VOLUME 8 NO. 6 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • MAY 2003

www.yu.edu/news/publications

YUTodayHonors Programs Project Excellence,Home and Abroad❑ From Brookhaven to Florence to Guatemala

INS

IDE

Yeshiva University honorstudents rank amongthe country’s brightest

men and women, and theirtalents will have a globalshowcase this summer in visitsto Central America and Italy.

The summer experience,under the Jay and JeanieSchottenstein Honors Programat Yeshiva College, runs fromMay 27 to July 3, and willoffer, as a first, two linkedcourses that explore ancientand modern Maya culture ofGuatemala/Honduras. Studentswho attend, “Introduction toTropical Ecology and Ethno-botany” and “Honors Intro-duction to Anthropology:Maya Civilization” will beginthe program at Wilf Campus,followed by a 12-day field tripto Central America.

“We chose to study the

Maya because they are anancient civilization with amodern people descendedfrom it, similar to the Jews,”said Dr. Jill Katz, adjunctinstructor in archeology andanthropology. The emphasison overseas study underscoresthe honors programs’ successin providing challenging cur-ricula—often across academicdisciplines—aimed at meetingthe demands of a changingworld.

The S. Daniel AbrahamHonors Program at SternCollege for Women is offeringits previously successful, “Artand the Jewish Experience inMedici Florence,” May 26 toJune 4. The course will coverthe art and history of Florence,the center of the ItalianRenaissance in the 15th centu-ry, as well as the role of theJews and their contribution toItalian culture through visitsto museums and monuments.

The SCW honors programhas joined forces with theSchottenstein Honors Programto offer two courses in modernphysics, including relativityand quantum mechanics.Both non-science majors and

budding scientists alike canparticipate in one of thesecourses, “Great Ideas and Exp-eriments in Modern Physics.”Both courses, which run fromMay 27 to June 26, will featurea groundbreaking residentialcomponent. Students willspend five days performing,

analyzing, and designing exp-eriments while living on thecampus of one of the mostadvanced scientific laborato-ries in the world, home base ofmultiple Nobel Prize winners,Brookhaven National Lab-oratory on Long Island.

As another option, Yeshiva

continued on p. 6

LIVING HISTORY

Rabbi Sidney Kleiman: Still Bearing the Torch

page 12

GIVING VOICE

Helping YoungDiarists Bear Witness

page 10

FUNDINGDREAMS

Gruen Gift GivesYoungsters a HeadStart

page 8

BREAKINGGROUND

YU SeniorResearches NewField in Physics

page 5

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

Prof. Dan PollackJustice ThroughKnowledge and Social Action

page 7President Norman Lamm delivered the keynote address at the commemoration of the100th birthday and 10th yahrzeit of the Rav. Julius Berman, chairman, RIETS Board ofTrustees, delivered opening remarks and Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Nathan and VivianFink Distinguished Professor in Talmud, spoke on “The Rav’s Torah Scholarship.”

“...courses representa number of firsts:travel courses insocial sciences...andtwo undergraduate honors coursescooperating toproduce summeropportunities.”

“YU honor students,among the country’sbrightest, will have aglobal showcase thissummer.”

Daniel Pipes, widelyrespected author, com-mentator, and scholar

on the Middle East, will deliv-er the keynote address andreceive an honorary degreefrom President Norman Lammat Yeshiva University’s 72ndAnnual Commencement Exer-cises on Thursday, May 22.The exercises will take place atThe Theater in MadisonSquare Garden.

Dr. Lamm will also bestowhonorary degrees on Dr. LeonR. Kass, chairman of thePresident's Council on Bio-ethics; Julia Koschitzky,Canadian Jewish leader and

philanthropist; and NathanLewin; prominent Washingtonattorney.

Middle East Scholar Selectedto Deliver Keynote atCommencement

Daniel Pipes

Few occasions in the life ofa University are moremomentous than the

Investiture of a new president.Nowhere is this truer than atYeshiva University, where onlythree presidents have presidedover 117 years.

Richard M. Joel, distin-guished educator and accom-plished chief executive, will be formally invested by

Chairman Ronald P. Stantonand the Board of Trustees, asYU's fourth president onSunday, Sept. 21. The galaevent will take place at theNathan Lamport auditorium,Zysman Hall, on the WilfCampus.

The investiture, followed byan on-campus reception with

continued on p. 6

Investiture of Richard M.Joel Sept. 21 as Fourth YU President

continued on p. 6

FA C U LT Y N E W S

P E O P L E

2 YUToday May 2003

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY

Ronald P. Stanton, ChairmanYU Board of Trustees

Dr. Norman LammPresident

Peter L. FerraraDirector of Communications and Public Affairs

Jay Schottenstein, Chairman, Board of Directors,Yeshiva College; Marjorie DienerBlenden, Chairman, Board of Directors, Stern College for Women; Bernard L. Madoff, Chairman, Board of Directors, Sy Syms School of Business; Robert A.Belfer, Chairperson, Board of Overseers, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; EarleI. Mack, Chairman, Board of Directors, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law;David I. Schachne, Chair, Board of Governors, Wurzweiler School of Social Work;Mordecai D. Katz, Chairman, Board of Directors, Bernard Revel Graduate Schoolof Jewish Studies; Jayne G. Beker, Chair, Board of Governors, Ferkauf GraduateSchool of Psychology; Moshael J. Straus, Chairman, Board of Directors, AzrieliGraduate School of Jewish Education and Administration; Julius Berman,Chairman, Board of Trustees, (affiliate) Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary; Erica Jesselson, Chairperson, Board of Directors, (affiliate) YeshivaUniversity Museum.

YESHIVA UNIVERSITY TODAY

Hedy ShulmanEditor

Norman EisenbergManaging Editor

Doug DayhoffGraphic Designer

Jerry Bergman, Kelly Berman, Esther Finkle, June Glazer, Norman Goldberg, Peter Robertson

Contributors

www.yu.edu/news/publications

Yeshiva University Today is published monthly during the academic year by theYeshiva University Department of Communications and Public Affiars, 401 FurstHall, 500 West 185th St., New York, NY 10033-3201 (212-960-5285). It is ditrib-uted free on campus to faculty, staff, and students. © Yeshiva University 2002

YUTodayV O L U M E 8 • N U M B E R 6

Rabbi Elchanan Adler, Eve and

Jack Rubin Professor of Talmud at

RIETS, edited Or Hamizrach with

Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, YH,

‘85Y,AG,R a scholarly Torah journal

published in Hebrew by

Hamizrachi/Hapoel Hamizrachi that

features articles on Halakhah,

aggadah, Bible, and Jewish thought

with an emphasis on issues pertain-

ing to Israel.

J. David Bleich, PhD, Herbert and

Florence Tenzer Professor of Jewish

Law and Ethics, CSL, published

“Surrogate Motherhood” in

Supplement One of the Encyclo-

pedia of Judaism; and “The Phys-

ician as a Conscientious Objector”

in Fordham Urban Law Journal.

Moshe Carmilly, PhD, professor

emeritus of Jewish studies, deliv-

ered a paper, “The Power of

Reason,” at “The Task of Philosophy

in the 21st Century,” the 12th

annual conference sponsored by

the Dr. Moshe Carmilly Institute for

Hebrew and Jewish History at the

Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-

Napoca, Romania. At the confer-

ence, Dr. Carmilly helped inaugu-

rate a new site for the Institute, a

synagogue in Cluj-Napoca aban-

doned since World War II. Some

400 students study there.

Joshua A. Fishman, PhD,

Distinguished University Research

Professor Emeritus of Social Work,

was a plenary speaker at the

Second International Symposium

on bilingualism, Universidade de

Vigo, Galicia, Spain.

Robert J. Greenberg, JD, assis-

tant professor of business law,

SSSB, presented a paper, “The

Salem Witch Trials and the

Institution of Slavery in the

Chesapeake Colonies—Reflections

on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of

Happiness in Colonial America” at

the annual conference of the

Southeastern Academy of Legal

Studies in Business, held in

Charleston, SC. He presented “An

Analysis of Various Business Law

Topics According to American Law

and Jewish Law” at several NYC

synagogues and in Vancouver, BC.

He also discussed “The Significance

of Song and Melody in the Bible

and in Jewish Prayer” at the Young

Israel of Staten Island, NY.

Lata McGinn, PhD, associate clin-

ical professor, psychiatry and

behavioral sciences, AECOM, was

quoted in articles that appeared in

Shape magazine (“No Plans for

Children” Dec. 2002) and Employee

magazine (“Commerzbank: The

Return ‘Home’” 2002).

Rabbi Alter B.Z. Metzger, pro-

fessor of Judaic studies, participated

in the International Nishei Chabad

convention. He lectured and signed

his Chassidic Dimensions: An Antho-

logy of Jewish Holiday Discourses, at

Eichler’s Bookstore, Flatbush, NY.

Daniel Pollack, JD, MSW, WSSW

associate professor, was appointed

Senior Fellow, the Center for

Adoption Research, University of

Massachusetts Medical School. It is

the only university-based research

institution that focuses solely on

adoption and foster care. Professor

Pollack’s work will cover liability

issues, religion in adoption and fos-

ter care, and other policy and legal

concerns. Also, he spoke at the

Twin Cities Cardozo Society (St.

Paul and Minneapolis) on “Pro-

creation from the Perspective of

American and Jewish Law.” Some

80 attorneys attended.

Alvin I. Schiff, PhD, Irving I.

