On Thursday, October 11, at the Sky Café in Belfer Hall, in a ceremony organized by the Office of the President, 50 friends and colleagues of President Emeritus Richard M. Joel gathered to celebrate the publication of a Festschrift in his honor. Ennoble and Enable: Essays in Honor of Richard M. Joel, edited by Rabbi Dr. J.J. Schacter (Senior Scholar, Center for the Jewish Future and University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought) and Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff ’09YC ’11R (Chief Academic Officer of Hebrew Theological College and an assistant professor of Jewish history for the Touro College and University System), features 45 contributions, including Joel’s original To Ennoble and Enable: An Inaugural Vision delivered at his investiture in 2003.

Rabbi Schacter praised Joel for using his tenure as University president to “take the eternal truths of our tradition, which you revere, and create a base in the University where these values could be brought into the real world. The real world needs to be animated by the values of the Torah, and this is what Yeshiva University stood for under your leadership.”

Rabbi Zevulun Charlop, dean emeritus of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, offered his good wishes in a written statement, where he spoke about the admiration he felt for the work that Joel did as president. “He traveled all over the world, always propelling the divine exceptionality that is Yeshiva University. He embraced and exemplified its message, transmitting to people an understanding of their responsibilities as Jews and what it means to be a human being. He had an unabashed conviction of what is important, which represented an honesty of heart and came from his honest self, always.”

In accepting the lauds of his friends and colleagues, Joel spoke both for himself and his wife, Esther. “Our tenure at YU was its own reward. For the two of us, this was a decade and a half of privileged service. The ideas that this book expresses are a celebration and a validation that few are ever privileged to receive. We had the chance to matter by living and embracing Torah, trying to advocate values of integrity and civility, kindness and justice.”

Below are the essays contained in Ennoble and Enable. The book can be purchased on Amazon and Koren Publishers.

To Ennoble and Enable: An Inaugural Vision, Richard M. Joel
John Quincy Adams and Richard Joel, Marjorie D. Blenden
President Richard Joel: His Overall Vision, the Great Expansion, and the Great Contraction, Will Lee
Richard Joel: An Extraordinary Leader, John Sexton
Richard Joel: Man Thinking, Fredric M. Sugarman
Hadar and President Richard Joel’s Leadership Legacy, Shira R. Yoshor
The Encyclopedic Versus the Creative Thinker, Nachman Cohen
Redemption – Hesed or Din? A Text by Rabbi Hayyim David HaLevi, David Ellenson
From Sinai to “Seminar”: The Transformative Power of Experiential Jewish Education, Yaakov T. Glasser
Reframing the University: Shifting Higher Education to a Learner-Centered Approach, Joshua M. Joseph
Social Orthodoxy: An Educator’s Perspective, Binyamin Krauss
Jewish Education as Illumination, Rona Milch Novick
Birhkat HaTorah: The Halakha’s Singular Religious-Educational Philosophy, Michael Rosensweig
Two Cultures? Science and the Humanities in Undergraduate Education, David Shatz
Teaching and Reaching All of Our Students, Michael Taubes
Twenty-First Century Social Work Education at Yeshiva University, Danielle Wozniak and Jay Sweifach
Community-Building: A Sisyphean Task, Ruth A. Bevan
Community: The Good and the Bad, Benjamin Blech
Divisions and Missed Opportunities: The Etiology of the First New York Synagogue Breakaway, Kenneth Brander
Not Religious and Not Secular: The Israeli Perspective, Hillel Davis
“As Long as There Is a Yeshiva College There Will Always be a Commentators”, Zev Eleff
A Talmudic Meditation on Individual and Community in the Age of Big Data, Ozer Glickman z”l
Spiritual Entrepreneurship, Warren Goldstein
Social and Communal Dimensions of Avelut, Shmuel Hain
The Relevant Community, Yaakov Neuberger
“There Is No Synagogue”,  Menachem Penner
Three Civil War Seders: A Study in American Jewish Identity, Meir Y. Soloveichik
The Value of Difference and the Contribution of Sinners, Netanel Wiederblank
Joel: Proto-rabbinic Community Leader, Prophetic Visionary, Hayyim Angel
The Beginning of Brotherhood, Ari Berman
The Power of Education: Two Complementary Models of Leadership, Selma Botman
Elisha’s Vision: Strengthening the Orthodox Leadership Pipeline, Erica Brown
Notes Toward a Theory of Jewish Leadership, Arnold Eisen
A Note on Rabbinic Titles and the Communities that Create Them, Steven Fine
Passing the Torch of Leadership in Judaism, Aliza Abrams Konig
On Leadership and Integrity, Henry Kressel
To Represent and to Inspire: The Role of a Sheliah Tzibbur, Leonard A. Matansky
Positive Leadership: Lessons from Positive Psychology, David Pelcovitz
The Tale of the Ultimate Leader, Nechama Price
The Far Horizon, Jonathan Sacks
Orthodox Jewish Lawyer-Leaders in Nineteenth-Century America, Jonathan D. Sarna
Moses’s Prophecy and the Essence of Torah, Hershel Schachter
On Sustaining Communal Values: Leaders and Their Children, Jacob J. Schacter
Paradigms of Leadership: The Model of Our Patriarch Jacob, Ezra Y. Schwartz
The Great Communicator, Suzanne Last Stone

