JVibe Teen Advisory Board (JTab)

The JTab is a group of teens from around the country (and even some international teens) who help the editors create a magazine that teens will find relevant. JTab members correspond with us and with one another through a private discussion board online on a weekly basis. We send out content for the magazine before it goes to print to get their opinions, and we often ask what they hope to see in the magazine or on our website. We'll send out surveys and use them as a sounding board for our latest ideas. We also offer writing opportunities exclusively to the board.

Board members are also in charge of starting discussion threads on our blogs, and we pick one board member to be represented in the Guest Editor section of the print magazine in each issue.

To become a member of the board, email us at editor@jvibe.com and tell us why you want to join.

Jordan Andersen Lakewood, CO Hi, my name is Jordan Andersen. I love to sing, listen to music and read (JVibe!) in my nonexistent free time. I'm an active member of my USY chapter, MHUSY, which is amazing and awesome and so much fun. I have two little sisters, who are 12 and five, respectively. Someday, I think it would be cool to go somewhere with my singing or be a rocket scientist, no joke. I LOVE working with kids and young adults with disabilities as a staff member of Camp Paha and a volunteer at Rise Above in Lakewood. I also teach Hebrew to first-graders at my synagogue every week.

Sydney Appelbaum New York, NY Sydney Appelbaum, age 16, goes to school in New York City. Last summer, she was a camper at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires and after that, a Szarvas Fellow. In her spare time, Sydney enjoys reading JVibe, doing theater, running track, reading, seeing her friends and working on chesed projects.

Gabbi Baker Columbia, SC Gabbi Baker is a high school junior in Columbia, S.C. When she's not planning pep rallies for student government or doing interviews for her school's broadcast department, you can find her organizing programs for BBYO. Currently, she serves as S'ganit (Programming Vice President) on her BBG council board. Gabbi has tons of obsessions (one of them is JVibe), loves meeting new people and gets excited every time she learns something new about Judaism.

Elizabeth Bernstein Charlotte, NC Elizabeth Bernstein is a senior and a cheerleader at her high school in Charlotte, N.C.

Lucy Bierer Charlotte, NC Hi, my name is Lucy Bierer, and I'm from Charlotte, N.C. I'm a junior and stay pretty busy with BBYO and other fun stuff. I'm N'siah (president) of my chapter, Ohavim BBG #418, which has the best girls ever. I'm also Safranit (sunshine girl) of North Carolina Council, which also has the best girls ever! My two favorite things are ice cream and friendship bracelets.

Meredith Bilski Chappaqua, NY Hi, I'm Meredith. I'm from Chappaqua, N.Y., and I'm 15. I enjoy softball, tennis and golf and I love the show 24.

Jake Bleiberg Glen Ridge, NJ Jake Bleiberg, 17, is from Glen Ridge, N.J., and is a junior in high school. He enjoys playing guitar, reading a good book and swimming. Jake is an alum of NFTY-EIE High School in Israel and an active member of his Jewish community.

Jaime B. Daly City, CA Jaime is a student in San Francisco. She's a pop-culture junkie and is currently obsessed with Dawson's Creek re-runs and Bob Marley.

Diane Capouya Birmingham, AL Hi, my name is Diane and I live in Birmingham, Ala. I am active in BBYO and am currently the s’ganit (vice president) of Magic City BBG. I am passionate about taking care of the environment so everyone can enjoy its beauty. I also love volunteering with animals at our humane society. I have a strong connection with Israel and I love being Jewish!

Allie Cogan Cherry Hill, NJ Hey guys! I'm Allie Cogan from Cherry Hill, N.J. Right now I'm living in beautiful Bloomington, Ind., majoring in Jewish Studies and something else (to be determined) at Indiana University. In high school, I was super involved in vocal music and theater, but my main extracurricular activity was NFTY! I was on the NFTY-PAR regional board for two years, first serving as the Social Action VP and then as the Eastern Membership VP. With NFTY, I traveled to Israel, Prague, Texas, California and countless other places! In the summer, I'm an art specialist and cabin counselor at URJ Camp Harlam in Pennsylvania, and I love it! Judaism is my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Jillian Cogan Cherry Hill, NJ Jill Cogan is a freshman at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and hails from Cherry Hill, N.J. She served two years as the Religious and Cultural VP of NFTY-PAR. In her spare time, you can find her playing guitar and watching Entourage with her friends. She one day plans to attend Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion as a rabbinical student.

