YESHIVA UNIVERSITY

∞ FALL 2014

∞ VOLUME 18 • NO. 4YUTODAY

Ice Bucket Challenge Drenches YU

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Two New Exhibitions at YU Museum

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A Career of Caring: Wurzweiler’s Susan Bendor

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Sy Syms Revamps Curriculum

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Former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieber-man has been appointed the Joseph Lieberman Chair in Public Policy

and Public Service at Yeshiva University for the 2014–2015 academic year. He will teach one undergraduate course and give three public lectures.

The Lieberman Chair was estab-lished through a gift from University benefactors Ira and Ingeborg Rennert, who also gave a gift to support the reap-pointment of Ambassador Danny Ayalon as the Ira and Ingeborg Rennert Visiting Professor of Foreign Policy Studies.

“I am very honored that Yeshiva Uni-versity is establishing this chair, deeply grateful that Ira and Ingeborg Rennert are making it possible and personally surprised that YU and the Rennerts have asked me to be the first occupant of the chair,” said Lieberman. “I am excited about working with the students at YU to engage and inform their interest in public policy and public service.”

Lieberman represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2013, after serving in the Connecticut State Senate for 10 years and as attorney general of Connecticut for six years.

“Joe Lieberman was the first Jew-ish candidate on a national ticket and has become an iconic figure,” said Presi-dent Richard M. Joel. “But he is much more than that. He’s a passionate Jew, a statesman and a man of integrity. And to be able to build on who he is and what he represents is critical to the multifaceted dimensionality that must be Yeshiva.”

Lieberman was awarded an honor-ary doctorate from YU in 1989 and was recently featured in the “Great Conversa-tions in Religion and Democracy” series of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought. n

One night, as Ethan Gipsman—a light machine-gunner in the Is-raeli Defense Force (IDF) from

San Diego, California—stood guard over a group of suspected terrorists in the West Bank, one of them asked him a sur-prising question: What was Ethan, an American, doing there? “He said, ‘Why would you leave your country to come here?’ ” Gipsman recalled.

Gipsman thought about his answer for most of the night before replying in a mixture of Arabic, English and Hebrew.

He said, “There is only one Jewish coun-try in the world. I left America because, as a Jew, I have an obligation to protect it.”

His answer resonates strongly with several Lone Soldiers—enlistees from the United States and other countries around the world who come to Israel to serve in the IDF—who, like Gipsman, began their studies at Yeshiva University this fall.

For Daniel Gofine, a member of the Givati Brigade from Toronto, Ontario, it made no sense that the Israeli friends

This fall, close to 600 new students began their academic careers at Yeshiva Uni-versity. They are learning to balance a rich and vibrant range of academic, ex-tracurricular and spiritual pursuits, dedicating themselves to rigorous Torah

and secular study, discovering their passions, championing their beliefs and forming lasting friendships.

“This is a university like no other,” President Richard M. Joel told the new stu-dents. “Here, you profoundly matter and will not just receive a dual curriculum educa-tion but also learn how to live.” He encouraged students to expand their network of peers and take ownership of their experience at YU.

The student body has dreams of pursuing an array of professional careers in med-

icine, the arts, accounting, law, Jewish studies and education, among other fields. Yet they all chose to attend Yeshiva University, the only in-stitution that offers high-level academics and Judaic studies in addition to endless extracurricular opportunities.

This year’s incoming class is made up of men and women from across the United States, Europe, Canada, Israel and Latin America. Many are starting their first year on campus following a year of Torah study in Israel, but others are beginning their college careers right after graduating high school and still others are joining YU from other universities.

Daniel Amar, of Dimona, Israel, is one of the latter. After two years on an athletic scholarship for soccer at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, he is excited to start his studies in business and marketing at Sy Syms School of Business this fall—a place he describes as the perfect fit.

“To be able to combine my spiritual aspirations with a great edu-cation at one of the top 50 universities in the country is a great oppor-tunity,” said Amar, who is also looking forward to building rapport with his teammates on the YU Maccabees soccer team. “To be able to study economics on the one hand and talk about Maimonides or Gemara [Tal-

mud] on the other hand is extremely fulfilling to me. I know that in any field I choose, the tools I’ll develop from my spiritual and academic pursuits here will help me.”

The top-notch academic offerings are only getting stronger: YU is now in full com-pliance with all the standards of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). In its latest report, MSCHE reaffirmed the University’s unconditional ac-creditation and commended the school for “its tremendous progress in advancing the culture of assessment and for implementation of an organized, systematic and sustain-able process to assess the achievement of expected student-learning outcomes.”

The most recent survey by YU’s Career Center bears testimony to that: More

Joseph Lieberman Joins Faculty IDF Vets Begin Studies at Yeshiva

New Students Find Perfect Fit at YU

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Former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman Having recently completed their IDF service, veterans Shmuel Goldis, Jonathan Sidlow, Daniel Gofine and Ethan Gipsman began their studies at YU this fall

Undergraduate women move into their dorm rooms on the Beren Campus in Manhattan

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The Yeshiva University community mourned the passing of beloved long-

time Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Ger-shon Yankelewitz z”l at an August 20 funeral held in YU’s Glueck Beit Midrash.

“Rabbi Yankelewitz by his nature and learning so repre-sented both our history and our destiny,” said President Richard M. Joel. “For over half a century, he taught his students how to learn and how to live. We will al-ways remember him.”

Born in Lubcza, Poland, in 1909, Rabbi Yankelewitz stud-ied in the Radin Yeshiva until the death of its founder, the Chofetz Chaim. He then con-tinued his studies at the Mir Yeshiva in Russia before being forced to flee from the Nazis at the start of World War II. The entire yeshiva relocated to Kobe, Japan, before eventually settling in Shanghai, China, where they remained until 1947. Rabbi Yankelewitz joined YU in 1958 and has given a daily shiur [lecture] at the Rabbi Isaac El-chanan Theological Seminary

(RIETS) for semicha [rabbinic ordination] and college students for more than five decades.

“Rabbi Yankelewitz was an extraordinary person,” said Rabbi Zevulun Charlop, dean emeritus of RIETS. “He was a man of God and a man of prin-ciple, who brought with him the Torah learning from the great European yeshivas. His students were devoted to him and he was dedicated to them.”

“As someone who was for-tunate enough to be a talmid [student] in his shiur, I saw what type of tzaddik [righteous per-son] he was up close,” said Rabbi Chaim Bronstein, senior RIETS administrator. “It was a great privilege to have known him all these years.”

“It is so far beyond impos-sible to capture who the niftar [deceased] was, not just because of the longevity of the niftar or the many worlds that he lived in but simply because of who he was,” said Rabbi Menachem Penner, the Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS. “It’s easy to focus today on the arichas

yamim [long life] of the niftar, to say that what was so special about him was that he had such unbelievable arichas yamim and was still teaching at Yeshiva. But the hespedim [eulogies] give us a sense of not just how many years he was blessed to teach but mostly just how he taught and learned.”

Rabbi Yankelewitz’s wife, Bluma, passed away in 2010. He is survived by his sons, Dovid, Yaakov, Yoel and Moshe, and his daughters, Devorah Fromowitz, Gity Lipsius and Perl Gross, and their spouses and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. n

YUTODAYYESHIVA UNIVERSITY

∞ FALL 2014

∞ VOLUME 18 • NO. 4

DR. HENRY KRESSEL Chairman, YU Board of Trustees

RICHARD M. JOEL President

PAUL OESTREICHER Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs

YUTODAY

MATT YANIV YAFFI SPODEK GISEL PINEYRO Director of Public Relations, Editor Art Director Editor in Chief

Aliza Berenholz, Barbara Birch, Caitlin Geiger, Perel Skier Hecht, Linda Hsia, David Huggins, Tova Ross, Ronit Segal, Adena Stevens

Contributors

yutoday@yu.edu www.yu.edu/cpa

YUToday is published quarterly by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs and is distrib uted free to faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and friends. It keeps them informed of news from across Yeshiva University’s undergraduate and graduate divisions and affiliates. The quarterly newsletter covers academic and campus life, faculty and student research, com-munity outreach and philanthropic support. It showcases the University’s mission of Torah Umadda, the combination of Jewish study and values with secular learning, through stories

about the diverse achievements of the University community.

© Yeshiva University 2014 • Office of Communications and Public Affairs Furst Hall, Room 401 • 500 West 185th St. • New York, NY 10033-3201 • Tel.: 212.960.5285

Stanley I. Raskas, Chair, Board of Overseers, Yeshiva College; Shira Yoshor, Chair, Board of Overseers, Stern College for Women; Steve Uretsky, Chair, Board of Overseers, Sy Syms School of Business; Roger Einiger, Chair, Board of Overseers, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; David Samson, Chair, Board of Overseers, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Froma Benerofe, Chair, Board of Overseers, Wurzweiler School of Social Work; Mordecai D. Katz, Chair, Board of Overseers, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies; Carol Bravmann, Chair, Board of Overseers, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology; Moshael J. Straus, Chair, Board of Overseers, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration; Joel M. Schreiber, Chair, Board of Trustees, (affiliate) Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary; Miriam P. Goldberg, Chair, Board of Trustees, YU High Schools; Michael Jesselson and Theodore N. Mirvis, Co-chairs, Board of Directors, (affiliate) Yeshiva University Museum

Board listings as of October 1, 2014

YUTODAY WEB EXCLUSIVES

www.yu.edu/news

Ice Bucket Challenge Drenches YU President Richard M. Joel, students, vice presidents, deans and

faculty took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge this summer. The global

phenomenon has helped raise awareness and more than $100 million

to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a life-threatening neuro-

degenerative disorder. Watch their videos!

k yu.edu/als

View the 2014 orientation photo galleryk yu.edu/orientation14

PHOTO

VIDEO

Making His Mark

Abraham “Abe” Naymark z”l was a self-made mul-timillionaire, but one

would never know it. Low key and unpretentious until his passing last January, Naymark was also a shrewd businessman and a tough negotiator—traits that helped him achieve a small fortune in his lifetime. A gener-ous philanthropist, Naymark has helped numerous students and faculty members at Sy Syms School of Business through the establishment of an eponymous scholarship fund and the Visit-ing Faculty and Research Fel-lowship Program. In total, he donated $2.25 million to YU while he was living as well as through gifts given from his es-tate posthumously.

“Abe was the type of guy

who wouldn’t spend $100 on himself, but would gladly give a $1 million check to charity,” said Michael Strauss, associate dean of Sy Syms, who shared a close personal relationship with him. “He was a mentor to me, like a father figure, and a real mensch with a truly unique personality.”

Naymark was born in Ger-many in 1924 and moved to Israel with his family in 1938. Although he had no formal edu-cation past third grade, Naymark eventually served as the owner of Parsons Properties and ac-cumulated his wealth when he was in his 60s and 70s through the purchase and sale of several buildings.

In 2007, Naymark estab-lished a charitable remainder trust with a $250,000 contri-bution that provided him with a predictable income stream during his lifetime and funded a Naymark Scholarship at Sy Syms upon his passing. He sub-sequently donated an additional $750,000, a pledge made during his lifetime and partially ful-filled by his estate.

