Learning & Resources Category: Research

Jewish Educators Returning from Israel: Reconceiving Israel Education in the Midst of Seismic Events

Between February and June 2024, the Jim Joseph Foundation supported a partnership between The Jewish Education Project and The iCenter, aided by M² and the Jewish Agency for Israel, to bring 324 educators on short trips to Israel as part of 13 different groups. These trips were launched with the goal of helping educators and educational leaders connect with Israelis, see for themselves the ways in which Israel has changed since October 7, 2023, and engage in joint reflection on what these changes mean for their work and for their responsibilities as Jewish educators.

Findings
The findings from this study relate to two broad themes: first, those concerned with the contribution of the trip to the participants’ work as Israel educators and the ways in which they have incorporated their learnings in their educational practice. And second, what Israel education looks like today in the settings from which participants come, what the participants seek to accomplish, what has changed over the last 12 months and whether those changes have been informed by their trip experience. The report weaves back and forth between these two foci, considering what has changed in the field and what contribution these trips have made to the changes that educators note.

Impact of the Trip
A major part of the survey explored the extent to which the educators’ trips have shaped both the participants’ own practices and their organizations’ approaches to Israel education. While a majority (57%) reported having “incorporated what I learned into my practice,” 30% were still in a planning phase (“I have some ideas and am getting clear what it would take to actualize them”), and 13% are still in a contemplation phase (“I am thinking about how best to do this, but I don’t have concrete ideas yet”). This constitutes a marked change from the weeks immediately after the program when close to half of the participants were still in a planning phase and only a quarter had implemented their learning. Even so, these reactions still underline the extent to which educational change is a slow-moving process.

Interviews with camp educators suggest that their work was more immediately shaped by the trip than those in most other sectors. These educators returned to North America ahead of the summer camp season, needing to consider what, if anything, they would do differently during the coming months. Educators in other settings did not face such pressing deadlines. They are only now implementing changes in the early part of a new academic year.

Jewish Educators Returning from Israel. Reconceiving Israel Education in the Midst of Seismic Events, Rosov Consulting, November 2024

 

 

 

 

Responding to the Fallout From October 7th: From Crisis to Opportunity

Since the events of October 7th, 2023, Jewish educators have found themselves at the center of an unprecedented challenge, guiding learners through a landscape shaped by intense emotions and complex questions. The research findings show that Jewish educators are experiencing considerable emotional strain, with many expressing anxiety and despair as they navigate teaching in the post-October 7th environment. Educators also report their learners experiencing similar negative emotions including confusion, anger, and isolation in response to the unfolding events. Many feel unprepared for addressing the crisis within their existing frameworks, revealing gaps in training and resources to navigate these challenging topics.

This moment, while difficult, offers a unique opportunity for rethinking how Jewish education responds to crisis and challenge whether involving Israel, or other areas of life that involve emotional challenge and/or the need to address diversity of opinion and behavior. In such moments, individuals must respond to the world around them, and Jewish educators should see themselves as a resource and guide for doing so. Our focus here is the post-October 7th crisis, and the way Jewish educators are responding.

The power of the events playing out is such that educators realize they need to respond. Events include the war in Israel, the ideological prism through which the war is covered in the media and accompanying public discourse amplified by the 2024 Presidential election, the increased diplomatic isolation of Israel, and the sharp rise of antisemitism. The post-October 7th events are existential in nature, causing many Jews to assess their relationship to the Jewish People, to the society around them and to Israel.

As with any crisis or challenge there are diverse Jewish reactions as to how to understand and respond. Drawing on the survey data we show there are currently three approaches among Jewish educators to Israel.

  1. Solidarity: A focus on nurturing a love for Israel, meaning positive emotional bonds.
  2. Criticism: A mirror image of the solidarity approach with the emphasis on enabling criticism of Israel as
    legitimate Jewish expression.
  3. Complexity: A third approach, which works to strike a balance arguing that to educate a love of Israel, requires learners not only to form positive emotional bonds but also to formulate their opinion and ability to discuss with others Israel in all its social and political complexity.

