Dec 31, 2005 -- Yeshiva College and The Mendel Gottesman Library at Yeshiva University is featuring an exhibit of rare documents, photographs, and footage demonstrating the special relationship between Yeshiva College and Albert Einstein as the college marks its 75th anniversary. The exhibit “Einstein and Yeshiva University: Love for the Spiritual and the Moral" will run from Nov. 15 – March 31, 2006. The Library is located at 2520 Amsterdam Ave. (185th Street) on the Wilf Campus in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. For a virtual tour of the exhibit click here. The exhibit contains dozens of rare items, most of them illustrating Einstein’s ties to the college. Highlights include footage of the ceremony at which he lent his name to the university’s medical school and an original 1929 manuscript in which Einstein presents one of his attempts at a unified field theory, the most important scientific goal he tried to reach after devising his general theory of relativity. The opening of the exhibit coincided with a Week of Science at Yeshiva College which highlighted students’ scientific achievements. It also coincides with the 50th anniversary of Yeshiva University's medical school, which bears Einstein's name. Albert Einstein was a much sought after celebrity following the confirmation in 1919 of his revolutionary theory of relativity. Institutions the world over pursued Einstein to secure his support for their own purposes. Einstein chose the causes to which he lent his name exceptionally carefully. One of the enduring relationships he formed was with Yeshiva College, the first, and at that point, the only American Jewish undergraduate college. The relationship began in late 1933. After the Nazis began persecuting German Jews, Einstein renounced his citizenship and left his homeland. He took a position at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Studies and was immediately besieged by requests for speeches and statements of support. Just one month after Einstein’s arrival in America, Mendel Gottesman, treasurer of the college, sent him a gift of the Jewish Year Book published by the Yeshiva Endowment Foundation, which Mr. Gottesman had founded. Einstein expressed his gratitude for the gift in a letter and stated that “the Yeshiva College is of great importance for the preservation of the Jewish tradition and for the deeper spiritualization of the Jewish youth in general.” Correspondence reflecting the growing ties between Einstein and Yeshiva College, especially its founding president, Dr. Bernard Revel, are included in the exhibit. On Oct. 8, 1934, Dr. Revel conferred an honorary degree upon Prof. Albert Einstein, marking a critical stage in the relationship between the fledgling college and the most famous scientist of the 20th century. In his acceptance speech, Einstein noted, “We all know that the Jewish people has sustained itself through 2,000 years of severe hardships because it has regarded a tradition of love for the spiritual and the moral as its highest possession.” The subtitle of the exhibition is taken from that eloquent sentence. During the next five years Einstein expressed his support in words and in deeds, as he wrote various donors on behalf of the College. His efforts helped the college survive the Depression. In 1945, under the leadership of President Samuel Belkin, a change in charter officially transformed Yeshiva College to Yeshiva University. A further change in 1950 allowed the university to offer medical degrees through a proposed new medical school to be named for Albert Einstein. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) opened in 1955 as the first medical school in the United States under Jewish auspices. The College of Medicine has been celebrating its own 50th anniversary throughout the past year. On March 15, 1953, in honor of his 74th birthday on March 14, a ceremony in Princeton marked the official adoption of Einstein’s name for the medical school, and Einstein expressed his gratitude during one of his rare public appearances. none

Dec 30, 2005 -- The Division of General Internal Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center celebrated the opening of its new office space at 3514 Dekalb Ave. The event included a ribbon cutting at which Dr. Julia Arnsten, chief of the division (pictured second from left) made the symbolic cut. She is joined (from left to right) by Dr. Edward Burns, senior associate dean at Einstein; Dr. Spencer Foreman, president of Montefiore Medical Center; Dr. Steven Safyer, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Montefiore, as well as professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Einstein; and Dr. Victor Schuster, professor and chair of medicine at Einstein and Montefiore. The members of general internal medicine conduct population-based research aimed at improving the health of people in the Bronx, focusing on health issues that are prevalent in the communities but that often are neglected. These include addiction, HIV disease, and hepatitis C infection. A particular area of research interest focuses on the ways in which behavioral -- such as adherence with taking medication, quitting smoking, and combating addiction -- can improve health outcomes change in individuals with chronic disease. none

