2017-2018 Fellows

Alabama: Huntsville

California: Los Angeles Connecticut: Stamford

Florida: Miami

Illinois: Evanston, Fairfield, Skokie Maryland: Baltimore, Potomac, Silver Spring

Massachusetts: Sharon

New Jersey: Teaneck, Englewood, Passaic, West Orange, Highland Park,

New York: Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, Flushing, Great Neck, Jamaica Estates, Lawrence, New Rochelle, Riverdale, Scarsdale, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Whiteplains

Tennessee: Memphis

Texas: Houston

Canada: Toronto

A native of Manhattan and a Ramaz graduate, Adie Present recently studied in Mindreshet Torah V’Avodah and is beginning her college career in the University of Chicago.
Adie is invested in studying STEM sciences. Through her exposure to math, specifically, she learned how to transform theoretical ideas into actual technologies; she finds this both thrilling and simultaneously helpful for the development of society.
Adie is excited to be an RZA Aryeh Fellow where she will build on her previous religious zionist experiences in Camp Moshava, and, of course, Midreshet Torah V’Avodah and share her passion with her classmates in the University of Chicago.

Aliza Isaacs is an incoming freshman in Barnard College and is excited to be an RZA Aryeh Fellow. A native of Lawrence, NY and graduate of SKA High School for Girls, Aliza is a graduate of the Jewish Week’s Write On for Israel program where she was challenged to think critically about Israel’s history, politics, modern issues and ways to defend the country on the college campus. She spent the past year learning in Michlelet Mivaseret Yerushalayim (MMY) where she cemented and fortified her passion for religious zionism, better concretizing how the adjectives ‘Religious’ and ‘Zionist’ can fit together so well.
Aliza believes that the RZA Aryeh Fellowship will connect her to other like-minded students where we can work together in our leadership projects. And, of course, Aliza is looking forward to the trip to Israel during winter break.

Audrey Fretzin is a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania where she is majoring in nursing and healthcare management and actively involved in the Penn Jewish community.
Originally from Skokie, IL and Indianapolis, IN, Audrey was privileged to have been a camper in a Bnei Akiva camp called Camp Stone since she was in third grade.
She looks forward to being an RZA fellow where she hopes to make an impact in her college community and looks forward to returning to Midreshet Nishmat during her winter break.

Dasi Schneider hails from Far Rockaway, NY and attended Shalhevet High School for Girls where she was a founding member of the Poetry Slam team, editor of the literary journal, and writer for the school newsletter.
Dasi then was privileged to spend two years in Israel where she learned in Midreshet Lindenbaum. Today, Dasi is majoring in Media Studies in Queens College. She is excited to bring her experiences as a Religious Zionist to the American Jewish community through the RZA Aryeh fellowship.

Elana Sichel is currently a freshman at the University of Maryland, where she is majoring in Elementary Education.
Elana comes from Englewood, New Jersey and is a proud graduate of SAR High School. She has many interests that range from sports, singing, to anything having to do with kids. Throughout high school Elana was involved in Model U.N, Basketball, Tzedaka Club, and several leadership programs including Write On for Israel.
Elana just spent a year in Israel at TVA (Midreshet Torah V’Avodah). There, she grew her love for learning and a greater passion for the land of Israel. She hopes to take the recent experience of being in Israel and spread her strong Zionism to the people around her with the help of the RZA fellowship program.

Hi, I’m Elliot Heller, I am a rising senior at Yeshiva University, and I’m very excited to be an RZA Fellow this year! I grew up in Baltimore, MD, where I attended Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community Day School, serving as president of the committee for Jewish events in my senior year.
My connection to Judaism and Israel grew stronger as I got older, and after spending two summers in Israel on NCSY’s Kollel program, I decided that I wanted to continue my learning in Israel after high school, and spent a year and a half learning in Yeshivat Kerem b’Yavneh and Yeshivat Hakotel. These experiences solidfied my desire to one day make aliyah and make a family in Israel.
I hope that my experience as an RZA Fellow serves not only to strengthen my connection with Israel and the Jewish people, but also as an opportunity to give back to the Jewish community – through being a positive force at my yeshiva, and furthering the connection for members of our community to Religious Zionism through our Manhigut Project.