The tendency of most educators is to embrace one of the solidarity, complexity or criticism approaches, which we argue is not productive for forging a constructive response to the post October 7th crisis, or any other emotional crisis or challenge. Either solidarity or criticism when taken alone cannot enable education to strengthen emotional bonds between Jews who hold different opinions in the face of crisis. Alternatively, complexity cannot stand as a goal unto itself, as the creation of positive bonds between Jews and Israel is a core goal of Jewish education.

Currently the dominant approach to Israel in Jewish education only emphasizes “solidarity,” educating for love of Israel. The result is that many Jewish educators are unprepared for responding to intensely negative events that require consideration of a complex social, moral and political reality and divisive Jewish communal environment. Many Jewish educators are expressing feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, unsure of how to tackle the negative intensity of their personal emotions and those of their learners.

We call for an integrative approach that emphasizes forging positive emotional bonds between Jews while recognizing the need to enable learners to grapple with both complexity and criticism. Our call is for educators to lead the integration of Israel into Jewish life as a positive force for Jewish belonging and identification. In a moment of crisis, can Jewish educators bring learning and engagement with Israel to serve as a source of constructive bonding between Jews, rather than a catalyst for division?

For this purpose, we draw on the research data to advocate for an integrative model of Jewish education in which Israel in integrated into all areas of the discipline. In so doing educators facilitate (1) Jewish bonding and (2) complex thinking. Educators nurture their learners’ consciousness of belonging to the Jewish People and enable each to develop a robust self-understanding of their desired Jewish life in relationship to other Jews, Israel and the society in which they live.

The Fallout from October 7th: From Crisis to Opportunity, Ezra Kopelowitz Ph.D., Shlomi Ravid Ph.D., Iris Posklinsky Ph.D.,
Jonathan Golden Ph.D. and Jake Gillis M.A., The Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education & Research Success Technologies, November 2024

View a presentation on the report’s key findings. View A Call for Action: Jewish Education on Israel – Post-October 7th.

 

Reimagining Hebrew School: Research Summary

This research by Sense Worldwide in late 2024 was phase one of a larger emergent strategy project designed to address how we might reinvent or supercharge the supplemental, elementary age Jewish learning experience so that it deeply resonates with and is widely adopted by “the 70%.” The 70% are defined as those North American, non-orthodox, self-identifying Jewish and Jewish+ families who currently choose not to affiliate with traditional Jewish institutions or enroll in traditional supplemental Jewish education. (Note: because this research phase is part of a larger project, the Strategic Hypothesis represents recommendations for applying the findings).

The comprehensive research phase involved several components: a literature review;  Global Mind Expansion Sprint; interviews with seven category, cross-category and cultural experts and change-makers; identification of the foundational building blocks for meaningful childhood experiences, modern values and parenting principles; and ethnographic deep dives with 18 unaffiliated families.

The research revealed a diverse set of needs and pain points for the 70% which are distributed over the life cycle of a family unit.

“Reinventing Hebrew School: Research Summary,” Sense Worldwide, December 2024

How People Learn in Jewish Education

This 2024 framework by Dr. Ari Kelman shifts the focus from an approach to Jewish education that caters to learners to one guided by an understanding of learning. It offers a challenge, a charge, and a provocation to Jewish educators and supporters of Jewish education to imagine what might happen to the field if we shift its focus from what Jewish education teaches and instead explore how people learn. The paper begins with an overview of some basic approaches to general theories of learning to establish a framework for exploring their implications for the field of Jewish education. It serves as an invitation to consider what Jewish education might look like if it places the ways that people learn at the center.

