"Most students have thoughts about emigrating to Israel. A significant number go on aliyah. We are proud of our Israel programs, which come at a considerable cost to the university"
About this Quote
A university president doesn’t usually brag about helping students leave the country. Norman Lamm does it anyway, and that tension is the point. In three brisk sentences, he reframes what could sound like “brain drain” into institutional triumph: students think about emigrating, many act on it, and the school is proud to have greased the rails.
The phrasing is carefully calibrated. “Most students have thoughts” is soft and conversational, almost pastoral; it normalizes Zionist aspiration as a baseline mood on campus. Then “a significant number go on aliyah” snaps the sentiment into measurable outcome. Aliyah isn’t described as politics or ideology, but as a life-stage milestone, like graduation with a passport stamp. That religiously loaded term also signals the moral hierarchy at work: leaving isn’t desertion, it’s ascent.
The third line does the real institutional work. By foregrounding that the Israel programs “come at a considerable cost,” Lamm anticipates a skeptical audience: donors, trustees, maybe critics who see partisan advocacy or misallocated tuition dollars. He counters with the language of investment and sacrifice. The expense becomes evidence of seriousness, proof the university isn’t merely tolerating student idealism but underwriting it.
Context matters: Lamm led Yeshiva University, a Modern Orthodox flagship trying to blend American professional success with Jewish covenantal commitment. The subtext is a delicate balancing act. America is home enough to educate you; Israel is home enough to claim you. The quote is recruitment pitch, communal signal, and moral accounting ledger in miniature.
The phrasing is carefully calibrated. “Most students have thoughts” is soft and conversational, almost pastoral; it normalizes Zionist aspiration as a baseline mood on campus. Then “a significant number go on aliyah” snaps the sentiment into measurable outcome. Aliyah isn’t described as politics or ideology, but as a life-stage milestone, like graduation with a passport stamp. That religiously loaded term also signals the moral hierarchy at work: leaving isn’t desertion, it’s ascent.
The third line does the real institutional work. By foregrounding that the Israel programs “come at a considerable cost,” Lamm anticipates a skeptical audience: donors, trustees, maybe critics who see partisan advocacy or misallocated tuition dollars. He counters with the language of investment and sacrifice. The expense becomes evidence of seriousness, proof the university isn’t merely tolerating student idealism but underwriting it.
Context matters: Lamm led Yeshiva University, a Modern Orthodox flagship trying to blend American professional success with Jewish covenantal commitment. The subtext is a delicate balancing act. America is home enough to educate you; Israel is home enough to claim you. The quote is recruitment pitch, communal signal, and moral accounting ledger in miniature.
Quote Details
| Topic | Student |
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