Mazel Tov to Ayelet and Rabbi Ari ('02) Yablok upon the birth of a son.
|
Nathaniel Aronbayev (2/14), Noam Mayerfeld (2/14),
Ariel Feuerstein (2/15), Shmuel Turner (2/16), Akiva Sherman (2/18),
Matthew Albert (2/18), Yedidya Schechter (2/18)
|
Congratulations to our students who have been recently accepted to the following universities:
YU
Brooklyn College
City College
College of Staten Island
Lehman College
NYIT with Scholarship
Queens College
|
'Names, Not Numbers' Interviews Holocaust Survivors
by Mendel Weintraub ('16)
Over the past two weeks, seniors in the Names, Not Numbers program conducted interviews with Holocaust survivors for their oral history projects. These were not, however, simply question and answer interviews. All of the students involved in the class spent an entire semester in preparation for their respective interviews. This preparation included lessons on filming techniques, a trip to the Jewish History Museum in Battery Park, and numerous classes led by Rabbi Taubes, Rabbi Richter, and Mrs. Rosenberg.
Before the interviews, each group of students had to conduct research on the life of the survivor they would be speaking with in order to prepare questions for filming day. In doing so, students used references from the online databases of Yad Vashem and the National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., as well as some pre-interview survivor testimonials compiled by Rabbi Richter. For instance, if a particular survivor was in Poland in 1941, students interviewing him opr her needed to know what was happening in that country at that time. Thorough investigation was therefore required.
Once interview day arrived, each student was finally introduced to his survivor. This was a very unique experience, given that the students had been doing research on that very person for months beforehand. Now it was time to conduct an interview that would do justice to the stories of the survivor.
Each student took turns working the camera, interviewing, and observing throughout any given interview, making sure that every word spoken was captured with the proper attention. At the end of each interview, students presented their survivor with a copy of Out of the Depths by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau along with our sincere thanks.
With interviews conducted, the major job still ahead is to edit the interviews down in order to produce 15 minute movies, which is no simple task. Nevertheless, we are confident that the students will rise to the occasion and deliver exceptional finished products which will help memorialize the survivors' stories.
|
#Rangerstown visits #Lionscountry
On Wednesday afternoon, the MTA Sports Management club was honored to welcome Greg Kwizak, Vice President of Event Presentation for the New York Rangers Hockey Team. Mr. Kwizak captivated the students by discussing his own personal career path, which began at Disney, and explained much of what goes on behind-the-scenes at a professional hockey game. In his role with the Rangers, Mr. Kwizak oversees everything going on in the Madison Square Garden arena during each game, starting from when the staff begins running a/v testing some three hours prior to doors opening until long after the fans have exited. His team runs the contests, the scoreboard, the videos, etc. They will also put together special digital presentations that the hockey operations department will use to attempt to recuit new players over the off-season.
Students were also fascinated to hear Mr. Kwizak's many stories and to watch the two video features he brought with him. It was an incredible learning experience, providing the students with a very unique insight into the production side of the sports business. Thank you to Shuey Jacoby for bringing Mr. Kwizak to MTA.
|
MTA Third High School in the Nation to Join SABR
MTA has become just the third high school in the nation to open a SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) club. Senior Akiva Feuer approached the school leadership with the idea and gathered interest from a number of students. SABR President Vince Gennaro, whom Shuey Jacoby had known from his prior schooling, was delighted to help MTA create a chapter. The students who are part of the club each have official SABR membership with full access to all of the SABR resources and they look forward to working together on baseball analysis just as spring training gets underway. We hope to host Mr. Gennaro and other SABR guests over the course of the year.
|
Honors College Holds Lively Group Discussions
by Rami Nordlicht ('16)
On Monday at lunch, the members of the Honors College assembled with their grade cohorts to discuss an excellent and relevant piece of literature: American Judaism by Jonathan Sarna. In each cohort, students were able to discuss Sarna's thesis regarding how American Judaism has evolved at cultural, societal, and definitional levels, and what Judaism has meant to Americans - both as a religion and as an ethnicity- throughout American history. Students were able to gain tremendous insights into how numerous historical events, such as WWII, the Civil Rights Movement, and suburbanization affected the lives of American Jews and they were also able to compare the effects that past events had on Jewish communities to the way Jewish communities react today to contemporary features of American society. The group discussions allowed students to truly appreciate what it means to be a Jewish American citizen and we look forward to holding similarly interesting Honors College events in the future.
