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Ethan Goldberg <frischbits@gmail.com> le:///Users/ethangoldberg/Documents/andy.html November 2, 2011 10:44:41 AM EDT Tzvi Pittinsky <Tzvi.Pittinsky@Frisch.org>

Friday November 4, 2011 7 Cheshvan, 5772

Parshat Lech Lecha Candle 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 have abated; 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 taking place in Frisch. These amazing events, however, were considered ordinary among the Frisch 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 the school 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 an online newsletter, and if he would head it with me. Zach informed me that the school, since his arrival, had been missing a paper that would week in and week out report on school events to the whole Frisch

been missing a paper that would week in and week out report on school events to the whole Frisch community. He therefore enthusiastically responded that he would love to be part of this incredible new type of Frisch publication. Since the paper's conception, more and more students have been asking us to be part of the newsletter team. I believe, and I'm sure that many will soon agree, that this will become the strongest newsletter in Frisch history.

Enjoy Reading,

Andy Agus
Mind Behind Frisch Bits Featured Story Featured Story

2011 Frisch Club Fair

Remembering 9/11 10 Year Anniversary

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On Wednesday, September 21, Frisch held its annual Club Fair showcasing the various co-curricular activities that the school offers. At this event, each club or team has a small station at which students can learn about the various clubs and sign up to receive information regarding tryouts and meetings. The Club Fair is an excellent way for clubs to attract new members to participate. Rabbi Staum, the faculty member 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 involved and give them a taste of the various opportunities they have out of class." He also stresses that in high school co-

Everyone is aware of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and has heard stories of both horrifying tragedy and miraculous survival. Not all, however, have heard an actual recount by a survivor from one of the towers. A few weeks ago, on the Monday after the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Frisch's own Rabbi Russell Moskowitz, a survivor from Tower 2, addressed all the Frisch students and faculty. He described how unreal it was to have felt completely safe and calm at one moment, and utter chaos in the next. He also spoke of heroic actions taken by many people inside the burning towers. For

out of class." He also stresses that in high school cocurricular activities are almost as important as regular classes. "Clubs and teams provide students with opportunities to pursue specific interests, and having the chance to bond with other students who share those interests makes it even better." Not everyone was thrilled with the Club Fair. A freshman, choosing to remain anonymous, says that she felt the students running their booths were not enthusiastic enough about their clubs, and did not try to draw in new students who already feel a tad uncomfortable. Another student feels that the upper-classmen stressed that the main reason to join these clubs is not for enjoyment, but merely to have something to put on college applications. Contrastingly, Melissa Maza, a sophomore transfer student, says that she felt the Club Fair helped her better acclimate to Frisch, as well as the various educational opportunities provided outside of the classroom. The Club Fair attracted many students, 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, one man went floor-to-floor telling the men and women to evacuate. This was necessary because at that time no one in Tower 2 knew what had happened to Tower 1, or how serious the situation was. Luckily Rabbi Moskowitz made the right choice and left the building immediately. In his speech he expressed his thanks to Hashem for sending an angel (the man who went floor by floor to warn people to get out) to give him the message that ultimately saved his life. A few weeks later I had the opportunity to interview Rabbi Moskowitz. In this interview he explained to me that there was total confusion in Tower 2 because no one knew what was going on. He mentioned how he was encouraged by many of the tower's employees to go back to work and not to worry. No one ever thought the World Trade Center towers could go down. Rabbi Moskowitz added that most people who had been in the Towers 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 they had experienced an attack. Rabbi Moskowitz also mentioned that immediately after exiting the building he called his mother to assure her that he was okay, but that he was still unaware of what was going on. Lastly, the Rabbi told me that he went back to Ground Zero 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 giving me an opportunity to interview him and to let him know his story is extremely touching.

