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Remarks at the University of California San Diego Commencement Ceremony in La Jolla,
California,
June 14, 1997
Thank you very much. Thank you. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the first thing I would like to say is
that Coleen spoke so well, and she said everything I meant to say-[laughter]-that I could do us
all a great favor by simply associating myself with her remarks and sitting down.
I would also like to thank Dr. Anagnostopoulos for reminding us of the infamous capacity of
faculty members to be contrary with one another. [Laughter] Until he said it, I hadn't realized that
probably 90 percent of the Congress once were on university faculties. [Laughter]
Let me say to Chancellor Dynes and President Atkinson, to the distinguished regents and faculty
members, to the students and their families and friends who are here today, I'm honored to be
joined by a number of people who reflect the kind of America that Coleen Sabatini called for:
Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Dan Akaka from Hawaii; your Congressman, Bob Filner;
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Congresswoman
Patsy Mink; Congressman Jim Clyburn; Congressman John Lewis, a great hero of the civil rights
movement; Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald; Congressman Carlos Romero-Barcelo
from Puerto Rico; your Lieutenant Governor, Gray Davis; the Secretary of Transportation, Rodney
Slater; of Labor, Alexis Herman; of Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown; of Education, Dick Riley; our
distinguished Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson; our distinguished Administrator
of the Small Business Administration, Aida Alvarez, the first American of Puerto Rican descent
ever to be in a Presidential Cabinet. I would like to ask them all to stand, along with the members
of the White House staff who are here, including Thurgood Marshall, Jr., whose father has a college
named for him at this great university. Would you please stand?
And I can't help but noting that there's another person here that deserves some special
recognition-University of California at San Diego class of 1977-a Filipino-American woman
who became the youngest captain of the Navy and my personal physician, Dr. Connie Mariano.
Where is she?
I want to thank you for offering our Nation a shining example of excellence rooted in the many
backgrounds that make up this great land. You have blazed new paths in science and technology,
explored the new horizons of the Pacific Rim and Latin America. This is a great university for the
21st century.
Today we celebrate your achievements at a truly golden moment for America. The cold war is over
and freedom has now ascended around the globe, with more than half of the [p.877] people in this
old world living under governments of their own choosing for the very first time. Our economy is
the healthiest in a generation and the strongest in the world. Our culture, our science, our
technology promise unimagined advances and exciting new careers. Our social problems, from
crime to poverty, are finally bending to our efforts.
Of course, there are still challenges for you out there. Beyond our borders, we must battle terrorism,
organized crime and drug trafficking, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the prospect of
new diseases and environmental disaster. Here at home, we must ensure that every child has the
chance you have had to develop your God-given capacities. We cannot wait for them to get in
trouble to notice them. We must continue to fight the scourge of gangs and crime and drugs. We
must prepare for the retirement of the baby boom generation so that we can reduce that child
poverty rate that Coleen talked about. We must harness the forces of science and technology for the
public good, the entire American public.
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But I believe the greatest challenge we face, among all those that Coleen talked about, is also our
greatest opportunity. Of all the questions of discrimination and prejudice that still exist in our
society, the most perplexing one is the oldest, and in some ways today, the newest: the problem of
race. Can we fulfill the promise of America by embracing all our citizens of all races, not just at a
university where people have the benefit of enlightened teachers and the time to think and grow and
get to know each other within the daily life of every American community? In short, can we
become one America in the 21st century?
I know, and I've said before, that money cannot buy this goal, power cannot compel it, technology
cannot create it. This is something that can come only from the human spirit-the spirit we saw
when the choir of many races sang as a gospel choir.
Today, the State of Hawaii, which has a Senator and a Congresswoman present here, has no
majority racial or ethnic group. It is a wonderful place of exuberance and friendship and patriotism.
Within the next 3 years, here in California no single race or ethnic group will make up a majority of
the State's population. Already, 5 of our largest school districts draw students from over 100
different racial and ethnic groups. At this campus, 12 Nobel Prize winners have taught or studied
from 9 different countries. A half-century from now, when your own grandchildren are in college,
there will be no majority race in America.
Now, we know what we will look like, but what will we be like? Can we be one America
respecting, even celebrating, our differences, but embracing even more what we have in common?
Can we define what it means to be an American, not just in terms of the hyphen showing our ethnic
origins but in terms of our primary allegiance to the values America stands for and values we really
live by? Our hearts long to answer yes, but our history reminds us that it will be hard. The ideals
that bind us together are as old as our Nation, but so are the forces that pull us apart. Our Founders
sought to form a more perfect Union. The humility and hope of that phrase is the story of America,
and it is our mission today.
Consider this: We were born with a Declaration of Independence which asserted that we were all
created equal and a Constitution that enshrined slavery. We fought a bloody Civil War to abolish
slavery and preserve the Union, but we remained a house divided and unequal by law for another
century. We advanced across the continent in the name of freedom, yet in so doing we pushed
Native Americans off their land, often crushing their culture and
their livelihood. Our Statue of Liberty welcomes poor, tired, huddled masses of immigrants to our
borders, but each new wave has felt the sting of discrimination. In World War II,
Japanese-Americans fought valiantly for freedom in Europe, taking great casualties, while at home
their families were herded into internment camps. The famed Tuskegee Airmen lost none of the
bombers they guarded during the war, but their African-American heritage cost them a lot of rights
when they came back home in peace.
