January 2005
NEWS
Three Day students trace their Jewish roots in Israel
by A. G.
A number of Day Students, alumni, and their families recently traveled to Israel as part of Temple Shalom of Newton’s first such trip in over 20 years. 47 people spent 11 days visiting throughout the land of Israel. The group participated in a very wide variety of activities, ranging from learning at various ancient archeological sites, to mingling with local Israeli kids and their families at Congregation Or Hadash, Temple Shalom 's sister congregation in Haifa.
The group even got to float in the Dead Sea and hike to the top of Masada in the Negev Desert. The group enjoyed many luxuries that large groups usually don’t receive in Israel, such as touring the Knesset, Israel’s main political center and walking through the Baha'I Gardens, the world center for the Baha'I religion, and one of the most beautiful places many of the members of the group had ever seen.
This tour was led not only by Rabbi Eric Gurvis from Temple Shalom, but also by a very talented tour guide named Tzvika Mizrachi, who was befriended by the group very quickly. The Temple will be sending another group next year for Winter Vacation.
The journey began at Logan Airport and ended at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, via a longer-than-expected layover in Frankfurt, Germany.
Day 3 began at Beit Hatefutzot, the Museum Of The Diaspora. The museum houses a complete history of the Jewish people from the earliest time to the reestablishment of the Jewish State. They then stopped for a quick look at Israel's Independence Hall and Rabin Square. The group then continued on to Caesarea, and ancient Roman city by the sea. The group then boarded the bus and went on to Haifa where they went to Shabbat Services at Or Hadash, their sister congregation.
Early morning on Day 4 the group headed back to Or Hadash to celebrate the B’nai Mitzvah of Ross and Hillary Lerner; who were part of the Temple Shalom group. The group then toured Haifa, stopping at the world center of the Baha'I religion, The Baha'I Gardens. The day was concluded with another trip to Or Hadash for the dedication of the temple’s youth room donated by Temple Shalom. Families were then allowed to stroll the streets of Haifa as they wished for the evening.
On the morning of Day 5, the group said goodbye to Haifa and continued on their way setting off for the ancient crusader city of Akko to tour the excavated castle. When they were done there, they moved on to the Galilee. In the Galilee the group first headed to Tzippori, a site that provides a window, not only to fine examples of ancient mosaics, but also to the historic roots of Judaism. From there they traveled on to Tzfat, where they saw an example of a Sephardic and a Ashkenazic temple.
Then they were let off to shop in the many marketplaces of Tzfat. After that they finally went to Kibbutz K’far Giladi to stay for the next two nights.
Day 6 began with a Jeep tour of the Golan Heights. This was the favorite part of the trip for a number of people. This was followed by a tour of Ramat Hagolan Winery ending with a wine tasting session. The group then headed to the Tel Dan Nature Preserve to enjoy the lush green oasis in the desert. Then they continued on to Katzrin, capital city of the Golan Heights.
The morning of Day 7 began with the departure from Galilee and the moving on to the ancient synagogue, Beit Alpha, the home of one of the most beautiful and well-preserved mosaic floors in all of Israel. Then they studied some of the spectacular archeological finds at Beit Shean National Park. They then headed to the Dead Sea. That afternoon the group had the option of swimming in the undrownable water of the Dead Sea.
Very early on the morning of Day 8, so they could beat the burning hot sun, the group headed off to Masada to hike the famous snake path. The group then visited the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve and took a nature hike along a river and past a waterfall. Finally, they boarded the bus for Jerusalem. Before entering the city the group stopped for a short service at Mt. Scopus where they had a beautiful view of Jerusalem.
The 9th morning began with a tour of the Knesset followed by a visit to Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Martyrs of the Holocaust. After seeing the brand new children’s memorial, the group stopped for a short service in commemoration of the Holocaust. From there they continued on to the Museum on the Seam, a museum about how different cultures get along with each other. The day ended with a trip to the archeological site at Beit Guvrin where the group was able to participate in the ongoing excavation of the caves.
The 10th day began with a drive to the old city of Jerusalem where the group walked through the Jewish Quarter to the Kotel (Western Wall). They then took a tour of the underground passageways that go along the entire extent of the Kotel. That afternoon they partook in an exciting scavenger hunt in one of the many towns in the Jewish Quarter of the old city. That night many of the group members attended Shabbat services at Congregation Kol Haneshama.
