Learning Fellowships
These various conversational, cohort-based seminars are for those looking to deepen their understanding and connection to Judaism on their own terms. When you participate you’ll have the opportunity to ask the big questions – Who am I? What communities am I part of? What is worth committing myself to, and why?
We make no claims about the “right” way to practice or not practice Judaism. Our job is to help you explore the tradition and find your own place, on your terms, in some of Judaism’s great conversations. We want to nourish you (dinner is a part of the experience) and value your time (after completion of the program you will receive a stipend).
Each semester, there are different cohorts , taught by various members of the Hillel staff. Students who participate come from diverse backgrounds and have a broad range of experience with Jewish learning. These cohorts are about meeting you where you are, bringing all of our knowledge, curiosity, and learning together.
Fall 2024 Cohorts
Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF)
Life’s Big Questions
Taught by Rabbi Miriam and Rabbinic Intern Alex; Monday Nights (5:30-7:00 pm), starting September 16, for 10 weeks.
College is a time to explore some of the big questions that orient a life well-lived. Who am I? What communities am I a part of? How do we disagree? While these are universal questions, we believe they can be illuminated through the unique light of Jewish texts and traditions. In this class we will explore the big questions of life as refracted through the Jewish tradition.
Sex, Love and Relationships
Taught by Rabbi Miriam and Noah; Tuesdays at Lunch (12:00-1:30 pm), starting September 17, for 10 weeks.
Judaism has A LOT to say about sex and relationships. Together in a dedicated and safe space, we will explore traditional texts on gender, sex, love, consent, and more while also deciphering our own sexual ethic (what shapes and informs the relationships we hold).
Kol Yisrael
Home and Homeland
Taught by Ariel ft. Rabbi Miriam and Dr. Pickette; Wednesday Nights (5:30-7:00 pm), starting September 18, for 6 weeks.
This 6-session series explores the Jewish diaspora relationship to Israel, looking to classical, rabbinic, and modern Jewish wisdom to engage a contemporary understanding of peoplehood, responsibility, home, and homeland. Together, we begin to explore and uncover some major questions about their relationship to Israel as an aspect of a thoughtful Jewish adulthood.
4 the Moment
Jewish Values & Civic Engagement
Taught by Noah and Dr. Pickette; Wednesdays at Lunch (12:00-1:30 pm), starting September 18, for 4 weeks.
In this 4-week series, we will explore what Jewish values might have to teach us about what it means to be a Jewish person in community, with people who are like us and people who are different than us, and particularly what it means to be Jewish citizens in democracies. Discussion topics include how Jewish individuals might manifest their identities in the broader society; what the Jewish tradition has to say about responsibilities, rights, and obligations; and what we might learn from Jewish tradition about the connections between our moral commitments and our politics.