FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON JANUARY 16, 2014
Shalom Hartman Institute and Hebrew College Announce Hevruta Gap-Year Program
20 American and 20 Israeli high school graduates will live and learn together in a rigorous Jewish
study and leadership program, based in Jerusalem, beginning in Fall 2014
JERUSALEM and BOSTON, JANUARY 16, 2014 – The Shalom Hartman Institute and Hebrew
College today announced the establishment of Hevruta, a unique gap-year program in Israel for
20 North American and 20 Israeli high school graduates designed to build a new generation of
leadership built on a new narrative of Israel-World Jewry relations.
A fully integrated and balanced gap-year program, Hevruta will provide
student leaders from a range of Jewish backgrounds and perspectives with an
unparalleled pluralistic learning opportunity in an exciting and dynamic
environment. The program will address both Israel and North America as compelling centers of
contemporary Jewish life, leadership, and discovery.
Over the course of their 10-month experience, Hevruta participants will
engage in rigorous intellectual pursuit and text study, while taking advantage of Jerusalem’s rich
academic, cultural, and spiritual resources. A three-week North American component will
enable participants to explore Jewish identity in a global context, with the goal of deepening the
exchange across the diverse cohort of participants.
“The future of Jewish peoplehood is dependent on the two major world Jewish communities
finding new ways of learning to walk together, and developing new models for understanding,”
said Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute. “Building on
signature curricula such as those developed by our iEngage Project, Hevruta will encourage new
modes of cooperation and understanding between Israel and world Jewry set in a warm,
nurturing, pluralistic and intellectually and spiritually engaging atmosphere.”
Rabbi Daniel L. Lehmann, President of Hebrew College, added, "Hevruta deepens our
commitment to engaging and educating young adults, while expanding on our existing study
programs based in Israel. We are excited to learn and lead with our Hevruta participants, raising
the bar on American-Israeli discourse."
Illustrating the progressive and ambitious agendas of the Shalom Hartman Institute and Hebrew
College, Hevruta will nurture future North American and Israeli leaders through a combination
of:
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Intensive learning
Meaningful community service
Engaging cultural programming
In-depth interaction with the land and people of Israel
Internships in Hevruta's Jerusalem Leadership Lab
The core of Hevruta will be rigorous learning guided by the unparalleled Shalom Hartman
Institute and Hebrew College faculty. The core curriculum will focus on study of North American
and Israeli Jewish life today as it is lived and experienced in all of its complexities and challenges.
Participants will explore texts and ideas that illuminate both Israel and North America as centers
of contemporary Jewish life. Productive community service activities, as well as cultural
activities, trips, and encounters with leading Israeli artists, activists and leaders will complement
the academic studies.
The program is designed to provide participants with the highest levels of comfort, health, and
security. Living accommodations will be in quality apartments, and trained staff will supervise
and advise participants during all hours.
“By living and learning together, our American and Israeli students will build the foundation for
lifelong friendship and partnership,” said Or Rose, Director of Hebrew College's Center for
Global Judaism. "These relationships will foster meaningful collaboration and promote vibrant
Jewish life in the future."
Applications for the program, starting Fall 2014, are due by April 1, 2014. Full details of the
program are available at http://hartman.org.il/hevruta. For more information and to speak to
Hevruta administrators, write to hevruta@shi.org.il, or call the Hartman Institute at +972-2-5675320, or hevruta@hebrewcollege.edu, or call Hebrew College at 617-559-8815.
Media should direct their inquiries to Alan Abbey, Director of Media and Internet Services at the
Shalom Hartman Institute, alan.abbey@shi.org.il, or Ken Gornstein, Director, Marketing and
Communications at Hebrew College, kgornstein@hebrewcollege.edu.
About the Shalom Hartman Institute
Based in Jerusalem for more than 35 years, the Shalom Hartman Institute (SHI) is a center of
transformative thinking and teaching that addresses the major challenges facing the Jewish
people and elevates the quality of Jewish life in Israel and around the world. A leader in
sophisticated, ideas-based Jewish education for community leaders and change agents, SHI is
committed to the significance of Jewish ideas, the power of applied scholarship, and the
conviction that great teaching contributes to the growth and continual revitalization of the
Jewish people. For more information about the Shalom Hartman Institute, contact Laura Gilinski,
Chief PR & Development Officer, laura.gilinski@shi.org.il.
About Hebrew College
Hebrew College promotes excellence in Jewish learning and leadership within a pluralistic
environment of open inquiry, intellectual rigor, personal engagement and spiritual creativity.
We empower and inspire individuals to contribute their voices and vision to the Jewish
community and to bring Jewish values to bear on the critical issues of our time. Dedicated to
building bridges between the academy and the community, we offer diverse educational and
cultural programs for youths, adults and Jewish professionals, and seek to invigorate Jewish life.