Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University (YU), announced record success in the first year of Rise Up: The Rise Up campaign, which has a goal of raising $613 million over five years, was launched with private-stage funding at $250 million. Today, with an additional $100 million raised this year, the campaign has passed its halfway mark and now stands at $350 million.
The announcement was made Monday in a packed room of over 500 friends and supporters of Yeshiva University, at its 98th Annual Hanukkah Dinner.
“Thank you to all of our friends, alumni, and supporters for their commitment to building the flagship Jewish university,” said President Berman. “Any student of history understands that today our greatest need is to educate the next generations to be leaders of tomorrow, deeply rooted in our Torah values and forward-focused to meet the challenges and realize the enormous opportunities of our times.”
“In all of our metrics — national rankings, student enrollment, cutting-edge academic programs and career accomplishments of our graduates — Yeshiva University is on the rise. With gifts to secure scholarships, build state-of-the-art facilities, and support our world-class faculty, the continued success of the Rise Up campaign is propelling YU into its next great era.”
The dinner committee included YU leaders from across the country, with Ingeborg and Ira Rennert serving as Honorary Chairs, and Anita Zucker and Senator Joseph Lieberman as Dinner Chairs.
The interactive program included virtual presentations demonstrating the dramatic impact of campaign gifts across the University with touch-screen kiosks, pop-up theaters, surround-sound video, and hologram testimonials from YU students, all underscored by the dynamic big band sound of Chris Norton and the powerful voice of Shulem Lemmer.