met and worked with Katie, before they joined forces to start Live Connected.
Elissa lives on the Upper West Side with her husband and two daughters. She is a proud Ramaz alumna and is very close with friends she made through the community. While her two small children attend another Jewish day school, Elissa notes how there is a special connection to the other "Ramaz parents" in the school and how nice it is to have that sense of community.
We wish Elissa continued success working with on this new venture. Click HERE to visit the Live Connected website.
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ANDREW RECHTSCHAFFEN '95
Andrew Rechtschaffen '95 is proud of his deep rooted connection to Ramaz. His father Rabbi Manny Rechtschaffen was a member of the Class of 1950, his two brothers, Alan '85 and Eric '02, are alumni, his wife Monique (Messer) Rechtschaffen '96 is a graduate (although they didn't really meet until college!), and his three children, Jordan, Ashley, and Olivia are now Ramaz students. In addition, Andrew is on the board of Ramaz, and last year began serving as the advisor for the Upper School's Business Investment Club (BIC), bringing in speakers from the financial services industry -- a highlight of his high school experience. If you ask Andrew, he would credit much of his personal and professional success to his Ramaz connections. In fact, it was those relationships that helped lead him to his being honored at this year's UJA-Federation's Wall Street Division Dinner.
Andrew attended Ramaz from nursery through 12th grade. From there  he went to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After his third year at Penn, Andrew matriculated into the MBA program and graduated in 2000. He began his career as an associate in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley. After a couple of years, Andrew moved on to Greenlight Capital, a hedge fund based in New York, and worked as an analyst for a few years. From there, Andrew's career took him to Chicago, IL, where he was a managing director at Citadel Investment Group. He then came back to NYC and founded Obrem Capital. In 2011, he rejoined Greenlight Capital and is a partner in the firm. Andrew credits his success, in part, to the Ramaz community and to the mentoring he received from fellow alumni. As Andrew explained, "there were people in the community who went above and beyond to help put me on the right career path--they look out for the next generation of our community." One of those people was alumnus Jacob Doft '87. "In the true spirit of Ramaz's mission, Andrew's immense achievements span both his professional world as well as the wider Jewish community. I know firsthand that Andrew is a true mensch, loyal friend, generous benefactor, and gifted investor. He also has great hair," Jacob said.
In between the focus on his career and family, Andrew got involved with UJA-Federation early on as a young professional. He is now a member of its Board of Directors and the Wall Street Division Strategic Council and the Caring Commission, focusing his efforts on ensuring that the appropriate funds are allocated to service some of the most vulnerable populations in the area. Until recently, Andrew co-chaired the Investment Management Division and was a member of the Wall Street Young Leadership Committee.
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Andrew pictured with fellow alumni & guests at their 20 year reunion
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On Monday, December 7, at the Wall Street Dinner, Andrew was awarded the Alan C. Greenberg Young Leadership Award for his years of service and involvement. As Rabbi Lookstein shared, "It is an honor for you to receive the award and it is also an honor for us that one of our leaders is receiving such a tribute from a central charity of the Jewish people of New York. Your leadership in Ramaz and KJ is a great source of gratification and encouragement for our entire community."
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Andrew pictured at the UJA event.
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Like many of our alumni, Andrew has a close friendship with a handful of classmates, including Greg Brenner, Roger Cohen, Colin Falk, and Emil Kleinhaus. Each Thanksgiving, they get together, a tradition now twenty years in the making. "There is something very unique about the connections and ongoing friendships alumni have with each other."
We are proud of Andrew's accomplishments, his involvement in the broader Jewish community, and for receiving this special award.
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| IN-AND-OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM |
Each week Rabbi Eric Grossman, Ramaz's new Head of School, shares his reflections on the classroom and other happenings at Ramaz in the weekly Zmail bulletin. Below is his most recent article.
CHANUKAH COMES RIGHT ON TIME! | December 7, 2015
Famously, Jews complain annually that the High Holidays are either early or late--as if they are never on time.