Jonathan Cohen Providence, RI My name is Jonathan Cohen. I live in Providence, R.I. My greatest passion is music. I love listening to it and playing it. I play piano and sing. People tell me I'm good, but I don't take myself too seriously!

Mandy Cohen Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, England Mandy Cohen is 18 and lives in London. She loves going to the cinema and watching romantic comedies, having fun with her friends and going shopping! She also likes partying and meeting new people. Israel is her favourite place in the world. She feels at home there and loves the fact that there are Jews everywhere. She's currently in university studying journalism and psychology and is loving it!

Alanna Davis Raleigh, NC My name is Alanna Davis and I am currently in grade 12. My interests include Canada (my birthplace), Facebook, Year Course, music, Machon 3 2007, winning Maccabiah, l-i-v-i-n, bumping like this, looking at army pictures, wearing pretty necklaces and judging people by their shoes.

Arielle Davis Miami, FL My name is Arielle Davis. I live in Miami and I have orange hair. I like to debate and scuba dive. I also have two older brothers and I look up to them. I am 15 years old but still get 10-and-under kids' menus when I go to restaurants.

Avigail Diveroli Miami Beach, FL Hi, my name is Avigail Diveroli and I'm currently a junior. I live in Miami and I'm 16 years old. If I'm not at school, I spend my free time with my friends or just surfing the Internet. I have a passion for music and one of my favorite artists is Eminem. I love to travel and soon hope I can travel the world. Last summer, I traveled Europe and Israel for six weeks. I love Israel with a passion and feel very strongly about its right to exist as a Jewish country. To me, Judaism is not just a religion; it's my identity. Judaism has shaped the way I think, act and dress. Lastly, I love to read magazines, especially Newsweek and People, and soon hope to have articles of my own published in such prestigious magazines.

Greg Doolittle Fairfax, VA Hi, my name's Greg Doolittle and I'm a sophomore from Chantilly, Va. I'm on the swim and debate teams at my school, and I like to longboard and ski in my free time. I'm the president of my temple youth group, BeTTY, and I work as the principal's aide in my Hebrew school.

Abby Durham Memphis, TN Hi, my name is Abby. I love to hang out with friends, listen to music and participate in my youth groups. I am an active member of BBYO and NFTY. I love participating in them because both are amazing! I have a little sister who's 15. Someday, I want to become a Jewish educator and maybe even a rabbi. During the summer, I attend Henry S. Jacobs Camp and have for eight summers. I also teach Hebrew twice a week, and I love my students.

Tammy Ellenhorn Bellevue, WA Hi, my name is Tammy Ellenhorn and I live in Bellevue, Wash. I am an active member of Evergreen Region BBYO and serve on both my chapter and city boards. I love chilling with friends and traveling. When I am not writing for my school's newspaper or doing mountains of homework, I enjoy listening to Jack Johnson and sitting down with a good book.

Ariella Faitelson Tucson, AZ My name is Ariella and I am 16 years old. I live in hot and dry Tucson, Ariz.! I am on my school's journalism class editorial board as managing editor. I enjoy playing basketball and volleyball in my free time. I am also very involved with my youth group, USY, and am on my chapter board as religious/education VP. Last summer I traveled to Prague, Budapest, Poland and Israel for six weeks on a USY pilgrimage trip. It was the most amazing experience of my life.

Gabrielle Flaum Short Hills, NJ Hi, my name is Gabrielle Flaum. I'm a senior in Millburn, N.J. I was the captain of the girls' varsity swim team for two years in a row and a member of the cross-country team. I'm president of my temple's youth group, Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel. This summer I will be a staff member at URJ Eisner Camp, where I have attended since the age of seven (but was a staff brat starting when I was 3 years old!). I spend a lot of my time working on programs for Save Our Soldiers, a teen advocacy group I started to raise awareness for kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

Isaac Gealer Phoenix, AZ My name is Isaac Gealer, but you can call me "Muscles." I am 17 years old and live in Phoenix, Ariz. I spend most of my time playing and making music, longboarding and hanging out with my friends. I belong to Reznikoff AZA Chapter #2283 in Mountain Region BBYO. Being Jewish is more than a religion to me. It is my identity, my personality and my way of life.

