B”H Jeremiah Rozman



B”H Jeremiah Rozman

1) What is your favorite subject in school? Why?

My favorite subject in school, I would have to say, is English because it deals with many ideas in the books we read. Also it deals, at least in my class, with a lot of philosophical ideas and with current events. My teacher for English ties in everything he teaches us with Chassidut and connects everything with Judaism, so that we realize the importance of our religion and how it ties in with modern civilization.

2) What is your least favorite subject in school? Why?

I would have to say that my least favorite subject is the one we learn the most, Talmud. The type of

Talmud that we learn is from the inside only, so I don’t learn the history of the authors and the times in which they wrote. Everything that I learn in Talmud class is the actual writings, which don’t seem to pertain to today, and the commentaries, which also don’t seem to pertain to today. I know that in Judaism the Talmud is very important and many important lessons have been taken from it. Even in the American judicial system you can find the essence of the Talmud, but that is not what we learn.

3) What excites you about attending The New Jewish High School?

There are many things that excite me about attending this school, but what excites me the most about it is the diversity. I have spent my last two years in a Chassidic school. Though it teaches a lot of Judaism from a philosophical point of view and a mystical point of view there isn’t much diversity in the classroom or in the community; I look forward to attending The New Jewish High School for the diversity, and also for the secular studies, which seem quite good, compared at least with the school I am attending now.

4) How have you spent your last few summers?

Since my mothers’ sabbatical in Montreal, I have become acquainted to religious life, I found that I wanted to learn more about this life so I attended Chabad learning camps that have an atmosphere formulated for kids who wish to get more in touch with their Judaism and advance academically during the summer.

5) List your hobbies, interests and extracurricular activities.

My hobbies include almost all sports, reading and playing chess. I am very interested in Zionism and the state of Israel and also in the forming of Israel and, well, pretty much anything to do with Israel. Because of my demanding and all-encompassing school day, I don’t really have the time for any extracurricular activities. After school from nine thirty at night until ten thirty every night except Friday, I go to the YMHA and either swim or play basketball or Ping-Pong.

6) What extracurricular activities would you like to participate in while you’re in high school?

When I’m in high school I would like to participate mainly in sports, basketball, swimming and volleyball. I would also like to make use of the athletic facilities. I have tried music in the past as an extracurricular activity and while it didn’t work well for me maybe this coming year I will try a different instrument.

7) Describe your favorite fictional character. What makes him or her your favorite?

The school that I have attended for the last two years does not allow any non-Jewish or even non-Chabad books and since I stay in a dormitory I am closely supervised and unable to read anything of my choosing. Movies are even more limited in my school. This is also true of my summer programs. When I come to The New Jewish High School, I look forward to being able to explore literature, especially fiction.

8) What role does Judaism play in your life?

Judaism plays a very important part in my life; all parts of my life, family school and throughout the day, Judaism is a large factor in my life. My family and I didn’t start out observant at all, but now we are shomer Shabbat and shomer kashrut. For me, minyan is very important because when I am not part of a minyan I find it hard to concentrate on the prayer and I tend to become lazy and not finish saying the whole thing. I like to think about everything I do in Judaism and I believe that it isn’t really the action so much as the intention that counts in doing the commandments. Chassidut says that the actual fulfillment of the commandment is what matters and the thoughts while doing it are just elevating it. I disagree with the part of this philosophy that says that the whole fulfillment of the commandment lies in its completion, I believe that to properly do the commandment you have to have the right intentions.

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