Meet Doris Zelinsky ’71
Trailblazer Doris Zelinsky ’71, a graduate of Yale College’s first class of women and an Executive Committee member at Slifka, has a lifetime of stories and a legacy of impact on Jewish life at Yale and in New Haven.
Here’s a taste of her story:
During COVID, Doris co-directed the renovation of the Kikar Schusterman Kosher Kitchen alongside Melanie Ginter ’78; they are also the namesakes of our first-floor kitchen, “Doris and Melanie’s Place.” Doris continues to lead Slifka’s renovation, with exciting updates expected this Fall. Beyond Slifka, Doris is the Founding President of Greater New Haven Holocaust Memory, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the first Holocaust Memorial in the U.S. Her parents were Holocaust survivors, and her mother’s journey of empathy to resilience continues to inspire her—and us at Slifka—today. Make a plan to visit and volunteer at the Memorial and watch the organization’s documentary “People Forget, New Haven Remembers” to learn more .
Doris recalls the early days of co-education at Yale—like how the women arrived to urinals in their bathrooms and turned them into planters that thrived. She also describes the pastel paint the university applied, which female students found a bit silly. (This information is not in our video above, but we know you were wondering about the first year for women at Yale!)
Doris credits Henry “Sam” Chauncey Jr. ’57, Secretary of the University at the time, and the late Elga Wasserman ’76 JD as instrumental in supporting co-education at Yale College. Others, such as Miriam and William Horowitz, became mentors and friends throughout her time at Yale. In 1966, Doris met her future husband, Edward Zelinsky ’72, ’75 JD, ’78 MPhil and former teaching fellow in the Yale University Department of Economics, at the North American Jewish Youth Conference. They both ended up at Yale in 1969 and got married on campus soon after she graduated.
Doris’s vision for Slifka? She says it’s a “game changer”—a home that articulates our relationship to the broader Jewish community and to the Yale administration. She says Slifka is “bayit ne eman biyisrael”—a lasting and truthful home on campus—and she hopes we keep that ideal as our center point as we move forward.
- Yale couple Doris and Edward Zelinsky married in the Branford Courtyard on campus in 1971, shortly after Doris graduated.
- Doris and Edward Zelinsky under the chuppah. The late Senator Joe Lieberman on the right.
Do you want to get involved at Slifka Center? Email Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations Melinda Papowitz at melinda.papowitz@yale.edu.