
Relationships that will endure for a lifetime.
These exuberant teen ambassadors spend their time teaching about Israeli culture in all corners of our community – schools, synagogues, camps, and community organizations. They are hand-picked in a highly selective process to represent the very best of Israel and its diversity.
The Shinshinim are young educators who “teach” with a light, accessible, friendly touch. They bring their love of Israel into our Jewish day school and supplementary school classes through art, song, dance, and holiday observances. They work at our Jewish day and overnight camps, and increasingly reach out to all age groups — last year they added Jewish assisted living facilities and other programs for older adults to their outreach. By sharing themselves and their personal stories with us, they make Israel real!
Atlanta Host Families
Each Shinshin lives with an Atlanta host family for three-and-a-half months at a time, making a switch at mid-year to a second family. They bond quickly and deeply with their American families and the relationships they build are human bridges that will endure for a lifetime.
Meet your 2021-2022 Schoenbaum Shinshinim!

Shahaf enjoys sports cars, photography, and swimming. Shahaf came to Atlanta representing our partnership city Yokneam for the Maccabi games in 2019 as a swimmer. Volunteering is “just a thing he does.” While in Atlanta he wants to be remembered for meaningful lessons that reflect his Israeli qualities and character- motivation and energy. In turn, he hopes to make connections through unique varieties of people and stories and make Atlanta his second home.

Noa loves Eshchar because it’s small (250 families) and it's a beautiful green space. Eshchar is also a "mixed" community with both religious and secular families.
Noa has a strong and close relationship with her parents, and says they are her best friends. The family enjoys taking day trips around Israel, spending time together on Shabbat, and visiting the sea every Friday. She considers her involvement in the Israeli Scouts as a hobby as well as a volunteer job. Noa enjoys writing, arts and crafts, baking, cooking, listening to music, and reading the bible to gain a stronger Jewish identity.
Noa is excited to share her Israeli warmth with Atlanta and convey her sense of pride in her country. She hopes to understand our Southern manners and incorporate those learned ideals back into her life in Israel.

Ori has been very active in his youth movement, B’nei Akiva in Rehovot and loves to hang out with friends, eat, talk, or plan activities. The most meaningful activity he planned was organizing and packing 50 Mishloach Manot (food gifts) during Purim for families who have lost a soldier. Each family received a handwritten letter expressing gratitude and sorrow. He has also spent time on many volunteering activities within B’nei Akiva such as farming during harvest time.
A perfect day for Ori is waking up to a pancake meal, sitting high up in the hills that overlook his beautiful town, and spending time with friends. He plans to share his personal story and his love of Rehovot with Atlanta and hopes to make connections that will stay with him always.

My first connection with the Jewish community was in 2016, when I was only 12. I went to a Jewish summer camp in Michigan called “Tamarack” and I immediately fell in love. Since then, I kept in touch with the Jewish community in lots of ways, such as hosting families and participating in the leadership program of the Jewish Federation of Detroit.
I really like to bake and cook, and I’m always interested to discover new dishes and recipes. I’m also a fan of art, and I really like to draw and paint, photography and music.
My main goal is to bring the feeling of home, exactly like I received when I was in camp. I want to learn the lifestyle of the Jewish community in the U.S and to bring my home and traditions here in order to make a stronger connection between Jews all over the world.

Kerem spent two years in an all-girls religious school but chose to return to her community to attend a mixed school. She then proceeded to choose religious, math, and physics classes where she was often the only girl. She loves hiking and will be traveling to Iceland with her hiking group. She plans to find special hiking spots here in Atlanta. Kerem is an expert baker and shows off her skills on her own Instagram page dedicated to her beautiful creations. She was a scout since the 4th grade and her favorite aspect was organizing and volunteering in senior living homes. Kerem hopes to educate Atlanta about the positive side of Israel, not just what the media portrays. In turn, she hopes to learn and be able to put into words what it means to be a Jew in the U.S. as well as be able to define herself as a Jew while here in Atlanta.


