As we know, Israel has always occupied a central place in our Jewish community’s existence.

Today, a growing number of our Jewish day schools and yeshivot promote, support and teach about Israel as an integral part of their curriculum. In fact, in most of our schools, support and love for the Eretz Yisrael, Medinat Yisrael and Am Yisrael is deeply anchored and embedded in their school curriculum and culture.

As we know, there are many schools that are not one-hundred percent committed to making Israel central or core to their mission, educational philosophy or curricula. They are devoid of any educational or hashkafic relationship to Israel, as a state or as a nation, except within the context of textual learning about Eretz Yisrael, and the land of Israel as referenced in the Torah. And there are many schools that place the teaching of Israel at the very core of their mission, vision and educational philosophy.

Over the past several years, we have witnessed a significant shift in the manner in which our communities support, teach and promote the centrality of Israel. This shift is even more pronounced since October 7th with diminishing public support for Israel on college campuses, and the growing violent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agenda inspired by the progressive left.

More recently, we are sadly witnessing an additional distancing and alienation of America Jewish communal and philanthropic leadership support for Israel as a result of internal Israeli politics and religious divides as well as domestic unrest ….all of which are having a most negative impact on the country.

Recently, we have also experienced a dramatic and profound lack of internal achdut in Israeli society resulting in part to the deep divide regarding the proposed mandatory induction of yeshiva students into the IDF and select judicial reform proposals.

Unfortunately, these societal conflicts have created a less than positive public image of Israeli society and an internal reality which pits people against one another.

.All of these harsh internal realities are now exacerbated by the current existential war with Iran and its terrorist proxies.

Reality dictates that as diaspora Jews, we have very limited impact or control over Israel’s domestic crises or existential threats.

Our role at best is to publicly advocate for Israel’s support on the world stage through clear communication, public information and education.

Although it is not within my purview to suggest definitive solutions to these challenges, as educators, we do have a variety of options at our disposal.

Impact of the War with Iran

Now more than ever, as barrages of Iranian missiles and drones rain down on Israeli population centers, we are compelled to put our political and ideological differences to aside.

We also now think about survival through achdut and unity as never before. To be sure, when our brothers a sisters run frantically into a miklat or mamad when warning sirens are blasting, we don’t think about our differences, but rather about how we must help and protect each other.

Friends, there is an expression that there are no non-believers in fox-holes. This expression can also be applied to achienu when we are confronting existential danger.

To date, there have been numerous challenging realities which we are experiencing in the face of today’s conflict.

First and foremost are the remarkable nisim all around us.

As we know, the number of human fatalities from missile and drone barrages could have been far greater then realized. These nisim are also supported by remarkable stories of people who Baruch HaShem escaped missile and drone attacks without one scratch.

These nisim are not coincidental. They are the result of our tefillot and our increased acts of chesed and mitzvot during times of existential crisis. They are the realities which have kept us together as a people and as a nation since time immemorial.

Educational Implications

So what are the educational implications of today’s matzav.

Throughout history, chinuch has been the most powerful transformative tool at our disposal.

When viewing the challenges of this war in its totality, many of us remain confident, steadfast, and secure in our conviction that after the war, Israel and its neighbors will flourish and grow in ways never before imaginable.

This is a growth mindset which has tremendous impact on our students, teachers and community.

This reality is also deeply rooted in our belief that Israel is our undeniable holy and sacred birthright and the land of our forefathers – Avraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a land imbued with kedusha (holiness); and the “land of milk and honey” which HaShem promised to us, as an am kadosh and as an ohr laGoyim.

The Torah of Israel, the Land of Israel, and the Nation or People of Israel comprise the rich three-dimensional mosaic of what Israel represents. The Torah -broadly interpreted as the cognitive and emotive dimensions of Jewish education, – the Land of Israel is the birthplace of Judaism; and the homeland of the Jewish people are the pillars of Judaic civilization. Both are absolutely essential to the existence of our Jewish people (Am Yisrael) and each occupy a very special and cherished place in our hearts.

So in light of these realities, against the backdrop of today’s relentless war with Iran and its proxies, what should be the role and responsibility of our schools, institutions, and educational communities in promoting and teaching about the centrality of Israel to their students and communities? Where should we place the emphasis? How do we ensure high-quality engagement and how do we ensure that Israel’s religious, cultural, and historic primacy, viability, and integrity is taught and supported without compromising religious or hashkafic norms and standards.

