If anyone was born to be a Jewish leader, it’s Eric Schorr. Growing up just outside Philadelphia, the 28 year-old Conservative movement poster child found himself rising to the top of every club or organization he was a part of. Acting upon his Zionistic passion and strong Jewish identity, Schorr made Aliyah in August 2012 to focus his personal strengths on the betterment of Israel. He now currently serves as an officer, 1st Lieutenant in the IDF. He is very involved in the Olim community in Tel Aviv, working to build relationships and create a sense of resurgent Jewish and Zionist identity among the internationals in the White City.

“I would attribute my Conservative Jewish upbringing, and the cultivation of my religious and cultural learning in all these settings as the foundation of my ultimate desire to make Aliyah,” reflects Schorr, who attended Jewish day schools, went to Camp Ramah in the Poconos, and was heavily involved in United Synagogue Youth (USY) where he finished high school as the president of the Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware region (Hagesher).

But it was pre-college, on the Nativ Leadership Program in Israel during his gap year, and the following four years at Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, that ultimately spurred Schorr to his Aliyah decision. “My year in Israel really put me in touch with my Israeli background,” recalls Schorr, referring to his mother who was born in Haifa. “I was building relationships with my Israeli relatives, speaking Hebrew until I was near fluent, and traveling/seeing this land, north to south and back again. I took all that experience back with me to Columbia University where I ran into a virulent anti-Israel scene.”

In fact, over the four years at Columbia, Schorr naturally rose through the ranks in the pro-Israel movement, specifically in the largest group on campus, LionPAC, writing about, advocating, and defending Israel at every turn. He wrote articles at least once a semester for four years concerning issues dealing with Israel on campus. He channeled his dual-identity, as an Israeli-American Jew, to become a bridge between his two worlds and present them positively on campus. “My time at Columbia, with LionPAC, and working alongside organizations like AIPAC, Hasbara Fellowships, StandWithUs, ADL and others all culminated in my decision that my skills, talents, and dreams would be best served not in America, but in Israel.”

Schorr’s education continued in Israel, at the IDC in Herzliya, where completed master’s in Counter-Terrorism/Homeland Security. Based in Tel Aviv, Schorr enjoys having access to all that the city has to offer, combined with events and activities in Herzliya through the IDC. He also has a lot of family in Israel so Shabbat and holidays are never difficult to arrange.

Aside from his academic work at IDC, including research, Schorr found himself pretty busy since his arrival. “During Operation Pillar of Defense, I worked directly with government personnel in the (former) Ministry of Public Diplomacy and the Prime Minister’s Office out of the Hamal (war room) at IDC Herzliya. I volunteered to put my experience from Israel advocacy at Columbia back to good use here at home in Israel during the conflict.”

After that came national elections, when Schorr got involved on a limited scale with the new political party Yesh Atid, helping out with its English-speaking campaign. “Throughout the election process, I got a small taste of Israeli politics. While I saw room for improvement in the way things are run, how people act, and what actually gets done, I am optimistic that it won’t be my last foray into the political scene.”

One of the things that has been most meaningful for Schorr since making Aliyah, was getting involved in Tel Aviv Internationals. “The umbrella organization that caters to new Olim and Anglos through Shabbat dinners, political and cultural events, and charitable functions is doing absolutely incredible work for our community in the greater Tel Aviv region. Being a part of their projects, volunteering, and putting my own skills to good use has been very rewarding personally.”

Schorr’s ongoing efforts and perseverance to volunteer for service in the IDF has bore fruit as he is currently serving as an officer, 1st Lieutenant. At the time of his attempts to enlist, he said, “I have always wanted to serve in IDF, ever since I was a junior in high school and even more so after Michael Levin [an IDF lone soldier from Schorr’s hometown] was killed in action in 2006. Despite returning to do four years of college, the dream never faded and now, I am doing my utmost to get enlisted.”

Schorr is the first to admit that Israel isn’t perfect. But he wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. “People ask me if I miss living in the U.S. I’ve gone back four times this past year but each time within a week or two I become antsy and missed Israel a whole lot. I’ve found that while I miss my friends, my family and ice hockey in the United States, I have found that my life in Israel simply has more meaning.”

Written by Laura Ben-David