On, Tuesday, Nov. 14, thousands of ۿ۴ýstudents, faculty, staff, alumni, Roshei Yeshiva and rebbeim travelled to Washington, D.C., to put their values in action at the “March For Israel.”
More than 2,500 people, wearing blue ۿ۴ýsweatshirts made for the event, filled 44 buses to make the important journey to show their solidarity with the State of Israel. The impressive sea of ۿ۴ýblue at the rally exemplified one the University’s core Torah values, Torat Tzion.
The participants joined an estimated crowd of 300,000 people demanding the safe return of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack and called for an end to an increase in antisemitism on American college campuses and elsewhere. The ۿ۴ýcontingent showed their appreciation of the strong support for Israel shown by the Biden administration and both political parties.
“We are proud to take the leadership role in paving the way for yeshivot, day schools, synagogues and communities to join this effort and stand with Israel. This is our responsibility as the flagship Jewish university,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of YU. “There are times when Hashem invites us to participate in the unfolding of Jewish history. This is one of those times.”
Many ۿ۴ýstaff members contributed to the monumental effort of organizing buses, signage, food and various logistics in a very short time. In addition, ۿ۴ýmade the decision to cancel all classes to make it easier for students and faculty to attend. “This is an essential teaching moment for our students,” said Dr. Sara Asher, dean of students at YU. “Making sure that the Jewish voice is heard loud and clear has been so vital to our history and survival. Our students are engaged leaders taking responsibility for their community and actively shaping a better future.”