|
Mr. Sragow Prepares the Debate Team
by Dovid Schwartz ('17)
In light of an upcoming debate, the MTA Debate team had the privilege of listening to a speech from Mr. Sragow concerning the current drinking age in the US. He started off by sharing the history of the drinking age law in this country, beginning with early colonial America, when all drinking was condemned by the Puritans, leading up to today when drinking under the age of 21 is illegal. He further explained the reasons one might support the resolution of the upcoming debate which is: "The drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18." One of the reasons he mentioned is that if 18 year olds are deemed responsible enough to vote, serve in the military, and benefit from numerous other rights, certainly they should be deemed responsible enough to drink. He later stated that the opposition might say that the antipathy to drinking was always a part of American history and for good reason. The first reason was women, who are the leading victims of drunken men, so the consequences of drinking extend far beyond the individual. The speech from Mr. Sragow was an enlightening experience both for the debaters and the rest of the students who participated.
|
Debate Team Medals in Flatbush
by CJ Glicksman ('16)
This Wednesday, eight members of the MTA Debate Team went to the Yeshiva of Flatbush to debate against several other schools concerning the following topic: "College education in the United States should be paid for by the government." Despite the fact that there was much confusion about the limitations of the resolution prior to the debate, and even more confusion in the allocation of trophies and awards, MTA pulled in for the third place debate team. This happened in part because all eight members who participated shared statistics and arguments and emphatically worked together prior to the debate, and in part because only five of the ten competing schools were eligible for the "best school" award, since any school that brought only four debaters was disqualified from this award. Congratulations to all the MTA debaters on their success in the Flatbush debate.
|
by Rami Nordlicht ('16)
 This past Saturday night, MTA students and parents traveled to Teaneck to showcase their school spirit and cheer on their teams in a JV and Varsity hockey doubleheader against the TABC Storm. Scores of MTA fans, including the especially energetic exchange students from Makor Chaim (who orchestrated a lively session of singing and dancing between the two games) packed the TABC gym and cheered incessantly while rooting for the Lions. Between the two games, an MTA "BLUE-OUT" was held, as t-shirts and Cinnabons were handed out. Energized by the light snack and matching t-shirts, MTA fans were able to cheer throughout the Varsity game and made the TABC gym feel a lot more like the home atmosphere in the Lions' Den. Members of both the JV and Varsity teams were grateful for the amazing efforts that made the event possible and were definitely more energized and motivated as a result of the fans' presence. Thank you to Rabbi Kessel for coordinating an unforgettable night.
|
MTA Lion Kings Continue to Dominate
by Yosef Schatz '16
The MTA Lion Kings surged to another Chess victory, this time against DRS, as they dominated by a score of 10-4 in an impressive effort. They are now 23-7 on the season and continue collecting wins. The team members rigorously practice in the MTA library every day, improving their chess skills. Captain Akiva Sherman ('16) and Chess guru Akiva Poppers ('18) have put together an amazing lineup and look to continue their dominance into the championship tournament which will be held right at home in MTA.
|
Sophomores enjoy their Rosh Chodesh breakfast while learning a new song from the Makor Chaim boys. |
|
Please share with us your significant family milestones so we may appropriately acknowledge events and losses and properly communicate information.
|
|
Support YUHSB at these stores!
|
A Lion's Life Executive Staff
Faculty Advisor: Elie Hirt
Publishing & Design: Devir Kahan ('13)
Editor in Chief: Shimmy Mandelbaum ('16) and CJ Glicksman ('16)
Executive Editor: Rami Nordlicht ('16)
Associate Editor: Raziel Siegman ('17)
|
|
