Introducing the New Campus Couple

As soon as it was announced at the beginning of last May that the Schwabs were going to be leaving their position as Campus Couple at the end of that semester, every Stern student wanted to know who would be taking their place this year. As the new semester began, a few Shabbatot came and went, noticeably without a Campus Couple. The mystery was over when in the middle of October, an sstud went out to introduce the new Campus Couple, Rabbi Yosef and Dr. Batya Bronstein, who began their position the Shabbat of October 24-25 with a special oneg in the 35th Street lounge.       

The Bronsteins both have impressive biographies. Rabbi Yosef Bronstein received his BA in Jewish Studies from Yeshiva College after taking a leave of absence in order to study in Israel  at several yeshivot including Kerem B’Yavneh, Yeshivat Har Etzion and Merkaz HaRav. He also received ordination from RIETS and an MA in Talmudic Studies from The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. In addition to being one half of the campus couple, he also teaches Jewish Philosophy at IBC and Stern, and is a PhD candidate in the Talmudic Studies at Revel.

Dr. Batya Bronstein earned her BA in Judaic Studies and Psychology from Stern College after studying for a year at Michlala in Jerusalem. She then went on to receive her doctoral degree at The Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. Dr. Bronstein is also a clinical psychologist who currently works at the Child Mind Institute’s Healthy Brain Network. Rabbi and Dr. Bronstein have two adorable children, Talya, age five, and Yehuda, who is twenty months old.       

The Bronsteins are very excited to be taking on this new role. They have both been connected to the YU community for many years and have benefitted greatly from that connection. They are now are thrilled to have this opportunity to give back to the YU community in a meaningful way. They are looking forward to interacting with students in a more informal setting.

“Be it through shmoozing at meals, discussion groups, onegs, games or Divrei Torah, we have thus far gotten to know an amazing group of students,” Rabbi Bronstein said. “We look forward to continuing to meet more students.” He also emphasized that through these interactions, as well as through meetings with student leaders, they are working hard to create a warm and spiritual culture for Shabbat at Stern.

The Bronsteins are not planning on making any major changes to Shabbat on campus as of now, and give the Schwabs credit for creating a great overall structure to Shabbat at Stern. Rabbi Bronstein did note, however, that “We definitely have some exciting ideas for new potential programs, so stay tuned!”

The Bronsteins encourage everyone to stay in and experience a Shabbat at Stern. They point out that more than just being convenient, it is a chance to meet students that you might not ordinarily encounter. Shabbatot on campus include fun, educational and stimulating programming. It is mostly student-run, and therefore a great platform for students to step up and contribute to their Stern community.

“And most importantly,” Rabbi Bronstein emphasized, “Shabbat at Stern is a real Shabbat experience.  Ideally, Shabbat is not just a vacation from classes and studying, but a time of spiritual upliftment, Torah and reflection.  In our few weeks at Stern we have walked away inspired from the Stern Shabbat experience (definitely in comparison to the drudgery of Washington Heights), and we think that this experience should be shared by as many people as possible.”

The Bronsteins have been received warmly by the Stern community. “I love that they make us feel like we’re a family here, seeing their children run around,” sophomore Liorah Rubinstein said. “They make us feel invited and cared for, and always have interesting things to say. They care about getting know us on a personal level, and are always open to discussions.”       

The Stern community looks forward to many more Shabbatot with the Bronsteins. If you haven’t stayed in for Shabbat yet, you can buy your ticket in the caf now!