On Wednesday, May 16, Yeshiva University’s Class of 2018 celebrated the University’s 87th Commencement along with friends and family at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, delivered the keynote address and received an honorary degree.

“You, the graduates in this hall today, represent the potential of the Jewish people,” Danon told the graduates. “You have more opportunities than ever to become tomorrow’s leaders in academia, business and government. YU alumni are at the forefront of technological discovery. They are leading lawyers, doctors, social workers and educators. They are at the top of America’s greatest financial institutions. I have the greatest confidence that the class of 2018 will be the one to lead our people toward even greater heights in the years ahead.”

He added, “From this day on, you will be YU alumni. This is a great responsibility. This means you now shoulder the incredible legacy forged by those who came before you.”

In conferring the honorary degree upon Danon, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University, said, “You are a genuine Israeli patriot who fights for Israel every day of your life.”

The ceremony was a moving event for Dr. Berman, who presided over his first commencement exercises as president of YU. In his address to the Class of 2018, Dr. Berman said “you have deepened your commitment to our core values, which have endowed you with a mission: transform the Jewish world and the broader society for the better in service to God.”

He added, “A Yeshiva University graduation is not just a private celebration; it’s a celebration for our entire people. You are the leaders of tomorrow; you are our future.”

YU President Emeritus Richard M. Joel was also awarded an honorary degree during the ceremony. Upon presenting Dr. Joel with the degree, Dr. Berman lauded him for his many achievements at YU. “You ushered into reality a Yeshiva University that was warm, welcoming and supportive and took on as your personal mission to model this culture of warmth and welcoming for others,” he said. “You taught our students to dream, and you taught them to work towards building a better and brighter future.”

Rabbi Michael Rosensweig, Rosh Yeshiva of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and Rosh Kollel of the Beren Kollel Elyon, had the privilege to deliver the invocation as both a faculty member and parent at Commencement; his daughter, Avigail, received her degree from Stern College for Women during the ceremony. “You have a distinct imperative—a mitzvah—to cultivate the timeless values of the Torah at the core of a Yeshiva University education as a reaffirmation and an intensification of a commitment to a value-centered spiritual life as you move from this achievement to ever-great achievements,” Rabbi Rosensweig told the new graduates.

During the ceremony, nine undergraduate valedictorians received special recognition for their outstanding academic achievements. Golda Aharon, Stern College’s valedictorian, thanked her classmates for “being the best of friends and role models” and hoped that “we all enjoy much learning and laughter as we embark on the next chapter of our lives.”

The class of 1968 was also honored as they marked the 50th anniversary of their graduation.

In total, more than 1,800 degrees were conferred upon students across Yeshiva University during this commencement season.

Yeshiva University will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Israel at YU’s 87th Commencement on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, at 10 a.m. at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate. Presiding over his first commencement exercises as YU president, Dr. Ari Berman will also confer an honorary doctorate and pay special tribute to his predecessor, President Emeritus Richard M. Joel.

“One of Yeshiva University’s core principles is Torat Tzion, which represents the unwavering commitment to the State of Israel and the conviction that we all have one common goal, to redeem the world and transform it for the better,” said Dr. Berman. “Our graduates, the next generation of leaders, are encouraged to look outward to promote the betterment of all humanity. This commencement season, as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence, Yeshiva University is proud to honor those who exemplify our values and serve as a shining light to all of us.”

