Hedenu April 1929
Elchanan
Times of old return to us
While sitting within thy walls;
The wonderful ages of our faith,
While learning in thy halls.
Thy glorious name brings memories
Of names our chapters filled.
Their lofty thoughts our hearts sing out
Within thy doors not stilled.
Throughout the world thy motto shall spread,
A culture wise and true.
They spirit of the Yeshiva shall fill
The heart of every Jew.
Thy heartstrings shall from everywhere
Where Godly truths are sought,
Attract to thy walls our noble youth
For nobler to be wrought.
Elchanon, how clear thy echo resounds,
As though these portals dear,
We voice thy thoughts and those of our sages
Taught by disciples here.
And as the true angel to his God
Does worship, mind and soul,
So shall thy children, adding their heart,
Thy holy name extol.
H.S.
Note—"Elchanan" is presented as a possible Yeshiva song. We shall be glad to receive other poems thought fitting to this end.—Ed.
The first graduating class of Yeshiva College included a poem directed at their Alma Mater, the school that they were graduating from. It is not clear if these poems were ever intended to be sung, especially since they were placed at the beginning of the year book, suggesting a dedication of some kind to the school they had just graduated from. The first three graduating classes included such a poem in their year books, they were the classes of 1932, 1933, and 1934.
TO ALMA MATER
Thou, noble seat of science and of art,
Thou, sacred home of great Hebraic lore!
E'en from the day thou first oped wide they door
Thy fame has been proclaimed in home and mart;
E'en from thy glorious, momentous start
Thy praise has been relayed from shore to shore,
And love for thee, engendered more and more
In every true and loyal Jewish heart.
We, too, thy sons, O Alma Mater dear,
Who have long dwelt amid they holy "ells,"
Who have drunk of the waters, fresh and clear,
That e'er gush forth from thy two-cultured wells,
We pledge to thee our love and high esteem;
Thou art a fact now, risen from a dream.
—Joseph Kaminetsky
To Alma Mater
O thou who did'st with tenderness and care
Aid us the rocky cliffs of truth to scale,
And from the flames of youthful doubt to bear
The spark of faith, whose light shall never fail.
To thee we raise our voice in grateful song;
'Twixt memory and hope are built our lives,
The spirit of the East of ages long,
Thou bringest to the West — the union thrives.
The vine's sweet fruit, the grape, can never grow
Upon the stem of prickly pointed thorn,
Nor thistles bear, no matter who may sow,
The fig whose juice feeds nations yet unborn.
Implanted deep thy seeds of mind and heart
That grow as one in consummated art.
—Abraham S. Guterman
To Alma Mater
When whimsic, plastic adolescent years
Are gravely stilled to manhood's calm reserve;
When, out of season, grizzled age would serve
A cloying feast of gloomy sullen fears . . .
When sparkling laughter haply disappears
And vain attempts to light a smile unnerve;
When life is 'reft of eager, glowing verve
And earth remains a dismal vale of tears—
Yet is such grief more sweet than any draught
That blissful ignorance would have us breathe,
Far more serene than leisure winds that waft
The soul along and give it folly's wreath:
For there is joy to hearts that sadly weep
Unknown to lightsome breasts that, waking, sleep...
So, Alma Mater, you have bid us sip
From out the brimming cup that knowledge fills
A sweet ambrosial wine-drink which instils
With sun-kist glow life's drab apprenticeship;—
Though first it seemed too bitter to our lip
And seemed to grip us with convulsing chills
We drank it down, and learned of joyous thrills
That grew more pleasing with its tightened grip...
When soon thru life we take our varied course—
No longer fed from Alma Mater's hand—
Our eyes shall often turn upon the source
Of all that helped us erst to understand . . .
For with the past there is a mystic bond
Through wisdom's soul—to heaven and beyond.
by Bernard Dov Milians
The class of 1939 was the first class to include an Alma Mater song. Though music notes for this song have not been preserved, a comment elsewhere in the yearbook suggests that the tune was similar to "I've been working on the railroad."
Yeshiva College Alma Mater
On the heights of New York's island
Stands Yeshiva strong,
She's but one in the entire land,
To her we sing this song.
Shout her praises far and nigh,
For to her our hearts are true.
Raise the banner up on high,
Hail for the white and blue.
Oh Yeshiva, mother dear!
Molder of thy youth!
Thou hast spread thy rays of cheer
To sons who love the truth.
Tho' we wander far and wide,
True to thee our hearts will be,
And we'll rally to thy side,
Hail dear old Y.C.
On the field of life's endeavor
When we take our stand,
Friends we've made will live forever
In our hearts so grand.
Tho' we wander far and wide,
True to thee our hearts will be,
And we'll rally to thy side,
Hail dear old Y.C.
—Joseph Rothstein
The Alma Mater that was printed in the 1957 yearbook was created by a Student Council appointed Alma Mater committee to write and compose a Yeshiva College Alma Mater song. This Alma Mater retained some notoriety over the years, so it was actually recorded in 2005.
Golden Domes across the sky,
A heritage of years,
These humble hearts are mindful now
Of your pride, your joys, your tears.
Citadel of mind and faith
endow us with your soul,
Inspire our days, our years, our lives
to fulfill your lofty goal.
Oh, spark of light throughout the ages,
Guardian of the solemn truth,
To thee we sing our Alma Mater,
From hearts with love imbued.
Golden Domes for ever be
a symbol 'cross the land,
That where e'er your sons
under heaven reside,
They shall strive both for God and man.
—Joel M. Schreiber
The students at Stern College for Women composed their own alma mater song in 1958. Though we don't have an audio recording of it, the notes for the melody were printed in the 1959 yearbook.
To thee our Alma Mater,
a song of love and praise
Thy spirit everlasting
will guide us in our ways
The light of Torah teaching
so brightly shining through
Will be our inspiration forever
loyal pure and true,
Devotedly we sing Stern College,
Hail thy white and blue.
תּוֹרַת חַיִים מַבַּעַת בִּינָה דֵּעָה הַשְׂכֵּל
מִמַּעְיָנָה נִשְׁאָב מָקוֹר חָכְמָה לֶהֶגְלוֹת בָּהּ נִשְׁתַּדֵּל
וְהָעוֹלָם יַבְרִיק מֵהוֹד כּוֹכָב בּיִשְׂרָאֵל
(The Torah of life expresses understanding, knowledge, and wisdom
From its spring we will draw the source of wisdom, we will try to reveal it
And the world will glow from the glory of a star in Israel.)
—Barbara Gross
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