Sister Act: How Dena and Elana Forged Their Own Paths at Barnard and JTS

Barnard and JTS alumnae Dena Roth (’06) and Elana Roth Parker (’03) didn’t come to List College to follow a family tradition—they came to carve out their own. Raised just outside of Detroit and steeped in the rhythms of Conservative Jewish life, the sisters arrived at JTS and Barnard three years apart, each drawn by something personal: for Elana, a craving for independence and serious Jewish learning; for Dena, a mix of curiosity, admiration, and a sense that her older sister might actually be onto something. They didn’t overlap for long, but the years they spent in and around JTS set the stage for what came next: careers in publishing and law, deepened Jewish commitments, and an evolving sisterhood that found unexpected strength in proximity.

Their path to JTS wasn’t paved by alumni photos or framed diplomas, but by a full immersion in the institutions of the Conservative movement. The Roth sisters grew up attending Hillel Day School (formerly Solomon Schechter), spent summers at Camp Ramah in Canada, and found their voices in USY. Their family wasn’t institutionally tied to JTS, but they were deeply embedded in its ecosystem. Their father spent a semester taking classes at the Seminary while applying to law school, and the family maintained a close connection to Rabbi Joel Roth (no relation) who taught at JTS for decades and was a longtime family friend. When Elana first chose the Barnard/JTS program over the University of Michigan, it was a leap toward independence. For Dena, it felt like continuity. “Visiting Elana when I was in high school made it feel like a really fun, smart place to be,” she said.

The sisters took distinct academic paths. Elana majored in English at Barnard and Bible at JTS, a combination that set her up for a career in publishing. A summer internship at Nickelodeon Magazine during college was her “lightbulb moment,” eventually leading to a job at a children’s book publisher and, later, a career as a literary agent. Dena, three years younger, gravitated toward law, majoring in History at Barnard and Talmud at JTS. She spent a year in Israel after graduation before attending Georgetown Law and is now in-house counsel at Boeing. “I think I was a better law student because of having come through the program,” she said. “The quality of the education, the balancing act of the double degree, it all set me up well for what came next.”

For both sisters, JTS wasn’t just an academic experience; it was a place where their Jewish identities were challenged, deepened, and affirmed. Dena describes her observance as “remarkably consistent” from college to now. She still keeps Shabbat, attends synagogue weekly, and credits the combination of USY, Ramah, and JTS for instilling a strong sense of comfort and meaning in Jewish life. For Elana, her time at JTS was the model for a life that still connects her love of literature with the Jewish community—only now she does it through running the book fair at her kids’ Jewish day school or volunteering at a number of Jewish organizations around Detroit. And somehow her theology class with Rabbi Neil Gillman keeps making a guest appearance. “He made everyone write a personal theology,” she recalled. “It was just transformative. I still quote that class today.”

Though they only overlapped for one year, having a sister nearby added a layer of comfort to an already intense college experience. They didn’t live in the same dorm or cross paths daily, but the connection was felt in quiet, meaningful ways, like shared Shabbat dinners or spontaneous drop-ins when one needed a place to decompress. “I would just kind of show up,” Dena said. “If I had nowhere else to go and needed a Shabbat dinner, Elana was there.” One memory that stands out is a Harry Potter-themed Shabbat meal hosted by Elana and her friends, complete with costumes and themed dishes. “It was epic,” Dena said, laughing. “Being with all of the upperclassmen and doing the whole Harry Potter thing—it was so nerdy and so JTS.” Their relationship, once rooted in typical sibling banter, began to shift into something more adult. “We were the only two in our family that far from home,” Elana reflected. “College was when we really started to become friends.”

Now, years removed from their time at JTS, both sisters remain deeply connected to the values the institution fostered. Much has changed since they were students, but their appreciation for the dual-degree model, the access to faculty, and the community of Jewish learners has only deepened. Dena, now raising her own family, often thinks about what kind of education she’ll want for her kids. “If a student is feeling overwhelmed, wondering if it’s all worth it—I would say, resoundingly, yes,” she said. Elana agreed, emphasizing how much New York itself shaped her trajectory. “JTS gave me the grounding, but the city gave me the opportunity,” she said. “You only get so many chances to invest in serious Jewish learning. Use it. Let it stretch you. It stays with you, even if you don’t end up working in the Jewish world.” JTS gave them more than degrees. It gave them a deeper understanding of themselves, their Jewish lives, and each other.