Students to Visit West Coast Jewish Communities on CJF Coast to Coast Program

Twenty Yeshiva University students will explore Jewish life in one of the world’s most technologically advanced regions as they participate in the Center for the Jewish Future’s (CJF) fifth Jewish Life Coast to Coast program.

The 10-day program, run with support from the Jim Joseph Foundation, kicks off January 12 in Palo Alto and will take undergraduates across the West Coast to meet with Jewish entrepreneurs, interact with diverse communities and lead educational programs in schools, synagogues and college campuses. Their itinerary includes a tour of Palo Alto’s Googleplex and visit to Stanford University as well as the Jim Joseph Foundation in San Francisco and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters in Seattle. Discussions will reflect the unique challenges and inspirations of being Jewish in a highly creative and forward-thinking environment, with topics like “Life as a Jewgler,” led by Google employee Eleanor Carmeli; “What is Innovation in the Jewish Community?” by Rabbi Joey Felsen, of the Jewish Studies Network; and “The Modern Jewish Family,” a community panel at San Francisco’s Congregation Adath Israel.

“I think these experiences are invaluable for the students,” said Josh Strulowitz ’00YC, ’04R, rabbi of Adath Israel. “My hope is that it opens their eyes to the value of other communities and the possibility that one day they might be able to be a part of growing such a community. YU’s greatest resource is its tremendously impressive student body. The more YU students spread out throughout the country, the stronger it will make the national Modern Orthodox community and YU as well.”

Students will get a wide range of perspectives about Jewish experience on the West Coast during conversations with community members, including San Francisco author Arye Coopersmith and Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt, who leads Congregation Schara Tzedek in Vancouver. As they work their way through Palo Alto, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle and Vancouver, the group will also spend time learning about community day schools, synagogues and foundations, and volunteering at local organizations. They will return to New York on January 22.

Rabbi Kenneth Brander, David Mitzner Dean of the CJF, will join participants on the trip, serving as a mentor. “Programs like this offer our students a unique opportunity to explore the inner workings of Jewish life outside the Tri-state area,” said Brander. “As future religious and lay leaders of the Jewish people, it is important for our students to be exposed to, and engaged with, smaller communities.”

Since its launch in 2007, Jewish Life Coast to Coast has traveled down the East coast, through the Midwest and across the South. This will be the program’s second visit to the West, with a new focus on the effects of the area’s creativity-infused atmosphere on Jewish life there.

“We’re going to communities that are very innovative, modern and open-minded, and with that you get unique challenges,” said participant Mindy Sojcher, a Jewish education senior at Stern College for Women. “I think what’s interesting is that these changes may start on the West coast but eventually they will probably be present in communities across America. We need to learn from each other.”

Studying Community Organization, Wurzweiler Class Examines Occupy Wall Street Firsthand

Two weeks ago, a class from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work traveled to Lower Manhattan to observe the organizational structure and leadership dynamics of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Zuccotti Park.

Dr. Saul Andron's class is studying the organizational structure of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Instructed by Associate Professor Dr. Saul Andron, the Hausman Chair in Communal Social Work, the community social work course of second year students jumped at the opportunity to witness firsthand the organization of the protests on the ground and get a sense of its strategies and tactics and successes to date, as well as the challenges facing this social movement going forward.

From art and history courses visiting museums to scientific collaboration with other research institutions, the outing served as one of the many examples of a Yeshiva University class maximizing its setting in New York by using the city as a real-time learning laboratory to complement class instruction and course material.

“We are learning about social work from the macro practice perspective, specifically dealing with communities, neighborhoods and organizations,” said Dr. Andron at a recent class debriefing on their Lower Manhattan excursion. “We together felt that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. We needed to check out Occupy Wall Street.”

The intricacies of the protesters’ organizational structures proved especially intriguing to the aspiring social workers. They spent their debriefing class dissecting all of the moving parts of the ongoing protests and applied concepts of community organization to better understand the developments on the ground. One student expressed amazement at the sanitation and food distribution operations. Another pondered over how the protestors managed their funds. Finally, the class emphasized and marveled at how the movement brought together disparate groups of people around a common cause.

