Message From Our President
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends,
I am pleased to present to you this Guide to our plans for the upcoming fall semester and reopening of our campuses. In form and in content, this coming semester will be like no other. We will live differently, work differently and learn differently. But in its very difference rests its enormous power.
The mission of Yeshiva University is to enrich the moral, intellectual and spiritual development of each of our students, empowering them with the knowledge and abilities to become people of impact and leaders of tomorrow. Next year’s studies will be especially instrumental in shaping the course of our students’ lives. Character is formed and developed in times of deep adversity. This is the kind of teachable moment that Yeshiva University was made for. As such, we have developed an educational plan for next year that features a high-quality student experience and prioritizes personal growth during this Coronavirus era. Our students will be able to work through the difficulties, issues and opportunities posed by our COVID-19 era with our stellar rabbis and faculty, as well as their close friends and peers at Yeshiva.
To develop our plans for the fall, we have convened a Scenario Planning Task Force made up of representatives across the major areas of our campus. Their planning has been guided by the latest medical information, government directives, direct input from our rabbis, faculty and students, and best practices from industry and university leaders across the country. I am deeply thankful to our task force members and all who supported them for their tireless work in addressing the myriad details involved in bringing students back to campus and restarting our educational enterprise.
In concert with the recommendations from our task force, I am announcing today that our fall semester will reflect a hybrid model. It will allow many students to return in a careful way by incorporating online and virtual learning with on-campus classroom instruction. It also enables students who prefer to not be on campus to have a rich student experience by continuing their studies online and benefitting from a full range of online student services and extracurricular programs.
In bringing our students back to campus, safety is our first priority. Many aspects of campus life will change for this coming semester. Gatherings will be limited, larger courses will move completely online. Throughout campus everyone will need to adhere to our medical guidelines, including social distancing, wearing facemasks, and our testing and contact tracing policies. Due to our focus on minimizing risk, our undergraduate students will begin the first few weeks of the fall semester online and move onto the campus after the Jewish holidays. This schedule will limit the amount of back and forth travel for our students by concentrating the on-campus component of the fall semester to one consecutive segment.
Throughout our planning, we have used the analogy of a dimmer switch. Reopening our campuses will not be a simple binary, like an on/off light switch, but more like a dimmer in which we have the flexibility to scale backwards and forwards to properly respond as the health situation evolves. It is very possible that some plans could change, depending upon the progression of the virus and/or applicable state and local government guidance.
Before our semester begins, we will provide more updates reflecting our most current guidance. Please check our website, yu.edu/fall2020 for regular updates. We understand that even after reading through this guide, you might have many additional questions, so we will be posting an extensive FAQ section online as well. Additionally, we will also be holding community calls for faculty, students, staff and parents over the next couple of months.
Planning for the future during this moment has certainly been humbling. This Coronavirus has reminded us time and time again of the lessons from our Jewish tradition that we are not in full control of our circumstances. But our tradition also teaches us that we are in control of our response to our circumstances. Next semester will present significant challenges and changes. There will be some compromises and minor inconveniences--not every issue has a perfect solution. But faith and fortitude, mutual cooperation and resilience are essential life lessons that are accentuated during this period. And if we all commit to respond with graciousness, kindness, and love, we can transform new campus realities into profound life lessons for our future.
Deeply rooted in our Jewish values and forward focused in preparing for the careers and competencies of the future, we journey together with you, our Yeshiva University community, through these uncharted waters. Next year will be a formative year in the lives of our students, and together we will rise to the moment so that our students will emerge stronger and better prepared to be leaders of the world of tomorrow.
Best Wishes,
Ari Berman
Last Friday, the exchange students woke up at the beautiful hour of 5:30 in the morning to daven at Nachal Hashofet. After davening concluded, the group, along with Uri, our madrich, and the Av vi Em bayit, Yedidya and Esther, went on a casual tiyul.
Later that day, the group arrived in Tzefat, one of the four holy cities of Israel, to stay for Shabbat. Befittingly, for our first activity there, we met the Rav Koening, the leader of the Breslover chassidim in Tzefat (which has a large Breslov population). The main message we took away from the Rav was that being Jewish does not mean following the message of the Torah on the side while dressing and looking like everyone else. Instead, being Jewish, according to Rav Koening, means looking and acting differently from others, in accordance with the Torah's directions.
After davening in either the Carlebach or Breslov minyan (both options were available), we all returned and, before touching any food, danced and sang in the streets with everyone who would join us for a few minutes. After the meal, we met an MTA graduate, Rabbi Simcha Mervis, donned in full Breslov garb, including bekeshe and streimel. Ah, good old MTA memories, a "Lion4Life" in Israel too!
After some more singing, dancing, davening, and learning, we took a tour of the old city of Tzefat with a tour guide. We returned for lunch, and, yes, more singing and dancing. Tzefat really gave us a feeling of happiness. At the end of Shabbat/beginning of Motzei Shabbat, we all sat in a circle and discussed a variety of topics. We thanked people, commended people, and asked other people to help with one specific thing connected to our Judaism. Overall, friendships were really strengthened in the circle time.
On Sunday morning, Uri decided that we were really slackers, and 5:30 was too late, so we all got up at 4:30 in the morning to go to the vatikin minyan at Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's tomb. From there, we hiked back to our place in Tzefat; this tiyul is called "nachal amud". We culminated the tiyul with some tehillim at the k'varot of Rav Yosef Karo, the author of the Shluchan Aruch, and the Ari. On Sunday night, we went back to school and on Monday we had a regular, amazing day at Makor Chaim (Mkoch).
On Tuesday, we volunteered to pick oranges at Leket, an organization that feeds the poor and also met with Rav Dovid Rabinovitch, a Rav at Mkoch, and learned Sichot Haran. On Wednesday, there was a fantastic concert in the evening.
On Thursday, we met with Rav Gutenmacher, another MTA graduate, and discussed how to prepare for tefilla. We later met with Rav Dov Singer, the Rosh Yeshiva. We talked about the holiness of Israel, the reason we are here now, and what we should gain from this experience.
Overall, Mkoch is amazing. Everyone is always in good spirits, even at 4:30 in the morning. The learning is amazing, we are making lots of new friends and further developing in our understanding of our connection to the land of Israel and Hashem.
