November 2014 ~ Cheshvan-Kislev 5775

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Kol Bogrei Rambam is the Alumni Council’s monthly e-newsletter for and about School graduates. Each month we share infor- mation on individual graduates’ ventures and accomplishments, as well as general news notes, all reflecting the school’s mission of preparing educated, observant Jews to be contributing members of society. Your ideas and accomplishments will help sustain and strengthen this key communications tool; please forward to [email protected].

Murder by Terrorists Evokes Profound Grief and Fond Remembrances

8h alumni, along with who spoke at the school’s the entire school community, were memorial program. devastated by the Nov. 18 terrorist Naty recalled “my friend and murder in of Rabbi Mosheh classmate on the first day of Twersky, zt”l, valedictorian of the Class kindergarten, who had some of 1973. of the poise and maturity Rabbi Twersky, rosh kollel at that I lacked, who showed Toras Moshe, was one of five who were me around a bit and assured killed in an attack by two Palestinian me I was going to be all right terrorists during shacharit at the Kehilat in this big, strange new place Yaakov shul in the Har Nof neighbor- called Maimonides School.” hood, where several other Maimonides Danny recounted the close- graduates reside. ness of the Langermann and “He was a scholar of the highest Twersky families. Mosheh rank and a dynamic link in the chain was a few years younger, but Rabbi Mosheh Twersky ’73, zt”l, and his wife Bashy of our school’s mesorah, beginning “we grew up together — We converse with Steven Copeland of at with the founding of our school by his played Whiffleball together. a Talner Beis Midrash reunion in Yerushalayim in 2013 grandfather, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveit- We went to each other’s (Photo by Sharon Altshul, www.rjstreets.com) chik, zt”l, in 1937, through his father bar mitzvahs, we davened Rabbi Isadore Twersky, zt”l, and his together, we danced together so well.” Throughout his life, Danny beloved mother Dr. Atarah Twersky,” on Simchat Torah.” said, Rabbi Twersky was “soft-spoken declared classmate Naty Katz, now and modest…He embodied that special “Mosheh was always a terrific student, head of school, at a Maimonides memo- character and high standard taught by and more than willing to help out some rial program held less than a day after his father…Mosheh had that unique of his friends who struggled with the the attack. smile that I can see before me now — more challenging concepts we were especially when we reminisced about “Maimonides School and the Soloveit- learning in or physics,” Naty our youth.” chik/Twersky families are eternally related. “Mosheh and I were in the bound together.” same Talmud shiur for a couple of years. “Maimonides mourns the untimely He totally wrecked the grading curve.” loss of a beloved member of our After graduating from Maimonides, Danny said that besides helping him family,” Naty stated. “I will always Rabbi Twersky earned his undergrad- with challenging homework, Mosheh remember Mosheh for his modesty, uate degree at Harvard College and taught him some Yiddish phrases. his brilliance, his smile, and his kind- received semicha from his grandfather ness. And Am Yisrael and our commu- at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological As Mosheh continued his studies, nity will remember Mosheh for his Seminary at University. “In 1990 eventually “we had a transition from towering scholarship and his gentle he was privileged to make aliyah — and learning with him to learning from menschlichkeit.” aliyah is a privilege,” asserted Daniel him,” Danny said. “He embodied the Langermann ’69, the other graduate same balance between Chasidus and During the past two weeks there has the Brisker tradition that his father did been an outpouring of dismay and continued on page 3

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November 2014 ~ Cheshvan-Kislev 5775

Page 2 of 5 Recent Graduate Enters an Industry “That Can Literally Change the World”

