The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies welcomes five Jewish Studies Fellows.

The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies is pleased to present its 2026-2027 class of Jewish Studies Fellows. Students in the program were nominated by their professor, who was asked to identify their top students, those who stood out due to their engagement and strong academic work. Jewish Studies Fellows do not need to be a Jewish studies major or minor to participate; fellows can come from any major.

Jewish Studies Fellows are invited to a series of unique experiences funded by the Karen and Pace Robinson Endowment, such as dinner with Jewish studies faculty, special conversations and interactions with guest speakers, and a visit to Jewish sites in Tennessee, including a trip to the Holocaust Memorial in Whitwell.

This year’s fellows include the following:

Max Aba is a junior majoring in elementary education and double minoring in religious studies and Middle East studies. He is a two-time recipient of the Advanced Undergraduate Research Activity (AURA) grant and recently finished up a summer research project on how late antique Christian authors use the character of Thecla in their ascetic arguments. After college, he hopes to spend a Fulbright year teaching English abroad and then return to the US to work as an elementary school teacher.

Sam Balter is a senior majoring in Jewish studies and minoring in history. In addition to participating in the Jewish Studies Fellowship, he has been actively involved in the religious studies department’s Knox County Schools project. As an undergraduate research assistant, his primary research interest is early American Judaism. Balter’s academic achievements include receiving the Dr. Ruben P. Robinson Judaic Studies Scholarship in 2025 and the Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Scholarship in Judaic Studies in 2026. Beyond academics, Balter has interned with the Davidson County District Attorney’s Office and served on the executive board of UT’s Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter. He also enjoys watching and officiating soccer matches. After graduation, Balter plans to attend law school.

Louie Perry is a rising junior at UT’s Howard H. Baker Jr. School, majoring in public affairs and political science with a minor in Middle East studies. He’s passionate about politics, foreign policy, and international affairs. He has been involved in a variety of political campaigns including local and federal races in Illinois, where he grew up, and more recently here in Tennessee. Outside of campaigns, Perry has interned and worked for a variety of state and federal leaders in Illinois and Tennessee, from local legislators to the governor and both US  senators. His interests in public service and global dialogue led him to a fellowship at the United Nations. Perry’s academic interests center on the cultural and historical contexts that shape foreign policy and diplomacy, particularly within the context of Judaism and the Middle East.

Gabby Puckett is majoring in anthropology and religious studies. She received an AURA Award in 2025, which she used to join the Makounta-Voules Archaeological Project, exploring a prehistoric site on the island of Cyprus and conducting her own research. She also placed when presenting on that research at the university’s Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA). Puckett has worked at McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture and serves as vice chair of the Student Advisory Board. She plans to be a  zooarchaeologist.

Elizabeth Tucker is a junior studying English with a concentration in publishing. She studied English literature at the University of Glasgow, where she earned a Certificate of Higher Education with Distinction. Jewish theology and observance are among her deepest academic and personal passions, and she has studied them since the age of sixteen. She previously interned at PLA Media in Nashville, Tennessee, and currently works through the VOLintern program with UT Press. Tucker is also a member of Sigma Tau Delta and the Public Relations Student Society of America. In her free time, she enjoys reading literary fiction.