“He didn’t have any chil-dren and always wanted a son, so he donated the money for students with good academic standing who wouldn’t have been able to attend due to finan-

cial reasons,” said Strauss. Naymark was awarded an

honorary doctorate from Presi-dent Richard M. Joel at YU’s commencement ceremony in 2013. He also donated six Marc Chagall window paintings from Israel, which now hang on the third floor of 215 Lexington Av-enue on the Israel Henry Beren Campus.

When Naymark passed away last winter, his estate—of which Strauss is a trustee—granted a $1.25 million bequest to YU, a testamentary gift that was received in June and estab-lished the Abraham Naymark Visiting Faculty and Research Fellowship Program at Sy Syms.

“Gifts given like this through a trust or estate can allow people to make a big im-pact during their lifetime or after,” said Alan Secter, associate dean for institutional advance-ment. “Planned gift strategies can help provide for donors’ needs during their lifetimes and enable them to leave incredible legacies to organizations they care deeply about. By funding these scholarships and programs in his name, Mr. Naymark’s gifts will live on after him.” n

k Learn more about planned giving at YU at yu.edu/plannedgiving

Abraham “Abe” Naymark

Rabbi Gershon Yankelewitz

From Radin to RIETS: YU Remembers Rabbi Gershon Yankelewitz

YU Benefactor Donates $2.25 Million, Leaves Lasting Legacy at Sy Syms

YUTODAY 3

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Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and other in-stitutions have developed a poten-

tial antibody therapy for Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), one of the two most lethal strains of Ebola. A different strain, the Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV), is now devas-tating West Africa. First identified in 1976, SUDV has caused numerous Ebola outbreaks that have killed more than 400 people in total. The findings were re-ported in the American Chemical Soci-ety’s (ACS) Chemical Biology publication.

As of the end of September, at least 3,000 people had died from the current EBOV outbreak. Two U.S. aid workers infected in that outbreak received an experimental treatment called ZMapp, a combination of three different mono-clonal antibodies that bind to the protein of the virus. The newly described SUDV treatment also uses monoclonal anti-bodies, in this case synthetic antibodies designed to target a key molecule on the surface of SUDV.

“While our antibodies show promise for the treatment of SUDV infection, they wouldn’t work against the EBOV outbreak now underway in West Africa,” said Dr. Jonathan Lai, associate professor of bio-chemistry at Einstein and co-correspond-ing author of the ACS Chemical Biology

paper. “That’s because antibodies that kill off one strain, or species, of Ebola haven’t proven effective against other strains.”

In developing their SUDV therapy, the researchers started with specific antibodies made by mice. These antibodies pro-tect the animals against SUDV infection, but if used in humans, could provoke an immune re-sponse that would destroy them. Needing a “humanized” version of their mouse antibody, the re-searchers realized that its molec-ular structure closely resembled the structure of a commonly used human antibody.

The researchers used that human antibody as a scaffold onto which they placed the Ebola-specific portion of the mouse antibody. They then made variants of the resulting mol-ecule by subtly changing the structure in different ways using a process called “synthetic antibody engineering.” Two of these variants proved able to fend off SUDV in specially bred mice.

“These two monoclonal antibodies represent potential candidates for treat-ing SUDV infection,” said Dr. Lai. He

noted that more research is needed be-fore the antibody therapy can be tested on humans.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. n

Sy Syms Revamps Curriculum

Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business launched a new cur-riculum and a new major in busi-

ness intelligence and marketing analytics this fall.

Incorporating state-of-the-art tech-nique in modern business education phi-losophy, the new curriculum is designed to grant students the flexibility to create a unique customized educational expe-rience perfectly tailored to suit their ca-reer interests. “There’s a recognition now that we are all entrepreneurs of our own careers,” said Dr. Moses Pava, dean of Sy Syms. “We believe that this new and ex-citing curriculum, with its continued em-phasis on communication skills, critical thinking, functional skills, entrepreneur-ial leadership, professionalism, social re-sponsibility and ethics will be attractive to both current and prospective students and will provide them with the education

necessary to succeed both professionally and personally in today’s fast-changing, interconnected global economy.”

“Students can focus intensely on one functional area if they so wish or ground themselves in fields across the breadth of the business world,” said Dr. Avi Giloni, associate dean of Sy Syms. “They could also easily have a major and minor—an area of expertise and an additional focus–and if they really want to differentiate themselves, it becomes much easier to double major. We’re giving them the tools to shape their education and sculpt their own careers.”

Changes include making two exist-ing operations management and macro-economics requirements interchangeable with any two liberal arts or business elec-tives in addition to fewer required courses and more electives in most majors.

Reflecting one of the fastest-grow-

ing career paths in the modern business world, the school is also rolling out a newly designed management concentra-tion and a new major in business intel-ligence and marketing analytics. These will combine course work in computer programming, statistics and data science, with a solid foundation in marketing strategy and consumer insights.

“This will make our students very marketable when they graduate be-cause they will have the skill set that so many firms are looking for,” said Giloni. “They’ll be able to better market a firm’s current services and goods and help them determine what products to create next.”

“The benefits of these changes in-clude providing students with more flexibility and better choices,” said Pava. “This meets the needs of a diverse stu-dent population and enables more effi-cient course scheduling, more relevant concentrations for today’s data-driven and entrepreneurial business environ-ment and greater opportunity to inte-grate liberal arts and business.”

Several new courses were offered in the fall, including Business Analytics and Programming, Systematic and Inven-tive Thinking, Social Media and Business Intelligence and Consumer Insights. In addition, all Sy Syms students are now required to take Business and Halacha, a course that provides an overview of Jewish ethics as applied to the business world. “That’s the reason we have a busi-ness school at Yeshiva University,” said Pava. “I’m very proud that all our students learn the urgency of ethical conduct as Jews in the business world.” n

Einstein’s Dr. Jonathan Lai

Yeshiva University will introduce a new Master of Science degree program in Speech-Language Pa-

thology (SLP) in fall 2015. Students will have the opportunity to learn from the experienced clinicians and faculty of the Montefiore Health System and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and will have access to resources at both institu-tions. The program is approved by the State of New York Department of Higher Education and is seeking Accreditation Candidacy with the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Associa-tion (ASHA). The official opening date is pending CAA accreditation.

The five-semester graduate pro-gram is designed to prepare students to become speech-language pathologists who are capable of working in hospitals, rehabilitative centers, university or col-lege clinics, specialized clinical settings or private practice. The program was developed by Dr. Linda Carroll, a speech pathologist in the Department of Otolar-yngology at Montefiore Medical Center, who will serve as director. Dr. Carroll is also an experienced voice therapist and was recently named a Fellow of ASHA.

The program is dedicated to pro-viding a first-rate academic experience, outstanding clinical education opportu-nities and collaborative management of disorders across the life span that affect speech, language, cognition, voice and swallow function.

“YU’s tradition of scholarship and professional excellence coupled with the clinical and research experience at Mon-tefiore and Einstein is a perfect match for a dynamic graduate program in speech-language pathology,” said Dr. Carroll. “We are thrilled that our institutions are coming together for the benefit of our students and those affected by communi-cative disorders.”

Integrating academic training and collaborative teaching by speech-lan-guage and medical professionals, the program offers students the unique op-portunity to learn and gain clinical ex-perience in the world-class facilities of the Montefiore Medical Center, as well as at numerous other externship sites throughout New York City.

“This is a natural marriage between the undergraduate speech pathology and audiology program, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore,” said Dr. Joseph Danto, professor and cross-campus chair of the undergraduate speech and hearing sciences program at YU. “It’s rare for graduate programs in Speech-Language Pathology to be con-nected to a medical institution. Our stu-dents will be able to employ hands-on, state-of-the-art learning in virtual oper-ating rooms, major voice clinics and med-ical school anatomical laboratories.” n

k To learn more about the program or to apply, visit yu.edu/slp

YU to Launch Master’s Program in SpeechPathology

Einstein Researchers Create Potential Antibody for Ebola

Sy Syms Associate Dean Dr. Avi Giloni is helping students shape their majors

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A Career of Caring: Wurzweiler’s Dr. Susan Bendor

Over half a century after she began her career as a social worker, Dr. Susan Bendor will retire in Janu-

ary, capping off 26 years at Yeshiva Uni-versity’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work and a remarkable 52 years in the field.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Bendor survived the Holocaust as a young child by hiding in a cellar for nine months. By the time she was 21, she had lived in six

countries, and by 25, she had earned her master’s degree. Her interest in social work can be traced back to her family’s early years in Canada.

“Thanks to a wonderful hospital so-cial worker who helped our immigrant family through a very rough crisis, giving all of us a sense of hope, I realized how im-portant and satisfying it must be to make such a difference in the lives of families coping with a variety of challenges beyond their control,” said Bendor. “I decided to follow in his footsteps. It was a privilege to enter a profession that is committed to social justice and to treating everyone with dignity, as were the individuals who saved our lives during World War II and continue to inspire me even today.”

Bendor has served in numerous pro-fessional capacities in her storied career. From being a foster care worker at the Jewish Child Care Association, a consul-tant to the Federal Office of Economic Opportunity, a Head Start consultant, a psychiatric social worker in various hos-pitals and health settings, director of so-cial work at Molloy College and associate director of the Department of Social Ser-vices at Montefiore Medical Center, she

held a wide range of responsibilities and experienced multiple facets of the social work field before joining YU in the 1980s.

“I thought it was time for me to stim-ulate another generation of young stu-dents to appreciate the leadership positions social workers can take on if they have a broader vision of the profes-sion,” she said, explaining her decision to come to YU. “I chose YU because it was one of the few schools that taught all of the major methods in social work, case-work, group work and community work, which I thought all students should be-come familiar with.”

Bendor held several positions at Wurzweiler, starting out as the director of Field Instruction, where she enjoyed the challenge of helping students expand their areas of interest and go beyond their comfort zones by working with different populations. In 1995, at the urging of then Dean Sheldon Gelman and Dr. Norman Linzer, Bendor assumed a full-time teach-ing position, where she continued for the next 19 years, enlightening hundreds of students who attended her classes.

“My philosophy of teaching is best conveyed in a quotation frequently at-

tributed to the Irish poet William Butler Yeats, who wrote: ‘Education is not the fill-ing of a pail, but the lighting of a fire,’ ’’ she said. “In whatever course I teach, I love to light the fire for the quest for good practice, compassion, a passion for justice and for putting on a new lens to examine the myths and stereotypes both students and faculty acquire over a lifetime.”

That fiery passion has made a last-ing impression on her students and col-leagues alike at Wurzweiler.

“I have known Susan Bendor for al-most my entire professional career,” said Dr. Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, the Dorothy and David Schachne Dean of Wurzweiler. “I admired her from afar as a director of field work, a teacher, a leader in the social work profession and as a passionate ad-vocate for all people especially the most vulnerable members of our society. Dr. Bendor is the conscience of Wurzweiler, frequently reminding us to attend rallies, write letters to our elected officials and to vote each year. Her classes are always full and countless numbers of students have been inspired by her dedication, deter-mination and active involvement in many causes to follow in her footsteps.” n

Recent Appointments

Liora Haibi, Hebrew language instructor at Yeshiva University High School for Boys/Marsha Stern Talmu-dical Academy (MTA) was named one of only six North American winners of the Grinspoon Award for Excel-lence in Jewish Education.

