This week saw the 30th annual Tanach conference hosted by Herzog College and Yeshivat Har Etzion in Gush Etzion, which was attended by more than 5,000 people of all ages. The “Yemei Iyun B’Tanach” offers 140 lectures on different Bible stories over four days. It is scheduled during the Nine Days leading up to Tisha B’Av, and it brings together native Israelis and immigrants from across the religious spectrum to study the text that unites all Jews – the 24 books of the Bible.
With many overseas Tanach enthusiasts unable to attend this year because of canceled flights to Israel, an additional 800 people signed up for the online program.
Many people who enjoy watching lectures by Herzog’s all-star cast of Bible experts are happy to watch the recordings throughout the year. They are also now offered opportunities to study online in English for an M.A. degree in Teaching Tanach over two years with many of the same teachers.
Among the participants who did manage to fly into Israel were Marsha Friedman and her daughter Dr. Nechama Price. Elisha Price, their grandson and son, respectively, is a student at Yeshivat Har Etzion. Dr. Price is assistant clinical professor at Stern College in Bible and Jewish Law, as well as director of the graduate program in Advanced Talmud and Tanach Studies. She was invited to give one of the lectures in English.
“This is my first time attending the legendary Yemei Iyun, and it’s been an overwhelming and inspiring experience!” she said. “On a personal level, it’s a true privilege to learn alongside my mother and son – three generations – attending many of the classes together. It’s also deeply meaningful to finally meet and learn in person from the incredible Torah scholars whose works I have been reading and teaching for so many years.”
Yemei Iyun - intergenerational learning
The Yemei Iyun is always a great opportunity for networking and catching up with friends from “the old country.” Yocheved Lindenbaum described it as “attending Bible Camp,” with all the nostalgia that this description evokes. She and her husband, Nathan, were busy greeting old friends in between the lectures. Lindenbaum told me: “Last year I was exhausted by the constant learning and chatting, and I wasn’t going to come for the whole day this year.
But then I saw the program, and there were just too many great speakers to miss. We’ve been involved in the Gush yeshiva [Har Etzion] for our whole lives, so we love coming back to learn here.”
The theme of the Yemei Iyun event this year was “MiDor LeDor” – intergenerational learning. It was heartwarming to see many different family members attending together. Noa Nussbaum brought her grandmother Shulamit Simon, whose husband, Prof. Uriel Simon, is a world-renowned Torah scholar who headed the Bible Department at Bar-Ilan University for many years.
Nussbaum is currently an emissary in Chicago, where she teaches Tanach at the Ida Crowne Jewish Academy. Shulamit Simon was delighted to return to the Yemei Iyun, where her husband used to lecture, and to spend quality time with her granddaughter. Nussbaum was interested to hear about the online pedagogy programs that Herzog College offers to Jewish teachers around the world, and took back posters to decorate the walls of her school.
While retirees always make up a large proportion of the audience, this year, the college offered significant discounts to soldiers, reservists, and students, issuing half-price tickets to over 300 people under 30. Several young men in IDF uniforms grabbed the opportunity to take a break from the battlefield and hear lectures about the historic Jewish battles recorded in the Bible.
There were groups of teenagers who enjoy Tanach study (and yes, that is a thing!) including members of the national Nachat youth movement (the name is an acronym for “Noar Chovevei Tanach,” Teen Bible Lovers), and participants in the annual Chidon Ha’Tanach Bible contest, who met up after the conference to share and compare their favorite Bible stories and lectures. ■
Learn more: events.herzog.ac.il/31896/en