Students Recognize Donors to Undergraduate Scholarships On Monday, May 6, 2019, Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University, hosted the University’s Scholarship Reception at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, where students had the chance to meet donors to the University’s scholarship funds and express their gratitude for the donors’ generosity.

Marjorie Diener Blenden

The program was introduced by Marjorie Diener Blenden, a member of both the YU Board of Trustees and Stern College for Women’s Board of Overseers. She recognized the donor community for making the YU experience available to deserving students. “Because of you, so many of our students can avail themselves of the wonderful opportunities YU offers, its classes, faculty, libraries and community.” Leonard Glass spoke about how his own scholarship experience convinced him to become a scholarship donor. “It was how I was able to attend YU,” he explained, noting that his four children attended YU and his granddaughter is currently a student. Acknowledging that he was “preaching to the converted,” he stated that “we all should be ambassadors.”

Dr. Ari Berman

In his remarks, Dr. Berman spoke about the importance of YU in shaping young lives. “It’s in this environment where they make their life decisions, and these decisions affect their future and ours.  Everyone here represents a lifeline to these students.” He expressed gratitude for the important support the donors provided in shaping a positive and impactful future for students. Yonatan Abrams ’19YC, who also began his studies toward semicha [rabbinical ordination] this year, ably summed up the appreciation of the students when he said that “I genuinely feel that I speak for all of us when I say that any and every achievement and success we have in the future is yours as well. We will not forget that it was not through our strength alone that we made it here to YU but through God’s gift of people like you who can see beyond themselves to help their fellow Jews work toward the future they envision for themselves and for the world.”

Yonatan Abrams

A child of two alumni with three brothers who have studied at YU as well as a wife, Hannah Abrams, who is a master’s student in the Graduate Program of Advanced Talmudic Studies, “I’ll forever be grateful for what you’ve helped all of us learn and experience at Yeshiva University. I have learned from my experience being at the receiving end of your generosity that the Jewish people are well served by expanding our definition of mishpacha, of family,” Yonatan expressed. “It is clearly you who are leading the way toward a brighter Jewish future.”