ReviewS U M M E R 2 0 0 3 / K A Y E T Z 5 7 6 3 YUT H E M A G A Z I N E O F

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y A L U M N I

Science and the Global CommunityScience and the Global Community

Richard M. Joelsunday, september 2 1 , 2003

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l amp ort auditorium186th street and

amsterdam avenuenew york cit y

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of yeshiva universit y

ReviewS U M M E R 2 0 0 3 / K A Y E T Z 5 7 6 3 YU

From the President:A Journey Worth Taking

Fantastic VoyagesLife imitates art in cutting-edge research by Dr. John Condeelis that offers astounding insights into “inner space.”

Science and the Ethics of Genetic ScreeningDr. Susan Gross says improving education on genetic diseases is key to preventing human heartache.

Torah and Big BangScience and religion are the twin engines that power Dr. Carl Feit’s intellectual pursuits.

Catch Me if You Can:Einstein at the Frontiers of Global HealthInfectious diseases cause most of the world’s health problems, yet they attract only a fraction of medical research funding. Albert Einstein College of Medicine is the rare exception, where studies of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria receive high priority.

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Compassion and Controversy:Exploring Medical EthicsTwo leading YU scholars who have spent years discussing and analyzing society’s most contentious ethical debates compare notes.

Pathways to a Career:Undergraduates Excel in ResearchYU science majors, among the most motivated YU undergraduates, successfully compete with top students nationwide for seats in highly selective graduate programs.

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ALUMNI PROFILES:

Solving the Puzzle of Genetic DiseaseL I SA EDELMANN ’ 96A

“When you do basic research, you look to answer a specific question, address a basic scientific problem. In the kind of work I do now, you ask the question in a way that will aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of genetic disease.”

At the CrossroadsSAMUEL SAFRAN ’ 73Y

“One must get involved and ‘do science’ to understand how it works, just as one must get involved in learning [Torah] to fully appreciate its philosphical beauty.”

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35 Bookshelf 43 Classnotes38 Alumni News

Departments:

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YU REV IEW HAS SERVED AS A W INDOW, a magnifying glass, and a kaleidoscope

for viewing the life and rhythm of Yeshiva University. It has provided me and my fam-

ily with a way of staying connected to an institution with which we all have special

and often deliciously complex relationships. As I assume Yeshiva’s presidency, I’m

thrilled to see it up close—not just as an observer, but as part of the team that will

move it into tomorrow. You are a part of the family. As such, we share our story and

our pride, and thus I welcome your comments.

This issue of YU Review is both intellectually stimulating and illustrative of our

ranking as a leading academic research institution. A case in point is the opening

story, “Fantastic Voyages,” which documents how scientists at our Albert Einstein

College of Medicine pursue revolutionary research that not only uncovers insights

into “inner space,” but also strengthens our bonds to the global community.

And while our emphasis on scientific successes crosses all academic levels, the

research we support has a moral underpinning. Stories on genetic testing and med-

ical ethics in this issue exemplify our institution’s raison d’etre—to marry the wisdom

of faith with the need to explore our universe’s mysteries.

What emerges from these pages is the degree to which YU students and gradu-

ates are transforming the world, be they young researchers whom we nurture at

Yeshiva College and Stern College for Women or the scientists and professors we

profile in these pages. Together, they define success not just by academic excellence,

but also by applying that excellence to advance the quality of life, turning wonder

into intellectual growth, creativity, and accomplishment.

Science at YU represents the best of what we have to offer as a premier learn-

ing institution, whose traditions and vision hold the promise of a better future, a bet-

ter tomorrow.

RICHARD M. JOEL

A Journey Worth Taking

YESH IVA UN IVERS I TY

REVIEW

YESH IVA UN IVERS I TY

RONALD P. STANTON

CHA IRMAN, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

RICHARD M. JOEL YH ’68

PRES IDENT

DANIEL T. FORMAN

V ICE PRES IDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT

P E T E R L . F E R R A R A

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICAT IONS AND

PUBL IC AFFA IRS

YU REV I EW

J U N E G L A Z E R

ED ITOR

N O R M A N E I S E N B E R G

MANAGING ED ITOR

JUDY TUCKER

CREAT IVE D IRECTOR

CONTR IBUT ING TO TH IS I SSUE :

K E L LY B E R M A NE S T H E R F I N K L E ’ 9 8 SGARY GOLDENBERGDAVID HILLSTROMLINDA NATHANA . W E S S O N

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YU STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS :

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ALUMNI AFFA IRS

Yeshiva University Review is publishedtwice each year by Yeshiva University,Department of Communications andPublic Affairs. It is distributed by mailto alumni and friends of the Universityand on campus to faculty and adminis-trators. Paid subscriptions are availableat $15 per year.

Editorial contributions and submissionsto “Classnotes” are welcome, but thepublication cannot accept responsibilityfor unsolicited manuscripts or photo-graphs. All submissions are subject toediting. Opinons expressed in theReview are not “official” University policy.

Send mail to: Yeshiva University Review,500 West 185th Street, New York, NY10033-3201. Phone: 212-960-5285. Email: glazerjb@ymail.yu.edu.

© YESH IVA UN IVERS ITY 2003

from the president

3

B Y G A RY G O L D E N B E R G

“We’re going to see things no one ever saw before. The actual physical process of life itself—not something under a microscope. Just think of it.”

ci-fi fans may recall these words of CoraPeterson, a medical assistant in the kitschycinematic classic “Fantastic Voyage.” It’s1966, the height of the Cold War. A leadingscientist defects to the West and is shotbefore he can divulge his secrets. The onlyway to save his life is to inject a miniaturizedsubmarine into his bloodstream to seek out

and destroy a clot lodged deep within his brain. The surgerytakes place at a top-secret military hospital, where the sub-marine Proteus and its crew are reduced to the size of amicrobe and injected into the scientist’s carotid artery. It’s not

long before they are attacked by voracious antibodies and ten-tacled macrophages, but nothing diminishes their awe of thecomplexity and beauty of life at the cellular level.

John Condeelis, PhD, and Jeff Segall, PhD, professors ofanatomy and structural biology at Albert Einstein College ofMedicine, know the feeling well. For several years, they havebeen voyaging among the cells of live animals, not in a tinysub, but with a tool called “intravital imaging” (IVI). An amal-gam of advanced light microscopy, genetic engineering, andcomputer processing, IVI is fundamentally changing the wayscientists view “inner space.”

Using this technique, Drs. Condeelis and Segall and theircolleagues have achieved the first high-resolution images ofindividual tumor cells in a living animal, unearthing invalu-able clues as to how these cells metastasize, the leadingcause of death in cancer patients. The scientists are nowsearching for substances that might be used to inhibit thewanderlust of cancer cells.

FANTASTIC VOYAGES

With a new technique called intravital imaging,

pioneered at Albert Einstein College of Medicine,

scientists can for the first time observe the behavior

of individual cells deep within living animals.

These unprecedented views are yielding novel insights

into how cancer cells spread throughout the body—

and how they can be stopped.

S4 S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

The voyage beginsTheir fantastic voyages began about a decade ago when theywere studying slime molds in order to decipher the molecu-lar mechanisms that govern cell movement. Using geneticengineering, they would knock out or overexpress individualgenes in these single-celled protozoans and then examine theconsequences under the microscope. The setup was far fromideal because changes in cell motility and behavior are diffi-cult to observe with conventional microscopy. Furthermore,the cells were being observed in an artificial environment. “Bywatching cells in vitro you get a skewed, if not artifactual,view of how cells move in a body,” Dr. Condeelis explains.

With colleagues at Einstein, Dr. Condeelis began search-ing for new ways to study cell movement. Electronmicroscopy (EM) was no help; EM yields highly detailedimages, but only of inanimate specimens. It’s just the oppo-site with CT and MR scanning, which can produce images ofliving things, though not at the cellular and molecular levels.

Instead, the solution would come from a convergence oftechnologies, including genetic engineering, fluorescencemicroscopy, and computers.

Genetic engineering played a major role, as it does in mostof the current biological research, allowing the team to ren-der cancer cells highly visible. The key ingredient was a jel-lyfish protein called GFP (green fluorescent protein). In1994, scientists at Columbia University discovered how toattach the gene for GFP to any gene in a foreign organism.When the target gene is expressed, the protein it producesshines like a Day-Glo stick at a rock concert, providing ahighly visible and specific marker of gene activity in individ-ual cells.

In search of suitable animal models, Drs. Condeelis andSegall turned once again to genetic engineering. “You cantake cell lines derived from a human cancer, inject them intoanimals and cause a tumor, but the tumor doesn’t look any-thing like what you would see clinically,” says Dr. Condeelis,

Dr. John Condeelis studies

a monitor image of a breast

cancer cell stained for cofilin

(green) and f-actin (red).

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 5

who is scientific director of Einstein’s Analytical ImagingFacility, which offers advanced light and electron microscopeimaging services to the entire medical center. “We solved thisproblem by implanting human oncogenes, like HER2neu,the gene for breast cancer, into mice. Then we crossed thosemice with a strain of mice whose cells express GFP and theybecome cancerous.”

Next, the team needed a way to visualize GFP, which iswhere fluorescence microscopy came into play. But the stan-dard technique would not suffice. “To excite molecules deepinside a living animal, you have to push an intense amountof laser light through tissue,” says Dr. Condeelis. “This caus-es tremendous phototoxic damage.” The solution was found

in a quantum mechanical effect called multiphoton excita-tion, which holds that a single full-strength laser beam canbe replaced with two synchronized half-strength laserbeams. Each half-strength beam is too weak to cause photo-toxicity, yet together they are strong enough to excite the tar-get molecules.

Finally, computers were employed to control the micro-scope and take digital snapshots of slices of the target tissue,which were then combined to make short movies. The latestinnovation, unique to Einstein, was to take multiple imageslices at each position, allowing the researchers to follow thecells in three dimensions.

Seeing is believingFor the generation brought up on the eye-catching graphicsof GameBoy or PlayStation, IVI’s relatively murky imagesmay be a disappointment. But for biomedical researchers, thetechnique is nothing less than revolutionary.

“IVI has led to astounding new insights that we couldn’thave imagined by looking at these cells in culture,” beams Dr.Condeelis, sounding much like the mesmerized scientistsaboard the Proteus. To demonstrate, he clicks on an icon onhis computer monitor, launching a brief movie of a tumor cellas it inches toward a blood vessel, thrusting out one pseudo-pod (foot-like projection) after another. “At high magnifica-

tion, you can see these cells crawl along on these collagenfibers,” he says. “This had never been seen before. You couldnot have anticipated this in culture.”

He clicks the computer mouse again, launching anothermovie of tumor cells mingling with macrophages (immunesystem scavenger cells), which cluster along blood vesselsthat feed the tumor. It turns out that these clusters are wheretumor cells enter the blood vessels, which they use as ex-pressways to distant parts of the body, in a process calledintravasation.

Dr. Condeelis’ studies also show that only tumor cells andmacrophages are able to enter the tumor’s blood vessels, andthey do so in tandem. Clearly, the two cell types are commu-

nicating, with tumor cells getting the upper hand. But how?Clues would come from a laboratory technique called “geneexpression analysis,” which can detect the presence andexpression levels of thousands of genes at a time. From thisdata, researchers were able to explain the signaling pathwaysthat govern tumor cell-macrophage interaction.

“A lot of papers in the past 10 years said that intravasationdidn’t play any role in metastasis. People started to look else-where for potential therapeutic interventions. Our work hascompletely turned this around,” reports the researcher.

One possible target for intervention is the pseudopod, thecell’s steering wheel, which is controlled by five different bio-chemical pathways. “We’ve learned that in the most invasivetumors cells, the genes that control pseudopods are overex-pressed. As a result, these cells are hyper-pumped, like littleArnold Schwarzeneggers. With IVI, you can see them movemore than 10 times faster than the cells from which theywere derived just a few generations ago. It’s an amazing trans-formation,” says Dr. Condeelis.

What are they thinking?The next goal is to conduct gene expression analysis directlyinside a living cell, which would allow the researchers towatch the cell “think.”

Gene expression analysis is currently done by extracting

“IVI has led to astounding new insights that we couldn’t have imagined by looking at these cells in culture.”

R E S E A R C H AT E I N S T E I N

6 S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

and processing genetic material (RNA) from cells, which isthen placed on DNA microarrays (glass chips on which thou-sands of complementary DNA samples have been depositedin a defined configuration by high-speed robotic printing). Byanalyzing the resulting pattern of RNA-DNA binding, it ispossible to discern exactly which genes are expressed in thesample cells.

It’s a powerful technique, though it shows only averages ofgene activity across a group of cells. Dr. Condeelis would liketo see what is transpiring genetically in a single living cell asit moves and communicates. To do this, Dr. Condeelis andRobert Singer, PhD, inventor of gene expression analysistechnique for living cells, are working to tag individual geneswith differently colored oligonucleotides (small strands ofDNA), which will fluoresce when the genes are expressed.Eleven genes have been tagged thus far.

A group effortAs Dr. Condeelis is quick to note, IVI has been agroup effort from the start, involving specialists inimaging, optics, biophysics, computers, DNA mi-croarrays and transgenic animals, as well as struc-tural, molecular and developmental biology,organic chemistry, and molecular pharmacology.Key Einstein contributors include: Jeffrey Pollard,PhD, Betty and Sheldon Feinberg Senior FacultyScholar who is professor of developmental andmolecular biology and of obstetrics and gynecolo-gy and women’s health, and director of the trans-genic animal facility; Dr. Segall, the researcherbehind the animal models; Dr. Singer, professorof anatomy and structural biology and of cell biol-ogy; and Richard Stanley, PhD, the Reneé andRobert A. Belfer Professor and Chairman ofDevelopmental Biology, the discoverer of a criti-

cal motility-related receptor on macrophages (CSF-1). Sev-eral years ago, the researchers joined to create the Signaling,Tumor Cell Motility and Invasion Group within the AlbertEinstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, with major fundingfrom the National Cancer Institute.

IVI is not limited to cancer research. Other researchers atEinstein are using IVI to study the function of kidney cellsand the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) in heartmuscle. Says Dr. Condeelis, “With micro-lenses and lightpipes—technologies now under development at a number ofplaces—it will eventually be possible to observe cells deepinside the brain or inside the chambers of the heart.”

At one point during the voyage of the Proteus, crewmem-ber Cora Peterson exclaimed, “I never … never imagined itcould be anything … like this.” Neither did Dr. Condeelisand his crew of researchers. ■

“A lot of papers in the last 10 years said that intravasation didn’t play any role in metastasis.

People started to look elsewhere for potential therapeutic interventions. Our work has completely turned this around.”

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 7

or centuries, Jewish communities lived in fear that many of their babieswould thrive through infancy, only to become blind and demented as tod-dlers and die by age 5. That described the ordeal of Joseph Ekstein, aHasidic rabbi in Brooklyn. Over three decades, he and his wife lost fourchildren to Tay-Sachs Disease, and their experience was not unusual.

Some families were just unlucky.Today, the curse of Tay-Sachs is being lifted—not through better treatment (the

hereditary disease is still as deadly as ever)—but rather with advanced genetic screen-ing at YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

the Ethics ofGENETIC

Science and

B Y N O R M A N E I S E N B E R G

SCREENING

Historically, Albert Einstein College of Medicine stood at the forefront of

screening for genetic disease. Its success in Tay-Sachs testing

is now prompting doctors at Einstein and elsewhere to expand screening efforts

to eradicate other inherited illnesses.

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“The whole field of genetics has undergone a revolution,”says Harold Nitowsky, MD, director of reproductive geneticsat the Montefiore Medical Center, who launched the Tay-Sachs program in the 1970s. Montefiore is Einstein’s univer-sity hospital

Tay-Sachs is a genetic disorder, common to those of Cen-tral or Eastern European Jewish descent, which affects the

central nervous system of infants, causing paralysis, blind-ness, and eventually death.

Dr. Nitowsky says his chief task 30 years ago was not onlyto establish and perfect an accurate screening system, butalso to inform Jews throughout New York that they should getactive in staving off disease.

He did so against a backdrop of ignorance among physi-cians, who were either unaware of the tests or were not offer-ing them to their patients. And he watched with dismay asbabies continued to be born to couples who had no idea thatthey carried aberrant genes.

Dr. Nitowsky then began visiting Jewish community cen-ters, synagogues, and campus Hillel branches throughout themetropolitan area, urging Ashkenazi Jews who were most atrisk to get tested.

Under Dr. Nitowsky’s direction, Einstein screened an es-timated 30,000 people between 1979 and 1982. Lab techni-cians measured the level of a certain enzyme that broke downfatty substance in the blood. A carrier has one-half the nor-mal amount of the enzyme, and the test was considered 99percent accurate.

Rabbi Ekstein learned of Dr. Nitowsky’s success during aroutine office visit with his pregnant wife. Encouraged by theresults and the desire to help others in his Brooklyn Hasidiccommunity, Rabbi Ekstein established, with Dr. Nitowsky’shelp, Chevra Dor Yeshorim, the Association of an UprightGeneration. Dor Yeshorim works within ultra-Orthodox com-munities to remove the stigma that sometimes surroundsgenetic disease. In the past, ignorance about the way geneticdiseases are passed to future generations often meant entirefamilies were stigmatized even if one member was afflicted.

