The study of Jewish texts is, more often than not, a social activity. In particular, the Talmud is typically studied in groups of two or more, a method known as chevruta (study partner), in which the group works through the text together and discusses the underlying issues. 

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Course structure

This class is modeled as a Talmud workshop with the students doing the reading and interpreting with support from the lecturer. 

Prior knowledge

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

Hebrew knowledge is helpful but no prior knowledge or Hebrew language skills are required. Participants that can not read Hebrew are still welcome to take part, joining the class discussions and using English translations, such as Sefaria. The students who can read Hebrew take turns reading the original Talmud text.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Joseph Shain studied at yeshiva in Jerusalem and at Bar Ilan University. His interests revolve around oral tradition in early rabbinical Judaism and how it transformed into written form. Joseph drafts and prosecutes patent applications at Grand Patentbyrå AB, a Swedish intellectual property firm.

Photo: Paideia folkhögskola.

Journey Through Israel: Cities, Cultures, and Kibbutzim Life

The course offers a weekly exploration of Israel’s diverse landscapes, cities, and lifestyles. Participants will be guided through the unique cultural dynamics of major cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, as well as rural life in Israel’s famous kibbutzim. The lectures will uncover Israel’s rich history, modern urban life, and communal living, allowing participants to gain a deeper understanding of the country’s complexity.

The aim of the course is to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of Israel’s cultural and geographical diversity, offering a blend of historical insights and modern-day experiences. Through lively discussions, visual presentations, and anecdotes from an experienced tour guide, participants will leave each session with a richer understanding of Israel’s unique communities and regions.

Course structure 

The course will be delivered through lectures combined with interactive discussions. Visual materials, such as photos, maps, and videos, will be used to enhance the learning experience. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and engage in discussions.

Prior knowledge

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed. 

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher 

Joni Sanderovich is a licensed tour guide for both Stockholm and Israel, with over 15 years of professional experience in guiding, event management, and cultural programming. He has also served as a Jewish agency Shaliach (Emissary) in the Jewish community of Stockholm, where he played a key role in fostering cultural exchange and community engagement. Joni’s deep passion for sharing Israel’s rich history and diverse landscapes, from its vibrant cities to the tranquil kibbutzim, has made him a sought-after guide for custom tours. He holds certifications from the Ministry of Tourism of Israel and has guided numerous groups, families, and individuals, creating unforgettable cultural experiences. His unique combination of storytelling, logistical expertise, and attention to detail ensures engaging and informative lectures that are accessible to all.

Photo: Pixabay.

Shabbat is central to Jewish life, but understanding and observing its numerous and complex laws can be a daunting prospect. In this course we will examine primary source texts to discover: The philosophical and metaphysical basis for observing Shabbat. How we mark the beginning and ending of the period of Shabbat through ritual. What the Rabbis understood work and rest to mean, and how they derived the laws of Shabbat. What values are expressed in classical discussions of Shabbat laws.

The course is given in English, in collaboration with Paideia – the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Prior knowledge

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Eiran Davies is a rabbi with roots in London, England. He has studied at Montefiori endowment in London, Midrash sepharadi in Jerusalem and Yeshivat hamivtar in Efrat. He is also an artist, beekeeper and trained goldsmith.

Photo: Canva. 

Yizkor Books have been published since 1943 to commemorate entire Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust. They have been published mainly in Israel, in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English. There have also been publications in other languages, such as Hungarian and German. The books were published by individuals, various organizations, and even school children, reaching peak numbers in the 1960s and 70s. 

The books include a variety of texts, stories, historical overviews, poems, maps, drawings, photographs, and necrologies (lists of Holocaust victims) of the people and the institutions that made up the now-gone Jewish community. The books were created based on the idea that every person in the community was worth remembering, from the poorest beggar to the richest “Gvir” (Yiddish expression for rich person). Yizkor books are a window to knowing everyday Jewish life in Eastern and Central Europe before and during the Holocaust.

