SocialMagazine
Transcription
SocialMagazine
RRIS CULTURAL & SOCIAL r AFFAIRS MAGAZINE Spring Sp i S Semester, t 2010 Edited by Chakim Shani Cultural & Social Affairs Coordinator 2010 ON THE WAY WAY… Hi, guys! My name is Jonathan and believe me it is amazing, RRIS is “THE” place to meet people from all around the world. RRIS’S trips (bike trip or North trip…And More) is an amazing experience and opportunity to visit and enjoy our holy land. Israel is one of the only countries in the world that when you walk in the desert or in the forest you can find traces of Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions that meet in the archeology. archeology When you go on the trip you visit and live a melting pot experience... RRIS’S trip is the way to go … 1st Jonathan Ovadia, France year, Arison School of Business RRIS SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 7:30 PM CINEMATEQUE HERZLYIA On a relatively warm February evening, students from the RRIS clustered on the stairs leading up to the quaint cinemateque on Sokolov Street to see a film that many of us had never heard h d off before. b f Aj i is Ajami i an independent i d d d drama created d by b Palestinian P l i i Scandar S d Copti C i and Israeli Yaron Shani that looks into the rocky relationship between the two cultures. The film begins dramatically in the city of Ajami. Two teenage boys are working on a car outside of a house on a sunny afternoon when suddenly, a car screeches by, gunshots pierce the silence, and the older boy y staggers gg to the g ground. The story y is g grippingly pp g y told through g the eyes of multiple characters that are all somehow connected to a complex plot involving violent retaliation. When the theatre lights came up, every student was overwhelmed with opinion and comments on the controversial film. The evening concluded with drinks at the Theodore bar next door. 2nd Maya Oren, USA year, Sammy Ofer School of Communications RRIS A MOVING TRIP TO “YAD VASHEM” THE HOLOCAUST MARTYRS’ AND HEROES’ REMEMBRANCE AUTHORITY APRIL 12TH 2010 On April 12th, Holocaust Day, the RRIS offered a trip to Yad Va Shem. What better way of commemorating Holocaust day if not in the museum dedicated to it? We assembled at the IDC gate in the morning, after hearing the siren and respecting the survivors by standing in silence for a minute and later left on a bus towards Jerusalem. Mr. Jonathan Davis, who escorted us taught us a bit of Israeli history as he explained the importance of the roads leading towards Jerusalem, in the area of Latrun and the nearby villages during the War of Independence. U Upon our arrival i l we mett with ith a llovely l lady, l d h holocaust l t survivor i who h shared h dh her personall story t with us. We were all moved, touched, hurt, angry and full of sympathy. After only an hour and a half of listening, the relative significance of what is really important in life gained a whole new dimension and perspective. In the early afternoon we met with a fascinating young German woman who guided us along the museum. She explained (in English), emphasized and answered our questions while providing us with some information about her own personal family story. At around 16:00 we headed back to Herzliya, Herzliya touched and shocked by what we had just heard and seen. It was not really clear to us how do we go back to our normal and fortunate lives after such an experience. I would like to emphasize the importance of this museum. It’s builders invested much in preserving the Jewish history, collecting testimonies, pictures and other items from holocaust survivors. As the years go by, fewer survivors live and their stories fade away. The museum records live testimonies so that future generations will also get a chance to hear about the Nazi horrors. Pictures that are spread all over the museum feed our eyes and make the connection ti b between t th the stories t i and d th the tangible. t ibl The Th horrifying h if i collection ll ti off shoes, h b books, k suitcases and other personal items leaves a terrifying imprint on any visitor. The lessons learnt from this trip are invaluable and they will stay with us for the rest of our lives. For the newcomers of next year, I highly recommend that you make that trip. I promise you, you’ve never seen anything like it and you will never forget it. 2ndd Tal Gonenne, USA year, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy RRIS THE ANNUAL BIKE TRIP 2010 APRIL 30TH If you don’t fall, you don’t learn how to… And I did fall, and I did learn. That was my first bike trip since I learned how to ride a bicycle a year ago. Wow that will be my first professional bike trip, Wow, trip I thought thought, I’ll I ll be able to see the sights of Israel I haven’t seen yet, and will definitely be able to learn new riding techniques. Impatiently and with