The Pava Student Experience
Throughout my seminary year, my friends were busy applying to various programs Stern offered to help them advance careers in their particular interests. I did not participate, as I was not interested in any niche subject that college would help me turn into a career. I have always loved my Judaics classes and invested more time in them than my peers; since high school, I have wanted to build my life around my passion for Torah. Stern did not (yet) have a program that would cultivate the skills in my interest, and I was prepared to enter college with a Judaics major and hope to develop the chinuch skills independently.
One day, I was on the phone with my sister when she mentioned that Stern was starting a new program for women who were interested in cultivating their Torah scholarship with the goal of “making impactful contributions to Torah life.” Further research stirred my excitement and revealed that the Pava Center for Women’s Torah Scholarship was everything I was looking for: a serious environment with high expectations for its members, providing learning and guidance opportunities from esteemed professionals to develop the Torah knowledge and the leadership of its members.
In its first couple of months, the Pava Center has hosted many events. On some Mondays, the roshei yeshiva who come for Stern’s “Torah with the Roshei Yeshivah” shiur stay an extra half-hour to share Torah with the Pava scholars. Rabbi Willig gave a shiur about the approaching yamim tovim and Rabbi Rapp spoke about the development of halacha. We also had the privilege of hearing from Mrs. Miri Beckerman, Rav Asher Weiss’s oldest daughter, who is the head of the forensics department for the Israeli police. The speeches are designed to help us connect to the mesorah in a more individual way and become familiar with the leaders of our community. Especially for women, it can be difficult to find a time and place to speak with one of the roshei yeshiva. The shiurim boost the already great Torah life at Stern by giving students a platform to converse with and learn directly from leaders and teachers.
My favorite events so far have been part of the Dinner and Discussion program, which takes place once a month. Dean Shoshana Schechter and Dr. Danielle Bloom spoke to us about their journey in the chinuch world. They spoke about the challenges they faced, school administration, frontal teaching and forming relationships with students. We also had the opportunity to hear from Mrs. Rivka Kahan about being the principal of Maayanot and her new book, “Emotional Landscapes in Tanakh.” In each of these programs, we learn what it takes to be a leader in the Jewish community and create our vision of what that means for each of us individually. Part of my vision for myself as a future teacher includes designing curricula, which Dr. Bloom described for us in a way that was clear and attainable.
More importantly than the programming geared towards scholars, The Pava program serves the entire Stern community. Every afternoon, you can find a Pava chavrusa pair in the beis medrash, contributing to a strong Torah community at Stern. On November 3, Pava will host their first public event, hosting four women who lead chesed organizations in the Jewish community.
Since the night when the squeals of excitement could be heard from my seminary dorm room announcing my acceptance to Pava, I have grown to appreciate the contribution that the Pava Center, with the leadership of Dr. Raizi Chechik and Mrs. Neti Penstein, can have on Stern and the wider Jewish community. Countless students told me how much they appreciated Dr. Chechik’s contributions to the Stern Camp Shabbaton, and how they hoped to develop a relationship with her despite not being a Pava member. Dr. Chechik’s presence and initiative in programming benefit the entire student body.
Pava completely altered the potential of my college experience. I now have a program that takes my dreams seriously and a cohort of girls who share my interests and help me excel. I am privileged to be a part of it.
Photo Caption: Pava Scholars learning in the Stern beis medrash
Photo Source: The Pava Center for Women’s Torah Scholarship
