Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 12 text:

A ODAY as you are leaving the four walls of Yeshiva, I wish to congratulate you on your past achievements and wish you great success in your future endeavors. Above all, you should remember the underlying principles which guide the destiny of your alma mater. The name Yeshiva College in itself is the greatest symbol of its purpose and philosophy. For the Yeshiva as an institution is not interested purely in mental gymnastics, in metaphysical speculations, in mere theory. The philosophy of Yeshiva has always been that theory must be translated into practice, being into doing, and learning must lead to moral and ethical disciplines based upon the divine and universal law of the Torah. The teach- ing of the Yeshiva is primarily dedicated to the spiritual and moral purposes of our daily lives. A liberal college of arts and sciences in the modern sense of the term is dedicated to the acquisition of human knowledge; to give the opportunity to the human mind to search and research into the myster- ies of the universe, to acquire a better understand- ing of the world in which we have been placed, to achieve a greater appreciation of the lives and destinies of peoples among whom we live. A col- lege of arts and sciences is primarily concerned with Man and his World. The purpose of Yeshiva College, therefore, is to create a unity between the Yeshiva and the College. The Yeshiva endeavors to give moral and spiritual purpose for human knowledge which the student acquires in the college of arts and sciences. I have abiding faith that you will govern your lives by the standards of the Torah, and by your American way of life, and that you will consider your education as a means to a great end — towards consecrated service to G-d and our fellowmen. I congratulate you and wish you well-being and well-doing. Sincerely yours, a-ts JL oii- = — - — SAMUEL BELKIN, President

Page 11 text:

SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE SYNAGOGUE INTERIOR of Congregation Shearilh Israel, founded in 1654. (Courtesy of Congregation Shearith Israel). finally, the rights of citizenship. Their synagogue Shearith Israel, the first on American soil, main- tains to this day the ceremonies and traditions of these Sephardic Jews. Other Jews soon sought out the New World. They settled in New York. Philadelphia, Newport, Boston and in other cities along the coast, so that by 1800 there were 2,500 Jews in the United States. They were mainly engaged in the shipping industry, which brought new wealth to the country. They organized their own communities where they had the right to build synagogues and worship as they pleased. During the nineteenth century, immigration con- tinually increased from Germany and Poland and was later supplemented with immigration from Russia and Roumania. The Jews of Western Europe brought to this country new philanthropic and social institutions, which were to be enriched with the scholarly Talmudic traditions of Eastern European Jewry. Today, five million Jews in America, comprising the world ' s largest Jewish community, are weaving their pattern of Jewish life from the religious, social and educational traditions of their common past together with contemporary American institutions. With the Holy Land as a renewed center of vibrant Jewish life, may American Jewry and Jews the world over turn to Zion for inspiration to expand their spiritual horizons. OLD JERUSALEM as viewed from beyond the walls of the city. (Courtesy of Zionist Archives). THE WESTERN WALL last remains of the Temple of Jerusalem, presently under Arab control. (Courtesy of Zionist Archives).

Page 13 text:

|NCK MORE a class leaves the portals of - Yeshiva College to enter the wider world of business and of the professions. What will the members of the graduating class carry with them into the manifold activities which they now enter? Will their stay at Yeshiva College have been merely a formal transition to the law school, the medical school, the graduate school, and the busi- ness world, or will it have contributed something of deeper value to their future? When they come to take stock, after the passage of years, of the contribution made by Yeshiva College to their in- tellectual and spiritual development, I am certain that they will decide that what this college gave them cannot be assessed in formal and academic terms. They will discover, I am sure, that here were laid foundations for their moral as well as their vocational growth, that in one way or another their lives have been quickened and enriched by their association with Yeshiva College. As the new Acting Dean I look forward with great hope to the fruition of this promise and wish the members of the graduating class the success that they deserve. CA L v SIMEON L. GTJTERMAN, Acting Dean