a little worry -what if this bike trip requires extra skills that I don’t have, what if the whole ride will be just riding uphill? Shani and other students cheered me up promising that I was not the only beginner and that the road will not be so steep and it will be fun. And it was fun! In an hours bus drive we were in the middle of the forest, on “Derech Burma” near Jerusalem Jerusalem. Equipped with professional bikes and helmets helmets, useful instructions and water water, with the spirit of adventure, headed by our Israeli instructor and escorted by the jeep, we were ready to start a ride. The ride was up and downhill on a road full of stones under our wheels and history on the way. We learned about the Burma Road and its importance. The instructor told us that the “Burma Road" was a 25-kilometer makeshift road linking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It was built by Israeli forces headed by General Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem. We saw unforgettable g landscapes p of the mountains;; enjoyed j y sun shining g on our p path,, and delicious food waiting for us at the end of the ride. Don’t be afraid to fall-you will always learn something new! Ora Shapiro, USA Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, M.A Diplomacy RRIS THE BEST “LEADERSHEEP” TRAINING AT “NEOT KDUMIM” MAY 4TH When training to be the leader of the future there is no greater challenge than motivating those who don’t want to be motivated and who are less motivated than a stubborn herd of goats and sheep. Such was one of the many challenges to be overcome by the RRIS students at the Neot Kedumim leadership training on that fateful 12th of May. On this day, the RRIS students had the challenges of sheepherding sheep and goats, cooking a lunch outdoors and building rafts. F the For h task k off sheepherding h h di the h students d were di divided id d into i two groups. “I feel that if we can get a bunch of unmotivated goats to do what we want we can persuade anyone” said Tal Dahan, a Beverly Hills native who used carrots, or in this case leaves, instead of sticks as his weapon of choice exerting soft power to achieve his goal. After successfully achieving the moving of the sheep and goats displaying skill beyond expectation, the students needed to make l lunch h iin th the wild. ild T To llead d iin thi this second d grilling illi ttask kD Daniel i lR Rosenberg b (Dberg) was unanimously elected to rally the troops to a cooking experience which won’t soon be forgotten. Without batting an eyelash Dberg went around designating everyone but himself to do the work and then walked around making sure no one sat idly by. “ My leader today”, said Daniel Ong an exchange student from Singapore, “He inspired me so much”! Further praise of the leadership was given by Liverpool Native Sam Silverberg. “We’ve got Dberg who is the leader here doing a fantastic job, he’s not just telling us what to do but he gets his hands dirty. I on the other hand burned myself”. After an amazing lunch the students were divided into two groups who needed to build rafts with Daniel Gindis, USA which to cross a small lake. The two groups, 3rd year, however chose not to use any forms of hints from however, Sammy Ofer School of the tour guide and instead worked to build rafts of Communications their own making using only their ingenuity and RRIS creativity as their guides. As such, even though they weren’t as sturdy as they could have been, they did manage to get Shani Chakim, the RRIS social coordinator across high and dry. Said Dberg as we scrambled to achieve our tasks “Tonight is about each other, tonight is about bringing it home.” And it clearly was one of the most memorable experience throughout our years at the RRIS. RRIS SPORT TOURNAMENT MAY 7TH 2010 On a beautiful Friday morning, over one hundred IDC students descended upon the Herzliya “Sportek” in order to enjoy a day of sport, music and good company. The first, of a hopefully annual tradition, creating a basketball and soccer tournament for IDC students. Alex Flint, a new Oleh from Colombia, and a third year government student in the RRIS, developed the concept and put it into practice in order to raise funds for the African Refugee Development Center. This specific event would help cover the tuition costs for one of the refugee students currently studying at the IDC. “What could be better than getting good sports while supporting a great cause.” Fighting through tough competition and the Herzliya heat, the teams competed to earn a coveted spot in the final four. Both tournaments operated in a round robin fashion, allowing each team to face all of the other members of their respective divisions. The top two teams from each division would earn the opportunity to play in the final four. The basketball side was the first to reach its