Jewish Chicago Magazine

Shalom does not separate career from giving back.
 
The former Wall Street Journal editor leads several lifechanging initiatives: Collective Kindness (CK), a nonprofit supporting Jewish families who are quietly facing financial hardship; Kosher Debt Help, providing free guidance for people struggling with consumer debt; and CK Academy, which offers financial literacy programs for newlyweds.
 
“He cast aside a promising and secure career to help real people in our community in ways that rarely are noticed, but are so vital,” shared a friend.
 
Shalom is guided by a “smart chesed” model. At CK, he believes in embedding a full care team into a struggling family’s life: case manager, budgeter, debt expert, career coach, certified public accountant, and therapist, who all work together until families reach cash-flow positive.
 
In addition to his background in journalism, Shalom is an ordained rabbi who chose an unconventional career path. “To me, that’s a very Jewish thing,” said another friend. “To take what you’ve been given, including the hard parts, and build something meaningful for somebody else.
 

Age: 33
 
Pronouns: he/him/his
 
Primary gig: I run Collective Kindness, Kosher Debt Help, CK Academy.
 
On the side: With a wife and two young children at home thank G-d and Collective Kindness still in startup mode, there isn’t much time for anything else. But basketball, my softball league, and daily Torah learning are non-negotiable.
 
How do you give back? I left a steady dream job to solve a need in the struggling lower and middle class. So many families are suffering quietly. We have answers, and I couldn’t sit back. That drives me every single day. Bringing hope and a helping hand to families that, data shows, make up more than half of the Jewish community.
 
Describe yourself in 10 words or less: Striving to be a mensch.
 
Celebrity doppelganger: Someone on an airplane once asked if I was Bradley Cooper. Maybe it’s the beard.
 
What is your proudest accomplishment? Being a person who stutters and still accomplishing what I have. Plenty of people thought I wouldn’t amount to much, and (not to sound egotistical) I’m on a personal mission to prove I can do a tremendous amount despite real disfluency.
 
Your best piece of advice: The road to achieving your goals is non-linear, bumpy, and surprising, but if you keep that goal in mind, you will be successful.