Issue  3.1  

 H ya  Saxa:  The  Newsletter  of  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter  of  Alpha  Epsilon  Pi  

Fall  2012  

  The newsletter of the Eta Sigma chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi  

his newsletter was almost not written. The pieces were in place, requests for articles sent, and

highly embarrassing pictures downloaded, but there was still danger. You see, the world was going to end. The Mayans predicted it, and in spite of our strong Jewish hesitancy to believe the predictions of pagan idol-worshippers, we were worried. Brothers were forced to confront existential questions. Would the chapter survive? Would any of us survive? We managed quite well. With any organization, there should always be a balance between planning for the future and enjoying the present. In spite of impending doom, we managed to do both.

The biggest accomplishments of the chapter this semester will benefit us for years to come. The fact that you can read this newsletter by downloading it from our Eta Sigma Alumni Facebook group is testament to this fact. The group, which can boast over 90% of Brothers from our chapter’s 10 year history as members, has created a tangible bond between members past and present, as well as a practical method of communicating across generations. We hosted four Alumni Networking sessions on campus, giving current Brothers a chance to meet our predecessors and make important connections. Capping it all off was an

alumni gathering in New York just last week. On campus, members of the chapter were instrumental in forming the new Jewish Living Learning Community, Bayit (Hebrew for home) which will begin housing interested students in spacious Henle apartments next fall. Bayit will give brothers a great opportunity to live together among other members of Georgetown’s Jewish student community, adding a residential element to Jewish life at Georgetown. Our usual events also went off successfully and with added gusto. Rush was sponsored for the first time, by local eatery Wingo’s. This relationship has been extended, and Wingo’s now sponsors the chapter. We’re thinking of selling off naming rights to parties for next semester, if anyone’s interested. Pledge afforded us the chance to get to know and welcome four outstanding new brothers to the fraternity.

Brothers also gave back to the community, participating in Brotherhood Shabbat and the Jewish Student Association’s Casino Night while also holding our own AE-Pie in the Face fundraisers to benefit Save a Child’s Heart. There was also an opportunity to help a beached whale. Rare and impactful. Formal was a great end to the semester. It was held at an Eritrean hotspot in Adams Morgan. Brothers were able to eat fine Ethiopian (yes, African) food and

enjoy themselves on the dance floor. In the last newsletter, we mentioned many awards for which our chapter had been nominated. Awards were distributed at convention last summer, but we have not yet been told if we won any. Rather than be pessimists, we’ll just assume we’ve won them all. The future of our chapter and the broader Eta Sigma community is promising. We thank you all for your continued support, and look forward to working with you in new and exciting ways. Until next time, enjoy reading the (possibly) Outstanding Chapter Publication winning Hoya Saxa. Mitchel Hochberg Brother-at-Large (Fall 2012) Georgetown University (SFS '15)  

   

   

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Spring  2013  Executive  Board  and  Chairs  • Master:  Benjamin  Talus  • Lt.  Master:  Zach  Gordon  • Brother-­‐at-­‐Large:  Mitchel  Hochberg  • Scribe:  Billy  Gold  • Exchequer:  Daniel  Sansweet  • Pledgemaster:  Bryant  Wolf  • Sentinel:    • Rush  Chair:  Matthew  Javitt,  Richard  Weiner  • Social  Chair:  Adam  Dorko  • Philanthropy  Chair:  Guy  Mentel  • Athletic  Chair:  Tyler  Engler  • Jewish  Chair:  Evan  Smith  

Fall  2012  Executive  Board  and  Chairs:  • Master:  Isaac  Lax  • Lt.  Master:  Zach  Gordon  • Brother-­‐at-­‐Large:  Mitchel  Hochberg  • Scribe:  Charlie  Plissner  • Exchequer:  Daniel  Sansweet  • Pledgemaster:  Michael  Schoenbrum  • Sentinel:  Billy  Gold  • Rush  Chairs:  Matt  Javitt,  Arik  Parnass  • Social  Chair:  Josh  Milgrom  • Philanthropy  Chair:  Elisha  Powell  • Athletic  Chair:  Tyler  Engler  • Jewish  Chair:  Matt  Javitt  

