Adapting in the Kollel and JWAY

JWAYers meet for a discussion in a large meeting room in the Graduate Hotel

JWAYers meet for a discussion in a large meeting room in the Graduate Hotel

In 2020, adaptation is key. We all have made changes in the way we do thing...our learning is no different.

In the Kollel we've made some changes as well. Larger programs are being reimagined or postponed, precautions are being taken, but we will continue learning!

Here are some recent adaptations:

  • In the Building:

    • We have rearranged schedules and creatively used the various rooms in the Kollel building to maximize the number of people we can safely accommodate.

    • It's not uncommon to find every room/office being used by someone on the phone, on the computer, or behind a plexiglass shield giving a shiur or learning with a chavrusa.

    • New positive: With our new, varied ways of learning, chavrusas are better able to manage their schedules and there are less cancellations!

  • JWAY:

    • Our regular Maimonides classes that typically have 20-25 students have been replaced by the Jewish Learning Fellowship which has smaller groups and two options: a 13 week, and a 4 week.

    • Instead of meeting in school classrooms, we have rented a large meeting room in the Graduate hotel to safely host groups of 10 or fewer.

    • While Shabbatons aren't feasible now, we have ramped up our one-on-one and online learning with offerings like the popular podcast fellowship.

    • Social events are critical in building a safe welcoming and growing JWAY community. We've creatively found ways to maintain that critical element with events that allow for distancing such as: Outdoor BBQs in Parks, TopGolf, or Outdoor trips.

  • Programming Changes:

    • Many of our weekly programs such Partners in Torah and the Women's Navi shiur now functioning as hybrids with both in-person and Zoom options.

    • Our Yarchei Kallahs have been reimagined as we've cut out the chavrusa learning and moved the shiur to larger spaces such as Bais Yisroel.

    • We've been able to capitalize on everyone's newfound Zoom proficiency to collaborate with other communities on shiurim such as the Tehillim Project.

    • Audio: Podcast and audio recording are rising in popularity and we're adding new offerings such as Rabbi Breiner's Tefilla Va'ad and Rabbi Stoll's new Yorucha program.

Now we'd like your ideas: How can we adapt to help you learn more? Let me know