THE RAMBAM RECORD
The eNewsletter of Rambam Mesivta High School
May 05, 2006 / 7 Iyar

Rambam Commemorates Yom HaZikaron

On Tuesday, May 2nd, Rambam commemorated Yom HaZikaron, Israel Memorial Day. As part of this commemoration, Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach presented a poignant and, at times, emotional personal reminiscence. When he was 18 years old and enrolled in Yeshiva in Israel, Rabbi Eliach was a student-volunteer for the Israeli Defense Forces. A fellow-student had been killed when on duty, and Rabbi Eliach attended his funeral. He recalled for the assembled talmidim, the grief and the agony of the funeral and the profound effect it had on him as a young man.

"I made my way to the front of the whole leviyah. I just felt compelled to see. I watched as they lowered him into the ground, and I listened as his father said kaddish...There is nothing more troubling than watching parents bury their children."

"That day literally changed my life. At the time, I was planning to go to law school, but, after this event, I decided to volunteer for the Israeli army and dedicate myself to Jewish education...And, now, whenever I see one of the 20,000 or so headstones at the graves in the Har Herzl military cemetery in Israel, I no longer see just a stone - I see a son, a daughter, a brother, a husband - a life cut short."

Rabbi Eliach then put a face on one of those headstones, that of Captain Chagai Lev. Using the images of the memorial book that had been prepared by his mother as a guide, Rabbi Eliach reviewed some key moments in the life of this remarkable man as he grew from a boy, to a young man, to a husband, to a fallen soldier who died in a raid in the Gaza strip. Fighting back tears, Rabbi Eliach gave particular emphasis to a photo taken of Captain Lev two weeks before his death as he stood proudly in his IDF uniform at the site of the Auschwitz death camp.

"It is significant to have Israel Memorial Day one day before Israel Day, Yom Ha'atzmaut," said Rabbi Eliach. "In this way to connection can be easily made at this time each year between the sacrifice of those who gave their all, and the fruit of their sacrifice, the existence of Eretz Israel."

Rambam Celebrates Yom Ha'atzmaut

Rambam commemorated Yom Ha'atzmaut on Wednesday, May 3rd by showing two powerful video clips for the talmidim that represented "fundamental changes in the fortunes of the Jewish people," said Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach who conducted the program.

The first event occurred in 1960 when the Israeli people captured and tried Adolph Eichmann, the architect of "the final solution"- the attempt by Nazi Germany to systematically exterminate the Jewish people.

Eichmann was declared guilty and given the punishment of death by hanging - to this day, the only person in Israeli history to receive the death penalty, Eliach said.

"But his true punishment was not death," said Eliach. "His true punishment was the humiliation he felt in being tried by the Jewish state, in a Jewish court, and in Hebrew, the Jewish language. To Eichmann, who considered the Jewish people sub-human, to suffer this trial day-after-day, week-after-week, this was his true punishment."

The second event was the Entebbe Rescue Operation in 1976 where Israeli commandos flew to Uganda and performed a daring rescue mission to save some 100 Israeli citizens and Jews who were being held hostage by Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists.

(Click here to read the story of the Entebbe Rescue Operation...)

Both events, Eliach asserted, would not have been possible without the sovereign country of Israel and "it sent a message to the world that Israel is a country that looks out for its people - whether it be in court, as in the case of Eichmann's trial, or on the battlefield, as in the Raid at Entebbe."

The presentation made a tremendous impact on the students and their appreciation of the true meaning of celebrating Israel Independence Day.

On Language

By sophomore Jeffrey B. (Rocky) Reichman

Abecedarian

Abecedarian, according to Norman W. Schur’s 1000 Most Challenging Words, is “based on the first four letters of the alphabet (abecedarianus in Middle Latin, abecedarius in Late Latin). The word applies to a beginner, anyone learning the rudiments in any field of learning. The ABC or ABC's of anything is a term denoting the rudiments of that language.”

Schur goes on to say, “The Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) told the youth of his country who were going into science to ‘learn the ABC of science before you try to ascend its summit.’

As an adjective, abecedarian, apart from its literal use to describe anything pertaining to the alphabet or arranged in alphabetical order, means ‘rudimentary, elementary.’

The Wright brothers (Orville, 1871-1948, and Wilbur, 1867-1912) were the abecedarians of aeronautics, for example. Spelled with an upper case A, Abecedarian was the title of an Anabaptist sect founded in 1520 that rejected human learning as a hindrance, on the ground that only the guidance of the Holy Spirit was needed for the interpretation of the Bible.

Now that we know what this word means, we're no longer abecedarians on the matter.

For more etymology articles from Rocky, visit his website http://literarymagic.com.

Click the links below to read some of the press coverage of the two most recent activist rallies conducted by Rambam.

Students Want Nazi War Criminals in Queens Brought to Justice

Students Protest Against Camp Guards

Teen-Age Demonstrators Protest Russia’s Recognition of Hamas-Led Government

The Rambam varsity softball team really lived up to its team name - the Bombers - in the double-header they played against Yeshiva Ohr Chadash (OTI) on Friday, April 28th at North Woodmere Park.

Rambam overwhelmed OTI 16-0 in the first game, and 17-7 in the second.

Coach Seth Ungar expressed his pride in the team's play: “They played smart. We had strong defense and offense on our side. Kudos to David Block who pitched an amazing first game - a shutout!"

Senior Gili Litwack provided offensive firepower by hitting a home run and a grand slam. Not bad for a single afternoon's work.

Now, having opened their season with a perfect record of 2-0, the next game for the varsity softball team will take place Friday, May 5th at North Woodmere Park against Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) High School at 1 pm.

Senior David Block has been selected to receive the New York Lottery's 2006 Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship. The scholarship was created to benefit truly well-rounded individuals who are involved in many aspects of high school life, not just academics. It is a $4,000 award that is applied toward the cost of attendance at a New York State accredited college, university, or trade school.

Congratulations to sophomore Shlomo Yosef Simpser on creating the winning design for the Israel Day Parade T-Shirts that the Rambam talmidim will be wearing as they march down 5th Avenue in Manhattan on Sunday, June 4th. The winning design will be revealed shortly in an upcoming newsletter.

Way to go Shlomo Yosef Simpser!