8/3/2019 Bits Test

1/9

From: Ethan Goldberg Subject: file:///Users/ethangoldberg/Documents/andy.html

Date: November 2, 2011 10:44:41 AM EDT

To: Tzvi Pittinsky

Friday November 4, 20117 Cheshvan, 5772

Parshat Lech LechaCandle Lighting at 5:30 PM

What Is Frisch Bits?It was a bright fall morning when I woke up to go to my first day at The Frisch Yeshiva High School. My body was mixed with a multitude of feelings: anxiety,nervousness, but most of all excitement. Since then all of the other feelings haveabated; but the excitement has remained, and will stay with me forever. From the

moment I walked in, I noticed the tremendous amount of events and programs takingplace in Frisch. These amazing events, however, were considered ordinary among theFrisch students. After hearing this, I decided that the students had to see these"ordinary" events from a new perspective. In a heartbeat I realized that what theschool needed was a newsletter. But not just any newsletter, one that would capture

the greatness and engagement of all Frisch programs.

I then proposed this idea to a dear friend of mine, Zach Flamholz. I asked him what he thought of anonline newsletter, and if he would head it with me. Zach informed me that the school, since his arrival, hadbeen missing a paper that would week in and week out report on school events to the whole Frisch

http://users/ethangoldberg/Documents/andy.htmlhttp://users/ethangoldberg/Documents/andy.html

8/3/2019 Bits Test

2/9

community. He therefore enthusiastically responded that he would love to be part of this incredible newtype of Frisch publication. Since the paper's conception, more and more students have been asking us to bepart of the newsletter team. I believe, and I'm sure that many will soon agree, that this will become thestrongest newsletter in Frisch history.

Enjoy Reading,Enjoy Reading,

Andy AgusAndy AgusMind Behind Frisch Bits

Featured Story

2011 Frisch Club Fair

On Wednesday, September 21, Frisch held its annual ClubFair showcasing the various co-curricular activities that theschool offers. At this event, each club or team has a smallstation at which students can learn about the various clubsand sign up to receive information regarding tryouts andmeetings. The Club Fair is an excellent way for clubs toattract new members to participate. Rabbi Staum, the facultymember in charge of co-curricular activities, explains that"Club Fair is a chance to give students exposure to Frisch

life outside of the classroom. It is a way to get kids involvedand give them a taste of the various opportunities they have

Featured Story

Remembering 9/11

10 Year Anniversary.

Everyone is aware of the terrorist attacks on the World TradeCenter, and has heard stories of both horrifying tragedy andmiraculous survival. Not all, however, have heard an actual recountby a survivor from one of the towers. A few weeks ago, on theMonday after the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Frisch's own RabbiRussell Moskowitz, a survivor from Tower 2, addressed all theFrisch students and faculty.

He described how unreal it was to have felt completely safe andcalm at one moment, and utter chaos in the next. He also spoke ofheroic actions taken by many people inside the burning towers. For

8/3/2019 Bits Test

3/9

out o c ass. e a so stresses t at n g sc oo co-curricular activities are almost as important as regular classes."Clubs and teams provide students with opportunities topursue specific interests, and having the chance to bond withother students who share those interests makes it evenbetter."

Not everyone was thrilled with the Club Fair. A freshman,choosing to remain anonymous, says that she felt thestudents running their booths were not enthusiastic enoughabout their clubs, and did not try to draw in new studentswho already feel a tad uncomfortable. Another student feelsthat the upper-classmen stressed that the main reason to jointhese clubs is not for enjoyment, but merely to havesomething to put on college applications. Contrastingly,Melissa Maza, a sophomore transfer student, says that shefelt the Club Fair helped her better acclimate to Frisch, aswell as the various educational opportunities providedoutside of the classroom. The Club Fair attracted manystudents, many of whom are now new participants in clubs

and teams that they had not previously discovered.

example, even though the loudspeaker said Tower 2 was safe, oneman went floor-to-floor telling the men and women to evacuate.This was necessary because at that time no one in Tower 2 knewwhat had happened to Tower 1, or how serious the situation was.Luckily Rabbi Moskowitz made the right choice and left thebuilding immediately. In his speech he expressed his thanks toHashem for sending an angel (the man who went floor by floor towarn people to get out) to give him the message that ultimatelysaved his life.A few weeks later I had the opportunity to interview RabbiMoskowitz. In this interview he explained to me that there wastotal confusion in Tower 2 because no one knew what was goingon. He mentioned how he was encouraged by many of the tower'semployees to go back to work and not to worry. No one everthought the World Trade Center towers could go down.Rabbi Moskowitz added that most people who had been in theTowers eight years ago, when a bomb exploded below Tower 1,were still working at the WTC. They encouraged everyone to leave

because it was unwise to hypothesize as to what happened, and theyhad experienced an attack. Rabbi Moskowitz also mentioned thatimmediately after exiting the building he called his mother to assureher that he was okay, but that he was still unaware of what wasgoing on. Lastly, the Rabbi told me that he went back to GroundZero a few years later to pay his respect to the many men, women,policemen, firemen, and volunteers who lost their lives on 9/11.I would like to personally thank Rabbi Russell Moskowitz for givingme an opportunity to interview him and to let him know his story isextremely touching.