Though minorities have more opportunities than ever today, we still see evidence of bigotry, from
the desecration of houses of worship, whether they be churches, synagogues, or mosques, to
demeaning talk in [p.878] corporate suites. There is still much work to be done by you, members of
the class of 1997. But those who say we cannot transform the problem of prejudice into the promise
of unity forget how far we have come, and I cannot believe they have ever seen a crowd like you.
When I look at you, it is almost impossible for me even to remember my own life. I grew up in the
high drama of the cold war, in the patriotic South. Black and white southerners alike wore our
Nation's uniform in defense of freedom against communism. They fought and died together, from
Korea to Vietnam. But back home, I went to segregated schools, swam in segregated public pools,
sat in all-white sections at the movies, and traveled through small towns in my State that still
marked restrooms and water fountains "white" and "colored."
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By the grace of God, I had a grandfather with just a grade school education but the heart of a true
American, who taught me that it was wrong. And by the grace of God, there were brave
African-Americans like Congressman John Lewis, who risked their lives time and time again to
make it right. And there were white Americans like Congressman Bob Filner, a freedom rider on
the bus with John Lewis, in the long, noble struggle for civil rights, who knew that it was a struggle
to free white people, too.
To be sure, there is old, unfinished business between black and white Americans, but the classic
American dilemma has now become many dilemmas of race and ethnicity. We see it in the tension
between black and Hispanic customers and their Korean or Arab grocers; in a resurgent
anti-Semitism even on some college campuses; in a hostility toward new immigrants from Asia to
the Middle East to the former communist countries to Latin America and the Caribbean-even
those whose hard work and strong families have brought them success in the American way.
We see a disturbing tendency to wrongly attribute to entire groups, including the white majority,
the objectionable conduct of a few members. If a black American commits a crime, condemn the
act. But remember that most African-Americans are hard-working, law-abiding citizens. If a Latino
gang member deals drugs, condemn the act. But remember the vast majority of Hispanics are
responsible citizens who also deplore the scourge of drugs in our life. If white teenagers beat a
young African-American boy almost to death just because of his race, for God's sake condemn the
act. But remember the overwhelming majority of white people will find it just as hateful. If an
Asian merchant discriminates against her customers of another minority group, call her on it. But
remember, too, that many, many Asians have borne the burden of prejudice and do not want anyone
else to feel it.
Remember too, in spite of the persistence of prejudice, we are more integrated than ever. More of
us share neighborhoods and work and school and social activities, religious life, even love and
marriage across racial lines than ever before. More of us enjoy each other's company and distinctive
cultures than ever before. And more
than ever, we understand the benefits of our racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity in a global
society, where networks of commerce and communications draw us closer and bring rich rewards
to those who truly understand life beyond their nation's borders.
With just a twentieth of the world's population, but a fifth of the world's income, we in America
simply have to sell to the other 95 percent of the world's consumers just to maintain our standard of
living. Because we are drawn from every culture on Earth, we are uniquely positioned to do it.
Beyond commerce, the diverse backgrounds and talents of our citizens can help America to light
the globe, showing nations deeply divided by race, religion, and tribe that there is a better way.
Finally, as you have shown us today, our diversity will enrich our lives in nonmaterial ways,
deepening our understanding of human nature and human differences, making our communities
more exciting, more enjoyable, more meaningful. That is why I have come here today to ask the
American people to join me in a great national effort to perfect the promise of America for this new
time as we seek to build our more perfect Union.
Now, when there is more cause for hope than fear, when we are not driven to it by some emergency
or social cataclysm, now is [p.879] the time we should learn together, talk together, and act together
to build one America.
Let me say that I know that for many white Americans, this conversation may seem to exclude
them or threaten them. That must not be so. I believe white Americans have just as much to gain as
anybody else from being a part of this endeavor-much to gain from an America where we finally
take responsibility for all our children so that they, at last, can be judged as Martin Luther King
hoped, not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
What is it that we must do? For 4½ years now, I have worked to prepare America for the 21st
century with a strategy of opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and an American community
of all our citizens. To succeed in each of these areas, we must deal with the realities and the
perceptions affecting all racial groups in America.
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First, we must continue to expand opportunity. Full participation in our strong and growing
economy is the best antidote to envy, despair, and racism. We must press forward to move millions
more from poverty and welfare to work, to bring the spark of enterprise to inner cities, to redouble
our efforts to reach those rural communities prosperity has passed by. And most important of all,
we simply must give our young people the finest education in the world.
There are no children who-because of their ethnic or racial background-who cannot meet the
highest academic standards if we set them and measure our students against them, if we give them
well-trained teachers and well-equipped classrooms, and if we continue to support reasoned
reforms to achieve excellence, like the charter school movement. At a time when college education
means stability, a good job, a passport to the middle class, we must open the doors of college to all
Americans, and we must make at least 2 years of college as universal at the dawn of the next
century as a high school diploma is today.