Jason Gerson Marietta, GA When Jason Gerson isn't doing a rather striking impersonation of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men, trying to end a terrible love of the Supremes and Lily Allen or tripping over himself, you can find him relishing just a little too much in the fact that he's president of the Young Democrats of Walton and that he lives right next to his Food Network idol, Alton Brown.

Haley Goldsmith Coral Gables, FL My name is Haley Goldsmith and I live in Miami, Fla. I'm an active member of both BAFTY (NFTY) and BBYO and have been on the board in both organizations. As a sophomore, I'm a member of the yearbook staff and love coming up with new layout designs. In my free time, I like to go to the gym, spend time with friends, listen to music, go to Miami Heat games and shop!

Zoe Golub-Sass Marblehead, MA Zoe Golub-Sass is a freshman. She has been enjoying theater and reading much of Shakespeare's works for the past few years. She also enjoys knitting, basketball, book shops and drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes at the small Starbucks a bike ride away.

Sarah Gross Fort Lauderdale, FL I was born in Greenwich Village. My parents are huge hippies, so it kind of trickled down to me. I currently reside in the Sunshine State, aka Florida, the best place in the world. My passions are art, fashion, family, friends, bagels, college applications, music (Say Anything, the best Jewish band in the world!) and reading. My favorite book is Catcher in the Rye. My favorite music: I love all music, but my latest obsession is Rilo Kiley. I'm passionate about the Grateful Dead, Bowie, Cat Stevens (even though he was banned from the country), Say Anything, Shlomo Carlebach, Britney Spears ("Gimme More"), The Decemberists, etc. TV shows: I live vicariously through Laguna Beach.

Shelley Halman Jackson, MI Hey! My name is Shelley and I'm a high school senior in Jackson, Mich. I'm going to Syracuse University next year to study music business. I'm involved in NFTY, and last year I was the Michigan Region’s Financial Vice President. This year I'm a song leader. I love singing, playing guitar, writing poetry and music, old-school Nickelodeon, Israel, watching John Cusack movies, listening to music and going to Starbucks. I have the longest "About Me" section on Facebook of anyone I know (and probably the greatest honor in the world)!

Sarah Harper Wellington, FL Hey, what's up, I'm Sarah. I'm a senior in high school in West Palm Beach, Fla. I love being Jewish and I'm on the regional board of NFTY-STR (Northern Federation of Temple Youth-Southern Tropical Region.) I'm really outgoing and love meeting new people. I'm a varsity swimmer, and in my free time I hang out with friends, go to concerts, relax at the beach and travel. I love Israel and last year spent fourth quarter on the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program. I am excited for college and plan on majoring in the field of communications.

Evan Herron Cherry Hill, NJ My name is Evan Herron from Cherry Hill, N.J. I currently am serving a term as Grand Aleph S’gan (International Vice President) of BBYO and next year will be traveling as the Grand Aleph Godol (International President). When I'm not doing BBYO, I'm on the phone with friends, listening to music, reading JVibe or playing basketball!

Harrison Hess Redlands, CA Hey everyone, what's happening? My name is Harrison Hess. I currently am a freshman in college at the University of Redlands, and I am loving every bit of it! I am involved in the school's Hillel, and I have a really good time with the other members. I am from Portland, Ore. While I was in high school, I was involved in the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation, a group that some of my fellow JTabers are currently involved in. We raise money and allocate it to different charities. I was also involved in BBYO; I was part of the group that brought the Sol Stern chapter back to life. I had an amazing time with that. I also have attended Camp Solomon Schechter for more than 10 years, even working there in the summer of 2007. I hope to continue to work there!

