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Shalhevet news online: When we know it, you'll know it

The Boiling Point
Shalhevet news online: When we know it, you'll know it

The Boiling Point
Shalhevet news online: When we know it, you'll know it

The Boiling Point
Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks

Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks, Editor-In-Chief Emeritus

Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks was editor-in-chief during the 2019-20 school year and is now a student at the University of Toronto.

All content by Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks
ELECTED: Rabbi Lieberman is the first person elected by the faculty and staff to represent them in a Just Community position in at least 10 years.

Rabbi Lieberman elected faculty representative to new Judicial Review Subcommittee

May 21, 2020
REVIVED: An original of the preamble to the Just Community constitution, signed by students and staff in 2002, dominated the second-floor hallway Thursday, day 39 of distance learning due to the coronavirus pandemic. Proponents said changes would bring the constitution into line with what school is like now, and also help more proposals be enacted.

CONSTITUTION OVERHAUL IS APPROVED, 149 – 20

May 14, 2020
BALLOT: Online voting on a multi-part amendment to the Just Community constitution is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. today.

Voting has opened, Constitution must earn majority in at least three grades to pass

May 14, 2020
WINNER: A virtual poster for Kate Orlanski, newly elected Agenda chair, included her campaign motto -- “Bottom up” -- in Aramaic. The phrase itaruta dilatata refers to effort coming upward from the ground.

In historically uncontested election, vice-chair and secretary winners make news

May 7, 2020
FOUNDER: You can’t delegate liking the school, you either like it or don’t, said Dr. Jerry Friedman, who along with his wife Jean Friedman co-founded Shalhevet. And it’s the staff up on top together with the students that create that atmosphere. There has to be that mutual trust and that mutual respect. A full transcript his interview with the Boiling Point appears at the bottom of this story.

Dr. Jerry Friedman and the roots of Shalhevet democracy

May 5, 2020
LIVE: A Zoom meeting this evening is considering a new constitution, proposed by seniors David Edwards, Sabrina Jahan and Evan Rubel.

Zoom Town Hall will debate proposed new constitution tonight

May 5, 2020
TREASURED: On Yom Hashoah -- Holocaust Remembrance Day -- 40 students and teachers posted pictures of family heirlooms on Schoology, along with the reasons they were cherished. All can be seen and read at the bottom of this page.

Zoom assembly sparks daylong outpouring of family stories, inspiration for Yom Hashoah

April 23, 2020
UNCERTAIN: A sign at Canfield Elementary School in Beverlywood was an ironic reminder on Tuesday, when state School Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced all state public schools would remain closed through the end of the 2019-20 year.

Shalhevet to delay decision on reopening in-person school until after Pesach, Rabbi Segal says

April 2, 2020
SPREAD: A van belonging to Hatzolah, whose volunteers provide emergency response in Beverlywood, Hancock Park and other Jewish neighborhoods, was parked on Alta Vista Boulevard yesterday. The group said local Covid-19 patients had interacted widely before being diagnosed.

YULA student tests positive for coronavirus after Bnei Akiva shabbaton; Rabbi Segal says spread to Shalhevet ‘inevitable’

March 16, 2020
TIMING: Health department officials who spoke to Shalhevet parents last night said wide coronavirus is inevitable, but measures such as school closures, hand-washing and social distancing could spread out new cases, giving hospitals time to keep up with the need for services.

County health officials tell Shalhevet webinar school closures certain, timing undecided

March 12, 2020
CROWD: According AIPAC’s website, more than 18,000 people, including 51 Shalhevet students, attended AIPAC’s annual policy conference in Washington, D.C., last week. Also there were some who had been in contact with a coronavirus patient in New York, and who were quarantined on their return.

Three coronavirus cases in people returning from AIPAC; one is in Los Angeles

March 8, 2020
SCREEN: A Google Hangouts window shows IT Director Nick Parsons testing the web application for the online class trial set for Monday. School officials have planned a “preparedness drill” in case school closure is needed because of coronavirus.

