Isra-el: Struggling with Purpose, An Educational Framework

Key aspects of this new framework include:

1. A shift from compartmentalized, age-specific education (like bar/bat mitzvah projects or one-time Israel trips) to a lifelong, continuous engagement with Israel and Jewish identity.
2. A move from reactive “Israel Advocacy” toward proactive “Education Diplomacy” that focuses on relationship-building rather than defensive posturing.
3. An educational philosophy rooted in constructivism and dialogue, where learners actively participate in knowledge construction rather than passively receiving information.
4. A reconnection to the biblical etymology of “Isra-el” (struggling with God) as a foundational principle for Jewish identity and continuity.
5. The concept of “Tikun Israel” (healing/rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood) as parallel to Tikun Olam.

The article frames this approach as “new-old” – drawing from ancient traditions and biblical sources while applying them to contemporary educational challenges, particularly in the context of modern Israel and post-October 7th realities.

Beyond the Classroom: The Power of Experiential Learning

Transmission of Jewish continuity and Israel connectivity does not take place in the formal classroom setting on its own. Israel and Jewish education are best served through experiential learning; it is through experientialism that our children explore, discover, and internalize information and meaning that they can relate to. Transmission to the recipient in a more practical—less theoretical—approach provides the individual with the opportunity to explore the multi-faceted complexities of any given data, an experience rooted in intellectual, emotional and internal ties to the information that is experienced.

The Lifelong Journey

The transmission of Jewish continuity and Israel connectivity cannot be cornered into a specific educational setting, grade, or life cycle, i.e. bar mitzvah project or trip to Israel, high school class Israel trip, semester abroad, organizational Mission to Israel, and so on. Instead, Israel education and engagement must be a lifelong journey. Jewish identity and responsibility do not end when one is bar or bat mitzvahed nor when one writes a check to a Jewish cause. This misses the entire point of what it means to be a member of Am Yisrael, of the Jewish People. It is a lifelong commitment to learning, to engagement and to the transmission of history, values, and purpose from one generation to the next.

The Problem of Compartmentalization

Today we know the world of Israel education and engagement has been broken down into categories. This definitive compartmentalization of Israel education or commitment to Jewish life relegated to Bnei Mitzvah has resulted in a nation cut off from its roots.

Our tradition teaches that learning is a lifelong endeavor for reasons of daily enrichment, perspective and purpose, as well as it concerns our collective identity. The Rabbis of blessed memory taught, “…know from where you have come, and know where you are going…” Continuity is what keeps the Jewish People; every generation makes the handoff, but absent community and a continuum of life, we fail our ancestors.

The Israel Continuum

is a model incorporating concepts, language, and practice as it pertains to one’s Israel trajectory. Namely one’s ongoing relationship with self, nationhood, and land—basically the entirety of Israel. It’s an old-new idea, meaning it is, or should be, obvious to us all that no one age cohort is the right age cohort to be taught, or given, the rights to their identification with Am Yisrael, the Nation of Israel from time immemorial.

The Spiritual Foundation of the Israel Continuum

The Israel Continuum is reflective of the philosophy of our historical continuity, how it relates to the present and sets us up for our future. The journey of the People of Israel is a continuous flow to no end, a continuous means to a means – Ein Sof. If the human condition seeks the formula to everlasting life, the People of Israel have discovered it. The continuum is a journey presenting itself with infinite potential and revelation for truth in our world. The formula through which revelation is continuous is found in the name sake of the People of Israel. Isra-el sourced in the Torah, the Bible:

“…ישר-אל, כי שרית עם האלוקים ועם אנשים, ותוכל” (בראשית לב:כט)

“…Isra-el; for you have struggled with Gd and with humanity and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:29). It is the transmission of this formula, from generation to generation, that serves as the definition of eternal life.

The Formula is found within the story of Jacob our third patriarch, son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham. In this story we learn of Jacob who is confronted by a “man,” an ish, when a struggle ensues. Jacob and this mysterious man begin to wrestle into the night whose dawn represents a defining moment for Jacob, and ultimately the Nation of Israel, his offspring. Jacob, understanding that this man is no ordinary man, forces this man to bless him. The man in turn blesses Jacob proclaiming: Jacob shall no longer be your name, but “Isra-el, for you have struggled with God and with humanity and have prevailed,” and so this is that magic formula from then to this very day.

It is that instinct to not give up, to not settle in the face of challenges, to be like the salmon fish and swim upstream – against the currents of time. Some may call this stubbornness; the Torah goes as far as calling the People of Israel a “stiff-necked” people. A negative term perhaps and yet a positively reinforced quality of children, that became a people, and a nation. And it is precisely this quality that enables the Israel Continuum’s constant persistence.

The Israel educational experience serves as the anchor for Jewish learning, identity and peoplehood in the 21st century.

Tikun Israel: Rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood

The requirement to focus on oneself before others is a pillar of Jewish existence, for if we ourselves are not healed, how can we go ahead and heal others? There are a a multitude of educational values the sages teach us highlighting the need for self-care: Hillel the Elder teaches: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And Rav Yosef (Talmud Bavli) teaches: If you lend money and need to decide between your people and the foreigner – your people first, the poor of your city and the poor of another city – the poor of your city come first, and so on.

