EXPANDED ISSUE

39/648 February–March 2008/Adar 1 & 2 5768 A publication of

Inside Teaching ow do we teach honestly and fully about the Jewish Lisa D. Grant Hstate — a place so sanctified by some, so vilified by oth- Connecting Israel to Jewish Life ...... 1 ers, and so sketchily understood by even those who say Kenneth W. Stein, Tal Grinfas- they care about it deeply? This issue of Sh’ma explores the , and Anna R. Hartman pedagogical and philosophical underpinnings of teaching Teaching Israel ...... 3 Peter Geffen about Israel — in day schools, university classrooms, on Is- Israel Education ...... 4 rael trips, and elsewhere — and it asks tough questions Tzvia Berrin-Reinstein Strengthening a Complex about how informal and formal educational programs Connection ...... 5 might rethink their assumptions about educating a new Marion Gribetz A More Robust Education ..6 generation to more deeply understand the complexity of Hannah Weitzer the State of Israel. — SB Redrawing the Maps, Rethinking Education...... 6 Derek J. Penslar Contested Space...... 7 Ilan Troen, Ronald Zweig, Connecting Israel to Jewish Life Yael Zerubavel Lisa D. Grant Roundtable...... 9 or centuries, Israel has been embedded in the hearts and minds of Jews as a spiritual Moshe Naor Fhomeland, an idealized place where dreams are fulfilled. The language of prayer is sat- Israel in the Academy...... 11 urated with references to the ingathering of the exiles from the four corners of the earth, Shirah Rachel Apple the realization of a “rebuilt” to herald the Messianic age and, more recently, the NiSh’ma ...... 12 actualization of statehood as the “first flowering of our redemption.” Yet, the powerful spir- Lynn Schusterman itual and symbolic force of this idealized Israel has lost a great deal of its resonance for Funding Israel Education ...... 14 many American Jews in light of the complex political, social, cultural, and religious reali- Jeffrey A. Spitzer ties of Israel today. As a result, Israel does not figure greatly into the way American Jews Hearing Multiple Voices..15 make personal meaning from being Jewish today. Lee Perlman Teaching Israel is certainly one of the greatest challenges of Jewish education in Amer- Commitment & Critique..16 ican communities. Indeed, for decades educational researchers and thinkers have observed Ezra Kopelowitz that few Jewish educators are truly reflective about why, what, or how they teach Israel. Measuring Success ...... 18 Even among those individuals and institutions at the forefront of Jewish educational in- Robbie Gringras novation, few are able to articulate a clear vision or their reason for teaching Israel that ex- An Ancient Dream & tends beyond vague and implicit expressions of Israel being a core component of Jewish Modern Reality ...... 19 identity formation. Jay Michaelson Hot is the New Cool...... 23 At least in part, our inability to develop a compelling vision for Israel education lies in our inability to define why Israel should matter to American Jews comfortably at home in Naomi Graetz Sh’ma ...... 24 American society. We also are ambivalent about which Israel to teach. Is it a political nar- rative about the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Is it a romantic portrait of a land flow- Bulk copies of this issue ing with milk and honey? Is it a story about rescue and refuge for Jews in danger around are available. Contact the world? Is it about a society of modern miracles and technological marvels, or a society [email protected] of corruption, dysfunction, and tension among rich and poor, religious and secular, Arabs $2/copy for 10–50 and Jews? Or is it all of the above? copies $1/copy for 51 Basically, the content and experiences of Israel through formal and informal educa- or more copies. tional experiences (including trips) remain largely on a symbolic or even “mythic” level for To subscribe: most American Jews. And we seem comfortable with this approach. Anything more would 877-568-SHMA conflict with the not-so-hidden curriculum of American Jewish education, which is how to www.shma.com function as an American Jew. Inasmuch as Israel education can be used as a way to reinforce American Jewish identity, it is viewed as a pos- timate goal may still be “love of Israel,” we itive. We avoid over-complicating matters in should cultivate a mature love rather than a order to ensure a “love” of Israel. Yet unless naïve one. We should neither whitewash nor and until we dive into the complications, I be- ignore the complexities of contemporary Is- lieve we will remain at best with a symbolic un- rael. While teaching the old “myths” as ideals, derstanding of why Israel is or should be we must do so in a way that makes them usable significant in American Jewish life. in tension with current realities. One of the core ideas I teach my students is It seems that the most powerful way to fos- that you cannot teach anything well until you ter a deep sense of connection with and com- know its meaning for yourself. My own lifelong mitment to Israel is to foster a deep sense of reflection on why Israel matters has shaped how connection with and commitment to Jewish I negotiate between my American life and my life. This means integrating Israel as an essen- Jewish self; how I live my life as a Jew; and how tial element of wherever one lives. This is not so much about Israel being central To foster a deep sense of connection to Jewish life, but about Israel being an inte- gral/inseparable piece of a larger whole. with Israel means to foster that sense of To do this, we must begin with aspects of connection with Jewish life. Jewish life that people already connect with and know something about. Three significant I teach not just Israel but Jewish education as a domains include prayer, social and cultural in- whole. Just as I navigate between the many teractions, and social justice. Each of these other dualisms that are part of Jewish existence experiences can be enriched through conver- — the tensions between universal and particu- sations, texts, and images of Israel. lar values, religion and peoplehood, the indi- We also need to build connections with vidual and the community, the sacred and the people and place, with the visions and realities profane, tradition and change — so, too, do I that encompass Israel both as a sacred symbol navigate the dualisms inherent in Israel in all and as a dynamic, modern state. We need the of its manifestations, symbolic and real. To me, myth, but we also need the reality. We must ex- Israel “engagement” means the continuing par- plore the plurality of voices in Israeli society. Lisa D. Grant is Associ- ticipation in this unresolved discourse. It is what Ultimately, Israel education should be ate Professor of Jewish keeps my relationship to Judaism and to Israel about strengthening bonds of connection that Education at the Hebrew dynamic and alive. This relationship, like most, cut across time and space, the sacred and the Union College–Jewish In- takes work. I see this work as a form of tikkun — profane, personal and collective, particular stitute of Religion, NY. working toward repairing and improving an im- and universal, Jew and other. And this multi- Her research and teach- perfect world. I also understand it as a partner- layered approach is not solely a one-way en- ing interests include adult Jewish learning, ship, a brit l’olam, a covenant for all time. gagement with Israel. Rather, Israel education the professional develop- This philosophy recasts Israel education, should be built on a sense of reciprocity. We ment of Jewish educators, shifting the symbols of what could be de- are enriched by Israel and enrich it in turn and the role Israel plays scribed as a “dead past” into a usable past that through our active relationships with am, in American Jewish life. is integrated into Jewish living. Though our ul- , medinah, and Eretz Yisrael.

Renew for three years and give a gift subscription to a friend for free! Name: ______Address: ______3 years: City: ______ST: ______Zip:______$64 (save almost 50%) Name for FREE gift subscription: Name: ______Gift subscription FREE! Address: ______877-568-SHMA City: ______ST: ______Zip:______February/March 2008 ____Check enclosed (Payable to Sh'ma) AMOUNT ENCLOSED $______Adar 1 & 2 5768 To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA Credit Card: MasterCard / Visa / Amex Card Number: ______Exp Date: ______www.shma.com 2 Signature: ______NEW! 3 year renewal option. NEW! 3 year renewal Teaching Israel: A More Effective Strategy Kenneth W. Stein, Tal Grinfas-David, and Anna R. Hartman

