Rambam Mesivta senior named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist
Bezalel Graber, 17, of West Hempstead is one of about 16,000 semifinalists nationwide.
The Nassau Herald reports that Rambam Mesivta senior Bezalel Graber, 17, of West Hempstead, has been named a semifinalist in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program. He is one of approximately 16,000 students selected nationwide. About 95 percent of semifinalists are expected to advance to finalist status, and roughly half of those finalists receive National Merit Scholarships.
Graber scored 1550 on the SAT, including 750 in math, and said he did not do extensive preparation. At Rambam, which serves students from the Five Towns, Queens, Brooklyn, Great Neck, Plainview, West Hempstead and greater Long Island, he heads the Creative Writing Club and is editor-in-chief of the school’s annual student writing collection, “Edgar Allen Prose.” Principal Hillel Goldman said Graber also serves as the school’s gabbai, helping organize prayer services and reading from the Torah roughly every other week.
Graber told the Herald he hopes the recognition helps him get into a good college. He is planning a gap year in Israel before starting college. Outside of school, he enjoys chess, board games, math, science and Dungeons & Dragons. Goldman said Rambam has had a number of National Merit honorees over the years.