Certificate in Informal Education for Russian Speakers

 

The Certificate in Informal Education is a 14-month informal education training program for Russian speaking Jewish educators from FSU. In online courses and in face-to-face programming, participants explore Jewish texts, history, and ideas, and apply best practices in informal education to design engaging youth-centered activities.

Participants successfully completing all courses (180 hours) will receive a certificate from The Lookstein Center at Bar-Ilan University, and will be invited to join the Aluma Network, a network of dedicated educators from across the FSU that provides opportunities for networking, sharing resources and ideas, and continued professional development.

Eligibility

Participation will be open to individuals who:

  • Work at least part-time in an educational role the Jewish community
  • Work as youth leaders (madrichim), counselors, teachers, or other professionals whose work will be positively impacted by such training
  • Russian-speaking participants from Europe and the FSU
  • Are aged 22-55

Program and Schedule

The 2025-2026 cohort will run from April 2025 – May 2026. The program includes 7 asynchronous courses with a weekly synchronous session on Zoom. Each course is 8 weeks long. Course topics include: 

  • Jewish Texts
  • Jewish History
  • Jewish Living
  • Jewish Thought
  • Jews and Judaism around the World
  • Israeli history
  • Hebrew Language 

Participants will be invited on a 4 day retreat during with a focus on topics in pedagogy.

Graduates will receive a certificate from The Lookstein Center, Bar-Ilan University.

Tuition

A combination of scholarships and communal partnerships primarily covers tuition. Tuition covers the online educational program and the retreat. 

Participants are responsible for a $200 registration fee(which translates to $25 per each of 8 courses). For payment plans or other financial considerations please contact us here.

Registration fee is due 10 days before the program begins.