One student, Melanie Goldberg, greatly appreciated her experience at the protests. “It was great to see so many of the concepts we are learning in class actually employed in the world,” she said. “We are learning about mobilizing locals and how to teach people to use their voice. To see that first-hand offered a great real world scenario to what we are learning in class.”

Organizers set up a makeshift library at Zuccotti Park.

Her classmate, Alice Blass, pointed out the connection between what she learned from the atmosphere of the protest and the discipline of social work. “One thing we always discuss is that it is important for people to find their voice and be able to express themselves in a way that will yield positive results. This is what we saw in Zuccotti Park.”

The tour of the protests was just one of many experiential and hands-on classes conducted by Dr. Andron and other Wurzeiler faculty. In the past, he has brought students to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild homes in communities destroyed by the devastation and to the annual General Assembly of The Jewish Federations of North America to expose his students to innovative Jewish communal structures and program models.

With his passion for experiential learning and the enthusiasm of his students for further studying the Occupy Wall Street protests, Dr. Andron hopes to return to Lower Manhattan with his class to examine the development of this movement unfolding in Yeshiva University’s backyard.

YU Students Pitch In with Disaster Relief, This Time Closer to Home

Yeshiva University students spent time over the weekend of September 8-11 in New Jersey homes struck by Hurricane Irene, offering much-needed disaster relief.

The cleanup effort was coordinated by YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) in partnership with NECHAMA—a national Jewish voluntary organization that provides cleanup and recovery assistance to homes and communities affected by natural disasters—and sent more than 25 students to  help.

“We’ll go to any place where we can provide help,” said Gene Borochoff, one of the founding members and vice president of NECHAMA. “The people in so many of the communities we work with have never had contact with a Jew before and so we proudly become the face of Judaism.”

With September 11 being designated as a National Day of Service, the CJF decided to dedicate the weekend to reaching out to those in need.

“As soon as we found out that the hurricane was coming to the East Coast, we knew that YU had to get involved,” said Aliza Abrams, assistant director of CJF’s department of service learning and experiential education. “We contacted NECHAMA right away, telling them that we would be here to help out as soon as they arrive.”

On Friday, September 9, volunteers drove to Saddle Brook, NJ to help clean out the basement of a multi-family home which was flooded under five feet of water. The basement was the primary living space for a family who, after the hurricane, were only able to save the clothes on their backs. An elderly Catholic woman living in the flooded property asked the students what day the Jewish High Holidays begin, planning to light a candle in honor of the volunteers.

“We don’t need to travel all the way to New Orleans or Birmingham to help out, we have our own backyards to give back to,” said Ayelet Kahane, a recent graduate of Stern College for Women and current CJF presidential fellow. Kahane worked with Abrams to help organize the volunteer mission.

This marks the third time CJF has partnered with NECHAMA to offer disaster relief. The CJF has previously worked with them in New Orleans, LA after Hurricane Katrina and in Birmingham, AL after a tornado in April.

“It’s a good feeling to be able to help people,” said Danny Alweis, a Yeshiva College senior from Binghamton, NY. “It’s important that YU and the religious community at large shows a presence in other types of communities, especially when it’s in our own neighborhoods.”

Daniel Hoeft, operations manager at NECHAMA, said “working with Yeshiva is amazing. Every student that comes out has done nothing but impress us. They understand why it’s important to roll up your sleeves and work—being out on the ground and not just donating money.”

Center for the Jewish Future, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and Beth Din of America Present Day of Learning Dedicated to September 11

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of September 11, Yeshiva University will host a special Abraham & Millie Arbesfeld Yom Rishon panel discussion titled “The Profound Impact of September 11 on Jewish Life.” The Sunday, September 11 event is presented by YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF), Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and the Beth Din of America and will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Weissberg Commons, 2495 Amsterdam Ave. on YU’s Washington Heights Wilf Campus.

