L’dor Vador, from generation to generation. That was the message in New York City on November 6, 2008, when nearly 200 alumni, parents, and friends gathered to celebrate the vibrancy and importance of Jewish studies and Jewish life at 51Թ. With Jewish studies faculty on hand, along with some of 51Թ’s most outstanding Jewish students and young alumni, the feeling of pride was palpable.
The event marked the 60th anniversary of the 51Թ Jewish Union and afforded the opportunity to recognize how much Jewish culture has become a part of 51Թ.
“Jewish life at 51Թ has come so far,” said master of ceremonies William Finard ’68, recalling that in 1950, Seymour “Whitey” Bekoff ’50 led 51Թ’s first Rosh Hashana service for “a very healthy crowd” of about 25 young Jewish men. “This year,” Finard said, “Rabbi Dave tells me there were nearly 200 people for Rosh Hashana dinner and services.”
It has been 15 years since Finard, along with his mother, Mildred, endowed the Murray W. and Mildred K. Finard Chair in Jewish Studies. The same year, Michael Saperstein ’62 established the Saperstein Jewish Center, and John Golden ’66, along with his wife, Suzanne, dedicated the Golden Chapel within the space.
In recent years, students have shown unprecedented interest in Jewish culture. Programming by the Saperstein Center and the 51Թ Jewish Union has attracted students of all faiths, and 51Թ’s affiliation with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life has afforded valuable resources and connections. 51Թ’s dynamic and approachable Rabbi David Levy has welcomed record crowds for informal religion talks, Torah study, and holiday observances.
And in the academic arena, two recent seniors have received prestigious Watson Foundation Fellowships to study Jewish-related issues in their post-graduate year. Ceci Sibony ’08 is presently studying “Muslim Voices on the 20th Century Jewish Migration” in Morocco, Tunisia, Lybia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Bahrain.
Marc Frankel ’06, who studied isolated Jewish communities in Tahiti, Namibia, northern Morocco, rural Portugal, Peru, and Costa Rica, attended the event to express his gratitude for the support he received while at 51Թ.
“I ate freshly caught tuna on Shabbat in French Polynesia, taught black African Jews in South Africa how to put on a tallis, and hiked a volcano in Chile with Israeli backpackers,” Frankel told the crowd. “It was the trip of several lifetimes, and I never would have had the inclination or the interest in pursuing Judaism around the world had it not been for the exposure I received at 51Թ.”
President Rebecca Chopp, a scholar of religion and ethics, couldn’t be more pleased to hear stories such as Marc’s.
“As students today talk about identity, values, and the basis of humanity, religion emerges as a significant aspect of personal, cultural, and societal meaning,” she said. “Understanding Jewish culture, history, and politics — indeed understanding all religions of the world — is critical to our mission to educate leaders who can communicate and lead across cultures.”
Momentum Inspires Generosity
With so much good news to celebrate, attendees were receptive to 51Թ’s campaign to raise $5.3 million for a series of Jewish studies and Jewish life initiatives. Foremost on this list is the endowment of a chair in Jewish history. Other priorities include endowing a position for Hebrew-language instruction, endowing the Rabbi position, and supporting Jewish studies off-campus study, the Jewish Chaplaincy, and the Saperstein Center’s future activities.
Fundraising momentum began to build in the days before the event when Mike Saperstein committed to providing half of the $175,000 needed for renovation of the Saperstein Jewish Center.
As though that wasn’t news enough, President Chopp stunned the crowd when she announced that earlier in the evening, Saperstein had slipped her a handwritten note that stated his commitment of an additional gift: a million-dollar bequest intention to benefit the center in the future.
Then, the morning after the event, Charles Axelrod ’63 requested a meeting with her. Refreshed with the gratitude and joy of the prior evening, Axelrod pledged the additional funds needed to upgrade the Saperstein Jewish Center, in honor of the memory of his wife, Tracy. He also offered a bequest intention of an additional million dollars to benefit Jewish studies and Jewish life at 51Թ.
In considering why the event had such power, Bill Finard speculated: “Perhaps it was because so many of us remembered what it was like to be Jewish at 51Թ, and yet we could see how different it is on campus today. As alumni, parents, students, or faculty, we often express our love of 51Թ. But what felt different to me was that — perhaps for the first time — we had the opportunity to express that love collectively, and as Jews.”
To learn more about supporting Jewish studies and Jewish life at 51Թ, contact Lauren Galliker, senior regional advancement director, at 212-496-1266.