Mar 25, 2008 -- The Yeshiva University (YU) Israel Beit Midrash (study hall) was dedicated as a living memorial to the late Rabbi Israel Miller, formerly of the Bronx, as part of the Second Yeshiva University Colloquium in Israel. Rabbi Israel Miller guided the founding of YU’s Israel Campus in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, and established the Gruss Institute for advanced rabbinical study. He devoted 60 years of his life to YU first as a student and then as an administrator. “Many of us were fortunate to have the opportunity and privilege to work alongside the late Rabbi Israel Miller, or spend our student years at YU with him as a guide, mentor and vast resource of Jewish life and experience,” said Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel. “We therefore dedicated our Beit Midrash in Israel, the room in which our students learn, share, and teach in Rabbi Miller’s memory. This room is the heart of our Gruss Institute in Jerusalem that was created, in good part, due to Rabbi Miller’s vision and determination, and was a place from which he derived personal inspiration for many years.” The beit midrash, to be known as the Rabbi Israel Miller Beit Midrash/Beit Midrash Heichel Azriel, is at the center of the YU Israel campus. Rabbi Miller visited and studied there during each of his many trips to Israel. The beit midrash is used by hundreds of people every day – students in the YU Israel Kollel, rabbis, scholars, and laymen from throughout Israel and abroad – under the direction of Rabbi Dovid Miller, associate director of the Gruss Institute and eldest son of Rabbi Miller. The rosh kollel’s office is dedicated in memory of Rabbi Miller’s wife, Ruth. More than 300 friends and colleagues participated in the dedication and the Yeshiva College Alumni Association contributed $50,000 toward the Beit Midrash library. Rabbi Miller’s four children, each prominent in their respective spheres, spoke at the dedication. Besides Rabbi Dovid Miller, they are: Rabbi Michael Miller, executive vice-president of the Jewish Community Relations Council in New York City; Deb Kram, director of adult learning at the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and the founding program director of the award-winning Boston beit midrash initiative, Ma’ayan; and Judy Kalish, who works at The Hebrew University in public relations. Dr. Norman Lamm, YU chancellor and former president of YU, spoke of Rabbi Miller’s impact on the Jewish community at large. “Rabbi Miller’s communal leadership was well known. As a vibrant and prominent Orthodox rabbi, he functioned in the broader Jewish community, not only for the benefit of Orthodox Jews, but for klal Yisrael (the Jewish community). "He brought the message of Torah to all Jews not by preaching but by practicing. He acted out of genuine ahavat Yisrael (love of the Jewish people), and his love embraced every Jew. Rabbi Miller, our role model as a Jewish leader, became our elder statesman and one of our most eminent –and sweetest and most beloved--alumni.” Yeshiva University has a long history of commitment to the State of Israel. Over 80 percent of undergraduates have spent a year in Israel and each year, many YU students spend their winter break volunteering in the country. In addition, over 3,600 YU alumni have made aliya. Many alumni have served in the IDF, including some who have made the ultimate sacrifice. As YU students engage in Torah study in Jerusalem and thousands of alumni live their lives in Israel, Rabbi Miller’s aspirations are brought to life, and his vision is perpetuated.