iCamp to be Breeding Ground for Innovative Israel Education

Parker Palmer is Featured Guest - August 14-16

CHICAGO – The iCenter is taking the hot topic of Israel Education to the next level by convening iCamp: a three-day gathering of educators and thinkers from North America and Israel. iCamp is an opportunity for attendees to gather with colleagues, experts and innovators in the field of Israel education, to learn and teach, to experience and discuss, and to forge new pathways in this core arena of Jewish learning.  Among iCamp’s objectives is to create an environment in which educators, lay leaders, and professionals can develop and share ways to cultivate an emotional and intellectual connection to Israel in Jewish Youth.

“iCamp is unique in who it brings together -- a radical cross-section of educators representing diverse settings and levels of experience,” says iCenter Executive Director Anne Lanski. "You can't help but be inspired by the people working in this field.”

Continuing the iCenter’s commitment to learning from the best in the Jewish and secular world, iCamp will feature noted educator and thought leader Parker J. Palmer. Through intimate fireside chats and a half-day workshop, Palmer, author of The Courage to Teach, will speak to the importance of connecting mind and heart in education. Additional speakers, artists, and workshops from across North America and Israel will be announced in the weeks to come.

Registration is now open for the iCenter’s iCamp for Israel Education, Aug. 14 to 16 at the Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook, Il. For more information, visit www.theicenter.org/icamp2011 or call or email Cari Schulman at cari@theicenter.org or (847) 418-8336.  

About the iCenter

The iCenter works to inspire young North American Jews to learn about Israel in a meaningful and engaging way. By collaborating with Jewish educators from a wide array of formal and informal settings, the iCenter (the “i” stands for Israel) aims to infuse Israel into the Jewish education of children and teens, fostering an emotional and intellectual connection to Israel, its people, land, history, language, and culture. The iCenter encourages the use of innovative educational lenses, including arts and culture, technology, service learning, sports programs, and other approaches. Started in Sept. 2008, the iCenter is a national organization based in Chicago. Its founding funders are the Jim Joseph Foundation and The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation.  

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