Dec 30, 2005 -- Dr. Arturo Casadevall, the Mitrani Professor in Biomedical Research and interim chair of microbiology and immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. Dr. Casadevall is among 376 members awarded this honor by AAAS this year, acknowledging their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate at the Fellows Forum during the 2006 AAAS Annual Meeting, to be held in St. Louis in February. This year’s AAAS Fellows were announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on October 28, 2005. As part of the Biological Sciences section, Dr. Casadevall was elected as an AAAS Fellow in recognition of his distinguished contributions to understanding the evolution of microbial pathogens, their interactions with the host immune system, and to novel therapeutic modalities. He joined the Einstein faculty in 1992, following a fellowship in infectious diseases and a postdoctoral fellowship in cell biology at the medical school. He also is professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology at Einstein, as well as director of infectious diseases at Einstein and Montefiore Medical Center, the university hospital of the medical school. He has published widely in these fields, including a book, “Cryptococcus neoformans,” co-authored with Dr. John Perfect of the Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Casadevall earned his bachelor’s degree at Queens College and his Master’s degree, Ph.D. and medical degree from New York University. The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the Steering Groups of the Association's 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee's institution), or by the AAAS Chief Executive Officer. Each Steering Group then reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which is the policymaking body of the Association and votes on the aggregate list. none

[caption id="attachment_5051" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Alex Kushnir will present a poster on his research at Israel conference"][/caption] Dec 27, 2005 -- Yeshiva College senior Alex Kushnir made headlines in a Rockland County newspaper in 2004 after the scientific research he conducted was presented at international conferences in Israel and Scotland. At the time he was a junior doing research in the molecular cardiology lab of Dr. Andrew R. Marks, professor and chair of the department of physiology and cellular biophysics at Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons. Passionate about medicine and research, Mr. Kushnir is a man on a mission. For the past three years he has worked closely with Dr. Marks, who founded the International Academic Friends of Israel (IAFI) to counter a rash of British boycotts of Israeli academics. The boycotts ostensibly sought to redress the Israeli government’s mistreatment of Palestinians. At Dr. Marks’ request, Mr. Kushnir is helping to organize a medical conference, “Novel Therapeutic Targets for Heart Disease,” in Herzliya, Israel, January 23-26. The conference is cosponsored by IAFI and the American Jewish Congress. Among the featured speakers are renowned Harvard Law School professor and author Alan Dershowitz YH ’55 and Avishay Braverman, president of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “Attendance at these conferences is a great way to learn about scientific opportunities in Israel,” said Mr. Kushnir, who is preparing the abstract book and will present a poster on his research conference. The conference attracts scientists from the international community and will afford them the opportunity to interact with colleagues and experience Israel first-hand. none