Stone Distinguished Professor of

Jewish Education, AGS, spoke at

Cong. Torah Ohr, Boca Raton, on

“The Biblical Roots of Torah

Umadda: The Synthesis between

Worldly Culture and Experience

and Judaic Thought and Practice”

and on “The Educational Rel-

ationship between Orthodox Jews

and the Jewish State.” Also, his

research findings on the “Dev-

elopment of Israel Study Programs

for Americans” was featured in

Jewish Education News, published

by the Coalition for the Ad-

vancement of Jewish Education

(CAJE) and on the Cyber CAJE Web

site www.caje.org.

Samuel Schneider, PhD, associ-

ate professor of Hebrew, inter-

viewed Israeli author Aharon

Appelfeld. The first part of the inter-

view appeared in HaDoar, winter

edition, 2002.

Jay Sweifach, MSW, WSSW assis-

tant professor, and his band, Hester

Street Troupe, released their third

album of Klezmer music.

Moshe Tendler, PhD, Rabbi Isaac

and Bella Tendler Professor of

Jewish Medical Ethics, discussed

”Halakhic Responses to Social and

Scientific Changes,” at the annual

melava malka, Young Israel of

Wavecrest and Bayswater.

Joshua Zimmerman, PhD, assis-

tant professor of Jewish history and

Eli and Diana Zborowski Professor

of Interdisciplinary Holocaust

Studies, delivered a paper, “From

Politics to Cultural Work: the

Yiddish Cultural Revival in Late

Czarist Russia, 1907-1914,” at the

annual convention of the Assoc-

iation for Jewish Studies in Los

Angeles. He lectured at Mt. Sinai

Synagogue, Washington Heights,

on “The Jewish Community in

Poland Today: Dissolution or

Renewal?”

Herbert C. Dobrinsky, EdD, vice

president for university affairs, rep-

resented YU and RIETS at a memo-

rial service for Dr. Leon J. Yagod, a

scholar and graduate of YC, RIETS,

and BRGS. Dr. Yagod served for

more than 50 years in the rab-

binate, mostly in Irvington, NJ. He

taught mishnayot at NYU, and held

annual fund-raising breakfasts on

behalf of YU. Monies raised helped

support deserving and needy YU

students through the Rabbi Dr.

Leon J. Yagod Scholarship Fund.

Melissa Fleischer is newly ap-

pointed labor relations manager. An

attorney previously with the firm of

Epstein, Becker and Green, PC, her

primary responsibility is guiding man-

agers and supervisors in dealing

with union-represented employees.

Amy Gillenson has been ap-

pointed Cardozo director of devel-

opment. Prior, she served as New

York regional director for the

Dartmouth College Office of

Development; and as associate

director of development for the

Kreiger School of Arts and Sciences

at Johns Hopkins University and as

director of development for the

departments of neurology and psy-

chiatry in Hopkins’ School of

Medicine.

Gabriel Goldstein, YU Museum

curator, was appointed to a three-

year term on the Nazi-Era Pro-

venance Internet Portal Advisory

Committee, a project developed

by the American Association of

Museums.

Robert Saltzman, University

director of Alumni Affairs, was hon-

ored for his quarter century of serv-

ice in the institutional advancement

profession at the recent joint dis-

tricts conference of the Council for

the Advancement and Support of

Education. Before YU, he was assis-

tant vice president of Monmouth

University, director of annual giving

and alumni affairs at University of

Massachusetts Dartmouth, and

assistant director of alumni services

at Southern Illinois University at

Carbondale.

Jeremiah Unterman, PhD,

Association of Modern Orthodox

Day Schools and Yeshiva High

Schools director, MSDCS, was one

of some 600 professional and lay

leaders from Jewish day schools and

communal organizations to attend

the Donor and Leadership Assem-

blies hosted by the Partnership for

Excellence in Jewish Education

(PEJE) in Los Angeles in February.

PEJE founding partner Michael

Steinhardt was keynote speaker.

D I S T I N G U I S H E D V I S I T I N GFA C U LT Y A N D L E C T U R E R S

O N C A M P U S

The Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy of the Benjamin N.

Cardozo School of Law spring faculty speaker series presented Religion,Law, and Politics—Discussions of the place, role, and prominence of religion

in a pluralistic constitutional democracy.

The speakers included:

Jose Casanova, Sociology, New School University

Lech Garlicki, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights; former

Justice of the Polish Constitutional Court; Law, University of Warsaw

Wolfgang Huber, Bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg

Silvio Ferrari, Law, University of Milan

Peter Gay, History, Director of the Center for Scholars and Writers at the

New York Public Library

Suzanne Stone, Law, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Shlomo Avineri, Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Frank Michelman, Law, Harvard University

Mohamed Arkoun, Religion, Sorbonne

Izhak Englard, Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel

Guest lecturers, Doris and Dr. Ira Kukin Entrepreneurial Lecture Series:

Terrence McGarty, president of The Merton Group

Rachelle Friedman, president of J&R Music World

Teena Lerner, CEO of Rx Capital Management, LP

Wick Simmons, CEO of NASDAQ

At Stern College for Women, a panel discussed “To War?: Reflections Upon

the Implications of War Against Iraq.” Speakers were: Dr. Rachel Bronson,director of Middle East studies, Council on Foreign Affairs; Eylon Javetz,representative, Israeli Consulate; and Anthony Arnove, editor Iraq Under

Siege: The Deadly Impact of Sanctions and War.

Dr. Meir Litvak, senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University’s department of Middle

Eastern and African History, spoke at YC on “Why do Muslim

Fundamentalists Hate the US and Israel?” and “The Crisis of the Muslim

World in the Modern Age.”

May 2003 YUToday 3

Congratulations toiNorman Goldberg, director of

photography, CPA, on the birth of

grandson Rowan to Carri and Marc

Browne of Annapolis.

Sylvia Herskowitz, YUM direc-

tor, and husband Rabbi William on

the birth of grandson Yair David to

Marilyn and Elliot Herskowitz of

Jerusalem.

The Hon. Abraham Lieff, jus-

tice of Canada’s Federal Court and

honorary YU alumnus, on his 100th

birthday.

Norman Linzer, PhD, YH, ’55Y,

R,W, Samuel J. and Jean Sable

Professor of Jewish Family Social

Work, WSSW, and wife Diane; and

Shulie Cohen, YH’63, SCW librari-

an, on the birth of a granddaugh-

ter, Rivka Meira, to parents Devora(Cohen) ‘97S and RabbiMenachem Linzer ‘95Y,AZ,R.

Ari Rockoff ‘97Y,R, MSDCS coor-

dinator of youth and outreach serv-

ices, and wife Deborah (Podell)‘97S on the birth of second child

Yehudah Eliyahu.

Rabbi Daniel Rapp, assistant

dean of undergraduate Jewish

Studies at Yeshiva College, and Dr.

Chaya Rapp, assistant professor of

chemistry at Stern College for

Women, on the birth of a daughter,

Jenny.

Rabbi Abraham RosenfeldYH,‘26R recently celebrated his

100th birthday. A lifelong resident

of Washington Heights, he now

lives in Baltimore. He was a busi-

nessman and educational adminis-

trator, and served as rabbi of

Yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik,

now the Schottenstein Center on

the Wilf Campus. His son, Dr.Azriel Rosenfeld YH,’50Y,BG,R,

received an honorary doctorate

from YU in 2000.

Hedy Shulman, director of

media relations, on the birth of a

granddaughter, Aviva Esther, born

to her children, Rabbi AvrahamShulman, YH,‘03R and TemimaGoldberg Shulman, ‘95S, YH.

George Sullivan, director of aca-

demic computing, networking, and

support services, MIS, on the birth

of granddaughter Madelyn Eliza-

beth to Margaret (Sullivan) and

Randall Strickland.

We Mourni

Russell Berrie, philanthropist and

leader of the NJ Jewish community.

He was a YU Guardian who sup-

ported SSSB and WSSW.

Isidore Falk, a Benefactor whose

generosity led to the establishment

of the Anne and Isidore Falk

Recreation Center at the Jack and

Pearl Resnick Campus.

Alfred Hazan, a Guardian with

his wife, Jennie. Founding leaders

of YU’s Sephardic Studies Programs,

they established the Alfred and

Jennie Hazan Scholarship Fund for

Sephardic Students.

Jeannette Motta, after a long ill-

ness. She worked in accounts

payable for 26 years. Condolences

to her daughter, Melissa Rodriguez,

her mother, Martha Motta, and her

brother, Joseph.

Eli Sar, MD, ‘41Y, former medical

director for Yeshiva College and

Stern College for Women for 50

years.

Gershon Stern, who for more

than 25 years was a YU Board of

Trustee. He also served as national

president of Canadian Friends of

Yeshiva University, and was current-

ly honorary national president. He

was a member of the SSSB Board of

Directors where he and his wife,

Merle, YU Benefactors, established

the Gershon and Merle Stern Chair

in Banking and Finance. He was the

first YC alumnus to become a

Benefactor and the first alumnus to

endow a chair at that institution.

Also, he was a past member of the

RIETS Board of Trustees. He

received an honorary degree from

YU in 1984.

Everett Wilson, WSSW professor

emeritus and founding faculty

member who helped develop

Wurzweiler School of Social Work.

Siggi B. Wilzig, a founding direc-

tor and Fellow of CSL and, with his

wife, Naomi (Sisselman), a YU

Guardian.

Rabbi Ascher M. Yager ‘28R,

RIETS’ second oldest rabbinic alum-

nus at 97 years old. He was a

Guardian who established the Edith

Yager Memorial Scholarship and

the Rabbi Ascher M. Yager Rabbinic

Kollel Fellowship at RIETS.