In our efforts to extend economic and educational opportunity to all our citizens, we must consider
the role of affirmative action. I know affirmative action has not been perfect in America-that's
why 2 years ago we began an effort to fix the
things that are wrong with it-but when used in the right way, it has worked. It has given us a
whole generation of professionals in fields that used to be exclusive clubs, where people like me
got the benefit of 100 percent affirmative action. There are now more women-owned businesses
than ever before. There are more African-American, Latino, and Asian-American lawyers and
judges, scientists and engineers, accountants and executives than ever before.
But the best example of successful affirmative action is our military. Our Armed Forces are diverse
from top to bottom, perhaps the most integrated institution in our society and certainly the most
integrated military in the world. And more important, no one questions that they are the best in the
world. So much for the argument that excellence and diversity do not go hand in hand.
There are those who argue that scores on standardized tests should be the sole measure of
qualification for admissions to colleges and universities. But many would not apply the same
standard to the children of alumni or those with athletic ability. I believe a student body that reflects
the excellence and the diversity of the people we will live and work with has independent
educational value. Look around this crowd today. Don't you think you have learned a lot more than
you would have if everybody sitting around you looked just like you? I think you have. [Applause]
And beyond the educational value to you, it has a public interest, because you will learn to live and
work in the world you will live in better. When young people sit side by side with people of many
different backgrounds, they do learn something that they can take out into the world. And they will
be more effective citizens.
Many affirmative action students excel. They work hard, they achieve, they go out and serve the
communities that need them for their expertise and role model. If you close the door on them, we
will weaken our greatest universities and it will be more difficult to build the society we need in the
21st century.
Let me say, I know that the people of California voted to repeal affirmative action with [p.880] out
any ill motive. The vast majority of them simply did it with a conviction that discrimination and
isolation are no longer barriers to achievement. But consider the results. Minority enrollments in
law school and other graduate programs are plummeting for the first time in decades. Soon, the
same will likely happen in undergraduate education. We must not resegregate higher education or
leave it to the private universities to do the public's work. At the very time when we need to do a
better job of living and learning together, we should not stop trying to equalize economic
opportunity.
To those who oppose affirmative action, I ask you to come up with an alternative. I would embrace
it if I could find a better way. And to those of us who still support it, I say we should continue to
stand for it, we should reach out to those who disagree or are uncertain and talk about the practical
impact of these issues, and we should never be unwilling to work with those who disagree with us
to find new ways to lift people up and bring people together.
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Beyond opportunity, we must demand responsibility from every American. Our strength as a
society depends upon both-upon people taking responsibility for themselves and their families,
teaching their children good values, working hard and obeying the
law, and giving back to those around us. The new economy offers fewer guarantees, more risk, and
more rewards. It calls upon all of us to take even greater responsibility for our own education than
ever before.
In the current economic boom, only one racial or ethnic group in America has actually experienced
a decline in the income: Hispanic-Americans. One big reason is that Hispanic high school dropout
rates are well above-indeed, far above-those of whites and blacks. Some of the dropouts actually
reflect a strong commitment to work. We admire the legendary willingness to take the hard job at
long hours for low pay. In the old economy, that was a responsible thing to do. But in the new
economy, where education is the key, responsibility means staying in school.
No responsibility is more fundamental than obeying the law. It is not racist to insist that every
American do so. The fight against crime and drugs is a fight for the freedom of all our people,
including those-perhaps especially those-minorities living in our poorest neighborhoods. But
respect for the law must run both ways. The shocking difference in perceptions of the fairness of
our criminal justice system grows out of the real experiences that too many minorities have had
with law enforcement officers. Part of the answer is to have all our citizens respect the law, but the
basic rule must be that the law must respect all our citizens.
And that applies, too, to the enforcement of our civil rights laws. For example, the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission has a huge backlog of cases with discrimination claims,
though we have reduced it by 25 percent over the last 4 years. We can do not much better without
more resources. It is imperative that Congress-especially those Members who say they're for civil
rights but against affirmative action-at least give us the money necessary to enforce the law of the
land and do it soon.
Our third imperative is perhaps the most difficult of all. We must build one American community
based on respect for one another and our shared values. We must begin with a candid conversation
on the state of race relations today and the implications of Americans of so many different races
living and working together as we approach a new century. We must be honest with each other. We
have talked at each other and about each other for a long time. It's high time we all began talking
with each other.
Over the coming year, I want to lead the American people in a great and unprecedented
conversation about race. In community efforts from Lima, Ohio, to Billings, Montana, in
remarkable experiments in cross-racial communications like the uniquely named ERACISM, I have
seen what Americans can do if they let down their guards and reach out their hands.
I have asked one of America's greatest scholars, Dr. John Hope Franklin, to chair an advisory panel
of seven distinguished Americans to help me in this endeavor. He will be joined by former
Governors Thomas Kean of New Jersey and William Winter of Mississippi, both great champions
of civil rights; by Linda Chavez-Thompson, the ex [p.881] ecutive vice president of the AFL-CIO; by
Reverend Suzan Johnson Cook, a minister from the Bronx and former White House fellow; by
Angela Oh, an attorney and Los Angeles community leader; and Robert Thompson, the CEO of
Nissan U.S.A.-distinguished leaders, leaders in their community.
