Ten years ago, Shani Shefler served as a Bat Sherut in the Jewish community of Montreal. The Sherut Leumi program is a program for young Israelis who wish to volunteer for a year before entering into the army. This was also Shefler’s first glimpse at another special program for Israelis, the Shaliach program, where Israelis serve in a North American Jewish community as a living connection to Israel. When Shefler saw the shlichim in Montreal, she knew she had to participate with her future husband.
Now, the 31 year old serves as a shaliach at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School with her husband Matan Shefler. While he teaches Hebrew language and Jewish history in the high school, she teaches Hebrew language in the middle school. This position significantly differs from her training as a speech therapist in Efrat, Israel.
Shani and Matan Shefler live in Pikesville with their three children and belong to Beth Tfiloh Congregation.
How do you educate your students on the differences between Israel in the news versus reality?
I try to show the complex picture that we are living in the country from my personal experience that includes both close friendships with victims of terrorism, but also neighborly relations with Palestinians. The picture is truly complex and, along with the wonderful life we live as free Jews in our own country, we also must deal with enemies who want to take away from what belongs to us in the most natural way. Along with this challenge, I hope to be able to present the full picture of the country as a technological powerhouse, a high-tech nation that has an amazing health system, a social system that encourages caring and mutual help, an amazing army which is also the most moral army in the world of which the public has full trust in, an advanced education system and more. I hope my students can feel the love I have for our country, as our homeland, and understand that the headlines in the newspapers could be biased and represent a certain agenda.
What’s the biggest change between your life in Israel and your life here in Baltimore?
It’s definitely very different. In Israel, my family consisted of my actual family, my neighbors and my close friends. Here, I have a huge family with BT. Everybody is so close, and the community gives off a big family feeling. Plus, now I have more of a position in the community.
What is your favorite thing about the Jewish community in Baltimore?
I love the way they welcomed us when we got here and the way they still do that to this day. People have been so welcoming and warm. Everybody asks us if we need something and smiles at us.
How would you describe your relationship with Judaism in general?
I feel like it is such a part of me. I wouldn’t even say I have a relationship with it; it is just who I am. It is the way I grew up, the way I live my life and the way I teach my children. It is a very fundamental part of me and my life.
Do you know how long you are going to stay in America?
We always say that we are going to stay as long as everyone is happy. Our final act as shlichim would be going back to Israel. At a certain point, we are going to be going back to Israel. We love that our kids are being opened up to a different culture and lifestyle. Even the school here is so different than the schools in Israel. We love the fact that our son is learning to be more flexible and sociable. We also love the way our kids meet different animals and different weather here. But we can’t wait for them to go back to the Israel educational system and return to [their] natural way of living.
Do you feel you are making a difference?
I hope so. I feel like I am, but I hope everyone else feels the same.