Presented by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the award is designed to recognize, honor and support outstanding classroom Jewish educators worthy of national recognition. North American winners receive a stipend, opportunities to publish in Engaging Practices in Jewish Education and fully funded visits to attend the NewCAJE conference in Los Angeles, California.

“Besides being a great personal honor, the Grinspoon Award is a confirmation of the importance of Hebrew language instruction for the American Jewish community,” said Haibi. “My lifelong quest in my profession is to find innovative and 21st-century ways to motivate and improve Hebrew language instruction.”

Haibi was also recognized as a regional winner of the award and has implemented several unique Hebrew language instruction programs at MTA, including an Ulpan class and an innovative Meet the Israeli Author elective in which students regularly communicate via Skype with a noted Israeli writer whose works they study.

“Ms. Haibi has transformed the Hebrew language classroom at MTA,” said Tova Rosenberg, director of Hebrew language at MTA. “Her creativity, breadth and depth of knowledge in her subject matter and pedagogical skills and her passion for students and their learning make her a gold standard for Jewish educators.”

MTA Instructor Wins Grinspoon Award in Jewish Education

Jacob “Jake” Harman was appointed vice president of business affairs and chief financial officer. He will lead the University’s finance functions and play an integral role in developing and imple-menting financial and operational plans to support and meet the strategic goals set by the University. Prior to joining YU, Harman spent his career at KPMG, where he most recently served as a se-nior audit partner in the firm’s Office of General Counsel.

Geri Mansdorf has been appointed di-rector of undergraduate admissions. Mansdorf, who holds a master’s degree in education from the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Admin-istration, has been a member of the un-dergraduate admissions team at YU for 10 years.

Dr. Paul Oestreicher was appointed executive director of Yeshiva University’s De-partment of Communications and Public Affairs. He will oversee the in-house com-munications staff, manage the University’s brand and messaging and liaise with the communications teams at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Oestreicher, an accomplished strategic communications practi-tioner, educator, researcher and author, has held senior executive positions in public relations and public affairs at several corporations and agencies. Most recently, he con-sulted in corporate and marketing communications and served as adjunct professor at New York University.

Rabbi Yaakov Glasser ’99YC, ’01R, ’03A was appointed the David Mitzner Dean of Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF). He will oversee all the per-sonnel and programming initiatives at the CJF, including training rabbis and lay lead-ers, spreading Torah to communities worldwide and running programs and service missions across North America and beyond.

“It is a great privilege to assume the leadership of an institution dedicated to bring-ing the Torah and wisdom of Yeshiva University to the broader Jewish community,” said Rabbi Glasser. “In a generation where so many are searching for inspiration and meaning, the CJF innovates programs that empower both rabbinic and lay leaders to reach our community and beyond.”

Rabbi Glasser also serves as rabbi of the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton. Before joining YU, he was the international director of education for NCSY and regional direc-tor of New Jersey NCSY.

Dr. Susan Bendor will retire in January

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When a calamity hits the Jewish community, one of the first respond-ers is Zahava (Safran) Farbman ’90YUHS, ’94S, ’96W. A veteran traumatologist and the associate director of Project CHAI—the

Crisis Intervention, Trauma and Bereavement Department of Chai Lifeline—Farbman has helped counsel and comfort hundreds of people experiencing tragedy. It’s a calling, she said, that has roots in Yeshiva University.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Safran home was run with a strict “all are welcome” policy.

“Helping people was a very natural part of my upbringing,” said Farbman, whose family moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, when she started high school.

“My father was the rabbi of the shul and principal of the day school. My mother started the initiative Friends of Jewish Patients, which welcomes the numer-ous people who come to Pittsburgh for surgery, as Pittsburgh pioneered the procedure of transplanting organs. I had patients and their families living in my house for months on end, and I imbibed a lot of my parents’ dedication to the community early on.”

When it came time for college, Farbman said the decision to attend Stern College for Women was a no-brainer.

“I come from a YU family through and through,” said Farbman. Her father, a Yeshiva College graduate, was the principal of the Samuel H. Wang Yeshiva University High School for Girls; her paternal grandfather, Rabbi Joseph Safran, taught at YU; and her maternal grandfather, Rabbi Jacob Rabinowitz, was a dean of the Erna Michael College of Hebraic Studies. Her mother also taught a class at Stern. “YU is in the family blood,” she said.

At Stern, Farbman majored in psychology. She dated her husband, Seth Farbman ’89YUHS, ’93YC, ’98C while they were undergraduates, and the two got married a semester before Farbman’s graduation. They moved to Brook-lyn, New York, and Farbman enrolled at Wurzweiler School of Social Work.

“I had initially planned on studying psychology, but Seth was already in law school and someone needed to be working,” said Farbman. “I discovered Wurzweiler’s PEP [Plan for Employed Persons], which allowed professionals to work during the day and take classes at night. Social work was a switch for me, but I found that I loved it and never looked back.”

Farbman was working with families through OHEL’s Bais Ezra pro-gram in Brooklyn, which services the developmentally disabled, and stayed there for a few years after graduating Wurzweiler. In the summer of 1997, she worked as the program director for Camp Simcha, a camp for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. When the fall arrived and Farbman

decided to leave Bais Ezra, the first place she turned to was Chai Lifeline. As luck would have it, Rabbi Simcha Scholar, the director, was looking for some-one to fill the newly created position of assistant director of Camp Simcha. Farbman was a natural fit.

“At the time, my job was the only full-time position at camp,” said Farb-man. “I did a lot of networking with families and recruiting campers during the year in addition to helping run the camp during the summer.”

The job only grew more time consuming as the camp kept growing. “I was at camp almost a decade, but when camp got so big, it was either the job or my kids,” said Farbman, who had three small children at the time, “and my kids won.”

But she still wanted to find a way to contribute. When Chai Lifeline announced in 2002 that it was establishing a department for crisis inter-vention and bereavement counseling, it proved the perfect transition for Farbman. “Rabbi Scholar saw a real need for a department devoted to coun-seling families in the Jewish community who experienced the loss of a child whether from sickness or accident,” said Farbman.

What started as a part-time job has once again grown to involve more hours than Farbman had originally planned. The department grew by leaps and bounds, developing a reputation as the most professional and all-encom-passing resource for those experiencing a tragic loss. When Leiby Kletzky was murdered in Boro Park, New York, Farbman and Chai Lifeline were there. When Hurricane Sandy hit, they were there. And when the recent shootings occurred at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, they were there.

“There is really no crisis or trauma in the Jewish community today that my department is not involved in—whether it’s a family experiencing a sick child, a sudden death or a natural disaster,” said Farbman. “We are known as the go-to resource in the community whenever there is any kind of crisis.”

To deal with such devastation day in and day out, it’s easy for others to wonder how she does it.

“I believe that each person has his or her strengths, and one of mine is to be able to give strength to others during very difficult times,” said Farbman. “I feel strongly that I am doing God’s work, and I pray often to be a good shaliach (messenger) for Him when I am called on to do my job. I feel both called and blessed to do this kind of work, and before walking into any situation, I always take a moment to pray for wisdom and strength.”

And no matter how public or private or how big the scale or scope, every tragedy is monumental to those experiencing it, and to Farbman as well. “They all stay with me,” said Farbman. “I see it all, and each one touches me deeply.”

Farbman’s department regularly runs presentations and workshops to train others in the community to become first responders to the scene of a crisis. When advising others on how to respond to tragedy, the best advice Farbman can give is this: validate.

“When faced with someone’s suffering, it’s so important to validate how-ever that person or family is responding and coping with their situation,” said Farbman. “There’s no right or wrong way to grieve, no one-size-fits-all way to cope with crisis.”

Farbman’s unique role has her keeping unorthodox hours; she is often woken up in the middle of the night with a phone call informing her of a sud-den crisis. Farbman credits her husband, Seth, for accomodating her hectic schedule and offering her unlimited emotional support for her challenging work. She also acknowledges her seven children, ranging from ages four to 18, who are proud of their mother’s ability to help so many. “I think of my 10- year-old who last year told a friend: ‘Ima helps people deal when some-thing bad happens to someone they love,’ ” she said. “My kids know how important my work is, and I’m grateful to them for letting me do it.”

Farbman, who lives in Woodmere, New York, is a responder for men-tal health emergencies for Hatzolah of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway and is also the consultant for crisis and bereavement for Achiezer, A T.I.M.E. (A Torah Infertility Medium of Exchange) and Ohr Naava.

Recently, Farbman returned to YU to attend Wurzweiler again—this time, for her PhD. “It feels odd yet familiar to be back at school, but of course there was nowhere else for me to consider than YU,” she said. She noted that it was exactly 18 years—the numerical value of the Hebrew word chai, or life—from the day she graduated with her master’s degree to the day she interviewed for the doctoral program. Farbman is also working to create a partnership between her department at Chai Lifeline and YU to offer a ser-vice that trains YU rabbis, communal leaders and lay leaders to respond to trauma in their respective communities. n

Zahava Farbman ’90YUHS, ’94S, ’96W

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When Crisis Strikes, Zahava Farbman is on Call

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Marcia ’66S and Rabbi Yitzchak Frank ’61YC, ’65F, ’65R announce the birth of their grandson. Mazal tov to parents Le’a and Uriel Frank. Rabbi and Mrs. Frank also celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter, Na’omi.

Frieda and former YU Institutional Advancement President Rabbi Dr. Henry Horwitz ’66YC, ’69R, ’69BR and Netty and Elliot Horowitz and Steven Gross celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their grandson, Yonatan Refael Catriel. Mazal tov to parents Ayala and Yossie Horwitz.

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg ’69YC, ’74R, ’74F, ’92A published The Holocaust As Seen Through Film: A Teacher’s Guide To Movies, Documentaries, And Short Films

That Will Impact Your Students And Spark Dynamic Classroom Discussion (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014).

Libby ’55YUHS and Rabbi Aharon Ziegler ’67F celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their great-grandson, Mordechai Drillick.

1970s

Dr. Meryl Altabet ’76BS, ’84BS and Robert Fried celebrated the marriage of their son, Rabbi David Fried, to Molly Katancik.

Sharon ’72S and Rabbi Shimon Altshul ’72YC, ’76R, ’76F announce the marriage of their daughter, Esty, to Hillel Garcia Austria.

Dr. Allan S. Kaplan ’70YUHS, ’74YC was named vice dean of graduate education on the faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto. He is also professor of psychiatry

and senior scientist at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health.

Abraham J. Katz ’75YC edited and annotated the new edition of the book, The Guide to Jewish Prayer by Rabbi Isaiah Wohlgemuth z”l, which includes lessons in Tefila and answers to

questions that Rabbi Wohlgemuth heard from Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik z”l.

Nava Rephun ’76W presented a training workshop on Image Relationship Therapy, an approach to working with couples, to the clinical staff of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in Brooklyn, New York.

Yehudit ’75TI and Dr. Moshe Spero announce the birth of their grandson. Mazal tov to parents Jennie and Chezi Spero.

Esther (Gleicher) ’75YUHS and Rabbi Mark Weiner ’76YC, ’79F, ’80R announce the engagement of their son, Aryeh, to Rivkah Leah Kunin. Rabbi Weiner has also retired from U.S. Army Reserve chaplaincy as a lieutenant colonel.

