The Mini-School core curriculum is a comprehensive, sequential series of text-based lessons, studied over two years. The curriculum comprises the following four courses:

YEAR I

Rhythms of Jewish Living
(30 lessons)
What’s the point of living Jewishly? What ideas, beliefs, and practices are involved? This course examines a wide variety of Jewish sources to discover the deeper meanings underlying Jewish holidays, lifecycle observances, and Jewish practice.

Purposes of Jewish Living
(30 lessons)
Why do Jews believe as they do? What are the big questions of life and how do Jewish thinkers answer these questions? This course explores sources both ancient and modern in pursuit of answers to many of the major issues of Jewish thought and theology.

YEAR II

Ethics of Jewish Living
(30 lessons)
How do Jewish teachings shed light on contemporary issues such as the environment, inter-personal relationships, end-of-life decisions, and stem-cell research? This course explores the wisdom of ancient and modern rabbis, scholars and thinkers, offering multiple Jewish approaches to conducting our lives in the communal and private spheres.

Dramas of Jewish Living Throughout the Ages
(30 lessons)
What are the lessons of Jewish history — from the earliest wanderings of Abraham to today’s turmoil in Israel? How do the turning points in Jewish history influence our lives today? This course investigates how the Jewish past gives meaning to the Jewish present.

Foundations for Jewish Family Living:
Values for parents to share with their children

(20 lessons)
Foundations of Jewish Family Living is a new curriculum for parents that provides a thought-provoking encounter with the core values of Judaism. The curriculum brings to life the master stories from our tradition and the profound messages they convey. Learn more.

The Rachel Wasserman Scholars Curriculum

Building on the two years of text-based study, the Scholars Curriculum focuses on a deeper examination of selected Jewish texts, from the Biblical to the modern. The Scholars Curriculum invites Mini-School graduates to the engagement with Jewish texts that have shaped Jews and Judaism for millennia. The following graduate courses are currently available. Please check with your local site director to see which graduate courses are being offered this year in your area.

JEWISH TEXTS

Shiv'im Panim: Seventy Faces of Wisdom

Focusing our attention on some of the world’s oldest and most profound stories, the Shiv’im Panim (“70 Faces”) series highlights 70 text selections from the Jewish Bible. Based on the tradition that the Torah has “70 faces” or ways of interpreting and understanding it, the curriculum features a multi-faceted approach to Torah study, which include:

• Modern and classical commentaries that represent a range of orientations
• Interpretations of the texts by rabbis, scholars, artists, and poets
• Opportunities to learn key Hebrew vocabulary in the context of the story
• Discussions on the real-life implications of the stories for us in our time
  

Bereshit – I
From Adam to Abraham: The First 20 Generations

(10 lessons)
The stories take us from the universal tales of the creation of the world, the flood, and the Tower of Babel to the foundational tales of Abraham and Sarah, and the beginnings of the Jewish people. The themes of family and faith, honor and dishonor, passion and power provide a rich exploration of our people and ourselves.

Bereshit – II
The Story of the First Jewish Family

(10 lessons)
This course follows the development of the first Jewish family, from “The Birth of Two Nations” and “Stolen Blessings” to “Reunion in Egypt” and “Blessing the Grandchildren.” These stories of sibling rivalry, wrestling with an angel, palace seduction, rape, and reconciliation provide some of the most dramatic and iconic.

Shemot – I
From Slavery to Sinai

(10 lessons)
This course brings us the Egyptian narrative of our people from “Pharoah’s Paranoia” and “Moshe’s CV” to the dramatic story of our rescue, and survival in the wilderness during “Into the Sea” and “Manna from Heaven.” Leadership, bravery, faith, and doubt define some of the critical moments in these texts and offer us a rich backdrop for challenging our own assumptions.

Shemot – II
Revelation and Revolution

(10 lessons)
Our new course follows the development of the emerging Jewish nation from their awe-inspiring encounter at Mount Sinai through the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness. The high points of divine revelation in “Ten Commandments,“ “Encountering God,” and “Face to Face with God” are sharply contrasted with the low points of the “Golden Calf: Revolt or Reversion.” The text addresses some of the specific laws and regulations that were to become part of Jewish living as well as the meaning, purpose, and relevance to our lives today.

JEWISH CIVILIZATION

Israeli Literature As a Window to Israeli Society

This course of study offers a fresh and fascinating examination of Israeli society since the birth of the State in 1948. Through the pens of its leading writers, participants encounter an Israeli society that is original, contemporary, honest and proud. Reflections of the mythic Israel are matched by poetry and prose that is challenging and self-critical, and both offer profound insight into the Israeli national psyche.

The Holocaust As Reflected in Diaries and Memoirs

Journey into the world of Jewish individuals and communities as the events of the Holocaust unfold around them. Students explore the profound record of first-person accounts in diaries and memoirs uncovered in the years since the Holocaust, and gain remarkable insights into the struggle for life as both young and old writers describe day-to-day life coping in the ghettoes, imprisoned in the death camps, hiding on the run, and fighting for their lives. These are unforgettable images that help us understand the real events of the Holocaust and its legacy for us today.

Jewish Denominations: Addressing the Challenges of Modernity

Examination Jewish identity and religious expression against the backdrop of dramatic political and social change of the past 300 years. Gain extensive insights into the historical and ideological developments of the major movements, and explore the impact of gender, assimilation, Israel, and post-denominationalism on the movements and the Jewish people.

Beyond Borders: The History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

This Scholars course provides students with a strong, text-based historical overview from the late nineteenth century through today. Course material is designed to encourage discussion and debate, and to challenge students to appreciate the basis of the conflicting historical claims made by all sides in the conflict. The complexity of the conflict forces students to grapple with issues of religion, culture, history, politics, economics, identity and survival—all reflected through primary sources, including newspaper articles, poetry, songs, government documents, speeches, photographs and memoirs. The 10-lesson course will provide students with new tools for understanding and critiquing texts and events as the conflict continues to unfold.

Jews in America: Insiders and Outsiders

This Scholars course provides students with the opportunity to consider the challenges of Jewish acculturation to American life, and the sacrifices as well as the contributions that have been made over the past 200 years. Lessons will explore such topics as the role of education, The Three Generation Hypothesis, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, the changing place of Zionism and the State of Israel, The Civil Rights Movement as a case study of distinctiveness and involvement, and other issues that address American and Jewish culture and identity. This 10-lesson course asks the question, “Is the cup half-empty or half full?” as optimists and pessimists debate the future of Jewish identity in America.