There is no one single response to these essential questions or critical challenges but rather a variety ideas, solutions, recommendations and proposals.

Teaching about the pivotal importance and kedusha of Israel, and advocating for its support, viability and growth, as well as its significant impact on our Jewish people and community and our common destiny is no small task. We must ensure a proper balance that is authentic, real, sensitive, and rooted in historical context, reality, and in the Torah.

The Centrality of Israel

As we know, our yeshivot and Jewish day schools offer tremendous potential regarding the preparation of Israel curricula as well as the identification of effective and meaningful venues, texts and materials for student and teacher discussion, teaching, learning, dialogue, debate and reflection.

In addition to the development, identification, and dissemination of teachable moments and activities, Jewish day school and yeshiva leaders and faculty should take a far more serious and comprehensive look at the myriad of ways in which they teach about Israel.

For example, several of the questions and challenges facing our schools include – should the teaching of Israel be offered as a self-contained course or should it be an elective, with the teaching of historical facts, events, geopolitical trends, and core facts about Israel? Should the topic of Israel be integrated into Biblical and Talmudic text study? How do schools create a culture which supports the critical importance of Israel? And, does Israel speak to all students and faculty as an integral part of the school’s culture and curriculum.

All of these options and opportunities are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but, they do represent a range of potential approaches to teaching about Israel in our schools.

Although it would not be feasible to respond to each of these questions in one single article or blog post, as we broaden the challenge, it is essential that our communities in the Jewish diaspora begin to address, front and center, the effective teaching, promotion, and support of Israel from an educational, sociological, religious, and political perspective.

Several suggestions for consideration may include:

the establishment of a Israel-Diaspora teacher exchange program for all full-time teachers, Rabbeim and educators employed by Jewish day schools and yeshivot,

the provision of subsidies to help defray the cost of professional development opportunities for teachers and educators who are tasked with teaching our students about Israel in their respective institutions;

the design of pre and post-Israel trip educational experiences and programs which are rich in serious content and substance; and, the design of Israel trip follow-up programs and engagement activities;

developing carefully crafted talking points for Jewish communal lay and professional leadership, which clearly articulate the “case for supporting Israel’

the convening of a global teen and/or college student leadership summit on Israel advocacy, engagement and education;

the establishment of a college/university student Israel Ambassadors program;

the creation of school sponsored and coordinated travel/study opportunities (for high school students) to Israel with creative and knowledgeable scholars, teachers and educators;

special grants and subsidies to support the design, development and beta testing of new innovative Israel-based curricula;

developing a closer working relationship and partnership between diaspora Jewish day schools and yeshivot and the Israel Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, Ministry of Education and Culture and other Israel-based educational institutions;

the establishment of Israel Education Think Tanks for day school leaders and faculty which would attract the best and brightest academicians, philanthropists, business leaders, rabbinic leadership and Jewish scholars and educators in order to grapple with the wide array of complex challenges facing Israel’s cultural and religious divide and their impact on diaspora Jewish communities. These Think Tanks would result in a series of Action Plans for local and regional consideration.

At the end of the day, our Jewish communities on the local, regional and global levels, must determine the most effective long-term responses best suited for them in order to respond to the increased challenges relating to Israel and diaspora Jewish communities.

As Israel is in the midst of a very difficult and existential war with Iran, we must think more strategically about the welfare of Israel “the day after” we successfully destroy our enemies.

This “day after” will come soon. And, it will require a rebuilding of Israel’s economy, infrastructure, security and public persona and trust on the world stage.

It will also require that diaspora communities become truly educated and supportive of Israel’s future growth, heath, impact and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors.

We only have one Torah, one Land, and one State. Irrespective of which of these three legs on the Jewish identity stool resonates the most with us, one thing is clear……… Israel is and will continue to be our legacy, birthright and the land of our forefathers and the place which HaShem endowed to our people and as transmitted through our mesorah

Finally, we are mitpallel to HaShem that the roaring lions of Israel will be victorious over its enemies and that Operation Epic Fury will B’ezrat HaShem be the final existential war to be experienced by our people.

Chag Kasher v’Sameach and B’sorot Tovot

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)