Me’ah Jewish Education Program at Tufts

Two-year course starts in October; information session on May 22 at Hillel

“Me’ah” is the Hebrew word for “hundred.” It lends its name to a Jewish adult education program that offers 100 hours of learning about Jewish history and ideas over two years.

This fall, Me’ah will be offered on the Medford/Somerville campus through Tufts Hillel. Leaders at Hillel see the program not only as a way to educate, but as a way to build community among faculty, staff, alumni, parents of Tufts students and others who have a connection to the university.

“We thought it would be a great idea to have all these different constituent groups together,” says Lenny Goldstein, associate director of Tufts Hillel.

Students typically range from “those who have never been inside a synagogue, to those who have had some Hebrew school, to those who went to Jewish day school,” says Lenny Goldstein.Students typically range from “those who have never been inside a synagogue, to those who have had some Hebrew school, to those who went to Jewish day school,” says Lenny Goldstein.
An information session on the program will take place May 22 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the Granoff Family Hillel Center. Bernice Lerner, director of adult learning for Hebrew College in Newton, Mass., and a Tufts staff member who is currently taking the class elsewhere will be available to answer questions.

Me’ah was developed 10 years ago and is run through Hebrew College, an unaffiliated institution of Jewish higher learning, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. Over the course of two years, students meet for weekly sessions to study Jewish history and thought. The curriculum seeks to address this broad subject with depth, yet is designed with busy adult learners in mind, Goldstein says. No previous Jewish education or knowledge of Hebrew language is required.

“I took the class a few years ago,” Goldstein says. “It does not require a ton of time outside the classroom; it just requires people to be intellectually curious and engaged and committed to learning with peers. It’s not just about the holidays and lifecycle events. It covers a really wide swath of Jewish history, and it connects the dots and puts things in context. I like to say, if you had a bad Hebrew school experience—this is not that.”

The course is designed for a pluralistic audience of people from all levels of observance. Students typically range from “those who have never been inside a synagogue, to those who have had some Hebrew school, to those who went to Jewish day school,” Goldstein says. Most of the faculty for the course will be from Hebrew College.

The program will begin in October, and classes will take place on Thursday evenings. The registration deadline is May 30. Tuition is $695 per year, and scholarships are available. Registration forms are available at www.hebrewcollege.edu/meah. For information about the program or financial assistance, contact Goldstein at lenny.goldstein@tufts.edu.

Helene Ragovin can be reached at helene.ragovin@tufts.edu.

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