IN HIGH DEMAND: JEWISH EDUCATORS WAIT IN LINE FOR CONFLICT EDUCATION

“Conflict Education is an essential tool for Jewish and Israel educators,” said Anne Lanski, CEO of The iCenter. The iCenter’s “Conflicts of Interest” certificate program is designed to support educators in this area and, according to the organization, is seeing an overwhelming demand that reflects the new reality that educators face.

“The world around us has changed, and there is a clear need for Jewish educators to experience firsthand approachable ways to engage in conflict education. They are searching for more knowledge, frameworks and confidence to do this work effectively,” said Ari Feinstein, who manages the Conflicts of Interest initiative.

Since the initiative launched in August 2023, more than 200 educators have been certified. In November and January, The iCenter will be training another 200 educators and there is a lengthy waiting list for the program.

Conflicts of Interest addresses key issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as part of a 20-hour intensive certificate program, utilizing top resources from conflict, peace and civic education. The learning is organized around a set of core pedagogical approaches, content areas and historical and contemporary points of contention.

“By far, my biggest takeaway is becoming more comfortable with holding multiple narratives as truths even if they go against my internalized biases,” said a participant from the pilot cohort of the Conflicts of Interest program. “COI helped me grapple with the difference between understanding or sympathizing and fully agreeing. That has helped me with feeling comfortable exploring narratives surrounding the conflict that contradict beliefs I hold deep in my heart.”

Independent evaluation of Conflicts of Interest captures the educators’ experience from the four cohorts during the pilot implementation year. The program proved extremely effective, as participants gained more confidence and skills in engaging learners in conversations about the conflict.

“The program challenged me to think outside the box to find new ways to think and new ways to teach,” said a participant. “It makes me want to be more experiential in my approach to teaching challenging topics.”