tanding in stocking feet on a giant, 30 x 13 Jewish youth who are unsure of Israel’s rele- Sfoot floor map of Israel, 75 Jewish educa- vance need to understand how Israel’s exis- tors explored the strategic land decisions tence strengthened their own existence. made by Zionists involved with the Jewish Na- Invest in a learning community. By tional Fund (JNF) in Palestine in the late the teachers’ own admission, one prominent 1930s. During an experiential text study re- factor limiting student achievement in the area counting a meeting of Zionist leaders, teach- of Israel studies involves the knowledge of ed- ers began to discover the valuable lessons and ucators. Surveys of workshop participants in- big ideas embedded in the history of the dicate that while nearly all teachers agree that founding of the State of Israel. What’s more, teaching about Israel is important, the large they glimpsed the potential of bringing so- majority perceive themselves as possessing only phistication, nuance, critical thinking, best limited or basic knowledge of Israel and Zion- practices, and primary sources to the study of ism. Fewer than one-third reported having modern Israel. What challenges face educa- taken at least one college course on the sub- tors in providing such opportunities for their ject. In order to educate these teachers, we students? should train them intensively in person and Writing for JESNA in 2004, Barry Chazan also utilize long-distance teaching tools to in- articulated three core components of the his- form and connect interested educators. torical challenge to Israel education in the As for the donors who are needed to invest U.S.: fostering individual meaning related to in this field, these individuals rightly look for Israel, making a trip to Israel standard for all the measurable outcomes of their donations. Jews, and reversing the decline in Hebrew lan- Such individuals may feel more comfortable in- guage competence. vesting in a political action group than in an Since the publication of Chazan’s asser- educational process whose results will only be tions, Taglit-Birthright and evident over time. Laypeople and professionals programs such as Tal Am and early childhood must work together to determine satisfactory immersion have begun to address the latter two barometers for success in education. challenges. But the first challenge remains: fos- Reconsider time allocation. When tering an environment in which learning about teachers are asked why they do not teach Israel is meaningful and relevant. more about Israel, most answer “lack of For every organization, the first step is time.” Instead of focusing years of Jewish ed- gathering laypeople and educators who believe ucation exclusively on prescribed bar/bat the story of Israel is one worth telling. What mitzvah preparation, how might communi- then are the steps necessary for endowing the ties reimagine the time and place for further future of American Jewry with a compelling study of Israel? In a school, this could mean and germane understanding of modern Israel? more time devoted to Jewish values and life Dr. Kenneth W. Stein is The following suggestions emerge from nine lessons in Israel’s history; the integration of director of ISMI and pro- years of data culled by Emory University’s In- the subject into multiple disciplines; the em- fessor of contemporary stitute for the Study of Modern Israel (ISMI) powering of educators from different fields Middle Eastern history, political science, and Is- during 20 teacher workshops. of study (not merely Judaic and Hebrew rael studies at Emory Identify the message. What is the rele- teachers); and innovative family educational University. Tal Grinfas- vance of the State of Israel to American Jews? opportunities. David and Anna R. Every organization should determine endur- Procure high-quality educational Hartman are Israel ing understandings that answer that question, materials. The nature of teaching contem- curriculum specialists at but many have not considered the following: porary politics, international relations, or his- Emory University’s How did Jews acquire and maintain sufficient tory requires regular updating of materials. Institute for the Study of power and authority to create and sustain a Many of the best materials about Israel are un- Modern Israel (ISMI). state of their own? How did Jews outside of Is- fortunately outdated, out of print, or in He- February/March 2008 rael use the support and defense of a Jewish brew. Regrettably there are few qualified Adar 1 & 2 5768 state to cement their own Jewish identity and individuals taking the time to produce and re- To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA develop influence in the U.S. and elsewhere? vise curriculur units. Moreover, while more www.shma.com 3 and more Web sites collect data, few provide does not mean turning Israel studies into a teachers with the context, enduring under- dominant concern for the “other,” but it does standings, essential questions, and suggested mean answering questions with an earnest ef- pedagogy to teach age-appropriate, meaning- fort to tell students how the current state of ful and innovative units. affairs came to be. Make pedagogical methods and Standing on the giant map, we learn that materials age appropriate. In his recent Jewish nation builders — much like Jewish landmark study for the Israel Project, com- leaders today — had big dreams for the fu- munications expert Frank Luntz recom- ture. Examining the story of the State of Is- mends that Israel educators “get real,” since rael, we can learn how to grapple with young adults will reject anything that appears limitations, overcome adversity, and think one-sided. If our brightest students, in our strategically to achieve success, both for Israel best programs, feel they are getting half the and for our children. This is a story to learn story, what will happen to them when they from and one that is worth telling and begin to hear a different perspective upon retelling until it is as familiar as the “Four reaching the college campus? Getting real Questions.”

Israel Education: An Ironic Failure Peter Geffen think we have trivialized the teaching of Is- which we live” means to face reality in a Irael. Years ago we convinced ourselves that straightforward and honest way. There is no the only way our students would remain “loyal” nation-state that has or will reach perfection. was if we convinced them of the absolute right- Israel’s democracy is imperfect; its foreign pol- ness of our cause, the total perfection of our icy sometimes flawed; its social policy increas- experiment, and the unacceptability of criti- ingly inadequate to meet the needs of the cism from within. In 1967, together with the weakest members of its society; and on and other young faculty of the Park Avenue Syna- on. Is acknowledging these facts a bad thing? gogue High School, I doubted the wisdom of Heschel makes clear the astounding and trou- this approach. Today, 40 years later, I am con- bling implication of wearing rose-colored vinced that this approach has not and will not glasses: “Failure to be open to the demands of work. Yes, of course we can all point to many our historical situation liquidates one’s own Peter A. Geffen, founder young people who are deeply committed and position of meaning.” Could it be stated more of The Joshua loyal to Israel. But the facts of Jewish alienation strongly? If we ignore the realities of our situ- Heschel School in NYC, from Israel make clear that our “successes” are ation and paint for ourselves a self-fulfilling is the founder and direc- in the minority. For the vast majority of the fantasy, we will actually endanger the very tor of KIVUNIM, The In- members of our Jewish community, most of thing we seek to preserve. stitute of Experiential whom are products of our Hebrew Schools The Zionist movement that made possible Learning for Israel and and day schools, Israel is increasingly irrelevant the emergence of the State of Israel was one of World Jewish Communi- at best and a negative force at worst. This situ- conflict and intellectual challenge. Zionist con- ties Studies, which be- ation is intolerable and presents us with major ferences were filled with strongly stated oppos- lieves that by educating negative implications for the Jewish people in ing points of view. Why must the of young Jews and instilling in them an the 21st century. today be one unified voice? Why are we only openness and apprecia- In Israel: An Echo of Eternity, Abraham teaching “Israel Advocacy” courses in Jewish tion of Israel’s grand and Joshua Heschel offers an enigmatic challenge high schools and youth groups when we could historic achievements, to- that goes directly to the heart of this issue: also be teaching “peace advocacy” or Arab–Jew- gether with its unfulfilled “The integrity of our lives is determined ish coexistence? Within the State of Israel there goals and aspirations, we by seeing ourselves as part of the historic con- is a wide range of views about issues of war and will give voice to a Zion- text in which we live. Failure to be open to the peace; of the status and rights of the Arab mi- ism for the 21st century. demands of our historical situation liquidates nority; of racism and the black Ethiopian Jews; one’s own position of meaning. In order to of Israel’s social contract on the one hand and February/March 2008 Adar 1 & 2 5768 be responsible, we must learn how to be re- the galloping capitalism and its contributions To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA sponsive.” (page 223) and challenges to Israeli society on the other. www.shma.com To be “part of the historic context in Why do we in the North American Diaspora as- 4 sume that bringing these issues into our class- On the other hand, sharing Israel’s blemishes room will be “bad for the Jews?” and flaws commands more of our attention We will more powerfully accomplish our and gives us a role in imagining and even fash- shared goals when we become comfortable with ioning the country’s future. Our children need and committed to telling our students the com- creative assignments that envision a Middle plex reality: that the Arab–Israeli dispute is, as East in peace instead of war. Experiences and Chaim Weitzman said, a moral conflict because lessons might explore if and how Israel would it is a “right” set against a “right.” Questions maintain its goal of a Jewish majority. Could about how to be both a Jewish state and a dem- the borders of the Middle East become as ocratic state abound: Is it possible that 20 per- porous as Europe’s? How might Israel pioneer cent of a country’s population are unable to the building of socially conscious businesses sing with pride the verses of the (Jewish) na- that serve the needs of the region’s poor? How tional anthem, “”? How might the im- will an Israel at peace relate to Jews living position of ultra-Orthodox Jewish law on a around the world? highly secular Jewish society affect the future of Teaching Israel would include teaching the Jewish people as one people? Shouldn’t our the story of the Jewish people in the Diaspora. children hear about and discuss these questions Zionism must be recognized today not as within the school’s walls, even if resolution may denying but rather affirming appear elusive in today’s tense climate? from around the world. We need to recreate a The greatest potential offered by a more Zionism for the 21st century that appreciates open presentation of Israel to our children rather than denigrates the costumes, music, and ourselves is that it might prove to be more, art, architecture, languages, and religious life and not less, engaging. Presenting the perfect of Jews from the proverbial four corners of the Israel reduces the possibility of young Jews see- earth. We might, then, all play a role in fulfill- ing themselves in Israel’s ever-unfolding story. ing the Zionist promise. Strengthening a Complex Connection Tzvia Berrin-Reinstein bout to return home after three months on open to discussing the many aspects of Israel, Aa high school program in Israel, I was it seems that many teachers find it easier to handed a registration form for AIPAC. I was sit- teach one side, rather than the many sides this ting in my classroom, taking care of some last conversation deserves. minute details. I didn’t know that much about Geffen asks why people in the North the organization, but I did know that it expresses American Diaspora “assume that bringing one voice in its lobbying effort on behalf of Is- these issues into our classroom will be ‘bad for rael; it’s a voice with which not everyone agrees. the Jews.’” Sadly, I wonder if school adminis- I also knew that I did not want to join AIPAC — trators and teachers think that Jewish high for me, it was not the way to support Israel. Un- school students cannot understand the com- fortunately, most of my classmates knew little plex situation in Israel. But, in fact, our more than I did about the organization, and wel- schools should be places that model (and comed whatever the teachers or program teach) how to be members of Jewish commu- handed out about Israel. Probably, many of my nities. For me that means learning how to live friends will therefore accept AIPAC’s offer of a with many viewpoints about the things that free year’s membership. And although our high matter most — including Israel. school at home tries to offer a range of voices Everything has multiple viewpoints. When about Israel, most students gravitate to a simpler I traveled in Israel, I wish I had spent more notion of how to support the state. time learning — and arguing — about Israeli Peter Geffen asks “why are we only teach- politics, about the disputed claims to land, and Tzvia Berrin-Reinstein is ing ‘Israel Advocacy’ courses in Jewish high how different cultures make up our people. a junior at Gann Acad- schools?” I have been in Jewish day schools all Discussing challenging issues regarding Israel emy in Waltham, Mass. my life and most often have been taught the won’t alienate me from the land and country February/March 2008 same basic lessons about Israel. I know that of my people; rather, learning about Israel’s Adar 1 & 2 5768 even within a Jewish school the topic of Israel complexities and how to deal with them will To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA www.shma.com is a touchy one. Although some teachers are strengthen my connection to our land. 5 A More Robust Education Marion Gribetz ow might Jewish children engaged in The young adult needs to have been exposed Hsome form of Jewish education emerge to an array of loving encounters with Israel — with a sophisticated and articulated love for its people, history, culture, geography, politics, the state, the land, and the people of Israel? and society. Although in our current system educators are Immersion in a robust Jewish education — often given inadequate time and resources to history, religious texts, politics, literature and meet the demands of an educational vision, language, and the arts, film, music, and dance we must start by creating Jewish communities — should prepare our children to encounter where discourse and opinion about Israel are conflict from a solid base of love. Opening our welcomed and nurtured. Only in such an en- hearts to creative possibilities for living with vironment can students develop the “muscle” confusion will help our children express their Marion Gribetz is associ- for comfortable debate and the exchange of love for an Israel situated in complexity. ate dean of the Shoolman ideas. Only then will our 18 year-olds arrive on The responsibility of our educational sys- Graduate School of Jew- college campuses without being bewildered tem (schools, youth groups, synagogues, ish Education at Hebrew and confused when they are confronted with camps, families) should be to create laborato- College in Newton, criticism and rhetoric against the politics and ries where experimentation and study are nur- Mass., and managing policies of the modern state of Israel. tured. Only then will our children be able to director of Gribetz Men- Just as our children enter adulthood with hear the resonance of the Tanakh and rab- cow Consultants, an in- binic tradition in the poetry of Yehuda dependent consulting a foundation of love and appreciation for firm specializing in im- their family of origin, just as they face mo- Amichai, the music of HaDag Nahash, and the proving Jewish educa- ments of conflict and agitation in making artwork of Adi Ness. From those laboratories tion. She facilitates the sense of the world, just as they create their children will emerge standing firmly on a plat- PEJE Israel Engagement own patterns and rituals for meaning making form from which to soar into the adult world. Community of Practice. — so too with their relationship with Israel. Our children are worthy of nothing less. Redrawing the Maps, Rethinking Education Hannah Weitzer

