Camille Greenberg added,

“I just needed a break

from school, it was a per-

fect place to relax and

hang out; I would for sure

go again.”

Another major vaca-

tion spot was Florida.

CONT. PAGE 3

By Carly Parker

and Alyn Saadia

One of the best times

of the year at Hillel Ye-

shiva is winter break. This

year, it started on Thurs-

day, January 19, right

after a long week of mid-

terms, and ran through

Sunday, January 29. Some

students stayed home

while some went away.

Hot to cold, the variety of

destinations never ends.

But according to the stu-

dent body, the top vaca-

tion spots were Aruba,

Florida, as well as some

cruises.

The hottest place this

year was Aruba. Most of

the Hillel students go to

enjoy the hot sun and

beautiful beaches there. It

is a five-hour flight, but

it’s said to be worth it!

They don’t call it One

Happy Island for nothing.

As freshman, Elliot

Saka said, “It was tons of

fun, and very chilled.”

Another Hillel student,

Vacation Hot Spots

Students and teachers relax in the sun

Breaking Down Hillel’s Rabbi Feldman

By Sam Hollander

Most students in Hillel

Yeshiva know who their

teachers are and have

great ties with them, but

one of our newest mem-

bers needs to be intro-

duced, Rabbi Feldman.

Known for answering all

of his students’ questions,

even those that are out of

the ordinary, Rabbi Feld-

man has quickly built a

reputation for himself.

The last time some of

us saw Rabbi Feldman, he

was starring in his very

own Seminar video,

“Breaking Rabbi.” It was

a life-changing experi-

ence, and one that Rabbi

Feldman jokingly calls

inspiring.

“It inspired me to be

the best man I can be,” he

stated last week in the

comfort of his classroom.

Let’s start with the

basics. Rabbi Feldman

was born in Baltimore. He

studied at the University

of Maryland and Ner Isra-

el Rabbinical College.

Prior to arriving at HY, he

was a rabbi in Ohio, and

both a teacher and rabbi at

a shul in Georgia. He

chose his occupation be-

cause he loves Torah and

wants to teach it to others,

including his own family.

Every night, he comes

home to his wife and five

children, three boys and

two girls. Now, if you put

that on top of all of the

papers he has to grade and

the daily journey from

Monsey to Deal, you will

begin to get an idea of

how busy he is.

CONT. PAGE 2

The Newspaper of Hillel Yeshiva High School

Who’s On Staff

February 17, 2012

Volume 1, Issue 7

Upcoming High

School Calendar

February 20

Presidents’ Day—No School

February 21

Playoff game

February 23-4

Rosh Chodesh Adar

March 4-5

High School Play

March 8

Purim

Chief-Editors

Joseph Betesh

Abie Serouya

Associate-Editor

Jason Gindi

Photo-Editor

Max Steinberg

Secretary

Joy Saka

Contributing Staff

Shimmy Cohen

Adela Cojab

Sean Haimowitz

Sam Hollander

Shelly Nahama

Dorothy Newman

Carly Parker

Hymie Sasson

Alyn Saadia

Haley Shalam

Brooks Tawil

Advisor

Mr. Dos Santos

The Divi Divi Tree is a symbol of Aruba.

From Romney to Mozart, Rabbi Feldman does it all

Page 2 Hillel Herald — The Newspaper of Hillel Yeshiva High

FROM PAGE 1

As an example of just

how Rabbi Feldman is a

good sport, he was asked to

answer multiple questions

out of the ordinary and an-

swered them all. For exam-

ple, he was asked how he

would go about defeating

Chuck Norris. He answered

that he wouldn’t even try to

fight, as he didn’t want to

get hurt, and as a fluent

scholar he also brought up

the law that you are not al-

lowed to put yourself in

harm’s way. Rabbi Feldman

just outsmarted everyone

with that answer. Next, he

was asked the famous riddle

– how much wood could a

woodchuck chuck if a

woodchuck could chuck

wood? His answer was very

simple, as much as G-d

wants him to. One of the

hardest questions known to

man has just been solved by

our very own rabbi.

