This Passover, A Call to Action to Strengthen Israel’s Future as ‘Education Nation’

Passover is the most observed holiday putting Jewish education at the forefront. It gives us a deeper appreciation of educational visionaries – starting with our People’s master teacher, Moses, who continuously tried to teach the Israelites about the importance of building a stronger, more united community.

This insight resonated with me as I recently witnessed how speedily the construction is being completed for the Gabel & Straus Family Campus at AMIT Kfar Batya in Ra’anana, Israel. This rising symbol of the Jewish People’s enduring future in Israel includes The Evan and Layla Green Family Foundation Gogya Center – the campus hub in creating cutting-edge education to shape the next generation of leaders.

This campus is the culmination of a century-old vision of AMIT’s founder, Bessie Gotsfeld. As I viewed the campus, I reflected on how fortunate we are to live at a time when we can make her dream a reality. Like so many of our ancestors, I am sure they would be amazed by Israel’s ongoing growth despite all its challenges. The barren piece of land she saw in 1925 will become an educational campus that will be a springboard for an expanded holistic education platform – AMIT calls Gogya – to accelerate educational Research & Development and teacher training to benefit  children for generations to come. It will be the nexus for building “Education Nation.”

Like the Israelites leaving Egypt, Bessie also looked out at endless sand dunes to envision a Jewish future that had to be created virtually out of nothing. Like so many visionaries throughout Jewish history, she could see past the endless obstacles to begin planting the seeds of a future “Education Nation.” One that would be capable of transforming the lives of children from Sderot to Haifa by giving them the tools they need to play a significant role in creating a more enlightened and secure Israeli future.

At our Passover Seders, we will experience a clear example of how the continuity of the Jewish People has in large part been made possible through educating every generation about our People’s values and history. At its best, the Seder is a centuries old makerspace for Jewish memories where the rituals are enhanced by participatory and experiential storytelling. Ideally, the Seder would present us with a call to action for all of us to play a role in creating a world where everyone has the freedom and resilience to lead lives of purpose and maximize their talents and skills for the greater good.

Unfortunately, this is often not the case for children living in Israel’s socio-economic periphery. Most of them are shut off from educational opportunities required to enter Israel’s most prestigious IDF placements and professional jobs – particularly in the medical and high-tech fields. To begin addressing the need to close the ever-widening income gap that divides Israeli society today, AMIT decided to create a campus to serve as a nationwide incubator to develop and implement cutting-edge educational ideas and programs. Its singular goal is to level the playing field for all Israeli children regardless of where they live or family financial challenges.

Now that we’ve returned to the “Promised Land” we must keep our promise that no child in Israel’s periphery is left behind. Our goal in creating this campus is to provide a place at the “Education Nation” table to open pathways of learning that are best suited for each individual child. Only in this way will we open possibilities for a more inclusive, united Israeli society – one where access to “Start-Up Nation” is truly obtainable for a broader range of the Israeli population.

As the late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z’l so ably pointed out: “Freedom begins with what we teach our children.” At a time when Israel remains at war and anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world, Passover is more relevant than ever this year in reminding us that the protection of our People’s freedoms can never be taken for granted. It remains the obligation of all of us who care about the future of Klal Yisrael to contribute to the vision of a perfected world. And now we are blessed to have the resources – if we have the will to fully utilize them – to ensure that the next generation can bring this renewed vision to fruition.