Panelists include Rabbi Yona Reiss, Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS, Rabbi Mordechai Willig, RIETS rosh yeshiva, and Anat Barber, Planning Executive of the Commission on the Jewish People at UJA-Federation of New York and a former shomeret at Ground Zero. The panel will be moderated by Rabbi Kenneth Brander, David Mitzner Dean of CJF.

“The events of 9/11 remain fresh in our consciousness,” said Rabbi Reiss. “On the 10th yahrtzeit it is important for us to revisit the personal and communal tragedy, the halakhic and hashkafic ramifications, and the insights that can be gleaned from the manner in which so many individuals rallied together to try to make a positive difference.”

After the panel, there will be breakout sessions on topics including “Reflections Relating to the Resolution of the World Trade Center Agunah Cases” by Rabbi Reiss, “Halachot of the 9/11 Agunot:  Corresponding with the Gedolim of Eretz Yisrael” by Rabbi Willig, and “Finding G-d in Times of Darkness” by Rabbi Brander.

“September 11 continues to be a transformational moment in our history as a society,” said Rabbi Brander. “Dedicating the Arbesfeld Kollel & Midreshet Yom Rishon to this national tragedy is just one of the ways we pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The shiurim [lectures] and conversations on 9/11 acknowledge the responsibility of Torah Judaism to engage with the theological and halakhic issues of such challenging contemporary events.”

The event is open to the public and complimentary parking and refreshments will be available. In addition, as part of the National Day of Service, YU invites all participants to drop off unopened cans of food which bear a reliable kosher symbol to benefit the JCC of Washington Heights’ Day of Service Food Drive.

For more information about this program please email kollelyomrishon@yu.edu.

Hundreds attend Yeshiva University’s Sixth Annual ChampionsGate National Leadership Conference Presented by the Center for the Jewish Future

In Orthodox shuls in more than 90 communities across North and South America, Israel, and the United Kingdom this past Shabbat, seats normally occupied by key people were empty. Rabbis, presidents, board members and others—many of those who do the heavy lifting of communal life in their towns and neighborhoods—gathered in Orlando, Florida at Yeshiva University’s National Leadership Conference at the ChampionsGate resort.

[flickrslideshow acct_name="yeshivauniversity" id="72157627061502403"]

The invitation-only event presented by YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) from July 7-10 gave hundreds of Orthodox lay leaders and communal professionals—or, “lay and klei kodesh” [volunteers and professionals engaged in holy work], in the words of YU President Richard M. Joel—a chance to meet, network, compare notes and to consult one another on the challenges they face in their towns and neighborhoods.

“ChampionsGate for us is a recharging station, providing the ideas and fuel for us to return home energized to play the leadership roles our small town requires of us,” said Pace Cooper, a philanthropist from Memphis, Tennessee. “Memphis, a town with only 9,000 Jews, is a strong Orthodox community relative to its numbers. YU spending time strengthening these smaller communities around the country is of extreme value to us.”

The theme of the sixth annual conference was “Community Re-Imagined: Building New Horizons.”

At seminars and panel discussions on topics ranging from the financial sustainability of day schools, to fundraising advice and practical tips for operating not-for-profit organizations, from the challenges of dating and early marriage in modern society, to how to keep families connected to schools and shuls in an increasingly stratified world, presenters sought to provide new strategies for building and strengthening communities. Experts from North Carolina’s world-renowned Center for Creative Leadership facilitated a number of breakout sessions, and YU experts in various disciplines provided confidential consultations to discuss challenges facing individual communities.

University Trustee Ira Mitzner ’81Y, who also chairs the CJF advisory council, first thought to convene Jewish leaders from around the country together in one room in 2006. He and his wife, Mindy, offered YU the use of their new ChampionsGate resort. There were 40 attendees that year. Since then, the ChampionsGate leadership conference has grown into a highly anticipated annual event. With more than 400 participants, this year’s was the largest yet.

“ChampionsGate is an opportunity for community leaders from around the world to discuss critical community issues, meet others with similar opportunities and challenges and come away inspired,” said Rabbi Kenneth Brander, The David Mitzner Dean of the CJF. “It represents one of the ways that Yeshiva University convenes its resources to foster and inspire community, as well as how community helps to calibrate Yeshiva’s vision to empower its students.”

