Middle School Israel Advocacy
Keren Horn is a middle school humanities educator at Yavneh Academy (Paramus, NJ). She earned her Ed.M. with a focus on Learning, Cognition, and Development from Rutgers University. Keren is coach for Yavneh’s debate team and she runs the YavnehConnects program, an audio-visual presentation of Holocaust stories.
Yavneh Academy, in Paramus, New Jersey, is a Modern Orthodox, staunchly Zionist, preK-8 Jewish day school. Its mission statement includes: “Establishing the centrality of the State of Israel in the life of our school and in the lives of our children and imbuing each child with a connection to the State of Israel as an essential part of his/her identity.” Yavneh has always held true to its mission statement. It has seamlessly woven the study of Israel into much of its curriculum. Students learn Hebrew in every grade, including pre-K. They are exposed to Judaic texts and maps to connect history to the present-day land. Each year, it hosts benot sherut who help American students experience the culture of Israel firsthand. The students study the language, geography, the land’s history in Tanakh, and the culture and holidays of the Jewish people living there now. The school also makes sure to have engaging and enjoyable programming related to Israeli holidays, especially Yom HaAtzmaut.
With such a strong foundation and positive feeling for Israel already ingrained in our students, it was a natural step to continue building on that knowledge. In light of recent events, we found that our students were interested in developing critical knowledge and the ability to respond to modern conflicts. With the rise of social media, our students would be exposed to information and, more often than not, misinformation. It was our responsibility to arm them so that they never feel unprepared to represent Israel in conversation. To accomplish this, I created an Israel Advocacy Club. Our club was optional and open to our 8th-grade students, as we wanted to start this new program with the students who were most eager to learn. The club was designed to answer the biggest questions being posed today: indigeneity, genocide, apartheid, Zionism, and other related issues.
We met weekly and each meeting centered around a single topic. Our first topic addressed the fundamental question: “Do the Jewish people have a claim to the land?” After all, we need to address the core right of Jews to the land in light of the rampant accusation that Jews are colonizers, outsiders stealing land that never belonged to them.
We began by studying how researchers generally determine that a particular group is native to a location. This includes primary texts, a language connection, genetic markers, historical accounts, and artifacts linking a group with a land. When the students demonstrated a real understanding of the idea and the methodology, we asked them to apply those same methods to the Jews and the land of Israel. Divided into working groups, they began to do some digging. The artifacts and archaeology group compiled a list with dates, images, and information about artifacts, including excavated mikvaot and the depiction on the Arch of Titus in Rome. The Judaic texts group examined passages from Tanakh of the connections between the land and the Jewish people, the extended period of Jewish sovereignty over the land, the boundaries of the country, Israel’s enemies, and wars that occurred in or around what is now Israel. The secular texts group found source material from texts authored by non-Jewish sources. They studied the Merneptah Stele, an Egyptian artifact dating back to 1200 BCE that is not particularly favorable to the Israelites, detailing their defeat by the Egyptians. It is considered the earliest textual reference to this group of people and their undeniable connection to the land. The last group, focusing on language, was given a sheet with Paleo-Hebrew, an ancient form of Hebrew, and its modern equivalent. Students were then given images of artifacts dating from as far back as the Bar Kokhba Revolt and were able to translate the lettering into modern Hebrew. There was a communal moment of amazement as letter by letter, the words were uncovered, and one coin even mentioned the capital, Jerusalem. Students saw firsthand that not only was Hebrew used thousands of years ago in that place, but that the words remained nearly identical and continued to be used for generations among its people.
Once we had compiled all of this information, we worked together to create a large-scale timeline that would be displayed in our school’s hallway. When all the information was put together clearly, they were able to make even more connections. Students noted that many of these artifacts, from texts to ancient mikvaot and coins, all put the Jewish people in the location hundreds if not thousands of years before some other religions had even come to be.
With the understanding that there is enough proof to argue that the Jewish people have a claim to the land, we were able to delve into other questions—both ancient and contemporary. Why did the number of Jews in the land decrease dramatically? How and when did the land become known as Palestine? Is Israel an apartheid state? What is the Nakba? What happened at Deir Yassin? What were the relations between the Jews and Arabs in Israel before 1948? What is Zionism and how did it take shape? Is Israel committing a genocide? Each question was the basis of a unit of study. Each lesson began with some frontal instruction, followed by some very open discussion, and usually concluded with further student exploration into the topic. For example, when discussing the statement, “The Arab countries repeatedly rejected peace with Israel,” students chose one historical turning point and presented to the group their own research into the setting, the key players, and the outcome.
