Yeshiva University Commemorates the Life and Legacy of Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik

On April 14, Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) commemorated the 20th yahrtzeit [anniversary of death] of “the Rav,” Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt”l, Torah luminary and YU Rosh Yeshiva, with a full-day learning program that took place in the Lamport Auditorium on YU’s Wilf Campus. Thousands attended in-person or followed the event online to gain insight into the Rav’s life and legacy through lectures, discussions and presentations given by his family and closest students.

“I experience a sense of déjà vu standing in this room today, for in this very room we waited with baited breath for the Rav to enter and deliver his famous shiurim on his father’s yahrtzeit each year,” said Rabbi Joel Schreiber, Chairman of the RIETS Board of Trustees, in his opening remarks to the participants. “In this room thousands of men and women had their hearts, minds and souls lifted to unimaginable heights by the Rav.”

The program kicked off with “Multiple Faces of the Rav,” a panel that brought together Rabbi Soloveitchik’s daughter, Dr. Atarah Twersky, and several students of the Rav, including Rabbi Herschel Schachter, RIETS Rosh Yeshiva; Dr. David Shatz, YU professor of philosophy; and Rabbi Kenneth Brander, David Mitzner Dean of the CJF, to examine the many and varied roles played by the Rav during his lifetime. Read the rest of this entry…

Weekly Course Open to all Women will Feature Rabbis Jacob J. Schacter and Hayyim Angel

Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) will launch a new Women’s Beit Midrash Program on February 5 at Stern College for Women’s Israel Henry Beren campus in Manhattan for participants of all ages.

The six-week program, developed in conjunction with the University’s Office of Alumni Affairs and New Jersey and Long Island Regional offices, will feature Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and senior scholar of the CJF, and Yeshiva College Jewish Studies faculty member Rabbi Hayyim Angel. Read the rest of this entry…

Fellowship Pairs YU High School Students with University Faculty for College-Level Research

Five students from the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB) have been named Senior Fellows for the 2012-13 academic year. Taking advantage of its physical and institutional proximity to Yeshiva University, the program—in existence since 2006—pairs competitively-selected high school seniors with University faculty to conduct thorough research in a variety of fields.

YUHSB seniors Yonatan Schwartz, Dovid Schwartz, Akiva Schiff, Yisrael Snow and Yosef Sklar will work closely with YU faculty.

“We wanted to make it a win-win for both the high school and the University,” said Dr. Ed Berliner, executive director of science management and clinical professor of physics at YU and director of the YUHSB Honors College. “For YU, it is an opportunity to expose our most impressive students to the high-caliber YU education, and in terms of the students, it truly is a unique opportunity to be paired with the best and brightest professors in their fields.”

Akiva Schiff, Dovid Schwartz, Yonatan Schwartz, Joseph Sklar and Yisrael Snow will spend the upcoming year studying topics as diverse as bible, chemistry and economics with YU faculty members Read the rest of this entry…

Revel, Bar-Ilan Co-Host International Conference on Scholarship of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik

Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and Bar-Ilan University hosted the second conference of a two-part international lecture series to mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the leading rabbi, Talmudist and philosopher known as “the Rav.” Titled “Reflections on the Thought and Scholarship of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik,” the conference brought more than 70 people from around the world together to share new perspectives on Rabbi Soloveitchik’s writings, talk about possible influences in his work and discuss new directions for future scholarship on the Rav.

Dov Schwartz, Bar-Ilan's Natali and Isidor Friedman Chair on Teaching the Writings of Joseph Dov Soloveitchik.

Dov Schwartz, chair of the philosophy department and graduate program for the study of contemporary Judaism at Bar-Ilan and its Natali and Isidor Friedman Chair on Teaching the Writings of Joseph Dov Soloveitchik, envisioned the conference as a means to connect the two centers of the most relevance to the study of Rabbi Soloveitchik: YU, where much of his work was done, and Bar-Ilan, the center of scholarship about him in Israel. “I wanted us to share the innovative research that has been done over the past few years,” said Schwartz. Read the rest of this entry…

Yeshiva University Scholars Reflect on the Daf Yomi Phenomenon

Last night some 90,000 people gathered at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey for a ceremony celebrating the 12th completion of the daily reading of the Talmud (Siyum ha-Shas). The event followed similar ceremonies, in Jerusalem,Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, London, Melbourne, and other cities and communities around the world, in which thousands more participated in person or via closed-circuit TV.

Tens of thousands celebrated the conclusion of the a seven-and-a-half-year Daf Yomi cycle on August 1.

These events honor the conclusion and re-commencement of a seven-and-a-half-year cycle in which people—individually, with partners, or in groups—learn a folio page (two facing pages) of the Babylonian Talmud each day in a tradition known as daf yomi, “a page a day.”

