Embrace Honest Conversations to Lift Israel Up

March 11, 2016Mara Nathan

The Journal of Youth Engagement asked 8 authors to respond to a question that’s been on our minds. Read their responses, and let us know what you think.

The concept of home and homeland has been central to Judaism from our very beginnings as a people and as a religion. As a people we are known as Israel, and we also maintain a sacred connection to the place known as Israel. Our relationship with Israel has a long history in our texts, traditions, rituals, calendars and experiences. We want our youth to develop a strong understanding and connection to the land and people of Israel, in part to deepen their relationship to Judaism more broadly.

When it comes to teaching our youth about Israel, how do we foster both a deep love and a nuanced understanding of the issues at the same time? How and when do we teach a view of Israel to our children that embraces her beauty and history, her challenges and shortcomings? How do we equip our youth to learn, to enquire, and to develop their own informed understanding of her complexities? How do we teach the full story while fostering a love for our homeland?

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Sitting in my study with my post-Confirmands, the conversation started off in a way that might have been different if I still lived in Mamaroneck, New York. Growing up and then working in the New York City metropolitan area, I was used to people being fairly critical of Israeli politics and policies. Of course, many of us were passionate Zionists, raised on the stories of the glorious Six Day War. But I found myself making the ‘you can love Israel and be critical of Israel’ argument fairly often, especially when talking with teens and college students. The negative press is so overwhelming. Many young people are choosing to distance themselves from Israel all together.

Not so in San Antonio, Texas. With a Jewish population of around 10,000, the community is tight-knit and very Israel proud. There is a strong desire to support Israel – no matter what—especially because, other than the Evangelical Church, not that many others seem to be willing to take Israel’s side.

And so we began: “Today we are going to talk about BDS - the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement.” We read articles and talked about the challenges of defending Israel on college campuses and even in their own high schools. Then, I told them about Rabbis for Human Rights and B’Tselem, organizations that also have a mission to call attention to human and civil rights abuses in Israel. These institutions are quite critical of the Israeli infrastructure and governmental leaders.

“What’s the difference?” I asked.

One 16 year-old got it right away. “BDS is trying to take Israel down, but these other organizations are trying to lift Israel up.”

We are often afraid to criticize Israel because we know there are already so many others ready to do so. But when we have honest conversations with our youth about the complexities of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, we don’t necessarily turn them away from Israel. Rather, I think we are more likely to motivate them to be a part of ‘lifting Israel up.’ I am always inspired to learn about organizations and people –Jews and Arabs – who are working together to ensure that Israel continues to develop and grow as a just society. I have a lot of faith in the teens I know. My bet is that they will be inspired, too.

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