Kevah

Kevah's mission is to empower individuals and organizations to build Jewish learning communities.

Kevah is a pluralistic Jewish organization whose mission is to empower individuals and organizations to build Jewish learning communities. Kevah enables adults to explore the spiritual and intellectual richness of the Jewish tradition by organizing a national network of over 50 home and office-based study groups. Kevah Groups build community, and empower adults to take ownership of their Jewish and spiritual lives. Kevah Groups meet primarily in the Bay Area, Boston and Colorado.

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Mission: Kevah empowers individuals and organizations to build Jewish learning communities.

The word Kevah means a "set practice" and is the term used in rabbinic literature (Pirkei Avot 1:15) to describe how Torah study should be integrated into the life of each and every Jew. We enable adults of all Jewish backgrounds and denominations to explore the spiritual and intellectual richness of the Jewish textual tradition in a comfortable setting. Participation in a Kevah Group facilitates personal growth, builds Jewish community, and deepens Jewish literacy.

Values

Educational Excellence

We create learning environments that respect the high level of secular learning and professional accomplishments of our participants and that enable them to bring their analytic skills and worldly knowledge to the study of traditional texts.

Accessibility of Sources

We strive to open the classical Jewish canon to Jews who seek intellectual and spiritual engagement with the Jewish tradition regardless of their previous Jewish learning or their knowledge of Hebrew.

Principled Pluralism We celebrate the diversity of the Jewish people, and strive to make learning an integrated part of all Jews' lives, regardless of age, gender, denomination, socio-economic status or sexual orientation. Our teachers and our participants come from across the religious spectrum.

What We Do

Identify, Train, and Support Outstanding Jewish Educators

Kevah identifies excellent Jewish educators and matches them with an appropriate group or groups. This matching service is based on the understanding that the relationship and fit between educator and learners is critical to creating a positive and effective learning environment. Kevah also offers teacher training workshops and a mentorship program to help our educators continually improve their practice.

Develop and Share Curricular Resources Kevah provides curricular resources to educators and their groups. Topics are tailored to the hosts' and participants' interests, and are based on learning either a classical Jewish text such as the weekly Torah portion or a tractate of the Talmud, or an organizational theme such as Jewish mindfulness, healthy relationships, Jewish parenting, or spiritual and personal growth.

Provide Ongoing Support to Groups and Group Hosts

While group hosts are responsible for convening their own group of 8-14 committed members, Kevah provides administrative support to maximize the success of each group. In addition to providing a quality educator, we give every group host access to effective organizing tools: member invitation support, meeting reminders, simple payment methods, a staff member who helps to troubleshoot issues, and the opportunity to share best practices with other group hosts.