Ambassador Danon was a Member of Knesset from February 2009 until August 2015. He served as Deputy Speaker of the 18th Knesset and as Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. He has also served as Chairman of World Likud, member of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, member of the Zionist Executive of W.Z.O. and chairman of World Betar Executive. Danon was Israel’s Deputy Minister of Defense from March 2013 until July 2014. In May 2015 he was appointed Minister of Science, Technology, and Space, serving until his appointment in August 2015 as Israel Ambassador to the United Nations. In October 2015, he became Israel’s 17th permanent representative to the U.N.

Dr. Joel became YU’s fourth president on September 21, 2003, and was named Bravmann Family University Professor in April 2010. Before taking the helm at YU, Dr. Joel earned his reputation as a dynamic force as president and international director of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. There, he facilitated an extraordinary renaissance of Jewish life on campuses through building numerous new facilities, partnering in the creation of Birthright Israel, and using engagement and empowerment models to reach Jewish youth.

In total, Yeshiva University will award more than 1,800 degrees from Yeshiva College, Stern College and Sy Syms School of Business, as well its graduate schools in the fields of law, medicine, social work, education, Jewish studies, and psychology, during its commencement season. For more information, visit www.yu.edu/commencement.

On Thursday, May 25, Yeshiva University’s Class of 2017 celebrated YU’s 86th Commencement along with friends and family in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ron Dermer, Israeli ambassador to the United States, delivered the keynote address and received an honorary degree.

President Richard M. Joel praised Dermer’s vigorous defense of Israel as he conferred the honorary degree upon him. “Your tenure as ambassador has taken its character from everything that came before it in your life. You are unapologetic in your defense of Israel’s right to exist as a nation and a people and mince no words when it comes to advocating for Israel’s interests. We honor you for your role as a determined and dedicated advocate of yiddishkeit [Jewish character] and the Jewish state and for believing that a great moral purpose anchors the national destiny of the State of Israel.”

In his speech to the graduates, Dermer wished them good luck on their personal journeys but also gave them a broader mission to follow. “To keep Judaism alive for many Jews, we must restore pride in Jewish values and Jewish ideas for a generation of Jews that knows little about either. That is why Yeshiva University is so important. And that is why each and every one of you is so important because this university has equipped you, like few others in our generation, to succeed in that mission.”

Philanthropist and activist Tzili Charney was also awarded an honorary degree in recognition of her generosity to the University. A University Benefactor, she, along with her late husband Leon Charney ’60YC, has given generously to Yeshiva, including a recent commitment of $1 million to establish the Leon Charney Legacy Project, focused on expanding Israel studies and the arts, and donating the Leon H. Charney Collection to the YU Library Archives. President Joel praised Charney for her “love, loyalty, vigor, sophistication and unyielding Jewish pride.”

Quoting her husband, Charney told graduates to “examine the options you have available to you. Maintain an awareness of this. Make proper choices and bring about changes in your life while, at the same time, continuing to make the world a better place.”

President Joel also bestowed the Presidential Medallion upon Rabbi Manfred Fulda, associate professor of Talmud and an educator at YU since 1959, for his service. “You are the ultimate rebbe, modeling the values of our Yeshiva, and serving as a guide for our talmidim [students], and so we celebrate all that you have accomplished thus far.  As you once remarked, you are one of the only people left alive who received a bracha [blessing] from the Chofetz Chaim. Rabbi Fulda, you have been nothing but a bracha to our Yeshiva, and therefore it is my greatest pleasure to award you the Presidential Medallion.”

Following Dermer’s keynote address, ten undergraduate valedictorians received special recognition for their outstanding academic achievements. Abigail Goldstein, valedictorian of the Sy Syms School of Business, challenged her classmates to “never stop asking the big questions, never stop challenging yourself and never stop following the values that are important to you. It’s time to get out there and show the world what we’re made of.”

For Kayla Axelrod, valedictorian of the Rebecca Ivry Department of Judaic Studies at Stern College for Women, the day was especially meaningful for her family, as her parents and grandfather celebrated the 25th and 60th anniversaries of their own graduations, respectively. Her father, Rabbi Shalom Axelrod, delivered the invocation at the commencement ceremony. “This is a very special moment for us,” she said.

The class of 1967 was also honored as they marked the 50th anniversary of their graduation.

For President Joel, the ceremony was bittersweet, as it marked his final commencement as YU president. “My wonderful students—finally, I get to graduate with you,” he said. “We are gathered 5,000 strong to celebrate you and the Jewish future. Be God’s partner and help perfect the world.” His speech was followed by a touching video tribute to him and the presentation of a ceremonial mace in honor of his service.