playoff with two teams representing the international school. The final was incredibly y close,, and p provided the spectators p with a great game and equally exciting finish. After the basketball games drew to a close, all attention turned to the soccer pitches where the teams were aggressively chasing the opportunity to compete for the tournament championship. Ultimately, while the tournament was competitive and provided an exciting visual for the spectators the fundamental benefit of the day was the cause it supported. College life is difficult enough for the average student without having g to take into account the challenges g that a refugee g needs to face in Israel. Events like these make a concrete statement that the student body is aware of the challenges and is ready to play their part in helping their new peers traverse these obstacles. The high turnout, and greater than expected participation, allowed the tournament to succeed, both in the quality of competition and in the ability to raise more funds for this worthy cause. This student initiated event, showed a willingness to take a strong action to rectify a situation when it exists. For a school that seeks to build the leaders of tomorrow, more could not be expected. 3rd Ethan Chernofsky, USA year, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy RRIS RRIS ANNUAL NORTH TRIP MAY 9-10, 2010 On May 9th close to 200 students from the RRIS were at school bright and early at 8:30am in order to enjoy our annual Trip to the North. The trip is a perfect opportunity for students to take one last break before it is time to focus on the stresses of the end of the semester and final exams. We had a fun packed itinerary that included kayaking, making a bird house, a pool party, a hike, and finally a relaxing time at the beach. Shani Chakim, the Cultural and Social Director of the RRIS, did a wonderful job of organizing the trip to make sure that there were a wide range g of activities and that the students were having fun at every moment. For students it is a wonderful opportunity to see the beauty of the country and to enjoy the company of their classmates. When asked how he felt about the annual North Trip, RRIS Third Year Student Sam Silverberg said "This has always been one of the highlights of my year, and this year the trip is one that I will never forget." 3RD Daniel Rosenberg, USA Year, Arison School of Business RRIS IDC HOSTS THE RRIS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL MAY 13, 2010 This is the second annual International Festival at the IDC. Organized by the RRIS culture coordinator and second year government student Ofri Ben Porat, coordinator, Porat the festival was created to show off the diversity that exists within the body of students who attend the Interdisciplinary Center Herzilya. All of the students were invited to create a booth of their home country and to include free information, foods and activities. At the festival, eighteen countries set up booths in the main courtyard complete with laminated banners and exotic fares. Traditional foods such as “Indiera” bread from Eritrea and an arrangement of fabulous cakes from Austria were available for sale. The United States offered hot dogs and chewy chocolate chip cookies cookies. Some, Some such as Ecuador, Ecuador sold crafts native to the country, and many of the countries made cold native drinks to help ease the warm summer day. Each country was allotted fifteen minutes to play their favorite music from their home countries, as well as an opportunity to showcase special activities performed traditionally from their homeland. The Phillipinos stole the crowd with their customary fighting routines and Canada did a short hockey demonstration. demonstration Onlookers were both entertained and educated about the unique cultures of each of the participating countries. Only at an international school is there the opportunity to learn about other countries first hand from individuals native to them. This cultural immersion occurs on a daily basis, simply by the natural interactions between students. However, the festival allowed attendees to experience the true flavors of each represented country through food, music and activities. Brochures were also available at every stand to give individuals a more informative look at the featured locations. The festival proved to be an incredible success as thousands of students from both the RRIS and the Israeli program came through, had a great time and, whether they wanted to or not, learned about the home-countries of their friends and classmates. 