Yeshiva University Cancels Speech by Former Jewish Press Editor

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Yeshiva University has canceled an upcoming lecture by Elliot Resnick, former chief editor of The Jewish Press and a VINNews podcast host.

Resnick had been scheduled to speak about his book – America First: The Story of Sol Bloom, the Most Powerful Jew in Congress During the Holocaust – but several university officials complained about Resnick entering the capitol building on January 6, 2021.  They also objected to his public condemnation of the university.

It isn’t clear if the officials balked at an op-ed he wrote in September 2022 in response to YU proclaiming “unshakable” “love” for LGBT students on campus or if they had in mind a February 2024 podcast episode in which Resnick castigated YU for banning Rabbi Meir Kahane’s books from its Seforim Sale while tolerating radical left-wing behavior.

“In that podcast, I pointed out that YU – among other things – employed a transgender professor for 20 years and that it continues to employ a Bible professor who publicly said we should ignore the Torah’s views on homosexuality,” Resnick told VINNews.  “I couldn’t believe that YU would treat anti-Torah leftists so tolerantly and yet refuse to carry Rabbi Kahane’s books – especially after October 7 – at its Seforim Sale.

“So I spoke out.  And now I’m being punished – for the crime of objecting to a crime.”

Resnick was supposed to speak on April 2 under the aegis of “YU Library Book Talk.”  His book America First is based on his PhD dissertation, which he wrote at YU.

See the poster of Resnick’s canceled speech below:

Resnick was a reporter for The Jewish Press from 2006-2018, and its chief editor from 2018-2021, during which time he revitalized the paper.  He was let go as editor in May 2021 after Politico reported on his participation in the storming of the U.S. Capitol.  Last August, SawYouAtSinai (SYAS) kicked Resnick off its shidduch database, also citing his January 6 activities.

“Any person who is arrested and charged with a violent crime, whether it be domestic violence, physical assault, sexual assault or any related criminal activity, will not be permitted to use our matchmaking services,” SYAS CEO Marc Goldmann said in a statement.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Resnick held the wrist of a police officer for a little over two seconds.  The officer had been squirting pepper spray on people outside the Capitol’s East Rotunda Doors when Resnick grabbed his wrist.  The U.S. government initially charged Resnick with assault for this act, but it dropped the charge in January of this year when Resnick pled guilty to civil disorder, a non-violent crime.  Resnick, however, remains banned at SYAS.

Read SYAS’s explanation for banning Resnick.