Grants Create New Programs at Stern

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Rabbi Daniel Fieldman Wears Editorial Hat at YU Press

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Peter Achinstein Gets Philosophical About Science

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YESHivA UNivERSitY

4FAll 2009

4volUmE 14 • No. 1YUTodaYYU at Forefront of Community Conversations CHAmPioNSGAtE CoNFERENCE BRiNGS moRE tHAN 200 lEADERS toGEtHER to ADDRESS CommoN CHAllENGES

F or three days in July, Orlando, FL, was the epicenter of a series of

nationwide conversations when the 4th Annual ChampionsGate National Leadership Conference convened more than 200 lay, rabbinic and educational lead­ers from 50 communities across North America to address the most pressing challenges facing the movement.

The conference, sponsored by YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF), has grown from a gathering of 40 lay leaders in 2005 to become a major event involving prominent leaders from many sectors of the Mod­ern Orthodox world. Its cre­ation and growth were made possible by the vision and sup­port of Mindy and Ira Mitzner ’81Y, University Trustee and chair of the CJF advisory coun­

cil who offered his Champions­Gate resort as the conference venue at no charge. Mitzner also recently endowed the deanship of the CJF, held by Rabbi Ken­neth Brander, in honor of his father, prominent philanthropist David Mitzner.

“ChampionsGate 2009 was a profound celebration of a vision of Jewish values and community. We modeled hope, not fear, and aspiration rather than crisis,” said President Rich­ard M. Joel. “We demonstrated to community leaders how we can partner together and create a tremendous resource to help build community.”

Rabbi Brander said this year’s conference surpassed expec­tations: “ChampionsGate streng­thened an emerging network of passionate and committed lay and professional leaders who

understand the need to lever­age the efforts of one another and partner effectively to realize specific goals.”

The program addressed key issues in a direct and open man­ner, based on the input of par­ticipants throughout the year as well as the changed economic and social landscape since last year’s conference.

“We are marshalling the energies of the University in service to the community,” said Rabbi Brander. “Our intention was to inspire and provoke sub­stantive dialogue, reach consen­sus on the issues that we can really do something about and create working plans that will enable lay leaders and profes­sionals to enrich Jewish life and accomplish great things for the wellbeing and future of our peo­ple,” Rabbi Brander said.

Speakers included Jewish leaders such as Malcolm Hoen­lein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of

Major American Jewish Orga­nizations; Barry Shrage, presi­dent of the Combined Jewish

Dr. Rona Novick (R), professor at Azrieli, was one of four YU facilitators who led discussions.

Students’ Research Bears Fruit in Graduate School Placements

The career trajectory of David Stein ’09Y got off to a soaring start with a research internship in rocket

science at Princeton University’s mechan­ical and aerospace engineering depart­ment, and will continue to rise when he begins graduate studies in mechanical en ­gineering at Columbia University this fall.

Stein conducted his research in ful­fillment of his honors thesis as part of the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program at Yeshiva College. He worked in the Princeton lab of Dr. Edgar Choueiri, which specializes in electric propulsion and plasma dynamics. He worked on a breakthrough thruster model that con­

serves fuel and will one day allow for deep space exploration. Stein’s mentors, Choueiri and Daniel Lev, a Princeton PhD candidate from Israel, hope that by searching for a way to use far less fuel and achieve much greater velocity, NASA may soon be able to send astronauts on missions to Mars.

Stein’s duties included design ing and developing a special mirror that will help direct a laser beam into the thruster, allowing researchers to conduct a crucial diagnostic test for the prototype thruster system.

“Without the resources pro vided by

The research that Leah Fried ’09S completed for her honors thesis this spring shed new light on Pre­

implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), which involves cutting­edge procedures that, when performed on embryos prior to implantation, can detect disease­causing changes in genes or whole chro­mosomes. Her research also helped her secure a place in the master’s program in genetic counseling at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.

The Stern College graduate has aspired to work as a genetic counselor since high school. As a college student, she volunteered as a counselor at Camp Simcha Special for Jewish children and teenagers with genetic and other congen­ital ailments, where she developed rela­tionships with families of children with genetic disorders.

Through these experiences, Fried noticed a common trend. “After giving birth to a child with a genetic disorder, many times these scared families won’t have other children for a long time,” she said. “They are sometimes unaware that PGD would be a viable solution.”

For the research component of her studies in Stern College’s S. Dan­iel Abraham Honors Program, Fried

turned to Dr. Harvey Babich, professor and chair of biology, for help in find­ing a mentor. He put her in touch with Dr. Nicole Schreiber­Agus, a scientific director at Jacobi Medical Center Human Genetics Laboratory who was an assis­tant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at the time.

The two attended workshops and

Glueck

center opens!

Special inSert

Upward TrajecTory for rockeT ScienTiST GeneTic coUnSelor fUlfillS dream

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Stein (far right) worked with a team of PhD students at a Princeton aerospace lab.

Fried did research with Einstein professor.

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YUTodaY on The Web

www.yu.edu/news

Web exclUsive:

Finding the Sacred in SenegalFind out how a recent mission to Senegal run by American Jewish World Service changed the perspectives of four students.

awww.yu.edu/senegalmission

video phoTo gallerY

Watch high school students interview Holocaust survivors in the Names Not Numbers project.awww.youtube.com /yeshivauniversity

See photos of our students working as counselors at Counterpoint israel summer camps.awww.counterpointisrael .com

plUs

visit awww.yu.edu/news for up-to-the-minute University news.

