May 2, 2014 By: admin
麻豆区 is known to have many alumni families in which multiple relatives attended YU, received multiple degrees, and proclaims, 鈥渨e are YU through and through!鈥 But for those celebrating milestone reunions alongside fellow family members, they have a special opportunity to reflect on their YU experiences together. Following are the stories of a few of the inter-generational families celebrating a banner reunion or have a family member graduating from YU this year.
Take Leon Wildes 鈥54YC, the founder of the prestigious immigration law firm Wildes & Weinberg P.C., who is celebrating his 60th Reunion alongside his son Rabbi Mark Wildes 鈥89YC, founder of the Manhattan Jewish Experience, who is celebrating his 25th.
Wildes recalled his first encounter with YU, as a young high school student in a small Pennsylvania town with few Jews. 鈥淚 had no idea that there was a college that was also a yeshiva,鈥 said Wildes. 鈥淚 had been set to attend the University of Scranton, a Jesuit university run by the Catholic diocese, but when I heard about YU, I changed my plans. It was a whole new beginning and a whole new life for me.鈥
Wildes graduated from YC and the New York University School of Law. As founder of one of the city鈥檚 most prestigious immigration law firms, he represented well-known clients like John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Wildes was also an Adjunct Professor at YU鈥檚 Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he taught immigration law for more than 30 years. He has been a member of the YC Board of Overseers for over 30 years and served as its treasurer鈥攁nd his sons and grandsons have attended YU schools.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud that attending YU has become a family tradition, and I look forward to Reunion,鈥 said Wildes. 鈥淚鈥檓 still in touch with a lot of people I know only from YU, and I feel very appreciative of the education I received there.鈥
Dr. Samuel 鈥89YC and Tamar Soffer 鈥89S are celebrating their 25th Reunion as well as the graduation of their son, Ari 鈥14YC.
鈥淲e have five sons and Ari is our oldest, and it鈥檚 nice to get to come back to YU after all this time for our Reunion and also have another event鈥擜ri鈥檚 graduation鈥攖o celebrate,鈥 said Dr. Soffer, who is a pediatric surgeon at the Cohen Children鈥檚 Medical Center at North Shore-Long Island Jewish and an Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the Hofstra NS-LIJ School of Medicine. Dr. Soffer also fondly recalled his science classes with Dr. Carl Feit, the Dr. Joseph and Rachel Ades Chair in Pre-Health Sciences and Associate Professor of Biology.
Julie Schreier 鈥89S, YU鈥檚 Director of Institutional Advancement for the Long Island Region, is celebrating her 25th Reunion and her son Ashie鈥檚 (鈥14SB) graduation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a thrill for me to celebrate this milestone reunion and my son鈥檚 graduation from YU in the same year,鈥 said Schreier. 鈥淲e are a YU family through and through鈥攎y parents graduated from YU, my husband (Shapsie Schreier 鈥85YC) is a YU graduate鈥攁nd we are all so proud of our relationship with the university.鈥
Ashie will be continuing his YU association intensely for the next few years as well, as he is set to enter YU鈥檚 new Master鈥檚 in Accounting graduate program. 鈥淗aving grown up hearing about the benefits of a YU education from both my grandparents and parents, I think it鈥檚 a nice turn of events that I鈥檓 celebrating my graduation at the same time my mother is celebrating her reunion,鈥 he said. 鈥淢y parents鈥 obvious happiness and pride with their long relationship with YU makes me look forward to my own reunion one day鈥攑erhaps alongside my own son or daughter celebrating a graduation from YU, as well.鈥
Karen Bacon 鈥64S, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College for Women, is celebrating her 50th reunion alongside both her husband, Dr. Stephen Bacon 鈥64YC, and their daughter Yael Pahmer 鈥89S. 鈥淲hen I traveled from LA to attend Stern, I was too young and naive to understand how profoundly this institution would define my life and the lives of our children,鈥 explained Dean Bacon. 鈥淭orah Umadda is the way we think, and Torah is the way we live. As our daughter Yael celebrates with her reunion class and my husband and I with ours, we look forward to the day when our grandchildren, two of whom are already YU students, will continue this chain, this legacy, this precious way of life.鈥
Take Leon Wildes 鈥54YC, the founder of the prestigious immigration law firm Wildes & Weinberg P.C., who is celebrating his 60th Reunion alongside his son Rabbi Mark Wildes 鈥89YC, founder of the Manhattan Jewish Experience, who is celebrating his 25th.