1980s Amy and Rabbi Mitchell Ackerson ’86R, ’89W, announce the marriage of their son, Avidan, to Sara Baumgarten.

Adena Berkowitz ’85C was a featured speaker at a conference at DePaul University College of Law, as well as at St. Thomas University School of Law and the Chicago Jewish Federation.

Cheryl (Rochwarger) ’84S and Yechiel Corn ’80YUHS, ’83YC announce the engagement of their son, Tzvi, to Adi Chazan. Mazal tov to grandmother Dr. Juliana Corn ’83F.

Tamar ’88S, ’89A and Marc Lesnick ’88YC celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Amichai.

Natanya ’86S and Rabbi Daniel Mann ’86YC, ’89R announce the birth of their grandson, Avraham Tropp.

Rabbi Francis Nataf ’87BR, ’88R spoke at Congregation Ramath Orah in June on “No Man is for All Seasons—The Real Reason Moshe Couldn’t Cross the Jordan.”

Aviva ’82S and Joe Offenbacher ’76YUHS, ’79YC and Robin and Bruce Epstein announce the birth of their grandson, Michael Baruch Tzvi, born to Esther and Rafi Offenbacher. Mazal tov to great-grandparents Judith ’57YUHS, ’61S and Rabbi Irwin Borvick ’53YUHS, ’57YC, ’60BR, ’60R and Esther and Elmer Offenbacher.

Dr. Esther ’86S, ’95F and Rabbi Meir Orlian ’83YUHS, ’87YC, ’90R, ’93BR announce the birth of their granddaughter, Tzophia, born to Sara and Avrahami Rosenberg of Bet-El. Mazal tov to great-grandparents Associate Dean of Stern College for Women Ethel (Chaya) Orlian ’57 YUHS, ’61S and Professor of Bible and Hebrew Rabbi Dr. J. Mitchell Orlian ’51YUHS, ’55YC, ’57F, ’73BR and Dr. Riki and Dr. Mordecai Koenigsberg ’59YC, ’63A.

Diane Romirowsky ’81W is major gifts director for the Northeast region for American Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, serving greater New York and New England.

Smadar, assistant professor of Bible, and Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Michael Rosensweig ’80YC, ’80R, ’86W, ’96BR announce the marriage of their daughter, Ayalah, to Chanan Freilich ’14YC. Mazal tov to grandfather, Rabbi Beryl Rosensweig ’47YC, ’50R, ’70BR.

Alisa and Rabbi Allen Schwartz ’85YC, ’86R, ’97BR announce the birth of two grandchildren: Sarah, born to Amy ’02YUHS and Rabbi Joel Bloom ’05YC, ’09A, ’10R; and Tehilla Chaya Sarah, born to Renee (Kestenbaum) ’12S and Moshe Schwartz ’06YUHS.

Deborah ’84S, ’86W and Rabbi Raphael Schwartz ’83BR, ’83R celebrated the marriage of their son, Maurice, to Dina Honick.

Berni and Rabbi Lawrence Zierler ’82YC, ’85R announce the marriage of their daughter, Dorona, to Gadi Braude.

1990s Rabbi Hayyim Angel ’93YC, ’93BR, ’95R, ’96A, instructor of Bible at Yeshiva University, is the National Scholar of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals and Rabbinic Scholar at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun.

Shoshana (Levitz) ’91S and Steven Arnold ’91SB celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Binyamin. Mazal tov to grandparents Shirley (Roy) Lerner ’64S, ’66F and Ruth and Phil Levitz ’60YUHS.

Rochelle and Rabbi David Blum ’95YC, ’01R announce the birth of their daughter, Sheindel Chaya, named after Rabbi Blum’s late mother, Sheila Blum z”l.

Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider ’94R published a haggadah, The Night That Unites Passover Haggadah: Teaching, Stories, Questions from Rabbi Kook, Rabbi

Soloveichik, and Rabbi Carlebach (Urim Publications, 2014).

Adeena ’90S and Rabbi Menachem Penner ’91YC, ’95R, the Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS, announce the marriage of their daughter, Elisheva, to Ben Langstein.

Dr. Dale Rosenbach ’99YUHS, ’03YC has been appointed to both the editorial advisory and continuing education advisory boards for Dentaltown Magazine.

Daniella (Shloush) ’94S, ’96A and Rabbi Joshua Rudoff ’84YUHS, ’87YC, ’91R celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Shmuel.

Rabbi Kenny Schiowitz ’96SB, ’99R, ’01A published new edu-cational guides for Talmud instructors called Madrikh La-Moreh (OU Press, 2014), currently available for Tractates

Berakhot, Sanhedrin and Sukkah.

Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Schnall ’95YUHS, ’00YC, ’02F, ’03R, ’06F, professor of psychology at Yeshiva College, chaired a symposium at the 122nd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in

Washington DC, entitled “Classic Jewish Wisdom for Psychology’s Teachers, Researcher, and Clinicians.” Rabbi Schnall also authored “Barriers to Mental Health Care: A 25-Year Follow-Up Study of the Orthodox Jewish Community,” published in the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, as well as a monograph published by the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, entitled “Positive Psychology in Jewish Education” on integrating positive psychology into Jewish day school curricula.

Rabbi Moshe Strauch ’92YC married Devora Widman ’01S.

YOUR NEWS IS OUR NEWS! Class Notes is where Yeshiva University celebrates the milestones and accomplishments of its alumni. In this section, you can catch up on everything your classmates have been up to over the years, from marriages and births to professional and personal achievements.

Submit your class note by emailing alumni@yu.edu with the subject line “Class Notes” or by visiting www.yu.edu/alumni/notes to complete the online form. We hope that you enjoy reading about your fellow alumni and friends, and we look forward to hearing about your achievements.

1950s

Dr. Seymour Hoffman ’52YUHS, ’56YC, ’58F edited Reader for the Orthodox Jewish Psychotherapist: Issues, Case Studies, and Contemporary Responsa (Golden Sky Books, 2014).

Chair of the YU Board of Trustees Dr. Henry Kressel ’55YC married Rina Uziel.

Elke ’59YUHS and Nachman Kupietzky ’55YUHS, ’59YC and Dr. Judi ’63YUHS and Rabbi Harris Guedalia, Hilda Cohen and Dr. Henry Goldblum announce the engagement of their grandson, Chanan Kupietzky to Sophie Taub. Mazal Tov to parents Allison and Dr. Ari Kupietzky, Zehava and Ambassador Daniel Taub and to great-grandmother, Els Bendheim.

1960s

Rabbi Abba Engelberg ’65YC, ’68R published The Ethics of Genesis (Kodesh Press, 2014).

Dr. Howard R. Feldman ’62YUHS published Invertebrate Paleontology (Mesozoic) of Israel and Adjacent Countries with Emphasis on the Brachiopoda (Academic Studies Press, 2013).

CLASSNOTES

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Shafrira ’90YUHS, ’93S and Ben Wiener ’88YUHS, ’92YC, ’97R and Orit ’95A and Jan Wimpfheimer ’86YUHS, ’89YC celebrated the marriage of their children Aliza and Yair. Mazal tov to grandparents Debby (Bendheim) ’67YUHS and Barry Eisenberg ’64YUHS, ’68YC, ’72BR, ’72R, Malka and Moshe Schwartz, Abby ’64YUHS and Alan Wiener ’64YUHS, and Susanne and Michael Wimpfheimer ’61YUHS and to the great-grandparents, Els Bendheim, Chaim Cohen, Eleanor Fletcher and Shirley Levy.

Shoshana ’98YUHS, ’02S and Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz ’09BR announce the birth of their son, Meir Lev Kook. Mazal tov to grandparents Helene and Rabbi Kenneth Stein ’67YUHS, ’71YC, ’75R, ’76BR.

2000s

Yael ’07S and Rabbi Michael Bleicher ’14W have been installed as the rebbetzin and rabbi of the Elmora Hills Minyan in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Adam Caplan ’07SB married Melissa Sheps. Mazal tov to parents, Lori (Bitterman) ’82S and Jonathan Caplan ’81YC.

Shira ’03S and Rabbi Avi Heller ’02R, ’02BR celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Nadav.

Dr. Cesar Garces ’02W pubished Social Work in the Hospital Setting: Interventions (Trafford, 2013) in English and Spanish.

Rachel (Itzkowitz) ’05YUHS and Bryan Salamon ’13W announce the birth of their son, Ethan Bernard Salamon.

Aviva ’00S and Rabbi Robert Shur ’01YC, ’05R announce the birth of their son, Ariel Moshe.

Atara (Tambor) ’07YUHS and Nachum Joel ’05YUHS, ’11YC announce the birth of their son, Aiden Alexander. Mazal tov

to grandparents, Dr. Esther ’83F and President Richard M. Joel ’68YUHS.

Sherry and Rabbi Moshe Winograd ’08YC, ’11R announce the birth of their son, Akiva Shlomo.

2010s Meira ’13W and Rabbi Gershon Albert ’12SB announce the birth of their daughter, Sarah Hodaya. Mazal tov to grandparents Miriam ’90S and Rabbi Perry Tirschwell ’85YC, ’89R.

Michael Brandwein ’10YC was noted in the Times of Israel for his research on ways to prevent slime on foods by genetically blocking bacterial biofilm.

Yaira Dubin ’10S was hired to be a 2015 Supreme Court clerk for Justice Elana Kagan.

Shoshana ’10S, ’12A and Rabbi Avraham Engelson ’07SB announce the birth of their son, Yehuda Aryeh. Mazal tov to grandparents, Brenda and Rabbi Darren Blackstein ’78R, ’83YC.

Shmuel Lamm ’10YUHS married Sara Lamar ’14S. Mazal tov to parents Tina ’83S and Yeshiva College Board member Shalom Lamm ’81YC and Heidi and Steve Lamar; and to grandparents Mindy and

YU Board of Trustee Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm ’49YC, ’51R, ’66BR.

Adam Neuman ’13YC announced his engagement to Tammie Senders ’13S. Mazal tov to parents Debra and Dr. Shelly Senders ’78YC, ’79BR, ’83A

and Barbara and Craig Neuman and to grandparents Audrey ’54YUHS, ’58S and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein ’58R, ’65BR, ’79BR and Mike Senders ’42YUHS, ’46YC.

Shifra and Tzvi Pfeffer ’11SB announce the birth of their son, Avraham Yisrael Gedalia. Mazal tov to grandparents Rivkie and Rabbi Moshe Rosenbaum and great grandparents Judy ’58YUHS, ’62S and Rabbi Yitzchak Rosenbaum ’60YC, ’62R, ’63BR.

Elliot Shavalian ’14YC was appointed assistant director of undergraduate admissions at Yeshiva University.

