“I feel honored and humbled that I’ve been nominated for such a high position,” said Mirocznik, who was formally sworn in on June 11. The news of his appointment came in dramatic fashion, delivered by a knock at his door on the second day of Shavuot.

“Former Assemblyman Michael Cusick came to my house to tell me the governor’s office had been calling to let me know I’d been nominated,” Mirocznik said. “It was a pleasant holiday surprise.”

Mirocznik was born in Brooklyn and raised between there and the Rockaways, where his father served as a prominent rabbi. After studying at Yeshiva Darchei Torah and Yeshiva Chaim Berlin, he earned his undergraduate degree from Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences, graduating summa cum laude and winning the Political Science Award. He later earned his law degree from CUNY Law School and spent more than 25 years in the court system, including 16 years working alongside Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Orlando Marrazzo Jr. on complex commercial and medical malpractice cases.

A Mission to Build Bridges

Now, as one of the only Orthodox Jewish judges in the New York State Court of Claims—a specialized court that hears cases against the State of New York—Mirocznik feels a responsibility not just to adjudicate fairly, but to use his position to develop relationships with different ethnic groups and community stakeholders, as well.

“The Jewish community needs to have relationships with everybody,” Mirocznik said. “If you don’t build those coalitions, you're deemed irrelevant. But having relationships can make a big difference and affect policy.”

A Record of Service

Mirocznik’s leadership résumé is extensive. He serves as president of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island (COJO), executive vice-president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, and holds board roles with the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, and several interfaith and civic organizations. He is also a police chaplain, FDNY clergy council member, and serves on Mayor Eric Adams’ Jewish Advisory Council.

Mirocznik credits his time at Touro as foundational in shaping both his career and worldview. “Touro gave me that opportunity. They created a college experience that was doable for yeshiva students,” he said. “I was learning and studying for semicha at the same time I was at Touro. That flexibility made it possible for me to succeed.”

He is particularly grateful for the mentorship of Dean Robert Goldschmidt. “Dean Goldschmidt—God should keep him around forever—he’s a saint,” Mirocznik said. “He helped guide us, he understood where we were coming from. Touro transitioned us from the yeshiva into the real world.”

It was during his political science courses at Touro, under the guidance of professors like Norman Bertram and Alan Mond, that Mirocznik’s interest in public policy and law truly flourished. “As a little boy, I wanted to be a lawyer. I thought it was cool. Touro helped me see the pathway.”

Already assigned to the civil term in Kings County Supreme Court, Judge Mirocznik is embracing his new role with humility and resolve. “I’ve been a law clerk for 25 years, and it’s still a process to absorb what happened so quickly,” he said. “But I’m ready to serve.”