A NOTE FROM URI

Dear Friends,

April is always the busiest month, and this year has been no different. Passover began right out of the gate on April 1 (it was no joke!) and you can see highlights from the month below. 

On April 16 we held our annual alumni and community gathering at Central Synagogue in Manhattan. The theme was celebrating Slifka’s 30th Anniversary, and the topic of conversation was “Yale and the Jewish Future.” The main panel featured five Yalies: Abigail Pogrebin ‘87, P ‘21 interviewed Rabbi Mark Baker ‘97, P ‘30, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl ‘94, P ‘23, ‘25, ‘28, Josh Foer ‘04 and Abe Baker-Butler ‘25 about what Jewish community leadership looks like today and into the future. A key takeaway from the panel - that as a community we have an acute need to intentionally cultivate the best and brightest students to be active leaders in the Jewish community as professionals and as volunteers - resonated with me deeply. They also reflected on the criticality of pluralism and being values-driven to preparedness for the Jewish future, and how Slifka elevates and exemplifies these features combined with serious mentorship and leadership experience as it works to produce that next generation of Jewish leaders. You can see the recording of the program here.

Honoring our Founders

I felt moved by the presence and participation of Rabbi Jim Ponet ‘68, P ‘97 - the Founding Rabbi of the Slifka Center and 29-year leader of Yale Hillel - and President Emeritus Peter Salovey ‘86 PhD. We were also joined by Joe Z. Cohen ‘02, son of the late Dr. Donald Cohen ‘66 MD z”l. Together with Alan Slifka ‘51 P ‘01 z”l and his mother Sylvia Slifka P ‘51, GP ‘01 z”l, Rabbi Ponet and Dr. Cohen created the vision, planning, and funding for what we now know of as Slifka Center. President Emeritus Salovey was a steward of the Yale Jewish community for decades in his roles in Yale leadership, and remains a close friend of the Center. Slifka’s current Board President Peter Bensinger, Jr. P ‘17 JD ‘22, P ‘20 asked all past and present Board members along with the Slifka Founders in the room to rise for a standing ovation. We also unveiled our 30th Anniversary Video, which you can see here.

A 30-Year Evolution

It is amazing to contemplate the difference 30 years has made. I wasn’t at Yale 30 years ago, but I have seen the locations of Hillel on High Street and 305 Crown Street (which now houses the Middle Eastern and North African Cultural Center), and I have been in the basement of Bingham Hall. I also had the chance to walk around New Haven a few years ago with Dan Oren ‘79, ‘83 MD, author of the comprehensive “Joining the Club: A History of Jews and Yale”, who shared with us other sites of note relating to Jewish Yale in the pre-Slifka era. 

The advent of Slifka brought the Jewish community out of the basement into the sunlight - from the periphery of Yale into central campus. The legacies of those iconic pioneers who led Jewish life from even before Hillel came to campus in 1941, through the Kosher Kitchen years continue to inspire us. In particular, the impacts left by Rabbi Richard Israel z”l, Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf z”l, Rabbi Herb Friedman ‘38 z”l and Rabbi Ponet are still felt today, and their names are common parlance at Slifka Center. Ronnie '72 JD, P '00, GP '27, '29 and Sam '60, P '00, GP '27, '29 z”l Heyman, Steve Susman '62, P '91, P '91 MPH, GP '26 z”l, Allan Rabinowitz ‘54, P ‘81, GP ‘16, the Cullman, Zucker, Lindenbaum and so many other families and individuals made deep and lasting impacts that made our current building possible. Contemporary additions to this honored list include the Schusterman and Pechter families, along with many others who made the 2020-22 renovation of the building’s lower two levels possible. We look forward to others joining this list in the years ahead.

Past is Prologue

Memory is a critical aspect of Jewish identity, and much of Jewish education is the project of helping students remember events that happened long (sometimes very long) before they were born. We do this because we are commanded to teach them to our children and we know that if we do not know our own history we cannot properly understand our present or navigate the future. We are being reminded of these lessons on a near-daily basis these days, and so the work of reviving, restoring, and creating Jewish memory has never been more important. 

It is true today - as it was 30 years ago - that Yale students go on to have enormous impact on the world after they graduate. The next Jim Ponets, Peter Saloveys, Alan Slifkas, Donald Cohens, and Angela Buchdahls are at Yale right now. We don’t know who they are yet or what they will accomplish, but we know that each one matters infinitely.

Given the world around us, I can only assume that the next 30 years are going to be more difficult for Jews than the last 30, so that means we must be prepared. As I shared at the event in my discussion with journalist Gabby Deutch ‘18, Slifka matters because the Jewish community’s needs have grown, the landscape has become more convoluted than ever, and yes - antisemitism is once again a growing threat.

To make the next 30 years as or more successful than the last 30, a recalibration of the status quo is needed. Jewish life can no longer be taken for granted. What we’ve done in the past will not meet the needs of tomorrow. If Jewish life is going to thrive at Yale for the next 30 years we need everyone to do everything they can to help.

