EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED, AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED, ALL AT THE SAME TIME

By Aliza Goodman

In short, while the world looks very different since the events of October 7, the foundations of the field of Israel education endure and guide us into the future.

For nearly two decades, my work in the field of Israel education with The iCenter has focused on promoting an approach that places the learners’ relationship with Israel at the center of the educational experience. Our core work has been to elevate and empower Jewish educators as Israel educators, providing them with the tools, skills, content and context needed to meaningfully engage learners with Israel and its complexities.

In the days, weeks and months since war broke out on Oct. 7, we’ve been asked countless times, “How has your work been affected by the war?” My answer has always been our work has changed both in every way and in no way at all. While current events may shape and influence educational priorities and many of our content choices, the outbreak of war underscored the importance of being adaptive to meet the needs of educators as they navigate increasingly complex realities. Now more than ever, it is essential to help practitioners engage with authentic, nuanced and dynamic Israel education so its foundation is strong and its impact is long-lasting.

This conviction is supported by researcher Shelley Billig’s new report, “Israel Education in North America, 2023: A Landscape Analysis of the Field.” In the report, Billig outlines areas of convergence in beliefs about Israel education within the field. In the wake of Oct. 7, she finds that the core beliefs of the field remain unwavering and foundational:

• Israel education must be learner-centered, use narratives and storytelling, be immersive and experiential, and engage with nuance and complexity.
• Israel education must be addressed as part of any Jewish educational endeavor.
• Israel education must be expressed in the context of Jewish identity formation.
• Israel education must employ good educational strategies and practices.
• Israel education must include experiences in Israel and with Israelis.

While unity around these core values persists, there is still room for diversity in approach. Indeed, the field of Israel education is strengthened when the many individual organizations that make up the field view their differences as complementary. Only when we understand that the unique elements of our approaches play a part in the development of a larger and unified whole will we be able to strive for long-term sustainability and effectiveness in Israel education.

View full article on eJewish Philanthropy.

Aliza Goodman leads the design and implementation of The iCenter’s professional development initiatives for Jewish educators across North America.