Hana Snow ‘09 is a new professional software engineer, my job is to write By the first semester, senior year, in an industry populated mostly by the code that creates the interface Hana said, “I knew I wanted to work in men. But she says she doesn’t want to between the users in our call center industry full time, and I was particu- be labeled as a “pioneer.” and our raw data.” larly hoping to find a position at the intersection of tech and health care. “I feel that while I am an engineer and After graduation and a year’s learning Coming from a family of doctors, I a woman, I am not a ‘woman engineer,’ at Machon Maayan, Hana began her know just how messed up our health I do not do my job any differently care system is. The idea of getting to because I am a woman,” she asserted. do what I love, coding, while making “I hate it when people say there need people healthier really appealed to to be more women in STEM fields me.” because women ‘think differently’ or ‘bring a different perspective to the Hana noted that her extracurricular table,’ because that is false and a bit activities at Maimonides provided demeaning. There need to be more a helpful career foundation. “Being women in STEM because it is full of on the math team, I got comfortable lucrative, fulfilling careers that can liter- being one of the only women in the ally change the world.” room. The mock trial team taught me to be a confident public speaker… Hana is a software engineer for Kyruus, the interview process heavily favors a startup firm that leverages those who are eloquent and capable data about providers to improve of explaining their thought process patient access to the healthcare they clearly.” need. “I work on a product for hospital call centers that allows schedulers to “Disciplines like law, Talmud, and find the correct doctor for a patient, computer science actually have a lot in making sure that the specialist they common, in that there is a specific kind Hana Snow ‘09 are seeing is actually the specialist of logic that needs to be followed, but they need and distributing patient within that logic there is a lot of space career at Princeton as a physics major. load more efficiently across doctors to for creative solutions,” she added. “Because I was interested in science reduce wait times,” she explained. more broadly, I enrolled in a rigorous “I would also strongly recommend that interdisciplinary science curriculum everyone learn at least some coding. that mandated taking some introduc- It is the building block of this millen- “I would also strongly tory computer science each semester,” nium,” Hana stressed. “And even a she related. rudimentary understanding of how it recommend that works will be useful in any industry.” “I really hated it at first because I spent everyone learn at least a lot of time copy and pasting things At Hana’s workplace, women consti- and having no idea what was going tute about a fifth of the engineering some coding. It is the on,” Hana continued. “But I knew that team. ”If for every four men there is scientists in the modern world rely only one woman, then that means building block of this heavily on computers so I opted to that there are three woman out there enroll in another course, introduction who would have been cut out for it but millennium.” to systems programming. That was were somehow failed along the way,” the turning point for me, and I soon she said. “This means we have far fewer realized I was using computer science good engineers (or entrepreneurs or “Essentially, we are creating the system to procrastinate on my physics home- world leaders or any of the many other that patients assume already exists, a work, and figured that if I loved the industries that still have gender gaps) functional one where hospital systems work that much I should pursue that as than we could.” know who their doctors are and what a major instead.” they do and when they can do it. As a

November 2014 ~ Cheshvan-Kislev 5775

Page 3 of 5 Alumnus Part of Corps “Addressing Systemic Educational Inequality”

Ely Mendelev ’10 likes to cite the “I have 150 seventh and eighth grade As a Maimonides student, Ely observed, Talmudic paradigm attributed to Rabbi students, all of whom have unique “Many of my teachers became my Hanina: “I have learned much from personalities and educational needs, who mentors and were transformational in my teachers, and even more from my rely on me to provide them a science enriching and guiding my development as education this year,” he said. a young adult. It was an experience I took largely for granted, until I saw first-hand As an undergraduate at Yeshiva Univer- how drastically different — and far less sity, Ely said, “I had the opportunity to be positive — many children’s educational a part of a student-led initiative in which experiences are.” teams of YU undergraduate volunteers ran weekly hands-on science experiments Ely, who was presented the Middot Award in under-resourced urban middle school for the Class of 2010, added, “I hope to classrooms.” positively impact some of my students in a lasting way and help prepare them to be “The kids were able to engage with successful adults.” learning and science in a fun, hands- on way that they had not experienced The Teach for America commitment is before,” he recounted. “Seeing the smiles two years, and Ely said he is considering and excitement of the students during the staying in education for a year or two modules we designed was deeply grati- beyond that. “But after that, I intend to fying and planted the idea of spending a pursue medicine as a career,” he asserted. few years after college teaching science in “I think the two professions — education a low-income setting.” and medicine — share many of the same skill sets and challenges.” Ely majored in biology and minored in public health at YU, graduating At YU, Ely worked with fellow Maimonides magna cum laude. Teach for America, 2010 graduates Sarah Robinson and Ely Mendelev ‘10 he explained, “provided an avenue to Devorah Yarmush to organize and lead pursue my passion for science education the Active Minds Club, which builds while being a part of a larger commu- awareness about the challenges of colleagues, but most of all from my nity of educators who are committed mental illness. He is also an accomplished students.” He says he has discovered to addressing systemic educational photographer. that it “definitely holds true, as every day inequality.” provides a new and unique set of chal- “Teaching had always been something I lenges and learning opportunities.” There is also a close-knit community of enjoyed, and I have found my experience Orthodox corps members in New York as a Teach for America Corps member to Those words resonate every school day (including Gila Yarmush ‘08) that often be very challenging yet also eye-opening at P.S. 57 in East Harlem, where Ely serves gets together for Shabbos meals, he and rewarding,” Ely said. as a Teach for America Corps member. added.