I want this panel to help educate Americans about the facts surrounding issues of race, to promote a
dialog in every community of the land to confront and work through these issues, to recruit and
encourage leadership at all levels to help breach racial divides, and to find, develop, and
recommend how to implement concrete
solutions to our problems-solutions that will involve all of us in Government, business,
communities, and as individual citizens.
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I will make periodic reports to the American people about our findings and what actions we all
have to take to move America forward. This board will seek out and listen to Americans from all
races and all walks of life. They are performing a great citizen service, but in the cause of building
one America, all citizens must serve. As I said at the Presidents' Summit on Service in Philadelphia,
in our new era such acts of service are basic acts of citizenship. Government must play its role, but
much of the work must be done by the American people as citizen service. The very effort will
strengthen us and bring us closer together. In short, I want America to capture the feel and the spirit
that you have given to all of us today.
I'd like to ask the board to stand and be recognized. I want you to look at them, and I want you to
feel free to talk to them over the next year or so. Dr. Franklin and members of the board.
[Applause]
Honest dialog will not be easy at first. We'll all have to get past defensiveness and fear and political
correctness and other barriers to honesty. Emotions may be rubbed raw, but we must begin.
What do 1 really hope we will achieve as a country? If we do nothing more than talk, it will be
interesting, but it won't be enough. If we do nothing more than propose disconnected acts of policy,
it will be helpful, but it won't be enough. But if 10 years from now people can look back and see
that this year of honest dialog and concerted action helped to lift the heavy burden of race from our
children's future, we will have given a precious gift to America.
I ask you all to remember just for a moment, as we have come through the difficult trial on the
Oklahoma City bombing, remember that terrible day when we saw and wept for Americans and
forgot for a moment that there were a lot of them from different races than we are. Remember the
many faces and races of the Americans who did not sleep and put their lives at risk to engage in the
rescue, the helping, and the healing. Remember how you have seen things like that in the natural
disasters here in California. That is the face of the real America. That is the face I have seen over
and over again. That is the America, somehow, some way, we have to make real in daily American
life.
Members of the graduating class, you will have a greater opportunity to live your dreams than any
generation in our history, if we can make of our many different strands one America, a nation at
peace with itself, bound together by shared values and aspirations and opportunities and real respect
for our differences.
I am a Scotch-Irish Southern Baptist, and I'm proud of it. But my life has been immeasurably
enriched by the power of the Torah, the beauty of the Koran, the piercing wisdom of the religions
of East and South Asia-all embraced by my fellow Americans. I have felt indescribable joy and
peace in black and Pentecostal churches. I have come to love the intensity and selflessness of my
Hispanic fellow Americans toward la familia. As a southerner, I grew up on country music and
country fairs, and I still like them. [Laughter.] But I have also reveled in the festivals and the food,
the music and the art and the culture of Native Americans and Americans from every region in the
world.
In each land I have visited as your President, I have felt more at home because some of their people
have found a home in America. For two centuries, wave upon wave of immigrants have come to
our shores to build a new life drawn by the promise of freedom and a fair chance. Whatever else
they found, even bigotry and violence, most of them never gave up on America. Even African-
[p.882] Americans, the first of whom we brought here in chains, never gave up on America.
It is up to you to prove that their abiding faith was well-placed. Living in islands of
isolation-some splendid and some sordid-is not the American way. Basing our self-esteem on
the ability to look down on others is not the American way. Being satisfied if we have what we
want and heedless of others who don't even have what they need and deserve is not the American
way. We have torn down the barriers in our laws. Now we must break down the barriers in our
lives, our minds, and our hearts.
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More than 30 years ago, at the high tide of the civil rights movement, the Kerner Commission said
we were becoming two Americas: one white, one black, separate and unequal. Today, we face a
different choice: Will we become not two but many Americas, separate, unequal, and isolated? Or
will we draw strength from all our people and our ancient faith in the quality of human dignity to
become the world's first truly multiracial democracy? That is the unfinished work of our time, to
lift the burden of race and redeem the promise of America.
Class of 1997, I grew up in the shadows of a divided America, but I have seen glimpses of one
America. You have shown me one today. That is the America you must make. It begins with your
dreams, so dream large; live your dreams; challenge your parents; and teach your children well.
God bless you, and good luck.
Note: The President spoke at 10:47 a.m. at Rimac Field. In his remarks, he referred to Coleen
Sabatini, associated student body president; Georgios H. Anagnostopoulos, chair, academic senate,
Robert C. Dynes, chancellor, and Richard C. Atkinson, president, University of California San
Diego.
Source: United States. Executive Office of the President, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Week Ending Friday, June
20, 1997 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1997), 33:876-882
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PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
VIDEOTAPED REMARKS TO ANNUAL DINNER OF
THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF YOUNG ISRAEL
MARCH 10, 2000 (to be played in New York March 12)
I am pleased to address the annual dinner of the National Council of Young Israel [and to thank
you for honoring me with your "Man of the Year" award.]
Since 1912, [domestic]
Your organization has also worked for a secure and prosperous State of Israel. I'm pleased that
with your support, the relationship between the United States and Israel today is stronger than
ever. I have been fortunate to travel to Israel four times as President and to build close bonds
with Israeli leaders and citizens. And this year my Administration is determined to help forge a
just and lasting peace that will strengthen Israel's security and give all its children the chance for
a prosperous future. For 52 years, Israel has been our strong democratic partner, the Israeli
people our dear friends. America will always stand proudly by Israel's side.
