The Paradigm Program is Paideia’s program for discussing big Jewish ideas and for creating new formats for approaching Judaism and Jewish identity. The program was created in 2013 to facilitate the exploration of issues of Jewish community and identity in a world at once interconnected and fragmented. It brings American and European young thought-leaders together to interact for an intense week in Stockholm with renowned contemporary Jewish thinkers.

From Text to Ideas

The Paradigm Program is a unique and innovative program introducing a new approach to understanding Jewish identity, asking the important questions about identity, philosophy and society, and focusing on the tools needed to articulate them in multicultural settings.

Jewish communities across the globe are facing the challenges of pluralistic open societies and their attendant choices. With the introduction of this sophisticated new model of examining identity through ideas, the Paradigm Program provides a forum for exploring the essential questions of Jewish thought and culture, and how to articulate – to oneself and to others – an understanding of what it means to be, and remain, Jewish.

In the program, renowned contemporary Jewish thinkers expound on their individual perspectives and interactively explore together with participants the evolving nature of the conversation about Judaism in today’s open environments. The model is based on 3 questions that encapsulate the essentials of exploring Jewish identity:

What ideas do you find most problematic in Judaism?

What ideas do you feel to be most compelling in Judaism?

What do you think Judaism can contribute to and learn from other cultures?

Participants are given the opportunity to:           

Hear stellar presentations from outstanding international Jewish thinkers

Study source materials in text-based Chevruta settings with their peers

Interact with both speakers and participants in dynamic Responsa sessions

Explore cross-cultural components of a shared Jewish world-view

Refine their personal language of expressing the essentials of Judaism through interaction and introspection

Formulate the building-blocks of their own evolving concept of Jewish Peoplehood

Engage with like-minded companions in relaxed, informal social settings & scheduled cultural activities

Reflect on their journey using tools such as daily journals, blogs, photo essays and other vehicles

Contribute to the ongoing conversation by sharing this new paradigm with other intellectually driven adults seeking access into Judaism’s body of ideas

Experience Sweden: city and countryside