The Jewish Theological Seminary - JTS

What lies at the core of the U.S. democratic system? It’s not just majority rule – but the separation of powers and the rule of law.

Our democracy is underpinned by many such profound ideas—but these ideas weren’t only voiced by well-known political thinkers, like John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu. They also appear in classical Jewish literature.

Join Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, for the final session of our Summer 2026 learning series, “America at 250: Jewish Ideas and the American Experiment.”

Session: “Deuteronomy and the Separation of Powers “

When: June 29, 2026, at 1:00–2:15 p.m. ET
Where: Online

Register now: https://loom.ly/_mcwaJk

Hazzan Natasha Hirschhorn, JTS Cantorial School faculty and director of our joint choir with Hebrew Union College, has received the Yovel Award for Jewish Music Composition, part of the 2026 Dr. Jack Gottlieb Jewish Music Studies Endowment Fund for Composition.

This honor, awarded by the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College, recognizes an established artist whose work has made a lasting contribution to the field of Jewish Music.

Learn more: https://loom.ly/gHFxi80

Attention parents, grandparents, and mentors of future Jewish leaders:

It’s not too late for the teenagers in your life to apply to JTS’s Emerging Leaders Fellowship.

In this 9-month program, participants become part of JTS’s 200+ year tradition of critical Jewish scholarship, while exploring some of today’s most meaningful questions about Jewish history and identity. It’s a unique opportunity for growth, learning, and connection with peers who are passionate about Jewish life and leadership.

Priority applications are due June 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Encourage your Jewish teen in grades 10–12 to apply today: https://loom.ly/9XT2myM

Sometimes discoveries are found in the most unexpected places. See for yourself in Jewish Books, Jewish Worlds, The JTS Library’s digital museum experience. Every manuscript and work of art on this website offers insight into the historical lives of Jewish communities and challenges you to find your own place in the story.

This image was included in an 18th century Mahzor from Corfu, an island off the west coast of Greece, near the narrow passage between the Adriatic and Ionian seas, where a small but vibrant Jewish community lived from the time of Venetian hegemony (14th century) until the Holocaust.

Learn more about Mahzor Corfu and other manuscripts spanning a thousand years of Jewish culture, imagination, and resilience at https://loom.ly/7yL0PX0

JTS’s Director of Recruitment and Admissions for Religious and Educational Leadership and Assistant Dean of First Year Rabbinical Students Rabbi Annie Lewis spent a weekend at Camp Ramah in California ("Ojai"), strengthening the . She celebrated Shabbat with the staff, including JTS students and alums, singing, learning, and getting in the zone for a phenomenal summer.

Speaking Up. A just society should be open to hearing challenges and taking them seriously. https://loom.ly/2fKzhXs

When a Question Threatens - Jewish Theological Seminary In this week’s parashah, Korah organizes a group of two hundred and fifty well-respected people to protest Moses and Aaron’s leadership. “You have gone too far,” Korah and his group announce. “For all the community is holy, all of them, and God is in their midst. Why then do you raise your...

“Hebrew connects the Jewish people across the world and across history.”

With a doctorate from JTS’s William Davidson School, Adi Raz directs the modern Hebrew language program at the University of Michigan and co-leads Middlebury’s School of Hebrew in Vermont.

This summer, she shared with Gleanings, a publication of the William Davidson School, to discuss her passion for Hebrew education and the need to balance enthusiasm for the work with ensuring educators possess the professional skills they need to be effective.

Learn more: https://loom.ly/X0nFzGg

ּThinking about Rabbinical or Cantorial school but need extra preparation? Prepare for this next step in your education while living and working wherever you are through JTS’s Mekhinah Program.

Begin your journey with online courses, mentorship, and virtual cohorts.

New cohort begins September 8 and goes through December 14.

In-person intensive meets Thursday, October 15, to Sunday, October 18, 2026, at JTS

Learn more and register: https://loom.ly/nFQoz1g

Over two years, Context participants engage with the core texts and defining moments of Jewish civilization: the Creation narrative and the Revelation at Sinai; the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism and the completion of the Babylonian Talmud; the Jewish encounter with Muslim and Christian host societies in the Middle Ages; and the challenges and creative responses of Jewish life from the Enlightenment to the present.

Classes meet weekly on Zoom with JTS faculty and distinguished scholars. No Hebrew required. No tests, papers, or grades. Only deep Jewish learning in this unique opportunity.

We are offering two sections of Context, either on Monday or Wednesday evenings online at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Monday series will begin in October 2026, and the Wednesday series starts in September 2026. Register at jtsa.edu/context-immersive-jewish-learning