The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute: Igniting Minds and Souls Through Adult Education
The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) stands as the largest institute of adult Jewish learning globally, with a presence in over 300 cities. As a division of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty, JLI offers a diverse range of courses on Jewish history, law, ethics, philosophy, and rabbinical literature, catering to individuals from all backgrounds and levels of Jewish knowledge.
A Journey Through Wisdom and Meaning
JLI's curriculum is meticulously designed to challenge conventional thinking and infuse life with profound meaning. The institute embraces a research-based approach combined with instructional design, presenting traditional Jewish teachings within a contemporary academic framework. This unique methodology fosters intellectual and spiritual growth, appealing to both first-time learners and those with years of prior study.
The institute was founded in 1998, and the first JLI course, Jewish Mysticism, was piloted at fifteen Chabad centers in 1999. The institute expanded thereafter with controlled growth, introducing the learning program to between fifteen and twenty new cities annually until 2005 when JLI added forty new cities. Since its inception in 1998, over 500,000 students have completed JLI courses, with enrollment of 12,000 to 16,000 students each semester. In 2005, JLI materials were translated into Spanish. In 2011, a curriculum in Hebrew was developed and piloted in ten Israeli cities. There are currently thirty JLI locations in Israel as well as classes in Hebrew throughout the world in communities with large concentrations of Israeli ex-pats. The Russian language division was added in 2012 and currently consists of forty chapters throughout the former CIS.
Courses That Transform
JLI offers a wide array of courses designed to address various aspects of life, drawing upon Jewish wisdom and tradition to provide guidance and inspiration. Here are a few examples of the transformative courses offered:
- For All Humankind: How Judaism’s universal values can help us build better lives and societies.
- Sinai and Civics: The Jewish ethics that shaped America’s founding.
- Captivating Cases in Rabbinic Responsa: This course invites participants to listen in on the surprising and practical questions that ancestors posed to rabbis throughout Jewish history, offering insights into Jewish life and law across generations.
- The Art of Listening: Enhancing Connection through Mindful Communication: This course explores how attention shapes every relationship, providing practical tools for improving communication skills and fostering deeper connections with others.
- The Art of Disagreeing: Navigating Differences with Respect and Understanding: This course delves into the complexities of conflict resolution, examining when direct communication is healthy and when it is not. It provides strategies for sidestepping personal offense, maintaining grace, and achieving growth while navigating disagreements.
- The Art of Positivity: Uncovering More Good in Those Around Us: This course focuses on identifying biases that distort perceptions of others and unlocking the tools Jewish thought offers for seeing the inherent goodness in everyone.
- The Art of Influence: Guiding Others with Love and Effectiveness: This course explores the limits of "live and let live" and presents a kind, considerate, and effective path for offering critique and guidance grounded in genuine love and respect.
- The Art of Forgiveness: Restoring Relationships through Reconciliation: This course examines how to rebuild relationships after hurt, exploring the guiding Jewish values that inform choices on forgiveness and reconciliation.
Furthermore, JLI offers courses that address contemporary issues, such as medical ethics:
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- This course equips students with the tools to chart a path through four areas of medical ethics: experimental treatments, extending life, pregnancy questions, and caring for a body.
The Rebbe's Wisdom for Daily Life
One of JLI's most impactful offerings is a multimedia course that journeys through the Rebbe's practical wisdom on work, family, health, and well-being. This course addresses fundamental questions such as:
- How can earning a living provide meaning beyond the paycheck?
- How can we create a warm and healthy home?
- What guidance can be found on questions of health and treatment?
- What is a surprising and effective approach to overcoming anxiety and cultivating emotional health?
Drawing upon the Rebbe's teachings, the course provides strength and guidance for navigating the struggles of health, livelihood, relationships, and raising children.
Beyond the Classroom: Expanding Horizons
JLI's commitment to Jewish education extends beyond traditional classroom settings. The institute offers a variety of programs designed to engage diverse audiences and foster a deeper connection to Jewish life:
- JLI Teens: This program aims to make Judaism relevant to teenagers and cultivate a new generation of Jewish leaders. Select teens are invited to join the JLI Teens International Internship Program, where they can further develop their leadership skills and contribute to the Jewish community. The first teen-focused JLI course was held in 2009. JLI Teens courses aim to make Judaism relevant to teens and to forge a new generation of Jewish leadership.
- The Sinai Scholars Society: This integrated fellowship program, offered on college campuses, combines Torah study, social activities, and national networking opportunities. The eight-part curriculum addresses essentials in Judaism, introducing students to the contemporary significance of Jewish life. Students submit an academic paper on Jewish thought and participate in community and holiday events. The Sinai Scholars Society sponsors an annual Students and Scholars Academic Symposium, where university students present papers on the modern-day relevance of core Jewish ideas and beliefs. A selected group of university students from across the country present papers on the modern-day relevance of core Jewish ideas and beliefs, the author of the winning paper is awarded a cash prize.
- The Rosh Chodesh Society (RCS): This women's studies division offers text-based study of commandments specifically addressed to Jewish women. The Rosh Chodesh Society (RCS), was founded in 2009 in memory of Rivka Holtzberg, the Chabad emissary who, along with her husband, Gavriel Holtzberg, was a victim of a terror attack in Mumbai, India. Its debut course, Rivka's Tent, was a seven-part series of text-based study of the three commandments addressed specifically to Jewish women.
- Jewish Medical Ethics Conference: This annual conference features interactive discussions between physicians and Jewish medical ethicists on current and emerging quandaries in the field. In 2013, the Retreat launched the annual Jewish Medical Ethics Conference, which features interactive discussions between participating physicians and Jewish medical ethicists on current and emerging quandaries in the field.
- Israel Experience: This bi-annual tour provides an insider look at Israel, visiting historic and religious sites, and meeting with Israeli politicians, Torah scholars, and local residents. Participants bring messages of support from their home communities to the IDF and to families of victims of violence. Responding to nationwide demand from students participating in the fall 2007 course on Israel, The Land and the Spirit, JLI launched its first Israel Experience in March 2008. The bi-annual tour presents an insider look at Israel. In addition to visiting historic and religious sites, participants meet with Israeli politicians and decision-makers, Torah scholars and local residents. Participants bring messages of support from their home communities in the diaspora to the IDF and to families of victims of violence.
- Kohelet Fellowships: This program provides adult Jewish education for parents of Jewish day school students, offering courses, one-on-one learning opportunities, and community learning events. Since the fall of 2010, JLI has been a provider of adult Jewish education through the Kohelet Fellowships program, a two-year Jewish learning experience for parents of Jewish day school students. Fellows study Jewish texts, either in courses or one-on-one, participate in community learning events, and explore the lessons with their families. Fellows receive tuition breaks from their children's schools funded by grants from the Kohelet Foundation and its financial partners.
Cultivating Excellence in Teaching
JLI is committed to providing its affiliated instructors with ongoing training in pedagogy and curriculum content. The JLI Academy organizes an annual conference, webinars, podcasts, interactive instruction, and one-to-one training opportunities to ensure that JLI teachers are equipped to inspire and empower their students. The JLI Academy also serves as a forum of discussion between the curriculum development team and affiliates. The JLI Academy provides ongoing training to its affiliated instructors in pedagogy and in-depth study of subjects relating to curriculum content. The Academy organizes an annual conference, intermittent webinars, podcasts, interactive instruction and one-to-one training opportunities.
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