Israel Advocacy and Israel Education -- Leadership Must Decide

Key Findings:

This article discusses the importance of investing in serious, sustained Israel education as a means of preparing both the young and old to respond to calls for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS), to defend Israel’s legitimacy, and to deepen their appreciation of the historic achievements of the Jewish state. Israel advocacy and Israel education should not be conflated.

Dr. Ruskay’s class, titled “Pre-State Visions: Jabotinsky, Ben Gurion, and Magnes,” examines the different visions proposed by each aforementioned pre-state Zionist leader for the emerging “Jewish homeland in Palestine.” Each leader held different views on core issues, such as whether the future state should be socialist or capitalist, secular or religious, and Jewish or bi-national. These responses provided the ideological foundation for the pre-state movements and a harbinger for the multi-party politics of Israel today.

During the state’s first decades, Israel advocacy enabled American Jews to learn the history of the young state, embrace its achievements, and mobilize political support on its behalf. However, growing sectors of North American Jewry, particularly the younger generations who had not lived through either the Holocaust or the state’s first decades, found themselves increasingly ill-prepared to understand or negotiate the complexity of contemporary Israel. 

A significant number of high school graduates from Modern Orthodox and Jewish day schools feel that their education about Israel was one-sided, and that their schools failed them. Young American Jews need to be exposed to the complicated reality of Israel, including its achievements and challenges. Critical study and understanding of Israel's history, contemporary challenges, and complexities can lead to enhanced engagement and connection to Israel.

“Gray issues” that beckon serious examination: the tension between Jewish nationalism and liberal nationalism; Israel’s pre-emptive wars; Israel’s treatment of its Arab citizens; and Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Each of these issues require serious study to introduce students to their complexity, the various perspectives on each, and their multiple surrounding narratives.

Jewish leadership should invest significantly in serious, sustained Israel education. Young American Jews are increasingly introduced to simplistic views of Israel that do not reflect its complexity or diversity. This lack of understanding contributes to the drift of large numbers of Jews away from Israel and from Jewish identity altogether. By investing in Israel education, Jewish leaders can help young Jews develop a deep and nuanced understanding of Israel, one that will strengthen their connection to Israel and to the Jewish people.