Tikvah Online Academy offers high-level seminars—with small classes, master teachers, and spirited discussions—for students interested in Jewish ideas, Zionism & Israel, American democracy, and Western civilization. It is the ideal supplement to your shana ba’aretz (gap-year) experience, providing a unique opportunity to discuss the important philosophical and policy debates of our era.
✔ Each class meets for 5-7 sessions. All classes are offered at times that will not conflict with your regular program schedule.
✔ The application process is simple but selective.
✔ The gap-year courses are free of charge.
✔ Students must commit to preparing short reading assignments and engaging in class as active participants.
✔ Throughout the semester, all online seminar participants will be invited to three in-person Friday morning gatherings in central Jerusalem featuring a dynamic speaker and a delicious brunch.
✔ Courses are open to all gap-year students regardless of their educational and religious backgrounds.
Learn more about our course offerings by browsing sample seminars below.
Testimonials
"The Tikvah Overseas Institute uniquely and expertly elevated my time in Israel beyond the yeshiva curriculum. With frequent opportunities for learning, discussion, and forming key relationships with prominent Jewish and Israeli thinkers, Tikvah took me beyond the classical texts in an open, Zionistic, and religious environment."
- Eitan Murinson, Student
American Civilization
Nationalism and Immigration
Rabbi Rafi Eis
How to Keep a Divided Nation Together: Lessons from Lincoln and the Torah
Rabbi Rafi Eis
Jewish Integration in American Society: Legal Perspectives
Adina Levine
Halakha and Public Policy in America
Rabbi Shlomo Brody
Jewish Thought
Obligation: A Philosophical
Inquiry into Mitzvot
Dr. Avital Levi
Judaism & Islam – History, Theology, and Politics
Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey Woolf
Philosophy of Tefillah
Rabbi Ilan Schimmel
Jews and Religious Freedom
Dr. Michael A. Helfand
Halakha and the Free Market
Rabbi Jonathan Ziring
Faith & Doubt In Modern Jewish Literature
Sarah Rindner
Zionism & Israel
Zionist Thought and Poetry
Dr. Asael Abelman
Great Zionist Speeches
Dr. Daniel Polisar
Beyond the Headlines: The Major Disputes in Israeli Politics
Talia Dekel-Fleissig
Nationalism, the Jewish State, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Dr. Daniel Polisar
Zionism’s Moments of Truth: Fateful Decisions Toward the Founding of Israel, 1903-1947
Rabbi Shlomo Brody
Finding Israel in Modern Hebrew Literature
Sarah Rindner
Mission Impossible: Israel’s Transformation from a Distant Long-Shot to an Amazing Success Story
Dr. Daniel Polisar