Yeshiva University held its second annual Israel Colloquium two weeks ago - a series of events in Jerusalem that YU president Dr. Richard Joel explained are part of a "continuing quest about how Yeshiva University can be helpful for Israel."
The week-long colloquium included the awarding honorary doctorates to outstanding Israeli community leaders, an alumni Shabbat in the Renaissance Hotel, and an open public discussion with Dr. Joel and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein. IsraelNationalRadio's Yishai Fleisher, an alumnus of Yeshiva University, talked with Dr. Joel about the events and his opinion on the future of American Jewry.
Click here to listen to the interview
"In addition to the Rabbinic kollel in Jerusalem," Dr. Joel said, "there are 3-4,000 alumni families and 700 students studying in yeshivot and seminaries that are part of a program to attend YU after their year [in Israel]. We're here to make sure we're doing all that we can do."
"There's no Jewish people without its heart in Israel," Dr. Joel said. "We recognize a role, as an institution that is primarily in the diaspora [Yeshiva University is New York City-based - ed], to be part of the conversation in Israel. Two years ago, we decided to have a semi-annual week of activities called the 'Yeshiva University-Israel Colloquium' to further that connection in Israel."
One of the major highlights of the week was the awarding of honorary doctorates to four outstanding community members. These four were Rabbi Dr. Chaim Brovender, a pioneer in Jewish education and women's Torah study; Mrs. Clara Hammer, also known as the "chicken lady" for her charity work in distributing food to families in need - she is one of Jerusalem's oldest doctorate recipients at the age of 97; Professor Yonatan HaLevy, director-general of Sha'arei Zedek Hospital; and Dr. Michael Rosneak, one of the premier global experts in the field of Jewish education.
Also included in this week's activities was the dedication of a Bet Midrash (Torah study hall) in memory of Rabbi Israel Miller, a long-time Yeshiva University president; an alumni Shabbat in the Renaissance Hotel that had 300 people in attendance; and an open discussion in Jerusalem's Great Synagogue between Dr. Joel and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein.
"This has been an exhausting but fulfilling week," Dr. Joel said. "This marks a continuing quest about how we can be helpful for Israel. There is not yet a full vision of what YU's role in Israel should be, but this gives us something to think about."
Before Dr. Joel was president of Yeshiva University, he was president of Hillel, a non-denominational organization which "provides a Jewish community for all Jews in university" and has become a college campus staple since its inception. "This organization creates a place for Jews," Dr. Joel said. "Most people aren't even leaving Judaism or rejecting it - Judaism was watered down and they simply never experienced it. I want them to walk away and go, 'Wow! This Jewish stuff is really important to me.' This isn't an organization to make people religious. This is simply to trigger Jewish passion... people from all walks of life will respect each other and everyone struggles to find a harmonious community."
Dr. Joel also addressed the motto of Yeshiva University, which is Torah U'Mada - Torah and Science - a reference to the need to learn Torah and yet live in a secular world. His aim for Yeshiva University is to prepare men and women to take responsibility for the Jewish future.
"We all recognize that our core is our relationship with G-d," Dr. Joel said. "This means that the core of our knowledge basis should be G-d's book, Torah. We also believe that through the lens of Torah and Torah values, we should be embracing the world around us - embracing the world, arts and science, commerce and culture, prose and poetry. As we do that through the lens of Torah, we're supposed to figure out how to live a life that's valuable in partnership with G-d and be a light onto the non-Jewish nations as well."
Despite all his work outside of Israel, Dr. Joel still feels something missing since he does not live here: "I can argue that in contemporary times, there's a need for Jews to be in the diaspora as well, partly to build support for Israel, partly to expose other Jews to Judaism, and partly to be a light onto the non-Jewish nations. I don't think your life as a Jew could be complete unless you're living in Israel. But also, you can be living in Israel and be incomplete as well. There's so many aspects to our identity, even though Israel is one of the major ones."
For now, Dr. Joel has found ways to bring Yeshiva University to Israel while remaining a light onto the nations back in New York City. Yeshiva University simultaneously runs s'micha (Rabbinic ordination training) and overseas student programs while operating a "Center For the Jewish Future" that seeks to strengthen Diaspora life in America as well.