Campus to close Monday as trial run for coronavirus shutdown tries out online classes

March 5, 2020
HIGHLIGHT: Attending the annual Red Sarachek Tournament is a big event not only for Shalhevet players but for their fans, many of whom fly to New York for the event.  Above, Firehawk then-captain and MVP Zack Muller leapt over rival YULA players in YU’s Max Stern Athletic Center in 2018.

Sarachek Tournament cancelled as coronavirus outbreak closes YU

March 4, 2020
CROWDED: Students locked out of classrooms filled hallways during lunch Feb. 28. Complaints included no place to sit and difficulty concentrating and socializing due to a high noise level in the halls.

Week of locked doors brings clean classrooms, loud hallways

March 3, 2020
MESS: Food and garbage continued to be found in classrooms after the Fairness Committee warned it would lead to locked classroom doors. Above, crackers and cereal with milk were left in Room 308 after lunch Feb. 20.

Student body fails probationary period, locked doors to start Tuesday

February 21, 2020
EVENT: The Oscars are hosted this year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood

LIVE BLOG: The Oscars with Zach Helfand and Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks

February 9, 2020
TOGETHER: These years Best Picture nominees are (left to right) Little Women, 1917, Ford v Ferrari, Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit and Marriage Story

The Nine: Short reviews of the 2020 Best Picture nominees

February 9, 2020
REVISE: Evan Rubel, Sabrina Jahan and David Edwards shared a light moment at a meeting on proposed updates to the constitution. Considered the start of an ongoing constitutional convention, the meeting took place Dec. 18 in room 304

Second meeting of Constitutional Convention considers whether ‘values of the school’ should be a reason to veto Town Hall proposals

January 30, 2020
SHOCK: Kobe Bryant and eight other people, including his daughter Gianna, died in a helicopter crash Sunday morning

We can hold two ideas at once

January 28, 2020
2017: Bryant and his wife Vanessa, and daughters Natalia, Gianna and Bianka smiled as his two numbers -- 8 and 24 -- were retired at Staples Center

A comic book supervillain who changed the game

January 27, 2020
FUTURE: Ms. Walls implemented August essay-writing workshops and other initiatives to make students more comfortable with the college admissions process.

Aviva Walls leaving, will lead day school in Fairfax, Virginia, next year

January 15, 2020
VANDALIZED: Several posters of famous authors and playwrights, including Tennessee Williams, were vandalized in Ms. Nagels and Ms. Crincolis rooms.

Fairness Committee may ban students from empty classrooms after teacher files complaint over food mess and poster vandalism

January 14, 2020
DIFFERENT: Three decades after Rebecca arrives in the US, her friends and family from different backgrounds gather to light the menorah on the third night of Hanukkah in ‘Eight Nights,’ at the Antaeus Theater last month.

New play explores trauma’s impact across generations and cultures

January 8, 2020
TIME: Most of us werent even teenagers when the decade started, but we still felt the changes of the 2010s.

10 stories that shaped the 2010’s

December 31, 2019
REVISE: Fairness Co-Chair Evan Rubel, senior Sabrina Jahan and Agenda Chair David Edwards shared a light moment at a meeting on proposed updates to the constitution. Considered the start of an ongoing constitutional convention, the meeting took place Nov. 20 in room 304.

Move to revise Just Community constitution debates who should decide what’s debatable

December 17, 2019
FRIEND: Waititi portrays Jojo’s imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, a father figure to Jojo, whose own father went missing.

Jojo Rabbit: Sparks of love in a world of hate

December 15, 2019
INTERNATIONAL:Youth protestors crowded downtown Los Angeles Nov. 1 to pressure Gov. Gavin Newsom for more action against climate change.

Greta Thunberg finds local angle on climate change

December 3, 2019
Princeton Model Congress debaters take 6 awards, including first in novice committee

Princeton Model Congress debaters take 6 awards, including first in novice committee

November 24, 2019
NEIGHBORHOOD: The new LACMA building, as shown above in an architects illustration, will be built near two other bold projects -- the Petersen Automotive Museum, seen at bottom right with its zig-zag curves, and the future Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with its giant domed sphere, designed by Renzo Piano and set to open next year two blocks north of school. LACMA will retain its two newest buildings, located just next to the new Academy building. Fairfax Avenue is at the bottom of the picture.

