Courses
The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ) provides learning opportunities for individuals and communities, as well as professional training for Life Cycle Officiants, Leaders, and Rabbis. These opportunities include online and in-person seminars, recordings of past learning sessions and conferences, and recommended reading lists. Our learning opportunities are organized as Jewish Culture, Jewish History, Professional Skills, and Secular Humanistic Judaism.
Individualized learning
Individualized learning can be accomplished in many ways. Our Adult Learning pages are designed to help individuals read, view, and explore their own path through Jewish history, culture, and thought. These include numerous video playlists of past IISHJ Colloquium conferences and weekend seminars, which learners can also browse on their own at the IISHJ’s YouTube Channel. The IISHJ’s many publications are also excellent resources for individual study. If you would like recommendations for particular areas study or to speak with IISHJ faculty regarding a personalized reading and viewing list, please contact us at info@iishj.org.
Community learning
Community learning can also take many forms. Discussion guides are available for many of our publications, which can be used by facilitators to lead book discussion groups. Videos of past seminars and Colloquium conferences can be the basis for multi-part community adult learning discussions. Some Secular and Humanistic Jewish communities partner with the IISHJ to host in-person or online weekend seminars, which are educational, inspirational, community-building, and PR opportunities. If you are interested in bringing one of our seminars to your community affiliated with the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement, please contact our office at info@iishj.org.
Professional training
Professional training requires applications to our Life Cycle Officiant, Leadership, or Rabbinic programs. Most professional seminars are offered as live online course sessions, with some intensive in-person summer seminar sessions and some asynchronous individual study using Mass Open Online Courses and IISHJ videos. Eash seminar include assigned readings, class sessions, and written assignments (short response questions and/or essays). Students generally have one calendar year from the completion of the seminar to complete the written assignments. Follow this link to learn more about our professional programs.