Richard M. Joel (born September 9, 1950) is a Jewish scholar who was the fourth

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Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

(YU), a Modern Orthodox

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

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. He has written on topics that include Jewish leadership, the BDS movement on college campuses, and civil discourse.

Academic and professional credentials

Richard Joel received his BA and JD from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

, where he was a Root-Tilden law

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or research ...

. He received honorary doctorates from Boston Hebrew College and

Gratz College Gratz College is a private Jewish college in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origins to 1856 when banker, philanthropist, and communal leader Hyman Gratz and the Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia (established in 184 ...

. He was an assistant district attorney and Deputy Chief of Appeals in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

. His career continued as associate dean and professor of law at NYU's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Hillel presidency

From 1989 to 2003, Joel served as President and International director of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, an organization which supports Jewish life for college and university students throughout the world. In 1994, Joel orchestrated Hillel's independence from

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish pe ...

, its parent organization since 1925. While at Hillel, Joel attracted major philanthropists such as

Michael Steinhardt Michael H. Steinhardt (born December 7, 1940) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and former antiquities collector. In 1967, he founded a hedge fund, Steinhardt Partners which he ran until he closed it in 1995. After a ...

Edgar Bronfman, Sr. Edgar Miles Bronfman (born June 20, 1929 – December 21, 2013) was a Canadian-American businessman. He worked for his family's distilled beverage firm, Seagram, eventually becoming president, treasurer and CEO. As president of the World Jewish ...

, and Lynn Schusterman and

Charles Schusterman Charles Schusterman (1935–2000) was a Tulsa American businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Samson Investment Company, a privately owned oil and gas company with oil field investments in the United States, Canada, Venezuela an ...

. During his tenure, Hillel partnered with Birthright Israel, launching the Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps, a group of recent college graduates tasked with engaging unaffiliated Jews and drawing them to Judaism and Jewish events. Hillel also expanded to the former Soviet Union and South America. Joel's tenure at Hillel has been criticized by some as providing stylish instead of substantive Judaism. However, he also received praise for his "skilled management, magnetism, personal warmth," as well as revitalizing the Hillel movement. During his tenure at Hillel, Joel served as the head of the special commission impaneled by the

Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs ...

(OU) to investigate allegations that community leaders had ignored charges against the abusive outreach rabbi

Baruch Lanner Baruch S. Lanner (born October 20, 1949)Offender Details
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National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY). The commission concluded that many OU and NCSY leaders had made serious errors in judgment.

Presidency of Yeshiva University

Joel became president of YU in 2003, succeeding Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, who had been president since 1976. He stepped down in June 2017. As YU President, Joel appointed new deans for Yeshiva College, the

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...

, the Syms School of Business, and the

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS ) is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University (YU). It is located along Amsterdam Avenue in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Named after Yitzchak Elchanan ...

(RIETS), and added faculty positions throughout the university. He facilitated the construction of the Jacob and Dreizel Glueck Center for Jewish Study, and established the Center for Jewish Future. Joel established the Katz School of Graduate and Professional Studies, and restructured

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

’s

. Joel also worked to strengthen the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein and S. Daniel Abraham honors programs. As president of RIETS, he established the Rabbinic Personal Development Program, a joint Graduate Program in Pastoral Counseling between RIETS and Ferkauf. The joint program provides opportunities for second-, third- and fourth-year RIETS students who plan to pursue a career in

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

communal work. Additionally, President Joel established various centers and programs including the university's centers for Ethics, Public Health and the Jewish Future, and the Glatt Program on Israel and the Rule of Law. He also established a Presidential Fellowship program that provides training and professional development to recent graduates to further their path toward communal leadership. Joel received a vote of ‘no confidence’ by Yeshiva University faculty, citing a lack of communication from administration and uncertainty. He was appointed President Emeritus and continues as the Bravmann Family University Professor, teaching leadership courses across Yeshiva University.

Personal life

Joel was born on September 9, 1950, and was raised in Yonkers, New York. He and his wife Esther (née Ribner), who holds a PhD from YU's Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, have six children – all of whom have attended Yeshiva University schools – and thirteen grandchildren. They currently reside in Riverdale, New York. Richard Joel has also performed for the Maccabeats.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Joel, Richard 1950 births Living people Presidents of Yeshiva University People from the Bronx People from Riverdale, Bronx Jewish American community activists Articles containing video clips New York University School of Law alumni Activists from New York (state) 21st-century American Jews