Read the research: How People Learn in Jewish Education, Ari Y Kelman, Ph.D., November 2024

Read more insights in eJewish Philanthropy from the Foundation’s Stacie Cherner and Yonah Schiller

Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences: Mixing the Personal and Collective to Make Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences

The Jim Joseph Foundation has prioritized investment in Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences (PJLE) in its effort to enable “all Jews, their families, and their friends to lead connected, meaningful, purpose-filled lives and to make positive contributions to their communities and the world.” This commitment is advanced by signature grantees—BBYO, Foundation for Jewish Camp, Hillel, Birthright Israel, and Moishe House—that provide powerful educational experiences to young people.

Over the last few years, the Foundation has partnered with the team at Rosov Consulting to bring a consistent research lens to the experiences provided by these various organizations. The goal of this partnership has been: (1) to identify both the distinct and common contributions made by each organization to participants at different stages of their young lives, and (2) to identify the components of the experiences they provide that make them so powerful. Researchers set out to learn what special ingredients animate powerful Jewish learning experiences within the context of Jewish youth-serving organizations, Jewish overnight camps, Jewish student organizations at college, Israel experiences, and self-directed settings for emergent Jewish adults. And researchers tried to identify what outcomes such experiences produce.

Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences: Mixing the Personal and Collective to Make Powerful Jewish Learning Experiences, Rosov Consulting, September 2024

Read more insights on this cross-portfolio evaluation by Stacie Cherner, the Foundation’s Director of Research and Learning.

Unserved & Underserved Jewish Research

This study was conducted in spring and summer 2024 by Albi and Clarify Research in order to learn where and how young American Jews who are currently not served (or are underserved) by mainstream Jewish institutions and organizations contend with, experience, navigate, and see Israel within their own identity.

Findings are based on 13 separate, moderated qualitative discussions with a total of 65 unserved and underserved Jews. Focus group conversations ranged from 90-120 minutes among audiences aged 18-49 who identified as Jewish and were currently not involved in Jewish communal organizations or institutions.

The findings show that young Jews in this study grapple with their identity, antisemitism, and the tensions and complexities of Israel and the Gaza War.

“Unserved & Underserved Jewish Research,” Albi + Clarafy Research, September 2024

Fostering Participatory Learning Approaches in Philanthropy: A Guide for the Curious

Engage R+D, a consulting firm that works with nonprofits, foundations, and public agencies, released a field guide on participatory learning approaches in philanthropy. The guide is based upon the collective expertise of diverse foundations and reflects a range of experiences with such approaches. It aims to be an essential resource for foundation program, learning and evaluation, and executive leaders curious about or actively engaging in participatory practices within their organizations.

This guide champions the cause of making philanthropic work more impactful by broadening who participates in and benefits from learning. Engage R+D invites the reader to co-imagine what a transformative approach to learning could look like, one that embraces inclusive, participatory, and equitable practices involving grantees, community leaders, and funders. They write, “Whether you are beginning to explore or looking to deepen your participatory learning practices, this guide is equipped with tools, examples, and insights to support you on this path.”

Why Participatory Learning Now?
Participatory learning represents a critical evolution in philanthropy. It is grounded in the belief that those most affected by social issues hold invaluable insights into creating effective solutions. This guide, developed by tapping into the rich experiences of funders, grantees, and learning consultants, defines participatory learning as the deliberate inclusion of grantees and community members in the learning activities of projects or programs. This approach not only aims to gather firsthand perspectives to deepen understanding and challenge unconscious assumptions, but it also strives to share and shift decision-making power to those traditionally on the periphery of such processes.

Fostering Participatory Learning Approaches in Philanthropy: A Guide for the Curious, Engage R+D, May 2024

U.S. College Students and the War in Israel: Jewish Engagement and Social Tension on Campus

New research conducted by Dr. Eitan Hersh provides key insights on the impact of October 7th and subsequent rise in antisemitism on Jewish college students on campus. In particular, the research examines whether and how Jewish college students are experiencing changes in Jewish identity and participation, and increased social tension, on campus. Students also answered survey questions regarding their changing views about Israel and the extent to which their own mental health has been affected in recent months.