Dec 26, 2005 -- Yeshiva University Museum is featuring A Perfect Fit: The Garment Industry and American Jewry 1860-1960. By exploring such themes as technology, industry, labor, immigration, Jewish and popular culture, this groundbreaking exhibition traces the early thread of 19th century Jewish immigrants seeking success in America interlaced with one hundred years of fashion from 1860-1960. Click here to see images from the exhibit. Paying homage to stellar household names like Levi Strauss, Hickey-Freeman, Hart, Schaffner & Marx, Nettie Rosenstein, Adrian, Hattie Carnegie, Bloomingdales, Leslie Fay, Anne Klein, Cole of California and countless others, this interdisciplinary exhibition tracks the development and growth of the garment industry side-by-side with the development of a nation. From the early and urgent need to clothe a nation at war in the 1860’s to the post- WWII era of American suburban life, A Perfect Fit documents this history through an exhibition, public programming, and an accompanying catalogue. The very fabric of American culture cannot be fully understood without an appreciation of the garment industry. To understand the “rag” trade, we must appreciate the role the American Jew has played in designing, altering and literally stitching together the whole business. German and Central European Jewish immigrants to America around the mid 19th century arrived on the scene with relevant business experience and skills just as garment production was passing from a proto-industrial phase to a more advanced stage of manufacture. In the early twentieth-century a largely Eastern European immigrant workforce powered the garment trades. In 1917, social commentator David Levinsky credited these immigrants with the creation of American style. A color catalogue will accompany this exhibition and will embody the glamour and beauty of American fashion as well as the industrial forces driving the story of garment manufacture. A wide array of public programs, targeting a broad and multiage audience, will be offered in conjunction with the exhibition. Many of the programs are being developed in cooperation with other cultural partners, including the Museum of Chinese in the Americas, the Workmen’s Circle, CityLore and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and The National Center for Jewish Film. Planned programs include: • All in a Days Work: Sharing Stories of the Garment Industry - brings in designers, fabric cutters, seamstresses, tailors and retailers to give narratives of their personal experiences in the industry. • Film series highlighting feature films and documentaries about the era. • Readings and Reviews, a series bringing in contemporary authors who bring different perspectives of the immigrant experience in the garment industry. • Bagels and Books will promote informed, lively discussions of exhibition themes around immigration, industrialization, fashion and labor. • Walking tours and showroom tours in the garment district are also planned. • Demonstrations and studio workshops will illustrate pattern making/sewing and printing, painting, drawing on surface treatments allowing visitors to embellish fabric. The museum is located at 15 West 16th Street, in New York City and is open Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11 am to 5 pm. For more information call 212-294-8330 or go to www.yumuseum.org. The exhibit is open through March 31. none

Dec 19, 2005 -- Nearly 300 Yeshiva College students, and more than 60 rabbeim, faculty, and staff attended the first annual “YUnite Shabbaton”, on December 2-3, 2005 in Stamford, CT. The Shabbaton was intended to promote educational, religious, and social growth in a relaxed environment. The Shabbaton was a joint effort of all the student councils at the Wilf Campus, the President’s Circle, and the Center for the Jewish Future (CJF). Over the course of the weekend, students attended panel discussions by rabbis from each of the undergraduate men’s Jewish studies programs- Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies (IBC), James Striar School of General Jewish Studies (JSS), Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies (YP), and Irving I. Stone Beit Midrash Program (BMP). Topics discussed included ways of increasing achdus (unity) on campus and challenges students will encounter when they leave Yeshiva University. Throughout the weekend, rabbis and staff were available for open discussion. Students shared divrei Torah and participated in a Friday night tisch led by the rabbeim. “It’s great to see our months of planning work out so well,” said Shmulik Rosenberg, Yeshiva Student Union president. “Celebrating our commonalities rather than focusing on our differences is such a powerful message and one we hope can be kept at the forefront of our minds and hearts.” “This is just the beginning of the journey,” said Menachem Butler, SOY President. “We hope that as an institution, both individually and collectively, we will continue to move forward.” Rabbi Moshe Bellows, Director of Social and Organizational Leadership Training at CJF, said, “The student body has proven, once again, that if it wants to effectuate change at the university, it has the power to do so.” Chancellor Norman Lamm, rabbis from the various Jewish study programs–including Rabbi Yosef Blau, mashgiach ruchani (spiritual advisor); Rabbi Meir Goldwicht, the Joel and Maria Finkle Visiting Israeli Rosh Yeshiva; and Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professor in Talmud at RIETS; and Mr. Leon Wildes of the Yeshiva College board of directors were also in attendance. none