Before becoming engaged, prospective mates would sim-ply call Dor Yeshorim and read off the code numbers assigned

science and ethics G E N E T I C S C R E E N I N G

GENETIC DISEASES THAT AFFECT JEWS OF ASHKENAZI DESCENT

Progressive Neurological Rate of Occurrence

Disorders Gene Disease

Tay-Sachs Disease 1 in 25 1 in 2,500

Familial Dysautonomia 1 in 25 1 in 4,096

Canavan Disease 1 in 41 1 in 6,724

Mucolipidosis IV 1 in 50 1 in 40,000

Niemann-Pick Disease, type A 1 in 80 1 in 25,600

Other Disorders

Gaucher Disease 1 in 13 1 in 676

Cystic Fibrosis 1 in 25 1 in 2,500

Fanconi Anemia 1 in 80 1 in 25,600

Bloom Syndrome 1 in 107 1 in 45,726

In the past, ignorance about the way

future generationsoften meant entire families

were stigmatized if one member was afflicted.

genetic diseases are passed to

SOURCE: DR. SUSAN GROSS, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER

1 0 S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

to their test results. If the records showed that neither personcarried the gene, or that only one person did, the match wasjudged to be sound. But if both partners happened to be car-riers, meaning any child they conceive would have a one-in-four chance of suffering the fatal disease, (as many as one in25 Ashkenazim are carriers of Tay-Sachs,) the marriagewould not take place. Thus, by keeping the screening resultssecret and revealing them only if both partners were carriers,Dor Yeshorim could protect the marriageability of many ultra-Orthodox youth in large families.

Before such screening was possible, couples would learn

they were both carriers only after an afflicted child was born.The experience of watching babies suffer and slowly die wasso devastating, many of the parents never had other children.

Now, says Dr. Nitowsky, the number of babies nationwideborn with Tay-Sachs has dropped from 50 a year to 5, andmost of those are born to non-Jewish couples who happen tohave the mutated gene.

The success in Tay-Sachs testing has prompted doctors atEinstein and other research hospitals to expand screening toinclude eight other genetic disorders afflicting Jews of Ash-kenazi descent. “Education [on genetic diseases] is spotty,”

Dr. Harold Nitowsky, who

launched Einstein’s Tay-Sachs

program in the 1970s,

says screening for genetic

disorders leads to prevention

of disease and the birth of

healthy children.

By testing an individual’s

enzyme level, Dr. Susan Gross

can accurately detect whether a

person is a Tay-Sachs carrier.

says Susan Gross, MD,associate professor ofobstetrics, gynecology,and women’s health,and co-director of theMontefiore division ofreproductive genetics.“Some doctors mayknow about Tay-Sachsnow,” she says, “butfewer know about Can-avan Disease and evenless are familiar withBloom Syndrome, Fan-coni Anemia, or Muco-lipidosis IV.”

To that end, Dr. Gross has consulted with experts ongenetic disease research, plus the Jewish community at large,to help secure funding for expanded testing.

“The other eight or nine genetic disorders should die outwith screening, just like Tay-Sachs,” says Dr. Gross. “That’swhat we want to do with our screening program. Hopefully,like Tay-Sachs, if there’s a strong enough push to do this, doc-tors and others will catch on, and screening will becomestandard care.”

One hurdle, says Dr. Gross, is a health insurance systemthat tends to cover costs for people who are already ill, leavingpreventive care, such as screening, a personal responsibility.

For some families, knowledge of their genetic history mayseem overwhelming, especially when the results affect theirself-worth and human relationships. Says Nancy NeveloffDubler, a professor of epidemiology and population healthwho directs the bioethics program at the Montefiore Medical

Center, “It’s essential that individualsand couples understand the personalramifications of genetic testing.”

Ms. Dubler says she believes manylives can be saved if individuals learnabout their genetic susceptibilities todisease so they can make lifestylechanges or seek preventive medicalcare. But, she warns, most people will

forgo screening if they believe information gleaned from suchtests could jeopardize their jobs or health insurance.

She supports federal legislation against genetic discrimi-nation. However, she says, such laws must reflect expertisefrom clergy, lawyers, and ethicists, as well as others includingdoctors and researchers.

“This is an opportunity to create a community of under-standing that could reach beyond the specifically affectedindividuals,” she says.

Indeed, removing the stigma and anxiety associated withgenetic testing remains a Yeshiva University imperative, saysDr. Gross. “Many YU rabbis have been very supportive oftesting, certainly for students,” she says. “They’re particularlyadvanced and sophisticated on this issue.”

Such cross-disciplinary support, she says, sets YU apart asan academic institution that melds Jewish ethics with cut-ting-edge science. ■

medical care.

savedif individuals learn about their genetic susceptibilities

to disease so they can make lifestyle changes or seek

…many lives can be

preventive

Drs. Nitowsky (l) and Gross

believe their success in helping

stamp out Tay-Sachs can lead

to other breakthroughs through

expanded genetic screening.

1 2 S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

For most of history, says Carl Feit, PhD, religion and science

have been rather like siblings, feeding off and competing

with each other, rather than outright adversaries in a

common quest for understanding.

And while such tensions often marked the separate

worlds of research and religion, the gap appears to

be narrowing. More and more academics are coming to

believe that the key to unlocking life’s mysteries resides in

neither sphere, but rather in a combination of the two.

BY NORMAN EISENBERG

TORAHTORAHBIG BANGBIG BANGANDAND

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That suits Dr. Feit just fine. The Brooklyn-born biologistwho holds the Dr. Joseph and Rachel Ades Chair in HealthSciences at Yeshiva College says he has waited a lifetime forthe two disciplines to meld.

Science and religion are the twin engines that power Dr.Feit’s intellectual pursuits, and he credits his Jewish upbring-ing (he’s an ordained rabbi) and YU education with handinghim the tools to successfully navigate both worlds.

His sense of mission brought him back to his alma materin 1985 as an associate professor of biology, after a decade atNew York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

A 1967 Yeshiva College graduate, Dr. Feit says one ac-quired a powerful understanding of the ongoing and complexdebates that challenge theologians and scientists—debatesthat have raged since the time of Galileo.

Galileo sought to convince Urban VIII, the 17th centurypope, that contrary to the belief of the Roman CatholicChurch, the earth was not the center of the universe butrevolved around the sun as the Polish astronomer NicolausCopernicus theorized a century earlier. At first, Dr. Feit pointsout, the Church was delighted with Galileo’s infectiousenthusiasm and extended him favor. But in time, it foundGalileo’s thinking to be heretical.

Galileo’s heresy in the eyes of the Pope was not just his

has sort of pushedReligionto think about its basis in terms

Science

how we know what we know.of epistemology—

This photograph was taken by

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

The image, roughly three light-

years across, captures a small

region within M17, a hotbed of

star formation, located in the

constellation Sagittarius. It

depicts a bubbly ocean of glow-

ing hydrogen gas and small

amounts of other elements such

as oxygen and sulfur.

S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

Dr. Feit applies a

common approach to

research and religion.

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Copernican view, says Dr. Feit, but also his belief in scientificreason. The Church feared reason encroached upon themystery surrounding unprovable faith. Up until the beginningof this century, advances in science favored reason over faith,he explains.

“Over the past century, scientists were far less concernedwith the philosophical or theoretical aspects of their work.Religion has sort of pushed science to think about its basis interms of epistemology—how we know what we know.” Dr.Feit says he, too, used to wonder whether the random genet-ic mutations of evolutionary theory blur the idea that God hasa plan for the universe.

“I investigated the traditional texts and found that the ran-dom nature of the physical world was not a theological prob-lem. In fact, randomness itself is seen as an expression of thedivine will, even if it is inscrutable,” he says.

For several years, Dr. Feit has been involved with Scienceand the Spiritual Quest, a program of the Center for Theol-ogy and the Natural Sciences at the University of California,Berkeley, that promotes dialogue on science and religion. Andin 2002, he helped establish the International Society ofScience and Religion, a think tank that includes several NobelLaureates and National Academy of Science members.

Science, he says, remains a search for truth. “There’s a

statement in the Talmud that the seal of God has the word‘truth’ written on it. You look at a cell and you find 10,000chemical reactions going on at any one time. That’s mind-bog-gling to anybody. But it is awe-inspiring to a religious person.”

Furthermore, he adds, since pure thought can penetratethe universe’s mysteries, “this seems to be telling us thatsomething about human consciousness is harmonious withthe mind of God.”

A trained microbiologist and immunologist, Dr. Feitbelieves that some ethicists have slipped into the fallacy ofignoring biological origins.

“For some reason, many people persist in maintaining thatthere’s some basic conflict between Darwinism and religion,”he says. “We have a lot to learn by studying origins, althoughwe do ourselves a disservice if we say we’re trapped as theproduct of our genes.”

Dr. Feit acknowledges that science and religion may neverbe completely reconciled. The default setting of science iseternal doubt; the core of religion is faith, he says. Yet, bothprofoundly religious people and scientists are driven tounderstand the world. And as they pursue that quest, he says,they carry with them the hope that common commitments totruth and moral balance will ultimately offer solutions thatheal body and soul. ■

Galileo used scientific technology—his telescope—and scientific reason to challenge 17th century cosmological theory

that the earth was the center of the universe, views that would unsettle Church orthodoxy.

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 1 5

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Life in the Third World has often been nasty, brutish, and short, to co-opt the

Hobbesian view. Now, it’s getting even shorter. In many corners of the globe, the

average life expectancy has dipped below 40—an age when people in the West are

just beginning to fret over mid-life crises. The outlook is particularly bleak in sub-

Saharan Africa. According to the US Agency for International Development, by 2010

the average Namibian will live to 34 and the average Botswanan to just 27.

Infectious diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria shoulder much of

the blame. Together, this trio kills 5 to 10 million people a year and sickens hundreds

of millions more, shredding the social and economic fabric of entire countries.

Yet in this gloomy picture are glimmers of hope. Using powerful new tools of

molecular biology, medical scientists are teasing apart the offending microbes, gene

by gene, molecule by molecule, and gaining new insights into their intricate dance

with the human immune system. Ideas abound for the design of new therapies.

CatchMeif youcan

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EINSTEIN AT THE FRONTIERS OF GLOBAL HEALTH

Infectious diseasescause most of the world’s health problems, yet they attract

only a fraction of medical research funding. Albert Einstein College of Medicine is the rare exception,

where studies of HIV /AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria receive high priority.

umerous examples of this remarkable workare visible at Albert Einstein College of Medi-cine, a hot zone for the study of infectiousdiseases, particularly AIDS. “More than $70billion is spent annually on medical research

by the public and private sectors, yet only 10 percent of thesefunds is directed toward research into diseases that cause 90percent of the world’s health problems,” says Dominick P.Purpura, MD, the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of themedical school. “At Einstein, we’re committed to redressingthis imbalance. We really have no choice. As we’ve seen withAIDS, and just recently with SARS[Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome],we can no longer distinguish between‘us’ and ‘them.’ Infectious diseases are athreat to everyone, everywhere. Globalhealth must be a top priority.”

HIV/AIDShe most active area ofresearch in infectious

diseases at Einstein isHIV/AIDS, the focus ofmore than 40 separate basic

science and clinical research laborato-ries. All told, the labs receive $23 mil-lion a year in funding from the Na-tional Institutes of Health, one-fifth ofthe medical school’s total support fromthe NIH. Most of these labs fall under the umbrella ofEinstein’s Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), one of 20 cen-ters established by NIH to promote interdisciplinary researchin AIDS and to spur the application of findings from thebench to the bedside.

Einstein’s CFAR consists of six major research divisions—developmental therapeutics, immunology, epidemiology,HIV-associated pathogens, viral pathogenesis, and substanceabuse and behavioral issues—which are supported by a vari-ety of core services, such as an animal biohazard facility, virol-ogy laboratory, and a clinical investigations unit.

“AIDS research is so complicated and diverse that the lefthand often does not know what the right hand is doing,” saysCFAR’s director, Harris Goldstein, MD, who emphasizes hispoint by motioning to the Center’s grant application, as thick

as the Manhattan white pages. “One of the major functionsof CFAR is to provide a big tent to allow all these differentinvestigators to share ideas and research findings. For exam-ple, a clinician might wonder why some patients have be-come resistant to drugs but not others. A basic researchercould sequence the genes in the patients’ strains of HIV tosee if different mutations are associated with different clini-cal presentations. That information could lead to more indi-vidualized treatments. CFAR lowers the threshold requiredfor this kind of collaboration.”

If 40 laboratories sound like overkill, Dr. Goldstein wouldbe happy to have 40 more. HIV is oneof the most formidable foes everencountered by infectious disease re-searchers. “HIV is continuously re-inventing itself,” he explains. “It’s likethe character in the Spielberg movie,‘Catch Me If You Can,’ who was alwayschanging his appearance to fool hispursuers. As soon as we find out whatHIV looks like and come up with a wayto block it, the virus mutates and putson a new disguise.”

A better mouse modelThe lack of an animal model for study-ing the disease presents a major road-block. “Of all the non human primates,chimpanzees are the only ones who

can be infected by HIV, and they don’t get sick like humansdo,” says Dr. Goldstein, professor and vice chairman of pedi-atrics and professor of microbiology and immunology who hasbeen working with AIDS patients since the first days of theepidemic.

Scientists would rather study HIV in mice, which repro-duce more quickly and are far less expensive to maintain thanchimps. “The problem is that HIV doesn’t infect mice,” saysDr. Goldstein. “So one of the thrusts of our research is tounderstand factors in mice that prevent HIV from success-fully replicating.”

Of particular interest are receptors on the surface of im-mune cells. HIV begins its assault on the immune system byinvading lymphocytes, specifically T-cells that express a sur-face protein called CD4. HIV homes in on CD4, anchors

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T“AIDS research

is so complicated

and diverse that the

left hand often

does not know

what the right hand

is doing.”

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itself to the protein, fuses with the T-cell’s outer membrane,and then takes over the cell for self-replication. Ultimately,the host cell is destroyed. If enough CD4 T-cells are infect-ed, the immune system collapses, resulting in the immunedeficiency syndrome known as AIDS.

“One well-documented difference between human andmouse cells is that the CD4 expressed by mouse T-cells doesnot bind HIV,” says Dr. Goldstein. “In addition, another mol-ecule, CCR5, first demonstrated by my colleague, TanyaDragic [PhD, assistant professor of microbiology and im-munology], to be a critical receptor on the surface of CD4 T-cells, is also structurally different in mice than in humans.

“If HIV can’t get in the door, it can’t infect the cell. Sowe’ve engineered transgenic mice that express the human formof CD4 and CCR5. Now we can infect mice with HIV. Un-fortunately, we haven’t been able to get a sustained infection.”

Taking another approach, the team has employed trans-genic technology to incorporate HIV’s DNA directly into themouse genome, bypassing the initial steps of infection.These transgenic mice, the researchers have demonstrated,produce infectious virus, although not in high enough con-centrations to become symptomatic.

As more human-specific genes required for HIV replica-tion are identified, they will be incorporated into the mice,further improving the models. Meanwhile, Dr. Goldstein’smice are already helping the researchers gain a better under-standing of HIV and AIDS and identify potential targets fornew treatments.

Hopes for a vaccineIn the West, antiretroviral therapy has largely transformedAIDS into a chronic disease. “ICUs used to be full of AIDSpatients,” says Dr. Goldstein. “HIV infection was a death sen-

tence within years of diagnosis. Now, the overwhelmingmajority of patients do not have to be hospitalized and actu-ally live fairly normal lives—until the side effects of the med-ications catch up with them. But we have gone from years todecades, and that is a major advance.”

It’s a far different tale in the Third World, where anti-retroviral therapy is prohibitively expensive and HIV infectionis quickly fatal. There, if not everywhere, the great hope is forinexpensive vaccines that can prevent HIV infection or atleast slow the progression of the disease in those alreadyinfected. The latter goal—a so-called therapeutic vaccine—isthe pursuit of Arye Rubinstein, MD, professor of pediatricsand of microbiology and immunology and the scientist whofirst identified pediatric AIDS.

Dr. Rubinstein’s work with AIDS vaccines begins in theearly ’90s, when researchers began to question why someHIV-positive pregnant women transmit the virus to theirfetuses while others do not. It turned out that those who did-n’t pass HIV were found to have antibodies to a loop of pep-tides (linked amino acids) located on gp120, a key surfaceprotein that HIV uses to anchor itself to CD4 T-cells. Thediscovery suggested that a synthetic version of this loop,called V3, might be useful as a vaccine to stimulate animmune response against HIV.

Dr. Rubinstein was one of the first to champion this ap-proach. However, he met with no success until he tried cou-pling the V3 peptide to various immune-system boosters.PPD, the protein used for tuberculosis skin tests, workedbest. Combined with PPD, V3 was found in animal studiesto trigger the production of antibodies that could neutralizelaboratory strains of HIV—a promising start.

“The trick was the coupling,” says Dr. Rubinstein. “Theway we conjugated PPD to V3 seemed to induce randomchanges in the folding of the peptide, presenting just the

SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

5.5 million3.1million

new cases a year

deaths per year

HIV/AIDS95 percentof cases in the developing world

40 millioninfected worldwide

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right combination of molecules to the immune system.”Dr. Rubinstein and his colleagues, including John Lenz,

PhD, professor of molecular genetics and of microbiologyand immunology, moved to clinical trials in the mid ’90s. Inthe first trial, involving people who were HIV-negative, theV3-PPD vaccine produced significant immune responses.

A few years later, an improved version of the vaccine, in-cluding V3 peptides from several HIV strains, was tested firstin animals and then in a small Phase I clinical trial in collab-oration with researchers at Tel-Aviv University. Seven HIV-positive individuals were given the vaccine; all were asymp-tomatic and none were taking anti-retroviral therapy. After a series of vac-cinations, six of the seven exhibited astrong immune response, and severalshowed a precipitous decline in theamount of virus in the bloodstream.Encouraged by the results, the investi-gators have planned a larger and longer(Phase II) trial, set to begin next year inIsrael.

The only limitation to this approachis that vaccinees would have to bePPD-positive, that is, immunized withBCG vaccine or exposed to tuberculo-sis. But, since a third of the world’spopulation meets this criterion (seebelow), a PPD-based vaccine wouldstill have widespread applicability. Im-portantly, the vaccine would be rela-tively inexpensive, costing only about $400 for a year of treat-ment, as compared to tens of thousands of dollars for anti-retroviral therapy.

TUBERCULOSISnfortunately, HIV is just one infectious mi-crobe with an uncanny knack for survival. Thetuberculosis bacterium is another.

“Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the world’smost successful pathogen,” says William

Jacobs, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology andof molecular genetics and an investigator at Howard HughesMedical Institute. Indeed, TB has managed to infect one inthree people on the planet, some two billion humans.