The focus on investing in and revitalizing Jewish Peoplehood has produced a multitude of programs and opportunities engaging the global Jewish community like never before. Major organizations and government institutions continue to redirect their efforts to actively pursue Jewish Peoplehood through formal and informal education, Israel trips and accredited programs, social media engagement and government-sponsored trips and conferences.

Tikun Israel precedes Tikun Olam

Theoretically speaking, the goal of rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood is a tikun of sorts, an act of fixing, perhaps healing; like Tikun Olam, healing the world, rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood is Tikun Israel. Tikun Israel seeks to get to the very essence of Israel. Its theory and practice anchors Israel’s existence. It is rooted in “…כי-שרית עם-אלוהים ועם-אנשים, ותוכל” (בראשית לב:כט). Jacob’s struggle with God led to a change in name, a name change reflecting the very essence of the Jewish People’s ability to overcome time, change & adversity. It is a double-edged understanding: confronting the Unknown while simultaneously exercising discourse; Isra-el, struggling with God, leading to continuous revelation, continuous relevance. We are the Children of Isra-el; Jewish Peoplehood is anchored in our namesake, Israel.

This is the time to set forth a new-old paradigm, old in that it is found in the annals of our history and tradition, new in that there is Israel – unlike the 2,000-year exile – there is Israel, and I’m afraid we’re not sure what to do with this. We view the young nation-state as we would in many other states, but this is different, different on so many levels.

Re-imagining Israel Education: Exploring Philosophies of Educational Experiences

Some suggest the challenges of Israel Education in a politically charged atmosphere have exacerbated the topic and how to teach it. The rise of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) campaign targeting Israel following the Second Intifada brought forth a tremendous investment in financial, educational, and programmatic resources in reaction to anti-Israel sentiments experienced on college campuses, and by extension the Jewish communal world. As a result, the educational approach in defense of Israel became known as Israel Advocacy, an approach that has come to inform Israel Education; learning to advocate for Israel serves as a primary objective for many Jewish communal agencies.

And yet, twenty-five years later, and following the horrific invasion of October 7th, Israel Advocacy did not impact the dialogue in any way. Today’s approach to Israel Education requires a theoretical framework that welcomes diverse opinions regarding Israel, that welcomes dialogue and celebrates Israel—despite our collective challenges. We need to ask ourselves what is the educational vision and practical approach for this generation’s relationship with Israel?

Educational Approaches

Constructivism (Scaffolding) & Dialogue

The educational theory of constructivism indicates that learners will often fill in the blank, or tune out, when educational environments are educator-centered and not learner-centered. Such an approach can be impacted by the educator and by the learning environment. The structure of the learning environment and the location of the learner in that structure are important factors in the learning process. Scholars indicate that learners look for meaning and seek order in the events of the world, even in the absence of full or complete information. They suggest that students are not as influenced by mimetic transmissions of knowledge (frontal, one-way learning) as opposed to actively digesting and constructing knowledge in their own minds. The process results in the learner being an active participant in the receiving and revising of the knowledge they experience.

Research about the location of students in learning environments and structures in the context of Israel education can be vital for understanding the impact of these programs on participants. Recent surveys conducted after October 7th, 2023, indicate that students desired straightforward answers to essential questions, like ‘What is happening?’ and ‘Why is it happening?’, thereby informing the conversation and educational objective. As a result, the common denominator is the realization that a meaningful experience is one that includes speaking about challenging personal and collective issues. Educational theorist and pioneer John Dewey (1914) suggests that dialogue is educative. Through a process of dialogue, educational experiences become engaging, interactive, and maybe even personal.

From Israel Advocacy to Education Diplomacy

Advocacy is defined as public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy. Israel Advocacy in the High School and College domains are not in support of Israel, rather Israel Advocacy has become a reactionary approach in defense of a cause—in defense of Israel. This, in part, is today’s Israel education challenge.

Education Diplomacy (Ed Dip) was originally developed and applied to meet the needs of emerging and underdeveloped countries as a means for nation-to-nation bridge building, cultural exchange, and collaboration. Introducing a similar theory and methodology to educational initiatives centered on relationship building and long-path cooperation presents an opportunity for advancing Israel educational experiences in the 21st century.

Ed Dip serves as a formula for engaging our youth, while simultaneously empowering them to foster effective and efficient cooperation, coordination, and collaboration for managing and solving challenges. Such an outlook and approach can lead to relationships of understanding and collaborations that can alter the dynamic exchange from defending Israel to sharing Israel.

What kind of ancestors will we be for our future?

How are we preparing our future in a world with so many uncertainties? Now is the time to reimagine and realign Jewish continuity and Israel connectivity. Our children, our future generations, require parallel approaches to maintaining their particular values and identities while simultaneously living within universal values and identities. At times we require a defensive posture in reaction to the ills that confront our existence, but often we require a proactive approach. An approach that is instilled through dialogue and active listening, embedded in Education Diplomacy.