Congressman Adriano Espaillat Meets With President and Students on Wilf Campus

Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan) visited the Wilf Campus on February 20. During his visit, he met with President Ari Berman, Vice President for Legal Affairs Andrew Lauer, as well as male and female students.

At their meeting, Espaillat, President Berman, and Lauer discussed opportunities for YU to further engage with the communities surrounding the University. “I look forward to exploring how Yeshiva University can further integrate into the broader community in a way that is mutually enriching,” President Berman said in a statement.

Leaders of several student clubs, including START Science and Music Vs., met with Espaillat afterwards to meet the Congressman and talk about the work their organizations are doing to better the surrounding communities at-large.

“The Congressman seemed genuinely interested and appreciative towards YU,” said Stern College Senior Goldie Wolfson, President of the Music Vs. club, whose members perform music therapy for elderly residents. “I was impressed he made time to come to YU just to hear from a few students about the clubs we run and ask us about our personal lives and answer our own questions to him,” she added.

Nolan Edmonson, a Junior in Yeshiva College majoring in Political Science, appreciated Espaillat’s insights on federal policy matters, as well as his advocacy work in the Heights. “Congressman Espaillat seems to be extremely interested in continuing the relationship between YU and his constituents in Washington Heights,” Edmonson said. “He’s really hit the ground running in Washington, D.C., serving as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and to me, seems incredibly dedicated to serving the Washington Heights community as a whole.”

Espaillat, who previously represented Washington Heights in the State Senate, is no stranger to the University, having held his Congressional inauguration in Lamport Auditorium last year. He is also the first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress. The Congressman’s visit was organized by the University, who invited him, according to Espaillat spokeswoman Candace Randle Person.

“Yeshiva University is an epicenter of education in the Jewish community, both in the United States and around the world,” Espaillat said. “I look forward to working with President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman to further Yeshiva University’s mission as an educational institution and a strong partner in our diverse upper Manhattan community.”