Graphic by Aaron Newman ('24)

The fourth book of the Torah is known in English as "Numbers," yet the true translation of Bamidbar is "in the desert." The primal setting for the Torah is in a desert. The Sages tell us that one who wishes to truly understand the Torah's wisdom must also make his/her own personal setting that of a desert.

One of the most important things in gaining wisdom is being able to learn with an open mind. The more you filter the wisdom through preconceived notions, prejudices, and personal thinking, the less you will understand it for what it is, and so the less meaning it will have for you. Wisdom is all around us — in nature, in the world, and especially in every human being. Wisdom is bombarding us at every moment. But we need open minds and open hearts in order to appreciate it, value it, and take it in. If not, we merely feed our own misconceptions rather than develop new understandings.

The key is to make ourselves into deserts — open to the world, allowing the outside to flow in uninhibitedly. The Sages say something similar with regard to humility. Torah's wisdom is like water, and water will naturally flow to the lowest place. Arrogance is a shield that wisdom cannot penetrate. If you see a seemingly wise and arrogant person, either you are misjudging their arrogance, or their knowledge is completely superficial — as the Sages say, like a donkey carrying books. Humility, on the other hand, is like a magnet for wisdom. The humble person cannot help but be wise, because the water of wisdom is always flowing down. And the humble person is waiting at the bottom to be filled up.

When our minds and hearts are deserts — freed from personal agenda — then and only then will wisdom fill us up.

I think of this idea as many of our students gear up for taking their APs and finals. So much of what we, as teachers, transmit is information. It is a lifelong process to take this information and process it into wisdom. This, as teachers, is our most sincere desire for our students. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Kimche

Yom Yerushalayim

KYHS Celebrates the Miracles of the Six Day War

Graphic by Josh Haik ('24)

Upon entering Katz Yeshiva High School on Friday, KYHS students and teachers were greeted with a beautiful display representing Yom Yerushalayim. The Hebrew Department organized this creative masterpiece, and it was a great way for the students to learn what Yom Yerushalyim is all about. Yom Yerushalayim is a yearly holiday that holds great significance for the Jewish people around the world. This day commemorates the reunification of Yerushalayim and the establishment of Israeli control over the entire city during the Six-Day War in 1967. 

Yom Yerushalayim honors the historical and spiritual importance of Yerushalayim. On this day, Israelis and Jewish communities come together to celebrate the reunification of Yerushalayim. Festivities include public ceremonies, parades, concerts, and mass gatherings to pray at the Kotel. The Kotel attracts thousands of people who gather to daven and remember what the Jewish nation went through. At KYHS, Yom Yerushalayim was celebrated with a meaningful and uplifting davening, including Hallel, and a special program. Zachary Mamrout (‘25) recounted his experiences on the 10th grade Israel trip and the special connection that our people have to Israel.

Yom Yerushalayim is a day of reflection and unity, reminding people of the history that shaped Yerushalayim throughout the ages. It acts as a reminder of the Jewish people's ties to their historic homeland and of our shared obligation to protect its religious legacy. Yom Yerushalayim also carries political implications. The reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli control in 1967 was a huge event in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The day serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggles and challenges that Israel goes through and hopes to resolve in peace.

Article by Keren Lazar ('25)

Ready to Get Your Brain Cows Milked?

Students persist and resist as APs come to an end.

Graphic by Shoshana Weinstock ('24)

Be prepared for fewer people in your classes and quieter hallways because a lot of students won’t be in school. If you haven’t yet heard from anyone and everyone, the AP exams took place over the course of this month. AP stands for Advanced Placements. AP classes are college-level courses of different subjects, such as AP European History, AP Government, AP Physics, and AP Biology. APs benefit students by strengthening their transcripts, preparing them for college-level classes, and helping boost student’s GPAs.

The main benefit of APs is that these classes provide the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school. However, in order to earn college credit, you need to pass an exam that encompasses all of the course’s material. A five is the highest score one can achieve, while a one is the lowest. Studying for these types of exams is extremely difficult and requires a lot of time and effort. Students try different tactics in order to prepare for these assessments. “It is very challenging for me to recall so much information in such little time. Therefore, I like to make up songs, rhymes, and poems to help me remember things,” said Leila Samuels (‘25). 

Many students have also found sources like Princeton Review, Crash Course, and Barrons extremely helpful to earning a five on their exams. During this extremely stressful time, our Highlites staff would like to thank all of the AP teachers and wish you all good luck on your exams!

Article by Abby Tache ('25)

i-Shine u-Shine we all Shine for i-Shine

i-shine at KYHS is Wrapping Up for the 2023 School Year

Graphic by Danielle Zaretsky ('24)

Every Tuesday, KYHS students look forward to a wonderful volunteering opportunity called i-Shine. I-Shine is an amazing after-school program organized by Chai Lifeline and hosted by KYHS for elementary and middle school-aged children living with family members with an illness or dealing with loss in their families. Each child is paired up with an awesome volunteer that they meet with every week. Over time this relationship grows and the volunteers become like big brothers and sisters to the kids. 