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Featured Story

Frisch Integrates

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 interwoven harmoniously. With a dual curriculum, it is important for Frisch to blur the lines that students tend to draw between the secular and Judaic classes, and to introduce our students to ways of connecting the two. All grades have been assigned a topic, and programs 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 high level of expectations. This confusing transition year corresponds with their theme of identity. The curriculum is designed to address these uncertainties, as well as allow the students to discover their very own identities. At the first integration program, the freshmen were taught how to use our integration tool: the wiki, a webpage designed to allow students to share ideas, respond to their peers' analyses, and promote collaboration among the students. The freshmen were then presented with two questions and asked to answer one of them; "What is the ideal Frisch student?" or "What type of Jew do you think you are?" These questions allow the students to reflect upon themselves and their current identities, and contemplate how they would like to grow throughout their high school careers. However, this quest does not end at the conclusion of freshman year. At the sophomores' first integration program, Book Burning 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, in Chemistry they discussed the intricate way by which a book is made, English class taught about modern day censorships, and whether or not they are valid. The tenth graders were given the opportunity to view their lives differently, along with learning all about 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 the complexities of a city, he explained the theme of conflict. He spoke about how in the Mishnaic period, a city was a symbol of unification and almost never approved of the ideas of "the other." The Jewish heroes of the Tanach strayed from the narrow rules created by a city's dictator, and these heroes sought other ways to live his or her life. Each eleventh grader was instructed to research an example of conflict found within a Tannaic city. Junior year is about conflict, and learning the methodologies of conflict 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

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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 cell phone? Sounds pretty impossible doesn't it. What if you could make people listen to you attentively without sending them a message so that their cell phones vibrate? What if you just screamed their names in the hallway? Would they stop what they're doing and come address you? Most kids would probably 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 cell phone, 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 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 be

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 be completely 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 Shemoneh Esrei 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 sick friend because our phones vibrated and we needed to know immediately what the texts that we had received said. We have become so dependent on our phones 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 of reciting 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 was the monumental day at Frisch when students voluntarily opted to disconnect themselves from their cell phones for a few hours. This event, which was done during 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 in life 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 having an actual conversation with someone, rather than communicating solely through my cell phone," says Frisch Senior, Aliza Bernstein. Eleventh grader, Jessica Feldman, 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 appreciate everything 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

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Frisch's famous Thursday Night Learning is back! With For the first time in its history, Frisch is introducing Chesed Days. Led by Rabbi

Frisch's famous Thursday Night Learning is back! With the newly added incentive of free food, Frisch students have been fighting for seats at extra learning opportunities. A variety of delicacies has been provided so far: donuts after mishmar, laffa, and even a special treat 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 students enter the beautiful Beit Midrash, and are privileged to hear some insightful words of Torah. These lucky students have the chance to learn not only from the Rabbis, but from peers as well. The students then take a bus heading to Washington Heights in New York City to continue their spiritual, Torah-filled night. After passing several Puerto Rican themed restaurants, they are dropped off to get our own taste of Israel from none other than Golan Heights. Here, our students are able to order whatever type of meat he or she desires, wrapped inside a tasty piece of dough. However, the night does not end just yet! They then stop at Yeshiva University's stunning new Beit Midrash, and listen to a d'var torah from a respected YU Rabbi, followed by learning with Frisch alumni. The students get to go to sleep that night with Torah in their hearts and laffas in their stomachs. How much better could a Thursday Night Learning get?

Schulman, each grade will get a chance to perform good deeds throughout the school year, and have awesome opportunities to get involved! When these days are scheduled, all regular classroom learning will stop so students are able to devote their day to acts of chesed. A few weeks ago was the sophomore grade's turn. All tenth 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 the elderly 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 his experiences at Care One were really nice because the people genuinely appreciated the visits. They liked telling us their life stories and they really enjoyed having people with energy and interest talk to them. It was really nice to do this kind of chesed and see them smile. The most exciting part of this new program, is that the students share this unbelievable opportunity together. Talia Schabes, 10th grade, agrees: "coming together with my group was truly special because we made a difference in numerous people's lives. That is an amazing feeling!" This experience was a great way to get into the mindset of Rosh Hashanah. Frisch can't wait to have another Chesed Trip.

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The Yeshiva Highlites Staff

Andy Agus Editor-in-Chief

Ezra Kurtz Senior Editor

Aaron Rose Technical Editor

Shoshana Linzer Creative Editor

Rashel Maikhor Creative Editor

Jeffrey Herr Layout Editor

Darren Jacoby English Editor

Aaron Zimmerman Chief-of-Writers

Amir Tsarfati Chief Photographer

Josh Firestone Video Editor

Jonathan Razon Asst. Technical Editor

Binyamin Feit Asst. Technical Editor

Bracha Brauser Creative Staff

Sophie Rose Creative Staff

Jesse Slomowitz Graphic Designer

Eric Ditchek Graphic Designer

Graphic Designer

Jonah Stein Graphic Designer

Faculty Advisors Claudia Cohen- faculty advisor Rabbi Houben- creative advisor Mrs. Horowitz- proofreader