KAHAL Team

Alex is the founder and executive director of KAHAL: Your Jewish Home Abroad, which creates transformative Jewish experiences for students studying abroad. A native of Chicago, he graduated cum laude and with honors in Classical Languages and Civilizations from Northwestern University. Committed to human-centered design and innovation in the social sector, Alex was selected for the Core18 Leaders Lab fellowship and awarded the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize for Jewish Education in 2016. Alex is a founding board member of SketchPad: Chicago's Jewish Innovation Space. He and his girlfriend, Samantha, are active members of AIPAC, Alpha Epsilon Pi, JCYS, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Illinois Firefighters’ Association, the JUF, and various other Chicagoland Jewish organizations and synagogues. His passions include golf, college football, and every dog he’s ever met.

Becca is the Chief Operating Officer at Director of International Operations at KAHAL: Your Jewish Home Abroad and previously served as the organization's Director of International Operations. She graduated magna cum laude with a double major in Government and Politics and Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Becca holds a Certificate in Fundraising from New York University’s Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising and worked in development at Maryland Hillel and UJA-Federation of New York. In her role at KAHAL, Becca has visited Jewish communities around the world, developing relationships with Jewish leaders to build a network of more than 700 partners in 50 countries and 110 cities worldwide. Becca has lived in Israel, London and Cape Town, and currently lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Josh and puppy, Frank.

Joey is a Yemeni Jew from London, UK and has spent much of the last decade living and working abroad, visiting over 50 countries. He is passionate about exploring and educating on Jewish communities in Europe and minority communities in Israel. He has a Masters in International Relations and Global Development and cares far too much about his football team, Tottenham Hotspur.

Jessie is the Associate Director: Abroad Experiences at KAHAL: Your Jewish Home Abroad. Before working with KAHAL, she taught in a myriad of Jewish environments, including several Day Schools, Israel programs, camps, and experiential adventures. Jessie earned a Master's degree in Jewish education and a Certificate of Advanced Jewish Studies from the Pardes Educators Program in Jerusalem as well as a Certificate in Jewish Day School Education from Hebrew College of Boston. Prior to receiving her M.A., Jessie received a B.A. in Modern Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University. Jessie is married to Adam and is the proud mama of three-year-old Charlie Ruby and Nadi the Puppy. Jessie and Adam currently run Base Miami, an initiative to engage young Jewish professionals in the Miami area.

Jojo graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a Bachelors in Human Development and Family studies and a certificate in Studio art. She had the great opportunity to study abroad in Florence where she studied art, and connected with KAHAL. She’s passionate about helping students find a Jewish community abroad so that they can feel a sense of home and belonging. Jojo loves to travel anywhere and everywhere, take pictures, sculpt clay, and meet new people.

Misha comes from a Russian-Jewish background and came to KAHAL shortly after graduating Brandeis University, where he got his B.A. in Russian, Judaics, and History, and an M.A. in Global Studies. Misha was moved by his experiences Jews in around the world, founded a campus organization to address European anti-Semitism and the American branch of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). Misha is excited to help create transformative experiences for Jewish students studying abroad and introduce students to Jewish life around the world!

Mia graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences and is a Master of Liberal Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. She had a life changing study abroad experience at the University of Haifa where she was immersed in Judaism and coexistence. Mia has interned with the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Community Relations Council, but most recently worked for UPenn's Hillel on the Jewish Renaissance Project team. She's passionate about enriching student's lives by connecting them with the global Jewish community. Since she is new to London she is always up for exploring a new spot and meeting a new friend!

Lewis will be receiving his M.A. in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in December 2018. He was awarded “Best Advocate for Jewish Students Abroad” by his MIIS cohort. He also has a B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish from SUNY Oswego. His passion for international education stems from participating in study abroad programs in Puerto Rico, Ireland, Argentina, and Chile as an undergraduate student. Lewis also loves genealogy (97% Ashkenazi according to 23andMe) and aspires to connect students to their ancestral roots & cultural identity through education abroad.

