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
“It was a true partnership,” said Aliza Berenholz Peled, Senior Director of Events, “of the events team along with Matthew Schwartz, Director of Marketing, and his photo and video team and countless others across the network to make this all come to life.”
The new format gave the eight undergraduate valedictorians a greater voice in articulating the hopes, dreams and trepidations of the 1,700 students receiving diplomas as they emceed sections of the event. Each of the undergraduate and graduate deans had a moment in the spotlight as they announced their graduating classes, and while the students didn’t have the chance to cross an actual stage applauded by everyone in the house, participants did get to see them scroll by in cap and gown, thanks to a colossal effort by the Committee to mail the gowns and mortarboards to every graduate, no matter where he or she lived in the world. One unique interactive feature gave people the ability to send in emoji reactions and text messages in real time, which, while no real substitute for actual applause and cheering, still had a dynamic quality to it as the feed scrolled by displaying dozens and dozens and dozens of submissions.
Another standout in a day of standouts was that this commencement marked the first graduating class of the Makor College Experience, a longstanding collaboration between Yeshiva University and Makor Disability Services that gives young college-aged men with intellectual disability the opportunity to pursue their studies on a college campus.
Because the emphasis, as Peled pointed out, was on applauding “the remarkable achievements of our graduates,” having a keynote speaker was replaced by congratulations and compliments recorded by such notable personalities as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Natan Sharansky (human rights activist), Nancy Spielberg (filmmaker), Eli Beer (founder of United Hatzalah), Judge Ruchie Freier (founder of Ezras Nashim), Sen. Joseph Lieberman, Sivan Rahav-Meir (journalist), Charlie Harary (world-renowned motivational speaker), Isaac Herzog (chair of The Jewish Agency for Israel), Ambassador Danny Ayalon, Mayim Bialik (actress), Tamir Goodman (former pro basketball player) and Bruce Beck (lead sports anchor, WNBC-TV).
YU faculty members also sent in their recorded best wishes for the success and advancement of the Class of 2020.
The ceremony began with a thoughtful and heartfelt benediction by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He believed that Yeshiva University graduates were uniquely well-equipped to prevail over the disruptions caused by the pandemic because the values of their education have given them three things: an internal moral compass to give them proper guidance, a foundation of emotional and spiritual strength that allows them to grow stronger under pressure, and the impulse to rebuild a world greatly in need of repair. He ended by encouraging the graduates to go out into the world as “proud ambassadors” of a great institution.
Rabbi Sacks’ stirring call was followed by soulful renditions of the national anthem and Hatikvah by the acapella singing group, the Maccabeats. Moshael Straus, chairman of the YU Board of Trustees, spoke eloquently about the meaningful impact the graduates will have upon a much-changed world but also noted, in a video tribute to those in the YU community who have passed away, the grief that YU has suffered in losing so many that were so dear to all.
Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University, gave an earnest sermon about the difference between what he called consumer values and covenantal values and how that difference should guide the graduates’ lives.
Consumer values are all about how a transaction, based on due diligence, leads to individual benefit: “First you gain the knowledge,” he noted, “then you make the commitment.”
On the other hand, covenantal values emphasize the risk and vulnerability that come from making a commitment without have a starting point of full knowledge, as often happens in deeply committed relationships among people. Those taking a covenantal approach to life, said Dr. Berman, become involved in “the joy of discovery [and] mystery.”
Transaction versus transformation: this is the core difference Dr. Berman drew between the two approaches to life. While the transactional is necessary to success in life, it is never sufficient. Only the transformational can ensure that that success has meaning and purpose through its emphasis on “resilience, empathy, commitment, loyalty, curiosity, discovery.”
He ended by encouraging the Class of 2020 to keep the course set by the covenantal values that Yeshiva University has given to them as they “live through a challenging time brimming with opportunities. May you find joy in your life, love in your heart and purpose in all that you do.”
The ceremony ended with an upbeat video montage of the graduates hugging their loved ones, dancing and singing, and tossing their mortarboards high into the air.
A recording of the ceremony, along with a photo gallery and a collection of memories, can be found 
