Rabbinical
Intern Ben Zeidman
Ben is currently a third-year rabbinical student who grew up in Columbus, Ohio . He was a member of the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) in high school and attended the NFTY- Ohio Valley programs which were held at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). He went to Michigan State University and studied International Relations there in James Madison College. During this time he continued to come to HUC-JIR, missing only one college colloquium event while he was studying abroad in Australia. He also spent a summer as a Resident Advisor at URJ Kutz Camp.
During the summer after the Year-in-Israel, Ben worked with NFTY in Israel and helped lead American high school students around Israel. Now he has come back to Ohio to continue his rabbinical studies. He has taught Hebrew and Sunday school at a local synagogue, and this past summer he returned to URJ Kutz Camp where he served as faculty and staff for their Social Action programs. This year Ben will serve as student rabbi in McGehee, Arkansas. He is looking forward to a great year with HUC-JIR's Department of Youth Programs.
Rabbinical
Intern Sarah Smiley
Sarah Smiley is a fourth-year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Sarah graduated from Indiana University in 2005 with a BA in Jewish Studies and Religious Studies. She also concentrated her studies in History and Hebrew. Sarah was an active member of her temple youth group at Temple Israel in Columbus. She was an officer on both the local and regional NFTY boards. While at Indiana University in Bloomington, Sarah served as an RA at the NFTY biennial conventions in Washington DC and Los Angeles. She also served many positions on the Indiana University Hillel student board. Sarah has worked for six summers as a staff member at Goldman Union Camp Institute, a URJ sponsored camp in Zionsville, Indiana.
Following her HUC year in Israel, Sarah moved to Cincinnati. She taught Sunday and Hebrew School at Wise Temple. Sarah also served as student rabbi at Temple B'nai Israel in Panama City, Florida for the past two years. Next year, Sarah will serve as the student rabbi for a small congregation in Portsmouth, Ohio and will continue to teach at both Wise Temple and Valley Temple. Sarah is excited about the second year of her internship with the Department of Youth Programs.