For some serious opin-

ions, the rabbi was asked

where he stands on the Re-

publican primaries. His phi-

losophy is that he would

vote for whichever candi-

date has a better shot of win-

ning the White House, so he

sided with Mitt Romney. He

also brought up the point

that his main competitor,

Newt Gingrich, is a bit too

radical for most to follow.

For all those who don’t

know, Rabbi Feldman does

like to rock out, and when

he does it is only to his fa-

vorite hardcore songs. For

secular songs, he loves Bee-

thoven’s 5th and Mozart’s

Water Works. For Jewish

songs, he enjoys to dance

out to Mordechai Ben Da-

vid. He says, “You feel the

energy.”

Another of Rabbi Feld-

man’s favorite technologies

is YouTube. He often uses it

in his classes, as it helps him

in his everyday teaching of

Halachot for Shabbat, and

for looking up visuals to

enhance his lessons.

It just goes to show, Rab-

bi Feldman is a great rabbi,

and one who works to an-

swer all of his students’

questions in school, not just

ones from the Torah. That is

why Hillel is lucky to have

such a rabbi, and now you

understand why.

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 7

For most, Winter Break is a chance to recharge

When asked

about what she

thought about Isra-

el and her favorite

activity, Mrs. Sitt

excitedly replied,

“Israel? It’s Israel!

It’s amazing, gor-

geous, and perfect!

My favorite part

was interacting

with nature and the

land itself.”

Dr. Herrmann, the

school’s psychologist, said

the approach towards winter

break should be about re-

freshing and recharging in

preparation for the second

half of the year. “With all

the academic pressure and

long hours of school, stu-

dents need to recharge their

batteries and start out with a

good fresh beginning the

second half of the school

FROM PAGE 1

This destination is only a

three hour flight away, not

too bad. Although Florida

promises the Tropical Com-

fort of Home, it cannot com-

pare to New Jersey.

“I liked hanging out with

my friends and I needed to

get away. I also enjoyed the

pool, beach, and fun activi-

ties in Florida,” said Linda

Shayo with that dark, tanned

face. Freshman Nathan Bibi

added, “I enjoyed the great

weather they had, it’s a big

difference from Deal in the

winter; it was great!”

Cruises were the third

most popular destination.

Some like to call cruise

ships the vacations that float

on water. There were tons of

students who went on the

same cruise, and others who

went on different cruises but

managed to meet with

friends at several stops.

As Leo Hanono put it, “It

was so much fun, I enjoyed

the different surroundings

and sceneries on the cruise.”

Students weren’t the only

ones who went on vacation.

Two of the Hillel teachers,

Mrs. Sitt and Mrs. Harary,

visited Israel.

Movie Review: No one is safe in Safe House

Frost, the antagonist, as he

walks the line between self-

defense and murder.

The car chases, gun

fights, and explosions in this

movie are extremely enter-

taining, and, like all action

flicks, extremely unrealistic.

Nonetheless, the plot of Safe

House is intriguing and the

movie’s thrills keep it excit-

ing from the first scene.

By Sean Haimowitz

Denzel Washington and

Ryan Reynolds both leave

their acting comfort zones to

star in Safe House; a non-

stop, edge of your seat,

thriller. Reynolds (The

Change Up and The Pro-

posal) does not crack any

jokes in this film, as he

plays Matt Weston, a CIA

agent who for a year has

been tending to a vacant safe

house in Capetown, South

Africa. Matt dreams of re-

ceiving a more demanding

(and more exciting) position

in the CIA, especially one in

Paris where he could be

closer to his girlfriend. Wes-

ton receives a sudden chan-

ge of fate when CIA’s most

wanted Tobin Frost, played

by Washington (The Taking

of Pelham 123 and Déjà

Vu), is brought to the safe

house. Frost is an ex-CIA

agent who has revealed gov-

ernment information and

killed co-agents. He also has

secrets. Big secrets.

After a nauseating and

gruesome water-boarding

scene, chaos comes to the

safe house when hired kill-

ers show up. Weston hand-

cuffs Frost and tries to bring

him to the nearest safe

house, in order to earn a

promotion and be closer to

his girlfriend. In the process,

he dodges bullets, cars, ex-

plosions, and Frost’s mind

tricks. As Weston teams up

and against Frost throughout

the film, he has both himself

and the agency wondering if

he has given into Frost’s

mind games and gone rogue.