Perspectives at the leadership conference were rich and varied. Featured speakers including University deans, faculty and administrators including Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schachter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and Senior Scholar at the CJF; Dr. David Pelcovitz, Straus Professor of Psychology and Education at YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration; Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik of the new Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought; and Mrs. Shira Yoshor, partner at Baker Botts LLP, a University trustee and chair of the Stern College for Women Board.

The conference also drew on the expertise and experience of its attendees, with discussions held by figures such as Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews; Rabbi David Stav, founder of the Israeli rabbinical group Tzohar, Rabbi Binny Freedman, director of Isralight; and Rabbi Steven Burg, national director of the NCSY.

The gathering began Thursday afternoon with a brief comedic video by Uri Westrich, Yeshiva College graduate and director of the Maccabeats’ music videos, in which young children portrayed a “typical” shul board meeting.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYQ_Ub9LB2E

During a live broadcast from the hotel on Friday morning, radio personality Nachum Segal ’84 YC introduced his international audience to the ChampionsGate Conference during his JM in the AM program. At Friday’s lunch, President Joel announced that an anonymous donor would make a $1 million gift to support YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) where rabbis are trained, tuition-free.

“The overarching power of ChampionsGate is that it models and advances a hopeful vision of community based in Torah U’madda,” said President Joel. “Communities gather to celebrate their successes, share their challenges and resolve to continue their commitment to advancing the values and story of the Jewish people.”

Shabbat was a highlight of the conference. Chazzan Shimon Craimer led the tefilot [prayers], Rabbi Kenneth Brander delivered a passionate sermon (to a congregation that included no fewer than 25-30 congregational rabbis) and conference participants were offered “A Taste of YU Torah,” the option to attend shiurim [lectures] on a breadth of subjects. They included community law of the Dead Sea Scroll sect with renowned expert and YU Vice-Provost of Undergraduate Education Dr. Lawrence Schiffman; or how rabbinic authorities are dealing with the agunah challenge ten years after September 11, presented by Rabbi Yonah Reiss, The Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS. Many conference participants were enthused to have their first chance to learn Torah at YU from Rabbi Soloveichik. His presentation on the halachic subject of levirate marriage was entitled, “The Talmudic Marriage of Henry the VIII.”

“I didn’t realize how much I needed to reconnect with YU,” said Miriam Wallach ’96S of Woodmere, New York. She attended the conference with her husband Stephen ’92 SB, ’95C and found herself moved to tears during President Joel’s remarks at seudat shlishit [the third Sabbath meal]. “It was a wonderful weekend.”

“Yeshiva University represents a broad tent of Orthodoxy,” said Rabbi Elliot Lasson of Baltimore, Maryland, who had been looking forward to ChampionsGate “because it offered the chance to learn from great personalities and network with leaders from other communities, celebrating successes and learning from challenges.

“There is diversity and openness in the YU world, but at the core is commitment to Torah values and the future of the Orthodox world,” added Lasson. “ChampionsGate has had much thought and planning put into it—I know action items and initiatives will emanate from the conference.”

Participants in YU’s Kansas City Summer Experience Volunteer for Disaster Relief Clean-Up in Joplin, Missouri

For the second year in a row a group of Yeshiva University students descended upon the Kansas City Jewish community as part of the University’s Kansas City Summer Experience, hosted by Congregation Beth Israel Avraham & Voliner (BIAV). The program, which ran May 31 through June 26, offered participants the opportunity to integrate with the community, spending their days working at a variety of businesses and dedicating their nights to energizing and learning Torah with the Jewish community.

[flickrslideshow acct_name="yeshivauniversity" id="72157626975150198"]

This year, however, their plans changed after a tornado hit nearby Joplin, Missouri, on May 21, killing more than 150 people. The group of eight students, led by Tuvia Brander, a recent YU graduate and second-year RIETS student, worked with community members to organize a Red Cross-sponsored disaster relief mission to the devastated area on June 12.