YESHivA UNivERSitY

4FAll 2009

4volUmE 14 • No. 1YUTodaYDr. Henry Kressel

Chairman, YU Board of Trustees

Richard m. Joel Dr. Norman lamm President Chancellor

Georgia B. Pollak Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs

Stanley I. Raskas, Chairman, Board of Directors, Yeshiva College; Shira Yoshar, Chairman, Board of Directors, Stern College for Women; Josh Weston, Chairman, Board of Directors, Sy Syms School of Business; Ruth L. Gottesman, Chairperson, Board of Overseers, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Kathryn O. Greenberg and Leslie E. Payson, Co-Chairs, Board of Directors, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Robert Schwalbe, Chair, Board of Governors, Wurzweiler School of Social Work; Mordecai D. Katz, Chairman, Board of Directors, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies; Carol Bravmann, Chair, Board of Governors, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology; Moshael J. Straus, Chairman, Board of Directors, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration; Julius Berman, Chair man, Board of Trustees, (affiliate) Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Sem i n ary; Miriam Goldberg, Chairman, Board of Trustees, YU High Schools; Theodore N. Mirvis and Michael Jesselson, Co-Chairs, Board of Directors, (affiliate) Yeshiva University Museum. Board listing as of Sept. 1, 2009 .

yUToday

valerie Peters Kelly Berman Boris volunuev Editor-in-Chief Editor Designer

Dan Bretl, Paulette Crowther, Enrique Cubillo, Susan Davis, Zev Eleff, Marc Fein, Karen Gardner, Norman Goldberg, Peter Robertson, Hedy Shulman, V. Jane Windsor, Yael Wolynetz, Matthew Yaniv

Contributors

yutoday@yu.edu

YUToday is published quarterly by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs and is distrib uted free to faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and friends. It keeps them informed of news from across Yeshiva University’s undergraduate and graduate divisions and affiliates. The quarterly newsletter covers academic and campus life, faculty and student research, community outreach and philanthropic support. It showcases the University’s mission of Torah Umadda, the combina-tion of Jewish textual study and values with secular learning, through stories about the diverse achievements of the University community.

© Yeshiva University 2009 • Office of Communications and Public Affairs Furst Hall Room 401 • 500 West 185th St. • New York, NY 10033-3201 • Tel: 212.960.5285

Stern Expands Curriculum With New GrantsjewiSh edUcaTion Track eSTabliShed wiTh SUpporT from leGacy heriTaGe fUnd

Nine young women who dream of becoming Jew­ish studies teachers begin

their studies at Stern College for Women this fall, thanks to a recent grant from Legacy Heri­tage Fund that has created a new concentration in Jewish educa­tion within the Jewish studies major.

“Legacy Heritage Fund, through this Jewish Educators Project, will ultimately elevate the caliber of instruction in Jew­ish schools nationwide, provid­ing children with a new cadre of dynamic and creative teach­ers to enrich our educational systems,” said Dr. Karen Bacon,

The Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean.The scholars will receive

full tuition support in the form of grants and forgivable loans for three years of undergraduate

study. Graduates who work in the field of Jewish education for three years will have their loans forgiven in full.

Each scholar will be assigned a mentor for the first two years of her employment in Jewish education to support her professional development.

Deena Rabinovich, an instruc tor in Bible at Stern Col­lege, directs the program. She will develop new pedagogic courses, oversee fieldwork, stu­dent teaching and mentoring, and coordinate the program with the offerings at Azrieli for stu dents wishing to pursue advanced degrees. n

A new fellowship offered by Stern College this fall, with the partnership and support of the Jewish Foundation for Educa­tion of Women (JFEW), will enable high­achieving sopho­mores to further excel in the sciences.

“Stern is home to a record

number of women enrolled in science programs in preparation for careers in both clinical areas and research,” said Dean Bacon. “With the support of the foun­dation, a select group will now have the benefit of enhanced scholarships, mentoring and sti­pends to conduct research.”

This year and next, 10 JFEW Fellows will receive $10,000 schol­arships for each of three years. A stipend of $2,500 will support their summer research intern­ships.

The fellows will be offered the opportunity to attend and present research at national and international conferences. Men­tors from the Stern faculty will advise the students on course selection, research experience and preparation for graduate school applications.

“Since 1880, JFEW has helped women achieve their edu­cational aspirations and contrib­ute to society,” said Jill Smith, vice president and chair of the foundation’s Jewish Commu­nity Program. “Stern is similarly committed to women’s educa­tional achievement.” n

Rabinovich directs program.

JFEW fellowship prepares students for science careers.

jewiSh foUndaTion for edUcaTion of women creaTeS Science fellowShip

Barry Eichler Appointed New YC Dean

Dr. Barry Eichler ’60Y, pro­fessor of Bible and ancient Near Eastern studies at

Yeshiva College (YC) and Ber­nard Revel Grad uate School of Jewish Studies, has been appointed as dean of YC for the next two years. Dr. David Srolo­vitz resigned as dean in late July to accept a high­level research opportunity in Singapore, where he is scientific advisor to the Agency for Science, Technol­ogy, and Research’s (A*STAR) Science and Engineering Research Council and scientific director to A*STAR’s Institute for High Performance Computing. Srolovitz is on leave as professor of physics at YC.

Eichler, a distinguished scholar and educator, joined YU full time last year after 40 years as profes­sor of Assyriology in the Department of Near East­ern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania. A YC graduate, he returned periodi­

cally over the years as a visiting professor at Revel.

“Dean Eichler shares my commitment to invest in build­ing the undergraduate enter­prise at Yeshiva and to advance the quality of teaching and research,” said President Rich­ard M. Joel. “He is dedicated to celebrating the Torah in all its facets and to ensuring that our students will be welcomed at the finest graduate and profes­sional institutions.”

Eichler founded Penn’s Jew ish studies program and curated the Babylonian Tablet Collection at its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. He taught at Penn Law and was a visiting professor at Hebrew University and a fellow at Yale University.

He is the author or editor of five books and many articles. Most of his publications focus on the application of Mesopotamian literature to the study of the Bible. n

Eichler founded Penn’s Jewish studies program.

