Volume 67, Issue 4

A Message From the YSU President Shai Barnea 

Two weeks ago, I spoke at length with a woman who is writing a book on religious institutions.  One of the things we discussed is the diversity of the student body here at YU.  While some students spent a year in Israel, others have never been to the Holy Land.  Whereas some students attended Jewish high schools, some didn’t.  And though some students have an extensive Judaic background, others have only recently come into contact with religion.  YU, at least in her eyes, is a hodgepodge of diverse people from widely varying backgrounds.

Our appearance and upbringing notwithstanding, there is one feature that we do share: We are all Jewish.  Looking around campus, you can see students wearing a white shirt and black pants with their tzitzis out, and at the same time, students walking around without yarmulkes.  Though in appearance these two groups are worlds apart, they both share a common bond – our Jewish heritage.

One of my goals for this year is to bridge the gap between the various segments of the Yeshiva University undergraduate population by planning events that cater to every sect.  Just two weeks ago, SOY and JSS organized an Achdut program where students from JSS learned with MYP students.  Last week we hosted a comedy night, which featured a renowned comedian who only made “kosher” jokes. 

Next week, we’re hosting the first ever YU Battle of the Bands, featuring eight bands vying for the chance to “open up” the Chanukah Concert.  The hope with Battle of the Bands is to attract music fans along with Jewish music aficionados.

One of the most successful student-run initiatives was last year’s Torah Shield II, where 200 YU and Stern students spent their winter break on a solidarity mission to Israel.  Needless to say, this mission was instrumental in uniting the students for one cause.

The excitement and energy on both campuses was electric then and remains palpable now.  Unfortunately, there remains a need to channel this potential into helping the worldwide Jewish community in these dangerous times.  It is with this in mind that we have begun looking into ways to ensure that Yeshiva University remains the torch bearer in the fight for World Jewry.

We are all aware of the recent anti-Semitic attacks against European Jews, particularly in France and Belgium.  This hatred visited upon our brethren has its roots within the violence and terrorism that still plagues our distraught national homeland.  Israel needs our support, world Jewry needs our leadership, and it is needed now.  Our responsibility to promote Achdut must extend beyond the walls of Belfer and Furst.  

With this in mind, we are looking for ways to implement our Jewish activist ideals.  One option discussed involves altering our focus slightly in order to reach out and show solidarity with our brethren around the world.  Wherever our goals for this year send us, I ask that all students with ideas come forward and add their creative input so that we may ensure that YU contributes to the worldwide Jewish community in the most significant way.

The word Achdut means “unity,” but it can also be translated as “solidarity.”  We need to show that as a diverse student body – a population full of different opinions and ideas – we remain unified in our efforts to show our solidarity with the entire Jewish community.  After all, in the eyes of the world, we are all the same… we are all Jewish.

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