“We have done more than fulfill the mitzvah of tikkun olam,” said Brander. “We have added to the dialog of the community and inspired others to get involved.”
Joining Brander on the Kansas City Summer Experience were YU students Baruch Cohen, Sarit Cohen, Malkie Krieger, Asher Lindenbaum, Gabrielle Moskowitz, Mindy Sojcher and Yaakov Taubes.

“Having the [students] be part of our community for the month has been a special experience,” said BIAV Rabbi Daniel Rockoff. “I am especially proud of the positive example they have set throughout the entire Jewish community as spirited, observant young Jews who are eager to engage the world around them.”

The students, each of whom was provided a mentor and host families, spent the month interning at local businesses including MRI Global — Midwest Research Institute, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City, Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, Kansas City JCC and Metro Title Services. In addition, participants led a nightly Beit Midrash program and organized panel discussions dealing with contemporary religious and halakhic issues.

Student-Run Program Assists Local High School Students in College Admissions Process

On Friday, April 8, more than 70 high school students from public high schools in Washington Heights and throughout New York City gathered on Yeshiva University’s uptown Wilf Campus to attend a college preparation day organized by the YU student-run College EDge program. High school students had the opportunity to hear about the different higher education options available and attend workshops on navigating the college admissions process.

Jonah Rubin ’12YC, came up with the idea for College EDge last December while tutoring students at neighboring George Washington High School through the Yeshiva University President’s Circle Literacy Program. “We realized that these students wanted to go to college but had very little knowledge on how to achieve that goal.” When he mentioned these concerns to Mrs. Lolita Wood-Hill, the pre-med advisor at Yeshiva College, she encouraged him to think of a way to “fix the issue.”

With Wood-Hill’s guidance over the next few months, Rubin developed a program that would help underrepresented students understand the college admissions process. What originally started out as an idea to offer admissions seminars ultimately transformed into a more dynamic program called College EDge, which would provide information about college life, as well as strategies for admissions and finance for college-bound students. As Rubin explained, “many of these students plan to attend college but lack crucial knowledge of its organizational structure and demands. We hope for College EDge to take the first step towards rectifying this situation.”

Invitations were sent out to different public schools across the five boroughs to send their students to Yeshiva University for a college planning day. Marsha Milan-Bethel, who works at George Washington High School and knew Rubin from his involvement in the tutoring program, readily accepted the invitation and played an integral role in reaching out to her colleagues at other schools to attend.

On the morning of the event, 18 student volunteers from Stern College for Women and Yeshiva College gathered to welcome the students and give them brief tours of the Yeshiva University campus. Gabriel Cwilich, director of the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program and Barry Eichler, dean of Yeshiva College, also spoke to the high school students. Wood-Hill moderated a panel discussion with representatives from Columbia University, CUNY, Fordham University, Hostos Community College and SUNY about the different options for college education.

Students heard about the different processes for admissions, as well as the variety of opportunities to take advantage of when in college, including sports activities, and student and cultural clubs. Students were then led on campus tours, seeing firsthand how a college laboratory is run, as well as other aspects of college life, such as the gym and library.

After a quick pizza lunch where the students had the chance to talk in a relaxed, informal setting with YU volunteers, seminars were held in SAT prep and financial aid opportunities, as well as a workshop session on writing a personal statement, given by members of the Wilf Campus Writing Center. The program concluded with a college fair comprised of some 25 colleges and trade schools.

Looking towards the future, Rubin hopes to make College EDge more than an annual event. “We are extremely gratified by the turnout of both colleges and high school students in this, our rookie year, and we are moving forward with plans to further improve and expand College EDge. This will hopefully generate even more YU student involvement, attract more schools to attend, develop the organization and ensure its continuity.”

Yeshiva Students Pitch In at Local NYC Public School Science Labs

The students of the Yeshiva University Chapter of the American Chemical Society, along with other chemistry, biology, physics and engineering majors, have partnered with YU professors and researchers of various disciplines to form Project START (Students, Teachers and Researchers Teach) Science! As part of the program, YU students and faculty visit the local Washington Heights Academy / P.S. 366 on a weekly basis to teach fifth-graders about various scientific topics.

