“We were always close when we were little kids,” said Baruch, “but also now that we’re bigger.”

Baruch the eldest, graduated from high school in Suffern, N.Y., near their parents’ home in Monsey, Baruch studied in Israel for two-and-a-half years, where his brother Benji joined him after he graduated. They both decided to attend Touro’s Lander College for Men (LCM) in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, though Baruch started a semester before Benji. Baruch graduated in January of 2022, Benji followed five months later, each majoring in biology.

Afterward, they were looking into potential volunteer opportunities when their former principal asked them to teach math at their elementary school. The offer was for each brother to teach different grades, but they accepted the positions on condition that they could teach the same grade. Of course.

Next Stop: DDS

Initially the brothers were on a pre-med track at Lander College, planning to go into medicine, like their father, an emergency room physician. But before long Benji’s interest shifted to a career in dentistry, and his enthusiasm wore off on Baruch.

“I started to see how most of the things I wanted in medicine actually might be more interesting to me in dentistry,” Baruch said. “Whereas in the emergency room a patient might come in and you’ll never see them again, I found that in dentistry you can retain patients and build a relationship with them, and really help people who are struggling.”

The brothers applied and were accepted to Touro College of Dental Medicine. “We were happy to be able to be together, and happy it’s part of a Jewish institution,” Benji said. “All of my friends who go here loved it, while friends in other schools just wanted to get through dental school.”

Baruch said they were turned off by that mindset.

And now they’re taking classes together in their first year at Touro’s College of Dental Medicine.

“Four years of your life is not something you need to get through, you want to create the best experience you can, and Touro is definitely the school that’s going to give that to us, and I think that’s worth a lot.”

And Baruch’s first year of dental school is particularly challenging, as his wife gave birth to a baby boy this summer. Fortunately, he said, the administration has been working hard to get him through it.

“School is hard, but Touro has been there for us every step of the way,” he said. “They’re so encouraging because they want me to succeed. They’ve been reaching out to make sure everything’s OK, and the teachers have been very helpful and accommodating. It’s been amazing.”

Of course, there’s also something to say about being able to lean on someone close to you from time to time.

“Having a brother in the trenches with me is a game changer,” said Baruch. “Even just to find me to say ‘We have an assignment due tonight,’ or ‘By the way, quiz tomorrow.’ Just that heads up is a reminder that I’m not in it by myself and I don’t have to feel alone. It’s a huge help.”

There is one lingering question that needs to be asked: When the Bloom brothers graduate, do they want to open a dental practice together? Fittingly, they answered together.

“Definitely,” they said.