Dec 19, 2005 -- Sixteen undergraduate students from Yeshiva University are traveling with American Jewish World Service (AJWS )to Las Bendiciones in Central Honduras in January as part of the university’s first Alternative Break, a new humanitarian mission. Las Bendiciones is a remote village in the province of San Jeronimo with no electricity. The Yeshiva University group will stay in the village for the week and work alongside community members to build a school that should be finished within the week. While there, students will interact with the villagers, engage in Jewish text studies, and learn about issues relevant to the developing world. Upon their return, the 16 students will initiate follow-up projects, including fundraising, raising awareness about poverty, AIDS, fair trade, etc. Moshe Grusgott, a semicha student at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and Rebecca Stone, Presidential Fellow for University Life are the YU group’s leaders. Group leaders from AJWS are Ira Horowitz and Rachel Gordon. Mr. Horowitz worked with YU students last year on Darfur activism, and Ms. Gordon is the Program Coordinator for all Alternative Break trips for AJWS. American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization that helps thousands of people in Africa, Asia, and the Americas move beyond poverty, illiteracy, disaster, and war. AJWS believes that empowering individuals and communities regardless of race, religion, or nationality advances human dignity and transforms the world for the better. Mr. Grusgott will take care of all halakhic issues on the trip and is preparing to answer all kashrut and Shabbat questions. For questions, contact Rebecca Stone at 212-960-5400 ext. 5440, or email at rstone@yu.edu. none

[caption id="attachment_5062" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Former YU basketball players young and old gather for the first-ever basketball reunion Dec. 14."][/caption] Dec 16, 2005 -- It was a bittersweet occasion. But more sweet than bitter. The first-ever reunion of men's basketball alumni attracted more than 30 former players Dec. 14 and was marked by broad smiles of recognition and good memories, pats on the back, and bear hugs. The event also honored the memory of beloved former basketball coach Bernard "Red" Sarachek, who passed away in November at age 93. Click here to view photos from the event. The gathering, conceived by current and longtime YU basketball coach Jonathan Halpert, reunited cagers from the 1940s up until 2001. The event was sponsored by Yeshiva College. Anyone attending the occasion witnessed real camaraderie among this band of brothers, many of whom were coached by Red Sarachek. A special tribute was paid to Coach Sarachek at the reunion dinner in Weissberg Commons and later during halftime of the regular-season game between the current YU Maccabees and conference rival Mt. St. Vincent. YU won the game 76-54. During the reunion, Elihu Levine, YC '54, who has lived in Israel for many years, described a side of Coach Sarachek that Elihu said few people probably knew. "Whenever there was a terrorist attack in Israel, Red would call and say, 'Eli, are you okay? Are your kids okay?' That's the kind of person Red was," Mr. Levine said. Sarachek coached and served as athletic director at YU from 1942-43 and then again from 1945-1969. To read more about coach Sarachek, please click here. More than 30 former basketball players attended the reunion, which was open to other alumni and attracted 63 grads. Spouses and children put total attendees at close to 100. The oldest basketball alumni was Donald Geller, '49, and the youngest was Nachum Palefski, '01. Former brother basketball stars Lior Hod '88 and Ayal Hod '89 were on hand, as were three generations of the Orlian family: Mitchell, '54, Moshe, '86, and Moshe's young son, Yosef, perhaps a future YU roundballer. In addition to the tribute to Coach Sarachek, halftime also featured a special honor to members of the 1955-56 squad that recorded YU's best single-season winning percentage to date with a record of 16-2. Players on hand from the '55-'56 team were: Irwin "Red" Blumenreich '57, Herman Bursky '59, Allan Helfer '57, Barry Hochdorf '57, Irving Listowsky '57, Herbert Schlussel '57, and Abraham Sodden '56, who received a heartfelt standing ovation from the crowd and from this year's team. Two deceased members of the '55-'56 team are Marvin Teicher and Norman Palefski, both of whom have family ties to YU. Mr. Teicher's children attended YU, and Mr. Palefski, who died in a car accident in 1955 at age 18, had a brother, Paul, and three nephews who attended YU. One of those nephews is Nahum, the youngest basketball representative at the reunion. none