This research is unique in that it includes survey responses from Jewish college students who also participated in a study conducted by Dr. Hersh in 2022. As Dr. Hersh notes, “The panel of students surveyed both years provides a link between pre-October 7 Jewish life on campus and post-October 7 Jewish life on campus. If we observe attitudinal changes in the panel, we know it’s not because of sampling variation but because students felt differently in 2023 than 2022.”

These new findings represent a mid-point in the research. A series of focus groups will be conducted in the spring, as well as another survey. Both of these data collection efforts will allow for continued examination of change over time. A full report will be available in summer 2024.

Dr. Hersh shares interim findings from the research in the three-part essay series below:

About the Researcher:
Eitan Hersh is a professor of political science at Tufts University. His research focuses on US elections and civic participation. Hersh is the author of Politics is for Power (Scribner, 2020), Hacking the Electorate (Cambridge UP 2015), as well as many scholarly articles. Hersh earned his PhD from Harvard in 2011 and served as assistant professor of political science at Yale University from 2011-2017. His public writings have appeared in venues such as the New York Times, USA Today, The Atlantic, POLITICO, and the Boston Globe. Hersh regularly testifies in voting rights court cases and has testified to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary about the role of data analytics in political campaigns. In addition to work on elections and civic engagement, Hersh has written on topics ranging from antisemitism and the political consequences of terrorist attacks to politicization in health care delivery and the opioid crisis. His next book is about the civic role of business leaders.

Brief Study Background:
The study was funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation. The survey itself was administered by College Pulse, a survey and analytics firm specializing in the college student population. Dr. Hersh, who has conducted a number of studies on civic engagement, young adults, and antisemitism, worked with the Foundation and College Pulse to organize this research project and analyze the results.

To receive the full data set of the study when it’s available, please email [email protected] with “data set request” as the subject line.

Media Coverage

 

Responding to this Historical Moment: Jewish Educators, Clergy, Engagement Professionals, and the War in Israel

This report delves into the experiences of Jewish professionals in the wake of October 7th, highlighting their feelings of isolation and confusion. Faced with events of historical magnitude, there is across the board recognition of the need to respond, coupled with uncertainty about the best course of action. Post-October 7th, during the survey period, these professionals were seeking clarity, facts, safety, and hope, while grappling with fundamental questions about the unfolding events and their implications.

The report underscores the inherent difficulties in facilitating conversations about challenging issues; including, but not limited to, those related to Israel. These challenges existed prior to October 7th and in the immediate aftermath were on full display. Issues fundamental to living life in contemporary society at this particular moment in time were raised. For example, in the age of social media as a primary source of information, “what should we believe?” The jarring experience of feeling oneself as part of a persecuted minority, “why do they hate us?”

These experiences and questions lead to a desire to speak and process. Some of the survey respondents provide purposeful responses to the war, which demonstrate how these large existential issues can integrate into a Jewish professional’s repertoire in a manner that overrides narrow disciplinary or context-specific approaches to Jewish education and community. The focus is on responding to this moment and
seeing one’s membership in the Jewish People as an asset for tackling life’s big issues.

In the past decade, various initiatives have emerged, focusing on enhancing the communication ability of Jewish professionals, particularly around contentious issues. These initiatives represent a shift towards acknowledging the importance of talking about and addressing challenging topics as essential components of a vibrant Jewish community. They aim to foster environments where individuals can engage in meaningful conversations about personal and collective issues, thus strengthening community bonds.

The report draws on the answers to the survey questions to propose a framework for purposeful communication to help Jewish professionals navigate the dynamic and changing post-October 7th landscape. This framework emphasizes the importance of identifying one’s professional narrative; including, specifying the big questions posed by learners, educational and institutional considerations, and dilemmas in order to craft an appropriate educational strategy. Ideally this process occurs through discussion with colleagues.

“Responding to this Historical Moment: Jewish Educators, Clergy, Engagement Professionals, and the War in Israel,” Ezra Kopelowitz, Ph.D., Hadar Franco Gilron, Ph.D., Jake Gillis, M.ED, Research Success Technologies LTD. & The Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education, February 2024

Read more insights from this research in this piece in eJewish Philanthropy.

