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AN EXPLORATION OF JEWISH LAW AS WAY OF LIFE (ONLINE)

This course offers an introduction to halakhah as a dynamic and evolving system at the heart of Jewish life. Rather than presenting halakhah simply as a fixed set of rules, the course explores it as an ongoing interpretive conversation that spans centuries, texts, and communities. Participants will engage directly with primary sources from the Torah, Talmud, as well as medieval and contemporary codes and responsa to understand how legal ideas emerge, develop, and represent core values.

Through close reading and guided discussion, participants will gain insight into the methods and principles that shape halakhic reasoning. Emphasis will be placed on the role of disagreement, interpretation, and authority, highlighting how multiple perspectives coexist within the tradition. Select case studies such as Shabbat, kashrut, and prayer, will serve as entry points into lived halakhah, tracing the movement from biblical text to rabbinic elaboration and later codification, including works like the Shulchan Aruch.

The course also introduces key philosophical voices such as Moses Maimonides, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Prof. Mara Benjamin, and others who reflect on the meaning and purpose of halakhic life. Their perspectives invite participants to consider halakhah not only as law, but as a framework for shaping identity, values, and religious experience. By the end of the course, participants will have developed both the skills and conceptual tools to approach halakhic texts thoughtfully and to understand their continued relevance today.

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


Course Structure 

The learning methods used in this course are lecture, chavruta (learning in pairs) and discussions.  

Reading some articles and some primary sources may be included as a home assignment between sessions. 

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior background in Hebrew or Jewish legal study is required. The course is designed for a pluralistic and intellectually engaged audience and encourages participants to reflect on their own relationship to halakhah in contemporary contexts.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom.

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the Teacher

Sofia Freudenstein graduated from Yeshivat Maharat, the first school to ordain women through an Orthodox semikhah rabbinic curriculum, and is completing her master’s degree in Jewish Philosophy at Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School. She is the Director of Jewish Life and Learning for the Jewish Community of Helsinki, Finland.

Sofia enjoys connecting with people, birdwatching, and learning to play the kantele (the Finnish harp).

Photo: “Sea of Halacha: Map of the Oral Law.” Jewish History in the Southern Netherlands, retrieved from Facebook.
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Learning Torah is not simple, layers of text, complex Hebrew. A teacher once told me that everyone should learn the first Rashi of every Torah portion! So, let’s kick this off together. No Hebrew required, we will go through, slowly, each week’s Torah portion according to the Jewish community cycle of reading the Bible. We will read in the original Hebrew each week and then work through one of Rashi’s comments on the Parsha. Trying to understand each word and what Rashi, our most prolific commentator from 12th Century France was trying to tell us. Join us on this magical journey!

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

Course Structure

The learning methods used in this course are reading, lectures and chavruta (learning in pairs).  

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

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. 

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the teacher

Oliver Spike Joseph is a rabbi, teacher, chaplain, podcaster and lover of teaching Torah. His passion is outreach and connecting people to Jewish life. His teaching focus is on Hassidiut, spiritual care and resilience. Oliver works for the European Masorti Bet Din, a rabbinic council which supports communities across Europe from Ukraine to the United Kingdom.

Oliver studied in Jerusalem at the Fuchsberg Centre, a Yeshiva and at the Hartman Institute. He studied at the Tel Aviv University and was ordained as a rabbi at the Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles in 2015. Oliver has worked in Belgium, Canada, Israel, United Kingdom and United States. Oliver is a cancer survivor and a BRCA gene carrier and is a health advocate for greater awareness of the cancer-causing BRCA gene mutation. Oliver’s own challenges and grief have made him a good listener. 

Photo: Postcard portrait of Rashi by Meir Kunstadt, early 1900s. Meir Kunstadt, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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We will explore the cyclical nature of the Hebrew calendar as a map for inner development, supporting both individual and collective healing and transformation. The course is inspired by the energetic gateways of the Tree of Life and teachings from Kabbalah.

This is primarily a movement-based course, and we will be dancing for a significant part of each session.

