Students Engage in Spontaneous Yom Ha'Atzmaut Celebration

Main Campus Festivities Broken Up by Security

 

Fifty years of Israeli statehood prompted a spontaneous student celebration in the late-night hours of Yom Ha'atzmaut, the celebration of which began the evening of April 29. A crowd of Yeshiva University undergraduate men and women gathered that Wednesday night on the grass of the Dancziger Quadrangle, the property situated in front of the Max Stern Athletic Center. There the students sat, stood, and danced as they sang songs relevant to the occasion.

Unplanned and unsanctioned student events are a rarity on the Main Campus of YU. Yet, this did not prevent a few students from taking advantage of the cooperative weather to convene a small celebration on the benches of the mall on Amsterdam Avenue as the organized celebrations began to wane. The small group that began with a few guitarists and some vocal accompaniment eventually moved to the benches just in front of the MSAC. The modest gathering attracted numerous onlookers and grew to a crowd of full participants. At its height, the celebration included two saxophonists, five guitar players, as well as three percussionists, including the lone female musician in the group on small drums. Nearly one-hundred-and-fifty additional participants joined the singing in honor of Israeli independence.

Between 11:30PM and 12:45AM, despite security's frequent demands to vacate the grass, the celebrants maintained a festive atmosphere. Just prior to 1:00AM, the quad sprinklers were activated, soaking many of the attendees. Ignoring this hindrance, the crowd resumed the celebration in the center of the lawn, safely out of the spray's range.

Security, citing numerous violations including trespassing, noise, and unauthorized gathering, increased their efforts to terminate the celebration. Although student leaders, including members of The Commentator staff and eventually, with some urging, YCSC representatives, attempted to convince security to allow this unusual display of student spirit to continue, the officers on duty claimed that they had to adhere to the rules. They eventually succeeded in clearing the grass.

Many of the students remained resilient and reconvened in the lobby of the Rubin Residence Hall. By 1:30 AM, Rabbi Chaifetz, who was awakened to deal with the situation, arrived and put an end to the evening's impromptu festivities.

The crowd dissipated by 2:00 AM. The few remaining students from Stern College for Women, who had missed the last van back to the Midtown campus, returned via car service. The expenses were covered by YCSC. Outgoing-President Sruli Tannenbaum explained that such an event should represent the essence of student life at the University. Therefore, he elected to cover the expense of the remaining Stern women.

The prevailing opinion of the event, which was referred to by its participants as "the Kumsitz", was favorable. Many students simply were shocked by the scene, and were delighted to have taken part in the celebration. Stephanie Ives, the SCW student who spearheaded the planning for the organized event of the evening, was inspired to give a short speech to her fellow celebrants prior to the gathering's conclusion. She announced to the crowd, "I cannot believe what kind of simchat chag there was here tonight."

Another SCW student in attendance added that "it was the most ruach I had ever seen in YU." Avi Herman, one of the YC students who helped initiate the Kumsitz, commented, "It was almost like Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel. G'volt it was so holy."