The Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva (הישיבה החילונית בירושלים) held its first "learning party" on Sunday night, at the Jerusalem nightclub "17". The evening included two study sessions, one led by founder Ariel Levinson on Chanukah, Judaism, and idolatry through the work of Ahad Ha'am and Berdichevski, and the other by Dr. Ariel Hirschfeld of Hebrew University, who conducted a secular reading of Song of Songs. The sessions were followed by a dance party DJed by rock star Barry Sakharof. Over 300 people attended the party for the group’s inaugural event, which was launched at the Jerusalem Fellowship last May.

Read more about it in the Jerusalem Post and Ha'aretz - and check out some photos below.

South African Turns Political Statement Into Trendy Fashion Statement 

PresenTense Fellow David Kramer increases awareness of Israeli causes and charitable organizations through his new clothing brand. 

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 7, 2010 – David Kramer is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Kramer, a Fellow at the PresenTense 2010 Global Summer Institute, is making political statements fashionable with the NU Campaign, an Israeli clothing brand dedicated to raising social awareness and funding for important Israeli causes and charitable organizations.

As a Summer Fellow at the prestigious six-week Institute, Kramer joins fifteen other budding Jewish social entrepreneurs from America, Israel, Australia, and the UK to gain the skills and connections necessary to launch their ventures to benefit the Jewish world at large.

"The 2010 Fellows represent some of the most innovative Jewish minds today.  They are embarking on projects that have the potential to transform Jewish life here in Jerusalem and around the world," commented Flo Low, Chair of the Institute Steering Committee.

Londoner Develops Innovative Jewish Education Programme at PresenTense Institute

At Institute for Jewish social entrepreneurs Nic Abery connects Torah to museum art and artifacts.

Jerusalem, Israel - June 28th, 2010 — What do the British Museum and the Tanach have in common? A lot, according to Nic Abery.

As Creative Director of LooktoLearn, Nic is developing an innovative education programme for Jewish day schools and families that fuses the study of Torah with museum art and artefacts at the PresenTense 2010 Global Summer Institute.

While about seventy percent of British Jewish students attend Jewish primary schools, “most children tend to be taught Torah separately from secular studies but are expected to live a life which is completely intertwined,” she offered.

Nic will bridge this gap between Torah and secular studies through a three step programme of Torah text study, museum visits to art and artifact pieces related to the text, and reflective art making workshops.

“By nurturing a life long love of learning and discovery, these two areas can be fused.  For example, students learn the story of Belshazzar's Feast from the Book of Daniel from a Rembrandt painting at the National Gallery,” she explained.

A primary school art teacher at Kerem School and freelance education writer for Tzedek, Nic also conducts family tours of the Natural History Museum for the London School of Jewish Studies.

A New Type of Jewish Sports Hero

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 5, 2010 –David Lasday, a Maplewood, New Jersey native and Fellow at the PresenTense 2010 Global Summer Institute, is bringing the excitement back into Jewish learning with Bring It In Israel, an Israel-based program that empowers Jewish leaders to use sports to impart Jewish values, life skills, and a connection to Israel onto Jewish children.

As a Summer Fellow at the prestigious six-week Institute, Lasday joins fifteen other budding Jewish social entrepreneurs from America, Israel, Australia, and the UK to gain the skills and connections necessary to launch their ventures to benefit the Jewish world at large.

"The 2010 Fellows represent some of the most innovative Jewish minds today.  They are embarking on projects that have the potential to transform Jewish life here in Jerusalem and around the world," commented Flo Low, Chair of the Institute Steering Committee. Sponsoring Lasday’s venture is the iCenter, reputed for its dedication to Israel education.