Condolences toiMindy Wall Evnin, ’69W and

Rabbi Max Wall, YH, ‘37Y, moth-

er and grandfather, respectively of

Mark Evnin, 21, a Marine corporal,

who was killed April 3rd in Kut, Iraq

by enemy fire. Mark Evnin is con-

sidered to be the first Jewish soldier

killed in the current war with Iraq.

Paula Baumser, Facilities Man-

agement office manager, on the

loss of her mother-in-law, Shirley

Baumser.

Marjorie (Diener) Blenden, a

YU Trustee and Benefactor, and

SCW Board of Directors chairman,

and Lawrence Diener, a YC Board

member and YU Guardian with his

wife, Adele, on the loss of their

mother, Beatrice. She was a YU

Benefactor with her late husband,

Leonard, and established the

Leonard and Beatrice Diener

Institute of Jewish Law at CSL. At

SCW, with daughter Marjorie, she

dedicated the Leonard Diener

Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory

and, with the Blenden Family, the

Beatrice Diener Dining Hall. She

was also a Fellow of RIETS.

Jonathan Fast, assistant profes-

sor, WSSW, on the loss of his father,

novelist Howard Fast.

John Fisher, PhD, Manhattan

campuses Enrollment Management

director, on the loss of his father,

Harry, one of 2,800 US volunteers

who fought in the Abraham Lincoln

Brigade during the Spanish Civil

War. Mr. Fisher wrote a book,

Comrades: Tales of a Brigadista in the

Spanish Civil War, based on his mili-

tary experiences. He had recently

completed a memoir of his early life.

Rabbi Judah Feinerman ‘47Y,R,

YU Board of Trustees member,

YUHS chair, former RIETS Board

chairman, and YU Guardian with

wife Shepsie, on the loss of his

brother, Aaron YH,’33Y, a former

RIETS student who was a respected

leader in the Jewish community.

Rabbi Manfred Fulda, professor

of Talmud, on the loss of his sister,

Ruth Ueberall.

YU Guardians Ruth (and Ted,

YUM Board member) Mirvis and

Barbara (and Ephraim) Langner on

the loss of their father, Irving

Tershel.

Emily Fisher Landau, AECOM

Board member, founder of

AECOM’s National Women’s

Division, benefactor of the Fisher

Landau Center for the Treatment of

Learning Disabilities at AECOM,

and an Honorary Degree Alumna,

on the loss of her son, M. Anthony

Fisher, and daughter-in-law, Anne.

Helen Moskowitz, ‘85S associ-

ate director of admissions, on the

loss of her father, Dr. ErnestSimon, former English literature

professor.

Elaine Schwartz, FGS director of

admissions, on the loss of her hus-

band, Seymour.

William J. Schwartz, RIETS Board

member and YU Guardian with his

wife, Debbie, on the loss of his

father, Paul.

Why Didn’t the Press Shout?Edited by Robert Moses Shapiro, adjunct assistant professor ofJewish historyYeshiva University Press and KTAV

An analysis of why the American and international press didnot report on the Holocaust and what role the media played inperpetuating it.

Contested Memories: Poles and Jews duringthe Holocaust and its Aftermath Edited by Joshua Zimmerman, PhD, assistant professor of Jewish history and Eli and Diana Zborowski Professor of Interdisciplinary Holocaust StudiesRutgers University Press, 2003.

Proceedings of the April 2000 Holocaust conference held at YU and sponsored byBRGS and the Zborowski Chair in Interdisciplinary Holocaust Studies.

Spatially Resolved Characterization of LocalPhenomena in Materials and NanostructuresCo-edited by Fredy Zypman, PhD, professor of physics

A volume of the Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings series and isthe result of Dr. Zypman’s research with three colleagues from the Los Alamosnational Laboratory, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), and theUniversity of Pennsylvania.

Leading with Meaning: Using CovenantalLeadership to Build a Better OrganizationBy Moses Pava, Alvin H. Einbender Professor of Business EthicsPalgrave Macmillan

What makes a good leader? How does good leadership impact an organization?Dr. Pava argues that meaningful and useful answers to these questions are avail-able in traditional religious and spiritual resources.

Out of the Whirlwind: Essayson Mourning, Suffering andthe Human ConditionBy Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikEdited by David Shatz, professor of philosophy;Joel B. Wolowelsky; and Reuven (Ronnie) Ziegler

An analysis of why the American and interna-tional press did not report on the Holocaust

Out of the Whirlwind: Essayson Mourning, Suffering andthe Human ConditionBy Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikEdited by David Shatz, professor of philosophy; Joel B. Wolowelsky; and Reuven (Ronnie) ZieglerToras HoRav Foundation and KTAV

The nine essays in Out of the Whirlwind, the series'third volume, articulate a Jewish response to the phe-nomena of death, crisis, and suffering. The first part ofthe book analyzes the laws of mourning, focusing onthe relationship between the external actions prescribed by Halakhah and theinner world of the mourner. Turning from mourning to suffering, the Rav arguesthat Judaism wants man not to philosophize about the reasons for evil butinstead to fight evil relentlessly and convert it into a constructive force.

Out of the Whirlwind: Essayson Mourning, Suffering andthe Human ConditionBy Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikEdited by David Shatz, professor of philosophy;Joel B. Wolowelsky; and Reuven (Ronnie) Ziegler

An analysis of why the American and interna-tional press did not report on the Holocaust

Worship of the Heart: Essayson Jewish PrayerBy Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikEdited by Shalom Carmy, assistant professor of Bible,Toras HoRav Foundation, and KTAV

The second in a series called “Meotzar HoRav,” thevolume consists of 10 essays on Jewish prayer. RabbiSoloveitchik defines and analyzes the inward experi-ences that are to accompany the behavior mandatedby Halakhah by focusing on the Amidah and Shemaprayers. He also discusses the democratic nature of prayer, the dialogic relation-ship with God, the place of the aesthetic experience within Judaism, and thepresence, unity, and love of God.

T H E B O O K S H E L F

The leaders and parentsof the Yeshiva Univ-ersity High Schools rec-

ognized Mindy Lamm as guestof honor at their dinner oftribute on Sunday evening,March 9, at the Puck Buildingin Manhattan’s SoHo district.

Mrs. Lamm received theinaugural YUHS Grandparentof the Year award.

The dinner, chaired byDebbie Gibber, also honoredattorney and YUHS alumnusNathan Lewin, Educator of theYear Rochelle Anziska of theSamuel H. Wang YUHS forGirls, and the late RabbiBernard Siegfried of MSTA. Itwas attended by nearly 500high school parents andfriends of the honorees (thelargest turnout for a YUHS din-

ner in several years), generatedan impressive 174-page tributejournal, and raised more than$230,000 in philanthropicsupport for the two schools.

In her remarks, Mrs. Lammsaid that her designation asGrandparent of the Year “isnot at all meant for me alone,but for all of you who aregrandparents.” She praised theadministrators and faculty ofthe two high schools andexpressed pride in the fact thateach of her four children andtheir spouses have attendedYU’s schools and affiliates.”

Nathan Lewin, who re-ceived the DistinguishedAlumnus in Jurisprudenceaward for his legal work indefense of religious freedomfor observant Jews, displayed

his yearbook from the MSTAclass of ‘53.

Dr. Lamm addressed hisdinner remarks to the manyhigh school parents in atten-dance. He said that he hasbeen increasingly impressedby the high quality of the edu-cation their children receive atboth schools and encouragedthe parents to “be enthusias-tic, and be active.”

Educator of the YearRochelle Anziska has taughthistory at the Samuel H. WangYUHS for Girls for the past 14years and is yearbook advisorand senior grade advisor.YUHSG Principal RochelleBrand described her as “ener-getic, creative, and inspiring.” ❑

4 YUToday May 2003

• The Analytical Imaging Facility at Albert Einstein College ofMedicine celebrated its inauguration with a new electron cryomi-croscope. The installation allows researchers to directly view frozenhydrated samples, “which would not otherwise be possible,”according to John Condeelis, PhD, scientific director. “What’s more,Einstein can now offer researchers throughout New York City a fullspectrum of low temperature techniques, a feature that is unique toour imaging facility among similar resources located in the greaterNew York metropolitan region,” he said.

• Einstein and its Sue Golding Graduate Division of Medical Scienceshave teamed up with the North Shore-Long Island Research Instituteto offer a collaborative graduate program for PhD students interest-ed in biomedical research. Students can do research in genetics,immunology, oncology, or neuroscience. They will select a scientistfrom the Research Institute to serve as mentor and work closely withthat researcher for three or four years.

• The European Association for the Study of Diabetes hasannounced that Michael Brownlee, MD, Anita and Jack SaltzProfessor of Diabetes Research, is the 2003 recipient of its highestscientific honor, the Claude Bernard Medal. As recipient, Dr.Brownlee will deliver the Claude Bernard Lecture at the combinedEASD/International Diabetes Foundation meeting, Paris, France.

• Ganjam Kalpana, PhD, associate professor of molecular genetics atEinstein, received a grant of $833,000 from the American CancerSociety to support her research into aggressive malignant incurabletumors that afflict children under age 5. The presentation was madeat a celebration for the Society’s new facility in the Bronx.

• Victor L. Schuster, MD, was appointed University chairman,Department of Medicine at Einstein, and chairman, Department ofMedicine at the Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Schuster has been amember of the Einstein faculty and an attending physician atMontefiore since 1988. Soon after his arrival, he joined the depart-ment of Physiology and Biophysics.

• Christine M. Lawrence, MD, professor of medicine, has beennamed Distinguished University Professor of Medicine Emerita.

• Harold P. Klinger, MD, professor of molecular genetics at Einstein,has established the International Cytogenetics and Genome Societyto help bridge a communication gap between those in the field ofcytogenetics who conduct research within specific disciplines.

