Seforim Sale Organizers Help Rebuild Shul Libraries Damaged by Storm

The students of Yeshiva University are using their annual Seforim Sale as an opportunity to give back to the community—specifically to Jewish organizations devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

Seforim Sale staff with Young Israel of Oceanside’s Rabbi Jonathan and Dr. Yael Muskat (center).

This year, as part of their Seforim4Sandy campaign, sale organizers decided to use a portion of their proceeds to help replenish a library of a shul or school affected by the storm. After a Facebook contest yielded more than 3,000 votes in two weeks, Young Israel of Oceanside was selected to receive $10,000 worth of books and seforim.

“After Sandy struck, we decided nothing was more appropriate than giving back to the community and helping rebuild damaged libraries,” said Yehuda Kaminer, CEO of the Seforim Sale. “We are thrilled at the opportunity to help out in whatever way we can.”

Young Israel of Oceanside, which lost three Torah scrolls and thousands of seforim during the storm, received more than 1,400 online votes. Read the rest of this entry…

Students Present Seforim Sale February 3 to March 3; North America’s Largest Jewish Book Sale will Benefit Victims of Sandy

The students of Yeshiva University will present their annual Seforim Sale, North America’s largest Jewish book sale, from February 3 to March 3 in Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave on YU’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan. The sale—operated entirely by YU students—supports various initiatives, including student activities on campus and undergraduate scholarships.

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s Seforim Sale will benefit a shul or school affected by Sandy.

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s sale will also benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy. As part of their #Seforim4Sandy campaign, sale organizers will help replenish a depleted library of a shul or school affected by the storm. Based on the results of online voting, one participating organization will be selected to receive up to $10,000 worth of books and seforim. Members of the general public will be able to vote at www.facebook.com/seforim. The Seforim Sale website will also provide online registries for contributions to assist additional shuls or schools devastated by Sandy.

“The Seforim Sale has always focused on its charitable responsibilities,” said Yehuda Kaminer, CEO of the Seforim Sale. “This year, we decided nothing was more appropriate than helping rebuild libraries damaged by Sandy. We are incredibly excited to be giving back to the community.” Read the rest of this entry…

Alumni Day at the Seforim Sale Features Panel of Accomplished Alumni Authors

Visitors to this year’s Alumni Day at the Seforim Sale, North America’s largest annual three-week Jewish book sale, were provided with a unique opportunity to hear from Yeshiva University alumni who are also accomplished authors. A panel discussion moderated by Dr. Ann Peters, assistant professor of English at Stern College for Women, elicited thought-provoking perspectives on the writing process as well as insights into the risks and rewards of writing about controversial issues.

Alumni authors (L-R): Landa, Koffsky, Diament and Blech.

But, most of all, the writers—which included longtime Yeshiva College professor Rabbi Benjamin Blech ’54YC, ’56R; health education specialist Sara Diament ’96S, ’98BR; children’s writer and illustrator Ann D. Koffsky ’93S; and photographer/dentist Dr. Saul Landa ’65YUHS, ’69YC—relished being able to return to their roots at YU.

“I remember being one of the girls [working] at the Seforim Sale,” said Diament.  “It’s a very warm feeling coming back.” Koffsky, who read aloud from her book Noah’s Swim-A-Thon at the sale, has been back to Stern several times as a guest speaker.  “I come back and relive my youth,” she said.  “It’s cool to be here at the Seforim Sale.”

Although Landa has traveled the world, including climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, he still found it hard to believe that he was a featured speaker at Yeshiva University. His book is A Timeless People: Photo Albums of American Jewish Life. “[Participating on this panel] is a tremendous honor,” he said. “I’ve been coming to the Seforim Sale for 25 years and never thought I’d have a book here.”

As for controversy, Diament lamented that her book, Talking to Your Children about Intimacy: A Guide for Orthodox Jewish Parents wasn’t controversial enough. “My husband said if I’m really lucky I’ll get put in cherem [excommunicated] like Salmon Rushdie and then sell a million copies,” she joked. “I wasn’t that lucky. The overall response was very positive.”

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Blech’s book, Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo’s Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican, however, has elicited much controversy. “Michelangelo hated the pope of his time and incorporated anti-Catholic, even Jewish themes into his Sistine Chapel,” said Blech.

The Seforim Sale is always a prime opportunity for alumni to mingle and share memories of their time at YU, and this year was no different for many visitors. Mordechai Plotsker ’98YC, came with his wife, mother and six daughters. “It was great to show my daughters where I attended school and to reminisce that in this very same room I took my finals. It was also wonderful to see all the enhancements on campus.”

Rabbi Pinky Shapiro ’01YC, a former student council president and editor-in-chief of the Commentator, looks forward to the event every year. “It is an amazing, student-run operation that benefits the entire community. This year’s selections were fantastic and it was a pleasure seeing generations of YU family all in one place. Best of all, you never know which friends you’ll happen to see.”

Kid-friendly activities allowed the littlest participants to get involved. An interactive a capella session with members of the Y-Studs was followed by an arts-and-crafts project led by educators from the Yeshiva University Museum.  The workshops concluded with a storytelling session by noted author Peninnah Schram, professor of speech and drama at Stern College.

