Message From Our President
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends,
I am pleased to present to you this Guide to our plans for the upcoming fall semester and reopening of our campuses. In form and in content, this coming semester will be like no other. We will live differently, work differently and learn differently. But in its very difference rests its enormous power.
The mission of Yeshiva University is to enrich the moral, intellectual and spiritual development of each of our students, empowering them with the knowledge and abilities to become people of impact and leaders of tomorrow. Next year’s studies will be especially instrumental in shaping the course of our students’ lives. Character is formed and developed in times of deep adversity. This is the kind of teachable moment that Yeshiva University was made for. As such, we have developed an educational plan for next year that features a high-quality student experience and prioritizes personal growth during this Coronavirus era. Our students will be able to work through the difficulties, issues and opportunities posed by our COVID-19 era with our stellar rabbis and faculty, as well as their close friends and peers at Yeshiva.
To develop our plans for the fall, we have convened a Scenario Planning Task Force made up of representatives across the major areas of our campus. Their planning has been guided by the latest medical information, government directives, direct input from our rabbis, faculty and students, and best practices from industry and university leaders across the country. I am deeply thankful to our task force members and all who supported them for their tireless work in addressing the myriad details involved in bringing students back to campus and restarting our educational enterprise.
In concert with the recommendations from our task force, I am announcing today that our fall semester will reflect a hybrid model. It will allow many students to return in a careful way by incorporating online and virtual learning with on-campus classroom instruction. It also enables students who prefer to not be on campus to have a rich student experience by continuing their studies online and benefitting from a full range of online student services and extracurricular programs.
In bringing our students back to campus, safety is our first priority. Many aspects of campus life will change for this coming semester. Gatherings will be limited, larger courses will move completely online. Throughout campus everyone will need to adhere to our medical guidelines, including social distancing, wearing facemasks, and our testing and contact tracing policies. Due to our focus on minimizing risk, our undergraduate students will begin the first few weeks of the fall semester online and move onto the campus after the Jewish holidays. This schedule will limit the amount of back and forth travel for our students by concentrating the on-campus component of the fall semester to one consecutive segment.
Throughout our planning, we have used the analogy of a dimmer switch. Reopening our campuses will not be a simple binary, like an on/off light switch, but more like a dimmer in which we have the flexibility to scale backwards and forwards to properly respond as the health situation evolves. It is very possible that some plans could change, depending upon the progression of the virus and/or applicable state and local government guidance.
Before our semester begins, we will provide more updates reflecting our most current guidance. Please check our website, yu.edu/fall2020 for regular updates. We understand that even after reading through this guide, you might have many additional questions, so we will be posting an extensive FAQ section online as well. Additionally, we will also be holding community calls for faculty, students, staff and parents over the next couple of months.
Planning for the future during this moment has certainly been humbling. This Coronavirus has reminded us time and time again of the lessons from our Jewish tradition that we are not in full control of our circumstances. But our tradition also teaches us that we are in control of our response to our circumstances. Next semester will present significant challenges and changes. There will be some compromises and minor inconveniences--not every issue has a perfect solution. But faith and fortitude, mutual cooperation and resilience are essential life lessons that are accentuated during this period. And if we all commit to respond with graciousness, kindness, and love, we can transform new campus realities into profound life lessons for our future.
Deeply rooted in our Jewish values and forward focused in preparing for the careers and competencies of the future, we journey together with you, our Yeshiva University community, through these uncharted waters. Next year will be a formative year in the lives of our students, and together we will rise to the moment so that our students will emerge stronger and better prepared to be leaders of the world of tomorrow.
Best Wishes,
Ari Berman
Folk music, 60s-style tie-dye, and Aliyah-themed props ruled the evening at Saturday night’s 12th annual Inter-Seminary Choir Competition, co-sponsored by Yeshiva University (YU) and by the social action group, Kedma.
Seventeen seminaries, including participants of the Yeshiva University Israel Program, participated in the event, which took place in the grand ballroom of Jerusalem’s Ramada hotel with over 2,000 wildly-cheering students and their parents and teachers in attendance.
“Everyone looks forward to this event the entire year,” said Miri Mandelbaum, a candidate for the Stern College for Women (SCW) honors program who is studying at Michlalah this year. She was there to support her friends in various choirs. “It helps me feel part of YU, and it’s so special that it’s for tzedaka [charity].”
Students prepare their 5-minute song-and-dance presentations for months beforehand. The theme this year, Eretz Yisrael [Land of Israel], inspired both moving ballads (including original works by the students) and doo-wop dance numbers about Jerusalem, immigration and Jews’ connection to the land. Proceeds from the sold-out bonanza, which reached tens of thousands of shekels, will be donated to causes that support disadvantaged women in Israel.
Recent graduate Adira Lautman ‘09S explained why the Inter-Seminary Ch
"Everyone looks forward to this event the entire year,” said Miri Mandelbaum
oir Competition is meaningful and important for the young participants. “I experienced this event myself while studying in Israel before heading for New York,” she said. “It’s not just that I had a great time. In preparing, you make friends with other students and it fits with Yeshiva’s motto of Torah Umadda - girls having an outlet to show their talents in an appropriate manner.”
“Stern College is remarkable because the students are just like you: talented, like you; bright, like you; ambitious, like you,” announced its dean, Karen Bacon, as the event started. “They will never stop learning and giving of themselves to the Jewish community and to the State of Israel.”
YU President Richard M. Joel spoke briefly before the program, telling the enthusiastic audience that “the music of your lives is needed to fill a world that is full of prose and very little poetry, full of noise and very little music.” He encouraged them to continue their Torah studies and to “sing gloriously, you have already won.” Immediately after his remarks, the ballroom erupted in high-pitched cheers.
During a break between performances, many students themselves privately expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “It’s so great that YU is supplying a space for 2,000 girls to scream their lungs out and be together,” said Shoshana Taube of Sharon, MA, who is studying at Machon Maayan on her way to Stern College. “All this money is going to tzedaka, and without the building and the sound equipment it wouldn’t work,” added her classmate, Gina Hotz, who is also planning to attend SCW.
The presentations were judged by a panel of 19 women: one representative from each seminary and two from YU. The first-place award went to Midreshet Tehilla, whose choir began their performance with a notably complex and energetic dance-and-gymnastics routine. The seminaries Tomer Devorah and Darchei Bina won second- and third-place honors. For the second consecutive year, Darchei Bina won special mention for raising the most funds for underprivileged women.
Other participating seminaries were: Midreshet Yeud; Midreshet AMIT; Baer Miriam; Bnot Torah Institute (Sharfman’s); Tiferet, Machon Maayan; Michlalah; Midreshet Harova; Midreshet Lindenbaum; MMY; Midreshet Moriah; Migdal Oz; Nishmat; and Sha’alvim for Women.
Ellen (Blau) Pearlman ’78S attended the competition with her daughters, one of whom teaches at several of the seminaries. “It’s exciting to see all these girls so excited,” Pearlman said. “It brings together girls from different seminaries, with different hashkafot [outlooks], and encourages them to work together for a common purpose - for chesed [charity] and for the community.”
