SINCE 1958 THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF STERN COLLEGE FOR WOMEN, SY SYMS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, AND YESHIVA UNIVERSITY WWW.YUOBSERVER.ORG AUGUST 2019 ELUL 5779 “I AM CURIOUS, AND I AM COMING TO LEARN” Sivan Rahav Meir to Join Yeshiva University for the 2019-2020 Year AUGUST 2019 ELUL 5779 NEWS Meir with husband Yedidya; the couple will be making the move with their five children. (Photo: Jerusalem Post) takes place at Hechal Shlomo in The idea to teach at Yeshi- As her visits increased, BY SARA SCHATZ Jerusalem) every Wednesday at va University came into fruition and her understanding of Jewish Stern College in both Hebrew and after Meir spent a significant life in America expanded, Meir’s On June 19th, renowned tours grew more and more Israeli journalist and recent World English. In addition, Meir intends amount of time in the States to stay at Stern for one or two as a scholar-in-residence after meaningful. Then, Rabbi Doron Mizrachi icon, Sivan Rahav-Meir, Peretz, the president of Mizra- announced on her Facebook page shabbatot on campus, have one- her weekly parsha shiur gained on-one meetings with students, massive popularity. “It was so chi, and Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern, that she will be living in Manhattan Senior Advisor to the Provost of for the year with her husband and and guest lecture in multiple amazing to me because all I do is classes, including Professor Avital discuss the parsha -- what I find Yeshiva University, suggested five children. They will beshlichim that she come to America for (missionaries) for World Mizrachi Chizhik-Goldschmidt’s Features interesting,” she noted. “Sudden- Writing class, GPATS classes, ly, I found myself ten times in an entire year. Though it was a and this largely involves her teach- difficult decision to make, she ing students at Yeshiva University. and Professor Maria Blekher’s the states -- from Washington to The plan is to broadcast her week- Sy Syms class on Israeli Business Baltimore to Los Angeles to New Environments. York.” SEE SIVAN COMES TO ly parsha shiur (which currently YU, PAGE 4 NEWS NEWS SCWSC ENTERS FALL SEMESTER NO LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATIVES WITHOUT ELECTED PRESIDENT AT FIRST RA LGBTQ+ SENSITIVITY BY RACHEL JACOBI TRAINING BY MOLLY MEISELS The Counseling We are entering this Center opted for a semester without an elected complicated events of last semes- Resident Advisor training straight therapist... person filling the role of ter. on the Beren and Wilf campuses SCWSC president. How Elections for the student incorporated historic firsts this rather than an expert did this atypical state of council of 2019-2020 were academic year. Along with the on LGBTQ+ issues. affairs come to pass? usual emotional support and Let us recap the SEE SCWSC ELEC- values training, on Monday, SEE LGBTQ+ TRAIN- TIONS, PAGE 5 ING, PAGE 8 INSIDE YU = The Stern grad advocates Planned Parenthood: WELCOME Democratic Debates? for the deaf commu- Fact v. Fiction. BACK! nity. FROM THE OPINION, FEATURES, SCI-TECH, YU OBSERVER page 10 page 15 page 20 ELUL 5779 ~ AUGUST 2019 EDITORIALS PAGE 2 EDITORIALS EDITORIAL TEAM 2019-2020 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Molly Meisels MANAGING EDITOR Talya Hyman COPY EDITOR Chaiy Bodek NEWS EDITORS Tania Bohbot FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK: Rachel Jacobi Fruma Landa BIGOTRY IS HERESY OPINIONS EDITORS Shayna Herszage TheObserver ’s Religious Mission Phillip Nagler to Eliminate Intolerance Elka Wiesenberg be a religion of hostility, but one FEATURES EDITORS slaves...Instead of just walking BY MOLLY MEISELS of harmony. Yet our community Ellie Parker the streets and being stupid seems to have abandoned this. Hadassah Penn and violent and harming each Mikki Treitel hat is done cannot be It’s as if we have joined the side “W other, once they’re slaves, their of the oppressor, just to see what undone…” lives can begin to take shape.” After three years of over- it’s like. For once, we are not SCI-TECH EDITOR A respected rabbinical figure in Sarah Brill hearing snippets of bigoted con- the focus of American persecu- another yeshiva told a student tion. Therefore, many of us have versations at Yeshiva University, -- “You are going to hell, you often featuring statements like popped open bottles of cham- LAYOUT EDITOR shvartze [Yiddish slur for a Sara Schatz “he’s a f*g” or “Muslims are pagne, spritzing our comfort on person of color].” These occur- the graves of our ancestors -- terrorists,” I have become dis- rences are not isolated incidents, tanced from my idealism. forgetting what it feels like to be SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER and are growing in number. Yet hated, and, in turn, celebrating Shifra Lindenberg Although difficult to Judaism and bigotry do not, and grapple with, I know that