Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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COMET, THEODORE — Cleveland, Ohio COOPERSMITH, STANLEY - Bronx, N. Y. GARFIEL, MORTON GELLER, MICHELL - GOLDBERG, MORRIS — Toronto, Canada GOODMAN, MORRIS - Brooklyn, N. Y. - Cedarhurst, Long Island KAHN, ARTHUR — Lowell, Mass. Houston, Texas KAHN, MYRON — Brooklyn, N. Y. GREEN FRESHMEN Everything turned Green in my artist ' s eye. It was the green of young grass and tender leaves feeling for the first time the warmth of the sun. It was the green of growing saplings and slender shoots. For we too felt for the first time the glowing warmth of learning and the uplifting power of knowledge. We too felt the exhiliration of youth and days without cares. I dipped my brush into the bright green oil and carefully painted — The administration gladly accepted the green we offered them, our teachers made us feel how green we were, after our first meal at Brenners we all turned green, and after the first day of con- finement in college, the happy grass by the hiarlem seemed so green and soft . . . what gay blades. In Yeshiva College at last. How different from high school; how different from college. Where else could you find classrooms with such perfect lighting — just light enough to keep the professor awake, but dark enough for the students to slumber. Where else could we have such ventilation — in the summer five students hang from the rafters and blow on the class. In the winter for hot air the professors volunteer their services. Where else can mice attend classes without paying tuition? In fact, one litter has been here so long it has produced three rabbis and two teachers. Where else do the bells ring late, so that the professor exhausts his knowledge in his lecture and has to talk another 30 minutes. This way the periods are sometimes stretched to 45 minutes. Elections were held in the beginning of the year and since no one knew anything else. Comet was elected president and CarmI worked as vice-president. In MIshle class we romped thru the prov- erbs v ith childish glee. Mar Sar translated the words and Singer gave us the meaning. We were all

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CANVAS What a mcignificent building! Such perfectly chiselled stone, such cleverly grafted pillars. Rising from a blasted hole in the ground it towers above the surrounding buildings by 4 minarets and o gold dome, from which the gold was removed to satisfy the stipendous appetites of the suffering Yeshlva men (zol ' n zoi Brennerin). hfousing five institutions, one president, 4 deans: Dean of Men, Dean of T. I., Dean of Y. C, and Dean Toroh, 3 registrars (two fellas and one Phyllis), and one over-bearing dorm-master, this expansive edifice stretches all the way from 186th to 187th Street. It is 3861 cub ' . jnJ I span long (or 38 Palestinian Tsitsis laid fringe to fringe), 1758 spies and 2 span-, wlric- f ' .r • .. times as far as Bulman can see without his glasses) and 2247 cubits and 2 spans hig ' Sy K. on his wedding night). fiio polished doors invited me to enter which, ah me, I did. Marble floors and quaintly peeling ■ Ho passed in review as I walked through the hall toward I knew not what. I opened a door and iii.ildly stepped in. A real Beth-Medrash in a college building — the sweetness of this anachronism started the tears rolling down my cheek (good idea I thought, if I can keep them rolling I may get a bigger scholarship). Not finding the directory, I asked the nearest masmid where the office of reg- istration was. The masmid unwillingly tore himself from his tome and engaged me in a conversation. After being certain that I wished to attend the Yeshiva department rather than become a teacher in Israel, he consented to tell me. I found the office of registration in a corner of the fourth floor. It was only 6:13 A.M., so I was first in line. At 6:14 I went for a drink of water. I returned at 6:15 just as the office opened, only to find 80 freshmen and 2 mice standing in a straight line two abreast with numbers in their hands, smiles on their faces and tephilin stripes on their bare left arms. In this early hour an air of efficiency pervaded the entire proceedings, foretelling great things to come. A

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50 young and hoppy ovon jor laughed wilh the closi. He couldn ' t bo ' Jem and commanding bofore such a group of youths who in the magic of green rebirth conquered every problem with a smile. But Sholem soon began to translate the words too, and Sar began to lose his hair. The dean of men becamo so upset he was advised to take a leave of absence and he finally sailed for France. Ai our senior-frosh smoker cigarettes were still available, so the seniors bought enough to give each freshman a puff. While waiting nervously for the cigarette to reach my end of the fable, I whiled away the time by imbibing in an overdose of the common man ' s language — this is real English! (Anglo-S.ixon) said the seniors. The smoker was tha only successful attempt yet made at synthesis in our institution . . . Such jokes . . . and in Yiddish. Half of us learned English comp. with the grand old mon of Y. C, Prof. Klein. He was frightened by Myron Kahn ' s grand eloquence at the very beginning of the year and has retained a healthy respect for him until this very day. Myron wrote a doctor ' s thesis in one class period. Not bad. Carmi Charney was once expelled from class but he met Balaban and borrowed his great coat, pulled his hat over his eyes, entered the class and sat down in the back. Klein was told that the stranger plumped on the chair looking for all the world like Atlas when he was a student, was a learned visitor, ' hereupon Balaban ' s coat received more attention from the good Dr. Klein than the rest of the class combined . . . which, of course, Balaban ' s coat dsserved since it was more attentive. It took us little time to learn that if we wrote poorly enough we would have to read our compositions and in so doing we could read quickly skipping commas, etc. and i ' we moved the prof, strongly enough by our acting we received A ' s. Oh, tomatoes? In Jewish History we found out with Dr. Hoenig ' s assistance that the secret of Jewish survival during periods of stress like examinations — is cooperation. And, tho none of us had yet taken Philo I or II, we instinctively went to the source rather than rely on our memories. f LITI?