Hundreds of Students Attend YU’s Museum March Around New York

Over this past month, 400 YU undergraduates have taken advantage of Museum March, the student council’s newest programming initiative. Sponsored by both the Stern College for Women Student Council (SCWSC) and the Yeshiva Student Union (YSU), the goal of Museum March is to help YU students get to know New York City and take advantage of the opportunities that going to college in the city provides by offering YU students free tickets to attend an assortment of museums throughout the month. 

Elazar Abrahams (YC ‘22), the president of YSU, expressed that one of the ideas behind Museum March was to show that “New York City is our campus and it’s the best campus in the world.” He emphasized that “this month of programming encourages our student body to take advantage of all the cultural opportunities that surround them every day, and this is just a taste of what New York City has to offer.”

The student council had distributed tickets to RiseNY, which, according to the RiseNY website, is “a breathtaking journey that lifts and connects you to New York City’s most famous sites and moments” as a test run to gauge interest for Museum March. After the 100 tickets allocated to the event sold out in half an hour, the student council knew that the idea would be a success. Even after that test run, though, Abrahams remarked that the student participation in Museum March “exceeded our expectations,” with a “wide group of people” attending each trip. 

The student council kicked off the programming with a trip to the Museum of Illusions. With its eye-popping illusions and mind-bending picture opportunities, it was an instant hit with the students who attended. 

Jacob Katz (YC ‘24) called it an “exciting” trip and a “great way to start off the week.” He observed that “there’s a lot more to the city than [he] thought” and that he would never have known about this “unique experience” if not for Museum March.

The week after, the museum-goers marched to the Color Factory, an interactive art museum that, according to its website, “wants its visitors to experience artful wonder and to inspire them to bring that joy back into their everyday lives.” 

That joy was reflected in the students who visited the Color Factory. Amalya Teitelbaum (SSSB ‘24) appreciated the opportunity to “do activities, take pictures, and just have fun,” and “[hopes] that YU offers more trips like that in the future.” Elan Koshner (SSSB ‘24) made use of the “great opportunity to explore the city,” and was “glad to see YU utilizing and taking advantage of all the great museums in New York.”

The most recent excursion was to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the retired battleship that looms large off the coast of Manhattan. From flight simulators to spaceships, the museum has become “part of the fabric of New York City and a world-class cultural institution,” according to the museum’s website. 

Yitzhak Graff (YC ‘25), a student who went on the trip, took the opportunity to hear veterans talk about their experience on the Intrepid and see the decommissioned Enterprise space shuttle. Afterward, he reflected on the experience and pointed out that “allowing students who may not be from New York City to experience the local culture and interesting museums for free” was a unique aspect of the Museum March programming.

To finish off the month, Museum March will continue to cover ticket prices for YU undergraduates to attend the Museum of Modern art on Friday, March 25, and to Spyscape on Sunday, March 27. Going forward, Abrahams hopes that it will become an annual event, and that “student leaders next year continue Museum March with a new lineup.”

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Photo Caption: Students have been enjoying free tickets to various museums around the city. 

Photo Credit: Yeshiva University