JET's 2022 Yarchei Kallah: Weeklong Extravaganza line up features Rabbi Dr. Alexander Seinfeld exploring Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism… What’s the Difference?

Are different religions merely “different paths leading to the same place"? Are all religions equally “matters of faith”? Should we be concerned about missionizing on college campuses? What are the chances that our grandchildren will be Jewish and why does it matter? Guided by these questions, participants in this course will fulfill the mitzvah of learning how to respond to missionaries, and thereby deepen their understanding of the most fundamental Jewish question: Why be Jewish? We will examine key events and texts from Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam from both historical and theological perspectives.

The JET Yarchei Kallah is modeled after the description of the Yarchei Kallah in the Talmud. In the two months of the year (Elul and Adar) when agricultural activity was less demanding, Jews would take the opportunity to return to the study halls to reinvigorate their Torah knowledge, thus strengthening their ties to Judaism. The word Kallah means assembly; Yarchei means month; hence the term refers to those months when they would assemble to study Torah.