(Courtesy of Nishmat) Nestled between Katamon and Malcha in the beautiful Pat neighborhood of Jerusalem is Nishmat: The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women, a vibrant Israeli women’s beit midrash and home of a new seminary program called Liba. Liba Shana B’Aretz is a year-long learning program for religious post-high school young women from around the world who want to grow spiritually, continue to immerse themselves in Torah study and connect to Eretz Yisrael.
Liba’s entire program is designed on the premise that deep intellectual Torah study is only effective when students approach learning by starting from the heart. Only then can a student properly engage her emotional and spiritual intelligence and experience in Avodat Hashem.
Founded in 2022, the Liba program was created to give post-high school students a new option for their year in Jerusalem. In response to demand for high-level, post-high school Tanakh and Gemara learning for English-speaking young women, Nishmat Founder and Chancellor Rabbanit Chana Henkin and senior leadership created Liba. With decades of experience nurturing the minds and hearts of young (and mature) Jewish women with rigorous study, the Nishmat beit midrash was the perfect home for the new program.
“We believe in highest-level Torah learning that embraces the mind, the heart and the spirit,” said Rabbanit Atara Eis, “Torah that becomes a part of all aspects of our lives: in the beit midrash, in the dorms and in your day-to-day life.”
Rabbanit Shira Kahn, who, along with her husband Rav Matityahu Kahn, serves as co-director of Liba said, “It’s not enough to learn stimulating texts on the highest level; we must incorporate our whole selves into our text study. Here at Nishmat, we don’t want you to only grow only with your mind or only with your heart, we want you to learn to amplify both those parts.”
Liba offers a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Israeli culture without needing to be fluent in Hebrew. Classes are taught in English but Liba students can also take courses with Israeli students in Hebrew, according to their preferences.
Yeshiva of Flatbush graduate Esther Laserowitz of Brooklyn enjoyed the way Liba is helping her to grow her Hebrew skills. “They’re very good at pushing you to leave your comfort zone without really pressuring you. When I first came here, I felt super nervous to be surrounded by Hebrew speakers and enter Hebrew classes, but I’ve actually managed to go to a couple of classes all in Hebrew and it’s been amazing.”
Eis feels this duality is one of the most powerful aspects of Liba. “This is what Am Yisrael needs right now, the bonding and the connection between the Anglo and Israeli worlds,” she explained.
Seminary students combine learning with sightseeing, tiyulim, weekly chesed opportunities and more. Classes such as “Sights and Sources” bring seminary students to the actual locations mentioned in the Torah and biblical sources for an immersive learning experience. Students participate in lectures and workshops with prominent Orthodox professionals ranging from business, law, medicine, mental health and the humanities. Under their wisdom and guidance, students learn how to navigate the intersection between the professional world and the world of halacha.
Liba students are paired with a local host family who invite them for off-Shabbat and Yom Tov meals, (when the seminary is not hosting them), and create an additional support system for girls away from their families. Other highlights include a three-day trip to Eilat and a weekend in the mystical city of Tzfat.
Alumna Nili Ivan summed up the seminary best: “If you are looking for teachers who inspire you, challenge you and empower you, then Liba is the place for you.”
To learn more about Liba, visit nishtmat.net/liba or contact Tzipora Templeman,
[email protected] or +972-2-640-4341.
