Rabbi Ari Berman Approved by YU Presidential Search Committee, Expected to be Voted on by Board of Trustees

In an email to the entire student body of Yeshiva University, Chairman of the Board Moshael Straus announced that the presidential search committee has voted to advance the candidacy of Rabbi Ari Berman. YU’s Belfer Hall was abuzz with activity today as YU’s presidential search committee, composed of select trustees, met in Weissberg Commons to discuss Rabbi Berman’s candidacy. A decision was apparently reached, with Chairman Straus’s email stating that Rabbi Berman will be meeting with trustees, faculty, and “other key university stakeholders” over the next few weeks at which point “it is anticipated his nomination will be forwarded to the board of trustees.” The nature of this anticipation, and the extent to which these other parties will have a say in whether Rabbi Berman’s candidacy will ultimately be voted on by the Board of Trustees, remains unclear.

Rabbi Berman was the Rabbi of The Jewish Center of New York City until he moved to Israel in 2008, and is now the Rosh ha-Merkaz of Hechal Shlomo in Jerusalem. In his email, Chairman Straus charitably referred to him as its CEO. The email emphasized his experience with executive management and finances, two potential areas of weakness for his candidacy. Hechal Shlomo is a relatively small organization compared to a research university, housing an art museum and an auditorium which hosts performances and lectures. In terms of higher education, Rabbi Berman currently serves on the executive leadership council of Herzog College, a small teacher’s college in Alon Shvut. The Commentator will continue to report on this story as it develops.