Jeff Seidel

Jeffrey "Jeff" Seidel (born 1957) He decided to leave university in the middle of studying for his doctorate in psychology to move to Israel in 1981.

Outreach career Following the expansion of the baal teshuva movement in Israel during the 1970s, Orthodox outreach workers began organizing programs at the Western Wall to invite English-speaking students and travelers to Shabbat meals with host families and tours of the Old City. These outreach workers included Rabbi Meir Schuster, Baruch Levine, and, beginning in 1982, Jeff Seidel. Seidel initially arranged Shabbat meals for approximately 15 people per week, which expanded to an average of 100 to 150 people per week after coordinating with a larger network of local host families. The Center offered free walking tours in the Jewish Quarter, archaeological tours, and religious and holiday classes. Seidel also compiled The Jewish Traveler's Resource Guide, which lists similar Shabbat placement programs around the world.

Seidel established a second Jewish Student Information Center near the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1992, offering hospitality services, student amenities, and lectures. He opened a center near Tel Aviv University in 1994, and subsequently opened centers at Ben Gurion University in Beersheba and the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. He also runs an online Worldwide Passover Hospitality project which pairs up students and young tourists with host families around the world for the Passover Seder,

As of 2017, Seidel publishes a weekly op-ed on the Israeli-based news website The Times of Israel. His topics include Jewish continuity, Jewish outreach, current events, and anti-Semitism on college campuses.

Personal life Seidel married Penina Greene, daughter of scientist, academic, and Chabad baal teshuva Professor Velvl Greene. She is an oncology nurse at the Hadassah Medical Center on Mount Scopus.