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My Birth
I entered this world on a warm and sunny day (so I've been told) as the first child to my parents as well as the first grandchild to both sets of grandparents. -
Jonathan's Born
Though I don't remember the birth of my brother Jonathan (it seems as though he has always been in my life) I feel his place on this timeline is necessary as he has played a very influential role in my Jewish growth. -
The Beginning of my Jewish Day School Journey
I entered Mrs. Margel and Mrs. Herschenhorn's Nursery class at the age of 3 and began my formal Jewish education at Associated Hebrew Day School, Finch Branch, in Toronto. Their class opened me up to a world of alephbet, chagim, Hebrew songs, and a love of Israel. -
My Siddur Ceremony
This is the day I received my first siddur. I remember the pride I felt as Mrs. Fletcher, my Grade 1 Hebrew teacher, handed me the siddur I had worked so hard to cover (I decided on red velvet that I "Bedazzled" myself in the shape of a Magen David). This marked the beginning of my relationship with Tfilla. -
Death of Bibi Rachel
My great grandmother, my Bibi Rachel, who lived with my grandparents, passed away while on a trip to New York to visit relatives. I spent almost every Shabbat with her up until her passing and have vivid memories of her baking challah for Shabbat and sitting with a mitpachat on her head reading Tehillim. She was an extremely religious, deeply spiritual woman and her spirit has greatly inspired my relationship with spirituality and my love of Tehillim. -
Benjamin's Born
My youngest brother is born. This is when I realized that life would be ok without a sister as a sibling. Benjamin has been very influential in my Jewish growth. -
Watched Schindler's List
Watched Schindler's List for the first time. My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and though he wasn't in the camps and spent most of the war years escaping Poland via various parts of Russia (including the Gulag) my parents felt it important for me to be exposed to this film. Thus began my fascination with the Holocaust and the way it is dealt with within the Jewish world. -
Mrs. Harari
Mrs. Harari was my 3rd, 4th and 6th Judaic Studies teacher at Associated Hebrew School and has had a huge impact on my life the way I understand the "ideal teacher." Mrs. Harari stood out to me because of her serious nature and the fact that she was outwardly passionate towards Jewish studies. She is a religious woman and was the first teacher I ever had that wore a wig. She embodied the curriculum she was teaching and early on I recognized that teaching was not just a job for her, but an... -
Headed Mashiach Club
I don't recall how this began (my family is far from being Chabad), but when I was in Grade 5 I created and ran the "Mashiach Club" which promoted bringing the Messiah. I initiated a number of Mashiach centred initiatives including directing a play, which showcased that the doing of good deeds could be the catalyst for Elijah the Prophet to blow the shofar and usher in the Messianic Age. This was the first time I took a leadership role using Jewish content. -
Camp Kinneret
This was my first (and last) experience with sleepover camp and Jewish camp in general and where I began to think about my own religious practice. Camp Kinneret is a Young Judea Camp in Mont-Tremblanc, Quebec and the vibe of the camp, religiously, was much more liberal than my "conservadox" upbringing. -
My Bat Mitzvah
My bat mitzvah gave me the opportunity to do extra-curricular Torah study with the rabbi of my shul, Rabbi Raphael Marcus zt"l. For several months we met every Sunday at shul reading through Parshat Hashavua and discussing various themes and topics addressed in the text. I also wrote my first D'var Torah, which I delivered to family and friends at my bat mitzvah luncheon. -
Start of High School
I began attending C.H.A.T, the Jewish Community high school in Toronto, where I met students from other feeder schools. It was the first time I was engaging with Jews from different denominational backgrounds and learning Torah from those students who had a variety of beliefs and understandings of the text. -
Sbarro Pizza Bombing
This is the first time I really thought of my relationship with Israel and the people of Israel in an emotionally charged way and began to clarify my Zionist vision as well as my views on the Arab-Israeli conflict. -
My First Demonstration
This was the first demonstration I have ever attended. I travelled from Toronto to Washington, D.C with a group of other students from my high school to show my solidarity at a pro-Israel demonstration. I was one of 100,000 people in attendance listening to Elie Weisel, Natan Sharansky, Benjamin Netanyahu speak against terrorism and in support of Israel. -
Started JIFY Branch of National Council of Jewish Women
While doing volunteer service at the National Council of Jewish Women I came to the realization that the organization was not targeting younger Jewish women to be future leaders in the Toronto Jewish community. I decided, with two friends, to create a women's youth branch to engage with the community via a number of educational initatives as well as a variety of fundraisers. During this time I recognized my passion for community involvement, volunteerism, and Jewish education. -
Birthright
Having never been to Israel I decided that following my high school graduation I would go on Birthright and see my Jewish Homeland for the first time. This trip solidified my love for Israel and made me think seriously about Aliyah. -
Midreshet Harova
During my time in high school I recognized my love for Jewish learning and decided that I would do a year of immersive Jewish study in Jerusalem. I selected this seminary because of its deep Zionist values, its rigorous learning schedule, the tiyulim "with Tanakh in hand" and its volunteer component. My 10 months at Harova helped shape my halakhic understanding and my relationship with Judaism and God. -
Bais Chomesh
I began working at Bais Chomesh High School for Girls in Toronto as a Humanities teacher in their general studies department. I taught grades 9-12 World History, Canadian History and Civics. This was my first encounter with the inner-workings of an ultra-Orthodox school and their approach to women's education. It helped me gain perspective on the type of teacher I wanted to be and what I think education should look like. -
Graduate York University
I graduated with an Honours B.A in Religious Studies. York University made me aware of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attitudes on campus and made me reflect on my place within the Jewish people and my role in creating a positive image for Israel. -
Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies- Year Program
After leaving Bais Chomesh after 4 years of teaching I decided to come to Israel and embark on a year of Jewish textual study. I wanted to get back in touch with my passion for Jewish learning and my love of Israel. -
Started PEP- Cohort 15
After much deliberation I decided to fulfill my dream of Jewish education and pursue my M.A in Jewish Education.