2nd Maya Oren, USA year, Sammy Ofer School of Communications RRIS GRADUATION NIGHT AT THE RECANATI FAMILY’S HOUSE MAY 25TH 2010 The first thing I noticed was how beautiful everybody looked. The suits, the tuxedo’s, and of course, the dresses. At first there was mingling with friends, and maybe even with people you have just met. But everyone was there for the same reason; we were all soon to be graduates of the RRIS, and this night was for us. After everyone (or at least most of us) arrived, it was time for the opening speeches from Jonathan Davis and Professor Uriel Reichman. The party then officially opened, d offering ff i some off the h most amazing i ffood d I’ I’ve ever had, h d and d a classic, l i elegant l bar b where h I could quench my thirst. After everybody had eaten (and some of us still were), we had some more speeches from representatives of each of the schools in the RRIS, and that is when I found out that there was also dessert, which was even more amazing than the main course. The evening then went on until finally it was time to go home. But we didn’t leave empty handed, we were given something g to remember our days y at the RRIS by, y, a jjacket which I shall wear p proudly y wherever I go, and whenever I’m feeling a little cold. Or Dvir, Zambia 3rd year, Efi Arazi School of Computer Science RRIS A NIGHT OF IDOL WORSHIP APRIL 17TH 2010 . On the night of May 17th at the Stopa Junior in southern Tel Aviv a performance was held that was the first of its kind. kind Spearheaded by Business student Ella Ran and produced by Communications student Daniel Gindis, the IDC Idol was meant to be an event which displayed talent, provided a memorable evening and served a good cause. With the money from the event going to provide tuition fees for students who wouldn’t otherwise have the means, many were happy to pay to come to the final of the student singing competition. Following Youtube video auditions and after two weeks of practice with professional pianist Shachar Fleisher, the contestants from the RRIS and IDC Israeli school were ready for their big night. Even so, with songs and performances ready, no singing competition would be complete without a panel of commenting judges. IDC Idol had possibly the most qualified judging panel in musical presentation history. This honored panel consisted of rock singer Daniel Solomon, sound mixer master Carmiel Lifshitz, musical prodigy and IDC band guitarist Adam Broza and musicology connoisseur and Head of the RRIS Jonathan Davis. With RRIS stars such as the engaging Irad Strauss, the riveting Saphira Tessler, the melodic Naomi Winkler, the folk friendly Dora Koranyi, the fortissimo Yoni Strano and others, the cast was rife with RRIS talent. powerful rendition of The crowd reeled in awe to the intense and p “Because of you” by Ilana Gindis. The audience swayed as the Kentucky country Terra Kornberg sang her original song "Love your life” and Carmel Hollander’s cover of the Beatles song “I want to hold your hand” brought tears to some eyes in the audience. ”I was really impressed by the singers”, said Rachel Keyes, a 2nd year communications student. “Each one was better than the next, there y different styles y “. were so many ”I really love melody and song”, said Ben Amiri, a classmate of Rachel’s. “When I think of the diatonic, grazioso and melodia of everyone that night I am amazed time and again. I truly never knew my classmates could do anything that well, especially sing“. By night’s end the winner, by vote of crowd, was Georgian native Ayala Eligoola with the winning song of "Je t'aime” which is Belgian for “I love you”. There was such a feeling of care, quality and appreciation for the efforts with which the night ended leaving everyone in anticipation of the next IDC Idol to come in 2011. Daniel Gindis, USA 3rd year, Sammy Ofer School of Communications, RRIS PHILOSOPHY CLUB I didn't did 't know k what h t to t expectt exactly tl from f this thi first fi t encounter t off The Th Practical P ti l Philosphy Phil h course, but I did know, somehow, that it was important for me to go there. I walked off with an impression that I had received what I was out to receive- not answers, as I had thought originally, but actually more questions. I think what I understood from this first session is that wisdom has to do with asking questions perhaps more importantly than finding answers. Hmmm… Asking questions… But...isn't that something that everyone can do? Precisely, everyone can do it! This is an important element in Plato Plato'ss teaching - wisdom lies within. We've covered several topics, and rather than just me giving you a laundry list of all that we've touched on, let me tell you about my impression: it felt like this is the place I wanted to be: Class, yes. IDC, yes. Intelligent people, yes. But what was very different, and special, was the sense that here time and space were used differently- the energy didn't just flow one way from the teacher to the students...but really across all of us. How the teacher achieved this atmosphere was due to a skillful switching between