The final day of the trip, Day 11, Shabbat, was a day spent at leisure. In the morning many attended Shabbat Services at Hebrew Union College. In the afternoon there was an optional walk to the Christian quarter of the old city where participants of the walk visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus is believed to be buried. At Shabbat's end the group went to the Montefiore Restaurant for a farewell dinner and Havdalah.
After their safe arrival in Boston, again via Frankfurt, Rabbi Gurvis said, “The memories last forever!”
by M. R.
Do you have a pet? Are you concerned about animals who suffer at the hands of people? Chris Holbein, animal-lover, activist, and Day alumnus, is. He works at an organization known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and agreed to share some of what he knows about the animal world today.
DAYTIME: How is PETA different from other animal rights organizations?
HOLBEIN : PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with over 800,000 members. Our core belief is that animals are not ours to use for food, clothing, to experiment on, or for our entertainment. There are some other great pro-animal groups with similar beliefs. It seems like there are more groups and activists popping up every day as people become involved in the animal rights movement.
DAYTIME : What is the most fun/exciting/interesting thing you’ve ever done for PETA?
HOLBEIN : I really enjoy my regular work – I get to write a fair amount and I speak with a lot of people who have questions about vegetarianism. KFC protests can be really fun. KFC does some horrible things to chickens like cutting the beaks off baby birds and dragging fully conscious chickens through scalding hot water. Students can find out more information at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com. If you want to get active for animals, check out www.petakids.com, where you’ll find monthly missions, contests, quizzes, and tons of ideas about super easy things you can do to help animals right now. Be sure to sign up for the PETA Kids monthly e-news letter and get your free subscription to PETA’s Grrr! magazine while you’re there.
DAYTIME : Why did you choose PETA and not some other animal rights organization?
HOLBEIN : PETA has been fighting hard for animals for over 24 years, and it’s one of the most effective non-profits out there. It’s a great organization to work for.
DAYTIME : Do you ever get to write a piece for PETA’s magazine “ANIMAL TIMES”?
HOLBEIN : I haven’t, but I have written articles for our pro-vegetarian web site, www.GoVeg.com.
DAYTIME : Are you a vegetarian? If yes, what do you think is an important thing middle schoolers should know about vegetarianism?
HOLBEIN : I am a vegan, which means I don’t eat anything that comes from an animal – flesh, milk or eggs. I decided that taking animal products out of my diet was one of the most important things I could do to help animals, the environment, and my health.
On modern factory farms (where almost all animal products come from), chickens and turkeys are crowded by the tens of thousands into filthy sheds – they will never see sunlight until they are taken on a truck to the slaughterhouse. Calves are branded with flaming hot metal tools, which cause painful third-degree burns. Mother pigs are locked into cages so small that they can’t turn around, and they are kept in these cages for their entire lives.
A vegetarian saves over a hundred animals a year from these conditions.
Eating meat is also bad for the Earth – animal agriculture is the #1 source of water pollution in America. The vast majority of the grains grown in this country are fed to farmed animals. This is very wasteful; if we ate the grain ourselves instead of eating animals, we would save so much grain, land and water that we could feed the world.
Being vegetarian is also better for my health. I’ve lost a lot of body fat since going vegetarian while getting stronger (vegans get plenty of protein from beans, soy, whole grains and vegetables). Vegetarians and vegans have much lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and several types of cancer, and we get all the vitamins and minerals we need.
My grandfather died of heart disease when he was only sixty, partly because he ate so much meat. My father went vegetarian a few years ago.
His cholesterol dropped 40 points and he has more energy than ever (there is not a speck of cholesterol in any plant food – it only exists in animal products). I’m very grateful that my father may live five or ten years longer than he would have otherwise, simply because he decided that animals shouldn’t have to die for his taste buds.
DAYTIME : Are your colleagues vegetarians? Does a person have to be a vegetarian, or think a certain way, to be able to work for PETA?
HOLBEIN : You don’t have to be a vegetarian to work at PETA, but most people at PETA are. There are a lot of interesting people here. One of my colleagues was in the Marines, and he won the Iron Man competition in his platoon. He credits being vegan for being so strong and healthy. Another one of my colleagues is a gourmet chef.
It’s amazing how many great vegan foods there are! Many Indian, Ethiopian, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian restaurants offer delicious vegan options, and you can buy all sorts of vegetable-based mock meats at grocery stores, including faux ribs, burgers, and “chicken” nuggets. Even Burger King sells a veggie burger.
DAYTIME : When and why did you decide to help animals as your job? What happened that inspired you?
