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The YU Commentator The Commentator is the official newspaper representing the student body of Yeshiva University.

The Commentator is the official student newspaper of Yeshiva University. For 86 years, The Commentator has served students and administrators as a communicative conduit; a kinetic vehicle disseminating undergraduate social, religious, and academic beliefs across the student bodies; and a reliable reflection of Yeshiva student life to the broader Jewish and American communities. The Commentator sta

ff claims students spanning the diverse spectrum of backgrounds and beliefs represented at Yeshiva. We are united by our passion for living the ideals of Torah u-Maddah, and commitment to journalistic excellence.

Senator John Fetterman will receive Yeshiva University's Presidential Medallion at the 2024 Commencement. In an exclusiv...
29/05/2024

Senator John Fetterman will receive Yeshiva University's Presidential Medallion at the 2024 Commencement. In an exclusive interview with The Commentator, he shared his unwavering support for Israel and his leadership in the fight against antisemitism.

Despite only being sworn into the United States Senate for the first time in January, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has already been making a name for himself as an influential voice both on Capitol Hill and across the country. Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, Senator Fetterman...

New York judge denies Yeshiva University's motion to dismiss high school sexual abuse lawsuit filed by former students o...
12/04/2024

New York judge denies Yeshiva University's motion to dismiss high school sexual abuse lawsuit filed by former students of YUHSB, allowing the case to proceed after over three years of delay.
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Sruli Friedman brings us the latest news.

A New York judge rejected Yeshiva University’s motion to dismiss a sexual abuse lawsuit being brought by former students of Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB) last week, allowing the case to proceed after over three years of delay. The lawsuit, filed in 2019 and brought by over 40 f....

Yeshiva University's new Joe Lieberman Center for Public Service and Advocacy aims to empower students for roles in gove...
11/04/2024

Yeshiva University's new Joe Lieberman Center for Public Service and Advocacy aims to empower students for roles in government and advocacy. However, a lack of consultation with the political science department raised some concerns.

Yeshiva University’s new Joe Lieberman Center for Public Service and Advocacy, named after the late senator and announced by YU as a center to train students politically and for government and advocacy roles, was created without consultation or involvement from YU’s political science department,...

The Belz Gallery at Yeshiva University's Wilf Campus opens its doors, showcasing the rich Judaica collection donated by ...
11/04/2024

The Belz Gallery at Yeshiva University's Wilf Campus opens its doors, showcasing the rich Judaica collection donated by the Belz family. The gallery explores the historical journey of the Jewish people through modern and contemporary art.

The Belz Gallery, located in Furst Hall on Yeshiva University’s Wilf Campus, had its official grand opening March 31, the first completed stage of the renovations planned following the Belz family’s $20 million donation to Yeshiva University. Upon completion of the renovations, Furst Hall will b...

Yeshiva University launches its first-ever club ice hockey team led by Coach Adam Carlo and team captain Sol Feder! — ...
11/04/2024

Yeshiva University launches its first-ever club ice hockey team led by Coach Adam Carlo and team captain Sol Feder!
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Gavriel Factor shares the news!

Yeshiva University students started the school’s first-ever men’s club ice hockey team this year, the first for the school’s athletics program.  The 2023-2024 season was the first official season of the team and was something that several students have wanted to create for years, finally bein...

Rabbi Michael Taubes appointed interim dean of RIETS following Rabbi Penner's departure.—Rivka Bennun reports the news!
31/03/2024

Rabbi Michael Taubes appointed interim dean of RIETS following Rabbi Penner's departure.
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Rivka Bennun reports the news!

Rabbi Michael Taubes, current rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB), has assumed the position of interim dean of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), The Commentator has learned. He began to serve as interim dean in early February and will remain in the po...

Yeshiva University aims to launch a new dental school by 2025-26! Provost Selma Botman shared plans during a recent facu...
28/03/2024

Yeshiva University aims to launch a new dental school by 2025-26! Provost Selma Botman shared plans during a recent faculty meeting, revealing steps towards accreditation, a new campus & more.
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Sruli Friedman shares the news!

Yeshiva University is in the “embryonic stages” of establishing a new graduate-level dental school by 2025-26, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Selma Botman revealed during a faculty council meeting this month.  YU has already begun the budgeting process and hired a firm to look ...