NEW LACMA: Designing the shape of the future

November 7, 2019
CHAMPIONS: The Toronto Raptors celebrated after beating the reigning back-to-back champion Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals last June. It was Toronto’s first NBA title ever, led by Kawhi Leonard, who now will play for Clippers.

For the Clipper who used to be a Raptor, only love

November 1, 2019
ORIGINAL: About 2,000 protestors filled the streets of downtown Sept. 20, most under 30 and many carrying signs with slogans they’d painted themselves. They marched in hot weather from Pershing Square to City Hall, seen at top right behind palm trees against a blue sky.

Big crowd, small Shalhevet contingent joins worldwide walkout to protest inaction on climate change

October 4, 2019
SMOKE: New studies show that vaping is much more dangerous than previously thought. As of Oct. 1, there have been 1,080 hospitalizations of Vaping-Associated Lung Injury and 18 deaths, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.

LETHAL VAPOR: At least 12 deaths so far from mysterious vaping illness

October 3, 2019
PROTEST: From left, Shalhevet faculty Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom, Dr. Jonathan Ravanshenas, Mr. Chris St. Germaine, and Rabbi David Block stood outside a home on Poinsettia Place in Hancock Park to support Lonna Ralbag’s right to a get, or religious Jewish divorce, Aug. 23. Agunah activist Rabbi Jeremy Stern joined them, at right.

Rabbis, others demonstrate against ‘get refuser’ while he is sitting shiva

August 29, 2019
Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks is Community Editor of the Boiling Point.

OPINION – Our college graphic: A dissent

June 18, 2019
PRIVILEGE: Mr. Eli Shavalian is one of two college counselors at Shalhevet. Only a third of public schools have even one.

No bribes, but Shalhevet students have an edge for college

June 12, 2019
TRENDY: Like many other students, freshmen Eva Brous-Light and Danielle Finn wear scrunchies, a popular hair accessory from the ‘80s, to school -- and not always in their hair.

[Photo] Bohemian is Back

June 6, 2019
FIRST: Students in Room 308 this morning heard junior Gilad Spitzer argue against the school election results in the first-ever Fairness case to discuss overturning school election results.

Fairness Committee overturns result of election for next year’s Fairness chairs, committee to have three next year

May 10, 2019
THOUGHT: Voters considered how to rank candidates in last Tuesday’s Just Community elections in the gym. Races with more than two candidates were tallied according to an “instant runoff” system.

Open Fairness hearing Friday morning will consider possible change to Fairness Chair election outcome

May 10, 2019
RECOGNITION: Captian Ari Sassover, representing the UK in the U.N. Human Rights Council, won an honorable mention award. Photo Courtesy of Yeshiva University

YUNMUN brings home first awards since team’s revival

March 13, 2019
TRIAL: On January 15, the Fairness Committee held their first open hearing of the year. Viewers were asked to leave for the committees deliberation. BP Photo by Gilad Spitzer

Fairness leaders search for consistency as role expands

March 5, 2019
MODELS: The exhibit uses recreations of important objects from GInsburgs life to illustrate the moments that turned Ginsburg into the icon she is now. Photo by Robert Wedemeyer

Not just her initials: Skirball exhibit explains why RBG is ‘notorious’

March 5, 2019
BP Photo Illustration by Gilad Spitzer

The Eight: Short reviews of the 2019 Best Picture nominees

February 24, 2019
CLOSE: Starbucks and Coffee Bean are frequented by Shalhevet students throughout the day. Above, juniors Celine Basiratmand (center) and Maital Hiller drank coffee during breakfast Feb 15.

Citing Student Handbook, Fairness rules admin cannot enforce school rules at Starbucks if student has not checked in to school

February 21, 2019
PROTECT: Dean of Student Life Mr. Jonny Ravanshenas and students hid in a locked classroom practicing what to do in case of a shooter . Security officials said Dec. 20 drill would build community ‘muscle memory.’