[closing]Shalom.
###
03/07/00 TUE 03:46 FAX
002
SCHEDULE PROPOSAL
DEBBLE
January
P1:58
65157
ACCEPT
REGRET
PENDING
TO
Stephanie Streett
NOT 5-rs
FROM:
Mary Beth Cahill mexes
IF May WAS
A UDED.
REQUEST
To accept the 'Man of the Year' Award and address the 88th
will
Annual Dinner of the National Council of Young Israel.
pay
PAY.
PURPOSE:
To be honored by the group and to speak about domestic
and foreign policy priorities for the remainder of the
Administration.
BACKGROUND
The National Council of Young Israel (NCYT), founded in
1912, serves as the national coordinating agency for nearly
150 orthodox congregations comprised of nearly 25,000
puto you
member families throughout the United States and Canada.
Originally created to combat the wave of assimilation by
providing a palatable synagogue experience that was user
friendly to newly arrived immigrants and their subsequent
generations, NCYI's goal is to broaden the appeal of the
traditional community synagogue as the central address for
Jewish communal life by providing educational, religious,
social, spiritual and communal programming.
DATE AND TIME:
March 12, 2000, flexible between 6:00pm and 9:00pm.
DURATION:
30 minutes
LOCATION:
Sheraton New York, New York City
PARTICIPANTS:
1000 rabbis and lay persons from across the country.
OUTLINE OF EVENT:
TBD.
PRESS/MEDIA:
TBD.
RECOMMENDED BY:
Chaim Kaminetsky, Chairman of the Board, NCYI
CONTACTS:
Debi Mohile 65157
03/07/00 TUE 03:47 FAX
003
N
ATIONAL
3 WEST 16TH STREET
C
OUNCIL OF
New YORK, NY 10011- 6363
Y
OUNG
PHONE: (212) 929-1525 (800) 617-NCYI
FAX: (212) 727-9526
E-MAIL: [email protected]
I
SRAEL
WEBSITE: http://www.youngisrael.org
November 23, 1999
Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20533
Dear Mr. President:
It gives me great pleasure to request the honor of your presence at our 88th Annual
Dinner In the Sheraton New York Hotel-and Towers, New York City, on Sunday, March 12nd,
2000, at 6:00 PM. At that time we wish to present you as the National Council of Young Israel's
Man of the Year" for the many times you have proven to be a true friend to the American Jewish
community and the State of Israel. You will be the leader of a select group slated for honors with
the participation of their family, friends and associates, as well as statesmen, dignitaries, Rabbis and
lay people from across the us. Attendance can be 1,000 guests.
National Council of Young Israel is the home office for 150 synagogues across North
America and provides many informational and coordinating services for over 25,000 member
families. During the 20th Century, the Young Israel movement has developed one of the finest
youth programs for Jewish children in the United States, touching the lives of five generations of
youngsters. In addition, we are involved in many health, education and social programs for those in
need from all age groups.
Deepest thanks for your cooperation and may you continue to enjoy good health and
happiness.
Sincerely,
CRAFF
Chaim S. Kaminetzky
Chairman of the Board
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SUBJECT: To accept The "Manof The YeaR' Award and address
the 88th Annual dinner of the Nat'l council of Young Isroel.
Kris Balderston
1
Sean Maloney
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Lisa Berg
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Capricia Marshall
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Samuel Berger
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Thurgood Marshall Jr.
—
Sidney Blumenthal
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Minyon Moore
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Chuck Brain
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Bob Nash
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Charles Burson
Beth Nolan
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Mary Beth Cahill
John Podesta
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Maria Echaveste
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Steve Ricchetti
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Terry Edmonds
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Bruce Reed
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George Frampton
Firal draft
Dan Rosenthal
Laura Graham
Rozensky/Emrich
Nancy Hernreich
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Dori Salcido
&
Mickey Ibarra
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Patti Solis-Doyle
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Ben Johnson
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Doug Sosnik
I
Joel Johnson
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Gene Sperling
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Neal Lane
1
Carrie Street
Ann Lewis
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Karen Tramontano
Mark Lindsay
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Loretta Ucelli
Bruce Lindsey
I
Melanne Verveer
Joe Lockhart
I
Debi Mohile
The National Council of Young Israel
http://village.co.il/young/who1.htm
National Council
of
Y oung Israel
The National Council of Young Israel
"The aims and purposes of the organization shall be to foster and maintain a
program of spiritual, cultural, social and communal activity towards the
advancement and perpetuation of traditional Torah-true Judaism; and to instill
into American Jewish youth an understanding and appreciation of the high
ethical and spiritual values of Judaism and demonstrate the compatability of
the ancient faith of Israel with good Americanism.
The organization shall promote cooperation among the constituent branches
now existing and which may hereafter be formed, establish a close bond of
kinship to the end that their individual and common problems may more easily
be solved, and act as the federated and central body for the Young Israel
Movement so that its influence as a force in Jewry may be felt and recognized
in America and the world over."