Gaby Stemp hails from Queens, New York. A graduate of the Ramaz Upper School and more recently, a bogeret of Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY) where she learned for nearly two years, Gaby is embarking on a new journey as a freshman in Barnard College and as an RZA Aryeh Fellow.
Gaby believes that her prior leadership and volunteering experiences will impact her success as an Areyeh Fellow. At Ramaz, Gaby was responsible for producing and performing in numerous school plays; she also represented Ramaz in Washington D.C. and CBS news. In her summers, Gaby was a counselor in Camp HASC where she worked with children who have physical and developmental disabilities.
Recognizing that the coming four years of college will be intense and transformative, Gaby wants to keep her heart in the West, and stay connected to Israel through the RZA Aryeh Fellowship. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the community through the leadership project, and, of course, to learn in MMY during her winter break!

Hadassah Raskas is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania where she is majoring in Public Health. A native of Silver Spring, MD, Hadassa went to the Berman Hebrew Academy and then continued her Jewish studies at Migdal Oz, an Israeli midrasha in Gush Etzion.
Hadassah spends her summers as a counselor at Camp Simcha, a camp for children with special needs. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and running and she is looking forward to running the Miami half marathon with Chai Lifeline in January. She is really excited to be a part of the RZA Aryeh Fellowship and can’t wait to return to Israel to learn in Migdal Oz and re-connect with Israeli friends and family.

Marc Nechmad hails from Sharon, MA and studied in Maimonides School where he was involved in religious life as head gabbai for the Sefardic Minyan and involved in extra-curriculars as editor of the school literary magazine. Additionally, while in high school, Marc served as a volunteer teacher’s assistant in an inner city school and also spent several summers as an intern in a hospital Human Resources department.
After graduating Maimonides, Marc continued his studies in Yeshivat Lev HaTorah, where he worked the land at a local farm once a week and volunteered to be a “big brother” to a local 6th grader every Thursday. In Israel he gained a great appreciation for Torah, the people and the land of Israel.
He is excited to be an RZA fellow, visit the holy Land this winter, and help the greater Jewish community at Rutgers University as well as other communities at college campuses nationwide.

Menuchah Schuman is a Mordechai and Monique C. Katz Scholar now in her junior year at Stern College studying Judaic Studies with a concentration in Jewish Education and Advanced Talmudic Studies.
She hails from 6 different states and graduated from Bruriah High School in Elizabeth, NJ. Following high school, she learned in Midreshet Harova for two incredible years at Midreshet HaRova and spent the past summer learning as a Kollel member at the Drisha Institute.
While she was originally inspired to make Aliyah from her Jewish History class at age 16, it was during her 2 years living in Israel and learning about Religious Zionism when she realized her desire to be a part of the Reishit Tzmichat Legeulateinu on a deeper religious and national level. Having lived in communities all across the USA, Menuchah looks forward to the one day fulfilling her dream of making Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people, her permanent home. Menuchah is excited for this amazing opportunity to return to Israel and hopes to grow and spread her passion for Religious Zionism and Israel through the RZA Aryeh Fellowship program.

Michal Laub hails from West Orange, NJ and learned in both MMY and Nishmat. Following her year of study, Michal was a Bat Sherut where she facilitated plays, dances, and holiday themed activities in an Israeli elementary school.
Now entering her second year in Stern College of Yeshiva University, Michal is studying Neuroscience and Sociology and has found a multitude of ways to be involved in the undergraduate community as well as the greater Jewish community; Michal was a YU Memphis Torah Fellow, coordinated special rosh chodesh tefillah for undergraduate women, and is now serving as president of the leading mental health club on campus called Active Minds.
To compliment her studies, Michal has also been involved with Bnei Akiva for quite some time, culminating in four years as a counselor in Camp Moshava, serving as the Rosh Snif in Fairlawn, and as a counselor on the Bnei Akiva summer program called Mach Hach Ba’Aretz.
Michal is so excited to be an RZA Fellow so she can share the importance of Torah and Medinat Yisrael in a fun and creative way!

