May 20, 2004 -- Some 148 students were recognized for academic and other university-wide achievements at a May 19 awards ceremony attended by family, friends, faculty, and senior administration. Norman Adler, dean of Yeshiva College, which organized the ceremony in Belfer Hall’s Weissberg Commons with the Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies (MYP), kicked-off the event. He introduced President Richard M. Joel, who joked: “I’m here by mistake – I thought I had a child graduating, but it’s an off year.” President Joel told parents and grandparents that YU students – especially its high achievers – form the foundation upon which the university shapes its future. “Today we honor exemplars,” he said. “Those amongst us who have made extraordinary achievements. Mazal tov.” Awards in academics, athletics, character, and campus and community service were awarded to 50 MYP students and 98 YC students. Yeshiva College Awards: Isaac Araten Memorial Award for Excellence in Bible Adir Posy Professor Meyer Atlas Memorial Award for Excellence in Biology Netanel E. Berko Mordechai David Raskas Dean Isaac Bacon Award for Excellence in Humanities/Jewish Studies Benzion Noam Chinn Shlomo Y. Rydzinski Anthony C. Wexler Mina Belkin Memorial Award for Service and Dedication to the College Fredrick S. Goldman Seth Jacobson Evan A. Schottenstein Ariel Weinstock Professor Michael Bernstein Memorial Award for Excellence in Bible, Jewish History or Semitic Languages Kevin Deutsch Corey Goldfeder Jason Koslowe Professor Daniel Block Memorial Award for Excellence in Computer Science Emanuel A. Lazar Toby S. Lazar Stanley Broff Memorial Award for Excellence in Economics Johnathan A. Kahn-Rose Jacob David Cohen Memorial Award for Excellence in Mathematics (Juniors) Jonathan D. Grossman Rabbi Dr. Chaim Danishefsky Torah Umadda Award Michael Borenstein David Wise George and Bertha Fisch Award for Excellence in Philosophy Emanuel A. Lazar Joel Arieh Oz Lawrence P. Fischer Memorial Award for Best Hebrew Paper in Jewish History Yonatan S. Miller Malka Fishhaut Memorial Award for Excellence in Jewish Studies Benzion Noam Chinn Harris E. Kilimnick Akiva Koenigsberg Professor Jekuthiel Ginsburg Memorial Award for Excellence in Mathematics David Arthur Jaffe Steven Gladstein Memorial Award for Service to Jewish People – General Ariel R. Bayewitz Yaniv Kerem Yisroel Schachter Mendel and Sarah Gottesman Memorial Award for Scholarship, Ethics, and Character Amitai Yisrael Bin-Nun Elad Cnaan Tobiah David Mintz Neil Michael Wolfe Joseph Gunner Memorial Award for Excellence in Mathematics Tobiah David Mintz Histadruth Ivrith of America Award for Excellence in Hebrew Language and Literature Michael Noam Lipshitz Yonatan S. Miller Moshe M. Stavsky Brahm Michael Weinberg Chaplain Joseph I. Hoenig Memorial Award for Excellence in Psychology Ariel R. Bayewitz Noam Eliyahu Wittlin Joseph Prize for Excellence in economics, Character and Service to the Economics Department Elad Cnaan Langfan Family Constitutional Oratorical Prize Alan Goldsmith (1st Place) Benyamin Yisrael Moalem (2nd Place) Benzion Noam Chinn (3rd Place) Benjamin and Bertha Lebzelter Memorial Award for Excellence in Bible Matan Y. Wexler Samuel and Emily Granet Lemler Memorial Award for Excellence in Pre-Med Ari I. Berger Mordechai Pavlovsky David S. Rabin David Wise Philip Lieberman Memorial Award for Character/Personality/Service to School – General Joshua Reuben Goldman Ezra Lightman Memorial Award for Excellence in Jewish Studies Avi Schachter Professor Irving Linn Memorial Award for Excellence in English Zvi Shlomo Schindel Anthony C. Wexler Professor Arnold N. and Bertha Lowan Memorial Award for Excellence in Physics Amitai Yisrael Bin-Nun Louis R. Nemzer Professor Arnold N. and Bertha Lowan Memorial Award for Excellence in Research in Physics Sioan Zohar Professor Aaron Margalith Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Science Joshua Moser Masmid Award for Outstanding Service to the Student Body Yakov Agatstein Evan Jonathan Renov Yisroel Schachter Professor David Mirsky Memorial Award to the Student Best Exemplifying the University’s Ideal of Torah Umadda Stephen Tsvi Sinensky Brahm Michael Weinberg National Council of Young Israel Award for Excellence in History Joshua Alan Weiner Ya’akov Yehuda Nirenstein Memorial Award for Excellence in Hebrew Eitan Bitter Adiv Pachter Adir Posy Daniel Z. Rosenfeld Yousef David Sasson Gertrude Nissenbaum Memorial Award for Excellence in Computer Science Aryeh Polsky Yaacov Rydzinski Yaniv Schiller Gertrude Nissenbaum Memorial Award for Excellence in Mathematics Daniel M. Raymon Emile Offenbacher Memorial Award for Excellence in