Learning

Merle Orren Scholars Transformation (MOST)

Have you ever wondered if there is more to life? Do you have deep questions that demand deep answers? Do you want to bring out the best in yourself and others?

We invite you to apply for the Merle Orren Scholars Transformation (MOST) Program and launch yourself on a path of meaning and purpose, a path that will help you get the MOST out of life. Through this program you will transform lives – your own and others’ – through the power of Torah.

The MOST program provides funds for you to attend a one or two week Jewish study program of your choice free of charge. You will have the opportunity to take a week away to probe important questions, immerse yourself in Jewish wisdom, and return home infused with a new spirit that will enhance your life and enrich our community. Past MOST scholars describe this experience as life-changing.

Specifically, each MOST scholar will attend a program of immersive Jewish study that he/she has selected from a list of programs. These programs are retreats that last about one week and take place in various locales during the summer. At each of them, participants study Jewish texts under the direction of gifted teachers, engage in daily prayer in egalitarian settings, and interact with Jews from around the country.

Most of us would love to study our Jewish tradition more – just as we would love to exercise more and eat a healthier diet. But we often need an incentive or push to get us to do what we would love to do. The MOST program is a gentle push.

 

Apply Here >

Current Options

The current choice of study programs includes: Hartman (Jerusalem), Hadar (NYC), and the National Havurah Summer Institute (MD).  If you want to attend another study program that is not one of these three, the MOST Committee will consider that program and approve it if it fulfills the purposes of the MOST program. 

Each year a committee composed of our rabbis and lay leaders from the Temple will select MOST scholars. Each scholar will receive a scholarship covering tuition costs and possibly other expenses.

Who Should Apply?

Every adult member of Temple Emanuel is eligible for the MOST program and is strongly encouraged to apply. MOST scholarships are available for people who have different life experiences. Past MOST scholars have included young adults, senior citizens, and people in between; recent converts to Judaism and people who grew up in orthodox Jewish homes; long-time members of Temple Emanuel as well as new members of the Temple community.

You will benefit enormously from a MOST scholarship whether you have substantial or little Judaica/Hebrew background. The study programs are pitched to students with a wide range of Jewish study experience. You don’t need to know Hebrew to participate actively in these programs.

Next Steps

  1. Select one of the MOST study programs that suits you best. 
  • Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem, June 26 – July 3.
  • The Hadar Executive Seminar, NYC, July 14 – 17.
  • National Havurah Summer Institute, Baltimore, July 29 – August 4.
  • Suggest your own study program
  1. Submit your application no later than April 17. 

If you have any questions, contact Rabbi Michelle Robinson at mrobinson@templeemanuel.com or 617-558-8139

Some Recent MOST Scholars

Ira Adelman Shalom Hartman Institute
Ruth Cope Shalom Hartman Institute
Sharlene Finkel Hadar
Rebecca Jacoby Hadar
Cynthia Levinson Hadar
Malka Mysels Shalom Hartman Institute
Marty Paley Shalom Hartman Institute
Maida Rubin Shalom Hartman Institute
Velda Shaby Hadar
Susan Spitz National Havurah
Marc Stober National Havurah
Jamie Stopler Torah Yoga
Allan Szathmary Shalom Hartman Institute
Judy Szathmary Shalom Hartman Institute
Alan Teperow Jewish Theological Seminary
Judy Tsafrir Torah Yoga
Marla Wiener Adelman Shalom Hartman Institute
Janet Wilson Shalom Hartman Institute
Paula Apsell Hartman
Sheila Cline Amherst program
Jean Dahlben      Hartman
Sharlene Finkel Hadar
Rebecca Jacoby Hadar
Joshua Horowitz Hava Nashira
Joan Mael Hartman
Yairah Shalhevet Hartman

Learn more about Merle Orren and the Origins of the MOST Program

This program is named in memory of Merle Orren, z”l. Merle Orren’s life was a testament to the transformative power of learning. Always a loving, sensitive, thoughtful, and compassionate soul, Merle enriched her world and ours at Temple Emanuel through serious study of Torah and the Jewish tradition over the last 15 years of her life. She not only read Torah each month at our services, she personally embodied the very best of the Torah she studied. In her memory, her family has established the Merle Orren Scholars Transformation (MOST) Program so that others may experience the blessing of learning that Merle so deeply treasured.

Gary Orren’s prayer for MOST

"May the Torah learned in Merle’s honor bring continued elevation to her soul."

To Support MOST

Donations to the Merle Orren Scholars Transformation (MOST) Program are gratefully appreciated. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, visit our Synagogue Gift Funds webpage or contact the synagogue office at (617) 558-8100.