Tikvah Online Academy Winter 2022 Orientation Event
At the start of winter semester, parents joined our team to learn more about Tikvah’s work. Current and prospective parents are invited to watch this recording and learn more about how Tikvah can play a role in your child’s education from grade school to high school to college and beyond. We also share opportunities for parents and adult learners in your family to study and grow with Tikvah.
Tikvah Online Academy Open Houses
In 2021, Tikvah Online Academy hosted a conversation series addressing the animating spirit of our programs as they relate to the questions of the day. Rabbi Mark Gottlieb, Dean of Tikvah Online Academy and Senior Director at the Tikvah Fund, was joined by some of America’s leading Jewish educators and public intellectuals—Rabbi David Wolpe, Dr. Christine Rosen, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, and Dr. Rachel Fish—in conversation on important questions for Jewish parents. These conversations—which you can find below, in their entirety—were an opportunity to explore essential issues in today’s parenting and educational landscape and to learn more about the growing role that Tikvah plays in addressing these challenges.
The series was open to all invested in the education of the rising generation, especially to parents, grandparents, and educators. We invite you to browse the conversations and learn more about what Tikvah Online Academy can offer the students in your life.
Building a Roadmap for Your Child’s Post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah Jewish Education
Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles
Recorded Thursday, August 24, 2021
The bnei mitzvah ceremony is supposed to be an initiation ceremony—marking the moment when a young Jew becomes responsible for his or her own Jewish life and education. But for too many young Jews the bar/bat mitzvah marks the end of their formal Jewish education, rather than the beginning. A renowned leader in the Conservative Movement, Rabbi David Wolpe will diagnose the state of Jewish education for students in secular schools. Why and how have our communal institutions failed a generation of young Jews? Was supplemental Jewish education always like this? What should Jewish teens be learning after their bar/bat mitzvah? And what are the paths forward?
How Can We Teach Our Children to Value Free Speech in Today’s Cancel Culture?
Dr. Christine Rosen, Commentary Magazine
Recorded Sunday, August 29, 2021
Sensible Americans all over the country are rightfully worried about the future of free expression in our society. But do our children even recognize the value of free speech? Will they be prepared to defend the principles of a free society when confronted by politically correct peers and teachers—or will they conform to the woke pressure faced by so many young people today? These questions are essential if our children are to assume civic responsibility for the American way of life. Commentary columnist and scholar Dr. Christine Rosen will share her tips for every parent who wants to raise resilient children in the face of our cultural chaos.
How Can American History Prepare Us for the High Holidays?
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, Congregation Shearith Israel & Yeshiva University
Recorded Thursday, September 2, 2021
What can American history teach us about the most profound ideas in Jewish life? Led by Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, we will explore a singular moment in American history that embodies the spirit of the High Holidays. In 1862, Union Major-General Ulysses S. Grant formally expelled all Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Although quickly overturned by President Lincoln, this radically understudied act is remarkable for its overt anti-Semitism. Even more remarkable, however, is the story of Grant’s journey to atone and repair his relationship with American Jews. As we begin the Jewish New Year, American Jews should reflect on this salient example of repentance to inform our own journeys of teshuva.
Is My Child’s Zionist Education Enough?
Dr. Rachel Fish, Schusterman Center for Israel Studies
Recorded Monday, September 13, 2021
Social media is rapidly changing the way people communicate, and the discourse on Israel is no exception. People of all ages—especially students—now engage in political debate on their phones and computers. Disinformation is rampant, and even the most ardent Zionists can feel lost in the new matrix of Instagram graphics and Snapchat stories maliciously accusing the Jewish state of unforgivable crimes. How can we educate young Jews to be confident Zionists in the digital age? Scholar and activist Dr. Rachel Fish will examine the current discourse on Israel among teens and will argue for a new approach to Israel advocacy.
Great Speeches & Great Leaders Speakers Series
As the culmination of our summer “Great Speeches & Great Leaders” program—where students studied speeches as a gateway to understanding the thinking of great leaders as they seek to effect change—we were thrilled to invite students and their families to participate in live conversation and Q&A with three world-class professionals with the highest levels of experience in leading through both words and deeds. Our conversations with Becket Fund President Mark Rienzi, Col. Roy Tamir, of the Israel Defense Forces, and former White House speechwriter Peter Robinson can be found below.
Arguing Before the Supreme Court
Mark Rienzi, The Becket Fund
Recorded Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Are you interested learning about what it takes to argue and win a case before U.S. Supreme Court? We’ll be joined by Becket Fund President Mark Rienzi, who has represented the winning parties in a variety of Supreme Court First Amendment cases including Hobby Lobby, Little Sisters, Wheaton College, and Holt.
Military Leadership and Moments of Decision
Roy Tamir, Israel Defense Forces
Recorded Sunday, August 22, 2021
Are you interested in the hard strategic questions that face the Israeli military? Join Colonel Roy Tamir of the Israel Defense Forces, who will share insights from some of the most challenging moments he faced in his roles helping to lead the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate and Southern Command.
Crafting President Reagan’s Berlin Wall Speech
Peter Robinson, The Hoover Institution
Recorded Monday, August 30, 2021
Would you like to learn what it takes to write one of the most famous and inspiring speeches in modern American history? Join Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution, who will discuss his role in writing President Reagan famous “Tear Down this Wall” speech, a speech that was taught in the 11th-12th grade division of our program.
