IEP (Israel Experiential Program)
The year in Israel is a time not only for academic development but also for a deep engagement with the land, people and dynamics of modern Israel. Students should become attuned to the diverse voices heard in the land, and should probe the many complex issues of politics, culture and religion shaping the State. This program is also meant to develop a sense of partnership between our students and the Masorti Movement through volunteer projects, visits to kehillot, and conversations with the rabbis and laity of our sister movement. The experiential program is intended to help students develop personally—understanding their own relationship to Israel—and also professionally. Our students will soon be tasked with interpreting Israel for diaspora communities. This program prepares them for this task with intelligence and honesty.
Developed in partnership with HUC, the UJA Federation of NY, The DuBow Family Foundation, the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Hebrew College, and The Masorti Movement, the Experiential Program has five major elements:
Israel Seminar This Thursday program is the anchor of the experiential curriculum and is conducted in partnership with Ziegler, RRC, and Hebrew College.
Joint JTS-HUC Experiential Sessions. Thanks to a generous grant from the UJA Federation of NY, JTS students have been able to learn closely with students from The Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. Together, students are able to process their individual and collective experience of their year in Israel. Among some of the enhanced program that takes place includes: artistic and cultural activities, a northern study seminar on the democratic nature of Israel, an Israel engagement colloquium, and the role of civil religion in the modern state.
Volunteer Work in a Masorti Community. All JTS students in Israel are required to volunteer with a Masorti Kehillah. This provides the students with another window into Israeli life while providing more exposure to the spoken language, and is of course another opportunity to build bridges between Israel and the Diaspora. This program is an initiative which began two years ago between the Masorti Movement and JTS. Students are assigned a community, required to make five to seven visits over the course of the year, and then to write a report reflecting on their learning experience.
Tiyulim. Yediat HaAretz, knowledge of the Land of Israel, is critical to the training of Jewish religious leadership. Such hikes deepen the roots of our students to Israel – and help animate the learning that takes place in other aspects of our program.
The year in Israel is a time not only for academic development but also for a deep engagement with the land, people and dynamics of modern Israel. Students should become attuned to the diverse voices heard in the land, and should probe the many complex issues of politics, culture and religion shaping the State. This program is also meant to develop a sense of partnership between our students and the Masorti Movement through volunteer projects, visits to kehillot, and conversations with the rabbis and laity of our sister movement. The experiential program is intended to help students develop personally—understanding their own relationship to Israel—and also professionally. Our students will soon be tasked with interpreting Israel for diaspora communities. This program prepares them for this task with intelligence and honesty.
Developed in partnership with HUC, the UJA Federation of NY, The DuBow Family Foundation, the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Hebrew College, and The Masorti Movement, the Experiential Program has five major elements:
Israel Seminar This Thursday program is the anchor of the experiential curriculum and is conducted in partnership with Ziegler, RRC, and Hebrew College.
Joint JTS-HUC Experiential Sessions. Thanks to a generous grant from the UJA Federation of NY, JTS students have been able to learn closely with students from The Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. Together, students are able to process their individual and collective experience of their year in Israel. Among some of the enhanced program that takes place includes: artistic and cultural activities, a northern study seminar on the democratic nature of Israel, an Israel engagement colloquium, and the role of civil religion in the modern state.
Volunteer Work in a Masorti Community. All JTS students in Israel are required to volunteer with a Masorti Kehillah. This provides the students with another window into Israeli life while providing more exposure to the spoken language, and is of course another opportunity to build bridges between Israel and the Diaspora. This program is an initiative which began two years ago between the Masorti Movement and JTS. Students are assigned a community, required to make five to seven visits over the course of the year, and then to write a report reflecting on their learning experience.
Tiyulim. Yediat HaAretz, knowledge of the Land of Israel, is critical to the training of Jewish religious leadership. Such hikes deepen the roots of our students to Israel – and help animate the learning that takes place in other aspects of our program.