hate while others suffer. must not, go together. These This cannot remain the has found a home in the Ortho- rabbis are not promoting Jewish dox world. Rabbis, teachers, po- status quo. We, as Jews, have values with their rhetoric, they Founded by the women of litical figures, and writers have an obligation to combat intoler- are disgracing them. Anyone, no Yeshiva University’s Stern all jumped on the bandwagon ance and hatred, especially Jews matter their stature, who clings College in 1958, The Observer of bigotry, while flaunting the in the journalistic community. to prejudice while claiming that is the independent newspaper Torah as their shield. This has Writing has the power to change Torah values are in their court, of Stern College for Women, given many YU students the realities. It has shaped religion, chooses to do so. Judaism does Sy Syms School of Business, unspoken permission to hide gender, and family structures, not live or die under a banner of especially Jewish ones. We are and Yeshiva University. behind holy text, allowing God bigotry. and our ancestors to take the fall the People of the Book, and writ- The Observer is an independent for their personal prejudice. ing has been fundamental to the Anyone, no matter student publication, self-funded Recently, a YU student progress of our practice. and published on a proudly stated to me that sup- their stature, who Just as Jewish com- monthly basis throughout porting gay rights is apikorut clings to prejudice munities have used writing to the academic year. Views (heresy) because “caring [for]... progress societies, they have also while claiming that expressed in The Observer people that go against halacha used writing to regress them. Torah values are in are those of the writers and is heretical.” I do not blame this This has been made clear by the do not necessarily reflect student for his intolerant views their court, chooses Jewish Press, a lauded Orthodox those of the editorial board because I understand that this to do so. publication, run by an editor in or the student body, faculty, issue is bigger than him. He is chief who tweets, “How about and administration of Yeshiva merely the product of a zealous this exchange? Whites give Hillel, one of the most University. All Observer Orthodox establishment that blacks money, and blacks public- revered rabbis in our tradition, content is copyrighted and finds no issue with “corrobo- ly thank whites for giving them understood this. When he said, may not be reprinted without rating” its hatred with Torah Christianity to replace the prim- “What is hateful to you, do itive African religions they were permission. sources. The zealotry begins not do to your fellow: this is with those at the top -- rabbis practicing when they got here.” the whole Torah; the rest is the Please visit us at www.yuobserver. who directly influence Ortho- His Twitter is bursting with rac- explanation; go and learn,” he org. dox young adults. For instance, ist and homophobic analyses. He was not excluding the LGBTQ+ even claims that white national- earlier this year, an Israeli rab- community or people of color. binical figure at Bnei David, a Hillel, along with generations of yeshiva in the West Bank, said, leading rabbinical scholars, un- SEE BIGOTRY IS “The gentiles will want to be our derstood that Judaism was not to HERESY, PAGE 3 PAGE 3 EDITORIALS ELUL 5779 ~ AUGUST 2019 EDITORIALS reality is not contemplated by to distance ourselves from big- the editorial board of the Jewish otry, and we know that a new BIGOTRY IS HERESY Press generation of journalism can No matter if you are FROM PAGE 2 . The article uses the Torah to support and reinforce intol- accomplish that. The Observ- ultra-Orthodox or an erant claims, feeding the flames er will embrace the religious ism and supremacism do not exist, traditions of our ancestors by atheist; straight or and are merely figments of the of pain which rest in the hearts of Jewish LGBTQ+ individuals. writing as an expression of our gay; cisgender or progressive imagination. values -- values of tolerance, His intolerance does not This is the blueprint of bigotry transgender; white that many Orthodox Jews have advocacy, and acceptance. or a person of color, end with personal tweets. The Instead of using the Torah as Jewish Press chosen to follow. recently published a shield, we will use the Torah you have a home in an article titled, “The Pride Pa- But change is imminent. As the future of the Orthodox to shield the vulnerable. No the Observer. We will rade - What Are They Proud Of?” matter if you are ultra-Orthodox This piece relentlessly bashes the world, we – the young women write for you and we and men of Yeshiva University or an atheist; straight or gay; will fight for you. LGBTQ+ community, without cisgender or transgender; white even recognizing that many of the – have a responsibility to trans- form the Jewish community.