Alex Sinclair grew up in London, where his family belonged to the New North London Synagogue, a Masorti (Conservative) congregation in northwest London.
He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Oxford University – an MA (Oxon) and an MSt from Balliol College – and his PhD from Hebrew University. His field is Jewish education, and over the years he has worked as a professor, educational consultant, researcher, program director, and writer. 
Alex Sinclair and his wife, Peri, live in Modi’in with their three children. Peri is the daughter of North American olim, Susan from New York, and Mark Okrent from Toronto, who made aliyah in 1970. In Peri’s words: “They fulfilled my father’s dream when they made aliyah.”
After serving in the Nahal Brigade, Peri obtained her MA in Jewish education from the William Davidson Graduate School of Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and her doctorate in midrash from JTS. She is currently the Susan and Scott Shay Director-General of the TALI Education Center.
The Magazine recently conducted a Zoom interview with the couple.
Where did you meet?
Peri Sinclair: Alex and I met in 1997 while I was studying for my undergraduate degree at Hebrew University. I was 23, and he was 25. We first saw each other in a shiur [class] for young people, sponsored by the Masorti Movement, but we arrived separately and left separately. A few weeks later, we bumped into each other, and one thing led to another. The moral of the story? There’s more than one reason to take classes.
How did it work – for a Brit to date a native Israeli?
Alex Sinclair: It helped that we spoke only in Hebrew when we first met. I didn’t know about Peri’s American background until I heard her mother’s voice on their home answering machine.
Peri, how were you raised?
Peri: I grew up in a Masorti home – actually, in a Masorti bubble. As a child, our family lived in Kfar Saba, where my father, as a layperson, helped establish a TALI school, a public primary school, which is an Israeli adaptation of an American Jewish community day school. I attended the TALI School and was active in NOAM, the Masorti youth movement.
Tell us about your names, Peri and Sinclair.
Peri: My Hebrew name is pronounced Pe’eri, meaning ‘my glory.’ In English, I’m called Peri. Alex calls me Peri.Alex: In England, there are quite a few Jewish Sinclair families, none of whom are related to me. Just as Jewish immigrants to Ellis Island changed their names (or had their names changed), immigrants to England did the same. My grandfather anglicized our family name to Sinclair.
Alex, who/what inspired you to make aliyah?
The bottom line: It was one of Peri’s conditions for us getting married. I came to Israel many times as a kid and as a teenager. Then, in 1997, I came for my doctoral studies at Hebrew University. I expected to stay for a few years and then return to England to teach. After a whirlwind romance with Peri, we got married, and I became an oleh.
What’s your family’s connection to Caldwell, New Jersey?
Alex: We lived there for six years while I was teaching at the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and while Peri earned her MA and doctorate at JTS. I loved Caldwell – our friends there and the community. And the snow.
Anything else you miss about Caldwell?
Peri: Its proximity to JTS.
Peri, how did you go from being a ‘poster child’ for the Masorti movement to becoming TALI director-general?
Before and after my army service, I worked for the movement. I started as a member of NOAM and later became one of its leaders. For 17 summers, I held senior staff positions at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. In 2017, I started working for TALI as the deputy director, and three years later I became the director-general.
What’s the direction of TALI today?
Peri: Originally, the term referred to the TALI Schools, like those in Jerusalem, Ra’anana, and Beersheba. Today, our work extends beyond these schools. We are now called The Center Educating for Jewish Pluralism. Today, our mission is to influence the Israeli school system with the TALI way of thinking, which is liberal, pluralistic, egalitarian, meaningful, and relevant. Toward this goal, we collaborate with the Education Ministry, and our digital resources attract over 9,000 users a month. (https://schechter.edu/programs/tali/)
Alex, over the years, you have worn many hats. Tell us about the books you have written.
Alex: In 2013, my first book, Loving the Real Israel: An Educational Agenda for Liberal Zionism, was published and was a finalist for the National Book Award. In 2023, my debut novel, Perfect Enemy, was published. The well-known commentator and thinker Daniel Gordis wrote about Perfect Enemy: ‘A great, great story… It raises profound issues about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, about the moral issues inherent in Zionism.’ (alexjsinclair.com/perfectenemy)
What would you tell new olim about the advantages of living in Modi’in?
Peri and Alex: We’re very evangelistic about Modi’in. There is lots of green space and plenty of parks. It’s a great town to raise kids. Recently, there has been an influx of grandparents moving to our community to be close to their grandchildren. And we love its diversity. The Modi’in website lists all prayer options, including Masorti and Reform. (https://modiinapp.com/en/category/93/shuls-communities-in-modiin)
To conclude, I want to wish you mazal tov on your son’s recent engagement. I understand that his fiancée was raised in a Masorti home in Jerusalem. Any comment?
Peri and Alex: The apple hasn’t fallen very far from the tree. ■
Alex Sinclair: From London to Jerusalem, 1997, to Modi’in, 2007