In this course, we will examine Yizkor books in person, take a look at their history and the people who published them, as well as discuss the role the books filled in Jewish commemoration of the Holocaust and its victims in the wake of the complete destruction of entire Jewries, and how they approached some areas of society, such as people with disabilities and Jewish-Gentile relations. We will also talk about how valuable books have been used as an essential source of information about Jewish victims of the Holocaust, as well as how we can use the books today to find information about our ancestors and roots.

The New York Public Library has a substantial collection of Yizkor books available digitally online at Yizkor Book Collection – NYPL Digital Collections. 

Prior knowledge
No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

Course material
Course material is included in the cost for this course. 

About the teacher
Lior Becker, PhD, is a modern historian, teacher, and interdisciplinary scholar. His areas of expertise are Holocaust history, historiography and memory, 19th and 20th-century intellectual history, genocide studies, and Eastern-European Jewish history and culture. He has long experience teaching teens and adults in both Sweden and Israel. 

Foto: Pixabay.

Curious about the connection between the color yellow and the Jewish people?

Join us for a journey into the origins of art and fashion and the relations to identity and Antisemitism. Explore how art has been used to influence people’s thoughts and learn about the symbols used in art and design throughout history. From forced accessories to the continuing significance of blood libels, we’ll uncover fascinating insights that resonate even today. 

We will dive into stories from the past, and give a glimpse into the future by introducing technology and creativity. Get ready for an eye-opening experience right from the start!

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Prior knowledge

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Roei Derhi is a visionary fashion designer and a graduate of Shenkar School. Since 2016, he has been based in Stockholm. He was handpicked by H&M as a student, joining their design team and gaining valuable insights into global fashion. He is the founder of PLACEBO, a digital fashion house that converges technology and fashion. Additionally, he serves as a lecturer at Shenkar College and Beckmans. He is a dynamic speaker on cutting-edge topics such as the Metaverse, digital fashion, and fashion tech.

Photo: A yellow garment, the color that has been associated with Jews from the 8th century (CE, common era) through the medieval period. The model in the picture is wearing yellow, presenting a modern interpretation of the Judenhut—the hat Jews were forced to wear in the 13th century. The illustration was made by Roei Derhi by using graphic design and AI software.

Welcome to a series of meetings dedicated to Klezmer music!

We will explore the fantastic and rich repertoire of Eastern-European and American Jewish instrumental folk music: its joyful and melancholic melodies, how to interpret and embellish them with traditional ornamentations, discovering the structure of the melodies and their modes, as well as how to accompany the various dance forms with their diverse and characteristic rhythmical patterns.

The course is taught by ear: participants must have intermediate knowledge of their instruments (no beginners), aka know the names of notes and corresponding positions on their instruments. Music scores are made accessible at the end of the lessons but we will not be reading from them in class. Participants are expected to learn the melodies by heart to proceed with learning how to embellish and accompany them.

In addition, the participants will have access to EDU Soundtrap, an online platform for recording multi-track, to be used as a tool for practicing at home and creating their own arrangements, and will be introduced to MuseScore, an open-source and free music notation software, to be used as a tool for analysis of the tunes learned in the class. The course combines in-person and online meetings and will conclude with a concert.

This course is given in English, in collaboration with Svenska Klezmerföreningen.

Course structure

The course combines in-person meetings at the school and digital meetings online. You cannot partake in the course solely online.

• 4 meet-ups at the school on Thursday evenings (6/2, 13/2, 20/2, 27/2).
• 3 meet-ups at the school daytime on Sundays.
• 6 meet-ups online via Zoom on evenings (weekday and time to be set during the course).
• 1 concluding concert (date and time to be set during the course).

More information will be sent in the admission letter, if you are accepted to the course.

Group division

The participants will be divided into groups depending on the level of knowledge of their instruments and experience in learning by ear. Following on how many groups and participants, each group will meet for 1-2 hours. 