The author, Chana Mayefsky, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Stern College in 2001 and earned her master’s degree from YU’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies in 2008. She currently freelances as a writer and editor and is a regular contributor to Publishers Weekly. Mayefsky lives in Hillside, NJ with her husband and two daughters.

Students Present North America’s Largest Jewish Book Sale from February 5 to 26

The students of Yeshiva University will hold their annual Seforim Sale, North America’s largest Jewish book sale, from February 5 to 26 in Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave on YU’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan. The sale is operated entirely by YU students—from ordering to setting up the premises, marketing and all the technology the project entails.

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Last year the acclaimed Judaica book sale drew more than 15,000 people from the tri-state area and grossed more than $1 million in sales. The annual event provides discounted prices on the latest of more than 15,000 titles in rabbinic and academic literature, cookbooks, children’s books, and music.

The Seforim Sale has become a highlight for the Yeshiva University community, as students, alumni and members of the community congregate to visit their alma mater, see old friends and add books to their personal libraries. Proceeds from the sale support various initiatives, including student activities on campus and undergraduate scholarships.

Scheduled events at the sale include:

• Alumni Family Day and Meet-the-Alumni-Author Event (Feb. 12), featuring a musical workshop with the Y-Studs, arts-and-crafts with educators from the YU Museum and story-telling with Stern College Professor Penninah Schram, followed by a panel discussion with noted alumni authors: Rabbi Benjamin Blech ’54YC, ’56R; Sara Diament ’96S, ’98BR; Ann Koffsky ’93S; and Rabbi Dr. Saul Hillel Landa ’65YUHS, ’69YC
• Book signings with Susie Fishbein and Mazal Alouf-Mizrahi
• Live musical performances by YU’s own a cappella groups, The Maccabeats and Y-Studs, as well as Ta Shma, The Groggers, Except Saturday and Shlomo Gasin
• Lectures by the Bostoner Rebbe, Rabbi Nati Helfgot, Rebetzin Smadar Rosensweig, Rabbi Natan Slifkin, and Rabbi Gil Student

Those who cannot attend the sale can take advantage of the great prices and vast catalog selection by ordering online on the Seforim Sale’s Web site. For a complete listing of dates and times, to purchase gift certificates or to view the online catalog, visit www.theseforimsale.com.

All YU graduates with valid YU Alumni ID cards will receive five percent off their Seforim Sale purchases on Alumni Day. To obtain your YU Alumni ID card, please submit a request by February 6 to alumni@yu.edu.

Read The New York Times coverage of last year’s Seforim Sale…

Rabbi Meir Alter Horowitz, the Bostoner Rebbe of Jerusalem, stopped by Yeshiva University’s Seforim Sale on Monday, February 21. Rabbi Horowitz spoke to the students, signed copies of his sefer, Pirush HaMeir (which offers commentary on the Rambam’s Mishna Torah), and offered Seforim Sale goers brachos and words of inspiration.

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Yeshiva Fair Is a Bastion for Jewish Books of the Printed Variety

Those who mourn the metamorphosis of books made of paper into digital versions for e-readers can find some solace by taking a trip to Washington Heights in Manhattan.

There, in a cavernous hall on its campus, Yeshiva University is holding its annual Seforim Sale — its book fair. It offers 150,000 new and incontrovertibly genuine books — printed and bound — of 13,000 titles. They include gilded volumes of Torah and Talmud, novels, cookbooks, biographies, humor collections, self-help guides and children’s picture books, all Jewish-themed.

The fair opened on Sunday and ends on Feb. 27; 15,000 people are expected to visit and to spend a total of $1 million.

The fair, managed by students, has been running for at least 25 of the university’s 125 years, but it has mushroomed in recent years and has become a highlight of the New York region’s Orthodox calendar — not quite on the level of Passover, but an important period nonetheless.

That is because it has become a must-do social event, where some of the 58,000 Yeshiva alumni, as well as observant students from colleges and high schools in the New York area, know they will bump into one another. And it is where eligible men and women meet up behind the fig leaf that they are there only to browse through the books. Mingling among them are sprinklings from other Jewish subcultures, from insistently secular to Hasidic. Read full article in The New York Times…

Check out a behind-the-scenes time lapse of the set up involved for the YU’s annual Seforim Sale…

Students Present Annual Seforim Sale, North America’s Largest Jewish Book Sale, Feb. 6-27

The students of Yeshiva University will hold their annual Seforim Sale, North America’s largest Jewish book sale, from February 6 to 27 in Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave on YU’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan.

Last year the acclaimed Judaica book sale drew more than 15,000 people from the tri-state area and grossed nearly $1 million in sales. The annual event provides discounted prices on the latest of more than 10,000 titles in rabbinic and academic literature, cookbooks, children’s books, music and lecture CDs, and educational software.

The sale is operated entirely by YU students—from ordering to setting up the premises, marketing and all the technology the project entails.

Tzvi Feifel, CEO of the Seforim Sale and a self-described bibliophile, began volunteering at the sale two years ago and believes the experience has been educational and rewarding.“The fact that I can come here and run such a large operation is truly special,” said Feifel, who is majoring in music at Yeshiva College. “Where else can I get that experience except for Yeshiva University?”

