Jacob Sidelnikov & Emily Kohlenstein

• Jacob Sidelnikov and Emily Kohlenstein are grateful to Etz Chaim for helping them lay the foundations for a Jewish home.

  Jacob, whose family immigrated from Moldova after the fall of the Soviet Union, knew little about Jewish traditions and holidays growing up. He discovered Etz Chaim when he came across an Instagram ad for Realities, our VR Jewish learning program for young professionals that ran in 2024. From there, he started learning Hebrew with Rabbi Pomeranz and found it incredibly meaningful to be able to read Hebrew prayers and discover more about his heritage.

  As for Emily, her Etz Chaim involvement began when she was invited to a Shabbat dinner. Although she didn’t know what to expect, she felt so welcomed that she couldn’t wait to come back and bring Jacob. Now, Emily and Jacob attend Shabbat dinner with other Etz Chaim young professionals every week. “It’s become very important to us to celebrate Shabbat,” Jacob says. “I want to give this experience to our future children.”

Emily and Jacob are also part of our JCare fellowship and attend Sam and Olivia Volkin’s young couples’ group. “Learning about relationships from a Jewish perspective during our engagement has been very eye-opening and has helped us make big decisions together. Meeting people in a similar relationship stage has been so helpful,” they say.

Jacob and Emily encourage other young couples to find community with Etz Chaim. “Coming together as a Jewish community makes us stronger,” Emily says. We wish Emily and Jacob mazal tov on their upcoming wedding!