EXPANDED ISSUE 39/648 February–March 2008/Adar 1 & 2 5768 A publication of Inside Teaching Israel 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 Jews who say Kenneth W. Stein, Tal Grinfas- they care about it deeply? This issue of Sh’ma explores the David, 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” Jerusalem 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 Ethics......................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 Judaism 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- Torah, 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.