2008 Woodie Awards
No Grass, But it's Still Greener
Appreciating YU Social Activism
Jeremy Stern
Issue date: 5/16/05 Section: Opinion
People must recognize their accomplishments. A lack of such a recognition may lead to a perception of inefficiency, impotence, and inadequacy. We, the students of YU, are guilty of that narrow vision, so we disappoint ourselves. We need to shift our perspective to appreciate how much we actually achieve, especially in the realm of student activism. When it comes to changing the world, we are fundamentally different than other universities. Whereas other colleges host, we export. And we need to realize that crucial distinction.
Many other universities are inward-focused. For them, the goal of a given social action organization is to present that club's agenda to the students on campus. At YU, on the other hand, the collective focus of our student body is directed towards the rest of the world. We aspire to broadcast our passion and our values to the greater community.
Take Shabbat for example. This has been my first semester at YU. I transferred over this past winter break from a prominent secular university, which I attended for two semesters. Shabbat there, and at several other secular colleges, is great. So many members of the Orthodox organization stay in for Shabbat, and there is a sense of real community. Honestly, I recommend experiencing a Shabbat at any university with a strong Orthodox population. And at YU? Shabbat is nice, but nothing to write home about. (Though, we absolutely take for granted the presence of Rosh Yeshiva on campus every Shabbat. Other universities bring in our Rosh Yeshiva on occasional feature Shabbatot, whereas we have the opportunity to share Shabbat with them every week.) Where are YU students for Shabbat? NCSY, Bnei Akiva, Yachad . . . spreading the light of Judaism and magnificence of Shabbat to high school students and the disabled. Maybe it's a factor of our campus, which is somewhat unconducive to hosting Shabbatonim, but, be that as it may, our strength is not in hosting Shabbat, but in exporting Shabbat, in bringing Shabbat to other Jewish communities.
When the anti-Semitic world indicts Israel with crimes against humanity, YU students do not simply initiate a letter-writing campaign, or host a demonstration on campus. We export our fervor for truth and righteousness by sending a delegation of one hundred students to the Hague in protest.
Take our response to the genocide in Sudan. YU students organized a rally in Central Park - not in Tenzer Gardens - to vehemently object to the gross human rights violations and the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocents. Jews, non-Jews, liberals, conservatives, and students from other colleges all follow our lead, and attend the demonstration. We export our awareness that history must not repeat itself, not now and not ever.
The annual Seforim Sale services the entire North American Jewish community. We export our love for Torah and learning in a manner that is simply incomparable and indispensable. And which other college raises over $30,000 for a charity that provides for the destitute in Israel!
We just celebrated Yom Ha'Atzmaut. YU's Yom Ha'Atzmaut program and chagiga are the only real game in town. And, as I am sure you noticed, Lamport auditorium and the gym were not packed only with YU students. This year's Yom Ha'Atzmaut program featured slides of pictures from many years of Operation Torah Shield. YU students do not simply discuss their love for Israel and their solidarity with the Jewish People - they travel there and show it.
Let's try media. YUTorah.org is certainly not accessed only by YP guys who slept in during shiur, a significant portion of WYUR listeners come from off-campus (or, off-"our"-campuses - many students tune in from other universities), Torah periodicals such as "Mibayit V'Lachutz" and "Enayim L'Torah" regularly reach hundreds of Shabbat tables across the country, and The Commentator's readership spans far outside of the Wilf Campus (and even Midtown).
The list goes on, and on, and on.
I am not suggesting guidelines for where to plan events and who to target for audiences. Rather, I propose an adjustment of perspective, to give credit where credit is due. We have so much potential, and we do indeed act upon it. We must appreciate the magnitude and triumph of our activism, and utilize such an enhanced perception to continue to lead, exporting our vision, beliefs, and values to the rest of the world.
Jeremy Stern is a junior at Yeshiva College majoring in economics. He recently transfered to Yeshiva from Brandeis University and has, so far, enjoyed his first semester on the Wilf Campus.
Many other universities are inward-focused. For them, the goal of a given social action organization is to present that club's agenda to the students on campus. At YU, on the other hand, the collective focus of our student body is directed towards the rest of the world. We aspire to broadcast our passion and our values to the greater community.
Take Shabbat for example. This has been my first semester at YU. I transferred over this past winter break from a prominent secular university, which I attended for two semesters. Shabbat there, and at several other secular colleges, is great. So many members of the Orthodox organization stay in for Shabbat, and there is a sense of real community. Honestly, I recommend experiencing a Shabbat at any university with a strong Orthodox population. And at YU? Shabbat is nice, but nothing to write home about. (Though, we absolutely take for granted the presence of Rosh Yeshiva on campus every Shabbat. Other universities bring in our Rosh Yeshiva on occasional feature Shabbatot, whereas we have the opportunity to share Shabbat with them every week.) Where are YU students for Shabbat? NCSY, Bnei Akiva, Yachad . . . spreading the light of Judaism and magnificence of Shabbat to high school students and the disabled. Maybe it's a factor of our campus, which is somewhat unconducive to hosting Shabbatonim, but, be that as it may, our strength is not in hosting Shabbat, but in exporting Shabbat, in bringing Shabbat to other Jewish communities.
When the anti-Semitic world indicts Israel with crimes against humanity, YU students do not simply initiate a letter-writing campaign, or host a demonstration on campus. We export our fervor for truth and righteousness by sending a delegation of one hundred students to the Hague in protest.
Take our response to the genocide in Sudan. YU students organized a rally in Central Park - not in Tenzer Gardens - to vehemently object to the gross human rights violations and the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocents. Jews, non-Jews, liberals, conservatives, and students from other colleges all follow our lead, and attend the demonstration. We export our awareness that history must not repeat itself, not now and not ever.
The annual Seforim Sale services the entire North American Jewish community. We export our love for Torah and learning in a manner that is simply incomparable and indispensable. And which other college raises over $30,000 for a charity that provides for the destitute in Israel!
We just celebrated Yom Ha'Atzmaut. YU's Yom Ha'Atzmaut program and chagiga are the only real game in town. And, as I am sure you noticed, Lamport auditorium and the gym were not packed only with YU students. This year's Yom Ha'Atzmaut program featured slides of pictures from many years of Operation Torah Shield. YU students do not simply discuss their love for Israel and their solidarity with the Jewish People - they travel there and show it.
Let's try media. YUTorah.org is certainly not accessed only by YP guys who slept in during shiur, a significant portion of WYUR listeners come from off-campus (or, off-"our"-campuses - many students tune in from other universities), Torah periodicals such as "Mibayit V'Lachutz" and "Enayim L'Torah" regularly reach hundreds of Shabbat tables across the country, and The Commentator's readership spans far outside of the Wilf Campus (and even Midtown).
The list goes on, and on, and on.
I am not suggesting guidelines for where to plan events and who to target for audiences. Rather, I propose an adjustment of perspective, to give credit where credit is due. We have so much potential, and we do indeed act upon it. We must appreciate the magnitude and triumph of our activism, and utilize such an enhanced perception to continue to lead, exporting our vision, beliefs, and values to the rest of the world.
Jeremy Stern is a junior at Yeshiva College majoring in economics. He recently transfered to Yeshiva from Brandeis University and has, so far, enjoyed his first semester on the Wilf Campus.