Remembering Rebbetzin Sharon Shenker

Our community has recently suffered the devastating loss of Rebbetzin Sharon Shenker, 45, wife of Rabbi Motti Shenker and mother to Aryeh, Liora, Naftali, Baila and Avraham.

The impact Mrs. Shenker had on our LA community and beyond was larger than life, as evidenced by the overflow crowd of hundreds at her levaya at Adas Torah on Wednesday, January 25, and 1,200 people viewers on Zoom. Service was followed by burial at The Home of Peace.

Rebbetzin Shenker was raised in London, England and studied public relations at Leeds Metropolitan University. She spent two years in Israel as a student at EYAHT, Aish Hatorah’s Womens College of Jewish Studies and worked at Aish UK before moving to Los Angeles in 2006. After four years of working in the Young Professionals Division, Rebbetzin Shenker co-founded the Jewish Women’s Initiative (JWI) of Aish LA, and devoted herself selflessly to educating, inspiring and mentoring Jewish Moms across the entire spectrum of observance. She understood that there was a greatly underserved demographic in our community — Jewish Moms.

Rebbetzin Shenker took over 400 moms on life-changing trips to Israel with an organization called Momentum (www.Momentumunlimited.org). She was passionate about giving moms the tools they need to bring the joy and relevance of being Jewish to their families. She understood that the future of the Jewish people depends on strong, educated and inspired moms. Even though Rebbetzin Shenker was often younger than many of the moms she taught, she was a mother to them, nurturing them spiritually and emotionally. She had wisdom and insight into people beyond her years. In addition to teaching, mentoring and program planning, Rebbetzin Shenker was instrumental in creating a unique and connected community of JWI moms who span the spectrum of Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and unaffiliated. She was a master at unifying moms around all the things they share in common.

Her passion was infectious. She was sincere, down-to-earth and had a great sense of humor. She was a connector par excellence, creating unity between diverse elements in our community. She was able to do this because of her intense love of people.

Rebbetzin Shenker knew her audience. She knew how to communicate Jewish ideas and values in a way that was very easy to hear and assimilate. Her passion was infectious. She was sincere, down-to-earth and had a great sense of humor. She was a connector par excellence, creating unity between diverse elements in our community. She was able to do this because of her intense love of people.

Who didn’t want to be around Rebbetzin Shenker? From the moment she enveloped you in her bear hug you knew you were going to be loved. From the moment she asked you about your life you knew you were not going to be judged. From the moment you attended your first class with her you knew you would be coming back for more. 

Rebbetzin Shenker was also a great storyteller and tour guide. She loved taking women around Jerusalem and showing them all the sights, sounds and tastes she loved. Her love of Israel, the Jewish people and Judaism was so palpable. 

Rebbetzin Shenker could talk to anyone. She was interested in everyone and their lives. You could be waiting in line with her or sitting next to her on a plane and she always had something complimentary to say. She knew how to make people feel important and understood.

Rebbetzin Shenker became a licensed therapist a few years ago after completing a Masters in Family Therapy at Touro College. She was very skilled in helping adults and teens navigate their struggles.

The lessons Rebbetzin taught and the impact she had were huge. Many tributes to her have been streaming in since her passing.

Allow us to share a few:

Rebbetzin Shenker taught me how to live my life. She taught me to give myself grace and patience; that the ability to take care of myself and take care of others is not mutually exclusive; how to love and allow myself to be loved. Before I went on the Momentum trip with her in 2016, I thought I lost my light. Rebbetzin Shenker showed me that it was still there and that I just needed to kindle the light; make it brighter to shine as much on the outside as on the inside. 

Give to give without expectations.

Let it go. You never know what happened to someone before they hurt you. Even if you’re hurting you can be the one to stop the cycle and be kind first.

Be careful with your speech, even if you have to stop mid-sentence.

 Always make people feel special, wanted and included.

Don‘t expect your spouse to read your mind.

Greet every person with joy and warmth.

Rebbetzin Shenker was a devoted wife, mother, and community member. She opened her home to guests on Shabbat and holidays and loved making everyone feel special. The number of people whose lives have been transformed by her is staggering. Her passing leaves a tremendous hole in our hearts and our community.

The community is asked to contribute to help alleviate the financial burden the Shenker family is now facing. https://thechesedfund.com/westsidekollel/shenker