Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, ( he, מכון שכטר למדעי היהדות, ''Machon Schechter'') located in the Neve Granot neighborhood of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, is an Israeli academic institution.

History

Founded in 1984 by the Jewish Theological Seminary (N.Y.) and Israel's

Masorti Movement Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of '' halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the genera ...

as a rabbinical seminary known as "The Seminary of Judaic Studies," the Schechter Institute has been located since 1990 in Neve Granot, a neighborhood behind the

Israel Museum The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...

. Schechter is the only academic institution in Israel devoted entirely to

Jewish studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (e ...

and to fostering a pluralistic approach to Jewish-Israeli identity through

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, the arts and community leadership. The Schechter Institute has more than 600 students, 300 in the M.A. programs and 300 in non-degree studies, specializing in eight Jewish study tracks or programs including

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

and

the Arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

, Gender and Feminist studies,

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isr ...

, and classical Jewish disciplines such as

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

, and Jewish Thought. A new program, Meirav, is an inter-disciplinary program combining study of classical Jewish Textual

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

for an M.A. degree. Its Maccabbee Community Leadership M.A. program combines Jewish studies with practical tools for building strong community-based professional leadership. Its Mishlei M.A. program strengthens the connection between the academic study of

and practical community works. Its Marpeh program, unique to Israel, combines

Chaplaincy A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intel ...

with a degree in Family and Community Studies. The Schechter Institute has 49 full- and part-time faculty members and approximately 2,000 M.A. graduates. Many work in the Israeli school system as principals and teachers, in the Israel Ministry of Education in management positions, including curriculum planning, or in the nationwide Community Center Association. Schechter Institute research centers include the Center for Women and Jewish Law, the Center for Judaism and the Arts, and the Center for Applied Jewish Law, and the

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

Project which publish several books annually in diverse fields of

. Schechter also co-publishes Nashim, the Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies, in partnership with

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...

and

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...

. The Schechter campus in Jerusalem, in addition to its graduate school, is home to the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary for ordination of

rabbis A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, TALI Education Fund and Midreshet Schechter. The Schechter Institute also operates Neve Schechter, the Center for Contemporary Jewish Culture in the historic former Cafe Lorenz building in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Neve Tzedek Neve Tzedek ( he, נְוֵה צֶדֶק, נווה צדק, ''lit.'' Abode of Justice) is a neighborhood located in southwestern Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside the old city of the ancient port of Jaffa. O ...

neighborhood. The Schechter Institute's Midreshet Schechter Ukraine helps operate Jewish Community Centers, with

Masorti Olami Masorti Olami (also known as The World Council of Synagogues, Inc.) is the international umbrella organization for Masorti Judaism, founded in 1957 with the goal of making Masorti Judaism a force in the Jewish world. Masorti Olami is affiliated ...

, in the Ukraine

Notable faculty

David Golinkin David Golinkin (born 1955) is an American-born conservative rabbi and Jewish scholar who has lived in Jerusalem since 1972. He is President of the Schechter Institutes, Inc., President Emeritus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and Pr ...

, Talmud and Jewish Law *

Moshe Benovitz Moses ( el, Μωϋσῆς),from Latin and Greek Moishe ( yi, משה),from Yiddish Moshe ( he, מֹשֶׁה),from Modern Hebrew or Movses (Armenian: Մովսես) from Armenian is a male given name, after the biblical figure Moses. According to th ...

, Talmud and Jewish Law * Shamma Friedman, Shamma Friedman at Hebrew Wikipedia Talmud

References

External links

Official website (in English)

Official website (in Hebrew)
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1984 Jewish studies research institutes Conservative Judaism in Israel Judaism in Jerusalem Jewish seminaries Jews and Judaism in Tel Aviv Conservative yeshivas 1984 establishments in Israel

History

Notable faculty

See also

References

External links