Shapell’s/Darche Noam and Midreshet Rachel v’Chaya in Jerusalem are proud to announce that Matan and Kayla Zucker have been awarded the third Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation Married Couples Fellowship. They will begin their studies in June, just before Shavuot, a most fitting time for this newlywed couple to begin their intensive Torah studies.
College basketball devotees may recognize Matan as the 2023 captain of the Yeshiva University basketball team who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 Skyline Championship and the All-District Team in 2023. But they may not realize that his pursuit of Jewish growth has been even more impressive than his feats on the court.
Matan grew up with a limited Jewish education and spent his teenage years totally focused on basketball. Despite being one of the few Jewish students in his high school class, when he was 17 he agreed to study an hour a week with Rabbi Shmuel Honigwachs, an Orthodox rabbi from Lakewood, New Jersey. This began a process of gradual growth of Torah studies and observance. He decided to transfer to Yeshiva University prior to his sophomore year in order to seriously learn Torah (and major in economics) in an Orthodox setting while still being able to play college basketball. At YU, he impressed both rabbis and classmates with his sincere desire and tremendous progress. He even skipped his winter vacation in order to be part of a YU study program in Israel.
But Matan, who at 6 feet 4 inches will presumably be Shapell’s tallest student, knows that he needs more than just that short stay in a yeshiva to go to the next level in his Jewish growth. Matan shared, “I never had a real formal Jewish education where all I did was focus on Torah. I know that a year of committing to learning in Israel will enhance my life tremendously. I believe that a year in the Married Couple’s Program will be an investment in our future. I am leaving my full-time job in pursuit of learning because I believe it is more important for the life I want to live. I have gaps in my Jewish education, and attending Shapell’s will be the kick start I need to reach new heights in my learning.”
Kayla is also a star both in Jewish growth and leadership. The daughter of Persian immigrants to the U.S., she grew up in a traditional home and went to Jewish day school for elementary school. After graduating public high school, she attended the Bar Ilan XP gap-year program. She credits that program with saving her Jewish life and enabling her to choose for herself to be a committed Orthodox Jew. This led to her changing college plans and studying at Stern College (of Yeshiva University) where she studied Torah and majored in psychology. Later, Kayla helped start a branch of Moishe House, assisted with a program for homeless New Yorkers, started work with the Friends of the IDF… and met Matan, who quickly impressed her as someone who was focused on his love for God and Jewish growth.
Matan and Kayla were recently married. They are leaving full time jobs to come to Jerusalem to spend a year learning Torah and growing together as a couple. Matan will study at Shapell’s and Kayla at Midreshet Rachel V’Chaya, and together they will participate in special programs designed for young married couples who will serve as future leaders in the Jewish community. The Silvian Foundation Fellowship, awarded in partnership with American Friends of Darche Noam, will provide them with full tuition, half board and subsidized housing for their time in our yeshiva and midrasha.
Like the Jewish People at Mount Sinai, Matan and Kayla are truly of one heart and one mind, ready to accept the Torah and devote their lives to building their Jewish family and the Jewish community. Kayla said, “The first year of marriage is where the foundation is created, and having mutual teachers and mentors who can guide us cohesively, especially given our drastically different upbringing, is vital. We want to live a Torah life. We want to build a strong foundation for our marriage. We want to inspire the people around us. We want to raise our children in a religiously observant and loving household. We both know that there is one place where we will be given the proper time, space and guidance to achieve all that, and that is at the Shapell’s and MRC Married Couple’s Program.” Matan added, “We aim to come out of Shapell’s and MRC with an even deeper connection to Torah, along with a passion and ability to inspire young Jews to grow in their Judaism.”
The Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation memorializes Mr. and Mrs. Silvian of Long Beach, New York. They were well known and respected for their friendship, business leadership, civic-mindedness and their philanthropy. Shapell’s/Darche Noam and American Friends of Darche Noam are grateful for the foundation’s support and proud to again be one of the many important organizations it so generously supports.
Matan and Kayla are also profoundly grateful. Kayla shared, “We are beyond grateful for the Silvian Foundation providing us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We cannot thank them enough for helping us develop in our Torah studies and marriage. With their assistance, we will strive to build and inspire Jewish homes wherever they may be!”
