Residence Life Director

Brad Moot is The Jewish Theological Seminary's Residence Life director, overseeing and administering all student housing and residential operations. Originally from Syracuse, New York, Brad started working at JTS in the fall of 2007.

Before coming to JTS, Brad worked for 15 years in the field of Residence Life at SUNY Alfred and Hamilton College. When asked why he loves working in Residence Life, he explains, "It is exciting to witness how students are challenged to live with one another. How they negotiate and compromise to solve their issues is crucial in developing the skills they will need when they leave JTS." In his spare time, Brad loves to spend time with his dog, sing with a chorus, and escape to the Adirondacks.

Contact him at brmoot@jtsa.edu.

Residence Life Intern

Laura Tejeda is the 2012-2013 Residence Life Intern. She is currently a student at Teachers College, Columbia University, passionately working towards her M.A. in Organization and Leadership with an emphasis on Higher and Post-Secondary Education.

After recently returning from studying in Rome, Italy, Laura moved to New York and is originally from East Los Angeles, California, where she graduated with a B.A. in English at the California State University of Los Angeles in June of 2012. At Cal State LA Laura was actively involved in working and coordinating for the universities cross cultural center. She looks forward to engaging with the culture and students at JTS. Laura loves to travel, learn about different cultures, sing mariachi, and is obsessed with Fall weather and the month of October.

Contact her at latejeda@jtsa.edu.

View staff profiles for the Office of Student Life

Office Manager for Student Services: Shira Markert

List College Jewish Life Directors: Ravid Tilles and Yaffa Garber Tilles

Graduate-Level Jewish Life Director: Josh Dorsch

Mathilde Schechter Residence Hall Staff

Resident Directors

Eric Woodward and Katharine Baker are delighted to serve as the resident directors for Mathilde Schechter Residence Hall.

Eric and Katharine met at Williams College in Massachusetts, from which they both graduated.

Eric is a senior rabbinical student at JTS, from which he also received a master's degree in Jewish Philosophy. He is a Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Fellow at Shaaray Torah Synagogue of Canton, Ohio.

Katharine received her master's degree from Cambridge University and worked for several years in the book publishing industry. She is a second-year fellow at Yeshivat Hadar in New York.

Eric and Katharine enjoy traveling, hiking (especially in Israel and in the Berkshire Mountains), and exploring the restaurants and greenmarkets of New York City.

Contact them at msrhrd@jtsa.edu.

Second-Floor Resident Adviser

Sarah Richman is the resident adviser on the second floor of Mathilde Schechter Residence Hall. Now excitedly beginning her fourth year in the Joint Program, Sarah is eager to share her knowledge and enthusiasm about college life with the residents of MSRH, especially the freshman! Sarah is majoring in Religion at Columbia and Bible at JTS. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sarah loves reading, the Hudson River, and watching TV.

Third-Floor Resident Adviser

Hailing from Maryland, David Friedland cannot wait for his third year in MSRH! He looks forward to working closely with residents of a home he considers away from home. David is a junior in the Joint Program, studying Psychology and Talmud. In his free time he likes extensive chats, the outdoors and tutoring. Exuberant, charismatic and unconventional are all words those close to him use to describe him- please do not hesitate to search out this guy for some knowledge and dialogue!

Fourth-Floor Resident Adviser

Sam Alexander is a junior in the Joint Program. He is majoring in Midrash and English Literature with a special concentration in Education. As a former List 101 intern, mentor for FIRST Robotics team 395, and trombone teacher for Columbia University Wind Ensemble's Making Music Matter program, Sam finds great satisfaction working with children and adolescents. He is known across the borough for his praise of the warm residential atmosphere at Mathilde Schecter Residence Hall and is exited to be a resident adviser at MSRH this year.

Fifth-Floor Resident Adviser

Sarah Wolfish is the resident adviser on the 5th floor of Mathilde Schechter Residence Hall. She is a junior in in the Joint Program and is majoring in Political Science and Midrash. As a former orientation leader, the former Sophomore class president, a member of the Relay For Life committee, and the Vice President of Member Education for Delta Gamma, Sarah is extremely excited to share all her advice with her incoming residents. She's from a small and fun town called Dublin, California and is obsessed with Roar-ee the Lion and the San Francisco Giants. 