Jackson Hoberman Minnetonka, MN Hey! I'm Jackson (although some people call me Jake too, so whatever works) and I've been involved with JVibe for two years. In a particularly Jewish fashion, I attended/worked at Herzl Camp, medaled in the JCC Maccabi Games and was involved with USY for many years, which included going on one of the pilgrimage trips to Spain and Israel. I was born and raised in Minnetonka, Minn., where I excelled as a gorgeous individual and model student and perfected the quintessential art of observing a long, black line while concurrently partaking in the sport of swimming. After accomplishing everything to which I set my mind and exhausting all the resources in my home state, I moved on to the prestigious College of Charleston in South Carolina. As a frosh at CofC, I am active in Hillel, student government and newspaper. To put it out there, my favorite treat is my grandmother's chocolate- and caramel-covered licorice, which she makes only on special occasions. *If you're thinking about college, make sure to look into CofC; Jewish life is vibrant and for each of the past 10 years, the percentage of Jewish students has increased. Any questions about the mag, the college application process or humanistic Judaism, hit me up at jwhoberm@edisto.cofc.edu. B'shalom, y'all!

Hadas Horenstein Portland, OR My name is Hadas Horenstein. I'm 16 years old and live in Portland, Ore. I'm trilingual and love to read, dance and sing in the shower. People often characterize me as outgoing, funny, loving and passionate about issues that matter to me.

Emily Kane Greensboro, NC My name is Emily Kane and I go to a Jewish boarding school in North Carolina. My hobbies include photography, shopping, making sushi and watching movies with my friends. I attended Young Judaea summer camp and consider myself an advocate for Israel. I love meeting new people, especially other Jewish teenagers.

Morriah Kaplan Portland, OR I am a junior in high school. I am involved in the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation, which is a youth philanthropy board that raises funds and allocates them to local non-profits. I am also the Sh'licha (officer of community service and social-action programming) for the Evergreen Region BBYO. In my free time (which there isn't much of), I love to play tennis, piano and hang out with friends.

Harrison Kashkin Tenafly, NJ My name is Harrison Kashkin. I'm currently an eighth-grader in Tenafly, N.J. I'm a die-hard Yankees fan and love most spectator sports in general. I play travel soccer and am a member of my school debate team. I enjoy vacations with my family and spend my summers at Trail's End Camp.

Lauren Katz Florence, MA Hey, I’m Lauren. I live in Florence, Mass., and I’m a junior in high school. I'm captain of my crew team and I also play varsity basketball. I’m an editor of my school newspaper and Spanish is my favorite subject. I'm on the board of the youth foundation for the western Massachusetts chapter of B’nai Tzedek and of my local USY chapter. I spend a lot of time in Philadelphia, so I’m a huge Eagles fan. I like to travel, hang out with my friends, take photos and beat my brothers in mini golf.

Elizabeth Kirshner Oak Park, MI I'm Elizabeth Kirshner, from Michigan. I'm passionate about being Jewish, being on the JTab, people-watching, living life to the fullest and collecting quotes. I always have a song stuck in my head, usually Regina Spektor (a MOT), KT Tunstall or Jason Mraz. The Style Network is a must, and fashion magazines are more than a guilty pleasure.

Evan Kline Memphis, TN Evan is a high-school junior living in Memphis, Tenn. He currently serves as the regional shaliach (Judaic/community service/social action VP) of the BBYO Cotton States. Most recently, he planned Memphis J-Serve's Project Chai, where over 100 Jewish teens helped over 18 different needy organizations. Evan enjoys his many electronic gadgets and traveling to different countries and continents. In the coming years, Evan plans on spending time in Israel and attending business school.

Rachel Leamon Swampscott, MA Hey, I'm Rachel Leamon. I'm 18 years old and attend The Communication College at Boston University. I'm excited about taking journalism classes and living in Boston! In my free time, I love reading and listening to The Dave Matthews Band.

Mike Lebowitz Wellington, FL Hi! My name is Mike Lebowitz. I am 15 and a freshman at my high school in Wellington. I'm extremely active in the Jewish community. I will serve as my youth group's (TiBToFTY) Social Action VP next year. I love going to NFTY events and I love meeting new people. My biggest passion is social action.

Rachel Levenson Mountain View, CA Hey, I'm Rachel Levenson, and I'm a senior in California. I'm very active in youth philanthropy, which I became engaged in five years ago with a project at my Jewish day school. I'm involved in the Peninsula Jewish Community Teen Foundation; I sat on the board for two years and am now an active alumna and the assistant to the director. I have also been active in many other philanthropy programs, including the Jewish Youth Funders Conference, and last year opened my own personal endowment fund. I'm the International USY Social Action/Tikkun Olam (SA/TO) Vice President, and last year I was on the USY Regional Executive Board of New Frontier (Northern California) as Executive/Programming VP. In the little free time I have, I like to hang out with friends, watch movies, cook and read.