After countless centuries together, TB and humans havereached a truce of sorts. In most cases, the bacterium re-mains idle and its host symptom-free. But that delicate bal-ance can quickly change if the host’s immune system is weak-ened, for example, by HIV, old age, or poor living conditions.Then, for reasons not fully understood, TB runs wild, over-whelming the lungs with serpentine colonies of bacteria, ripefor spreading through the air to claim yet more victims. It’s nowonder the World Health Organization has called TB, “Ebolawith wings.”

Current treatments are far from ideal. The TB vaccineworks for some, but not for others. TBdrugs are very effective; however, theyare slow-acting and must be taken onrigorous schedule. Only one in four TBpatients worldwide actually gets treat-ment, and many never complete therecommended regimen, a phenome-non that has spawned several strains ofdrug-resistant TB. As a result, TB killsat least 2 million people each year anddebilitates countless others. And theworst is yet to come—as HIV spreads,so does TB.

“Clearly, novel interventions areneeded,” says Dr. Jacobs.

Phages to the rescueResearchers understood little about

the molecular biology of tuberculosis, not even about how TBvaccines or drugs worked, until the 1980s. That was whenDr. Jacobs discovered a way to manipulate the TB genome;and one by one, the microbe’s mysteries began to unravel.

The key was bacteriophages (“phages” for short), whichare viruses that infect bacteria and incorporate their ownDNA into their hosts’ genome. Once Dr. Jacobs learned howto exploit this ability, it was possible to generate specificmutations in TB and elucidate the function of individualgenes.

Using phages, Dr. Jacobs and his colleagues were able toidentify the gene responsible for a ring-like component on thesurface of TB that allows the bacterium to colonize the lungs.Without this gene, called pcaA, and the enzyme it generates,TB still reproduces but loses its virulence. The researchers

“Indeed, TB

has managed to infect

one in three

people on the planet,

some two billion

humans.”

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are currently searching for drugs that can inhibit the pcaAgene or its enzyme.

Luckily, there’s no shortage of phages and no shortage ofwhat can be done with them. “Phages are the most abundantlife form on planet Earth,” explains Dr. Jacobs, who leads ateam of 18 scientists at Einstein. Everywhere there is soil,there are phages. In fact, Dr. Jacobs has unearthed valuablesamples in his own backyard, in the zebra cage at the BronxZoo, and outside a TB hospital in Chennai, India.

One of his phages was employed to identify the exactenzyme that is targeted by isoniazid, the most effective TBmedication. This finding provides the first insights as to whyTB strains have become drug-resistant, and points the way toalternative drug therapies.

Dr. Jacobs has also engineered phages to insert luciferase,the gene that makes fireflies glow, into the TB genome—aseemingly outlandish idea with an eminently practical appli-cation. “Our goal was to make a simple and inexpensive testfor drug-resistance that could be used in the Third World,”he says.

Dubbed the “Bronx Box,” the test consists of an array oftubes, each filled with a different antibiotic, and a strip ofPolaroid film. All are enclosed in a light-tight box. A sampleof the patient’s bacteria is inserted into each tube, along with

8 millionnew cases per year

30milliondeaths predicted in next decade

Dr. Jacobs and his team used

phages to identify genes that allow

the TB bacterium to colonize lungs.

TUBERCULOSIS2 billion

infected worldwide

2 milliondeaths per year

SOURCE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

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the luciferase phage. If the bacteria are resistant to a drug inone of the tubes, they will grow, incorporate the luciferasegene, and begin to glow, producing a spot on the film.Results are available within 12 days. The Bronx Box, whichhas been licensed for production, is currently undergoingfield tests in several developing nations.

A better vaccineIn yet another project, Dr. Jacobs and his colleagues have settheir sights on designing a better TB vaccine, one derivedfrom the human form of TB (M. tuberculosis). The currentvaccine, BCG, is an attenuated, or weakened, strain of TBthat infects cattle (M. bovus). BCG’s effectiveness varies sig-nificantly, and the vaccine is virtually useless in some locales.

Since BCG offers some protection, Dr. Jacobs decided itwas worthwhile to find out how the vaccine works. Previousstudies had suggested that BCG’s attenuation stems from adeletion of the RD1 section of the TB genome. To test thishypothesis, Dr. Jacobs summoned his trusty phages to elimi-nate RD1 in bovine TB and, as suspected, the bacterium wasseverely weakened; when RD1 was restored, so was the bug’svirulence. The same experiment was done with human TBstrains, with the same results. In subsequent experiments,they identified the exact protein and protein-secretion path-way that is governed by the RD1 genes.

Next, vaccines were made from the attenuated bovine andhuman TB strains and tested separately in mice. Both offeredgood protection against TB infection, with the latter vaccineproving to be much safer.

How the M. tuberculosis vaccine will fare in clinical trialsremains to be seen. And then there’s the question of whetherthe vaccine would be safe for people with HIV (the popula-

tion most vulnerable to TB), whose compromised immunesystems generally cannot tolerate even a weakened form ofthe bacterium. The researchers cannot directly test this as-pect of the M. tuberculosis vaccine in mice, since a properHIV mouse model does not yet exist. However, they are nowtesting the vaccine in mice that lack CD4 immune cells, thenext closest thing (since HIV disease is characterized by adeficiency of CD4 cells). The initial results are promising;however, the final data will not be available until the fall.

So Dr. Jacobs labors on, fueled by a passion to help thosein the Third World. “What changed my life was the first timeI went to India,” he says. “I’ll never forget that long cab ridefrom the Madras Airport through the countryside. There weremopeds, buses, trucks, cars, oxcarts, and elephants, everyonewas beeping their horns, and the air was thick with pollution.Countless people were living in nothing more than shacksand tents. It is important for all Americans, including ourpolitical leaders, to take this ride. We just don’t understandwhat life is like in the rest of the world.”

MALARIAt’s hard to hit a moving target. That describes one ofthe survival strategies of the peripatetic malaria para-site, which moves back and forth between mosquitoesand humans in a dizzying cycle of developmentalstages, some as fleeting as a politician’s campaign

promise. For added protection, the parasite incessantly variesits surface proteins when circulating in its human host, stay-ing one step ahead of the immune system.

Frustrated with the parasite’s endless evasions, malariaresearcher David Fidock, PhD, gave up his quest for a vac-cine five years ago. “I differ with many of my colleagues about

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this, but I think we have overestimated our ability to gener-ate a vaccine that would elicit protective, long-lasting immu-nity,” he says. “So I changed direction and started focusing onchemotherapy as the linchpin of efforts to control malaria.”

Dr. Fidock, an assistant professor of microbiology and im-munology, is particularly interested in chloroquine, historical-ly the most successful antimalarial drug. “Chloroquine iswell-tolerated and affordable—about 10 to 15 cents a cura-tive dose—which is within the budgets of developingnations,” he says.

But chloroquine’s power is fading fast. Several species ofthe parasite, especially Plasmodiumfalciparum, the deadliest of them all,are growing increasingly resistant tothe drug. Dr. Fidock and his colleaguesare trying to understand the geneticand molecular mechanisms behindthis resistance, a key toward develop-ing alternative medical therapies.

Dr. Fidock started working onchloroquine-resistance in the late ‘90sas a member of the malaria geneticssection of the National Institutes ofHealth. The NIH scientists narrowedthe source of the resistance to a smallsection of chromosome 7 of the P. fal-ciparum genome and then to a specif-ic gene, cg2. News of this discovery—which shattered the traditional beliefthat resistance is determined by multi-ple genes—made a splash in scientific and lay publicationsaround the world.

“It seemed reasonably convincing,” he says, “but in a yearand a half, I had conclusive evidence that we had the wronggene.” Before long, however, Dr. Fidock found that a neigh-boring gene, pfcrt, was the likely culprit. Conclusive proofwould come from a complicated series of experiments that heinitiated in 2000, after relocating his lab to Einstein. Thechallenge was to find a way to replace a normal pfcrt gene ina chloroquine-sensitive parasite with a multiply-mutated ver-sion of the gene from chloroquine-resistant parasites. Thegene swap was accomplished using genes from three repre-sentative chloroquine-resistant strains from around theworld—and all three mutant forms of pfcrt conferred drugresistance in vitro. They had their gene.

What does pfcrt do? According to Dr. Fidock, when P. fal-ciparum infects a red blood cell, it supports its growth by tak-ing up nutrients from the host cell into a specialized organellecalled a digestive vacuole. Chloroquine is thought to affectthe way the vacuole disposes of toxic digestive by-products.But if chloroquine cannot concentrate inside the vacuole, itcannot exert its effect. That’s where pfcrt comes into play.The gene encodes a protein on the vacuole membrane thatdictates chloroquine levels in the vacuole. When the gene ismutated, chloroquine is quickly escorted from the premises,and the parasite goes about its culinary feast unharmed.

With gene in hand, Dr. Fidock andcolleagues devised a laboratory test fordiagnosing chloroquine-resistant ma-laria infections, a test with significantpublic health ramifications. “It is apowerful predictive tool for helpingpublic health authorities decide whencountries need to switch to alternativeantimalarials,” says the investigator.

In another spin-off, Dr. Fidock’sgenetically modified parasites are be-ing used as a quick in vitro tool forassessing whether drug compoundsunder development will have anycross-resistance to chloroquine.

It’s still too early to tell whether it ispossible to rejuvenate drug therapy bymaking minor modifications to chloro-quine, or if wholly different com-

pounds will be needed. In either case, Dr. Fidock does nothold out much hope for a single magic bullet. Rather, he says,the solution to controlling malaria will probably be a combi-nation of medications, as in therapy for HIV/AIDS, whichwill lessen the likelihood of future drug resistance.

Hollywood ending?After all these years, HIV, TB, and malaria are still on theloose—but for how long? For what it’s worth, Carl Hanratty,the real-life detective depicted in “Catch Me if You Can,”eventually got his man. Perhaps similar Hollywood endingsare in store for the researchers at Albert Einstein Collegeof Medicine. ■

The parasite

incessantly varies

its surface proteins

when circulating

in its human host,

staying one step

ahead of the

immune system.

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Compassion andControversy:

B Y N O R M A N E I S E N B E R G

E X P L O R I N G

As scientists, ethicists,

and religious scholars

weigh the centrifugal forces

created by biomedical advances,

many ethical questions

challenge both the rigor and

compassion of Jewish law.

Medical

Indeed, two leading YU scholars have spent years dis-cussing and analyzing some of society’s most con-tentious debates: Moshe Tendler ’49R, PhD, professorof biology and Rabbi Isaac and Bella Tendler Professorof Jewish Medical Ethics at Yeshiva University (right);and Rabbi J. David Bleich, Herbert and Florence TenzerProfessor of Jewish Law and Ethics at YU’s BenjaminN. Cardozo School of Law and rosh yeshiva at the affil-iated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (left).

While scientific advances are often synonymous withenhancing the quality of life, these advances, say bothmen, also raise vexing ethical and legal issues. Herethey compare notes on some of those issues, weighingthe salient principles that govern their thinking.

To Dr. Tendler (MT), ethical decisions must embracefive axioms—“beneficence (doing good); non-malefi-cence (doing no evil); justice; autonomy (respecting theindividual’s wishes); and the sanctity of life.”

For Rabbi Bleich (JDB), the quality of any ethicalopinion is only as good as the information and researchthat support its logic and application. “An ethicist is nodifferent from a physician. He can operate only on thebasis of what he sees. If he doesn’t have all the tests andresults, he cannot give you an accurate diagnosis.”

Ethics

Reproductive versus therapeutic human cloning

uch of the scientific community supports aban on reproductive cloning aimed at pro-ducing a child with the same genes as itsgenetic parent. But most scientists want to

pursue therapeutic cloning to harvest stem cells, which areextracted from human embryos, where they are tiny clustersof no more than 300 cells. Because stem cells can grow intoany tissue in the body, scientists hail them as the buildingblocks of a new era of regenerative medicine, helping doctorsheal patients using their own tissues. The work, however,attracts intense criticism from abortion opponents becausethe embryos, which they view as human life, are destroyed bythe experiments.

To realize the full promise of stem cells, many experts say,the cells must be compatible with patients’ immune systems—the rationale for therapeutic cloning. By creating embryosthat contain patients’ DNA, they say, scientists believe theycan develop tissues that would be an exact match forpatients. Tissues developed from such work could eventuallyyield treatments for diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, heartdisease, and cancer, among other ailments. Opponents ofembryonic stem cell research support using so-called adultstem cells, which can be derived from blood, bone marrow,body fat, and certain organs, but, say experts, lack the rangeof possibilities of those taken from embryos.

MT: “The idea of man as a meddler has always been a con-cern in theology—except in Orthodox Judaism. Jewish tradi-tion teaches that God gave man the right to master the world.Therefore, the first principle of ethics is beneficence. If iso-lating a stem cell promotes good, I am obligated—in fact, Ihave a divine imperative—to proceed.

“However, good can come only from therapeutic cloning,which does not hurt anyone. Reproductive cloning could cre-ate monsters, and that’s maleficence, which we can’t do. Thus,it becomes a divine imperative to practice therapeutic cloning.The Pope would call this abortion—a religious rather than anethical analysis. But from Judaism’s perspective, a fertilizedegg is not a human being if it never saw the inside of a woman.

“The balance between beneficence and maleficence favorsbeneficence, especially with therapeutic cloning, when thebenefit outweighs the burden. By contrast, reproductive

cloning imposestoo much of a bur-den on the patient,with no medical andscientific advantage.True, future technologymay change the equation,but an ethicist can worryonly about current factors, notpotential breakthroughs.”

JDB: “The ethicist is confronted with the age-oldproblem: Does the end justify the means? Moral concernssurround the destruction of an embryo. If you don’t regardlife as beginning at the moment of conception, then there’sabsolutely no reason to oppose therapeutic cloning.

“Many halakhic authorities, including the late RabbiMoshe Feinstein, do regard destruction of an embryo, even inits early stages, as prohibited. Many authorities find no dif-ference between a fetus fertilized in its mother’s uterus andone developed in a laboratory. And while much of the scien-tific community, as well as many lawmakers, oppose repro-ductive cloning, I think that opposition will change once thetechnology is perfected.

“I have fewer problems with reproductive cloning than Ido with therapeutic cloning. While I recognize the inherentdangers of the former, and society’s right to regulate it, repro-ductive cloning is not something ethicists would considerintrinsically evil for the simple reason that it does not requiredestruction of an embryo. Reproductive cloning, once it hasbeen shown to be safe as far as the neonate is concerned,may nevertheless create psychological and societal burdensthat are sufficient reason for society to restrict it. But if youregard the destruction of an embryo to be intrinsically wrong,therapeutic cloning becomes a very serious issue.”

Reproductive medicine

hile donor eggs and sperm, embryo implan-tation, and similar techniques enable infer-

tile couples to become happy parents, thesetechniques also prompt ethical debate.

MT: “In vitro fertilization creates new possibilities. We wel-come assisted reproductive technology. However, a woman

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bears a burden with this benefit—depending on how manytimes she wants to become pregnant. The burden increaseswith each attempt, something a doctor must weigh. I wouldtell a woman who already has children but who wants to useassisted reproductive technology to become pregnant againnot to go ahead. The reason: Halakhah would forbid her tohave more children if by doing so it would mean more riskthan benefit. But if the woman is childless, that’s a differentstory. The Torah already defined that for us when [the Biblicalheroine] Rachel said to [her husband] Yaakov, ‘Give me achild or else I will die.’”

JDB: “With any novel form of assisted procreation, it isimpossible to predict whether it will result in a higher inci-dence of congenital defects. True, the procedure enableschildless couples to experience the pleasures of parenthood.But the question comes back to whether the end justifies themeans. At present, the risks to the mother are well withinthe bounds of the halakhically justifiable. But does one havethe right to impose potential harm upon a person who hasnot yet been created and who is in no position to consent tothat risk?”

Organ donations and transplants

lthough all religions embrace the value of savinglife, a thicket of moral issues surrounds the means:organ donations and the time and method of theirprocurement. Donated organs save more than

20,000 lives each year. Yet the issue remains highly sensitivewithin Orthodox Judaism.

MT: “The main point of medical ethics is to ask, ‘Can I savemy patient without incurring an equal maleficence to thisbeneficence?’ In other words, can I obtain an organ withouthurting the donor, as defined by medicine today? One can

donate a kidney without serious side effects. But I do notbelieve Jewish law would permit a liver lobe transplant,because it may endanger the donor too much. After death,however, it is a mitzvah to save a human life by donating allorgans, including vital ones—heart, liver, lungs, for example.”

JDB: “A person is permitted—but not required—to risk hislife to save another from certain death. When not coerced,the donation of organs is certainly acceptable. There is noth-ing intrinsically wrong in the sale of organs. We do it all thetime; we permit payments for blood, semen, and ova. Butthere’s a difference. Wehave virtually unlimitedquantities of sperm andova. Women who donateeggs do incur some risk;still, they are born withmore than enough ova tolast a lifetime. And onecan live with only a singlekidney. Our society pro-hibits the sale of certainvital organs for a numberof reasons, most signifi-cantly because of fearthat a person may com-promise his own healthfor economic gain. In-deed, we do not allowourselves to be sold intoslavery even if we agree todo so. But on balance wemust ask: Does prohibit-ing the sale of organsresult in a greater good orin greater harm?” ■

A

Dr. Leon R. Kass is chairman of the

President’s Council on Bioethics,

Addie Clark Harding Professor of

the Committee on Social Thought

and the College of the University of

Chicago, and honorary degree

recipient at YU’s 72nd annual

commencement exercises in May

2003. He has compiled a list of

historical, philosophical, literary,

and religious works on bioethics.

These books of poetry, short sto-

ries, and essays can be “invaluable

companions as we grapple to

understand our brave new biotech-

nology,” according to the Council’s

Web site. The list can be accessed

at www.bioethics.gov/bookshelf.

“Jewish tradition teaches that God

gave man the right to master the world.”

