Yeshiva Schools welcomes Bayla Blumstein to head Girls High School Judaics
Blumstein, a Houston-bred Jewish educator, will succeed longtime Yeshiva Schools staffer Batsheva Deren beginning this summer,
A new leader is coming to Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh.
Bayla Blumstein, a Houston-bred Jewish educator, will succeed longtime Yeshiva Schools staffer Batsheva Deren as Girls High School Judaic principal beginning this summer, Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum, Yeshiva Schools’ CEO and head of school, announced recently.
Blumstein grew up in Texas and met her husband, Rabbi Yarden Blumstein, while living in Brooklyn. They moved to the Detroit area about 15 years ago; for nearly a decade, Bayla Blumstein has worked as the principal at Chaya Mushka Girls High School.
“I’ve led and guided the school here for nine years, and I look forward to bringing those experiences to Yeshiva Schools,” she said.
Blumstein, who previously worked for Friendship Circle in Michigan, has 20 years of experience working with people from eclectic backgrounds and focusing on child development and teen engagement, Rosenblum said.
One area where Blumstein sees parallels between the two communities is in student dormitories. She said she helped to build a dorm while leading Chaya Mushka Girls High School and grew it to 30 girls from around the world. In Pittsburgh, she will focus, among other duties, on growing Yeshiva Schools dormitories in Greenfield.
Blumstein also said she nearly doubled enrollment at Chaya Mushka, growing it from about 40 to 70 students.
“A lot of my first months will be learning — learning the culture of the school and learning the culture of the community,” Blumstein said. “I’m coming here able and ready to learn.”
He previously taught at Frankel Jewish Academy and worked as a teen mentor and director of UMatter, an organization of Friendship Circle focused on emotional health and well-being for teens, Yeshiva Schools said in a letter to parents.
The Blumsteins plan to send their eight school-aged children, ranging from 1 to 15, to Yeshiva Schools.
Bayla Blumstein is set to arrive in Pittsburgh the last week of June and is looking to find “the right house” in either Squirrel Hill or Greenfield, she said.
Her knowledge of Pittsburgh is limited, she said. But the family is very happy with what they’ve seen so far.
“We’ve experienced a very warm and welcoming community” in Pittsburgh, Blumstein said. “It feels like the community is close-knit and pretty united.”
Blumstein admits she’s got large shoes to fill.
Batsheva Deren is leaving after serving 43 years at the Orthodox school in Squirrel Hill, most recently as principal of the girls’ school.
Deren arrived at Yeshiva Schools in 1981, first as a teacher and, later, an administrator, Rosenblum said in a letter to school families.
“Mrs. Batsheva Deren has educated and guided our students who have since gone on to be mothers and even grandmothers, proud Jewish women and contributing members of society,” Rosenblum said. “Her tremendous spirit, and devotion to her mission and her students, has shaped our school into the institu-tion it is today.”
While Deren “really formed the culture” at Yeshiva Schools, Rosenblum told the Chronicle he is confident Blumstein “will continue to upgrade, expand and develop school programs.”
“She already has made an impression on everybody,” Rosenblum said. “We’re looking forward to her coming. We’re extremely excited.”
In related news, Rochel Rabinowitz, the girls’ assistant principal for grades 7 through 12, is moving into a new role as Judaic principal of Yeshiva Schools’ middle school, which includes grades 7 and 8, school officials said. PJC
Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
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