While covering Yom HaAtzmaut, we discussed the concept of the Nakba. The group was shown articles written by both Arab and Israeli sources. We looked at the differences in the way that both sources covered the same material, and students split into two groups and were tasked with creating a newspaper cover from the perspective of either the Jews or the Arabs living in the land. This led us to an important conversation about bias and the importance of covering the full story, even the more difficult ones like Deir Yassin.
Each topic had a built-in lesson with important vocabulary and facts, but the students were never spoon-fed information. There was no need to program them with some preset agenda. Our primary goal was to provide content knowledge, a safe environment for them to learn and research and think and discuss—a foundation upon which to base their arguments—thus empowering our students. Early on, we saw beautiful results from this program. Students argued passionately about their opinions, but now, instead of presenting only vague ideas, they had concrete knowledge to back them up.
Our culminating event was a panel led by these students. We sourced questions from college students—questions that they may face both in person and online. The students sat in a panel discussion in front of a group including school administrators and parents, where they were asked those questions—which they had not seen in advance. The students were then given a chance to respond or react to the comments made by their peers. They were asked about civilians and foreign policy, about humanitarian aid, and about nativism. One by one, the students sat up straight and confidently responded. It was an empowering experience for our students as they refuted the false claims which were being presented.
As much as our students learned from this process, so did we. We let them guide us on what they needed to discover. We learned from them just how curious and thirsty they are for deep understanding and personal discovery. We learned that they are truth seekers and that they want to be confident in their knowledge. And we learned that they can become valuable communal resources, not merely consumers of information.
FROM THE EDITOR: Fall 2024
It feels pretentious and premature to be talking about retooling education about Israel. The war is not over, the wounds are still fresh, barely a year has passed since that awful day, there are thousands of children-parents-loved ones still in active combat and separated from their families for months at a time, many of the hostages are still in captivity, the campuses are reeling, the internal divisions in Israel are deepening rather than abating, and the landscape of the Jewish world is muddled at best as the aftershocks of the earthquake still rattle us. And yet, we dare to think that we have something meaningful to contribute as to how to teach about Israel. It is fair to say that everything written in this journal is written with the awareness that when the dust settles, we may need to re-examine everything all over again.
The Story of the Ever-Living People
As a preface, I believe that we are all experiencing a revolutionary moment in the evolution of the Jewish people. By that, I mean that while the evolution of the Jewish people remains a constant, we are nonetheless at the forefront of a moment of awareness—of what in Judaism is known as she’at ratzon—a moment of willingness among Jews that is unprecedented in modern Jewish history. That, in and of itself, should raise for us a great call for action as educators and as people who work on behalf of the Jewish community in charting a path for our envisioned trajectory.
Knowledge and Identity: An Interview with Natan Kapustin
I would identify two very different kinds of Israel education that we do. The one that I will not speak about much is what I might call the reactive component. When things happen in or related to Israel, we need to address them. And we do that in a variety of ways. We have speakers come in, debriefing sessions with our students, Town Halls dedicated to open discussions about Israel, special tefillot, etc. This past year, post-October 7th, we were particularly intense in the reactive programming, and it is hard to know what this next year will bring. But none of this has affected what we have been doing in our core Israel education programming.
The Times They Are A’changin…
When I began my work in Jewish education at the Park Avenue Synagogue High School in September of 1967 it was, as some will remember, a tumultuous time. In the Jewish world, the Six-Day War gave a sense of elation (albeit very temporary as we have seen for many decades) and America was filled with social and political crises. Our afterschool and weekend program quickly became a magnet for Jewish and even non-Jewish teenagers from across the Upper East and West sides of Manhattan. Feeling the absence of the “international” (Jewish and beyond) in my own education and seeking to emphasize and expand it in that of my students, we quickly added international travel during summer and mid-year vacations as a key part of our curriculum, and within a decade we were traveling into the Arab world.
Developing Students’ Capacity to Engage in Productive Dialog about Israel
In April 2023, David Bryfman and Barry Chazan wrote: “Today the issues of identity and Jewish identity not only have lots to do with Israel, but also the connection between Israel and Jewish identity may be one of the most significant developments for Jewish identity, life, and education that we have known.” In other words, Jewish identity is intertwined with Israel in ways that have never before been true. This sentiment and understanding have shaped and guided our school’s recent thinking about Israel education.
Israel Front and Center: Developing a Curriculum on Am and Medinat Yisrael
Sitting in my 12th grade Modern Israel class, one of my students raised her hand and asked “why haven’t we learned anything about Israel in History classes since 10th grade?” While I began to explain the sequence of the History curriculum, where students learn Zionism and the history of Israel in 10th and 12th grade, I realized that students learn about Israel in multiple subjects and in co-curricular activities throughout their four years of high school. I pointed out that the 11th grade Hebrew curriculum offers a range of readings and discussions on early Zionist thinkers and Israeli literary figures, many of whom students engaged with, albeit from a historical perspective, in their 10th grade History classes.
