Interested in earning credit for participating in the beit midrash? Here’s all you need to do as a student enrolled in JS123:
- Participate actively in at least five of the six Jewish Ideas Lab sessions during the semester, submitting a brief reflection after each.
- Meet with the faculty convener (Prof. David Freidenreich) at least twice during the semester to discuss your experiences.
- Complete an end-of-term assignment in which you build your own miniature beit midrash session.
Regular attendance and active participation is expected. Students who miss multiple sessions or reflections will only earn course credit under exceptional circumstances.
Reflections can take any form you’d like! Past reflections include informal writing, original music lyrics, cartoons, and selfie video monologues. The point is to demonstrate that you’re continuing to think about the ideas we discussed together. Please complete this assignment no sooner than Wednesday (that is, not immediately after the session) and no later than Saturday.
Fall 2026 sessions meet from 7-9 pm on the following dates with the following facilitators:
- Tuesday, Sept. 15: facilitated by Prof. Lauren Cohen Fisher
- Tuesday, Sept. 29: facilitated by Prof. Chris Walker
- Tuesday, Oct. 20: facilitated by Prof. David Freidenreich
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: facilitated by Rabbi Erica Asch
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: facilitated by Isadora Wells ’26
- Tuesday, Dec. 8: facilitated by Owen Druel ’27, Elias Kemp ’27, Erica O’Donnell ’27, and Ben Wintersteen ’27