In making the presentation, Dr. Josh Joseph, senior vice president, noted that President Joel had conferred degrees on 28,655 students and that “the most fitting tribute for you, the most fulfilling benchmark of your success, will be their success. You empowered your students with a mandate to matter, you created an educational experience that fills us with integrity, you ennobled us and enabled us. Thank you.”

In his benediction, Rabbi Chaim Hagler, principal of Yeshivat Noam in Paramus, New Jersey, asked the graduates to “take responsibility for sowing the seeds of the future. YU has inspired you, now you must be inspirational. YU has empowered you, now you must be powerful. May the name of heaven be sanctified in your hands.”

In total, more than 1,700 students from Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women and Sy Syms School of Business, as well as graduate students in the fields of law, medicine, social work, education, Jewish studies and psychology, were awarded degrees from YU during its commencement season.

President Joel: Universities Are Not supposed to Reflect Society; They’re Supposed to Illumine The Future

As president of Yeshiva University, the largest Jewish university outside the State of Israel, and as a human being, I am appalled by both the rise in Anti-Semitic incidences around the country and those who are perpetrating these heinous acts. And as an institution, Yeshiva University fully and unabashedly condemns them. Anti-Semites are part of a coalition of hate-filled, vulgar individuals and groups who seek to foment division, and to pervert values of humanity, decency and civility.

There can be no finessing our response as human beings, as a college community, and as a nation. We – and our country’s leaders – must be declarative in our words and our actions to eradicate such immorality. We — and our country’s leaders – must be unwavering: Anti-Semitism cannot and must not stand. Intolerance cannot and must not stand. Core to our values is that each individual is created in the image of G-d. We cannot allow the foundations of civilization to be breached.

Richard M. Joel
President
Bravmann Family University Professor
Yeshiva University

There is continuing turmoil regarding US immigration policy. Yeshiva University is unwavering in its support of religious rights and societal values. Ensuring spiritual and personal freedoms are fundamental to the country, our community and our university.

The University is monitoring these developments closely and will keep you apprised of changes that might affect students and faculty. In the meantime, we advise against travel to the seven countries named in this new policy due to the current uncertainty about readmission to the US. International students or scholars should contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at 646.592.4203 or OISS@yu.edu for additional guidance. And, if any international students are feeling anxiety over this issue, we encourage you to reach out to our counseling center for the Beren campus and Cardozo Law students at 646-592-4210; 646-592-4200 for students on the Wilf campus, or counseling@yu.edu.

Sincerely,

Richard M. Joel
President
Bravmann Family University Professor
Yeshiva University

Yeshiva University has received a bequest of $1 million from the Dr. Joseph and Faye Glatt Estate to create a new program housed in the Center for Israel Studies (CIS), titled The Joseph and Faye Glatt Program on “Israel and the Rule of Law.”

“The new program will present and explore Israel in all of its complexity,” said CIS Director Dr. Steven Fine, the Dean Pinkhos Churgin Professor of Jewish History. “It will influence both the next generation and people far beyond YU through a broad and deep range of scholarship, programs and events.”

Tentative programming for 2017 will include lectures from both YU faculty and visiting speakers, courses, book discussions, conferences (such as a recent gathering to honor the work of Nobel Laureate S.Y. Agnon), museum exhibitions and artistic presentations, such as Fine’s digital restoration of the Arch of Titus.

Throughout their lives, Dr. Joseph and Faye Glatt ardently supported the survival of Jewish communities around the world. Joseph wrote his doctorate at Columbia Universityon the Histadrut, the Israel federation of labor organizations founded in 1920, and Faye, who trained as a speech therapist, worked with Torah Umesorah in the establishment of Jewish day schools. They took great pride in what they saw as the convergence of Israel and the rule of law and committed their professional lives to promoting this principle.

“Dr. Joseph and Faye Glatt committed their lives to the State of Israel as a Jewish State, grounded in ethics and the rule of law,” said President Richard M. Joel. “This new program will focus on the relationship between Medinat Yisrael [the State of Israel]     and Jewish values. With this bequest, Yeshiva University looks forward to sharing those values with the world through the Center for Israel Studies.”

Learn more about YU’s Center for Israel Studies at www.yu.edu/cis.

The Board of Trustees has elected Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman ’87YUHS, ’91YC, ’94BR, ’95R as the fifth president of Yeshiva University. He will officially begin his tenure in July 2017.