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3

inResearch

Pathways to a Career:

UndergraduatesExcel

Meet YU’s breed of science majors: gifted and committed scholars who, despite the time constraints of a dual curriculum, are able to successfully compete with top students nationwide for seats in highly selective graduate programs.

mong the most motivated students at SternCollege for Women and Yeshiva College,science majors find the time to engage inresearch, a year-round endeavor at otheruniversities, mostly during summers.This summer, for instance, some 20YU students are interns at theUniversity’s Albert Einstein College

of Medicine, Sloan-Kettering Institute and the Rusk Instituteof Rehabilitation Medicine in New York City, Henry FordHospital in Detroit, Howard Hughes Honors SummerInstitute at the University of Maryland, and the WeizmannInstitute in Rehovot, Israel.

“It is an honor to be accepted for a research internship,”says Harvey Babich,PhD, professor of biol-ogy at Stern College.He alerts students tointernships, stronglyencouraging them toapply. Entry into thesummer programs atprestigious national re-search institutions ishighly competitive.

“Research experi-ence distinguishes stu-dents if they decide togo into medicine, den-tistry, occupational orphysical therapy, nurs-ing, or biotechnology,”Dr. Babich says.

Barry Potvin, PhD,professor of biology at Yeshiva College, chairs the committeethat selects students for the Roth Scholars Program, an annu-al 10-week medical research internship at Einstein sponsoredby the Ernst and Hedwig Roth Institute of BiomedicalScience Education at YU. “Faculty at Einstein who work withthe Roth Scholars are interested in serious students whowant research careers,” says Dr. Potvin. This year, 31 studentsapplied for the program’s eight slots.

Internships enable students to work with top biomedicalscientists in state-of-the-art laboratories. The experience aug-ments the knowledge they acquire in class and in labs withpractical, in-depth study—one reason Morton Lowengrub,PhD, vice president for academic affairs, advocates so strong-ly for internship funding. “The best experience for learningoccurs when students are deeply immersed and focused on

the creative process,” Dr. Lowengrub says. “The skills theygain through active participation in research projects remainwith them throughout their lives.”

Jeffrey Kern, MD, ’85Y,A credits his participation in theRoth Scholars program in 1984 with “giving me the opportu-nity to see how laboratory research helps in a very practicalway in patient management. It confirmed what I knew: thata great deal of good could be done both in the lab as well asin clinical practice, and that one complements the other.”Even now, he says, he integrates research into his daily activ-ities as pediatric cardiologist at Flushing and New YorkPresbyterian hospitals.

That same year, Dr. Michelle Small Roth, now an ob/gyn,was a Roth Scholar as well. Her summer internship at Ein-

stein solidified her de-cision to attend med-ical school. “I was waf-fling for a while, notsure if I wanted medi-cine or law, or some-thing else. But once Istarted the internship,I knew medicine wasit,” she says.

According to LeaBlau, PhD, professorof chemistry at SternCollege, the beauty ofinternships is that theyallow students to pur-sue their own projects.“In the classroom andlabs, they follow abroad, prepackaged cur-

riculum. With research internships, they become highly spe-cialized in very focused subjects,” she says.

The research that students do off-campus enhances theacademic environment at both undergraduate schools, nur-turing a sophisticated scientific atmosphere that benefitseveryone. At Stern, the Student Undergraduate ResearchGroup Exchange, or SURGE, is a faculty-initiated scienceclub that sponsors symposia, primarily of the research con-ducted by Stern students. At Yeshiva College, Sigma DeltaRho, the undergraduate science research society, coordinatesprograms, speakers, and seminars where students, faculty,and invited guests can present their research findings.

“Research helps students make the next step to gradschool,” says Dr. Potvin. “And it’s a golden opportunity forthem to contribute something unique to science.”

A

Caryn Gamss ’03S was a 2002 Roth Scholar.

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The Makingof Young

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STORY CONTRIBUTORS:

KELLY BERMAN, JUNE GLAZER,

DAVID HILLSTROM

Julia Josovitz ’02S, S. Daniel Abraham HonorsProgram

Julia Josovitz was one of thefirst two biochemistry majorsto graduate from SternCollege for Women in a newcurriculum instituted in2002. She worked under hermentor, Chaya Rapp, PhD,professor of chemistry, studying protein structureand stabilization to learn howproteins behave and synthe-size to perform a target function. In March she wasone of three Stern students—

with Anya Sedletcaia andSarabeth Reingold—to pres-ent posters of their researchat the 225th NationalMeeting of the AmericanChemical Society, held inNew Orleans. Ms. Josovitzsays the SCW chemistry pro-gram, which is “especiallyrigorous,” helped prepare herfor the challenge of medicalschool. She plans to attendEinstein in the fall.

Yaacov Yunger ’02Y, Jay and Jeanie SchottensteinHonors Program

With a double-major in phi-losophy and physics and aminor in mathematics,Yaacov Yunger attended a scientific conference on theisland of Corsica last summerand served for a month asguest researcher at theUniversity of Nice, thanks tothe efforts of Gabriel Cwilich,PhD, assistant professor ofphysics. Mr. Yunger’s re-search in France and at YUinvolved studying computersimulations of how physicalwaves (e.g. light and ultravio-let) travel through certainsubstances. For example, thisoccurs when sunlight travelsthrough a cloud. A practicalapplication of Mr. Yunger’sresearch could be a variationof medical resonance imaging(MRI). If his research is per-fected, Mr. Yunger says, itcould assist in using harm-less light frequency waves todetect tumors in the humanbody. This fall he begins aPhD program in physics atCornell University.

Baruch Stein ’02Y

Baruch Stein studies appliedphysics at Columbia Uni-versity’s School of AppliedScience. At YU, he says heworked closely with FredyZypman, PhD, professor ofphysics, spending “countlesshours in his office.” Workingone-on-one with him “wasthe cornerstone of my under-graduate physics education,”he says. Mr. Stein’s researchcentered on the functioningof nanoscale electronicdevices on the order of atom-ic lengths. He says thatunderstanding the function-ing of devices as small asthese requires developing anew theory explaining quan-tum effects. While theresearch itself was complex,the recipe for success wastraditional, he says. “Ilearned a lot from my peerswho were working with otherprofessors in the sciences atYU,” he says. Doing researchat YU was great! he adds.“Mincha just down the hallfrom the lab—that’s whatTorah Umadda is all about.”

Anya Sedletcaia ’03S

Anya Sedletcaia spent twosummers of her Stern Collegecareer conducting scientificresearch, first under the guid-ance of Dr. Babich and lateras a 2002 Roth Scholar withPaula Cohen, PhD, assistantprofessor in Einstein’s depart-ment of Molecular Genetics.Ms. Sedletcaia says these twoexperiences inspired her topursue a career in research,and she will enter the PhDprogram at Einstein’s SueGolding Graduate Division ofMedical Sciences this fall.With Dr. Babich, she studieda compound called protocate-chuic acid (PCA) found infruit, nuts, and vegetables. At Einstein, she studied proteins associated withgenetic diseases includinghereditary colorectal cancer.In March, she was one ofthree Stern College students—with Julia Josovitz andSarabeth Reingold—to pres-ent posters of their researchat the 225th NationalMeeting of the AmericanChemical Society, held inNew Orleans. “Doing researchmakes the theory comealive,” she says.

Ouri Cohen ’03Y

A participant in the unique3-2 Combined Plan withColumbia University, OuriCohen graduated withdegrees from both YU andColumbia. At YU his majorwas physics; at Columbia hemajored in electrical engi-neering. Mr. Cohen explainshis research this way: “Let’ssay there’s an object embed-ded within another, a tumorin a brain, for instance. It’s desirable to determine char-acteristics of the tumor, likesize, rate of growth, etc.,without having to physicallydig for it. My researchfocused on solving that prob-lem. We reflected electromag-netic waves off an object,then used the reflected wavesto construct an image of thatobject. The applications willdepend mostly on the imagi-nation of future scientistsand engineers.”

Shira Miller ’03S, S. Daniel Abraham HonorsProgram

With a major in biology, ShiraMiller was a teacher’s assis-tant to Brenda Loewy, PhD,visiting associate professor ofbiology at SCW. As an internin the genetics department ofthe Children’s Hospital of

Philadelphia, ranked amongthe world’s leading pediatriccenters, Ms. Miller worked in a lab that specializes inpinpointing deletions in chromosomes 1 and 21. “Iwas just a 20-year-old juniorin college, but the people I worked with treated mealmost as a peer,” she says.Her research focused onlocating the aberration inchromosome 5 of a 10-year-old patient with symptoms offamilial adenomatous poly-posis (FAP), a condition characterized by malignantpolyps on the colon. Ms.Miller is considering a careerin education and nursing.

Yehoshua Levine ’03Y, Jay and Jeanie SchottensteinHonors Program

Yehoshua Levine, a pre-medstudent, conducted hisresearch as a UniversityScholar at Einstein’s micro-biology and immunologydepartment this past sum-mer. He researched the AvianLeukosis Virus (ALV), a retro-virus used as a model tostudy how target cells areinfected, with specific appli-cation to the HIV/AIDS virus.During fall 2002 and spring2003, he continued hisresearch part-time atEinstein’s Sue GoldingGraduate Division, becomingthe first honors student tocomplete his thesis projectoff-campus. Regarding hisresearch experience at YU,Mr. Levine says, “It’s excitingto be at the forefront ofwhere science is going, inaddition to learning aboutwhat’s already known. Itthrills me to be an active partin expanding the knowledgebase.” Mr. Levine plans toattend Harvard MedicalSchool in the fall.

Solving the Puzzle ofGenetic DiseaseBY LINDA NATHAN

hirty-six years ago, Lisa Edelmann ’96A was col-lecting ants and worms, studying them in her

parents’ backyard on Long Island. Just three yearsold, even then the lure of natural science cast a spellover her. Today, working from her lab at Mount SinaiSchool of Medicine in New York City, Dr. Edelmann

has turned her focus and her sense of wonder from smallorganisms to human genetics—with an eye to refining themolecular diagnosis of inherited disease.

“What I really like about human genetics is its direct appli-cability,” says Dr. Edelmann, a trained molecular biologistwho earned her PhD in genetics at the Sue Golding GraduateDivision of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “You don’thave to stretch to see the impact it might have on humanhealth. It’s obvious.”

At Mt. Sinai, her work in the Genetic Testing Laboratorycenters on Jewish genetic diseases, including Tay-Sachs,Gaucher, Canavan, and Familial Dysautonomia, and involvesscreening for genetic mutations among Ashkenazi Jews andcalculating the frequency of those mutations. In a sense, herhorizon has shifted from bench to bedside. “When you dobasic research, you look to answer a specific question, addressa basic scientific problem,” says Dr. Edelmann. “In the kindof work I do now, you ask the question in a way that will aidin the diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of genetic disease.My work bridges basic research and medicine.”

Interestingly, the detour into human genetics was un-

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“There’s so much that we

don’t understand—the more

we know, the more we realize

we don’t know.”

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planned. Though post-doctorate work in molecular biologywas her logical next step, the Human Genome Project, gain-ing momentum in the mid to late ’90s, cast another spell, andshe opted to study with Bernice Morrow, PhD, an associateprofessor in Einstein’s department of molecular genetics. Dr.Morrow was working on a genetic disease known asDiGeorge Syndrome, a disorder that results from a large dele-tion on chromosome 22. Dr. Edelmann was given the formi-dable challenge of mapping a particularly difficult region ofthe chromosome.

“I’ve always been good at jigsaw puzzles, so I approachedthe task as a puzzle with pieces all of the same color. It tookme about a year and a half to finish the maps,” she says. Herdata was a significant contribution to the chromosome 22sequencing effort, the first human chromosome to besequenced.

Despite the rewards, Dr. Edelmann considers opting for amore clinically oriented human genetics career a tradeoff ofsorts. She misses the rudiments of investigation, and the sat-isfaction of knowing you can push a field forward with bench-work—the “glamour” of basic research, as she calls it. On theother hand, she enjoys the more immediate impact of trans-lational medicine—knowing that her efforts actually improvepeople’s lives.

“I feel it’s a privilege to put scientific discoveries in humangenetics into practice in the clinical laboratory,” says Dr.Edelmann, whose career path began at SUNY Stony Brook asa biochemistry major. Her next step was to Einstein, where,as a molecular biologist, her research focused on sea urchinembryos.

“Science can be done secretively with all doors closed, oropen with one department helping another. At Einstein, alldoors are open. The school functions as a community in apositive environment,” she says. “Generosity prevails, withscientists from different disciplines offering their time andsharing equipment.”

Ever the scientist—“logic is the principle I live by, theguiding force in my life”—nevertheless, spirituality surroundsher observations on her discipline. “When you stop to thinkabout how things work, about how amazing life is, you can’thelp but think it’s all the work of the Greatest Scientist Ever.I think of God as that Scientist.” Indeed, belief in God is notinconsistent with science, she contends. “There’s so muchthat we don’t understand—the more we know, the more werealize we don’t know.” ■

At the CrossroadsB Y A . W E S S O N

o know God, study His creations.Those words, simple yet profound, landed

on the desk of Sam (Shmuel) Safran ’73Y at YU 34years ago. They have stayed with him ever since, aninvisible thread connecting two strands in his life:Torah study and science.

The words came from a handout in his freshman physicscourse, courtesy of his professor, Dr. Herman Presby YH,’62Y,BG. They were from the first chapter of Maimonides’“Mishna Torah” on the topic of “leidah,” knowing the Creator—in part by probing the wonders of what He had wrought.

“This is more than just ‘science appreciation’ of the won-ders of creation,” says the 51-year-old Dr. Safran. “It requiresprobing the depths of the experimental and theoreticalunderpinnings that show the beauty and universality of thelaws governing the physical universe.”

Probing is what Dr. Safran, now a theoretical physicist,has done since his days at YU. His search took him to Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a doctor-ate in physics in 1978, and then to Bell Labs, where his post-doctoral work focused on the theory of crystalline materials.

Then it was on to a 10-year stint at Exxon, where heworked with chemists, applied mathematicians, and chemi-cal engineers to study the fundamental properties of materi-als important to the petrochemical industry, including oil,water, and soap. At Exxon his team applied these “soft-mat-ter” materials to practical applications, such as fuel stabiliza-tion and oil-spill clean-ups.

In 1990, he joined the Weizmann Institute of Sciencein Rehovot, Israel, in the department of Materials andInterfaces. There Dr. Safran’s work on “soft materials” maysomeday enable medical researchers to deliver therapeuticdrugs to infected areas of the body with pinpoint accuracy.He served as dean of the Institute’s Feinberg GraduateSchool; and in December 2001, he was named vice presidentof the Institute, responsible for its academic and researchcomponents.

Through it all, Dr. Safran has managed to find a balancebetween “the two different planes” of his life, as he calls hisscientific work and his Torah study. In so doing, he tries to

L I S A E D E L M A N N & S A M U E L S A F R A N alumni profiles

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live by the YU ethos of Torah Umadda. “As the Rav explainedmany times, the quest for scientific knowledge and for Torahknowledge and practice are mandated by the same Creator.It’s up to us to pursue both,” Dr. Safran says.

His Talmud studies with the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Solo-veitchik, in his senior year at YU and as a graduate studentover five years at MIT, helped him locate common groundbetween the physical and spiritual worlds. Those studies ulti-mately led to his 1999 article, “Methodologies Common toScience and Halakhah,” published in Bar-Ilan University’sJournal of Torah and Scholarship. The article surveyed com-

mon themes put forth by the Rav and Nobel Laureate physi-cist Richard Feynman.

“The Rav compared the mathematical description of thephysical world to the halakhic attempt to quantify the spiri-tual world. A true appreciation of this, I feel, can only begained by ‘jumping in’ and studying both science and Talmudin depth. You must get involved and ‘do science’ to under-stand how it works, just as you must get involved in learning—at the lomdut [scholarly] level, if possible—to fully appre-ciate its philosophical beauty.”

The son of a mother who survived Auschwitz and a fatherwho spent the war years in the Shanghai ghetto of China, Dr.Safran began his foray into science as a boy in Brooklynwhere his dream at age 8 was to design amusement parkrides, and later at Yeshiva University High School for Boys.But it is his longtime playing of the accordion that provides ahandy metaphor for his life, unfolding as he has done in hiswork the beauties of creation, and coming back home, so tospeak, to Torah. ■

Weizmann’s Dr. Samuel Safran (third from the right) gathers with

students and colleagues on the Rehovot, Israel campus.

His work may enable

medical researchers to deliver

therapeutic drugs

to infected areas of the body

with pinpoint accuracy.

alumni profile S A M U E L S A F R A N

Women in the Talmud

By Aaron Glatt YH,’79YOrthodox Union, ArtscrollThe author is associate deanand professor of medicine,NY Medical College; chiefof infectious diseases, St.Vincent Catholic MedicalCenters (Brooklyn/QueensDivision); and a musmakh ofRav Avrohom Wosner. Heexamines the role of womenin Judaism from the per-spective of the Talmud. A talmudic scholar, his pur-pose is to correct distortionsand misinterpretations ofthe text.

Words and Witness:

Narrative and Aesthetic

Strategies in the Representation

of the Holocaust

By Lea Wernick Fridman ’70SSUNY PressAlbany, NYClose readings of works byHolocaust authors, includingAharon Appelfeld, JerzyKosinski, and Elie Wieselexplore the inventive meansby which these writers wrestle with and experiencewhat, according to this vol-

ume’s author, cannot be putinto words. Her reading ofJoseph Conrad’s Heart ofDarkness sets the stage forcomparative and far-reach-ing literary insights into thenotion and conception oftraumatic narrative.

Federal Sentencing for

Business Crimes

By Kirby D. Behre and A. Jeff Ifrah ’89C,B,RLexisNexisFocuses on federal sentenc-ing for white-collar corporatecrimes. A two-volume set,the first includes instruc-tions for determining white-collar sentences; analysis ofkey factors that directlyimpact on sentences; andcase examples. The secondcontains analysis of guide-lines pertaining to offensessuch as tax, healthcare, andsecurities fraud.

