Donations, Volunteers Needed in Sandy’s Hardest-Hit Regions

Monday’s chilly morning found 20 Yeshiva University students running up and down a 17-story building in Far Rockaway. Accompanied by Shay Schachter, assistant rabbi of Far Rockaway’s White Shul, the students carried hot food, donated by Chap-A-Nosh caterers, up a high-rise for handicapped senior citizens. “These people have been without food for several days,” Schachter explained. “They were sticking out their hands as if they had never seen food.” Others lacked basic medications, he said.

And while New York and its outer-lying regions begin to show signs of life, hard-hit areas like the the Five Towns, the Rockaways, Belle Harbor and Seagate will require a slow recovery period—the extent of the damage is simply shocking. “Most people don’t realize just how devastating this storm was,” said Schachter ’11R, ’11A. “I met with FEMA agents yesterday in Far Rockaway and they themselves were speechless about the amount of damage they saw. And even just in my shul—homes, businesses, hundreds of thousands of dollars, all lost. We’re getting constant calls for emergency medical care and it’s a miracle we’ve been able to respond in time to all.” Read the rest of this entry…

Students Arrive on Campus for Undergraduate Orientation

They come from Morocco, Panama, Austria, Switzerland and countries across the globe.

They dream of becoming first-rate biochemists, artists, teachers, business leaders and Jewish thinkers.

In all, more than 650 new students will arrive at Yeshiva University’s Wilf and Israel Henry Beren Campuses this week to begin their academic journeys at the only institution where high-level Judaic studies and cutting-edge academics go hand in hand.

Fall 2012 Orientation kicked off on Wednesday, August 22 with exciting and informative activities to help students feel at home. Newcomers learned their way around YU’s uptown and downtown campuses on interactive tours led by student guides, who introduced them to key faculty, staff and resources dedicated to their academic and personal success. Read the rest of this entry…

Ambassador Yehuda Avner to Speak at May 24 Commencement; Honorees Include Alan Willner, Eleazer Hirmes and Ethel Orlian

Former Israeli diplomat, Ambassador Yehuda Avner, will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate at Yeshiva University’s 81st Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 24, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.

Ambassador Yehuda Avner

Avner, an author of two books, served as speechwriter and secretary to Israeli Prime Ministers Levi Eshkol and Golda Meir, and as an adviser to Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres. Read the rest of this entry…

Ambassador Yehuda Avner to Speak at May 24 Commencement; Honorees Include Alan Willner, Eleazer Hirmes and Ethel Orlian

Former Israeli diplomat, Ambassador Yehuda Avner, will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate at Yeshiva University’s 81st Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 24, at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ.

Ambassador Yehuda Avner

Avner, an author of two books, served as speechwriter and secretary to Israeli Prime Ministers Levi Eshkol and Golda Meir, and as an adviser to Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres.

Visit the commencement page for dates, locations, directions and information on ceremonies for all Yeshiva University schools and affiliates.

President Richard M. Joel will also confer an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters upon Dr. Alan Willner and Eleazer Hirmes. Willner, a 1982 graduate of Yeshiva College, is a highly decorated physicist, who has published more than 950 papers on his research in optical technologies. Currently a chaired professor of engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California, he holds 24 patents. His research has been supported by institutions such as Cisco, the Department of Defense, Google, Hewlett Packard, Intel, the National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency.

Dr. Alan Willner

Hirmes’ family relationship with Yeshiva University dates back to the early years of the 20th century, when his father, Rabbi Abraham P. Hirmes, left the Slobatka Yeshiva in Lithuania to pursue his rabbinical ordination at YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Eleazer attended YU High School and graduated from Yeshiva College in 1944. He received an MBA from New York University and spent 60 years practicing as a CPA, becoming a noted philanthropist in the Five Towns of New York. Hirmes and his wife Greta have set up a scholarship fund in honor of his parents.

Eleazer Hirmes

Ethel Orlian, the associate dean of Stern College for Women, will be awarded the Presidential Medallion. Orlian has spent more than 50 years as a student, teacher and administrator at Yeshiva University. A graduate of YU High School and Stern College, she began her YU career as a researcher, but left to live in Israel before returning to Stern in 1979 as the assistant to Karen Bacon, dean of Stern College for Women. Known to generations of Stern College women, she has remained at the college since—serving as assistant dean and academic counselor and teaching chemistry prior to her appointment as associate dean.

Ethel Orlian

“Each of our honorees embodies a different piece of the principles of Yeshiva University, their commitment to the Jewish people, the State of Israel, their hometowns and to the University itself,” said President Joel. “We hope they inspire our graduates to leave our school for success now, but know they always have a home at YU.”

In all, more than 1,400 undergraduate students from Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women and Syms School of Business, as well as graduate students in the fields of law, medicine, social work, education, Jewish studies and psychology, will be awarded degrees from YU during its commencement season.

