JHV March 8

By MATT SAMUELS

FORT WORTH – Shortly after 10 p.m., Saturday night, March 3, Beren basketball players started to make their way out of the locker room at Nolan Catholic High School.

Every few minutes a different player would walk out – many of them in tears – after having just completed the most emotional game and week most have ever experienced.

On the other side of the gym waiting were hundreds of Beren parents, students and fans, standing and clapping to show their appreciation every time a new player emerged.

It was a touching moment for everyone in attendance.

For the 13 young men on the team, it was an emotional release, after an unforgettable week full of several highs and lows.

JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

Beren seniors Isaac Buchine and Isaac Mirwis talk to the large crowd gathered at the school upon the team’s return to Houston on Sunday afternoon.

JHV: MATT SAMUELS

Beren’s Zach Yoshor, right, gets the tip from the championship game against Abilene Christian on Saturday night in Fort Worth.

The Texas Gulf Coast’s Jewish Newspaper Since 1908

1908 2012

103 years

March 8, 2012 - 14 ADAR 5772 � Volume ClII - Number 52 � Houston, Texas � jhvonline.com � $2 Per Copy

OBSERVE & LEARNJHV: MATT SAMUELS

Beren basketball players were presented with medals after their runner-up finish at the TAPPS state championships in Fort Worth: Isaac Buchine, Isaac Mirwis, Yair Miller, Roni Buchine, Hersh Bootin, Zach Yoshor, Aaron Hakakian, Albert Katz, Ahron Guttman, Yoni Schiff, Isaac Jacobson, Drayton Ratcliff and Jesse Shkedy.

Beren basketball gets chance to play, goes out on a Chai

See Beren on Page 18

WHAT’S INSIDE

Program fosters friendships, Purim mitzvah ......................................................Page 3‘Glocks & Bagels’ hits the mark ..............................................................................Page 4

Stars end on a Chai ............................................................................................Pages 16-21Purim High Jinks .................................................................................................Page 32

Junior beauty queen lights up the stage

By JEANNE F. SAMUELS

On Sunday, Feb. 26, Megan Roufa was crowned Junior Miss Houston at the Hyatt North Houston. The competition was sponsored by Forever Beautiful Pageants, an “all natural” pageant system for girls and boys. A total of 46 contestants modeled both casual and formal wear. In this, her very first beauty pageant, Megan also won three individual trophies in her division – for the prettiest eyes,

See Miss Houston on Page 4 Megan Roufa

At Obama-Netanyahu summit

Assurances exchanged but differences remainBy RON KAMPEAS

WASHINGTON (JTA) – President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may not have bridged their differences on how to deal with Iran, but each managed to give the other a measure of reassurance.

In his March 4 speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Obama held his ground, declining to articulate new American red lines on the Iranian nuclear RON KAMPEAS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.See Summit on Page 6

Page 17Jewish herald-Voice

March 8, 2012

Page 16Jewish herald-Voice

March 8, 2012

Linda & Nelson BlockJoy & Joseph BlogSheldon, Debbie & Allison

Bootin; Rebecca & Alex Nussbaum

Nada ChandlerBeverly, Howard & Daniel

Feldman Rick, Dorit, Jacqueline &

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Charles & Peggy Tabony URJ Greene Family Camp Denise Weinberg

See more on Pages 18-21:Michael & Susan AbramowitzBuffalo SpecialtiesCongregation Ahavat YisraelDarden AutoEric Kleiman PhotographyIsrael Bonds

Jewish Federation of Greater Houston

Kenny & Ziggy’sLee’s Process SupplyDena MarksEtan & Valerie MirwisIra & Mindy MitznerMosk & MoskAnn & David Ronn & FamilySaba’sThe Shlenker SchoolYou Lucky Dog

Yashor Koach, Robert M. Beren Academy Stars

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Though winning the game deserves a Mazel Tov, far more

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An emotional Albert Katz gets a hug from his mother, Frieda, as dad, Walter, and brother, Jonathan, look on after Saturday’s championship game loss.

Beren junior Albert Katz defends a Dallas Covenant player on Friday afternoon in Fort Worth.

