Jordan Schwartz ’24 is an Assistant Art Editor in Helios. She enjoys creative writing and art. She joined Helios as a junior and finds that her position at Helios is really important because she loves bringing visual components to writing. She spends a lot of time reading and is the head of the book club.
As the war in Israel continues unabated, Heschel is doing the right thing by not only providing opportunities for students to attend rallies–which allow students to engage with the conflict in meaningful and productive ways–but also making this attendance optional.
To ensure that students could attend an event at the Israeli consulate, for instance, the Heschel administration canceled classes. While many students attended, others did not go.
In these past few weeks, many have found it difficult to strike a balance between normalcy and grief. Certainly, this is a challenging task, one which I myself am not sure how to find. Yet, I do think Heschel is doing the right thing giving us a choice. Indeed, going to all these rallies can feel overwhelming; students deserve the benefit of being able to choose activities after school.
Some students, however, think that since Oct. 7, the school has taken an outsized role in our political lives. I could not disagree more.
In other Jewish day schools, students receive punishments for skipping rallies, fostering a despotic culture where non-participation is dissent and all must adhere to the ideology of the school.
I have been incredibly grateful to go to a Jewish school, especially over these past few weeks. I am most proud that Heschel is allowing students to get involved to the extent they want, and I hope that this continues.