Tikvah's Lobel Center for Jewish Classical Education is building a community of educators committed to studying and teaching the fundamentals of Western civilization through a Jewish lens.
Join our community by taking part in the Lobel Teachers Colloquia, our flagship series of in-person retreats hosted in cooperation with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University.
Our colloquia are dynamic three-day intellectual retreats where you will connect with like-minded educators who share your interest in the Jewish classical movement. Together, we will build a model of education which will engage your students on the extraordinary role that the Jewish people have played in the human story.
Two colloquia will be offered in 2024: one from June 2–4, and another from August 18–20. Each session is a standalone event, beginning midday Sunday and ending Tuesday afternoon. Participants attend only one session.
All expenses are covered, including travel, kosher meals, and lodging at Princeton's historic Nassau Inn.
The Lobel Colloquia will convene at the historic Nassau Inn in Princeton, New Jersey, just steps from Princeton University’s beautiful campus. The Inn traces its roots to before the American Revolution and once hosted members of the Continental Congress.
Every participant at the Lobel Colloquia will:
You’ll learn from some of the leading voices in our movement. Previous speakers have included:
By the time you head home, you will have gained new resources and opportunities to create lasting change in your classroom, your school, and your students’ lives. Following the colloquium, you’ll be invited to join a Lobel practice group focused on your area of interest, expertise, or grade-level specialization. You will enjoy:
Meet a growing number of teachers like you, in schools across the country, who are pioneering Jewish classical education.
Teachers in our network receive texts, teacher guides, and student materials to bring into their classrooms.
Our practice groups allow you to continue learning from and being inspired by colleagues and master teachers.
The Lobel Teachers Colloquium is for experienced teachers, aspiring teachers, and educational leaders interested in exploring the ideas, aims, and methods of Jewish classical education. Below is an overview of the types of individuals we encourage to apply. Applications will be considered from any individual with a demonstrated interest in Jewish classical education.
Current full-time or part-time educators who teach history, literature, language arts, or other General Studies subjects at Jewish day schools and yeshivas. This includes elementary, middle school, and high school teachers. While the classical education model has a special focus on the humanities, we encourage math and science teachers with a strong interest in promoting classical education to apply as well.
Current full-time or part-time teachers in Judaic Studies—including Bible, Gemara, Jewish thought, and modern Hebrew. We are especially interested in teachers eager to explore the connection between Jewish ideas and Western civilization through the careful comparative study of Jewish and classical texts. We are also interested in Judaic Studies educators and rabbis interested in expanding their teaching portfolio into General Studies fields.
Incoming teachers seeking to enter the field of Jewish day school education. Candidates will include current undergraduate and graduate students (M.A., Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.), as well as rabbinical students interested in bridging the worlds of Jewish and General Studies.
Many professionals in other fields are interested in switching careers and entering the world of Jewish day school education. The Lobel Teachers Colloquium will give experienced and established professionals a pathway for launching a new career in Jewish classical education.
Current heads of Jewish day schools and department chairs in key subjects, interested in exploring whether the Jewish classical approach to learning might be relevant at their home institutions.
Many lay leaders and Jewish day school board members have expressed an interest in bringing Jewish classical education into their existing schools or founding new Jewish schools shaped by the Jewish classical vision and curriculum. These colloquia will give interested lay leaders a deeper appreciation of how Jewish classical education works and what might be possible in their own communities.