Each class is structured as an expressive arts and movement-based ritual space, where participants explore the themes of the Jewish calendar through the body.

Each session includes dancing guided by the theme of the Hebrew month and its corresponding holidays, as well as work with the new and full moon cycles as anchors for intention, reflection, and integration. The course begins with Rosh Hashanah, focusing on intention-setting and reflection—clarifying what to release and what to invite in—and continues as an exploration of the cyclical phases of opening, contraction, reflection, and renewal.

Each session also includes short teachings on the monthly themes and holidays, inspiration from Kabbalistic frameworks—including the Tree of Life as a map of inner human experience—expressive arts elements such as writing, drawing, and symbolic reflection (with a primary focus on movement), partner or small-group reflection (chevruta-inspired), and simple ritual elements connected to the time in the calendar.

A central element of the course is working with tikkun (תיקון), a Hebrew concept meaning repair, restoration, or alignment. In this context, it refers to an ongoing process of growth, in which a person becomes more whole by engaging with and transforming patterns, wounds, and potentials. Participants are invited to “dance their tikkun,” exploring their inner landscape through movement, in dialogue with the rhythms of the Jewish year and the symbolic maps of the Tree of Life.

Course Structure

The approach is experiential, embodied, and relational, with an emphasis on learning through direct experience.

The methods used in the course are:

  • Guided movement and dance (embodied learning)
  • Expressive arts (writing, drawing, symbolic exploration)
  • Improvisation, including elements of theatre and clowning
  • Short lectures/teachings
  • Chevruta-style paired and small group reflection
  • Group discussion and sharing
  • Simple ritual practice connected to the Jewish calendar

Home preparation before each session is optional, estimated time 0-2 hours. 

Prior Knowledge 

The course is given in English.
No prior knowledge of dance, Jewish studies, or Kabbalah is required. The course is open to applicants who are curious about exploring the Jewish calendar in an embodied and experiential way, interested in movement, personal reflection, and expressive arts, and open to engaging both individually and as part of a group process.

The movement practice is gently guided and accessible to all bodies and abilities. There is no expectation of performance. Participants will be supported in following their own inner rhythm and energy, rather than external choreography. A central part of the process is learning to listen to the body as a source of insight, developing the ability to notice, trust, and follow what the body is expressing in each moment.

Course Material 

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the Teacher 

Melissa Abecassis is an artist, relationship therapist, and facilitator based in Stockholm, working at the intersection of relational dynamics, embodiment, and Jewish thought. Her practice integrates somatic approaches, expressive arts, movement, and dialogue-based methods to explore themes around identity, relationships, and the dance of life. She creates participatory spaces that support reflection and transformation, with a particular interest in the Hebrew calendar and Kabbalistic perspectives as frameworks for lived, experiential learning.

Photo: Canva/Paideia Folkhögskola
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This course is designed to advance participants’ Hebrew proficiency by engaging with contemporary social, psychological, and environmental topics. It is based on the first three chapters of the textbook Hebrew Matters (Osim Inyan). The curriculum integrates global issues with insights into the cultural fabric of modern Israeli life.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to discuss complex academic and social themes in Hebrew, analyze contemporary Israeli media, including documentaries, news reports, and songs, and apply advanced syntactic structures to describe personal experiences and long-term processes.

For the level Gimmel, participants must pass the placement test for level Bet with a minimum 67 grade. More information below. 

The course runs over one academic year and covers the autumn term of 2026 and the spring term of 2027.

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

Course Structure

The course employs a multifaceted pedagogical approach that balances technical linguistic skills with cultural and thematic analysis. The following methods are used:

  • Text-based comprehension
  • Discussions in Hebrew
  • Creative and reflective writing
  • Audio-visual and multimedia integration
  • Interactive and collaborative learning
  • Analysis of Israeli culture and art
  • Project-based learning
  • Integrated grammar and syntax instruction

This course has a fast pace and is offered in collaboration with the academically oriented One-Year Program in Jewish Studies. Participants are expected to attend all classes and actively engage in their studies. The number of places for participants that are not attending the One-Year Program in Jewish Studies are limited.

