The Commentator

Fire Alarm Wakes Morg at 4 AM Again

I want to congratulate the Commentator on a well-rounded and entertaining selection of opinion articles this month, particularly Zev Lerner's "Fire Alarm," which was worth it for the Lee Harvey Oswald clincher alone. Three cheers for good writing!

Sincerely

Perel Skier

SCW (’09)

Yeshiva College Seeking New Econ Chair

I found the article in this week's Commentator concerning the search for a new Economics Department chair to be very displeasing. While a desire to improve the existing department is eminently reasonable, as no department can claim perfection, the article disparages the current Economics faculty inappropriately and incorrectly. Terms like "much-needed experience" are puzzling when the head of the department, Dr. Aaron Levine, has been a part of the Yeshiva community for 36 years. He has written five books and counting, and numerous scholarly articles in respected scholarly economic journals. Today, he is the world's leading authority on the nexus of business and Jewish ethics as codified by halakha. We are, in short lucky to have a man of his stature at the helm of the department. Additionally, "a breath of fresh air" also seemed an overstatement. Dr. Elias Grivoyannis, a man loved by many of his student, is a breath of fresh air. His passion and devotion to teaching, as evidenced by his biweekly tutoring sessions that last sometimes until the early hours of the morning, is admirable. He constantly illustrates Economic concepts while incorporating an understanding of being in the dominion of Hashem. I am in my last semester at Yeshiva College, having been an Economics major, and can honestly say that the past three years on campus have been extremely enriching. I feel adequately prepared for my future endeavors in Law School and beyond, thanks to the foundation that my Economics professors have provided me.

David Rosenblatt

YC (’08)

I was disappointed to read Michael Barer’s article in the latest issue of The Commentator. His report on the search for a new econ chair was both unobjective and disrespectful towards the current Economics department and its chair Rabbi. Dr. Aaron Levine. Mr. Barer’s strong statements that the Economics department is lacking “much needed experience” and “a breadth of fresh air” were both unfounded and insulting. Linking his own judgments to Dean Srolovitz’s call for a curriculum more suited to those contemplating grad school in economics represented a sly attempt to integrate Mr. Barer’s own unwarranted views about the department into what was supposed to be an objective journalistic reporting of the facts. Interestingly, Mr. Barer seems to be especially concerned for the welfare of the Sy Syms students who take economics as a requirement (I would guess he is one of these students himself). How Dean Srolovitz’s goal for a curriculum shaped towards graduate degrees in economics is good news “especially for Sy Syms students” remains a mystery. 

Adding insult to injury, Mr. Barer failed to interview any of the faculty members working in the department, instead choosing to make claims about the department without speaking to anyone inside. Indeed, it seemed almost as an afterthought that the Commentator staff put in the picture and subtitle of Dr. Levine into the article. You would think good journalism would demand that Dr. Levine, currently the sole chair of the department, or one of the other professors be interviewed and/or mentioned in the article.

Finally, as a double major in economics and philosophy, I have found all the courses I have taken in the economics department to be both worthwhile and taught by serious and capable professors. Of course, just like every other department in the university, there is room for improvement and growth, but there is nothing wrong with the department anywhere close to the extent that Mr. Barer insinuated in his article. In the future, it would serve well for Mr. Barer to be more careful about writing his own subjective, and sometime false, ideas into an article under the guise of good reporting.

Yehoshua Dawidowicz

YC (‘09)

Le-havdil Bein Kodesh v-Hol

To the editor,

Regardless of how one analyzes the various sugyot concerning what one is allowed to take into the bathroom and the status of modern bathrooms, it seems that the minhag ha-olam is to treat printed divrei Torah with at least a basic modicum of respect.1 In light of this, I would like to request that The Commentator be mavdil bein kodesh le-hol. Yes, I am aware of the eternal struggle that we all must continually engage in to harmonize our Torah and our Madda. But here the line must be drawn for the following reasons: Firstly, the excellence of this year's Commentator coupled with the total lack of free time in the day of the YU student has turned our newspaper into prime bathroom reading. For the first few days after the distribution of a new Commy, the dormitory bathroom floors are littered with copies of it and its supplementary journal of Jewish Thought, Kol Hamevaser. Any reader of Kol Hamevaser knows that it is a serious Torah publication on par with and quoting from many sefarim that we would not think of taking into the bathroom. Secondly, our school's weekly devar Torah pamphlet, Eynayim LaTorah is printed with a disclaimer in large letters telling the holder that this document must be treated with sanctity and discarded in the proper manner. I am not comparing the two publications, but shouldn't The Commie's Torah portion include a similar message? If the editorship of The Commie deems important the inclusion of a full halakhik analysis of cheating, that is their right. But please don't include this article and others like it in the main body of the newspaper, and make sure to separate out all the Torah portions in such a way that they be treated with the proper respect.

Sincerely,

Julian Horowitz

YC (’10)

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