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March 14, 2001

Yeshiva U. President to Quit After More than 25 Years (2001)

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President Norman Lamm Announces Retirement (2001)

Editor’s Note: Next summer, YU President Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm will officially retire from his post, but will still be directly involved in the educational process at the world–renowned institution. Below is a biographical sketch of the erudite scholar. Next week, Jewish Press editor Steve K. Walz will unveil a fascinating multi–part interview with Rabbi Dr. Lamm. Dr. Norman Lamm, elected president of Yeshiva University in August 1976, has brought to the office a sensitivity to the University’s strengths and needs gained as a former student and faculty member – and as a parent and distinguished alumnus – whose leadership and scholarship have earned him a position of prominence in the Jewish community. A rabbi, philosopher, teacher, and author, Dr. Lamm’s wide scope of scholarship, and ,interests range from religious philosophy to the areas of human rights׳ and-thqse,?king of solutions to modern problems in the light of Talmudic law. The first American-born president of Yeshiva Universi-ty, Dr. Lamm succeeded Dr. Samuel Belkin (1943-1975) and Dr..Bernard Revel (1915-1940). Yeshiva University, in New York City, is America’s oldest and largest university under Jewish auspices, tracing its origins to 1886. A Tradition Nurtured In America Dr. Norman Lamm has brought to the presidency the vigor of Jewish tradition nurtured on American soil. Born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y., December 19, 1927, the son of Samuel and Pearl Baumol Lamm, he re-ceived his elementary and high school education at Yeshiva and Mesivta Torah Vodaath. To further his Judaic scholarship and expand his own horizons through a liberal arts education, he entered Yeshi-va College, the liberal arts unit of Yeshiva University, in 1945, majoring in chemistry. The Israeli War of Indepen- dence in 1948 was to test his skills learned in the laboratory when, as a student, he was asked to work on a secret muni-tions project for the struggling state. The project was head-ed by Dr. Ernst D. Bergma…
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Article

Rabbi Lamm to Leave YU in 2002 (2001)

One of America’s longest standing presidents of a major University, Dr. Noman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University and of the affiliated rabbinic seminary, the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, will vacate his position in August 2002. Robert M. Beren, Chairman of Yeshiva University’s Board of Trustees, announced the planned transition today and has directed the Board to initiate an international search to identify appropriate candidates to serve as his successor. “Norman Lamm’s name has been anonymous with Yeshiva University for a quarter century,” said Mr. Beren. “He is a distinguished scholar and rabbi who embodies the mission of YU and Torah Umada, the blending of the best of Western knowledge in the sciences and liberal arts with Jewish learning and culture. His leadership has also been felt throughout the Jewish community in the U.S. and the world. He will continue to play a major role in defining the priorities of the University and the Jewish community.”Dr. Lamm, the first American-born president of Yeshiva University, has presided over an extraordinary period of growth and achievement. The University’s endowment has grown from \$25 million to more than \$875 million, thereby significantly strengthening its financial stability. Enrollment, now at 2,749 at the undergraduate schools and more than 3,000 at the graduate level, continues to increase each year. The University is ranked in the top tier among major universities in national surveys such as U.S. News and World Report. YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine is listed 21st in the nation in National Institutes of Health research support rankings and is now the second-highest NIH-funded medical school in New York State. Academic excellence in all disciplines has been enhanced through scholarships, Honors Programs and faculty recruitment.In addition to the complex demands of overseeing a university, Dr. Lamm has sustained his own academic scholarship through the years. An acclaimed author of te…
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Correspondence

Letter about Retirement from YU Presidency (2001)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, I have composed this letter in my mind numerous times, though inevitably my most eloquent phrasing comes either late Friday night or in the middle of class. When I heard of your impending retirement my first thought was to write to you. In the following satisfaction over my brilliant idea I conveniently avoided a few details. As reality sunk in, the difficulty of the task I had set for myself only moments earlier began to dawn upon me. What would I write? How could I say everything that I meant to? The doubts continued to accumulate and a trip to the local Hallmark looked increasingly appealing. But somehow, my thoughts continuously returned to the letter that I had firmly decided not to write. I felt compelled to try, even if the only product I would be able to offer was the silent tribute of discarded papers attesting to my effort. I will strive, as my English teacher often says, “to Strunk it.” Pithy and precise will be my goals, though I may, in my quest to include everything, bore you with mundane details. If this occurs feel free to skip ahead to the more exciting aspects of the letter. It is strange because I am literally the queen of brevity. Circumlocution annoys me and I cannot stand the use of a paragraph when a sentence or a word would suffice. Yet suddenly I find I cannot say enough, so I apologize in advance for any extraneous information I may include. My journey began at the start of my junior year. Inquisitive by nature, I found something lacking in the religious viewpoints that were supported by my school. I was unable to accept their position without first understanding it, though my teachers often refused to tolerate what they viewed as criticism of their belief system. An avid reader, I looked through my father’s library in search of relevant literature. I studied the Rav, Heschel, Wiesel, Buber, and more. I enjoyed some more than others, but there were none that I could wholly accept. Torah U’Madda was different. I can’t real…
Biographical Material