 

Issue  3.1  

 H ya  Saxa:  The  Newsletter  of  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter  of  Alpha  Epsilon  Pi  

Fall  2012      

Reflections of a Master Part II: One Semester Later

here  is  something  about  the  Fall  semester  that  makes  time  seem  as  if  it  

were  passing  twice  as  fast.  I  do  not  know  what  it  is,  but  all  of  a  sudden  you  are  in  December  asking  yourself  “where  did  November  go?”  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  the  Master  for  this  past  semester,  another  semester  that  seemed  to  go  by  in  an  instant.  Although  the  semester  felt  quick,  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter  was  still  able  to  make  great  strides  and  take  on  new  initiatives.  

If  you  are  an  avid  reader  of  our  newsletter,  you  will  remember  that  a  year  ago  Past  Master  Lance  Pauker  discussed  where  the  Chapter  was  in  2009,  my  freshman  year.  If  you  need  a  refresher,  the  Fraternity  consisted  of  10  sophomore  students  and  one  junior  student  serving  as  Master.  Much  like  my  beloved  Toronto  Raptors,  the  Fraternity  was  in  a  rebuilding  period  at  the  time,  where  the  majority  of  effort  was  spent  on  finding  new  members  and  creating  new  traditions  rather  than  keeping  old  ones.  In  my  four  years  as  a  member  of  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter,  it  has  been  amazing  to  watch  this  Fraternity  develop  from  a  

group  of  guys  hanging  out  in  a  Village  B  apartment  into  something  with  its  own  history  and  momentum,  something  that  makes  memories  in  a  person’s  university  experience.  

Today  we  are  a  Fraternity  of  almost  40-­‐strong,  but  a  head  count  does  not  mean  anything  without  dedication.    Former  ESPN  columnist  John  Hollinger  is  most  recognized  for  creating  his  Player  Efficiency  Rating  (PER)  statistic,  which  attempts  to  combine  all  of  a  basketball  player’s  contributions  on  the  court  to  his  team  in  one  number.  If  there  were  a  PER  statistic  for  dedication  and  commitment  to  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter,  I  am  confident  that  this  semester’s  totals  would  have  been  considerably  higher  than  that  of  any  

other  semester.  We  have  started  doing  some  really  commendable  activities  and  initiatives  that  could  not  have  been  possible  without  the  remarkable  amount  of  commitment  seen  this  semester.  

However  what  makes  the  Fraternity  so  special  to  me  goes  beyond  new  traditions  and  initiatives,  and  even  old  ones  like  formal,  retreat,  or  breaking  our  Yom  Kippur  fast  together  with  Chinese  food.  It  is  the  times  where  it  is  an  uncharacteristically  warm  and  sunny  November  day  when  a  

brother  emails  the  Chapter  to  play  a  game  of  football  on  the  front  lawn  in  the  afternoon,  or  when  a  couple  of  brothers  are  going  to  get  some  half-­‐off  fish  tacos  and  they  decide  to  invite  the  fraternity  with  them.  These  everyday  events  build  the  Fraternity,  and  this  is  the  best  aspect  of  our  growing  Chapter  that  I  have  seen  since  2009.  Well,  that  and  the  fact  that  our  flag  football  team  has  improved  steadily  every  year,  and  with  a  revamped  offensive  line  in  Fall  2013  we  look  poised  for  playoff  contention   Isaac Lax Master (Fall 2012) Georgetown University (COL ’13 MSB?)

Building a Legacy: The Eta Sigma Fundven  before  I  came  to  Georgetown,  I  was  part  of  the  Eta  Sigma  family.  My  

brothers,  AJ  and  Stephen,  graduated  in  2009  and  were  proud  members  of  AEPi.  When  I  visited  them  at  school,  I  met  their  Brothers  and  learned  about  the  fraternity.  I  came  to  realize  that  my  brothers’  brothers  were  not  only  a  fun  group  to  be  around,  but  also  conscientious  and  loyal  friends.                  Eta  Sigma  has  had  a  positive  impact  on  me  and  my  family  for  as  long  as  we  have  been  a  part  of  the  community.  I  am  thankful  to  my  brothers  for  introducing  me  to  the  fraternity,  and  to  my  Brothers  for  continuing  to  make  the  experience  rich  and  rewarding.  Over  the  past  

