President and Rosh Yeshiva

Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman: Visionary Leadership at Yeshiva University

Since 2017, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman has anchored Yeshiva University on the twin pillars of academic excellence and values-based education, leading it into a new era of growth and innovation. Under his leadership, YU has experienced unprecedented success, including doubling annual giving and securing $520 million of its $613 million Rise Up Campaign, with $100 million raised in fall 2024 alone.

X (Twitter): @AriBermanYU
Instagram: @presidentberman
Email: president@yu.edu

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History in the Making: 2025 Presidential Inauguration

Watch Rabbi Dr. Berman's benediction at the Presidential Inauguration.

President Berman on NBC
Yeshiva University President interviewed on NBC about speaking at the U.S. Presidential Inauguration.
Berman FOX
President Berman shares a preview on FOX of the Benediction for the U.S. Presidential Inauguration.

Activity
Since October 7

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Oct 19, 2023

YU Launches
Universities United Against Terrorism

Oct 26, 2023

100+ colleges and universities form Universities United Against Terrorism coalition

Nov 17, 2023

YU leads the largest contingent at the March for Israel rally in Washington, D.C.

Dec 4, 2023

Rabbi Berman presents Ishay Ribo with inaugural Or I'Yisrael award at YU's Hanukkah Dinner

Dec 19, 2023

Rabbi Berman meets with congresswoman Virginia Foxx in Washington, D.C.

Mar 12, 2024

Rabbi Berman welcomes released hostage Mia Schem's family to speak at Yeshiva University

Apr 7, 2024

YU holds solidarity rally with freed hostages and their families at six-month anniversary of Oct. 7

May 1, 2024

Rabbi Berman meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu

May 6, 2024

Rabbi Berman leads delegation of college presidents and leaders on the International March of the Living at Auschwitz, Poland

May 29, 2024

Rabbi Berman honors Sen.
John Fetterman at YU's 93rd Commencement

June 25, 2024

Robert Kraft establishes Blue Square Scholars program at YU

July 8, 2024

Rabbi Berman travels to Japan with education leaders dealing with the rise
of AI and how it relates to religion

Aug 28, 2024

Stern College welcomes freed hostage Sapir Cohen for night of prayer and solidarity

Sept 30, 2024

YU holds solidarity rally at Oct. 7 one-year anniversary

Dec 4, 2024

YU President Berman leads delegation to German universities to combat antisemitism

Dec 15, 2024

YU raises over $100M for the 100th Annual Hanukkah Dinner

YU’s Global Impact

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Israel 
Poland-flag
Poland 
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UAE, Abu Dhabi
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Japan 
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Austria 
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Italy 
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Germany 
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Morocco 
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UAE, Dubai

YU In the News 

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The Jewish Chronicle
2-Jan-17-2025-09-45-48-7599-PM
Associated Press
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Fox Business
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CNBC
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FOX 5 NY
2-Jan-17-2025-07-24-35-8795-PM
Jewish News Syndicate
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Forbes
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The New Yorker
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Inside Higher Ed
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PR Newswire
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New York Post
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ABC 7

YU Facts and Stats

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GRADUATE ENROLLMENT INCREASED BY MORE THAN

100%

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RISE UP campaign: Two years since its public launch, YU HAS RAISED OVER $520 MILLION TOWARD ITS GOAL OF

$613

MILLION

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YU FACULTY LAUNCH CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH: New research grants awarded to YU's faculty increased by

80%

between 2021 and 2024.

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YU LIBRARIES CONTAIN A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE, WITH

650,000

print books, 389,000 electronic books, 217,000 electronic and physical journals and 202,212 linear feet of shelving—almost 38 miles.

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THE PARNES CLINIC AT THE FERKAUF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY is among the four largest training clinics in the United States: Serving over

550

PATIENTS

at any given time and providing over 1,500 appointments per month.

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YU STUDENTS FIND SUCCESS

96%

of YU undergraduates are employed, in grad school or both within six months of graduation.

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THE CARDOZO LAW SCHOOL has one of the most robust field placement programs in the country for future lawyers, with

11

IN-HOUSE

CLINICS,

15

FIELD

CLINICS,

OVER

100

EXTERNSHIPS

each semester in every field of law.

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RIETS EDUCATES THE NEXT GENERATION OF RABBIS:

80%

of all major congregations across our communities are led by RIETS graduates.

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YU IS CURRENTLY EMBARKING ON

MORE

THAN

65

construction, infrastructure and security projects on campus.

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UNDERGRADUATE ACCEPTANCE TO MEDICAL SCHOOL IS DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.

91%

of YU undergraduates who apply to medical school earned admission between 2021 and 2024 with 128 applying and 116 accepted.