Second lockdown drill sets agenda for more security improvements

February 17, 2019

Concert breaks new ground for Choirhawks with music written or arranged by students

January 14, 2019
FULL: At the end of December break, nine spots in the redone student lot that did not belong to seniors were assigned to juniors, who moved in Jan. 2.

Last nine spots in school parking lot go to juniors, by lottery

January 10, 2019
HISTORY: Benjamin Ackermans name appears on the 2004 alumni plaque in the school driveway area. He was arrested on Jan. 2 for stealing millions worth of goods posed as a realtor.

Alumnus arrested in theft of high-end items from celebrities

January 3, 2019
PARALLEL: The first two cars in four years to park in Shalhevet’s student lot tucked themselves in around 7:20 this morning. Officials say the opening of the lot, at the northeast corner of Fairfax and San Vicente, means all seniors will now have spaces, and a few juniors will too.

Old student lot re-opens, most spots still to be filled

December 17, 2018
LOCKED: The student parking lot gate, still locked for now, is scheduled to open next Monday. Six of the 17 spots there will be occupied by seniors who did not win the lottery to park in Tom Bergins.

Refurbished and ‘cured,’ student lot to reopen Monday

December 5, 2018
WAITING: The lot’s new asphalt surface will need to ‘cure’ for at least a month before students can park on it.

Student parking lot waits while pavement ‘cures’ behind new fence

November 21, 2018

Call for emails to senators starts dispute over politics on Schoology

November 13, 2018
SCHOOL: The Ilan Ramon Jewish Day School, a K-5 progressive school in Agoura Hills, was in flames Friday afternoon. News reporters on the scene said separate buildings in the back of the school were still intact at 3:30 pm.

Ilan Ramon Jewish day School burns in Woolsey Fire

November 9, 2018
SONG: Rabbi David Block led the school in slow shira Oct. 29 as the school gathered on the floor of the gym to remember victims of the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh. Earlier, students had lit 11 candles, one for each of the victims.

Psalms and slow singing soften a day of broken hearts after Pittsburgh shooting

November 1, 2018
TEEN: Dalya Zeno, second from right, attended a Catholic, all-girls private high school after immigrating from Syria in 2011.

Looking at refugees through a wider lens in ‘Dalya’s Other Country’

October 29, 2018
TIGHTEN: Sophomores prayed during an all-school Shacharit in the gym. A new policy sets three levels of consequences for students who ditch.

Fairness imposes penalties for missing davening

October 9, 2018
STAR: Mac Miller established a loyal fan base that included Shalhevet students, who stayed with him from his early mixtape days through his transition to darker themes. Miller died last week at the age of 26.

Beloved by many, Jewish rapper will be remembered

September 20, 2018
TEACH: Mr. Diamond just finished co-writing a book that explains the business of screenwriting. BP Photo by Jonathan Diamond.

Screenwriter David Diamond brings Hollywood lessons to Shalhevet

September 14, 2018
Rachel Chu, right, played by Constance Wu, spends most of the movie trying to gain the approval of her boyfriend’s mother Eleanor, left, played by Michelle Yeoh.

Heartfelt and funny, cultures clash in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’

September 13, 2018
SURFER: Dr. Keiter has degrees in law and in Eastern Languages and Culture, and believes nature helps people connect to the big picture. BP photo by Zoey Botnick

A winding path to teaching, with surfing on the side

September 6, 2018
OLD: Used by students until four years ago, the student parking lot is set to undergo renovations including a new fence and shrubbery. BP photo by Neima Fax.

Reopening of old student parking lot delayed, but Tom Bergin’s lot may open sooner

August 28, 2018
Lisa Gruenbaum leaving

College counselor Lisa Gruenbaum departing to focus on kids

June 8, 2018
Teachers using ‘daf aleph’ give students a chance to check in

Teachers using ‘daf aleph’ give students a chance to check in

May 22, 2018
BOTH: At students request, girls and boys of the class of 2017 took a separate party buses as part the Senior Soiree celebration last year. This years class has decided to make the buses coed, among other changes to the school-supported event.