To mark the occasion, Jewish Ideas Daily invited several prominent thinkers, including Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter and Moshe Sokolow to reflect on the phenomenon of daf yomi and their own engagement with the practice. Read the rest of this entry…

On Brink of Professional and Academic Careers, New Graduates Reflect on Undergraduate Experience

They are art historians, human capital consultants and biotechnologists. They come from Jerusalem, Montreal and Miami. They’ll be pursuing cutting-edge graduate work at first-class institutions like Harvard and New York University. They’ll build their own businesses from the ground up. And they’ll also be giving back by teaching at schools for children with special needs and developing innovative educational programs about world issues.

They’re the Yeshiva University Class of 2012.

On May 24, more than 750 students will march across the Izod Center stage at Yeshiva University’s 81st Commencement Exercises, as they celebrate the completion of their undergraduate careers. However, these new alumni know their education is far from over.

As they begin the next chapter of their lives, members of the graduating class reflected on the good times, the defining moments and the takeaways of their unique YU experiences. Read the rest of this entry…

Yeshiva University Present Shavuos / Memorial Day Weekend Yarchei Kallah with YU Roshei Yeshiva and Torah Scholars, May 25-28

Yeshiva University-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) will present its second annual Yarchei Kallah [Gathering for Torah Study] Program this Shavuos, May 25-28, at the Rye Town Hilton in Westchester, NY—just 35 minutes from New York City.

The Yarchei Kallah will feature round-the-clock Torah learning, children and teen programs, and inspirational lectures by renowned Yeshiva University personalities including President Richard M. Joel; Chancellor Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm; Rabbi Yona Reiss, Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS; Rabbi Elchanan Adler, Rabbi Hershel Reichman, Rabbi Hershel Schachter and Rabbi Jeremy Wieder, RIETS roshei  yeshiva and roshei kollel; Rabbi Kenneth Brander, David Mitzner Dean of YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF); Mindy Eisenman, staff connector at YUConnects and Bible instructor at Stern College for Women; Dr. Rona Novick, director of the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Division of Doctoral Studies at Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration and senior fellow at YU’s Institute for University-School Partnership; Dr. David Pelcovitz, Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus Chair in Psychology and Jewish Education at Azrieli; and Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and senior scholar at the CJF.

“The Yarchei Kallah is a wonderful opportunity for members of our larger Yeshiva community to celebrate z’man matan toraseinu [the time of the giving of the Torah] by learning with our roshei yeshiva and celebrating Shavuos together in a congenial and convivial setting,” said Rabbi Reiss. “This retreat is perfect for all those who want to indulge themselves in both terrific shiurim and a warm and welcoming recreational environment during the upcoming holiday.”

To learn more about the RIETS Shavuos Yarchei Kallah, visit www.yu.edu/riets/shavuos or call 646-592-4021. To sponsor a shiur or Tikkun Leil Shavuos in memory or in honor of a loved one, please call 212-960-0852.

Reception Celebrates Publication of Volume Honoring David Berger

On March 5, Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School hosted a special reception to mark the publication of a scholarly volume of collected essays honoring Dean David Berger, Ruth & I. Lewis Gordon Professor of Jewish History.

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Before a gathering that included three past Revel deans and noted scholars in academic Jewish studies, co-editors Dr. Elisheva Carlebach, Salo Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University, and Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought at YU, presented Berger with an honorary copy of the book, New Perspectives on Jewish-Christian Relations: In Honor of David Berger (Brill Academic Press). The two spoke about Berger’s substantial contributions to academic Jewish scholarship in multiple fields over the last 40 years, including the impact he has made on their own careers.

“Dean Berger opened up for me a scholarly path I had no idea existed, serving as a model of how to be a colleague and teacher in academia and how to conduct oneself when many difficult questions hang in the balance,” said Carlebach.

Schacter recalled his first academic Jewish studies class with Berger as a student at Brooklyn College: “I encountered a teacher who gave me language, categories and a sense of optimism that somehow these two worlds could coalesce,” he said. “To learn about rishonim in the college classroom for me was not just an intellectual exercise but a profound personal experience.”

The reception was hosted in the President’s Office by Dr. Mordechai Z. Cohen, professor of Bible and associate dean of Revel, who has worked closely with Berger since they assumed leadership of the graduate school in 2008. “Dean Berger has a profound vision of academic Jewish studies and its importance among the Torah U’madda community that makes YU distinct and the flagship of Modern Orthodoxy,” said Cohen.

“For YU to be YU, we needed someone of your vision, goodness, learning and scholarship to take us down the winding road that would strengthen our unique commitment to honoring Torah, honoring thought and making this a center for the world of Jewish ideas and Jewish ideals,” said YU President Richard M. Joel.

