Special Sections

Roman Shmulenson, Creating a community of disparate émigrés.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:36:00 +0000

Steve Lipman

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Roman Shmulenson, 34

Part of a Ukrainian-Jewish family that came to the U.S. in 1993, Roman Shmulenson made his first meaningful contact with the Jewish community while studying at a Brooklyn high school the next year. A social worker from the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services who met with émigré teens arranged a scholarship for Shmulenson to visit Israel.

The trip energized his Jewish feelings; today he’s paying his spiritual debt, as a leader of the émigré community.

Michelle Sarna, Empowering Orthodox women.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:35:00 +0000

Steve Lipman

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Michelle Sarna, 33

As a member of the New York University community for nine years, recently as an NYU Law School Tikvah post-doctoral scholar and previously as an NYU JLIC educator, Michelle Sarna was gratified when Shalhevet, NYU’s Orthodox student group, elected its first female president four years ago – succeeded by three more female presidents.

Rebecca Missel, Bringing together New Jersey Jews without a community.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:32:00 +0000

Gabriela Geselowitz

Editorial Intern/ARTS INTERN

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Rebecca Missel, 32

Twitter: @JerseyTribe
www.jerseytribe.org

Rebecca Missel grew up mostly in Mesa, Ariz., a predominantly Mormon city with few Jews. But when she moved to Morristown, N.J., she was surprised to find she felt a more acute lack of connection with her community.

Emma Goldberg, The politics of genocide.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:30:00 +0000

Hannah Dreyfus

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Emma Goldberg, 17

She used to doubt the power of Twitter. After all, how much can you really express in 140 characters? — Twitter’s strict word limit. But after mobilizing 2,000 students to direct tweets at President Obama while he appeared on MTV, and receiving a response from the president himself on national television articulating his administration’s policies about genocide in Sudan, Emma Goldberg officially reformed her views.

Yvette Edidin, Making Roslyn Harbor a better place.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:28:00 +0000

Adam Dickter

Assistant Managing Editor/Online Editor

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Yvette Edidin, 34

When Yvette Edidin and her family moved from Manhattan to her childhood village of Roslyn Harbor (pop. 1,200) on Long Island six years ago, it wasn’t the place she remembered. “There was litter on the street, speeding on the roads,” she said. “It wasn’t what it was like when I was growing up.”

Yair Saperstein, Instilling a passion for science in Washington Heights.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:26:00 +0000

Hannah Dreyfus

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Yair Saperstein, 21

http://yuacs.wordpress.com/start/

Yair Saperstein has been a science guy for a long time (witness the permanently singed hair on the back of his hand from an elementary-school science “‘magic show” that went amiss).

Symi Rom-Rymer, Bringing Jews and Muslims together.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:24:00 +0000

Steve Lipman

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Symi Rom-Rymer, 32

As a child, Symi Rom-Rymer heard stories about her great-grandfather’s 1911 journey from Russia to the U.S.

“I was very aware of the immigrant experience,” says Rom-Rymer, who is a founder and director of the Global Muslim Jewish Friendship Forum, an Internet-based grassroots organization that tries to unite members of both faiths in discussion about politics, culture and religion.

Jason Bieber, Consulting with Israel.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:20:00 +0000

Helen Chernikoff

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Jason Bieber, 22

Jason Bieber is a business school student who loves getting outside the classroom. He’s also deeply devoted to Israel.

Slava Rubin, ‘Crowdfunding’ for startups, nonprofits.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:18:00 +0000

Steve Lipman

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Slava Rubin, 33

Twitter: @gogoslava
www.indiegogo.com

Born in Minsk, Belarus, Rubin came to the U.S. with his family as a child. They settled at first in Brooklyn, then moved to northeast Pennsylvania. He was attracted to business and thought he wanted to be “a finance guy.” But after studying business at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Rubin decided he wanted to do “more than just finance. I want to make things and impact the world.”

Jaimie Mayer Phinney, Guiding young philanthropists.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:15:00 +0000

Helen Chernikoff

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Jaimie Mayer Phinney

Twitter: @slingshotfund
www.jaimiemayerphinney.com
www.slingshotfund.org

Jaimie Mayer Phinney, 28, grew up around philanthropy. Nathan Cummings was her great-grandfather, and she has childhood memories of wearing cowboy boots around the swimming pool at family retreats to work on building the foundation named for him.

Elana Loeffler, Education for all.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:14:00 +0000

Helen Chernikoff

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Elana Loeffler, 23

@eloeff, @TWEETatAMIT

Like many high school seniors in her world, Elana Loeffler spent a year in Israel after graduation. Unlike others, she wanted to serve. Most Israel programs included a service component of, at most, a day a week, and sometimes, as little as a day a month.

“I wanted more,” she said.

Michael Greenberg, A vocalist working ‘miracles.’

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:12:00 +0000

Hannah Dreyfus

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Michael Greenberg, 23

Twitter: @MikeJGreenberg
www.MakeSomeMiracles.com

Jonathan Gerber, Helping to provide a safety net.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:06:00 +0000

Adam Dickter

Assistant Managing Editor/Online Editor

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Jonathan Gerber, 33

Although he spends his days helping people get rich, Jonathan Gerber also makes sure he’s involved in the lives of the less fortunate.

An investment banker at J.P. Morgan Chase, he volunteers weekends and evenings for UJA-Federation of New York’s Poverty Task Force, helping steer the allocation of millions of dollars here and in Israel.

Samuel Zerin, Reviving a lost Jewish composer.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Eric Herschthal

Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Samuel Zerin, 25

Twitter: @achronsociety
www.JosephAchron.org

A few years ago, Samuel Zerin, a classical pianist now pursuing a Ph.D. in musicology at NYU, was looking for a good piece of Jewish classical music to perform.

Heather Stoltz, Making social justice part of her art.

Dani Shetrit — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Heather Stoltz, 33

Twitter: @HeatherStoltz
http://sewingstories.com

The cause of social justice had been ingrained in Heather Stoltz for so long that her first job out of college — as an engineer designing bakery machines that replaced human labor — caused a crisis of conscience.