Murder by Terrorists words. There are times when silence “I felt personally violated,” Rabbi Zvi bests eloquence.” In an email to his Friedman ’73 wrote. “Rabbi Twersky was a continued from page 1 congregation, Rabbi Howard Morrison classmate of mine from 2nd through 12th personal memories, much of it on ’78 wrote, “Mosheh Twersky, zt”l, I grade and was my son’s at Yeshivas social media, from other alumni. Zelda remember as a young teenager being Toras Moshe.” Elihu Stone ’76, who was (Bilansky) Stein ‘61 remembered tutored in Talmud by an older teenage among several alumni at the burial, posted, babysitting for Mosheh and his siblings. Mosheh, the year that he graduated “This is so hard. I was in high school with from our day school.” That was the year Rav Mosheh…He was a true scholar, even Rabbi Elly Krimsky ‘86, in his online the school introduced Talmud as a class then.” dvar Torah, wrote, “There are simply no subject, Rabbi Morrison noted.

November 2014 ~ Cheshvan-Kislev 5775

Page 4 of 5 Maimonides Graduates Ride in Support of Unique Jerusalem Hospital

Several Maimonides graduates took the 18 switchbacks of part in this year’s Wheels of Love fund- Maale Akrabim (scorpion raising bicycle ride in Nov. 9-13, ascent), an exhilarating benefiting the Alyn Hospital in Jeru- descent down the hills salem. Alyn is Israel’s premier compre- to the Dead Sea and hensive rehabilitation center for chil- a gala, last-day ascent dren from birth to young adulthood. from the Dead Sea up to Alyn Hospital in Yerusha- Brothers Joel ‘68 and Daniel Chefitz layim together with all ’86 undertook the Challenge Road the other groups and Ride, defined by climbing and distance. escorted by a substantial Eli Kazhdan ’86 once again chose the contingent of police,” off-road ride, while veteran partici- Joel related. pants Dr. Michael Wiener ‘84 and his father Marvin took the traditional “We were set to do the route. ride together with our brother Allen, who was “We rode about 350 miles and climbed hit by a car in West- about 23,000 feet in five days through chester County while the Negev and up to Yerushalayim training for the ride,” Joel from the Dead Sea,” Joel said, adding, Joel ’68, left, and Daniel Chefitz ’86 said. Allen, a Maimonides “I was the oldest Challenge rider and student before moving guess I’m proud of that accomplish- “As we approached Alyn in the Kiryat to Baltimore with the family, had not ment but wish I could have some of Hayovel neighborhood, the cheering healed enough in time for the ride those years back.” families lining the sides of the road “but joined us in Israel and learned brought tears to our eyes, only to be “Highlights included descending with his son at one-upped by the patients waiting at into and climbing up out of both while we were on the road.” Together the hospital to present each of us with Machtesh Gadol and Machtesh Ramon, the brothers comprised Team Achim a medal for completing the ride,” Joel a 101-mile day from Mitzpe Ramon Chefitz. described. to Eilat, an extremely steep climb up

Hosting an impromptu gathering of nephew Ezra Grossman’s IDF platoon are, from left, Shira (Langenauer) Galper ’95, Avi, Elan and David Galper ’93, and Shira’s mother Nechama Langenauer. Ezra, rear, second from left, is the son of Drs. Sharon Galper ’84 and Shammai Grossman. (See story on page 5).