HOLBEIN : My English teacher at Day, Ms. Nicholas, showed us a video about factory farms and what they do to animals and the environment. I got home that day, and I looked at my dog, who is one of my best friends, and I realized that it makes no sense to love one animal and eat another. That’s why I became a vegetarian.
I became a vegan in college when I saw a video about the egg industry.
The egg industry is one of the most violent industries around. They kill the male chicks because (obviously) they don’t lay eggs and that breed of chicken is too small to raise for meat. The female chicks have their beaks burned off, and they are stuffed into these tiny wire cages with several other birds. Each grown bird has a space that’s smaller than a standard piece of notebook paper. The footage in that video was one of the most horrific things I have ever seen. I knew then that I had to start speaking out for animals.
DAYTIME : Do you have to have a certain skill or special knowledge to join PETA or do you just have to love animals?
HOLBEIN: It helps being able to write reasonably well, and being able to interact well with people is important for my position. But mainly I think they just realized that I was really committed to fighting for animals.
DAYTIME : What advice would you give to middle schoolers who wanted to grow up to work for PETA or another animal rights organization?
HOLBEIN : I would urge them to check out www.PetaKids.com PETA Kids is for students who want to get involved with the animal rights movement. It’s a great site, loaded with tons of info about how you can help animals, tips about where to find the latest cruelty-free fashions, and you can see exclusive interviews with celebrities like Simple Plan, P!nk, Phantom Planet, and Good Charlotte, and extreme athletes like Ed Templeton and Taj Milhelich. You can also win free gear. My experience speaking out for animals at Newton North and at college helped a lot when I was trying to get a job with PETA. For a middle-school student, visiting www.petakids.com is a great way to get started in animal-rights activism.
It’s amazing what a difference a 12- or 13-year-old can make for animals.
DAYTIME : Do you have anything to add?
HOLBEIN : I would urge everybody to check out www.GoVeg.com—and good luck to the Dragon’s basketball team this season.
by M. G. and E. M.
Many Day students learned the value of peaceful protests when the Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese changed its mind about closing their church, St. Bernard’s in West Newton. The sit-in, in which the church community, young and old, has been engaging for over 50 days, resulted in a favorable decision.
Day student M. B. agrees the sit-in had a great impact. “The sit-in definitely helped because it told the Archdiocese that even if we were temporarily open, we still weren’t going to give up.” Another 6th grade student at Day, A. P., who is also a parishioner at Saint Bernard’s, says, “It shows the Archdiocese that we are committed to keep Saint Bernard’s open, and we support our church.”
As Father Paul Kilroy, the pastor of Saint Bernard’s, said at a Sunday morning mass, “Not only will Saint Bernard’s be open, it will not close,” and the whole congregation rejoiced.
The Archdiocese is looking at making the decision to fully close Corpus Christi, another Catholic church in West Newton. If Corpus Christi closed, the Archdiocese would combine both churches, Corpus Christi and Saint Bernard’s. Kilroy was asked by the Archdiocese to resign so they could bring in a parish administrator, Jim Mahoney, to overlook the situation and to combine the two churches.
Other parishioners think that it is wrong to bring in someone else because it is better to have someone who knows the people in the parish, like Kilroy. Most of the congregation is upset about “Father Paul” leaving since, without him, Saint Bernard’s would not be here today.
Many employees who used to work at Saint Bernard’s before the church closed, may come back, but some may already have obtained another job.
Saint Bernard’s parishioners have shown that they are definitely a strong and vibrant parish. Possibly without knowing it, they have followed in the footsteps of Henry David Thoreau, Mohandas Ghandi, and other great civil activists, by peacefully revolting against a decision that they thought was unjust. The parishioners of Saint Bernard’s have proved once again the power of civil disobedience.
Human resources director Paul Stein addresses contract logjam
by M. W. and S. S.
Protests organized by the The Newton Teachers Association (NTA) were held all over Newton last month because teachers are working without a contract. Since then, signs proclaiming “I Support Newton Educators” have sprung up all over the city. Despite their best efforts, Newton’s teachers are still working without a new contract (the old one expired on August the 31st).
In a recent interview, Human Resources Director Paul Stein spoke with THE DAYTIME about ongoing negotiations.
DAYTIME : Can you tell us about the contract?
Stein: A contract establishes guidelines in regard to salary, benefits, etc. It talks about everything from when a teacher wants to transfer to the kinds of salary increases the teacher might get based on his or her level of training. It deals with a whole range of things; it’s a fairly lengthy document. For instance, it sets guidelines for teachers who want to take a leave of absence or who want to go on an extended leave. It really says what a teacher’s rights are and what the school department’s responsibilities are as an employer.