speech and silence, leading and letting go, asking and telling. There was no pressure to make sure you remember everything or understand everything. everything Refreshments were waiting for us, when we had a small break- allowing for both a shmooz and a nosh. Until next week we were asked to undertake some practical exercises. The reason it's called practical philosophy is because it's philosphy in practice and through practice. I think it can give me a lot. Looking forward to next time... Yehuda Selligmann, Selligmann Germany Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy M.A Diplomacy RRIS COLOMBIA AGAINST TERRORISM IDC FOR PEACE APRIL 26TH 2010 On Monday 26th of April, Colombian Military attaché Colonel Oscar Cote and his assistant Staff Sergeant Orozco, presented to a group of 18 IDC-RRIS Spanish speaking students the situation of the struggle of Colombia against terrorism, guerrillas and the drug trade from the military point of view. A short film was showed followed by a conference and a Q&A session where the students asked informed and important questions that ranged from human rights and social action issues, hostages, topics on legalization of drugs and violence to strategic, tactical and diplomatic issues and differences between the Colombian and the IsraelPalestinian conflicts. This event had the authorization and support pp of the Academic Authorities of the IDC and the Lauder School and was done by the initiative of the students Janiel Melamed (MA Gov. Counter-Terrorism) and Ilan Ghitelman (BA Government). The RRIS provided full logistical support and guidance to the initiative from the beginning. There are 90 students from Latin America in the RRIS and a few more in the programs taught in Hebrew. Janiel Melamed, Colombia Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy M.A Counter-Terrorism RRIS IDC FFL TEAM… I created the IDC Flag Football League (IDC FFL) for 3 reasons: 1. To introduce intramural, extracurricular activities to the campus, 2. To bring IDC students from all over the world onto one field, and 3. To have fun in an amateur, nonprofessional fashion. The IDC FFL hosts players from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Israel, Colombia, Turkey, and Chile. It definitely took some work to get this league started. I started off with setting up drafting stands in front of the Cafeteria. Once I got a weighty list of players, I approached Jonathan Davis and Merav Atar from the RRIS, who happily agreed to sponsor my league by paying for equipment, insurance, and uniforms. My biggest challenge was getting a field in Herzliya for the IDC FFL to play on. I worked on and off with the Herzliya Stadium Manager until he agreed to rent us the field across from the Herzliya Mall for a fair price. The only thing we had to sacrifice was soccer cleats. But, it was worth it. The IDC FFL now meets every Monday night to play competitive, organized games and to have fun. Zev Marmorstein Marmorstein, USA year, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy RRIS 2nd RRIS DRAMA CLUB THEY DO IT FOR THE STARDUST… The IDC Drama Club was founded with a vision to infuse more dazzle and theatricality onto the IDC campus campus. It was set up by two second second-year year students: a Business student from the RRIS (Raz Ashrov) and a Psychology student from the Hebrew program (Shlomit Avni). Since its fledgling beginnings, the Drama club has had the support and encouragement of the RRIS as well as the Aguda. Both are equally keen about student initiatives that foster interaction and plain old camaraderie between Hebrew and English speakers. speake s. Thee Herzliya e ya Theatre eat e which c iss a b branch a c o of tthee municipality u c pa ty has as aalso so helped us immensely. So what goes on in Drama Club meetings? The club meets once a week for two and half hours of monologues, dualogues, scenes and improvisations. Lessons are conducted by two professional teachers (Niv Raz and Uli Sternberg) that own ‘Technica’, a school that coaches aspiring film actors. Despite p the fact that most members are amateurs ((with heaps p of p potential), ) Niv and Uli demand that texts be memorized and that costumes be worn. Currently the club has fifteen members. Whether playing a seductive Spaniard or an unsympathetic psychologist, our members share one crucial trait... they don’t mind embarassing themselves every once in a while! The Drama club allows us to break away from our daily routine and enjoy ourselves, after all... “All the world’s a stage”. Kayla Robbins, USA & Raz Ashrov, Nairobi nd 2 year, Arison School of Business RRIS IDC PHYSICS CLUB The IDC Physics Club is meant to present the most important ideas in physics in a way that is easy to understand. I believe that when physics is presented in the right format, most people find it fascinating. We live in