YUTodaY 3

fall 2009 www.yU.edU/newS ß

New Syms Seminars Target Entrepreneurs and Family Businesses

S y Syms School of Busi­ness further expands the scope of its education

beyond undergraduate program­ming this fall when it launches the Center for Executive and Professional Education. The center will offer post­graduate edu cation and professional devel opment to meet the needs of business professionals, espe­cially in the Jewish community.

“Success in business de mands continual updating of our knowledge and skills,” said Dr. Michael Ginzberg, dean of the business school. “This is never more true than at a time of rapid economic change such as we are experiencing today.”

“The center’s professors are experienced practitioners and talented educators who know what is needed to suc­ceed in today’s economic environment and have the skills to communicate it,” Ginzberg added.

The center launches with two one­day seminars this fall dedicated to entrepreneurship skills and another series in the spring dedicated to family busi­ness challenges and not­for­profit leadership. “These are areas where we have great expe­rience,” Ginzberg said.

The certificate­granting sem­inars will be held on Sundays to cater to Shabbat­observant

business professionals. Teach­ing these seminars will be Dr. Brian Maruffi and Dr. Steven Nissenfeld, both professors of management, and Michael Strauss, adjunct professor and entrepreneur­in­residence, as well as outside industry experts.

The center is working toward offering an Executive Master of Business Adminis­tration program (EMBA) in fall 2011, which will be designed for mid­career managers and pro­fessionals.

It will also hold classes on Sundays for Sabbath observers and those who cannot do the typical Saturday coursework of many other EMBA programs. n

Thank YoU To everyone who conTribUTed To yeShiva UniverSiTy’S fUndraiSinG SUcceSS ThiS year. With your help, the University realized some $105 million in cash during its 2007/08 fiscal year. “Although we are pleased with the approximate three percent increase from last year, the demands for more scholarship aid for our students and funding of our programs and services are so significantly greater in these challenging economic times that increased philanthropic

support is critically important to propel us forward in the coming years,” President Richard M. Joel said. This year’s total cash raised, the highest in YU history, demonstrates the confidence that donors have in the University as a vital and vibrant institution committed to ensuring the future of the Jewish community. Visit the new giving Web site, www.yu.edu/giving, to make a gift, see videos and read news about alumni, donors, students and friends who are making a difference at Yeshiva University. n

Students Land Prestigious Internships

U ndergraduate students completed a range of prestigious internships

this summer that will be a valu­able bridge between their YU experience and graduate study or the working world. YU’s Career Development Center helps students find internships, while faculty often help connect them to appropriate research opportunities.

Yehudit Fischer, who is majoring in biochemistry and Judaic studies at Stern College, interned at Hebrew Univer­sity’s Research Center for Bio­engineering in the Service of Humanity and Society. Fischer worked with a PhD student to investigate ways to sterilize foods and drugs in areas of the world that lack refrigeration.

“This experience has pro­vided me with a glimpse of what conducting research in Israel is like,” said Fischer, who hopes to move to Israel one day. “I think having made some contacts here will be beneficial for the future.” Fischer will apply to doctoral programs in biomedical engineer­ing in the fall and plans to work in that industry or academia.

Political science majors Chaya Citrin and Steven Paletz worked on Capitol Hill as part

of a program run by the Ortho­dox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs. Citrin interned for Rep. Michael E. McMahon of New York, while Paletz worked for Rep. Ileana Ros­Lehtinen of Florida, the ranking member of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee.

Citrin organized materi­als for staffers, responded to constituent queries, attended hearings and showed constitu­ents around the Capitol. “Com­municating with a wide base of constituents made me realize how complex their issues are

and how difficult it is to balance them,” said Citrin.

Paletz led tours, wrote let­ters, edited speeches and con­ducted research on proposed bills. “It is important for my generation to become more involved in public service, and to do it proudly while wearing a yarmulke,” said Paletz.

These are just three of the many exciting internships and research opportunities that students completed this sum­mer. For more profiles of stu­dents’ summer internships, go to www.yu.edu/interns n

Yehudit Fischer hopes to work in biomedical engineering in Israel.

YU Appoints19 New Faculty

Y eshiva University app­oint ed 19 under graduate and graduate professors

this fall.Dr. James A. Kahn, a fore­

most expert in economics, was appointed the Bertha and Henry Kressel Professor of Eco­nomics and chair of the com­bined undergraduate economics departments. He comes to YU after a long tenure at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, most recently as vice president since 2004. Last year, Kahn was con­currently a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is the author of more than two dozen articles and the recipient of many awards and grants. Kahn received his PhD from the Man­hattan Institute of Technology in 1986. Kahn will be teaching in both the men’s and women’s undergraduate programs.

Dr. Ronnie Perelis joins Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies as the Chief Rabbi Dr. Isaac Abraham and Jelena (Rachel) Alcalay Profes­sor of Sephardic Studies (Judeo­Spanish). His area of research is the history and literature of Marranos, Spanish Jews forced to convert to Christianity under threat of expulsion, the subject of his PhD research at NYU. He

has taught at institutions includ­ing Brandeis University, Univer­sity of Pennsylvania and NYU.

Dr. Moshe Krakowski has been appointed assistant professor at Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Admin­istration. Krakowski received his PhD at Northwestern Uni­versity in 2008 and conducted post­doctoral research at the University of Chicago. His research interests include con­ceptual change, spatial intelli­gence, ultra­Orthodox Jewish education, worldview, epis­temology and non­dominant epis temologies. Krakowski has presented his work at numerous conferences and has taught and led workshops for elementary school teachers.

See all new faculty at www.yu.edu/newfaculty2009 n

Kahn will chair economics.

Upward TrajectoryContinued from Page 1

the honors program, this oppor­tunity would not have been open to me,” said Stein, who called the program “the highlight of my YU academic experience.”

