CJL Board

Ben Rudoy, or as he is affectionately called in the CJL “Rudeboy," is a junior Biological Sciences major in CALS (and before you ask, yes he is Pre-Med).  As a responsible hyper capitalist Cornell student, he is also a business minor.  Outside of class, he can be found either in the CJL basement, where he often plays Madden 18 with enough ‘enthusiasm’ to tear open large beanbags, or in his room, where he chants loudly as he watches his favorite hockey team, the New York Rangers.  You can also easily find him hopping around campus playing air drums to his all-time favorite band Rush or whistling to the catchy tunes of the Beatles.  Though Ben is a passionate fan of unbelievable sports teams and great music, he is willing to put those passions aside hours a week to serve as one of the CJL presidents and help make the CJL a more fun and inviting community.

On a complicated Tuesday morning in Washington DC, Gidon Amsellem arrived in this world smiling and ready to get moving. In the warm, dry air of his hometown Los Angeles, he has grown into a somewhat larger, yet still compact child, and still smiles and is ready to get moving – especially on Tuesdays. You can often find him in the CJL House practicing martial arts in the communal space, loudly playing his saxophone, Lorraine, or happily entertaining his best friend, Shani Kasdan, with whom he shares a close intelligence and maturity level. He attended YULA (Yeshiva University of Los Angeles) and spent a gap year at Yehivat Orayta in the Old City of Jerusalem. He is currently a Biology major on the pre-med track in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a full-blooded, Moroccan-Iranian Sephardic Jew, so he is definitely wearing Tzitzit, even though you cannot see them.

Gavi "Jordan" Schechter is from Woodmere, NY and is a freshman in the College of Engineering majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. In his "free time," Gavi enjoys playing sports, hiking, juggling, and watching his favorite hockey team, the Carolina Hurricanes. When he's not in class or hanging out at the CJL, Gavi can be found at his third favorite place on campus, Toni Morrison, where he strives to hit his hashgacha bonus. With almost no Jewish ChemEs to look up to, Gavi is doing everything he can to live up to his mentor, Greg, and his stellar LinkedIn profile. If you have any questions about the CJL or Cornell in general, feel free to reach out to him.

Ben Perl, a Long Island native, is a freshman at CALS, and although he says he is a Biological Sciences major, he’s really undecided. When not slaving away at problem sets, Ben enjoys writing backstories for Dungeons and Dragons characters he will never use and destroying Jack Kafif in Super Smash Bros. Despite his packed schedule, Ben is eager to dedicate a significant amount of his time to the wellbeing of the CJL. Having attended the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) and Yeshivat Lev HaTorah, he believes he is qualified with helping the CJL grow as a thriving Jewish community on campus. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would just like to chat.

Jack Kafif has finally found a third place to call home at the CJL in Cornell. Jack is in the College of Engineering majoring in Computer Science. Although Jack was unable to attend Georgia Tech, he has brought his Panamian flair to Cornell.  Some of Jack's hobbies include eating Amnon's Pizza, making mean shakshuka, "studying" at 104 west, and looking for places to burn through his BRBs. Jack is greatly looking forward to his many duties as VPRP, and cannot wait to bring a fun Sephardic spin to the CJL.

Jeremy Zarge, also known as JZ, is a freshman in the College of Arts and Science (soon to be College of Engineering) and plans to major in Computer Science. In his free time he can be found playing sports, hanging out with friends, and speedrunning video games. Despite being surrounded by New Yorkers, he holds true to his Boston sports teams. A long-time master of the art of “lack of sleep,” he manages to procrastinate all of his work to the hours of 1:00 to 3:00 AM, when he claims he is “up to 50% more efficient.”  Having attended Maimonides School and taken a gap year at Yeshivat Lev Hatorah, he tries his best to instill his enthusiasm and passion for Judaism into the Jewish community here at Cornell.

Sara is a sophomore at CALS studying Animal Science with a Pre-Vet concentration and a minor in biomedical sciences. She plans to attend vet school to get a DVM/PhD, with a specialty in equine surgery. Like most of Cornell, Sara grew up in LI, NY. Outside of academics, she is an equestrian, and enjoys ice skating, playing violin, and reading in her free time. Although Sara keeps herself busy, she can never neglect her Jewish cultural and religious identity, and therefore holds a strong attachment to the CJL community. To support a wonderful community like the CJL, Sara is excited to take care of the facility and its residents! Feel free to reach out to her with any questions!