• Researchers at Einstein have successfully demonstrated how theprotein resistin alters insulin action in the liver. The team, led byLuciano Rossetti, MD, reported its findings in the January 15 issue ofthe Journal of Clinical Investigation. While previous research onresistin established that the protein is formed and secreted by fatcells and can alter glucose tolerance and insulin action, until now,the protein’s role in the liver was not known.

• Joe Verghese, MD, assistant neurology professor, is lead researcherof a study to determine if abnormal walking patterns in the elderlymay presage senility. The group has found that senior citizens withan odd gait are about three-and-a-half times more likely than othersto develop forms of dementia other than Alzheimer’s disease. Theirresults were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• The lead researcher of a study at Einstein demonstrating alcohol’sharmful effect on memory in the still-developing adolescent brain isa junior at the Bronx High School of Science. Debashish Sircar con-ducted the research at Einstein under supervision of his mother,Ratina Sircar, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and neurolo-gy and an assistant professor of pathology at the medical school.

• Susan A. Rose, PhD, professor of pediatrics; Judith F. Feldman,PhD, assistant clinical professor of pediatrics; and Jeffrey J.Jankowsky, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics, studied 153 full-term and 59 pre-term infants to assess information processing speedat 5, 7, and 12 months of age. They found that as early as 5 months,pre-terms were significantly slower at processing than were full-terms.

• The 2002 edition of the Directory of Health Services for BronxResidents with Developmental Disabilities, published by the Rose F.Kennedy University Center on Developmental Disabilities at Einstein,has received the Silver Award for excellence in the book category atthe annual National Health Information Awards Program.

• The Community Outreach Program at Einstein’s Cancer ResearchCenter sponsored a School Cancer Awareness Day January 17 at 14public, private, and parochial schools in the Bronx. Through theevent, nearly 13,000 students gained further understanding of can-cer awareness and prevention.

Einstein Roundup Chairman of Financial AccountingStandards Board Speaks at SSSB

High Schools Honor YU’s First Lady

Chairman of the Finan-cial Accounting Stan-dards Board, Robert H.

Hertz, met with accountingmajors and faculty of Sy SymsSchool of Business and hisWilf campus speech focusedon “The Challenges ofFinancial Reporting.” In thewake of corporate scandals,Mr. Herz discussed measures toprevent future financial abuses.

Two major abuses were cor-porate offerings of stockoptions as compensation andthe misappropriation of fairvalues. “Most of the problemsthat came to light were notdue to accounting standardsbut to pure fraud and greed,”Mr. Herz said.

He emphasized that heplans to streamline theaccounting regulations and

move from a rule-based systemto a principal-based one.

“What makes a systemwork properly is sound finan-cial accounting,” he said.Pointing out that ethics andtruthful reporting benefit thegreater good, he concluded,“That’s the silver lining of thedebacle of the last 18months.” ❑

From left: Robert Herz; Dr. Charles Snow, Sy Syms School of Business dean; Gabriel Jacobson, SSSB-SApresident, SSSB ‘02; Miriam Khavarani, SCW-SC vice president, SSSB ‘03; and Paula Stuchins, SSSB ‘03.

President and Mrs. Mindy Lamm surrounded by their grandchildren.

CEOs do battle in thebruising world offinance and business;

physicists eschew the corpo-rate combustion of highfinance for theories and for-mulas. But on saving money,one aspect of physics has WallStreet executives taking notice.

Enter Yeshaya Koblick, aYeshiva College physics majorwho researched the emergingdiscipline of econophysics,

which uses statistical physicsto solve risk management andother economic problems.

Yeshaya recently presentedhis research, from an inde-pendent study project underthe guidance of Dr. EliasGrivoyannis, associate profes-sor of economics, to studentsat the 2003 Eastern EconomicsAssociation Conference inManhattan. He also served as adiscussant in the Issues in

Political Economy session.The technical and mathe-

matical concepts used byeconophysics are abstract, andthus demand close and rigor-ous analysis. For his project, theYC senior reviewed the majorliterature that has been pub-lished about the field thus far.

“I went backward and for-ward between the technicalpapers and the less technicalones to understand some ofthe concepts,” he said.

“Most of the literature wasat a PhD level,” said Dr.Grivoyannis. “Yeshaya was notscared off by that. The researchhe was reviewing is at thefrontier of the field. It is doneby physics professors whohave tried to apply statisticalphysics to building financialmodels for the stock market,”he said.

By tracking the literature—from papers published byphysicists in France, Italy, theSanta Fe Institute in NewMexico, and Boston University,to the first books appearing in

the discipline—he “saw howthe whole field came togeth-er.”

Yeshaya’s curiosity abouteconophysics was first piquedduring a research internship atBoston University in summer2000. Although he was re-searching statistical mechanicsat the time, he met econo-physics researchers there,

learned more aboutthe field, and hadaccess to the literature.

Finding out howeconophysics works wasa natural next step forthe student, whosedesire to learn wenteven further than YC’sphysics curriculum.

“Dr. Grivoyannis wasvery upbeat when Iapproached him aboutdoing the study proj-ect. He gave me a lot ofsupport and laterencouraged me to par-ticipate in the confer-ence,” Yeshaya said.

Yeshiva College of-fers the option of a three-cred-it independent study for stu-dents curious enough about afield to delve into their ownresearch. “I am interested inlearning how we can progress,”Yeshaya said, “where we canfind new ideas that apply notjust to physics but to otherareas as well.” ❑

May 2003 YUToday 5

Forensic ScienceInvestigators in BioDepartment

Not only has television’s CSI: Criminal Scene Investigatorscaptured America’s imagination, it inspired creation of abiology course at YC.

“The biology department is always looking for interestingelective courses,” said Dr. Carl Feit, associate professor of biolo-gy and renowned molecular biologist. “When I was planning thespring semester, the program came to mind and I thought itwould be great to do something in forensic biology.” The result:this semester’s “Introduction to Forensic Biology” that exploresthe biology and technology behind forensic DNA typing.

Forensic science became invaluable following the 9/11 terror-ist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center. The Office ofChief Medical Examiner of New York City (OCME) faced the dif-ficult and complex task of identifying remains of thousands ofvictims using DNA technology.

“We, at YU, had a relationship with Dr. Eli Shapiro, anadjunct instructor who had taught neurobiology and animalphysiology several years ago. He left to take a position as train-ing coordinator at the OCME,” said Dr. Feit, Dr. Joseph andRachel Ades Chair in Health Services.

When scheduling conflicts prevented Dr. Shapiro from teach-ing the new course, Dr. Feit proposed a team arrangement withOCME colleagues. Dr. Shapiro recruited five accomplished crim-inalists with different specialities from the Department ofForensic Biology of the OCME.

“I thought teaching would be an excellent addition to our 9-5 responsibilities and a great opportunity to create a course andteach a state-of-the-art applied science,” said Dr. PaulGoncharoff, co-administrator of Introduction to ForensicBiology with Dr. Zoran M. Budimlija. “In our facility we havedeveloped the latest technology, and we share this knowledgewith the students,” Dr. Budimlija said.

“This course is an application of other courses I’ve taken,”said Netanel Berko, a senior majoring in biology. “It’s interestingto hear different perspectives on DNA research and to learn howthey complement each other. I particularly enjoyed learningabout PCR, polymerase chain reaction, which amplifies DNA toapprehend criminals.”

A seasoned research scientist specializing in microorganisms,the Chicago-born Dr. Goncharoff earned his doctorate at theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Budimlija hails from theformer Yugoslavia, and has been working with NYC OCME fortwo years. A medical doctor (forensic pathologist), he also holdsa doctorate in neuropathology from the University of Belgradeand specializes in extracting DNA from highly compromised tis-sue.

Each week one of five instructors delivers a lecture on his areaof expertise, giving students an in-depth overview of forensicDNA analysis.

“I really like the way the course is taught,” said Joseph Sebeo,a senior also majoring in biology who plans to go to medicalschool. “DNA and genetics are a growing field that is part of allinterdisciplinary research. I feel that I’ve learned about the entireprocess of DNA analysis from crime scenes.”

Career opportunities in forensic science remain bright, saidDr. Goncharoff. “We have summer internships at the MedicalExaminer’s Office.” This experience will provide students withcontacts and may encourage students to pursue careers as crimi-nalists.” ❑

YC Senior Researches New Field in Physics

2002 Alumni Awards Wrap-up

Eight graduates of Yeshiva University were honored by their alma mater. Threealumni of Yeshiva College received the 46th Annual Bernard Revel MemorialAward: Avery E. Neumark ’74 of NYC, for Community Service Leadership; Dr.

Leon Chameides ’55 of West Hartford, CT, for Professional Achievement; RabbiWilliam Altshul ’72 of Silver Spring, MD, for Religion and Religious Education.

Three alumnae of Stern College for Women received the 20th Annual SamuelBelkin Memorial Award: Sora Goldfeder Brazil ’73 of Oceanside, NY, for ProfessionalAchievement; Lillain Lubka Cantor ’71 of Edison, NJ, for Jewish Education; DeenaJarashow ’84 of Fair Lawn, NJ, for Community Relations.

Jason Schwartz ’93 of Teaneck, NJ, received the 7th Annual Norman Lamm Awardfor Business Leadership from Sy Syms School of Business Alumni Association.

Dr. David Schnall, dean of Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education andAdministration was awarded the 12th Annual Samuel Belkin Literary Award.