Dr. David J. Srolovitz, then dean of the college who came to YU after a distinguished tenure at Princeton, introduced him to Princeton’s researchers in aero­space engineering. It is just one example of the University’s fac­ulty using their networks of col­

leagues and collaborators around the world to help students find research opportunities that match their interests and aca­demic goals.

Stein, who is also pursuing rabbinic studies at YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Sem­

inary, said he discovered twin interests in teaching Torah and studying science at YC. “The two coalesce as part of my passion in doing something for the Jewish people,” said Stein, who plans to move to Israel eventually with his wife, Talya.

“My dream was always to use creativity found in Torah and an engineering background to make a serious contribution in Israel,” said Stein. “YU has been a driving force that has brought me much closer to realizing that dream.” n

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neWsRoundup

Yeshiva University signed a memorandum of understanding in June with haifa University to collaborate on public health research and educational opportunities for faculty and students. The agreement extends the relationship that yU’s institute of public health Sciences has established with the public health foundation of india into a three-way international collaboration. The initiative was developed by dr. Sonia Suchday, co-director with Dr. Paul Marantz of the institute, and Dr. Yael Latzer, associate professor at Haifa University’s Department of Social Welfare and Health Sciences. The arrangement will help students and faculty in the U.S., Israel and India gain a better understanding of international health issues, and will bolster Israel’s academic community in light of pressure to boycott Israeli academics.

The national institutes of health (NIH) has awarded einstein a five-year, $10 million grant to study how the motion of atoms on both extremely short and long time scales contribute to enzyme function. This work has the potential to provide the deepest possible understanding of the chemical reac-tions that are both central to life and become dysfunctional in disease states. Enzymes are proteins that increase the rate of, or catalyze, chemical reactions within cells. It is well known that atomic motion alters the shape of proteins over relatively broad time scales, from milliseconds to seconds. Theoretical and experimental techniques developed at Einstein and at Emory University now allow investigators to “watch” these chemical reactions. The findings of the study, led by dr. robert callender, professor of biochemistry, may have important impli-cations for drug design since enzymes are targets for a broad array of pharmaceuticals.

The organization for the resolution of agunot (ORA), a program under the auspices of the Center for the Jewish Future that helps disputing couples resolve their differences and obtain a timely divorce in accordance with Jewish law, recently resolved its 100th case since its establishment five years ago. ORA provides all of its services, from confidential consultations and professional referrals to mediation and engaging neighbor-hood and community support, free of charge. It operates under the guidance of rabbi hershel Schachter, rosh yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and utilizes an extensive team of attorneys, rabbis, mental health professionals and community volunteers. In addition to the resolution of its 100th case, ORA still has 72 active cases of agunot, or “chained wives,” from across the country, Israel and around the world.

Continuing a tradition of bringing kollelim [Torah study institutes] to various Jewish communities around North America, the center for the jewish future (CJF) ran four kollel programs this summer in Teaneck, denver, los angeles and Toronto. Rabbinic and undergraduate students learned with community members under the guidance and mentorship of roshei kollel, CJF staff and expert rabbis. The kollelim “infuse the student body with leadership qualities, empower Jewish communities across America, and celebrate the Torah of Yeshiva University,” said rabbi kenneth brander, The David Mitzner Dean of CJF. The center also held a Torah learning program at lincoln Square Synagogue this summer for women of all ages to pursue advanced Talmudic and Judaic study. Highlighting the women’s beit midrash fellows program was a course led by elana Stein hain, who completed advanced studies in Talmud at YU’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS) and is the community scholar at Lincoln Square Synagogue.

Seven of the 20 recipients of the prestigious wexner foundation Graduate Study fellowship this year are yU graduates or students. The fellowship program encourages the development of promising leaders in the North American Jewish community through graduate training, professional men-toring and specialized programming. They will receive an annual stipend of $20,000. They are: lea (new) aizenman ’08S, a Presidential Fellow in 2008-09; cynthia bernstein ’06S; rafael cashman ’09AG; Zev eleff ’09Y; debra Glasberg ’09BR; marc herman ’09BR; and Simcha willig, a student at Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary.

Einstein Shares $46M Grant for Research on BiodefenseCoNSoRtiUm to PRotECt SoCiEtY FRom iNFECtioUS DiSEASES

A consortium of research centers in the tri­state region, including Albert

Einstein College of Medicine, has received a $46 million grant to conduct research on emerg­ing infectious diseases.

The grant, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, will allow the continuation of activities of the Northeast Bio­defense Center (NBC).

Established in 2002, the cen­ter is the largest of 10 designated Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research in the U.S.

Its investigators conduct interdisciplinary research on diag nostics, therapeutics and vac­cines to address the challenges of emerging infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance.

Highlights of the center’s work over the past few years include the creation of diagnos­tics used to guide containment of the SARS outbreak in Beijing in 2003, insights into pandemic influenza enabled by resurrec­tion of the 1918 influenza virus and new vaccines and drugs for emerging infectious diseases.

“The magic of the NBC is that for the first time it has brought together many regional institutions that had no history of collaboration in a joint effort to protect our society from a wide range of emerging infectious dis­eases,” said NBC’s deputy direc­tor Dr. Arturo Casadevall, the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Pro­fessor and chair of microbiology and immunology at Einstein.

“Groups that previously had never interacted are now working together to develop diagnostics, vaccines and drugs

against many types of infectious diseases,” Casadevall said. “The net result has been greater prog­ress, communication, coordina­tion and preparedness to meet existing and future biological threats.”

Five Einstein researchers are involved in the center, including Casadevall, who is developing passive immunization strategies for anthrax.

The center comprises more than 350 scientists and 28 insti­tutions in New York, New Jer­sey and Connecticut. Other lead institutions include: Cornell Uni versity; Mt. Sinai School of Medicine; Public Health Research Institute; Rockefeller University; Stony Brook University; Univer­sity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; Wadsworth Center­New York State Department of Health and Yale University. n

New Ferkauf Research Project Focuses on Holocaust Survivors’ Grandchildren

A s the surviving genera­tion of the Holocaust enters their twilight

years, a new research project spearheaded by Dr. Louise Sil­verstein, a professor at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, is examining how knowledge of the Holocaust is passed down to survivors’ grandchildren and taught at schools.

