Sep 1, 2009 -- Groups of incoming undergraduate men descended upon the streets of Washington Heights during Orientation Week on Aug. 25 to explore its culture and colorful history. Upperclassman tour guides trained by Dr. Tim White, former assistant professor of history at Yeshiva College, led 320 students in all of the First Year Writing Composition classes and their instructors on a tour of the neighborhood’s lush parks, grand edifices, historical sites and street side markets. See a photo gallery of the tour. “It was really enjoyable to see the vibrant street culture and the sense of communal life that fills the air,” said Joseph Cohen, a sophomore at Sy Syms School of Business. Students were surprised to hear that just a short walk from campus, scores of Continental troops fought the British Army during the Revolutionary War to win American independence. Indeed, the neighborhood is named for Fort Washington, a key fortification of the Continental Army overlooking the Hudson River. Students toured the historical site, which is now Bennett Park on Fort Washington Avenue. The massive rock formation that rises out of the center of the park marks the highest natural point in Manhattan. Along the way, the student tour guides pointed out the neighborhood’s diverse architecture. The sharp angles and opulent designs of Art Deco and the decorative woodwork of the Tudor style characterize many apartment buildings overlooking the Hudson River on Chittenden Place. The tour guides also introduced students to local venues that host events such as the Latin Music Concerts in Highbridge Park and offer classes such as free tai chi lessons and Sunset Yoga in Fort Tryon Park. The tour, piloted during last year’s Orientation, has quickly become a highlight of Orientation Week. “One of our goals is to help students adjust to college life and also to life in New York City,” explained the program’s coordinator, Dr. Gillian Steinberg, assistant professor of English at Yeshiva College and director of composition. “This is a great opportunity to teach them about the neighborhood that will be their home for the next four years and ask them to consider what it means to be a citizen of multiple communities, both our tight-knit Jewish community and the larger Dominican neighborhood in which we reside.” It also challenged them to confront and explore the similarities between the burgeoning community of Dominican immigrants and the Jewish immigration of the past century, upon which formed the bedrock of American Jewry. The tour represents Yeshiva University’s mission to foster increased multi-cultural understanding and to develop highly educated, culturally sophisticated individuals who are able to relate to and impact their surroundings. “I like Yeshiva and I think it is really good that the YU students get to view the neighborhood in a positive way. Because there is a lot of good here,” said local resident, Iris Torres.