AJA Graduation Wednesday Night

The Atlanta Jewish Academy Upper School will hold its commencement exercises at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at at the Northland Drive campus in Sandy Springs.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Edward L. Queen II, the director of the D. Abbott Turner Program in Ethics and Servant Leadership and coordinator of undergraduate studies at Emory University’s Center for Ethics. Queen also serves as director of research for the Institute of Human Rights and co-convener of the Initiative on Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding.

Valedictorian Eliott Dosetareh is not only an excellent student, but also a star athlete and a musician. Salutatorian Dafna Kadosh is a star student who has been a dedicated and active president of the school’s Israel Advocacy Club.

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The d’var Torah will be given by Shoshana Ginsburg.

AJA Head of School Rabbi Pinchos Hecht, AJA board Ian Ratner, Associate Head of the AJA Upper School Paul Oberman and Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Chief Development Officer Michael Balaban also will speak. Talya Gordon and Shimon Horwitz, the senior class co-presidents, will present the class.

Atlanta Jewish Academy congratulates the Upper School graduates:

• Tova Asher. Tova will attend the University of Georgia in the fall, keeping the Bulldog tradition alive in her family.
• Michel Azani. Mia will attend Nishmat in Israel, then Barnard College in New York.
• Daniel Nathan Bashary. Daniel is spending a gap year in Israel, then will attend Georgia State University.
• Kelly Raquel Biran. Kelly will attend Kennesaw State University next year.
• Ariela Hannah Bland. Ariela will attend Midreshet Moriah in Jerusalem next year, then the University of Maryland.
• Isaiah Samuel Blanks. Isaiah looks forward to spending a year in Israel, then returning to the United States to study engineering.
• Samantha Hope Cohen. Shoshana will attend Midreshet Moriah, then plans to study sports medicine at Stern College in New York.
• Eliott Moshe Chiem Dosetareh. Eliott will attend Yeshivat Sha’arei Mevaseret Zion next year, then will take his talents to Yeshiva University the following year.
• Zev Yitzchak Frankel. Next year, he will study in Israel at Yeshivat Lev HaTorah.  Zev plans to attend either Muhlenberg College or Yeshiva University in the fall of 2016.
• Shoshana Sara Ginsburg. Shoshi will attend Midreshet Moriah next year. Upon her return, she will continue a family tradition by attending the Honors Program at the University of Maryland in College Park. She plans on a career in the medical field.
• Talya Rachel Gordon. In the fall she will attend Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem,then will attend the University of Maryland’s Honors Program the following year.
• Shimon Raphael Horwitz. Shimon will spend a gap year interning, volunteering, learning, traveling and experiencing life in Israel, the United Kingdom and Australia.
• Elazar Jacov Joseph Huisman. Elazar will attend Yeshivat Derech Etz Chaim in Israel next year. He has been accepted to Georgia State University as well as Yeshiva University.
• Dafna Tamar Kadosh. Dafna plans to attend Midreshet Lindenbaum to expand her knowledge and love of her Jewish heritage, then may choose to attend the University of Maryland.
• Samuel Jacob Kalnitz. Samuel will attend Yeshivat Sha’arei Mevaseret Zion next year in Israel. He was accepted to both Yeshiva University and the University of Maryland.
• Raphael Khandadash. Raphael will attend Kennesaw State University.
• Niv Korezki. Niv plans to serve in the Israel Defense Forces.
• Shira Ruth Lubinsky. Shira will attend Georgia State University in the fall.
• Benjamin Charles Massey. Ben plans to attend Yeshivat Lev HaTorah.
• Zoe Ogden. Next year, Zoe will attend Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion, and she plans to continue her academic achievements the following year at Barnard College in New York.
• Dalya Panbehchi. Dalya will attend Midreshet Moriah next year and afterward will head into a frosty but bright future at Binghamton University.
• Yarely Perez. Yarely plans to major in environmental science.
• Ariella Michal Shapiro. Ariella plans to spend a gap year at Midreshet Emunah v’Omanut in Israel.  After returning from Israel, Ariella plans to attend either the University of Maryland or Binghamton University.
• Rayut Shmuel. Rayut will attend Midreshet Yeud next year in Jerusalem, where she will spend her time learning and doing sherut leumi (national service) to express her passion and love for Israel. Afterward, she will attend the University of Georgia.
• Devorah Sirull. Devra will spend a gap year studying at Machon Ma’ayan in Israel.
• Kevin Ryan Warren. Kevin will gear up for cold winters next year because he is going to DePaul University in Chicago.
• Shoshana Leah Weinmann. Shani plans to attend Midreshet Harova in Israel this fall, then will decide whether to go to the University of Maryland or Bar-Ilan University. She plans to major in forensic science.
• Sarah Tehila Zolty. Sarah plans to spend her gap year studying in Israel, then attend Binghamton University.