Chana Fox: A Journey of Learning, Resilience and Building the Future of Jewish Education

Before Chana Fox became director of the Rose Engel Early Childhood Center at Adat Ari El in Valley Village, she was searching for a path forward.

Originally from Denmark, Fox came to Judaism through a personal journey of exploration and ultimately converted within the Orthodox community. Along the way, she built a deep connection to Jewish learning and practice that continues to shape both her identity and her work.

Today, she describes Judaism not simply as something she studies or teaches, but as something deeply embedded within her.

“Halacha and Judaism are a part of my neshama,” Fox said, using the Hebrew word for “soul.”

That sense of connection has guided a career dedicated to Jewish education. Before joining Adat Ari El, Fox worked at a Chabad preschool in Pico-Robertson, where she first stepped into educational leadership. Today, she leads a thriving early childhood center where enrollment has grown and where her educational philosophy is rooted in al pi darko—the idea that every child has their own unique path.

But Fox’s own path has also been shaped by the support she received from others.

“It’s because of organizations like the AJU Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership that people like me are able to even pursue education,” she said.

That support was especially meaningful during a pivotal chapter in her life. In 2018, Fox pursued her master’s degree at the Masor School as a single mother of four children, having moved away from Denmark and from the comfort of nearby family support.

“Because of philanthropic support from people like [past AJU board chair] Harold Masor, I was able to do my master’s back in 2018,” she said. “I had no support from my parents from Denmark. I was really here completely on my own, rebuilding my life.”

Through those opportunities, Fox was able to continue her education, advance professionally and eventually move into leadership roles within Jewish early childhood education.

A key figure throughout that journey was Dr. Tamar Andrews, senior director of the Masor School, who became both a mentor and professor to Fox. The two first connected when Fox became director of the Chabad School in Pico-Robertson, when Andrews served as her mentor through a California program supporting new preschool directors.

“Tamar and I connected back in 2013,” Fox said. “That was the first year that I became the director of the Chabad school in Pico-Robertson, and at the time the state of California had a program where they would sponsor mentors so that they could mentor new preschool directors. Tamar was my mentor for three years, and I learned so much from her in that way.”

That relationship continued through Fox’s time at AJU’s Masor School, where she pursued doctoral studies while continuing to lead professionally.

For her dissertation, Fox explored simcha (joy) through the lived experiences of Chabad early childhood educators. Realizing almost no empirical research had examined what joy looks like in educational practice or how educators understand and cultivate it in their classrooms, Fox conducted interviews with Chabad educators across the U.S. and found that simcha is not simply about happiness or creating a fun classroom but an intentional way of approaching teaching, relationships and life’s inevitable challenges.

Similarly, Fox says the Masor School’s approach resonated with her because it reflected outside-the-box thinking. It also echoed something familiar from her Danish upbringing: learning through collaboration rather than competition.

“One of the things that really speaks to me about the learning methodology at AJU Masor School is that it’s very similar to the Danish way of learning,” she said. “It’s cohort learning, it’s small group learning, it’s a lot of ‘how do we pick everybody up.'”

“It’s not a race,” she continued. “It’s not like we all line up at the start line and say, ‘I’m going to beat you, I’m going to beat you.’ It’s got nothing to do with that. It’s only and always, ‘How do we all pull on each other’s strengths, so that we can support each other and bring the entire Jewish community up.'”

That philosophy has influenced how Fox leads at Adat Ari El.

“I really take inspiration from the way everything is at AJU, programmatically, but also in the way that I run the school from a business point of view,” she said. “It’s done in a specific professional way.”

Fox also credits faculty members who challenged and expanded her understanding of Jewish leadership, including Rabbi Dr. Meir Muller, an instructor at the Masor School.

“He really showed all of us that there’s nothing in Judaism that prevents us from being progressive,” Fox said. “There’s nothing in Judaism that prevents us from embracing all people, no matter their gender, their background, their race, whatever it is.”

That inclusive vision is reflected in the community Fox works to build today.

Her leadership at the Adat Ari El Early Childhood Center includes innovative programs such as the school’s “parsha-and-challah curriculum,” which helps families experience Jewish learning through meaningful, hands-on moments. For Fox, Jewish education is ultimately about creating belonging.

That commitment has also carried her outside of her profession. An ultramarathon runner, she approaches challenges with persistence and a belief in collective strength.

Her story reflects the impact of investing in Jewish educators—not just through degrees or credentials, but through relationships, mentorship and a community that helps people grow.

“That’s really what’s going to make Jewish education thrive,” Fox said, “and make things better for all of us.”