From June 24 – 28, I was in Atlanta, GA, participating in the Annual Workshop on Israel Education hosted by the Center for Israel Education (CIE) and the Emory Institute for the Study of Modern Israel (ISMI). I was one of 65 participants from the United States, Canada and Mexico including 11 from the DC Metro area. Participants represented day schools, congregational schools, and other Jewish organizations including the JCRC.

The objective of the Workshop is to empower educators, and through them their students, with an understanding of Israel’s history, politics, and culture. Throughout the Workshop, we learned with leading scholars and practitioners in the field of Israel education. We selected specialized learning tracks that allowed us to explore our areas of interest and learn strategies for implementing resources in our institutions.

Sessions included: “Teaching Israel Through Liturgy,” “Multiple Viewpoints for Teen Learners,” “The Tyranny of Language: The 1,2,3 State Solution,” “The Intersection of Religion and Israeli Politics” and “Palestinian Leadership: What’s Next.” In the evening, we watched Israeli movies such as “The Women’s Balcony” and “Ben Gurion: Epilogue.”

Participants were encouraged to develop programs to bring back to their communities. As a result, Congregation Etz Hayim will be pairing with Tifereth Israel (DC) and its educator, Rina Rebibo, to participate in a joint Israel learning program for our 4th – 6th graders in the 2018-19 school year. The Workshop was a wonderful learning experience and I Iook forward to providing enhanced Israel education to our CEH learners.

Laura Naide,

Director of Religious Education and Israel Traveler