The contract is negotiated between the Newton Teachers Association and the School Committee. There’s more than one contract. There’s a separate contract negotiated with the secretarial union and a separate contract with the custodial union.
The contract that the teachers use includes all the administrators (except the principals and some central office administrators such as the assistant superintendents), all the aides, all the lunch attendants, all the ISS substitutes, other people who work in the Ed center, and all the other administrators, such as the coordinators and the assistant principals.
There’s always a contract in place, including right now, that determines salaries and everything else, but every contract, depending on how long is negotiated for (usually between one and three years), must be renegotiated. That’s an opportunity for both the administration (in the form of the School Committee) and the teachers and other employees to change the contract.
A number of issues are what we call “on the table,” which means that these issues are being discussed by the teachers and the School Committee.
What can happen though, and this is what happened this school year, is that the current contract, the one that’s in force. It’s not that unusual for that to happen in a negotiation because it takes longer to come to an agreement than you would think.
Whenever that happens, the old contract, the one that expired, remains in force. Everyone agrees to that. So it doesn’t mean that when the contract expired that nobody knew what everybody’s salary was going to be.
Everybody knew what the rules and the salaries were- just like they were before July 1st. They’re going to stay that way until we negotiate settle a new contract.
So what’s going on now is that the School Committee and the Newton Teachers Association and the other unions have not been able to come to an agreement because they’re still working on the old contract. Nothing’s been thrown out, but since there’s no new agreement in place, we’re living off the old rules.
There are certain issues that make it hard to settle the contract.
Typically, in any kind of contract negotiation, there are two kinds of issues that are being discussed. One involves economic issues: Is there enough money to give you the kind of increase in your salary that you’d like or not? Is there enough money to fund this new rule or program or not? Those are economic issues.
And then there are other kinds of issues, “We would like teachers to do some kind of special duty.” Or the teachers might say, “We would like to have more time to do a something or other.” Those things that really don’t necessarily have some money cost are called non-economic issues.
That’s the big picture of how the negotiations go. One of the things slowing down the negotiation is this question of what resources do the city have in regard to meeting the teachers’ requests for increases in their salaries and meeting increased costs around health benefits. That’s what, in part, has prevented people from being able to come to an agreement.
DT : Is there anything else you think kids should know about the contract?
PS : I haven’t been very specific and some of it is because I can’t. Some of what goes on in contract negotiations is really confidential in terms of the specifics of the proposal that’s on the table. But there are things on the table that have to do with issues that are important to the teachers. In general these have to do with teachers’ work load and how the time in the day is used. And then they are issues that have to do with financial concerns, essentially what cost of living increase the city can offer, or how to share the increased costs of health care.
As I sit and observe the parties negotiate, I see people working really hard and trying to get to a settlement. They’re working hard, yet there are some recourse issues that are making it hard to come to an agreement.
by E. E. and R. J.
Recently, Day teachers have been seen holding signs protesting their lack of a new contract outside the school mornings before their duties officially commence. Protests began on Monday, December 6th.
Computer specialist M. C. is sure that the teachers in elementary schools, middle schools, and even the high schools are outraged. “ Newton has excellent, highly trained educators who need to be compensated fairly,” says S. D., Coral Team social studies teacher.
Teachers are picketing in front of the school where parents drop their kids off in the morning. Cheryl Turgel, the president of the Newton Teachers’ Association (NTA), hopes that the protest ends soon and that the teachers get their contract. “We are negotiating with the school committee and the city,” she added.
Teachers in Newton have been working without a contract since August 31st of this year. Such demonstrations have not been seen since 2001.
by E. A. and D. B.
Quick: Dottie Gorgone...who is she? Clue: you may very well pass her on your way to school; she may even know your name. Answer: she’s Day’s crossing guard.
Gorgone puts students’ safety first all the time. What’s unique is that she loves her job, because she loves the kids.
When she’s off duty, Gorgone may visit her parents, do a little shopping, or the day’s errands. She enjoys sewing, arts and crafts, and other leisurely activities.
Gorgone spends the holidays at her parents’ house each year. One of her favorite dishes her mother bakes is sour cream coffee cake. “It is to die for,” she explained. Last year, her mother baked over 250 cookies and Gorgone brought them to the school for anyone to enjoy. It was a welcoming holiday treat.
Gorgone has lived in Newton all her life. She went to Our Lady’s Catholic School, down the street from Day. She has been working at the police department for over 19 years, and has been at Day for 4 years.
