During a recent conference call with a major Jewish organization, a concerned donor raised a poignant observation: Today’s youth only know “Ben-Gurion” as an airport. While it is essential to teach them that David Ben-Gurion was Israel’s first prime minister and the man who declared its independence in 1948, merely passing along such facts won’t ensure a strong connection to Israel for future generations. Yes, knowledge of history is necessary, but facts alone are insufficient for building the emotional ties, the cultural love and the sense of peoplehood required to foster lifelong advocates for Israel.

This concern reflects a deeper crisis in Israel education. Young Jews today aren’t disconnected from Israel because they lack access to information — quite the opposite. We live in a world where any historical fact is available in seconds. But facts, without an emotional connection, risk becoming mere data points. When young Jews are only taught names and dates, they miss out on the essence of Israel — their emotional and cultural heritage, which binds them to the land and to their people. The risk isn’t just ignorance; it’s apathy, or worse, a generation that might even become delegitimizers of Israel.

Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A man passes by a statue of David Ben Gurion doing a yoga handstand on the beach in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 21, 2018.

The power of memory over history

In his seminal book Zakhor, Jewish historian Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi underscores the distinction between history and memory in Jewish tradition. Jewish identity was shaped not just through historical facts but through collective memory — rituals, prayers and shared experiences passed down over generations. These memories forge deeper, more personal connections than facts alone can.

As Yerushalmi notes, communities that become too reliant on history alone risk losing this emotional core. It’s not enough to know who Ben-Gurion was; the challenge is to feel that his vision, his courage and his story are part of our own communal memory. Teaching Israel’s history must evoke more than intellectual understanding — it must stir the heart.

Creating emotional connections early

The question, then, is how do we move from simply teaching facts to creating emotional connections that will last? Israel education must start at an early age, emphasizing love, attachment, and belonging. Children need to understand not just that Israel exists, but why it exists — how it’s central to who they are as Jews. That’s not something a history lesson alone can accomplish.

Programs for youth and young adults need to focus on experiences that make Israel feel personal. These experiences must evolve through life stages, growing in depth over time. We should be striving to build a curriculum that offers more than rote learning; we need to teach pride, resilience and a sense of belonging through the stories, rituals, and shared experiences that connect the Jewish people across generations.

A new Approach to lifelong Israel engagement

We have examples to draw from. Programs that emphasize experiential learning — whether through cultural events, leadership training or community-based activities — provide young people the opportunity to engage with Israel in a meaningful way. They can connect to Israel by immersing themselves in its landscapes, culture and people, fostering a love for the land that no textbook could ever achieve.

But these initiatives must go beyond one-time experiences. We need a comprehensive approach that nurtures emotional connection throughout life and that meets participants where they are at. Programs like Hebrew language and Israeli culture programs for children, teens’ hands-on experiences, leadership initiatives for adults, communal holiday celebrations as well as remembrance events play a key role in fostering that connection. Whether it’s marking Israel’s Memorial Day or commemorating the one-year anniversary of Oct.7, these programs reinforce a sense of shared identity and history.

Building for the future

Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that the next generation’s bond with Israel is strong enough to withstand the pressures of modern delegitimization. It is far easier to convince someone to dismiss a set of facts than it is to persuade them to abandon a deep emotional connection — a connection that feels like family.

That’s why we need a new approach to Israel education, one that places memory and emotional connection at its heart and one that treats Israel education as a lifelong journey. If we succeed, young Jews won’t just know who Ben-Gurion was; they will feel that his story is part of their own. And that is something no detractor can take away.

Aya Shechter is the chief programming officer of the Israeli American Council (IAC).