If you’re interested in getting more involved, please contact me. We need you, too!

Happy 30th anniversary - there is much work to do.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Uri Cohen

Executive Director

Passover Highlights

Slifka celebrated Passover with a communal Seder on April 1 and our smaller Seders hosted by Slifka clergy on April 2, and continued with festive activities throughout the week. On April 5, our building was filled with joy and laughter with students participating in the annual Pizza Matzah Extravaganza and Afikomen Hunt. Rabbi Emmanuel hosted a holiday dinner at his home on April 7, and we learned over lunch with Slifka Clergy on April 8. Our festivities concluded on April 9 with Mimouna, highlighting the Moroccan Jewish tradition of concluding the holiday, as well as a BBQ at the home of Rav Alex and his wife Lauren for students and staff. At both of these concluding gatherings, we shared in our collective liberation and celebrated the eating of hametz once again. 

Yom HaShoah Commemoration

It was with tremendous gratitude that we welcomed Holocaust survivor Endre (Andy) Sarkany to the Sylvia Slifka Chapel on April 14 to share his memories and reflections. Andy, who will turn 90 this fall, spoke to a full room, passionately recalling his childhood in the Budapest ghetto surviving the Nazi occupation. Andy also shared his difficult experiences under Soviet rule and his gratitude for the life he found in the United States. 

Following Andy’s talk, Elijah Weisel ’28, a Yale student who introduced himself as the grandson of author and humanitarian Elie Wiesel, reflected on Passover seders with his grandfather that were tinged with painful memories. Offering a prayer, Elijah then joined other students in a short musical performance. 

A Glimpse of Al-Andalus

On April 16, Slifka was transported to the poetic world of Al-Andalus—an era defined by the flourishing of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian cultural and intellectual exchange—through an immersive event curated by undergraduate student Talia '27. The program featured musical performances by two undergraduate vocalists, an undergraduate flutist, and guest oud (a Middle-Eastern fretless stringed instrument) player Ameen Mokdad, alongside poetry recitations that brought the literary spirit of the period to life. Before the performances, Talia created a multi-sensory experience that invited guests to engage more deeply with the setting: bowls of resin and tea leaves to smell, pomegranate juice and baklava to taste, and a vibrant display of fruit and plants to take in.

Urim V'Tumim Reception - Slifka's 30th Anniversary Celebration at Central Synagogue

On April 16, we were joined by more than 200 in person and dozens more online at New York’s Central Synagogue for an evening of reflection and celebration. A panel conversation was facilitated by Abigail Pogrebin ‘87 including Rabbi Marc Baker ‘97, Abe Baker-Butler ‘25, Senior Rabbi Angela Buchdahl ‘94, and Josh Foer ‘04. Their conversation reflected on the role Slifka has held at Yale within and beyond the Jewish community. We also had the opportunity to hear Executive Director Uri Cohen interviewed by Gabby Deutch ‘18 reflect on the present and future of Slifka. You can view the recording of the one-hour program at this link.

Persian and Sephardi Shabbat with Dr. Galeet Dardashti

Bulldog Days

Yom Hazikaron 

Our Yom Hazikaron gathering was an intimate and meaningful ceremony attended by approximately 30 students and staff members. We opened with a moment of silence, followed by a recording of a siren – a sound that on one hand is a sound of eminent attack and on the other hand marks Yom Hazikaron in a very powerful way. Two students shared personal stories, reading pieces they had written about close friends and family members who had fallen and Yulia Borik, our Israel Fellow, shared the story of a close family friend who was killed in Gaza while serving in the reserves. Additional students spoke about Israeli friends who had fallen in combat, as well as their own sense of grief and concern. Many expressed how deeply they feel the weight of this day, even from the United States, and even if they are not Israeli. The gathering created a space for collective remembrance, connection, and support with quiet reflection and candle lighting. The ceremony included traditional Yom Hazikaron prayers, including Yizkor and “Hatikvah,” bringing the ceremony to a meaningful and unifying close.

Yom Ha'atzma'ut

Overlapping with Bulldog Days, this year's Yom Ha'atzma'ut celebrations brought dozens of students together for a late night Israeli celebration complete with traditional food, music, and decorations. The next morning, Yale Friends of Israel set up a coffee bar inspired by Aroma café in Israel including custom chocolate treats. Throughout the day our decorated building felt the festive spirit. Students picked up Israeli snack food bags and held space for one another as they processed the complexities of their feelings and relationship with Israel at this moment in history. Thanks to a partnership between Yale Friends of Israel and the Bulldog Days planning team, our events were featured on the Bulldog Days schedule enabling prospective students to seek out the events to get acquainted with Hillel and the Jewish community on campus.

Rabbi Shai Held in Conversation with Rav Alex

Senior Thesis Share and Toast

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