Bentzion and Shayna Fishman with daughter Chana Leah

When Shayna (Michaels) Fishman ’18S moved to Israel last year, she began the arduous search for a job. Armed with a freshly minted degree in computer science and a new husband, Bentzion, she began to comb postings on job sites. Little did she know in searching the Nefesh B’Nefesh online postings that she’d land right there: as full stack software developer in the organization’s computer department. “The position has really worked out for me,” says Shayna, who started the position in May. “I didn’t want to spend my life making computer games; I wanted to do something meaningful with computer science. The mission of Nefesh B’Nefesh—helping people make aliyah—spoke to me.” Shayna works on web applications as well as with the organization’s very large database. “Anytime there’s a problem with web applications they turn to me to solve it,” she explains. The organization’s flexibility has made the position viable for Shayna, who now has an eight-month-old daughter, Chana Leah. “It’s a great job to have as a mother.” In addition to juggling her roles at Nefesh B’Nefesh and as a mother, Shayna started her freelance business, Fishman Tochna [software], designing custom software. A recent project included creating software for a tax management agency to electronically file 1099s to the IRS for clients simply by submitting a spreadsheet. The software reduced the agency’s workflow time by more than 50%. She points to a former Stern College professor, Rabbi Dr. Joshua Waxman, who served as both a reference and resource for her freelance work in Israel. In her free time, Shayna works at two separate schools for Haredi women, where she teaches courses in C#, Python and Advanced Data Structures and Algorithms. “I feel like I’m filling a niche,” she says. “It’s hard for these schools to find instructors because there aren’t many Orthodox women who teach computers at that level. It’s been thrilling to share computer science skills with these women, who wouldn’t necessarily have had the opportunity to go to a higher-level educational institution and enter the industry. To see them work really hard and have it click for them is wonderful.” Starting their marriage in Israel was a priority for Shayna and Bentzion, both of whom grew up in Denver, Colorado, and have no family there. “We wanted to begin in a spiritually focused place,” she explains. “Plus, there are a lot of good tech opportunities here in the Startup Nation.” (Bentzion, a Boston University graduate who also studied computer science, is currently learning at Kollel Toras Moshe in Sanhedria, Jerusalem.) While studying computer science became a passion, it wasn’t one when Shayna started at Stern College. As an incoming freshman, she took courses in a variety of areas she thought would be interesting, including management, introduction to music, computer science and biology. The last two would stick, becoming her major and minor, respectively. “I fell in love with computer science. Prof. [Alan] Broder is an amazing professor. He makes things extremely clear and he knows the information cold,” says Shayna, who was involved in Stern’s Computer Science Society and participated in a Google-sponsored initiative to get high school girls interested in computer science and tech fields. After her graduation, Prof. Broder reached out to her in Israel to check in and connected her with potential job connections. “He really cares about his students.” With so much on her plate, it’s remarkable that she can think about next steps, but Shayna has a plan. “One thing that I’d really like to do one day is combine my major with my minor in biology,” she says. “I’d love to work in a biotech company because it not only combines my interests but it’s also a meaningful way to help the world.”