OUR COMMUNITY
16 Detroit-area rabbis and Jewish educators gathered in person at Temple Israel to learn about Thoughtful Judaism.
Thoughtful Judaism New class answers what it means to be a “member of the tribe.”
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
J
ewish learners in Metro Detroit from teens to adults can embark upon a new path to study — thanks to “Thoughtful Judaism,” a new curriculum designed by the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem. Taking a pluralistic approach to Jewish education, the course will spark deeper conversations on where today’s Jews fit in with their tribe — in terms of faith, ethics, practice and community. Thoughtful Judaism is brought to Detroit by a twoyear $60,000 grant from the Hermelin-Davidson Center for Congregation Excellence. According to Rebecca
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Starr, director of regional programs for the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, Thoughtful Rebecca Judaism is a curStarr riculum based on wide-sweeping thoughts and concepts about Jewish identity and peoplehood for the 21st century rather than focusing on the details of practicing the religion. She hopes that the new curriculum will lead to the “deep meaningful conversations” that people in the Jewish community need to have as they continue to deal with and emerge from the pandemic.
“The Detroit Jewish community needs to shake the notion that they can wait out the pandemic and go back to the synagogue or other Jewish institutions just as they did in 2019,” Starr said. “Going back to shul will be different, and so will the way we do Jewish learning and education. Thoughtful Judaism is much more about answering questions like what it means to be part of a collective, a tribal people and what is my role in this collective. “It’s much different from answering questions like, when and how do we light Shabbat and Chanukah candles. Those elements are
important, too, but this curriculum is designed to elevate the conversation about Judaism.” TRAINING EDUCATORS Early in August, Starr trained 17 local rabbis and Jewish educators from 13 area Jewish institutions on the adaptable, modular curriculum at an in-person seminar at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. “The big takeaway we gave to those who attended the training [in person and on Zoom] was: The Hartman Institute gives you the four volumes of the curriculum, and you have the creativity and know your constituents and the ways to create classes for them,” Starr said.
