Learning is deeply embedded in the Hevruta program and is the central axis around which all other activities revolve. The curriculum offers a broad overview of classic and modern Jewish texts and serves as a bridge between participants and key issues that are central to developing a deep and nuanced understanding of Jewish identity today.
The learning at Hevruta aims to introduce participants to the different groups that comprise the Jewish People in Israel and the Diaspora by highlighting common themes as well as key distinctions between them, thus generating a new and impartial conversation surrounding the meaning of the State of Israel for each individual learner. This content is supplemented by an in-depth Talmud class that forges a meaningful connection with this foundational text, and incorporates independent learning sessions, in Hevrutas (pairs of students who engage a text together without direct instruction from a teacher).
The learning is designed to encourage a reflective discussion surrounding questions of identity and to scaffold the development of leadership thinking. Therefore, it features learning that takes place independently and in small groups, as well as traditional learning environments. The primary language of the program is English – a tool that empowers Israeli participants to engage with Jewish communities around the world after their graduation. North American participants are invited to join a Hebrew Ulpan class to improve their language skills.
We aspire to provide each participant at Hevruta with the means to feel at home in the world of Jewish literature and to teach them their way around these foundational texts, so that they may serve as a resource to draw upon later in life. Each semester, participants can choose four comprehensive courses that touch on different areas of Jewish thought: philosophy, bible, gender, Kabbalah, Hasidism, and Zionism.
