Student Awards Group Photo with professors Yael Zerubavel, Paola Tartakoff, and Nancy Sinkoff,

Honors Students with professors Nancy Sinkoff, Paola Tartakoff, and Jeffrey Shandler

Amanda Cove received The Barry and Deborah Venezia Adler International Study Scholarship which she will use to attend an ulpan at Hebrew University this summer. Amanda is a junior with a major in Jewish Studies and a minor in Political Science.

Shira Galler received The Leonard and Adele Blumberg Student Award. She is a sophomore and a Jewish Studies major. Shira is a member of the SAS Honors program and the Kol Halayla a capella group.

Tal Grebel received The Maurice Meyer III and Irma Meyer Endowed Student Award. She is graduating with a major in History and a double minor in French and Jewish Studies. Tal wrote her honors thesis on "Religion and the Enlightenment: Madame de Tencin, the Ex-Nun, and Rahel Varnhagen, the Ex-Jew." Tal plans to teach English in France for a year. Upon her return to the U.S., she will participate in the Teach for America program.

Dara Grzesh received The Baruch S. and Pearl W. Seidman Student Award which she will use to attend an ulpan course at JTS this summer. She is a junior with a major in Jewish Studies and a minor in Psychology.

Samuel Hollander received The Norma U. and David M. Levitt Student Award. He is a sophomore with a double major in Jewish Studies and Psychology. Sam worked for Student Life at the Rutgers Student Center and this past year served on the Rutgers Hillel Student Board as President of the KOACH, the Conservative movement's college group.

Hannah Johnson received The Betty and Julius Gillman Memorial Student Award. She is a sophomore with a double major in Jewish Studies and History. This past year, Hannah participated in the Lipper Internship program at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Jordan Kutzik received The Rudolph and Mary Solomon Klein Student Award. He is graduating with a double major in Jewish Studies and Spanish. Jordan wrote his honors thesis on "American Hasidic Yiddish Pedagogical Materials: A Sociological and Sociolinguistic Survey." Jordan studied Yiddish in Vilnius and spent last spring in Spain with the Rutgers Study Abroad Program. Next year, Jordan will be a fellow at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst working on their educational programming.

Michelle Lieblich received The Baruch S. and Pearl W. Seidman Student Award. She is graduating with a major in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and a minor in Jewish Studies. Michelle wrote an honors thesis on "Engendering Distrust: The Role of the Holocaust in Jewish-Catholic Relations under Pope Benedict XVI." She will be attending the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in the fall.

Yael Malul received The Louis Fishman Memorial Student Student Award. She is graduating with a major in Psychology and a minor Jewish Studies. Yael will be pursuing graduate work in either social work or clinical psychology.

Laura Marder received The Alexander and Ruth Seaman Endowed Student Award. She is graduating with a major in Jewish Studies and a minor in Sociology. Laura plans to attend the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem next year.

Christopher Mercurio received The Harold and Betty Perl Endowed Scholarship. He is graduating with a double major in Classics and Religion and a minor in Jewish Studies. Chris is planning to attend graduate school next year.

Matthew Nover received The Baruch S. and Pearl W. Seidman Student Award. He is graduating with a double major in Physics and Jewish Studies. Matt will be attending graduate school at JTS’s School of Education.

Shoshana Smolen received The Gertrude and Jacob Henoch Memorial Student Award. She is graduating with a double major in Political Science and Sociology and a minor in Jewish Studies. Shoshana will be attending law school in the fall.

Joseph Tadrick received the Student Support for the Study of Yiddish to attend a summer Yiddish program at Tel Aviv University. He is junior with a double major in Middle Eastern Studies and Jewish Studies and a minor in German.

Samuel Weiner received the Wasserman Endowed Research Award. He is a junior with a double major in Political Science and Jewish Studies and a minor in American Studies. This summer, Sam will be a fellow at the Tikvah Project Summer Seminar on Jewish Thought and Enduring Human Questions at Princeton.