Who Are We?

The iCenter was founded through the generous support of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Jim Joseph Foundation. The iCenter is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization aimed at developing and enhancing the field of Israel Education.

Mission

The iCenter serves as a national address and advocate for high-quality and meaningful Israel education. The iCenter is dedicated to developing and enhancing the field of pre-collegiate Israel education in North America, in both formal and informal settings. By building upon existing strengths in the field, the iCenter supports the work of Israel educators; identifies compelling educational resources and initiatives; and fosters the creation of a cadre of lay and professional champions of Israel education.

Vision

The iCenter envisions generations of young North American Jews for whom contemporary Israel is an integral and vibrant part of their personal and collective Jewish identity. This vision includes a pre-K through grade 12 Jewish educational system in North America that fully incorporates Israel – people, land, history, language and culture – into the very fiber of its overall mission.

Jewish educators across the system will see the engendering of knowledge about, and connection with, Israel as essential to their educational agenda. Furthermore, Jewish educational institutions will integrate Israel into all areas of learning and activity.

The iCenter seeks to establish a discernable field of pre-collegiate Israel education that is defined by: standards of excellence; relevant and contemporary materials; effective approaches to teaching; high quality professional development; a recognizable cadre of field leaders; and a well-identified address for the field’s continued growth and development.

Ultimately, the iCenter envisions a North American Jewish communal agenda in which Israel education is a high priority. This will lead to generations of North American Jewish youth who have developed meaningful personal relationships with the people and the State of Israel and view Israel as an integral and inspiring component of their identities.

Core Strategies

* ESTABLISH foundational elements of excellence in Israel education.

* DEVELOP and IMPLEMENT multiple avenues of professional development in Israel education that together attract a wide audience of educators from an array of settings.

* IDENTIFY, CULTIVATE and MAKE ACCESSIBLE high quality resources that are compelling, thought provoking and personally relevant to the 21st century learner.

* PROVIDE varying forums for connecting educators who are teaching Israel.

* PROMOTE thought leadership and encourage discourse on issues related to Israel education.

* FOSTER a communal commitment to the integration of Israel education in the Jewish educational system.