About Us
Since 1985, the Rabbi Reuven Grodner (RRG) Beit Midrash Program has provided transformational Jewish educational programming for students and olim from all backgrounds and denominations in Jerusalem.
Our goal is to strengthen participants' Jewish identity through interactive Torah learning and meaningful Shabbat and holiday celebrations in an open, diverse, communal environment.
We offer a wide variety of Jewish educational programming for our participants, including:
To contact RRG Beit Midrash staff, please click here.
Our goal is to strengthen participants' Jewish identity through interactive Torah learning and meaningful Shabbat and holiday celebrations in an open, diverse, communal environment.
We offer a wide variety of Jewish educational programming for our participants, including:
- Torah Café Mt. Scopus: for olim, children of olim, and overseas students, we offer the only English-speaking Jewish home on Hebrew U's Mt. Scopus campus . Each week students gather in a warm communal atmosphere for a free delicious lunch and an open Beit Midrash with multiple classes, guest speakers, and an open communal space for chavruta learning and connecting with other English-speaking students.
- Torah Café Downtown @ The Base: for the hundreds of English-speaking students and olim across Jerusalem in their 20s, including lone soldiers and lone bnot sherut, we offer a weekly evening event with interactive communal Torah text learning and world-renowned guest speakers, along with a free delicious dinner. Programming is held at The Michael Levine Base, right in the heart of Nachlaot and adjacent to the Machane Yehuda Shuk.
- Friday Nights Downtown @ The Base: students and olim in their 20s are invited to a free home-cooked Friday night Shabbat meal lead by one of our young couples. Beyond the delicious food, participants share an evening filled with singing, community-building activities, and meaningful words of Torah. Programming is held at The Michael Levine Base, right in the heart of Nachlaot and adjacent to the Machane Yehuda Shuk.
- Shabbatons: several times a year we offer our participants inspirational Shabbat experiences at communities around the country, providing them the chance to celebrate a joyful Shabbat together, experience new communities, and meet new families.
- Holiday Programs: when holidays arrive, we celebrate them joyfully at all our programming locations. This offers our participants the opportunity to personally connect to the message of the holiday, as well as to celebrate (or prepare) for the upcoming holiday in a warm and open communal setting.
- Online Classes: we offer our current students, alumni, and friends of the program the opportunity for meaningful text study with regular online classes, ranging from the parsha to upcoming holidays to Torah sources that relate to current events.
To contact RRG Beit Midrash staff, please click here.
Rabbi Reuven Grodner, RRG Beit Midrash Founder and Co-
Director
Rabbi Reuven Grodner studied under Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, ztz”l and received his Smicha and M.A. from Yeshiva University in 1965. After serving in the rabbinate in the United States for a period of 18 years, he made Aliyah in 1984. Since 1985 he has served as director of the Beit Midrash Program at the Hebrew University which was named in March of 2010, “The Rabbi Reuven Grodner (RRG) Beit Midrash”.
Rabbi Grodner is the author of The Spirit of Mishnaic Law (2 volumes), Shabbat: A Day of Delight, Ahl Ha'tfillah, Shiurim of Rav Soloveitchik ztz”l on Prayer, and The Talmud Anthology.
"My love for the our programming is fueled by the young men and women who enhance their commitment to Am Yisrael, Torat Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael through the study of text in our warm communal atmosphere".
To contact Rabbi Grodner, click here.
Rabbi Grodner is the author of The Spirit of Mishnaic Law (2 volumes), Shabbat: A Day of Delight, Ahl Ha'tfillah, Shiurim of Rav Soloveitchik ztz”l on Prayer, and The Talmud Anthology.
"My love for the our programming is fueled by the young men and women who enhance their commitment to Am Yisrael, Torat Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael through the study of text in our warm communal atmosphere".
To contact Rabbi Grodner, click here.
Rabbi Yonatan Udren, RRG Beit Midrash Co-Director
Rabbi Yonatan Udren, who joined the Beit Midrash Program in 2010, is originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshivat Hamivtar under Rosh Kollel Rav Shuki Reich and Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. He also earned an MA in English Creative Writing from Bar Ilan University.
Rabbi Udren has taught in many different formal and informal settings in Israel, including Yeshivat Orayta and Aardvark Israel. He is the creator of the Sparks from the Fire Podcast and is a Times of Israel blogger.
Rabbi Yonatan lives in Beit El with his wife Dena and their five children.
"It's an incredible gift to seeing our incredible group of participants interacting with our staff and one another, while connecting to Torah learning and Shabbat with such joy and enthusiasm ."
To contact Rabbi Udren, click here.
Rabbi Udren has taught in many different formal and informal settings in Israel, including Yeshivat Orayta and Aardvark Israel. He is the creator of the Sparks from the Fire Podcast and is a Times of Israel blogger.
Rabbi Yonatan lives in Beit El with his wife Dena and their five children.
"It's an incredible gift to seeing our incredible group of participants interacting with our staff and one another, while connecting to Torah learning and Shabbat with such joy and enthusiasm ."
To contact Rabbi Udren, click here.