Reynold’s acting in the

film is excellent; however,

he is outshined by Washing-

ton’s mesmerizing perfor-

mance as a good guy gone

bad. Or, should I say, socio-

pathic. Frost is not afraid to

kill and can get inside peo-

ple’s minds with ease. In

one scene, Weston warns

Frost, saying, “You’re not

going to get in my head,” to

which Frost replies, “I am

already in your head.” The

mind games do not only

occur on the big screen. At

multiple parts in the film,

you find yourself rooting for

Page 4 Hillel Herald — The Newspaper of Hillel Yeshiva

App Review: Five-star edited pics with BeFunky

By Hymie Sasson

With the ability to take

clear photos on smart

phones, more people are

beginning to share their pho-

tos on Facebook, Twitter,

and Instagram. Sharing your

photos with your friends can

be fun, but why leave them

bland and unedited when

you can colorize your photo

and make it stand out?

The BeFunky photo edi-

tor for Iphone, Ipad, and

Android, is the perfect app

to get this job done. One of

the main features of the Be-

Funky photo editor is the

preset effects. You have the

choice to decide between

twenty-five different effects

such as vintage, retro, holga

art, vibrance, and cooling,

among others. You get the

to add or extract brightness,

contrast, hue, saturation, or

basic and smart sharpening.

You can also flip and crop

your photo. These manual

effects are the key to en-

hancing your photos and

make them one of a kind.

Once you’ve finished using

the manual and preset ef-

fects, you have the option to

add a frame of your choice

to the photo. This gives your

photo one last unique touch.

Without a doubt, the Be-

Funky photo editor will give

your photos a different and

fresh feel. Once you play

around with the effects and

get the hang of using the

app, editing your photos will

become second nature.

This is why BeFunky is

our first five star app re-

view. This app is everything

an app should be, easy to

use on your device, practi-

cal, and effective.

And who knows? Maybe

your photo will finally make

it to the “popular page” on

Instagram!

benefit of choosing how

much intensity of the effect

you want to put on your

photo, as well. Along with

the preset effects are the

manual effects. The manual

effects give you the power

Running with Purpose in SBH’s Run for the Cure

cally I am in charge of eve-

ryone… in Deal”

Joyce also had a few

words to say about their

trainer. “Jerry Nassar. He

tells us how far we are sup-

posed to get each week, and

encourages us and is just a

nice man all around.”

Jack Massry, sophomore,

is running for the first time

this year. His motivation?

He wanted to raise money

while having an amazing

time. “Raising the money

was challenging – especially

because so many people are

running and we know that

everyone can’t give to eve-

ryone. It’s all about getting

to the right people in time.”

The Run takes place on

Sunday, February 26, at Dis-

ney World. It starts at Cin-

derella’s Castle in Magic

Kingdom. We at the Herald

wish luck to all the runners.

Go Team SBH!

By Jason Gindi

With the SBH Run just

around the corner, the run-

ners are nearing the end of

theier training.

Audrey Harary, sopho-

more at Ilan High School,

gave us a few interesting

words of encouragement.

When asked about her moti-

vations for the Run she said:

“I’m a runner – I went to the

meeting last year and they

were talking about raising

money for kids with cancer.

It inspired me to do the run

last year and I came back

this year.” But Audrey knew

it wasn’t all fun and games.

“Raising the money was

different for me. I have my

brother, sister and mom, so

they helped me raise.”

Joyce Cohen, a senior

here at Hillel, also shared

her thoughts about the run.

“I don’t know why I went to

the meeting – I guess I went

because I said eh, I could do

this it’s not so tough. I want-

ed to prove to myself that I

could run and make a

change through SBH.”

Joyce also didn’t have a

hard time raising the money,

thanks to her mom who

helped her get money from

all the adults. But she, as did

most, struggled with one

thing… training. “It was not

just very hard… it was ridic-

ulously hard. It was the

physically hardest thing I’ve

ever done! But I think I’m

prepared. Even if I have to

crawl across the finish line, I

will cross the finish line.”

