Coed Collegiate

Drisha’s June Immersion Program is a co-ed month-long learning and community building program for collegiate and graduate students. In this program, students are studying a broad range of Jewish subjects including gemara, Tanakh, philosophy, and Halakcha. The June 2010 program was the first of many programs that aim to engage young leadership in encountering Jewish texts in a serious, intellectually rigorous and inclusive manner. In our inaugural class, we had 60 students from over 20 colleges who are all leaders on their campuses in Hillel communities, social justice projects, campus publications, and more. Throughout the month, we examine the relationship between spirituality and community involvement and action, in an attempt to inspire in our participants a commitment to service to the Jewish people and to leadership in the Jewish community.

The program is designed to provide students with an integrative approach to serious textual study and community leadership. Students are learning Gemara, Tanakh, Philosophy, Halakha and Prayer. Through their study, many have formed close relationships with the dynamic members of Drisha’s educational faculty and staff. On Wednesday evenings, students participate in a communal tisch run by Mishael Zion, during which they reflect on their experiences, share insights and creativity, and explore spirituality together.

The leadership portion of the program educates students about current social justice issues and empowers them to actively engage with the Jewish community at large. Time is set aside during lunchtime and Monday afternoons to meet with and learn from our inspiring summer speakers. Topics covered this summer have included social justice (Shmuly Yanklowitz, Uri L’Tzedek), special needs camping (Howard Blass, Tikvah Program at Camp Ramah New England), Jewish journalism (Gary Rosenblatt, The Jewish Week), domestic violence and agunot (Mark Dratch, JSAFE and Jeremy Stern, Organization for the Resolution of Agunot), and substance abuse in the Jewish community (Rabbi Mark Borowitz, Beit T’Shuva). 

The June Immersion Program concludes with a Shabbaton on the Upper West Side and an interactive siyyyum with community learning and student reflections.