Learning from Children’s Ideas about October 7th and the Israel-Hamas War
Day school teacher Mr. Berkman is a proud long-time Jewish educator, but only recently has he also come to see himself as an Israel educator. “In October,” he explains, “I joined every other Jewish educator in the world in realizing, wait, I have to teach Israel now. But how?” Ms. Baghai, a general studies teacher at a different Jewish day school, has also had to rethink her teaching in the wake of October 7th. “How much do we talk about it and learn about it? How deep do we go? How much do I share?” she wonders.
Finding the Balance: The Synergy of Nuance, Critical Thinking, and Ahavat Yisrael
We get off the bus for a quick stop on our first day of Derech l’Lev, our 8th-grade Israel experience. There is an electric energy as our two busloads of students and chaperones embark on this much-anticipated, two-week journey to Israel. I turn to one of my students: “So Sarah, what do you think? What are your first impressions of Israel?” Her face lights up. “I can’t explain it,” she says. “It’s all so familiar even though it’s my first time here. I just feel like I belong, like I’m home. I love this country!”
Teaching about Israel’s Many Complexities with Confidence, Competence, and Courage
Jewish educators have long been successful at instilling a love of Israel in their learners by providing opportunities to engage with the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and vibrancy of the country and its people in an ongoing way. Many settings culminate their Israel educational programs by visiting Israel, an experience designed to further deepen learners’ relationships with the people, land, and State of Israel. These varied modalities and content areas all are critical tools for achieving our collective goal of fostering a deep connection and commitment to Israel and the Jewish people.
“History of Israel” as History
As the years continue, Israel education now necessarily includes the history of Medinat Yisrael as a larger component than it has in the past. Young students have no memories of the major events in the history of the state, and as time passes, more information, stories, and significant events must be learned in order for students to be able to understand deeply what Israel represents and how its past informs its present. Language, culture, and geography are no longer sufficient for a well-crafted Israel education program.
Israel Education in a Post October 7th World
Is being pro-Israel the same as being Zionist? Is the call of the hour advocacy training or education? As Israel educators with decades of experience between us, October 7th forced us to take a hard look at what we teach, and how we teach it. We’ve taught American high school students, Masa gap year and Yeshiva/Seminary students, and visiting college students. We certainly weren’t prepared for this traumatic war, but we will argue that an authentic, classic Zionist approach to Israel education makes more sense now than ever.
Cultivating Respect in Teaching the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Being a Jewish History teacher in a pluralistic Jewish day school, I often find myself up against the question of how we apply the principles of pluralism to the teaching of Israel, and especially the teaching of the “Conflict.” Given that Jewish identity and religious expression are tied to Israel, it is important to help guide students through the fraught path of figuring out the relationship between their emotional connections and the political and social responses to the academic study of Israel. But, just as we set out guideposts for the limits of pluralism, it is important to craft boundaries of what is acceptable within our classroom environment. Key to this challenge is helping students understand their identities and how this sense of self shapes the way that student views the historical realities behind these conflicts.
Israel Education For Today’s Generation
For many educators, teaching about Israel has never been so challenging. The emotionally charged nature of the discussion, attitudes on Israel dovetailing with political affiliations, and educators’ fears of facing backlash from parents and the community, are all reasons for why teachers are reluctant to address Israel in the classroom. This is further complicated when considering the generational gap surrounding Israel in our communities. While previous generations saw Israel as the country of miracles and the underdog in the Arab-Israeli conflict, many in the younger generation see Israel as the aggressor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and feel conflicted over support for Israel.
A Shared Student and Teacher Approach at Learning About Israel
The first aspect of helping my students this year was to create a safe, open, and accepting environment in the classroom to allow students to share their fears, questions, and thoughts. I have learned over many years of teaching that students desire to be heard and validated. They are seeking to be heard, much more than they are seeking actual answers to their thoughts and (philosophical) questions. I have learned over the years to listen and understand them.
Preparing Students For Their Encounter With Broader Society
Long before October 7th, as a teacher with a Social Studies background, I have been working with my administration team and the Center for Israel Education to revamp our Israel curriculum. My instinct was to bring Israel education from a place of chronological progression of events to finding touch points with other historical events outside of our people and land, helping to anchor historical periods in students’ minds. This approach mixed with modern culture and current events, should give students a broad and basic foundation of understanding that culminates in our annual 8th grade trip to Israel.
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