In Memoriam Rabbi Sidney Berger ’51YUHS, ’55R, ’55YCDr. Sam Hartstein ’43YCRyan Avraham Khaldar ’12SBRabbi Saul Klausner ’53YCDr. David J. Lando ’64YCDr. Moshe Lieberman ’57YCMiriam Rosner Nusbacher ’56YUHS, ’60SMartin Schnall ’51YUHS, ’55YCRosh Yeshiva Rabbi Gershon YankelewitzRabbi Dr. Abraham N. Zuroff ’41YC, ’44R, ’66BR

Legend for school abbreviations:

A: Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration • BR: Bernard Revel Graduate School • BS: Belfer Graduate School of Science • BZ: Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music • C: Cardozo School of Law • E : Albert Einstein College of Medicine • F: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology • R: Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • S: Stern College for Women • SB: Sy Syms School of Business • TI: Teacher’s Institute • W: Wurzweiler School of Social Work • YC: Yeshiva College • YUHS: Yeshiva University High Schools

RECORD NUMBER OF ALUMNI GIVE BACK TO YU

Thanks to the dedication and hakarat hatov [expression of gratitude] of alumni like Elana Betaharon and Danny Goldberg, 2013-2014 was a banner year for giving, with a record number of 3,267 undergraduate alumni supporting the University. We are most appreciative of the commitment and generosity of the alumni community. Your partnership ensures a strong future for Yeshiva.

“ I had an incredible time at Yeshiva University. It was such a

warm and inviting environment that pushed me to keep growing,

both as a Jew and as a professional, while supplying me with the

tools to achieve that growth and success. I support YU because

they invested in me as much as I invested in myself. Giving back

gives me an opportunity to say thank you for everything that made

me who I am today and to keep being part of the YU family. It is

truly ‘Nowhere But Here.’ ” Danny Goldberg ’12SB

“ I wanted to give back

to the university that helped

me shape who I am today.

I’ve taken classes, learned

Torah, met people and seen

and experienced things at

Stern College for Women

that I wouldn’t have been

able to do anywhere else. ” Elana Betaharon ’14S

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Breaking Barriers in Technology

ALEX LUXENBERG ’11YC: THE ACCOUNT MANAGER

Before July 2006, the concept of “tweeting” was for the birds—literally. But when Twitter, the online social networking service, was founded and quickly grew in worldwide popularity, a tweet was no longer a mere chirp of a bird but a 140-char-acter message that people could broadcast to the world. Along with Facebook, Twitter changed the face of social media as we know it. For Alex Luxenberg ’11YC, an account manager at Twitter, the road to a hip job at one of the most prestigious tech companies in the world was first paved at Yeshiva University.

Growing up in Manhattan and attending the Ramaz School, Luxenberg was drawn to YU because of its New York City locale, strong Jewish community and intensive Judaic stud-ies offerings. As a student in the Yeshiva Pro-gram/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies and an English major, Luxenberg’s two favorite courses were in biblical studies and writing.

“I took as many writing courses as possi-ble because they helped me become more articulate,” he said. “I particularly liked the writing courses with Professor Johanna Lane, who always took the time to give us individu-alized attention and feedback.”

Luxenberg was also a regular contribu-tor to several undergraduate student publica-tions, including The Commentator and Kol Hamevaser. He enjoyed taking biblical stud-ies courses with Dr. Aaron Koller, assistant dean of Yeshiva College and associate profes-sor of Bible, his favorite professor.

“Dr. Koller’s classes were always provoca-tive and challenging,” said Luxenberg. “He

also always stands up for what he believes in, which has been a great lesson for me in my career. He taught me to be critical and always ask questions, even if those questions are taboo or unsolicited.”

Luxenberg worked at a hedge fund during the summer and on Fridays dur-ing the school year. From that experience, he learned that he enjoyed being in a role where he regularly interfaced with clients.

After graduating from YU, Luxenberg was hired to a rotational training pro-gram at an e-commerce startup called vente-privee USA, an online flash sale com-pany and a joint venture between American Express and vente-privee Europe, as one of the company’s first 15 employees.

“The program was designed to enable my colleagues and me to learn about different aspects of the business by rotating through the different departments, like business development and marketing,” said Luxenberg. “One of the unique aspects of this training program was that you also spent half the day doing cus-tomer service, an amazing experience that taught me a lot about how customer service representatives get treated. It also showed me how important it is to be patient with clients who are unhappy or frustrated and how to work to resolve their problems efficiently.”

After the training ended, Luxenberg landed a job on the finance team as the manager of financial planning and analysis. “The position allowed me to work with the executive team and consisted of a lot of cross-functional work that required me to learn about every aspect of our business in a collaborative environment,” he said.

After two years at vente-privee USA, Luxenberg learned of an account man-ager position on the sales team at Twitter, and he jumped at the opportunity.

“The prospect of working for a company that’s changing the way that people com-municate was incredibly exciting and reminded me of what I loved about my writing courses,” he said. “When you learn how to write, you learn to consider who your audience is, and with Twitter, the entire world is your audience. What’s better than that?”

At Twitter, he works with advertisers to allow them to use the company to grow their businesses.

“Twitter is an incredible place to work, and not just for the obvious reasons—like that it’s a really famous brand, or that it’s constantly changing so we’re always learning and being challenged on the job—but also because it cares about people,” said Luxenberg. “But I’m perhaps most proud of the way that Twitter gives people who don’t typically have a voice a way to amplify their message.”

He continued, “There’s a real culture of people striving to do their best work here, and everyone is team-oriented. It’s great to be a part of that.”

Cool professional perks include mingling with guests like Hillary Clinton and Tom Hanks, who have visited the office for question-and-answer sessions with employees, in-office video games, a yoga studio for breaks during the day, and free lunch and beer, for those over 21.

Luxenberg lives in Forest Hills, New York, with his wife, Allie. He tweets at @Alexluxenberg.

AVI MUCHNICK ’97YUHS, ’04C: THE TECH STARTUP FOUNDER

Back when he was a student at Yeshiva University High School for Boys/The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy, Avi Muchnick, the founder of successful tech startups Worth1000 and Aviary, had no clear idea of which profession he might pursue.

“I assumed I’d end up getting some postgraduate degree, but I really didn’t think too much about what kind,” Muchnick recalled. “But toward the end of high school, I taught myself a little web design and consulted for a few people who wanted a web presence for their businesses, and I enjoyed taking ownership like that.” That was his first taste of entrepreneurship, planting the seeds for his future successes.

At Queens College, Muchnick served as editor of the school newspaper, The Queens College Quad, and encountered an issue of censorship with the school’s administration over an article questioning the president’s honesty.

“I was given pro bono legal advice by the Student Press Law Center Associa-tion and we successfully dealt with the issue,” said Muchnick. “I saw the power of the First Amendment and a good legal team firsthand, and law felt like a com-pelling and important career.”

He also interned at a law office one summer during college and enjoyed the environment, an experience that cemented his decision to attend YU’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, following one year of working as a graphic designer.

Keeping in mind that he needed a way to pay his rent during his law studies, Muchnick utilized his web design experience on his first day of law school. Work-ing out of Cardozo’s library, he launched Worth1000.com, an interactive website for users to enter art contests online.

Worth1000 was an instant success. It became clear to Muchnick in his first semester that building busi-nesses in that way was what he really wanted to be doing. But he recognized that a law degree would be handy when running a technology business.

“By the time I graduated, the income being generated by the website was better than what I would have received as a first-year lawyer, so continuing to run the business full-time was a no-brainer,” he said.

The startup became wildly popular in 2003 when the Iraq conflict grew more serious and Saddam Hussein went into hid-ing. Worth1000 ran a contest calling for users to digitally edit Hussein into hilarious hiding spots, like at the ballet or behind the counter at an ice cream shop.

“It was really just in good fun,” Muchnick recalled, “but apparently a ser-geant in Iraq saw the pictures and had his unit print them out and hang them around Iraq as a form of propaganda. CNN ran a story on it crediting Worth1000 with the photos, and pretty soon every major media outlet in the world was reaching out to cover it as well. The site’s user base really exploded from there.”

Perhaps the ultimate sign of Worth1000’s success was when entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and a venerated titan in the tech indus-try, approached Muchnick in 2007 and expressed interest in investing in Much-nick’s next project, now called Aviary.

“I wanted to start the company that would democratize creativity and make creative tools accessible to the world,” said Muchnick.

The artists on Worth1000 had to use specialized tools such as Adobe Pho-toshop to participate in art contests, and at the time, Photoshop was expensive and hard for beginners to learn. Muchnick realized that of the many people who might visit a contest page online, only a small percentage actually had the tools to enter it. He frequently received emails asking how to make the kinds of amaz-ing images available on the site. Muchnick thought that if he could provide an alternative design tool that was free and simple to use, many more people would be able to enter the contests and, more broadly, start a path toward becoming professional designers.

Bezos was sold on the idea and supplied the seed investment money to Muchnick, who used it to build Aviary and grow the company into a huge success.

Since Aviary’s founding, its team has modified the business model in response to the rise of the smartphone. In addition to the company’s own mobile apps—like Photo Editor, installed by over 100 million people—they also power the creativity in other people’s apps by offering a simple photo editor plug-in for app developers to include. This strategy has worked wonderfully: One percent of all of the photos taken in the world have been edited using Muchnick’s team’s technology.

Muchnick served as CEO until December 2012, when he recruited former

Alumni at the forefront of the technology field are making an impact at various startup companies in the growing industry

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Walmart executive Tobias Peggs to take over, at which point he assumed the position of chief product officer and executive chairman. Aviary currently has 75 million monthly active users, 10,000 partner applications and 10 billion photos edited across Aviary’s partner apps.

In September, Aviary was acquired by Adobe Systems. Muchnick and his team now help to drive Adobe’s SDK (software development kit) strategy.

In 2010, Muchnick was named one of the Top 35 Innovators Under 35 by MIT Technology Review magazine. The road to his success looks like it was fairly seamless, but Muchnick recognizes his great fortune in having an investor approach him instead of the other way around. “Financing your idea is generally the most difficult task facing aspiring entrepreneurs,” he said.

Other challenges include recruiting talent and executing the idea. “It used to be difficult to find talented people in the tech world in New York

City, so recruiting was probably my single biggest challenge with Aviary,” Much-nick said. “Fortunately, I was able to build an amazing team.”

The tech ecosystem in New York City has only grown since Aviary’s found-ing, Muchnick observed, and the field is rife with talent and ripe for entrepre-neurs to found their own startups without having to go to Silicon Valley.Although it’s a tough road for those aspiring to create a successful startup, the payoff of building one is quite rewarding. “You can build literally whatever you want and surround yourself with smart, passionate people who want to help make your vision a reality,” he said. “There’s no better feeling than coming in to work and feeling like you are contributing to something impactful.”

Muchnick and his wife, Erica, live in Woodmere, New York, and have four children. He calls his family his other full-time startup—and the one of which he is most proud.

ALICE SILVERSTEIN ’81YUHS, ’84S: THE PRODUCT SUPPORT ENGINEER

From the time she was a student in elementary school, Alice Silverstein ’81 YUHS, ’84S, originally of Monsey, New York, already had an interest in the field of technology.

“My father, who worked as an electrical and electronics engineer, was a huge influence in my life,” said Silverstein. “I also genuinely loved math and was always interested in how things were built and how they worked. Later, I was interested in possibly making aliyah [immigration to Israel] and the tech field in Israel was strong and, of course, has only gotten stronger since then.”

After attending the Samuel H. Wang Yeshiva University High School for Girls, Silverstein was accepted to Stern College for Women through its early admission program.

At Stern, Silverstein enjoyed classes in economics, computer science, logic and English literature. After she graduated, she started her career as an electri-cal engineer at a telecommunications company, Timeplex, where she became interested in the software aspects of engineering.