The multi­phase, long­term study began in 2007, with the support of the Rabbi Arthur Sch­neier Center for International Affairs, by creating an archive of interviews with grandchildren of Holocaust survivors. Recent Ferkauf graduates Dr. Penina Dorfman ’09F and Marina Stol­erman ’09F interviewed almost 30 third­generation, or “3G,” young adults and found a wide diversity of experiences.

“Some of the grandchildren knew a lot about their grand­parents’ experiences while oth­ers knew very little,” Silverstein said.

Some participants were devoting their professional lives to studying the Holocaust while others stated that they almost never thought about the tragedy. One reported being continu­ally haunted by thoughts of her grandparents’ suffering.

Silverstein became inter­ested in learning about how the Holocaust was being taught in the U.S. and in Israel—which

gave rise to the second phase of the project. Silverstein teamed up with Dr. Tal Litvak­Hirsch of Ben Gurion University—whom she met while on a trip to Israel to study Yad Vashem’s archives—to conduct a collaborative study comparing Israeli and U.S. edu­cational approaches to teaching the Holocaust, and the effects of

these educational efforts on 3G young adults. Sharon Peled, a Ferkauf doctoral student, is col­lecting and analyzing this data.

“One of the main findings that is emerging is the lack of a formal, standardized cur­riculum for teaching about the Holocaust in the U.S.,” Silver­stein said. “Teaching is informal and highly variable. We find this state of affairs concerning. How

can we be sure that the Holo­caust will never be forgotten if it is not being taught well or even at all?”

In the project’s third phase, two Ferkauf graduate students, Dana Marnin and Penina Weiss, are compiling a bibliography of the variety of educational approaches to teaching the

Holocaust in the U.S. “Our goal is to identify

the best programs and create a model curriculum that we will recommend to various state and national educational organiza­tions,” said Silverstein.

She added: “We anticipate new questions will arise as the research continues. Thus we look forward to additional phases in this project.” n

Silverstein says lack of formal Holocaust curriculum is “concerning.”

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Cardozo Report Criticizes Immigration Home Raids

T he Immigration Justice Clinic at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

released the first public study of the U.S. Immigration and Cus­toms Enforcement (ICE) agency’s

home raid operations, finding that immigration agents have engaged in widespread consti­tutional violations during such operations.

The report documents the prevalence of violations involv­ing immigration agents forcing their way into private residences during pre­dawn hours, without warrants or other legal author ity, and seizing residents without legal basis in a pattern sugges­tive of racial profiling.

The report concludes that the large majority of people arrested during home raids are not dangerous targets but rather civil immigration violators in the wrong place at the wrong time—

people who have, for example, overstayed their visas.

While ICE has publicly and repeatedly admitted that it does not obtain judicial warrants for its home raid operations, the report finds a pattern of ICE agents physically breaking their way into private homes in viola­tion of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. The study finds a pattern of ICE agents abandoning their purported focus on high­priority targets and illegally seizing residents without legal authority in an apparent effort to meet inflated arrest expectations.

Finally, the data reveals that Latino residents are dis­

proportionately likely to be arrested without any articulated basis. Indeed, approximately 90 percent of the collateral arrest records reviewed, in which ICE officers did not note any basis for seizing and questioning the individual, were of Latinos—though Latinos represented only 66 percent of target arrests.

“The government’s heavy­handed tactics are a monumen­tal waste of public resources resulting primarily in the arrest of hard­working immigrants who pose no danger at all to society,” said Peter L. Markow­itz, director of the Immigration Justice Clinic and co­author of the report.

Through two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, the report’s authors obtained sig­nificant samples of ICE arrest records from home raid opera­tions in both New York and New Jersey.

The report relies on an analysis of these arrest records together with national data regarding immigration suppres­sion motions and individual accounts of ICE home raids. The report also relies upon the observations of political and law enforcement leaders who have a unique vantage point from which to view ICE misconduct during home raid operations in their local jurisdictions. n

Markowitz co-authored report.

Azrieli Trains Jewish School Teachers with Support from Legacy Heritage Fund Limited

A new grant from Legacy Heritage Fund Limited will help attract, train

and retain more high­quality teachers for placement at Jew­ish day schools.

The Legacy Heritage Teacher Training Fellowship funds five qualified recent grad uates this year—and 20 in total over the next three years—to teach at schools across North America while studying toward master’s degrees at Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration.

“This fellowship will im prove the quality of Jewish education by training young tal­ented people interested in mak­ing a difference,” said Dr. Scott J. Goldberg, director of YU’s Institute for University­School Partnership, which piloted the program last year.

The fellows receive a full­tuition scholarship for three summers of coursework culmi­nating in a master’s degree from

Azrieli with two years of teach­ing in the intervening months.

Veteran teachers at the host school mentor the fellows through classroom observation and weekly meetings. Azrieli

faculty trained both the fellows and their mentors this sum­mer and will provide guidance to the mentors and the fellows throughout the school year.

In addition, the fellows engage in professional develop­ment via conferences and online seminars.

“By recruiting and support­ing these fellows in their ini­tial years of teaching, the grant helps YU nurture the future leaders and practitioners in the field of Jewish education,” said Joey Small, the institute’s fel­lowship coordinator.