Chanukah, I feel, is always on time. Whether it falls in November, December, or even early January, Chanukah is always welcome. Just as the dark days of winter roll in, Chanukah comes to brighten up our world with its light and joy. 
I had the pleasure of participating in some pre-Chanukah festivities last week with our ECC students and their special visitors. I shared with the students and their guests how the ECC to me is like the "Chanukah" of Ramaz: any time that life seems a little dark, I pay a visit to the ECC to brighten up my day. The cheerful faces of our ECC students light up our school the way the candles of the menorah dispel the winter darkness. The message is in fact the same: both our youngest children and the story of Chanukah radiate optimism for our Jewish future. At the moment we despair that the Jewish future is dark and dismal and our nation may be close to its end, God brings about a miraculous victory and our future once again seems bright. So too, whenever I read an article or study that indicates the imminent demise of Judaism and Am Yisrael, I take a walk through our Lower School, and all seems right in the world.
It is difficult at the moment to truly feel that all is right with the world. If Chanukah is always on time, this year it could not have come soon enough. The cloud of darkness that has fallen across Europe and Israel portends a bleak and prolonged winter for the civilized world. We need Chanukah this year more than ever to give up hope and faith that the forces of light will win out in the end.
This message was delivered eloquently at the Ramaz Upper School last week by Mr. Naftali Bennett, Israel's Minister of Education and Minister of Diaspora Affairs (see article below). Mr. Bennett spoke to our students about the recent wave of terror in Israel, reassuring them that Israel is strong, and that Jews have always prevailed and, with God's help, will prevail again. Click the link to watch a video of Naftali Bennett teaching Ramaz students.
Click HERE to read more from "Chanukah Comes Right on Time" and past reflections.
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OPENING DOORS | 79TH RAMAZ ANNUAL DINNER
Sunday, January 10, 2016 | 5:00 pm
Marriott Marquis | Times Square, NY
Please join us in celebrating the opening of doors to new possibilities and in welcoming our new Head of School, Rabbi Eric Grossman. Ramaz will give Rudy Arjune a moment of gratitude for his 32 years of service.
Alumni Ticket Price (2001-2015):
$180 - well wisher listing
$360 - alumni contributor*
$425 - contributor
$720 - alumni participant
CLICK HERE to be part of the Rudy Arjune tribute page
*ticket pricing for members of the classes of 2001-2015 who are not current parents
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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KOL RAM | ALUMNI & COMMUNITY CHOIR
Tuesday evenings| 7: 30 - 9:00 pm
Ramaz Upper School Auditorium
Kol Ram is open to Ramaz alumni, parents, faculty, and members of the larger community. Song repetoire includes both Jewish and secular music in a variety of genres. Kol Ram is directed by Daniel Henkin '85.
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CHESED WITH DOROT
Sunday, January 31, 2016 | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Ramaz Upper School | 60 East 85th Street
Join us for a wonderful chesed opportunity delivering packages to Dorot clients living on the Upper East Side. We'll meet at 10:00 am for an alumni breakfast followed by a volunteer briefing. Registration details coming soon.
HOST COMMITTEE: Anna Gribetz '05, Sarah (Koppel) Smith '06, and Rachel Wachtel '05
For questions or to join the host committee, please contact alumni@ramaz.org
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PR | MARKETING | ADVERTISING NETWORKING EVENT
Winter Date 2016
EMAIL US to join the HOST COMMITTEE and get involved in the planning effort.
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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 |
10 YEAR REUNION | CLASS OF '06
Saturday Evening, February 6, 2016
HOSTS: Amanda (Sussman) Bryk, Natan Edelsburg, Miriam (Krawitz) Levine, David Spier, and Micole (Horowitz) Weitzman
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
Sunday Evening, June 5, 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
HOSTS: Caroline Koppel, Talia Lefkowitz, Jennifer Ohebshalom, and Anna Wagner
EMAIL US to join the HOST COMMITTEE. Your reunion will be more fun with your involvement.
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25 YEAR REUNION | CLASS OF '91
DATE TBD, 2016
EMAIL US to join the HOST COMMITTEE. Your reunion will be more fun with your involvement.
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