Wildes recalled his first encounter with YU, as a young high school student in a small Pennsylvania town with few Jews. 鈥淚 had no idea that there was a college that was also a yeshiva,鈥 said Wildes. 鈥淚 had been set to attend the University of Scranton, a Jesuit university run by the Catholic diocese, but when I heard about YU, I changed my plans. It was a whole new beginning and a whole new life for me.鈥
Wildes graduated from YC and the New York University School of Law. As founder of one of the city鈥檚 most prestigious immigration law firms, he represented well-known clients like John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Wildes was also an Adjunct Professor at YU鈥檚 Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he taught immigration law for more than 30 years. He has been a member of the YC Board of Overseers for over 30 years and served as its treasurer鈥攁nd his sons and grandsons have attended YU schools.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud that attending YU has become a family tradition, and I look forward to Reunion,鈥 said Wildes. 鈥淚鈥檓 still in touch with a lot of people I know only from YU, and I feel very appreciative of the education I received there.鈥
Dr. Samuel 鈥89YC and Tamar Soffer 鈥89S are celebrating their 25th Reunion as well as the graduation of their son, Ari 鈥14YC.
鈥淲e have five sons and Ari is our oldest, and it鈥檚 nice to get to come back to YU after all this time for our Reunion and also have another event鈥擜ri鈥檚 graduation鈥攖o celebrate,鈥 said Dr. Soffer, who is a pediatric surgeon at the Cohen Children鈥檚 Medical Center at North Shore-Long Island Jewish and an Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at the Hofstra NS-LIJ School of Medicine. Dr. Soffer also fondly recalled his science classes with Dr. Carl Feit, the Dr. Joseph and Rachel Ades Chair in Pre-Health Sciences and Associate Professor of Biology.
Julie Schreier 鈥89S, YU鈥檚 Director of Institutional Advancement for the Long Island Region, is celebrating her 25th Reunion and her son Ashie鈥檚 (鈥14SB) graduation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a thrill for me to celebrate this milestone reunion and my son鈥檚 graduation from YU in the same year,鈥 said Schreier. 鈥淲e are a YU family through and through鈥攎y parents graduated from YU, my husband (Shapsie Schreier 鈥85YC) is a YU graduate鈥攁nd we are all so proud of our relationship with the university.鈥
Ashie will be continuing his YU association intensely for the next few years as well, as he is set to enter YU鈥檚 new Master鈥檚 in Accounting graduate program. 鈥淗aving grown up hearing about the benefits of a YU education from both my grandparents and parents, I think it鈥檚 a nice turn of events that I鈥檓 celebrating my graduation at the same time my mother is celebrating her reunion,鈥 he said. 鈥淢y parents鈥 obvious happiness and pride with their long relationship with YU makes me look forward to my own reunion one day鈥攑erhaps alongside my own son or daughter celebrating a graduation from YU, as well.鈥
Karen Bacon 鈥64S, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College for Women, is celebrating her 50th reunion alongside both her husband, Dr. Stephen Bacon 鈥64YC, and their daughter Yael Pahmer 鈥89S. 鈥淲hen I traveled from LA to attend Stern, I was too young and naive to understand how profoundly this institution would define my life and the lives of our children,鈥 explained Dean Bacon. 鈥淭orah Umadda is the way we think, and Torah is the way we live. As our daughter Yael celebrates with her reunion class and my husband and I with ours, we look forward to the day when our grandchildren, two of whom are already YU students, will continue this chain, this legacy, this precious way of life.鈥