Before friends, colleagues and students, Berger reflected on his own multifaceted academic history, describing his journey as a high school student from the Yeshiva of Flatbush to a Yeshiva College graduate and Columbia PhD candidate, including his more than 35 years teaching at YU on both a part and full-time basis. “There’s something very special about YU students and the ideals for which this university stands,” said Berger. “The principle of Torah U’madda applies of course to virtually all academic and cultural fields, but nowhere does it play out more strikingly than at the intersection of Torah in the focused, traditional sense and the disciplines that go by the name Academic Jewish Studies. Many manifestations of this intersection go to the core of a sophisticated understanding of Judaism itself.”

Berger added: “To return to YU full-time in 2008 was to realize one of my central commitments in the ideal environment.”

Revel Faculty Presents March 18 Yom Iyun at Manhattan’s Jewish Center as Part of 75th Anniversary Celebration

As part of its 75th anniversary celebration, Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies will present a Yom Iyun [day of learning] at The Jewish Center, on 131 West 86th Street in Manhattan on Sunday March 18 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Mordechai Cohen will serve as scholar in residence at The Jewish Center over Shabbat, March 16-17.

The program will include a series of lectures on a variety of topics on the theme of “New Perspectives on Jewish-Christian Relations” and will feature YU’s acclaimed professors and scholars: Dr. Mordechai Z. Cohen, professor of Bible and associate dean at Revel; Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, professor of Jewish history and Jewish thought at YU; Dr. Elisheva Carlebach, Salo Baron Professor of Jewish History, Culture and Society at Columbia University and senior adjunct professor at YU; and Dr. David Berger, Ruth and I. Lewis Gordon Professor of Jewish History and Dean of Revel. Berger will keynote the event and discuss “Jewish Studies and Judaism: Personal Reflections on a Career in Academic Jewish Scholarship.” He will be introduced by Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel.

Revel, which was established in 1937, has “greatly enhanced its faculty and offerings in central fields of study over the past few years,” said Berger. “These fields include Sephardic studies, Bible, Jewish history and Jewish philosophy. Along with a vibrant masters program, the doctoral program has more than doubled in size with an infusion of outstanding young men and women.”

Cohen, who has taught at Revel for more than 20 years, will also serve as scholar in residence at The Jewish Center over Shabbat, March 16-17.

“As Revel enters its fourth quarter-century, we are continually improving our program with an eye to the future of the Jewish community,” said Cohen. “The events we are holding at the Jewish Center are designed to illustrate the critical contribution of academic Jewish scholarship to the vibrancy of modern Orthodoxy.”

For more information, please visit www.yu.edu/revel or email shalpern@yu.edu.

Yeshiva University Personalities to Speak Throughout Bergen County Community, November 11-12

The Teaneck and Bergenfield communities will host Yeshiva University visiting scholars over Shabbat, November 11-12, in various shuls around the community.

President Joel and Yeshiva University scholars will visit Teaneck Nov. 11-12

The Shabbaton—organized by YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) —will feature renowned Yeshiva personalities including President Richard M. Joel; Rabbi Kenneth Brander, David Mitzner Dean of CJF; Rabbi Ozer Glickman, RIETS rosh yeshiva; Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff, instructor of Judaic at Stern College for Women; Mrs. CB Neugroschl, head of school at Yeshiva University High School for Girls; Dr. Rona Novick, director of the Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Doctoral Program at Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education; Rabbi Hershel Schachter, RIETS rosh yeshiva; Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and Senior Scholar at the CJF; Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, vice provost for undergraduate education; Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky, director of YUConnects; and Rabbi Michael Taubes, Menahel, Yeshiva University High School for Boys.

“So many of our graduates hold leadership roles as the lay and klei kodesh of the Bergen County community institutions,” said Rabbi Brander, a Teaneck resident. “How appropriate it is to convene some of the leading Torah and academic talents of YU celebrating Yeshiva’s continued role in Teaneck’s spiritual development.”

Speakers will spend Shabbat rotating between Beth Aaron, Beth Abraham, Rinat Yisrael, Bnai Yeshurun, Keter Torah, Ahavat Shalom, Azrei Darom, Etz Chaim, Jewish Center of Teaneck, Beit Midrash of Bergenfield and Young Israel of Teaneck. The Shabbaton will also include an oneg for local high school students at Rinat Yisrael at 8:15 p.m. on Friday.

In addition, a YUConnects Teaneck Shabbaton is scheduled for the weekend of November 18-19 at Bnai Yeshurun.

For detailed schedule information or to learn how you can book a YU speaker in your community visit www.yu.edu/cjf/shabbaton.