SEPTEMBER 2 • 2021 | 23

PHOTO CREDIT

“The Hartman Institute 
hopes classes developed from 
this curriculum will invite 
those in interfaith marriages, 
the unaffiliated and those feel-
ing marginalized in the Jewish 
community to come in and 
join the conversation and not 
stay on the sidelines.
”
JLearn, a project of the 
Jewish Community Center of 
Metro Detroit, is the first in 
the community to spearhead 
efforts to offer Thoughtful 
Judaism classes beginning in 
October with two 12-week 
semesters either Monday eve-
nings or Wednesday mornings 
over Zoom for 75 minutes. All 
classes for the fall semester will 
be on Zoom only.
JLearn will determine if the 
second semester, beginning 
in January, will be offered in a 
hybrid format. The cost of the 
coursework is $175 per semes-
ter or $300 for the entire year, 
and scholarships are available. 
For detailed information, call 
(248) 205-2557 or go to jlearn.
online.
“We are so fortunate that 
Rebecca Starr is steering the 
ship on bringing Thoughtful 
Judaism to 
Detroit as she has 
taught classes for 
JLearn for many 
years,
” said JLearn 
Senior Director 
Shelley Wish 
Chaness. “We are 
making classes 
accessible for time-crunched 
people because we understand, 
these days, time is a commod-
ity. Because of the flexibility 
of the curriculum, instructors 
can take a broad overview 
approach or a deeper dive into 
each of the concepts.
” 

FOUR THEMES
Thoughtful Judaism revolves 
around four themes: 

Peoplehood: The meaning 
and definition and purpose of 
Jewish community, how it can 
be diverse and hold shared 
values and a shared history 
and an exploration of the 
main centers of Jewish life: 
Israel and North America. 
Faith: An exploration of 
questions relating to one’s 
relationship with God and 
what a life of faith entails, 
models in Judaism that exem-
plify the complexities of hav-
ing a relationship with God as 
well as viewpoints on where 
Jews who do not believe in 
God fit in. 
Practice: What is the mean-
ing of the system of mitzvot 
and what does it accomplish? 
In an age that encourages 
independent and self-minded 
thinking, how can one find 
relevance in rituals and how 
the sanctification of time, 
space and body can lead to 
holiness. 
Ethics: In what ways is the 
individual obligated to the 
widest and innermost circles 
of community according to 
Jewish tradition? How to 
maintain relationships even 
when one party wrongs 
another, and the obligations 
parents and children have to 
one another. 
To add to the multimedia 
aspect of the curriculum, 
each volume is accompanied 
by a series of podcasts and 
10-minute videos.
“The beautiful part about 
the Hartman curriculum is 
that is not as heavy as other 
learning programs we have 
taught in the past,” Chaness 
said. “The lessons have a 
basic format built on Jewish 
texts, but they allow for news 
articles, videos or even songs 
— anything that allows more 
current relevance to the sub-
ject matter.” 

Shelly Wish 
Chaness

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