Let My Father In: A Call to Fix Security Policy at YU
My wife Sarah Grunseid and I just recently got married a few months ago. For the first time as a married couple, we were excited to be hosting guests for all of Shabbos. My family came from Silver Spring, Maryland, to spend shabbos with us in Washington Heights. We took my parents and sister to many of the YU minyanim (prayer services): We went to the Carlebach minyan in Klein for Kabbalat Shabbat, Shenk for Shacharis, Glueck for Mincha and the Morgenstern Residence Hall (“the Morg”) for Maariv, where my father was introduced to the wonderful minhag of saying vayitten lecha. On shabbos, we also had the opportunity to tour the various YU facilities, and I showed my family around the Rubin Residence Hall and the YU cafeteria during the afternoon.
Rubin, like many of the batei midrash on YU’s campus, functions as a daily minyan. On Sunday morning, my father and I planned to return to Rubin to daven at the later minyan together. However, when my father got there, the YU security guard refused to let him in. My father tried to explain that he was a guest who only wanted to enter the building to daven with a minyan, but to no avail. A family friend of ours also tried to advocate on his behalf, as well. Once again, the guard refused.
My father and I then tried to get him a guest pass from the security office. However, we were told that since I no longer dorm in Rubin, I could not get my father a pass there. We tried multiple times, but in the end it seemed impossible to get my dad into Rubin for minyan.
I do not wish to criticize any of the security guards in YU. They are hard working individuals who were simply following the directions of their bosses, as they should have. They spend their days protecting YU, and they are the reason many people feel safe here. However, this experience has taught me that the protocols for YU’s security are not aligned with YU’s values.
Over the past three years, I have seen many different types of people walk into Rubin. Men and women, students and non-students, Jews and non-Jews — everyone has come. I have seen them enjoying the cafe, watching Zevi Samet and the Macs or hanging out in the lounge. During Sarachek, the yeshiva high school basketball tournament, it seems as though the entire Modern Orthodox world comes to Rubin to watch high school basketball (Go Berman!).
Given how many people are welcome in Rubin for all sorts of reasons, how is it possible that after multiple attempts I still couldn’t get my father into davening? All he wanted to do was daven with the minyan. We would have happily let them check our IDs, and I could have stayed with him the whole time. As a YU parent, my father has a vested interest in YU’s success: He has literally given them thousands upon thousands of dollars in tuition money. The least YU can do is allow him to come daven Shacharis with me. Instead, despite the fact that my father was inside Rubin literally the day before, they refused to let him enter the building.
Last year, after Aiden Harow fearlessly wrote about the plight of out-of-towners, real change was made. A committee was formed, and I have so much hakaras hatov to all of the deans and students that were part of it.
Here too, I advocate for change. I am more than happy to sit down with the YU security team and discuss a path forward. One where parents and children can daven together while keeping everyone here safe. The YU security team does a wonderful job — but I firmly believe that if so many people can enter Rubin then there must be a way to allow my father to daven with me there.
I love seeing the hundreds, if not thousands, of smiling faces enter Rubin to enjoy high school basketball. I do not wish in any way to see that end. I just want Rubin to not only be known for basketball but also for its Jewish aspects as well, like davening and connecting to God. If all different types of people are let into Rubin for all sorts of reasons, please let my father into Rubin to join me for Shacharis.
Photo Caption: YU Security Department
Photo Credit: The Commentator
