Student Representatives
Undergraduate Departmental Representatives
The Undergraduate Departmental Representatives serve as a resource and representative for fellow majors and minors and potential majors and minors, and bring student concerns and/or ideas to the program faculty. They also provide feedback to the program chair, undergraduate advising head and faculty regarding scheduling problems, course offerings, etc. and help organize events for majors, minors, and other interested students.
Elisha is a Junior, originally from Philadelphia. He came to Brandeis after speeding 2 years studying in Israel. Aside from NEJS, Elisha is a linguistics minor and is a leader in the Hillel community. He also serves on Student Union as a member of the Allocations Board. He’s a big Phillies fan and an avid seeker of new Trader Joe’s s snacks. Elisha is excited to work with all of the UDR students to help promote the department!
Stephanie Kallish is a Junior at Brandeis from outside of Chicago. She is majoring in both Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and History. Stephanie is extremely passionate about Jewish Feminism on campus, and currently serves as the President of the Jewish Feminist Association of Brandeis (JFAB). She also serves as an editor for the Brandeis Judaic Studies Journal. You can find her learning in the Brandeis Beit Midrash, going on bike rides, updating her Goodreads, and exploring (and rating) local coffee shops.
Ben is a Junior majoring in Computer Science and Linguistics with a minor in Arabic from Nashua, NH. Perhaps unsurprisingly as a Linguistics major, he loves studying languages; he has studied German, Latin, and Arabic in the classroom, and many more languages outside the classroom. He also loves hiking and building things (from computer programs to porches), as well as playing board games, quadball, and tennis. In addition to playing sports and being a UDR, Ben is a Waltham Group Coordinator for Service Without Borders. Of all his responsibilities as a UDR for the Arabic Language, Literature and Culture Program, he's most excited to practice Arabic and play Arabic language card games and board games with new learners!
Solomon is a Sophomore at Brandeis from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is planning on majoring in Biology and Chemistry. Solomon is excited to get more students involved in the Hebrew department and looks forward to connecting with Hebrew undergraduates in order to best represent them. In addition to Hebrew, he is also on the Brandeis Men's Swim and Dive team and is always trying to find new local restaurants. He looks forward to interacting with students and helping them in any way possible.
Graduate Student Representative
Graduate Student Representatives are resources for fellow and potential graduate students. They can assist students with learning about the program from an experienced student's perspective, give advice on housing and getting around town or navigating campus, share questions or concerns about being a graduate student, and suggest ideas for promoting social connections with fellow students. They represent NEJS graduate students at the monthly departmental faculty meetings and can share your suggestions or areas of concern.
Tamar is a PhD student; her research focuses on the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors and the grandchildren of perpetrators; examining how these sets of grandchildren have been taught to remember this history by their families and how they do so themselves as they grow older. She holds a BA in History and Jewish Studies from Williams College.
Contact her with any questions about our grad programs!