Spring Break
Current Issue:
With the election approaching, students at YU are getting ready, reaching the end of a months-long process. The 2008 election season has culminated in numerous events dedicated to the election which have been held over the past few weeks, charging the atmosphere at YU with political energy.
Like many universities throughout the country, Yeshiva now faces budgetary concerns and deficits due to the economic turbulence. As a result, deans and administrators are looking for ways to cut costs in order to weather the economic times and tackle the expected $24 million deficit.
The Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program at Yeshiva College recently formed its first student council. Consisting of five representatives elected by students in the Honors Program, the council represents positive movement towards a union of the faculty and students that make up the Honors Program.
Rabbi Ari Solomont, formerly the Gerald and Mary Swartz International Director of Recruitment and Outreach for the Mechinah and Basic Jewish Studies Program., has been appointed director of the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program. Former program director Mark Lehrman has been promoted to a newly created position, Director of Yeshiva University in Israel.
It has been a long wait, but stairs joining the first floor to the rest of library have finally been opened for general use. Beginning right before the succot vacation, library patrons were able to access the upper floors of the library from the ground floor, thus completing stairway access throughout the building.
The financial crisis that has developed over the last two months continues to cause turmoil on Wall Street and beyond. Though the federal government's bailout package has kept some major insurers afloat, concerns still abound concerning the future stability of the American and worldwide economies, with many people bracing themselves for a depression.
The second Tanach Yom Iyun was held in Furst Hall throughout the morning of Sunday November 2. Building off of the surprising success of last semester's program on March 23, the speeches of Sunday's event were geared towards a particular theme-controversial figures in Tanach.
In response to the Agriprocessor's kosher-meat scandal, and in wake of the recent Conservative initiative to devise an "ethical standards" hechsher, the Rabbinical Council of America has announced that it will devise its own set of guidelines which combine kashrut and Jewish ethics.
This year, the Office of Admissions initiated an Early Decision program for the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program. Those who apply to the Honors Program as early decision applicants will be accepted 'early decision' only if the applicant would have already been accepted to the Honors program through the regular application process, and received a full scholarship.
On Sunday, October 26th, the Yeshiva University Center for Jewish History hosted a day-long conference titled "Jewish Youth and Cultural Change: A Conference on Rethinking American Jewish History." The conference brought together anthropologists, historians, and scholars of culture to discuss the lives and influences of Jewish youth on American Jewish history and culture.
On October 19th, the eve of Hoshana Rabba, YU and the Orthodox Union (OU) Israel Center jointly hosted a night of learning and discussion in the Yeshuran Central Synagogue on King George St., Jerusalem. The event commenced at 9:30PM with opening remarks by Rabbi Dr.
With newly-appointed Kadima leader Tzipi Livni's failure to form a majority coalition in the Knesset, Israel will be holding elections for a new government this coming February. This failure comes in the wake of Livni's refusal to bow to the demands of Shas, the sephardic ultra-Orthodox party.
On September 24th, over sixty students attended the Active Minds at YU kick-off event.. The event, held at the Beren Campus's Ivry Lounge, was an informal program, where students received informational packets about mental illnesses, and were able to talk with board members of Active Minds.
