At the Passover Seder this past weekend, we asked ourselves, “Why is this night different from other nights?” But now, as we sit here writing about the MZ Teen iConnect with Israel Conference a couple weeks ago, we find ourselves asking, “Why was this conference different from all other conferences?”
Voices Category: Teaching
Dancing into the Future: Teens and Israel
by Peter Eckstein on April 2, 2012
Spending a weekend with teens who are excited to learn about engaging with Israel is an exhilarating, and for me at least, almost a spiritual experience. I’ve just returned from The iCenter’s MZ Teen iConnect with Israel conference. Eighty teens from all over North America explored how they could make Israel more a part of their lives, brainstorming strategies to involve their peers, families and communities more deeply in the Israel idea.
60 Things in 60 Seconds You Can Do Next Summer in Israel
by Carine Warsawski on March 5, 2012
What makes a successful video? Brevity. Content. And 600 eager teenagers to help be part of the process.
The idea behind 60 Things in 60 Seconds was to create a humorous marketing piece that educates the viewer about BBYO Passport Israel trips while meeting theattention span of teenagers (and parents). But the secret ingredient is not so secret: it’s engaging the teens themselves to be part of the creative and production process.
A New Look at Israel Education: Mapping the Field and Charting the Future
by Anne Lanski on March 1, 2012
Yesterday, in partnership with the Schusterman Family Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Marcus Foundation and the AVI CHAI Foundation, the iCenter hosted iThink: A New Look at Israel Education. For a full day, more than 80 organizational leaders, Jewish and Israel educators, funder representatives and scholars reflected on the emergence of the field of Israel Education and envisioned what the future could look like.
Chaggigat Tu B’shevat
by Lori Sagarin on February 6, 2012
There are many challenges faced by those of us who work full time in Jewish education; the lack of family commitment, the limited hours we have with students, and, perhaps toughest of all, convincing Jewish children who live in the Midwest that spring is coming in February! Tu B’shvat may in fact be the harbinger of Spring in the Jewish homeland but for those of us who greet each day with boots and a shovel, hardly.
Planting Seeds: A Response to James Hyman
by Anne Lanski on November 20, 2011 In a recent piece in eJewish Philanthropy, James Hyman observes: “Until a far greater number of American Jews understand and have experiences that reinforce a broader conception of Jewish identity, Israel programming will not fit into the self understanding of American Jews and the institutions of American Jewish life.”
At the iCenter, we couldn’t agree more.
Gilad's Story
by Adam Stewart on October 12, 2011
Today is the first time I have seen Aviva Schalit smile. After over five years in captivity her son is coming home. A nation takes a big sigh of relief, and the woman who has become Israel’s conscience – an Israeli “every”-mother, can go back to being an actual mother.
Re-imagining Israel Education
by Chaviva Galatz on June 1, 2011
Toward the end of May, I spent about four days at a conference of sorts as a member of the 2011 iCenter Fellows. What is the iCenter?
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.
Lessons from Debbie
by Debbie Harris on January 13, 2011
There’s so much in the blogosphere right now about Jewish education – how to change it, how to improve it, how to invigorate it, how to re-vision it…
Who Can Retell?
by Josh Yarden on November 5, 2010
The Hebrew month of Kislev begins next week, and I found myself whistling Hanukah songs as the breeze blows cooler and the days grow shorter... 'Tis the season, after all, when Jewish educators are perhaps most conscious of promoting Jewish identity in a predominantly Christian country. Unlike so many generations of our ancestors, we live in a time when it is possible to visit Israel.
Pages
