Dr. Julie Goldstein never planned on opening up a seminary for young women spending a gap year studying in Israel. It was just one of those things that seemed to evolve on its own.
As a teacher at Ma’ayanot High School in Teaneck and New York University with a PhD in Jewish studies and medieval history, Dr. Goldstein enjoyed and found meaning in the many aspects of her professional life. But after spending a year in Israel doing postdoctoral work, Dr. Goldstein and her husband, Rabbi Uri Goldstein, who until last summer was Rabbi of Fair Lawns’ Congregation Ahavat Achim, found themselves planning a permanent move to Israel.
“It had always been on our minds, although we didn’t know how or when it would happen,” Dr. Goldstein told The Jewish Link. “After that year in Israel we found ourselves really keen on settling there permanently and I would talk to my students about what I would do if we moved.”
Taking her place somewhere in the seminary world had, in fact, crossed Dr. Goldstein’s mind, albeit fleetingly, since she knew that her own way of studying and teaching Jewish texts, a fusion of traditional learning and modern scholarship, would be somewhat of an anomaly in that arena. But as thoughts of seminary lingered in her mind, Dr. Goldstein found herself encouraged by her students, who were inspired by her teaching techniques, to open up a school of her own.
“They kept telling me that they loved to learn Torah in such a broad way, where no source or question is off the table, where their voices and perspectives matter and they are pushed to think higher,” remarked Dr. Goldstein. “They hoped to find a seminary that would cultivate this kind of thinking.”
Buoyed by her students’ enthusiasm, Dr. Goldstein began contemplating her ideal seminary. Tinkering with her vision and creating a course catalog, she realized that the school she pictured didn’t exist. She shared her dream curriculum with Israel guidance counselors at several schools, with each one encouraging her to open her own seminary.
“They agreed that students today come into a classroom differently than the way I did,” said Dr. Goldstein. “With a massive amount of information at their fingertips, they are empowered in a way that my generation was not, to navigate, select and interpret information and to even play devil’s advocate with their teachers. The way they learn Torah should follow suit and speak to this kind of empowerment.”
Dr. Goldstein sought out the advice of others, speaking to students, parents, more guidance counselors and her own mentors at Yeshiva University and NYU and as her plan gained definition and solid support from the community, Dr. Goldstein contacted a real estate broker in search of suitable locations for a girls’ seminary, in Modi’in, a vibrant, modern city with a strong English-speaking population.
“The broker told me that before we went any further, she wanted to let me know that the rabbi of a boys’ yeshiva in Modi’in was thinking about opening up a midrasha on the other side of town and that she thought we would work well together,” said Dr. Goldstein.
The subsequent exchange between Dr. Goldstein and Rabbi Dr. Darrell Ginsburg turned out to be a turning point for the program and the two formed a partnership. Dr. Goldstein took on the role of head of school and educational visionary, while Rabbi Dr. Ginsburg signed on as director and, with that, Amudim, an innovative program with a motto of “think higher,” was born.
Amudim is founded on seven pillars: inquiry, imagination, innovation, individuality, introspection, invigoration and Israel. Students will be encouraged to ask questions, look at Jewish texts from different angles and develop a method of study that will facilitate lifelong Torah learning.
“We have very carefully put things into place to make this a reality,” said Dr. Goldstein. “Every day, for example, we start off with a special methods class where we work to create a toolbox for Torah study that students can take with them when they leave the halls of Amudim. Our Sunday night build-a-shiur workshop literally trains students to weave the texts together in a way that allows them to actually give a shiur, if they want to. Wherever their next steps take them in life, I want them to be the ones who have the capability to learn on their own and give Torah over to others.”
Central to Amudim’s mission is an emphasis on spirituality.
“The whole point is to bring students closer to Torah and mitzvot and to make learning and living Torah spiritually meaningful for them,” said Dr. Goldstein. “This happens through the discoveries and epiphanies that come out of the specific learning style at Amudim but also out of the unforgettable Shabbatonim, chagigot and even tiyulim, which dovetail perfectly with the classes so that they enhance the experience and create a heightened spiritual moment. It’s one thing to climb a mountain, see a crater and marvel at the sheer beauty of the land of Israel; it reaches a higher level if you do that after having just discussed the interaction between religion and science.”
After moving to Israel this past summer with her family, Dr. Goldstein began locating dynamic, engaging teachers who maintain the balance between mesorah and modernity. She also conscientiously pursued up-and-coming female scholars doing cutting-edge work in the study of Jewish texts who can serve as strong religious role models for her students.
Amudim is set to welcome its first class in September 2017. The entire infrastructure of the school, from its hand-picked faculty to its cell phone and health insurance plans, is already in place and Amudim has already received dozens of applications from eager high school seniors. Dr. Goldstein looks forward to choosing young women who are highly motivated and intellectually adventurous.
Much of Amudim’s faculty lives in Modi’in and students will live in apartments, rather than a dormitory, allowing students to draw their own conclusions and make their own decisions both in their educational endeavors and their daily lives.
“They will be living right near the mall, the tachana merkazit and Terem,” said Dr. Goldstein. “We will also be making bikes available to our students, because we want them to feel invigorated, alive and that this year is about encounters and exploration. Our girls will have 525,600 minutes in Israel and we want them to make the most of every single one.”
For more information about Amudim visit them online at www.AmudimIsrael.org.
By Sandy Eller
Sandy Eller is a freelance writer who writes for numerous websites, newspapers, magazines and many private clients. She can be contacted at [email protected].
