The week-long summer intensive featured a unique learning experience
August 2023 – As part of a one-week summer intensive, Drew Theological School welcomed students in the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Bible, Theology, and Leadership in the Korean Context cohort to Drew’s campus in Madison, New Jersey.
The popular cohort, now in its 11th year, is a reflective and innovative concentration that focuses on inward and outward examinations of effective practices of ministry in Korean contexts. The cohort is taught in the Korean language and is held primarily in South Korea.
The 17 visiting students took a Judaism: Tradition and Community course, instructed by Eli Rosenblatt, Wallerstein Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies. This is the first time a summer intensive course has been taught by a non-Korean speaking faculty member, specifically requested by the students.
The course, taught through the assistance of a translator, entailed lectures coupled with field trips to New York City—including a walking tour of Hasidic Jewish Williamsburg, Brooklyn, led by professional New York City guide Frieda Vizel, and a visit to Yeshiva University Museum Collections at the Center for Jewish History.
“Teaching an intensive introductory seminar in Jewish Studies is a complex and expansive task that must bridge serious scholarship and creative, vibrant praxis,” said Rosenblatt.
“Yeshiva University Museum maintains a collection of more than 12,000 artifacts that are not always on view to the public,” said Ilana Benson, director of museum education at the Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History. “It was very special for us to have an opportunity to provide the wonderful group from Drew with a multi-dimensional perspective on Jewish life using both artifacts from our collection and a visit to our current exhibition, The Golden Path: Maimonides Across Eight Centuries. Participation in programs such as this are the best examples of the Museum’s mission in action.”
The students were also invited to sign Drew’s 150-year-old matriculation book, a rite of passage for all Theological School students. The ceremony is especially poignant to the South Korean students as the book holds the signature of Theological School alum and the first Christian missionary to Korea, the Rev. Henry Appenzeller T’1885. His work was integral in establishing the Korean Methodist Church, schools, and universities, and translated the Bible into Korean.
“Drew’s DMin program continues to draw in, equip, and send out global religious leaders who care about—and carry out—Drew’s mission, as courageous leaders in many contexts around the world,” said Director of Doctoral Studies Meredith Hoxie Schol.
