Students

Growing up in London, England, Claudine (Altman) Baker had no real religious upbringing. Although her family was traditional – they lit candles and had challah and wine on Friday night – Claudine had no Jewish education.

After completing a degree in French and Spanish at Nottingham University, Claudine attended the Broadcast Journalism program at City University. Post-graduation, Claudine became a radio journalist for Bloomberg and then for Talk Sports, a national radio station in England. While working, Claudine and her (now) husband started asking questions about Judaism. As they delved deeper into Judaism they became more and more religious.

After 10 months of waking up at 4 a.m. to make it to work at Talk Sports, Claudine decided it was time to come to Israel. She and her husband decided to leave their jobs for six months to learn full-time in Israel. When choosing where to learn, Claudine wanted a school that is intimate, had an older student body, and, most importantly, had a strong focus on textual skills. Claudine found this balance at She’arim.

Claudine admits that leaving your job and coming to Israel to learn is a hard step when you have no one to support you financially but she says, “If you’re thinking about it, take the plunge because it’s an investment in your spiritual future.”

Growing up in Manchester, England, Danielle Jacobs’ perception of the “frum” community was somewhat vague. The traditional practices she was accustomed to seemed far from those of more observant communities. Shabbat seemed different, praying seemed different. The connection to Hashem that was evident seemed so special, yet inaccessible. She became aware that the same actions evoked different experiences.

It was at age 11, while attending a non-Jewish girls school, that Danielle became increasingly aware of her Jewish identity. The obvious differences in religious beliefs and practices motivated her to discover more about being Jewish and the needs and responsibilities that it entailed. Consequently, she began introducing more Halacha (Jewish Law) into her life and continued to learn, struggle and grow throughout high school.

After a special one-year post-high school program in Israel, Danielle returned to England to complete an honors degree in Math and Management at Leeds University. There she enjoyed an active role in the Jewish student community, particularly welcoming students into her home for Shabbat meals. Her summers were spent with friends, traveling and learning at seminary at every opportunity. During Danielle’s study year abroad, she was very involved in the Chabad House at Penn State University in the US, which further increased her learning and love for Judaism.

Since her graduation from university, Danielle has come to She’arim to continue her growth. Living and learning in Israel, where the events in the Torah actually occurred, has provided an insight and understanding unlike any she could have gained elsewhere. That, combined with the guidance and love she receives from the teachers and students at She’arim, has allowed Danielle to live a more fulfilling life. “That once ’inaccessible’ connection is no longer inaccessible.”

Gail Pariser has always felt that Judaism was important to her. She says, “I received it from my parents and I still have it to this day.”

Gail grew up in a traditional home in a very Jewish area near Baltimore, MD. Her family had Friday night dinner and even went to a Modern Orthodox shul. Gail tended to have Jewish friends even in public school and was always involved in Jewish youth groups and organizations. She attended Hebrew school, chose to do a confirmation at a Conservative school and then joined a Hebrew High program that met a couple of times a week.

While attending a local college, Gail sought Jews with similar interests so she went to the kosher dining hall and got involved with the Jewish Students Association and Hillel. This exposed Gail further to Orthodox Judaism, as did the rabbi on campus. He helped her set up a chavruta (learning partner) to continue learning. Once Gail entered her Occupational Therapy program, she found several religious women there. She became close with them, went to their houses for Shabbat and saw what Shabbat was really like. Gail increasingly exposed herself to Orthodox Judaism and slowly began to observe more at home.

After graduation, Gail came to Israel to learn in seminary for four months and began keeping Shabbat and Kashrut completely. After returning home to work for a couple of years, Gail decided she wanted to come back and learn more. She obtained a leave of absence for one year and decided to try out She’arim. She was looking for something smaller and more focused on text skills to help her increase her relationship with Hashem and find a balance between being religious and involved in the world. Gail wants to make sure she’s integrated and well-adjusted and can transmit the beauty of Judaism to her future children and feels that She’arim is the perfect school to help her with this.

Jodie Sellman was born and raised in a small Jewish community in Leeds, England. Her family was traditional and sent her to Jewish day school up until middle school. Then, due to the absence of a Jewish high school in Leeds, Jodie was required to attend public school.

Jodie spent a year in Israel right after high school on a special post-high school program. She then returned to attend university in Manchester. After completing an honors BA in Applied Consumer Studies, she did a post-graduate certificate in Education in Food Technology. Jodie then began to teach Food Technology in high school on and off for several years. During this time, she also did youth work for Jewish organizations, organizing social and educational activities.

While at university, Jodie began learning at SEED, an outreach organization in Manchester. She started asking questions about Judaism and reading books on Jewish philosophy. Jodie says that despite having gone to Jewish day school as a child, she hadn’t really given G-d and Judaism a great deal of thought until that point.

Through her Jewish youth work, Jodie met families who invited her for Shabbat and became inspired to gradually start keeping more mitzvot and learning more.

She attended seminary in Israel for several months then returned to Manchester to teach for another couple of years. Jodie then came back to Israel to attend She’arim. Jodie was drawn to She’arim by its smaller class sizes and older girls. She loves She’arim for its friendly environment, welcoming students and teachers, and inspiring classes. “I feel really settled here. I want to stay forever.”

“While I don’t regret anything in my life, if I could do it over I would have come sooner. If anyone is thinking about coming, they should just do it.”