A Year-Long Online Course · Registration Opens July 31, 2025
The
Jerusalem
Academy
A Year-Long Journey Through 3,000 Years of Jerusalem
History·Archaeology·Geography·Culture·Language·Religion
One city, 3,000 years. Every stone has a story.
A Unique Learning Experience
Understand the past. Engage the present. Connect to the future.
Online Weekly Classes
32 live Zoom lectures, Sundays 9:00–10:15 AM CST.
Monthly Walking Tours
In Jerusalem, tied to each month's topic (for participants in Israel).
Expert Instruction
Taught from the field by David Begoun.
Recordings Included
Class recordings, reading lists, maps & resources.
Learning Community
Private discussion group & Q&A all year long.
Taught by
David Begoun
- Licensed Israeli Tour Guide
- Orthodox Rabbi & Educator
- Journalist & Storyteller
- Master's Degree from Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Middle Eastern / Jerusalem Studies
- Lives in Jerusalem and walks these streets every day
- Continues to research and teach Jerusalem with passion and depth
The Course
What's included
- • 32 live Zoom lectures (1 hour 15 minutes each)
- • Sundays | 9:00 – 10:15 AM CST (5:00 PM Israel time)
- • Monthly walking tour on that month's topic*
- • Recordings, reading lists, maps & resources
- • Private discussion group & Q&A
- • 10-day Israel Study Tour at end of year (optional)
*For participants who live in Israel.
Tuition
Choose your path
International Participants
- Online Program — One Semester$299
- Online Program — Full Year$549
- Online + 10-Day Israel Study Tour (Optional)Pricing announced separately
Israel Residents
- Online Program only — One Semester₪800
- Online Program only — Full Year₪1,400
- Online + Jerusalem Field Tours — One Semester₪1,200
- Online + Jerusalem Field Tours — Full Year₪2,100
The Syllabus
Nine months · 32 lectures · 10 field seminars
A month-by-month journey from King David's city to modern Jerusalem — combining classroom study with tours to the places where history unfolded.
Module 1 · October
The Birth of Jerusalem
- •Why Jerusalem? The city that changed the world
- •David conquers and builds Israel's capital
- •Field Tour I — King David's Jerusalem
- •The First Temple City: kings, prophets, and destruction
Module 2 · November
The Second Temple City
- •From exile to return: Jerusalem reborn
- •Herod the Great — the man who rebuilt Jerusalem
- •Field Tour II — Herod's Jerusalem
- •Walking with Jesus through Jerusalem
- •The Great Revolt and the end of the Second Temple
Module 3 · December
Rome & Christianity
- •Aelia Capitolina: Rome erases Jerusalem
- •Field Tour III — Roman & Byzantine Jerusalem
- •From pagan city to Christian capital
- •Pilgrims, monks, and holy places
Module 4 · January
The Islamic City
- •The Muslim conquest: a new Jerusalem
- •The Dome of the Rock and Islamic Jerusalem
- •Field Tour IV — Early Islamic Jerusalem
- •The Temple Mount: faith, archaeology, politics
- •The Golden Age of early Islamic Jerusalem
Module 5 · February
Crusaders, Saladin & the Mamluks
- •The Crusaders capture the Holy City
- •Field Tour V — Crusaders' and Saladin's Jerusalem
- •Saladin and Jerusalem's second liberation
- •The Mamluks: architects of today's Old City
Module 6 · March
Ottoman Jerusalem
- •Suleiman the Magnificent and the Jerusalem we know
- •Field Tour VI — Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem
- •Walls, gates, and the story they tell
- •Jerusalem's lifeline: water through the ages
- •The Four Quarters: history, myth, and reality
Module 7 · April
Beyond the Walls
- •Leaving the walls: the birth of modern Jerusalem
- •Field Tour VII — Beyond the Walls
- •The British remake Jerusalem
- •1948: a city divided
Module 8 · May
Divided & Reunified Jerusalem
- •Field Tour VIII — The Seam Line, 1948–1967
- •Life along the border between 1948 and 1967
- •Six days that changed Jerusalem forever
- •Rebuilding the Jewish Quarter
Module 9 · June
Jerusalem Today
- •Field Tour IX — The Jewish Quarter Reborn
- •1967 and beyond: expanding Jerusalem
- •Mount Zion: one hill, four faith traditions
- •The Many Jerusalems: one city, many communities
- •Field Tour X — Capstone Seminar
Module 10 · July
Optional Summer Study Tour
- •10-day immersive seminar in Israel
- •Concludes with a graduation dinner
Registration
Join the journey
Fill out the form below and upload proof of your Zelle or PayPal payment to reserve your seat.
Registration Opens
July 31, 2025
Early Bird Discount
July 31 – August 31
Course Begins
Early October
Course Ends
Late June
Come study Jerusalem with someone who lives it.
Walk through history. See beneath the surface. The journey begins this October.