n revolutionizing Israel education, I would camps, and Israel trips have trivialized the Istart with the maps. (I’d do the same if I teaching of Israel. By teaching the myths were revolutionizing Palestine education.) For rather than the realities, we allow the subtle those of us Diaspora Jews born and educated shades of gray that pepper the landscape of in the post-1967 era, maps depicting greater Is- the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to become rael without demarcating the disputed territo- black and white. Teaching that the Arabs fled ries of Gaza, the West Bank, and the Golan from Israel in 1948 will not ensure a secure were the norm. In high school I decided that and stable future for Israel any more than I believed in the idea of two states, but it was teaching that they were all expelled will spell Hannah Weitzer, with a some time before I felt comfortable with the the destruction of the Jewish state. Rather, we BA in Middle East Stud- visual representation of this concept. Drawing must attempt to delve into the nuances of the ies from Brown Univer- in the internationally recognized border be- conflict and teach a multifaceted Jewish nar- sity, has been living in tween Israel proper and the occupied territo- rative that can be truthful, loving, and critical. Jaffa, Israel, for over two ries is not a quick fix for all of the issues When we simplify the issues in our educa- years working with sev- surrounding Israel education. But teaching tional approach, we do a disservice to our stu- eral Arab–Jewish partner- with maps that lack the green line is indicative dents and ourselves. ship organizations and of a larger gap between fact and myth that runs Let’s redraw our maps to include all of the teaching Diaspora Jews. rampant in teaching Israel to Diaspora Jews. A lines and blemishes, as difficult as that may be. February/March 2008 distorted Israeli map is only one example of Our ability to digest all of the facts will give us Adar 1 & 2 5768 how Diaspora Jews are taught about Israel in a more honest relationship with Israel and a To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA ways that oversimplify its history. stronger basis from which to move forward to- www.shma.com As Peter Geffen writes, Jewish schools, ward a peaceful future. 6 Contested Space: Maps in Teaching About Israel Derek J. Penslar

have a colleague at the University of according to Tamir, is educational, not politi- IToronto who teaches a course called “How cal: as part of their training to be informed cit- to Lie With Maps.” Supporters of Israel might izens, Israeli youth need to know how and well suggest as required reading for this when Israel assumed control of the territories course Palestinian maps that show a unitary in which its population currently lives. This Palestine from the Mediterranean to the Jor- knowledge is a necessary precondition for in- dan with no sign of Israel’s existence. Yet Is- telligent debate over the feasibility of border raeli maps, and those produced by and for adjustments as a component of a sustainable Diaspora Jews, rarely mark the Green Line Israeli–Palestinian peace accord. Tamir’s pro- that constitutes the country’s internationally posal set off a firestorm of protest from the Is- recognized borders. raeli right, which will not countenance any This was the case even during the height challenge to the legitimacy of the conquests of optimism during the Oslo years. A map of 1967. But underneath Tamir’s proposal is a from 1999 by the Israeli Nature Reserves and sound pedagogical issue: the need to educate National Parks Authority displayed Israel as young people that borders are artifacts, not reaching from the Jordan to the sea. (map 1) works of nature or . The concept of “nat- “Israel” includes not only the Golan Heights ural boundaries” (seas, mountains, and rivers) and greater Jerusalem, which Israel has an- has always been more of an ideal than a real- nexed, but also the West Bank, which it has ity. Borders change constantly, in both the not. The territorial integrity of Greater Israel course of war and the negotiations that lead is emphasized by the empty, white space sur- to peace. rounding it and connoting foreign lands. A Modern cartography is a manifestation of map from 2000 produced for the Israeli Na- the state’s assertion of sovereignty within its tional Tourist Office just before the outbreak borders and the nationalist idea that each of the Second Intifada, is somewhat more so- people should dwell within its own land. But reality rarely conforms to the ideal. The world phisticated; it shades the urban areas on the Derek J. Penslar is the West Bank that, at that time, were under full is filled with porous borders and autonomous Samuel Zacks Professor of Palestinian control but the rest of the West regions under nominal state jurisdiction. Most and direc- Bank blends imperceptibly into Israel proper. states, even the most zealously nationalistic, tor of the Jewish Studies Jewish youth in North America are not are multiethnic. The modern map is an asser- Program at the Univer- well educated about the barrier between pre- tion of what historian Thongchai Winichaukul sity of Toronto. His most and post-1967 Israel. A map currently avail- calls a “geo-body”: a coherent, integral nation recent book is Israel in able on the Web site of the American United realized in space. It is an abstraction and a fan- History: The Jewish State Synagogue Youth* depicts a Greater Israel in tasy, simultaneously a legitimization for dom- in Comparative Perspec- which the northern West Bank is presented as ination and a denial of hegemony’s limits. tive (2006). Penslar is currently co-editing a part of “ and the Sharon Valley,” and The early Zionists imagined a Jewish na- documentary history of the southern West Bank is divided between tional geo-body. The was a new entity, the Yishuv and writing a projected onto not only the small, venerable “Jerusalem and Area” and the “Coastal Plain.” book on Jews in the mili- This classification is topographically illogical, Jewish communities of the four holy cities tary in modern history. since the West Bank is a hilly spine, but it is (Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias, and ) but Penslar is co-editor of ideologically satisfying for Zionists as it at- also the hundreds of Arab villages that dotted Jewish Social Studies and taches the territory to familiar Israeli spaces. the Palestinian landscape. An accurate map The Journal of Israeli In Israeli schools, textbooks often excise of Mandate Palestine would depict more than History. the Green Line and include the West Bank in a thousand places of settlement, mostly Arab. maps of Israel. In December of 2006, Educa- In 1914, after two waves of Zionist immigra- * http://www.usy.org /yourusy/israel/map/ tion Minister Yuli Tamir declared that future tions, Jews made up a tenth of Palestine’s pop- textbooks must depict the Green Line, and ulation. By 1948, they were a third. But old February/March 2008 the Education Ministry was asked to imple- Zionist maps depicted only the Jewish settle- Adar 1 & 2 5768 ment a new high school curriculum on the de- ments and mixed cities, with the occasional To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA lineation of Israel’s borders. The issue, large Arab town as a point of reference, al- www.shma.com 7 though most Palestinian Arabs lived in the .jpeg image format.) Superimposing maps countryside. would display the geographic structure and Even recent books on the history of Zion- distribution of each community along with the ism reproduce this point of view. The maps in points of intersection between them. By dis- Howard Sachar’s , revised and playing change over time — say, at ten-year in- republished in 2000, show just a handful of tervals between 1917 and 1948 — one could Arab communities. My first book, a 1991 study see how Palestinian settlement patterns were of Zionist settlement in Ottoman Palestine, influenced by Zionist immigration and the features a detailed map of Jewish settlements, British administration. Overlaying maps but Arabs are represented only by a few cities. would display rupture and absence as well as (map 2) At the time I thought that my ap- continuity and coexistence. A map of Israel in proach was justified because my topic was the 1953, superimposed on one of Palestine in Zionist enterprise, not Palestine’s native pop- 1947, would show new Jewish towns, suburbs, ulation, but I have come to believe that the and agricultural settlements where hundreds two cannot be separated. I have been con- of Palestinian villages had been. The same vinced by two decades of scholarship that pres- could be done for the post-1967 West Bank, ents the history of Jews and Arabs in Palestine where Jewish settlements have profoundly af- holistically, with each people constantly influ- fected Palestinian landholding and popula- encing and shaping the other. tion distribution. The best way to illustrate this new ap- Maps can also trace changing borders, proach would be through maps that faithfully both in pre-1948 Palestine and post-1948 Israel. depict the constant presence of Jews and The Green Line is but one of these borders, Arabs in the same landscape. (Overlaying film but it is of vast importance. It cannot be wished transparencies is an old-fashioned but effec- away. The truth, be it about intermixing of Jews tive technology. In PowerPoint, one can cre- and Arabs or division between Israel and its ate transparency overlays using maps in .gif or neighbors, must never be erased.

