About Author Debbie Fox

Dear Readers,

Prevention is my passion. My focus over the past ten years has been awareness and prevention programs in schools and communities across the country. I am immensely proud of the educational work that we have done with school children, parents, faculty and entire communities. While we are building a strong shield around our children at home, sending our girls to Israel presents them with unique opportunities and challenges which—without proper awareness and prevention tools—leaves them very vulnerable.

This past summer, eight educators from across the spectrum of girls’ high schools in Los Angeles sat around my dining room table with the goal of answering one question: How could we work together to help ensure that girls experienced a safe, healthy, and satisfying year in seminary? As the evening unfolded, humorous, touching, and meaningful stories of our own seminary years rose to the surface. By the end of the night, however, every woman present had also disclosed a disturbing or uncomfortable incident that occurred during her time in seminary.

The next morning, I emailed a dear friend—a rebbetzin—about our project. She wrote, “The memories of my experience on a Jerusalem bus still haunt me today.” Thus the idea for Seminary Savvy was born. - Debbie Fox, LCSW, Founder of Magen Yeladim Child Safety Institute