Are we really fostering a deep connection with Israel?
Jake Davidson
Managing Editor
One of the goals in our schools mission statement is to “foster a deep connection with Israel.” Yet I constantly wonder how we are supposed to maintain a deep connection to Israel in our time at Milken if we are never truly educated about the Holy Land until second semester senior year or if we embark on the Tiferet Israel Fellowship Program.
Personally, I have a deep connection with Israel that stems from knowing many of the stories and facts behind our homeland.
Yet I didn’t learn that at Milken, I learned it on my own.
Why don’t we have a class early on in high school that educates us on the entire history of Israel from 1948 to the present day?
I know how this class would work because recently in Hebrew I experienced an Israel-based discussion which was in fact engaging, informative and fun. My teacher started to tell us a story about the six-day war that related to the text we were learning. It was only supposed to be a short story to help us learn the lesson, but in the end, students had many questions about the war in general. It is quite obvious that the majority of the students in my Hebrew class don’t know their Israeli history.
These stories turned into a two-day mini Israeli History class that taught us about the Yom Kippur War and the 6 Day War and why they were important to always remember and teach. These two days of class proved to be incredibly interesting and one of the better educational experiences I have ever had.
Now I understand that Hebrew class may not be the proper arena for these types of lessons to be taught, but I do think that there should be a class created in freshman and sophomore year that teaches Israeli history. When kids don’t know integral parts of our homeland’s history, how can it be expected that they develop a deep connection to that place?
If Milken wants to continue to emphasize this mission, then it is the duty of the institution to provide the means to educate us as students on these topics. With this knowledge, then and only then I feel that the majority of Milken students can “foster a deep connection to Israel.”
Laura Sanders-Masset • Jan 10, 2011 at 8:36 am
Dear Jake,
I read your article about fostering a connection to Israel, and I wanted to respond. You are right. Milken’s commitment to Israel is part of our mission statement. Moreover, in my opinion, it is important for any people to know their history, especially minorities whose history is not often included in general history text books. However, the dual curriculum along with the time constraints that come from observing holidays and other practices make it is a challenge to include Jewish history (including the history of Israel) into an already overly packed academic program.
So, what to do? Let me introduce you and your fellow students to Nofim, a comprehensive Israel education program being developed specifically for Milken by Dr. Rachel Korazim, award-winning Israeli educator. A few years ago, a group of students came to Metuka Benjamin and expressed the same sentiments as your own. This meeting began a dialogue between Ms Benjamin, Jewish educators in Los Angeles, and ultimately, Dr. Korazim. The result was a program that began three years ago in the middle school and is currently being developed in the high school.
The Nofim program is a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary Israel education curriculum that begins in the middle school with a simple narrative of the Jewish people and of the history of Israel and becomes increasingly complex as it evolves through the high school. I particularly like Nofim because it encourages students to develop their own point of view and relationship with Israel based on a solid foundation of knowledge.
The middle school model is based on a self-directed Nofim lab where students study topics ranging from Abraham to the founding of Tel Aviv. The model in the high school is a bit different and in some ways more challenging. We lack the time in our day to include another course or lab requirement, so instead, we are aiming to integrate the history of Israel into the core classes. For example, in ninth grade history, we now teach Jewish history from the destruction of the first temple through the second as well as an extensive unit on Spain and the Expulsion. The Social Science Department addresses more modern history in grade 10 and in the Senior Seminar and is considering offering electives as another venue. Teachers in art, Jewish studies, Spanish, English and even science have either integrated some of this curriculum already or are currently exploring ways to do so.
I think I can speak for many teachers and administrators when I say that we are heartened to see the concern you expressed in your article. We ask for our students’ patience and input as we work to achieve this part of our mission. It is a challenging task. Any time something is added to a curriculum, something else must be removed–and this is always a painful process that requires discussion and time.
Jake, you personally may not have seen these developments in your own classes because we are building from the ground up, but I hope you will be encouraged to know that your concerns have been shared by many and Milken is leading the way in the area of Israel education in Jewish schools.
Sincerely,
Laura Sanders-Masset
High School Coordinator for Nofim
Daniel • Jan 5, 2011 at 9:04 pm
I think it’s awfully political of the school to promote Israel advocacy. Shouldn’t students be able to learn the facts and form their own opinions (which does occur) instead of having such a forced “fostered connection” to Israel. I went on Tiferet, and it led me to beliefs that actually if anything, drew me away from the State of Israel.
Dani K • Jan 5, 2011 at 10:58 am
GO YOU!!!!!
P LINDSAY WAS RIGHT ABOUT LOVING YOUR ARTICLE!!!!
student • Jan 4, 2011 at 8:46 pm
just go on tifferet, duh!
Milken Student • Jan 3, 2011 at 2:32 pm
I agree with jake. I am also in this hebrew class and got a lot out of that conversation. I think that the kids at Milken should learn the same modern israeli history that Tiferet kids learn.