Last August, a group of 12 young women gathered in the beautiful scenery of the Catskill mountains for a unique study experience. Over the course of two engaging weeks, they tuned out the myriad distractions of city life and delved into the stimulating world of text-based Jewish learning.
Hosted by Mrs. Fraide Sabol, the accommodations and daily home-cooked meals were five star.
Those short two weeks served as the inaugural program of a grassroots organization called Batsheva Academy.
Batsheva Academy’s mission is to enrich Jewish life for women through the medium of Torah learning. With courses, lectures, and get-togethers throughout the year, Batsheva Academy has already begun to change the dynamic.
Now come summer, and the invigorating vistas of upstate New York are host once more to an intoxicating mix of scholarship and discovery.
The schedule runs the gamut of Torah topics, from early morning Chassidus classes to lectures throughout the day in Halacha, Gemara and Midrash. Along with a chavrusa for each subject, students delve into the texts together, deciphering and analyzing with guidance from scholarly instructors.
After last year’s success, many of the students felt that they were exposed to a style of learning they had never experienced before.
“Batsheva Academy created an ideal environment for developing our skills; the learning had a profound affect on me,” said one student.
According to Rivka Tauber, a graduate of last year’s program, “the classes here are well rounded, well researched and well taught. The learning is incredibly deep and the teachers are really knowledgeable.”
This year’s program will take place from June 19th to July 3rd. Young women are invited to sign up for one or two weeks, or even just visit for a weekend.
For more information, visit www.batshevaacademy.com or www.fb.com/batshevaacademy. Email [email protected] or call 607 793 6775 with any further questions.
I attended last summer and this is an excellent program! The classes do not only provide added Torah knowledge, but they also develop skills to enable students to learn more on their own. The gashmius was also great!
Looks lovely!!
Wish I could join, shame I’m not such a young woman anymore;-)