Academic
Excellence
Highlights

Learn about our distinguished faculty members whose work exemplifies YU's commitment to exceptional education.

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Under God's Vine and Fig Tree

On Monday, I will stand before our nation to offer words of blessing at Donald J. Trump's second inauguration. It's a profound moment for me—not just for the gravity of the occasion, but for how it binds together the threads of American history, religious tradition, and our collective hopes for tomorrow.

They don't teach this in rabbinical school. There's no chapter in the ancient texts titled, “How to Bless a President.” But as I prepare to head to Washington, D.C., my mind has wandered to another capital city, one that has whispered its wisdom through the centuries: Jerusalem.

It turns out I'm not the first to make this connection. George Washington found himself drawn repeatedly to the words of an ancient Hebrew prophet named Micah and his vision of Jerusalem. More than fifty times in his letters and speeches, Washington returned to Micah's dream—not of conquest or power, but of a place where “everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid.”

This wasn’t mere rhetoric for Washington. In 1783, fresh from leading the revolutionary army, he wrote to a friend with an oddly specific request: Would they send him some grape vines and a couple of fig trees? Here was the father of our country, literally trying to plant Micah’s vision in America’s newly free soil.

The image is almost too perfect—the general who had wielded the sword now seeking to cultivate vines. It echoed Micah’s prophecy of a time when nations would “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” Washington wasn’t just building a garden; he was planting hope.

A few years later, writing to the Jewish community of Newport, Rhode Island, he wove that same biblical imagery into a profound promise of religious freedom. He wished for them that they would “merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants” while everyone sat “in safety under his own vine and fig tree.” The metaphor had evolved from personal yearning to national vision.

But visions take root slowly. The peaceful era Micah foresaw hasn’t arrived, not in Jerusalem and not in our own divided nation. The ground beneath our feet often feels unsteady, the winds of discord blow fierce and cold.

This is why, in preparing my benediction, I found myself drawn to another prophet, Jeremiah, who spoke to people living in uncertain times. He offered them an image of a tree planted by water, its roots reaching deep to the stream, remaining green even in drought, bearing fruit even in hardship.

That’s America at its best: a nation that draws strength from deep roots—roots that reach back to Jerusalem and Athens, to London and Philadelphia, to every shore from which our people have come. These roots tap into wellsprings of faith and reason, of liberty and law, of the sacred and the civic.

Washington understood this. He called faith and morality the "indispensable supports" of American prosperity. Not because they were imposed from above, but because they rose from below, from the soil of human hearts cultivated in freedom.

As our nation approaches its 250th year, these roots are tested anew. The heat comes, the winds blow. But like Jeremiah’s tree, we endure when we remember what sustains us—those core values that America shares with the faith traditions that have found shelter here: the sanctity of life, the pursuit of liberty, the call to service, the morality that underlies all law.

On Monday, standing on the Capitol steps, I will offer words of blessing to our nation and its forty-seventh president. But the real blessing is already here, planted deep in American soil—this extraordinary experiment in freedom and fellowship, this ongoing effort to cultivate a garden where all may sit without fear.

May its leaves remain green, and may it never cease to bear fruit.

Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman
President
Yeshiva University

My Inauguration Reflections

January 20, 2025

I was deeply honored and humbled to lead our nation in prayer today representing Yeshiva University, the Jewish people and all those who find meaning in faith.

In recent years, our country has faced deep divisions, and much uncertainty. Americans are yearning for meaning and connection. Faith provides moral clarity and reminds us of the shared humanity that binds us together. 

I prayed today for President and Vice President to lead our country with strength and courage.

I prayed for unity—for our country to be bound together by our foundational biblical values of life, liberty, service, and sacrifice, and by faith and morality, which George Washington called the “indispensable supports” of American prosperity.

As a university president, I prayed for the next generation of students: “Guide our schools and campuses to inspire the next generation to pair progress with purpose, knowledge with wisdom, and truth with virtue.” Each day, I witness how universities have the power not just to cultivate intellect but also to nurture upstanding character and goodness in the leaders of tomorrow. 

The hostages have been in our prayers everyday since October 7th. With great joy we welcomed home Emily, Romi and Doron and with great pride in Israel, we pray for its further safety and security. 

Finally, I prayed for all Americans to realize our shared dream of a life filled with peace and plenty, health and happiness, compassion and contribution. May we all have the confidence to rise to this historic moment. For while we trust in God, God’s trust is in us the American people. America is called to greatness, to be a beacon of light and a mover of history. 

May our nation merit the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s blessing, that like a tree planted by water we shall not cease to bear fruit, May all of humanity experience Your blessing. And let us say Amen.

Follow President Rabbi Berman on Social Media

For media opportunities, contact Doron Stern at doron.stern@yu.edu