Midwest Young Judaea Newsletter Meet Midwest YJ’s Advisor – Rebecca Schwab

Rebecca is in her second stint (and fourth year) as the Senior Advisor to the Midwest Mazkirut.  Born and raised in Skokie, she was fortunate enough to attend Solomon Schecter where she gained the invaluable basis for her love of the Hebrew language and Jewish education. If that wasn’t enough, Rebecca was dedicated to Young Judaea as a child and a teen, participating in local activities and serving as a teen on the Midwest Regional Mazkirut. She also attended Camp Young Judaea Midwest, Tel Yehudah (the teen leadership camp of Young Judaea), participated in Young Judaea’s Machon in Israel and was a staff member at CYJ Midwest.

Her love for Hebrew grew and she decided to pursue mastering the language academically because of her strong connection to the very words and history of Hebrew. After attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focusing on Jewish Studies, Hebrew Language and Semitic Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies, Rebecca decided that Experiential Jewish Education was her calling. After graduating and then serving as the Assistant Director of programming and Logistics at Camp Shalom (day camp) in Madison, she jumped into the role of Engagement Associate at the Hillel at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Studying abroad at the Spring in Jerusalem program at Hebrew University, where, among other things, she studied Hebrew with Israeli students, was a transformative experience for Rebecca and she realized she wanted to help students on a larger scale. Beyond Israel, thousands of Jewish students study abroad throughout the world and there are unlimited opportunities for them to have Jewish enriching experiences. In her current role at KAHAL: Your Jewish Home Abroad, a Jewish non-for profit start-up based in Chicago, Rebecca Schwab is the Campus Operations Director and handles all aspects of KAHAL campus recruitment, student engagement, reintegration efforts, strategic marketing throughout the United States. Throughout her work in the Jewish world, Rebecca is committed to the Jewish people and inspiring other to make the difference we all want to see in this world.  Rebecca’s favorite time of the year is Winter and Spring Convention with Young Judaea!