Alicia has over 20-years of experience as a Jewish community builder and non-profit professional. She focuses on strengthening Jewish life, fostering connections to Israel, and building Jewish identities, particularly among young professionals and through social media.

Alicia’s impressive journey in the Jewish communal world began at Taglit-Birthright Israel. Alicia served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Director of the Jewish National Fund, and was a National Marketing and Recruitment Manager for Aish HaTorah in New York.

Alicia’s recent roles include serving as the National Program and Communications Director of the American Zionist Movement and leading the American Zionist Youth Council. She is also part of the Advisory Board and Peoplehood Working Group for Global Jewry, reflecting her ongoing commitment to Jewish unity and shared values and was recently honored by the World Zionist Organization with its Global Golden Golda in recognition of her tireless commitment to Israel, Zionism, and her contribution to promoting aliyah.

Rav Reuven Taragin is the Dean of Overseas Students at Yeshivat Hakotel and the Educational Director of The World Mizrachi Movement. 

Rav Taragin is a Wexner Fellow and Musmach of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and has completed a B.A. in Science and Philosophy at Yeshiva University and an M.A. in Jewish History and Education at Touro College (Israel). 

Rav Taragin has also been deeply involved in informal education programming including NCSY shabbatonim and the creation of the YUSSR summer program.

Rav Taragin is the Rosh Beit Midrash at Camp Moshava (I.O.), and Rav of Kehillat Eretz Chemdah in Katamon.

Rav Taragin is also the founder and director of the Yeshivat Hakotel Community (Five Towns, Teaneck…) Education Conferences which bring together tens of community educators who work with thousands of parents to help them best educate their children and of the Seventy for Seventy Yom Ha’atzma’ut Program that is bringing 70 of Israel’s top speakers to speak in the 70 largest US shuls.

Rav Taragin lives with his wife Shani and their six children in Alon Shvut, Israel.

Shani Taragin received her B.A. and M.A. in Tanakh and Talmud from Bar-Ilan University and is a graduate of Nishmat’s Keren Ariel Program for certification as a halachic advisor (yoetzet halacha) in issues of family purity law. She is the educational director of Matan Eshkolot – Tanakh teachers’ education program and of the Morot l’Halacha program in Matan Renana. Shani serves on the advisory committee for the Mizrachi Olami Shalhevet program for shlichim and lectures throughout Israel and North America on topics of Tanakh, Jewish Education, and Jewish Law. She is a senior lecturer in Matan and is the curriculum coordinator for the Matan – Bnei Akiva program (MTVA). In addition, Shani is a Ra’mit Tanakh in Midreshet Lindenbaum and teaches at Migdal Oz, the Women’s Beit Medrash of Efrat and Gush Etzion and in Matan Ramat Shiloh. Together with her husband, Reuven, she serves as Rosh Beit Medrash for the Beit Medrash Program in Machaneh Moshava Pennsylvania during the summer and as Educational Director of Mizrachi Olami-RZA. Shani lives with her family in Alon Shvut, Gush Etzion-Israel.