February/March 2008 Adar 1 & 2 5768 To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA www.shma.com Map 1: Israel’s Nature Reserves and Na- Map 2: Jewish Settlements in Palestine 1870- 8 tional Parks Reprinted with permission of the author 1918 Reprinted with permission of the author Roundtable on Teaching Israel ew recent issues touching on Jewish life have been as contentious as Fhow to teach Israel on the American college campus. Teaching Israel touches on an array of controversial subjects — the convergence of identity issues in teaching Israel, and how to do so in a scholarly and dispassion- ate manner, the conflict of Israel and the Palestinians, and the impact of the Jewish communal agenda on a discipline whose faculty positions are heavily communally funded. Sh’ma asked some of the leading scholars in the area of Israel Studies to talk about how they’ve confronted these and other issues and what might challenge the field in the near future. Susan Berrin: How has the content of and how it engaged with the obstacles that had your courses on Israel changed over the past been encountered. And that is a minority focus five or ten years? today. The range of topics is much broader. Ilan Troen: Today’s bibliography of ma- The study of Israel happens within a wide num- terials is far richer than a decade ago, with a ber of disciplines, which would have been flood of resources that continues to grow be- anathema to an earlier generation. cause interest in the field is so very large. Zweig: The generation who researched There’s a cacophony of diverse materials, an Israel during a period when Israel was con- enormous competition to get out one’s mes- ceived as being beleaguered and embattled sage, one’s truth, because the subject is im- has now passed and has been replaced by a bued with moral passion and moral judgment, generation of younger scholars for whom the which makes it a very intense field. continued existence of Israel is not a daily Ronald Zweig: In the last five years, as concern. I’m not saying that Israel doesn’t archives that were closed for 30, 40, and 50 face any dangers, but the nature of Israel’s bat- years now become available, research and tle to survive in the international arena is not scholarly writing on Israel has increased. The something that scholars obsess about within huge public interest in our subject is not just the field any more. We can allow ourselves to a question of moral interest in what’s hap- be more critical, more open. Israel, warts and pening in Israel. There is an immense curios- all, is now very much on the table. ity about Israel and courses on Israel are Zerubavel: While the majority of my stu- popular among non-Jews as well as Jews, which dents in courses about Israel are Jewish, there Ilan Troen is the Stoll is a fairly new phenomenon. are also non-Jewish students. Interest in Israel Chair in Israel Studies at Yael Zerubavel: The field — inside and has grown, in part, as a result of media atten- Brandeis University and outside Israel — is much richer, with a larger tion to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. And the first director of the diversity of voices. And there is more room for out of that interest has emerged curiosity Schusterman Center for the interplay with multiple disciplinary per- about Israeli society. At Rutgers, therefore, we Israel Studies. Ronald spectives and literatures, which broadens the offer a diversity of courses that explore differ- Zweig is the Taub Profes- sor of Israel Studies at field. For example, when studying the devel- ent aspects of Israeli history, society, and cul- New York University and opment of Israeli national culture, we also look ture. We insist that these courses are not for the director of the Taub at it in relation to other national movements, “insiders,” and therefore, we do not speak, or Center for Israel Studies. and not only to its unique place in history. teach, in terms of “we.” And we strive to pres- Yael Zerubavel is Troen: The study of Israel is not only po- ent an academic and nonpartisan approach to professor of Jewish Stud- litical history nor is it obviously only the study of the study of Israel and its place in the Middle ies and History and the the conflict. And Yael has led the field in ex- East. Sometimes that’s not so clear to some founding director of the ploring how roots and symbols and mytholo- students who expect courses on Israel to be Allen and Joan Bildner gies are applied to the Israeli case, which makes different. But it’s the academic responsibility Center for the Study of for a far more exciting historiography than pol- of scholars involved in Israel Studies to ensure Jewish Life at Rutgers itics. Twenty years ago, most writing dis- that there is a clear distinction between the ac- University. sertations about Israel dealt with politics. There ademic field and the experiences that might February/March 2008 was no biography and not much in cultural interest students beyond the classroom. Adar 1 & 2 5768 studies. That — at least in part — was a byprod- Troen: Brandeis’s Summer Institute trains To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA uct of the triumph of the Zionist movement academics from around the country to teach www.shma.com 9 courses on Israel. Interestingly, we have a large but with my colleagues who assume that be- number of academics who come from Catholic cause I’m teaching Israel I’m an advocate. and Protestant institutions. We’ve had Muslims And that’s where I think the real challenge is: and Mormons as well. In short, it’s not Jews Are you going to teach about the suffering of alone who are teaching Israel. This isn’t an in- the occupation, about checkpoints? Are you sular topic; non-Jews want to understand and going to invite scholars from Bir Zeit? In think about Israel and its culture and for their short, the pressure coming from inside the own reasons and out of their own curiosities. university is far greater than that coming from Zweig: This year NYU is offering a course outside the university. on Israel and China, and over 50 percent of Zweig: We’re not considered objective un- the students are Asian. But the majority of less we include the political positions of left- courses are 60 or 70 percent Jewish as far as wing Jewish intellectuals. We should be anyone can tell. We are not doing advocacy or confident in the narrative we are communicat- reaching out specifically to the non-Jewish ing, in the facts that we are presenting, and we BabagaNewz Resources for world with a conscious intention of propagat- should open up debate as widely as possible. Teaching Israel ing information on Israel. I’m sure you’re Zerubavel: As long as our work is not ide- aware of this problem, but there is always the ologically oriented and we present the com- BabagaNewz provides danger of adopting an advocacy role that plexity of the situation and a diversity of views, monthly resources for would undermine our efforts to make Israel we maintain our integrity. Part of what we teaching Israel Studies a proper subject for the university tackle is the view that Israel Studies, or Jewish articles, lesson plans, games, virtual tours campus. Studies, is only relevant to people who are par- View Resources at: Zerubavel: In some measure, Israel ticularly interested in these issues. But isn’t Babaganewz.com/teachers Studies is growing out of greater interest in French society or British literature relevant to Jewish Studies. It is also growing because of a a broader audience? That same principle new philanthropic interest in developing this should apply to Israel Studies. We need to es- field. We’re at a turning point, and while phi- tablish our credentials and our credibility as lanthropy offers tremendous potential for the an academic field and not become parochial field, it also carries a certain risk. We can ben- or insulated. At Rutgers, we cross-list most of efit enormously from philanthropy, but we our courses with other academic programs, should also be careful to separate the donors’ such as Middle Eastern studies, history, or intentions from our academic rigor. While we comparative literature, and this allows us to at- want Israel Studies to flourish as a field, as ac- tract more students to the study of Israel and ademics we must ensure that our courses are to avoid being seen as a ghettoized field. not perceived as, or don’t become, vehicles Troen: And we must have placements in for Israel advocacy. Although there might , anthropology, business, and social sometimes be pressure from communal or- policy — to embed the field in a variety of dis- ganizations or donors to move in this direc- ciplines and not just Jewish Studies. We in tion, from my experience I know that it is larger universities can do that. However, when possible to be firm and explain that while only one person holds an appointment in Jew- we are creating awareness and expanding ish Studies, it’s much harder to offer that kind knowledge about Israel, we’re not playing an of diversity. advocacy role. In fact, our credentials as dis- Zerubavel: I’m teaching now a course on passionate scholars are critical for the aca- the Jewish immigrant experience, and in this demic standing of the field. framework we try to explore what it means to Zweig: Though I initially came to New be a society of immigrants and to compare im- York concerned about the pressures we’d face migrants’ experiences in Israel, the U.S., and from donors and the community, I’m finding other countries. When I lecture about na- that most potential donors understand that tional myths and collective memory, I address for us to be effective teachers we have to be the tension between the desire to look at Is- absolutely rigid — our credibility rests on not rael as a special case (and, of course, every so- being political or Israel advocates. The stu- ciety has its unique characteristics) and the dents become much more receptive to learn- desire to view it with the knowledge that simi- February/March 2008 ing about all aspects of Israel and that’s lar phenomena occur in every national soci- Adar 1 & 2 5768 To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA ultimately what donors want. ety. As a democracy, Israel can be reduced to www.shma.com Troen: I find a problem not with donors neither just one political viewpoint nor even 10 two main viewpoints while the society is so di- know their parents’ experiences) and teach verse. Our challenge is to bridge the some- them the wonderfully, humanly complex what mythical or popular vision of Israel with study of Israel on all levels — not just the con- its complex reality; by doing this we can effec- flict, but also the integration, assimilation, tively engage more students and faculty. identity, religion, faith, and how one expresses Zweig: I often wonder to what degree our oneself through a variety of cultural forms. generation’s experiences color our under- Zerubavel: The study of Israel was pro- standing or beliefs about the situation in Israel. moted to a great extent within Israel itself and How different are our donors’ experiences became ingrown. But the field has opened up from ours, and what part do those differences to students and scholars outside of Israel. If Is- play in determining their understandings of raelis can become experts on Chinese, Amer- today’s Israel? Our experiences are different ican, or French society, then, along the same from those of our students. I wonder what our lines, French or American scholars may study students really think and know about Israel be- Israel, and one cannot dismiss them just be- fore they come to our classes. cause they are not Israelis. I’ve been surprised to find some Israelis Troen: The people who are helping ex- in my classes who are not registered as stu- port Israel Studies are Israelis themselves. dents but come and listen with great interest There are about 40 Israelis teaching as visiting to their own history. professors in U.S. universities like Tulane and Troen: This is important because the field Tulsa, as well as Harvard and Stanford. This will change. Many children of German Jewish effort is subsidized by donors but grows out of or East European Jewish immigrants to the the natural interest of universities. There U.S. wound up as scholars of the communities aren’t enough people in the U.S. who can do from which their parents and grandparents Israel Studies. So where’s the next generation came. They come to class without much coming from? Some will be the children or knowledge. Israeli students often know very grandchildren of Israelis, or students who’ve little about Israel’s history or culture beyond a gone on birthright israel, or the non-Jews who superficial symbolism learned in their school are attracted to the topic even as Jews might assemblies or from their inadequate text- be interested in Chinese Studies. That’s part books. We have opportunities to take these of the cultivation of curiosity that is taking students (even those Israelis who think they place in American institutions.

