Faydra Shapiro

Dr. Faydra Shapiro is an Orthodox Jew with a lifelong interest in Christianity. As the founding director of the Galilee Center for Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations, with a PhD in Religious Studies, she has years of valuable insight into the challenges and possibilities of Jewish-Christian engagement.

Faydra began her career as a university professor in Canada in a department of Religion and Culture, where she worked for 13 years. Her first book Building Jewish Roots: The Israel Experience won a National Jewish Book Award in 2006. Faydra also writes regular academic articles and popular op-eds on Jewish-Christian relations.

After immigrating to Israel with her family in 2008, Faydra was eager to bring her academic expertise, unique experience, warmth and charismatic teaching together to have an impact on the ground, for Israel. And thus the Galilee Center for Studies in Jewish-Christian Relations at Yezreel Valley College was born.

While Faydra is passionate about her mission of creating greater understanding between Jews and Christians, she is first and foremost a committed wife and mother. She and her husband Shaul, together with their six children live in a tiny little community on a hilltop in the Galilee.