Standing (L–R): Dr. David J. Schnall, Jason Schwartz, Dr. Leon Chameides, and SoraGoldfeder Brazil. Seated (L–R): Avery E. Neumark, Rabbi William Altshul, Deena Jarashow,and Lillian Lubka Cantor.

Yeshaya Koblick

6 YUToday May 2003

Thirteenth Annual YUNMUN held

Board Newsi

• The following board members have been elected to new positions at Yeshiva College: Joshua L. Muss, chairman; Emanuel J. Adler, vice chairman; Robert I. Kantowitz, vice chairman; J. Philip Rosen, vice chairman; Leon Wildes, treasurer; Stanley Raskas, secretary; Jay Schottenstein, honorary chairman.

• Daniel A. Schwartz has been elected a member of the Yeshiva College Board of Directors.

• The following were elected to the Sy Syms School of Business Board of Directors:Isaac Corre; Philip Friedman.

• The following board members have been elected to new positions at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology: Beth Myers and Peter Abrons, vice chairs.

• Ellen Klausner was elected a member of the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology Board of Governors; Katherine Sachs was also elected to the Board of Governors, as a member and chair.

College students can remain inthe Big Apple and participatein “Culture in New York CitySummer 2003,” a follow-up tolast summer's successful pilotproject. Students will attend15 cultural events, includingplays, museums, exhibits, con-certs, and films over sevenweeks.

Program director Dr. WillLee, said, “We're thrilled thatthe program is sponsoring dif-ferent types of summer experi-ences—cultural, scientific, andinterdisciplinary.” He added,“These courses represent a

number of firsts for us—thefirst time we've traveled toCentral America rather thanEurope, the first honors travelcourse in the social sciences,the first summer school hon-ors course other than one thatincludes travel abroad, the firsttime we've added a residentialcomponent to an honors labcourse, and the first time thetwo undergraduate honorsprograms have cooperated toproduce summer opportunities.

“The Jay and JeanieSchottenstein Honors Program,like its counterpart at Stern,continues to serve as a catalystfor curricular creativity,” Dr.Lee said. ❑

Honors Program

continued from page 1

More than 500 students from 36 high schools, from West Hempstead to Winnipeg,gathered for the 13th Annual Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUN-MUN), February 9-11. Each school represented at least one member country of theUnited Nations. Students were assigned to one of 15 committees including the WorldFood Program, Disarmament and International Security, and the Middle East Summit.As committee members, they presented their countries' positions on various mattersduring a simulated meeting of the UN. The conference, established and hosted by YU,is the largest Jewish high school conference of its kind.

Daniel Pipes is director ofthe Middle East Forum and aprize-winning columnist forthe New York Post andJerusalem Post. He frequentlydiscusses Arab-Israeli issues ontelevision and lectures world-wide. Mr. Pipes has written 11books and numerous maga-zine articles and is publishedin more than 70 daily newspa-pers and hundreds of Websites.

Dr. Leon R. Kass is a re-spected teacher, scientist, andhumanist, who has beenengaged for more than 30years with the ethical andphilosophical dimensions ofbiomedical advances. He isAddie Clark Harding Professorin the Committee on SocialThought and the College ofthe University of Chicago andwas appointed chairman ofthe President's Council onBioethics in 2001.

Julia Koschitzky is one ofCanada's most distinguishedJewish leaders devoted to

strengthening the bond bet-ween Canadian Jewry andIsrael. She chairs both IsraelNow Consortium and IsraelAdvocacy for the TorontoJewish Federation.

Nathan Lewin '57YC hasbeen one of the nation's fore-most trial and appellate attor-neys and an authority on con-stitutional law for fourdecades. He is the author ofnumerous articles on the lawand the Supreme Court andhas argued before the Court 27times. He has also taught atleading national law schools.

After Commencement, whichhonors graduates of YU’sundergraduate schools andseveral graduate programs,separate hooding ceremonieswill take place for recipients ofdegrees from Ferkauf GraduateSchool of Psychology andWurzweiler School of SocialWork.

Albert Einstein College ofMedicine will hold its 45thAnnual Commencement Wed-nesday, June 4; Benjamin N.Cardozo School of Law will holdits 25th Annual Commence-ment Wednesday, June 11. ❑

music and other celebratoryactivities, will culminate a

week of events, including astudent Shabbaton at theMidtown Campus, as well asreceptions and events for stu-dents, faculty, alumni and staffon all campuses. All YU facul-ty, alumni, and students are

invited to the Investiture.Please contact the Departmentof Communications and PublicAffairs for information andtickets at 212-960-5285 or atpublicaffairs@ymail.yu.edu. ❑

Commencement

continued from page 1

Richard M. JoelInvestiture

continued from page 1

The electronic age has revolutionized life—especially howacademic institutions store and make information available.Take Yeshiva University libraries, for example. By pressing

a few buttons, students can quickly immerse themselves in thou-sands of years of Jewish history.

“With the Web, what we can offer our students and facultyhas grown immensely,” says Pearl Berger, dean of libraries at YU.

Most recently, Yeshiva University Library InformationServices (YULIS) upgraded its online offerings for easy access, notonly to its own catalogue of books and periodicals, but also itslinks to other libraries and databases.

This past January, the new YULIS, serving the Wilf andMidtown campuses, introduced the following features: 1) anupdated and streamlined Web interface; 2) Web access to indi-vidual library accounts; 3) online renewal of library materialsalready checked out; 4) a search engine for catalogues of librariesat other institutions; 5) enhanced software for reading Hebrewcharacters and letters; 6) an option to mark and select catalogueinformation for saving, printing, or emailing; and 7) interlibraryloan request forms.

The library staff trains students and faculty on using the newsystem. Dean Berger encourages professors to contact the libraryon behalf of students to request instruction, which can be tai-lored to a particular subject, be it literature or business. ❑

Library System Benefits From Internet Age

May 2003 YUToday 7

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

Prof. Daniel PollackJustice Through Knowledge and Social Action

Asmall green face withbulging white eyes peersaround the door of

Prof. Daniel Pollack’s office. Itis a hand puppet of SesameStreet’s Kermit the Frog,brought to life by Prof. Pollackwhenever students’ or facultymembers’ young children passhis office in Belfer Hall, hometo YU’s Wurzweiler School ofSocial Work.

“I do it to make them feelmore comfortable when theycome here,” Prof. Pollack says.“The offices must look quiteunfriendly to a small child.”

The associate professor ofsocial work does such a con-vincing Kermit impressionthat, even after he emergesfrom behind the door to revealhis closely-cropped beard andslightly graying hair, childrencontinue to talk back to thegarrulous puppet in his righthand.

Such a creative approachcomes easily to a father of twosmall children, but it says a lotabout Prof. Pollack’s ability toleap from child’s play to seri-ous intellectual study. Thedesire to find a more rigorousframework for helping peoplein need led him to pursue hisJD in 1978, just one year afterhe received his master’s insocial work.

“Social work is a skeletonthat needs more meat, and themeat is rigor and discipline,”says Prof. Pollack. “It isresearch that is reality-based,that makes a difference. It’snot research just for the sakeof writing articles and gettingthem published. It’s the mar-riage of one discipline to theother that I find interesting.”

Prof. Pollack spent 15 yearsworking in state and human-service agencies and depart-ments before joining Wurz-weiler’s faculty in 1992. As theassistant general counsel tothe Ohio Department of YouthServices in Columbus, heworked extensively with thestate’s juvenile courts on cases

of abuse, theft, and drug use,and handled arbitration andunion matters and real estatedeals. Before that, he was exec-utive assistant to the OhioGovernor for health and humanservices, providing legal adviceon mental health and aging.

Such issues dominate hisresearch. Prof. Pollack is a pro-lific writer, publishing regular-ly in social work and law jour-nals and addressing confer-ences across the country. Healso writes two regular columns,has published two books, co-edits Wurzweiler’s Social WorkForum journal, and editsJlaw.com, a Web site onHalakhah (Jewish law) andAmerican law. Earlier this year,he became a senior fellow ofthe Center for AdoptionResearch at the University ofMassachusetts.

Marrying Law and Social Work

Unique among Wurzweilerfaculty for his expertise in lawand social work, he appliesthese twin insights to his MSWcourses, as well as in classes he teaches at YU’s BenjaminN. Cardozo School of Law and Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education andAdministration.

“As a social worker with alegal eye, there are definitelysome lights going off that aredifferent than other people inthe profession. And the sameis true as a lawyer with socialwork training,” he says.

In the preface of his book,Social Work and the Courts, asecond edition of which waspublished by Brunner-Routledge this year, he cites ahefty communication gapbetween law and human serv-ices. The former traditionally“leans towards arcane writtenexactitude,” the latter “tospeech that is emotional andintuitive.” But the pursuit ofsocial justice motivates bothdisciplines, he notes.

“Social workers usuallywant to talk about practice,but they don’t realize that ithas to go through policy, andpolicy comes from law, whichis hopefully a reflection of jus-tice itself,” Prof. Pollack says.His book introduces profes-sionals from both sides to eachother’s language.

They need to understandhow to communicate witheach other, he says, because“legislators often don’t thinkabout how legal and humanservice policy is implement-ed—usually it’s the socialworkers who implement it.”

Defining social justice, Prof.Pollack eschews any overarch-ing answer. An observant Jew,he doesn’t see justice in purelyreligious terms, either. It ismuch more deep-seated forhim. “I have an inner drivenot only to find out what’sright but to do what’s right.Justice is not just about knowl-edge; it must be accompaniedby action.”

Family History of Social Action

The seeds of social actiongo back to Prof. Pollack’s child-hood, spent mostly in MountVernon, New York, during thetumultuous civil rights strug-gle in the late 50s and early60s. He attended the West-chester suburb’s only publichigh school, and accompaniedhis parents to many civil rightsprotests. One incident stands out.

