Kevin Shacknofsky, 50, made aliyah with his wife, Amy, and their five children from New Rochelle to Raanana in 2018. Their sixth child is the first Sabra born to their families in 2,000 years.
Aviva: Where are you from originally and how did you meet your wife?
Kevin: I was born in South Africa and grew up in Australia. My wife Amy was born in West Hartford, Connecticut. I met Amy while I was doing my MBA at Columbia University and she was doing her undergraduate at Barnard. We met at a Shabbat meal in the Upper West Side.
What school did your kids go to in New York?
My children went to Westchester Torah Academy, where I was one of the founding parents.
What shul did you daven at?
We went to the Young Israel of New Rochelle.
Do you remember a trip to Israel that was meaningful to you?
My first trip to Israel was through the Australian Union of Jewish Students when I was 20. We took a leadership development course to New York and to Israel. From the first time I came to Israel, it was always my goal to make aliyah. I knew it was the future for all Jewish people.
How did that trip bring out the Zionist in you?
I’d read a lot of books on Jewish and Israeli history, so it was always something I was interested in. On campus, I got more involved in Israeli activism. On the trip, we learned all about Zionism. We traveled all around the country to see the sights, but it was also an educational leadership trip, which I found very stimulating. I was very fascinated by how far the country had come in such a short period of time.
When else did you visit Israel?
A few years later, I came on a trip where I did the Discovery program at Aish HaTorah, and that was one of the trips that led to me becoming more observant. Israel has always played an important role in my life, and that is why it was always my objective to make aliyah.
Was making aliyah a factor in dating your wife?
It was always something that I wanted to do, but it was never the priority. As I got older and started having children, I realized that I wanted them to grow up in their own country.
What are your kids’ names and ages?
Kevin: Shane is 16, Eva is 15, Tamara is 13, and the twins, Charlotte and Jake, are 11. And our youngest, Shiloh, is 2.
What was your final motivation to get on the plane?
I was worried that if we stayed in the U.S., my kids would go to college where there is so much campus antisemitism. I’m a student of history, and there’s no community that the Jewish people have lived in without antisemitism becoming a problem. Then I got a job opportunity in Israel, and once we had that opportunity, we decided to take advantage of it and moved three months later.
What do you do?
I work in investment management. In the U.S., I managed a mutual fund, and when I first moved here, I went to work for Phoenix, which is an insurance company and pension manager in Israel. I managed their $10 billion global equity portfolio for three years and recently joined an Israeli-based hedge fund.
What do you love about living here?
I love when people in the supermarket who are not obviously religious say, “Shabbat Shalom” to you on a Friday, and how all the Jewish holidays are public holidays. I love the ability to travel around Israel and see where Jewish history took place.
It’s so easy to live an Orthodox life in Israel. It’s easy to get kosher food and go to kosher restaurants. I have 10 different shul options in my neighborhood. Living in Raanana is a positive experience for us because there are so many different people from all around the world. My kids go to school with kids from Australia, England, South Africa, Brazil, France and Sweden. We can feel the ingathering of the exiles, and we are seeing history in the making.
What do you miss about living in New York?
One-day Amazon delivery.
Do you have a message for anyone who’s considering making aliyah?
There are a lot of challenges, but in the end it’s worthwhile because Israel is the best place for your children to grow up. Your children will have an amazing lifestyle and a wonderful social life here.
By Aviva Zacks