The fellowship builds on the success of the Teacher Training and Give­Back Fellowships that were initiated a year ago. The institute matched schools in Chi­cago, Memphis and Los Ange­les with well­qualified teachers. The new fellowship continues to focus on schools outside the New York area, where the need for well­trained Jewish teachers is more acute. n

new aZrieli joUrnal focUSeS on holocaUST edUcaTion

PRISM: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Holocaust Educators, published by Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration and funded by the Rothman Foundation, offers educators a practical, scholarly resource on teaching the Holocaust at

the high school, college and graduate school levels. The peer-reviewed journal is edited by Azrieli faculty members Dr. Karen Shawn, visiting associate professor of Jewish educa-tion, and Dr. Jeffrey Glanz, the Raine and Stanley Silverstein Professor of Professional Ethics and Values.

Each issue will examine a specific topic through a variety of lenses, including education, history, literature, poetry, psychology and art. Experts from high schools, colleges, universities, muse-ums and resource centers in the U.S. and Israel will bring diverse perspectives highlighting particular facets of the issue at hand.

The first issue, published this fall, explores the concept of trauma and resilience in children during the Holocaust, as well as the effects today of teaching and learning about it. The second issue, published in spring 2010, will look at bystander behavior, while the third, published in winter 2011, will examine relationships among family members during the Holocaust and in its aftermath. To obtain a copy of the journal, e-mail prism@yu.edu

a n i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y j o u r n a l f o r h o l o c a u s t e d u c a t o r s • s p r i n g 2 0 0 9 • v o l u m e 1 , n u m b e r 1

y e s h i v a u n i v e r s i t y • a z r i e l i g r a d u a t e s c h o o l o f j e w i s h e d u c a t i o n a n d a d m i n i s t r a t i o n

Arye Sufrin is a fellow teaching at YULA Boys High School.

Genetic counselorContinued from Page 1

community conversationsContinued from Page 1

conferences on genetics research together last year. “I helped Leah make connections with valuable members of her intended field, and she exposed me to some of the wonderful activities she is involved in, including the YU Student Medical Ethics Society Conference in 2007,” Schreiber­Agus said.

Fried’s thesis explores ethi­cal issues surrounding PGD, including pre­implantation sex selection and checking for Hun­tington’s Disease. In the case

of the latter, a genetic disorder that does not impair a person’s life for decades, scientists and ethicists have raised the concern that it is immoral to prevent life, especially when a cure may be discovered in the future.

“Most halachic arbiters have determined that one can use PGD to prevent life­threat­ening diseases. But there is still some ignorance in the Jew­ish community about what the technology involves,” Fried said. “One of my goals is to inform our community about how PGD can be viewed in halachic terms.” n

Philanthropies of Greater Bos­ton; Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald, founder of the National Jewish Outreach Program; Rabbi Dovid Stav, chair of Tzohar Rabbis in Israel; and Rabbi Abraham Coo­per, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

The conference brought teams of people together in task forces to craft solutions to specific challenges. “We’re stronger when we work together because we all bring our own expertise,” said Rabbi Ari Rock­

off, director of community part­nerships for CJF. “This was not just a gathering for the purpose of gathering, but a dynamic ongoing ‘community of commu­nity leaders’ engaging in non­stop dialogue together.”

One task force will look into ways of using technology to con­nect community members and continue the conversations that took place at ChampionsGate. A second group will generate ideas to address issues affecting Orthodox singles while a third will develop best practices for governing boards and institu­tions.

YUToday will report in subsequent issues on these and other task forces as their activi­ties take shape.

“The conference was inspi­rational, stimulating and infor­mative. It can be summed up by my feeling that YU is the epi­center for Modern Orthodoxy and it is listening, and together we can make a difference,” said Roz Schultz, a lay leader from Toronto who sits on the CJF advisory council. n

6 YUTodaY

s www.yU.edU/newS fall 2009

FacUlTYSpotlight

For more than 40 years, Dr. Peter Achinstein has made a career out of writing about his two related

interests: the philosophy of science, and its history. Now, still as prolific as when he first began, Achinstein is being hon­ored by Oxford University Press with two forthcoming volumes.

The first book, Evidence, Explana-tion and Realism: Essays in the Philosophy of Science, will collect a group of Achin­stein’s previously published articles, re­edited to reflect the author’s most current observations. The second volume will fea­ture 20 essays written by leading scholars in honor of the Harvard­educated profes­sor. Achinstein hopes both volumes will be out in the next year or two.

After many years teaching at Johns Hopkins University, Achinstein was appointed the Jay and Jeanie Schotten­stein University Professor of Philosophy last spring.

Achinstein’s work deals with, among other topics, determining what type of evidence should count to prove a scien­tific theory or hypothesis, which was the focus of his 2001 book, The Book of Evi-dence, as well as of Particles and Waves, for which he received the prestigious Lakatos Award in 1993.

To illustrate, Achinstein offered the historical example of Jean Baptiste Perrin, the French physicist and Nobel

laureate who proved the existence of molecules in 1908. Although he could not see or observe them, Perrin—an example of a so­called “scientific realist”—argued

that he had quantitative experimental evidence from which the existence of molecules could be conclusively inferred.

“Anti­realist” detractors of Perrin’s work argued that scientists should not be permitted to draw such a theoretical con­clusion unless they could directly observe and measure the postulated entity.

Achinstein’s essays in Evidence use the same historical approach to tackle the issue of whether scientific explana­tions need observational confirmation. He pointed to ongoing debates over superstring theory—which posits that all the elementary particles in nature are produced by the vibrations of strings in multi­dimensional space—as an exam­ple of a theory that is believed by many physicists but rejected by others because no experimental evidence has been pro­posed to prove it.

Beginning this fall, YU’s new Center for History and Philosophy of Science, led by Achinstein, will bring in guest speak­ers to expose undergraduate students to debates such as these.

“Because of the analytical, question­ing nature of their training in Talmud studies,” he said, “YU students are par­ticularly well­equipped to grapple with philosophical issues that arise in the foundation of science.” n

W ith five books to his credit, Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman, who teaches in the Irving I. Stone

Beit Midrash Program (SBMP), has earned a reputation as a prolific author of Jewish scholarship.