Featured Story

Frisch Integrates

8/3/2019 Bits Test

4/9

Integration is a major aspect of Frisch's curriculum. It is a way for each individual subject to be unified under a single theme;based on this unification, a new understanding is created of how seemingly contradicting subjects can be interwovenharmoniously. With a dual curriculum, it is important for Frisch to blur the lines that students tend to draw between the secularand Judaic classes, and to introduce our students to ways of connecting the two. All grades have been assigned a topic, andprograms are held for each grade throughout the school year which further explain the theme. The theme of freshman year is'Identity'; the theme of sophomore year is 'Exploration'; the theme of junior year is 'Conflict'; and the theme of senior year is

'Integration'.

For most freshmen, the beginning of ninth grade may be overwhelming due to a new environment, unfamiliar faces, and a highlevel of expectations. This confusing transition year corresponds with their theme of identity. The curriculum is designed toaddress these uncertainties, as well as allow the students to discover their very own identities. At the first integration program, thefreshmen were taught how to use our integration tool: the wiki, a webpage designed to allow students to share ideas, respond totheir peers' analyses, and promote collaboration among the students. The freshmen were then presented with two questions andasked to answer one of them; "What is the ideal Frisch student?" or "What type of Jew do you think you are?" These questionsallow the students to reflect upon themselves and their current identities, and contemplate how they would like to growthroughout their high school careers.

However, this quest does not end at the conclusion of freshman year. At the sophomores' first integration program, BookBurning Day, they explore this issue and learn how it affects their own lives. Examining several different subjects, they learn how

each contains a small piece of an entire picture. In Chumash, they studied how Moshe was the first in history to censor a book, inChemistry they discussed the intricate way by which a book is made, English class taught about modern day censorships, andwhether or not they are valid. The tenth graders were given the opportunity to view their lives differently, along with learning allabout the past and how it has changed today's world.The juniors were introduced to their theme through a shiur given by Rabbi Zauderer. Using Tannaic sources that examine thecomplexities of a city, he explained the theme of conflict. He spoke about how in the Mishnaic period, a city was a symbol ofunification and almost never approved of the ideas of "the other." The Jewish heroes of the Tanach strayed from the narrow rulescreated by a city's dictator, and these heroes sought other ways to live his or her life. Each eleventh grader was instructed toresearch an example of conflict found within a Tannaic city. Junior year is about conflict, and learning the methodologies ofconflict resolution.From year to year, the students at Frisch learn a great deal about themselves through these inspiring assemblies. Integrating is a

way for our yeshiva to come together, and create something magical.

Graphic By Andy Agus ('13)Written By Amanda Rubin ('13)

Feature Story

8/3/2019 Bits Test

5/9

Aisac Paragraph 1

Aisac Paragraph 2

Graphic By Andy Agus ('13) Written by('12)

Feature Story

PING!!! Pinging is the easiest and most direct way to get someone's immediate attention nowadays. So what if you could ping people without using a cellphone? Sounds pretty impossible doesn't it. What if you could make people listen to you attentively without sending them a message so that their cellphones vibrate? What if you just screamed their names in the hallway? Would they stop what they're doing and come address you? Most kids wouldprobably be too captivated by their cell phones to even notice you're talking to them.Think about how many times you started speaking to someone and then completely lost the person's attention because the person was busy texting,BBMing, or maybe even instant messaging someone else. How about when the cell phone obsession goes even further? The distractions caused by your cellphone, such as your best friend quickly informing you that he made the basketball team through a BBM, could cause you to miss out on the teacher's

8/3/2019 Bits Test

6/9

directions for an upcoming assignment. Or maybe you were too busy reading a BBM you received in the middle of a period, which caused you to becompletely oblivious to the big puddle of water you had just stepped in.Recently the distractions of the cell phone have gone far beyond being minor. The distractions have gone as far as causing us to not say a short ShemonehEsrei because we're too rapt in our most recent friend requests on Facebook , or perhaps the distractions have prevented us from saying Tehillim for a sickfriend because our phones vibrated and we needed to know immediately what the texts that we had received said. We have become so dependent on ourphones that some phones, like the iPhone for example, have an app called iSiddur. The app sounds reliable, but what happens when you're in the middle ofreciting Shema, and a new text message comes up. Your concentration is instantly altered to curiosity about the text. Whatever diversion may occur, cell

phones have become the main cause of distraction during important everyday tasks.But what if you forgot about the technological aspect of your life for a few hours; powered down, went offline, took out the battery. October 2nd 2011 wasthe monumental day at Frisch when students voluntarily opted to disconnect themselves from their cell phones for a few hours. This event, which was doneduring the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, "Day to Disconnect" was essentially a day to reflect on one's self and realize that their are much more significant things inlife than technology.

