The 2020-21 Jewish Teen Initiative Peer Leadership Fellows form a diverse group of leaders, representing communities, synagogues, camps and organizations throughout the Greater Boston area. They each have unique Jewish journeys with varied backgrounds and will be working to help create a more connected and inclusive community for their peers. Meet the Fellows and learn more about their stories below!
Nathan Barry
Nathan Barry is a junior at Newburyport High School, where he runs cross country and track and is involved in the SailBot program. He enjoys playing video games, running with friends and going on adventurous bike rides. Nathan is interested in the stock market and is a proud member of Congregation Ahavas Achim in Newburyport.
Ilana Berkovitz
Ilana Berkovitz is a junior at Chelmsford High School, where she runs cross-country and track and field. Some of her interests include spending time with friends and chilling outside. Ilana is a member of Congregation Shalom in Chelmsford, where she has aided in the religious school. She is an alum of URJ Eisner Camp, serves as her temple youth group president and enjoys going to NFTY Northeast events.
Josh Comito
Josh Comito* lives in Peabody and is a junior at St. John’s Prep. He enjoys playing soccer, football, guitar, piano and video games, and is involved in the Aviation Club at SJP. He is a member of Temple Ner Tamid in Peabody and spends his summers at Camp Rotary in Boxford. He works at Tillies Farm in Peabody.
Cash Eck
Cash Eck is a sophomore at Rockport High School. He enjoys playing basketball, frisbee and almost anything active. He is a member of Temple Ahavat Achim of Gloucester and spends his summers at Camp Ramah New England. He also can make minute-rice in 58 seconds!
Hannah Gross
Hannah Gross is a sophomore at Newburyport High School, where she runs cross-country and she plays ice hockey on a co-op team with Masconomet High School. She is a member of Congregation Ahavas Achim in Newburyport and loves spending time with friends and family.
Sophia Kachel
Sophia Kachel is a junior at Andover High School. She is a Temple Emanuel member in Andover, co-president of her temple youth group, TEMTY, and enjoys attending NFTY Northeast events. Sophia spends her summers at URJ Eisner Camp and can often be found humming camp tunes.
Jason Karas
Jason Karas is a sophomore at Masconomet Regional High School, where he plays basketball and soccer and participates in DECA. He is a member of Temple Ner Tamid in Peabody and spends his summers at Camp Avoda. Jason loves little kids and just started babysitting.
Arielle Mogolesko
Arielle Mogolesko is a sophomore at Marblehead High School, where she is involved in Team Harmony, the Leadership Council, Interact and mock trial. Arielle is a member of Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott and enjoys spending her summers at Camp Tel Noar.
Aidan New
Aidan New* is a junior at Marblehead High School, where he is a class officer and member of the student council. He enjoys playing on his school’s golf and tennis teams. Aidan is an active member of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead and spends his summers at Camp Tel Noar.
Hailey Oberlander
Hailey Oberlander is a sophomore at Marblehead High School. She is a member of Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead and spends her summers at URJ Eisner Camp. She enjoys playing volleyball, hanging out with her friends and traveling.
Sharon Vered
Sharon Vered is a junior at Swampscott High School, where she plays varsity volleyball. She is a member of Chabad Lubavitch of the North Shore, spends her summers at Camp Yavneh and is on the North Shore BBYO chapter board. She enjoys paddle boarding and surfing and loves to travel.
Jonah Zanger
Jonah Zanger is a sophomore at Gann Academy, where he is a member of the varsity baseball team. Jonah is a member of Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott, where he is a madrich (teaching assistant) and spends his summers at Camp Young Judaea. Jonah is a competitive table tennis player and enjoys working out and listening to rap music.
Shira Zimmerman
Shira Zimmerman* is a senior at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, where she is on the tennis team and DECA. Shira is a member of Temple Ner Tamid in Peabody and spends her summers at Camp Pembroke. She enjoys going to BBYO events and loves getting involved in the community.
*Denotes Senior Fellows.
This post has been contributed by a third party. The opinions, facts and any media content are presented solely by the author, and JewishBoston assumes no responsibility for them. Want to add your voice to the conversation? Publish your own post here. MORE