semester,  we  have  held  a  number  of  networking  sessions  with  alumni  in  the  DC  area.  I  have  gotten  to  meet  a  lot  of  guys  who  knew  and  were  friendly  with  my  brothers,  and  really  come  to  appreciate  the  bonds,  personal  and  professional,  formed  by  AEPi.            The  Eta  Sigma  Fund  was  created  to  serve  as  a  foundation  for  the  long-­‐term  success  of  the  chapter.  It  will  provide  scholarships  to  prospective  members,  and  is  a  tax-­‐deductible  charity  endowment.  This  will  allow  us  to  hold  bigger  and  better  events,  especially  important  as  we  grow  our  Alumni  Network.  We  are  in  the  last  year  of  a  three-­‐year  plan  to  raise  $5,000  to  serve  these  goals.  These  next  

few  months  will  be  especially  critical  to  reaching  them,  so  if  you  are  interested  please  go  to  the  online  donation  page  (link  below)  or  contact  any  of  our  officers.    https://aepi.site-­‐ym.com/donations/donate.asp?id=4783    Thank  you  to  everyone  who  has  supported  us,  from  the  early  days  until  now.  Eta  Sigma  will  continue  to  grow  and  prosper  by  building  a  community  that  it  sustains  and  a  community  that  sustains  it.   Fraternally, Michael Sikes Georgetown University (MSB ’15)

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Issue  3.1  

 H ya  Saxa:  The  Newsletter  of  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter  of  Alpha  Epsilon  Pi  

Fall  2012  

Coming Home to AEPi

any  juniors  at  Georgetown  University  study  abroad  for  a  

semester.  AEPi  brothers  during  my  time  in  the  fraternity  have  travelled  the  world;  they  have  spent  semesters  in  Copenhagen,  Buenos  Aires,  Seville,  Beijing,  and  Sydney,  among  other  cities.  This  past  semester,  instead  of  studying  in  one  of  the  above  world-­‐class  destinations,  I  decided  to  endure  the  spectacle  of  bikini-­‐clad  women,  suffer  under  the  tropical  sun,  and  even  withstand  the  salty  air  that  goes  along  with  living  a  block  from  the  famous  Ipanema  Beach.  For  the  past  six  months,  I  lived  and  studied  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil.  Sure,  spending  my  weekend  (and  week)  days  on  the  beach  and  the  nights  at  samba  clubs  was  enjoyable,  but  my  experience  involved  much  more  than  those  worldly  pursuits.  I  regularly  practiced  a  foreign  language,  I  attended  classes  at  a  renowned  Brazilian  university,  and  I  made  connections  that  will  last  me  a  lifetime.     So  what  does  my  time  in  Brazil  have  to  do  with  AEPi?  Honestly,  not  too  much.  With  the  Christ  the  Redeemer  statue  staring  down  at  the  city,  I  have  a  feeling  it  is  going  to  be  a  while  before  AEPi  opens  up  a  chapter  in  Rio.  It  is  what  my  semester  abroad  doesn’t  have  to  do  with  AEPi  that  made  the  time  so  valuable  in  terms  of  my  relationship  with  the  

fraternity.  What’s  more,  my  six  months  away  has  given  me  greater  motivation  and  aspirations  for  my  still-­‐nascent  stint  as  Master.     In  Rio  there  exists  an  epic  balance  of  seriousness  and  pleasure.  The  city  is  undergoing  massive  public  works  projects  due  to  its  upcoming  hosting  of  the  World  Cup  and  Summer  Olympics.  Nonetheless,  it  is  still  very  much  a  work  in  progress.  Like  most  of  Latin  America,  its  history  of  colonization,  dictatorship,  and  Western  aggression  continues  to  hinder  its  crusade  towards  the  world  stage.  In  that  sense,  I  see  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter  much  like  I  view  Rio.  Over  our  eleven?  years  of  existence  we  have  become  a  major  player  on  the  Georgetown  scene  while  still  undergoing  serious  setbacks.  Yet,  we  always  overcome  these  hurdles,  often  becoming  a  stronger  fraternity  as  a  result.  In  spite  of  its  attempts  at  modernization,  Rio  is  still  the  city  of  The  Girl  from  Ipanema  and  Carnaval.  Like  Rio,  our  fraternity  must  embrace  this  duality  between  sober  ambition  and  relaxed  diversion.     In  addition  to  what  Rio  taught  me  specifically,  simply  being  abroad  for  a  semester  encouraged  me  to  think  critically  about  our  fraternity.  At  times,  I  was  very  nervous.  Whether  I  was  giving  a  presentation  in  a  class  or  simply  asking  

