We, the Jewish Educators of MetroWest, affirm that a personal connection to the State of Israel is essential for an American Jewish identity. It is incumbent upon us as a community to foster and nurture through educational experiences a lifelong commitment to the State of Israel. In order to achieve this personal connection we must intensify our efforts to:

Transmit knowledge of the history, land, language, people and culture of Israel.

Every Jewish institution and organization should include as part of its mission statement, a commitment to Israel education by transmitting knowledge of the history, land, language, people and culture.

Educational objectives should foster an awareness, understanding and appreciation of the historical attachment of the Jewish people to the land of Israel; beginning with the Biblical promise to Abraham to the present day State of Israel. Emphasis should be placed on the historical and international recognition of Israel as the Jewish homeland.

Educational programs should include a study of the physical features, varied climates, and the unique topography of the land of Israel from the Golan to Eilat, from the Mediterranean to the Jordan. An integral component of this study should be an understanding of the effect of the geography on the history of the land, its people, it's politics and its economy.

As Hebrew is the language of the Jewish people and the language of our sacred texts, it is incumbent upon every institution to provide a means by which its constituents may acquire proficiency in its use.

Israel has always been a country of many faces. Educational programs should acquaint participants with the diversity both of the Jewish and non-Jewish communities living and working together in Israel. Programs need to reflect the political, economic and social issues that historically and presently challenge Israel in creating a cohesive society.

Build a living bridge to Israel by providing opportunities for learners of all ages to experience Israel and meet Israelis both here and in Israel.

A "Living Bridge" is defined as the creation of an open, mutually reciprocal dialogue between Israelis and American Jews living in MetroWest. The goal of a "Living Bridge" is the sharing of human, intellectual and cultural resources for the betterment of both communities.

The critical elements needed to establish and nurture a "Living Bridge" are:

1. Allocation and dedication of time and energy, both personal and institutional, to the pursuit of a "Living Bridge"
   
2. Recognition of the assets and strengths of both communities
   
3. Exploration opportunities for sharing

Implementation of a "Living Bridge" can be achieved through visits, programs and sharing of resources as described below:

A critical component of creating a Living Bridge is spending time to visit Israel, preferably in an educational framework. A visit to Israel in such a framework is an essential experience of the Jewish life cycle, equal to becoming Bar/Mat Mitzvah or Confirmation.

The framework may include;

• Synagogue or community sponsored family trips (e.g., Bar/Mat Mitzvah synagogue trip, Kibbutz Family Adventure, etc.)
  
• Teen and Jewish Day School trips (e.g., MGI, NFTY, USY, AMHS, etc.)
  Semester of year-abroad post high school programs (e.g., Yeshiva year of study, Young Judea year course, Nativ, etc.)
  
• Post college (WUJS, Sherut L'Am, OTZMA)

The Israel program Center at UJF of MetroWest is the community's resource for information about the above and other Israel educational experiences.

Every Jewish institution, agency and community organization should dedicate regular and frequent program time to teach about and have their constituents experience Israel. Such programs and experiences may include:

• Visitors and delegations from Israel
  
• Israeli cultural programs
  
• Community Events
  
• Opportunities for members to have access for direct communication with Israelis (e.g., web chats, pen pals, etc.)
  
• Opportunities for members to have access to periodicals, journals and literature (e.g., on-line news updates from Israel, Israeli newspapers and magazines, computer or phone generated action alert broadcasts, updated library of recent publications)

There are individuals and organization in both Israel and the United States with special areas of expertise. Their wealth of knowledge and experiences can be shared to enrich the lives of members of the partner community.

Examples could include:

• Delegations of professionals in the areas of education, medicine, science, economy and politics who will meet with their counterparts to share their expertise.
  
• Master workshops in art, music, drama and dance conducted by artists from Israel and America.
  
• On-line chat rooms by subject area.

Prepare educators at all grade levels to be effective role models, demonstrating knowledge and love of Israel, through education and experiences in Israel.

The community must provide the educator with such experiences and training to develop both the level of knowledge and the ability to positively represent Israel to his/her students. Study opportunities in Israel, on-going professional development, conferences and educational events should be promoted.

Our schools and institutions must make expectations with regard to Israel and Israel education an explicit part of the hiring process. Teachers should be apprised of the school's philosophy and provided with a copy of its mission statement.

Our schools and institutions must encourage educators to visit Israel and to participate in in-service educational programs that will enhance their knowledge of Israel.

Our schools and institutions must provide educators with the appropriate materials and support necessary for an effective Israel education.

Our schools and institutions must make certain that our educators have the necessary skills and knowledge to teach about Israel.

We expect our educators to

• exhibit passion and enthusiasm when teaching about Israel. Understanding that experience is an important factor in developing a personal connection to Israel.
  
  
• inspire a love of Israel in their students.
  
  
• communicate with confidence their knowledge of Israel, its history and importance to the Jewish people.
  
  
• understand that the teaching of Israel is a community priority and to find ways to integrate the teaching of Israel into other subjects.
  
  
• exhibit a solid base of knowledge about Israel.
  
  
• establish a school atmosphere where Israel is part of the total environment - i.e. bulletin boards, clocks set for Israel time, on-going current events - etc.

Engage all segments of the community - volunteer teachers, spiritual leaders, education leaders, parents and grandparents - to join in an active partnership to make Israel education and experiences a priority.

Efforts that energize our community indicate that our connection to Israel is part of our lives and our identity as Jews. We need to demonstrate vital leadership as a sign post for others to follow. Such actions indeed speak louder than words.

• Incumbent upon us to promote and support active learning regarding the State of Israel;
  
  
• Involve all age groups in Israel oriented activities; intergenerational programming - trips - cultural events.
  
  
• Train speakers who are educators to provide a speakers' service for synagogues in a Shabbat context. The goal is to educate the audience (adults, families, youth groups, junior congregations);
  
  
• Offer adult education and Midrasha courses on Israel;
  
  
• Develop a family-based project, similar to the JNF cans, that families do at home and in the community (involving clergy, educators, Israel officials) with the end product of learning about Israel;
  
  
• Institute a weekly Israel Box in the NJJN that is an easy reference for all matters relating to Israel and our community for the upcoming week. This box serves to promote Israel awareness and would also be inserted into the JCC newsletter, which reaches the unaffiliated as well as affiliated;
  
  
• Develop and promote family and community missions to Israel;
  
  
• Create an Israel Expo that provides a virtual tour of Israel, an expo with a focus on cultural issues.
  
  
• Coordinate a JCC Israel Encounter for singles of various ages;
  
  
• Institute a video/local cable program to promote Israel Awareness and distribute this to our constituents;
  
  
• Aggressively promote the Birthright Israel and Saving Account project for youth in our community;
  
  
• Promote/arrange for high quality scholar-in-residence on topics relating to Israel.

We call upon the entire community to embrace this effort.

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Please help Melitz continue to provide programs and dynamic opinions that deal with issues facing the Jewish world today. Contributions may be sent to:
Melitz Centers for Jewish-Zionist Education
101 West Mount Royal Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 USA
Email: Melitz@JCFB.org ; info@melitz.org.il
All contributions are tax exempt in Israel and the USA