14 Facts About Richard Joel

Richard M Joel is a Jewish scholar who was the fourth president of Yeshiva University, a Modern Orthodox Jewish university in New York City.

Richard Joel has written on topics that include Jewish leadership, the BDS movement on college campuses, and civil discourse.

Richard Joel received his BA and JD from New York University, where he was a Root-Tilden law scholar.

Richard Joel received honorary doctorates from Boston Hebrew College and Gratz College.

Richard Joel was an assistant district attorney and Deputy Chief of Appeals in the Bronx.

Richard Joel's career continued as associate dean and professor of law at YU's Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law.

From 1989 to 2003, Joel served as President and International director of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, an organization which supports Jewish life for college and university students throughout the world.

In 1994, Richard Joel orchestrated Hillel's independence from B'nai B'rith, its parent organization since 1925.

Richard Joel became president of YU in 2003, succeeding Rabbi Dr Norman Lamm, who had been president since 1976.

Richard Joel facilitated the construction of the Jacob and Dreizel Glueck Center for Jewish Study, and established the Center for Jewish Future.

Richard Joel established the Katz School of Graduate and Professional Studies, and restructured Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Additionally, President Richard Joel established various centers and programs including the university's centers for Ethics, Public Health and the Jewish Future, and the Glatt Program on Israel and the Rule of Law.

Richard Joel established a Presidential Fellowship program that provides training and professional development to recent graduates to further their path toward communal leadership.

Richard Joel was appointed President Emeritus and continues as the Bravmann Family University Professor, teaching leadership courses across Yeshiva University.