Vision
Alma Fellows strengthens Israel’s Jewish cultural underpinning through a focus on intellectuals from the liberal public, seeking to make Jewish cultural treasures a source of inspiration for public discourse. By enriching the Fellows’ knowledge about the “Jewish bookcase,” they use it as a source of inspiration, to ensure a robust cultural dialogue between the language of the traditional Beit Midrash, academia, and cultural creativity.
Activity
Alma has existed for three decades as a place for people from the arts, cultural and media figures, public influencers, to learn about and engage with the Jewish-Hebrew canon, to encourage artistic creation inspired by our shared Jewish-Hebrew heritage. Since its establishment, Alma has been instrumental in nurturing Jewish renewal within Israel’s secular world and in encouraging cultural creation – film, theater, popular music, established and emerging authors – inspired by Jewish sources.
Among Alma’s main activities
Amitim – Alma Fellows offers intellectuals, primarily drawn from the liberal public, the opportunity to enrich their knowledge about the “Jewish bookcase,” the Jewish canon and contemporary Hebrew culture. Every year, a select group of some 20-25 figures devotes ten hours a week to study, from which they return to influence the Israeli cultural space.
Alma-style celebrations for Jewish and Israeli Festivals as a channel to present the spirit of Hebrew culture to the wider public.
Batei Midrash bring together focused groups of people from the arts for a year of study to influence Israeli culture.
Young in Spirit is a weekly study program on the humanities for high school students.
Alma Publications of books infused with its approach to Hebrew culture.