Calderon on her search for a spiritual home, from a talk at the forty-first convention of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, November 10, 2006

(1:22 min)

“We Enter the Talmud Barefoot”

A look at the development of non-halakhic Torah study centers in Israel, which Calderon says is the product of “an ongoing quiet revolution.” Calderon explains the novel characteristics of this innovative method of Torah study.
From Streams into the Sea: Studies in Jewish Culture and its Context (Alma, 2001).

Exploring the Torah Portion of Noach

This inaugural lecture of The Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning's AfterWords series took place October 11, 2007 (Temple Emanu-El, New York).
(podcast, 60 min)

“The Balcony,” Sh’ma: A journal of Jewish ideas, 2004-05

A quirky, often humorous A to Z account offering American Jews an opportunity to view their everyday experiences through an Israeli prism, published serially; the work was created in honor of the 350th anniversary of Jewish life in America.

Hashuk, Habayit, Halev
(The Market, The Home, The Heart)
(Keter, 2004) (in Hebrew)

ALMA – Home for Hebrew Culture

Calderon is founder and chairperson of ALMA, developed in 1996 as an educational institution for adults in the field of Hebrew Culture.

Mandel Leadership Institute

In 1992 Calderon was among twenty-two students in the first cohort of the Mandel School for Educational Leadership. It was here that she developed the idea for ALMA.

Elul Beit Midrash

In 1992 Calderon was among twenty-two students in the first cohort of the Mandel School for Educational Leadership. It was here that she developed the idea for ALMA.

The National Library of Israel

In 2011, Calderon was appointed Head of Culture and Educational Programmes at The National Library of Israel

Adult Jewish Learning Panel

Calderon was on a panel that explored the question: “If we were successful in creating meaningful opportunities for adult Jewish learning, what would the world look like?” The discussion took place December 31, 2007 and was sponsored by the Mandel Leadership Institute.
(video, 10:13)

Stay the Night
Calderon created Stay the Night, an all-night learning and experiential program, for the first night of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. Originated in Israel, she brought the program to the U.S. in 2004; it attracts hundreds of young adults each year. (see the two PDFs below)

Read about the program in “(Gen) X Plus Y Equals 10 (Commandments), a Jewish Week article from June 10, 2005.

View the 2011 schedule for Stay the Night, held at the JCC Manhattan.

Avi Chai Prize

In 2007, Calderon Received the Avi Chai Prize in Israel

“Reinventing Tradition,” Jerusalem Post

This article discusses the growth of secular batei midrash; Calderon is cited and quoted in the piece.