His latest work, Divine Footsteps: Chesed and the Jewish Soul, published by the Michael Scharf Publication Trust of YU Press in January, delves into a rich array of rabbinic sources to address issues of performing kindness and moral­ity. The volume includes insights into the Jewish laws regarding lending money,

administering and handling charity, and visiting mourners and the sick.

“Sometimes it is helpful to see how the timeless position of Torah and its sages bolster today’s conception of eth­ics,” Rabbi Feldman said. “Other times it’s instructive to note how perspectives rep­

resented throughout the halachic [Jew­ish legal] literature differ from society’s outlook, so that we may locate a proper balance between Judaism and the mod­ern world.”

His latest book serves as the proto­type for a new initiative he is oversee­ing with Scharf/YU Press to increase the publication of scholarship by roshei yeshiva [professors of Talmud] at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and YU’s rabbinic faculty. He is helping to steer several books toward publication.

“Scharf/YU Press has been a leader in producing scholarship for decades,” said Rabbi Feldman, who is the spiritual leader of Etz Chaim in Teaneck, NJ. “As the institution continues to grow, I will be working with some of our leading Torah scholars to maximize scholarship and its accessibility.”

He was selected for the role because of his “profound editorial ability to dis­cern quality in identifying publishable works that are of value for the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Yona Reiss, The Max and Marion Grill Dean of RIETS.

In his own writing, “Rabbi Feld­man has been successful in finding Torah sources that provide guidance on how to deal with clashing imperatives in accor­dance with our traditions,” Rabbi Reiss added.

In recognition of this last trait, he was selected as program director of the Rabbinic Research and Resource Center run by YU’s Center for the Jewish Future. He fields questions from rabbis seeking access to Jewish scholarship on contem­porary matters and who need assistance resolving challenging pastoral situations and crafting speeches.

It’s a talent that comes through in his teaching as well. “Rabbi Feldman pres­ents everything in such an organized and eloquent manner that it is impossible not to fall in love with the Torah he is teach­ing us,” said said Judah Abraham, a stu­dent of his for the past three years. n

Peter Achinstein Tests the Basis of Scientific Proof

Author Rabbi Daniel Feldman Assumes Editorial Role at YU Press

Rabbi Feldman has published five books.

new GranTS for Science reSearch

dr. anatoly frenkel, pro-fessor of physics at Stern College for Women, is one of four principal investigators awarded a grant of $1.92 mil-lion over three years from the U.S. Department of Energy to study the fundamental proper-ties of nanoparticles that are

essential for catalysis (the speeding up of chemical reactions). His research could ultimately help develop more efficient catalysts and lead to alternative sources of energy. “Catalysis is at the core of the chemical and petroleum industries in the U.S. and is thus of critical importance to the national economy,” Frenkel said.

dr. neer asherie, assistant professor of physics and biology at Yeshiva College, was awarded a three-year,

$300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study protein phase behavior—“what hap-pens when you take a solu-tion of proteins and change the conditions,” Asherie explained. By studying the changes that occur in pro-tein solutions, he hopes to

better understand protein condensation diseases, such as cataracts or Alzheimer’s, and improve processes such as the industrial purification of proteins.

dr. marina holz, assistant professor of biology at Stern College, was awarded a one-year, $30,000 grant from the Wendy Will Case Cancer Fund to research the role of the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin)/S6 Kinase 1 (S6K1) genetic pathway in breast cancer. Holz is inter-ested in identifying genetic

and molecular differences between normal and cancer cells that would allow scientists to design targeted therapies. YUToday featured Holz’s research in the summer 2009 issue.

Achinstein teaches philosophy at YC.

“ YU students are particularly well-equipped to grapple with philosophical issues that arise in the foundation of science.” dr. peTer achinSTein, The jay and jeanie SchoTTenSTein profeSSor of philoSophy

“ It is impossible not to fall in love with the Torah he is teaching us.” jUdah abraham, STUdenT

YUTodaY 7

fall 2009 www.yU.edU/newS ß

scene&Heard

q “we cannot retreat to the convenience of being overwhelmed by the inequities and injus-tice around us,” Ruth Messinger, president of the American Jewish World Service, said in her address to graduates of Wurzweiler’s Block Education Plan in July. “The worst consequences of the growing inequity are seen today in the eyes of our children—those dying of hunger in Africa and those neglected in our own communities,” Messinger said. Forty-four students from Israel, Canada and across the U.S. graduated from the summer program. n

q “The best investments happen when you have the confidence to believe that you are right,” said William Ackman, managing member and portfolio manager of Pershing Square Capital Man-agement, who captivated more than 70 alumni with his keen insights into today’s financial markets and tomorrow’s economic future at a Yeshiva University Wall Street Committee reception held in June. Ack-man qualified his statement: “Of course, being right is never enough. You have to work with the delicate balance between conviction and humbleness.” n

q “with as little as $25,000 you can ultimately generate up to a million dollars for your heirs by using the power of tax-free roth ira com-pounding,” said Henry Rubin, director of gift plan-ning, at a seminar on “How You and Your Money Can Survive a Recession” in June. About 200 peo-ple learned about wealth-saving ideas from Rubin as well as attorney Lee Snow and Dr. Aaron Levine, the Samson and Halina Bitensky Professor of Eco-nomics at Yeshiva College. n

p “most people have many ideas, but we only pay a premium to those who can take one idea and make it happen,” said Michael Strauss, who guides budding entrepreneurs at Sy Syms School of Business as its entrepreneur-in-residence. Strauss was a judge in the school’s 2009 Dr. Wil-liam Schwartz Business Plan Competition. Student Matthew Sussman won the first-place prize of $5,000 for his energy drink business, Proseed. n

p “day school board presidents are aware of the need and the opportunity to improve board per-formance in areas that include financial planning and fundraising,” said Harry Bloom, director of planning and performance improvement at the Institute for University-School Partnership, at a July press conference announcing the results of the first survey of Jewish day school board practices by the institute. “This is highly promising news for the cause of day school affordability,” Bloom added. More than 100 board presidents from day schools across the denominations completed the survey. Watch a video of Bloom discussing the survey results at www.yu.edu/boardsurvey n

> Go to www.yu.edu/news for more on these events, including videos.