Ruth Gottesman’s donation means Einstein is the second medical school in New York City, after New York University, to pr...
26/02/2024

Ruth Gottesman’s donation means Einstein is the second medical school in New York City, after New York University, to provide free tuition for all medical students.
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Jonathan Levin & Sruli Friedman release the breaking news!

The YU-founded Albert Einstein College of Medicine received a $1 billion donation from a retired faculty member, making tuition free for all students going forward, the school announced Monday. The donation, heralded by Einstein as the largest ever made to a medical school, was made by former profes...

“The ten fully-furnished apartments, located in apartment buildings on Third Ave. near Beren Campus, were rented by YU t...
07/02/2024

“The ten fully-furnished apartments, located in apartment buildings on Third Ave. near Beren Campus, were rented by YU to house many of the over 90 new students who moved in.”
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Jonathan Levin shares all the new details about these new additions to Beren!

Yeshiva University opened two new housing units for undergraduate students on Beren Campus this semester as rising enrollment has left less space on campus. The ten fully-furnished apartments, located in apartment buildings on Third Ave. near Beren Campus, were rented by YU to house many of the over...

“The judge determined that the facts as presented by the student did not support the claim that YU had engaged in retali...
06/02/2024

“The judge determined that the facts as presented by the student did not support the claim that YU had engaged in retaliation against her…” shares Sruli Friedman is his newest News release.

A federal district court judge threw out several charges in the lawsuit against Yeshiva University by a student allegedly r***d by a player on YU men’s basketball team in January 2021. The 50-page opinion, which was released by Senior District Judge Kevin Castel at the end of November, granted Y....

With commecement being delayed a week post-finals, many students expressed dissatisfaction with the move, with a petitio...
06/02/2024

With commecement being delayed a week post-finals, many students expressed dissatisfaction with the move, with a petition to move graduation back to its original date garnering 84 signatures.
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Chloe Baker & Sruli Friedman bring us the latest News Brief.

YU Introduces New Security Fee in Wake of Increased Security Measures YU instituted a new $375 security fee this Spring semester due to increased security measures taken by the university since the Oct. 7 massacre. Although the university has said there have currently been no credible threats agains...

“Everything we have today at Yeshiva stands on the shoulders of Rav Charlop’s efforts,” outgoing RIETS Dean Rabbi Menach...
21/01/2024

“Everything we have today at Yeshiva stands on the shoulders of Rav Charlop’s efforts,” outgoing RIETS Dean Rabbi Menachem Penner told The Commentator.
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Rivka Bennun and Sruli Friedman report the recent news.

Rabbi Zevulun Charlop, dean emeritus of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), passed away on Tuesday. He was 94. Born in 1929 in the Bronx, where he spent most of his life, Rabbi Charlop graduated from Yeshiva College in 1951, and received semikha from RIETS in 1954. He was appoin....

Yeshiva University students ran another Operation Torah Shield (OTS) mission for students in Israel during the winter br...
18/01/2024

Yeshiva University students ran another Operation Torah Shield (OTS) mission for students in Israel during the winter break from Jan. 8 to 11.
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David Chriqui details the volunteer work and aid efforts in his latest article for The Commentator!

Yeshiva University students ran another Operation Torah Shield (OTS) mission for students in Israel during the winter break from Jan. 8 to 11. The program, called OTS Winter Mission, was the continuation of the volunteer work of the previous mission which took place in November. Over 120 Jewish co....

“Armed with duffel bags of supplies for soldiers and dreams of making an impact, nothing could’ve prepared us, a group o...
27/12/2023

“Armed with duffel bags of supplies for soldiers and dreams of making an impact, nothing could’ve prepared us, a group of 35 YU students, for what we were about to experience,” Writes Rivka Bennun in her latest Editorial release!

Students often have a hard time believing they can actually make a difference. Only a few months ago — what now feels like ages ago — we published our first editorial lamenting student apathy on campus. Our world has vastly changed since then, and thank God, we have seen a tremendous boost in ....

“The chance to do something, to combat hatred and spread truth, was especially appealing to me.” Sara Cohen shares a det...
26/12/2023

“The chance to do something, to combat hatred and spread truth, was especially appealing to me.”
Sara Cohen shares a detailed account of her ‘Mission to DC’ with YUPAC, centered on the instability in our homeland Israel.

