Yeshiva University Raises Over $100 Million At Centennial Hanukkah Dinner
Yeshiva University raised over $100 million at its 100th annual Hanukkah dinner last month, further advancing YU’s multi-year “Rise Up” campaign to raise $613 million.
The dinner, which cost a minimum donation of $1,800 to attend and was held at the Cipriani in Midtown Manhattan, attracted over 500 people and was chaired by Mitchell Julis, Daniel Loeb and Anita Zucker. The Centennial Medallion — a symbol of gratitude for support of the university — was presented to the Wilf family, in recognition of their contribution to the school. An honorary doctorate was awarded to Chella Safra, a philanthropist and trustee of YU.
During his speech, YU President Ari Berman connected the story of Chanukah to the ongoing challenges facing the Jewish community in Israel and America.
“Oct. 7 and its aftermath have revealed the worst of humanity, but I can tell you that I have also seen the best of humanity,” Berman said. “And rather than degrading our abilities, the assault against the Jewish people has given us greater strength and opportunity. This is the secret of Hanukkah. Enemies may come and go, but no one can hide our light … with the world of higher education in turmoil, Yeshiva University represents the greatest opportunity for our community.”
Prominent attendees included New York Times columnist Bret Stevens, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon and Hadassah Lieberman, the wife of the late Sen. Joseph Lieberman. In contrast to some previous years, the number of student leaders invited was scaled back, with several student leaders being placed in a lottery for invites.
Some notable donations announced at the dinner included $6 million from the Safra family — $1 million for scholarships and $5 million to endow a new university professor chair; $5 million from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman; $11 million from Moshael and Zahava Straus to extend the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought for an additional nine years; and $15 million from Morris and Paulette Bailey towards the establishment of YU’s forthcoming school of dental medicine. This was the first public announcement of YU’s intent to found a dental school following The Commentator’s reporting on the plans in March 2024. The school will be housed at YU’s new Herald Square Campus.
At the dinner, YU President Ari Berman also announced an additional $36 million donation from the Wilf family.
“For our family, supporting YU has always been about more than philanthropy — it is about legacy and responsibility,” Mark Wilf, co-owner of the Minnesota Vikings said upon receiving the award on behalf of his family. “Our parents emerged from the Holocaust with an unwavering belief in the transformative power of education. They understood that rebuilding Jewish education was not just critical to survival — it was essential for flourishing as a people and for shaping a future filled with promise.”
Several students also spoke at the event, including Kovi Pahmer (YC ‘26) a student who left school after being called up from reserves to serve in the IDF after Oct. 7, Tomer Meir (YC ‘28) a survivor of the massacre at the Nova Music Festival and Tara Ghafoori (KSSH ‘25) a Muslim graduate student from Iran serving as student president of the Katz School of Science and Health. Ghafoori has previously studied Biotechnology at the University of Tehran.
The undergraduate student body presidents of Wilf and Beren Campuses, although present, were not asked to speak at the dinner.
Since its initiation in 1924, the annual dinner has hosted a number of prominent guests and granted honorary degrees to several prominent individuals, including Golda Meir, John F. Kennedy and Albert Einstein. The money raised from the 2024 dinner means that the YU “Rise Up” campaign has raised $520 million of its $613 million goal.
Photo Caption: The Cipriani set up in advance of the centennial dinner
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University / Flickr