November 2014 ~ Cheshvan-Kislev 5775

Page 5 of 5 Maimonides Alumni Here and There...

Several alumni are key organizers of a lemonade stand. His former classmate logistics and organizational team of the Maimonides Invitational Basketball Elan Galper and the Galper family, who Chabad at Binghamton’s annual toy drive Tournament, scheduled for Jan. 22-25 made aliyah late last summer, bought for children with cancer. The campaign in Brookline. Ahron ’76 and Sheera pizza and drinks with the donation and goal is $12,000. Details are available at (Kessler) Solomont ’76 are overall shared the meal with 21 soldiers stationed www.JewishBU.com/ToyDrive. Tara, a chairs for the second straight year. Other just a few hundred feet from the Lebanon student at Binghamton University, also is volunteer planners include Josh Alge border. According to Elan’s father, David a member of the Chabad Girls Night Out ’08, Elan Baskir ’10, Sharon (Hecht) Galper ‘93, “we told them the story, and and Mega Challah Bake Committees and Kramer ’85, Claudine (Cohen) Grossman they were touched and so thankful.” serves on the board of the Binghamton ’91 and Eitan Katz ’08. Six teams from Among the troops was Elan’s cousin Zionist Organization. out-of-town — three men’s and three Ezra Grossman, a former Maimonides Ben Strachman ’14 is featured in a series women’s — will join the M-Cats and lady student, who recently completed active of video productions promoting Yeshivat M-Cats for basketball, activities and a paratrooper service with the IDF. (see Har Etzion, where he is learning for the Shabbaton. Details are available at www. photo on page 4.) year. Following are electronic links to Maimohoops.org Rabbi Levi Mostofsky ’95 is the new some of the videos: Sam Wald ’92, chairman of the executive director at the Chicago http://tinyurl.com/YeshivatHarEtzion1 Maimonides School Board of Directors, Rabbinical Council. The 82-year-old has been named one of 18 Chai in the council, consisting of approximately http://tinyurl.com/harEtzion2 Hub honorees by Combined Jewish 140 member rabbis from the across the http://tinyurl.com/HarEtzion3 Philanthropies of Greater Boston. The United States, Canada and Israel, strives to designation recognizes “18 of Jewish convene a unified voice for the Orthodox Ten landscape paintings by Sara (Kirstein) Boston’s most inspiring young adults.” Rabbinate of greater Chicago. The council Scolnick ’65 are on display through Dec. Among the other honorees is Sheri provides a wide array of Jewish services 5 in the gallery at Hebrew Senior Life in Gurock, daughter of Jayne and Harvey including kosher certification, a Beth Din, Roslindale, MA. The exhibit is entitled Beker ’70. Honorees will be celebrated at community education, programming, and “Lasting Impressions.” Sara said she has a Jan. 31 event at the Renaissance Boston services. Levi earned a degree in biology always been interested in the arts and Waterfront Hotel. Last year Alex Klibaner from ’s Yeshiva College began painting more seriously after ’91, chair of the Alumni Council, was a Chai and was ordained by the Rabbi Isaac retirement a few years ago. in the Hub winner. Elchanan Theological Seminary at YU. He has served at YU’s Center for the Jewish Did you ever wonder whether even small Future for the past 11 years; most recently, donations help large organizations like the he has been director of continuing Israel Defense Forces? Here is an account rabbinic education and support. that proves they can help a lot. Recently Maimonides fourth-grader Eitan Bessler Tara Hanau ’13 is communications and raised $73 for the IDF through sales from publicity head and a member of the