Torah Meets Television: Yeshiva University’s College Bowl Appearance

Sixty-three years ago, a team of four undergraduates from Yeshiva University stepped onto the set of NBC’s nationally televised General Electric College Bowl, hosted by Robert Earle. What followed over three consecutive Sunday broadcasts became a landmark cultural moment for Orthodox Jews and the broader American Jewish community.

In May 1963, YU sent three undergraduate men from Yeshiva College and one woman from Stern College for Women to compete in the fast-paced, high-stakes quiz show.

In the first match, Yeshiva University pulled off a dramatic upset by defeating the University of Louisville—a formidable powerhouse that was going for its fifth consecutive victory to retire undefeated—by a score of 335 to 140.

The following week, YU built on its momentum, handily defeating the University of Nevada by 285 to 185.

The school’s victorious run ended in a tightly fought match against Temple University in its third match, which it lost 280-235.

This historic television appearances were more than just a tribute to four talented YU students who successfully competed against other college students at secular universities.

In the early 1960s, Orthodox Judaism in America was often viewed—both by mainstream secular America and by assimilated American Jews—as an insular, outdated relic of the “old world” that would eventually fade away.

Seeing four visibly Jewish young scholars on network television during Sunday afternoon prime time displaying mastery over Western literature, world history, classical music, art, and science was deeply transformative

First, the victory was a living embodiment of YU’s core philosophy, Torah u’Madda (the integration of secular wisdom and sacred Torah study). It proved that rigorous Orthodox commitment did not require intellectual isolation or compromise in general knowledge.

Also, for second- and third-generation Jewish immigrants across the nation, watching YU beat major secular state universities filled living rooms with immense pride. Thousands of families tuned in simultaneously; it was widely remembered as a “stop-everything” event in Jewish households.

In addition, the broadcast challenged contemporary antisemitic tropes and secular assumptions, showing that young traditional Jews were fully capable of competing and winning on the grandest national intellectual stage.

The appearance also generated an unprecedented wave of national goodwill and publicity for Yeshiva University. Telegrams, fan mail, and congratulations poured into YU from across North America from Jews and non-Jews alike.  Also, the broadcast included a short institutional feature film during the halftime break showcasing YU’s campuses and mission, introducing the university to millions of Americans who had never heard of the school.

Most important, the 1963 College Bowl team remains legendary—frequently cited as a turning point in how Modern Orthodoxy viewed its place in American public life.

What happened to the four contestants?  I spoke to Professor Lawrence Kaplan, one of the four students on the program, about his quiz show partners. Kaplan is a world-renowned scholar who teaches Jewish thought and rabbinic literature at McGill University and who authored foundational works on the Rambam and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik.

Asher Reiss, a brilliant student with a photographic memory, was one of Kaplan’s fellow contestants. He was a history major who served as president of the History Society and captained YU’s national champion Greek debating team. He taught history at Brooklyn College and worked as an administrator at the Washington Heights post office in his later years. He passed away in 2011.

Shifra Jungreis was an English major and the lone female contestant on the team. She pursued a distinguished career in Jewish education and community leadership, teaching for decades and mentoring generations of students. She died in 2019.

Sheldon Fink, the fourth contestant, moved to Israel and achieved a very successful professional career in education, business, and community service.

The team was coached by Dr. Irving Linn, an English professor at Yeshiva College.

In reminiscing about the appearance, Kaplan emphasized the historic importance of the event: “What our College Bowl appearance showed was that young Modern Orthodox college students—more specifically Yeshiva College and Stern College students—could be deeply rooted in and committed to traditional Jewish learning and practice and, at the same time, au courant with the sciences, humanities, and general culture.”

The effect on the larger Modern Orthodox community was astounding. “What I remember clearly is that it was not just our immediate families and friends and not even just the wider YU family—staff, students and alumni—who were rooting for us,” recalled Kaplan. “The entire Modern Orthodox community were our ‘fans,’ and we felt and, even more important, they felt that we were representing them. This particularly hit home during the first match, when the largely YU studio audience applauded us so loudly, almost raucously, whenever we answered a question correctly, that we often found it difficult to hear the moderator’s subsequent question.”

Kaplan said that the experience changed the way people at Yeshiva University—and people outside the Orthodox community—looked at him “We became heroes. When we walked into the YU cafeteria, students cheered.  Strangers recognized me. People felt good about Orthodoxy. It helped disprove the myth that Orthodox Jews were backwards and uncultured.”

Kaplan also thought that YU chose Shifra Jungreis to be the captain of the team, as it would look better for the school. Having a woman as the captain of a quiz show team was itself quite remarkable for any school in 1963.

Back in 1963, YU wasn’t merely answering trivia questions on a popular television quiz show. In an era when Orthodox Judaism was still widely perceived as a somewhat insular immigrant-era community, four young Orthodox Jewish students walked onto America’s television screens and demonstrated that Torah and American intellectual achievement were not contradictory. That makes the 1963 College Bowl appearance a fascinating little window into the emergence of Modern Orthodoxy in America.