U.S. Securities Law for

International Financial

Transactions and Capital

Markets, Second Edition,

Vols. 14 and 14a

By Guy P. Lander YH’70Thomson, West GroupPart of the author’s Securi-ties Law Series, the volumesinclude United States secu-rities regulation of interna-tional financial transactions,broker-dealers, and invest-ment advisers. Also includ-ed: how foreign companiescan access the US capitalmarkets by engaging in

bookshelf

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Worship of the Heart: Essays on Jewish Prayer

By Joseph B. SoloveitchikEdited by Shalom Carmy ’70Y,B,R, assistant professor of BibleToras HoRav Foundation and KTAVThe second in a series based on the trove of manuscriptsleft by the Rav at his death, the volume consists of 10 essayson Jewish prayer. Rabbi Soloveitchik defines and analyzesthe inward experiences that are to accompany the behaviormandated by Halakhah by focusing on the “Amidah” and“Shema” prayers.

Out of the Whirlwind: Essays on Mourning, Suffering

and the Human Condition

By Joseph B. SoloveitchikEdited by David Shatz YH,’69Y,B,R, professor of philosophy; Joel B. Wolowelsky ’69BG; and Reuven (Ronnie) Ziegler YH,’91YToras HoRav Foundation and KTAVThe nine essays in Out of the Whirlwind, the series’ thirdvolume, articulate a Jewish response to the phenomena ofdeath, crisis, and suffering. The first part analyzes the lawsof mourning, focusing on the relationship between the external actions prescribed by Halakhah and the inner worldof the mourner. Turning from mourning to suffering, the Rav argues that Judaism wants man not to philosophizeabout the reasons for evil but instead to fight evil relentlesslyand convert it into a constructive force.

The Toras HoRav Foundation was formed by the Rav’s familyimmediately after his death, with the aim of carrying out theinstructions in his will to publish many of his manuscripts.

securities transactions in theUS, and how US companiesmay engage in securitiestransactions abroad.

Disability in Jewish Law

By Tzvi C. Marx ’64Y,F,RRoutledge ResearchLondonDisability in Jewish Lawoffers insight into the posi-tion of Halakhah regardingthe rights and status of thephysically and mentallyimpaired, and discusses theresponsibilities and obliga-tions of the non-disabled to them.

A Race Against Death:

Peter Bergson, America, and

the Holocaust

Rafael Medoff ’91B andDavid S. WymanThe New PressNew York, NYThe author relates the storyof Peter Bergson, a Zionistemissary from Palestine wholed a series of politicalaction campaigns in the USto pressure the Rooseveltadministration to rescueJews from Hitler.

Perspectives

By Hirsch Lazaar Silverman’51FCentury HouseNew York, NYA clinical and forensic psy-chologist, in his new volumeof original poetry the authorcombines the function of the philosopher with that of

the poet, and speaks ofthe significant things inlife for all mankind.

The Maverick Rabbi

By Aaron I. ReichelYH,’71Y,B,RThe Donning CompanyNorfolk, VAThe author narrates thestory of Rabbi Herbert S.Goldstein, the firstAmerican-born, Ivy League-educated Jewish “evangelist”who spearheaded a sweep-ing Jewish revival movementat the beginning of the 20thcentury. He is considered bymany to be one of the mostcolorful, creative, andcharismatic figures in mod-ern Jewish history.

Brave New Judaism: When

Science and Scripture Collide

By Miryam Z. WahrmanYH’73.University Press of NewEngland/Brandeis UniversityPressLebanon, NHThe author is professor ofbiology at William PatersonUniversity, NJ, where shecodirects the Center forHolocaust and GenocideStudies. Presenting bioethi-cal principles derived fromtraditional Judaic sources,

here she shows how con-temporary rabbis andJudaica scholars have inter-preted these texts in light ofradical new biotechnologiessuch as infertility treatments,genetic testing, sex selection,and bioengineered food.

Why Me? The Question

of Theodicy

By Nahum Spirn ’87Y,B,RNew York, NYRabbi Spirn has authored amonograph summarizingdivergent approaches to the question of why goodpeople suffer. His own thesis, offered here, is par-ticularly timely in light ofSeptember 11.

Zorei’a Tzedakos:

Contemporary Stories of

Divine Providence

By Meir Wikler ’70Y,WFeldheim PublishersJerusalem, New YorkThe title means “the OneWho sows seeds of right-eousness, kindness, andmercy.” The author, a psy-chotherapist, has assembleda collection of true storiesthat illustrate how ordinarylives have been touched byDivine Providence.

Revenge: A Story of Hope

In March 1986, Rabbi David L.

Blumenfeld YH’52 was on a week-

long visit to Israel when a mem-

ber of a radical faction of the PLO

shot him in the head. It was the

first in a series of random, point-

blank shootings of tourists by a

terrorist cell. Miraculously, Rabbi

Blumenfeld survived. His daugh-

ter, Laura, then a student at

Harvard, vowed to find the man

who pulled the trigger.

More than a decade later, she

returned to Jerusalem to settle the

score. A prize-winning reporter

for The Washington Post, she

went undercover looking for the

assailant and to explore the

mechanics and psychology of

vengeance. She found and

confronted her enemy, but the

experience, and subsequent meet-

ings with him, left her and her

nemesis transformed.

Since its release, Revenge:

A Story of Hope (Simon &

Schuster 2002) has become a

best seller. The New York Times

called it “A vitally important

story”; it won the “Book for a

Better Life” Suze Orman First

Book Award, and has attracted

the attention of HBO.

S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

■ YU Publications

Kol Zvi: A Compendium of

Essays in Talmudic Studies

Edited by Shmuel HainYH,’98Y,R and YaakovWerblowsky YH,’94Y,RThe Bella and Harry WexnerKollel Elyon and SemikhahHonors ProgramRIETSThe publication is the fourthvolume in the Kol ZviJournal series. Articles

include responsa concerningthe agunot of 9/11, andessays on testimony and evidence in cases of spousaldisappearance, levirate marriage and chalitzah, andselected topics fromTractate Yevamot.

The Clarion: Spring-Fall 2002

Journal of the J.P. DunnerPolitical Science SocietyYeshiva UniversityAn undergraduate project,

The Clarion offers articlesby YU students, alumni, andfaculty on the state of theworld. The issue also con-tains contributions from for-mer Israel Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu andNew York Times metrocolumnist Clyde Haberman.Topics include terrorism’srelationship to poverty,media coverage of the 2001NYC mayoral race, and aresponse to Bernard

Goldberg’s bestseller, Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes Howthe Media Distorts the News.

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment

Law Journal 2002

Matthew Bower, editor-in-chiefIncludes articles on open-source software; sanctions insport; boy bands and thestruggle for artistic legitima-cy; and parody, satire, andmarkets.

The Art of Serenity:

The Path to a Joyful Life in the

Best and Worst of Times

By T. Byram Karasu, Dorothyand Marty SilvermanProfessor of Psychiatry, AlbertEinstein College of MedicineSimon and SchusterNew York, NYThe author offers a prescrip-tion for happiness, a state of mind he says is opened bya combination of soul andspirit and which culminatesin the love and belief in God.

Spatially Resolved

Characterization of Local

Phenomena in Materials and

Nanostructures

Co-edited by Fredy Zypman,professor of physicsMaterials Research SocietyThe book is part of theMaterials Research Society

Symposium Proceedingsseries and is the result of Dr.Zypman’s research withthree other colleagues fromthe Los Alamos NationalLaboratory, the UniversidadComplutense de Madrid(Spain), and the Universityof Pennsylvania.

Why Didn’t the Press Shout?

Edited by Robert MosesShapiro, adjunct assistantprofessor of Jewish historyYeshiva University Press and KTAVThe book records the wide-

spread indifference of thepress—from the US andGreat Britain to the SovietUnion and Nazi-occupiedEurope—in reporting theHolocaust before and duringWorld War II. It containspapers presented at a YUconference in 1995 underthe auspices of the Eli andDiana Zborowski Professor-ial Chair in InterdisciplinaryHolocaust Studies.

Keshet Giborim, Vol. 2

By Aaron B. Shurin, formerlecturer in Jewish studies,SCWMosad Harav KookJerusalemIn Hebrew, it includes biog-raphical studies of majorJewish personalities of the20th century. Rabbi Shurinis also author, Bain YehudaiArztot Habrith, vignettes andimages of Jewish life inAmerica with an introduc-

tion by Dr. Yitzchak Raphael,former Israel minister ofreligion and head of MosadHarav Kook, the book’s publisher.

Contested Memories

Edited by Joshua D.Zimmerman, BRGS assistantprofessor of East EuropeanJewish history and occupant,Eli and Diana ZborowskiChair in Holocaust StudiesRutgers University PressNew Brunswick, NJ, and LondonThe volume is based onpapers delivered at an April2000 Holocaust conferenceheld at YU and sponsored byBRGS and the ZborowskiChair. It represents areassessment by three gener-ations of Polish and Jewishscholars of the existing his-toriography of Polish-Jewishrelations just before, during,and after World War II.

Faculty

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 3 7

Associations Honor AlumniEight YU alumni who have made significant contributions toreligious, educational, communal, and professional life aswell as to scholarship were honored by their alma mater inFebruary. The event was a joint presentation of the YeshivaCollege Alumni Association’s 46th Annual Bernard RevelMemorial Awards, the Stern College Alumnae Association’s20th Annual Samuel Belkin Memorial Awards, the Sy SymsSchool of Business Alumni Association’s 7th Annual NormanLamm Award, and the YCAA’s 12th Samuel Belkin LiteraryAward. The Revel, Belkin, and Lamm awards are named for theUniversity’s first, second, and third presidents, respectively.

This year’s recipients of the YCAA Revel Awards and theirareas of recognition were• Rabbi William Altshul ’72 of Silver Spring, MD, forReligion and Religious Education. Rabbi Altshul is head-master of the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rock-ville, MD, formerly the Hebrew Academy of Greater Wash-ington, where he held the same position from 1983 to 1991.In 1991 he became principal to more than 2,000 students atMount Scopus Memorial College in Melbourne, Australia,and 1997–2001 was principal of the Joel Braverman HighSchool of the Yeshiva of Flatbush in Brooklyn. He began hiscareer in 1974 at the Maimonides School in Brookline, MA,and taught at the Vancouver Talmud Torah in BritishColumbia, Canada, where he also was principal.• Dr. Leon Chameides ’55 of West Hartford, CT, for Pro-fessional Achievement. Dr. Chameides is former directorof the pediatric cardiology unit at Connecticut Children’sMedical Center, and professor emeritus in the department ofpediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medi-cine. He received his medical degree from Albert EinsteinCollege of Medicine and completed his specialty training atthe University of Rochester and Boston’s Children’s Hospitals.

Dr. Chameides was chairman of the American Heart Associa-tion’s Task Force in 1973 that developed cardiopulmonaryresuscitation (CPR). He is a member of numerous medicalassociations and has received prestigious awards from organ-izations including the American Heart Association. He isactive in West Hartford’s Jewish community as a member ofthe boards of Cong. Agudas Achim, the Jewish HistoricalSociety, and the Commission on Jewish Education.• Avery E. Neumark ’74 of New York City, for CommunityService Leadership. Mr. Neumark is a partner and directorof employee benefits and executive compensation with RosenSeymour Shapss Martin & Company LLP, a nationally recog-nized certified public accounting firm. He is also an adjunctprofessor at Brooklyn Law School and Fordham UniversityGraduate School of Business. He is a commissioner of theNY State Insurance Fund and a member of the American BarAssociation’s Employee Benefits Committee. He is active inthe Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America andthe UJA Federation in New York, and lectures nationwide tofinancial and legal organizations.

• • • • •Recipients of the SCAA Belkin Awards and their areas of re-cognition were• Sora Goldfeder Brazil ’73 of Oceanside, NY, for Profes-sional Achievement. Ms. Brazil is founder and executivedirector of Senior Life Management, PLLC, which providesmental health and behavior management services for the eld-erly in more than 50 long-term care facilities in New York. AWurzweiler MSW recipient, she has provided social serviceconsulting and supervision and counseling services in long-term care facilities for more than 25 years. Ms. Brazil has alsobeen instrumental in developing behavior management pro-grams for nursing facilities.• Lillian Lubka Cantor ’71 of Edison, NJ, for Jewish Edu-cation. Ms. Cantor has been educating Jewish children for

3 8 S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

Standing (L–R): Dr. David J. Schnall,

Jason Schwartz, Dr. Leon Chameides, and

Sora Goldfeder Brazil. Seated (L–R):

Avery E. Neumark, Rabbi William Altshul,

Deena Jarashow, and Lillian Lubka Cantor.

alumni newsalumni news

more than 30 years. In 2002, she became principal of ShaareTorah Boys Elementary School in Brooklyn. Prior, she wasprincipal of Shalom Torah Academy in East Windsor and OldBridge, NJ, at which she also taught for nine years. Ms.Cantor was a longtime Hebrew school teacher at HighlandPark Conservative Temple and Center, NJ, and taught grades2–5 at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison, NJ, whereshe began her career in 1971.• Deena Jarashow ’84 of Fair Lawn, NJ, for CommunityRelations. An education major with a JD from New YorkUniversity School of Law, Ms. Jarashow has dedicated herselfto community service. She has held many positions in the sis-terhood of her synagogue, Cong. Shomrei Torah, is a memberof the board of Jewish Education for Special Children inRiver Edge, NJ, a member of the board of directors of YavnehAcademy in Paramus, NJ, director of Leah Sokoloff NurserySchool of Shomrei Torah, and a member of Shomrei Torah’sboard of directors.

• • • • •The Sy Syms School of Business Alumni Association awardedits 7th Annual Norman Lamm Award to Jason Schwartz ’93of Teaneck, NJ, for Business Leadership. Chief financialofficer of DealTime.com, a free online comparison shoppingservice, Mr. Schwartz is responsible for the company’s overallfinancial strategy. He previously held various positions atPricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, most recently as a manager inthe technology industry group, where he provided accountingand consulting to numerous domestic and internationalclients. He is also a certified public accountant.

• • • • •The YCAA’s 12th Samuel Belkin Literary Award was present-ed to Dr. David J. Schnall ’69Y, dean of YU’s Azrieli Grad-uate School of Jewish Education and Administration. He re-ceived the award for his latest book, By the Sweat of YourBrow: Reflections on Work and the Workplace in ClassicalJewish Thought. Also a RIETS musmakh, after serving as pro-fessor in the department of public administration at LongIsland University for 12 years, Dr. Schnall was appointedHerbert Schiff Professor of Management and Administrationat YU’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work in 1991, where hewas an adjunct and visiting professor since 1985. In 1999, Dr.Schnall was awarded a prestigious J. William FulbrightForeign Scholarship. He has published eight books and morethan 100 articles, essays, and reviews dealing with Jewishaffairs, public policy, and management issues.

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3

Looking to relocate or find a

business outside your hometown?

YU’s Online Alumni Community

Yellow Pages is the place to turn.

In the OLC Yellow Pages, alumni

can view products and services

advertised by fellow alumni in

locations worldwide and post and

edit their Yellow Page listings.

Launched last year, the OLC fea-

tures a range of complementary

career and networking services.

The OLC can help friends and

former classmates stay in touch,

reconnect, and exchange ideas.

Additionally, alumni can search

for jobs in their fields throughout

the country. And, the mentoring

service is a useful tool for

individuals contemplating a

career change or seeking expert

career guidance.

Other features include the

capability to build and store a

personal Web page with up to one

megabyte of disk space free of

charge; hot links to other Web

resources; an interactive alumni

directory; bulletin boards where

alumni can post messages to

other alumni; events calendar for

upcoming YU alumni functions

around the world; and free perma-

nent email addresses.

To register for the OLC, alumni

can go to www.yu.edu/alumni and

click the “Online Community”

button, or log onto their school’s

alumni association Web site and

click the “Online Community”

button. Registration is a one-time

process. Membership for all YU

grads is free. To learn more,

contact Robert Saltzman, Univer-

sity director of Alumni Affairs.

The Office of University Alumni Affairs can be reached atalumdesk@ymail.yu.edu; by phone at 212-960-5373; or by fax at 212-960-5336. Our mail address is YeshivaUniversity, 500 West 185th Street, BH723, New York, NY 10033-3201.

Seeking Award NomineesThe three undergraduate schools’ alumni associations areseeking nominees for their 2003 alumni awards. The YeshivaCollege Alumni Association (YCAA) presents its BernardRevel Memorial Awards in three categories: Religion andReligious Education, Community Service Leadership, andProfessional Achievement.

The Stern College Alumnae Association (SCAA) presentsits Samuel Belkin Memorial Awards in three categories:Jewish Education, Community Relations, and ProfessionalAchievement.

The Sy Syms School of Business Alumni Association(SSSBAA) recognizes business achievement through itsNorman Lamm Award.

The Samuel Belkin Literary Award is presented to recent-ly published Yeshiva College alumni authors.

Nominations need only include a letter of recommenda-tion sent to any of the three alumni associations via the Of-fice of University Alumni Affairs. Deadlines for nominationsis August 1 for next December’s Alumni Awards Ceremony.

Potpourri

Eli Sar Memorial Fund LaunchedThe Eli Sar Memorial Fund has been established in memo-ry of Dr. Eli Sar ’41Y, who was medical director for YU’sundergraduate schools for more than 40 years. Contributionswill help defray costs of medical services for needy under-graduate students. To donate, send your check to the Eli SarMemorial Fund, C/O Office of University Alumni Affairs,Yeshiva University, 500 West 185th Street, BH723, NewYork, NY 10033-3201.

Yeshiva University Professionals Network Takes OffYC, SCW, and SSSB alumni from the 1970s and ’80s nowcan get involved with career and social networking eventsamong their peers through a new Yeshiva University Profes-sionals Network (YUPN). The group has sponsored success-ful after-work receptions and is developing seminars on busi-ness, education, health, and law designed for graduates ofthose decades. Please contact the Alumni Office for moreinformation and to volunteer.

4 0

NYC-area alumni gathered for a Hanukkah career and social

networking reception, cosponsored by YU GOLD (Graduates of the

Last Decade) and YUPN (Yeshiva University Professionals Network).

