Jacob Herenstein Reinstated as YSU President After Temporary Hiatus

Jacob Herenstein officially reassumed the position of Yeshiva Student Union (YSU) President on Monday, March 20. YSU is the arm of student government that represents all male undergraduate students of Yeshiva University. It oversees non-academic clubs and serves as an important liaison between students and the administration. Herenstein was elected to YSU’s most senior position in the student elections at the end of the Spring 2016 semester.

Early in the morning of Tuesday January 31, a full week into the current semester, Herenstein announced via ystud that he was going to be on temporary leave from his position as President of Yeshiva Student Union (YSU). In an email sent to the student body from the email account of Josh Weisberg, the Wilf Campus Director of the Office of Student Life and ystud moderator, Herenstein explained, “I need to step down from the role of YSU President for the time being” due to “unexpected barriers” and “personal matters.” Because of the purported personal nature of his hiatus, Herenstein asked that students respect his privacy and “not ask about this matter” in order to “keep this matter private.”

In the interim, Aryeh Minsky served as YSU President in accordance with the Wilf Campus Student Constitution which states, “If for any reason the YSU President temporarily cannot perform his duties, the Student Union Vice President of Class Affairs shall serve as Acting YSU President.” Pursuant to these rules, Minsky, who was previously Vice President of Class Affairs and Senior Chair of the Student Life Committee, temporarily replaced Herenstein. Daniel Geller, previously the Junior Co-Chair of the Student Life Committee, temporarily filled the position of Senior Chair. The Vice President of Class Affairs position remained vacant.

At the beginning of his brief stint as YSU President, Minsky assured that he would pour all of his efforts into the YSU presidency. “I’ll continue to do everything I can as president until further notice,” he said at the time. “I plan to continue to run great events, to work with clubs, and to give everyone an exceptional on-campus experience.” At the time, it was unclear whether Herenstein would be reinstated as YSU President before the conclusion of the semester.

But now Herenstein is once again YSU President, having vacated the position for two days fewer than eight weeks. Despite repeated inquiries, Herenstein refused to comment about his temporary leave to The Commentator. But given his recent reoccupation of the student government position, it appears that either he has swallowed the adversity he was facing, or the relevant effects of these “unexpected barriers” have worn off.