Juniors in Rabbi Daniel Rosen’s AP Rhetoric class honed their skills as invested members of the community by submitting op-eds and letters to the editor at various newspapers this year. The many pieces our students got published touched on a variety of issues – including topics specific to the Modern Orthodox community or Bergen County, as well as those relevant to the entire United States and beyond. The pieces appeared in The Bergen Record, The Atlanta Jewish Times, The Jewish Advocate, The Jewish Link of New Jersey, The Jewish Voice and Opinion, New Jersey Jewish News, The Northern Valley Suburbanite, and The Riverdale Press.
Some students focused on their future foray into post-secondary education. Nina Tepler wrote about Hillel as a vital connector on campus, while Batsheva Ohayon and Julia Sohn and addressed the challenge of choosing a college where not only is religious Jewish observance possible, but where organizations exist to foster spiritual growth.
Other students focused on various aspects of the high school experience. Nava Markovich argued that high school volunteer programs should be voluntary, while Molly Nelson recounted a volunteer mission with Habitat for Humanity. Andy Katz reported favorably on a financial literacy series at the High School of Economics and Finance. Shmuel (Jeremy) Boss and Yogi Sragow focused on the relationship of young people today with the State of Israel and Israel education.
Students also addressed issues facing the wider Jewish and general communities. Bailey Hartman wrote about overcoming stigmas in the Jewish community, while Jonathan Safier argued strongly against the banning of shechita (ritual Jewish slaughter of meat) in Europe or elsewhere.
Shmuel (Jeremy) Boss wrote about the significance of a recent decision on sports betting rules in New Jersey, while Seela Langer analyzed two other pieces about mass shootings and school lockdown drills, honing in on the primary issues at stake. Eliana Suldan argued for why one should adopt a pet, rather than buy one from a breeder, and in another piece addressed the Gaza/Israel border crisis (The Northern Valley Suburbanite, May 24 and 26, 2018). Meanwhile, Ethan Langer (The Bergen Record, May 26, 2018) and Rebecca Aduculesi (Northern Valley Suburbanite, June 7, 2018) focused on school bus safety and the aftermath of a tragic Paramus school bus crash in May 2018 (individual links unavailable).