Transition to Amherst: That can mean a lot of things. The hardest part has been the religious life. I went to a Jewish school all my life, so it was sometimes difficult and frustrating [at Amherst] during the holiday season. But I knew I'd love living and learning at such a small school. The transition to college academic life is an ongoing one. I had a perfect routine set for all of high school, and I'm still figuring out my routine here, in many ways.

Do you play a sport at Amherst?

I played soccer, basketball and volleyball in high school, so I needed my fix here, too. I picked up crew and joined the newly-formed volleyball club team. My IM soccer team is also pretty good. I hate to be cliche, but sports focus me, relieve my tension and are a positive outlet for other testosterone-related symptoms like competitiveness.

Any advice to the College on things they could do for first-years?

I really think that it's easy to get lost as a freshman. It's so easy to just be one of the crowd, even at such a wonderfully small and family-like place as this. I'm all for diversity of every sort, but group diversity starts with individuals having a strong identity. I think pride in one's heritage and roots should be more explicitly encouraged, without sacrificing new experiences or polarizing the different religious and ethnic groups. Expecting to hear me whine about Val? Sorry to disappoint.

What's your opinion on the party scene here?

I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I can't complain. I try to defy stereotypes as much as possible, but I certainly dance like you'd expect a white, Jewish kid to dance. I'm not much of a drinker (can I blame my dancing skills on my sobriety?), but I don't think that hurts my social life too much.

What is this I hear about the huge flag in your room?

Ahh, now we get into the good stuff. I love talking about my passions. My Israeli flag hangs proudly next to an Israeli water-conservation poster, Muhammad Ali, and American civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, whose grave I visited in Mississippi this summer. I bought the flag in Israel, where I spent the whole second semester last year. My [high] school graduates in February, in order to relieve some senioritis and give us a chance to live Jewish history through a week in Eastern Europe and three months in Israel. ... The flag is a political statement. My love for Israel is inextricably linked to my Jewishness, but there's much more to it. The mix of Western, African, European and Middle-Eastern cultures and values brought together by the world's Jewish population is a thing of beauty. Even in times of internal strife like now, the secular and religious factions complement each other nicely. ... It's a beautiful thing that only in Israel can an Arab openly express his views as a member of Parliament, or serve on the Supreme court-both of which are current realities. Of course, it's sad in many ways, too, that Israel's neighbors don't [offer the same opportunities]. On second thought, this isn't a political statement. It's love. And because I love Israel, I can stand by her anytime, good or bad, whether I agree or disagree with her policies.

I've been asking this question of everyone ... Kerry or Bush? Why?

Call me a heretic, but I had to think long and hard about my vote. I disagree strongly with Bush's domestic policy, and seriously question some of the decisions he made leading up to the invasion of Iraq. On the other hand, I don't think Kerry has the guts to be commander-in-chief. That he's a war hero but can't muster the courage to be definitive and specific regarding his potential foreign policy leaves me with a lot of questions. I cast my vote for the Democratic nominee, in hopes that what I perceive as a lack of guts is actually just political banter fed to him by advisors who hope he won't say something like "misunderestimate" when he tries to speak his mind.

If you could pick a talent, what would it be?

This is not to say that my academic or athletic talents are so great, but one thing that would be really cool to have would be a singing voice or some other kind of musical talent. I've never had too much interest in music, so my desire for such a talent is kind of paradoxical. I consider myself a Luther Vandross fan, so it would be nice to be able to do my own little rendition of "Your Secret Love" or "Dance With My Father" and not be ashamed.