Participants need to allocate approximately two hours per lesson for home studies to prepare for the next class.

The course runs over one academic year and covers the autumn term of 2026 and the spring term of 2027.

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

For the level Gimmel, participants must pass the placement test for level Bet with a minimum 67 grade. Access the self-test via the following link:

Hebrew placement test

Include your results in the course application. 

Course Material

All course literature is not included in the cost of this course. The course uses the following book:

  • Hebrew Matters (Hebrew for Intermediate Level), By Tzuki Shay & Gali Huminer, Academon 2020.

Participants have the option to purchase the course book from the school. Please indicate in your application whether you wish to buy the book from the school or if you will obtain it on your own.

Photo: Canva/Paideia Folkhögskola
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If you enjoy Israeli music and want to sing in Hebrew, this is the course for you.

Experience the richness of the Hebrew language through song. In this course we approach the language and have the opportunity to deepen previous knowledge by starting from and working with song texts in Hebrew.

Together we read, sing and listen to songs related to Jewish holidays, Israel, seasons and Jewish history. The classes offer opportunities for fun learning and focus on the participants’ interests.

Bruchim habaim – Welcome!

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

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

Beginners as well as Hebrew speakers are welcome to apply. The course is suitable for everyone regardless of their level of Hebrew. For those who are beginners in Hebrew, song texts with transcribed text are offered.

To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. 

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the Teacher

Anat Samuelson was born and raised in Jerusalem, where she studied vocal studies at the Academy of Music and pedagogy at David Yelin College. She has been teaching Hebrew to adults, youth and children for over 10 years. Anat has a passion for the Hebrew language and a special interest in the origins and roots of Hebrew. Anat sings and performs in various ensembles and studies Kabbalah at Mishkan Hakavana in Israel.

Photo: Paideia/Canva.
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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), meaning knowing 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.

Participants will have access to EDU Soundtrap, an online platform for recording multi-track, to be used as a tool for practising 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 is concluded with a concert.

This course is given in collaboration with Svenska Klezmerföreningen.

Group Division

Participants are divided into groups based on their instrument skills and experience of learning to play by ear without sheet music. Depending on the number of groups and applicants, each group meets for between 1-2 hours.

Participants are expected to learn the melodies by heart, and practice at home, to proceed with learning how to embellish and accompany them.

Prior Knowledge 

The course is given in English.

The course welcomes new as well as previous participants, who have passed the beginner level on their instrument by a good margin.

Participants bring their own instruments. The course is not suitable for guitar players due to its focus on melodies and ornaments. 

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

Participants bring their own instruments.

About the Teacher

Valeria Conte is a multi-talented Italian clarinettist who has studied and performed klezmer music since 2006 (www.valeriaclarinetta.com), exploring the music’s connection to Jewish culture and society. She has participated in various seminars and workshops on klezmer music and Yiddish song & culture in and outside Europe. Valeria holds a BA in classical clarinet and an MA in global music. She has performed internationally in various multicultural environments and world music styles. She currently performs with her band, Valeria’s Klezmer Chariot, and is the leader and organiser of the OAKJS – Klezmer Sessions.

Photo: Aaro Keipi.
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JEWISH MUSIC: ENSEMBLE AND SONG →

During this course, you will learn to play and sing Jewish songs from different traditions: Israeli folk songs, Ashkenazi music (from Eastern Europe) and Sephardi music (from Spain and North Africa).

Our starting point is based on the talents you already have: maybe you play an instrument and want to learn even more, or you like to sing. Any level of instrumentalist and singer is welcome!

Course Structure

We will work with music sheets and recordings. Sheet music and/or recordings will be sent to the participants ahead of time. Participants are expected to learn them and come prepared to play them together in class.

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.
Any level of instrumentalist and singer is welcome! The course welcomes both former and new participants.

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

Participants bring their own instruments.