Beren senior Isaac Mirwis dribbles around a Dallas Covenant player in the state semifinals Friday afternoon.

Beren senior Yair Miller celebrates during Friday afternoon’s game against Dallas Covenant in Fort Worth.

Beren junior Zach Yoshor gets a medal after the championship game in Fort Worth on Saturday night.

Beren seniors Isaac Mirwis and Ahron Guttman reflect during the national anthem before Saturday night’s championship game.

Beren senior Isaac Buchine and sophomore Drayton Ratcliff celebrate at the end of Friday afternoon’s semifinal in Fort Worth. All photos by JHV: MATT SAMUELS

StarS end on a Chai Page 18Jewish herald-Voice

March 8, 2012

The scoreboard for the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools state championship may have read Abilene Christian 46, Beren 42, but both teams walked out champions.

Less than 24 hours after they were told they would have to forfeit the state semifinals because it was scheduled on the Jewish Sabbath, the Stars responded admirably.

On Thursday, a proposed lawsuit forced TAPPS to change the schedule to accommodate Beren. The Stars then came into Forth Worth on a day’s notice and beat Dallas Covenant 58-46 on Friday afternoon in front of more than 500 boisterous Covenant fans.

Then, after trailing Abilene Christian by as much as 11 points in the fourth quarter, the Stars battled back to within 2 points in the closing seconds of the championship game, but simply ran out of gas at the end.

While Abilene Christian players celebrated on the court, several Beren players fell to their knees after giving every bit of themselves on the basketball court the past 36 hours.

“I told the kids in the locker room that going through things like this builds who you are,” Beren Coach Chris Cole said after Saturday’s game. “I was just so proud of our guys.

“The week was crazy, but we had our chance on the court and we played hard. There is so much to learn from this. It will just reinforce who they are and what they are about.”

Many of the seniors had been playing basketball together since middle school, and hearing the final buzzer sound was much more than an end to a basketball game.

“In many ways, it’s like you get so high to the peak and then you just fall,” senior captain Isaac Mirwis said after the game. “We played our hardest, but unfortunately not our best.”

Fellow senior captain Isaac Buchine also was visually shaken at the end of the championship game, but welcomed all of the awaiting fans on the other side of the gym.

“The end of the game was probably one of the lowest points of my life,” Buchine said. “The locker room was

so dramatic and when I saw all of those people, I started crying all over again. But, having them all there at the end helped keep my head up and be proud.”

Rewind back to Wednesday:Stars get their chance

After having their appeal to switch the game time denied twice, by midweek Cole had pretty much given up hope of the Stars playing.

“On Wednesday, I basically told the guys it was done, that we had exhausted all possibilities,” Cole said. “The school had agreed that there was no further step that could be taken. Then, this morning [Thursday], I got

word of the possible things happening in the courts.

“My initial reaction was mixed. I was obviously excited because the goal was to play. But, we didn’t want it coming down to this. We wanted to play this on the basketball court.”

Following 72 hours of worldwide support for the modern Orthodox Houston school, the state semifinals were moved to 2 p.m. Friday.

“We are in a state of euphoria right now,” Mirwis said Thursday. “We are finally being given a chance to finish what we started.”

According to court records, the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas - Dallas Division. The suit lists Isaac Mirwis, Etan Mirwis, Isaac Buchine, Mark Buchine, Isaac Jacobson and Myra Weisfeld as plaintiffs and the Mansfield Independent School District and TAPPS as defendants.

The Stars continued to practice throughout the process, still holding out hope that they might play. Then, they got that opportunity.

“We worked for this opportunity for such a long time,” Buchine said. “When we first heard we were going to play, we were jumping and hugging each other in the halls. We even had some of the teachers coming out and telling us to keep it down.”

The outpouring from the community and community leaders had been overwhelming.

