From distance to presence, Prizmah's Israel Educators Mission - opinion

• Published date: 21 April 2024
• Author: MARC WOLF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

We do so much to bridge the physical distance we have from Israel and Israelis, and that morning during the Prayer for Rain we were enacting one of many liturgical ways we transcend our reality and locate ourselves in Eretz Yisrael (The Land of Israel). 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."Turn to us, for troubles engulf our souls like water," we said

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, Psalms and prayers, 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 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 to a company in Israel that has developed cutting-edge hydroponic cultivation and then replicating that technology in their classroom.

Enhancing Jewish identity through Israel education

Of course, as...