Israel in the Academy Moshe Naor t Tulane, where I presently teach, Israel tions with which young Jews in America also AStudies provides yet another example of wrestle. I’ve found that some of my students what Yael Zerubavel suggests is the interdisci- choose to study Israel not only as an academic plinary nature of this study. It is fraught with matter, but also as a personal matter, because the tension between academe and identity. As of issues arising from their family and com- Dr. Moshe Naor, a Schus- in other North American universities, here Is- munity backgrounds. And some of these stu- terman Visiting Assistant rael Studies are taught in the framework of Ju- dents go on to study in Israel on summer Professor of Israel Studies at Tulane University, re- daic Studies, in collaboration with other seminars or specific language programs em- ceived his PhD in History academic programs, particularly history. Thus, phasizing Hebrew or Arabic. A portion of my from the Hebrew Univer- students have visited Israel under the aegis of the Israeli case is presented in its complexity; sity of Jerusalem. Naor culture, identity, ideology and politics are un- Jewish organizations, and others seek to has taught history at the derstood within the context of Jewish history, broaden and deepen their command of Israel Hebrew University, the Middle Eastern history, and general history. Studies in preparation for advanced studies at University of Calgary, Emphasis on identity issues that typify Is- Israeli universities. Among this group, and as and at the University of raeli young people today — such as culture in Ilan Troen noted, the number of young peo- Toronto. Arab countries or languages such as Ladino ple born and raised in North America and February/March 2008 and Yiddish — as well the question of Israel’s whose parents (one or both) hold Israeli citi- Adar 1 & 2 5768 image and national identity as a “Jewish state” zenship, is particularly prominent. Identity is- To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA are concerns that parallel the identity ques- Continued on page 14 www.shma.com 11 an educational organization for rabbinical students and Jewish educators. educators. Jewish and students rabbinical for organization educational an

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NiSh’ma Let us hear Untitled acrylics and pencils 4’ x 5’ Shirah Rachel Apple,Shirah Rachel anartist, writer, and performer, translates andexperience Jewishtext into creative er, a student at Machon Pardes in Jerusalem, interns for Encounter, Encounter, for interns in Jerusalem, a student at Machon Pardes er,

Vessel 5” diameter x 1” deep parchment, thread, ink, wire

made this piece with letters I wrote when Shirah Rachel Apple Ilearning with a sofer, a scribe, in Israel. A year or so after my return, I cut the parchment into pieces and stitched the otiyot , the letters, into this vessel. Each letter is connected to the next with one stitch; the red thread references and healing, and is reminiscent of threads given in gratitude for Yehudit Feinstein tsedakah at the kotel. In this “vessel” I see the complexity of my nearly two years as y art reflects the mixed emotions that rise a temporary resident in Israel — the weaving of Mfrom being an immigrant — the ambigu- close bonds with people, land, art, and text; ity between staying close to my origins and a sense of blood and soul connection — as well embracing my new surroundings. In my search

. Shehasexhibited at t as the inevitable re-shaping of that experience for a “home,”I explore language and history, un-

from the perspective of a later time and a folding layer after layer. To create art, I always

different place. start from a place that I do not know, and use a code of symbols, letters, and language. cusing on water and landscape as well as conflict and population dislocation can be viewed at www.yoavhoresh.com. Yael Krieg at as conflict and population dislocation can be viewed and landscape as well cusing on water Yael www.yoavhoresh.com. the Milwaukee Art Museum andin Art the Milwaukee

Responding to the Aleph-Bet Yael Krieger n Israel words have power. When I say “The Wall,” do I mean Ithe kotel or a separation barrier? When I say Israel, am I speaking of a geographical location or a national people? Sometimes one needs to step back in order to move forward.

Visceral Mappings: Transdiasporic Practices, Art Break down words to letters…can this dissolution create a stronger re-building? yod, shin, reish, alef, lamed…disconnect, rearrange, construct…shin-alef-lamed…sha’al, which means ask; lamed-yud…li, to me; alef-reish…or, light. When it comes to Israel, we must step back, ask for ourselves, and through this process, see things in a new light. h has lived in the United States since 1997. His recent photographs foc photographs His recent 1997. since States in the United h has lived the official exhibitionoftheNational Women’s StudiesAssociation (NWSA)conference in2007. shirahrachelapple.com his shoe was created with a Tsmoke-blackened ceramic shoe to represent children who Red Sea Photograph Yoav Horesh 24” x36” photograph have experienced war. I added something to symbolize what t is said that the Hebrew aleph-bet is the source code with children might need to begin to Penny Tennenhouse Iwhich God made the . Language as the physical act of heal. (see www.globalshoepro- creation. This might explain the close relationship between ject.page.tl) Because lovingkind- mayim, water, and shamayim, sky/heavens. ness is a fundamental The close visual relationship between the water and the sky is teaching in Torah, I what appealed to me in photographing this ambiguous land- emblazoned scape of rocks 30 feet underwater. the shoe “And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together with the of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good.” word “Lov- Genesis 1:10 ingkindness” on the top and small hearts on the sole.

Penny Tennenhouse lives in Victoria, B.C. , where she is actively involved in Avodah, the synagogue's social action committe. Yehudit Feinstein grew up in Israel and now lives in Brooklyn. She has a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and an MA in Hores Yoav Born in Jerusalem, (www.yehuditfeinstein.com) School of Psychoanalysis. Graduate the Boston from psychoanalysis Continued from page 11 identification and search for identity in these sues are particularly evident among this group. courses, others are feeling alienated. But even At Tulane, a course on the Israeli–Arab in cases where Israel Studies is pursued as a conflict draws a significant number of students way of strengthening Jewish identity, there is a who are not Jewish and have never visited Is- clear expectation among students that courses rael. Among the most noteworthy, although will exhibit sensitivity for the “other,” be bal- their absolute numbers are small, are students anced and critical, and provide the founda- of Palestinian or Muslim origins and students tions for comparison of narratives and tools with a strong Christian affinity. Moreover, in that allow students to better examine various contrast to those universities where the military aspects of Israeli society, state institutions, and and academe are separate spheres, like a host policy. A similar position can be found vis-à-vis of other American universities, Tulane has a issues of Israel’s position in American foreign Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) pro- policy or questions regarding the relationship gram designed to groom commissioned offi- between the nation-state and a multicultural cers for the U.S. Army and the National Guard; society. At Tulane a significant part of the stu- a portion of these officer cadets choose to take dent body speaks Spanish as a second lan- courses in Israel Studies, particularly the Is- guage and the primary focus in these raeli–Arab conflict. During this course, which students’ academic studies is Latin America, is in demand among students, I always try to international relations, political science, his- present Israeli history through a social and cul- tory, and literature. Such an interdisciplinary tural lens. This approach is possible, as Ron approach, entwining the personal and the ac- Zweig noted, thanks to the broad development ademic, the current and the historical, can ex- of research in recent years and the correspon- plain the growing interest in Israel Studies ding growth of source material in English. and why it is becoming such a relevant, even While some students are seeking a strong an essential, topic of study.