“The company where I was working wouldn’t allow me to move into their software group, so I concluded that the company would take my interest more seriously if I obtained a master’s in computer science,” said Silverstein.

While working, Silverstein attended classes at Polytechnic University in the evenings to earn the degree. During that time, she also moved to the medical electronics industry. After graduating, she was hired to do software engineering for medical devices at Datascope Corp.

Silverstein went into software consulting for business applications, then on

to software development for financial applications and electronic trading, and landed in sales engineering for a software product called CEP, which is event processing that combines data from multiple sources to infer events or patterns that suggest more complicated circumstances. Currently, she is a senior product support engineer at Sybase for a similar CEP product.

A typical day for Silverstein involves troubleshooting for any problem relat-ing to the software that she supports, and fielding questions from both her col-leagues and the company’s customers.

“The people I support are highly intelligent and technically advanced, so it’s not like I need to spell any-thing out or speak in very simple terms,” she said. “I also work to establish good relationships with the customers as well as with the software developers whose product I am troubleshooting. My focus is on high quality at all times. And best of all, on a daily basis, I am learning about some aspect of technology.”

When she’s not analyzing and solving problematic issues, she is reporting issues she discovers on her own and comprising ways to

further refine and improve the quality of the product. As a female leader in a male-dominated field, Silverstein is often asked what

it’s like to be a woman in that environment. “When I was in engineering school, I think the ratio of men to women was

nine-to-one,” she recalled. “I went from being in a college of all women to being in classes with almost all males—quite an interesting switch! When I got to my first job, I was the only female in the office. Personally, I’m comfortable in that kind of environment; one has to be or she won’t enjoy the work she loves doing.”

Still, said Silverstein, it was one of the reasons she made the switch from electrical engineering to computer engineering. “I saw that women are more respected there,” she said.

Silverstein loves her work, both finding and fixing problems. “I’ve always been analytical, and this field is a perfect match for me because I’m constantly analyzing,” she said. “Being challenged on a daily basis to understand the tech-nology behind any issue is the most rewarding part of the job and also allows me to communicate with a variety of people.”

For Stern College students who are interested in pursuing this line of work, Silverstein offers a four-part formula.

“First, ask questions. There’s no stupid question and it only shows your inter-est in learning more,” she said. “In this way, you become more proficient in what you’re doing and show people that you care about what they have to teach you. Second, be willing to work hard and go the extra mile, which goes a longer way than that. Third, remember that you can learn something from almost anyone. And, fourth, keep in mind you won’t understand everyone at once. It pays to keep an open mind and realize you have a lot to learn.”

Silverstein lives in New York City. n

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THE SKY’S THE LIMIT (JULY 1, 2014)Stern College for Women hosted The Sky’s The Limit at One57 West 57th Street, where 120 alumnae, parents and friends enjoyed rare stunning views of Central Park and New York City from the newest ultra-luxury residence by Extell Development. Stern alumnae event co-chairs Pam Hirt ’90S, Rena Kwestel ’92S and Karen Raskas ’91S led the fifth annual event to raise funds for Stern College. Guests had the opportunity to view fabulous décor provided by designer Felicia Zwebner ’92SB and experience the party planning visions of Suri Brody ’83YUHS, Irit Kerstein ’94S, and Benai Meisels ’88S. Congratulations to Amy Gibber ’96SB, Tami Radinsky ’00S and Rebecca and Yehuda Shmidman ’04YC for winning the raffle prizes donated by Melissa Lovy ’08SB Jewelry, Lucite Ladies’ Judith Gottesman and Bobbi Joszef’s Midnight Blu Linen, all of whom presented their crafts for sale at the event.

m Bonnie Schertz ’82S, Malki Rosen ’85S, Faiga Joseph, Lori Huberfeld ’91S and Donna Stroh

m Batya Paul ’94S, Andrea Reichel ’90S, Mindy Davidoff ’83YUHS, ’87S, Alisa Levy ’86S, Pam Hirt ’90S and Nicole Fuchs Sausen ’91S

m Rena Kwestel ’92S, Felicia Zwebner ’92SB and Meredith Robinson

YU LEGAL PROFESSIONALS PRESENT “SILICON WADI: A GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL LAWYERING IN ISRAEL” (JULY 22, 2014)

m Jeremy Lustman ’96YC (right), a partner at DLA Piper, where the event was held, and Benjamin Waltuch ’88YUHS, ’92SB, a partner at Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer Baratz in Israel, discussed issues that arise in cross-border transactions involving an Israeli party

m Alumni fill conference room at DLA Piper to hear from legal professionals

m Michal Abittan ’13S, Zelda Berger and Debra Abittan ’87S

o Linda Laulicht, Abby Herschmann ’96S, Stacie Rottenstreich, Estie Rottenstreich, Tovah Silber Strulowitz and Erica Hasten ’13S

ALUMNI IN ACTION

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ALUMNI LECTURE SERIES WITH RABBI SHAY SCHACHTER (OCTOBER 1, 2014)Alumni and friends enjoyed breakfast at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. in the MetLife Building and listened to a shiur on “The Blessing Children Receive Before Yom Kippur” given by Rabbi Shay Schachter ’12R, ’14A

When Israel was at war this summer, Yeshiva University alumni Uri Turk ’07YC and Eve Stieglitz ’07SB wanted to do something to help. After the kidnapping of the three Israeli teenagers in June, Turk—who served as

a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) for two years—was inspired to form the group Bring Back Our Boys – NYC. Stieglitz joined his efforts and the two hosted a fundraiser in a lounge on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, raising over $15,000 for the IDF.

A few weeks later, when the terrible news came that the teens had been murdered, and with the escalating violence in Israel and negative world opinion, Stieglitz and Turk saw that they had more work to do. Along with a few friends and within the span of just six days, they organized a major pro-Israel rally and

solidarity protest, using Facebook and other social media to build momentum and publicize the event. The rally was attended by thousands of New York-area Jews.

“YU showed me that I can organize students to rally for Israel, so I continued to take what I learned from there and used it to connect with alumni and friends who wanted to show their support for Israel,” said Turk.

The rally was widely covered in the Jewish press, and Stieglitz—who spoke on stage—was interviewed by numerous media outlets, including CBS, ABC and Shalom TV. “Just because we’re in the United States, doesn’t mean we can just sit back,” she said. “It’s a little sad that it takes something like this to unify the Jew-ish people, but it was beautiful to see so many people present in a space with no hatred or politics.”

Later in the summer, Stieglitz was once again a public speaker at the New York Stands with Israel Rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza in midtown Manhattan, which drew thousands of Israel supporters—among them hundreds of YU students and alumni, as well as to President Richard M. Joel who also addressed the crowd. n

YU students and alumni joined thousands of New Yorkers to show their support for Israel at several rallies held this summer

Eve Stieglitz (left) ’07SB addressed thousands of Israel supporters at a rally she organized in July

o Alumni host Jonathan “Yoni” Shenkman ’07SB with Rabbi Schachter

k Aaron Gordon ’10SB and Rabbi Schachter

Alumni Take Action For Israel

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014 Waldorf Astoria

For information, please email hanukkahdinner@yu.edu

HONORING

Michael Gamson Judith Weiss Anita G. Zucker

Dear Members of the Yeshiva University Community,

As we begin a new academic year at Yeshiva University, we simultaneously embark on the next chapter in YU’s remarkable history. These are exciting times for this unique and wonderful university and I want to share with you our progress to date in assuring YU’s well-being, and our plans for the future. At its recent meeting, the University Board of Trustees endorsed a Roadmap for Sustainable Excellence that will guide us as we meet the challenges of 21st century higher education.

Our mission is not in question, but we must accomplish it within our means. We have confronted challenges that put pressure on the financial health of YU. In the simplest terms, over the past distressed economic times, we struggled to build the university we needed. We invested in our University, but as the economy turned we experienced operating deficits that cannot continue.

Change surrounds us. Young people learn differently than they did a generation ago. New views of the world, new technologies and modes of communication, the impact of social media, all change our students’ experience and how they learn. Twentieth century education does not embrace a 21st century world. To advance our mission requires that we use our resources wisely and focus our energies to retool how that mission is achieved. The challenge must be addressed in terms of the processes and content of education, the infrastructure needed and its costs, and the resources we have and must access. It is our mandate to ensure that Yeshiva University continues to thrive for generations to come. So, we embrace change and eagerly address all challenges as they arise. The Roadmap for Sustainable Excellence charts our course.

At the beginning of this calendar year, we retained Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), a leader in the field of restructuring and performance enhancement, as our financial advisor to guide the University in addressing its challenges and develop a long-term sustainable business plan. We welcomed Provost Dr. Selma Botman, Chief Financial Officer Jake Harman and Chief Institutional Advancement Officer Seth Moskowitz, to join a first-class management team. We have worked on addressing operating deficits at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as well as those across the University’s Manhattan campuses with a comprehensive set of restructuring initiatives, both for support services and academics.

By working with all our constituencies and focusing on the following three priorities, we have begun to stabilize the University.

1. Establishing a Sustainable Business Model• We embarked on a plan to improve our cash position.• We sold some of our non-core residential real estate at a time when the market was favorable.• We refinanced all of our outstanding short-term debt with long term financing that provides greater flexibility.• We improved cash management, budgeting and financial controls.• We continue to focus on our investment operation and our endowment remains strong.

2. Advance Health and Medical Education• We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Montefiore Health System which enhances and strengthens

both organizations’ shared missions of research, teaching, patient care and community service and will ensure that Albert Einstein College of Medicine remains a leading medical school, and research enterprise, and we are now in the process of finalizing an agreement that builds on the existing contributions of Montefiore to Einstein in the areas of research and teaching. This new arrangement will allow Einstein to be fully operated by Montefiore and YU to continue as the degree granting entity with oversight of the educational and academic aspects of Einstein.

• The agreement will significantly reduce YU’s operating deficit, while matching the extraordinary opportunities and challenges in the current research and healthcare environment.

• YU is launching a master’s program in speech-language pathology and audiology with Einstein and Montefiore.

3. Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century• We implemented over $20 million in savings across the corporate and academic divisions of the University for our current

fiscal year through voluntary staff and faculty retirements, operational efficiencies and departmental consolidation.• We have identified significant additional operational savings, both corporate and academic, that must be implemented

creatively and responsibly in collaboration with faculty and administration.• We convened three faculty task forces to explore and make recommendations on key areas of academic reimagining

and will partner with the faculty to facilitate more collaboration within and among our schools.• We continue to expand our blended course offerings to offer students more textured learning, flexibility in their

schedules and the ability to learn at their own pace.• We will be working to bring class sizes in line with other top-tier universities and increasing student access to tenured faculty.• We will be significantly expanding our offerings of quality certificate and graduate programs to global audiences.• We continue to explore revenue opportunities consistent with our vision and are developing new academic and professional

products to meet the emerging demands of a 21st century economy.

The implementation of the Roadmap will take place with all deliberate speed and will result in both constancy and change, as we advance toward long-term sustainable excellence. We will continue to share developments with you even as we continue to share the remarkable achievements of this extraordinary university community. A critical element of our future is the philanthropic partnership with alumni, investors and so many who believe that education must both ennoble and enable our students. As we look ahead to this next phase in Yeshiva University’s history, I turn to you—our alumni, our students, our faculty and staff, and our friends—and ask you for your partnership support. I ask that you embrace our future and join us on this journey. Yeshiva University matters and will continue to matter, but we can only advance together with you. I am confident that with your partnership, the future is bright.

