This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page. 

Photo: Paideia/Canva.

This introductory course explores Jewish contributions to art and entertainment across modern history. From paintings and photographs to Broadway musicals, from Hollywood pioneers to contemporary music, we will examine how Jewish creativity has shaped visual, performing, and literary arts.

Each session highlights influential figures and key works while considering the historical, cultural, and social forces that shaped them. Through media excerpts, readings, and discussion, participants will gain insight into how Jewish artists balanced assimilation and identity, challenged stereotypes, and transformed global culture. 

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

Course structure 

The course consists of lectures, videos, chevruta discussions (paired learning) and optional reading homework. 

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. 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

Stav Meishar is an award-winning queer performance maker, multidisciplinary stage artist, academic researcher, and educator. Their work explores the intersection of history and current affairs using tools from the worlds of theater, circus, and contemporary performance. Stav majored in Musical Theater with double minors in Jewish Culture and Gender Studies.  

Photo: Macfadden Publications – TV-Radio Mirror page 40, from the television program The Goldbergs. Pictured from left are: Arlene McQuade (daughter Rosalie), Robert H. Harris (Jake), and Gertrude Berg (Molly).

This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page. 

Photo: Ett fotograferat litografi från 1860 som visar Göteborgs synagoga [Wikipedia].

KABBALAH – JEWISH MYSTICISM AND PERSONAL GROWTH 2 (ONLINE)

There are many ways to deepen and widen Jewish learning, Jewish wisdom and Jewish way of life – for personal growth. Some like to study, some to find ways of engaging with and caring for our community. Some like to practice religious and traditional rituals including prayer, song, dance, and celebrations. And some of us search for deeper, more spiritual meaning – supported with study and practice in our life. 

Kabbalah offers us a way to study both modern and ancient mystical texts and philosophy. And it guides us to test and apply many beautiful concepts, models, rituals and meditations in our own lives, to help us deepen our own spiritual journey.  

The Hebrew word Kabbalah means to receive. Kabbalah supports and guides us to study and reflect deeply, to meditate and to explore their meaning and practice together. When we study Kabbalah, we carve out a time and place to develop our awareness, understanding and readiness to receive insights from the mysteries of the universe and the mysteries in the Jewish mystical tradition – and to share them together. 

The expected learning outcomes of the course are:

• To get to know each other in our group – who we are, what our intentions are and our motivation for studying Kabbalah, what is our background and experience in Jewish knowledge and spiritual development.
• To learn and to get insights in the history of Kabbalah, who the various leaders, scholars and mystics were, to be introduced to the key literary sources of Kabbalah.
• To explore and be introduced to the Tree of Life and its dynamics, The 10 Sephirot, the 4 worlds, and the 5 modes of the soul. 
• To apply kabbalistic sources and philosophy to Jewish holidays.

This course is a continuation from the fall term of 2025.

The course is organized by the Jewish Community of Gothenburg and Paideia folkhögskola, in collaboration with Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Course structure

Kabbalah is both a theoretical philosophy and a practice.

During this course we will:

• read and study texts
• discuss, test and explore the meaning of the texts and models we are reading
• develop and practice rituals, meditations.
• apply the learning and insights to our lives

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English. The teacher understands both English and Swedish. Participants are welcome to speak in Swedish in the smaller group meetings if all members of the group speak Swedish.

This course is a continuation from the fall term of 2025 and is primarily aimed at previous participants. If you have prior knowledge of Kabbalah, you are also welcome to apply. Include your previous experience and relevant information about yourself in the application form.

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

Sari Scheinberg was born and raised in New York City where she attended Yeshivat Ramaz for 13 years (learning Hebrew, Torah, Talmud and so on) and continued her education and development as a gestalt and organisation psychologist. Sari moved to Sweden in 1990 for love and has been working as a teacher and action researcher in Sweden and around the world. In Sweden she has been dedicated to developing and leading programs to work with issues concerning well-being, human rights and integration. And she has been working with Swedish and European AID programs for over 40 years – designing and leading research, development and innovation programs around the world.

Sari has always been very active in living and developing her Jewish life. In Sweden she has been part of the team developing and now leading the Egalitarian – Masorti Section of the Jewish community. Sari has been fascinated by Kabbalah since she was young – reading and studying Kabbalah with various teachers. Sari designed and started teaching her own Kabbalah classes in Göteborg – leading one group for nearly 18 years. After a break, she resumed teaching, exploring, and guiding a Kabbalah group in the autumn of 2025.

Photo: Pixabay/Canva.

This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page. 

Photo: Paideia/Canva.

Ever wondered why crinolines ballooned so wide? Why did Romans drape togas, courtiers powdered wigs, or Victorians cinched corsets so tight? What did Jewish people use to wear in different times? This course is a fast-paced journey from classical antiquity to the late 19th century, exploring how fashion, art, and society continually shaped one another. We’ll decode silhouettes and textiles through paintings, prints, and surviving garments—from tunics and togas to ruffs, panniers, tailcoats, and bustles—asking what they reveal about identity, technology, trade, politics, and power.

