Akiva Clair

In an effort to raise funds for needy students, Student Organization of Yeshiva (SOY) coordinated a tzedakah drive, dubbed “A Day of Giving,” on Dec. 5. Coinciding with the third day of Chanukah, the ongoing initiative has raised more than $1,000 to date, according to organizers. Mashgichim approached SOY President Moshe Spirn with the idea of taking up a collection for students in need of financial assistance.

Recently, a friend shared with me an op-ed from The New York Times entitled “The Hypocrisy of Hanukkah,” written by a self-proclaimed assimilated Jew.

Nine days before President Ari Berman assumed office in July 2017, Yeshiva University purchased a two-story house in Teaneck, New Jersey for $1.8 million to function as the President’s home. New Jersey property records indicate that YU paid for the property upfront, without mortgaging the 9,226 square foot lot and its 4,784 square foot house.