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.

Contact Alex at alex@kahalabroad.org

Becca was first inspired by global Jewish peoplehood on a trip to Uruguay, volunteering alongside the Jewish community. She later led a college JDC Entwine trip to Ukraine, where the group visited homebound elderly Jews and met local Jewish students. These experiences, together with her time living in Israel, Cape Town, and London taught her of the transformative nature of studying, living, and traveling abroad. She currently works as the Chief Operations Officer of KAHAL, connecting study abroad students to Jewish experiences and communities worldwide. With KAHAL, Becca has visited Jewish communities around the world, developing relationships with community leaders, building a network of more than 700 partners in 40 countries. She previously worked in nonprofit fundraising specializing in donor relationship management and planned giving. When they’re not traveling, Becca and her husband reside in Washington, DC. They would travel even more often if they could bring their puppy, Frank along.

To contact Becca email becca@kahalabroad.org

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.

If you're travelling to Austria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece Hong Kong, Hungary, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, and The Netherlands, contact joey@kahalabroad.org

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.

If you're travelling to Italy, Semester at Sea, USA, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, and India contact jessie@kahalabroad.org

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.

Ellen received a B.A. in Art History and Psychology from Northwestern University, and earned a certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications. She followed her passion for art history and travel, to Florence, Italy, where she studied Art History and Italian. While the experience was undeniably rewarding and educational, she wishes she had found a welcoming Jewish community during her time in Italy. Prior to joining the KAHAL team, Ellen worked in operations for a grant writing firm for nonprofit organizations. Ellen recently moved back to the Chicagoland area from Washington, DC, and looks forward to getting lost in the Art Institute of Chicago.

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!

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.

If you're travelling to Australia, Denmark, Israel, Middle East, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sweden/Scandinavia, contact Talia@kahalabroad.org

Joseph grew up in Birmingham and studied French and Spanish at University College London. For his year abroad he worked in Paris for six months and then studied in Santiago, Chile for another six months, after which he became a KAHAL intern during his final year at UCL. During his time at UCL, Joseph was education officer for the Jewish society, where he would put on weekly lunch and learn sessions for local and international students. His hobbies include travelling, learning about different cultures, meeting new people and the occasional trip to the theatre! “My year abroad was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life and I am so excited to help other students make the most of their time abroad.``

If you're travelling to Latin America, Ireland, Spain, or the United Kingdom, contact Joseph@kahalabroad.org

Jenn graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in psychology. She had an amazing study abroad experience at the University of Birmingham, during which she gained a passion for traveling and exploring. While just being in Europe was incredible, Jenn was determined to have Jewish experiences during her time abroad and was excited to meet KAHAL students across the continent. Jenn grew up in Washington D.C. and is excited to get to know Chicago!

Major: French and Linguistics

Studied Abroad: Jerusalem, Israel

Bucket List Destination: Budapest

Major: Kinesiology

Studied Abroad: Stirling, Scotland

Bucket List Destination: Iceland

Major: International Affairs and International Development

Studied Abroad: Nepal

Bucket List Destination: The Great Barrier Reef

Major: Business Administration and Computer Science

Studied Abroad: Semester at Sea

Bucket List Destination: Bali and Cappadocia

Major: Speech-Language Pathology and Spanish

Studied Abroad: Madrid, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Tokyo, Japan

Major: Finance & Accounting

Studied Abroad: Tel Aviv, Israel

Bucket List Destination: Australia & New Zealand

Major: Global and International Studies

Studied Abroad: Sevilla, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Greece and Thailand

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Studied Abroad: Semester at Sea

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Major: Materials Science & Engineering

Studied Abroad: Singapore

Bucket List Destination: South America and Greece

Major: Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Hebrew Language Track and Anthropology

Studied Abroad: Copenhagen, Denmark

Bucket List Destination: Greece and Thailand

Major: Legal Studies

Studied Abroad: Semester at Sea

Bucket List Destination: Brazil

Major: Jewish Studies

Studied Abroad: Jerusalem, Israel

Bucket List Destination: Australia

Major: Professional Communications

Studied Abroad: London, England

Bucket List Destination: Japan

Major: Psychology

Studied Abroad: Sevilla, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Buenos Aires

Major: Cognitive Science

Studied Abroad: Morocco

Bucket List Destination: Australia

Major: Communication and History

Studied Abroad: Rome, Italy

Bucket List Destination: Portugal

Major: Early Childhood Education

Studied Abroad: Rome, Italy

Bucket List Destination: Singapore

Major: Religion Studies and History

Studied Abroad: Vienna, Austria

Bucket List Central Asia

Major: Food Science and Business

Study Abroad Destination: Dublin, Ireland

Bucket list Destination: Banff National Park of Canada

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Studied Abroad: London, England

Major: Miami University

Studied Abroad: Semester At Sea

Bucket List Destination: Bora Bora

Major: Psychology

Studied Abroad: Copenhagen, Denmark

Bucket List Destination: Thailand

Major: Music with business and leadership studies

Studied Abroad: Leeds, England

Bucket List Destination: Thailand

Major: Political Science and Sociology; minor in American Culture

Studied Abroad: Semester At Sea

Bucket List Destination: Australia

Major: Food Science and Business

Studied Abroad: Dublin

Bucket List Destination: Banff National Park of Canada

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Major: Sociology and Russian double major

Studied Abroad: Madrid, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Amsterdam

Major: Environmental Studies and Journalism

Studied Abroad: Tel Aviv, Israel

Bucket List Destination: New Zealand

Major: Music and Spanish

Studied abroad: Málaga, Spain

Bucket List Destination: Japan

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Major: Philosophy & Politics

Studied Abroad: Not yet, but Italy one day!

Bucket List Destination: India

Major: International Affairs

Destination: Shanghai

Bucket List Destination: Morocco

Major: Human Development and Family Studies

Destination: Copenhagen

Bucket List Destination: In no particular order: Croatia, Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, UK, Ireland, Spain

Major: Exercise Science

Destination: Jerusalem

Bucket List Destination: Portugal

Major: Biology

Destination: London

Bucket List Destination: Sydney, Australia

Major: Creative Writing

Destination: Sydney

Bucket List Destination: Morocco

Major: Economics

Destination: Florence

Bucket List Destination: Greece, Morocco, Brazil, Vietnam, Southern China

Major: Organizational Studies

Destination: Sevilla

Bucket List Destination: Morocco

Major: Economics

Destination City: London

Bucket List destination: Australia

Major: Psychology and Public Health

Destination: Tel Aviv

Bucket List Destination: Bali

Major: Business Management

Destination: Madrid

Bucket List Destination: Amsterdam

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Destination: Semester at Sea

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Destination: Florence

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Destination: Hong Kong

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Destination: Jerusalem

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Major: Psychology and Social Science

Destination: I haven't yet. I'm a born and raised parisienne.

Bucket List Destination: India and New Zealand