Opinion: Have we made a mistake?

In my view

Posted

I am the co-president, along with AJ Berkovitz, of TEIQU (Torah Exploration of Ideas: Questions and Understanding), a Yeshiva University/Stern College student club whose goal is to create opportunities for intellectual on-campus conversation in the realms of Jewish academics, faith and community. In the past, TEIQU has invited speakers such as Rabbi Yehuda Sarna on interfaith dialogue, James Kugel on biblical criticism, and Rabba Sara Hurwitz on women’s leadership within the Orthodox community. TEIQU founded the popular Tanach Yimei Iyun programs at YU, and also sponsored the “Kosher Quandary,” a panel discussion with representatives of the OU, Agudah and Uri L’Tzedek to address the ethical and kashrut issues associated with the Rubashkin affair. The Kosher Quandary program had over 800 attendees and was prominently featured in the New York Times.

Recently, we invited Rabbi Ethan Tucker to speak at the Stern College campus. Rabbi Tucker is a Rosh Yeshiva at Mechon Hadar, an egalitarian yeshiva in midtown Manhattan, which offers a program of advanced Torah studies to a community of progressive-minded students, including many who also attend YU. Anyone who has studied at Mechon Hadar, and in particular, Rabbi Tucker’s classes, knows that the program is unique in the openness of its discussions and its intellectual and thought-provoking approach to Jewish issues. Clearly, the curriculum and approach—and certainly the egalitarian student body—would strike some as more “progressive” than “traditional;” but then again, the notion of a “Yeshiva University” itself remains a “progressive” rather than a “traditional” concept for many in our community. We therefore felt that interested YU students would benefit from the opportunity to experience this new perspective, so together with Alana Himber, the president of Stern’s student council, we invited Rabbi Tucker to speak on campus.

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