Digital Library
2021 Makom's 4HQ at Moishe House Opening the Door for Thicker Conversations about Israel
Topic:
Antisemitism & Antizionism, Jewish Diaspora & Interfaith Relations
Principal Investigators:
Rosov Consulting
Study Date:
2021
Source:
Makom,Jim Joseph Foundation,Moishe House
Key Findings:
In Spring 2018, Makom and Moishe House—with the support of the Jim Joseph Foundation—introduced Makom’s signature “4HQ” program within Moishe House communities. “4HQ at Moishe House” is an 18-month cohort-based program, including a six-day trip to Israel, webinars about Israeli history and contemporary issues, mentoring sessions to provide guidance for program facilitation, and an in-person retreat/reunion several months after the trip.
The ultimate goal of the initiative has been to shift the culture at Moishe House from largely avoiding discussion about Israel to one that is radically open and inclusive.
At the time of this report, two cohorts have run, consisting of 28 participants in the first cohort and 44 in the second. To explore the outcomes created by 4HQ at Moishe House—for cohort members, their peers, and the overall organizational culture—Makom engaged Rosov Consulting to evaluate the program’s first two cohorts.
A summary of the evaluation’s main findings include:
Understanding Israel Differently
New Perspectives and Broader Horizons: The 4HQ program expanded participants’ horizons, broadening their exposure to and engagement with a wide array of social and political narratives in and about Israel, many of which they were not familiar with previously. Participants noted several aspects of the trip that contributed to developing more nuanced perspectives, such as hearing a multiplicity of narratives; encountering different groups of people who, however painfully, must find ways to coexist; and discussing (controversial) governmental policies.
Shifts in their Relationships to Israel: Participants were able to move beyond reductive or monolithic conceptions of Israel and leave with more appreciation for the depth of social experience and cultural expression in the country.
Beyond Complexity to Multidimensionality: Those who described Israel as “complex” or “complicated” before going on the trip developed a richer, deeper view of the complexity and what Israel means to them.
4HQ Stands Apart from Other Programs: Participants shared that the honest, far-reaching, and often challenging conversations on the trip set the 4HQ program apart from all other Israel experiences. Also, they were being taught how to take their newfound knowledge back to the United States, share it with their peers, develop resonant educational and programmatic goals, and ultimately figure out how to implement them.
Newfound Confidence as Facilitators of Israel Programming
Participants felt a great deal more confident in their ability to facilitate conversations and programs about Israel after the program.
Opening the Door at Moishe House to a Deeper, More Nuanced Israel
Culture More than Competencies: For the staff at Moishe House, the most important outcome of their relationship with Makom has been that it signals a readiness to change how they relate to and engage with Israel.
-
Knowledge: Program alumni are better informed about the multidimensional nature of Israel today. They are better able to situate the conflict or the politics of Israel within a broader context and within a broader range of perspectives.
-
Attitude: Program alumni are emotionally ready to facilitate charged and challenging conversations; we identified this as a particular payoff that comes from the metacognitive shift they experienced.
-
Behavior: Program alumni have gained and are employing skills that enable them to facilitate challenging conversations about Israel.
Methodology:
Participants have included Moishe House residents, participants in the Moishe House Without Walls framework, and a small number of Moishe House professionals. Participants must have spent time in Israel previously; the program cannot be the first time they visit Israel. Those who participated in the second cohort were required first to complete a “test” by which they demonstrated sufficient familiarity with the issues to be addressed by the program.
Makom has engaged Rosov Consulting to evaluate the program’s first two cohorts, focusing on key research questions. To answer these questions, Rosov Consulting conducted video interviews at the start and end of the program with five participants from Cohort 1 and eight participants from Cohort 2. Interviewees were selected with Makom and Moishe House’s guidance to construct a representative sample with regards to gender and geography. Researchers also conducted interviews with seven Moishe House staff members in Spring 2020 (toward the end of Cohort 2) to explore their perceptions of the program’s impact on the organization more broadly. Finally, researchers reviewed 71 logs from mentors’ meetings with Cohort 2 participants, to get a sense of how cohort members’ facilitation skills, confidence, and program foci evolved over time.
Researchers then analyzed the data and identified key findings about the contribution of the 4HQ trip to participants’ perspectives, their confidence as facilitators, and the place of Israel and Israel education at Moishe House.