Talia grew up in the UK based Masorti youth movement Noam, which has shaped so many of her Jewish and personal ideologies. She studied Philosophy at Birmingham University and after graduating, she worked in Noam’s head office and then with Marom, Noam’s sister movement for young adults. Since she was 18, Talia has have loved to travel the world and meet new people. She is so excited to be able to help Jewish students studying abroad have magical experiences! Talia is a passionate feminist, amateur photographer, keen writer, animal lover and nature enthusiast

Major: Psychology

Studied Abroad: Madrid, Spain

Bucket List Destination: South Korea

Major: International Studies

Studied Abroad: Jerusalem, Israel

Bucket List Destination: All of Italy

Major: Public Policy & Economics

Studied Abroad: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bucket List Destination: India

Major: Behavioral and Community Health

Studied Abroad: New Delhi, India

Bucket List Destination: South and Central America

Major: Film/Video

Studied Abroad: Granada, Spain

Bucket List Destination: India!

Major: Diplomacy and History

Studied Abroad: Tel Aviv, Israel

Bucket List Destination: Thailand

Major: Human Capital and Society

Studied Abroad: Budapest, Hungary

Bucket List Destination: Southeast Asia

Major: Psychology

Studied Abroad: NYC

Bucket List Destination: Any country in Asia and Africa

Major: Architecture

Studied Abroad: I want to study abroad in Barcelona if I can

Bucket List Destination: Seychelles

Major: Physical Therapy

Studied Abroad: London

Bucket List Destination: South Africa

Major: Politics and International & Global Studies

Studied Abroad: Amsterdam

Bucket List Destination: Iceland

Major: Public Health

Studied Abroad: Tel Aviv, Israel

Bucket List Destination: South Africa

Major: Religious Studies

Studied Abroad: Seville, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Japan

Major: Community Heal and minor in Jewish Studies

Studied Abroad: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bucket List Destination: New Zealand and Greece

Major: Media management

Studied Abroad: Semester at Sea

Bucket List Destination: Australia

Major: Political Science

Studied Abroad: Madrid, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Cape Town, South Africa

Major: Applied Economics and Management

Studied Abroad: Amsterdam

Bucket List Destination: New Zealand

Major: Political Science and Law, Justice and Social Change

Studied Abroad: Semester at Sea

Bucket List Destination: Sydney, Australia

Major: Political

Studied Abroad: Couldn’t because of my major.

Major: Social & Cultural Analysis

Studied Abroad: Florence, Italy

Bucket List Destination: Turkey

Major: Health Services

Studied Abroad: Florence, Italy

Bucket List Destination: Thailand

Major: Statistics

Bucket List Destination: Machu Picchu

Major: Communication Arts and Digital Studies

Studied Abroad: Cape Town, South Africa

Bucket List Destination: Santorini, Greece

Major: Cognitive Science

Studied Abroad: Morocco

Bucket List Destination: Australia

Major: Neuroscience and Behavior

Studied Abroad: London (UCL)

Bucket List Destination: South Africa

Major: Public health and Psychology

Studied Abroad: Cape Town, South America

Bucket List Destination:Thailand

Study Abroad: Copenhagen, Denmark

Major: Psychology

Major: International Affairs & History

Bucket List Destination: Tokyo, Japan

Major: Russian and Business

Studied Abroad: St. Petersburg, Russia

Bucket List Destination: Venice

Major: Operations and Information Management

Studied Abroad: Rome, Italy

Bucket List Destination: Patagonia

Major: Speech and Hearing Science

Studied Abroad: Florence, Italy

Bucket List Destination: Yosemite National Park

Major: Social Work

Studied Abroad: Dublin, Ireland

Bucket List Destination: Sydney, Australia

Major: Aerospace Engineering and physics

Studied Abroad: Queen’s University, Canada

Bucket List Destination: Galápagos Islands

Major: Communications & Human Development and Family Studies

Studied Abroad: Florence, Italy

Bucket List Destination: Tokyo

Major: Visual Communications

I’m always abroad!

Bucket List Destination: Thailand and India

Major: Graphic Design

Bucket List Destination: All of Italy!

Major: Dentistry

Studied Abroad: Barcelona, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Australia

Major: Psychology minors in Israel and Global Studies

Studied Abroad: Rome (this fall)

Bucket List Destination: Greece

Major: Art History; Studio Art; European Cultural Studies

Studied Abroad: Prague and Tel Aviv

Bucket List Destination: Cyprus

Major:

Studied Abroad: London, England