#  Graduate Profile: Ophir Shalom Cohen-Simayof, MTS '25  

 



GRADUATE PROFILE

### Ophir Shalom Cohen-Simayof, MTS '25 

 

“This summer, I will be traveling and doing remote work as a volunteer consultant with the United Nations, working specifically on international development and youth peacebuilding in Africa.”



 



      ![Ophir Cohen Simayof headshot](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2025-05/OphirCohenSimayof.jpg?h=2d7a17d8&itok=zbGdZEon) 

 

 

  

 



 

 

 

 

 

### Memorable Moment 

The building of the Sukkah in fall 2024 will forever be one of my favorite moments in this lifetime.

I will be completely candid: I stepped into my role as the president of the HDS Jewish Student Association grappling with my own feelings of grief and isolation following October 7. Like many of my peers, I wanted the academic year of 2024-25 to be about healing the community, but that felt like a task much greater than a single student. This was especially true when Sukkot rolled around and as we passed the one-year mark of October 7. You could feel the tension in the air building.

When Katie and Kerry reached out to me about being in charge of the Sukkah, I was a bit hesitant. I had never built a Sukkah before… I've always said I grew up Israeli rather than Jewish. In fact, part of what I was seeking from my journey here at HDS was to get in touch with that spirituality, but constructing a holy dwelling was never part of what I had envisioned for myself. Nevertheless, this was part of the job, so I set to work advertising within the community and reaching out to everyone I could think of.

When the day of the building of the Sukkah came about, I was unsure of how many people would show up. I kept telling myself I would be happy if even 5 did. To my delight, over 30 came. These students and faculty members were from various denominations, faiths, and political perspectives, all showing up with curiosity and love to construct this tent and decorate it. For an hour, we bumbled our way through the construction of the Sukkah, putting together the pieces just to then take them apart as we couldn’t find the instructions. We laughed, expressed frustration, and then laughed again. Together. No one person could have done this alone. It takes a village. I was so proud to have been part of this community.

There was a wind storm the next day. Part of the Sukkah fell, but before I could even get to it, other community members stepped in to put the roof back together and add another layer of protection with sandbags. Thereafter, the Sukkah became a hub for students across traditions to study, read midrash, take a coffee break, and even host Shabbat.

In many ways, this Sukkah and the way it came to life is emblematic of this beautiful and diverse community—healing and standing despite the wind. I will forever be grateful to have learned from this experience, and it will stay with me throughout my life.



 



 

 See also:- [ Commencement ](/featured-feeds/commencement)
- [ Graduate Profiles 2025 - MTS ](/featured-feeds/graduate-profiles-2025-mts)