She describes her job as “ intense: you literally need to have eyes in the back of your head, and always need to be alert. You never know what is going to happen along the way,” Gorgone said.
Latin scholars know the answers (founded by Magistra M. G.)
Latin roots give us the names of our days and months
by J. R.
Most Latin scholars know , the names of our months are derived from Latin.
Some of these months have less interesting stories than others, but the stories that are interesting can be quite entertaining.
The first month of the year, January, is named after the Roman god, Janus. Janus was the god of beginnings and endings as well as the threshold. He had two faces: one looked to the past and the other to the future. Janus seems appropriate for the first month. As we look back at the year behind us and look forward at what the future holds. This pagan god not only has a month named after him, but is also the root for our word “janitor”.
February, the month commonly associated with love thanks to Valentine’s Day, had the same connotation in ancient Rome. This month also has a great story behind it. “I like to keep this particular derivation a surprise for the 7th graders until February,” says Latin teacher, M. G., who advises anyone wondering about the story to “...see a Latin scholar.” She has, however allowed the following hints to be published for example :
fertility rites, romance, blood, milk, and the founding of Rome.
March, Martius in Latin, is dedicated to the Roman god Mars, the god of war. This month was named in his honor because “...this was the month of ‘spring training’ for the Roman soldiers,” says Goodman. The next month, April, Aprilis, has almost the opposite meaning, since it comes from the Latin word “ aperire,” meaning “to open.” The reasoning behind this name was that April is the month in which flowers open.
May, or Maius, is named in honor of Maia, who was the mother of Atlas.
who according to Roman myth held the world on his shoulders. June, or Iunius, is named after Juno, the Roman patroness of brides and the queen of the gods. This is partially still true today as June is a popular month for weddings.
Iulius , July, and Augustus, August, are both named after the first true Emperors of Rome Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus. September, October, November, and December while being the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months are based on the numbers seven, eight, nine, and ten. The reason for this is that the Roman calendar originally started with March, making these months the seventh-tenth months, until two other months were added pushing them back two spaces to the ninth-twelfth months.
The days of the week come from Latin as well. While most of these days have very little in common with their English counterparts, the Spanish, French, and Italian counterparts look very similar. “ Lunae dies”, Monday, when translated is the “day of the moon”, “ lunae” meaning moon, and “dies”, meaning day. “ Martis dies”, Tuesday, means the day of Mars, who, as already mentioned, was the god of war.
“ Mercuri dies”, Wednesday, is devoted to Mercury the messenger of the gods. “ Iovis dies”, Thursday, is the day of Jove, or Jupiter, who was the Roman king of the gods. “ Veneri dies”, Friday, is the day of Venus who was the Roman god of love.
“ Saturini dies”, Saturday, is the Roman day of Saturn, who was the father of the gods. “Solis dies”, literally means Sun-day, but it was changed to Dominicus when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity and then meant the day of our Lord.
The brand-new Teen Reach Center opens its arms to high school students
by E. K.
Having relocated to new quarters at 429 Cherry Street in West Newton, the Teen Reach Center is a new hangout for high school kids in Newton [We understand 8th graders are welcome - Ed.]. An alternative to The Boys’ and Girls’ Club, this two-story building is packed with so much fun-filled equipment that one could be kept busy for the whole school year.
On the lower level, there are many resources, including a counseling center with trained psychologists for the troubled teen. The fitness center is well-equipped with a wide variety of free weights, treadmills, cycles, boxing equipment, and other things that could be used to knock off extra pounds.
Also, on the lower level there is a “hangout” room with its own set of fun things to do. In the center of the room lies a ping-pong table; to the left, there’s a set of tables and chairs to rest on after that hard day at school. Planted on the wall to the right is a projection screen used to watch movies. The floors are made of smooth wood, which gives the center a warm feeling.
A Dell Computer Lab is available to kids who need to get work done, but have no computers at home.
The Teen Reach Center, founded by Anthony Bibbo, the executive director, has become a huge success. Neighbors have no complaints because of its good message and benefit to kids. The help is there. A good message and a good touch for Newton, The Teen Reach Center is available to any high school students who want to come, no exceptions.
The Teen Reach Center is open from 3PM to 10PM, Monday through Friday.
The phone number is (617) 969-5906. The Teen Reach Center is not available to most middle school students at the present time, although the board of directors could change its position at a future time. The Teen Reach center can be emailed at TeenREACH@NCSCweb.org.
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