DONORS HELP BRING ISRAELI ART TO NEW YORK FOR SALE AND TO INSPIRE LOCAL JEWISH EDUCATORS

In a post-Oct. 7 world, Israel’s arts scene has taken a back seat to more pressing priorities. But when it comes to Israel education, the arts are more important than ever, according to Michael Soberman, senior educational consultant at The iCenter for Israel Education.

For that reason, on Thursday, The iCenter partnered with Art Up Nation, a four-day Israeli art exhibition in the gallery-filled Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, to provide around 20 tristate-area educators with access to an exclusive tour.

In addition to the tour, the educators had the opportunity to hear from visiting Israeli artists, and participate in a discussion about ways to incorporate Israeli art and narrative into the classroom.

To The iCenter, which focuses on a “relational approach” to Israel education, the collaboration seemed obvious, said Soberman. “We had these incredible artists, these incredible storytellers in New York, and a strong network of our educators here,” he said. “Now they can ask themselves, how do we bring art and the stories that art tells into our departments?”

Katie Rein, who runs the after-school religious programming at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, was among the educators invited to attend the event. Rein was particularly inspired by the multimedia offerings on display. “I’m always looking for ways to diversify the curriculum. Some kids like Hebrew, some kids like art, some kids like playing games. So it was interesting to consider the overlap,” said Rein.

View full article on eJewish Philanthropy.