(From the Preamble of the Young Israel Constitution)
The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), founded in 1912, serves as the national
coordinating agency for nearly 150 orthodox congregations comprised of nearly 25,000
member families throughout the United States and Canada.
NCYI also serves as a resource to its sister organization in Israel, entitled Yisrael Hatzair
- the Young Israel Movement in Israel, encompassing over 50 synagogues. Originally
created to combat the wave of, assimilation by providing a palatable synagogue
experience that was user friendly to newly arrived immigrants and their subsequent
generations, the goal of NCYI is to broaden the appeal of the traditional community
synagogue as the central address for Jewish communal life by providing educational,
religious, social, spiritual and communal programming. This is accomplished by
rendering services through our various departments such as:
Synagogue Support Services
Youth and Young Adult Activities
Development and Special Projects
Young Israel Council of Rabbis
Kashruth Services
Eretz Yisrael Commission
Synagogue Endowment Fund
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The National Council of Young Israel
http://village.co.il/young/whol.htm
Political Action
Women's League
Rabbinic Training and Placement
Lay Leadership Development
Senior League
University Campus Kosher Dining Clubs
Various Publications (Viewpoint Magazine, weekly Divrei Torah Bulletins, etc.)
The National Council of Young Israel, located at 3 West 16th Street in Manhattan, is a
not for profit service organization, as defined by our 501 (c) 3 status. Mr. Chaim S.
Kaminetzky serves as NCYI's National President; Rabbi Pesach Lerner is NCYI's
Executive Vice President.
NCYI is a grass roots organization which takes its direction from its lay leadership,
including the national board, delegates from each branch synagogue, branch rabbis and
presidents, and the NCYI Professional Staff. Members are strongly encouraged to
participate in national programs such as National Convention, annual national banquet,
rabbinic and lay leadership conferences, political missions to Washington, D.C. and
various rallies.
The National Council of Young Israel - A piece of American Jewish history
To appreciate the role of the Young Israel movement in North America, one must
understand the circumstances which led to its creation in 1912 and the forces and events
which have influenced its subsequent development. For today's religious Jews, the
conditions under which American Jewry lived during the early decades of this century are
almost unimaginable. Because practically all jobs required work on Saturday, Shabbos
observance was rare and typically required extraordinary sacrifice.
The primary aspirations which most Jewish parents held for their children were for
economic success and acceptance in American Society. Jewish education was very low
on their list of priorities, and as a result, was usually rudimentary, at best. Orthodox
synagogues were exclusively Yiddish-speaking and dominated by an Eastern European
atmosphere. American-raised Jewish youth who wandered into these synagogues
typically found themselves shut out completely. Thus it was not surprising that most
Jewish youth of the era generally avoided the synagogue, attending only when required
by family custom. Although intermarriage was relatively rare, the loss of young Jewish
hearts and minds to Jewish belief and practice as we understand it today was almost
universal in that era. It was in this environment that Young Israel was founded by a group
of 15 progressive and visionary young men and woman.
Its first activities were Friday night lectures, in English, on a variety of topics of Jewish
interest. Three years later, the group formed a "Model Synagogue" with innovations
designed to attract American raised, English speaking Jewish youth. To broaden the
appeal of synagogue services to even the poorest in the community, Young Israel
banned the acceptance of payment in return for any synagogue honor.
Young Israel envisioned itself as much more than just a place for prayer services. It
became and continues to serve as the base and center for a diversified movement,
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The National Council of Young Israel
http://village.co.il/young/whol.htm
providing programs and services addressing a broad range of social, educational and
recreational needs as well as traditional Jewish observance.
Standing on the threshold of the 21st century, the Young Israel movement remains loyal
to the ideas and ideals of its visionary founders. The National Council of Young Israel is
the only Orthodox synagogue movement that requires the minimum halachic standards of
a machetza, none accessability of shul parking facilities on Shabbos and Yom Tov, and
that the shul's officers be shomer shabbos. Thus, through its 142 branches across North
America - from New England to Phoenix, from Montreal to Houston, and over 50
branches throughout Israel through Yisrael Hatzair, the Young Israel movement in Israel,
a Young Israel shul represents the definition of Orthodoxy which we share in
common. Today, the National Council of Young Israel is in the forefront of meeting the
needs and representing the views of its over 25,000 member households, through its
Youth and Young Adult Department, Synagogue Liason Services, Women's League, and
so much more. Meeting the challenge of enhancing Torah observance and community
needs continues to dominate the ongoing agenda of the National Council of Young Israel.
For more information, please contact Rabbi Aaron S. Tirschwell, Director of Synagogue
Services, in the NCYI office.
I
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The Ethnic NewsWatch, January 9, 1998
Copyright 1998 SOFTLINE INFORMATION, INC.
The Ethnic NewsWatch
Forward
January 9, 1998
SECTION: Vol. CI; Pg. 1
LENGTH: 960 words
HEADLINE: Talk of Mergers 'Twixt Orthodox
BYLINE: Kessler, E.J.
BODY:
Talk of Mergers 'Twixt Orthodox
NEW YORK The unprecedented cooperation among American Orthodox groups to defend the
religious status quo in Israel the "Am Echad" movement that is sending 75 Orthodox leaders to
lobby in the Jewish state next week -- is prompting talk that Orthodox synagogue organizations
might see an eventual across-the-board merger.
