Drisha Institute
The Drisha Institute for Jewish Education is a center for advanced Jewish learning located on the Upper West Side of New York City. Though initially founded to promote advanced scholarship for women, it has since expanded to offer an array of text-based learning opportunities for men and women of all ages. Its stated mission is to provide students with the opportunity to encounter texts in an intellectually rigorous and inclusive manner. Educational programs. Drisha offers ongoing classes, community lectures (including Dirshu: Confronting Challenges with Heart and Mind), a Winter Week of Learning, the Drishat Shalom Fellowship for  graduate students and young professionals, winter and summer programs for college students, a summer program for high school girls, High Holiday prayer services, an executive seminar, and various programs in Israel. History. Drisha was founded in 1979 by Rabbi David Silber as the world's first center dedicated specifically to women's study of classical Jewish texts. Rabbi Silber received ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and was the recipient of the Covenant Award in 2000. He is the author of A "Passover Haggadah: Go Forth and Learn".