As the Jewish world continues to process the aftermath of Oct. 7, a spotlight has been placed on the importance of education — making sure our nation’s teachers and Jewish institutional leaders have the knowledge and tools to explain the realities of the complex situation in Israel to the next generation while continuing to inspire students’ pride in Zionism during these challenging times.
Recently, a delegation of over 30 American rabbis, day-school administrators, heads of departments and religious-school directors from coast to coast attended Jewish National Fund-USA’s Educators Mission to Israel, where they spent eight days in Israel’s north and south learning how Israelis are thriving during the Israel-Hamas war while getting a crash course on education leadership.
Held from July 9-16 as part of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael’s World Education Conference, participants had the opportunity to network and learn alongside 250 industry professionals from around the globe. The community leaders, who collectively reach thousands of students each day, heard from activists, peers and Middle East experts as they gained a more well-rounded understanding of the country’s challenges and the resilience of the Israeli people.
“I chose to come on this mission to see Israel in a different light, to experience what Jewish National Fund-USA does, to develop different ways to bring home Israel to our community,” said mission co-chair Rabbi Nogah Marshall, educational director at Congregation Beth El in Cherry Hill, N.J. “On this trip, I’ve seen areas that I’ve never been to even though I’ve been (to Israel) many times. I’ve learned different ways to bring back Israel into our classrooms. I’ve met incredible people who have made a difference in this country, and I’m hoping to educate my teachers, students and other members of my community of all the amazing things we can do to develop connections with the Israeli community.”
One highlight was a visit to Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss), the organization’s premier college-prep, study abroad in Israel program for American teens. Participants learned how a semester in Israel can be crucial in connecting young Jews to their heritage, and how Muss’ experiential Israel-studies program is tailored to create those long-lasting bonds.
“I was very blessed to be able to attend Jewish National Fund-USA’s educators’ mission, to be able to see Israel after Oct. 7, take back what we learned to the United States, and transform how we educate students there as well,” said mission co-chair Efrat Zarren-Zohar, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education in Miami. “The thing I was most impressed with from the mission was that wherever we went, we were meeting incredible people who made the sites come alive for us, who told their personal experiences, who helped us really find meaning where we were.”
Attendees also discussed the future of Jewish and Zionist education, highlighting the development of Jewish National Fund- USA’s World Zionist Village, a 16-acre global gathering place dedicated to educating and enhancing the connection and values in Zionism across cultures and generations that will also serve as the second home for Muss. Beautifully designed and historically situated in Beersheva, Israel’s fastest-growing city, the village will offer an oasis of thought, study and innovation, as well as short-term educational programs, engaging forums and research opportunities for people of all ages. More than that, it will spark a new and all-encompassing global conversation about the future of Zionism.
“It’s extremely important to develop a relationship between our students and Israel, and we need to provide true and accurate information in a way that will engage them and connect them personally to the people, the land and the culture of Israel,” said Marshall. “Jewish National Fund-USA does an amazing job providing resources for teachers and opportunities for people of all ages to go to Israel.”
Many of the mission participants will reunite at the Jewish National Fund-USA’s Global Conference for Israel in Dallas this fall. The event will take place from Thursday, Nov. 14 to Sunday, Nov. 17. Discounted rates are available for Jewish communal professionals (jnf.org/gc).
To learn more about Jewish National Fund-USA’s upcoming missions to Israel, including volunteer missions to Israel, visit jnf.org/travel.