The first to merge, many think, will be the pre-eminent Orthodox synagogue organization, the
1,000-congregation Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and the 149-congregation
National Council of Young Israel.
"I have long maintained that, in this day and age, when there are mergers in business and we
have a fiduciary responsibility to people, we would better serve our community by effecting a
merger," said the president of the Orthodox Union, Dr. Mandell Ganchrow, although he
acknowledged that intermittent talks on the matter have foundered. "(Young Israel was) concerned
about the disparity in size, that because we were so large compared to them, that it wouldn't be a
true merger," he said, adding that, in his view, "the ideology and theology" of congregations in
both groups are the same.
Merger talk was echoed by a sociologist of Orthodoxy, Samuel Heilman. Explaining that the
Orthodox had dropped to 6% to 7% of the American Jewish population in the 1990 Jewish
Population Survey from 12% to 15% in the survey of 1971, he asked, "If you have a lot of
institutions and few people, what's the need for having separate institutions?" Pointing to the
recent cooperation, he said he could envision a merger that would span from the Orthodox Union
to the charedi organization, Agudath Israel of America. "There's a shrinking middle," he said of
Orthodoxy, "which is true for Judaism in general."
That, however, is not the opinion of Young Israel. "It's not going to happen," said Young Israel's
executive vice president, Rabbi Pesach Lerner. "Our board doesn't want it and our professional staff
doesn't want it."
FThe 86-year-old organization, once on the decline, has been given a new lease on life under its
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current leadership, Rabbi Lerner and national president Chaim Kaminetzky. The group, which
claims to represent 25,000 people, has signed up eight new congregations in the last year and
recently went into the kosher certification business by becoming the agent for an established
private mark, Star K (see related story, Page 8). With a budget that has grown 50% in the last five
years, to $1.5 million, Young Israel has been touting itself as "the premier synagogue service
organization in the Orthodox movement" and as a bulwark against the inroads of Orthodox
feminism, such as women's prayer groups and the new quasi-Rabbinic "congregational interns."
The revival of Young Israel, which started as a modernizing movement in the first decade of the
century for young Orthodox who wanted American-style synagogue decorum and sermons in
English instead of Yiddish, represents another instance of the turn to the right in Orthodox The
movement has survived by carving out a niche for itself as a bridge between the modern Orthodox
world that draws its inspiration from Yeshiva University and that of the "black hat" yeshivas
aligned with Agudath Israel; Young Israel rabbis, increasingly, come from both, as more and more
charedi yeshiva heads encourage their students to take up the pulpit. A recent Rabbinic training
conference drew participants "from all the yeshivas from the fully black, to YU: Torah Va'daath,
Lakewood, Mirer," said the president of Young Israel's Council of Rabbis, Yaacov Feitman, ticking
off the names of the great academies of the fervently Orthodox world. Rabbi Lerner estimates that
only a third of current Young Israel rabbis are ordained by Yeshiva University.
For the Orthodox Union, however, Young Israel can fairly be described as a thorn in its side. While
officials of both organizations try to downplay the fact, the groups are in competition: for member
congregations (although some shuls belong to both), for advertising dollars for their publications,
for support for their dinners and now for the kosher business; the Star-K mark competes with the
Orthodox Union's kosher mark, the ubiquitous "OU."
Rabbi Lerner zealously defends Young Israel's independence, pointing to its "standards," which he
claims the Orthodox Union does not match: every Young Israel synagogue has a "kosher" barrier
between the men's and women's sections of the synagogue, closes its parking lot on the Sabbath
and holidays and requires officers to observe the Sabbath. "We all have our niches," he said. "We
should be busy serving our niches instead of trying to take over somebody else." He noted that the
synagogue where the executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Raphael Butler, was
until recently rabbi had joined Young Israel, adding, "I believe that the Orthodox community is
getting a lot more bang for their buck here."
The director of communications for Agudath Israel, Rabbi Avi Shafran, dismissed talk of an
across-the-board merger, calling the Am Echad group "an ad hoc coalition." The sharp tongues of
some members of Aguda's Council of Torah Sages certainly mitigates in that direction; one, Rabbi
Elya Svei, recently called the president of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Norman Lamm, a "hater of
God" for supporting a compromise on the Israel conversion issue, rhetoric Aguda did not disavow.
None of this deters Dr. Ganchrow. "A merger with the Orthodox Union would allow the to improve
their services and work for the clal," he said. "The fact that there's so many Young Israel
congregations active in our movement shows that there's no contradiction. There will be a merger,
it's only a matter of time."
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The Ethnic NewsWatch, September 17, 1999
Copyright 1999 SOFTLINE INFORMATION, INC.
The Ethnic NewsWatch
Jewish Week, The
September 17, 1999
SECTION: Vol. 212; No. 17; Pg. 25
LENGTH: 1015 words
HEADLINE: Making A Name In The Five Towns: Already embracing a similar philosophy, Hewlett
congregation hopes affiliating with Young Israel will help build membership.
