Notable Alumni of Yeshiva University: A Legacy of Achievement
Yeshiva University, an esteemed private Jewish university in New York City, boasts a rich history of producing accomplished graduates across diverse fields. EduRank places Yeshiva University at 574th globally, 214th in North America, and 197th in the United States based on aggregated alumni prominence. This article highlights some of the university's most notable alumni, showcasing their contributions to various sectors, from politics and law to arts, sciences, and Jewish scholarship.
Politics and Public Service
Yeshiva University has fostered the careers of numerous individuals who have made significant contributions to the political landscape.
Howard Dean: An American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician, Howard Dean served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003. He later chaired the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 2009. His implementation of the fifty-state strategy as head of the DNC is credited with the Democratic victories in the 2006 and 2008 elections.
Grace Meng: A member of the Democratic Party, Grace Meng has represented New York's 6th congressional district since 2013. She is the first Asian American elected to the United States Congress from New York. Meng previously represented the 22nd district in the New York State Assembly from 2009 until 2012.
Sheldon Silver: A Democratic Party politician and attorney from New York City, Sheldon Silver served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly from 1994 to 2015. He was known as one of the most powerful politicians in the state. Silver served in the New York State Assembly from 1977 to 2015.
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Anna Kaplan: An Iranian-American politician, Anna Kaplan was a member of the New York State Senate, representing New York's 7th State Senate district. She was elected in 2018 as part of a wave of Democrats who defeated Republican incumbents and brought control of the New York Senate to the Democrats.
Jason Greenblatt: An American lawyer, Jason Greenblatt served as the executive vice president and chief legal officer to Donald Trump and The Trump Organization. In January 2017, he was appointed as an Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations by President Donald Trump.
Law and Justice
Several Yeshiva University alumni have distinguished themselves in the field of law, serving as judges, lawyers, and legal scholars.
Barbara Olson: An American lawyer and conservative television commentator, Barbara Kay Olson worked for CNN, Fox News Channel, and several other outlets. She was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77 when it was flown into the Pentagon in the September 11 attacks.
Neal Hendel: An American-born Israeli judge, Neal Hendel served as the Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Israel.
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Jonathan (Yoni) Fenster: An associate attorney at Alston & Bird in New York City with a law degree from Fordham University Law School. At Fordham, he served as an associate editor for the Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law and was a Fellow at the Center of Law and Information Policy. Jonathan graduated from Yeshiva University in 2020 with a BA in Biology.
Eliott Dosetareh: A law student at Cardozo School of Law and currently serves as a Civil Rights Law Clerk at The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. Eliott served as a research and executive assistant at the World Jewish Congress in New York City, where he analyzed legislation pertaining to anti-Semitism, Holocaust education, and bi-partisan support for Israel.
Noam Josse: A law student at Columbia Law School. He graduated from Yeshiva University in May 2022. At YU, Naom was in the Mazer Yeshiva Program in Rav Shulman's Shiur and led the Yeshiva University chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society.
Arts and Entertainment
Yeshiva University's influence extends to the realms of arts and entertainment, with alumni making their mark as authors, chefs, comedians, and musicians.
Eddie Huang: An American author, chef, restaurateur, food personality, producer, and former attorney, Edwyn Charles Huang was a co-owner of BaoHaus. Huang previously hosted Huang's World for Viceland. His autobiography, Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir, was adapted into the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat, of which he narrated the first season.
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Ari Shaffir: An American comedian, actor, podcaster, writer, and producer, Ari David Shaffir produces and hosts the Skeptic Tank podcast. He also co-hosts the podcast Punch Drunk Sports with Jayson Thibault and Sam Tripoli, and is a regular guest on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Herman Wouk: An American author, Herman Wouk published fifteen novels, many of them historical fiction such as The Caine Mutiny (1951), for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction.
Chaim Potok: An American author, novelist, playwright, editor and rabbi, Chaim Potok's first book The Chosen (1967) was listed on The New York Times’ bestseller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies.
Jeff Marx: An American composer and lyricist of musicals, Jeff Marx is best known for creating the Broadway musical Avenue Q with collaborator Robert Lopez.
Lucy Kaplansky: An American folk musician based in New York City. Kaplansky has a PhD in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University and plays guitar, mandolin, and piano.
Abigail Pinchot: A project manager at OpenDor Media, where she oversees the development and writing of podcasts and conducts research for future projects in Jewish history and Israel education. Abigail graduated from Stern College for Women in 2022 with a major in English literature and minor in sociology.
