Chanan Fixler

I was born in the holy city of Jerusalem and raised in a Modern Orthodox family. Both of my parents are from Brooklyn and made Aliyah in 1978. A few years back, my mother who is very involved in genealogy, discovered that our family tree is descended from Rav Shmuel Salant, who served as the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem in the early 1800’s. I am currently attending the Hebrew University as a psychology student and I am engaged to be married in May. I met my wonderful bride-to-be, Tsippi, last year through mutual friends. Dating her was so natural. There was no game playing, no waiting period to call her, etc,. After our first date, we immediately made plans to go on a second date.. And the rest is history. I became acquainted with the JICNY through my mother, who is dear friend of Jodi. While I was on Sabbatical in the States, I lived at the Samuels home and during this time I attended many JICNY events including Int'l dinners, wine & cheese parties and social events. I recall one large International dinner at Darna’s restaurant where each table was grouped together by country. It was incredible to see Jews from all around the world gathering together for a Shabbat dinner. Jodi and Gavin carry themselves so beautifully and people adore them. So many people are grateful for what they are doing. I currently work for JICNY as a database manager. I make sure that the database is updated on the daily basis and I ensure that people receive emails so they will be informed about all upcoming events.