Funding Israel Education: An Interview with Lynn Schusterman ynn Schusterman is Chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman LFamily Foundation, an organization she and her late husband, Charles, z”l, established in 1987. In 2006, the Schusterman Family en- hanced its philanthropic impact by establishing the Schusterman Foun- dation-Israel and the Center for Leadership Initiatives, Inc. Lynn spoke recently with Jo-Ann Mort, CEO of ChangeCommunications, about her vision for Israel education. Jo-Ann Mort: What is your vision for the Schusterman: Israel is central to my life place of Israel in the educational sphere? and personal philosophy. I live part of the year Lynn Schusterman: My dream is that in Jerusalem and recently opened the Schus- our children learn about modern Israel as terman Foundation–Israel to expand our ac- part of every aspect of their Jewish education; tivities and to deepen our connection with the that their understanding is reinforced at sum- Jewish homeland. mer camps, in youth groups, at JCCs, and at I also think it is vital that young people synagogues; that they are taught by teachers have the opportunity to study about Israel, who have visited Israel as part of their train- both because of its centrality to the Jewish ing; that they themselves visit Israel on an ed- people and because of its strategic importance ucational trip; and when they enter college, to the United States. they find a campus lively with debate and rich Mort: Why the particular interest in Israel February/March 2008 in course offerings on Israel taught by profes- Studies at the university level? Adar 1 & 2 5768 sors who are experts in a range of disciplines. Schusterman: The history, culture, po- To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA Mort: How did you come to define this litical science, and sociology of Israel are fas- www.shma.com vision? cinating and, provided the courses are fair 14 and rigorous, Israel within the context of the about Israel. For example, we fund Kivunim, Middle East should be examined, under- a project that sends day school and congre- stood, and appreciated. We can see that there gational school educators to Israel as a way to are a growing number of universities that are enhance their own learning, which they will offering courses on Israel and undergradu- then share with their own students. ates are filling those classes. Over the past Mort: Your goals are ambitious. How do couple of years we’ve begun to sponsor the you see attaining them? training of a new generation of scholars to fill Schusterman: No single funder can the growing demand. We’re now supporting change the culture of Israel education. This both graduate and postgraduate fellowship needs to be a community-wide effort. Parents, programs. And, of course, there’s room for teachers, school administrators, and camp expansion. Roughly half of the college cam- and youth group directors need to believe in puses in the U.S. do not offer any courses on the importance of including Israel in their Israel, and another 25 percent offer only one curricula and programs. Graduate students course, which is often focused on the Arab– need support, and we should enable more Israeli conflict. professors to offer relevant courses. Mort: There is also a precollegiate com- A wealth of opportunities is open to ponent to your work. Why is that important? donors that will make a difference — like Schusterman: First, young people de- funding scholarships in Israel Studies or of- serve to be exposed to and taught about fering Israeli academics opportunities to teach modern Israel; it is part of their heritage. Sec- in the U.S. for a year. ond, when students arrive on university cam- Mort: Any parting thoughts? puses they should already be comfortable Schusterman: As a people, we have al- engaging in conversations about Israel; for ways believed in the power of education. This that, they need to have background knowl- is no less true when the subject of study is Is- edge. Finally, such exposure will encourage rael — its culture, society, systems of justice some students to pursue an academic path and government. Education deepens our down the road, swelling the pool of scholars bonds and enriches our lives. I hope more of modern Israel. To those ends, we are ex- philanthropists will experience the joy of en- ploring ways to help schools develop inter- abling present and future generations to learn esting, imaginative, high-impact curricula about this vital country.

Hearing Multiple Voices: Midrash as Text Jeffrey A. Spitzer

ashi famously begins his commentary to though some students welcomed the class, Rthe Torah with a question adapted from many responded negatively to what they per- the midrash: Why does the Torah begin with ceived to be indoctrination or propaganda. At Genesis? The midrash imagines the nations Gann, students expect analysis and open- of the world confronting Israel saying “you ended inquiry. With this in mind, I challenged are bandits in that you have conquered the myself to create a curriculum that taught Is- land belonging to the seven nations.” But rael with subtlety, nuance, and complexity. because of the creation narrative, Israel can Taking the voice of the nations in Rashi’s first respond that the whole land belongs to God comment was part of the answer. and that God gives it to whomever God Another text we study is a parable from wants. In my high school class, we take the Numbers Rabbah about the scouts episode Jeffrey A. Spitzer is the challenge of the nations seriously. Have the (Numbers 13–14). A king arranges a mar- head of the Rabbinic Lit- people of Israel conquered the land? Does riage for his son to a bride who is wealthy, erature department at possession of the land indicate God’s deci- beautiful, and from a good family, and the Gann Academy in Waltham, Mass.. sion to let that people own it, at least tem- son asks to see her. The king, who thinks his porarily? son doesn’t believe him, punishes his son by February/March 2008 Several years ago, students at the Boston not letting him marry the bride; rather, the Adar 1 & 2 5768 area Jewish high school Gann Academy par- son’s own son will marry her. The parable To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA ticipated in a class on Israel advocacy. Al- draws the analogy to God (king) punishing www.shma.com 15 the people (prince) because they want to see — gathered to discuss how we might instill in the land (bride), demonstrating their disbe- our students a sense of commitment to Israel. lief in God’s claim that the land is good I had to admit that though the midrash cur- (rich, pretty, etc.). riculum nurtures a fertile ground for en- The king’s message is clear: questioning gagement with Israel, it does not necessarily Israel is faithlessness. But is that the message deepen one’s commitment to Israel. of the parable as a whole? The re- Throughout the first trimester, I looked for quires a groom to see his bride before be- ways to adapt my teaching of these trothal, and the Israelites who wanted to send midrashim so that the history, spirit, dreams, in scouts were simply looking for the best way and ideals of Israel might be more inspiring to conquer the land. And why did the king to my students. What I found is that no single neglect to praise the bride as chaste? Indeed, text did this for them as a group, but that dif- the bride seems to have seven boyfriends! ferent themes drawn from the midrashim,

A January essay, “At the How are we to understand God’s blindness to such as the sense of God’s presence in the Center, Is Gender Still the presence of other people in the land? Is it land, or the experience of exile, or what it Peripheral?” mistakenly legitimate to inquire about Israel’s security sit- means to relate to minorities in the land, did identified the creators of uation, or is that faithlessness? speak to the students. Even more, the sub- Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl By studying midrash with its multiplicity tlety of midrash with its multiple voices was Thing. The program was of voices and interpretive gaps, students feel in and of itself compelling. created by Kolot, RRC’s that the dissonant voices that grow out of their Fortunately, the students learn about Is- Center for Jewish own experience are not only legitimate, but in rael in many different contexts — a trimester Women’s and Gender some deep way, traditional. Students engage of study in Israel, a class on the history of Zi- Studies and is now run traditional claims about the centrality of Israel onism, and heavy doses of Israeli culture in by Moving Traditions. while the alternative voices of the midrash Hebrew classes — so the ambiguities and com- provide a safe context in which to explore and plexity created by the de- question Israel, its actions and its policies, and partment do not stand alone in our Israel our relationship to it (and learning valuable education strategy. But I hope that the sub- text skills at the same time!) tlety and complexity of the conversation that This summer, the range of teachers en- exists within rabbinic texts will help keep our gaged in Israel education at Gann — from students engaged in productive, thoughtful, the Tanach, rabbinic literature, Hebrew, his- Jewish discussions of Israel and its centrality to tory, and experiential education departments the people of Israel. Commitment and Critique: A Paradigm Shift Lee Perlman ducation about contemporary Israel is mately insufficient approach to fostering the Edominated by two approaches: the has- long-term connection and commitment of bara or advocacy paradigm and the solidarity North American Jewry to the people, land, paradigm. Jewish educators, academics, and and state of Israel. Continuing to dress up ad- community leaders attribute the traditional vocacy or so-called “pro-Israel” approaches as difficulties in Israel education to two core Israel education is both deceptive and ulti- causes: Israel’s lack of inherent centrality in mately ineffective. Is there a viable alterna- the historic and current ethos of North tive? Why are these two existing paradigms so American Jewish life and the State of Israel’s widespread? and Zionism’s unending battle for legitimacy. Though Israeli advocacy and quasi-gov- These conventional wisdoms have resulted in ernmental organizations could be accused of a reliance on either the advocacy or solidar- cynically exploiting Israel education to ensure ity paradigms. The former, the most preva- a pliant base of Jewish supporters, this stance

