Leonard Grunstein Published In New York Daily News and Brooklyn Downtown Star

Leonard Grunstein was published in several New York City publications over the past few weeks. In response to news that NYCHA would be selling off over $200 million in stakes in its housing properties, Grunstein wrote a letter to the editor to the New York Daily News, arguing that the agency was “robbing Peter to pay Paul: transferring the burden of repairing NYCHA’s decaying properties from the city to the federal government, which will pay the difference between the subsidized rent and the rent that renovated units will eventually fetch on the market.” Rather than relying on a “one-off infusion of public money,” Grunstein said the agency should look at “truly sustainable solutions that can fund themselves, such as a combination of market rate and subsidized housing together with robust retail on the ground floor.”

The Brooklyn Downtown Star also published an op-ed from Grunstein. The op-ed explored a dangerous trend in healthcare: the increasing use of private facilities to perform procedures that had traditionally been done in a hospital. Grunstein warned that such facilities carry significant risks in case of complications mid-procedure, saying” A 911 call and ambulance ride cannot compete with a short trip down a hospital hallway.” Grunstein’s solution was to create incentives to house outpatient surgery as a stand-alone unit on hospital grounds, allowing customers to “gain access to a wider range of services at a cheaper price than they would at a typical hospital, but with the safety provided by the full range of specialists on call for this purpose.”

Grunstein Family Dedicates Torah To Yeshiva University

The family of Leonard Grunstein dedicated a Sefer Torah to Yeshiva University Sunday in memory of his father, Morris Grunstein. The gift was celebrated in an all-day ceremony on December 7, featuring a traditional march through the streets with family, university administration, and students of the school. The Torah will be used for services at the university.

“Leonard Grunstein has always been a valued member of the Yeshiva University community, and we are humbled by the generosity he has shown to our school,” said Richard Joel, President of Yeshiva University. “Their family’s kindness is truly a model for Yeshiva University’s students.”

The dedication of a new Torah is a rare and deeply festive occasion. After a class presented by Rav Yaakov Neuberger, Rosh Yeshiva of the RIETS School, Yeshiva University students and family had the chance to fill in the final letters of the Torah, a tradition that goes back centuries. The Torah was then carried under a chupa through the streets surrounding Yeshiva University’s Wilf campus in Washington Heights, accompanied by singing and dancing.

Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel and Leonard Grunstein

The writing of a Torah is a product of painstaking craftsmanship. Every detail, down to the type of parchment used, must follow strict rules prescribed by Halakhic law. Each letter is written by hand by a sofer, a special scribe trained in the art of writing the Torah scroll, and any error must be fixed manually. As a result, a full Torah scroll will take over a year to write.

Leonard Grunstein and his wife Chanie, as well as their three children, are all alumni of Yeshiva University. A long-time supporter of the school, Grunstein was named a member of the Board of Overseers of the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies in early 2013. He has been involved with an array of other Jewish causes such as the Hebron Fund and the YIVO Institute.

Leonard Grunstein shares a video of NYC synagogues

Leonard Grunstein has recently released a video slideshow sharing photos of synagogues located in Midtown Manhattan. The video can be found on Grunstein’s YouTube channel and includes photos of such synagogues as, Chabad of Midtown on the east side of Fifth Avenue, near 42nd Street, and The Actor’s Synagogue on the north side of 47th Street, near 8th Avenue.