Rabbi Rick Fox joins Franciska to talk about how he went from an ultra reform Jewish upbringing in Cincinnati to becoming the accidental rabbi and director of Ma'or Penn at the University of Pennsylvania. The conversation uses his own path into campus outreach as a springboard into a bigger question: why do Jewish communities keep launching new organizations instead of sharing infrastructure, leadership, and overhead?They also get into the role of crisis, ego, technology, and the iPhone shaped culture of self-centeredness that rewards urgency over wholeness. This is a sharp, funny, and unexpectedly serious conversation about Jewish community, leadership, and what it would take to build with more courage and less duplication.

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Aliyah: The Hard Parts and the Reasons It Was Worth It

Franciska talks with Zahava Bauer about her family's move to Israel after a decade-long plan. Zahava shares how October 7th affected their decision, what it was like to leave her career and familiar life in Philadelphia, and what she's discovered about family, community, and starting over in Efrat.

About The Guest:

Zahava Bauer grew up in Teaneck, NJ and moved to Philly when she got married. She studied English Literature and Education and taught middle school English for 9 years in Caskey Torah Academy. She made Aliya with her family in the summer of 2024 to Efrat, where she now lives with her husband and four children. Zahava now teaches in a high school and just started a new Learning Center in Efrat called Lev Ladaat. In the summers, she runs Camp Dror's girls' campus! In her spare time, she loves to spend time outdoors, write and read, and daven for a snow day!

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#aliyah #israel