As captain, Joyce wasn’t

just caught up in the Run,

but also the things that go

into making the Run possi-

ble. “I collect all the money,

run meetings, gather medi-

cal forms, and give all the

details to everyone – basi-

Tuvawho? Oh, Tuvalu, the Polynesian island. Got it!

Page 5 Volume 1, Issue 7

By Dorothy Newman

On February 5-7, ten

students from Hillel Yeshi-

va, under the supervision of

Susan Snyder, had the op-

portunity to compete in the

Yeshiva University National

Model United Nations com-

petition, or YUNMUN.

Model UN is a mock United

Nations that invites schools

from around the world to

represent different countries

and work to solve real prob-

lems that the world faces

today. It is a great combina-

tion of an educational and

entertaining program.

As Junior Lee Matalon

puts it, “As academically

demanding as it was, it was

one of the most fun things

that I have done. It’s FUN-

DUCATIONAL!”

Hillel Yeshiva represent-

ed South Africa and Tuvalu,

which is a real country lo-

cated halfway between Aus-

tralia and Hawaii.

The conference took

place in Stamford, Connecti-

cut. Over the course of three

days there were six sessions,

two hours each, during

which the delegates debated

topics to ultimately reach a

resolution. The duration of

the sessions had very specif-

ic rules and guidelines. Up-

on arrival delegates had to

learn a certain lingo to use

when in the committee ses-

sions. For example, if you

wanted to leave to use the

bathroom you would have to

say, “motion for personal

privilege.”

Junior Leon Ebani,

shares that his favorite thing

to say in session was,

“Motion for dance party.”

But we are not sure how

official that one was. When

asked to describe his time on

Model UN, Leon said that,

“Model UN was a really

amazing experience. It gave

me so much information

about the world as a whole

and I got to meet friends

from around the world.”

Leon suggests that more

people try out for the team

and guarantees a good time

for anyone who goes. Both

Lee and Leon verify that

they will be back next year.

Not only was this an

amazing learning experience

for all of the delegates but it

gave us a chance to bond

with each other and make

friends from places all

around the world such as,

South Africa, Brazil, Canada

and of course, the United

States.

But if you ask any of the

delegates they will surely

tell you that the best part of

Model UN was getting to

spend time with Susan!

Leon Ebani makes a strong case for the benefits of holding a

dance party. Alas, it was not to be. . (Photo: Abe Serouya)

Page 6 Hillel Herald — The Newspaper of Hillel Yeshiva

Mrs. Harary’s own Teacher’s Pet is a Phantom

tom is a quick

learner and is very

obedient. He knows

a few tricks such as

'sit,' 'lay down,' 'roll

over,' 'paw,' 'other

paw,' 'kisses' and

'dance.' Phantom

has also been

trained not to enter

the dining room

while we are eat-

ing meals and not

to go upstairs.

This may seem a bit far-

fetched, but Phantom is a

big cuddler. Any chance he

gets, he will try to jump on

our laps and make himself

comfortable, even when

we're not. He will nudge at

our hands until we lift them

and make us pet him for

quite a long time – the quin-

tessence of a teacher's pet.

What may seem less surpris-

ing is that, living in a bi-

lingual household, Phantom

responds to Hebrew as well

as English. He also speaks

to us, not in Hebrew or Eng-

lish of course, but in his own

way; just babbling and mak-

ing different noises to let us

know he needs to be let out-

side or that his water bowl is

empty. Phantom also uses

the facilities on command; if

we tell him to go, he goes.

His only downfall is that he

leaves a mess everywhere!

There are dog toys scattered

all around the house just

waiting to be tripped on.

Currently, Mrs. Harary is

trying to teach Phantom how

to get the morning newspa-

per from the end of the

driveway (with little suc-

cess, I might add.) If anyone

has any ideas or knows of a

way to help in this crucial

training process, please see

Mrs. Harary. She is offering

extra credit to the student

who successfully trains

Phantom in this task.

By Shira Harary

Phantom Harary is a

unique Jack Russell Terrier.

He graces the home of Mrs.

Harary with his pleasing

company and has served as a

loving companion for me

since the day we got him,

about four years ago. I re-

member my sister calling

me on a Sunday night saying

that if I could convince

Mom and Dad to let me get

a dog, she knows of one that

needs a new home. Excited

isn't even the correct word

to describe how I was feel-

ing after that phone call.