As always, I welcome your feedback at president@yu.edu.

Sincerely,

Richard M. JoelPresidentBravmann Family University ProfessorYeshiva University

The Roadmap for Sustainable ExcellenceEditor’s note: The following letter has been adapted from an email that went out to the YU community on September 23

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Dr. Bruno Galantucci, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Gareth Roberts, former research fellow in psychology, published an article in PLOS ONE, an international peer-reviewed journal that pub-lishes primary research in a number of scientific disciplines. Titled “Do We Notice When Communication Goes Awry? An Investigation of People’s Sensitivity to Coherence in Spontaneous Conversation,” the article challenges current assumptions that the main purpose of human communication is the faithful transmission of information.

Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel, E. Billi Ivry University Professor of Jewish History, Literature and Law, was named to the Executive Committee of the American Academy for Jewish Research. Kanarfo-gel currently chairs the committee that awards the academy’s presti-gious Salo Baron Book Prize for the best first book in Jewish studies.

Building an Intellectual Powerhouse

Continuing to build an in-tellectually diverse and rich scholarly commu-

nity on campus and bolstering its top-level academic offerings, Yeshiva University granted ten-ure to eight faculty members from across its undergraduate and graduate schools, in fields ranging from art history to mathematics to Judaic studies.

“After an arduous review, these newly tenured professors join an outstanding faculty who testify to the quality of Yeshiva University,” said Dr. Selma Bot-man, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Faculty such as these exceptional edu-cators, who bring distinction to our institution while dedicating themselves to student success and research excellence, are the hallmarks of a great university.”

“Having collaborated with other faculty on a range of course offerings, I have bene-fited from a rich interdisciplin-ary dialogue,” said Dr. Marnin Young, associate professor of art history and one of four faculty awarded tenure at Stern College for Women. His book, Realism in the Age of Impressionism: Paint-

ing and the Politics of Time, 1878-1882, will be published by Yale University Press in early 2015.

His colleagues at Stern Col-lege who received tenure this year include Dr. Gaetano Bloise, professor of economics; Rabbi Richard Hidary, associate pro-fessor of Judaic studies; and Dr. Matthew Miller, associate pro-fessor of English.

Bloise holds a PhD in eco-nomics from the University of Cambridge and has taught at the Catholic University of Louvain, the University of Sassari and the Roma Tre University. His research and teaching interests are in general equilibrium, mon-etary theory, macroeconomics dynamics and asset pricing.

Rabbi Hidary received his PhD from New York University, where his studies culminated in a book titled Dispute for the Sake of Heaven: Legal Pluralism in the Talmud (Brown Judaic Stud-ies, 2010). He teaches courses in Bible, Talmud, Jewish history, Jewish ethics and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Miller holds a PhD in En-glish literature from the Uni-versity of Iowa and an MFA in

creative writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His re-search interests include 19th- and 20th-century American literature, poetry and electronic scholarship. In 2010, Miller published Collage of Myself: Walt Whitman and the Making of Leaves of Grass (University of Nebraska Press), a ground-breaking account of the creative story behind America’s most cel-ebrated collection of poems.

Yeshiva College bolstered its Department of Mathemat-ics and Computer Science by awarding tenure to Dr. Andreas Hamel and Dr. Antonella Marini, both professors of mathematics.

“Students at top-tier uni-versities expect to be guided by faculty who are leaders in research, and this is especially important for our faculty in the mathematical sciences,” said Dr. Thomas Otway, professor of mathematics and chair of YU’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. “Our pro-grams in mathematical sciences provide a foundation for the in-creasingly mathematical nature of research at the frontiers of physics, economics, computa-

tional biology, theoretical chem-istry and computer science. In scientific literature, the standard boundary conditions for gauge-invariant equations are called ‘Marini conditions,’ in honor of Antonella Marini’s research in this area, and Dr. Andreas Hamel’s work has rich applica-tions to mathematical finance, an area of particular interest to students at YU.”

Marini holds a PhD in mathematics from the Univer-sity of Chicago, where she spe-cialized in gauge theories. Her research involves the areas of geometric analysis, partial dif-ferential equations and math-ematical physics.

Hamel received his PhD from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. His research combines classical math areas, such as lattice theory and func-tional analysis, with more re-cent ones, such as math finance, to create a new area called set optimization.

Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology awarded tenure to Dr. Jeffrey S. Gonzalez, as-sociate professor of psychol-ogy. Gonzalez, who received

his PhD from the University of Miami, focuses his research on identifying psychological and cognitive factors involved in treatment adherence in chronic illnesses. He is also a faculty member of the Diabetes Re-search and Training Center and has academic appointments in medicine and epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

At Bernard Revel Gradu-ate School of Jewish Studies, Dr. Daniel Tsadik, associate profes-sor of Jewish studies, received tenure. Tsadik earned his PhD at Yale University and is an ex-pert in the history of Jews in Islamic lands, Shi’ite Islam and Iranian Jewry.

In addition, Dr. Steven Fine was appointed the Dean Pinkhos Churgin Chair in Jewish History at Yeshiva College, Dr. Marina Holz was appointed the Doris and Ira Kukin Chair in Biology at Stern College and Dr. David Shatz was promoted to Univer-sity Professor of Philosophy, Ethics and Religious Thought. n

k Keep up with the latest faculty news at yu.edu/facultynews

Dr. Aaron Segal, assistant pro-fessor of philosophy at Yeshiva College, was awarded a highly competitive $34,500 grant from the Immortality Project at the University of California, River-side, funded by the John Tem-pleton Foundation. The project seeks to foster discussions on the science, philosophy and the-ology of immortality. The grant will support Segal as he seeks to explore these topics in a paper titled, “Why Live Forever?”, to be presented at a capstone con-ference at UC Riverside next June.

Dr. Eric Goldman, adjunct professor of cinema, delivered the on-screen introductions for The Projected Image: The Jewish Experience on Film, a month-long showcase of more than 20 movies that focused on Jewish history and heritage presented by Turner Classic Movies in September. Goldman assisted in curating the event, which encom-passed themes ranging from Israeli classics to coming-of-age films and Holocaust-related movies.

Dr. Margaret Samu, adjunct instructor at Stern College for Women, published a volume she coedited with Rosalind P. Blakesley of the University of Cambridge. Titled From Realism to the Silver Age: New Studies in Russian Artistic Culture, the book honors a pioneer in the field of Russian art, Elizabeth Kridl Valkenier from Columbia University.

Dr. Josefa Steinhauer, assis-tant professor of biology, was recently awarded an Academic Research Enhancement Award R-15 from the National Insti-tutes of Health to continue her research on male fertility in fruit flies. Steinhauer’s lab studies the fruit fly Drosophila melanogas-ter, which scientists use to gain insight into fundamental ge-netic, biological and molecular mechanisms at play during the development of an organism.

FOCUS | ON FACULTY

Dr. Marnin YoungDr. Daniel TsadikRabbi Richard Hidary Dr. Antonella Marini Dr. Matthew Miller

6 YUTODAY

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than 90 percent of graduates landed jobs, were enrolled in graduate school or both within six months of graduation. The one-on-one attention and mentoring students receive is just one contributing factor to that high rate. But the rigor-ous academic courses and challenging dual curriculum also give YU students a unique edge.

“The whole dual curriculum, where students study and work 12 to 15 hours a day, is a tremendous plus for employ-ers,” said Michael Strauss, associate dean at Sy Syms School of Business. “Our students graduate ready to roll up their sleeves and fit in with the work culture in these environments, with a tremen-dous work ethic.”

For Michal Segall, of New York City, Stern College for Women’s outstanding research contributions to cutting-edge scientific fields was a major draw. “I was interested in medicine and knew that Stern had both a strong premed major and a great connection to the Albert Ein-stein College of Medicine, where Stern

students are eligible to receive up to full-tuition scholarships,” she said.

Segall chose wisely. While the na-tional average of medical school accep-tance rates is just 45 percent, 91 percent of applicants from Stern College and 78 percent of applicants from Yeshiva Col-lege were accepted to at least one medical school last year.

“At Stern College, motivated and talented women find not only a sup-portive faculty but also a culture of high achievement and grand expectations that ensures success,” said Dr. Karen Bacon, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College.

New students—and their parents—are looking forward to being part of that unique culture.

Elly Lasson, of Baltimore, Maryland, was on the Israel Henry Beren Campus to help his youngest daughter, Leora, move into Brookdale Residence Hall. Looking back at this time for his two other chil-dren, recent YU graduates, he called the orientation experience a rite of passage.

“We know Leora will be receiving a strong academic education,” said Las-son. “But we are also confident that she’s entering into a culture of connectivity, which will provide her with a social con-text that is consistent with our family’s Torah values and professional ideals.”

For Dovid Rubenstein, of Newton, Massachusetts, orientation gave him an understanding that YU is a warm and welcoming place. “I came to Yeshiva to grow in my Judaism and receive a degree at the highest level,” he said. An econom-ics major, Rubenstein says he hopes to take advantage of the fourth-year mas-ter’s program in quantitative economics.

Yosef Robin of Fairlawn, New Jersey, was looking forward to getting involved in YU’s athletics program. “Whether it’s playing intramurals on campus or try-ing out for one of the Division III teams, I’m excited about the sports opportuni-

ties available here,” said the former high school hockey player.

For Amanda Esraelian of Roslyn, New York, being active in a range of ex-tracurricular activities has defined her experience at Stern College so far. From Stern’s student government to contribut-ing to the YU Observer and other student clubs, she’s been making the most of her time on campus.

“I chose to go to YU because it al-lowed me to take advantage of leadership opportunities I wouldn’t have gotten else-where,” said Esraelian, a double major in English communications and education.

Her advice to new students: “Meet new people and build connections with them. Find what you’re passionate about and invest time in that.”

This year at YU, there will be plenty of opportunities for newcomers to do just that. n

he studied alongside in yeshiva in Israel should bear any more responsibility than he did to serve the homeland that all Jews shared. “I felt it was an important way to contribute to the country,” he said.

Shmuel Goldis, a sharpshooter from Hollywood, Florida, agreed. “Teens in Is-rael get drafted because they’re citizens of Israel—but we are all citizens of Israel,” he said. “Why should they put their lives on the line on a daily basis as I sit back, safe on the sidelines?”

This summer, Goldis and fellow re-cruit and YU student Jonathan Sidlow had the opportunity to live up to those ideals as they headed to the front lines of the war in Gaza—an experience few 19-year-old college students in America can envision.

“When we were going in, it looked like a thunderstorm,” said Sidlow, of North Woodmere, New York. “I won-dered when I’d see my family again or if I’d make it out, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be anywhere else. We are in the same place that Jewish warriors have been in every era.”

For Goldis, the war was both surreal and deeply spiritual. “At night it’s pitch dark—all you hear is the whistle of mor-tars going past and sirens going off, and all you see is the flashes of artillery fire,” he said. “It’s a sight I’ll never forget. But you

also really see the hand of God—the open miracles—and you real-ize He has to be with you every step of the way or you would never make it.”