for  directions  on  the  street,  living  abroad  makes  even  the  most  mundane  tasks  more  challenging.  Therefore,  I  had  a  few  “home-­‐bases”  that  kept  me  grounded  throughout  the  semester.  When  I  was  overwhelmed  with  the  Portuguese  language,  I  would  go  see  a  movie  with  English  subtitles.  When  I  had  trouble  engaging  with  my  Brazilian  classmates,  I  would  go  hangout  with  some  of  my  international  friends.  When  I  was  tired  of  looking  at  Christ  the  Redeemer,  I  would  go  to  the  city’s  Hillel.    The  Eta  Sigma  chapter  serves  as  our  brotherhood’s  “home-­‐base”  as  Georgetown.  As  Master,  I  want  to  strengthen  this  fundamental  aspect  of  our  fraternity.  

College  is  a  scary  place.  While  Northwest  DC  is  fairly  different  from  Rio  de  Janeiro,  AEPi  serves  as  a  refuge.  Whether  it  is  a  refuge  from  the  horrors  of  midterms,  or  from  the  social  upheavals  of  the  freshmen  floor,  our  fraternity  strengthens  its  members  and  makes  them  feel  comfortable.  But  more  than  just  comfort,  AEPi  can  give  us  the  “base”  from  which  we  can  explore  the  seemingly  foreign  land  called  “college.”     Benjamin Talus Master (Spring 2013-Fall 2012) Georgetown University (SFS ’14)

Our Alumni Base Grows t's  been  a  semester  since  I  graduated  from  Georgetown,  so  naturally  I'm  

writing  for  a  fraternity  newsletter,  therefore  indicating  some  degree  of  stunted  emotional  maturity/refusal  to  accept  the  fact  that  I've  moved  on  to  "real  life."  That  and  the  whole,  "you  may  graduate  from  college,  but  AEPi  Brother  are  4  lyfe!"  narrative.  Cute  and  mocked  on  paper,  but  as  I've  learned,  it's  refreshingly  somewhat  true.    

Last  week,  myself  and  '05  alum  Dan  Sirkin  had  the  pleasure  of  putting  together  the  first  annual/semi-­‐annual  New  York  City  AEPi  reunion  event.  If  you  want  

to  put  it  in  the  official-­‐ey  words  of  a  newsletter,  it  was  a  great  opportunity  to  look  back  on  the  times  of  old,  while  also  forging  exciting  new  traditions.  Point  is  that  we  now  have  a  somewhat  legitimate  alumni  base,  and  it'd  be  silly  for  the  fraternity  to  just  let  us  older  clowns  rot  in  "those  were  the  days  reminisce-­‐itude"  Not  that  I'm  volunteering  any  of  us  alumni  to  actually  do  stuff  (we  had  our  time),  but  the  truth  is  that  you  never  totally  "graduate"  from  AEPi.  I  mean,  if  you  look  at  it  from  the  shameless  networking  perspective,  the  reason  half  of  us  probably  joined  in  the  first  place,  that  stuff  doesn't  even  start  

until  you've  left  the  comfortable  gates  of  Georgetown.  Life  isn't  exactly  a  bench  outside  of  Red  Square  where  things  just  happen  to  fall  on  your  lap,  so  I  think  it'd  be  in  the  best  interest  for  the  alumni  base  to  stay  involved,  stay  strong,  and  stay  financially  well-­‐endowed  and/or  on  pace  to  one  day  have  a  solid  Wikipedia  Page.  I  wanted  to  conclude  with  a  statement  along  the  lines  of  "The  world  is  our  oyster,  and  it's  happy  hour"  sort  of  statement,  but  that  doesn't  have  anything  to  do  with  anything.      Lance  Pauker  Georgetown  University  (COL  ’12)    