Prior knowledge

Open to instrumentalists with at least an intermediate level of experience on their instruments (no beginners). Due to its focus on melodies and ornamentations, the course is not suitable for guitar players. Participants are asked to bring their own instruments.

To apply, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course. Participants bring their own instruments.

About the teacher

Valeria Conte (valeriaclarinetta.com) is a multi-talented Italian clarinetist who has been studying and performing Klezmer music since 2006, investigating its connection to Jewish culture and civilization. She has attended various seminars and workshops about Klezmer music and Yiddish singing & culture in Europe and beyond. BA in classical clarinet and MA in global music, Valeria has been performing internationally within multicultural settings and other various World music styles. She currently performs in Stockholm with her band Valeria’s Klezmer Chariot and is the leader and organizer of the Open-Air Klezmer Jam Sessions – OAKJS.

Photo: Aaro Keipi.

Our conception of Jewish women on the threshold of modernity is generally forged by the intellectual and social fame of Jewish Salonières. The flamboyancy of individuals like the romantic writer Dorothea Mendelssohn/Veit/Schlegel and Esther Gad/Bernard/Domeier (also known as the German Wollstonecraft), Rahel Levin/Varnhagen and Henriette de Lemos/Herz (whose salons were instrumental in spreading Goethe’s fame throughout Germany), or Fanny Itzig/von Arnstein (who hosted high ranking diplomats during the Congress of Vienna, 1814-15) overshadows the lives and achievements of other Jewish women. While most Salonières sought fame and recognition in non-Jewish society, other women aspired to realize their ambitions in the language of traditional Jewry. The memoirs of the Jewish merchant Glikl of Hameln (1746/47-1724) will serve as our starting point in the quest for female role models in Jewish society through three centuries. The Jewish feminist and social worker Bertha Pappenheim (1859-1936), better known as Freud’s patient “Anna O.”, helps us to bridge the cultural gap with her translations of traditional Yiddish literature into German.

This course traces the lives of Jewish women in central Europe from 1700 until the Holocaust. Starting from different role models that Jewish society/societies ascribed to women during this period, we will discuss possibilities and limitations of female self-assertion. The actual and written biographies of Jewish women will therefore be contrasted with authoritative texts of traditional, enlightened and bourgeois Jewish society, respectively. The course thus combines Jewish cultural history and Gender Studies.

The course is given in collaboration with the Center for Jewish Cultural History, Paris Lodron University, Salzburg and Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Prior knowledge

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

All course material is not included in the cost for this course. You will receive information regarding which course books to purchase on your own, if you get accepted to the course.

About the teacher

Louise Hecht was recently the Lilli and Michael Sommerfreund guest professor at the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien in Heidelberg, Germany. She studied Judaic Studies, German and Spanish literature at the University Vienna, Austria. She holds a PhD in Jewish History from The Hebrew University, Jerusalem (summa cum laude) and a habilitation in Jewish Cultural History from the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg. Her teaching and research focus on cultural and intellectual history, gender studies, printing culture and popular culture in Israel. 

Photo: Bertha Pappenheim (1859-1936) dressed as der Glikl bas Judah Leib. Leopold Pilichowski, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Spiritual Care course for all faiths and none, for professionals, volunteers and those generally interested, addressing key topics that those offering care in communities will face.

Community leaders, clergy and volunteers are called to offer spiritual care in a wide range of settings, at home, on the street, from hospitals to care facilities, from prisons to homeless shelters and for people in different life stages. Spiritual care is offered to children, teenagers and adults, to those who face addiction, illness and death, to those bereaved and to those facing transition and struggle. Spiritual care is any formal or informal interaction in which spiritual and emotional support is offered.

In this course people who are already engaged in providing support and mentoring to communities, those who might be preparing to take on new caring roles and those interested in the topic will explore different ideas and methods of spiritual care.

A prime focus of our course is the elevation of our capacity to listen and how we can offer care for those most vulnerable.

We will also work on our own personal examination and reflection on the toughest parts of what it is to be human. We can better care for others when we better understand our own emotional and spiritual challenges.