For all those students who handed in their phones for the day, fifth period classes were replaced with a "speed-dating" type of event in the main synagogue.Seniors and juniors rotated chairs every 2-minutes to meet face to face with freshman and sophomores, and to partake in actual face to face conversations,which wouldn't have normally taken place if the students had their phones on hand. "It was a day that made me truly think about the significance of havingan actual conversation with someone, rather than communicating solely through my cell phone," says Frisch Senior, Aliza Bernstein. Eleventh grader, JessicaFeldman, felt the day had a spiritual impact on her life. She expresses, "It gave us a chance to bond as one, and realize together that we need to appreciateeverything Hashem has given us and stop to enjoy it." Day 2 Disconnect was a success on many levels and gave many students a new understanding of the

failures of technological communication. Unfortunately, not everyday can be a day to totally cut off our use of cell phones and social communications;however, step-by-step we can modify our priorities to realize the importance of the matters surrounding us.

Graphic By Andy Agus ('13)Written By Danielle Fischbein ('14)

Mishmar

'

Story

For the first time in its history, Frisch is introducing Chesed Days. Led by Rabbi

8/3/2019 Bits Test

7/9

the newly added incentive of free food, Frisch studentshave been fighting for seats at extra learningopportunities. A variety of delicacies has been providedso far: donuts after mishmar, laffa, and even a specialtreat to satisfy a sweet tooth before Rosh Hashana.Frisch students continue to get it all! A typical Thursday

Night Learning may look a bit like this: the studentsenter the beautiful Beit Midrash, and are privileged tohear some insightful words of Torah. These luckystudents have the chance to learn not only from theRabbis, but from peers as well. The students then take abus heading to Washington Heights in New York Cityto continue their spiritual, Torah-filled night. Afterpassing several Puerto Rican themed restaurants, theyare dropped off to get our own taste of Israel fromnone other than Golan Heights. Here, our students areable to order whatever type of meat he or she desires, wrapped inside a tasty piece of dough. However, thenight does not end just yet! They then stop at Yeshiva

University's stunning new Beit Midrash, and listen to ad'var torah from a respected YU Rabbi, followed bylearning with Frisch alumni. The students get to go tosleep that night with Torah in their hearts and laffas intheir stomachs. How much better could a ThursdayNight Learning get?

Schulman, each grade will get a chance to perform good deeds throughout theschool year, and have awesome opportunities to get involved! When these days arescheduled, all regular classroom learning will stop so students are able to devotetheir day to acts of chesed. A few weeks ago was the sophomore grade's turn. Alltenth graders were divided into four groups, and each had a different chesed to do.Whether one was cutting chicken, potatoes and carrots at the Matsbia Soup Kitchen,making Sukkot decorations at Care One, socializing and spending time with theelderly at Daughters of Miriam, or helping to clean a cemetery, these students made

a difference in the lives of others. Max Milstein, 10th grade, related that hisexperiences at Care One were really nice because the people genuinely appreciatedthe visits. They liked telling us their life stories and they really enjoyed havingpeople with energy and interest talk to them. It was really nice to do this kind ofchesed and see them smile. The most exciting part of this new program, is that thestudents share this unbelievable opportunity together. Talia Schabes, 10th grade,agrees: "coming together with my group was truly special because we made adifference in numerous people's lives. That is an amazing feeling!" This experiencewas a great way to get into the mindset of Rosh Hashanah. Frisch can't wait to haveanother Chesed Trip.

8/3/2019 Bits Test

8/9

The Yeshiva Highlites Staff

Andy AgusEditor-in-Chief

Ezra KurtzSenior Editor

Aaron RoseTechnical Editor

Shoshana LinzerCreative Editor

Rashel MaikhorCreative Editor

Jeffrey HerrLayout Editor

Darren JacobyEnglish Editor

Aaron ZimmermanChief-of-Writers

Amir TsarfatiChief Photographer

Josh FirestoneVideo Editor

Jonathan RazonAsst. Technical Editor

Binyamin FeitAsst. Technical Editor

8/3/2019 Bits Test

9/9

Bracha BrauserCreative Staff

Sophie RoseCreative Staff

Jesse SlomowitzGraphic Designer

Eric DitchekGraphic Designer Graphic Designer

Jonah SteinGraphic Designer

Faculty Advisors

Claudia Cohen- faculty advisorRabbi Houben- creative advisor

Mrs. Horowitz- proofreader