RIETS Convocation Will Celebrate More Than 130 Ordained Rabbis on March 19  Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and the Yeshiva University community will celebrate the ordination of more than 130 musmachim [ordained rabbis] at their Chag HaSemikhah Convocation on Sunday, March 19, 2017, in the Nathan Lamport Auditorium, Zysman Hall, 2540 Amsterdam Avenue, New York City. The musmachim from the classes of 2014-2017 will join the more than 3,000 men who have passed through the batei midrashim [study halls] of RIETS and gone on to become distinguished Orthodox rabbis, scholars, educators and leaders around the world. “The Yeshiva is the foundation of what this University represents, and our rabbinic graduates, whom we celebrate at this Chag HaSemikhah, truly embody the best in us,” said YU President Richard M. Joel. “Their generosity and their guidance will help determine the future of our community. As they share in the responsibility of influencing those around them, many will be impacted and the development of our people will be better for it.” The class of rabbis represents an internationally diverse group, hailing from five continents and more than 50 North American cities. While most of the musmachim will remain engaged in either fulltime post-semicha Torah study or in religious work such as Jewish education, the pulpit, outreach or nonprofit management, many will pursue careers in other professions, including medicine and law. The musmachim will enter their calling well-equipped with the unique training that only a RIETS education can offer. Along with its rich history of unmatched Torah scholarship, the seminary has implemented an enhanced Rabbinic Professional Education Program. Designed to meet the communal and spiritual needs of our time, this innovative programs offers students an extensive curriculum on topics ranging from pastoral psychology and public speaking to leadership training and community building—all taught by renowned experts and rabbis. A new mental health emphasis also provides musmachim with critical self-care tools as they manage the stresses and challenges of a life of public service. In addition, students are exposed to contemporary halachic [Jewish law] issues they may encounter in fields such as bioethics, technology and business, embodying Yeshiva University’s Torah Umadda philosophy. “This celebration of RIETS musmachim recognizes both the enormous commitment of Torah learning and attention to personal growth demanded of each student as well as the profound and positive influence they will have on communities around the world in the years to come,” said Rabbi Menachem Penner, Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS. “This is a rare opportunity to witness the future leadership of our broader Jewish community standing together in one room with their teachers and mentors, their families and their fellow classmates.” During the ceremony, RIETS will honor Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud, with the HaRav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik zt”l Aluf Torah Award, and Chairman Emeritus Rabbi Julius Berman with the Eitz Chaim Award. A dinner later that day will celebrate the awards, as well as philanthropist Dr. David Arbesfeld, who will be presented with the RIETS Service Award. In addition, special acknowledgement will be given to ten grandfathers and RIETS alumni who will watch their grandsons receive semicha at this year’s ceremony, as well as the musmachim of 1967, who will celebrate their 50th anniversary. Rabbi Schachter, a renowned Talmudic scholar and posek [decisor of Jewish law], has served at RIETS for 50 years. He joined the faculty in 1967, and at the age of 26 was its youngest rosh yeshiva. Since 1971, Rabbi Schachter has been Rosh Kollel of the Marcos and Adina Katz Kollel (Institute for Advanced Research in Rabbinics). In addition to his teaching duties, he lectures, writes and serves as a guide for individuals and communities around the world. A prolific author, Rabbi Schachter has written more than 100 articles and books in Hebrew and English. Rabbi Berman currently serves as the President of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. He has led many national and international Jewish organizations, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Orthodox Union, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the American Zionist Youth Foundation. Like his father, Hyman, David Arbesfeld is an especially strong supporter of RIETS, recently assuming the entire cost of several renovations in the Jacob and Dreizel Glueck Center for Jewish Study. A graduate of Yeshiva University High School, Yeshiva College and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, he is a dermatologist who trained at the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he taught Mohs micrographic skin cancer surgery and was an assistant professor. He is now in private practice in Rockville Center, Long Island. Founded in 1896, RIETS is the leading center for education and ordination of Orthodox rabbis in North America. To learn more about the Chag HaSemikhah or to place an ad in the Scroll of Honor, please call 646-592-4027 or email chag5777@yu.edu. The event will be presented as a live webcast to the public at www.yu.edu/chag/.