ByALEX WINSTON
Updated:

If you have ever watched an Israeli talk their way out of a sticky situation or somehow get upgraded to Business Class and thought, “How on Earth do they do that?” then the answer is very simple; chutzpah!

Now, everyone from around the world can learn the benefits of “the good side of chutzpah” thanks to a new online course called “The Art of Chutzpah.”  
Course creator Josh Hoffman originally intended to write the course as a book, but as the concept progressed decided, “I don’t want people to read [the book] and just feel inspired. I want people to take action in their everyday life, wherever they are in the world. So, I was like this needs to be a course, and reach the most amount of people worldwide.” 
The Art of Chutzpah course creator Josh Hoffman
The Art of Chutzpah course creator Josh Hoffman (Courtesy).

The course features over 30 lessons split into different modules covering skills for the future with a particular emphasis on creativity, imagination, courage, confidence, time management, productivity, resilience, and self-awareness.

“The word chutzpah today has so many connotations,” Hoffman told The Jerusalem Post, “but if you look at the heart of Israeli culture, it's chutzpah. I call it ‘new world chutzpah’ and that’s actually the first lesson. 

“The way that I describe new world chutzpah is very simple. It’s about not settling for the status quo. It’s about being confident; being courageous using your imagination and creativity; resilience, which is obviously a big word in Israel, and using these core attributes to accomplish whatever you want to accomplish in your life.

“It doesn’t have to be monumental; it can be making yourself 1%, 2%, or 5% better.

Each lesson consists of audio lessons, text graphics and a quiz plus an interactive assignment that takes the content and applies it specifically to a user’s life.

“That’s what I wanted to accomplish with the course,” Hoffman said, explaining the wide scope of lessons available. “There are absolutely elements that you can apply to your business or career, but I wanted it to be something that no matter who you are, where you’re from, what you plan to do, this is something that can elevate your life and open the horizons.”

Hoffman says it’s all about people putting themselves out there and out of their comfort zones. “Israelis are always pushing the needle forward, trying new things, not scared to fail,” he said.

“There is no success without failure, so learning to change how you perceive failure, there's a lesson on that.”

Hoffman, who made aliyah from Los Angeles and has already written a book about a new immigrant's life in Israel, hopes that the new course will mark the beginning of a new side to IZZY, a global TV streaming platform Hoffman founded that offers Israeli movies, TV shows, and documentaries.

“We want to bring Israel to the world, through entertainment and experiences,” Hoffman told the Post. “’The Art of the Chutzpah’ is the precipice for our next product called IZZY Academy: learning from Israel’s brightest and best.”