My name is Iliana Kipins and I’m in 5th grade at the Shuvu school in Lod, here in Eretz Yisroel. Even though I am still a young child, people call me “the Rabbanit” or “Rebbetzin” as some of you in America may say.

Here’s why: Though my family is not religious, my mother sent me to a Shuvu school. The experience opened my eyes to a world I never knew about. A world of Torah and Mitzvos. A world of Shabbos and Yom Tov. And my personal favorite, a world of Halacha.

Halacha is so meaningful to me as it brings my Yahadut (Yiddishkeit) to life. Not just in the way I think, but in the way I act. I enjoy Halacha so much that sometimes I wish to go all over with a megaphone to tell people how much Hashem loves when we do things according to Halacha!

While I don’t intend to be a Mashgiach for other people, I try to bring attention to Halacha to people who just don’t know better, such as letting my secular friends know about making a Brocha before eating, or even a Halacha about Shabbos.

While this might sound basic to many of you, my family and many friends just don’t know any better. And they really do want to know more about Yahadut. While they may not be ready to become fully religious, they appreciate small tidbits of Halacha so they can have a connection to Torah.

We recently started learning about Shemitah, and along with some friends we started making lists of stores where people in the neighborhood can buy food free of any Shemitah issues. It’s pretty amazing to see even secular people take a list so they can try to keep Shemitah, if even in a small way.

While I don’t know if I want to grow up to be a real Rabbanit, for now, I am happy with learning more about Halacha, and sharing with the many of my family and friends. This way we can make small steps towards Torah together.

Thank You Shuvu!

Iliana Kipins

Visit shuvuusa.org to learn more about Shuvu’s work.