At the beginning of theMcCarthy era, he recalls, whenmany Americans were beingforced to sign anti-Communistloyalty oaths, his mother,upon taking a new job, refusedto do so. “She believed it washer First Amendment right notto have to sign the oath, so she

refused, and was fired,” he says.The event, he says, epitomizedthe strength of conviction.

During the Vietnam War,he attended anti-war protestsin Washington, DC, and wascalled for the draft. “I had a12-hour physical, but I knew Iwasn’t going to be draftedbecause I had allergies. Thearmy wouldn’t want me sneez-ing all over Southeast Asia. Butit was still nerve-rackingbecause for those 12 hours youare under military law, andyou don’t fool around,” hesays. Tucked inside his walletis a worn and slightly yellowed

draft card stamped “4F” in thefar left column. “I don’t wantto throw it away—it’s areminder of a very tense era.”

Following a family tradi-tion, he attended OberlinCollege in Ohio (his motherand brothers all attendedbefore him), majoring in reli-gion and taking music as anelective. (He was the cello sec-tion leader in the Long IslandOrchestra for a few years.)Later on, he followed in hismother’s footsteps again, thistime pursuing graduate studiesat Case Western ReserveUniversity in Cleveland, Ohio.

Reawakening to JudaismOne life-altering experi-

ence, he says, came muchlater, via his Jewish roots atYU. “I started observingShabbos after I came toWurzweiler. Dr. Norman Linzer,Samuel J. and Jean SableProfessor in Jewish FamilySocial Work, started speakingto me about learning moreabout Judaism, and he gaveme a pair of tzitzit,” he says. “Isaid, ‘What are these? Theylook like spaghetti and I’m notdoing it.’ So I put them back in

the box and they stayed in mydrawer for about six months.Then I read Aryeh Kaplan’sbook, A Thread of Light, and Iput them on the next day andnever took them off.”

His writing often comparespoints of American law withHalakhah, such as the bookthat KTAV/Yeshiva UniversityPress published in 2001,Contrasts in American andJewish Law. “My life is just asmuch about the interfacebetween these two areas as it isabout marrying social workand law. I daven [pray] at thebeit midrash every morningthat I’m on campus. When Iarrive at Belfer Hall at about5:30 a.m., there’s no one onthis side of the street, but overat RIETS the guys are alreadythere. It’s part of the linkbetween the two different sidesof the street, as it were,” Prof.Pollack says.

“The seed of observance isin all of us. I’ve often won-dered why, after 43 years, Ibecame observant, and I thinkit’s because one of my greatgrandparents had that sort ofattachment to Judaism and thatit’s been passed down throughthe generations,” he says.

It is clear that the marriageof Prof. Pollack’s many inter-ests is a happy union. “Teach-ing was the best decision I evermade. I feel without a doubtthat this was my calling. I havenever considered doing any-thing else since I arrived at YU.When you’re lucky enough tofind your calling, that’s it.That’s why I come to campusso early in the morning.”

Despite his teaching, writ-ing, and research, his greatestaccomplishment, he says, ismuch closer to home: “gettingmarried and having kids—butthat’s not an accomplishment;it’s a blessing.” ❑

The Responsa (halakhicdecisions) in this year’sissue of Kol Zvi, a book

published annually by stu-dents enrolled in RIETS’ Bellaand Harry Wexner KollelElyon, deals with a very timelyand modern challenge—theagunot of September 11.Agunot are women who can-not verify their husbands’death. Kol Zvi, a compendiumof essays in Talmudic studies,was published shortly after thefirst anniversary of the 9/11tragedy.

Within days of the attacks,Rabbi Mordechai Willig, headof the Caroline and Joseph S.Gruss Kollel Elyon, took aleadership role in coping withthe plight of the agunot. Thefundamental issue at stakehinged on the halakhic validi-ty of DNA evidence andwhether it can be considered asiman muvhak—a clear signsufficient to establish death.The journal encompasses bothanalyses of the underpinningsof Talmudic law and its practi-cal application in determiningthe death of victims of 9/11 tofree their spouses to remarry.

Eight cases of agunot were

presented to the Beit Din ofAmerica for resolution. In twoof the cases involving YUalumni, no independentmeans existed to verify thatthe victims had been at theirplace of work above the pointof impact at the time of theattacks, such as emails, phonecalls, or witnesses. Therefore,DNA evidence was the onlyway to determine their death.

Other issues examined were:How does Jewish law evaluatescientific determinations ofstatistical probability? Ishuman error to be taken intoaccount? Can a DNA matchextracted from bone or hair beused to prove a victim died?

It was Rabbi Willig’s conclu-sion, and that of Rabbi ZalmanNechemia Goldberg, a mem-ber of the Beit Din in Jer-usalem and a world-renownedposek (decisor of Jewish law),that DNA identification repre-sents conclusive evidence.These cases represented thefirst time DNA evidence wasused exclusively to resolve acase of Agunah. It is a classic,yet cutting-edge, example ofTorah Umadda—Jewish learn-ing and worldly knowledge. ❑

8 YUToday May 2003

Kol Zvi Examines HalakhicApplication of DNA

Rabbi Yaakov Werblowsky (right) and Rabbi Shmuel Hain, co-edi-tors of Kol Zvi, present the volume to President Norman Lammand Rabbi Zevulun Charlop, Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS.

Aretired couple fromDallas, TX, has estab-lished a program at

Yeshiva University’s affiliatedRabbi Isaac Elchanan Theo-logical Seminary (RIETS) toenable needy students in cities

throughout North America toattend Jewish high schoolsand help with mechinah(preparatory programs) forindividuals with limited Judaiceducation.

Ronald and Ethel Gruengave an initial $1 million forthe new program. In announc-ing the gift, Mr. Gruen said,“The Jewish high school is theplace which makes the differ-ence as to whether a youngperson stays Jewish or not, forthat is where they crystallizetheir Jewish identity.”

The Gruens said they planto add an additional $1 mil-lion in the short term, aug-mented by substantial fundingfrom family members in thefuture.

The Ronald and EthelGruen Endowed Fund for theAdvancement of SecondaryJewish Education is adminis-tered by the RIETS Max SternDivision of Communal Ser-vices’s Association of Modern

Orthodox Day Schools (AMODS). The gift will cover annual

scholarship grants to theYavneh Academy in Dallas;Machne Israel, the centralbody of Chabad that sendsshiluchim (emissaries) to theworld Jewish community; theYU High Schools (MarshaStern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University HighSchool for Boys and Samuel H.Wang Yeshiva University HighSchool for Girls), and otherAMODS members.

In 2002-2003, the pro-gram’s first year of operation,AMODS received 18 applica-tions from member schools forGruen Fund grants. A commit-tee chaired by Dr. David J.Schnall, dean of YU’s Azrieli

Graduate School of JewishEducation and Administration,selected four schools as thefirst recipients of grants of$8,000 each: Akiva HebrewDay School (Southfield, MI),Hebrew High School of New

England (W. Hartford,CT), Stern HebrewHigh School(Philadelphia, PA),and Yeshiva AtlantaHigh School (Atlanta,GA).

Mr. Gruen, a suc-cessful industrialistand developer, sawhis interest in Judaismreawakened as ayoung adult. Mostlyself-taught, he gainedenough expertise inJewish history, Tanakh,(Biblical studies) andJewish mysticism toteach adult educationcourses in those sub-jects at the JewishCommunity Centerin Dallas, and to pub-lish articles in Mid-stream and Sh’ma. Mr.

Gruen also studied Talmudwith a rabbi.

Mr. Gruen married EthelAgatstein from the Bronx in1942, and the couple raisedfour children.

“They believe that if we‘lose’ students at the Jewishsecondary school level, thesestudents may never go on tohigher Jewish education,” saidDr. Herbert C. Dobrinsky, YUvice president of universityaffairs who worked closelywith the Gruens to developthe program. “They also feelthat their greatest satisfactionfrom this innovative and cre-ative program will come fromseeing others emulate its con-cept by setting up similarfunds in their own names.” ❑

To celebrate the 100thbirthday of RabbiAbraham H. Rosenfeld,

the Osher Family Circle, namedfor Rabbi Rosenfeld’s father,dedicated books to YU’s MendelGottesman Library to tributeto their centenarian mentor.

Rabbi Rosenfeld, of Balti-more, MD, is revered in theWashington Heights commu-nity, where he was executivedirector of the Yeshiva RabbiMoses Soloveitchik, located on

West 185th Street, in thebuilding now known as theJerome Schottenstein StudentCenter.

When a shrinking congre-gation forced the yeshiva toclose, Rabbi Rosenfeld contin-ued to serve as spiritual leaderof a small group of worshiperswho maintained their syna-gogue on the opposite side ofWest 185th Street betweenAudubon and St. NicholasAvenues.

The Philadelphia-born RabbiRosenfeld was the eighth of 11children and the son of a tai-lor. He studied at YeshivaMishkan Yisrael in Phila-delphia until his father senthim to Yeshiva University’sHigh School in New York City.

He graduated from theManhattan Talmudical Acad-emy High School for Boys in1922. There he was entrustedto the care of Rabbi BernardRevel, YU’s first president, and

was later ordained in 1926 bythe University’s affiliatedRabbi Isaac Elchanan Theo-logical Seminary (RIETS).

Rabbi Rosenfeld and his latewife, Elisheva, had one son,Azriel, who graduated fromYU’s High School in 1946, fromYeshiva College in 1950, fromBernard Revel Graduate Schoolin 1952, and was also ordainedby RIETS in 1955.