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Issue  3.1  

 H ya  Saxa:  The  Newsletter  of  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter  of  Alpha  Epsilon  Pi  

Fall  2012  

Getting Comfortable with Eta Sig

 knew  I  wanted  to  at  least  rush  AEPi  coming  in  to  Georgetown,  but  I  never  

expected  to  meet  such  an  engaging,  interesting,  intelligent  and  fun  group  of  young  men.  

One  of  the  most  impactful  lessons  I  learned  as  a  pledge  and  new  brother  is  the  bond  of  equality  and  mutual  respect  that  the  brothers  have  for  one  another.  Not  only  are  we  aware  of  our  character  as  a  fraternity,  we  are  aware  of  where  we  would  like  to  be  in  terms  of  presence  at  Georgetown  and  strive  to  achieve  our  goals.    I  knew  I  would  be  honored  to  be  a  brother  of  AEPi  Eta  Sigma  from  the  first  rush  

event.  The  current  brothers  did  a  great  job  of  introducing  themselves  during  rush  

and  soon  I  felt  very  comfortable  around  them.  One  of  my  favorite  memories  is  the  whole  room  erupting  into  our  AEPi  Eta  Sigma  song  for  me  after  I  received  my  bid.  Through  rush  and  becoming  a  brother  I  learned  that  our  fraternity  is  dedicated  to  developing  leadership,  brotherhood,  and  faith.  I  also  learned  the  importance  of  commitment  and  determination.  Pledging  AEPi  has  been  one  of  the  most  rewarding  experiences  at  Georgetown  thus  far  and  I  am  excited  for  our  future.   Jake Bercow Georgetown University (COL ’15)

Impacting Jewish Life at Georgetown

ewish  life  on  campus  exists  in  a  special  relationship  with  Jesuit-­‐oriented  

Georgetown.  Even  though  the  school  emphasizes  religious  diversity  and  interfaith  learning,  at  the  end  of  the  day  we  are  still  a  minority.  The  university  tries  its  best  to  make  us  feel  welcome,  but  when  they  send  a  Catholic  (or  something)  priest  to  play  the  guitar  at  the  menorah  lighting,  it  can  feel  more  awkward  than  welcoming;  the  non-­‐Jews  really  just  don't  know  that  much  about  Judaism.  Even  though  the  university  gives  Jewish  groups  the  resources  to  hold  big  events,  Chaplaincy  events  struggle  to  reach  students  outside  of  a  small  community.     Our  chapter  is  proud  of  the  role  it  fills  in  helping  to  remedy  this  problem.  We  all  have  different  levels  of  religious  practice  and  varied  involvement  in  the  Jewish  community  at  Georgetown.  For  a  lot  of  brothers,  AEPi  helps  connect  them  to  this  community  and,  in  return,  the  community  gains  from  their  participation.  Some  of  us  hold  leadership  roles,  while  others  of  us  simply  attend  the  events.  One  of  our  brothers  even  helped  found  the  new  Jewish  Living  Learning  Community  (Bayit),  which  will  add  a  residential  dimension  to  Jewish  life  on  campus.  This  

year  at  JSA  Hanukah  Casino  Night,  there  were  at  least  20  brothers  who  volunteered  as  dealers  and  voluntarily  stayed  at  the  event  until  the  very  end.  Although,  the  task  of  dealing  to  a  room  consistently  hesitant  to  bet  more  than  one  chocolate  coin  at  a  time  was  fairly  difficult.  Throughout  the  event  I  was  thanked  numerous  times  for  our  great  Brother  turnout;  the  event  wouldn’t  have  been  possible  without  us,  I  was  reminded.       Events  like  this  really  help  to  strengthen  our  bonds  with  the  Jewish  community  on  campus.  It  not  only  makes  them  like  us,  but  it’s  a  great  way  for  brothers  to  meet  new  people  around  campus.  But  social  events  are  not  the  only  way  we’re  involved  with  the  Georgetown  

Jewish  community.  This  semester’s  Brotherhood  Shabbat,  during  which  brothers  led  services  and  gave  a  D’var  Torah,  had  a  great  brother  turnout.  This  may  or  may  not  have  been  enhanced  by  a  pre-­‐Shabbat  AEPi  Pong  League  event.  At  least  15  brothers  helped  fill  the  Makom  and  chat  with  Rabbi  over  schnitzel.    

