All across the United States, 18-year-olds made their marks at the polls, voting for their very first time in the 2024 presidential election. Among this group of first-time voters were several Ramaz seniors, eager and proud to participate in the democratic process.
Gabrielle Silverberg ’25 said she was under the impression that by voting, she was performing her civic duty as an American citizen. Stepping foot into the voting booth felt like the first step onto her journey to adulthood. Furthermore, she expressed that she felt responsible while voting because she was doing something she knew she was supposed to be doing.
“We live in a country where we’re able to actually impact decisions on who our leaders are going to be,” said Silverberg “Why not take advantage of that?”
Evan Bourkoff ’25 noted that when America didn’t have a say on who their leaders were going to be, their leaders tormented and took advantage of them, leading them to rebel, hence the occurrence of the American Revolution. He said that when Americans pick a person to be their leader, it shows that they represent the entire nation, and therefore every decision they make is reflective of our decision. He added that voting is empowering because it gives everyone a chance to decide who they want that person to be.
“[Voting] in this election was really important to me because of Israel. The US has such an effect on Israel and the outcomes of the decisions that happen in the Middle East, so, it was really important for me to decide and vote for who I thought would make good decisions in protecting the Jewish people’s homeland.” Said Bourkoff.
The Ramaz Mission Statement states that it has a commitment to teaching students “Loyalty and gratitude to the United States of America, and the democratic traditions and values of our country.” Ramaz takes pride in teaching its students to share American traditions and values, and one of the most important American customs is voting.
In his pre-election day email, Rabbi Aaron Frank, Principal of the Ramaz Upper School outlined how Ramaz would be “approaching this time here in school.” The programming involved both the history and Judaics departments, with history classes teaching students how to become an educated voter by “discussions on the electoral process, explorations of positions of each candidate, lessons on how to find objective facts and how to understand Op Eds on the elections in various news outlets,” and Judaics classes revolving around how to have “machlokets,” or constructive debates that can be found in the Talmud.
Rabbi Frank emphasized how “All our work will be focusing on the goal of teaching our students to be educated and thoughtful voters in just a few years.”
In his Thanksgiving Schoology post, Mr. Deutsch wrote “When you turn 18, you will be free to make your own decisions…And in the future, please give some thought to the other people who share your home, and what your responsibilities are to making your shared home a better place for all of us.”
