Over the past few years TABC has had the privilege of presenting a book award from Brandeis University. This year the school had the privilege of adding a second university’s book award for our juniors.

The Brandeis University Book Award is presented each year to an academically outstanding junior who demonstrates a commitment to civic engagement, community service, political activism, social justice or volunteer work. This year the award went to a young man who has devoted a great deal of time to serving the needs of those with disability through his work with YACHAD and other special needs groups. He has demonstrated civil engagement through his work with the Israel Report and political activism as the vice president of the student council. This week the Brandeis Book Award was presented to Azi Fine.

This year, for the first time, Yeshiva University decided to create a book award and TABC was the first school to present the award. The Yeshiva University Torah-Umadda Book Award was awarded to two outstanding juniors. The award will be given to young men who are academically motivated in both secular and Judaic studies. More importantly, they must be active members of their school and the overall Jewish community. The recipients must represent the ideals and objectives of Yeshiva University’s unique mission.

The first of the two TABC awardees of Yeshiva University Torah Umadda Book Award was a young man who has a deep love for learning in both the areas of Judaic Studies and general studies and therefore represents the idea of Torah-Umadda. More importantly he has been an active member of the TABC community as an editor of both Kol Torah and the Israel Report. He has shown devotion to the total Jewish community through his work and as a member of the TABC disaster mission to Colorado. The first YU Torah-Umadda Book Award went to Matthew Wexler.

The second young man to receive the Yeshiva University Torah Umadda Book Award was also devoted to both his Judaic Studies and general studies and therefore represents the idea of Torah-Umadda. He has shown devotion to the total Jewish community through his work with Tomchai Shabos and YACHAD. In addition, he has been active in the TABC community as a member a number of TABC teams and has captained both the soccer team and the track teams which he helped to reestablish. The second YU Torah-Umadda Book Award went to Benjamin Book.

By Dr. Garry Katz