Our organization is devoted to catalyzing and supporting pluralistic study of classical Jewish sources. Our grand vision is a full-time pluralistic yeshiva, which we plan to launch in 2011 or 2012. As we are working to fundraise and recruit students and teachers for this exciting project, we have been focusing on a smaller grassroots endeavor: the creation and facilitation of an intellectually, spiritually and socially compelling way for young Bay Area Jews to encounter the core texts of the Jewish tradition.
Our Learning Groups ("Chevrei") are convened by a social connector, a young Jew interested in the project, who gathers a group of his or her friends, neighbors and colleagues. The groups, made up of eight to twelve participants, meet a few times a month to study texts together in relaxed environments-living rooms, coffee shops and offices with a talented educator trained in classical Jewish sources as well as the Western canon.
Over the past year, we have launched five learning groups that are up and running, and an additional seven which we are launching this spring! We know we're making a difference when we get feedback from participants, like: "As someone who has always been a bit wary of Jewish text study groups, I approached the East Bay Chevrei with some sense of trepidation. Because of my lack of formal religious schooling, similar groups had always made me feel alienated, bored, and at their worst, stupid. These sessions, however, have had the opposite effect. After each meeting, I feel invigorated, engaged, and, perhaps most importantly, part of a community made up of people who are seeking to include Judaism and Jewish study in their lives in meaningful, intellectually rigorous ways."
We have also been meeting with donors; we are in the final stages of launching a website; we have recruited a volunteer "staff" of almost a dozen people; and we have secured a strong relationship with the Center for Jewish Studies at the GTU. Perhaps most importantly, we have identified a potentially sustainable business model, in which we provide Jewish organizations and foundations with logistical nudging, sophisticated Jewish content, and skilled Jewish educators to host a learning group for their constituents in return for financial support. Current Bronfmanim involved include: Sarah Cowan ‘97, Andy Katzman ‘93, Ruth Kaplan ‘95, Brett Lockspeiser ‘99, Daniel Berson ‘98 as participants; Hannah Kapnik ‘04 as an intern and our new Social Connector Liaison, Rachel Finkelstein ‘03 as one of our social connectors, and Daniel Smokler ‘96 as a general advisor.
How to get involved:
Interested alumni in the Bay Area should consider joining a group, hosting a group, teaching a group, supporting a group, or getting involved as a volunteer who can contribute your skill set to this exciting project! In the future, we hope to have a website that enables people to access content, and we hope to have the capacity to train people to facilitate learning group programs in their own synagogues and Jewish communities. If you are interested, email me: sara.bamberger[at]gmail.com
