Beginning this fall, the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute will open its doors in town.

Rabbi Mendy Lipskier has taught hundreds of Jewish classes since he first moved to Fountain Hills in 2010, but now he’s taking it to a whole new level.

He traveled to New York this summer to attend a series of inaugural training seminars in advance of launching the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) here.

JLI, the adult education branch of Chabad Lubavitch, offers programs in more than 1,000 locations.

“At the heart of Jewish culture, there has always been Jewish learning – an engaged and vibrant meeting of minds,” said Lipskier. “We’re excited to be able to bring this open and interactive learning environment to our community.”

JLI is not only the largest network of Jewish adult education, it is also unparalleled among other Jewish institutions for its use of cutting-edge pedagogic techniques to unlock the wisdom and life-messages found within Judaism’s ancient texts, said the rabbi.

Founded on the understanding that people have different minds and different learning modalities, he explained that JLI incorporates personalization, visual aids, text analysis, peer discussion, learning activities, lectures to address each student’s emotional, procedural, exploratory and analytical learning styles, in order to convey the material in a manner that will be assimilated by all.

JLI prides itself in its promise of “an aha! moment in every lesson,” said Lipskier.

JLI courses have become synonymous with Jewish wisdom that is relevant to people’s lives, regardless of background or affiliation.

For the 2016–2017 academic year, JLI will offer three courses. In November, “How Success Thinks” will explore Jewish approaches to behavioral psychology.

In January, “Intellectual Conundrums: Modern Dilemmas. Talmudic Debates. Your Solutions,” will be an interactive approach to Talmud study, in which participants will engage original ancient texts to find solutions for impossible modern-day situations.

“Survival of a Nation: Exploring Israel through the Lens of the Six-Day War” will mark the war’s 50-year anniversary in May by presenting a controversial historical and contemporary discussion of the hot-button issues facing Israel today.

JLI’s six-session courses will be offered concurrently in 360 communities spanning five continents. All JLI courses are open to the Jewish community, and individuals are not required to be a member of a particular synagogue or temple to attend.

Local community members are welcome to register for the course and sample the first lesson free of charge, with no obligation to continue.

Interested students should call 480-776-4763 or visit www.myJLI.com for registration and other course-related information.

JLI courses are presented here in conjunction with Chabad of Fountain Hills.