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Undergraduate Departmental Representatives

Near Eastern and Judaic Studies

Ilana Sidorsky ('12)

Hello NEJS-enthusiasts! My name is Ilana Sidorsky and look forward to serving as one of this year's NEJS UDRs. I am from River Edge, NJ and I am currently a junior double-majoring in NEJS and Sociology. On campus, you can find me interning at the National Center for Jewish Film, teaching 5^th grade at the Boston-Area Jewish Education Program, and playing Frisbee with Brandeis' Women's Ultimate Team.

I hope to help NEJS majors and minors navigate through the department and explore all that NEJS courses and professors have to offer its students. Feel free to introduce yourself to me and ask any questions you may have about the department.

Eitan Cooper ('13)

Eitan Cooper is a Junior from South Orange, NJ. Before coming to Brandeis, he spent a year studying Judaism in the Old City of Jerusalem. His main areas of interest are Rabbinic Judaism and American Jewish history. In addition to majoring in NEJS and serving as the Undergraduate Department Representative (UDR), Eitan doubles as a Psychology major. He also has worked as research assistant at the Cohen Center for Modern Judaic Studies. He is an active member of the Brandeis Orthodox Organization (BOO), and serves as an editor at the Justice. 

Eitan is eager to answer any and all questions about the NEJS program, course offerings, and professors. He hopes to share his knowledge and passion about the department with students. Feel free to email him with questions, thoughts, or concerns.

Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies

Olivia Edelman ('12)

Hello!  My name is Olivia Edelman and I'm one of the Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies UDRs.  I'm currently a junior in the Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies program and hail from Cape Neddick, ME.  I first got interested in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies through study abroad in highschool in Izmir, Turkey.  As a result, I'm an incredibly enthusiastic advocate for study abroad as a learning tool for regional studies, especially IMES.  At the moment I'm preparing myself for another semester abroad, so feel free to ask me any and all questions about the process. I'm excited for this coming year and look forward to everyone's input and questions! 

Wajida Syed ('12)

Wajida Syed is originally from Kerala but has had nomadic tendencies-- living and traveling in the Middle East, India and America. She is primarily interested in Islamic theology, the dynamics of social thought process of the Middle East. She is also studying film, journalism and coexistence studies. She spends most of her time photographing, choreographing Indian dance performances, and other fun and idealistic things. She has a penchant for fruit juices, and is very happy to be the IMES UDR this year.

Nusrath Yusuf ('13)

Hebrew Language

Doreen El-Roeiy

 Rose Just-Michael 

 Yiddish

Ethan Goldberg ('12)

Ethan Goldberg is proud to serve as the Yiddish UDR. While surrounded by the Yiddish language, mostly through music, since childhood, Ethan began his formal study of the language at Brandeis. Ethan majors in Music and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and sings with the Zamir Chorale of Boston. On campus, he serves as gabbai (coordinator) of the Traditional Egalitarian Minyan and is the founder and pianist of 'Deiskeit, The Brandeis Klezmer Ensemble (www.deiskeit.com). 

Ethan