The course covers the following key topics: Anxiety and Depression, Community inclusion, Disaster Response, End of Life Spiritual Care, Hospital Chaplaincy, Old Age Spiritual Care, Spiritual Care for Children, Spiritual Care for LGBTQ+, Spiritual Care for Teenagers, Spiritual Care for those in Relationships.  

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden. 

Target group 

People who are already engaged in providing support and mentoring to communities, those who might be preparing to take on new caring roles and those interested in the topic are warmly invited to explore different ideas and methods of spiritual care in this course. 

Prior knowledge

See above under the heading “target group”.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Oliver Spike Joseph, born in the United Kingdom, trained as a rabbi in Israel and the United States. His passion for spiritual care comes, in part, from surviving cancer at a young age and the passing away of his mother and youngest sister. Oliver has worked for small and large communities across the UK, Israel, USA and Europe, and he currently serves as a prison chaplain. Oliver is passionate about the development of pastoral and spiritual care in all the places we meet people. Read more about Oliver on his website.

Photo: Paideia/Canva.

Most of us find reading the Torah, the five books of Moses, an exceptionally challenging task. We are most often reading a translation, large portions of it seem to deal with topics that are of little relevance to a modern reader, and perhaps most challenging of all, we come to it with so many preconceptions that we cannot even begin to really listen to it.

In this course, we will systematically un-learn the ways in which we habitually read text, allowing us to encounter the Torah on its own terms. We will learn specific tools for reading and unpacking the multilayered text of the Torah with a view to discovering our own insights into it.

Prior knowledge

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed. 

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Eiran Davies is a rabbi with roots in London, England. He has studied at Montefiori endowment in London, Midrash sepharadi in Jerusalem and Yeshivat hamivtar in Efrat. He is also an artist, beekeeper and trained goldsmith. 

Photo: Paideia folkhögskola.

What exactly is the Feldenkrais Method? Is it perhaps Jewish Yoga, or 20th-century Yiddish Judo?

Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984), hailing from East European Jewry, was not only a physicist, but also a Judo master. Struggling with a debilitating knee injury, he embarked on a remarkable journey of self-rehabilitation, teaching himself how to walk again. Later on, by drawing from his experience in Judo, observing infant motor and sensory development, and studying several disciplines, he went on to develop a method aimed at improving functions (such as standing, walking, breathing, and perceiving) by enhancing self-awareness.

In our sessions, you will delve into 10 Awareness Through Movement lessons crafted by Dr. Feldenkrais himself. Through these sessions, you’ll unravel unconscious holding patterns that impede your vitality, discovering newfound, natural modes of movement. This journey isn’t just about physicality; it’s about forging a deeper connection with your body and, in turn, with your entire being.

While the experiential aspect forms the cornerstone of our course, we’ll also explore insights from the book “The Feldenkrais Method: Power of Self-Transformation” by Israeli philosopher and Feldenkrais teacher, Abraham Mansbach.

Come and learn by way of sensing, noticing, and studying – the Feldenkrais way!

The course is given in collaboration with Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden. 

Prior knowledge

Both new and previous participants are welcome to apply. 

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.

Course material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Elisabetta Abate is a Feldenkrais® practitioner. As a young woman, she explored uncountable paths towards a better body-mind integration, until she found out that the Feldenkrais Method enables her to feel at home in herself and the situations she’s in. Thus, she joined the III Amsterdam International Feldenkrais Teachers Training (2008-2012), led by Lawrence W. Goldfarb, Ph.D., a direct pupil of Dr. Feldenkrais. Since 2009 she has been teaching the Method to groups and individuals and is currently volunteering in the working group “Feldenkrais and Scientific Research” of the International Feldenkrais Federation. After earning a Ph.D. in Oriental Studies with a specialization in Hebrew and Jewish Studies (Venice 2009), she most happily attended the Paideia One-Year Program in Jewish studies in 2009/2010.

Photo: International Feldenkrais Federation.