Our goal is to create a beit midrash in Washington Heights that will serve as a space for women to learn Torah and cultivate excitement for high-level learning for women. This beit midrash will specifically target Modern Orthodox women, ages 20 and above, primarily from Washington Heights, New York. There is a growing number of women in Washington Heights who have the skills and desire to learn To
rah on a high level and in a committed fashion, but lack a space to do so. While many batei midrash are accessible exclusively to men in Washington Heights, including several large ones at Yeshiva University, there are none that are dedicated specifically for women. Although Mount Sinai has a Torah and Tefillah Center that is open to women, the center lacks a sufficient assortment of books that are necessary for a beit midrash. Few women currently learn in this center, and many women are unaware of its availability. Moreover, many women in Washington Heights sadly do not regularly learn Torah due to a lack of skills, encouragement, empowerment, and a space in which to learn. We seek to address this communal issue by creating an exciting and welcoming place for women to learn Torah. Through this project, we will empower women to learn Torah at a high level and build their skills in learning Torah. Once women are more involved in learning Torah at a high level, they will have a greater role in Jewish law and scholarship. This beit midrash will serve as a model to other Jewish communities and encourage them to create spaces for women to learn as well. We are launching a pilot beit midrash program that will run weekly from March 10th until March 24th. Participants in the program will learn about the laws, customs, and themes of the holiday of Passover. Each week, during the first half of the evening, women will learn in pairs and will have the choice to either learn a topic of their choosing or to learn materials prepared by volunteers. During the second half of the evening, lecturers from GPATS and Mount Sinai will give shiurim to the participants, expounding upon the texts studied by the participants in the first half of the program. This pilot program will help us plan for a more robust version of the program in the fall and generate excitement for the newly established beit midrash.
