Many Jewish early childhood centers have long struggled with how to approach Israel education. October 7th exacerbated this reality. Schools are reexamining what Israel education looks like for young children and their families—revisiting their goals, navigating a wide range of perspectives from staff and families, and onboarding new educators into an increasingly complex topic, all while processing the ongoing realities of war and uncertainty in the Middle East. How might we expand our notion of Israel to include both the beauty and messiness of the people, the land, and the modern state of Israel?
An important piece of this conversation has to begin with developmentally appropriate practice. Young children are capable of grappling with nuance and complexity.
Through their research on Israel education in early childhood, Drs. Lauren Applebaum, Anna Hartman and Sivan Zakai, write that early childhood students are engaging in meaning-making around Israel through baseline knowledge of Israel as a country with its own customs and culture. Schools must consider how to bring nuanced content of that country to their students and examine ways to expand how Israel is represented in our classrooms. Teaching Israel with nuance means cultivating awareness of and sensitivity to the diverse perspectives held by Israelis (and non-Israelis) across cultural contexts.
Building on this moment of reflection, preschool leaders and educators are invited to begin by clarifying their vision: what should Israel education look like for young children and their families, in ways that honor both the joy and complexity of Israel and its many perspectives? With a clear vision in place, schools can then engage in honest reflection about what may be getting in the way—leadership hesitancy, parent community dynamics, teacher confidence, lack of resources, or fear of conflict. Naming these barriers allows schools to move forward with intention: strengthening leadership alignment, supporting teacher learning, clarifying educational focus, and engaging parents as partners— while bringing Israel into the classroom in authentic ways that lay the foundation for children to hold nuance and engage with increasing complexity over time.
Two practical ways one might begin this work in their early childhood center are:
- Use David Cards as a conversational prompt to explore your staff’s existing relationship with and feelings about Israel.
- Analyze the books and other Israeli related objects in your classroom through a curriculum investigation as a staff.
Each of these tools is intended to spark conversations with teachers, fostering their sense of ownership of the curriculum and supporting their ability to shape the learning through their own perspectives. Turning a critical lens to the Israel education content in our classrooms encourages educators to question their usual assumptions of what Israel education "is" and pushes them to think about the why of what they teach. For example, what might a child understand about Israel if the books in their classroom about Israel mainly feature a trip through Israel with a focus on cities?
We recognize that reexamining ones’ approach to Israel education is complex. These two examples are just a starting point in your schools’ journey. We invite you to join us in conversation with colleagues as we learn from and support one another along the way.
Ellen Lefkowitz, Senior Educator
Jewish Learning Works
San Francisco, CA
Amy Martin, Director of Early Childhood Education & Family Engagement
The Jewish Education Project
NY, NY
Yafit Shriki Megidish, Chief Jewish Education Officer
JCC East Bay
Berkley, CA