Business and Entrepreneurship
Yeshiva University graduates have also achieved success in the business world, leading corporations and founding successful ventures.
Ahmed Zayat: An Egyptian-American businessman and owner of Thoroughbred race horses, Ahmed Zayat is the CEO of Zayat Stables, LLC, which bred and owns the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
David Azrieli: An Israeli-Canadian tycoon, real estate developer, architect, and philanthropist. With an estimated net worth of US$3.1 billion in March 2013, he was ranked by Forbes as the ninth-wealthiest Canadian and the 401st wealthiest person overall.
Michael Eisenberg: An American-born Israeli businessman, venture capitalist, and author.
Gary Torgow: A business leader and author living in Detroit. He currently works as the Chairman of TCF Financial Corporation.
Reuben Hartman: An assistant design manager at Landau Properties. He graduated in May 2023 with a major in Political Science and a minor in Architecture.
Academia and Scholarship
Yeshiva University has a strong tradition of academic excellence, with many alumni becoming renowned scholars, researchers, and educators.
Paul Gottfried: An American paleoconservative political philosopher, historian, and writer, Paul Edward Gottfried is a former Professor of Humanities at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. He is editor-in-chief of the paleoconservative magazine Chronicles.
Rick Strassman: An American clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He was the first person in the United States to undertake human research with psychedelic, hallucinogenic, or entheogenic substances with his research on N,N-dimethyltryptamine, also known as DMT.
Hillel Furstenberg: A German-born American-Israeli mathematician and professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is known for his application of probability theory and ergodic theory methods to other areas of mathematics, including number theory and Lie groups.
Akira Endō: A Japanese biochemist whose research into the relationship between fungi and cholesterol biosynthesis led to the development of statin drugs.
Norman Lamm: An American Modern Orthodox rabbi, scholar, academic administrator, author, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chancellor of Yeshiva University until he announced his retirement on July 1, 2013.
Shlomo Sternberg: An American mathematician known for his work in geometry, particularly symplectic geometry and Lie theory.
Moshe Koppel: An American-Israeli computer scientist, Talmud scholar, and political activist best known for his research on authorship attribution.
Rabbi Hershel Schachter: A Talmudic scholar and world-recognized decisor of Jewish Law with over 50 years of experience with YU RIETS. He received his undergraduate degree from Yeshiva College. In 1967, he completed his MA in Hebrew Literature at the Bernard Revel Graduate School, and was then ordained.
Baruch-Lev Kelman: Is currently pursuing a PhD in Jewish History at Bernard Revel Graduate School. He earned his BA summa cum laude in Jewish Studies with a minor in Architecture from Yeshiva College (‘21).
Yonatan Kurz: Is currently pursuing semikha at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and an MA at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
Religious Leadership and Jewish Thought
As a leading Jewish university, Yeshiva University has produced numerous prominent rabbis, theologians, and Jewish community leaders.
Yitzchak Ginsburgh: An American-born Israeli rabbi affiliated with the Chabad movement. He is the leader of the Derech Chaim Movement and founder of the Gal Einai Institute.
Yechiel Eckstein: An Israeli American rabbi who founded International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in 1983.
Michael Schudrich: An American-Polish rabbi and the current Chief Rabbi of Poland.
Aharon Lichtenstein: An Orthodox rabbi, Israel Prize laureate and rosh yeshiva who was an authority in Jewish law (Halakha).
Shlomo Riskin: An Orthodox rabbi, and the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City.
Shmuly Yanklowitz: An American rabbi and activist.
Albert L. Lewis: A leading American Conservative rabbi, scholar, and author; President of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA).
David Hartman: An American-Israeli leader and philosopher of contemporary Judaism, founder of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Israel.
Steven Greenberg: A writer, theologian, and rabbi.
Rabbi Ben Atwood: Serves as the Assistant Rabbi at Congregation Ohr HaTorah in Atlanta, Georgia. He also serves on the Judaic Studies faculty of the Atlanta Jewish Academy High School where he is also the Boys Israeli Guidance Director. Rabbi Atwood graduated from Yeshiva College with a BA in English, and received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University RIETS in tandem with a certificate in Mental Health Counseling at Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf School of Psychology.
Yehuda Goldberg: Is pursuing semikha at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and a graduate degree at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He graduated from Yeshiva College in 2022, and was class valedictorian.
Athletics
Yeshiva University has also produced athletes who have excelled in their respective sports.
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