Rachie Ehrlich is from Passaic, NJ. She attended Maayanot Yeshiva High School then furthered her studies at Midreshet Lindenbaum for almost 2 years. Although other trips to Israel (with family or on NCSY ICE) had their charm and carried their own meaning, Rachel believes that actually living in the land for an extended period of time enabled a deeper, more profound understanding of our homeland. It was during those two years when she could see the tanach come to life; see how machlokot from the gemara bear relevance to Israeli government; soak in the golden sun on many-a hike; and, of course, finding her favorite schwarma in a place that’s a hole in the wall. Additionally, Rachel was privileged to be a volunteer for Magen David Adom and to be a counselor in Camp Stone.
Now a second-year pre-med student at Touro College, Rachel is looking forward to being an RZA Aryeh Fellow where she will share her love of Israel with others and is, certainly, awaiting the opportunity to return to Israel for her winter break!

Rebecca Roffe is studying Chemistry and pre-Law at Binghamton University with aspirations of becoming a pharmaceutical patent lawyer (and making aliyah!). As a student leader in Binghamton, Rebecca has been involved in various leadership positions relevant to Jewish life on campus, mainly through OU-JLIC; one highlight of her leadership was how she she maintained and coordinated a fundraiser for the campus eruv.
To compliment her twin loves for Israel and student life, this year Rebecca will be on the board of the Binghmaton Bearcats for Israel board and an RZA Aryeh Fellow.
Previously, Rebecca learned in the Ida Crown Jewish Academy and in Midreshet Lindenbaum where she was also a Jerusalem U Oz fellow.

Shira Wein hails from Queens, New York. Following high school, she spent a year studying in Migdal Oz, where she formed a deep connection with Eretz Yisrael, Torat Eretz Yisrael, and Israeli culture. Presently, she is a junior in Stern College for Women, majoring in Psychology.

To compliment her studies, Shira participates in student government, serving as vice president of T.A.C. (the Torah Activities Council at Stern College). Additionally, Shira is gaining the requisite experience in psychology research in order to become a clinical psychologist; she is a helpline volunteer at the National Eating Disorders Association, a crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line, and a research intern in a psychology lab at NYU.

Shira is honored and excited to be given the opportunity to be a RZA Aryeh Fellow this year. She hopes to utilize her skillset and love of Israel to create a strong image and passion for Israel throughout America, by deepening thought and conversation about Israel among college students.

Born in Brazil but most recently from Florida, Yael Lilienthal attended a community elementary school, a B’nei Akiva middle school, and an all-girls Chabad high school. After graduating Rohr Bais Chaya Academy, she spent two incredible years learning rigorously at the Migdal Oz Beit Midrash for Women. Now a junior at Princeton University, Yael is majoring in Linguistics and double-minoring in Judaic Studies and Translation Studies.
As someone who’s been an aspiring educator since a very young age, Yael has taught in a variety of settings, from tutoring to teaching chaburot in seminary, teaching shiruim in college, and most recently working as Rosh Beit Midrash for two years at Camp Stone. Yael looks forward to making it all a reality by moving to Israel after college and working in Jewish education. She hopes to further her learning, teach Torah, and service the larger community. Yael is excited to be an RZA Aryeh Fellow so she can engage meaningfully with ideas she feels have shaped her life, share them with others, and have a good excuse to use her winter break learning Torah in Israel!

Julian has spent the last year taking advantage of the fact that he was in Israel to learn more about his Jewish Identity. He was able to explore different avenues of Jewish religious thought while at the same time learning more about Israel as a whole. Julian hopes to continue his growth throughout Brandeis and is heavily involved in the modern orthodox community there.

Yaira has been involved in religious Zionist organizations throughout her entire life, as a camper and then staff member in Camp Moshava IO, and as a counselor at her local Snif. Yaira credits her parents’ deep love of Medinat Yisrael and Am Yisrael for fostering her own commitment to Zionism and the Jewish people. She would point to her experience in Israel during Operation Protective Edge, as a camper on Mach Hach Ba’Aretz, as being one of the most formative in her career as a religious Zionist, but contends that her years spent on staff at Moshava, as well as her year in Israel, were all important factors in shaping her identity as a religious Zionist as well.

Yaira is beyond excited to be a RZA Aryeh Fellow this year. She believes being a fellow will enable her to continue her work as a religious Zionist on campus, and she is looking forward to the opportunity to learn in Israel once again this year, as well as the opportunity to work and connect with so many like-minded college students.