Wurzweiler Deans Recognized for Pioneering Social Work Profession

Wurzweiler School of Social Work’s Dr. Shel­don R. Gelman, the

Dorothy and David I. Schachne Dean, and Dr. Carmen Ortiz Hendricks, associate dean and professor, have been named “Social Work Pioneers” by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The award honors social work professionals for their leadership, contribu­tions to the field and recognition by their peers. Both have held leadership positions within the NASW.

Gelman, who also has a master of studies degree in law from Yale University Law School, has published numer­

ous articles dealing with the impact of legislation and poli­cies on the delivery of social ser­vices. He has contributed to The

Encyclopedia of Social Work, The Social Workers’ Desk Reference and The Handbook of Human Services Management.

Gelman has held office and served on national commissions of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the Amer ican Association on Men­tal Retardation.

Hendricks has made sig­nificant contributions in the area of culturally competent social work. As a member of NASW’s National Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity, she

was a major contributor to the development of its Stan-dards for Cultural Competence in the Social Work Practice. She is a founding member of the chapter’s Latino Social Work Task Force.

Hendricks has co­written or co­edited a number of semi­nal books published by CSWE Press, including Learning to Teach—Teaching to Learn: A Guide to Social Work Field Edu-cation and Women of Color as Social Work Educators: Strengths and Survival. n

Gelman Hendricks

YUTodaYYESHIVA UNIVERSITY • 500 WEST 185TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10033 • FALL 2009 • VOLUME 14 NO. 1

YU Museum Features Hyman Bloom, Expressionist PainterExHiBit FoCUSES oN SPiRitUAl WoRKS oF ACClAimED ARtiSt

Nearly 50 paintings, draw ings and prints by acclaimed Boston Expres­

sionist painter Hyman Bloom will go on display at the Yeshiva University Museum as part of the exhibit Hyman Bloom: A Spiritual Embrace. The exhibit, on view Sept. 14, 2009 – Jan. 24, 2010, comes just after Bloom’s death on Aug. 26 at age 96.

Focusing on Bloom’s explo­ration of spiritual subjects, the exhibit features paint ings of rabbis, dating from 1938 through 2005, as well as works that explore the occult and alterna­tive spirituality.

Bloom began painting rab­

bis, cantors and Torah covers at the very beginning of his career, using them as a metaphor for his own spiritual questioning. But he shrugged off the idea that he made religious art. “I decided to paint what I knew,” Bloom said. “It was a good subject to paint.”

In his paintings, Bloom scrapes away at the surface, changing the placement of the figure and drawing over what seems to be finished work. The result is an expressionist ren­dering of a figurative subject.

Willem de Kooning once said that he and Jackson Pollock considered Bloom to be “the first Abstract Expressionist in Amer­

ica.” Some art historians believe that if non­representational or non­figurative art had not so completely engaged critics in the 1950’s, Bloom might have been more renowned today.

Bloom was born in 1913 in Brunoviski, a Latvian village not far from what is now the Lithu­anian border. In 1920, he immi­grated to the U.S., settling in the Orthodox Jewish community of Boston’s West End.

Enrolling in drawing classes at the West End Community Center, Bloom met Harold Zim­merman, an influential teacher, who encouraged drawing from the imagination. Bloom also studied drawing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and, together with his friend and fel­low artist Jack Levine, at Har­vard University.

Bloom lived and worked in Nashua, NH. He is included in the collections of major muse­ums, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

A retrospective exhibition was held at the National Acad­emy of Design in 2002, and an earlier version of YUM’s exhi­bition was organized by the Dan­forth Museum of Art in 2006.

His interests were wide and included the study of theos­ophy, psychic research, Eastern religion, classical Indian music, psychedelic re search and Jewish mysticism. n

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE

paid

LANCASTER, PA

PERMIT #299

Many of Bloom’s paintings depict rabbis and cantors.

An affiliate of Yeshiva University

Rabbi isaac Elchanan theological Seminaryibjkt ejmh ubcr ,chah

Annual Dinner of TributeTU e S day, ocTob e r 27, 2009 – 9 ch e S hvan 5770

THE GRAND HYATT • NEW YORK CITY

5 P.M. SHIUR • 6 P.M. RECEPTION • 7 P.M. DINNER

For more information, contact rietsdinner@yu.edu or 212.960.0852.

SAVE T

HE DAT

E

sunday, december 13, 2009the waldorf=astoria • new york city

convocation 5:30 p.m. • dinner 7 p.m.

for information, please call 212-960-5468 ore-mail hanukkahdinner@yu.edu

www.yu.edu/hanukkah

Second annUal crUiSe headS To balTic coaST and rUSSiaMembers of Yeshiva University’s 2nd annual cruise, which trav-eled to the Baltic Coast and Russia this year, davened mincha [prayed at the afternoon services] at the Chorale Synagogue in St. Petersburg (above). An international group of 92 alumni and friends of YU and their family members went on the cruise, run with Lasko Kosher Cruises, in August. Joining the group were President Richard M. Joel (above, center) and his wife, Esther, as well as Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, University Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought and Senior Scholar at YU’s Center for the Jewish Future, who gave shiurim [lectures] as the group’s scholar-in-residence. After spending Shabbat in Co-penhagen, the group traveled to Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden, ending in Copenhagen. They met with members of the Jewish community and visited sites of Jewish interest at each stop. n

Glueck

center opens!

Special inSert

HANUKKAHY E S H I V A U N I V E R S I T Y

DINNER AND CONVOCATION

E I G H T Y - F I F T H A N N U A L