Alyssa Mandel Miami, FL Hi, my name is Alyssa Mandel and I'm 16 years old and live in Miami, Fla. When I'm not in school, I enjoy reading and am a member of my school's debate team and BBYO.

Corey Metzman Nashville, TN Hey there! I'm Corey, and I'm a senior from Nashville, Tenn. Next year I'll be trekking up to the Northeast to attend Penn, which I'm psyched about. My friends know me as their public policy wonk, since I'm really into government and social science. Having been interested in politics and current events, I've been on the debate team for four years, and most recently have gotten into mock trial. During my free time, aside from the always-popular long walks on the beach and romantic stargazing (just kidding), I enjoy rock climbing, playing an occasional game of tennis and reading. I also love traveling and exploring the cultural nuances of the places I visit. At school, I'm involved in our Jewish Advisory Group, and I also serve on the board of a local group that fosters a commitment to tzedakah among Jewish teens.

Lily Portland, OR I am a college freshman who has a passion for reading and directing Shakespeare, writing and social action. I love spending time in the outdoors and nature, though I hardly consider myself a hippie. I spent the past year as an active member of the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation, which is how I was introduced to JVibe. My newest form of amusement is intramural volleyball, even though I have no experience with the sport!

Shira Papir North Miami Beach, FL Shira Papir is a student in Miami, Fla. In her spare time (which is not often!), she enjoys reading, playing tennis and acting. She is an avid JVibe advocate and is very happy to be a part of the JTab.

Amanda Phillips Sarasota, FL My name is Amanda Phillips. I live in Sarasota, Fla. This will be my sixth summer at Camp Ramah Darom. I look forward to going to camp all year long! I row six days a week with my local Sarasota crew team, and I'm very active in my USY chapter. I love Israeli jewelry and hope to go there someday soon. I also love shopping, listening to all different kinds of music and hanging out with my friends!

Michele Pinczuk Silver Spring, MD Michele Pinczuk is a teen journalist who freelances for several publications, including The New York Times. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area. Michele loves New York and Saturday Night Live. Her role models are Gilda Radner, Golda Meir, her grandmom, mom and Aunt Sylvia.

Heather Reinblatt Ocala, FL My name’s Heather Reinblatt and I am 15 years old. I have a passion for writing, which has become more important to me than breathing itself. I am constantly listening to music and without it, I’d probably fall over dead right now. To me, school is my top priority (next to writing), and I am so looking forward to college!

Jeffrey Rollman Los Angeles, CA I'm Jeff, age 16, and I just spent a semester abroad in Israel. I live in LA and am active in my synagogue and Jewish high school. My interests include running cross country, politics, reading and weight lifting. I'm also training for my first half marathon.

Aimee Rubensteen Hollywood, FL Aimee Rubensteen, 16, lives in Hollywood, Fla., but loves the rain. She writes poetry and has already been published. She loves dancing, acting, singing, playing sports and trying to save the world.

Rachel Sacks Millburn, NJ Rachel Sacks is a high-school senior who loves writing essays and poetry, art, Young Judaea and music. She dearly misses Israel, especially the shawarma and the exchange rate.

Dana Salzberg Old Field, NY My name is Dana Salzberg and I'm 16 and from Long Island, N.Y. I'm in my junior year of high school. I love swimming, singing and photography. I'm also an active member of NFTY, the North American Federation of Temple Youth.

Kate Sapirstein Longmeadow, MA Hey, I'm Kate. I'm 17 and I live in Longmeadow, Mass. I love eating (I can be bribed with any kind of cake), playing the piano, reading, and, of course, going on Facebook!

Emily Schenck Richmond, VA I am a 16-year-old sophomore who recently moved to Virginia from Florida. I love it here! I am very active in BBYO (Eastern Region!) and am currently Mazkirah (secretary) of my chapter. I love being with my friends and family, and I just discovered skiing—I'm hooked! On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, you can find me watching American Idol. Look for me next year when I try out!