Beren From Page 1

JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

A crowd of some 200 fans chanted “10 more years!” as they welcomed Beren coach Chris Cole to the microphone at homecoming party at the school Sunday, March 4.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston

congratulates

the

Beren Academy

Stars Basketball Team

for their

outstanding season

and achievement

of competing in the

2012 State Championship

www.houstonjewish.org

Queen Esther stood for the Jewish people

Beren Stars fought for a Shomer victoryMazel tov to our

BEREN STARS PLAYERSMay you have

many more victories!


StarS end on a ChaiPage 19

Jewish herald-Voice

March 8, 2012

Houston Mayor Annise Parker wrote a letter to TAPPS, showing her support for Beren, while a petition on change.org, started by Beren students, had more than 5,000 supporters.

Beren had one the most successful basketball seasons an Orthodox Jewish school ever has been a part of.

While the JHV broke the story on Monday morning, Feb. 27, of Beren’s appeal being denied, other news outlets around the world, including ESPN, CNN, The New York Times and Jerusalem Post, followed by putting the issue on their front pages.

The Southwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League also got involved. They sent a letter to TAPPS before the final decision was made, and another Monday afternoon after the Stars initially were held out.

“We remain hopeful the board members of TAPPS will change their bylaws and policies, so all members of the association can be included in future activities without compromising their religious beliefs,” said ADL regional director Martin B. Cominsky on Thursday.

The team, which is led by Mirwis, Buchine and Yoshor and gets other key contributors from seniors Ahrony Guttman and Yair Miller, as well as junior Albert Katz and sophomore Drayton Ratcliff, held one final practice Thursday before heading to the Dallas area.

“I never imagined I would be

saying this – but (Thursday’s) practice will be closed to the media,” Cole had said.

State semifinals Friday afternoon

Beren’s roller coaster playoff run reached its peak Friday afternoon, as the Stars shocked a gym that was packed with Dallas Covenant fans at Nolan Catholic High School with a 58-46 win.

Junior Zach Yoshor scored 24 points, while Mirwis added 14 in the Stars’ big win.

“This was probably our biggest game ever, and we came in with a lot

of pressure,” Yoshor said. “But, we knew if we had a chance to play, we were going to give it our all.”

Added Mirwis: “I just tried to get the guys focused – that was my No. 1 concern. Once we got our nerves off, we just played our game. I knew we could do this and now we showed we could do it.”

Buchine hit a big 3-pointer as the buzzer ended the first half to give the Stars their first double-digit lead at 34-22.

“That was a crazy play – I still can’t even believe it happened,”

Buchine said. “It gave us a ton of energy heading into the locker room.”

Yoshor and junior Albert Katz each hit 3-pointers to open the second half, and the Stars never looked back.

Cole was impressed with his team’s effort.

“We have a lot of great kids who have been playing for us for a while and they know what they are doing,” Cole said.

TAPPS director Edd Burleson, who attended the game, only had positive things to say.

“Once the decision was made to change the game, we put everything else aside and focused on basketball,” Burleson said. “It was a very good game.”

Katz and sophomore Drayton Ratcliff also were key contributors off the bench. Katz scored five points and had several key assists, while Ratcliff had six points.

“We are just happy we had the opportunity to play and make the most of it,” Katz said. “It was a great team effort and it felt good.”

Added Mirwis: “We had a week of anxiousness. After all the media and all the drama, we just finally got this opportunity to play.

“This is what we have trained for since day one. All I can say is Shabbat Shalom to everyone and remember to stay true to your beliefs.”

Mazel Tov toCoach Cole and the Beren Stars

May you go from strength to strength

Ann, David, Gabrielle, Netanya and Ahava Ronn

Mazal TovBeren Stars!

Beren From Page 18

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JHV: MATT SAMUELS

Beren senior Isaac Buchine defends against an Abilene Christian player during Saturday night’s championship game in Fort Worth.


StarS end on a Chai Page 20Jewish herald-Voice

March 8, 2012

Saturday’s championship game

On Saturday, Beren’s magical journey came to an end. More importantly, it came to an end on their own terms – playing hard down to the final second.

After the most dramatic week for many of their young lives, the Stars simply ran out of gas at the end, falling to Abilene Christian 46-42.

The Stars were as close as 44-42 with 20 seconds to go, but a missed shot and two Panther free throws in the final seconds ended things.