Even  though  it’s  not  the  only  thing  we  do  as  a  fraternity  or  the  most  important  thing  in  our  day  to  day  lives,  we  make  sure  to  remember  our  Jewish  core  as  often  as  possible.  Not  only  does  this  strengthen  our  relationship  with  the  people  and  administration  of  the  Jewish  community  at  Georgetown,  but  it  reconnects  us  to  something  that  a  lot  of  us  originally  found  so  appealing  about  Eta  Sig.  Sometimes  if  feels  like  we’re  just  some  Jewish  guys,  lost  in  a  sea  of  Catholics,  looking  for  people  like  us  to  kvetch  with.  And  really,  it’s  a  pretty  comfortable  feeling.        Zach  Gordon  Lieutenant  Master  (Fall  2012)  Georgetown  University  (COL  ’15)  

 

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Issue  3.1  

 H ya  Saxa:  The  Newsletter  of  the  Eta  Sigma  Chapter  of  Alpha  Epsilon  Pi  

Fall  2012  

E-Board 2013 Fantasy Football  Eta  Sigma  elections  are  a  little  like  a  Fantasy  Football  draft.  Scribe  Billy  Gold  breaks  down  the  results  for  the  incoming  Executive  Board.    

 

 

Benjamin  Talus,  Master  • This  kid  has  the  vision.    When  he  drops  back  in  the  pocket  his  eyes  are  always  downfield,  scanning  for  that  next  opportunity.    Scouts  point  this  his  feeble  frame  as  his  most  glaring  weakness.    That  being  said,  he  more  than  makes  up  for  this  lack  of  size  with  the  myriad  of  plus  size  women  he  beds.  

Zachary  Gordon,  Lt.  Master  • Mr.  Dependable,  that’s  what  they  call  him.    Hand  him  the  rock  and  you  know  you’re  in  for  a  score.    Perfect  natural  combinaKon  of  Judaism  and  southern  charm.    You  can’t  teach  that,  folks.      

MaNhew  JaviN  and  Richard  Weiner,  Rush  Chairs  • I  like  what  I  see  out  of  these  guys.    They  have  the  agility  and  flexibility  to  make  the  rush  snag,  even  in  the  most  compromising  of  posiKons.      Remember  these  two  are  a  package.    Some  scouts  are  nerved  by  the  possibility  of  finding  their  Dick  in  a  compromising  posiKon.  

Bryant  Wolf,  Pledge  Master  • Everyone  is  scared  of  the  Kght  end.    He’s  usually  white,  huge,  and  mad.    This  kid’s  got  it.    He’s  white,  huge,  and  he’s  been  the  MadDog  since  day  one.    He  can  catch  a  pledge  with  ease  and  is  not  a  pracKKoner  of  hazing.    Knowledgeable  of  past  pledges—he  studies  the  game.  

Mitchel  Hochberg,  Brother  At  Large  • When  the  offense  can’t  produce,  Mitch  has  got  our  back.    Handles  big  events  and  alumni  relaKons  with  ease.    Born  with  a  defensive  insKnct  and  a  knack  for  the  ball.    Born  with  an  Israeli  insKnct.    Born  to  lead.          

William  Gold,  Scribe,  Yours  Truly  • The  kicker  is  the  comic  relief  of  the  fantasy  squad.    You  expect  a  few  points  each  week  with  a  monster  game  here  and  there.    This  kid  breaks  the  mold.    He’ll  provide  the  comedy  and  commentary,  and  he’ll  also  always  kick  the  shit  out  of  the  ball.    SebasKan  Janikowski  has  a  shrine  of  Billy  in  his  closet,  made  of  Billy’s  hair  and  previously  chewed  gum.