As I prepared to take part in this mission, one of the mantras that kept going through my mind was, How could a journey I have taken so many times all of a sudden be so different? I have led countless trips to Israel; have gone on my own with family and friends, even in times of unrest. And yet, I knew these few days would bleed familiarity with the unknown.

The beauty of being a “regular” visitor is that you feel at home, walk familiar paths and go to favorite places, but this time those places of familiarity would have a palpable sense of change, and I needed to experience that. In my role of building relationships with day school and yeshiva leaders, I needed to be with them in this strange and shared space of new unfamiliarity in learning how to bring Israel, the real Israel, back to their students and our communities.

And we did that. We each retraced steps we had taken before with a new and profound sense of respect, humility and an openness to listening. Although I could not put myself in the shoes of those whose stories we heard, I listened to how this amazing group of educators would translate these words back to their students; how the music, art and poetry of the heroic Israelis would make a difference in North American classrooms. I experienced the incredible unity around bringing the hostages home, and wondered if any other country could exemplify this. I experienced the depths of sadness combined with the determination of forging ahead.

We saw Israel. We will bring this back and I am honored to be a part of helping our educational leaders reimagine what they can do.

- Amy Wasser, Prizmah’s Senior Director of School Services

Har Herzl

At Har Herzl, a sacred memorial to fallen soldiers, we were solemnly reminded of the sacrifices made in defense of the nation. Walking among the graves, listening to the stories, and hearing from our tour guide, the cousin of a fallen soldier, personalized the collective sacrifice made by each and every Israeli. Each grave, fresh with dirt, pictures, and art, served as poignant reminders of the price of freedom and the ongoing work required to safeguard it.

We engaged in the conversation: How do we bring this home to teach our students? We spent one evening using Israeli music as a powerful tool for teaching, learning, and healing. Learning through music, utilizing the prolific writing of Israeli music since October 7 as a teaching tool, we recognized its potential to facilitate learning and healing. Music, as a universal language, allowed us to delve deeper into themes of resilience and hope, offering a nuanced understanding of Israel’s journey. We recognized that songs have the unique ability to encapsulate emotions and narratives. We acknowledged the responsibility of educators to convey the complexities of Israel’s narrative, with music serving as one powerful medium for storytelling.

- Jodi Hirsch Rein, Principal for Student Culture & Success, Gesher Jewish Day School, Fairfax, Virginia

Stories of Weight and Resilience

Ahead of the trip, I was filled with trepidation at the thought of visiting the sites impacted by October 7. I felt compelled to bear witness, but also was worried at the emotional weight of what I was about to encounter. In hindsight, I am so incredibly grateful to have gotten the opportunity. In Judaism, memory is the bedrock of our collective experience, and being able to be present, to hear and then retell the stories I heard is a profound privilege.

At the same time, hearing from Israelis impacted by the events of October 7 has been a lesson in national resilience; not at the cost of minimizing the weight of the trauma that has occurred, but through recognizing its impact on each individual, and leaving room for an appropriate response as Israel, and the Jewish world at large, attempts to move forward.

- Henny Bochner, Director of Educational Advancement, Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, Livingston, New Jersey

Processing Sessions

The first time we met as a group, we took about ten minutes to fill out a personal timeline of our experiences, feelings, activities, and teaching since October 7. We then shared our timelines in small groups. This exercise offered us the opportunity to reflect, many of us for the first time, on our lives since October 7, and to discover the similarities in our reactions, frenetic activity in school, and the constant reevaluation of teaching about this moment, in this moment. This processing session set the tone for the mission—time to reflect, thoughtful sharing, and a takeaway activity we could bring back to our schools.

After a very difficult day visiting Otef Aza, including Ofakim, Sderot, and the site of the Nova Festival, we concluded our evening by listening to Israeli songs written since October 7. Some songs were hopeful, others angry, and others celebratory of the heroes in Israeli society. We listened to the music, read the lyrics together, and discussed what these new songs say about Israel in this moment. It was the perfect coda to an emotional day… and something we could bring back to the classroom. I have since used this lesson with my own students and they found it as powerful as I did that evening.

- Rebecca Wolf, Israel Education Coordinator, SAR High School, Bronx, New York

Ofakim

Visiting the city of Ofakim, for me, embodies the essence of the song “Giborei Al” by Hatikva 6. The song’s message, that everyone would leave everything behind in a second if the flag calls them, resonates deeply. Listening to teachers and students share their memories, as they unfold and reflect on their personal stories, made me realize that these stories are not just their own; they are the story of the people of Israel. It’s a narrative of resilience and bravery.