They say everyone has a part to play in life. Whether this role is magnified by the media, lauded by others, or remains relatively unknown, it exists — one alongside the other. When I was in Israel on Oct. 7, I noticed that one of the immediate reactions of many Americans was to “run”. Israe....

BREAKING: Rabbi Menachem Penner is leaving his position as Max and Marion Grill Dean of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theolog...
22/12/2023

BREAKING: Rabbi Menachem Penner is leaving his position as Max and Marion Grill Dean of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), Yeshiva University announced in a YUNews blog post Thursday.
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A Rivka Bennun and Jonathan Levin Report!

Rabbi Menachem Penner is leaving his position as Max and Marion Grill Dean of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), Yeshiva University announced in a YUNews blog post Thursday. It is unclear who will replace Rabbi Penner, who is set to assume the role of executive vice president of....

The Commentator is honored to announce the brand new joint Semikha/MBA Program here at YU, featuring interviews with Dea...
20/12/2023

The Commentator is honored to announce the brand new joint Semikha/MBA Program here at YU, featuring interviews with Dean Noam Wasserman and MBA Director Dr. Tamar Avnet!
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David Chriqui reports the exciting news!

Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and Sy Syms School of Business (SSSB) have announced a ​​joint semikha and MBA program, which will be open to students starting this spring. Due to the MBA program being asynchronous, students can join the program from se....

“When writing about the Israel-Hamas War, journalists need to know that their words matter.”—Jonathan Levin reports on t...
03/12/2023

“When writing about the Israel-Hamas War, journalists need to know that their words matter.”
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Jonathan Levin reports on the important role journalists play in times of crisis.

“The pen is mightier than the sword,” or so the expression goes. Following Hamas’s massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7, the pen has often proven to be mighty, fueling and influencing attitudes towards Israel across the world. It is the pen, wielded by journalists, that led credence to Hamas’ li....

Around 150 students from both campuses attended an Azkara last month in memory of the over 1400 killed in the Oct. 7 ter...
28/11/2023

Around 150 students from both campuses attended an Azkara last month in memory of the over 1400 killed in the Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel.
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Adin Blumofe reports the news.

Around 150 students from both campuses attended an Azkara last month in memory of the over 1200 killed in the Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel. The event, held at 7 p.m. outside of Rubin Hall on Wilf Campus Oct. 25, took place around electric candles arranged in the shape of the Star of …

“By not seizing the opportunity to return to Israel — an opportunity that we as a nation have waited two millennia for —...
28/11/2023

“By not seizing the opportunity to return to Israel — an opportunity that we as a nation have waited two millennia for — we are actively choosing to continue to experience exile.”
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Aviel Parente with an excellent opinions piece!

The Jewish people’s history is marked by perpetual wandering. Even when we established ourselves in the promised land in biblical times, we often oscillated between following the Torah and committing heinous sins. The feeling of longing for stability despite never truly finding it is an inherent p...

“Stern College is about looking to the future with optimism. Stern College is about building,” writes Karen Bacon in her...
28/11/2023

“Stern College is about looking to the future with optimism. Stern College is about building,” writes Karen Bacon in her latest Opinion piece for The Commentator.

Editor’s Note: The following is based on a speech the Mordecai D. Katz and Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of the Undergraduate Faculty of Arts and Sciences Karen Bacon gave at the Stern College for Women Open House on Sunday, November 12. With your indulgence, I would like to share a few thoughts about ...

“Judaism is a living breathing thing, as alive as I am today. It does not lie stagnant, and neither do I. Where there is...
09/11/2023

“Judaism is a living breathing thing, as alive as I am today. It does not lie stagnant, and neither do I. Where there is wrong, I will fight, not to destroy it, but to right it,” writes Yaira Katz in her latest Opinions piece!

I was recently asked a question: “Why are you proud to be a Jew?” I would like to preface by pointing out that this question makes a large assumption: that I am indeed proud to be a Jew! The wording of this question is a testament to a near universal feeling among Jews: that Judaism …

“There are times when Hashem invites us to participate in the unfolding of Jewish history,” President Berman told the Co...
08/11/2023

“There are times when Hashem invites us to participate in the unfolding of Jewish history,” President Berman told the Commentator.
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Elishama Marmon & Rivka Bennun report the breaking news!

