י״ג אדר ה׳תשפ״ו | March 1, 2026
R’ Baruch Bush, 78, AH
Professor Baruch Bush, a longtime resident of Crown Heights and beloved member of the community, passed away peacefully just before Shabbos, surrounded by his loving children.
Professor Baruch Bush, a longtime resident of Crown Heights and beloved member of the community, passed away peacefully just before Shabbos, surrounded by his loving children.
He was 78 years old.
Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Baruch excelled academically, attended Harvard University, and later earned his law degree from Stanford Law School, laying the foundation for a distinguished career in legal scholarship.
In 1977, his life took a transformative turn when he connected with Yiddishkeit at the Chabad House in Berkeley, California. There, under the guidance of Rabbis Yosef Langer, Chaim Itche Drizin, and Chaim Citrin, his deep and lasting bond with Chassidus and the Rebbe was formed. It was also at a Chabad House Purim celebration in Berkeley that he met his wife, Shulamis, A”H.
Seeking to raise their family in a vibrant Jewish environment, the Bush family moved to Crown Heights, where Professor Bush joined the faculty of Hofstra Law School. The Rebbe encouraged his teaching and writing, blessing him with “success with your students.” Those words became his lifelong mission and marching orders. Even in the face of illness, he continued teaching until just weeks before his passing, impacting and inspiring thousands of students and colleagues through his scholarship, care, and unwavering devotion to Yiddishkeit.
Together with Professor Joseph Folger of Temple University, Professor Bush became the co-creator and leading advocate of the Transformative Model of Mediation. He authored dozens of influential articles and the award-winning book The Promise of Mediation, which reshaped the field and earned him international recognition.
During the 1991 Crown Heights riots, Professor Bush stepped forward and became involved in community activism, offering legal guidance and ultimately serving as a volunteer member of the Vaad Hakahal.
His travels for academic lectures often doubled as points of connection and chizuk. Wherever he went in the world, he made it a point to visit the local Chabad House to farbreng and offer support. In Crown Heights, he would inspire many, speaking at farbrengens and community functions. He took particular pride in being a partner in supporting the Chabad House of Petaluma, established by his son Rabbi Dovid Bush, in the Bay Area, where his own journey of Yiddishkeit had begun decades earlier.
Professor Bush possessed a deep love for learning and teaching Chassidus and approached mitzvos and minhagim with diligence and joy. He loved inspiring children’s love for the Torah, becoming his shul, Bais Levi Yitzchak’s, “candyman,” distributing sweets when the kids would kiss the torah.
He took immense pride in the accomplishments of all of his children. Professor Baruch Bush leaves behind a legacy of scholarship and inspiration.
He will be deeply missed by his children, family, students, colleagues, and the many communities he touched.
The levaya will take place on Monday, passing by 770 Eastern Parkway at 12:00 PM. 1:00 PM burial at Montefiore Cemetery.
Shiva will take place next door to the family home at 1505 President St.
Davening Times:
Shacharis: 8 AM
Mincha/Maariv: 5:30
Visiting times:
11:00a-2:00p
7:00p-8:00p
(Monday: Shiva 4-5pm. No Shiva visits on Purim)
Friday:
Shachris: 6:10 AM
Motzei Shabbos:
In Petaluma, CA
Boruch dayan hoemes
COMMENTS
What a profound loss!
You were Such a special Yid.
A Joy and sparkle in your eyes.
Always with a kind word.
Fiercely dedicated to the Rebbe. Devoted to His campaigns.
Devoted to each member of his family.
You had huge success with connecting personally with people.
I learned a lot of people skills from you.
Made people feel like “you are really important to me”, and they actually were!
Always with a hug and a niggun
Chaval D’Avdin Vlo Mishtakchin… Alas, to those who have been lost and are no longer able to be seen…
Your student, friend, admirer
Chaim Teleshevsky
having a mashpia. Learned it, practiced it, spoke about it… in that and other “simple” yet profound ways strived to be a chossid. We want Moshiach now.
An excellent Torts Law professor who I learned so much from.
WOW. I am at a loss of words. I was his student over 10 years ago. Professor Bush left such an impact on me. When I get together with other classmates, we still reference his class to this day… He was profound and taught outside the box. His charts and ways of teaching were unlike any other professor that I had. Professor Bush bestowed so much wisdom on us. I loved his torts class so much that I took his transformative mediation course as well. These are skills that I use to this day.
These photos shared of him bring such a smile on my face while tears fill my eyes. There is no doubt that his legacy will continue.
May his memory be a blessing.
In 1980, I had the good fortune to find myself in a seminar on Economic Analysis of Law with the quite young and new Professor Bush. He was brilliant, thoughtful, and dedicated to learning with his students while teaching us. It was obvious that he would prove to be a great professor over time, and he did. Those of us fortunate to have benefited from his wisdom will cherish his memory, and the law school community will miss him greatly. May his memory be a blessing.
I have the sweetest and most encouraging memories of this teacher. He made Torts accessible and really taught students to think on their feet. Brilliant and Kind. May His Memory Be a Blessing.
I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know Baruch through the transformative mediation community. His combination of brilliance, warmth, dedication to causes and communities he cared about, and gentle humor was truly rare, and such a gift to the world.
While I know he will be missed beyond measure, I also know his legacy will live on in ways that are beyond measure.
In loving gratitude for Baruch.
I had the honor of first being Prof. Bush’s student and then his colleague. His teachings are part of my thinking and practice; his warmth and zeal, in the best sense of the word, have inspired me.
I’m very sorry to hear about the passing of Professor Bush. He introduced the world of alternative dispute resolution to me as a law student at Hofstra in the 1990s, inspiring me so much that I continue to volunteer for mediations and arbitrations. His legacy lives on. May his memory be a blessing to us all
I’m so sorry to hear of the passing of Professor Bush. He was not only my favorite law professor, but he was a gem of a human being with an incredibly compassionate and kind soul. Back in 1990 when I began law school, I had a very difficult semester due to a family issue that had arisen. He always had his door and his heart open, and guided me through some very difficult decision making. His compassion left a deep imprint on my soul, and I have never forgotten his kindness. He is truly someone who was always a net positive – making the world a better and gentler place. May his memory forever be for a blessing.
Professor Bush was a special professor and human being. He cared deeply about his students and about using the law to make the world around us better. One of my best memories of Professor Bush was serenading the class over Zoom, with a song. May his passion, guidance, and dedication always be remembered.
Professor Bush was a favorite: brilliant, kind, funny, compelling and a true mensch! He let you know that he cared about you not just as a student but as a person. I have often looked back to my memories sitting in Professor Bush’s class as the gold standard for inspiring law students that I aspire to achieve in my own teaching career. May his memory be a blessing to his family, colleagues, students and community.
Like others have stated, Professor Bush was a true gem. He approached students with a genuine desire to shape the future generations in the most positive way. His fervor and kindness in the classroom have stayed with me for over a decade. May his memory be a blessing to all who had the privilege to know him.
Prof. Bush was by far my favorite professor at Hofstra Law School (Class of 2009). His passion for education and his brilliance in legal scholarship were patently evident, so I took as many courses that he taught as I possibly could during my 3 years at the university. He made an enormous impact on my legal education and it certainly was a privilege to be his student.