February/March 2008 lent, gives education and the Jewish overlooks the inconvenient reality that Israel’s Adar 1 & 2 5768 educational establishment a way to promote legitimacy is still questioned worldwide. To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA various advocacy and fundraising agendas. Whether one identifies with them or not, www.shma.com The latter constitutes a necessary but ulti- through advocacy, these institutions are ful- 16 filling their organizational missions in an vital ways to engage with Israel. It educates arena of heightened competition with an ever- toward a supportive but critical approach to growing number of Jewish groups offering al- the Zionist endeavor, as opposed to a blind ternative visions for Israel’s future. endorsement of all of Zionism’s historic de- The problem arises when educational in- cisions, current policies, and enduring insti- stitutions that are not in the business of advo- tutions. cacy and fundraising adopt the advocacy Recent polls point to a worrying increase approach to Israel education. In doing so, in the disconnect of North American Jews they essentially offer their learners nothing with Israel, compounded by the Middle East more than sound bites and debating points. morass that puts off the uninitiated and can They provide one-sided answers about the even confuse the committed if platitudes are “myths and facts” — the “truth” about Israel. served up as education. The commitment and The solidarity paradigm creates an emo- critique approach is not merely a pedagogical tional bond based on our joint membership in the Jewish people — an ethnoreligious The conceptual shift will demand a rigorous commonality where unity, especially in the face of threat, is one of the highest ideals. Yet re-articulation of educational goals around this solidarity paradigm is too often compro- contemporary Israel issues and their mised by the advocacy paradigm, whereby sol- concomitant application. idarity with the people and becomes blurred with lining up behind the ac- tions and decisions of a given Israeli govern- policy corrective. Indeed, the demanding and ment (or organization acting ostensibly on the nuanced nature of this conceptual shift re- government’s behalf). No term better encap- quires more than just applying a few new sulates this blurring than the group-think methodologies, whether in a specific educa- phrase, “pro-Israel.” tional institution or a broad community Here’s a paradigm shift: a “commitment framework. It will demand a rigorous re-artic- and critique” approach that assumes there is ulation of educational goals around contem- no educationally responsible way today to en- porary Israel issues and their concomitant gender commitment to Israel without help- application. ing learners build a critique. It challenges One illustration of this would be our edu- and ultimately complements the solidarity cational treatment of the relations between paradigm by realigning the universalis- Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel. In both the tic/human and particularistic/Jewish di- advocacy and solidarity paradigms, one cen- chotomy, by positing that we, the Jewish tral objective in our depiction of Israel as the Lee Perlman is a lecturer people, are not the only ones grappling with only democracy in the Middle East is to high- at Tel Aviv University, these tensions. It attempts to strengthen the light the full voting rights and equality under where he serves as coordi- Jewish learners’ identification with the Jew- law enjoyed by Israel’s Arab citizens. The com- nator and instructor of ish people by enabling them to understand mitment and critique paradigm would go be- JESNA’s Lainer Interns and empathize with others’ pain. This ap- yond this and feature, for example, an for Jewish Education pro- proach fosters an active engagement with examination of the tensions engendered by Is- gram. He has been a both the pain Israel suffers and the hope Is- rael’s attempt to be both a Jewish and demo- course instructor at the rael represents. It seeks to nurture the par- cratic state and how this in turn conditions Genesis at Brandeis sum- mer program at Brandeis ticipants’ intellectual, emotional and Jewish majority–Arab minority relations. University since 2003, behavioral commitment to the Jewish sover- The rabbinic sages taught that there are where he has developed eign presence in the land of Israel in terms of many valid interpretations of the Bible: and taught, along with its uniqueness, moral imperative, and the shivim panim la’Torah. We pride ourselves on Rabbi Bradley Solmsen, commitment Israel brings and bears. It tries engaging in the intricacies of our texts and Joshua Yarden, and Prof. to imbue learners with a sense of responsi- canonical myths, on not being deterred from Jeremy Pressman, the bility and empowerment, to replace their exploring their multilayered meanings and commitment and critique feelings of alienation, passivity, and the dis- significance in our lives. In short, Jews are approach to Israel. appointment that “Israel is not living up to rightly proud of our rich tradition of deep February/March 2008 my expectations.” It embraces both the in- and sustained intellectual inquiry. This Adar 1 & 2 5768 herent and subjective complexities of the should be our approach to Israel education To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA State of Israel, offering these challenges as as well. www.shma.com 17 Measuring the Success of an Israel Trip Ezra Kopelowitz

ravel to Israel is an expensive form of ed- Whether we are looking at a birthright is- Tucational programming. And yet, in- rael program, a teen summer trip, or an in-ser- creasing numbers of Diaspora Jewish vice training program for Jewish educators, organizations are sending their members or almost all will regard as vital for success, “per- constituents to Israel. Programs range from sonal growth,” and “strengthening the partic- birthright israel trips, synagogue and federa- ipants’ connections with Israel.” Other goals tion missions, school trips, and high school se- are specifically aimed at Jewish professionals mester programs in Israel. Why are hundreds in general and Jewish educators in particular. of millions of dollars invested to send tens of Translating these educational goals into a thousands of people to Israel? Might the coherent travel program involves many factors. money be better invested in local educational First are the needs and motivations of the par- programming? Why the Israel trip? What is ticipants. Who is traveling and what are their the benefit? motivations in visiting Israel? What needs to be I’ll try to answer these questions by focus- done to synchronize participant expectations ing on the following: first, the goals of the Is- with organizers’ goals? The second issue in- rael trip, that is, why we send people to Israel; volves preparation and follow-up. Are partici- second, how the goals of the trip are trans- pants prepared for the trip? Are they aware of lated into a coherent travel program; and fi- the organizers’ goals and the relationship of nally, what the payoff of the trip is to the the trip to their professional work or personal individuals and organizations involved. life? Are the skills and knowledge gained dur- Organizers of Israel educational travel ing the trip explicitly connected to life after tend to have three primary goals. These in- the trip? If so, how? Is there a formal follow- clude the personal growth of participants; up program to capitalize on the potential ben- strengthening participants’ connections with efits of the trip? The third issue focuses on the Israel; helping Jewish educators develop pro- travel sites and how they are chosen and inte- fessionally through the trip experience, that grated into the learning process. Which sites is, translating the trip into their work as Jewish are most appropriate for realizing the goals of educators. the trip? How should participants interact with Dr. Ezra Kopelowitz, a All organizers want participants to have an the site and with each other at the site? Who sociologist of American enriching personal experience, broadly de- will guide participants? Will connections be- and Israeli Judaism and fined. They do focus, though, on how the trip tween sites and phases of the trip be concretely Jewish education, is a will help create stronger and more positive articulated? If so, when, by whom, and how? Fi- senior partner in the feelings about the participants’ Jewish identi- nally, do the various organizers (some inside Platforma Consulting ties — for most trip organizers, this is con- Israel, others outside) synchronize their ex- Group and CEO of Re- search Success Technolo- structed through strengthening connection pectations and work with one another? gies (ReST), a company with Israel. Within this category, the following What is the payoff for individuals and or- specializing in data man- are common educational goals: ganizations that sponsor Israel trips? The first, agement solutions for • Increasing participants’ emotional connec- and arguably most critical, is the development Jewish nonprofits. Ezra’s tion with the history, land, and people of Israel. of human capital. Beyond the personal bene- most recent publication is • Increasing participants’ knowledge about fit of those participating in the travel, will the the book, Cultural Educa- Israel. investment (many sponsoring organizations tion-Cultural Sustainabil- • Providing participants with Israel advocacy subsidize or fully fund the cost of the trip) pay ity: Minority, Diaspora, tools. Participants should feel that they come off for the larger, at-home community? De- Indigenous and Ethno- away from the trip with the ability to talk spite the financial investment, the trip is rarely Religious Groups in Mul- about Israel, debate with others, and advo- used as a springboard for concrete action back ticultural Societies cate for Israel. home. The result is a tremendous loss of po- (2008), of which he is co-editor. • Exposing the travelers to Israeli society — that tential for community building and the devel- is, to living Hebrew language and culture, and opment of human capital. February/March 2008 to Israeli politics. Networking and building per- Assessment is a critically important fea- Adar 1 & 2 5768 To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA sonal connections with Israeli Jews, often around ture of using Jewish communal funds wisely. www.shma.com similar professional interests, is also important. Assessing how the goals of the trip are met, 18 and if the goals and motivations of partici- ment, the benefits of the Israel trip are left to pants are synchronized with those of the or- the realm of intuition and happenstance evi- ganizers and funders, is important. In part, dence. Familiarity with the above-mentioned this can be accomplished by administering a parameters will help the communal institu- short questionnaire to participants before tions that are considering organizing, fund- and after travel. ing, or assessing an Israel trip to think through Without an organized program assess- the issues involved in measuring success.

An Ancient Dream & Modern Reality Robbie Gringras hether we call it critical commitment problems and difficulties can be unattractive. W(Perlman), a rejection of the perfect Is- We must work hard to ensure that the gulf be- rael (Geffen), or robust grappling with com- tween black and white is not grey, but multi- plexity (Gribetz), one thing is clear in this colored, flickering, and endlessly changing. Sh’ma collection: The drive to reach Israel through a Jacob-like wrestling, is in the ascen- Israel is still elsewhere. dancy. Israel education can no longer avoid We have yet to make the case convincingly that addressing the fascinating and troublesome Israel is an issue for Judaism and not just for in- complexity of an ancient Jewish dream crash- ternationally minded Jews. As long as Israel re- ing into a modern Middle Eastern reality. mains a foreign country to which we travel but, Yet this begs another more fundamental as Kopelovitz points out, do not ensure it lives question: If critical engagement is so straight- in our community on our return, change will forward, if the philosophical and pedagogical remain out of arm’s reach. At MAKOM Israel answer is so obvious, why does it appear that Engagement Network, a collaboration between so little has changed? After all, ever since the North American communities and the Jewish first Lebanon war broke out, we’ve all known Agency, we refer to Israel as the Jewish people’s that things in Israel were more complicated laboratory of sovereignty. The results that than we’d been teaching. Yet this was over 25 emerge include: how Jewish ethics clash with years ago, and still we are “banging on” about military power, how Jewish creativity is galva- getting more complex in our education (Peter nized and transformed by its majority status, Geffen mentions how he has been of this and how Judaism might dictate the public opinion for the last 40 years!). Why do we feel space. These discoveries are the true birthright we are making so little headway? of all Jews throughout the world. I would offer three main reasons for re- sistance to our approach, and make two sug- Critique can also be right-wing. gestions for our further development. Too often we find ourselves pointing out Is- rael’s imperfections from a distinctly left-wing, Change is painful. liberal perspective. In so doing, we once again We underestimate at our peril the pain in- risk reducing Israel education to another volved in surrendering one’s fantasies of Israel form of mono-dimensionality, and creating yet the Golden. An entire generation of Jews built another misrepresentation of the many reali- their core identities around an Israel that rep- ties on the ground. We must not forget that Robbie Gringras is the resented the hope and redemption of a na- most Israelis are not involved in peace work, artist-in-residence for that coexistence projects though blessed are tion. Questioning this is a terrible (if Makom Israel Engage- necessary) wrench. We must strive to be gen- by no means a majority or even a consensus ment Network, tle in our advocacy for nuance and critique. pursuit. Engaging with the complexity of Is- www.makomisrael.net. We need to accept that some resistance is not rael means giving room for all views and not Robbie is a British-born political at all, but deeply, genuinely personal. only those that we feel might resonate with Israeli playwright, per- our students’ (and our) liberal consciences. former, and educator. Grey is not a nice color. February/March 2008 As we know, the complexities of Israel are in- Wrestling is good, but so is hugging. Adar 1 & 2 5768 vigorating for those who care about them. But Marion Gribetz writes of involving communal To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA for those yet to be initiated into this world, discourse, arts, and experimentation to incul- www.shma.com 19 cate a “sophisticated and articulated love” of shortcomings we still must find ways to cele- Israel. As Gribetz knows, this is a sophisticated brate that we are no longer stateless. We need idea! The pedagogy of critique is so rich and to find answers to Yom Ha’atzmaut, for exam- demanding that we often find ourselves fo- ple: How might we celebrate Israel while still cusing too little on how “love” might fit into holding on to a nuanced, high-resolution per- this approach. Just as we do not halt the wed- spective of statehood? Where can we find ding even though we haven’t eliminated world room for celebration without “leaving our poverty, so while marking Israel’s faults and brains at the door”?

