Nearly two years ago, our foundations embarked on Reimagining Israel Education, an ambitious initiative to reshape how the Jewish community delivers Israel education and meets this challenging moment for young Jews. The need was clear: Despite real progress over the past two decades, the last five years—especially after Oct. 7, 2023 — showed that many Jewish learners need a more holistic, realistic and relevant approach to Israel education, woven across Jewish learning at every age and setting.

David Bryfman and Rabbi Dena Klein of The Jewish Education Project and consultant Beth Cousens led this field-wide effort, engaging more than 400 thought leaders and practitioners across the broad spectrum of Jewish and Israel education. We are grateful to them and the many other partners and fellows whose insights shaped the resulting framework that will guide the field forward.

Last month, we released this framework and its 10 core principles for more authentic Israel education. It builds on the field’s strengths, while also calling on us to center learners and to invest in educators, leaders and high-quality content so that Israel education can be deeper, stronger and more impactful and enduring. The framework is not meant as a curriculum, but rather as a guide for aligning around a new shared vision, language and approach. It can be used as a tool for planning, scaling what works, adapting what does not and designing professional learning to be more effective for educators across the field.

At its core, Reimagining treats Israel education as an ongoing and integral part of Jewish education and engagement, not a stand-alone topic. It is based on the premise that good Israel education requires the same standards of good educational pedagogy as any other content area. This means that educators will have knowledge and confidence to engage with Israel’s complex realities and diverse society. Learners will encounter Israel’s history, land, people and modern state in all their richness and nuance, participating in an evolving Jewish conversation about what Israel means today.

At this moment of upheaval and change, it is urgent that young people and their families have stronger content and more meaningful learning experiences. And it is urgent that the field put this work into practice now, responding strategically and at scale, by equipping educators to deliver.

Here are some of the areas that we believe require immediate investment:

1.) Educator capacity and professional learning: The field already has strong organizations and training resources. What is lacking is scale, alignment and coordination. Educators need more sophisticated and sustained professional learning that helps them grow over time, across settings and career stages, and connects to shared goals. Proven models of success, such as educator travel to Israel, should be expanded, and more effective training in facilitation, content and pedagogy should be offered.

2.) Engaging new audiences through innovation and pilots: If Israel education is truly for anyone, in any Jewish learning environment, the field needs to reach the people it is missing. We have strong talent and successful models. Now we need the infrastructure to pilot new ideas quickly, learn from them and ultimately grow what is most effective. That can mean novel approaches for engaging parents, expanded roles for shlichim (Israeli emissaries) or innovative models for meeting learners where they are. But without testing, learning and scaling, the field will stall. Reaching new audiences cannot be left to hope; it must be intentionally built.

3.) Research to inform and improve practice: The Reimagining initiative has created a strong research base. Now the field needs a coordinated strategy that surfaces what we do not know, challenges outdated assumptions and generates actionable insights that can improve practice in real time. That requires ongoing dialogue amongst researchers, practitioners, funders and leaders, as well as stronger pathways for turning evidence into better outcomes for learners.

4.) Content development and digital enablement: Educators need easy access to timely, high-quality content that reflects a richer and more transparent approach to Israel education. Technology can do more than speed up lesson planning. It can open new pathways of learning and connection.

We are inspired by the new framework and excited about investing in the important work that lies ahead. The Reimagining team is hosting a series of webinars focused on the new framework, with the next one on June 3. The ecosystem is large and diverse, and it will take all of us to effectively educate a new generation of Jewish learners about Israel and its importance to the Jewish people. We see this as a pivotal moment, and we feel a collective responsibility to align and move forward with shared purpose and shared investment. Learners, practitioners, leaders and families should feel well supported, resourced and connected as they embark on the vital efforts ahead.

The needs are urgent. The opportunity is immense. The pathway is now clear. Let’s get to work — together.

Lisa Eisen is co-president of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, which works in the United States and Israel to achieve more just and inclusive societies. Eisen oversees Schusterman’s Jewish community grantmaking portfolio and its gender and reproductive equity grantmaking portfolio.

Dawne Bear Novicoff is the executive vice president of the Jim Joseph Foundation, which works with grantee-partners to foster compelling, effective Jewish learning experiences for young Jews.