Remarks
made at the dedication of the Center for Jewish Life at Princeton
University on June 2, 2002
Henry Posner, Jr. '41:
About the time I came to Princeton in 1937, there
was a cartoon that depicted a veterinarian about to administer medication
to a horse. The way he did this was to place the medication in a
tube, put the tube down the horse's throat and blow. The cartoon
depicted the veterinarian as greatly distressed, and the caption
read: "The horse blew first!"
There were eight of us who came to Princeton from Shady Side Academy
out of a class of 35, and we were pretty self-confident – we
thought we had the world by the tail on a downhill pull. But for
me, Princeton blew first. We found ourselves in a very open-minded
atmosphere – inquisitive and somewhat irreverent. Coming from
the very closely controlled atmosphere of a small school it was
somewhat distressing, but it opened a window on a whole new world
and I am very grateful for that opportunity. It is very special
of the faculty, the administration and the trustees to be able to
reinvent Princeton in these times of such change. But if anyone
had said to me in my years at Princeton that there would be a Center
for Jewish Life on this campus at Princeton University, I would
have suggested he have his head examined.
I am very appreciative for the opportunity to have attended Princeton
and for the opportunity to have known Harold and Vivian Shapiro,
and for what they have done for this university. Princeton was a
remarkable experience for me, and it is a remarkable institution.
And I am very appreciative for the opportunity to be here today.
Henry Posner III '77:
Many of you may be wondering how an institution
with an $8 billion endowment – and generally considered to
be the best university on the planet – would be a place where
people could still make a difference. I would like to give credit
for what my family has done in recognition of the achievements of
Harold and Vivian Shapiro for not only the consistent improvements
at the university, but also for having changed the culture of the
university.
I think the danger of being the world’s best university is
the feeling that the outside world really doesn’t matter. But
one of the benefits of Jewish affiliation is that you find yourself
enmeshed with people all over the world in a way in which you can
make a difference. While it is great that we take care of each other
within the many Jewish communities here in the U.S., we must remember
that we not only have the opportunity, but also are obliged to go
beyond “Princeton in the Nation’s Service”. Princeton
as it serves the world is increasingly something we can and should
do.
If anything can come of this center, it is that it will help the
Jewish students at Princeton become more focused on who they are.
The great Jewish scholar Anne Molloy and her D’vor Torah after
September 11th made the comment, “You should remember where
you come from.” It makes sense because a greater focus on where
we come from serves as a firmer jumping off point for service to
Jews everywhere.
I would like to close by leaving everyone with a sense of obligation;
that it is not good enough to use this facility, but that you must
use it for the furtherance of the greater cause. T’Kun Olam
– Heal the World!
President, emeritus, Harold T. Shapiro:
It is a great pleasure for Vivian and me
to be here and a special pleasure that some of our children and
grandchildren and, of course, my mother are here with us. Today
is a special time for our whole family.
To some extent this is an unusual dedication. As University President,
especially if you look at all the construction going on within campus
the last decade or so, there were a lot of dedications that I attended.
All those dedications except for today were at the beginning of
something. Something was beginning and we had hopes, but whether
it would work out or not was something for the future; it was a
statement of faith.
The CJL (Center for Jewish Life) is very seasoned, as you know.
I felt that while I was still serving as President it would be inappropriate
to have a ceremony like this. So they were kind enough to put it
off until now. The benefit is that we now have our prospective fellowship
way beyond hope and we’re into the faith stage where the faith
is well justified. And in that respect we really want to thank all
the students, the faculty and Rabbi Diamond in particular, and colleagues
for making this a very successful organization. I can remember talking
to the trustees when we were thinking about this center and such
events, that it would not be enough if this were just successful
for Jewish students. Helping Jewish students would be a very good
thing, but it really wouldn’t be enough; it had to strengthen
the university, strengthen the university’s community and have
a broad reach to get this effect. It’s good to serve the Jewish
students, important to serve them, but that was not enough. Now
that you’ve added to the work of Rabbi Diamond and his colleagues
to active leadership that has been a part of this center, it has
been very rewarding. And now it is a double pleasure for Vivian
and myself to have ourselves recognized with the CJL as it goes
forward.
I want to say a special word about the Posners. One of the great
experiences about being President of a university like Princeton
is that you meet very unusual and very wonderful people. And the
Posners are certainly in that category. I have visited with them
a number of times at their office and in their homes in Pittsburgh;
and there is something very unusual about them; something very broad
about their outlook and unique about their commitments; and most
of all something very clear about what they believe and what they
care about. And I feel that I’ve learned something from them
from my recent associations with them. Both Henrys and Anne and
Helen, it really is a special pleasure for Vivian and me to have
our names associated with yours because that will bring memories
to us as we think about this over the years and hope our friendship
will continue as we see each other on many other occasions. This
is a very special part from our perspective.
And of course the other donors, some of whom are here who made this
possible, are helping this community; it’s not just the Posners
but others who are now recognized on the plaque that we put up two
months ago. They made this possible along with the work of so many
communities such as the faculty. So a lot of people and a lot of
devotion have gone into this and some of that hope will continue
to be important for Princeton and for what Princeton does and for
what Princeton stands for. It will certainly be a very memorable
aspect of my experience here.
I have had a chance to be here in this area for the best years of
CJL. We have had many joyful visits here and look forward to many
more. Thank you all very much for coming, and celebrate the success
of today!
Toast by Rabbi Diamond:
Henry Posner Jr., Class of '41, and Helen
M. Posner
Henry Posner III, Class of '77, and Anne M. Molloy
Harold and Vivian Shapiro
This toast is to the spirit of this great, great
university and embodied in the individuals that we have all recognized
this morning. A traditional Jewish toast to life. L'Chaim!