BYLINE: DuBow, Jodi Bodner
BODY:
Making A Name In The Five Towns: Already embracing a similar philosophy, Hewlett congregation
hopes affiliating with Young Israel will help build membership.
JODI BODNER DuBOW
JEWISH WEEK CORRESPONDENT
What's in a name? Plenty, officials at Congregation Ahavat Yisrael in Hewlett will tell you.
With an eye toward increasing its membership, the Orthodox congregation of more than 100
families soon will become the 149th Young Israel in North America.
"We voted to affiliate with the National Council of Young Israel for two reasons," explains the
president, Sam Bogarsky. "To be identified as part of the Young Israel community is like a neon
sign. It's an excellent merchandising tool, as it means you stand for Young Israel standards
values we share. We're hoping it will help us attract new members.
Though the congregation believes the Young Israel identification holds the key to its future, the
synagogue will maintain its Ahavat Yisrael moniker, "because that's what we're about," Bogarsky
says, "love of Israel." Young Israel is well known, too, for its Zionistic outlook.
The other reason? "Young Israel devotes a lot of time to their youth," he says, "which we certainly
intend to do, as that's our future."
Under the guidance of its new rabbi, Heshy Blumstein, the Young Israel of Hewlett/Congregation
Ahavat Yisrael will offer youth groups for Shabbat and holiday programming, among other
ventures.
Though synagogue officials conducted an extensive search upon learning that founding Rabbi
Abraham Mandelbaum was retiring after 14 years, Rabbi Blumstein was a walk down the stairs
away. He serves as executive director of the girls' yeshiva day school, Reenas Bais Yaakov, located
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in the small, shiny red brick building at Piermont Avenue and Broadway distinguishable by its odd
facade.
The 40-year-old father of nine has held two Young Israel pulpits in his native Brooklyn, and directs
Gateways Seminars, an outreach program for Jews of all streams.
"Anyone who comes will be embraced by our shul," says Rabbi Blumstein, who was welcomed to
the shul on Saturday with a kiddush in his honor. "We're proud that we're a traditional shul that
believes in Torah from Sinai, and all 613 mitzvot will be studied here. But if someone doesn't feel
comfortable, we'll show them how they can fit in until they do feel comfortable Any Jew will be
welcome with open arms.
"Though we're in the middle of New York, we're creating an out-of-town community feeling.
Everyone wants to be part of a community."
The hope is that the community will grow by drawing on the surrounding areas of Hewlett, Old
Woodmere, East Rockaway and Hewlett Bay Park and enticing young couples to move into the
area. The closest Young Israel, the Young Israel of Woodmere -- the second largest in North
America with more than 650 family members -- is about a half-mile away.
"All these neighborhoods have tremendous potential," says Bogarsky, who lives in Hewlett and
mentioned the presence of the Stella K. Abraham HALB high school for girls in Hewlett Bay Park as
another lure.
The future potential of the synagogue is world's apart from its humble origins -- meeting in the
basement of Hewlett resident Nathaniel Lazan.
"About 30 of us broke away from the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre, a Conservative
congregation," Lazan recalls, "because we wanted a more traditional davening. We davened in my
house for 18 months, then bought property in East Rockaway, and then four years ago we bought
the building we're in now."
"We were a sociological phenomenon," says Rabbi Mandelbaum. "Our founders were not Orthodox,
but they didn't feel comfortable being too liberal either. The mixed seating didn't bother them, but
some of the other changes taking place in the congregation did, so they broke away.
"We were somewhat atypical an Orthodox shul in a relatively unobservant area -- attracting all
types of Jews who felt comfortable in a Modern Orthodox setting."
It is this open-door philosophy the congregation hopes to maintain as a Young Israel.
"We want the Young Israel name because people instantly recognize it as a level of observance
within their parameters," Lazan says, "while at the same time we want to define our own version of
being a warm and open congregation."
"Young Israel is like Baskin-Robbins: It's a trademark name," says Rabbi Aaron Tirschwell,
associate executive director and director of synagogue services for the National Council of
Young Israel. "With shades of differences, there are the same standards in every Young Israel, so
you always know what you're going to get."
Among the standards in the NCYI constitution: a mechitza meeting the height requirement of the
Young Israel council of rabbis; executive officers must be strictly observant; and the parking lot be
closed on Shabbat and holidays.
"They also need to be in sync with the Young Israel movement," says Rabbi Tirschwell, "which is to
maintain the time-honored Torah standards of the Orthodox community and to spread that as far
as possible.
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"If you look in the phone book and see Congregation Ahavat Yisrael, you don't know what it is. But
if you see Young Israel, you know exactly what you're getting."
Young Israel of Hewlett is entering its one-year engagement period, customary for a fledgling
branch. About 10 to 15 Young Israels have been added in the past five years, with others pending.
"Sometimes we don't allow them to join because they don't meet our standards," says Rabbi
Tirschwell, "and sometimes they walk away from us. But in this case I think it's a good match."
So does Jana Brooks. A resident of Hewlett for the past year and a half, she and her husband,
Saul, have three young children who attend the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway.
"It feels like a different shul already," she says. "The rabbi has great energy and his excitement is
felt.
"The congregation wasn't growing, though it wasn't for lack of spirit. Now we feel there's hope."
Article copyright The Jewish Week.
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