The Ramaz community was devastated by Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israeli civilians on October 7. As members of a Jewish institution in the United States, students, staff, and faculty alike wondered how the school should proceed. While the administration certainly encouraged everyone to get involved, adding extra Tehilim to davening, urging students to attend rallies, and hosting speakers such as Rabbi Steinmetz and Rabbi Lookstein, it was the students whose activism and leadership stood out in light of this tragedy.
Multiple opportunities for Ramaz to show its support for the state of Israel were presented this week, with students spearheading the overall initiative. Nicky Chalme ‘25 shared with Rampage that although she was stricken with grief over the recent acts of violence, she recognized that she had a mission, and began attempting to complete it in the best way she knew how: “After a rough three days, I realized that I needed to pull myself together, pray and help everyone I can in Israel, starting with my kids from Kol HaNearim.” Nicky, with the help of Dr. Block, coordinated with the head of all of the Emunah orphanage homes to send pizza, games, and anything to keep the kids occupied. “Their staff and madrichot were mostly called to the army, so they don’t have school and need activities to keep them entertained,” Nicky said. “I contacted the head of Belev Echad and received a list of all the newly injured soldiers. I set up boxes in the lobby for students to write letters. They are being sent to Israel to be distributed to Neve Michael and other homes.”
Noyah Misaghi and Ben Norman ‘24 introduced several ways for the Ramaz community to advocate for the state of Israel, including setting up a station to write letters to civilians and soldiers and boxes in the lobby for various drives, hanging up posters around the Upper East Side, and encouraging students to go to as many rallies as possible to show their support. “I was shocked and heartbroken, not only for the families of the victims but for the Jewish people as a whole,” Noyah explained. “I felt so helpless being here while my family and friends were in Israel, so I decided to convert my distress into something productive. If I can’t be there physically, I want to make sure the soldiers and civilians know that we all stand with them and are doing as much as we can to help from here. After the first batch of letters got to the students, we realized that one minute of our lives made their whole day.” Noyah described her approach to taking action as hands-on and student-focused: “On the first day we returned to school after the attack, I met with Rabbi Schiowitz and a couple of other students. We explained to him that the students need to be the ones to take initiative and speak up, as it means more coming from us. As a result, everyone got involved, and these efforts brought everyone together.” Ben shared his recognition of the necessary actions that needed to be taken by Ramaz students as part of the Jewish nation: “Our family, friends, and Jewish brothers and sisters were attacked in Israel. Although not everyone was hurt physically, everyone was hurt emotionally because of this traumatic experience. I am grateful to be in the United States, but that comes with the guilt that our people are hurting while we are safe. I knew that I had to do something where I was to help the people in Israel who are suffering.” Ben noted that these initiatives truly made an impact. He heard how glad the soldiers were to receive the donations and cards from Ramaz, and to be assured that we were thinking of them during this difficult time. “We couldn’t have done it without our classmates, specifically the seniors, who worked tirelessly to help people in Israel, and set an amazing example for younger students.” Ben also added that a strong sense of unity pervaded the entire school this week, with all of the students collaborating for the same cause. “Every day, we daven Mincha together and we say Tehilim together; our city is uniting and attending rallies – tens of thousands of people. Everyone is raising awareness on social media as well. The circumstances are unfortunate, but it’s beautiful to see how we are all supporting each other.”
As G.O. President, Raymond Ashkenazie ‘24 played an integral part in the unification of the student body through his leadership position. “I think the most important things I can do during these horrifying times are encouraging the student body to get involved and helping everyone contribute in their own way,” he said. “Throughout the last week, I have worked with faculty, administration, and students to encourage full participation and support from the student body. We are truly finding the passion inside each and every student so they can help lead and make a difference.”
This difficult time truly allowed the Ramaz family to unite. Students are joining forces across grades to advocate for Israel and the return of the hostages. All of the students have been involved in some way, no matter how big or small, in the Ramaz effort to support a common cause from afar. Each and every endeavor has made and continues to make a big impact, restoring hope to the Jewish community here in New York as well as to Israeli soldiers and civilians. This mission has revealed the power of community, showing what we are capable of when we work together towards a common goal.