Discussion Guide Upcoming in Sh’ma Bringing together myriad voices and experi- ences provides Sh’ma readers with an opportu- nity in a few very full pages to explore a topic NeoConservativism of Jewish interest from a variety of perspectives. & the Jews To facilitate a fuller discussion of these ideas, we offer the following questions: Israel through the Eyes 1. How is your identity as an American Jew tied to the State of Israel? of its Ministers 2. Can a reimagining of the teaching of Israel recreate a new Zionism for the 21st Philanthropy and century? Decision Making 3. Why have many millions of dollars been spent to send young Jews to Israel? Carbon-Neutral Judaism Does a trip to Israel definitively instill something in a young Jew's soul?

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America, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, The Robert A. and WITH ALL SPONSORSHIPS, SH’MA RESERVES COMPLETE To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA EDITORIAL CONTROL OF CONTENT. www.shma.com 20 Sh’ma—a journal that invites COMING APRIL 2008 a plurality of voices to thoughtfully engage matters critical to contempo- rary Judaism. Our Vision Neoconservativism & Each month, Sh’ma creates a “conversa- tion-in-print” — that is, it brings together the Jews an array of voices that cross the spectrum of Judaism: secular and religious, commu- nal and nonpartisan, engaged and dispas- Ruth Wisse & Seth Lipsky in Conversation sionately scholarly. We raise relevant questions thoughtfully and wrestle lovingly Werner Danhausser on the Intellectual Horizons of the with Jewish concerns as we attempt to nav- igate the intellectual, communal, and spir- Neoconservative Movement itual challenges of contemporary Judaism. Our focus is on ideas — their complexity, Diana Furchtgott Roth on Judaism and a their range, and their power. Sh’ma is a vi- Neoconservative Domestic Agenda brant intellectual arena that hosts intelli- gent and creative conversations about ideas that reside outside of any particular Allan Arkush on Foreign Policy Implications institution. Our readers open Sh’ma to find what they cannot find elsewhere — con- David Teutsch Reflects from the Outside on Judaism & cise, accessible, informative, and intelli- Neoconservativism gent discussion of Jewish issues. Sometimes focusing on personal belief, other times on communal policy issues, we look to Sh’ma Ben Balint Distinguishes the Neocon from the Right-wing for incisive articles that illuminate a range Conservative of opinions Peter Berkowitz, Michael Kimmage & Who are Sh’ma Readers? 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ORDER ONLINE at www.shma.com Are You One of Our Readers? Join a growing number of informed Jews Subscriptions are $29 per year, $49 for 2 years. — , philanthropists, federation di- Special student, senior, and international rates rectors, educators, layleaders, students — are available. who read Sh’ma each month to view the world through a Jewish lens that is inclu- sive, expansive, and thought-provoking. Subscribe online at shma.com www.shma.com American Friends of Magen David Adom Opening New Sderot MDA Station in march

Architectural rendering of the new Sderot MDA Station

While rockets continue to pound Sderot and the western Negev every day, American Friends of Magen David Adom has kept faith with the people of Sderot by building a new, reinforced 2,500 sq. foot state-of-the-art MDA Emergency Medical Station. AFMDA will dedicate this facility in March 2008. This new Station will house standard and Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulances as well as the staff and volunteers who serve the 25,000 people of Sderot and the entire western Negev Region. The current MDA Station in Sderot is a single level structure built in the 1950s. It is Less than a mile from the Gaza Strip, Sderot has endured seven years of outdated and in such poor condition that Qassam rocket attacks. Magen David Adom is a vital and essential part of the municipality has declared it a hazard. the city, responding to every incident to treat the wounded and bring injured and ill patients to Barzilai Hospital, 13 miles to the north. Magen David Adom and AFMDA will always be there for Sderot and its people. Your gift will help the people of Sderot and the western Negev, including Shaar HaNegev. Limited naming opportunities are still available.

New Sderot Station is nearing completion

888 Seventh Avenue, Suite 403 New York, NY 10106 866-632-2763 • 212-757-1627 • [email protected] A MONTHLY GUEST COLUMN REFLECTING ON “COOL” Hot is the New Cool Jay Michaelson

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ZPV UVSO UP OPO+FXJTI TPVSDFT GPS TVQQPSU  *EPOµULOPXBCPVUZPV CVU*LOPXXIJDI JT +VEBJTN+FXJTIOFTT UIF GPVOEBUJPO  PS UIF ²DPPM³*µESBUIFSIBWFJOCFEXJUINFBUOJHIU XJOEPXESFTTJOH   4VSF  +FXJTI DPPM DBO CF 0SPOUIFCJNBI0SCPUI February-March 2008 NFSFMZBOBFTUIFUJDIPCCZ BOEUIFSFµTOPUIJOH Adar 1 & 2 5768 XSPOH XJUI UIBU  CVU GPS UIF DVMUVSBM DSFBUJWF  To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA DVMUVSFJTNPSFUIBOKVTUTUZMF www.shma.com 23 Silence is Deadly Naomi Graetz Sigi fter much soul-searching and polling matters of marriage and divorce are adjudi- Ziering Aamong my friends, I came up with a title cated according to the interpretations of Jew- for my book on wife beating: Silence is Deadly. ish law. Although ample precedents exist for Ethics The victim has no place to turn if the topic is interpreting halakhah in a way that might This year our Sigi not discussed. A woman is truly victimized if favor women, rabbis who sit in today’s rab- Ziering column will she thinks she is the only one in the world who binical courts have no such incentives. focus on the ethics of is being beaten by her husband. The Quebec Court recently upheld the silence. Each month Every now and then there are headlines, a right of an agunah to attain a get. The judge an esteemed guest period of time or event dedicated to eradicat- wrote that the husband’s refusal “represented columnist will wrestle ing violence against women. But what is not an unjustified…impairment on [her] ability with questions con- mentioned is how dangerous the message is, to live her life in accordance with this coun- cerning silence and its that women’s voices should not be heard, and try’s values and her Jewish beliefs.” A judg- impact on Jewish life that women can be silenced with violence. ment like this can serve as a countermodel to and the world around The evidence that Jewish wife beating ex- society’s apathy. The Israeli judicial system us. The column is ists is strong. The estimated minimum figure could learn from their Canadian counter- sponsored by Bruce is 100,000 battered (with parts. Whizin and Marilyn 40,000 hospitalized); the maximum number Recently, there have been some changes Ziering in honor of is 200,000 (which includes the Arab popula- in Israel — safe houses and shelters for Or- Marilyn’s husband, tion). There are between 150 to thousands of thodox and Haredi women in Jerusalem, and Sigi Ziering, of blessed agunot — it depends on whom you ask, the some rabbis who don’t automatically side with memory. Visit rabbinical court or the activists. the husband. I hope this change is a result of shma.com to view the Where does the attitude come from that a new weltanschauung, new coalitions against series of columns with physical and mental abuse against women is the rampant abuse by the Israeli rabbinate, responses. acceptable? Does it start at home, in school? and less acceptance of the silence of those Is it supported by the rabbinate? What gives who sweep abuse under the carpet. What eth- some men the right to think that silencing ical questions are raised by this silence? women is permissible? Is it because, as our We still have much to do: demand sages say, a woman would prefer any marriage prenuptial agreements; learn our rights; ask Naomi Graetz has been to not being married at all? hard questions; and demand legislation to teaching English at Ben Some religious leaders choose to ignore dismantle the rabbinate’s monopoly on di- Gurion University of the vorce. Outside Israel, the Jewish community Negev since 1974. She is the distress of battered women; family stability the author most recently and obedience to rabbinic law trumps the suf- should support human rights organizations of Unlocking the Gar- fering of the individual. These sages are si- that are part of the international coalition for den: A Feminist Jewish lencing women’s voices. In Israel, jurisdiction agunot and trafficked women. This might Look at the Bible, in matters of personal status is given to the Or- change the face of Israeli society and return Midrash and God. thodox rabbinical courts, which means that all to us our voices.

February-March 2008/ Shevat 5768

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