Article published by AJN on May 2, 2022

Menora program, the World Jewish Organization for Youth, together with the University of Palermo, contemplates the impossibility of studying or attending classes during the Jewish holidays and respects that the exam dates do not coincide with Shabbat (sabbatical day), between other considerations.

Young Jews in Argentina can now harmonize their university studies with their traditional religious values thanks to the innovative program carried out jointly by Menora Organization and the University of Palermo.

Since the World Jewish Organization for Youth, Menora, at the initiative of its president, Chief Rabbi Isaac Sacca, and its director, Rabbi Gabriel Sacca, launched the Menora UP program three years ago, more than 140 students from Argentina and other countries in the region enrolled.

With this program, young Jews who seek to train in different fields of academic knowledge and at the same time respect Jewish traditions, have the support of a community that acts as a link between the university and the viability of religious life.

“One of the fundamentals of the Menora program together with the University of Palermo is the importance of enriching and improving the lives and growth of Jews, both in our community and in the Jewish community in general,” said Chief Rabbi Isaac Sacca.

The Hebrew University of Latin America Menora UP is an unprecedented initiative in the Region that adds to the trend already established in countries such as the United States, Canada and some European communities.

The idea was born as a solution to a real difficulty in many young people who begin to practice the Jewish tradition but find themselves with different impediments in their studies, for example, superimposition of Jewish holidays, where it is not allowed to study or attend classes, with the inconvenience that, even though by law in Argentina, these absences are not counted, the harm is that they lose the class and then have to work twice as hard to make up for the lost knowledge. Other obstacles encountered in secular public and private universities are exam dates on Saturdays, or subjects taught on the eve of Shabbat, as well as an environment that in many young people brings disadvantages in terms of compliance with modesty in dress and behavior.

However, the most important factor in taking this step was the fact that many observant young people did not even think about pursuing a university career, because to do so, in the traditional conditions of a secular public or private university, implied contradicting or abandoning many of their convictions, basic beliefs or customs. The Menora-UP proposal breaks with a stigma in Latin America and has changed the way of thinking of observant Jewish families.

Chief Rabbi Isaac Sacca has always promoted programs that clearly show that Jewish observance is fully compatible and, even more so, makes more sense when accompanied by academic study in all fields.

Rabbi Gabriel Sacca observed it among the young people who attend Menorah: “Given the need of young Jews to fulfill themselves professionally and the difficulties that the conventional university environment presents for the Orthodox Jewish lifestyle, Menora institution manages to establish an agreement with the University of Palermo, so that said university provides the members of the Orthodox observant Jewish community, a careful framework in which students can pursue their university career and at the same time fully develop in the religious aspect.”

Rabbi Yejezkel Micha, who explained, “The program addresses both secular academic learning, as well as the study of our sources, coordinates the Menora-University of Palermo. Thus, our Torah programs in Menora, together with the study plan of the career, aim at the objective of training professionals, always keeping in mind the ideals and values ​​of the Torah Umadda (Torah and Science)”.

But, one of the most remarkable aspects of this plan is that not only students who are already observant find answers to their needs; also those who seek an environment of friendship, community and closer to Judaism, even if they do not identify themselves as “Orthodox Jews”, are attracted by the proposal.

The difference between a student who enrolls in the UP as an exclusive student of the university, with respect to a student who enrolls through the agreement with Menora, lies in the access to benefits such as exclusive classrooms; academic calendar aligned with the religious calendar (exams are not taken or practical work delivery dates are not established on holidays, fasts, Shabbat and absences are not computed on those days; Torah electives related to the career are part of the study plan; there is the possibility of granting scholarships to students who meet the established criteria; when a student enrolls through Menora, he is one more student of the University of Palermo, with his file number, credential and all the types of benefits offered by the university, agreements abroad, sports partner club, work internships, among others.

Ongoing courses in Menora UP

The University of Palermo, together with Menora, opened its first degree in Business Administration in 2019. In 2020, it added the Graphic Design degree. In 2021 a third career was added: Bachelor of Psychology. This year, 2022, a fourth career was opened, computer engineering. These careers are studied in different faculties of the university. Administration belongs to the Faculty of Economic Sciences, Psychology to the Faculty of Social Sciences; Graphic Design is studied in the Faculty of Design and Communication, and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Palermo.

Source: https://agenciaajn.com/