Learn more about the honorees here.

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.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrP0UG743W4&feature=player_embedded

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…

Or Pikary and Isaac Dayan Selected for 2011 Excellence in Accounting Scholarship

Two SYMS School of Business students, Isaac Dayan ’SB12 and Or Pikary ’SB11, were awarded 2011 Excellence in Accounting Scholarships by the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) and its Foundation for Accounting Education.

Isaac Dayan

Established in 1990, the scholarships are supported by contributions from the statewide membership of the NYSSCPA. The funds—$2,500 for full-time study and $1,250 for part-time—provide finance assistance to encourage and aid deserving candidates who plan to enter the accounting profession. Recipients must have an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, among other requirements.

“I feel honored to be among the limited recipients of this award,” said Pikary, who will graduate with a master’s degree from SYMS this spring.

Or Pikary

Pikary, who intends to begin his career in a public accounting firm, felt that Yeshiva University’s supportive environment has helped him excel both academically and professionally: “At YU, we have small classes with an excellent student-to-faculty ratio. I received a tremendous amount of academic and career guidance from the knowledgeable faculty and the Career Development Center.”

“We are very proud of our graduates,” said Dr. Moses Pava, director and area head of accounting at SYMS. “Our accounting students demonstrate a high proficiency of technical knowledge, but more importantly they understand the crucial role that the accounting profession plays in today’s global economy and the responsibilities inherent to the profession. This award testifies to the quality of our students.”

Dec 15, 2009 — Yeshiva University (www.yu.edu) announced today that 20 outstanding tenth graders from the Yeshiva University high schools – 10 from the Yeshiva University High School for Boys/Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (YUHSB) and 10 from the Samuel H. Wang Yeshiva University High School for Girls (YUHSG) – will be participating in a unique six-week student exchange program with Israeli high schools. Now in its second year, the program aims to immerse the American students in Israeli culture and help them connect with their Israeli counterparts.

The YUHSG students, who arrived in Israel on December 6, have already joined their peers at Ulpanat Tzvia in Ma’aleh Adumim, while the YUHSB students will begin classes at Yeshivat Mekor Haim in Kibbutz Kfar Etzion upon their December 17 arrival.

“What’s unique about this program is that the students are fully-integrated into the Israeli classrooms,” said Tova Rosenberg, coordinator of the exchange program and Director of Hebrew Language Studies at both Yeshiva University high schools. “The students sit in on all Judaic studies classes, are included in all school activities, and are housed in the same dormitories as the Israeli students. They are not treated as guests, but as members of the student body.”

The Yeshiva University high school students will also take part in a series of field trips intended to show them Israel’s out-of-the-way treasures – “not the usual tourist spots” – and will enjoy special Shabbat programs at the Yeshiva University Gruss Kollel in Bayit Ve’Gan arranged by the Kollel families themselves.

Later this year, six Yeshivat Mekor Haim students and four Ulpanat Tzvia students will travel to New York to study at the Yeshiva University high schools for a six-week period. In addition to attending classes, the Israeli students will tour New York City and Philadelphia to learn about American history and culture, and will experience life in U.S. Jewish communities.

“By sending our students to Israel and bringing the Israeli students to our schools, we are opening the eyes of every student involved in the program to the reality of the ‘Global Jewish Community.’ As our future Jewish leaders, it is vital that they understand and are accepting of other cultures,” added Rosenberg.

“The culture of deep spiritual purpose and constant reflection that is the hallmark of the Mekor Haim experience has exposed our students to serious religious and intellectual growth in ways unimagined for the typical tenth grader,” said Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, head of school at YUHSB. “Additionally, the visiting Mekor Haim students inject a sense of passion, urgency and authenticity into the rhythm of school life here. Armed with a newfound understanding of the American Jewish scene, these exceptional students have the potential to become the next generation of shlichim (emissaries to Israel).”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Elie Klein
Ruder Finn Israel for Yeshiva University
Cell: + 972-54-467-6967
Office: + 972-2-589-2013
Email: elie@ruderfinn.co.il

Jun 2, 2010 — More than 600 students from Yeshiva University’s undergraduate schools were presented with their degrees at YU’s 79th commencement exercises at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, May 26.

Among the graduates, eight students were selected for special distinction as valedictorians for their exceptional academic achievements.

Fay Burekhovich, the valedictorian of both the Stern College for Women general studies program and the Rebecca Ivry Jewish Studies Program, capitalized on both intellectual and leadership opportunities as an honors student, double majoring in biology and Jewish studies and as the co-founder and president of the Autism Awareness Club.

“The courses I took at Stern allowed me to stretch my creative, intellectual and critical abilities in ways I never imagined,” said Burekhovich, who also delivered the commencement valedictory address. “Additionally, my involvement in the Autism Awareness Club and the Stern College chesed [kindness] club, iGive, granted me numerous opportunities to step up and contribute my unique talents in various ways to help people.”

