15-Mar-2002

Simon Rocker explores an online programme of Jewish studies

Scrolling down my computer screen are the 1,000-year-old words of the poet-philosopher Yehuda Halevi. The extract of his classic argument for the truth of Judaism is courtesy of www.jewishstudies.org, an Internet site which is a perfect example of new technology put to the service of Jewish education.

While you can pluck all sorts of articles, lectures and homilies from the multitude of Judaica sites which which have colonised cyberspace, what is special about this one is that it offers structured, on-line courses in English over a series of weeks, along with interactive questions and answers. The simplicity of its title is matched by its format: it is easy to get around and its promise, “No prior Jewish education background necessary,” shows its hospitality to Judaic, as well as technological, novices.

The site the brainchild of Moshe Zauderer, an enterprising Jerusalem-based American rabbi, previously a lecturer at the Orthodox outreach college Ohr Somayach. More than 2,000 students world-wide take his on-line classes, which cover prayer, Bible, festivals, ethics, and introductions to other sources. More than two-fifths have never had any Jewish education: for a third, it stopped after bar/batmitzvah.

“We’re reaching adults who, because of their busy working schedules, have difficulty getting to classes that may be available in their area,” he said. “Others, because they don’t live in big cities, simply don’t have any classes to go to.”

The Jewish Interactive Studies (JIS) courses are largely free (though there are plans to charge a nominal $20 fee for some in future). Once you register, each lecture is posted on line on a particular day, in a series lasting four to nine weeks.

“Each lecture is about five to six pages, about half-an-hour’s reading,” Rabbi Zauderer explained. “There then are optional questions which people can choose to discuss. Or they can e-mail their own questions and they will receive a personalised response from one of our Jerusalem staff.”

One of the characteristics is that each lecture is based largely on extracts — in translation — from the great tradition of Jewish sources. “It’s a chance for people who don’t have the knowledge or skill to open a page of Maimonides or Midrash in the original to look into three millennia of Jewish literature,” he said. “It’s not me talking, it’s Maimonides, Nachmanides or Saadia Gaon.”

A course on the “foundations of Judaism,” for example, examines the concepts of the love and fear of God. “People feel comfortable about loving God,” Rabbi Zauderer says. ‘But it’s the fear of God many shy away from. But using classic sources can offer a positive approach to the topic, which breaks down the barriers and inhibitions they had in the past.”

One satisfied English user of the site is chartered accountant Stephen Ufland, who works in central London and lives in Edgware, where he is a member of the Yeshurun Synagogue and closely involved with Project Seed. “The beauty is you can study in your own time and at your own convenience,” he says. “You can download the lecture or read it on line. You can refer back to previous weeks’ lectures if you want to. I can do it on a laptop on the train.”

From a middle-of-the-road United Synagogue background, he and his wife Carolyn began becoming more observant some 10 years ago, and moved their children to Jewish schools. Serious study began after a weekend seminar organised by the former London co-ordinator of Project Seed, Bobby Hill, and he now learns twice a week with a study partner. “I wanted to build on my learning so I download a lot of Divrei Torah from the Internet,” he said. “I haven’t come across anything as structured as the JIS site, or where you get such a personal response. The fact that you follow a course gives structure to your learning.”

He first took a nine-week course, on the life of Abraham, about a year-and-a-half ago — so seriously, in fact, that he would devote one evening a week to writing an essay afterwards, which he would then e-mail to Rabbi Zauderer. “I was almost shocked to get such a personal response back — sometimes a few lines of comment, sometimes a few pages.”

The advantage of “interactive” studies is both that students get feedback from a tutor — “you don’t feel isolated” — and enjoy their privacy.

“If you don’t know much, you might feel embarrassed sitting with others in a classroom,” Mr Ufland said. “But this is confidential and you get a personal response back. No one need feel any shame at a lack of knowledge.

“It’s accessible to all levels. You can look at it as an exercise to do if you know nothing about about a subject. Or if you are a teacher, you can use to help you structure your lessons.”

JIS summer courses begin with “Illness and Healing,” June 10; “Bible Overview,” April 8; and “High Holy-day Handbook,” July 29; at www.jewishstudies.org.