One can't imagine the

amount of begging that was

circulating in the air at the

Harary house that night.

Getting through school

on Monday was the most

“on-edge” I've felt in a long

time. After being told,

“We'll think about it” by

two reluctant parents, I was-

n't the happiest person but I

was hoping for the best.

Another day of school

passed and I was feeling as

jumpy as ever; I couldn't

take the suspense anymore.

After school, I called my

sister to see if my parents'

standings had changed but

the only thing she said on

the phone was, “I've got a

surprise,” and then hung up.

Little did I know, there was

a new dog waiting for me at

the door.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Ha-

rary was already regretting

her decision after the first

day. She thought Phantom

was ugly and mean because

he growled if we came too

close for comfort. But I was

already hooked.

Many of you are proba-

bly wondering why Phan-

tom's name is Phantom.

Well, as you can see from

his picture, he's got a sym-

metrically split face and

character, just like the Phan-

tom of the Opera. His face is

his most defining physical

feature that makes him a

memorable dog to a person

in a crowd of dogs. His fun,

loving and obedient person-

ality also helps him stand

out from most Jack Russells.

As a commonly hyper-active

and energetic breed, Jack

Russells are always on the

move. But Phantom abso-

lutely loves sleeping late in

the mornings. Nothing gets

him out of his bed early un-

less you're dangling a big

and juicy piece of meat in

front of him. And yet, on the

other hand – he can run as

fast as the road runner while

playing fetch, quite easily

his favorite game next to tug

of war. Once in a while,

when he's being a really

good boy, we let him go

outside with either a basket-

ball or a soccer ball and he

will just play by himself for

hours, pushing and chas-

ingthe ball around as if he

was actually playing soccer!

Other favorites of Phan-

tom's are belly rubs and

basking in the hot sun. If

one rubbed his belly

WHILE he lays in the sun,

they will have a new best

friend. As well as land

sports, Phantom enjoys

swimming and playing fetch

in pools, lakes, and the

ocean, but he is not a very

big fan of baths. Yet he sits

quietly and calmly while the

groomer bathes and trims

him; therefore he is known

as the handsome and polite

gentleman at the grooming

salon. The only grooming

activity he doesn't mind is

getting brushed. Whenever I

take his brush out, he comes

running and sits like a prince

waiting for me to begin.

As a Jack Russell, Phan-

BIASED JURY

Phantom, at home.

Cartoon by Joe Amsel

The Mannings and the Game: Inside the NFL’s Royal Family

Page 7 Volume 1, Issue 7

Hall of Fame as he is one of

the best of all time. But

Archie Manning (Eli and

Peyton’s father) was only

enshrined in the college

football Hall of Fame. Eli

makes for an interesting

conversation because he is

in the middle of his career.

So let’s look at the num-

bers. This year, Eli set the

record for most fourth quar-

ter comebacks (which ac-

counted for more than half

of his wins). Eli is currently

one of five quarterbacks to

win two or more Super

Bowl MVPs. With these

accomplishments, Eli is def-

initely making a compelling

case, but I am not so con-

vinced yet.

What Eli needs to do to

get in to the Hall of Fame is

simple. He has to be con-

sistent. He can’t go and dis-

By Max Steinberg

On February 5, 2012, the

Manning family celebrated

another post-season victory.

With a combination of three

rings the Manning family

will go down as one of the

most prestigious families in

sports history. Never before

has a family been so well-

regarded in the circles of the

NFL. A father has a dream

in life and that is for his son

to succeed. You can say

Archie Manning has been

living the dream for quite a

while.

During last week’s Super

Bowl, fans at Lucas Oil Sta-

dium chanted “Hall of Fam-

er.” Instantly, the topic on

sports shows across the na-

tion became, is Eli really a

hall of famer? Without a

doubt, Peyton will make the

appear for a couple of years

again. Plain and simple, if

Eli wants to be in the Hall of

Fame he has to be the quar-

terback he was this year.

And he has to do it for the

rest of his career. Besides,

that is if he even remains

clutch.

With a possibility of

Manning brothers playing in

the same city next year, the

legacy will be far from over.