YU Vice President for Uni-versity and Community Life Rabbi Kenneth Brander, who has a son currently serving in the IDF, noted, “One of the most emo-tional experiences I had this sum-mer was going to Bach Golani, the Golani training base in Northern Israel, to drop off our son Yosef after a weekend he had spent with us in Jerusalem. To my amaze-ment, the soldier who opened the gate was a YU student on a leave of absence to serve in Tzahal [IDF]. I soon realized that on this Golani base there was a minyan

[quorum] of YU students.”For many of these students, transi-

tioning from a life of 24/7 training and danger in enemy territory to taking notes in an air-conditioned classroom alongside their friends is a mixed blessing. “I spend

a lot of time still thinking about my friends and my commanders and asking them to update me,” said Sidlow. “Knowing what they’re up against, I don’t know if I could handle them going back in and not being there myself.”

However, they’re still excited to learn and grow in an atmosphere that em-bodies the Torah values and passion for Israel that have shaped their journey.

“I was attracted to YU because it of-fered the opportunity to study both Jew-ish and general studies in a great city,” said Gofine. “I’m also looking forward to de-veloping close relationships with faculty since the classes here are small and allow for a more intimate class setting.”

Both of Goldis’s parents attended YU schools, so for him, it’s about both con-tinuing a legacy and maintaining close ties with his identity. “In Gaza, you see miracles all day,” he said. “Why would I want to go somewhere else and lose any bit of that sense of God being with me all the time? YU is the only place that com-bines these great secular academics with God and Torah.” n

IDF Vets at YU ç Continued from Page 1

New Students Find Perfect Fit at YU ç Continued from Page 1

Shmuel Goldis served as a sharpshooter in the IDF before enrolling at YU

YU Listed Among Best Universities and Best Value Schools in U.S. News Annual Rankings

Yeshiva University is listed among the very best institutions of higher learning, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings released in Septem-ber. YU came in at No. 48 in the category of “Best National Universities,” out of nearly 1,600 four-year colleges and universities across the country.

Factors that account for the top-tier ranking include high SAT scores, gradu-ation and retention rate (40th), faculty resources (24th) and alumni giving rate (48th). YU also ranked 18th in the country for financial resources—the average amount spent per student on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures.

“While no ranking captures the complexity of a university experience, particu-larly the rich Yeshiva University experience, nonetheless, this is well-deserved rec-ognition and a tribute to a remarkable faculty whose dedication to students is evident through mentorship, collaborative research and high-level instruction,” said Dr. Selma Botman, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

YU also placed 44th in the “Best Value Schools” category, which looks at a school’s academic quality and the net cost of attendance.

President Richard M. Joel welcomes new students to campus during orientation

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pYeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future presented “Perspectives on Teshuva and the Yamim Noraim,” a special month-long edition of the popular Abraham Arbesfeld Kollel Yom Rishon and Millie Arbesfeld Midreshet Yom Rishon. The continuing adult education series was held every Sunday in September and fea-tured a prolific lineup of Torah scholars and rabbinic thinkers from throughout the University. Speakers included Chaya Batya Neugroschl, head of school at Samuel H. Wang Yeshiva University High School for Girls; Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (pic-tured), Kressel and Ephrat Family Univer-sity Professor of Jewish Thought; Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, University Profes-sor of Jewish Thought and History; Rabbi Menachem Penner, the Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS; and Smadar Rosens-weig, professor of Bible at Stern College for Women. n

pYeshiva University’s men’s and women’s cross country teams started off the season with a bang. In September, senior Stephanie Greenberg (pictured) blazed through a five kilometer race at Van Cortlandt Park, finishing first out of 115 runners and leading the Maccabees to a first place finish of 14 schools at the Queensborough Community College Invi-tational. Just one week later, the women’s team finished in first place at the York College Invitational. Greenberg led the team once again, finishing second out of 54 runners. Greenberg also won the Hud-son Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Confer-ence Co-Player of the Week award, and teammate Laurel Aaronson was named Rookie of the Week. The men’s team also won its first invitational of the year at the York College Invitational. n

qUndergraduate students experi-enced a taste of New York City history and culture in September with a trip to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty. n

NEWS | BRIEFS

pTorah Studies on the Wilf Campus kicked off in August with an opening session in Lamport Auditorium, marking the beginning of a new zman [learning period] at Yeshiva University. The program featured remarks from President Richard M. Joel and Rabbi Men-achem Penner, the Max and Marion Grill Dean of YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), as well as a learning session with Rabbi Mordechai Willig, the Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth Professor of Talmud and Contemporary Halachah, and a video message from Rabbi Dovid Miller, director of the Gruss Institute in Israel. n

pThe Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought pre-sented a panel discussion in September to explore the American and Talmudic Legal Process, co-hosted by Stern College for Women’s S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program. Panelists included Rabbi Yona Reiss and Judge Joseph Greenaway. Rabbi Reiss, a graduate of Yale Law School, is a former dean of YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary who previously practiced as an attorney and is now Av Beth Din [leader of the rabbinical court] of the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Greenaway, a Harvard Law alumnus, is a federal judge who sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and also serves as an adjunct professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Moderated by Professor Adina Levine, who is instructing the Stern Hon-ors course Comparative American and Talmudic Law, the discussion touched on issues of enforceability, criminal justice systems and anti-trust laws. n

qSocial psychologist Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Lead-ership at New York University’s Stern School of Business, discussed the moral psychology of political polarization at an event sponsored by Yeshiva College’s Department of Psychology and the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Pro-gram. According to Haidt, the New York Times bestselling author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, the most serious problem facing the United States today is “hyper-partisanship,” the extreme, unprec-edented polarization between Democrats and Republicans that has been escalating since the 1980s and 1990s. n

uAzrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration launched its new Fanya Gottesfeld Heller Executive Model Doctorate in Jewish Educational Leadership and Innovation in September. Eighteen new students from across North America joined 16 current students for an intensive two-day learning institute. Stu-dents had the opportunity to learn with various Azrieli professors and each other, focusing on issues of leadership and col-laboration through a variety of interac-tive lectures, brainstorming sessions and team-based activities. n

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Menorah Myth Busters in Yeshiva College Course

Yeshiva University students had the unique opportunity to research and dis-credit a public claim that the Vatican is hiding Temple relics, as part of Dr. Steven Fine’s summer course on the Arch of Titus. Their findings were later

reported in the Wall Street Journal. It all began when Fine, a professor of Jewish history at Yeshiva College and Ber-

nard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and director of the Center for Israel Studies and its Arch of Titus Digital Restoration Project, was forwarded a letter by Rabbi Yonatan Shtencel of Jerusalem. Rabbi Shtencel had written to the Vatican rep-resentative in Israel, requesting that the Church release the Temple relics, including the menorah. The rabbi believes that these holy artifacts of the Jerusalem Temple are in the possession of the Vatican in Rome.

To his surprise, Rabbi Shtencel received a friendly letter in return restating the Church’s position that the Vatican has no knowledge of possessing Temple relics, add-ing that if the rabbi could provide any evidence that the sacred vessels are indeed kept in the archives or somewhere else in the Vatican, he would forward his request to the Prefect of the same archives and to Pope Francis himself.

Rabbi Shtencel proceeded to detail his evidence in a public letter to then Presi-dent of Israel Shimon Peres, requesting that he raise this issue during a forthcoming meeting with Pope Francis.

Fine, who is writing a book on the many myths of the menorah, decided to chal-lenge his students to investigate the claims in the public letter.

“The letter dealt with all the themes of our course,” said Fine. “I asked the stu-dents to check the sources as any scholar or professional journalist would. They looked up every text that Rabbi Shtencel cited and spoke to everyone that he spoke with, chasing down sources that were often very hard to get.”

Finding that none of the claims could be substantiated, the students drafted a public letter to Peres detailing the results of their research.

“Our research showed the implausibility that the Temple vessels are there,” said Ari Rosenberg, a senior at Yeshiva College. “We also went through the specific stories of recent menorah sightings, seeing that each one lacked any proof or evidence that

could hold up in court. The claims rely solely upon second- or third-hand hearsay.”“The goal was to better understand the world in which the Arch of Titus was built

and the ways that Jews and Christians have lived with it,” said Fine. Excursions to the Yeshiva University Museum, the Park Avenue Synagogue and

the Metropolitan Museum of Art allowed the students to examine ancient Roman ar-tifacts, rare books and works of art.

“The research we did was great,” said David Silber, a junior at Yeshiva College. “What I learned most is that there is a way to approach matters, such as myths that the Vatican is hiding the Temple relics, in an academic, rigorous way, while at the same time still embracing and preserving the endearing minhagim [customs] of the Jewish people. And, if done properly, not only can the two coexist, each one can enrich the other.” n

Yeshiva University Museum premiered two visually striking, historically resonant exhibitions in the fall.

Echoes of the Borscht Belt: Contemporary Photographs fea-tured the debut of photographer Marisa Scheinfeld’s haunting pictures of abandoned sites where Borscht Belt resorts boomed in the Catskill Mountain region of upstate New York, places that once buzzed with life as summer havens for New York Jews.

The exhibition runs through April 12 and features photos as well as original artifacts from some of the Borscht Belt’s most beloved hotels and resorts: soap from The Nevele, an ashtray from Grossinger’s and a ski hat from the Concord.

Several of the structures in Scheinfeld’s photographs have already been demol-ished, making the project even more significant as historical documentary.

“The Borscht Belt was a haven for an entire cultural and social movement of peo-ple,” Scheinfeld said. “As a photographer, I felt inclined to document its history and what has come of it.”

Dr. Jacob Wisse, director of the Yeshiva University Museum, agreed.

“The Borscht Belt became an important communal resource for Jews from the 1920s to the 1970s, when many of them couldn’t afford to go—or were banned from going—elsewhere,” he said. “In addition to being beautiful works in themselves, Marisa’s photographs offer a moving reflection on that period.”

The second exhibition, the museum’s biggest of the year, is Modeling the Syna-gogue: From Dura to Touro, which will be on display through May 17.

When it was founded in 1973, the museum commissioned 10 scale models of his-toric synagogues. The models were con-ceived, designed and constructed under the direction of leading scholars and historians. They were built with intri-cate detail and with materials that richly evoke the original structures and their interiors.

The synagogues reflect the geo-graphic breadth of the Jewish world across the centuries, from the ancient Mediterranean—Dura-Europos in third-century Syria and Beit Alpha in sixth-century Galilee—to modern America and Europe, including Touro in 18th-century Newport and Tempio Israelitico in 19th-century Florence.

Complementing the models are pic-tures, maps and architectural plans as

well as original artifacts, books and manuscripts. Another part of the exhibition fea-tures a full digital reconstruction of an ancient Sephardic synagogue.

“This exhibition lets people experience not only the beauty and range of the archi-tecture of some of history’s most important synagogues, but also their communal and religious character,” said Wisse. n

k The Yeshiva University Museum is located at 15 West 16th Street in New York City. For more information, visit yumuseum.org

YU Museum Exhibitions Bring Jewish History to Life

Lounge chairs from the abandoned Grossinger’s hotel in the Catskills

Model of the Beit Alpha Synagogue in Israel’s Jezreel Valley

Students in the Arch of Titus summer course worked to discredit claims about the Temple relics