TEACHING ISRAEL IS GETTING HARDER BY THE MINUTE

Last month after returning from Israel, I wrote about the challenges teachers face in building a relationship between Americans and the State of Israel. In light of the reactions to the announcement of the plan for building 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem--timed perfectly with Vice President Biden's diplomatic mission to Israel to restart the peace process, this task has become even more difficult. How do we teach American Jews of all ages in a way that builds commitment to a country negatively represented in many American public spheres?

Robbie Gringras, a staff member of MAKOM in Israel writes, “We need to shift from ‘hugging' to ‘wrestling.’ Just as its biblical echoes suggest, wrestling with Israel requires an effort, a fight, a struggle. But it also demands an intimacy and a commitment. The time has come for us to wrestle with Israel in the dust, in the night, and, yes, sometimes in our pain.”

Gringras describes the importance of maintaining ways to hug, meaning to build a sense of belonging through learning of the strong deep connections with Israel, at the same time that we wrestle with problems. When honestly teaching teens and adults, we build a partnership with Israel through which we can contribute to solutions to the dilemmas and ills that exist today--or to learn how to live with them.

The urgency to change classrooms, leadership forums, and tours to reflect contemporary Israel is increasing. The challenges are many. If it were simply a matter of updating text books, designing more exciting curriculum, or creating more value-based activities, it would be less daunting. Now that teachers are asked to teach that it is possible to love a country with “warts,” many feel inadequate and are reluctant to meet the issues head on. Some are Israelis who now reside in North America. Others are Americans who have never been to Israel. Many are afraid of doing more harm than good.

The consequences of not doing something, however, are also harmful. Israeli tour educator, Judith Wasserman Rosenberg, recalls the remarks of people who have traveled with her. "A school principal on her first adult trip to Israel was upset. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. ‘My teachers lied to me,’ she said. ‘How can you tell me this is a beautiful country when citizens don’t even clean up after themselves?’ And another person who was part one of my tours could not believe the fact that people in Jerusalem had to lock their doors —that there was crime in Israel.”

Confronting domestic problems in Israel are difficult enough. Now we have to face the daunting task of addressing international issues, specifically the once thought immutable relationship between America and Israel. Ignoring this challenge increases the gap between our students and a country that must remain part of their Jewish identity. Avoiding it will call into question the credibility of Jewish education.