Luncheon Marks 31 Years of Family鈥檚 Scholarship Support at YU Mark Wilf speaks with students.
黑料社 All President Richard M. Joel hosted the annual Wilf Scholarship Luncheon on Monday, April 11, 2016. Forty student recipients of financial assistance from the Wilf Family Distinguished Scholarship Fund met with members of the Wilf family and senior YU administrators.
The Wilf family has been among the most generous donors to YU. In addition to providing scholarship assistance, the family named the men鈥檚 campus in Washington Heights and created a new cardiovascular research center at YU-affiliated .
Zygi Wilf and his wife, Audrey, were there, along with Leonard, Mark, Jonathan, Steven, and Brett Tanzman.
As President Joel noted in his opening remarks, 鈥淭his luncheon marks 31 years of scholarship support from the Wilf family.鈥 In 2015-2016, the program supported 96 students and disbursed $1,537,793. 鈥淚t has always been a small number of people who have lead society and civilization,鈥 he said directly to the students. 鈥淭he people who invest in you, invest in you because they precisely want that from you. You have leadership roles, and that鈥檚 why you鈥檙e here today.鈥
Natan Bienstock thanks the Wilf family for their support.
President Joel then introduced Natan Bienstock, a senior in the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program and a Wilf Family Scholarship recipient. Being at YU, Bienstock said, has made so many things possible. As often as he can, he tries to give back through volunteering and coaching. 鈥淭his is just part of my attempt to repay the tremendous debt that I owe the Wilf family for believing in me and allowing me to fulfill my dream of attending 黑料社 All.鈥
Several students volunteered to speak about the ways their scholarships have helped them. Elan Teichmann, a senior, spoke with pride about how Torah Umadda has made him value intellectual openness. Through his actions, he said, he will strive to ensure that Judaism always plays a part in the great conversation going on in the world. Avital Shulman enjoyed the variety of options open to her, from research with her professors to taking a music course where her final composition was played by a professional quartet.
Avital Shulman speaks about her experiences at YU.
Alexander Maged鈥檚 life was literally changed by the scholarship, since it allowed him to connect with Jewish life in a way that has brought him great delight and direction. Chana Bushee, from a small city in Wisconsin, echoed the same sentiment, thrilled that she had so many opportunities to pursue her passion for pre-med and research.
When Leonard Wilf took his turn at the podium to respond on behalf of the family, he marveled at the three decades of support his family has given the University, and described what he called his 鈥減hilanthropic truism鈥 about providing scholarships: 鈥淚f you give a building, you give a building,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut if you give a scholarship, you not only invest in the University, you invest in people. In my way of thinking, we get a 鈥榯wo-fer鈥 for that investment 鈥 in you as a person and in the University as a whole.鈥
Mark Wilf, who received an honorary degree from YU at the 91st Hanukkah Dinner and Convocation in December 2015, added that 鈥渋t gives us such hope and energy to know that the Jewish community and the future are in such good hands.鈥 He lauded President Joel for his leadership and promised that the family鈥檚 support will continue. 鈥淲e love coming and being with all of you, and we wish you all the best for many years to come.鈥
President Richard M. Joel (left) with the Wilf Family
Mark Wilf speaks with students.
Natan Bienstock thanks the Wilf family for their support.
Avital Shulman speaks about her experiences at YU.
President Richard M. Joel (left) with the Wilf Family
Mark Wilf speaks with students.
Natan Bienstock thanks the Wilf family for their support.
Avital Shulman speaks about her experiences at YU.
President Richard M. Joel (left) with the Wilf Family