The other valedictorians included Willie Roth, Yeshiva College; Gail Klinger and David Weiss of Sy Syms School of Business; Isaac Kuyunov, James Striar School of General Jewish Studies; Jonathen Solaimanzadeh, Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies; Aryeh Green, Irving I. Stone Beit Midrash Program; and Avi Harari, Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies.

“During my time at Yeshiva University, I learned how to live as an Orthodox Jew in today’s world,” said Green, who majored in business and management. “Through the Torah I learned from my rabbis and under the tutelage of my Syms professors, like Drs. Lisa Rosh and Steven Nissenfeld, I was transformed from a student into a professional able to thrive in the business world as a G-d-fearing person.”

But students are moving on with more than just a quality education. For example, Klinger, an accounting major, landed a coveted position in a very competitive job market with the support of the University’s Career Development Center.

“I attended a career fair hosted by YU, which enabled me to secure an internship at KPMG,” said Klinger, who will be working full-time in the renowned accounting firm’s auditing department in October.

Reflecting on his time at YU, Roth, a Jewish studies major, highlighted the friendships he made as having the biggest impact on his YU experience. “My fellow students share a passion for Torah and academic excellence, but above all are always concerned with the well-being and success of their neighbors,” he said. “Living amongst such a community has been a truly formative experience.”

Apr 28, 2010 — Inspired by the story of Ruth, some 200 young women assembled at Stern College for Women for an evening of Jewish scholarship and siyum [completion] presented by the Torah Leadership Network (TLN), a program coordinated by the Center for the Jewish Future (CJF). Representing high schools from across the tri-state area, the students divided into four chaburot [groups] to study and complete the entire Megillat Rut [Book of Ruth]. The evening also featured a lecture by Deena Rabinovich, an instructor in Bible at Stern and director of Stern’s Jewish Educators Project.

“We wanted to do something special to mark the end of a year spent creating a community of Torah learning among the high school students and madrichot [advisors],” explained Sarah Emerson Helfand, director of women’s programming for the CJF. “By studying the story of Ruth—the epitome of strong Jewish female leadership—we were able to convey to our own undergraduates and the high school students, our firm commitment to teaching and developing strong Jewish women leaders.”

Participating schools included Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central), SKA, Maayanot, Bruriah, Shalhevet, Yeshiva of Flatbush, HANC, Shulamith and Hillel.

“I had a wonderful time seeing my friends from other schools,” said Devora Eisenberg, a sophomore at Shalhevet. “The food was great and the learning was awesome.”

The program was organized and led by 40 undergraduate madrichot from Stern and women in the graduate-level Tanach Learning Program, who trained the madrichot and provided them with detailed source sheets.

“As an alumna of Stern, it was both inspiring and heartwarming to witness the love of learning displayed by today’s generation of Stern students and wonderful madrichot,” said Mindy Sussman, a school administrator at Shalhevet. “I was equally impressed by the caliber of the Stern Torah studies faculty.”

Mar 15, 2010 — A strange aroma filled the Washington Heights air as hundreds of students, faculty and curious visitors filed into Yeshiva University’s Weissberg Commons on March 11 for the 2010 Cholent Cook-Off. Sixteen teams made up of 64 students from the men’s undergraduate schools, Yeshiva College and Sy Syms School of Business, went head-to-head in a culinary battle to proclaim a true Cholent Champion.

Students prepared their dishes the night before using a variety of ingredients and techniques in an attempt to impress the panel of discriminating palates.

The contest judges included Dr. Esther Joel, wife of YU President Richard M. Joel; chef, restaurateur, TV personality and author Jeff Nathan (Abigael’s); renowned kosher chef and best selling author of Kosher by Design, Susie Fishbein; catering director and executive chef of Fairway Market, Alan Riesenburger; and president and publisher of Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine, Elan Kornblum.

“One of the nice things about this year’s contest is that we tied it in with our food drive for the Upper Manhattan Food Pantry,” said Jonathan Mantell, director of university housing and organizer of the cook-off. “So that way it’s not just about having fun, but it’s also about thinking of other people.”

Shloimie Zeffren, president of the Yeshiva Student Union—one of the event’s sponsors, said that it was important for them “to be part of this because it brings all of the students together and shows the unity we have in our university. It also shows what great chefs we have among our students.”

After a three-way dead heat was announced, President Joel was called in to break the tie. Despite some humorous attempts by the teams at winning over the President, Team Heerlijk, Flemish for “delicious,” was crowned cholent champion.

Winning team members David Kupperman, Jonathan Lamet, Jason Wargon and Eric Kupferstein were all awarded iPods. Second and third prize went to teams Cholent Fulfillment and the Maccabeans.

“This is like the biggest kiddush ever,” observed one student in attendance, while reaching for his second serving. “It’s a great opportunity for students to get together and have a fun time.”