Kedma’s new vice president, treasurer, social chair, media chair and Shabbat chair look forward to making their mark on the organization.

By Samantha Ebner

Staff Writer

@SamanthaEbner7

Kedma Vice President: Daya Novich 

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Adler.

Daya Novich, a sophomore computer science major, wanted to join the board to give back and contribute to the growing community. 

“I think that there’s room to develop a stronger sense of community and identity within the community,” Novich said. 

As vice president, Novich will assist the president and supervise the board as well as write Kedma newsletters. The vice president role in Kedma automatically assumes the president position after one semester. Novich enjoys working on and coordinating logistics, which is a big part of these roles, so she felt this was a suitable spot for her.

“I like to be able to help facilitate things to happen and help people take on leadership initiatives and kind of check in and get things done,” Novich said. “I felt that that position on board would allow me to do that in the way that I wanted to.” 

Coming from a small high school in Boston, Novich loves how big the Jewish community is on campus. Additionally, Novich was inspired by active Kedma members who work to improve the community. The strong and ever-growing community motivated Novich to join board and is her driving force to furthere

“I really like how big the community is and the passion and dedication everyone in the community has to ensuring its success,” Novich said. “I think that it has a lot of people that really are interested and care. It’s the premiere Jewish college campus.” 

Kedma Treasurer: Eitan Linsider 

Photo courtesy of Deborah Wenger. 

Eitan Linsider, a sophomore computer science major with the intent to minor in creative writing, ran for board to become more active in Kedma.

“From the moment I got to campus freshman year, everyone in Kedma made me feel welcome, and I have felt at home,” Linsider said. “All of this is only possible by the endless work the Kedma leadership has done to keep the community running strong, and I feel a responsibility to run and give back even a fraction of what I received.”

The Treasurer must manage funds, coordinate and submit financial proposal requests, and ensure necessary funding for Kedma. Additionally, this position works closely with the president and vice president to ensure. 

Linsider explained that “the position of Treasurer was simultaneously a responsibility that I knew I could take upon myself, while–as a part of the executive board–a position that enables me to best contribute to the community.” 

Prior to his freshman year, Linsider heard that there was a big, active Jewish community on campus. He didn’t realize the valuable impact that would have on his academic and social life, so he is greatly appreciative for his helpful and friendly community members. 

“From my freshman year, sharing Hillel meals with countless other students, to bombarding older computer science and engineering majors with questions about classes and college in general, to receiving Shabbat meal invitations from people I had never spoken to before, I quickly found my home away from home here and felt welcomed immediately,” Linsider said. 

He hopes to promote the positivity he has witnessed in Kedma. His easy transition into Kedma is what he hopes all freshmen experience. College has many anxiety-ridden facets, so Lindsider wants to promote inclusivity to fix one of the stresses. 

“I also intend to put together a collection of representatives from all different majors who can be utilized as point people for prospective, incoming, and current students who have questions,” Linsider said. “Speaking with older students who had already taken courses I was considering was essential for my first few semesters, and I intend to streamline this for as many people as possible.”

Shabbat Chair: Shuli Frenkel 

Photo courtesy of Jakob Sandberg.

Shuli Frenkel, a freshman majoring in criminology & criminal justice and family science, is Kedma’s newest elected Shabbat Chair. She wants to use her role to encourage all members in the community to play an active role.

“[I ran for board] to shape the Shabbat life in Kedma to include types of events that I’d like to see,” Frenkel said. “Alternatives to wiffle ball so that watchers are encouraged to mix with others too … to play community games like Simon Says, trivia, or Newlyweds.” 

The Shabbat chair role involves coordinating community meals and Shabbat events, choosing seniors to speak to the community in between Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv during Friday night services, and overseeing the Kiddish committee.  

Her positive experience in Kedma motivated Frenkel to get more involved. As a freshman, she has felt welcome into the community and has admired the efforts of people on the board. 

“The past [and] current board members made being on board seem like a fun and meaningful way to give back to the community and help incoming freshmen absorb into Kedma and have positive associations with Judaism on campus,” Frenkel said. 

Frenkel enjoys bonding with people who go to the Hillel and appreciates the warmth people bring. Her goal is to further the friendly environment by planning more events for community members to enjoy.

“I hope to improve the opportunities Kedma has to meet each other,” Frenkel said. “I want all parts of Shabbat, whether that be davening, speakers, activities, or meals, to be something Kedma members approach with joy and excitement.” 

Social Chair: Eliana Zaghi

Photo taken by Donie Zak in front of Worcester dorm 

Eliana Zaghi, a freshman in letters and sciences, ran for board because of the positive impact Kedma had on her freshman year. 

“I always tell people that the reason I’m having such an enjoyable year is because of the community,” Zaghi said. “ I feel really lucky that I get to be a part of it, so I wanted to be able to help others and impact them the way they have impacted me.” 

The social chair role involves creating and running events for Kedma. This position involves communication as events are planned through coordinating with Hillel staff and other board members. The purpose of the social chair is to further unite the community through fun events for people to take part in together. 

Zaghi’s admiration for the community was her fuel to run for board and continues to propel her to work hard for Kedma. 

“I love the community of Kedma, I love the people there and the environment, and everyone is awesome,” Zaghi said. “I hope to bring more events to Kedma, bring more people together, and just have a really awesome time together.” 

Media Chair: Emily Keehn

Photo courtesy of Shira Huebner.

Emily Keehn, a freshman in letters and sciences, ran for the board as a token of her gratitude for the community.

“Reflecting on my freshman year, I appreciated how much Kedma helped me feel comfortable at the start of my college career,” Keehn said. “As Kedma is student-run, I find it important to get involved and contribute to the growing Jewish community here at UMD.”

The role of media chair involves promoting Kedma through creating flyers for events, making and displaying newsletters, and managing the website and social media accounts. This position also handles emailing students about information and updates in the Kedma community. The media chair ensures that everyone knows about news or upcoming events in Kedma. 

“I ran for media chair because, essentially, we live in a time that revolves around social media,” Keehn said. “I am excited to run the social media pages and the Kedma website in order to keep the current students in the loop and to show prospective students how great our community is.”

Keehn is appreciative of the kind members of the community. She has noticed that no matter how often she sees people, or how well she knows them, everyone feels bonded because of Kedma. She hopes that she can continue to connect everyone through social media initiatives. 

“I find that students in our community simply say hello. Little acts like that create a sense of togetherness which makes our big college feel a little smaller,” Keehn said. “I hope to have weekly Kedma highlights on the Instagram. That way I can help implement a sense of unity during a mundane week and not only when there are big events.”