Program Overview
Application: The Tikvah Overseas Seminars offers gap-year students supplementary programming focused on Zionism and statesmanship, Western philosophy, Jewish history, and more.
The timeline to apply for the Tikvah Overseas program is as follows:
October 7th (midnight): Application closes
October 9th-October 26th: 15 minute interviews with Tikvah staff (if you apply earlier, you may also interview in September/early October)
October 27th: Students will be informed if they have been accepted to the cohort
Please read through the application carefully and answer each required part. This is a selective program with a limited number of spots, so please understand that we receive more qualified applications than we can accept to the program. We will take the time to review each and every application carefully and thoroughly.
Program: Programming for TOS 5783 will begin with an in-person event at the Tikvah Israel office on November 4th.
TOS is a hybrid program of online and in-person programming.
Seminars: Every student accepted into the TOS 5783 cohort will choose a seminar track (held over zoom and in person). Each track will meet nine times over the course of the year, three times in person and six times over zoom. The zoom seminars will take place during your lunch break (1:30-2:45 PM), and the in-person seminars will meet on Friday morning at our Jerusalem office. Seminars meet for 75 minutes.
The tracks are as follows:
- Faith, Freedom, and Philosophy in Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov (with Rabbi Mitch Rocklin)
- Great Leaders and Decisive Moments in Zionist History (with Dr. Daniel Polisar)
- Judaism in the Public Sphere: Religion, State, and Halacha (with Rabbi Shlomo Brody)
Descriptions of each track and the faculty teaching these seminars can be found on the ‘Seminars’ and ‘Faculty’ pages.
Friday Round Table: In addition to our zoom seminars, TOS hosts in-person events primarily at our Jerusalem office (though we will have some trips as well!), featuring lectures and debates with leading Israel public figures on critical issues facing Israeli society and the world. A delicious meal will be served at every in-person event.
Dates for each in-person event can be found on the ‘Friday Round Table’ page.
After Pesach (April 23rd until the end of May), we will turn our focus, both for in-person and online programming, to topics students will likely face on college campuses. Those seminars and events will take place with the entire cohort together.
Shabbatonim: TOS will host two shabbatonim during the year. The first will take place November 18th-19th. The second will take place March 10th-11th. More details TBD.
Students must commit to regular attendance for both in-person events and online seminars. Additionally, participants will be expected to carefully prepare the assigned readings for their classes. Since this is a selective program with a limited number of spots. We expect enrolled students to meet these reasonable requirements. Students who are unable to meet our requirements may be asked to leave the program.
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