by Daniel Saxon ('13)  

On Monday night, an excellent kickoff to the debating season was held at MTA. The resolution was powerful and very pertinent to us as students: Should "G-d" be removed from the pledge of allegiance? The debaters fiercely argued this point, with both sides bringing up excellent ideas both pro and con. Novice debaters served as the timekeepers, which taught them the art of timing in a debate, how to cross-examing opponents, how to organize key points for their side, and how to lead a judge to their way of thinking. Interestingly, the outcome in the second round of the debate was that the negative sides prevailed. Ultimately, all the teams - which included MTA, Flatbush, Ezra, HAFTR, and HANC, were very strong and knowledgeable on the topic, and we extend our congratulations to all the debaters for their excellent performances. The evening concluded in time to catch the pinnacle of debating, the presidential debate.

The novice debaters will have the opportunity themselves to debate this coming Monday night at Ezra Academy, where the topic involves Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to control the size of soda containers.  

by Yehuda Karol ('15)   

This past Sunday and Monday, Avi Weschler, Phil Meyer, and Yehuda Karol went off to Melville, NY, to represent MTA in the annual NCSY JUMP Leadership Seminar. In addition to MTA, schools such as SAR, Rambam Mesivta, Central, SKA, Kohelet, Shalhevet, Magen David, Hebrew Academy of Miami Beach, Weinbaum, and HANC, were represented, as well as NCSY groups from Portland, Cleveland, and the NY/NJ area. The two day program included a speech from YU President Richard Joel, as well as lectures on how to be a leader within a group in the Jewish community. We learned how to set up an organization based on an idea, and how to market, finance, and operate it. The goal of the seminar was to have each team come up with an idea for an organization, with the top three teams receiving seed money to start their projects.

While learning these important skills, we had to come up with a basic idea for our project. We certainly had the deck stacked against us, due to the fact that we had the second smallest team. Despite this, we came up with a pretty good vision: to have a foundation that gives money to struggling Jewish communities, no matter the level of religious observance. We decided to name our foundation "Aseir She'Titasher," in effect meaning "give, so that you may receive." We realized that because we have access to great Rebbeim here at YU, we would easily be able to reach out to numerous communities in need of help, and we made sure to point this out in our pitch to the judges.  

When it was time for the final judging results to be announced on Monday afternoon, we felt highly optimistic about our chances of advancing to the challenge round. We were ecstatic when it was announced that we placed third, sending us to the next round. We will now receive some money from NCSY to help start our project, and we will have to market our organization through social media while we begin to collect money for struggling communities. Our goal is to help as many Jewish communities as we can, and hopefully, Team MTA will end up winning the 2012-2013 JUMP Challenge.  

Hi Rabbi Green,

Just wanted you to pass on to you some nachas about the MTA boys who attended the JUMP Seminar.

Although there were only 3 of them, Yehuda, Phil and Avi certainly held their own amongst the other larger student groups from the 15 participating schools.

Their participation in all the activities and workshops was always noted. The initiative, hard work and effort that they invested in their Final Presentation was amazing, and evidenced by them winning third prize of $100 seed money to assist them in their upcoming JUMP challenges. This prize was awarded based on voting results from the other schools throughout the seminar.

 Many of the other mentors commented to me about their respectful behavior and middot. MTA should be very proud of these students

I know that given the proper guidance and mentor, they will be able to go far in the JUMP challenge competition.

Best,

Carol Rhine 

Chief Operating Officer
New York NCSY

After defeating DRS, Ramaz and Frisch in the first three rounds of the Magen David Preseason Tournament, the MTA Varsity Lions headed out to Brooklyn to face Magen David in the Championship game. The Lions opened up the game with an early 12 -3 lead, headed by Zak Lenik's transition points as well as dominant inside play from big men Ben Zion Feld and Hami Alexander. The MDY Warriors, notorious for their excellent three point shooting, were able to shoot their way back into it -- as they closed out the half trailing only 29-27. The two teams battled throughout the second half until the Lions eventually pulled out the win 53-49 and became the tournament champions for the first time in MTA history! The Lions' offense was led by Ben Zion Feld (14 pts), Zak Lenik (11), Shai Kaminetzky (8), Hami Alexander (7) and Ezra Teichman (5). The Lions look to use their momentum going into the 2012-13 season as they try to bring home a championship for the first time in their high school careers!

In the highly anticipated season opener, the Varsity Hockey Lions took on the ferocious Kushner Kobras. Junior Akiva Gottlieb wasted no time getting acclimated to the Varsity level and scored his (and the team's) first goal of the season just 19 seconds into the game. His linemate, Senior Captain Menachem Mermelstein, followed suit and netted one of his own. Senior sensation and Captain Eitan Rosenfeld scored two goals, with linemate Captain Moshe Lifshitz getting one in as well. The barrage continued with the debut of the team's energized second line. The combination of "The Man Made of Energy" - Dovid Ort - and his wily veteran of a linemate, Eli Weinstein lit up the Cobras for a promising start to the season, with Ort scoring two goals and Weinstein having his first career Hat-trick, 3 goals. After all three incredible goaltenders held down the fort for the game, the Lions won 11-2 getting a great start to a season that could very well end with a trophy. The Lions face off versus the Frisch Cougars on Wednesday in their home opener.

On Thursday, the new season started with the Ramaz Rams heading uptown to take on the Lions. Prior to the game, Coach Michael Heller named the team leaders: Zev Markowitz and Ezra Quint as captains and Jeremy Borgen as assistant. The game started with a penalty in the first minute. After a solid penalty kill, MTA had the momentum. They battled it out, but Ramaz struck first. Their second goal wasn't far behind and the Lions went to the locker room down 2-0. The second period wasn't much different, and we found ourselves in a 4-0 hole. The team came out strong in the 3rd, but it was too late. Final score: Ramaz 4, MTA 0.