Growing up, Rabbi Bryan Borenstein loved baseball. He would play hours of catch each day with his dad and brothers, working on his pitching in the front yard and spending summers at the Baseball Development Center (the BDC). There, he was coached by college, minor league, and major league players. Dodgers players would drop by every week, and the team’s pitching coaches, Dave Wallace and Rick Honeycutt, personally showed him how to improve his pitching.
Eventually, Borenstein earned a scholarship to pitch at Occidental College, and it looked like he had the chance to make it to the big time. However, he decided to defer to study at yeshiva in Israel for a year. And when he came home, he was a changed man.
“When the time came, I turned down the scholarship,” he said. “Observing Shabbat had become central to my life, and I chose Torah over baseball.”
“Observing Shabbat had become central to my life, and I chose Torah over baseball.”
Though Borenstein gave up the possibility of a career in sports, he doesn’t regret it. Today, he is in the meaningful role as the Regional Director of West Coast NCSY, a youth group for Jewish high schoolers run by the Orthodox Union. He comes into the role after years of working with Jewish college students at OU-JLIC, where he was supporting students in the San Fernando Valley.
“The timing felt perfect,” said Borenstein, who is now in his second year with NCSY. “After years of working with college students, I now had the chance to serve the high school community—not directly, but by overseeing the West Coast region.”
Through his work, the rabbi will travel the West Coast region, visiting school campuses, joining Latte and Learns, spending Shabbats at Shabbatonim, and meeting the communities the local NCSY directors serve. The organization’s programs include Shabbat and holiday gatherings; leadership development courses and conferences; trips to Israel; and community fellowships. The teens can learn, make friends, build their skills for their future careers, and engage with their Judaism in a fun and significant way.
“My goal at NCSY is simple: to make Judaism accessible and relatable to all Jewish high school students,” Borenstein said. “I want each teen to build a personal, meaningful relationship with Judaism, and I see my role as empowering our chapter directors to be the best educators and role models they can be.”
At NCSY, Borenstein witnesses incredible interactions all the time. One student lost his father as a young boy and, this year, he also lost his mother. With no siblings and a grandmother living out of state, he was alone. NCSY’s San Diego Chapter Director, Yoni Wilks, immediately wanted to help.
“We spoke often about how best to support him, and Yoni was at his side every step of the way,” said Borenstein. “He even worked with community members to help this teen learn how to manage a home and pay bills—skills he suddenly needed.”
Borenstein continued, “Stories like this are everywhere in NCSY. Yes, we teach Torah. But more than that, through relationships, mentorship, role modeling, and community, we live Torah.”
