(Courtesy of YU) As the flagship Jewish university, Yeshiva University is proud to have educated so many of today’s teachers, rabbis and spiritual leaders. But it gives us even more joy when these educators return to Yeshiva University to guide and train our students—the next generation of teachers, rabbis and spiritual leaders.
Rabbi Shay Schachter will be joining the Beren Campus faculty, where he will teach classes on the laws of Shabbat and contemporary Halacha. A graduate of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Rabbi Schachter is excited to return to Yeshiva University. “I see this as an opportunity to be inspired by the deep passion and dedication of the young women at Yeshiva University,” he said. “It is exciting to join along for a small part of the journey, as they aspire and reach toward a life of greatness. I, together with the entire Beren Campus faculty, look forward to their remarkable contributions to both our community and to society as a whole.”
Joining Rabbi Schachter on the Beren Campus will be Rabbi Zev Goldberg and Dr. Danielle Bloom. An alum of both RIETS and Yeshiva College, Rabbi Goldberg will be teaching Holocaust Responsa and Philosophy of Law and Prayer this coming academic year. Dr. Bloom, who is also returning to YU after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Stern College for Women (SCW) and her doctorate from Azrieli, will be teaching a course on the Book of Numbers.
Also starting this fall on the Beren Campus is Rachel Besser, a graduate of SCW who will be returning to Lexington Avenue to teach the Books of Isaiah, Ezra and Esther, as well as Jewish philosophy. “It is an honor to be teaching at YU, an institution that had a profound impact on my own intellectual and religious development, and to have the opportunity to engage over texts with the next generation of Jewish women thinkers and leaders,” she said.
Finally, Rabbi Azi (YC ’19) and Ellie (SCW ’20) Fine and Rabbi Avrumi (YC ’19) and Michal (SCW ’19) Schonbrun will serve as the Beren Campus rabbi and rebbetzin and scholars in residence, respectively. Both couples will live on the Beren Campus in Midtown and foster the community on campus by coordinating programming, giving shiurim and interacting with the students in more informal settings.
“We are so excited to join the Beren Campus and for the opportunity to continue to build the feeling of community at Beren, as well as to strengthen and expand opportunities for students to develop their relationship with Hashem, Torah and mitzvot,” Rabbi Azi and Ellie Fine said.
“The Fines and Schonbruns are really invested in maximizing the Torah atmosphere on campus, and their tireless work this summer in preparation can attest to that,” said Gabriella Rahmanfar (SCW ’24). “I’m excited to see all their plans come to fruition.”
Meanwhile, on the Wilf Campus, Rabbi Reuven Boshnack will be joining the Undergraduate Torah Studies (UTS) faculty as an advisor and mashgiach for the Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies (IBC) and the James Striar School (JSS). Having received his rabbinic ordination from RIETS and a master’s in education from Azrieli, he will be teaching a workshop on tefilla and a daily chabura on chasidism and psychology, while also helping the students navigate the challenges and opportunities of the college experience.
“I’m excited to return to Yeshiva University!” he said. “I hope to work with our students to help them create a personal and profound connection to Hashem, His Torah and the Jewish people.”