L–R: Joseph Weilgus ’99SB, Stuart Forgash ’96SB, David Blatt

’97SB,C, Karen Stadtmauer Blatt ’96S, and Joseph Steinberg ’93Y.

Attorneys Eliot Lauer YH,’71Y (left) and Jacques Semmelman YH’72

presented “Current Legal Initiatives for Jonathan Pollard” in Dec-

ember at a Yeshiva College Alumni Association-sponsored panel

discussion moderated by YCAA president Joshua Annenberg ’89Y,C.

In May 2000, Mr. Lauer and Mr. Semmelman took on the pro bono

representation of Mr. Pollard.

Dr. Harvey Schlossberg ’71F,

chief psychologist for the

Port Authority of NY and NJ

during the 1993 WTC bomb-

ing, in January presented

“Helping Others Cope with

the Threat of Terrorism” on

how psychologists can help

people deal with the fear of terrorism and recover after an attack.

Dr. Rosa Perla Resnick

Helfgot ’76W and WSSW

associate professor Dr.

Susan Bendor cochaired

WSSW’s first such con-

ference, on “Meeting the

Challenges of Older Persons: Combining Practice and Policy, National and

International Perspectives on Aging,” last February.

In conjunction with the Student Organiza-

tion of Yeshiva’s Seforim Sale, the Yeshiva

College Alumni Association sponsored its

fourth annual pre-Seforim Sale book recep-

tion and lecture in February. The program

featured YU professors Dr. David Shatz

YH,’69Y,B,R (left) and Rabbi Shalom Carmy

’70Y,B,R, who spoke about two of Rabbi

Joseph B. Soloveitchik’s posthumously pub-

lished books, which they edited.

President Norman Lamm ’49Y,R,B made philanthropist and communal

leader David J. Azrieli and his wife, Stephanie, honorary alumni and

presented him with a commemorative medallion of appreciation at a

recent dinner celebrating Mr. Azrieli’s 80th birthday.

Dr. April Lane Benson ’78F presented ideas from

her book, I Shop, Therefore I Am: Compulsive

Buying and the Search for Self, at the Midtown

Campus in November. A psychologist who treats

patients suffering from alcohol, eating, and

gambling addictions, she discussed the serious

nature of compulsive shopping.

About 40 alumni attended a

CSL continuing legal edu-

cation program in March,

“New York and Connecticut

Divorce Law: How They

Differ and Why You Need to

Know,” presented by attor-

neys Frederic J. Siegel ’82C

(pictured) and Jay Butterman ’88C. The Cardozo Alumni

Association cosponsors a monthly series of continuing legal

education programs throughout the year.

Noted attorney Nathan Lewin YH,’57Y (right),

pictured with Dr. Herbert Dobrinsky YH,’54Y,F,R,

received the Distinguished Alumnus Award at the

Yeshiva University High Schools Dinner of

Tribute in March. Mr. Lewin is an authority on

constitutional law and a former official of the US

Department of Justice and Department of State.

Henry Rubin, YU senior director for gift planning,

discussed “Estate Planning Secrets of the Rich and

Famous” at an alumni gathering in NYC as part of his

nationwide series of free educational seminars.

4 2 S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

New Director of Annual GivingThe Office of University Alumni Affairs is pleased to an-nounce that Ellen Barkenbush is the new director of annualgiving. Ms. Barkenbush coordinates mailing and telemarket-ing fundraising efforts for alumni and parents. Previously, shewas director of annual giving programs at Union CountyCollege and Drew University in New Jersey, and at LincolnCenter in NYC.

Shabbat Hospitality at SternNew York area alumnae: Enjoy the enthusiasm and appreci-ation of a Stern student whose family lives far away by host-ing her in your home or community for a Shabbat or chag.Contact the Office of University Alumni Affairs for moreinformation about this hospitality program recently initiatedby the Stern College Alumnae Association. The SCAA isspending the summer gathering names of prospective hostsin preparation for the coming academic year. ■©

DA

RR

ELL

GU

LIN

/CO

RB

IS

Forget Me Not!All undergraduate alumni who have not con-

tributed to this year’s Annual Fund Drive should

already have received their package of “forget-

me-not” seeds as a reminder that this year’s

campaign ends June 30. The participation of

alumni, not gift size, is a key factor in comput-

ing schools’ national rankings. Unless otherwise

requested, contributions go to graduates’ respec-

tive schools or colleges. The fund supports

undergraduate scholarships and financial assis-

tance. So, please remember to send in your

donation in this magazine’s enclosed envelope.

The Office of University Alumni

Affairs thanks the following

authors for submitting their books

to the Alumni Authors Library.

Since the last issue of Yeshiva

University Review, publications

received include:

Dr. Steven Yisroel Charlop ’81

Making Sense of NursingHomes

Rabbi Jacob Chinitz ’44

In My Opinion

Professor Herbert Danzger ’56

Returning to Tradition: The Contemporary Revival ofOrthodox Judaism

Blu Greenberg ’56

Black Bread: Poems, After the Holocaust

How to Run a TraditionalJewish Household

On Women and Judaism

Rabbi Irving Greenberg ’45

Living in the Image of God

Dr. Seymour Hoffman ’56

CoTherapy with Individuals,Families, & Groups

Professor Eliezer D. Jaffe ’55

Giving Wisely and Sourcesfor Funding

Rabbi Barry J. Konovitch ’63

From Idealism to Realism: A 25-Year Odyssey

Rabbi Marc Schneier ’80

Shared Dreams

Dr. Miryam Wahrman ’73

Brave New Judaism

Women in the Talmud

Rabbi Shlomo Wexler ’48

The Daughters Victorious

To display your work in the

Alumni Authors Library, please

send a copy to the Office of

University Alumni Affairs,

Yeshiva University, 500 West

185th Street, BH723, New York,

NY 10033-3201.

Thank you toalumni authors

classnotes

YESHIVA COLLEGE STERN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN SY SYMS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

Yeshiva University Review

welcomes Classnotes submis-

sions that are typewritten or

neatly printed. Relevant infor-

mation (name, maiden name,

school, year of graduation, and

a contact phone number) must

be included. The magazine is

not responsible for incomplete

or incorrect information.

Graduates of CSL, WSSW, FGS,

and AECOM may also direct

notes to those schools’ alumni

publications. In addition to

professional achievements,

YUR Classnotes may contain

alumni family news, including

information on births, mar-

riages, condolences, and

bar/bat mitzvahs. Engagement

announcements are not accept-

ed. We reserve the right to

edit submitted items. We

cannot be responsible for time-

sensitive submissions that

expire before publication.

Items sent for the next edition

of Yeshiva University Review

will be included as received

and as space permits.

Photographs are encouraged.

’20s■ Personal News

Rabbi Abraham RosenfeldYH,’26R recently celebrated his100th birthday. A lifelong resi-dent of Washington Heights, NY,he now lives in Baltimore. Hewas a businessman and execu-tive director of the Rabbi MosesSoloveitchik Yeshiva for morethan 20 years, and for manymore years served as volunteerrabbi in charge of the synagogueconnected with that yeshiva. His son, Dr. Azriel RosenfeldYH,’50Y,BG,R, received an hon-orary doctorate from YU in 2000.

’30s■ Personal News

Rabbi Israel Nobel ’39Y,R andwife Judith celebrated their 60thwedding anniversary inDecember. Sharing in the simchawere children Carole Nobel Roth’68S and Debora Nobel Grossman’72S, and grandson DanielGrossman ’03SB.

’40s■ Professional News

Dr. Alvin I. Schiff ’47Y,AG,F,Irving I. Stone Distinguished

Professor ofJewish Education,announced thatthe Board ofJewish Educationof Greater NewYork has pub-lished an English

translation of his popular guidefor lesson planning, under thetitle Halakhah L’Ma’aseh: FromTheory to Practice—Step by Stepto Effective Teaching. The manu-al was originally published inJerusalem for the Jewish Agency

for Israel. Also, he authored anessay in Hebrew for Chadashot,the quarterly of the Young Israelof Oceanside, discussing how the“Amidah” prayer on RoshHashannah and Yom Kippur con-tains a remarkable insight intothe reason for American andworld unity after the destructionof the Twin Towers.

■ Personal News

Rabbi William Herskowitz’48Y,W,R,B and wife Sylvia, YUMdirector, announce the birth ofgrandson Yair David to Marilynand Elliot Herskowitz ofJerusalem.

Mazal tov to Rabbi Louis M.Tuchman YH,’44Y,R on the birthof great grandchildren AsherYaakov Chaim Casden andEsther Rochel Davidman.

’50s■ Professional News

Reuben E. Gross ’51Y,R,F is apsychologist and marriage coun-selor with a private practice inTeaneck, NJ. He was awardedthe Diplomate in ClinicalPsychology by the AmericanBoard of ProfessionalPsychology, Diplomate inPsychotherapy by the AmericanBoard of Psychotherapy, and is afellow of the American Academyof Clinical Psychology. Recentlyhe was honored by his syna-gogue, Cong. Bnai Yeshurun(Teaneck), at its 28th annualjournal dinner, with the AvramRuditzky Memorial GemilatChesed Award. He is married toDonna (Zackai) ’66S, and is thefather of Rona Gross-Rubin ’94S,Raphael ’96SB, and Shira.

Dr. Joseph Sungolowsky ’55Y,R,professor of French literature andJewish studies, CUNY-Queens

College, read a paper, “TheJewishness of Primo Levi” at theinternational conference, “If Thisis a Man: The Life and Legacy ofPrimo Levi (1919–1987),” HofstraUniversity, in October.

Dr. Robert N. Taub ’57Y, professorof clinical medicine, ColumbiaUniversity College of Physiciansand Surgeons, is director of theColumbia University Center forStudy and Treatment ofMesothelioma, a form of cancermainly affecting the lungs. Dr.Taub earned his MD from YaleUniversity, PhD from LondonUniversity, and honorary profes-sorships and awards from theAmerican Cancer Society, IsraelCancer Research Fund,Leukemia Society of America,and National Cancer Institute.

■ Personal News

Rabbi Leon Aronsky ’59Y,Rannounces the birth of a grand-son, Adam Meir, to his childrenRonnit and Noah Vasserman.

Mazal tov to Ayelet (Shapiro)’59S and Rabbi Ahron Batt ’56Y,Ron the birth of great granddaugh-ter Hodaya to Zimarat andNechemia Zuckerman of MitzpehYericho, Israel.

Rabbi Shlomo Jakobovits ’56Y,principal of general studies, EitzChaim Schools of Toronto,announces the marriage ofdaughter Rivka to RabbiAvrohom Wolpin.

Chaya (Heschel) ’59S and RabbiElihu Marcus ’53Y,R proudlyannounce the birth of grand-daughter Adi Ita, born to theirchildren, Debby and ShlomoBreitbard, in Maale Adumim,Israel.

Idelle (Menkes) YH’56 and Dr.Reuben Rudman YH,’57Y,R madealiyah to Jerusalem.

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 4 3

Anny (Chana Wolf) YH,’57TIWand Alfred Thee ’56Y announcethe birth of granddaughterShoham Rivka to Chaykie andYehoshua Bassan of Efrat.

Yaakov Zev YH,’54Y,R,W, andwife Chany celebrated the batmitzvah of granddaughter SaraChaya.

’60s■ Professional News

Leah (Segal) Aharonov YH,’69Shas lived in Israel since 1969.She is chairperson, Council ofWomen’s Organizations in Israel,umbrella organization of the 12major women’s organizations inthe country. In that capacity, sherepresented Israel at the 19thconvention of the InternationalCouncil of Jewish Women, heldin Sydney, Australia. Also, shespoke at the Jewish CommunityCenter in Hong Kong on “TheStatus of Women in Israel.”

Cantor Bernard Beer YH,’65CTI,BSJM director, was cantor/schol-ar-in-residence at the YoungIsrael of Jamaica Estates, Jamai-ca Estates, NY, in December.

Jerome Chanes ’64Y, adjunct pro-fessor, SCW and WSSW, deliv-ered seminars at Columbia and

Yale universitiesand lectured atOxford. Also, heoffered courses inthe history of anti-semitism and onantisemitism inthe US at the JCC

of Manhattan and lectured atTemple Emanuel (NY) on the his-tory of the “movements” in theUnited States. His review ofJewish Baby Boomers by ChaimWaxman ’63Y,B,R appeared inAmerican Jewish History. Profes-

sor Chanes, who also teaches atBarnard College, was named amember of the Academic Councilof the American Jewish HistoricalSociety.

Pinhas Friedenberg ’67Y present-ed a session, “What 9/11 TaughtUs” at the fall 2002 Conferenceof the NJ-NY Association ofCollegiate Registrars andAdmission Officers. Also, he isvice president for registration andrecords management, MiddleStates Association of CollegiateRegistrars and Officers ofAdmission. At its annual meetingin December he presented aworkshop on admissions,records, and electronic technolo-gy; and a session with LeRoyRooker, director of the USDepartment of Education’sFamily Policy Compliance Office,on student privacy issues.

Cantor Sherwood Goffin ’63Y,CTI,BSJM faculty/outreach programcoordinator, served as cantor/scholar-in-residence lastNovember at Cong. Rinat Yisrael,Teaneck, NJ.

Yitzchok Asher Goodman ’69Y,R isa director of investments atSalomon Smith Barney, NYC. Heoversees a financial managementprogram for olim.

Philip Levitz YH’60 and wife Ruthmade aliyah to Ramat BeitShemesh.

Prof. Edith (Slomowitz) Lubetski’68B, SCW head librarian,chaired a session on “20th-Century Research” at theEuropean Association for JewishStudies 7th Congress in Amster-dam, the Netherlands, July ’02.

Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg’69Y,F,AG,R was voted “TeacherWho Made a Significant Impact”by the Class of 2002 at MosheAaron Yeshiva High School,

South River, NJ, where he teach-es Holocaust studies. He spokeat the midwinter meeting of theNew York Board of Rabbis on“Sources for Sermons.”

Elaine Leeder Sneierson ’69W isdean of social sciences and pro-fessor of sociology, Sonoma StateUniversity. She is author of threebooks and many articles on glob-al perspectives on the family,radical Jewish labor history, anddomestic violence.

Dr. Henry I. Sobel ’65Y,R, is sen-ior rabbi, Congregação IsraelitaPaulista, São Paulo, Brazil. Hewas the official guest of LuizInácio Lula da Silva at his inau-guration in January as the newpresident of Brazil. He was theonly rabbi among five religiousleaders called upon during theceremony to greet both theincoming and outgoing presi-dents and their respective vicepresidents and wives.

■ Personal News

Mazal tov to Leah (Segal)Aharonov YH,’69S on the mar-riage of son Aviad, an officer inthe Israeli Navy, to VirginieEmanuelle.

Nisson Berlin YH’64 and wifeChanna welcome the birth oftheir first grandchild, David, bornin Netanya, Israel.

Toni (Felscher) ’70S and PhilChernofsky YH,’69Y,F announcethe birth of a grandson to chil-dren Miri and Daveed Schler.

Lea Dror-Batalion ’69Sannounces the birth of a grand-daughter, Hila, to childrenNatalie and Menashe Cohen.

Sara (Sandy Singer) EifermanYH’62 and husband Charles, ofHar Nof, announce the birth of agrandson, Noam Meir, to theirson David and his wife, Dina, ofBat Yam.

BENJAMIN N. CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW WURZWEILER SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK FERKAUF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY

4 4 S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 • Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W

Scholars participate

The Association of Jewish Studies held its 34th annual conference in December in Los Angeles. YU alumni and faculty members in attendance included: Dr. David Berger’64Y,R; Dr. Moshe Bernstein, YH,’66Y,B,R, associate profes-sor of Bible; Dr. Shani Berrin ’88S,B, adjunct assistant professor of Jewish studies; Evelyn M. Cohen, assistant professor of art; Dr. Yaakov Elman, associate professor ofJewish studies; Dr. Louis H. Feldman, Abraham WoukFamily Professor of Classics and Literature; Dr. Sylvia BarakFishman ’64S; Naomi Grunhaus, instructor in Bible; Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel YH,’77Y,B,R, E. Billi Ivry Professor of Jewish History; Dr. Michelle J. Levine ’87B, assistant professor of Bible; Dr. Zafrira Lidovsky-Cohen, assistant professor of Hebrew; Dr. Haym Soloveitchik ’62R, MerkinFamily Professor of Jewish History and Literature; and Dr. Joshua Zimmerman, assistant professor of Jewish historyand Eli and Diana Zborowski Professorial Chair in Inter-disciplinary Holocaust Studies.

BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES AZRIELI GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH EDUCATION & ADMINISTRATION

Eli Klein ’61Y and wife Chavacelebrated their 50th weddinganniversary and also the birth oftheir first great granddaughter.

Phyllis Curchack Kornspan ’69Scelebrated the birth of grand-daughter Heichal Haleili, sister ofShirel Hodayah and Nesya.

Dr. Elissa “Pitzie” (Friedman)’63S and Dr. Judah Lando ’60Yannounce the marriage of daugh-ter Rachel to Lt. Sagi Baruch.

Marlene (Ravitz) Schwartz ’69Swelcomes the birth of grandsonYoav Ze’ev to daughter MiriamAlmog and her husband, Dr. Gil.

’70s■ Professional News

Dov Bloom ’76Y,B is a lecturer incomputer science at the NegevAcademic College for Engineer-ing in Beersheva, Israel, and atthe Yehuda Junior College inKiryat Arba. Also, he teaches attwo Beersheva high schools. Heand wife Sandra live in Beit Yatir.

Lea Wernick Fridman ’70S, isassociate professor of English atKingsborough CommunityCollege. She was a recipient of aPSC-CUNY Research AwardGrant in 2001 and in 2002; con-tributed an article on the writer,Piotr Rawicz, to the referencework Holocaust Literature(Routeledge, 2003); was electedto the CUNY university facultysenate and as cochair of theKingsborough faculty assembly;and represented Kingsborough atmeetings of CUNY governanceleaders. Her play, A W/Hole inthe Heart, is being produced inNYC as an equity production.

