American Scripture Project is pleased to announce that we are ready to open our next cohort of congregations for training and preparation. While DafAmerica can be done any week, and the full program is designed to start any time, independently, some facilitators prefer to join a cohort and participate in summer training and monthly coaching.
Many colleagues find it helpful to announce the start of an American Scripture Project series during the High Holy Days, and given that 5786 will be America’s 250th, this might be a good time to preach about democracy.
American Scripture Project helps communities and individuals reminding ourselves that democracy is bigger than elections. It is about the narratives and identities that make us citizens within the U.S. democratic system. And it is about the habits and customs we exhibit when we practice a healthy citizenship. This is what we learn and teach as we study the foundational documents of our national history.
Curious about what the program looks like? Take a look at the first Session of the program, which is open to everyone as an example.
Creating an opportunity for your community members to explore America’s key narratives—things like freedom, equality, citizen activism, being a nation of immigrants—in a non-political, non-partisan space will help incubate healthy norms of discourse in your congregation. Over time, we have seen this culture shift trickle outwards to improve the entire atmosphere of deliberation about issues within and surrounding our synagogues. Given the natural polarization during all elections, and the increased polarization of recent national and state politics, American Scripture Project can be a helpful antidote.
While American Scripture Project can be started at any time, we offer a cohort experience which can help facilitators learn the ropes and adapt the materials for each community. We ask congregations for an initial donation of $500 to join the program, and an annual contribution of $180 to remain a part of the community (Substack calls this a “Founding Subscription” and an “Annual Subscription”). For the 2025-2026 Cohort:
Info Sessions (all the same): July 24, 2:30-3:30pm; July 29, 1:00-2:00pm; or August 6, 3:00-4:00pm for those who are curious.
Once you sign on, we will provide promotional material which you can customize for your community.
The facilitator Crash Course will be held on August 12, 2:30-4:00pm. This crash course will familiarize you with our philosophy; explain how to promote, prepare, and start session one; and provide tips and tricks for facilitating through common pitfalls while taking advantage of key opportunities.
Monthly coaching will always be the second Thursday of the month from 1:30-2:30pm on Zoom, and our first session for this cohort will be September 11, 2025. At each monthly coaching, we will do a deep dive on one session and leave time for questions about other sessions as needed.
If you are considering joining the 2025-2026 Cohort, or you just want to be in touch, please fill our our interest form using the button below and we will reply with next steps.