Athletics Jack Yulzary Norman Palefski Memorial Award to the Most Outstanding Graduating Male Varsity Scholar-Athlete Vadim Monisov Samuel and Jennie Raucher Memorial Award for a Worthy Student at Yeshiva College Geoffrey L. Butler Alec M. Fisch Ouriel Hassan Benjamin David Kessler Jerome Robbins Memorial Award for Best Original Short Story Aaron Roller Sidney P. Rosenblum Award for Excellence in Jewish History Zachariah Abramowitz Menachem M. Hecht Edward A. Rothman Memorial Award for Best Essay on Orthodox Judaism Menachem M. Hecht David A. Stern Chaim Fischel Rothstein Memorial Award for Excellence in Drama Zalman Abramchik Dean Samuel L. Sar Memorial Award for Excellence in Bible Daniel M. Raymon Fanny and Asher Scharfstein Memorial Award for Best Essay on Gemilat Chesed – English David Kastner Chaya and Hershel Schneider Memorial Award for Excellence in Hebrew Dov Huff David Arthur Jaffe Aaron Zuckerman Jeffrey Seelenfreund Memorial Award for Excellence in Jewish Studies and Character Ariel R. Bayewitz Albert Jacob Daniel Z. Rosenfeld Yaacov Rydzinski Professor Morris Silverman Memorial Alumni Award for Outstanding Service to the Jewish Community Khashayar Yigal Hakimian Steven L. Krul Yitzchak Isaac Winkler Professor Morris and Gilda Silverman Memorial Award for Excellence in History Brahm Michael Weinberg Dr. Samuel Soloveitchik Prize in Natural Science (from the Academic VP Office) David Wise Professor Abraham Tauber Memorial Award for Excellence in Speech and Drama (Junior) Jason Gevertzman Professor Abraham Tauber Memorial Award for Excellence in Speech and Drama (Senior) Eli D. Guterman Wall Street Journal Award for Excellence in Economics Joshua Erez Louis Werfel Memorial Award for the Junior with the Highest Ranking GPA David Evan Sudney Harold Mark Sultan John Wiley Book Award for Excellence in Chemistry Daniel Kazhdan David and Rebecca Wolstein Memorial Award for Excellence in Psychology David J. Berger Adir Posy Women’s Branch of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Award for Excellence in Jewish Studies Stanley Isaac Ozarowski Jeffrey E. Schrager Yeshiva College Alumni Association Award for Service to the College Ariel R. Bayewitz Yaniv Karem Yeshiva University Women’s Organization Award for Excellence in English Avi Mermelstein Jonathan Alon Milner Scott M. Peretz Yeshiva University Women’s Organization Award for Excellence in Ethics and Character Chaim Ariel David Yonatan S. Miller Monis and Chaya Zuckerman Memorial Award for Best Research Paper in Jewish History Yaacov Rydzinski Moshe M. Stavsky Departmental Award for Excellence in Chemistry Sammy Sultan Departmental Award for Excellence in Economics Shilo Kramer Simeon R. Sherman Departmental Award for Excellence in Political Science Geoffrey L. Butler Departmental Award for Excellence in Sociology Jason Pruzansky Steven A. Weg Departmental Award for Excellence in Speech and Drama – Public Speaking Eli D. Guterman Departmental Award for Excellence in Speech and Drama – Theatre Arts Dov Medinets B’nai Zion Foundation Award Aryeh L. Stavsky Joseph Grunner Memorial Award for Excellence in Computer Science Corey Goldfeder The 2003-2004 Lillian F. and William L. Silber Professor of the Year Award Alan Brill Valedictorian, Yeshiva College Ariel R. Bayewitz Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies Awards (For Excellence in Talmud): Max and Sophie Manicoff Memorial Award Yaacov Rydzinski David Preil Ranan Amster Rabbi Oscar and Shirley Fleishaker Award Menachem Hecht David Berger President Samuel Belkin Memorial Award Jeremy Rosenbaum Samuel G. Rothman Memorial Award Lewis Posy Daniel Klein Ephraim Polakoff President Bernard Revel Memorial Award Moshe Stavsky Isaac Araten Memorial Award Gidon Lemberger David Lessin Daniel Rosenfeld Naphtali Lavenda Meyer and Bella Rhine Memorial Award Jonathan Chambre Aryeh Dienstag Allan Farkas Adam Karoll Stephen Sinensky Rose Rachel and Lewis Siegel Memorial Award Jeremy Brand Eric Ifrah Philip Moskowitz Simeon Sherman Neil Wolfe Yechezkel and Channah Leipziger Memorial Award Yousef Sasson Rabbi Solomon Polachek Memorial Award Avery Kohn Tobiah Mintz Rose Rachel and Lewis Siegel Endowment Foundation Award Alan Hochman Mitchell Davis Judah Eizikovitz Joseph Friedman Louis and Lena Lankisky Memorial Award Jeremy Hartstein Harris Kilimnick Ian Lichter Elon Soniker Joseph and Lena Hoenig Memorial Award Aaron Feigenbaum David Sher Joshua Ross Geilan Grant Menachem Borenstein Daniel Feit Frank Shavitz Memorial Award Rotem Shemesh Stuart Karp Mark Kurzman Joshua Mahler Adiv Pachter Jona Rechnitz Marc Schiowitz Mark Slovin Valedictorian, Yeshiva Program/Mazer School of Talmudic Studies Yaacov Rydzinski