Nicole Schmidt Miami, FL Hey, I'm Nicole. I am 16 and a junior in high school. I'm on my school's varsity cheerleading squad and I am also business manager in my school yearbook class. Also, I am very dedicated to BBYO and currently serve as the Miami Region's Mazkirah (Secretary). When not in school, I love spending time with friends and traveling.

Alieza Schvimer Evanston, IL I'm Alieza Schvimer. I live in Evanston, Ill. Over the summer, I attend Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. I love to hang out and talk to my friends from camp 24/7. I also love to read, write and watch TV.

Caleb Sherman Plymouth, MN Hi, my name is Caleb Sherman. I'm from Plymouth, Minn. I'm a junior. I'm very involved in my USY chapter and have been on the chapter board the past two years. For the past six summers, I have attended Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, and I will be going to Poland and Israel this summer on Ramah Israel Seminar. I play ultimate Frisbee for my high school, and I also play basketball for fun! I'm a big Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Twins fan. I've always loved music (although I can't play an instrument if my life depended on it), so I listen to music non-stop! I enjoy hanging out with friends, going to movies and long walks on the beach (wink wink). Some people say I resemble a young man named Cory Matthews.

Ceanne Shine Palo Alto, CA I am 16, a junior at the local public high school and have a pet bird. I was born in Israel and have lived in Michigan, Southern California and Northern California. I have volunteered with homeless cats and been a part of Young Judaea. I love music (including some lesser-known bands that my British dad has introduced me to) and am obssessed with rock climbing.

Emily Siar Greensboro, NC Emily Siar, 15, is a freshman. She loves to sing in temple with a local klezmer group and has a passion for opera, French and literature. After returning from a school exchange program in Paris, she found that she loves to experience new cultures and meet different people. In her free time, she can be found watching cheesy chick flicks, hanging out with her friends or playing with her two slobbery dogs, Bojo and Sugar.

Lauren Silva Sarasota, FL Lauren Silva is a high-school freshman from Sarasota, Fla. She's the Religious Education Vice President of her USY chapter, SRQUSY. This summer will be her sixth year attending Camp Ramah Darom. Lauren writes for her school's newspaper and is also in a few school clubs. She loves music, hanging out with her friends, reading magazines (like JVibe!), meeting new people and learning more about Judaism.

Shana Silver Skokie, IL Shana Silver recently moved from Chicago to Skokie, Ill. A member of a family of 103 people, Shana spends lots of time hanging and catching up with her relatives, some of whom are her best friends. Shana is a life-long camper at Camp CHI, a JCC camp in Lake Delton, Wis., and was a Staff-in-Training last summer and spent eight weeks there, which was the most amazing, indescribable experience of her life. During her freshman year of high school, Shana got involved with her local BBG chapter, Korczak, in BBYO's GMR region. It quickly became her life love, right after camp, of course. When Shana isn't busy with school or her family, she likes to figure skate, read, talk on the phone, spend time on the computer, work on her Hebrew, catch up with her friends from her old school and attend Israeli Club and WHO Club (We Help Others) at school.

Caitlyn Silvey Debary, FL I am 16 years old and I live in Orlando, Fla. I bowl for the varsity team at my school and I love almost any sport. My family means the world to me; I have one younger sister and a huge extended family.

Tova Simenowitz East Longmeadow, MA Redhead—'nuff said! But all kidding aside (yeah, right!), I grew up as a religious Jew on a farm in rural Vermont. I could drive a team of horses before I could walk (well, not exactly, but you get my drift). I’m 16 and I'm a senior at an all-girls Jewish boarding school in Providence, R.I. I'm going to Israel next year to a seminary. My pastimes include saving the world (namely, forcing my friends to recycle their water bottles), singing (with the showerhead as my best audience), making maple syrup (it’s actually a lot harder than you’d think) and playing or listening to music (although I think most appreciate it when I listen to music rather than play it). I also enjoy reading, writing, farming, tikkun olam, working with children, tutoring/teaching, environmentalism, learning and just being Jewish.

Chava Sneiderman Newark, DE Chava Sneiderman lives in Newark, Del., and is a freshman at an Orthodox boarding school in Brooklyn. She likes sushi, photography, heart-to-hearts, fashion and family vacations. In her spare time she enjoys reading, writing, swimming and studying French.

