Yeshiva University Survivors for Justice founder criticizes Yeshiva University president's role in Trump inauguration
NEW YORK — Yeshiva University Survivors for Justice (YUSJ) founder Mordechai I. Twersky has strongly criticized Yeshiva University President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman for agreeing to deliver a benediction at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Twersky’s critique, published today in The Times of Israel under the title “A Stage That Isn’t Yours,” raises pointed questions about YU’s values and legacy.
“This stage, this moment, is not one for a rabbi, particularly one whose institution still wrestles with its own moral failures,” Twersky wrote. “YU’s president leads a university embroiled in one of the largest alleged abuse scandals in New York State history — a scandal marked by decades of silence, alleged coverups, and continued apparent resistance to accountability.”
Twersky underscored the historical weight of Yeshiva University’s past, a university that once conferred honorary degrees on figures such as Albert Einstein and Israeli prime ministers, while questioning how a leader of such an institution could align himself with a president whose record, he argued, stands in stark contrast to Jewish moral values.
“Yet this president’s inaugural stage is not theirs, nor is it ours,” Twersky wrote. “It belongs to a man whose history of divisive rhetoric and actions — against women, minorities, the press, and even Jews — stands in stark contrast to the ethical and spiritual ideals YU was founded to uphold.”
Twersky also highlighted what he sees as an ongoing conflict between YU’s public image and its internal struggles:
“The juxtaposition is striking: a university that once championed Jewish moral and intellectual leadership now standing on a stage that symbolizes anything but. That a Jewish university’s rabbi-president, who has presided over the alleged continued coverup of alleged abuse crimes, would appear on this stage is as ironic as it is troubling.”
He reflected on the broader historical implications, drawing a parallel to Jewish leaders who have previously conferred blessings and legitimacy on leaders under the guise of diplomacy, even during darker periods of history. Twersky questioned whether this moment might be another chapter in that story.
Twersky concluded his critique with a sobering call to action for Yeshiva University:
“The Yeshiva University charter, once a beacon of intellectual and spiritual integrity, now feels like a junk bond. The only question that remains is whether YU will recognize this moment as a call to reflection and redirection — or double down on its path toward moral bankruptcy.”
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Contact:
Mordechai Twersky
Yeshiva University Survivors for Justice
914-496-4369
[email protected]
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