On Tuesday, December 20, two days before winter break, the entire school came together in the auditorium for Ramjam. Ramjam is an annual event that showcases the hard work of the various performing arts clubs the school has to offer. Instead of the audience sitting on the floor like in past years, chairs were set up in the auditorium for the audience. There was loud excitement in the audience as Dov quieted everyone and introduced the emcees, Tova Solomons ʼ23 and David Tarrab ʼ23.

The Ramaz Upper School choir opened the show with a performance of the song, Lashuv Habaita. The guitar ensemble followed with a lively performance of September by Earth, Wind & Fire. The jazz ensemble performed a rendition of So What by Miles Davis. A crowd favorite was the percussion ensemble, led by Mr. Elisha who unfortunately was absent during Ramjam. Student leaders, Abe Kohl ʼ23 and Josh North ʼ23 took the reins on the performance and filled in for Mr. Elisha. The percussion ensemble features different percussion instruments such as cymbals, drums, timpani, and a woodblock. Then the chamber choir took the stage to perform a chamber choir classic, Like I’m Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainer.

The girl’s dance team performed the dance that won them first place at Rekudiah just two weeks before Ramjam. The dance told a story of a tourist feeling lost in New York until other New Yorkers make her feel comfortable and accepted. They danced to a mashup of popular songs, many that are connected to New York in some way. The dancers concluded with thunderous applause from the audience.
Serena Zarfarti ʼ24, a member of the dance team, felt that it was a meaningful experience performing the dance that the team had worked so hard on. “We felt so much more confident and comfortable doing the dance so it had a much better flow. We had done it countless times preparing for the competition.” About the theme of the dance she said, “It was especially fun because the theme was about Ramaz in new york so all the students who go to Ramaz could see and even potentially relate”
The final performance was from the Ramaz band who performed Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. The performance combined instruments and vocals—the only one to do so. The vocalists were Tova Solomons ʼ23 and Ezra Sholes ʼ24 who sang and played their respective instruments. When the performance ended, the emcees took the stage and thanked everyone who performed in addition to thanking the people behind the scenes.

Both students and teachers were engaged the whole time, with claps starting at various times during different performances and the end of each one. Audience member Jeremy Feder ʼ24 had one complaint about the event, “Although I enjoyed watching my friends perform, I was bothered that the lights did not get turned off. The lighting made it seem like we were watching a rehearsal rather than a final performance. I’m still looking forward to next year’s performance with hopefully improved lighting.”
The members of each club put countless hours of hard work into the performances and practice months in advance. Choir member Milli Ackerman ʼ24, who was part of both choir performances, is happy to do so. She enjoys being part of and watching Ramjam. “It’s so much fun. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience and it’s amazing how all the different ensembles come together to put on one big show.”

Since Ramjam fell on the third night of Chanukah, the event ended with a candle-lighting ceremony. Dov called up Abe and Ezra Kohl ʼ23 to say the blessings and light the candles. Following the lighting, the three of them sang together. Ramjam ended on a joyous note that was shared among the audience and performers alike.