UNC Jewish Studies Undergraduate Student Profiles
Abigail Lewis ∙ T. Fielder Valone ∙ Josh Thompson ∙ Yelena Aleksandrovich ∙ Adam Yosim ∙ Diana Gergel
Abigail Lewish '12
Early on at Carolina, Lewis inceasingly came to concentrate her studies on the history of the Holocaust. Currently a senior honors student in the Department of History, Lewis has taken numerous upper level and even graduate level courses in history, in addition to learning German and French."It was fun to sit down in a French library and read original French documents. That's fun for me. Maybe that's nerdy, but hanging out in libraries in Paris for a job sounds awesome to me."
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T. Fielder Valone Jr., '11
Valone, a History and American Studies major, is the first recipient of the Elsie Kaplan "Mother Shapiro" ZBT Undergraduate Research and Travel Grant in Jewish Studies. He used the research funding to help support a month-long research trip to the YIVO Institute in New York City. There, he averaged six hours a day examining eyewitness testimonies of Lithuanian-Jewish survivors of genocide."I figure that the Honors Thesis project is good practice for graduate school, to see if I really enjoy doing sustained intellectural research and to see if writing a dissertation is something I'd like to do." Publish Date: Winter 2010
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Josh Thompson, '10
Upon entering Carolina, Josh Thompson had a huge decision to make: what to do for the language requirement. He already knew Latin, but he wanted to learn something new. He decided to give Modern Hebrew a try. He ended up making it it a minor, and when that was completed, he then enrolled in Bibical Hebrew.for personal reasons: to allow me to read works in their original language and to help with my travels to Israel. I've since learned that it's also a vibrant culture, giving me the opportunity to explore both history and current events. I would recommend Jewish Studies courses to any student. Just check it out, you'll be amazed Publish Date: Winter 2009return to top
Yelena Aleksandrovich, '09
During a Birthright trip to Israel, she decided to do more to reconnect with her Jewish heritage. She returned to Chapel Hill and formed the Jewish a cappella group, Sabba. She also joined Sigma Rho Lamda, the Jewish sorority, and she took six courses of Modern Hebrew to complete the minor.have a passion for learning languages because it helps you better understand other people and their cultures. I also knew that having strong language skills could certainly help me when applying for my first job out of college Publish Date: Spring 2009return to top
Adam Yosim, '10
Yosim was drawn to Carolina by its prestigious journalism program, but he has also found many other opportunities on campus, inclduing singing with the Jewish a capella group and minoring in Modern Hebrew.s loved all his journalism courses, but one of his favorite courses at Carolina was in Jewish Studies.never knew about the history of anti-Semitism before taking that course, I just knew about the Holocaust and everything that followed that Publish Date: Winter 2008return to top
Diana Gergel '09
Diana Gergel is one of those people who make everyone else look like they're standing still. And her busy schedule does not slow one bit during summer breaks.the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and she did research at the Library of Congress focused on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.ca.This summer internship was one of the best experiences of my life. The ability, as an undergraduate, to work so closely with Holocaust scholars was a great learning experience. These types of opportunities, plus knowing that Carolina had a Jewish Studies program and an active Hillel, were all important factors in my decision to study here Publish Date: Spring 2008
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