Despite the loss, Beren head of school Rabbi Harry Sinoff said the experience still was positive.

“Being here has been great,” Rabbi Sinoff said. “We are happy we got here. We had a great Sabbath. It was a great event for the school.”

Mirwis and Yoshor each scored 15

points to lead the Stars (24-6), while Buchine added 9.

Abilene Christian (25-4) was led by Daniel Austin and Ben George, who each scored 14.

Beren was slow out of the gate in the first quarter. Buchine and Mirwis each hit 3-point shots and Yoshor made a free throw. But, the Stars did not make another shot in the quarter.

In the second quarter, Yoshor hit a big 3 from the top of the key to draw Beren within 16-14.

A minute later, Yoshor hit another big 3, just 10 seconds before halftime to tie the game up at 19. Yoshor finished the first half with 11.

The Panthers went on a 9-2 run to open the second half, putting the Stars down 28-21. Yoshor picked up his third foul during that stretch and went to the bench.

An intentional foul by Buchine gave the Panthers a 31-23 advantage, which was expanded to 33-23, right

before the end of the third quarter.The Panthers pushed the lead to

36-25 early in the fourth quarter, but the Stars hung in there with Katz hitting a free throw and Mirwis driving to the basket to make it 36-28.

A Beren steal and Yoshor bucket drew the Stars within 36-30. Abilene took a 39-32 lead after a foul, as both teams were in the bonus with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Mirwis took advantage next, hitting two free throws to draw the Stars back within 5, at 39-34. Miller got a steal on the next possession, but Beren was forced to call its final timeout, when he got tied up with 3:23 left in the game.

Two more Buchine free throws drew the Stars within 39-36, the closest Beren had been since early in the third quarter.

Another Mirwis drive made it 41-38, with just under a minute left. A Buchine put-back made it 42-40 with

22 seconds left, and a Mirwis bucket made it 44-42, but that was as close as it would get.

Beren was forced to foul and the Panthers made their free throws to seal the deal.

“We gave it our all, but came up short,” Katz said. “I’m still proud of the guys. We all played our hearts out.”

Going out on a ChaiThe team drove back Sunday and

arrived at Beren to a great show of support by the community. Fans chanted “Ten more years,” as Cole spoke to the crowd and players smiled and exchanged hugs.

It may take a while until everything really settles in for most of the team, but it’s become obvious that what they went through in that seven-day period had the world watching.

“On the way home, we stopped at a gas station, and someone there recognized us and said how proud of us they were,” Buchine said. “I didn’t even know the guy.”

Mirwis said he is experiencing the same thing.

“Because of all the hype and publicity this received, we are getting constant emails and calls saying we are still winners.”

Perhaps the biggest compliment came from Coach Cole, right after the loss at the Stars’ lowest point.

“He told us he is so proud of us and he knew the moment we came to Beren that we were going to be a special group,” Mirwis said. “He taught us so much on and off the court. In life, we are going to come face to face with adversity and what we went through these last couple days will help us with that.

“We made the true, proud decision and right decision that our religion came first.”

Yasher Koach to the Beren Starsfrom all the students and staff at

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Mazal Tov on a Great Season

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Beren From Page 19

The Miller fileHometown: Bronx, N.Y.School: Robert M. Beren Academy Year in school: SeniorSport: BasketballYears on teams: 2 Favorite Food: SushiFavorite Movie: ‘The Beren Stars’ Championship Journey’Favorite Book: The Giving TreeFavorite TV Show: Modern FamilyNon-sports hobby: PianoSports hero: Rafi Miller The best thing about my school: size Favorite class: AP Biology Favorite teacher: Coach Cole Three things I can’t live without: Ice packs, family, friends Best thing about being Jewish: the community I’d love to trade places for a day with: Blake Griffin When I finish school, I want to become a doctor

PHOTO BY JHV: MATT SAMUELS

High Schoolsports stars

The JHV has featured more than 100 Jewish

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Visit jhvonline.com to see all past athletes, nominate an athlete or purchase an 8x10

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JHV March 8

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