A new digital marketplace aims to make pluralistic and diverse Jewish learning experiences and talented Jewish educators accessible to anyone in the world who has an Internet connection.
Known as Truvie, a play on “Lucky Find” in French, the online platform is powered by The Jewish Education Project.
It will offer a range of experiences reflecting the dynamic and evolving nature of Jewish education—from Jewish history or Jewish texts to Minecrafting a sukkah, and a virtual guitar Jewish music jam circle to exploring Torah using circus arts.
The online marketplace offers synchronous Jewish education for children in grades K-12, with an initial three-month beta period launching on Oct. 18 for grades three to eight.
“We have an incredible opportunity to reach and engage tens of thousands of families and children who are not accessing existing Jewish educational options,” says Susan Wachsstock, chief program officer of The Jewish Education Project. “While in-person education within a vibrant community is irreplaceable, the pandemic has amplified both the need to offer digital options and the opportunity these options provide for more learners to experience meaningful, inspiring Jewish education. We’re excited for the possibilities that Truvie brings to just about any Jewish family.”
Modeled after the Outschool educational platform and curated for a multidimensional, modern Jewish population, Truvie is designed primarily to reach children not engaged in any form of Jewish education.
It will allow both individual educators and organizations to offer short courses in which learners register for a series of weeks rather than for a full school year or semester. Teachers will have the freedom to create the courses and content they wish to teach at the time they wish to teach it.
“We learned over the last year-and-a-half that while various educational platforms have unique qualities, they all reflect the core belief that the consumer will choose what works for them,” adds Wachsstock. “We wondered if we could design a Jewish educational marketplace that similarly supported the level of choice, convenience and flexibility embedded within these platforms. We think Truvie is the realization of this vision as a marketplace supporting pluralism, excellence and diversity.”
The Jewish Education Project notes that the program can fill a void, as some studies estimate that less than 50 percent of Jewish youth are currently in religious or day school. At scale, Truvie will offer an evolving selection and an endless number of live-streamed classes, as well as a set of features for camps, congregations, JCCs and other institutions that seek to leverage the technology and an open marketplace.
Truvie-approved educators have extensive backgrounds in Jewish history, language, the arts, music and more, and represent the breadth of Jewish identity and affiliation.
“We know that Jewish education must continue to adapt to stay relevant and meaningful in people’s lives,” adds David Bryfman, CEO of The Jewish Education Project. “As we look to the future, we innovate and create Jewish education resources, experiences and platforms to support Jewish educators in all kinds of settings that will enable as many Jewish youths and their families to thrive in today’s world.”
Truvie is partially funded by the Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund (JCRIF).
