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Kolel Launches Project Open Book

Thanks to the generous support of The Covenant Foundation Kolel is pleased to announce the launch of Project Open Book: The Kolel Resource Library. This on-line resource allows Kolel to publish and disseminate its "signature" courses and events in digital format for use by institutions and groups, and to create an on-line learning environment for use by individuals.

Project Open Book takes the four areas in which Kolel has been recognized as a leader in the field of adult education: Basic Judaism (Gate of Jewish Life), Women and Judaism, Jewish Texts, and Jewish Parenting and Family Life and turn its courses and one-night events in those subjects into power-point presentations, guided learning modules, video and audio presentations, textual sources and facilitator guides. Individuals anywhere in the world can study with Kolel in an accessible and easy way; and organizations without the benefit of Kolel's faculty or physical presence can use its time-tested and recognized materials to fit their own communities. With Kolel's new partnership with the BJCC, it is envisioned that these materials will be of special interest to JCCs throughout North America as well as synagogues, study groups, small communities, women's groups, and of course, individual learners who now make up an "e-learning" community that numbers in the millions.

The Covenant Foundation is a program of the Crown Family Foundation and the Jewish Education Service of North America. The Foundation supports creative approaches to programming, while celebrating and building on existing strengths within the field of Jewish education in North America. It strengthens educational endeavors that perpetuate the identity and heritage of the Jewish people across all denominations and in all settings. The Covenant Awards recognize the achievements of exceptional Jewish educators who have distinguished themselves through their creativity, commitment, and talent. In 2005 Rabbi Elyse Goldstein was honoured to receive the Covenant Award for Outstanding Jewish Educators.

Rabbi Goldstein is the curriculum and content supervisor. Rabbi Michal Shekel has contributed material together with other previous Kolel staff. Baruch Sienna, a senior Jewish educator who is Kolel's webmaster, previous author of its weekly on-line parasha, and faculty member, has been the project author and manager.