Here you will find everything you need to know about the regular programming Slifka has to offer for the Fall 2022 semester, including fellowships, internships, learning and arts
Fellowships
First Year Ambassadors
Looking for an opportunity to grow your leadership skills in a supportive and nurturing environment? Looking for an opportunity to connect with other First-Years? Looking for an opportunity to build community amongst your class year? Become a First-Year Ambassador and learn how to do all of this and more! First-Year Ambassadors is a community-building leadership opportunity for anyone in the Class of 2026 to gain experience and create opportunities for their classmates. Click here to apply. Contact Aviva Green with any questions.
Urim Fellowship
Community is one of the central pillars of Judaism. The Urim fellowship recognizes the sacredness of building relationships and Jewish community, and invites you to hone your skills in this work. In this fellowship we will meet once a week to build and discuss leadership, community organizing, and human-centered design thinking skills. But most importantly, we will actively be working to build community and foster new relationships among Yale’s Jewish student body. Every week fellows will reach out to at least one peer for a one on one conversation. As we build these personal relationships we will also work together to foster new Jewish communities.
Strong candidates will either have a) a specific constituency in mind that they would like to engage as well as a network within that constituency. Or b) an interest in fostering new relationships and cultivating belonging among Jews of diverse backgrounds. We encourage everyone to apply regardless of your Jewish knowledge and background.
Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF) – Tuesdays 5:30-7 or 6:30-8
JLF is an 8-10-week experiential, conversational seminar that invites fellows to deepen their understanding of Judaism on their own terms. We will explore some of life’s big questions, including those related to community, identity, friendships, and space. We make no claims about the “right” way to practice or not to practice Judaism. The goal of the fellowship is to help you explore the tradition in a welcoming, warm space in conversation with a diverse group of people. That means we’ll ask a lot of big questions, but we don’t purport to have any of the big answers. This semester (Fall 2022), we will be offering two different tracks– one focused on exploring big questions in Judaism, and one focused on what Jewish wisdom can teach us about fighting for justice. Apply here. Students who attend at least 8 sessions will receive a $300 stipend. Fall semester cohorts are open to all Yale students. Interested? Questions? E-mail Rachel Leiken.
Building Your Judaism – Wednesdays at 6pm starting on October 26
The purpose of this “class” is to think about what it looks like to build a Jewish life and practice that meets our needs, hopes, and dreams. We’ll think about different elements of Judaism including but not limited to prayer, theology, observance, and justice with the aim of figuring out what it might look like to incorporate these into our daily lives. There is no assumption about what your Jewish life “should” look like; instead, we’ll focus on what is important and nourishing to us and how we might go about building the skills and resources to make it a part of the way we move about the world. This offering is for anyone who has ever asked “what next?” or “Ok, I’m Jewish, or I want to be Jewish, but what does that mean? What can my Judaism look like?”
Intro to Judaism – Fridays at 3pm starting October 14
This (non-credit) course will meet once a week for an introduction to many different aspects of Judaism and Jewish life. Topics will include but are not limited to: the Jewish cycle of time and Jewish holidays, study of some major Jewish texts, halakha (Jewish law), different denominations of Judaism, and more. This class is ideal for anyone who wants to learn more, including those who are reconnecting with Judaism and/or want to deepen their knowledge, those who are in the process of conversion, or those who just want to know more. You do not have to be Jewish to sign up– people of any faith and no faith are welcome!
Yeshivat Yale – Thursdays at 8:30pm on 3rd Floor of Slifka
Beloved weekly hour of Talmudic mayhem, deep camaraderie, and homemade waffles. All are warmly welcome – no background required. We’ll do deep dives on one or more of (1) the question of brain death and organ donation in Jewish law, and (2) liberal-democratic ethics in Talmudic sources, and (3) pluralism in theory and practice.
LGBTorah – Every other Friday at 2pm starting on September 9th in Zucker Reading Room
Join us for a bi-weekly warm and welcoming session of queer text study! We read all types of Jewish texts through a queer lens. Come by all year or drop by for one session. No prior Jewish learning experience or knowledge necessary. All texts will have English translations. All are welcome!
Sunday Night Learning – Sundays, 7pm on 3rd floor of Slifka
Kosher dinner from local restaurants paired with Torah learning curated by Slifka staff
Ambition, Worry, Love, etc: Torah as a Guide to Living – Wednesdays at 6:30pm starting September 7th in Friedman Library (3rd Floor Library)
Each week, we’ll focus on a central, sometimes-wonderful, sometimes-angsty part of what it means to be a person – and we’ll explore the terrain of our experiences, taking Torah as a kind of map. No prior experience with Jewish text study or Hebrew is required – just an open mind and heart. (Dinner provided)
Abortion and Reproductive Rights in Judaism– September 7, 14, 21, and 28 at 12pm
A 4-session course at Yale Law School on Judaism’s approaches to abortion and reproductive rights (lunch provided)
We have lots of wall space in our beautifully reopened building and would love nothing more than to fill it with pieces from you, our wonderful students. Lend us your art and we will proudly display it in our gallery, and the exhibition will be featured in the building’s grand reopening on October 13th. All we need is the piece itself, its title, an artist statement and your name and class year. Along with paintings, drawings, etc., we would love to spotlight your summer experiences, so if you have an amazing photograph you took this summer, we will print it for you. To have your art in the exhibition, send the above information and a photo of the piece (or an image file for a photograph) to Aviva Green.
Blanksteen Artist in Residence Student Cohort
The Blanksteen Artist Residency will run for the first time this year from December to March. We will welcome (name) into our community for these three months during which they will work on a commissioned piece and develop a collaborative project with you, the students. This cohort will meet with the artist in person when they visit Yale and will continue working while the artist completes their piece in their home studio. Students who participate in this cohort will receive a stipend of $200. Click here to sign up. Contact Aviva Green with any questions.
Judaism and Theatre Series – weekly starting September 12th
Nine weeks of learning covering the intersections of theater and Judaism facilitated by YC junior, Catherine Alam-Nist followed by a two-week rehearsal process for a staged reading to be presented at Slifka.