About the Teacher 

Yinon Muallem is a composer and multi-instrumentalist of Iraqi-Jewish origin, specializing in Ethnic Mediterranean and world music. His work fuses traditional sounds with jazz, classical, and contemporary styles. To date, he has released 12 albums.

Yinon plays the Oud (Arabic lute) and various string instruments, as well as a range of hand percussion instruments from different musical traditions, including Darbuka, frame drums, Spanish Cajón, bongos, and more. Over the years, he has led and participated in numerous intercultural music projects, fostering creative collaboration between musicians from diverse backgrounds. He has given masterclasses and workshops at institutions such as the Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm (2023) and Sibelius Academy, Helsinki (2022).

Photo: Canva/AI.
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KLEZMER – JEWISH INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC →

Under what conditions was Israel established, and what is the country today—a realized dream rising from the ashes of the Holocaust? An attempt to create a utopia? An ordinary country struggling for its existence, or yet another failed state in the Middle East? When did the country cease to be a social-democratic welfare state and become a neoliberal market economy? And is there any possibility of peace with its neighbors?

The course takes us on a journey through historical events, major questions, ideologies, and decisive challenges—the conflicts, violence, and wars, the leaders, political parties, and people who have shaped 75 years of Israeli history. We also address relations between minorities and the majority society, as well as important cultural events.

Paideia folkhögskola also offers the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 2. You can find more information on the course page for that course.

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the Teacher

David Stavrou was born and raised in Israel and is now based in Stockholm. He is a journalist, guide, and teacher. As a journalist, he writes about Sweden, Scandinavia, and Europe for, among others, the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, and about Israel for, among others, Svenska Dagbladet. David’s main areas of focus are issues related to democracy, human rights, genocide, political history, and culture. His book An Israeli Cross, which he co-authored with his brother Daniel Stavrou, was published in 2014 by the Israeli publisher Indibook. David’s second book on the Israeli diaspora in Europe, Leaving Zion, was published in 2020 by the Israeli publisher Pardes. He is married and the father of four sons.

Photo: Haifa, Canva.
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HT26 ISRAELI SOCIETY, HISTORY AND POLITICS – PART 2 →

A course for those who have completed the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 1. Here we take an in-depth look and add new perspectives to some of the topics covered in the first course, using texts, film, political and social analysis, and other sources.

We will discuss topics such as the story of North African and Middle Eastern Jews in the 20th century, pre Herzl Zionism and the conflicts between Theodor Herzl and his Jewish opponents. We will also read key texts by Herzl, Yitzhak Rabin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Berl Katznelson, Haim Arlosoroff, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Reuven Rivlin, and others, and explore more deeply the implications of the 1948, 1967, and 1973 wars and the development of post-war movements such as Gush Emunim (the settler movement) and Shalom Achshav (Peace Now).

As in the first course, these subjects will be complemented by elements of Israeli culture, including music, film, and literature.

Paideia folkhögskola also offers the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 1. You can find more information on the course page for that course.

Prior Knowledge

The course is given in English.

Applicants need to have completed the course Israeli Society, History and Politics – Part 1 or the course Israeli Society, History and Politics. 

Course Material

Course material is included in the cost for this course.

About the Teacher

David Stavrou was born and raised in Israel and is now based in Stockholm. He is a journalist, guide, and teacher. As a journalist, he writes about Sweden, Scandinavia, and Europe for, among others, the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, and about Israel for, among others, Svenska Dagbladet. David’s main areas of focus are issues related to democracy, human rights, genocide, political history, and culture. His book An Israeli Cross, which he co-authored with his brother Daniel Stavrou, was published in 2014 by the Israeli publisher Indibook. David’s second book on the Israeli diaspora in Europe, Leaving Zion, was published in 2020 by the Israeli publisher Pardes. He is married and the father of four sons.

Photo: Haifa, Canva.

 

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ISRAELI SOCIETY, HISTORY, AND POLITICS – PART 1 →

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

The course is given in English.

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.
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