"Jewish Lure" of Yeshiva Graduate Schools

Yeshiva University's graduate schools offer YC and Stern alumni the option of completing their education under the banner of Torah U'Madda. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology all attract numerous students from Yeshiva's undergraduate programs, partly due to their Jewish natures, kosher cafeterias, and no classes on Jewish holidays.

After actually attending one of Yeshiva's graduate programs, however, some students question this perceived Jewish character. Other students profess different motivations altogether for choosing to stay within the YU system, perhaps raising the question of whether the connection to Yeshiva is not just one in name.

Einstein perennially achieves standing among the top medical schools in the country, and accordingly, claims the status of Yeshiva's premiere graduate school. This position garners the lion's share of funding from YU, and makes the school an attractive option for the college's erstwhile medical students. Gita Lisker, SCW '95 viewed the affinity for Einstein at YU and Stern partially as a function of its Jewish nature. "I find Einstein very accommodating to Jewish needs," she remarked, "possibly even to the aggravation of its secular and non-Jewish students. For instance, the library and gym are closed on Shabbos, the caf is kosher, and the whole school is run as a religious institution." "However," she added, " it also happens to be a wonderful top-tier medical school, aside from being one with a thriving Jewish community and environment." Jay Lisker, YC '96, another Einstein student agreed with this perception. "When I was in YU, people were gung-ho about going to Einstein," he said. "It's good that the university has a great medical school that students strive to get into."

The lure of Einstein contrasts somewhat with the lower level of YC and Stern interest in other Yeshiva graduate schools. Students at Ferkauf describe a lower profile connection between their school and the general University administration. "Ferkauf is not like Stern at all," noted Aliza Diamond, SCW '99, "if not for the letterhead, you wouldn't know it was Jewish." Despite this, she pointed out that friends of hers had considered the Jewish factor in choosing Ferkauf over other schools. "The fact that there are no classes on Yom Tov makes Ferkauf ideal for Jewish students," she concluded. Other students did not adopt such a favorable view. One former YC student noted that Ferkauf's lack of Jewish character manifested itself in the dependence on nearby Einstein for Jewish-related facilities. "It isn't convenient to have to run over to Einstein whenever you need a minyan," he grumbled. "It seems as though Einstein's Jewish nature eclipses Jewish life in Ferkauf."

Many Cardozo students coming from YU's colleges portray their school in a positive light. "Cardozo lived up to the expectations I had when I chose it," said David Rosenfeld, SSSB '96, who graduated from the law school this year. "The Jewish environment was one of the main reasons I went there, and this atmosphere was present, while not detracting from the multicultural experience that distinguished the school from Sy Syms. Every event at the school is kosher, and the Torah U'Madda insignia is right there on the front doors as a reminder of the Jewish roots of the institution," added Rosenfeld. Josh Fine, YC '96, a current Cardozo student, echoed this sentiment. "I know the uptown administration very well," said Fine, who served as YCSC President in the ‘95-'96 academic year, "and I currently work with them closely as Vice President of the Student Bar Association. They definitely are very helpful on many issues here, but the important thing is that the Cardozo administration is completely on our side, both on Jewish and secular questions."

Other students contested this assertion, however. "YU in general, and Cardozo in particular, are not nearly as sensitive to Jewish problems as a completely secular university would be," complained a former YC student who graduated from Cardozo in '99. "We pushed for a beis medrash, since the one in the library only permitted quiet study," he recalled, "but we were not successful in getting one." One former Sy Syms graduate, who attended Fordham Law, viewed Einstein's success as part of Cardozo's problem. "Cardozo has been called one of the ‘up and coming law schools' by the Yeshiva administration for as long as I can recall, but it remains a second tier law school, year after year. If YU would take half as much interest in Cardozo as it does in Einstein, the school would move up in the list almost immediately. Until that happens, YU guys who get into a better law school will go there, irrespective of Jewish character."