The Berkeley Beit Midrash Summer Immersive

This Summer 2023, Berkeley Hillel is launching a week-long immersive Jewish learning experience, an opportunity to devote a week to learning Torah, building community, and enriching your Jewish identity!

From May 14-20, you have the opportunity to participate in Torah Lishma, learning for the sake of learning; no homework, no papers, just Torah and friends.  This full-time program is open to a broad variety of learning levels: whether you are just learning your aleph-bet or are ready to learn some Talmud, we’re excited to support your learning! Please register by Friday, March 24 (scroll down for the registration form).

Already registered? Submit your deposit here to save your spot in the Beit Midrash!

Program Details:

May 15-19: Full time Beit Midrash Program

The program will begin in the evening on Sunday, May 14. If you are traveling from outside of Berkeley, please plan to arrive by 5:00pm on May 14.

Students will learn in a variety of class offerings and modalities with members of the Berkeley Hillel team, with a Rabbinic Fellow from the Jewish Theological Seminary, as well as esteemed educators from the Bay Area Jewish community. We will be offering several learning tracks to accommodate different levels of learning, plus elective offerings that explore different aspects of the Jewish tradition, from gender to social justice to leadership and beyond!

We’ll conclude the program by spending a Shabbat together as a newly formed community. Participants will have the opportunity to experience Shabbat in the Bay among new friends, and share in this most ancient spiritual practice through prayer, song, food, and of course: Torah!

Ready to learn in a dynamic, joyful, and inclusive Jewish environment? Our Beit Midrash door is open! We will provide a sample schedule in the coming weeks.

Food & Accommodations:

We will provide most meals from our Kosher kitchens. While we can’t guarantee housing, if you will be in need of accommodations we will work with you to secure a place to stay in Berkeley. If you are a student at Cal who might have room to host someone else, please let us know!

Fee:
We are excited to offer this program at no charge for Berkeley Students and for students from partnering campuses. You are responsible for travel costs if you are traveling from outside of Berkeley. A $100 deposit is required upon acceptance with a full refund upon commencement of the program. If this poses a financial challenge to you, please be in touch with us! We will not turn you away for lack of funds.

Have questions? Contact Rav Maya Zinkow at mzinkow@berkeleyhillel.org