Rabbi Yaakov Neuburger ’77Y,R,I. Meier and Henrietta SegalsProfessor of Talmud, RIETS, washonored at the Sinai Special

Needs Institute dinner celebrat-ing its 20th year, held inFebruary in Teaneck, NJ.

Nava Rephun ’76W presented aseminar in Hebrew for Israelitherapists on Imago RelationshipTherapy at Shaare ZedekHospital, Jerusalem. She is apsychotherapist who works withcouples and individuals in herprivate practice in NYC, and wholeads workshops in the US andIsrael. She is a certified ImagoRelationship therapist.

Dr. Miryam (Zahavy) WahrmanYH’73 published Brave NewJudaism: When Science andScripture Collide (see Bookshelf).The book received a StarredReview (“book of outstandingquality”) from Publishers Weekly.Professor of biology and directorof general education, WilliamPaterson University, NJ, she alsoserves as science correspondentfor the Jewish Standard andJewish Community News, NJ.She and husband Dr. Israel S.Wahrman ’75Y live in Teaneckwith their two daughters, Abigailand Susanna.

■ Personal News

Dr. Avi Auerbach ’78Y and wifeJudy, of Efrat, celebrated the barmitzvah of son Shlomo. Mazal tovalso to grandparents Dr. BernardAuerbach YH,’45Y,R, and wifeVivien.

Shelley (Billauer) ’82TIW,B andRabbi Moshe Berliner ’79W,F,Rannounce the marriage of daugh-ter Devora Chaya to Yoel ShragaRosenberg.

Rabbi Azarya Berzon YH,’78Rand wife Charnie announce themarriage of two sons—within twoweeks of each other: Baruch toMariam Levitanus andMenachem to Chavie Kriger.

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 4 5

Rabbi Menachem Genack YH,’69Y,R, rabbinic administrator, OUkashrut depatment, and a professed history buff, recently exchangedletters with Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, whosebooks include Truman and the current best-seller John Adams, aboutan anecdote involving the 33rd US President and the Jews:

• • • • •

Dear Mr. McCullough:

A few weeks ago a story appeared in the Israeli press aboutPresident Truman that I thought you might find interesting.

President Truman’s advisers had urged him to address theAmerican people each week. After deliberations with communicationexperts, the weekly speech was scheduled for Friday night. A Mrs.Berl heard of this decision and was disturbed. There would be manyOrthodox Jews who would like to hear the President’s speech, butwould not be able to because it would be broadcast on the JewishSabbath. She wrote a letter to the President describing her patriotismand her wish to hear the President, but regretted her inability to do sobecause she could not operate an electrical appliance on theSabbath. “As a result,” she wrote, “I request that you reschedule thebroadcast.” Amazingly a week later, Mrs. Berl received a letter inform-ing her that President Truman read her message and was seriouslyconsidering its contents. Two weeks later, the President gave his usualspeech on Friday night, but announced that for various reasons, itwould thereafter be broadcast on Tuesdays…

• • • • •

Mr. McCullough responded:

Dear Rabbi Genack,

I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to send me the storyabout President Truman. It is one I had not heard before, and certain-ly it speaks for his fundamental good will and fairness.

As you probably know, Harry Truman was the only president of the20th century who never went to college. He exemplifies in many wayshow so much that matters in life does not necessarily come from edu-cation. Somehow, possibly from his mother, he acquired a resilient,basic sense of right and wrong, and an ability to put himself in theother person’s place…

Gail (Gaerman) Bokow ’74TIWand husband Motty, of Har Nof,announce the birth of their firstgrandson to son Yoni and hiswife, Yehudis.

Mazal tov to Ruthie (Berger)YH’72 and Achituv GershinskyYH,’75Y,W on the marriage ofson Zev to Efrat Shimel ofJerusalem. Mazal tov also tograndparents Rabbi MosheYH,’44Y,R and DevorahGershinsky ’73F.

Dr. Neil Halpern ’77Y and wifeJudith celebrated the bar mitz-

vah of son Shlomo Elisha. Mazaltov also to grandparents Sheila(Lifschitz) YH’50 and Rabbi DavidHalpern ’49Y,R.

Dr. Heshy Harold Jacob ’74Y,Aand wife Nancy announce themarriage of their daughter,Elisheva, to Betzalel Vogel.

Henry (Zvi) Jurkewicz ’70Y andwife Miriam celebrated the mar-riage of their son Moshe Chaimto Avigail Korman.

Yaffa (Simon) YH’72 and RabbiMartin Katz YH,’71Y,F,R

announce the birth of grand-daughter Esther to son Yehudaand wife Devorah. Mazal tov alsoto great grandparents Rabbi Dr. E.Yechiel Simon YH,’49Y,R,B andwife Natalie.

Morrie Klians ’76Y and wifeCarrie have a new granddaugh-ter, born to daughter SharonaRosenberg and her husband,Nachman, of Ramat BeitShemesh.

Mazal tov to Tova (Lerner) YH’67and Danny Rhein ’70Y, of Efrat;and Sherry (Scheinberg)

Zimmerman ’74S and husbandSaul on the birth of granddaugh-ter Shoshana Bracha to Alisa andBenji Zimmerman. Benji studiesat YU’s Bella and Harry WexnerKollel Elyon and SemikhahHonors Program, Jerusalem.Mazal tov also to great grandfa-ther Rabbi Israel LernerYH,’43Y,R and wife Chaniette.

Mazal tov to Jose Rosenfeld ’79Yand wife Sara Averick, ofJerusalem, on the bar mitzvah ofson Nechemya Chaim.

Bracha Anita (Gittelman) ’74S

RABBI ISAAC ELCHANAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM YESHIVA COLLEGE STERN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

Judah S. Harris YH, ’87Y, photojournalist and fine art photographer, exhibited 57 images in a solo show, “Just One Moment,” held in January at the JCC on thePalisades, Tenafly, NJ.

His portrayals of people, places, and life’s moments have appeared in advertising,magazines, newspapers, and on the covers of 37 novels. His work is collected by individuals and corporations and his photographs of contemporary Jewish life havebeen included in exhibits in various cities, including a permanent display at theMuseum of Jewish Heritage

Upcoming exhibits and talks in NY, Boston, LA, and Toronto will coincide with thepublication of a limited edition collection of 18 photographs (16"x20"), highlighting the first 15 years of Harris’ career, 1987–2002.

SY SYMS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE BENJAMIN N. CARDOZO SCHOOL OF LAW WURZWEIL

and Bennie Steinberg YH,’72Y,Bcelebrated the bar mitzvah of sonMoshe Elchanan.

Dina Roemer ’77S,W and ShayaWexler ’74Y,B,R, of Efrat, cele-brated the marriage of daughterTehila to Jeremy Gimpel. Mazaltov also to grandparents RabbiShlomo Wexler ’49Y,R and wifeChaya, of Har Nof.

Sherry (Scheinberg) Zimmerman’74S and husband Saul, of BeitShemesh, celebrated the batmitzvah of daughter ShulamitElana.

’80s■ Professional News

Jerry Barbalatt YH,’87Y,C wasincluded in New York ResidentMagazine’s list of 100 top NewYorkers of 2002. A financial plan-ner and president, Parker Allenand Co., Jerry devotes much ofhis time to pro bono work. Themagazine referred to those on itslist as among the “Big Apple’sbest and brightest.”

Moshe (Mark) Feldman ’88Yopened his own law practice thispast June, and specializes in UStaxation of international transac-tions and high net-worth individ-uals. The firm is based in TelAviv and Manhattan. He, wifeNava (Lisotkin) YH’85, and theirthree children are making aliyahto Nof Ayalon. Moshe is the sonof Dr. Louis H. Feldman, YC’sAbraham Wouk Family ChairHolder in Classics and Literature.

Rabbi Pinchas N. Pearl ’82R wasappointed director of library serv-ices and special rackets investi-gator, Kings County DistrictAttorney’s Office. He continues toserve as rabbi, Beth-El JewishCenter of Flatbush.

Joseph M. (Yossi) Winiarz ’87Wmade aliyah in 1990. In Israel,he worked for Project Renewaland as the program officer forthe Jewish Agency’s Grants andAllocations programs for eightyears. Recently he started hisown business, Gefen ProfessionalServices, writing reports andgrant proposals for the non-profitsector. He also is a licensed tourguide. He and wife Haya haveseven children. The family livesin Efrat.

■ Personal News

Marilyn (Kohn) Appel ’87S andhusband Howard announce thebirth of third child Eliyahu Meir.

Rabbi Shalom Berger ’81Y,AGand wife Rachel, of Alon Shvut,Israel, announce the birth ofdaughter Tmima Bracha.

Nicole Cohen ’89S and husbandMichael celebrated the birth oftheir daughter, Sara Tehilla.Mazal tov also to grandparentsRabbi Harry Cohen ’51Y,R andDanielle Levinsohn.

Pamela (Beer) YH,’93S andMitchell Froehlich YH’87 wel-comed the birth of a son. Mazaltov also to grandparents CantorBernard Beer YH,’65CTI, BSJMdirector, and wife Barbara.

Mike Greenwald ’87Y and wifeVivian announce the birth of ason, Netanel (Tani) Pinchas, inNovember.

Deborah (Cohen) HamburgerYH,’86S and husband Jonathanwelcomed the birth of fourthchild Eliav. Mazal tov also tograndparents Marshal and SheilaCohen.

Mazal tov to Nehemia Klein ’80Yand wife Rina, of Jerusalem, onthe birth of their son, Netanel.

Laura (Soskin) Kornblum ’87Sand husband David celebratedthe birth of their second child,Jared Tyler.

Mark Levitt YH,’88Y and wifeRebecca announce the birth ofson Sam Klempler Levitt. Mazaltov to grandparents Harriet Levitt,YUHS for Boys English depart-ment chair, and husband Dan, aYU Master Builder.

Yehudah Mirsky ’82Y, son of lateSCW dean Dr. David Mirsky(1968–77), married Tamar Bialain Jerusalem. Mazal tov also tohis mother, Sarah (Appel) Mirsky.

David Raush ’88Y and wifeHelene announce the birth oftheir second daughter, MelanieAviva. Mazal tov also to grand-parents Philip Podell YH’54 andwife Ellen, and Charlotte Raush.David lives in Cherry Hill, NJ,and is a clinical psychologist inprivate practice in Stratford, NJ,and Bala Cynwyd, PA.

Dr. Steven Rosenbaum YH,’80Yand wife Carol celebrated the barmitzvah of their son, YosefYonah.

David I. Schonbrun ’86Y and wifeHelene announce the birth oftheir third child, daughter YakiraPeninit. The family lives in WhitePlains, NY.

Dr. Moshe Weber ’89Y and hisfamily made aliyah to BeitShemesh.

Mazal tov to Hildee (Zwick) ’89Sand Gary Weiss ’84Y, YC Boardmember, on the birth of daughterLiat Sapir. Mazal tov also tograndparents Shifra (Nulman)Zwick YH,’64S and husbandJack; and YU Board of TrusteesVice Chairman Morry Weiss andwife Judith, YU Benefactors.

’90s■ Professional News

Arlene Bergman ’90C is a partnerin the law firm of Wilson ElserMoskowitz Edelman & Dicker,LLP, NYC office.

Dr. Leah Gniwesch ’98F receivedcertification as a “life coach” andhas started a private practice.Also, her CD is titled StressRepair.

Dr. Gail Gumora ’99F publishedher dissertation research as anarticle in the Journal of SchoolPsychology last fall. The articlewas coauthored with WilliamArsenio, PhD, associate professorof psychology at Ferkauf.

Robert (Reuven) Harow ’91SB hasjoined TheTrout Group, aboutiqueinvestor rela-tions/corporateadvisory firmfocusing exclu-sively on

healthcare and biotechnology. Heis director of its Israel office.

Rabbi Ira Kosowsky ’90Y,B,R,and his wife, Rachel, ofHashmonaim, returned to Israelafter serving five years as emis-saries in South Africa.

Dr. Rafael Medoff ’91B is associ-ate editor of the scholarly journal,American Jewish History. Also,he authored several booksrecently: Baksheesh Diplomacy:Secret Negotiations BetweenAmerican Jewish Leaders andArab Officials on the Eve of WorldWar II (Lexington books);Historical Dictionary of Zionismwith Chaim I. Waxman ’63Y,B,R(Scarecrow Books); JewishAmericans and PoliticalParticipation (ABC-CLIO) with aforeword by former NYC mayor

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 4 7

Ed Koch; and Militant Zionism inAmerica: The Rise and Impact ofthe Jabotinsky Movement in theUnited States, 1926–1948(University of Alabama Press). Areview of Militant Zionism in thejournal, Middle East Quarterly,described Dr. Medoff as “one ofthe preeminent historians ofZionism.”

Don Savatta ’96C, a former seniorassistant district attorney in KingsCounty, NY, opened a private lawpractice specializing in litigationin all federal and state courts. He can be reached at donsavatta@savattalaw.com.

■ Personal News

Leslie Fuchs ’93S and Zevi Adler’91Y announce their marriage.Mazal tov also to parents Debby (Riback) YH’55 and MelAdler YH,’57Y and Arthur andNili Fuchs.

Gila (Insler) ’02S and RabbiJeffrey Beer YH,’97Y,R announcetheir marriage. Mazal tov also toparents Cantor Bernard BeerYH,’65CTI, BSJM director, andwife Barbara.

Dmitriy (David) Borovik ’97SBand wife Tslil welcome the birthof son Shiloh Samson. Dmitriy is a consultant at Deloitte &Touche.

Yael B. Cohen ’99S and husbandUri welcomed the birth of sonMoshe Shabtai.

Rabbi David Danzer ’99R madealiyah to Jerusalem. He was a

fellow at YU’s Marcos and AdinaKatz Kollel (Institute for Ad-vanced Research in Rabbinics)and at the Caroline and JosephS. Gruss Institute in Jerusalem.He recently worked as rabbiniccoordinator for the OU’s kashrutdivision. He can be reached atddanzer@lsdny.com.

Mazal tov to Ami Drazin ’91Y andwife Aviva on the birth of thirdchild Noa Itia. Mazal tov also tograndparents Baila (Salit) Aspler’67S and husband Jerrold, andAvrum Drazin ’49Y and wife Ruth.

Erica (Feldschreiber) ’00S and Dr.Yosef Fox ’97Y,A announce thebirth of son Binyamin. Mazal tovalso to grandparents HarveyFeldschreiber YH’64 and wifeFran, and Moshe and Arlene Fox.

Cindy (Wagner) Haynes ’92S andhusband Joshua welcomed thebirth of their first child, Emma

Danielle (Tova Bracha). Cindy isa clinical social worker withTempo Group, Woodmere, NY.

Laurie (Katzman) YH,’95S,C andhusband Natan Hecht YH,’95Y,Cwelcomed the birth of theirbekhor, Jacob.

Tamar (Schwell) ’91S and AmiHordes ’93Y announce the birthof second child Daniella Chaya.Mazal tov also to grandparentsSusan (Kwalbrun) ’64S andRobert Schwell ’62Y, and JessHordes ’63Y and wife Naomi.

Aaron Katsman ’92Y and wifeYael, of Jerusalem, welcomed thebirth of son Moshe Aryeh.

Mazal tov to Heidi (Wellen) ’94Wand Eric Kuperman ’97C on thebirth of daughter Joelle Bailey(Yardena Bina).

Devora (Cohen) ’97S and RabbiMenachem Linzer ’95Y,AG,R

HOOL OF SOCIAL WORK FERKAUF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES

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Rabbi Jeffrey Saks ’91Y,B,R is director of theAcademy for Torah Initiatives and Directions inJewish Education in Jerusalem. Following areexcerpts of his thoughts following the untimely deathof Rabbi Steven Dworken ’66Y,F,R (see We Mourn),executive vice president of the Rabbinical Council ofAmerica and spiritual leader at Cong. Anshe Chesed,Linden, NJ, where the author attended as a boy.

“‘Virtual mourning’ allowed me to sit in myJerusalem office and listen to the eulogies for RabbiSteven Dworken over the internet… Much was said ofhis impact on so many people, none more than aseventh grader in the Cong. Anshe Chesed HebrewSchool—testing the waters of Yiddishkeit and Torah.He knew from his own life what it meant for a youngboy to become enchanted with Judaism, and he was

a loving guide in those early years of my odysseytoward becoming observant. …In about eighth grade,I started coming to shul on Shabbat morning, and hebegan to invite me to his home for lunch—somethingthat became a bit of a habit, and led to scores (if nothundreds) of Shabbat afternoons in the Dworkenhouse, sukkah, and yom tov [holiday] table, and Icame to feel as a ben bayit, as part of the family. …

“On the occasion of my finishing semikhah[ordination] at YU, he told me, ‘The trick to being arabbi is you have to love Jews—especially those whoaren’t always so loveable.’ He also once said, ‘After120 years, I don’t think they’ll say I was a gadolhador [giant of the generation]—but I hope they’ll sayI was a good rabbi.’ He was a great rabbi, friend, androle model.”

In Tribute to Rabbi Steven M. Dworken

AZRIELI GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH EDUCATION & ADMINISTRATION RABBI ISAAC ELCHANAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY YESHIV

announce the birth of daughterRivka Meira. Mazal tov also tograndparents, Dr. Norman LinzerYH,’55Y,W,R, Samuel J. andJean Sable Professor of JewishFamily Social Work, WSSW, andwife Diane, and Mrs. ShulieCohen YH’63, SCW librarian.

Mazal tov to Saul LubetskiYH,’90Y and wife Rebecca onthe birth of daughter Mia Leora.Mazal tov also to grandparentsEdith (Slomowitz) Lubetski ’68B,SCW head librarian, and hus-band Meir; and David andRoslyn Pine.

Mazal tov to Rabbi JoshuaNarrowe ’95W,R and wifeAdrienne on the birth of thirdchild Noam Eliyahu. Mazal tovalso to grandparents RabbiMorton Narrowe ’54Y and wifeJudith; and Lawrence and Sue Dix.