Dec 16, 2005 -- Dr. Cedric Raine, professor of pathology and Wollowick Professor in Multiple Sclerosis at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers, held in Orlando, Florida, in recognition of his many contributions to the field of MS research. As part of this honor, Dr. Raine delivered the Presidential Lecture. In a research career spanning nearly 40 years, Dr. Raine has authored more than 400 publications, chapters and books on multiple sclerosis, or MS. His research of this highly debilitating neurodegenerative disease has helped to further our understanding of how myelin -- the protective sheath that insulates nerve fibers in the brain -- is affected by MS, while also exploring possible targets for treatment. His current research focuses on genes that influence the development and maturation of cells called oligodendrocytes, which make and maintain myelin. In addition to his research, Dr. Raine’s contributions to the field include serving as founding president of the International Society of Neuroimmunology and as founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Neuroimmunology. He also has been past-president of the American Association of Neuropathologists. He has received numerous awards and honors distinguishing these contributions, including the Moore Award from the American Association of Neuropathologists, the Founders’ Research Award from the New York Chapter of the MS Society, and the John Jay Dystel Prize for MS Research from the American Academy of Neurology and National MS Society. Dr. Raine, who also is a professor of neurology and of neuroscience at Einstein, joined the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1969. A native of Eastbourne, England, Dr. Raine earned his bachelor’s degree at Kings College, University of Durham as well as two doctoral degrees, both in neuropathology, from University Newcastle/Tyne, in England. He currently is a resident of Rye, New York. none

Dec 15, 2005 -- The Sept. 11 attacks gave rise to a new idealism in the Bush administration—one that does not universally support human rights, former UN Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke said at Stern College for Women Dec. 12. The Geraldine Schottenstein Cultural Center on Stern’s Beren Campus was filled to near capacity by people from the YU community and interested New Yorkers who came to hear Mr. Holbrooke speak on “Morality, Foreign Policy and the New Idealism.” Mr. Holbrooke said he felt strongly committed to Yeshiva University, recalling the honorary degree he was awarded in 2001 and The International Advocate for Peace Award in 2000 from YU’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. “The idea of promoting freedom to other nations is not new,” said Mr. Holbrooke. “In the past, it was associated with the Democratic Party. Previous Republican administration policy officials, including Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, were advocates of keeping one’s house in order. Those promoting the export of democracy were considered ‘woolly-headed idealists’ –– a philosophy known as realpolitik.” During the1970s and 80s, Republicans dealt with dictators but looked the other way when it came to human rights violations, he said. “It wasn’t until Sept. 11 that the Bush administration reversed past Republican policy and began to tout the promotion of morality and freedom.” But the Bush administration needs to establish guiding principles to develop foreign policy that is in accordance with fundamental human values, Mr. Holbrooke concluded. He delineated four hot spots that present opportunities as well as potential crises around the world: Israel, Iraq, Iran, and China. He stated emphatically that the recent realignment of political parties in Israel was historic--“the most significant event since Israel declared its independence 57 years ago.” This shift will have a wider impact on the US and the entire Middle East region. The elections in Iraq also will profoundly affect US policy, perhaps more than the Vietnam War if the results are negative, Mr. Holbrooke said. “We must pray that the election allows us to draw down troops and leads to the Iraqis being empowered to run their own country.” Iran, which is seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction, also presents a major threat to the region and beyond, he said. Mr. Holbrooke, former assistant secretary of state under the Clinton administration, noted that China and America will be the most dominant powers in the world for many decades to come. “China is one of the world’s three or four emerging economies and despite its burgeoning economy, it is still a poor nation.” The lecture was cosponsored by Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Scholar-in-Residence Program and the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Center for International Affairs at Yeshiva University. Dr. Robbins-Wilf, a founding member of the Stern College board of directors, founded and funded the program that brings top scholars, authors, and opinion shapers to Stern College, offering students unique perspectives on the world. none