It is an entertaining and delightful afternoon for everyone there. When the children first arrive they are greeted with warm smiles from the volunteers. They then grab a quick bite to eat and soda to sip and are able to pick from an assortment of activities including fun board games, beautiful bracelet making, colorful art and crafts, and much more. If the children wish to, they are also able to go outside to play sports and games. Each week there is a big activity that the whole group of volunteers and children are involved in. For example, this past Tuesday the fun but messy activities were slime and squishy making. The children are then given dinner and help with their homework from the high school students. 

Volunteer Rhyan Rackman (‘25) remarked, “I look forward to seeing my i-Shine kid every week. It’s so nice that it’s a recurring thing so that our relationship can grow so much stronger. I enjoy making bracelets and hearing about her day. It brings me so much delight!” One is able to see firsthand the positive impact that i-Shine has, not only on the kids but on the older students as well. It is truly an amazing program that brings joy to everyone. 

Article by Emma Seghi ('25)

Keep Calm and Debate On

KYHS Debate Team Has Tryouts for the 2024 School Year

Graphic by Eitan Kaminetzky ('25)

Over the past two weeks the KYHS debate team, led by Mr. Messersmith, held tryouts for next year’s team. Fifteen freshmen and sophomores tried out, answering prompts given to them one day in advance. After giving a two-minute opening statement for either the affirmation or the negation of a resolved statement, the students had to answer questions from the debate captains. Yosef Norman (‘25), one of the team captains, described the questioning as a way “to test the argumentative skills of those trying out.” Once on the debate team, students can either pair with someone else or debate by themselves. Debate is split up into three categories: Lincoln-Douglas, Public Forum, and Extemporaneous. Each category has its own specific rules and preparation time, while debating different types of issues. The individuals or teams debate with students from other schools in the area with the goal of reaching regionals and, in the end, nationals. As Emma Seghi (‘25) put it: “debate is a great way to learn and argue about important issues in our lives.”

Article by Elisha Horowitz ('25)

Teacher Spotlight

A Celebrity Interview of Mr. Sulzener

Graphic by Dan Himelstein ('24)

Amira: When did you start teaching?

Mr. Sulzener: I've been teaching since 2010, although primarily at the university level for a good chunk of that first decade. I've been happily ensconced here at KYHS since 2020.  

Amira: What made you decide to teach?

Mr. Sulzener: The decision was initially happenstantial -- a necessary byproduct of pursuing a doctorate in history. With the benefit of some research grants, I was able to live in Germany from 2017-2020, during which I was mostly away from teaching and holed up alone doing research or working on my book. What dawned on me over that time, however, was the realization that I found much greater enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose in the classroom than in the archive. And I haven't doubted that impulse since.

Amira: What is something you love about teaching?

Mr. Sulzener: My greatest joy in teaching comes in witnessing a true blue bit of student-led revelation, or that moment when I am but a conduit to a student pulling all the threads together on their own and "discovering" connections across otherwise disparate themes and periods. Critics of science fiction literature call this the moment of "conceptual breakthrough" -- when the curtain is pulled back and we are made privy to the gears at play --  although "light switch flip" works just as well.   

Amira: What is your favorite class (subject) to teach and why?

Mr. Sulzener: There is no greater subject than history; and surely everyone feels the same, n'est ce pas? I enjoy teaching all history, although European especially, given my academic background. History is a disciplinary bridge, as it straddles the methodological divide. It is both an art and a science. Like poetry, historians have their own meter: verifiability. And the skills required to craft effective arguments about the past are the very ones required to do the same about the present. In short, what I love about teaching history is that history is always about much more than just "history".

Amira: How do your students inspire you?

Mr. Sulzener: It is easy for teachers and parents alike to dismiss the grind of a high school schedule. But that grind is real, and it is wearing. I'm confronted every day with students slogging through precisely that mix of big tests, big games, big commitments, and big growing up. And, by and large, my students do it with a smile and an easy diligence that inspires me to mimic the same as much as possible. 

Amira: Why do you enjoy teaching at KYHS specifically? 

Mr. Sulzener: To answer this, I think back to my start in the middle of the ‘20-‘21 school year. From the beginning, the whole school community was warm and more than welcoming, which turned what could have been a rather jolting start into an enjoyable and smooth transition. The longer I'm here, I realize that attitude is just as much the rule as the exception.

Amira: What do you think could benefit your teaching experience at our school?

Mr. Sulzener: My history classes would benefit immensely from a souped-up, flux-capacitor-equipped DeLorean. 

Amira: How do you feel about the relationships you have formed with your students?

Mr. Sulzener: It is just as nice to see a student mature and grow over the course of four months as it is four years, and especially so when even a smidge of that growth is attributable to the positive relationships they've developed with any of their teachers. 

Amira: What did you think you would be when you grew up/what would you be if you weren’t a teacher?

Mr. Sulzener: If you know anyone hiring people to kind of just hang out at Powell's in Portland, Oregon for 8 hours a day, roaming blindly through the stacks, reading 50 pages here, spilling coffee on 40 pages there, please do let me know. 

Amira: What is your favorite food?

Mr. Sulzener: Ambrosia.

Article by Amira Kahn ('25)