Why the Times' attack on Yeshiva University should scare all believing Jews
Back when politicians were occasionally the source of enduring wisdom, the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan admonished, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” That memorable phrase was an elegant way of saying one should not make stuff up to advance an argument.
These wise words came to mind recently when three legislators in New York released a letter critical of Yeshiva University. The letter accused YU of obtaining a significant amount of “state funds” under false pretenses, claiming that YU mischaracterized its religious status to obtain public funds it wasn’t entitled to.
Just as the letter was released on social media, the New York Times posted an article headlined “Was Yeshiva University Entitled to $230 Million in Public Funds?” complete with a quote from one of the letter’s signatories suggesting that fraud was committed and calling for a criminal inquiry. The Times even sent an alert to subscribers promoting the article.
In reality, neither the Times article nor the letter it reported on had any basis in fact.
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