A Tribute to our Girls
What do they do when they go to a "Seminary"?

It is customary that many North American Jewish girls spend the year after high-school graduation, in Israel, in an accredited college of Jewish studies for women, otherwise known as a Seminary. Upon their return, they can use the credits earned in the seminary towards their degrees in many universities and colleges of their choice. When Chana from NY left her home to study in Israel for a year, she decided to set up a blog to let the world know of her experiences. You can read all about it in the Sem Girl.

Although not very fashionable among us the Persian Jews, this custom has already prompted many brave Persian girls from NY, LA, etc. to spend a year learning in Jerusalem or the vicinity. The question is, why do they do it? Why do the leave the secure bosom of their parents and communities, to spend a year away from home, friends and loved ones? In brief, they do it because they have reached the conclusion that they would like to explore Judaism in a serious and scholarly way in order to make important life choices about careers, motherhood, living with Jewish values, etc. But, what do they learn whet they get there? Below is a sample of studies offered in one such seminary called Neve Yerushalayim:

JEWISH PHILOSOPHY:
Jewish Laws and Customs and The Meaning Behind Them;
Role of Women in Judaism;
Free Will vs. Determinism;
Jews and Non-Jews;
Human Potential in Judaism;
Jewish Mysticism;
Existence of G-d;
Judaism and Science;
Philosophy of Jewish Prayer;
Sources in Jewish Law;
Classical Texts in Jewish Thought

BIBLICAL and RABBINIC TEXTS:
Language and Concepts of Biblical Texts;
Parshat HaShavua (weekly Torah portion);
Rabbinic texts such as Ethics of the Fathers;
Midrash and Commentaries.

PRACTICAL JUDAISM:
Kashrut and Its Spiritual Relevance;
Shabbat and Holiday Observances;
Jewish Law in Relation to Contemporary Issues;
The Soul of Jewish Law;
Transmission of the Oral Tradition.

HEBREW LANGUAGE:
Modern Hebrew (multi-level ulpan);
Classical Hebrew Texts;
Meaning and Mechanics of the Prayer book.

JEWISH HISTORY:
The Holocaust;
Meaning of Jewish Nationhood and Its History in the Land of Israel;
Historical Verification of the Torah

But apart from all the academic learning and lively discussions with brilliant rabbis and educators, they get to have a lot of fun traveling up and down the country and meeting a lot of interesting people. These girls come back as committed young Jews, with a resolved sense of Jewish pride and purpose in their lives.

So, next time you see a bright and serious minded Jewish Iranian girl, there is a good chance that she just came back from a seminary in Israel.