Hebrew Synagogue has set out the scope of its Executive Diploma in Global Ethics (EDGE), a substantial adult education programme offered through Yeshivat Beth Israel. Designed for Jewish and non-Jewish adults, EDGE brings ethical reasoning into direct conversation with leadership, public responsibility and the practical decisions that shape organisations and communities.
The programme forms part of the adult education commitment Hebrew Synagogue announced in January 2021. Its detailed student programme guide sets out a three-to-five-year course of study, comprising twelve taught modules, supervised leadership practice and a substantial final research project. Delivered fully online in English, Hebrew and Yiddish, EDGE has a stated programme fee of £150.
Rami ben Ze’ev, Rabbi and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue, said: “The adult education commitment we announced in January 2021 has taken time to develop. EDGE gives that commitment a detailed structure, with a clear syllabus, substantial written work, supervised practice and independent research. We want students to understand both the opportunity before them and the work required to earn the diploma.”
Ethical Learning With Practical Purpose
EDGE is a secular adult education programme rooted in Jewish ethical learning. Students examine Jewish sources alongside other philosophical traditions and contemporary global challenges, using reasoned inquiry, primary texts and evidence to develop and defend their conclusions. Religious observance or agreement with a particular belief is not an entry or assessment requirement.
The programme asks students to consider how ethical judgements are formed, whose interests a decision affects and how a proposed response can be tested. Its intended outcomes include stronger analytical writing, responsible use of research, informed leadership and the ability to evaluate practical action honestly, including its limitations and unintended consequences.
“Jewish ethical learning has much to contribute to questions of dignity, justice and responsibility,” ben Ze’ev said. “Students should examine those sources carefully, understand other traditions in their own contexts and be prepared to question their assumptions. Their work will be assessed on the strength of their reasoning and evidence.”
A Structured Path Through Global Ethics
EDGE comprises 1,800 study hours. The first 600 hours cover six foundation modules: Ethical Reasoning and Moral Judgement; Jewish Ethics and Comparative Moral Traditions; Leadership Organisations and Power; Research Literacy Methods and Integrity; Global Justice Rights and Public Responsibility; and Governance Accountability and Ethical Communication.
These foundations introduce competing approaches to moral judgement, the interpretation of ethical texts, organisational authority, research methods, rights and institutional accountability. Students encounter practical questions involving concealed harm, charitable priorities, scarce public resources, conflicts of interest and the treatment of dissent within organisations.
A further 600 hours combine four advanced core modules with two electives. The advanced core examines conflict, dialogue and peacebuilding; environmental ethics and sustainable stewardship; technology and information ethics; and the preparation and defence of a research proposal.
Students choose two electives from eight areas: global governance and public policy; conflict resolution and community peacebuilding; environmental leadership and intergenerational justice; responsible technology and digital governance; business, finance and responsible enterprise; education, religion and civic leadership; humanitarian leadership and migration; and media, journalism and public trust.
Each student agrees a coherent specialisation with the programme lead. This allows the wider study of ethics to develop into focused work relevant to professional responsibilities, community interests or an independently chosen research question.
What Students Receive
Study materials include structured teaching, primary readings, worked examples, practice questions, written analysis and applied cases. Required readings are accessed within the Hebrew Synagogue platform. Students are expected to maintain source records, acknowledge the material they use and distinguish their own analysis from quotation.
The online format is designed for adults balancing education with employment, family and community responsibilities. Over 48 study weeks each year, the indicative commitment averages approximately 12.5 hours a week for a three-year route, 9.4 hours for four years or 7.5 hours for five years. Students should allow additional time around major submissions and research milestones.
Flexibility is supported by a defined progression process. Students begin with ethical reasoning and research literacy, complete the foundations before advanced assessment and obtain the required approvals before undertaking participant research. Feedback, agreed progress reviews and provision for reassessment support continued learning.
The guide also provides for adjustments relating to disability, caring responsibilities, illness or access difficulties. Adjustments can change the format or timing of work while preserving the required learning outcomes, and required tasks must offer accessible routes or equivalent alternatives.
Supervised Practice and Independent Research
The programme includes 200 hours of supervised leadership practice addressing a feasible ethical or leadership problem in an organisation, community, civic body or professional setting. Students plan their work, establish appropriate permissions and safeguards, evaluate the evidence and reflect on what their intervention achieved. A supervised desk-based policy or simulation project is available where field access is unsuitable, subject to equivalent outcomes.
The practice submission includes an activity record, a 4,000-word analytical evaluation and a 1,500-word reflective portfolio. Students must explain what happened, what the evidence supports, what remains uncertain and what they would change.
The final 400 hours are devoted to either a dissertation of 15,000–18,000 words or an applied research project combining an evaluated practical output with a 10,000–12,000-word analytical report. Both routes include supervision, independent examination and a 30–45-minute oral defence. Research involving participants requires prior ethics approval, with appropriate consent, confidentiality and data arrangements.
“Ethical leadership involves accepting responsibility for what happens after a decision is made,” ben Ze’ev said. “The practice and research elements ask students to examine outcomes, listen to evidence that challenges their expectations and explain clearly what they have learned.”
Assessment and the EDGE Award
Each taught module combines formal written work with an applied or evidence task and a 50-question objective test. Ordinary written requirements comprise a 2,500-word essay and a 1,000-word applied case, with specified research submissions replacing those tasks in the research methods and proposal modules.
Students must achieve at least 50 per cent overall in each taught module, at least 50 per cent in the essay or its specified equivalent and at least 70 per cent in the objective test. Successful completion also requires passing supervised practice and final research, completing required corrections and receiving confirmation from the examiners and programme board.
Graduates receive the Executive Diploma in Global Ethics, awarded by Hebrew Synagogue, together with a record of confirmed results. Awards are classified as Pass, Merit or Distinction. EDGE is an institutional adult education diploma; it is not a university degree, and its study hours are not presented as externally accredited academic credits.
Entry and Further Information
Entry is through a relevant first degree or a portfolio demonstrating comparable readiness through professional experience, community work or prior scholarship. Applicants prepare a statement of purpose, a 1,000-word writing sample and a realistic study-time plan, followed by an admissions discussion. Payment does not replace the readiness review.
Prospective students need reliable internet access, a suitable device and the ability to read complex material and complete analytical written work in their chosen study language. The same academic standards apply in English, Hebrew and Yiddish.
Prospective students should visit www.hebrewsynagogue.org, create an HS account and consult the Student Portal for current programme availability. Enrolment opens when the programme is ready for delivery. Applicants should review the syllabus, sample materials, assessment requirements and student agreement, including access, cancellation and refund arrangements, before confirming a place and paying the £150 programme fee.
ENDS.
About Hebrew Synagogue
Hebrew Synagogue is a Scotland-based non-profit organisation that operates Beth Israel Synagogue and provides adult education through Yeshivat Beth Israel. Its work brings together Jewish learning, religious life and community service. EDGE reflects its commitment to sustained adult study and the application of ethical learning to wider society.