Devin Schain wears many hats as an entrepreneur, adjunct professor, philanthropist, marathon runner and proud father.
In 2011, Schain founded ShalomLearning, a nonprofit Jewish educational platform for kindergarten through seventh grade, that now spans 200 synagogues and more than 20,000 students across 11 countries. Two of his three children were among its first graduating class; his kids’ busy schedule with lacrosse and dance served as the impetus for the idea to move Hebrew school online.
The Bethesda resident ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., in October 2024 alongside a survivor of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel in part to fundraise for ShalomLearning.
Tell me about your Jewish upbringing and background.
I was not very engaged Jewishly because I hated Hebrew school. I played sports and I had to miss my Hebrew school sometimes for my basketball or soccer games, and I loved secular school, but I didn’t enjoy Hebrew school because it was after six hours of regular school. And 50 years ago, the teachers only taught three hours a week. My parents let me miss the last three years of Hebrew school, then I was tutored for my bar mitzvah. I was like most American Jews, where I was proud to be Jewish, but I really didn’t have that strong connection; I did visit Israel with my mom when I was 14.
I went to college at University of Pennsylvania and never stepped foot in Hillel. When I graduated, I joined a synagogue in Washington, D.C., and went twice a year for the big holidays. I wrote a couple of checks to the [Jewish] Federation and another large Jewish organization.
What inspired you to found ShalomLearning?
It wasn’t until my kids went to nursery school at [Congregation] Beth El, and then we pulled my two oldest from Hebrew school and got them a great tutor. They were more engaged because he was a great teacher. So they were allowed to miss Hebrew school; they would get tutored when it fit their schedules.
I was friendly with the clergy at Beth El and I asked the junior rabbi if he would officiate my kids’ b’nai mitzvah in a year and a half. He kind of shrugged his shoulders and said the policy at the synagogue is if you’re not part of the Hebrew school, we cannot do your bar or bat mitzvah. I asked him how many students he had in 2010, the year before, and he said 218. I said, “How many do you expect in Hebrew school this year?” He said about 203. “How many are you expecting the year after that?” “We’re worried; maybe 180. It’s a challenging model. Parents are busy; students are busy.”
And I said to him, “Why are you penalizing me for not having my kids in a challenging model?” I went home that evening — I’m an [education technology] entrepreneur — and I said to my wife, “I’m going to start an online Hebrew school. I’m going to do three things: One, I’m going to provide a learning management system, which will allow us to utilize great teachers and provide flexibility. Second, I want to curate the best content out there. Third, I want to offer teacher training.” I’m proud to say, 13 years later, those three pillars are as vibrant and relevant as ever.
Have you always been drawn to a career in education?
I have. I love to learn and I love to teach. My mother was a tremendous educator and my sister won Disney Teacher of the Year. So it’s in our family.
What does a day in your life look like?
One of the nice things about being an entrepreneur is every day is different, and my background is that I’ve never been an employee. I’ve started nine companies; I started my first one as a sophomore in college and I’ve sold four for-profit companies. I have two not-for-profit companies: ShalomLearning and Scaling Up, for the social sector. I help not-for-profits operate more like for-profits.
What drives you to do the work you do?
My journey with ShalomLearning came from a deep desire to strengthen Jewish education and identity for the next generation. It was really my growing need for accessible, innovative ways to connect Jewish families and communities around the world. The mission was clear for me to ensure the Jewish values, traditions and resilience endure, especially with what’s going on today. We recognized the importance of combating antisemitism three years ago, before Oct. 7.
We’re such a minority to begin with; we’re 15 million out of 8 billion. I feel strongly that it’s important for us to really embody and preserve and protect Judaism for what our ancestors did for us to allow us to still be here and keep the religion going. And I think it’s compounded by my secular side, the importance of education.
How do you balance exercise with your work?
I’m pretty disciplined and I know how to multitask well. Unfortunately, sometimes I spread myself too thin. One of my mantras is “less is more,” but I don’t always adhere to best practices.
Who inspires you?
I like to model the masters: Jim Collins, who is a business guru, and Maimonides, who is an eighth-century Jewish sage. I have combined my secular education and Jewish education and really have a profound belief in the power of education and the meaningful opportunities to transform lives through ShalomLearning.