In the last six Super Bowls,

three of the MVPs were

Mannings. This shows that

there could be a lot more to

come. With Peyton’s sea-

sons numbered it is up to Eli

to represent the family name

on his own. If he succeeds in

creating his own legacy, he

won’t just earn a special

place for himself. He will

earn one for his entire fami-

ly.

By Director Gail Mizrahi

Get ready for a night

of entertainment, fun and

a whole lot of laughing.

This year, Hillel Ye-

shiva High School stu-

dents are putting on a fab-

ulous performance of the

funniest play of all time,

"Lend me a Tenor." With

only 11 kids in the cast,

they've worked since Oc-

tober to produce an amaz-

ing Show. For a little

sneak preview, the play is

based in the 1930's and it

is about a performer who

decides not to show up to

the performance. Chaos

ensues. You didn't hear it

from me, but there's a

surprise ending. Emo-

tions, as well as talent,

will be running high.

Don't miss out, show

dates: Sunday night,

March 4, and Monday

night, March 5.

See ya there!

School Play: March 4 and 5

From left: Eli, Peyton, and Archie Manning.

be able to say that you

slacked off in a certain class

because you didn’t like your

teacher or the subject just

wasn’t your thing, you will

be expected to have tried

your hardest in every class.

Here are a few tips to help

you stay focused.

It helps to sit in the front.

This forces you to pay atten-

tion because a teacher can

tell when a front-row stu-

dent doses off. Also, it is

sometimes beneficial to

study with a studious partner

who will help you stay on

track and keep you from

procrastinating. Start each

night with homework for

that class so that you get it

out of the way rather than

pushing it off.

Remember that you are

in school to get an educa-

tion, and if you have fun

along the way than it’s an

additional plus. But you

can’t count on fun to suc-

ceed.

Dear Dorothy,

Recently, I find it hard-

er and harder to remain

focused in my classes. It

has nothing to do with the

material, or with the

teacher. I just find it diffi-

cult to pay attention be-

cause I’m always thinking

about other things. How

do I stay focused in my

classes?

Sincerely,

Trying

Dear Trying,

You’re not going to like

every class that you take.

The important thing to real-

ize is that you go to school

to learn and if you don’t pay

attention you’ve wasted

your time. Sure, if every

class was fun and enjoyable

school would be a breeze,

but different people excel in

different subjects and you

won’t always be able to like

every class you take. When

you get to college you won’t

Yours Truly,

Dorothy

Dear Dorothy,

Sometimes when I talk

to my friends I feel like

they don’t want to hear

what I have to say. It feels

like they don’t want my

advice, even though they

come to me when they

need it. What should I do?

Sincerely,

Neglected

Dear Neglected,

Sometimes when people

come to talk to you they just

want to be heard. You are

lucky that you are their go-

to in their times of trouble.

Just because they aren’t ful-

ly paying attention to what

you have to say doesn’t

mean they neglect you. It

just means that at that time

they don’t really want you

to talk they just want to

know you are there. It’s hard

to tell when a friend is look-

The Advice Column: Just Ask with Dorothy Newman

CLASSIFIEDS

Wanted: Cello

For 3rd Floor Lounge

Must come with player

Need help finding swag?

See JB in the lunch room

Buy delicious honeysticks and

raise money for charity!

Honeysticks in multiple flavors will

be sold every Tuesday during both

lunch periods.

See Mrs. Savitt if you want to submit

suggestions for charities or to re-

quest new flavors.

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Tired of reading homework in

English class?

Ray Bradbury can help

See IG or MS

Hillel Herald — The Newspaper of Hillel Yeshiva High Page 8

ing for some advice or just

looking for a listener. Some-

times you just have to use

your instincts. Often, it’s

good to just give your ad-

vice and let them take it if

they choose, because this

will let them know you have

heard what they have to say.

There is no clear answer

when it comes to talking to

someone when they are feel-

ing down because every

person is different. The im-

portant thing is not to take it

personally when a friend

makes you feel like they

don’t want to hear you. You

have to remember that the

person you are talking to is

the victim of whatever situa-

tion and by making yourself

into a victim as well you are

not helping anyone.

Yours Truly,

Dorothy Newman

You have questions. I have

answers. Just ask.

SUDOKU