In eJewishPhilanthropy’s exclusive opinion column The 501(C) Suite, leading foundation executives share what they are working on and thinking about with the wider philanthropic field. 

You are a young student, and you walk into your campus Hillel for a briefing on recent Israeli elections. You see your friends from class and people you recognize from the local community. The briefing begins, and you are immediately impressed by the facilitator’s energy. They are welcoming and knowledgeable, curious and considerate. It is clear they have spent extended time in Israel, understand the Middle East region and are able to masterfully explain political trends, as well as the broader societal context. Their session welcomes abundant participation and questions, and you enjoy the rich and lively discussion.  

It was not too long ago when conversations around Israel meant protests and shouting matches, or when a misunderstanding of the word “Zionism” led to it being labeled a pejorative. Fortunately, times have changed. These days, you do not think twice about caring deeply about Israel and still lifting up your questions and concerns. You hold all of this, all at once.

What may sound now like a distant daydream can and must become our road map. This is the time to pursue a new evolution in Israel education — one that sidesteps the extremes and speaks directly to the vast majority of American Jews who believe in an Israeli democracy that respects all its citizens and in a Jewish state living in peace with its neighbors. This push is one distinct from Israel advocacy. Israel education, as ever, deserves its own unique investment and strategy.

Importantly, we need to internalize that what got us here will not get us there. While we alone cannot dispel the division, misinformation and misunderstanding driving much of the Israel discourse, it is within our power to usher in a sweeping mix of educational offerings that are designed to nurture understanding, care, curiosity, nuance and respect for multiple viewpoints; are free from judgement and derision; and honor and help learners to navigate the complexities of Israel’s past and present and to find their place in Israel’s story. 

And it can start right now. I asked six experts to share their recommendations for how we can catalyze a new era of Israel education worthy of this consequential moment in Jewish and American life. Here are some of their top priorities:

Prepare American educators to teach about Israel in the American context

“The Jewish educators best equipped to educate about Israel are the ones who have spent extended time living and learning in Israel and who have developed authentic relationships with Israelis and Israeli educators. I want to see more educators have the opportunity to go to Israel, see things for themselves and form connections of their own. Importantly, we need American organizations in Israel set up to prepare American educators to teach about Israel in the American context. Collaborations with Israeli institutions are great, but it’s time for a deliberate, American-centric undertaking.”

— David Bryfman, chief executive officer, The Jewish Education Project

Embrace the hard questions

“To meet this moment in Jewish and American life, Israel education must be deep and substantive. This means not shying away from the hard questions, while helping learners make meaning of why Israel matters in the 21st century to Jewish life throughout the Diaspora. We need Israel educators to have the knowledge and competence to navigate the discourse even while knowing it can be an emotional minefield. Israel educators in the Jewish community must grapple with and create brave spaces for learners to discuss what it means for Jews to hold real power and disavow the romanticization of powerlessness.”

— Rachel Fish, co-founder and president, Boundless Israel

Make Israel education honest

“The temptation right now in Jewish education, post-Oct. 7, 2023, is going to be toward indoctrination. This is a trauma response; we are watching our kids get swayed by fake news or confront a world with confusion. Indoctrination is a means of trying to inoculate them against the wrong conclusions. But it is boring, largely ineffective and possibly immoral. One of the important things we need to do when investing in Israel education is to make it honest. This will make learning about Israel challenging — and therefore more interesting — for our students, and more effective in helping them grow as sophisticated stakeholders.”

— Yehuda Kurtzer, president, Shalom Hartman Institute

Equip educators with conflict-navigation tools

“Two priorities come to mind: we can shift our approach to better distinguish between Israel education and Israel advocacy, and we can make handling conflict a deliberate part of our curricula. First, instead of teaching Israel as a cause to defend, we should help learners see it as part of their own evolving Jewish story. When people connect to Israel through personal narratives and shared values, their engagement becomes rooted in belonging rather than obligation. Second, conflict education shouldn’t be an emergency response, but a consistent thread, introduced in age-appropriate ways. By training educators in conversations about disagreement and equipping them with conflict-navigation tools, institutions can normalize complexity rather than fear it.”

— Dan Tatar, interim CEO, The iCenter

Teach people how to hold nuance and conviction

“One of the biggest challenges in Israel education right now is ambiguity. Educators and leaders are afraid—afraid of being fired, of upsetting parents or boards, of saying the wrong thing. With no clear institutional lines, they’re left paralyzed. Additionally, even when lines aren’t the issue, many have internalized the idea that holding nuance means never stating clear convictions. We’ve confused complexity with relativism. Institutions need a process — whether a survey, facilitated conversation, or coaching model — to define what’s in bounds and what’s not. Educators need help building the muscle to articulate what they believe in, even in the face of disagreement. We can hold nuance and still stand for something. But we need to teach people how.”

— Shuki Taylor, chief executive officer, M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education

Make engagement with Israel and Israelis part of Jewish organizational life

“We have built strong foundations: transformative travel programs, trained educators and rich educational content. But the priority now is to integrate authentic, relevant engagement with Israel and Israelis more fully into Jewish organizational life. That means embedding Israel travel, shlichut and nuanced educational experiences that lean into our challenges and turn them into opportunities. This work must happen across organizations not as extras, but as essential tools for community vitality. Our greatest strength lies in each other. We must support organizations and their leaders to set clear visions, expand what’s working and bring more people into direct connection with Israel and Israelis.”

— Anna Langer, vice president, North American Israel strategy, Jewish Federations of North America

I agree with my colleagues that this next phase of Israel education isn’t about what’s wrong — it’s about what’s next. I see a time in the not-so-distant future when Israel education becomes synonymous with talent, innovation and excellence, as well as multifaceted conversation.

This is, after all, is what the next generation is seeking: According to a survey from Boundless, 82% of young American Jews are looking to become more knowledgeable about Israel, learn from a variety of viewpoints and multiple narratives and find ways to advance peace. Likewise, as M² shared in a 2023 report, educators want to strengthen their ability to facilitate conversations about challenging issues.

The report underscored what many of us know anecdotally to be true: Diving into challenging topics doesn’t push young people away — it brings them closer. It’s our job as funders and practitioners to evolve our approach, support and equip our educators and bring nuanced discourse back into our learning spaces.

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 leads Schusterman’s Jewish community grantmaking portfolio and its gender and reproductive equity grantmaking portfolio.