Students Examine Israel Education in North America at Winter Intensive

As news began to break about the outlines of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas this month, the topic of Israel was already front and center for students participating in the Hebrew Union College winter intensive Israel Education in North America. The course offered students - including those from the Master of Educational Leadership (MEdL/MAJL), Executive Masters in Education (EMA), rabbinic-education, and rabbinic programs - a chance to prepare for teaching what is among the most challenging and politically fraught subjects in Jewish education today.

"Israel education is contested; even though most Jewish institutions and educators agree that it is one important component of Jewish education, they often disagree about the goals, how Israel and Zionism ought to be framed, and what and how learners should be taught about aspects of Israeli history, society, politics, and culture," said Sivan Zakai, Ph.D., Sara S. Lee Associate Professor of Jewish Education and an expert in Jewish and Israel education. "There is no single 'right way' to teach about Israel, and there is no silver bullet for creating 'good' Israel educational experiences. Israel educators have to manage a set of complicated - and often competing - priorities and values as they make decisions about how, when, and what to teach about Israel."

Zakai said the primary goal of the intensive, which was set to take place at Hebrew Union College's Jack H. Skirball Campus in Los Angeles but had to be held virtually on Zoom because of the recent wildfires, was to help students "conceptually map the field" of Israel education. While knowledge about Israel and pedagogy is necessary, Zakai taught, it is insufficient for effective Israel education. Jewish professionals, she argued, must also understand - and navigate - the context of Israel education in North America, and the dilemmas that arise from teaching about Israel in Jewish educational contexts.

"I want students to examine several questions," Zakai said. "What are the multiple and contested goals and purposes of Israel education? How do learners at different ages and stages make sense of Israel, and where and how do they learn about Israel in different ways in different moments and settings? How do curricular materials frame - in different ways and for different learners and contexts - what is worth learning and how that learning ought to unfold? And what are the different and competing stances that Israel educators take towards their work?"

Students at the intensive were introduced to new language to use in discussions about Israel. By the end of the course, they were expected to identify the goals of Israel education in their residency, internship, or pulpit setting, examine if and how those objectives deviate from commonly articulated goals in the field, and then articulate their own "Israel educational stance," and how that stance draws upon a larger literature and field of practice in Israel education.

"The Israel Education intensive with Dr. Zakai was something I had been looking forward to all year," said Danielle Wolff, a student in the Master of Educational Leadership & Jewish Learning program. "Dr. Zakai literally wrote the book about how children conceptualize Israel! So, being able to learn from her is a priceless opportunity. As an emerging Jewish educator, teaching Israel feels daunting, especially in the post-October 7 world. How do I teach a topic that is important, yet political and divisive? How do I teach Israel in a way that reflects my own values and experiences? In the course, we explored and discussed those questions. In a realm of Jewish education that can feel so daunting, Dr. Zakai gave me the tools and resources to feel more confident about finding my own voice as an Israel educator."

"Through this intensive, I have gained a deeper understanding of the breadth of the field of Israel education," said Ally Karpel, a Clergy-Ed student in the Master of Educational Leadership program. "I am leaving our week-long class feeling better equipped to navigate the diverse goals and aspirations of future educational contexts I may serve and feel more confident managing the dilemmas that will inevitably arise as a result."

Matt Rissien, a student in the EMA program, said, "This session came at an incredibly difficult time for everyone in LA, and it was an honor to join the students on zoom to learn with them. Dr. Zakai challenged us to think deeply about the many different approaches to Israel Education. Not only did I learn so much to bring back to my workplace, but I also learned so much about my own views. This intensive was a bright spot during a dark week," he said.

"Dr. Zakai's Israel Education in North America changed the way I view Jewish education," added Shayna Dollinger, a third-year rabbinical and education student in the MEdL program. "Through this course I came to understand how, since October 7, all Jewish educators have become Israel educators. With that knowledge, I had the wonderful opportunity to explore who I am and who I want to be as an Israel educator. I aim to create an educational environment in which students are invited to hold multiple narratives and explore hard truths, all while remaining committed to our responsibility to klal yisrael."

"The Israel Education intensive with Dr. Zakai was something I had been looking forward to all year," said Danielle Wolff, a student in the Master of Educational Leadership & Jewish Learning (MEdL/MAJL) program. "Dr. Zakai literally wrote the book about how children conceptualize Israel! So, being able to learn from her is a priceless opportunity."