- Sammy Chukran-Lontok, Director of Hebrew and Israel Education K-12, Donna Klein Jewish Academy, Boca Raton, Florida

On the morning of October 7, as news of the attack on Israel started to filter into our Sh’mini Atzeret minyan, I acutely felt the distance of a diaspora Jew. We do so much to bridge the physical distance we have from Israel and Israelis. And that morning in Tefillat hageshem we were enacting one of many liturgical ways we transcend our reality and locate ourselves in Eretz Yisrael. We prayed that morning with an additional intensity for abundance and mercy, knowing that it was needed, and that we in the Diaspora felt a degree of helplessness.

תפן, כי נפשנו אפפו כמים
Turn to us, for troubles engulf our souls like water.

As the tragedy continued to unfold over the coming days and weeks, our North American Jewish day school and yeshiva community activated in the ways we knew how, with acts of solidarity, fundraising efforts, Tehillim and tefillot, and rallies standing with Israel. However we could, we looked to reach across to our Israeli family and offer support, strength and love. That is a role we play in the Diaspora Jewish community, and whenever possible, we visit, study and live in Israel for eras of our lives. Israel is an important and visible part of our Jewish identities.

Jewish day schools and yeshivas play an essential role in cultivating that identity, and they provide the most immersive form of Israel education that a young person can receive in North America. There is no other educational setting where Israel is more central. From early childhood throughout all grades, educators carefully scaffold the affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of our Israel education.

Walking the halls of any Jewish day school or yeshiva in North America, this becomes so clear, and it is even more evident when you hear from educators the thought and care that goes into building strong connections—personal, religious, spiritual, and collective—with the land and State of Israel. From Jewish studies to Hebrew, from social studies and history to English, literature and science, from commemorations and celebrations to the exploration of the ethnic and cultural tapestry of Israel, schools in North America infuse students with connections, behaviors, and understandings that are the foundation of what can grow into a core aspect of their identities. On a recent visit to a Jewish day school, I heard from a teacher and a group of eighth graders who were learning about vegetation in their science class by speaking with a company in Israel that has developed cutting edge hydroponic cultivation and then replicating that technology in their classroom.

This by no means is meant to paint a romantic picture of Israel education in Jewish day schools and yeshivas. As with any subject our schools teach, there are challenges and successes, but with Israel education, the stakes are much higher as we are forming a building block of Jewish identity. As educators, we must continue to learn and reflect on how, what, why and where we teach Israel. And given the distance challenge we face as Diaspora Jews, presence is crucial for Israel educators to understand aspects of Israeli society and culture and to consider how to bring that back to their students and communities.

That was the motivation informing Prizmah’s recent Israel Educators Mission. Supported by a generous grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation and in partnership with the Jewish Education Project, 23 educators from 19 Jewish day schools and yeshivas from across North America traveled together to learn together.

The essential question of our mission was, “What has changed—and what hasn’t changed—since October 7 that impacts Israel education in Jewish day schools?”

We started with the individual, and as a cohort-building exercise, explored how each of us has been affected by 10/7. Each day we toured throughout Israel visiting places and people who have been impacted by the terror attack and the war and engaged in conversation, learned together, and began to understand how Israelis, their worldviews, philosophies, and beliefs are evolving.

We immersed ourselves with educators from Israeli schools to learn with them how they have supported their students and communities. We had evening conversations with leading Israeli journalists and thinkers who gave us a high-level perspective on Israeli society, beliefs, and perspectives. And together we discussed how our experience impacts how we think and teach about Israel in our schools.

Throughout the mission, we wanted the participating educators to return to their schools with new resources that were being developed by Israeli educators. We learned with educators from Israel-based educational organizations like Beit Avi Chai, Makom, M², UnitEd, Unpacked for Educators, the National Library, and the Jewish Agency for Israel. Their newest educational materials and processing protocols helped to bridge the expanse between us and are a thoughtful response to this moment.

The opportunity to be present with Israelis, hear their stories, and commit to bringing them back to our schools has already added so much to Israel education in the participating schools. The educators have shared their stories in their classrooms, in blogs, podcasts, meetings with students, faculty and parents. What we learned will support the continued development of Israel education, and together we are working on integrating that learning into how schools think and teach about Israel now.

For many, this mission was our literal first steps back in Israel since October 7. Working together over the coming months and year, it is also a first step in imagining how Israel education will, and will not, change.