Bring Wisdom to the YU Logo

President Richard M. Joel's administration has recently posted a new motto, "Bring Wisdom to Life," on the website and campuses of Yeshiva University. The adoption of this empty slogan follows the Joel administration's decision in 2003 to replace the traditional logo of Yeshiva University - which contained the motto "Torah u-Madda" - with a simple blue drawing of the letters Y and U under an interlocking pair of flames. Sadly, the Joel administration prefers mere aesthetics over true meaning.

According to YU Today (Dec. 2003, p. 6), Yeshiva College and Yeshiva University have used at least five logos. In 1932, when only the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and the fledgling Yeshiva College (YC) existed, YC adopted a logo containing the names of both schools. That picture contained numerous symbols: a Torah scroll, a Star of David, a Tree of Life, and a menorah. It also quoted part of a verse from Isaiah, "The faith of your times will be the strength of your salvations, wisdom and knowledge; fear of God-that is [man's] treasure" (33:6). Similar logos from that era appeared in an article by Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter ("Torah u-Madda at Yeshiva College," Commentator, Aug. 30, 2004).

The traditional shield was developed in 1945, when Yeshiva became a university. It maintained the name of RIETS and introduced the motto "Torah u-Madda" (Torah and knowledge), printed on a Torah scroll. Commemorative logos marked YU's 75th anniversary in 1961 and its 100th anniversary in 1986. Both logos contained a small copy of the 1945 emblem.

The YU Today article concludes as follows:

"Now, to meet the challenges of a dynamic and diverse university in the 21st century, with many constituent schools and colleges, President Richard M. Joel commissioned the design of a new logo - for use in conjunction with the shield of the university.

"The new logo, designed by Harvey Marks and drawn and engineered by Yeshiva University art directors, depicts the flames of Torah and Madda emerging, intertwined, from the letters 'YU,' which form an oil lamp. The flames of Torah and Madda carry the traditional philosophy of the university forward. The oil lamp celebrates the restoration of the Temple in 165 BCE, and represents the continuing challenge to dedicate oneself to the pursuit of noble ideals."

I must ask some questions on the above explanation.

First, how is an uninformed viewer expected to guess that the flames represent Torah and that Madda, and the letters symbolize the oil lamp from the Second Temple?

Second, why did the onset of the 21st century justify demoting a 58 year-old emblem?

Finally, how does the traditional shield shortchange the "many constituent schools and colleges?" The name "Yeshiva University," which appears on the shield, includes, by definition, all of the Jewish studies programs and all of the other schools, both graduate and undergraduate. RIETS, which was founded 43 years before Yeshiva College and serves as the ideological foundation of the entire university, fully deserves its special prominence on the 1945 logo.

Nevertheless, I did not complain until I saw the new directive: "Bring Wisdom to Life."

The words faintly echo an aphorism of King Solomon: "the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its possessors" (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

I object to the motto for two reasons. First, it does not reflect our university's Jewish identity. Even a non-Jew can bring wisdom to life.

Second, the phrase "Bring Wisdom to Life" is so vague that it lacks any meaning. Whoever composed it will be embarrassed when he is asked, "What exactly does this motto promote?" He will then have no response at all. (Paraphrased from Maimonides, Sefer Ha-mitzvot, fifth shoresh).

The new logo and the new motto combine to form an ugly pattern. The Joel administration has removed the Hebrew words that represent the soul of our institution. A stranger might mistakenly identify the plain YU logo and its generic motto with Yale University or York University. (Ironically, the Yale University logo contains the Hebrew words "urim ve-tumim.")

Perhaps the Joel administration is attempting to shape the image of YU to the mold of Hillel (the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life), where President Joel worked as president and international director for 14 years. The new YU logo, with blue flames but without Torah, visually resembles the logo of Hillel. According to Hillel's website, "Hillel's mission is to maximize the number of Jews doing Jewish with other Jews." While this modest, ambiguous goal of "doing Jewish" suffices on college campuses where most Jews are non-observant, it does not suffice for Yeshiva University, which aspires to lead the Orthodox world. At that, Yeshiva should aspire for not just "wisdom," but something more, which is an idea embodied in "Torah u-Madda."

Of course, a university is ultimately defined by its faculty and students, and not by its logo or motto. Still, I fear that a new generation of YU students will forget our ideological roots. They will imagine that YU is fundamentally an ordinary university that happens to have a Jewish student body. Our institutional emblem and motto, like our tzitzit (prayer shawls) and tefillin (phylacteries), should remind us constantly that we are a special community, with a unique set of core values and a sense of mission to embody and propagate those values.

It may be too late to retire the new logo, but I would like to suggest a compromise. The Joel administration should ask the logo's designers to revise the logo by inserting the words "Torah u-Madda." The words can fit above the flames or below the "YU" letters. They can be carved into the flames or curved around them.

I hope that the Joel administration will choose to imbue the beautiful blue logo with the meaningful motto that it deserves, in order to lead us forward in the future, while steadfastly clinging to the timeless values of our past.

REFERENCES:

Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter's article, "Torah u-Madda at Yeshiva College" (Aug. 30, 2004)

http://www.yucommentator.com/media/paper652/news/2004/08/30/Yudaica/Torah.UMadda.At.Yeshiva.College-702808.shtml

YU Today, December 2003 (see p. 6): http://www.yu.edu/news_pdfs/YU_Today_Dec%20_03.pdf

"About Hillel": http://hillel.org/hillel/newhille.nsf/fcb8259ca861ae57852567d30043ba26/954f9c098881a229852567d2007e95df?OpenDocument

Yechiel Robinson is a Yeshiva College senior.