The tables were turned on Rachel Rosenzweig when she, the Educator, became the Student.  While she had always grown up with a positive Jewish identity, she came to realize, at the peak of her professional career, that her desire for a richer spiritual life was moving her to consider changing her life.

"Every morning for ten months I went to jail and every afternoon I was released," says Rachel.  Never backing down from a challenge, Rachel, a new teacher, sought to improve the lives and skills of at risk youth detained before appearing in criminal court.  During the year 2003, she taught daily lessons on pro-social and life skills and English literature, according to each of her thirty students' academic needs and abilities.

Rachel developed professionally and in 2004, she decided to apply her skills toward adult learners.  She took advantage of an opportunity to move to Philadelphia.  There, she was hired to teach twenty character building workshops based on work ethic principles to displaced workers who were transitioning off of welfare and entering into the workforce.

As a newcomer to the Philadelphia area, she sought out Jewish social events, convinced that Judaism held more substance.  She became more active in the Jewish community, turning to institutions such as Aish and The Chevra, both kiruv organizations.  Rachel found depth and inspiration in the Orthodox outlook and explanations.  Striving for more of an understanding, she and a friend researched the curriculum at She'arim and immediately committed to a summer session in 2007.

She'arim provided the atmosphere that was ideal for her own self-discovery.  But one month's worth wasn't enough for her.  Upon returning home, she recognized that a stronger foundation required more time.  She considered the idea of studying in a full time program in Israel, an investment that she could not and would not miss out on.  After careful planning and consideration, Rachel decided to quit her job and uproot her comfortable lifestyle to re-enter the life of a student.  She gave notice at her job and returned to She'arim for a seven month extensive learning experience.

Rachel has worked with a diverse range of students from delinquents to executives.  Since her arrival at She'arim in January of 2008, Rachel has become a very active member and volunteer.  Students are drawn to her coaching and positive attitude.  They flock to her with their work related questions, seeking her logical problem solving skills, in addition to her perspective on life, based on her experience.

Rachel has contributed her professional skills to She'arim in many ways including: teaching an interview skills seminar for students returning to the work force after seminary, complementing the existing Mussar curriculum with activities that give She'arim students an opportunity to experience lessons they have learned on a different format.  She is continuing her efforts to bring varied projects to fruition.

Rachel would like to thank the staff and the 5768 class of She'arim for nurturing the questions that eventually came, offering insights, and revealing the beauty of living a spiritually meaningful life.

Leonie Taylor hails from Hull, England, a “small fishing town” that had a “fairly vibrant Litvish community.” She moved to Leeds when she was young, and went to a Jewish primary (elementary) school. After graduating from Leeds Girls High School, she decided to make her gap year something special:  she left for Israel.  She received madricha training, taught English in Israeli primary schools and worked in a kibbutz kitchen near Eilat while learning to dowse – a valuable skill in the desert!  She finished off her experience with a final month volunteering in the Israeli army.  Leonie returned to England to study History of Modern Art at Manchester University, while also joining the Officer Training Corps of the British Territorial Army (OTC).

Leonie went to London, and she put her people skills to work organizing public relations events and marketing corporate furniture design companies, building relationships with architects and designers.

By the time she was able to go to seminary for an extended period of time, she knew she wanted to focus on in-depth textual studies, and at a friend’s suggestion, tried She’arim. From the minute she walked through our doors, Leonie was at home. “I never felt so welcome and included as I have at She’arim.” Leonie admits, “Israel is amazing but intense. You need grounding, and She’arim provides that.”

Before her stay at She’arim, Leonie had an indifferent attitude towards G-d’s existence: “Of course I believe in G-d” was her approach.  Now, she says, “She’arim has helped me to concretize my beliefs; to accept Hashem as the Creator and to place Him at the center of my life.  Everything else is built on this – without it I had weak foundations so there was always risk of collapse.”

As time has passed, Leonie has used the unique environment at She’arim to “centralize Torah” while remaining herself.  Her interests have stayed the same, as her professionally executed role as director over the annual Purim shpiel proves, but as Leonie asserts, “She’arim has changed how I deal with people and the world.” She is not leaving yet, but she knows that when she does it will be with a new perspective. As for now, Leonie says, “I am happier than I have ever been, not because things are easy, but because they are right.”

Dalia Eliav

Rishona Frank

Judaism was never much of a priority in Rishona Frank’s home growing up; her family kept up some of the traditions, but not much more. “My mom wanted me to marry someone Jewish, but I don’t think my Dad really cared so much,” she says. They attended a Conservative synagogue sometimes, celebrated High Holidays in traditional ways, and sent her to Sunday school until the age of 14, where she learned some minimal Hebrew language skills. Still, she never really felt a personal connection to Judaism until she got to college.

At the University of Miami, where she would eventually earn her BS in biomedical engineering, Rishona hooked up with a kiruv organization called Collegiate Learning Exchange. She was inspired by the Torah lifestyle, and slowly became more observant. By the time she graduated, she was Shomeret Shabbat and Kashrut, as well as dressing modestly. But she knew there was so much more to learn; she was thirsting for growth.

A friend encouraged her to check out She’arim for a few weeks over the summer of 2006, which she did. The emphasis on building text skills, the small classes and intimate atmosphere, and the maturity of the post-graduate women learning here all attracted Rishona immensely. Upon graduating, she returned in August 2007, planning to stay for 5 months. After extending her stay to 11 months, she took a short break and then came back for 4 more. “The time was going by so fast, and I knew there was a lot more I could get out of being here. I knew this was the best time of my life to be able to come and do this. And I knew I could gain a lot more if I stayed.” Over the months, she improved tremendously in her text skills, her knowledge of halacha, and her understanding of advanced hashkafa concepts. But while her main goal had been to learn Torah, she also ended up strengthening her sense of self, clarifying her goals in life, and opening up more in social situations. She considers the confidence she gained over the months to be priceless: “At She’arim, you learn Torah, as well as how to be a normally integrated member of society. I think that’s a really important combination,” she says.

Rishona is now off to complete her degree in prosthetics at Chicago’s NorthWestern University. She has always been interested in helping people, and was attracted to the prosthetics field because of the hands-on involvement with patients. Little did she know that her time at She’arim would even enhance her professional life: “She’arim has helped me relate to patients better.  I see each of them as Tzelem Elokim (the image of G-d) now.” As she looks toward her future, she knows that her learning here will always remain an integral part of her development as a Jewish woman, and as a human being.

“Anytime you can come and learn is a good thing,” she says. “Even if just for a couple of weeks or a month. Everything has an impact.”