On December 9/2 Tevet, Rambam Mesivta had its Annual Chanukah Chagiga. It was outstanding! There was great music by the school band led by Rabbi Boiangiu and Tani Martin. Additionally, there was a great surprise appearance by Gary Wallin who added a tremendous amount of fun. The dancing with our Rebbeim was intense. All of a sudden, however, the music stopped, and we were informed that there was going to be a special performance by the Rambam Harmonidies. Aaron Kattan, Eric Grossman, Didi Levy, and Tani Martin, dressed in identical Rambam t-shirts, suddenly burst out the Maccabeats hit song and Youtube sensation, “Candlelight.” The Maccabeats might have some competition on their hands real soon. The Chanukah Chagiga also featured a very poignant moment when the festivities were halted for a very moving announcement by Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach. Rabbi Eliach had recently sent over thousands of dollars worth of scarves, hats, gloves, and thermals for Rambam Alumnus Jeremy Kugalman’s Golani Unit stationed in Israel. These donations were made possible through the efforts of the Rambam students who raised money for this endeavor. Rabbi Eliach informed the assembled crowd that he received a sincere thank you note from Jeremy and his unit. He then unfurled a Golani Unit banner that was sent by Jeremy and his fellow soldiers in the IDF and the place went crazy! Dancing ensued with the Golani flag being (literally and figuratively) felt by all. It was a blast!

Eli Lava (9th Grade)

This past Thursday, at the conclusion of the Chagiga, there was a Chanukah raffle organized by the school’s Chesed Club. This group of individuals, led by Mr. Jeff Ganeles, Shlomo Ross and Zach Stern, has spent their Club Hour designing and implementing this charity event that cost essentially nothing and ended up raising over $400. Students purchased tickets to win prizes donated by teachers. Prizes included lunch with various administrators and teachers, golf with Mr. Kelly, extensions on papers, and much more!

Congratulations to all of our winners!

This past Monday, the Rambam Torah Bowl Team won 3 out of their 4 matches. Led by Elisha Pearl, the team had an exemplary day. At one point, Elisha scored 9 points in one round. The Torah Bowl Team is a great way to learn Torah, add a little competition, and have a lot of fun. Congratulations to the entire team and may there be many more victories to come!

Binyamin Wallin (9th Grade)

Saturday night two undefeated teams faced each other in what was about to be the most essential game of the season. DRS had lost their perfect season to us just a month prior and now this game would determine first place. Chanani Levy’s outstanding play preventing DRS from scoring in all 3 periods, and Rambam’s gym was as loud as it could possibly be. The game went into overtime and no one could score. At the end of the night Rambam improved their undefeated record to an impeccable 4-0-2 and is currently in sole possession of first place.

Eli Lava (9th Grade)

No matter how many times an orange Mylec hockey ball is shot into a concrete wall, it will never manage to penetrate the solid structure. An exact comparison to this scenario was the goaltending of Chananel Levy who played for the Rambam Ravens JV hockey team on Saturday night against the DRS Wildcats. The game was completed in a stunning 0-0 tie and was achieved through the powerful defensive play of Jeremy Bock, Mendy Dufler and Michael Teichberg. Nevertheless, the crown of the night was most certainly given to the goaltender Chananel Levy. He played with the concentration of a massive impassable bolder and moved with the ferocity of a lion out to lunch. Never in Yeshiva League hockey has a goalie saved nearly 100 shots and survived to tell the tale. History was made in the Rambam gym on Saturday night as the JV hockey team made a statement about the strength of their defense and rattled the bones of every hockey player in the Yeshiva League.

Didi Levy (11th Grade)

192 Books in Manhattan has played host to Salman Rushdie, Ethan Hawke, Michael Cunningham, Alice Monroe, and now Elizabeth Alexander and Rambam Mesivta. Professor Alexander of Yale University, a Pulitzer Prize nominated poet, is best known for reading the poem, “Praise Song for the Day,” at the inauguration of President Barak Obama.

The Meet The Author Book Club received autographs from Professor Alexander and engaged her in conversation about the writing process, publishing, and politics. After Freshman Yosef Wallin asked a question about her poem, “Rally in 2008,” she called him a “Good listener.” Junior Jon Beer asked why her poems were “A little all over the place.” She gracefully responded that “He was right, but they aren’t quite random, they are just mysterious.”

It is always interesting to see how beautiful works of art are formed and it is the goal of this club to bring writing to life and celebrate the works of living authors in intellectually stimulating environments. This year’s campaign is off to a good start and we are looking forward to our next event.

Did you know that during the Middle Ages Jews had to take a humiliating oath when they were required to testify in court? The oath was called the "More Judaico" and it was still in use during the 19th century. In France before being admitted to the Bar, Jewish attorneys not only would be required to hear the reading of the "Tokhehah," but were forced to wear a crown of thorns while the applicable passages of the Torah were read to them. In our Jewish history class, students learned about the "More Judaico" while studying the events related to the infamous Damascus Affair of 1840 (a blood libel incident that took place in a Muslim country.)

A translated text of a typical "Oath More Judaico" is attached to this article. It was taken from the Encyclopedia Judaica.

Congratulations to Michael Nadelbach on winning the $100K raffle “iPad Drawing.” Michael has worked very hard to sell tickets and has sold 14 to date. Looks like his hard work has paid off! Keep up the great work everybody and stay tuned for upcoming drawings.

On a separate note congratulations to Eric Grossman for earning this week’s “Seller of the Week” award. He will be receiving a $10 Carlos & Gabby’s gift card. Eric has sold 14 tickets and is still going strong. Keep up the good work!!

Please report your sold tickets to Yigal Sasportas at the business office and you can be our next Carlos & Gabby’s winner!