Dear readers,

The day before the Forward published an article detailing how YU covered up a widespread sexual abuse case in the 80’s, a friend of mine warned me. “YU is going to get hard in the next couple days,” he said. Despite the forewarning, though, I sat in shock the next day when I realized the extent of the hit. Sexual abuse in institutions of higher education is all too common today and, unfortunately, YU is now placed in the middle of it.

Last year, Mordechai Twersky sent us an article about how he was sexually abused in high school, and we decided to publish it. I never thought that our decision to run his article would lead to months of investigative journalism and, finally, a reckoning for the accused. But it did. The power of the written word has helped bring justice, and it is important for all of us to recognize that.

It has now been several years since the Beacon formed as a project by ambitious and courageous YU students—but its light continues to shine. By providing a –non-ideological—platform for open debate and discussion, we have opened up an outlet of expression for those who felt like they never had one.

I pray that Twersky’s tragic story will shed light onto one our community’s most sensitive and pressing issues.

Sincerely,
Aryeh Younger
Editor-in-Chief