NY1 reports… One day last week, fifth-grade students at P.S. 366 in Washington Heights spent the morning engrossed in a chemistry experiment in a brand new, state-of-the-art science lab – one of two at the school. It was the kind of hands-on science that might turn around the city’s dismal middle school science scores.

[flv]http://www.yu.edu/flv/Teacherless_SciencePKG_3523384.flv[/flv]

“You could have fun but at the same time you are still gaining a lot of knowledge by just doing, more than just reading out of a textbook,” said student Zeny Gatdule.

But that was the only time they have used this lab. That’s because there’s no budget for a full-time science teacher. It’s a void students from Yeshiva University noticed when they came to perform a magic show.

“They weren’t getting a more fun, hands-on creative experience in science,” said Yeshiva University student Yair Saperstein.

So the college students volunteered to conduct several science labs this spring. Read full article at NY1…

In Search of Communal and Educational Careers, Hundreds Attend Yeshiva University Jewish Job Fair

Hundreds of job-seekers in search of potential careers in the Jewish communal and educational fields filled Furst Hall on Yeshiva University’s Washington Heights Wilf Campus on Thursday, February 24 for the annual Jewish Job Fair, co-sponsored by YU’s  Institute for University-School Partnership and Center for the Jewish Future (CJF).

More than 35 day schools from across the country were represented  at the fair to accept and review resumes and conduct interviews, including Maimonides Academy (Los Angeles, CA), Yeshiva Har Torah (Little Neck, NY), Greenfield Hebrew Academy (Atlanta, GA), Yeshiva of Flatbush (Brooklyn, NY) and Yavneh Academy (Paramus, NJ). Participating organizations included Aish NY, Camp HASC, Frumster, Gateways, iVolunteer, Nefesh B’ Nefesh, NCSY, OHEL, Orthodox Union and Yeshiva University.

“I walked away very impressed with the quality of candidates and encouraged by the talent that is deciding to enter the field of Jewish education,” said Rabbi Ari Segal, head of school at Houston’s Beren Academy. “It is no small measure due to the efforts of YU, the School-Partnership and the CJF. They are elevating the profession and I think that is having far-reaching ramifications in the quantity and quality of people entering the field.”

In addition to teaching positions and other career prospects, the fair offered a wide array of opportunities ranging from fellowships and scholarships for master’s programs and internships.

Adina Brizel, a Stern College for Women graduate currently enrolled in YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, came to the job fair in search of a teaching position and was “impressed by the large turnout from so many different schools.”

Fellow Azrieli student, Zach Lebwohl, agreed.

“There was quite a turnout and there were a lot more schools and institutions at the fair this year than in previous years,” said Lebwohl, who credited Azrieli for preparing him for a future in education. “I’ve really enjoyed taking classes in educational technique and theory,” said Lebwohl. “They’ve helped me to plan and think as a teacher.”

Scott Goldberg, PhD, director of the YU School Partnership, noted that “Yeshiva University is not only where many day school graduates go to school, but has become the place where the day schools themselves go to school.

“We are proud to prepare and place teachers and school leaders around the country, provide them with continuing education and ongoing support and work with schools to strategically plan for the future. “

To learn more about how you can benefit from the resources available at the YU School Partnership visit www.yuschoolpartnership.org.

Senator Adriano Espaillat’s Swearing In Ceremony Tinged with Grief Over Arizona Shooting

The celebratory spirit accompanying the swearing in ceremony of freshman state Senator Adriano Espaillat on Jan. 9 carried a note of grief as an all-star selection of elected officials shared their thoughts on the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others the previous day in Tucson, Arizona.

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer noted that the attack on Giffords during an open event with her constituents at a supermarket was an assault on public service. Scanning the hundreds of faces in the crowd at Yeshiva University’s Lamport Auditorium on Amsterdam Avenue and W. 187th Street, hundreds of whom were immigrants, dozens of whom were elected officials, he said: “This is what our American democracy looks like.” Read full article in the Manhattan Times…