Mission:
HaMaqom creates inclusive communities through Jewish learning and practice.
Story:
Formerly known as Lehrhaus Judaica, HAMAQOM | The Place has deep roots in the Bay Area.
We emerged from a deep history of providing quality Jewish content, thoughtful education opportunities, and reliable and engaging partnerships.
Established by the historian Fred Rosenbaum in 1974, and meaning “house of Jewish learning” or Beit Midrash, Lehrhaus Judaica took its name and inspiration from the school for adult Jewish education founded by the eminent theologian and educator Franz Rosenzweig in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1920. Attracting scholars such as Martin Buber, S.Y. Agnon, A.J. Heschel, Gershom Scholem, and Erich Fromm, Lehrhaus—until its closure by the Nazis in 1938—was the focal point of a Jewish revival between the wars. The school was open to men and women, Jew and non-Jew, and adults of all ages and from all backgrounds. Dialogue between the student and teacher was the primary method of learning which, according to Rosenzweig and Buber, “could restore something genuinely Jewish to the western intellectual.” Like its illustrious predecessor, the Bay Area Lehrhaus was non-denominational and aimed for cultural and religious pluralism, open inquiry, and academic excellence. HAMAQOM | The Place maintains these foundational values, and we honor our institution’s past through YourHaus: our rubric for our courses and travel opportunities.
