Rabbi Andrew N. Bachman to Be the Skirball Director of the Bronfman Center New York University President L. Jay Oliva today announced the appointment of Rabbi Andrew N. Bachman of Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn as the new Skirball Director of NYU’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life.
The Bronfman Center, which is located in a historic building at 7 East 10th Street, is the center of Jewish student campus life at NYU, providing reform, conservative and orthodox services, celebrations, lectures, and study and recreation space open to Jewish students and the entire NYU community. There are some 10,000 members of the NYU Jewish community.
Naomi Levine, an NYU senior vice president and chair of the Bronfman Center advisory board, said, “A year ago, we opened the Bronfman Center. We are a venerable institution, but in the short time that the Bronfman Center has been part of this community, it has made a special place for itself. So, it requires a special person to direct its programs. In Rabbi Bachman, we have found such a person. His long experience of joining Jewish tradition with the finest precepts of teaching and learning make him the ideal choice for this important post.”
Rabbi Bachman received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, received his master’s degree from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and has done graduate work at NYU.
Since 1993, Rabbi Bachman has been associated with the Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn. In addition, he has been a faculty member at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at the 92nd Street Y and a guest lecturer at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus.
The Bronfman Center was dedicated in December 1996. Formerly the Lockwood De Forest house, it was painstakingly renovated using elements of the original Asian carvings that adorned the house.
New York University, which is located in New York’s historic Greenwich Village neighborhood, was established by special New York State Legislation in 1831. It is one of the most prestigious research institutions in the world. Through its 13 schools and colleges, it conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, dentistry, education, business, public administration, nursing, social work, and the cinematic and performing arts, among other areas.