Goldsmith Residence Hall Staff

Resident Directors

Talia and Michael Kushnick are happy to be kicking off their second year as RDs in the Goldsmith Residence Hall.

Michael is a fourth-year student at The Rabbinical School and is also working on getting his master's degree from the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education. He enjoys bike riding, swimming, and following Florida sports. When not in school or around Goldsmith, Michael is working at his student pulpit in Lafayette Indiana.

Talia and Michael met at the Haar Family Kallah in 2007. She received her master's degree in Informal Jewish Education from The Davidson School and currently works as the director of education at Congregation Shaare Zedek. She loves cooking, reading, and watching bad reality tv.

Michael and Talia felt that their position in Goldsmith was too much for two people to handle so they brought Nadav on board to help out with some extra work. Nadav loves going on walks, smiling, and playing with anything that rattles or squeaks.

Contact them at ghrd@jtsa.edu.

Graduate Resident Adviser

Simeon is a recent graduate of the Columbia/JTS Joint Program, where he majored in philosophy and Jewish thought, respectively. At JTS, he wrote his thesis on Abraham Joshua Heschel's three-volume study of Rabbinic Theology, Heavenly Torah as Refracted Through the Generations. While in college, Simeon spent 3 ½ years as a Hebrew School teacher and B'nai Mitzvah tutor at Temple Israel of the City of New York, on the Upper East of Manhattan. After graduating, he spent a year staffing Nativ, a college leadership gap-year program in Israel. While staffing Nativ, he spent a semester in Jerusalem and a semester in Yeruham, a small development town in the Negev.

Simeon grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey, attended the Jewish Community Center of Paramus and was a member of the Hagalil region of USY. He hopes to ultimately go on to pursue a career as a professor of Judaic studies. Simeon also plays guitar, is an avid fan of Phish and the Grateful Dead and loves to read. He is extremely excited to be an RA at Goldsmith.

Second-Floor Resident Adviser

Ron Shapiro is the resident adviser on the second floor of the Goldsmith Residence Hall. He is a senior in the Joint Program majoring in Computer Science and Talmud/Rabbinic Literature. Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ron clearly incorporates the same pride and spirit that fires his hometown sports teams into residence life to make amazing floor and building programs. In his spare time, he likes to take pictures, follow Middle East politics, and pursue freelance computer programming.

Third-Floor Resident Adviser

Mirit Sands is the very proud resident adviser of the Batman themed third-floor in the Goldsmith Residence Hall. She is a senior in the Joint Program where she is majoring in Psychology at Columbia and Bible at JTS. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Mirit loves to share her pride and passion for the Saints, New Orleans culture, and superheros with everyone. (Her favorite superheros are Batman and Iron Man.) She enjoys playing sports, doing creative art projects, watching tv, and giving back to the community.

Fourth-Floor Resident Adviser

Britany Weissman is a resident adviser in the Goldsmith Residence Hall. Originally from Chappaqua, New York, Britany is currently a senior in the Joint Program. She is majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior at Columbia University and Modern Jewish Studies at List College. Britany is also completing Columbia University's premedical curriculum and hopes to pursue a career in medicine. This fall, Britany is an intern at American Jewish World Service.

Brush Residence Hall Staff

Resident Director

Originally from Paducah, Kentucky, Jess Minnen is the resident director for Brush Hall and oversees the community of graduate students who live there. Before beginning The Rabbinical School, Jess received her BA from Washington University in St. Louis and her MA from Baltimore Hebrew University. She has also studied at La Sorbonne in Paris, Machon Pardes and Machon Schechter in Jerusalem, and the Paideia Institute for European Jewish Studies in Stockholm. Her primary focus in the rabbinate is education, and after ordination in 2013, she plans to continue her studies in the doctoral program at The Davidson School.

When not daydreaming about the dynamic future of Jewish education, Jess enjoys jogging in Riverside Park, creating epic playlists on Spotify, and partaking of the coffee and café culture in New York City.

Contact her at brushrd@jtsa.edu.