We invite you to submit a course proposal for the 2023 National Havurah Committee Summer Institute, to be held in person at Pearlstone Retreat Center from Friday, August 4 to Tuesday, August 8.
Applicants are encouraged to consider how they will draw on this year’s theme:
וְאָסַפְתָּ Ve-asafta
“and you shall gather” which can refer to both gathering the community and to gathering in your “new grain, wine and oil” from Parshat Eikev (Deut 11:14).
The National Havurah Committee is a community of people of all ages dedicated to deeply rooted, vibrantly creative Jewish living and learning, community building, and tikkun olam (repairing the world). Our volunteer-led community is egalitarian, pluralistic, multi-generational, and highly participatory.
Each year, we hold a Summer Institute plus several weekend retreats. At these gatherings, we live our motto that “every student is a teacher and every teacher is a student” with a wide array of opportunities to learn from each other in different settings and different ways. Courses are the backbone of the Institute schedule. Teachers can expect to engage with enthusiastic and passionate students in exploring their chosen subject matter, while also participating fully in all other Institute programming.
Topics: Courses can be on any Jewish subject or theme: text study, religious life, spirituality, contemporary issues, history, literature, art, music, personal growth, meditation, or whatever someone dreams up. A recent listing of courses can be found HERE. The Course Committee aims for a balance of topics and styles of courses. Teachers may not restrict their courses by gender, age, religious practice, or ideology, but may require specific background (such as Hebrew reading skills, experience studying Jewish texts, or the ability to read music); please describe the expectations in your application. Proposals focused on topics generally available in the broader Jewish community, such as teaching liturgical skills like reading from the Torah, are not generally accepted.
Teachers and Students: Teachers of Institute courses reflect our community’s wide range of ages, professions, backgrounds, and home communities. We are particularly eager to learn from and with people with identities and Jewish experiences that have been under-represented among our teaching ranks in the past, in recognition of the missed opportunities for rich learning in which our community could have participated with a more diverse set of teachers. Our goal is to recruit and support a teaching team (including course teachers and the array of residencies) that includes a critical mass of Jews of color, Sephardi, Mizrahi [JOCSM], disabled, and/or otherwise under-represented folks. We encourage everyone who is interested in teaching to apply, as the Course Committee aims to assemble a course roster that is diverse along many axes, from teacher background to experience teaching at Summer Institute to course topics and approach. All teachers should expect students with differing viewpoints and should be open to lively discussion in an environment that promotes openness and mutual respect. If you have any questions about equity and inclusion or other topics, please contact the Course Committee.
Format: Single courses will meet for 90 minutes in either the morning or the afternoon on Sunday and Monday. Double courses will meet twice each of those days for a total of 180 minutes. In your application, please indicate whether you prefer a “single” or “double” format. Classes are generally capped at 20 students.
Financial Arrangements: Teachers are offered free or reduced Summer Institute registration to recognize the value of their courses and because NHC prioritizes making Summer Institute financially accessible to all.
- Teachers of double courses (four 90 minute sessions) will be offered free housing and free registration.
- Teachers of single courses (two 90 minute sessions) will be offered free housing and asked to pay half of the registration fee (approximately $250).
- As members of the community, teachers will pay NHC annual dues of $60 per adult or $120 per family at registration.
NHC asks that teachers remember that NHC relies on donations to plan and produce the Summer Institute and to support its year-round work. Therefore, we ask teachers to donate towards offsetting the costs of Summer Institute. Each teacher is free to consider whether and how much to contribute, and any amount contributed towards registration and housing will be considered a tax-deductible donation.
Course proposals are to be submitted HERE and are due by February 15, 2023. We will notify you regarding the status of your application by March 27, 2023. You may submit up to two course proposals; please complete the online form for each course.
For further information, see the Frequently Asked Questions or contact the Course Committee at courses@havurah.org.