JLIC, an initiative of the Orthodox Union, is now on campus at the University of Florida. Starting this fall 2026 semester, JLIC will support more than 80 Modern Orthodox students who call UF home, a number that grows every year.
Many of these students arrive as Jewish day school graduates, building a Jewish life far from home for the first time, with no Modern Orthodox community waiting for them. JLIC is launching to help fill that need.
“We’ve watched the Modern Orthodox community at the University of Florida grow for years and we knew it was time to be there for them,” said Rabbi Josh Ross, executive director of JLIC. “This program puts us where our Jewish day school graduates are already choosing to go and finally gives them a community when they arrive.”
To lead that community, JLIC named Rabbi Shimon and Laura Vinger as UF’s founding co-directors. The Vingers are heading back to their southern roots. Laura grew up in Jacksonville, Shimon in Miami and UF is where they’ll build something new.
Between their two stints in Florida, the Vingers built Jewish communities across three continents. They founded and ran NCSY South America together, launching communities in Chile and Argentina and served as founding members of Chile’s Morasha kollel. From there they moved to Los Angeles, where Shimon directed NCSY’s West Coast region. Most recently, the Vingers and their four children called Toronto home, where Laura worked for Chai Lifeline and Shimon led community organizations while working in cybersecurity. In Toronto, they also became central members of the Jewish community’s volunteer security network, training together in Krav Maga for years.
Running JLIC’s new UF program is only half the job. Students will watch the Vinger family build a community up close and see what a committed Orthodox life looks like in practice.
Their training matches the range of their careers. Shimon holds ordination from Yeshivat Darchei Noam, trained through the Ner L’Elef outreach program and earned degrees from the University of Texas and American University, where he studied European history. Laura’s path started at Midreshet Rachel and the Ner L’Elef women’s program, then continued through political science degrees from the University of South Florida and Hebrew University and an MBA from Touro.
Four years of committed funding make this launch possible, thanks to a group of Florida families and partner organizations:
- Jewish Federation of Broward County
- Jonathan and Irit Tratt
- Gershon and Aviva Distenfeld
- Jen Eichenholz
The UF program is opening thanks to the many parents, including Jen Eichenholz, who championed the initiative and partnered with JLIC throughout the process.
The launch reflects a simple idea: put JLIC where Jewish students already are and give them a community to lean on once they get there. JLIC will share additional program details in the coming weeks.
