When we last caught up with Torrey and Mallory Tarschis (nee Schweiger) in our 2020 Etz Chaim Review, we were congratulating the young couple on their engagement. Three years later, Torrey and Mallory are happily married, and with the support of Etz Chaim, they’re growing as individuals and as a couple every day.
Torrey and Mallory both came to Etz Chaim through J-Care, which they joined after moving to Baltimore for Torrey’s engineering job. They credit the organization with “taking our spiritual Judaism and transforming it into action,” as Mallory puts it. Both grew up in somewhat observant homes, but have incorporated Jewish practices like Shabbat candle-lighting into their daily lives.
After completing J-Care—which celebrated their engagement with a surprise party at a Fellows’ meeting in 2020—Torrey and Mallory attended Sam and Olivia Volkin’s couples’ group, where they discovered Jewish perspectives on marriage and relationships. They continue to learn about Judaism each week with members of the Etz Chaim community, and appreciate all the new perspectives they have discovered.
“Etz Chaim has given us a compass we can use as we grow,” says Torrey. As they continue to build their careers and their Jewish home, Torrey and Mallory are grateful that Etz Chaim will be with them every step of the way.
For anyone reading their story, Mallory has a message: “If you’re looking for something more, be it Jewish or social, you’ve come to the perfect place. Etz Chaim has provided a home away from home for both of us.”