Through lively discussion and close looking, you’ll learn to “read” dress as historical evidence and see how past trends still echo in today’s culture and wardrobes. Along the way, we’ll trace a distinct Jewish thread—examining dress, law, and custom from antiquity to Victorian Europe—to see how diaspora, faith, and migration shaped what Jews wore and how they were portrayed.

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

Course structure

The course will be taught through visual lectures, group discussions, and guided analysis of artworks, historical portraits, and fashion imagery. We’ll explore silhouettes, fabric representation, and stylistic codes in visual culture from Antiquity to the 19th century.

Each session encourages participants to observe, decode, and discuss how clothing reflects status, gender, identity, and politics throughout history.

As part of the course participants are given the assignment to create a 5-minute presentation.

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed. This course is open to anyone interested in fashion, art, or cultural history. 

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.

About the teacher

Roei Derhi is a designer and lecturer specializing in the intersection of fashion, art, and cultural history. He has worked with institutions across Europe and the Middle East, and his teaching focuses on how visual culture creates meaning, identity, and power structures. His recent research focuses on antisemitism and the politics of representation in visual media.

Photo: Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty, 1775.

This page is not available in English as this course is given in Swedish.
For information about the course, we refer to the Swedish course page. 

Photo: Painting by Jean Hessel.

MODERN HEBREW: HEADLINES AND BEYOND – EXPLORING THE NEWS (ONLINE)

This course is designed for those who are already fluent in spoken and written Hebrew, and who wish to maintain and deepen their knowledge of the language by reading and discussing news articles and current events. During the course, we use material from various Hebrew-language newspapers, as well as TV reports and news programs.

We read texts on topics such as politics, society, culture and global events, and discuss the content together in the group. Active participation is important, as is the willingness and ability to engage in conversations in Hebrew about what we read. The classes are taught in Hebrew and welcome participants who speak both English and Swedish in addition to Hebrew.

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

Bruchim habaim, welcome!

Click here to see a compilation of all courses in Hebrew that the school offers for the spring semester of 2026.

Course structure

Participants are expected to have regular attendance at the course sessions and participate in discussions and exercises with other participants. Your active presence is important, as well as the willingness and ability to participate in conversations in Hebrew about what we read. Homework between sessions is part of the course structure.

Prior knowledge

The course is taught in Hebrew and welcomes participants who speak both English and Swedish in addition to Hebrew.

The course is aimed at those who are already fluent in spoken and written Hebrew, and who want to maintain and deepen their knowledge of the language. You need to be able to read a newspaper article in Hebrew (for sample please see below), understand the content you read and be able to discuss the article in the group.

Please indicate prior knowledge in your application. You can test your level by reading a sample article in Simanim magazine.

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 in the form of digital material is included in the cost. The teacher will provide digital copies of articles. You can choose to take out your own subscription (not included in the course cost) to the digital magazine Simanim, which you will then purchase yourself. You will receive more information if you are accepted to the 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: Pixabay.

HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF THE JEWISH ENLIGHTENMENT (HASKALAH) IN CENTRAL EUROPE (ONLINE)

After an introductory discussion of the question “What is Enlightenment?”, the course will explore the boundaries between Haskalah (the Jewish Enlightenment) and the broader Enlightenment. We will also examine how the Christian discourse on Jews contrasted with new Jewish self-definitions during the eighteenth century.

Focusing on topics such as language, social discipline, education, the press, and gender, the course will analyze how cultural ideas and practices were transferred between Jewish and non-Jewish societies, offering insight into the complex interactions and exchanges of this fascinating period.

The course is given in collaboration with the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg and Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.

Course structure

Close reading and discussion of source texts (in English translation).
Participants need to calculate for approximately one hour of preparation work at home before each class. 

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

No prior knowledge about the subject is needed. A readiness to engage with texts is desirable. 

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. Additional reading may be recommended by the teacher and is if so to be acquired by the participants. The teacher will inform you of this, if you get accepted to the course.

About the teacher

Louise Hecht is a Jewish historian, trained at the University of Vienna and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Her teaching and research focuses on the cultural and legal history of Jews in central Europe since the seventeenth century.

Photo: Lessing and Lavater as guests in the home of Moses Mendelssohn. Painting by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, 1856.

Jews throughout the centuries have expressed their faith through prayer possibly more than any other medium. This course will analyze how the Siddur – the Jewish prayer book, was compiled, and how it changed organically over two millennia, going back to Tannaic and Talmudic sources.

This course is not a prayer tutorial, but rather an in-depth analysis of the prayer texts and their relation to the laws of prayer found in the Mishna and the Talmud.

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

Prior knowledge

The course is given in English.

Hebrew knowledge is helpful but no prior knowledge or Hebrew language skills are required. The texts are read in English, if they are available in translation.

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 a 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 that he founded himself.

Photo: Canva.