Section archive - Israel Education

This article takes up categories from literature on political and civic engagement to help make sense of data collected from interviews with 40 American Jewish day high school students about what they think and feel about Israel. Viewed through a set of lenses that distinguish between the manifestations and motivations of political and civic engagement, the article helps clarify why young Jews, even when actively and positively engaged with Israel, are uncomfortable labeling themselves as Zionists. The analysis points to an important distinction between the concepts of Israel as “home” and “homeland.” The article also raises important questions about what is presumed to be an increasing distance or alienation from Israel among young American Jews.

Emily Comisar discusses a recurring question. How we get Birthright Taglit participants to feel a sense of responsibility to the community, to engage in it in whichever way is most meaningful and make it a more welcoming place for a rising generation of young Jewish adults? At a recent professional conference, she gained some insights about this question.

Fifth graders from Beit Hinuch Ramon School in Shaarei Tikva held a virtual meeting through the Internet with pupils of the same age from Los Angeles' Tifereth Israel congregation's Hebrew school. The meeting was held with the aid of video cameras and the Skype application, to honor Israel's 64th Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration, which was last week in many U.S. Jewish congregations. Samaria regional authority head Gershon Mesika took part in Sunday's event. A recorded greeting from Yuli Edelstein, Israel Minister of Information & Diaspora was viewed by the participants during the festivities.

Aardvark Israel, is a pluralistic nine-month program now completing its second year. The program is affiliated with American Jewish University in Los Angeles. It offers college credits and weekly trips around the country. Eighty Aardvark participants are divided into two groups, each spending half the program based in the South Tel Aviv neighborhood of Florentine, and the other half of the time in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Katamon.