Israeli President Herzog Awarded Honorary Doctorate at Yeshiva University Dinner

Robert Kraft Takes Yeshiva U. Over The Goal Line of its $613 Million Campaign

NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Yeshiva University's 101^st annual Hanukkah Dinner brought together Jewish leaders and allies to honor Israeli President Isaac Herzog with an honorary doctorate degree. As the evening paid tribute to President Herzog's steadfast leadership, it also highlighted the University's remarkable growth and enduring mission. The evening concluded with a milestone moment, as Robert Kraft announced a $5 million gift to bring the University to its $613 million campaign goal. This achievement reflects a wave of major philanthropic support and bold strategic initiatives that are shaping Yeshiva University's next century of excellence and impact.

In what some are calling the New York City pro-Israel event of the year, the evening brought together the leadership of the American and Jewish communities including Senator John Fetterman, Miriam Adelson, Daniel Loeb, Chella Safra, Douglas Murray as well as Ronen and Orna Neutra, parents of fallen American Israeli hostage Omer Neutra.

In a testament to the University's expanding leadership across higher education and on the world stage, the sold-out celebration highlighted the ambitious vision shaping Yeshiva University's future. From breakthroughs in health sciences to the continued elevation of Torah scholarship, leadership development and student support, the University is building its next century on academic excellence and values-based education.

In his keynote address, President Herzog underscored the shared values and historic bonds uniting the Jewish State and Yeshiva University, the premier Jewish university in the country. He also voiced concern about Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and the rising antagonism toward Israel and the Jewish community.

"Recent developments in New York City have raised a red flag," President Herzog said. "Here, we see the rise of a new mayor-elect who makes no effort to conceal his contempt for the Jewish democratic State of Israel." Referring to a recent protest outside a Manhattan synagogue and the incoming mayor's response to it, President Herzog added: "This rhetoric is outrageous. Delegitimizing the Jewish people's right to their ancient homeland and their age-old dream of Jerusalem legitimizes violence and undermines freedom of religion. This is both anti-Jewish and anti-American."

In bestowing the honorary doctorate on President Herzog, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University, praised him as "a leader who not only carries the conviction to defend Israel at every turn, but who has the character to build a state who is a light to all."

Against this backdrop, Rabbi Berman asserted the centrality of Zionism to the University's identity.

"We gather tonight at a pivotal time in our history," he said. "Recently, we have found the very legitimacy of Zionism has been called into question. So tonight, I am proud to say that Yeshiva University, the nation's flagship Jewish university, drawing its nourishment from our Torah, standing for academic excellence, serving as a cultural repository of the great books of the Western tradition and the foundational values of America, spurring scientific discovery and innovation, is at our core proudly and unabashedly Zionist.

Transformational Gifts, Transformational Momentum 

In the months leading up to the Hanukkah Dinner, a wave of major philanthropic commitments helped carry Yeshiva University's Campaign to its historic $613 million goal, including: a landmark $37 million bequest from Ethel and Ronald Gruen investing in the future of Jewish education, a $10 million gift from Ann and Jeremy Pava establishing the Pava Center for Women's Torah Scholarship, and a $13 million foundational gift from Alex and Diana Tsigutkin to launch an engineering program.

These gifts build on other remarkable contributions to the campaign, including the $36 million gift towards scholarships by the Wilf family and the $15 million commitment from the Morris Bailey and Joseph Jerome families to support Yeshiva University's new Health Sciences Campus.

The evening also celebrated the extraordinary generosity of the Katz family—visionary partners whose leadership established the Katz School of Science and Health. The enormous success of the school which now, after only eight years, has close to 1,500 students, has laid the groundwork at Yeshiva University for innovation across science, technology and the health professions.

The University also awarded alum Wendy Fisher, President of the Guggenheim Foundation, with an honorary doctorate for her philanthropy and leadership which is shaping the global cultural and educational landscape.

 "Our university is experiencing unprecedented momentum," said Rabbi Berman. "Our undergraduate and graduate programs are thriving with record enrollment, distinguished scholars are joining our faculty in pursuit of an institution whose values they actually trust, and our philanthropic achievements have surpassed every benchmark. In a time when many universities are struggling, Yeshiva University is thriving—with clarity and purpose." 

Donations to the campaign have supported the creation of new Honors tracks for top-tier students and expanded scholarship opportunities for students across the University, ensuring that more young people can access a Yeshiva University education regardless of financial circumstance. They have also supported significant capital and academic expansions, including the forthcoming Midtown campus dedicated to the health sciences, a 200,000-square-foot facility that will shape the next generation of researchers and health professionals.

The 101st Hanukkah Dinner marked far more than reaching the campaign goal two years ahead of schedule—it marked the beginning of a new era. As Yeshiva University enters its second century, this moment signals a renaissance of ambitious ideas, far-reaching collaborations and an unshakeable commitment to educating leaders who will elevate and strengthen the Jewish people and the world.

SOURCE Yeshiva University