a world that is wonderfully complex, full of mysteries, and surprisingly understandable. The club began as an idea of mine to have a place at IDC where people who are interested in science could meet and talk. The idea g grew from there, and today y we have over 40 members. The RRIS and Student Union provided the financing and support needed for success. We are lucky to have Mr. Ami Steiner, a physics teacher at IDC, as our lecturer. His presentations are informative, entertaining, and do not involve any mathematics. He also focuses on the scientists themselves, and on the philosophy behind the theories. So far we have had lectures on the evolution of the universe,, the nature of matter,, numbers, and Einstein's relativity. A very nice aspect of the club is that students can request that certain topics be addressed in future lectures, and in this way the meetings become very engaging. I am also very grateful for all the hard work that Omri Ariav has put into making sure the project succeeded, and to Kelly de Groot for her masterfully constructed posters. The club will continue next y year with the same team,, and a new administrator. Anyone y is welcome to join the IDC Physics Club on Facebook, and be a part of this exciting adventure. Sincerely, Founder Enrique Liht, Mexico 3RD year, Arison School of Business RRIS THE IDC INTERNATIONAL DANCE COMPANY The International Dance Company came out of the notion that dance should be for everyone. After a semester at IDC, four first-year psychology students decided to begin a group that could strengthen dance technique and performance skills. At the same time, it would be open to everyone, even dancers with no experience or who hadn't danced for years. In its first year, the Company explored modern jazz and hip hop hop, and next year will expand its repertoire to include musical theater, African and more. The classes are taught by the teachers at Studio B, as well as interested group members, who have a chance to teach their own warm-ups and create their own choreography. The class format is 15 minutes of warm-up, 45 minutes of technique and strengthening and 30 minutes of choreography. Levels offered are beginners and advanced advanced, with the advanced dancers offered the opportunity to perform at the end of second semester. The classes take place at a subsidized price at Studio B in Herzliya Pituach, a nationally-known studio with well-accomplished teachers of all genres of dance. We begin again in the fall, and are looking forward to seeing new faces at the studio! You can contact The International Dance Company at th i t d [email protected] @ il E. Michal Willinger, USA 1st year, New School of Psychology, RRIS TZAHAL (IDF) INTRODUCTION NIGHT OR “TZAHAL” FOR DUMMIES... MARCH 11TH 2010 On March 11th, IDC students gathered to attend an Army information session conducted by Lieutenant Colonel Avi Ziv. While Army service in Israel is compulsory, most IDC students studying at the International School are not obliged to serve. Nevertheless, the sole topic of the session was “the enrollment of a ‘lone soldier’ into the Israeli Defence Force. Force The IDC is a university where students from every corner of the world get together to study, live and experience Israel. While these three years at the IDC have a beginning and an end, the indescribable bond to this country lasts. Therefore some graduates decide to give further meaning to this by serving as an Israeli soldier. The session itself was conducted in Hebrew by the Lieutenant Colonel who was accompanied by another 4 officers and escorted by Jonathan Davis (Head of the RRIS) and Odeya Artzi (Absorption Coordinator and the initiator of the event). An informative talk was held describing army enrollment and the possibilities of graduates in the IDF. Possibilities ranged from combat units to special programs meant for students with a degree. Ambiguities were removed and a long Q-A discussion followed. Most questions involved the requirements needed by the Army to be enrolled in certain programs i.e. Intelligence, army spokesman’s unit etc... Over and over fluency of the Hebrew language was emphasized emphasized. Furthermore Furthermore, the Lieutenant made clear that the army is an apparatus that relies on its ability to acquire the right people for the right job; people tend to find their path in the army. At the end of the discussion the President of the IDC Prof. Uriel Reichman appeared and shared inspiring words and his profound pride of future IDC alumni serving in the IDF. I personally want to thank Odeya for the help, assistance and inspiration that she gave me and my fellow students in making future decisions that will distinguish them as people and will hopefully contribute to the country. 3RD Daniel Haven, Holland year, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy RRIS