YU Commentator

Yeshiva University will open its new College of Dental Medicine (YUCDM) in July, launching the first dental school to open in New York City in 110 years. The three-year program, announced in 2024, will open with 150 students in its inaugural class and will award students with a Doctor of Dental Surgery, or D.D.S., degree. The school will be based at YU’s new Katz School of Science and Health’s campus in Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan.

At Yeshiva University, the dual curriculum is a point of pride, but navigating the demanding schedules of limudei kodesh and secular studies presents a constant struggle. Students strive to excel in their secular studies while remaining steadfast in their religious commitments, often finding themselves stretched thin between two worlds. The Commentator hit the bustling Wilf and Beren Campuses to learn how students confront this challenge.

Editor’s Note: Before live reporting and social media, the American Jewish community relied heavily upon firsthand accounts to hear about the state of Jewry in Israel and Europe. In this issue of The Commentator, published just a year after the establishment of the State of Israel, Leon S. Levy records his findings from a fourteen-month period spent in Israel.

The 98th Academy Awards, which aired on March 15, were expected to be a continuous back-and-forth battle between theatrical heavy-hitters “Sinners” (2025) and “One Battle After Another” (2025). While many awards were understandably taken by those two films, this season’s headlining winners were still more varied than expected, as films like “Weapons” (2025) and “Frankenstein” (2025) garnered awards as well.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by investment terminology like “stocks,” “bonds,” “index funds,” and more when talking about investing. These terms are commonplace in the news and discussions about the market. What’s often missing from these discussions is a simple explanation for the non-finance major. In this column, I plan to break down some of the fundamentals of investing to help prepare you to navigate discussions about investing and your future financial decisions.

Entering the fourth week of war between the United States and Iran, the economic consequences are no longer a hypothetical. They are showing up in supermarkets, on highways and across financial markets nationwide. The most immediate and apparent impact so far has been gasoline. As of Saturday, the national average price for gas has risen to $3.93 per gallon, up from just $2.98 on Feb. 26, just two days before the U.S. and Israel launched their initial strikes on Iran.

On Tuesday night, March 17, Stern College for Women hosted a panel about what real influence is with Dean of Torah Studies Shoshana Shechter and Tzipora Grodko, psychotherapist and host of Stories of Hope Podcast. The panel was moderated by Erica Brown, vice provost for values and leadership. Topics of the conversation included having self-esteem, authenticity and living a meaningful life.

Anti-Zionist organizations and activists often amplify Jewish voices on their side to give the appearance that they cannot be antisemitic. Token anti-Zionist Jews are often used to sideline Zionist Jews’ concerns about the rise of antisemitism related to anti-Zionism. We often see “not in our name” or similar slogans displayed front and center in anti-Zionist rallies and on social media.

It’s 7:00 a.m. and I peek through the shades of my dorm window. Snow is coming down fast, covering the streets and sidewalks in white. Aside from the occasional plow, the street is empty. I pick up my phone and check my email. The subject line reads, “Classes will be held on Zoom today.” In that moment, my mind goes back in time to a past snow day when I would refresh the school website waiting for “School Closed” to appear. Memories of sledding and snowball fights come rushing back.

Ever since I was young, I have heard about the importance of being a leader. My peers and I were always encouraged to take on leadership roles and “step up to the plate” as much as possible. In fact, we were taught that we should strive to be leaders in our adult lives. Leadership was idealized. However, not everyone is a leader. Some people are naturally followers and prefer to let others take charge.