Digital Library
Israel Education in North America A Landscape Analysis of the Field
Topic:
Israel & Regional Politics, Israel Literacy
Principal Investigators:
Shelley H. Billig, Ph.D.
Study Date:
2024
Source:
Jim Joseph Foundation,Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies,iCenter
Key Findings:
This report summarizes the status of Israel education in North America in 2023. The report is based on information gathered during website reviews, interviews with 43 key Israel education leaders and staff, and selected reviews of research studies. Data gathering occurred primarily before the events in Israel that occurred on October 7, 2023: priorities for Israel education may have shifted after this event as did thought leaders’ visions for the future. The data gathered for this report show the following:
Israel education in North America is thriving. There is a growing number of organizations provide Israel education and an increased amount and quality of the materials and professional development available to educators. There is strong evidence of Israel education being incorporated into preschools, K-12 settings, colleges/ universities, summer camps, synagogues, and other settings that serve Jewish people. Many settings have a dedicated Israel education professional that provides Israel education or supports educators in their integration of Israel education into their teaching and learning approaches.
Israel education is increasingly being viewed as a vital part of any Jewish education endeavor. There is a growing belief that connection to Israel is a critical part of Jewish identity/identities formation and that all Jews should be exposed to Israel education activities.
Israel education is being professionalized. Over the past 5-10 years, the field has developed certifications, Master classes, Master’s degrees, and advanced learning opportunities and has increasing numbers of participating educators and students.
Israel education has increasingly featured high quality educational experiences for its participants. Several leading Israel education organizations provide opportunities for deep learning, immersion, active engagement, and multiple learning styles. Evidence shows that these pedagogies produce greater retention of knowledge and skills, confidence in teaching, and adoption of strategies in educational settings. Israel education is becoming more learner centered and more often recognizes the complexity of Israel as a country and people.
Israel educators agree that Israel education is integral to Jewish education. They also agree on many aspects of Israel education that should be included in any approach being implemented. However, they disagree on many aspects of Israel education, including the ways to address complexity, and other field-building aspects, such as the need for standards, multiple narratives, and collaboration.
Israel education is being offered as a key component of most Israel travel experiences for all ages. There is evidence that nearly all Israel travel experiences increasingly include meaningful and engaging programming to promote a sense of belonging to Israel and to see the connection to Israel as part of one’s Jewish identity. The number of the travel experience organizations has grown and has attracted a more diverse set of travelers. Participation is strongest among Jewish teens and young adults.
Israel education is integrated with most advocacy organizations. Most have some components of Israel education, enlightening others about history, culture, and need for preserving Israel as a homeland.
To continue growth, leaders in Israel education should become a more cohesive field with focus in five areas:
-Establish common goals for Israel education through thought leader convenings and develop individual organizational strategies to meet common goals;
-Continue to professionalize careers in the field;
-Improve the quality of Israel education experiences so knowledge, skills, and ability to apply learning is enhanced;
-Develop a research agenda to identify effective practices; and
-Provide sufficient resources to reach more individuals and foster long-term changes.
Methodology:
Website Reviews: Key organizations associated with Israel education were initially identified by iCenter leaders and other senior consultants active in the field. Lists were supplemented with information from interviews with organizational and thought leaders. iCenter staff engaged in structured, systematic data collection from 30 websites of organizations with Israel education connections to document mission, history, structure, leadership, services, constituencies served, and annual or other evaluation reports to document participation, outcomes, impact, and changes over time. Missing information was elicited either through additional web searches or directly from the organizations that were examined. It is likely that some organizations were excluded from the data collection process if they were not identified using key words and expert input.
Interviews: In-depth interviews were conducted by Billig Consulting with 43 Israel education organization leaders and staff, funders, and thought leaders. An initial list of respondents was identified by iCenter staff and was supplemented over time by recommendations from other interviewees. Identified individuals were asked to respond to questions about their perceptions of Israel education, its relationship to Jewish education, contributors and contributions to Israel education, strengths and weaknesses of Israel education as a field including gaps in service, visions for the future, and what it will take to realize their visions. The interviews occurred in September and October 2023. Readers should note that 8 interviews were conducted after events in Israel on October 7: these events impacted the content of responses that leaders provided in that some topics, such as addressing conflict and anti-Semitism became more prominent.
Research Reviews: Selected research and evaluation reports were reviewed to illuminate current thinking and framing of the field of Israel education, documentation of impact and/or recommendations for improvement, and analysis of key field challenges.
Cautions: The analyses contained in this document are based on responses of key leaders and staff as relayed in the interviews and on publicly available websites. As such, the some of the analysis is not based on evidence, but on the reflections of thoughtful leaders from the field and organization-generated website materials that may or may not provide a full picture. In addition, the findings are synthesized from the specific sets of included resources, which may have inadvertently left out important voices, research, and websites. Most importantly, it should be noted that the majority of interviews were conducted before October 7, 2023, and perceptions may have changed subsequent to the events of that day in Israel.