Since our inception in 1986, many top colleges and universities throughout North America have awarded academic credits for Jerusalem Fellowships course work.  Participants are typically awarded between 3-4 academic credits, according to university policy. 

In order to determine whether or not your school will accept Fellowships credits, please bring the following course listings to your department head or faculty advisor.

1) Foundation of Jewish Belief

This course analyzes the foundations by which Jewish tradition approaches the question of belief in a creator and divine revelation.

Topics include:

a) How do we know anything? - faith, belief and knowledge
b) The Jewish concept of a national revelation
c) Revelation and prophecy as a force in Jewish history
d) Archeology of the Bible
e) Biblical criticism
f) Biblical overview
g) Computer analysis of Biblical passages
h) Judaism and Science

Recommended reading:

Permission to Believe - L. Kelemen
Understanding the Bible through Archeology - Harry Orlinsky
The Living Torah - Aryeh Kaplan
Genesis and The Big Bang - Dr. Gerald Schroeder

14 hours – 3/4 credit

2) An Introduction to Jewish Philosophy

The goal of this course is to introduce the key ideas of traditional Jewish philosophy, and compare and contrast them to modern Western philosophical ideas.

Topics include:

a) Free will
b) The Jewish concept of pleasure as the goal of life
c) The role of the intellectual
d) Prayer
e) The definition of meaning
f) Body and soul
g) Jewish values and ethics

Recommended reading:

Nineteen Letters - R. Shimson R. Hirsch
Fundamentals of Belief - R.Y. Weinberg
Duties of the Heart - Bachya Ibn Pakuda
The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism - Dennis Prager

13 hours – 3/4 credit

3) The Arab - Israel Conflict - Analysis

Through speakers covering all aspects of the Arab - Israeli conflict, the students receive a rounded picture of Israel's situation in the Middle East.

*Please note: Speakers may vary from program to program

Summer 1998 Speakers:

Shimon Peres
Benny Begin
Uri Orr
Ezer Weitzman
Natan Sharansky

Recommended reading:

The Siege - Conor Cruise O'Brien
Israel: Embattled Ally - Nadav Safran
The Arab Predicament - Fouad Ajami
Arab and Jew - David K.Shipler

19 hours - 1 & 1/4 credits

4) Contemporary Issues of Jewish Identity

The goal of this course is to examine the issue of Jewish identity in all its aspects: historical, spitritual, and halachic.

Topics include:

a) What is Jewish identity?
b) A historical analysis of the effect of Judaism on the world
c) The concept of chosen people
d) Why Anti-Semitism?
e) Who is a Jew?
f) Pluralism in Jewish belief
g) The effect of the holocaust on Jewish identity
h) What is Jewish Law?

Recommended reading:

Why the Jews - Dennis Prager

14 hours – 3/4 credit

5) Jewish Women's Studies

The goal of this course is to examine the role of women in Judaism and it's implications in today's world.

Topics include:

a) Judaism and Feminism
b) Relationships
c) Jewish Women and Jewish Law

Recommended reading:

The Magic Touch - Gila Manolson
Jewish Women in Jewish Law - Moshe Meiselman
To Be A Jewish Woman - Lisa Aiken
The Jewish Woman - Elizabeth Koltun

19 hours - 1 & 1/4 credits

6) Leadership Development (JFIL Only)

This series helps students develop dynamic leadership skills. The course studies Jewish leaders as role models, and analyzes the skills and strategies for effective leadership.

Topics include:

a) Traits for effective leadership.
b) Famous Jewish leaders as role models.
c) Tools and strategies in leadership.

Recommended reading:

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Steven Covey
The One Minute Manager - Kenneth Blanchard
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Rules for Radicals – Saul D. Alinsky

19 Hours – 1 & 1/4 Credits