Best of both worlds: seniors will have prom and soiree

May 3, 2018
TOGETHER: Students and faculty sang and danced to Matisyahu’s ‘One Day’ in a Koolulam- style performance as part of the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration on April 19.

Gathered on the roof, students become a giant choir to celebrate Israeli Independence Day

April 22, 2018
REVIEW: With cast and plot, ‘Black Panther’ leaps over Hollywood barriers

REVIEW: With cast and plot, ‘Black Panther’ leaps over Hollywood barriers

March 5, 2018
LIVE BLOG: The Oscars with Sadie Toczek and Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks

LIVE BLOG: The Oscars with Sadie Toczek and Jacob Joseph Lefkowitz Brooks

March 4, 2018
THE NINE: Short reviews of the 2018 Best Picture nominees

THE NINE: Short reviews of the 2018 Best Picture nominees

March 2, 2018
ANGLE: The Vinz is made up of several different quadrate blocks of different materials, interspersed by grated metal sails and pink walls.

TWO BOILING POINTS OF VIEW: The VINZ: Groundbreaking or grotesque?

January 31, 2018
CONSERVATIVE: Ben Shapiro was greeted enthusiastically in the Beit Midrash on January 17.

An uncensored Ben Shapiro explains controversial views at first YAF event

January 21, 2018
SHARE: Senior and AP Art student Sydney Gross, standing at easel, is the first student ever invited to teach Roen Salems 10th-grade Composition & Design classes.

Senior AP Art student helps teach Comp and Design class, inspiring sophomores

January 13, 2018
Color: The Massacre in the Main Temple, by Jean Charlot, 1922. Charlot was one of many artists who Anita Brenner inspired to create powerful Mexican art.

At the Skirball, a writer’s tale is told in art

November 1, 2017
OPINION: Understanding 9/11 requires more than facts

OPINION: Understanding 9/11 requires more than facts

October 29, 2017
In ‘I Am Not Your Negro,’ words of James Baldwin describe the past to illuminate the present

In ‘I Am Not Your Negro,’ words of James Baldwin describe the past to illuminate the present

April 13, 2017
STUDY:  Attorney Joseph Lipner applied the First Amendment to school newspapers in his talk, titled Freedom of the Press in Religious High Schools, in the Beit Midrash of B’nai David-Judea.

Fourth JSPA conference tackles conflict of interest and criticism of news media

April 5, 2017
SNOW: Cold weather made this different from past Boiling Point trips to CSPA, but the award they received was the same as usual – their fifth consecutive Gold Crown.

Fifth consecutive CSPA Gold Crown for the Boiling Point

March 30, 2017
SAS Biology teacher and year-old Head of Science Department taught an advanced Chemistry class, which was established mid-year for sophomores.

Science Department chair Ayden Jacob announces he will not return next year

March 14, 2017
IMMERSE: Students made posters reflecting values of the Civil Rights era on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Jan. 16.

OPINION / MLK Holiday: Use the whole day

February 6, 2017
EFFORT: Shalhevets Sammy Ellenhorn leaps over TABC defense in Game 4 Nov. 10. The Firehawks won, 44-42.

Boys finish fifth at Glouberman but regroup to win Milken

January 21, 2017
ORDERS: Students from all grades lined up in military formation on the rooftop turf Nov. 9, reenacting roles in a South Carolina regiment during the Civil War. The event was brought to the school by history teacher Dr. Keith Harris.

Live on the turf, the Civil War

December 8, 2016
Photo courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWnWoSYsjaI

‘Denial’ maps a journey through lies on the road to truth

November 28, 2016
GATHERING: Boys in the Just Community League congregated at Alec and Jordan Fields house for the Fantasy Football draft Sept. 4. They were encouraged to wear their favorite players jerseys.

‘Sweet Agony’ of Fantasy Football lures students anyway

October 12, 2016
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