Tikvah

Testimonials about the Enduring Questions Program at Princeton

  • The seminar as a whole brought an understanding of Jewish culture, history, and religion as a set of great questions and texts that need to be turned over and over in each generation and by each person.  The entire seminar lived and breathed with intellectual love and deep questioning, in a way that transcended the academic sphere and touched deeply into questions of personal meaning.  It was thrilling and invigorating to be part of such a community.  --  Jason Schnier, Harvard College

  • The seminar showed me that there are many meaningful ways in which Judaism can have an impact, be it through religious practice, research and perhaps most importantly, by serving as a cultural and philosophical framework for everyday life. I would not be exaggerating by stating that my experience with Tikvah this summer has made me realize that I want my Judaism to play a more prominent role in my life, both personally and as part of a community.  --  Shai Satran, Hebrew University

  • The seminar served as a balm for the isolation that lovers of ideas often feel. Throughout the seminar I believe a recurring thought for many of us was "Wow, there are actually other people like me out there!". The seminar provided us with a true - if brief - sense of an intellectual community, pursuing the life of the mind in earnest.  --  Noam Hoffman, Tel Aviv University

  • The seminar awakened in me a desire to figure out some way to make ideas matter, to act upon the ideas in some way rather than allowing them to be born and die within the walls of a university. -  Ori Kanefsky, Yeshiva University

  • Experiencing firsthand the complexities and subtleties buried within the pithy prose and vast silences of the story of Abraham's wife-sister ruse, discussing religious education at the dining hall, laughing at my own ingenuous questions about life in Israel with Yossi or Yitz or Shlomi, all of these things were a few among so many moments that changed in ways inscrutable my opinions on Judaism, Israel, and the Jewish people.  --  Nate Gilmore, Tufts University

  • I rediscovered myself in the texts and discussions, understood myself better and highlighted existential themes I need to further explore. I have realized even more than before that the Jewish sources and the unique Jewish tradition of discourse is a primary tool for my spiritual growth, and an arena of thought I feel I belong in....The seminar has made me extremely proud to be Jewish, to be a partner in all of this. --  Avigail Shaham, Tel Aviv University


EQ 2010


  • Overall, I gained an appreciation for the range and depth of the Jewish intellectual tradition and what it has to offer beyond the religious education I received as a child. The mix of Israeli, religious, and secular students in the seminar also fostered an ideal community for learning. I feel that I have more of a stake in the perpetuation of the Jewish tradition, religious and secular, and a deeper connection to other Jews based on a common intellectual heritage. --  Alexander Sherbany, Harvard College

  • The professors' willingness to go beyond textual analysis and actually challenge students to examine their own lives seriously is inspiring to me.  --  Emmett Buckley, Princeton University

  • The Tikvah Seminar was a wonderful experience that allowed me the opportunity to discuss pertinent intellectual issues with an unbelievably high quality group of professors, preceptors, and students... The people I met at Tikvah were amazing: intelligent, engaged, thoughtful, eloquent, passionate, and committed." --  Mateo Aceves, Brandeis University (2010 Seminar Participant)

  • I found that the seminar radically informed my conceptions ... by presenting me with work of the great Jewish minds, ancient and modern, and the thoughtfully considered and challenging opinions of staff and peers. These all sharpened my thoughts, forced me to measure my beliefs and stances against all of the new material I encountered."  - Yedidya Schwartz, Yale University (2010 Seminar Participant)

  • The experience at Princeton was filled with growth on numerous levels, but one of the most important things that I learned was the importance of creating a culture of learning. The beautiful facilities at Princeton and the delicious meals at the Center for Jewish Life generated a community of learners. The knowledge acquired during the sessions was processed over food and long walks. In a sentence, I observed that the right atmosphere allows for wisdom to come to life though lively conversation.  --  Noah Cheses, Yeshiva University (2009 Seminar Participant)