Overview 

In order to further Ma’ayan’s mission of supporting the growth of women’s Torah learning, Ma’ayan has created a one-year fellowship program for an emerging Orthodox female scholar of Jewish texts. The fellowship will provide mentorship, support the development of the fellow’s pedagogy, and provide opportunities to teach. This new program will identify, cultivate and help launch the next generation of outstanding Orthodox female adult Jewish educators. The program will run for at least three years, beginning in September 2022.

Rationale for the Program

We have witnessed more than a generation of outstanding Orthodox female scholars of Jewish texts, emerging from any number of elite educational institutions designed to support their growth as scholars. To date, however, the Jewish community has not created a structure to support their growth as adult educators. This new fellowship program will begin to address that gap. Mentors will work with the fellow as she considers central challenges in the teaching of Jewish texts, and as she conceptualizes, designs, and revises a class or a course. They will also provide constructive critique as the fellows practice their pedagogy. The experience of this year-long fellowship will provide a pedagogic foundation for a lifetime of contributions to the community.

Who should apply

This fellowship is geared to an Orthodox Jewish woman in North America with a strong background in the study of Jewish texts, who is developing or wishes to develop a practice in teaching text-based adult Jewish education. There is no geographic limitation within North America, but the fellow will be expected to travel to Boston.

Program components

The fellow will teach for Ma’ayan in Boston four times over the course of the year, but the format is flexible. It can be four individual classes, or a class divided into four parts. Long distance travel will be taken into account when planning the timing of the classes.

The fellow will meet with a mentor twice before and once after each class session. The first session will be devoted to design of class content, the second to pedagogy, the third to post-class assessment.

Ma’ayan has recruited experienced educators to serve as mentors who will provide progressive guidance over the course of the year. Mentorship may be provided online, although the mentor will attend the classes in person.

The fellow will produce a brief report reflecting on her experience, at the conclusion of her term.

Stipend

The fellow will earn a stipend of $7000, distributed in two parts, once at the beginning of the year and once at the conclusion of the program. Ma’ayan will also provide travel and housing.