Marissa Snyder Portland, OR I love purple a lot; you may even call me obsessed. The sport I participate in is dragon boating. It's lots of fun and involves paddles and a 10-ton boat with a dragon head on the front.

Alex Steitz New Orleans, LA Alex is a student at Tulane University and is double majoring in history and international relations. In high school, he was a member of the Meitav Youth Fellowship and a hyperactive member of NFTY. His favorite sports team is the New Jersey Devils.

Ben Tepfer Newburyport, MA Ben is 17 and a senior in Waltham, Mass. He is president of his school's JSA (Junior State of America) chapter and runs a club called Students Taking Action. His favorite classes are Holocaust history and Shakespeare. He has a passion for photography and loves his advanced photo and digital photo classes too. Outside of school, Ben is the Director of Publicity for the Northeast State of JSA. Ben also has a deep passion for tikkun olam and doing everything possible to make the world a better place. He has done community service work in Mexico and El Salvador. He works as a busboy at a local restaurant in Newburyport, and is also hired on commission to make promotional films. He loves to play guitar and make films. On the weekends, Ben often goes to concerts, hangs out with friends and catches up on his favorite TV shows: Lost, Heroes, 24 and The Office. He is still disappointed that Alias ended.

Samantha Tuchfeld Woodmere, NY Samantha Tuchfeld is a sophomore English major at Binghamton University. She is active in the Hillel at Binghamton as the arts chairwoman working with musicians and slam poets on campus. When she is not in class, she is seen wandering around campus with a Mary Poppins-type bag of surprises, iced coffee despite the blinding cold and a writer's notebook.

Josh Wasserteil Portland, OR I am a senior in high school. I love playing basketball, football, Frisbee, lacrosse and most other sports. I love traveling and spending time with my friends. There's not too much else to me; I just like having a good time and taking it easy.

Danny Wein Highland Park, IL What's up, my name is Danny Wein. I'm 16, from Highland Park, Ill., and a sophomore in high school. I love politics so I'm actively involved with AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and Shorashim, and I'm volunteering for my congressman's reelection campaign. I attended Camp Tamarack in Michigan for three years and have been to Israel three times. In my spare time, I love traveling, hanging out with my friends, going to the movies and being active.

Rachel Wein Highland Park, IL My name is Rachel and I'm a 14-year-old in eighth grade. I love acting, singing, art, writing, dance, tennis...pretty much everything! My favorite thing in the whole world is hanging out with my friends. I would much rather hang out with my buds and act crazy with them than anything else. I also would not be the person I am if it weren't for my camp, Birch Trail, because I can just be myself there and it's like my second home. Overall, I'm a bubbly person who just loves having a great time!

Baruch Weizman Haifa, Israel

Michael Wigodner Buffalo Grove, IL Living in the Land of Lincoln, Michael promoted Jewish leadership by serving as the Regional Mazkir (secretary) of the Great Midwest Region BBYO. There he gained experience in communications by publishing the region’s sesonal newspaper. Before joining the JTab, he was active on the Youth Advisory Board for YouthNoise.com, a website for teens to talk about various issues and raise money for different causes. This recent high school graduate loves to spend time with his friends by going out to eat, watching movies or just hanging out. After being diagnosed with cancer, he quickly turned his sorrow into action, raising more than $1,000 for children’s cancer research. Other than that, you'll find him sitting next to his mailbox waiting for the next issue of JVibe to come out!

Jaime Yager New Orleans, LA My name is Jaime Yager. I'm from New Orleans, La. I'm 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. My favorite things to do are write, paint, run and have fun with my friends.

Dara Zaintz Oviedo, FL My name is Dara and I live in Oviedo, Fla. I'm a senior and will be going to college at Florida Atlantic University this fall! I love to laugh, live life, play tennis, read and go to temple. I'm in both NFTY and BBYO and like meeting new people at the events.

Caryn Zeitlin Novi, MI My name is Caryn Brooke Zeitlin and I'm a proud member of the JTab. I'm 16 years old and live in Michigan. I spend my time hanging out with my friends, shopping and going to the movies. I'm super involved in BBYO and currently serve as president of my BBG chapter. I also keep busy with my school's forensics team, and I'm a member of my city's youth council. I'm loud, opinionated and love to have a good time. I enjoy writing and learning U.S. history.