- JDS Annual Meeting, Wednesday, June 7, 6:30-8 p.m., JDS Campus

- Kehillah, Friday, June 9, 8:40 a.m., JDS Campus

- Summer Playgroup, Thursdays, July 6–August 10, 10-11 a.m., JDS Campus

- Shabbat in the Park, Friday, July 21 and August 18, 5:30 p.m., Luther Burbank Park (bring your own picnic)

It was amazing to finally return to Israel with this year's eighth graders. Our small but mighty group had amazing adventures from north to south. We explored the Golan where we ate the "world's best falafel," then headed south where we learned about Ilan Ramon at the Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center. In Tel Aviv, we took an awesome Grafitiyul and got to make our own graffiti-style artwork to bring home. The eighth graders hiked up Masada for the sunrise and stayed up late into the night for a star gazing hike into the desert. It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for all, and the memories will not soon fade!

Do you remember your eighth grade Israel trip? Take a peek at Israel trips from 2013 and 2015! We love that this long-standing JDS tradition has had such a powerful impact on our alumni.

We are hosting exciting alumni events throughout the year. We hope you can join us at our next event!

Interested in hosting or attending future alumni opportunities? Let us know at alumni@jds.org! We'd love to connect with you.

As a student at JDS, I made amazing friends and had a lot of fun experiences. One memory that jumps out is being on the inaugural JDS basketball team. While we were a small team and didn't win very often, we always put up a good fight, and it was fun to represent JDS.

As an adult, I came back to JDS because I was asked to play music, but I keep coming back week after week because of the community, great teachers, and kind students. JDS is a really happy place and it feels great to be a part of it.

Teachers let every unique personality flourish, allowing the students to feel comfortable being themselves and accepting of each other's differences. It is a special place because people treat each other with so much respect.

Get involved by attending one of the JDS alumni events! Now that I am back at JDS, I plan to attend more alumni events and the annual fundraiser, a cause which has a direct impact on fostering Jewish identities and helping to raise kind people.

Harrison Pearl is currently a senior at the University of Arizona and will graduate in fall 2023. He will be the first-ever graduate from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Science in software engineering. This August, he will be traveling to Israel on Birthright, then staying in Israel for five months to work at a tech startup in Tel Aviv while he finishes up his degree remotely.

Maya Sulkin graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University where she majored in history. Last January, she moved to LA where she started working full time for Bari Weiss' media company Free Press while also finishing up her degree.

Alexandra Wolf graduates from Seattle University in June, where she studied marketing. As a student, Alexandra has been an active member on UW Seattle’s Hillel Leadership Board working as an ambassador for Seattle U. This past Spring, Alex passed her real estate license and is excited to start working for Windermere Bellevue Commons.

Hats off to the grads! Congratulations to the Class of 2019 on your graduation from high school. We are excited to see where your next journey takes you!

Victoria Avanesyan will be attending Bellevue College.

Siena Kessary will be attending Arizona State University.

Ali Fay Post will be attending University of Washington.

Jordan Shapiro will be attending Western Washington University.

Sarah Wayne Rutledge's family has grown in Denver, welcoming new baby Bowen Wayne Rutledge in August 2022. They also welcomed her mother to Denver, as she moved from Seattle to be closer to them. Sarah enjoys her role fundraising for Denver's population experiencing homelessness.

Alyssa Novick Zupnick has been living in Phoenix with her husband for the last 11 years, and working in education since she graduated from University of Arizona. She is currently the director of early childhood at the Phoenix Hebrew Academy. She and her husband have three amazing children, with the newest addition joining them in July of 2022. Last January, she attended the Prizmah Conference in Denver where she connected with many JDS teachers and alumni parents. Alyssa’s favorite JDS memory was the eighth grade Israel trip. It is something she still fondly remembers and tells people about, especially since she works in Jewish education. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime!

Adam Gillman recently received his rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Adam has spent the past several years studying, teaching, and serving the Jewish community in the New York area and in Israel, including a chaplaincy at NYU Langone Health, a summer fellowship at T’ruah, student teaching at Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan, and rabbinic internships with congregations in Nyack and Long Island. In July, Adam begins his role as the Rabbi at Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael, a conservative movement congregation in Morristown, New Jersey. A favorite JDS memory for Adam is getting up with his classmates to see the sunrise at Kibbutz Hanaton on the first morning of their Israel trip.

After receiving her Master's in Jewish education in May 2021, Megan Brumer will be graduating from rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College LA. She is excited to be heading to Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, NY as their assistant rabbi starting this summer.

Leora Radman moved back to Seattle after completing her Master's in occupational therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. She loves Seattle so much that she even brought her partner Blake with her! Their adventures have been filled with summits up Mt. Baker and Mt. Adams, national park trips, hikes with their pup Willie, two half marathons, and lots of experimenting in the kitchen. They are looking forward to many more excursions, especially during the beautiful Seattle summer. Leora fondly remembers when her classmate Sarah Bowman brought her horses to their history class and paraded them around the field all dressed up as if they were in the American Revolution.

Daniel Cohen is currently living in Yerushalaim with his wife Gitty and their two children Menucha Rochel and Shmulik. Daniel works in the Chabad Yeshiva Torat Emet. He spends his time learning and teaching, primarily Chabad Chassidic philosophy. He also takes part in a cycle of studying Mishneh Torah from the Rambam (Maimonides), where they learn three chapters a day, finishing the entire work in just short of a year.

Miriam Brukhis Liberman is currently completing her second year at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.

She works as the director of cardiovascular health with the UW School of Pharmacy program, organizing heart-related education events as well as making blood pressure and cholesterol screenings easily accessible for people across the greater Seattle area.

In August of 2022, she married Bryan Liberman in Seattle. Miriam and Bryan love to get involved in the Jewish community, host Shabbat dinners with their family and friends, and attend local events.

Miriam’s favorite JDS memory is watching movies based on the books her class read in HaMorah Margaret’s class. They would discuss the symbolism in the movie and book, as well as the differences between the two and coming of age themes.

Rebecca Brown graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University in 2020. She is currently finishing up her first year of law school at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Jamie Pearl currently lives in NYC and is a photographer and digital marketing specialist primarily working across the beauty, fashion, travel, and hospitality fields. She runs her own freelance photography business, producing work for major businesses. Most recently, Jamie has been part of two exciting campaigns. First, she shot for the HOKA campaign to highlight the new Clifton L Embroidery shoes in Central Park, NYC. She was also part of Coach’s launch of Coachtopia, an initiative to help bring young leaders and activists together to inform and influence the brand, bringing a new vision for the future of fashion in both stylish and environmentally responsible ways.

We value our alumni and want to hear about what is happening in your lives. Share your travels, accomplishments, simchas, and news with us, and let us know if you would like to be featured in our class notes!