Boston NCSY / JSU presents
BENCHMARK
Invest in Judaism
5–20 minutes. Once a week. Your choice.
Pick what you want to learn from a catalog of 50+ books. Get matched with a YU/Stern mentor and meet online each week.
How it works
One book. One mentor. Every week.
You and a college mentor open one book and learn it together, out loud, taking turns. That’s it.
Pick a book
Choose from 50+ books on Jewish thought, halacha, and Gemara. Beginner to advanced.
Get matched
We pair you with a YU/Stern mentor based on your background and interests.
Meet each week
5–20 minutes online, at a time that works for both of you.
Pick one with your mentor. Work through it together. Finish it and celebrate.
The catalog
Start with a book you can finish
Every book was picked because two people can open it, finish a piece of it in one sitting, and talk it through.
Jewish Philosophy
20 titles
Big questions, emunah, middos, and becoming a better person.
- Positive Word Power for Teens
- Living Emunah
- Teens Talk
- Pirkei Avos
Jewish Law
15 titles
The halachos that show up in a teenager’s actual week.
- To Be a Mentch
- Illustrated Guide to Shabbos
- Halachos of Other People’s Money
- Honor Them, Revere Them
Gemara
15 titles
Real masechtos, plus the skills books that make them learnable.
- Why Do I Need to Learn Gemara?
- Gemara Steps and Structure
- Eilu Metzios (Travel Ed.)
- Taanis
Every level, every background. Your mentor will help you pick.
Rewards
Show up and you walk away with more than what you learned.
Benchmark merch or a gift card at every milestone. Your choice. The more sessions you finish, the bigger it gets.
sessions
Welcome
$10 in Benchmark merch or a $10 gift card.
sessions
First Milestone
$20 in Benchmark merch or a $20 gift card.
sessions
Second Milestone
$25 in Benchmark merch or a $25 gift card.
sessions
Year-End Completion
$45 in Benchmark merch or a $45 gift card. Plus your spot on the Benchmark Shabbos in New York.
Finish a book
A siyum: a shout-out, a certificate, and a gift card.
Monthly raffle
Two $25 winners every month. Everyone in Benchmark is in.
The details