summer learning

[cellio]

After dithering for a while, I've decided not to go to the program at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem this year. It was going to be expensive before the dollar tanked (let alone now), and I haven't been able to find out a lot about it, and I figure I can wait for a review from the fellow congregant who's going and re-evaluate for next year.

I am pretty sure I am going to National Havurah Committee's summer institute, unless all the classes I'm interested in have filled up since the list went live a couple months ago. (I've sent email to inquire.) This is the week after Pennsic, which is a little awkward, but I should be able to make it work. (I want some down-time, but I'll come home from Pennsic on Friday and not need to leave for this until Monday morning, probably.) Do I know anyone else who is going this year? I know magid has gone in the past.

(By the way, can anyone from the area tell me what NH temperature and humidity tend to be like in mid-August? This informartion seems remarkably hard to gain via Google.)

I have also heard some really good things about a short program called Limmud. When I first heard of this what I found was a weekend(-ish) program in the UK, which seemed rather a bit of trouble for something so short. (At the time I didn't have a passport. I do now, so it would just be about time and airfare.) But someone on a mailing list recently mentioned the New York instantiation. This program is for a long weekend in the winter. They don't have any details posted yet, but I'll check back later. (I wonder what the least-bad way is for getting to the Catskills in January. Maybe some other congregants will be interested and we could drive; flying is not clearly a win.)

Comments

[goljerp]

A bunch of people from my shul go to the Havurah thing, but Joy and I won't be making it this year. For Lilmud, I think there are usually several busses from NYC; maybe if you can make it to NYC, you can get a seat on a bus?

[cellio]

Their site alludes to buses from NYC, yes. I don't have a good sense of how efficient, or silly, flying to NYC to take a bus to the Catskills would be. The info about buses reads like it's intended for locals. (Clearly I need to spend some time with Google Maps; I don't even have a sense of how long a bus ride that is.)

[(Anonymous)]

(from Goljerp)

I spoke to a guy on Shavuot who's one of the Lilmud NY coordinators, and he thought there was nothing wrong with getting to NYC and taking the bus from there to the catskills. In fact, I think he said that's how some of the speakers are getting there.

Gotta run, shabbat shalom!