Over 1400 Yeshiva University undergraduate and graduate students and faculty will attend the “March for Israel” rally in Washington D.C. Tuesday, joining what is anticipated to be a crowd of tens of thousands of people to show support for Israel. Approximately 30 buses, sponsored by YU, will dep...

“When I journal, I remember the little pieces of myself that I would otherwise forget. The little bits of my life that I...
08/11/2023

“When I journal, I remember the little pieces of myself that I would otherwise forget. The little bits of my life that I cannot hold onto, but that I can revisit,” writes Rivka Kraus on the power of Journaling in her latest Opinions piece!

It started when I was eighteen with a rather simple sentence: “On the plane for my year in Israel.” I penned that sentence in a sprawled handwriting, and then left the rest of the page blank. A rough start, but now, two years later, journaling is an integral part of my day. Prior to keeping ......

“We are now living through a time in which our brothers and sisters are at war and in mortal peril. We do not have the U...
08/11/2023

“We are now living through a time in which our brothers and sisters are at war and in mortal peril. We do not have the Urim Vetumim to guide us,” writes Avraham Walkenfeld in his latest Opinions piece!

The Yale coat of arms bears the Hebrew words Urim Vetumim, set inside books (ironically missing the point of the Urim Vetumim), and their official motto is Lux et Veritas, or “Light and Truth” in Latin. The subtle insinuation that Yale is actually the Seat of Knowledge within this world and the ...

“As a Washington Heights native, I'm proud to have had the honor to organize an event that brought together our communit...
05/11/2023

“As a Washington Heights native, I'm proud to have had the honor to organize an event that brought together our community when our Jewish friends most needed it,” declared Jesse Rojo, director of Philos Latino.
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Yosef Bluth reports the news!

The YU Schneier Program for International Affairs and the Philos Project held the second annual Nosotros@YU event Oct. 18, bringing together the Washington Heights Jewish and Latino communities. The event, designed to help foster a relationship between both communities, was held in the Weissberg Com...

“I am with YU, I am with the Jewish community and I am with the State of Israel,” said Espaillat, earning one of the doz...
01/11/2023

“I am with YU, I am with the Jewish community and I am with the State of Israel,” said Espaillat, earning one of the dozens of rounds of applause of the evening.
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Jonathan Levin & Elishama Marmon recaps last nights event!

Hundreds of Yeshiva University students and Washington Heights community members attended a solidarity event with Rep. Adriano Espaillat at the Shenk Shul on Wilf Campus Tuesday. The event, organized by Shenk Shul and YU, allowed Espaillat to show his support for Israel and the Washington Heights Je...

“‘In response to hate and evil in the world,’ said Ruben Prawer (YC ‘25), ‘You have a responsibility to infuse light int...
31/10/2023

“‘In response to hate and evil in the world,’ said Ruben Prawer (YC ‘25), ‘You have a responsibility to infuse light into the world.’”
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Rivka Bennun dives into the workings of the ‘Global Day of Loving-Kindness’ in her latest Features release.

“It’s a cute idea, but it’s unrealistic.” That was my initial reaction when I heard about the Global Day of Loving-Kindness (GDLK) that took place last Sunday, Oct. 22. At the time, I did not know that it was entirely run by a bunch of students our age, organized in only a matter of days …

"Throughout the day, we ran into the bomb shelter eight times. News of war began to spread, but no one knew the truth. W...
30/10/2023

"Throughout the day, we ran into the bomb shelter eight times. News of war began to spread, but no one knew the truth. We were just seminary girls without phones; what could we know?"
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Ruti Frohlich shares her experience as a seminary student in Israel.

As a seminary student in Israel during this war, there are both no words and too many to express. What has transpired is harrowing, yet there has been light in all the darkness. To sum up those experiences on paper is impossible. But I do want to try. On Friday night, Oct. 6, Simchat Torah …

"This insanity among students does not arise in a vacuum; these students have learned from their teachers," writes Elish...
30/10/2023

"This insanity among students does not arise in a vacuum; these students have learned from their teachers," writes Elishama Marmon in his newest opinion piece on the state of many college campuses.

Basic morality seems to have gone from the world — or at least the university campus. In the aftermath of the horrific and awful attacks on Oct. 7, Shmini Atzeres, the response of most people was to express shock and outrage at the atrocities committed by Hamas. According to an SSRS poll conducted...

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