Dr. Jonathan Resnick YH,’90Y,Aand wife Sheila celebrated thebirth of son Jake in November.Mazal tov also to grandparentsMarvin Resnick, director ofaccounting and auditing, Financedepartment; wife JeannetteResnick, Payroll department; andSharon and Seymour Gertz.

Josh Rosen YH’99 married TerriTenenbaum. He is the son ofFran (Rosenzweig) YH’68 andSheldon Rosen ’70Y.

Mazal tov to Elizabeth(Wohlgemuth) ’96S,C, and hus-band Yosef Rothstein ’97Y onbirth of son Daniel Kefir. Mazaltov also to grandparents Judy(Marton) ’64S and ShlomohWohlgemuth ’62Y and RhodaRothstein.

Rona (Gross) ’94SB and Jeffrey A.Rubin ’90C celebrated the birthof son Elazar Moshe. Mazal tovalso to grandparents Donna

(Zackai) ’66S and Reuben GrossYH,’51Y,R,F.

Mazal tov to MenachemSchechter ’99SB and wife Rachelon the birth of daughter Ita.Mazal tov also to grandparentsJoclyn (Weitz) Stern YH’72 andhusband David; and Carol andAlan Schechter.

Bonnie (Soskin) ’90S and DavidSheer ’91Y,AG,R welcomed thebirth of fourth child Dena Bracha.Mazal tov also to grandparentsRabbi Charles Sheer ’65Y,B,Rand wife Judy; Philip and JoanSoskin; and great grandparentsBernard Schrenzel ’38Y and wifeEster; and Trudy Sheer.

Shira (Rubinoff) ’95S and JosephSteinberg ’93Y welcomed thebirth of daughter Miriam Lauren(Miriam Leah Rina). Mazal tovalso to grandparents Sandra(Burnstein) ’69S and EdwardSteinberg YH’62, and ShiaRubinoff.

Robert Sungolowsky ’99C andwife Scharone announce thebirth of their son, Yaakov. Mazaltov also to grandparents Dr.Joseph Sungolowsky ’55Y,R, andwife Honey.

’00s■ Personal News

Mazal tov to Rena Rosenzweig’02S and Ahron Glazer ’03Y ontheir marriage. Mazal tov to par-ents Peter Rosenzweig ’71Y andwife Bobbie, and to June Glazer,YU senior writer/editor, CPA, andhusband Jeffrey.

Hillel Glazer ’01Y celebrated hismarriage to Ellie Schainker.Mazal tov also to parents JuneGlazer and husband Jeffrey, andDr. Bruce and Sheryl Schainker.

Mazal tov to Melissa (Ginsberg)

’99S and Joseph Kalinsky ’00Y,Ron the birth of daughter Leah in2001 and son Shlomo Dov in2002. Mazal tov also to grand-parents Alan KalinskyYH,’73Y,F,R and wife Sandy.

Lauren (Hoffer) Richler ’00W andhusband Neil announce the birthof son Benjamin Joel.

Mara Schecter ’00W married LeeNathanson. They live in BalaCynwyd, PA.

Yoram Schwell ’02Y marriedAyelet Bacon. Mazal tov also toparents Susan (Kwalbrun) ’64Sand Robert Schwell ’62Y and Sariand Ari Bacon. Ayelet is thegranddaughter of YC dean emeri-tus Dr. Isaac and Mrs. Bacon.

Joshua Shtern ’01SB marriedHadassah Levine, daughter ofSally (Roth) Levine ’78S and husband Arnold.

Danya (Stern) ’99S and AryehStechler ’00Y, RIETS student,announce the birth of theirbekhor, Avraham Shaul. Mazaltov also to grandparents Gail(Licht) YH,’76TIW and JosephStechler ’73Y, YC Board mem-ber; and Rabbi Sholom Stern ’60Yand wife Batya.

Mazal tov to Shayna Aster ’01Sand Aaron Weisz ’01Y on theirmarriage. Mazal tov to parentsDonna and Robert Weisz andMorlin and Margaret Aster.

Condolences toRabbi Norman Amsel YH,’74Y,F,Rof Jerusalem on the loss of hismother, Bernice.

Pearl (Rabinowitz) Berger YH,’62TIW, YU dean of Universitylibraries, on the loss of her mother, Tova.

Harvey Blau, longtime CSL Boardmember, YU Guardian, and CSL

Fellow with his wife, Arlene, onthe loss of his mother, Rose.

Marjorie (Diener) Blenden, a YUTrustee and Benefactor, andSCW Board of Directors chair-man, and Lawrence Diener, a YCBoard member and YU Guardianwith his wife, Adele, on the lossof their mother, Beatrice. Shewas a YU Benefactor with herlate husband, Leonard, andestablished the Leonard andBeatrice Diener Institute ofJewish Law at CSL. At SCW, withdaughter Marjorie, she dedicatedthe Leonard Diener InorganicChemistry Laboratory and, withthe Blenden Family, the BeatriceDiener Dining Hall. She was alsoa Fellow of RIETS.

Helen (Voehl) ’62S and RabbiYehuda Bohrer ’63R,B, of Beit El,on the loss of their daughter,Tehiya Kanarek.

CSL Board member Leon H. (andTzili) Charney, YU Guardians,and Byrna Blumenreich on theloss of their mother, Sara. Leonreceived the DistinguishedAlumnus Award in 1977 fromYC; and was honored with YU’sPeace Award at a dinner at CSL.Also, he established the Leonand Tzili Charney MentorshipProgram at RIETS.

Daniel Chill YH,’57Y on the lossof his mother, Libbie.

Rabbi Seth Farber ’91R,B, ofJerusalem, on the loss of hismother.

Yosef Fridman YH’69, director ofoperations, Caroline and JosephS. Gruss Institute in Jerusalem,on the loss of his father, Aron.

Barry Friedman ’80Y, of Efrat, onthe loss of his father, Myron.

Rabbi Manfred Fulda YH,’52Y,R,Bprofessor of Talmud, on the lossof his sister, Ruth Ueberall.

Y E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y R E V I E W • S U M M E R 2 0 0 3 4 9

Rabbi Yitzchak GottliebYH,’66Y,R, and Naomi (Gottlieb)Hochstein YH’62, former YUIsrael Alumni president, on theloss of their mother, Pesha.

Rabbi Herzl Hefter ’77Y, of Efrat,on the loss of his father.

Shirley Hus ’73S, Helen Spirn’77S,B, Susan Stark ’84S,W, andNorman Stark, RIETS trusteewho with his wife, Helene, areRIETS Fellows and supporters ofseveral projects at YU, on theloss of their mother, Hanna.

Arnold Kaminsky ’71Y on the lossof his mother, Betty.

Emily Fisher Landau, member,AECOM Board of Overseers,founder of the AECOM NationalWomen’s Division, benefactor ofthe Fisher Landau Center for theTreatment of Learning Disabilitiesat AECOM, and an Honorary Degree Alumna of Yeshiva University, on the death of herson, M. Anthony Fisher, a seniorpartner at Fisher Brothers, one ofthe most prominent real estatefirms in New York. Mr. Fisherand his wife, Anne, were killed ina plane crash in Massachusettson April 6.

Dr. Judah Lando ’60Y and Dr.David J. Lando ’64Y on the loss oftheir mother.

Jonathan (Buzzy) Levin ’71Y, ofJerusalem, on the loss of hisfather, Joseph.

Ruth Mirvis, YU Guardian withhusband Ted, a YU MuseumBoard member, on the loss ofher father, Irving Tershel.

Helen (Simon) Moskowitz ’85S,associate director of admissions,on the loss of her father, Dr.Ernest Simon, former YU Englishliterature professor.

Harry Peters ’74Y on the loss ofhis mother.

Bernard Pinchuk ’64Y on the lossof his father, Isaac.

Meir Rosenzweig ’02Y on the lossof his father, David.

Lawrence Ruben, a longtime CSLBoard member, on the loss of hiswife, Selma. He and his wife areYU Guardians.

Joel Salzman ’79Y and AnitaHarband on the loss of theirmother, Lillian.

Ari Arthur Schaffer YH,’75Y, ofHashmonaim, Israel, on the lossof his mother, Ida.

Rabbi Mordecai Schnaidman’48Y,B,R on the loss of his mother, Anna.

Rabbi Chaim Paul Schneid ’66Y ofNetzer Chazani, Israel, andBarbara (Schneid) WisebergYH’64, of Mechola, Israel, on theloss of their mother, Sara; and toRabbi Emanuel Rackman YH,’34R,chancellor of Bar-Ilan University,on the loss of his sister.

Dr. William J. Schwartz, RIETSBoard member and YU Guardianwith his wife, Debbie, on the lossof his father, Paul.

Herbert Smilowitz, RIETS Boardvice chairman and YU andRIETS Guardian with his wife,Marilyn (Cohen) Smilowitz, on theloss of his father, Bernard; andher father, Jacob.

Sylvia (Zauderer) Zeevi YH’63 onloss of her mother, Lea.

We MournHon. Walter Annenberg, honorarymember of AECOM’s Board ofOverseers and a Benefactor ofAECOM and YU, in October. Hewas among the handful of for-ward-looking personalities who

encouraged the establishment ofYU’s medical school while it wasstill in its planning stages, andwas one of the first members ofits Society of Founders. He wasnamed to the AECOM Board in1954, a year before the medicalschool opened, and served untilhis death. An honorary alumnusof YU, he divided his supportbetween AECOM and other YUschools.

Russell Berrie, a YU Guardian,philanthropist, and leader of theNJ Jewish community who sup-ported WSSW and SSSB, inDecember. He was a frequentspeaker in the business school’sDoris and Dr. Ira KukinEntrepreneurial Lecture Series.

Rabbi Steven M. Dworken’66Y,F,R, in January. Executivevice president of the RabbinicalCouncil of America, he was for-merly assistant director of RIETS’Max Stern Division of CommunalServices. He also served as itsdirector of rabbinic services andpast president of RIETS’ Rab-binic Alumni. He served as rabbiat Cong. Anshe Chesed, Linden,NJ, for 22 years, past presidentof the Rabbinical Council of NewJersey and the Union CountyBoard of Rabbis, and vice presi-dent, treasurer, and secretary ofthe Rabbinical Council ofAmerica. Condolences to hiswife, Susan (Haberman) ’99AG,children Naomi (and Yechiel)Rotblat, Aliza (and Jonathan)Frohlich ’94S,AG,F, and Arye’98SB, and his grandchildren.(See “In Tribute to RabbiDworken,” p. 48)

Herman David Engelberg ’37Y, inOctober. An attorney and afounder of the Young People’sSynagogue, Pittsburgh, PA, hedevoted much of his life to thegrowth and development of the

Jewish community there.Condolences to his wife, Evelyn,and children.

Rabbi Joshua J. EpsteinYH,’47Y,R, in January. He wasretired as spiritual leader, Cong.Ahavath Achim, the Bronx.Condolences to his wife, Estelle,his children, and brother.

Rabbi Seymour L. Essrog’55Y,B,R, in October. He waspast president, RabbinicalAssembly, and served his entirerabbinic career in Baltimore—atBeth Israel Synagogue for 30years and then Cong. AdatChaim. Condolences to his wife,Toby, and family.

Isidore Falk, YU Benefactor, inJanuary. His foresight and gen-erosity led to the establishmentof the Anne and Isidore FalkRecreation Center at the Jackand Pearl Resnick Campus.Condolences to his children,Maurice (and Judi), Rebecca(and John) Steindecker, andSerafina (and Dr. Melvyn)Weiner.

Rabbi Aaron Feinerman YH,’33Y,a former RIETS student who wasa respected leader in the Jewishcommunity. Condolences to hiswife, Marilyn, and to his brother,Rabbi Judah Feinerman ’47Y,R,YU Board of Trustees member,YUHS chair, former RIETS Boardchairman, and YU Guardian withhis wife, Shepsie.

William Herzl Freed YH,’39Y, inMarch ’01. A Society of AmericanTravel Writers charter member,he is thought to be the first YCgraduate to attend ColumbiaUniversity’s graduate school ofJournalism, where he earned amaster’s degree. Condolences tohis wife, Gladys, children Myra L.Freed ’80C (and Dr. Seth J. Orlow’86A) and Susan E. Freed (and

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RABBI ISAAC ELCHANAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY YESHIVA UNIVERSITY MUSEUM YESHIVA COLLEGE STERN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

Martin Brandwein), and grand-children.

Dr. Eliezer Goldman ’37Y, inOctober. He made aliyah in1938, earned a PhD from Bar-Ilan University where he taughtand later was chairman of thephilosophy department. A promi-nent Israeli religious philosopher,he was the recipient of the BialikPrize in 1998. In 1999, YU honored him with an honorarydoctorate.

Alfred Hazan, a YU Guardian withhis wife, Jennie, in December.They were founding leaders ofYU’s Sephardic Studies Programsand established the Alfred andJennie Hazan Scholarship Fundfor Sephardic Students.

Rabbi Mayer Herskovics ’50B,who was professor emeritus ofJewish studies. Condolences tohis wife, Esther, and to theGrossman, Rosensweig, andHerskovics families.

Rabbi Seymour SolomonHirschman YH,’43Y,R,F, inDecember ’01. Also a cantor, heserved as president of the JewishMinisters Cantors Association ofAmerica and Canada. A schoolpsychologist, he was a memberof the NYC Bureau of ChildGuidance and worked for theNYC public school system. AZionist, he held leadership posi-tions in Shomer Hadati. He wasalso a Jewish educator.

Irving Jaret ’42Y, in May 2002.He had been a pulpit rabbi inNyack, NY, and executive direc-tor of synagogues in Cedarhurst(NY) and North Miami (FL).Condolences to his children,Jacalyn Brenner, David Jaret,and Marcy Ruggiero.

Zvi (Henry) Jurkewicz ’70Y, ofHar Nof, Israel, in October.

Rabbi Elihu Kasten YH,’36Y,R, inOctober. Condolences to his wife,Sarah, children Rabbi Avi Kasten’67Y,B,R, Tamar, and Carmi.

Zvi Kolitz, an honorary degreerecipient who taught Jewish

studies at YU.He was authorof Yosl RakoverTalks to God, anovel about aHolocaust vic-tim’s struggleto believe in

God. The book was so realisticthat it initially was believed to bean actual diary found in theWarsaw Ghetto. He also wroteand produced Hill 24 Doesn’tAnswer, a film about Israel’s1948 War of Independence.

Jeffrey D. Loeb ’78W, in February2002. Condolences to his wife,Robin, and children.

Dr. Barry Mishkin ’95A, inAugust. Condolences to his wife,Sari, his children, and his par-ents, Dr. and Mrs. SeymourMishkin.

Dr. David Israel Muskat ’61A inJune 2001. He was a psychiatristwith a practice in Pittsburgh, PA.Condolences to his wife, Gloria(Goldspiel) YH’56, and their children.

Dr. Gerald Nissenbaum YH,’54Y,in August ’02. An internist andgastroenterologist in Jersey Cityand Bayonne for 37 years, hedeveloped medical devices and“Nissenbaum’s Fixative,” a classic cytologic reagent usedworldwide in medicine andmicrobiology. Condolences to hiswife, Sylvia, and sons Gary, Eliot,and Robert.

Rabbi Norman Pauker ’47R, inAugust 2002.

Rabbi Harold Perlman ’47R, inOctober. He was a former Jewishstudies instructor at SWHSG.

Dr. Eli Sar ’41Y,in March. Hewas formermedical direc-tor for YeshivaCollege andStern Collegefor Women for

50 years. He was son of S.L. Sar,YU dean of men for manydecades. Condolences to hiswife, Ruth, sister Esther Zuroff,and to the entire family.

Stephanie Thea Shatkin ’79C, inDecember. She was a member ofthe first CSL graduating class;served as an assistant generalcounsel, NY City TransitAuthority, for 16 years; and waspresident of the Young Israel ofEast Brunswick (NJ) Sisterhoodand a founder and board mem-ber, Young Israel of EastBrunswick Mikvah. Condolencesto her husband, Elia S.Weixelbaum YH’72, and theirthree children.

Rabbi Bernard SiegfriedYH,’87Y,R, instructor of physicsand mathematics, MSTA, inDecember. Condolences to hiswife, Hadassah.

Dr. Ruth Skydell, FGS Boardmember and YU Guardian withher husband, Rabbi AdrianSkydell, in February. They estab-lished the Ruth K. SkydellScholarship for SCW graduates atFGS. Condolences to RabbiSkydell, to YC Board memberHarry (and Rachel) Skydell, andto the entire family.

Gershon Stern ’48Y, who for morethan 25 years was a member ofthe YU Board of Trustees. Healso served as national presidentof Canadian Friends of Yeshiva

University and was honorarynational president at the time ofhis death. He was a member ofthe SSSB Board of Directorswhere he and his wife, Merle, YUBenefactors, established theGershon and Merle Stern Chairin Banking and Finance. He wasthe first YC alumnus to become aBenefactor and the first alumnusto endow a chair at that institu-tion. Also, he served as a pastmember of the RIETS Board ofTrustees. He received an hon-orary degree from YU in 1984.

Pearl Unger, a YU Benefactorwith her husband, Milton, inNovember. They established theMilton and Pearl Unger Depart-ment of Jewish Studies at TheMarsha Stern TalmudicalAcademy, where they endowed amajor scholarship fund.

Rabbi Ascher M. Yager ’28R,RIETS’ second oldest rabbinicalumnus at 97 years old, inMarch. He was a Guardian whoestablished the Edith YagerMemorial Scholarship and theRabbi Ascher M. Yager RabbinicKollel Fellowship at RIETS.

Rabbi Leon J. Yagod ’46Y,R,B, inOctober. He taught at NYU in itsHebrew Culture Program andserved his congregation inIrvington, NJ, for many decades.Each year he held a fundraisingbreakfast to support the RabbiDr. Leon J. Yagod ScholarshipFund. Condolences to his wife,Miriam.

Moshe Ziv ’78W, in August. Hemaintained a private practice indivorce mediation in Maplewood,NJ, before retiring.

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