Elisheva Rosenfeld’s father,a rabbi in Europe, became a

pharmacist in America. Hisdaughter followed suit. RabbiRosenfeld and his wife workedfor many years in the pharma-cy owned by her family inWashington Heights. RabbiRosenfeld was then recruitedto oversee the Rabbi MosesSoloveitchik Yeshiva.

After 40 years of marriage,Elisheva passed away. At 71,Rabbi Rosenfeld married LucySchaffer, whose own husbandhad died 10 years earlier. ❑

RIETS Marks Centennial Birthday of its Oldest Alumnus

Ethel and Ronald Gruen

Gruen Gift Gives Youngsters a Head Start

May 2003 YUToday 9

David J. Azrieli (left) receives the Yeshiva University Medallion from President NormanLamm, acknowledging his “dynamic leadership and munificent support” at the 80thbirthday dinner held in his honor in New York on March 6.

Sy Syms School of Businessalumnus David Katz isn'tjoining the ranks of cor-

porate America—at least notyet. Mr. Katz, 22, graduatedfrom SSSB this January with afinance major, and departedfor Minsk, Belarus to becomeoverseas director of YUSSR(Yeshiva and UniversityStudents for the SpiritualRevival of Soviet Jewry).

Founded in 1990 byYeshiva University students,YUSSR enables young Jews inthe former Soviet Union tostudy and experience Judaismthrough varied programs andinstitutes.

YUSSR maintains an activeyouth center in Minsk year-round—where Mr. Katz isbased—and runs winter andsummer camps and special

programs on Jewish holidays.His first experience withYUSSR was last Passover whenhe and other volunteers

helped a community withPassover preparations andconducted their seders. Theyalso ran educational programs

and activities to teach bothchildren and adults about hol-iday rituals.

YUSSR executive directorRuth Rotenberg explained,“YUSSR's goals are to giveyoung Jews a sense of identifi-cation with the Jewish people,inspire them toward a deepercommitment to Jewish living,and empower them to take ini-tiative in building their ownJewish communities.”

Mr. Katz’ experience lastPassover was so rewarding andfulfilling that he returned afew months later to help runYUSSR's annual summer camp.YUSSR volunteers work with150 Jewish children at thecamp outside of Minsk. “Thechallenge is to run the camp'sJewish educational programsin a way that kids learn and

have fun at the same time,”Mr. Katz said.

For Mr. Katz, the overseasdirector position was a calling,a chance to share his religionand tradition with Belarus'Jews who lack the tools todevelop a strong Jewish identi-ty. Observing the positiveeffects his YUSSR co-volun-teers had on the children alsoinspired him to return toBelarus. “Each day theremakes a difference,” he said.

He will spend the next fewmonths in Minsk runningYUSSR's Lauder Lech-LechaYouth Center—initiating edu-cational programs, lectures,and Shabbat and holidayactivities. He will coordinateprayer services and participatein Jewish cultural events. ❑

Rabbi Joshua Narrowe, a captain by rank attached to the AirForce’s 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, is stationed at AlJaber Air Base in Kuwait, one of three YU alumni chaplains

participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Married and the

father of three, includ-ing a newborn duringhis deployment, he is a1995 graduate ofWurzweiler School ofSocial Work and RIETS.He and his wife,Adrienne, call Englandhome, these days, whereRabbi Narrowe is basedat RAF Mildenhall inSuffolk County.

Called up to serve inthe Persian Gulf, herecently took time from

his duties at Al Jaber for ane-mail interview.

YUT: Why did you choose a military life:JN: I first encountered the Air Force at a social-work job fair at

YU. The recruiters asked me if, given my credentials, I had everconsidered the chaplaincy. I told them I had not, and a few dayslater, the then-senior rabbi in the Air Force called and spoke tome about the idea. After much thought and consultation, Idecided to apply. About six months later, I became a USAF chap-lain.YUT: In Kuwait, how many Jews do you serve?

JN: There are 13 Jews on this base. Of those, I have a person-al connection with 11. Most know nothing about Judaism, andbeing in a place like this gives me an opportunity to show themwhat an Orthodox lifestyle can be like. I feel it’s important tohave Orthodox rabbis in the military who can connect andinspire Jewish servicemen and women. For example, one of mycongregants has told me that she intends to keep kosher whenshe comes back to her base, another said that he has never feltso connected to his faith, and two said they would like to studyJudaism after they get out of the military, perhaps in Israel. YUT: Do you serve non-Jews, as well?

JN: Most of my work is with non Jews. Most of my time isspent visiting troops and getting to know them. I do a lot ofcounseling, for example. However, my main reason for being inthe service is outreach to Jews.YUT: What kinds of problems do soldiers come to you with?

JN: Mostly personal and marital problems, like counseling awoman whose husband divorced her right before she left, andhelping a young man get back home because his wife is havinga serious mental breakdown. ❑

David Katz: Answering a Special Call

RIETS Rabbi at the Front Lines

David Katz

David Eshaghian (left) chats with four recipients of the David and Simone EshaghianScholarship for Sephardic Undergraduate Students: (left to right) Yeshiva Collegestudents Behnam Moghadasian, and Sepehr Elyassian, and Stern College StudentsSasha Hourizadeh and Lea Tolub.

Rabbi Joshua Narrowe

10 YUToday May 2003

Helping Young Diarists of the Holocaust Bear Witness

New York AttorneyGeneral Elliot Spitzerurged prospective

lawyers to “live up to theirmandate” in a lecture on cor-porate governance at Ben-jamin N. Cardozo School ofLaw.

He addressed a packedaudience of Cardozo stu-dents, faculty, Board mem-bers, alumni, and the public.Sponsoring the event was theThe Samuel and RonnieHeyman Center for Corp-

orate Governance. Mr. Spitzer detailed the evo-

lution of his perspective onfederalism and its impact onlegal enforcement.

On corporate governance,Mr. Spitzer pointed to the evo-lution of an “imperial CEO,”someone making decisionsabsent the needed checks andbalances of boards and auditcommittees, and auditors fail-ing to provide proper fiscaloversight.

Attorneys, he advised, must

serve the client while remem-bering that management isnot the client, the sharehold-ers are. “Once we define theclient, we have to be carefulnot to stop the flow of infor-mation between attorney andclient,” the Attorney Generalsaid.

He also called on institu-tional investors to becomeactive shareholders and bettercorporate managers of thecompanies in which theyinvest. ❑

The Sy Syms School ofBusiness became thefirst Yeshiva University

undergraduate college to offera master’s degree.

“The accounting profes-sion has changed significantlyin the last decade or so,” saidDr. Charles J. Snow, dean of SySyms School of Business.“New financial techniques em-anating from the multination-al nature of business and otherfactors have greatly increasedthe complexity of businessdealings. As a result, business

schools need to provide moreformal education if theaccounting profession is tokeep up with the complexities.”

Dr. Snow illustrated hispoint by displaying a currenttwo-volume edition of theFinancial Accounting Stan-dards Board book of pro-nouncements, a bible of theaccounting industry. Bothbooks are more than 500-pages thick.

“In my day, the standardsbook was not even half asthick as just one of these vol-

umes,” Dean Snow said.For Sy Syms School of

Business to award a master’s inaccounting, it had to submitan application to the NewYork State Education Depart-ment’s Office of HigherEducation for approval, whichthe school received this pastDecember.

“That we are now empow-ered to grant the MS inaccounting to our students is atremendous compliment tothe quality of our course offer-ings. We see this as a testa-

ment to our institution’s aca-demic standing,” Dr. Snowsaid.

Students entering as fresh-man in 2004 and planning tomajor in accounting willbecome the first to receive amaster’s degree from one ofYU’s three undergraduate col-leges.

Dr. Snow and Dr. Joel A.Hochman, Philip H. CohenProfessor of Accounting,worked together in preparingthe 32-page curriculum pro-posal that resulted in the

School’s master’s program. Dr.Hochman said the new cur-riculum puts accounting onpar with other professions.

“The accounting professionwants to upgrade its entry-level people,” Dr. Hochmansaid. “With a master’s degreeas part of their education, SySyms students will be well-pre-pared to tackle whatever comestheir way professionally.” ❑

The day YitskhokRudashevski turned 15,he wrote these words in

his diary: “I wish I could recap-ture the past year and keep itfor later, for the new life.”

It was October 1942, andwar-torn Europe was ablazefrom east to west. Some 3 mil-lion Jews had already perished.Millions more faced a similarfate. Young Rudashevski wasliving in the Vilna Ghettothen, recording his thoughtsand observations as life in theLithuanian city crumbledaround him.

Rudashevski’s diary, saysAlexandra Zapruder, the 2003Morris Epstein Lecturer on theArts, was the first one sheencountered as a researcher atthe US Holocaust MemorialMuseum in Washington, DC.She is author of Salvaged Pages:Young Writers’ Diaries of theHolocaust and winner of the2002 National Jewish BookAward in Holocaust Studies.

Just out of school—andadmitting to “having had noknowledge whatsoever aboutthe Holocaust”—in 1991, shewas assigned to research

Holocaust diaries written byyoung people to help themuseum prepare for its open-ing exhibition, “Rememberthe Children: Daniel’s Story.”

“I tried to get into theminds of these teenagers,” shetold her audience at theGeraldine SchottensteinCultural Center. She said thehalf-dozen or so journals inthe museum’s archives left her

“completely stunned” at howvivid, insightful, and poignantthe authors were in chroni-cling daily life.

She began searching formore adolescent diaries, dis-covering them in archives,museums, and with survivingfamily members. Over 10years, she located nearly 60, inthe US, Israel, and Europe—rescued from ghetto apart-

ments, trash piles, and, as withElsa Binder, another youngdiarist included in Zapruder’sbook, from a ditch near akilling field.