The Seforim Sale has become a highlight for the Yeshiva University community, as students, alumni and members of the community congregate to visit their alma mater, see old friends and add books to their personal libraries. Proceeds from the sale support various initiatives, including student activities on campus and undergraduate scholarships.

This year, the sale will also benefit the rehabilitation of the Carmel forest after the largest fire in Israel’s history. “We will be selling trees at the sale through the Jewish National Fund to be planted in Northern Israel,” said Jonathan Korman, the sale’s COO and an accounting major at Sy Syms School of Business. “This is a cause that everyone can really get behind.”

Scheduled events at the sale include:

• Alumni Family Day on Feb. 13
• Live musical performances by YU’s own a cappella group, The Y-Studs, Feb. 8; Six13, Feb.10;  Aryeh Kunstler, Feb. 19; and Ta Shma, Feb. 24
• A lecture by Avrohom Ratner entitled, “Are Matches Really Made in Heaven? The Rambam’s Understanding of Bashert” on Feb. 20
• Alumni Author Night on Feb. 9
• Torah Letzion’s Third Annual Raffle on Feb. 16
• Bone marrow drives on Feb. 19 and 26

Those who cannot attend the sale can take advantage of the great prices and vast catalog selection by ordering online on the Seforim Sale’s Web site. For a complete listing of dates and times, to purchase gift certificates or to view the online catalog, visit www.soyseforim.org.

Jan 26, 2009 — Yeshiva University’s (YU) will hold its annual SOY (Student Organization of Yeshiva) Seforim Sale from February 1 to 22 on YU’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan, Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Avenue. Last year the acclaimed Judaica book sale drew more than 15,000 people from the tri-state area. Students, educators, and parents flock to the sale to take advantage of discounted prices on the latest of more than 10,000 titles in rabbinic and academic literature, as well as cookbooks, children’s books, musical recordings, and educational software.

The Seforim Sale has become a highlight for the Yeshiva University community, as students and alumni congregate to visit their alma mater, see old friends, and add books to their personal libraries.

“We expect another big turnout this year,” said Ophir Eis, CEO of the SOY Seforim Sale. “Aside from all the discounts available, we have a number of great events planned.”

The sale, North America’s largest Jewish book sale, is managed exclusively by students who run the entire operation from ordering to setting up the premises, marketing, and all the technology the project entails. Proceeds support SOY’s myriad of initiatives, which include student activities on campus and outreach programs in the Jewish community.

Scheduled events at the sale include:
• Alumni night on February 3, featuring a performance by the Maccabeats, the YU men’s a cappella group
• Live acoustic performance by Six13 on February 4
• A lecture by Dr. David Pelcovitz and Rabbi Steven Eisenberg on February 5 entitled,
“What happens when your child isn’t you: Understanding the religious change after year(s) of study in Israel”
• Musical performance by Aryeh Kuntsler on February 12
• Family Storytelling with Peninnah Schram, Professor of Speech and Drama at YU’s Stern College for Women on February 15
• Emunah cooking demonstration and book signing on February 16

For a complete listing of dates and times, to purchase gift certificates, or to view the online catalog, visit www.soyseforim.org.

Jan 28, 2004 — Rabbi Benjamin Blech will share highlights from two of his best-selling books at a lecture kicking off YU’s annual Student Organization of Yeshiva (SOY) Seforim Sale. He will focus on selections from Taking Stock: A Spiritual Guide to Rising Above Life’s Financial Ups and Downs, which was recently reviewed by The New York Times, and If God is Good Then Why is the World So Bad?

The fifth annual lecture, sponsored by the Yeshiva College Alumni Association, will take place Sunday, Feb. 15, at 12:30 pm in Gloria and Jesse Weissberg Commons, Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Avenue on Yeshiva University’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan. The book sale opens at 2 pm in Belfer Hall, Room 502. Rabbi Blech will autograph copies of his books following his talk.

Rabbi Blech, who joined the YU faculty in 1966, received his BA from YU, his MA from Columbia University, and his ordination from YU’s affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, and was recently ranked 16th on a list of the 50 most influential Jews in America. He is also the author of nine books, including three on Judaism in the popular Idiot’s Guide series.

The acclaimed Judaica book sale (Feb. 12-29) draws hundreds of students, parents, and educators from across the tri-state area. Titles range from classical rabbinic works to cookbooks, children’s literature, tapes and CDs. For a complete listing of dates and times, visit www.soyseforim.org.

Past speakers include YU Chancellor Norman Lamm ‘49Y, R, B; Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel ‘77Y, R, B, E. Billi Ivry Professor of Jewish History; Dr. David Schnall ‘69Y, R, dean, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration; Rabbi Shalom Carmy ‘70,Y, R, B, assistant professor or Bible; and Dr. David Shatz ‘69Y, R, B, professor of philosophy.

The lecture is free and open to the public. To attend, please contact the Office of University Alumni Affairs at 212-960-5373, fax 212-960-5336, or alumdesk@yu.edu.