“Rabbi Berman is a dynamic and inspirational leader, scholar and educator,” said YU Chairman Moshael J. Straus, who led the Presidential Selection Committee. “He possesses a deep, life-long commitment to our mission and is a superb choice to lead Yeshiva University forward with excellence.”

Rabbi Berman is the current head of Hechal Shlomo – Jewish Heritage Center in Jerusalem, where he is leading a transformation of the historic organization into an international modern Orthodox center for Jewish life, learning and leadership. He also serves as a lecturer of rabbinic literature in Herzog College’s Department of Jewish Studies and was selected to sit on its Executive Leadership Council, the governing body that establishes policies and sets direction for all major issues regarding the operation of the college.

Prior to moving to Israel, Rabbi Berman served as rabbi of The Jewish Center in New York City and led the prominent institution through a period of growth in which it experienced a significant rise in congregational satisfaction, membership, programming, services, outreach, public activities and financial strength.

Simultaneous with his pulpit at the Jewish Center, Rabbi Berman served as an instructor of Talmud in the Irving I. Stone Beit Midrash Program at Yeshiva College. He is married to Anita ’88YUHS and they have five children.

“Yeshiva University, with its distinct mission and singular ability to teach how to integrate the world around us within our Torah lives, is uniquely positioned to educate the next generation of students and enable them to capitalize on the blessings of this era,” said Rabbi Berman. “I am deeply humbled to follow in the path of the illustrious Jewish leaders who preceded me and am excited to work with each member of the YU family to build on our past, envision new directions for our future and maximize the enormous potential of our beloved institution.”

Rabbi Berman graduated from four YU schools with distinction, earning honors for his academic work in both secular and Jewish studies. He was recognized by the YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) for his written scholarship and was chosen to speak on behalf of the graduating student body at his Chag HaSemikhah [rabbinic ordination ceremony]. He was also selected as a Fellow in the Kollel Elyon, the three-year post-ordination study program for RIETS’ most promising students and future rabbinic leaders. He graduated from The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University High School for Boys, received a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva College, and earned a master’s degree in medieval Jewish philosophy from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. While in Israel, he earned a doctorate in Jewish thought at Hebrew University.

Rabbi Berman will succeed President Richard M. Joel, who became president in 2003. Over the course of his tenure, President Joel was instrumental in moving YU beyond the walls of the University—from expanding professional and rabbinic programs and service learning missions worldwide to establishing new student life programs and The Mordecai D. and Monique C. Katz School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

“Rabbi Berman lives the values of Yeshiva University,” said President Joel. “His optimism, scholarship and abilities as a speaker and writer will serve YU well as it rises to its next level.”

Yeshiva University’s Mordecai D. and Monique C. Katz School of Graduate and Professional Studies has announced the launch of a new associate degree program that will expand opportunities for a broader range of students to take advantage of the University’s unique undergraduate educational experience.

“At YU, we believe it is our responsibility to educate citizens and leaders for the Jewish community and the world,” said Dr. Paul Russo, vice provost and dean of the Katz School. “While Stern College for Women, Yeshiva College, and the Sy Syms School of Business do extraordinary work transforming the lives of their graduates, they meet the needs of only part of our community. To carry out our commitment to a broader population, our admissions team is meeting with students who seek to start college in a two-year format and at the same time immerse themselves in a Jewish experience with their peers on our campuses.

“This innovative associate degree in management is in keeping with our fundamental commitment to providing our students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in this information-rich, fast-paced world,” added Provost Selma Botman. “Its imaginative project-based curriculum will bring ideas to life, use New York City as a classroom and prepare students to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program or launch new graduates into satisfying business careers.”

As students in the cohort-based program undertake their two-year associate degrees at YU, they will enjoy full access to the University’s wide range of Torah faculty and scholarship as well as its expansive alumni network and vibrant life on campus. This includes participation in activities that run the gamut from athletics and hackathons to theater productions and service learning missions, among many others. Each step of their academic journey will be fully supported both in and out of the classroom by a dedicated adviser and programming tailored to ensure their needs are met. Students who successfully complete their associate coursework will have an opportunity to transition seamlessly into the baccalaureate program at YU.

“We at Yeshiva seek to advance and inspire motivated young men and women who will make meaningful contributions to our community and beyond,” said YU President Richard M. Joel. “We are committed to providing a world-class education in the spirit of Torah Umadda and believe that this Associate degree program will offer a unique and satisfying experience.”

For more information, visit https://www.yu.edu/katz/programs/management.

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