Over 100 students gathered at the Eli and Bessie Cohen Summer Institutes at Hebrew College, which for the first time included two residential study programs—for educators and for Hebrew College Online (HCO) students—as well as text study and Hebrew language classes. Participants traveled from as far as California, Utah, Texas, Florida and Toronto.

Featuring seminars taught by some of the nation's top education scholars, the Institute for Day School Teachers, held July 21–26, drew 53 educators to the new campus. "I couldn't have asked for a smarter, more engaged group," said Dr. Vicki Jacobs of Harvard University about her Learning and Literacy class. Courses included a Hebrew language teaching seminar with Naomi Steiner and Mira Smoli; noted educators Leandra Elion and Marion Green taught Developing Special Education Curricula for Jewish Settings; and Dr. Gilda Oran of George Washington University offered Hagim, Tefillah and Hebrew in the Learner-Centered Classroom. Over 30 participants enrolled in Teaching the Holocaust, with Jan Darsa of Facing History and Ourselves. "I'm learning the tools to create and teach a Holocaust curriculum in my school for the first time," said Renée Stern, who teaches at a Jewish high school in Houston.

During the same week, as part of Hebrew College Online's Master of Arts in Jewish Studies program, students attended the residential Institute on Zionism. Meeting in person for the first time, the classmates, many of whom had corresponded via email, were eager to finally see people's faces and share discussion in a traditional classroom setting—though, as Eva Goldfinger of Toronto joked after a lively group debate, one advantage of studying online is that "you can express yourself without being interrupted." Throughout the week, students explored the history, culture and politics of Zionism with Provost Barry Mesch; HCO Dean Nathan Ehrlich; Rabbi David Starr, Dean of Me'ah; and Dr. Steve Copeland, Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Education.

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