“The diarists came from allwalks of Jewish life—highlyassimilated families, mixedmarriage families, OrthodoxJews, Jews who felt attachedculturally but not religiously,wealthy, poor. I came to realizethat this is really a genre of itsown,” said Zapruder.

“Every time I thought Icould make a generalizationabout the body of material,there would be some otherdiary that would crop up fromsome other place that wouldcompromise that theory.”

Nevertheless, she madegeneral observations about thediaries, which she termed bothhistorical and literary innature. She identified com-mon motifs. There were, shesaid, the expected topics—fearof deportation, hunger, isola-tion. But the diaries also con-tained unexpected themes: forexample, attention to physicaldetails—the ghetto, the apart-ment, the trains—and the

demarcation of time.“For all these writers, one

constant was, ‘when the endcomes,’ or ‘after the end.’When will it be? Will I live tosee it? They write about thepassage of time and aboutbeing careful not to wastetime. Yitskhok Rudashevskiexpressed the notion of takingthe year to spend again ‘later.’He, of course, assumed he wasgoing to live, which he didnot.” Of the 15 diarists includ-ed in Zapruder’s book, six sur-vived the war.

Zapruder, who went on todirect the educational compo-nent of the exhibition,“Remember the Children,”said the diarists’ determina-tion to write—and to acquirethe implements of writing—underscored their need toexpress thoughts and feelings,bear witness, and struggle toaccept the reality of their lives.Through her book, and in ven-ues like the Epstein Forum onthe Arts, she gives voice to thatdetermination, and to theirfragile hope in the future. ❑

NY State Attorney General Speaks at Cardozo

Syms New Master’s Degree Reflects “New Financial Techniques”

Shifra Epstein Goldberg, widow of Morris Epstein (left), and husband Samuel Goldberg, with author Alexandra Zapruder

New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer

May 2003 YUToday 11

Bruce Cole, chairman of the National Endowment for theHumanities, spoke at the opening of Yeshiva UniversityMuseum’s exhibition, “A Portion of the People: ThreeHundred Years of Jewish Life.” Most of South Carolina’searly Jews were people of Sephardic heritage whoseancestors had been expelled from Spain and Portugal centuries earlier. Photo courtesy of Jay Bar David.

Einstein Graduate Student WinsInternational Award

Jeffrey Levsky, an MD-PhDstudent at the AlbertEinstein College of Med-

icine, was among sixteengraduate students from NorthAmerica and Europe to receivethe prestigious Harold M.Weintraub Graduate StudentAward, sponsored by the BasicSciences Division of the FredHutchinson Cancer ResearchCenter. Mr. Levsky recently

completed his doctoratein the laboratory of Dr.Robert H. Singer, professorand co-chair of anatomyand structural biology atAECOM.

An international selec-tion process took place;winners were chosen forthe quality, originality,and significance of theirwork. The recipients, ad-vanced students complet-ing their studies in biolo-gy, participated in a scien-tific symposium May 2-3at Fred Hutchinson’sSouth Lake Union campus

in Seattle, Wash. The sym-posium included presenta-tions by the awardees, as wellas poster presentations by FredHutchinson graduate students.

The award, established in2000, honors the late HaroldM. Weintraub, PhD. He helpedestablish the division namedfor Fred Hutchinson, who diedfrom brain cancer. Dr.Weintraub was an internation-al leader in molecular biology,

who identified genes responsi-ble for instructing cells to dif-ferentiate, or develop, intospecific tissues, such as muscleand bone.

The selection of Mr. Levskyrecognizes his research on sin-gle cell gene expression, whichhas wide application in molec-ular cell biology. Currently, heis completing the clinical stud-ies of his MD-PhD degree. In1998, he received his bache-lor’s degree from North-western University and, in2000, he earned a master’s(with distinction) at Einstein.

In addition to Mr. Levsky ofEinstein, other winners repre-sented Johns Hopkins, Har-vard, Stanford, MIT, and otherleading institutions. The recip-ients will receive a certificate,travel expenses, and an hono-rarium from the Weintrauband Groudine Fund, whichfosters intellectual exchangeprograms for graduate stu-dents, fellows, and visitingscholars. ❑

Jeffrey Levsky

Thursday, May 15

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawNorthern New Jersey/Rockland County Alumni Reception

Englewood, NJ6:30 p.m.

Call (212) 790-0293 for information

Monday, May 19

Lecture: “Yiddish, Yiddishkeit, and Yiddishism”Rabbi Sol Steinmetz ‘56Y ‘56R

55 Fifth Ave., Brookdale Center, NYC7:00 p.m.Free admission

Wednesday, May 21

Stern College for Women Class of 1978 ReunionYeshiva College Class of 1978 Reunion

Abigael’s on Broadway1407 Broadway, NYC6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 22

Yeshiva College Class of 1953 Reunion

Club Grill, Madison Square Garden, NYC1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 28

Planned Giving Seminars:“How to Protect Your Health and Your Wealth”

Geraldine Schottenstein Cultural Center239 East 34th Street, NYC10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. or 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.Free admission

Wednesday, May 28

Lecture: “A Life Not With Standing”Chava Willig Levy ‘73S

55 Fifth Avenue, Brookdale Center, NYC7:00 p.m.Free admission

Wednesday, June 4

Albert Einstein College of MedicineCME Reunion Symposium and Gala Reunion Reception

Call (718) 430-3824 for information

Thursday, June 12

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawClass of 1983, 1988, 1993 and 1998 Reunions

Vue151 East 50th Street, NYC

Call (212) 790-0293 for information

E V E N T S

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PA IDYESHIVA UNIVERSITY

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YUTodayA PUBLICATION OF YESHIVA UNIVERSITY

Rabbi Sidney Kleiman: Still Bearing the Torch

Rabbi Sidney Kleimanturned 90 in January. Hewas honored with a kid-

dush by members of his syna-gogue, whose parents were noteven born when he becamespiritual leader at Cong-regation Talmud Torah AderethEl—the 29th Street Syna-gogue,” in the Murray Hill sec-tion of Manhattan.

His appointment as rabbithere is a story he delights intelling.

“It was in 1939,” said RabbiKleiman of his appointment atTalmud Torah Adereth El. “Atthe time I was rabbi at theJewish Center of Violet Park,in the northern-most part ofthe Bronx,” he recalls. “I usedto bring my children to schoolevery morning on the LowerEast Side and return in theafternoon to pick them up.

“One of my congregants,also a member of the 29thStreet Synagogue, cautionedme that I’d wear myself outrunning back and forth, andmentioned that his other syn-agogue, closer to my children’sschool, was looking for a rabbi.He suggested I apply for thejob. I said I was happy in

Violet Park, but he arrangedfor me to deliver a sermon atthe other synagogue.

“As I was coming homeafter Shabbos, the telephonerang. It was the cantor of theother synagogue calling to sayI had just been elected rabbi ofhis shul. I said I didn’t wantthe job, but he told me tocome down next Tuesdayevening at 7:30 to sign thecontract.

“As I was walking along25th Street, I stumbled upon astickball game that was short a

player. My first time up I hit ahome run. The game was overjust about 7:30 and I ran hardto the shul. The committeeasked me why I was late.When I told them, they said,‘don’t let it happen again.’That’s how I got the job.”

Rabbi Kleiman is a three-school YU alumnus whoreceived semikhah (ordination)at Rabbi Isaac ElchananTheological Seminary (RIETS)from Rabbi Moshe Solo-veitchik, the Rav’s father. Hehas been at Adereth El 64

years, only the second pulpitthe New York City native hasever held.

During his tenure—hebecame emeritus in 1999—Rabbi Kleiman saw the out-break of World War II, Israel’srebirth and struggles, wars inKorea, Viet Nam, and thePersian Gulf, and the rise andfall of the Berlin Wall. He’sseen his neighborhood evolvefrom working- and middle-class to trendy, transient, andhigh rent. He’s seen assimila-tion and the migration to sub-urbia undermine and nearlyerase the Orthodox character ofhis synagogue and community.

“The founders of the shulwere very pious. The mainsupport came from businesspeople in the area—retailersand manufacturers. But thenthe neighborhood changed.The families moved out andyoung singles and couplesmoved in. Also, it was a periodwhen Orthodoxy was fading. Isaw my job as keeping the shulOrthodox, and strengtheningOrthodox Judaism in the area.”

Helping in that task was thepresence of YU’s Stern Collegefor Women, some five blocks

away. Students often attendShabbat services and partici-pate in many synagogue activ-ities, including the Tuesdaynight learning programs.

At 90, Rabbi Kleiman—stillsharp and articulate—isthought to be the oldest YUand RIETS alumnus still activeat the same synagogue. Heattends services and learnsTorah daily, and is called uponperiodically to deliver ser-mons. Fittingly, Adereth El isthe oldest synagogue in NewYork City at the same location.Established in 1857, it movedto its present home in 1863.

Also a chaplain at BellevueHospital for 50 years, thesedays he leaves most rabbinicresponsibilities to his succes-sor, Rabbi Gideon Shloush, a31-year-old YC and RIETSalumnus who began atAdereth El nearly seven yearsago as Rabbi Kleiman’s assis-tant. He assumed full responsi-bilities three years ago.

“To me, Rabbi Kleiman is alegend, role model, and inspi-ration. I honestly continue tosee him as the rabbi here, eventhough I’ve been given thattitle,” said Rabbi Shloush. ❑

Rabbi Gideon Shloush (left) and Rabbi Sidney Kleiman