Jewish Learning
Jewish wisdom has ideas and ways of thinking, talking, and asking questions that will enrich and deepen students’ lives and connect them to one another, helping them become wiser and more courageous people. Every week at Hillel, we provide many different forms for that shared connection to and extension of Jewish tradition.
Some of our learning opportunities are in Hebrew and require detailed analysis of Jewish concepts. Others are accessible to people who have never opened a Jewish book. And then there’s everything in between. No matter what the topic or text on the table, every experience should be interesting, thought-provoking, personally relevant, and connect you to other people around the room and a tradition that goes back 2,000 years.
Whether you’re exploring questions of friendship, career choices, or any other of life’s biggest challenges, Jewish texts offer new ways of thinking about the concerns every human being faces. When you engage with these timeless questions through Jewish learning, you’ll have richer conversations than you would without this framework.
Unlike a seminar room where you’re being graded, our learning happens around tables where there’s a real “we” studying together. It’s about building community through shared inquiry into the questions that matter most.
Where do you want to jump in? With whom? Send one of our rabbis, staff, or student leaders a message, and we will help you to get started and to connect with others who want to learn with you!
Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF)
The Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) is a 10-week experiential, conversational seminar *for first-year undergraduate students* looking to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms.
We’re interested in asking big questions. You know, the big stuff — like, Who am I? What communities am I a part of? What is worth committing myself to, and why? And we don’t purport to have any of the big answers…certainly not for anyone else. All participants who attend all of the sessions will receive a $300 Amazon gift card!
We make no claims about the “right” way to practice or not to practice Judaism. Our job is to help you explore the tradition in a safe space and find your own place, on your terms, in Judaism’s Great Conversation.
Questions? Email Monica, monica@hillel.harvard.edu
Kol Israel
Kol Yisrael is a 5-week cohort learning experience to explore big ideas and big questions animating the contemporary Israeli discourse.
The name, Kol Yisrael, embodies the aim and methodology of this curriculum. In Hebrew, the word Kol (כל) means “all”. While we can’t provide “all” perspectives and narratives on the questions raised here, it is our aspiration to make our tent wider, to invite more voices to the table, and to cultivate resilient empathy for diverse perspectives. Each session presents competing, value-based narratives that open a discussion not only surrounding the question at hand, but also why those who disagree have compelling reasons to do so.
By the end of this program, we want you to feel like you have:
- Been intrigued by big ideas and big questions through our conversations together and with Israel as a real-world case study,
- Explored diverse perspectives and views from within the Israeli landscape, cultivating resilient empathy for a world full of complex human experiences, and
- Become part of a cohort with some other great people, learning about others’ perspectives in a genuine way while also authentically bringing your voice to the conversation.
Kol Yisrael will be Spring semester 2026
Questions? Email Mahran Yosef at mahran@hillel.harvard.edu.