The Jewish School of Manliness

A Proposal for a Curriculum on Jewish Masculinity, Marriage, and Leadership

By J.R. Rothstein

This is not a course I plan to teach. It’s a proposal—an open-source framework. A draft curriculum that emerged from real conversations with friends, mentors, and peers—men and women alike—about dating, marriage, responsibility, and what it means to become a man in the modern Jewish world.

I’ve lived through these struggles myself. I’m not outside the problem—I’m part of the same ecosystem that often leaves men adrift. The only difference is, I’ve been watching, listening, and reflecting. And I believe it’s time to name what’s broken and begin to build something better.

Across America, the crisis of men is well-documented. Fewer men are marrying, more are struggling emotionally, economically, and spiritually. Depression, isolation, and disengagement from education, work, and family are rising. Boys and young men are falling behind in school, disappearing from the workforce, and increasingly unable to form stable families.

This has been detailed in pieces such as:

And within the Orthodox and traditional Jewish world, these same dynamics show up with unique complexity. Boys grow up with years of text learning, yet many enter adulthood without the emotional and practical tools to build strong marriages, raise children, or shoulder communal responsibility.

We talk about a “shidduch crisis,” but what we’re really seeing is a formation crisis—a failure to grow boys into baalei batim, husbands, fathers, and Jewish leaders.

We need to aim higher. Not just at marriage, but at maturity. Not just shidduchim, but stewardship. We need to raise men who can carry the weight of Jewish continuity with dignity and direction.

The curriculum I’ve drafted is a starting point. It’s not polished. It’s not perfect. But it’s real. It’s meant for those who are in a position to act—married mentors, educators, rabbis, social workers, yeshiva deans, lay leaders. I don’t have time to teach it myself. But I hope someone will.

You can view the live curriculum outline here:
👉 Open Curriculum Spreadsheet – Google Sheets

I’ve also drafted a proposed business model outlining how this effort could become financially self-sustaining through a decentralized, city-by-city rollout, with local leadership and scalable structure:
👉 View the Business Plan – Google Docs

Right now, to my knowledge, the only organized group working seriously on this challenge is the Sephardic YP Men’s Fellowship. Their work is critical, but they lack long-term funding and scale.

This challenge is too large for any one organization. It demands a broader communal response—a grassroots effort embedded in each city, yeshiva, and shul, adapted to the needs of each local community.

This proposal is an open invitation. Use it. Adapt it. Improve it. Build with it.

And if you’re already working in this space or feel called to contribute, I’d love to hear from you.

Contact me to share your thoughts, collaborate, or take this further.

Together, we can help raise a generation of Jewish men who are ready—spiritually, emotionally, and practically—to lead.

— J.R. Rothstein