Biographical Info

Areas We Address

A day school would engage with us if they are looking to develop ways to infuse Israel throughout school life. By deepening and aligning Israel learning and engagement in the classroom and on the playground, a deeper bond forms between the school and Israel. This systemic integration enables learners, staff, and parents to build personal, enduring connections to Israel and its people.

Expected Outcomes

Working with us, a school should expect:

• To find mechanisms to weave Israel into school culture, physical space, in every classroom and in all-school and beyond-the-classroom activities, including Israel travel.
• To develop an articulated and well-aligned mission and goals regarding Israel education throughout school life.
• Actualize the mission and goals across school life
• That all faculty and staff are capable of engaging in the teaching of Israel in a way that is appropriate for their respective roles, disciplines and student ages.

Key Activities

Our consultants support faculty, administration, and learners in building personal, enduring connections to Israel and the Israeli people through a broad range of curricular and extracurricular activities, including:

• Mentoring and consultation
• Seminars and drop-in sessions
• Professional learning for faculty based on school needs
• iCenter resources and staff
• Online tools and support designed specifically for Jewish day schools
  network of colleagues

The iCenter has developed a series of tools to support schools in carrying out the work of deepening and expanding the reach of Israel education in the school. We hope schools will engage in the following (with the tools we have developed):

• Affirming, developing or refining school’s Israel education vision
• Mapping/taking a comprehensive inventory of where Israel currently “lives” (can be found) throughout school life
• Analyzing the inventory results against the vision and coming up with a plan to adjust or refine or add to what currently exists
• Engage in faculty and staff professional development to grow as Israel educators and implement the plan as it is developing.

Setting Expectations

To ensure the impact of our support, we expect schools to:

• Create a team appropriate to the school (recommended: administration, faculty, lay leaders) to spearhead and move the work along.
• Showcase the work in public ways – bringing Israel into the school’s “public square” in ways that align with the school’s vision and mission.

To ensure the impact of our support, we expect administrators to:

• Provide professional learning time for faculty for both formal sessions with The iCenter (and others, as needed) and each other as they implement their learning/planning
• Ensure the necessary budget for resources that will enable the work to be carried out
• Actively support and advocate for the work with faculty and lay leadership
• Model engagement with the work in public ways

To ensure the impact of our support, we expect classroom teachers to

• Come ready to learn: with an open mind and heart
• Work together with colleagues to accomplish goals
• Bring curiosity and a stance of inquiry
• Engage respectfully in what might be difficult conversations