WELCOME!
Welcome! Melton invites you to discover, through a world-class curriculum and outstanding faculty, a profound understanding of what it means to be Jewish.
Our interactive, pluralistic learning is designed with you in mind.
Melton offers a structured course where you can learn, discuss and debate with others from across the Jewish spectrum, in a stimulating and non-judgmental environment.
There is no homework, no exams or Hebrew required.
About the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning
Our Purpose: Melton engages learners in a life-enhancing study of Jewish texts and ideas that nurtures and deepens Jewish community worldwide.
What You Can Expect:
• An Engaging Curriculum: Developed by insightful scholars, taught by highly-skilled educators, and reviewed by experts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
• Interactive Classes: We encourage open dialogue and discussion between learners and educators as we approach every topic with curiosity and sincerity.
• Wisdom For Life: We make Jewish texts and ideas accessible, inspirational and enriching for our learners.
• Jewish Community: Through Melton, you become part of a worldwide movement of learners that spans many continents. Our online learning and travel seminars create meaningful global connections.
Global Pioneer in Adult Jewish Education
With its international headquarters at the Florence Melton Institute of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a national office for North America in Northbrook, IL, the Melton School forms an international network of community-based schools offering adults the opportunity to acquire Jewish literacy in an open, trans-denominational, intellectually stimulating learning environment.
The Florence Melton School of Jewish Learning is the largest pluralistic adult Jewish education network in the world. Founded in 1980 at the initiative of Florence Zacks Melton, a community activist and longtime supporter of Jewish education, the Melton School initially opened with three pilot sites in North America. Driven by her vision, there are now 50 Melton Schools throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, attended weekly by 4,000 students.
Our current students and over 35,000 graduates tell us that Melton learning comes to play a significant role in their lives -- impacting conversations with family and friends about life’s most important issues, influencing family decisions, connecting them more deeply to their community, and significantly changing the way they view themselves as adult Jews.
What makes the Melton Learning Transformative?
The texts themselves - ancient and modern - connect students to the past, present, and future in powerful ways. Text-based study is a link to enduring Jewish values and ideas, and the opportunity to engage with these timeless sources through a systematic, proven curriculum is empowering.
The pluralistic nature of Melton courses often provides our students an opening to step outside of their own familiar orientation to Judaism for the very first time. The chance to hear, understand and learn to respect another point of view makes a lasting impression on Melton participants, opening them up to the rich diversity of the Jewish people.
Hearing a multiplicity of voices - including their own - in Melton classes enriches our students’ learning. Our talented faculty encourages students to ask higher-level questions and to make connections between the texts and their lives. Through this type of learning, students create a meaningful community with their peers.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS:
"Most of us are frozen in time in our Bar and Bat Mitzvah aged bodies. The Melton program helps make that transition to the adult Jewish worldnot only for ourselves but for the future of our families."
"Melton is for everyone who thinks they know a great deal about Judaism as well as those of us who realize how much more there is to learn. It's the Jewish education that I never had. Every week it's inspiring, stimulating, thought-provoking and fun. My husband and I frequently find ourselves discussing Torah and the Bible. Prior to this course, this was not the case!"
"I chose Melton because I wanted to continue Torah study without homework or tests. But I have stayed with Melton because of the amazing teachers, fascinating curriculum, and my wonderful Melton classmates."
“Melton offers astress-less education with teachers who encourage questions, answers and comments without anyone being made to feel they are less knowledgeable than the next person."
"With all the ups and downs of daily life and work, Thursday night classes have been one thing that I have refused to miss under most circumstances! The only thing that kept me sane during the week was looking forward to Thursday night classes despite the two-years of schlepping! I can now proudly claim that I am a relatively educated Jew and an ethically grown individual. This was all possible because of my Melton education."
“The Melton approach invites me toask questions and helps me find answers that work for me--including the validity and value of asking more questions. Thank you, Melton, for helping me to really connect with my own Jewishness.”
Melton Travel Seminars
Welcome to learning at its finest!
Melton Travel Seminars have been delighting adults looking for an enriching travel experience for over two decades. With texts in hand, we explore the sites and landscapes of Jewish life in Israel, Italy, Poland Spain, Berlin and Prague* in order to gain new insight and a deeper understanding of the Jewish past, present and future. Born out of the scholarship of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Melton Travel Seminars provide the most comprehensive and multi-layered touring seminars in the Jewish world. Whether you are interested in walking in the footsteps of our matriarchs and prophets, or you want to grapple with the major events of the 20th century, the learning of a Melton Travel Seminar cannot be matched!