Enrollment Trend Report: The Impact of the Israel-Hamas War on Jewish Day School Enrollment in North America

In the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, the landscape of Jewish day schools and yeshivas in North America has experienced significant shifts. This second Enrollment Trend Report delves into the influx of temporary Israeli students and an emerging trend of interest from public and independent school students for mid-year transfer to Jewish day schools during this time.

Covering the period from the start of the war in October, 2023 to December 8th, 2023, this report presents a snapshot of the responses from enrollment professionals and heads of school from 110 schools in the United States and Canada. Data collection was open for two weeks from November 27th, 2023 through December 8th, 2023. While the sample is not fully representative of the field of Jewish day schools and yeshivas, it clearly depicts that the trends reported herein are happening amongst one-third of the Prizmah network of schools.

The report highlights a significant increase in inquiries and temporary enrollments1 from Israeli students and transfer students from public and independent schools into Jewish day schools and yeshivas in North America following the Israel-Hamas war.

The surge in inquiries from Israeli students has prompted Jewish day schools and yeshivas to swiftly address the evolving needs of these students and their families. The collective resilience of the schools, combined with the collaborative efforts of local Jewish organizations, illustrates a community-driven approach in delivering comprehensive support for the incoming students.

“Enrollment Trend Report: The Impact of the Israel-Hamas War on Jewish Day School Enrollment in North America,” Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, January 2024

Enrollment Trend Report: Israeli Transfers to Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas During the War in Israel

This is a trend report of a Pulse Survey Prizmah distributed to enrollment professionals and heads of school, representing a snapshot in time of the week of October 20-27, 2023. The report includes both the enrollment data and the essential support that schools urgently require at this time.

The findings of the survey shed light on the profound impact of the ongoing war in Israel on Jewish day schools and yeshivas in North America. The influx of inquiries from Israeli students has prompted Jewish day schools and yeshivas to adapt swiftly and effectively to meet the emerging needs of the students and their families. The collective resilience demonstrated by the schools, coupled with their collaborative efforts with local Jewish organizations, reflects a community-driven approach to providing comprehensive support for the incoming students.

However, the identified resource gaps, including critical supplies and specialized staff requirements, highlight the pressing need for immediate collective action and support from the broader Jewish community. By addressing these challenges collaboratively, Jewish day schools and yeshivas can continue to foster inclusive and nurturing environments, ensuring the holistic wellbeing and academic success of all students during this critical period. The landscape continues to change rapidly and may be significantly different within a few weeks time. Prizmah will continue to monitor and share findings to assess and support the needs of the field.

“Enrollment Trend Report: Israeli Transfers to Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas During the War in Israel,” Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, November 2023

Build Grant Evaluation Summary

The Jim Joseph Foundation is committed to fostering compelling, effective Jewish learning experiences for young Jews, their families, and their friends. To enhance this work, the Foundation developed Build Grants to invest in the capacity of Jewish education organizations to dramatically scale their programming to reach larger and more diverse audiences.

The Foundation’s Build Grants include two targeted capacity building strategies. The first, Capacity Build Grants, provides short-term resources to stand-out Jewish organizations for specific interventions that enhance their ability to grow over time. Organizations use these resources for business and strategic planning, infrastructure and operational support, or measurement and program evaluation. The Capacity Build Grants that the Foundation offers are a steppingstone to the second area of support, the Scaling Build Grants. Scaling Build Grants are focused explicitly on organizational growth, providing larger one-time, multiyear investments meant to expand the organization’s reach, increase their effectiveness, and strengthen their ability to generate revenue and sustain an expanded budget. The Foundation is interested in deepening its understanding of its Build grantees’ successes and challenges to further iterate on the Build Grants structure and strategies. To glean insights, the subsequent questions guided the evaluation:

● What was the grantee experience?
● What were some of the key impacts of the Foundation’s Build Grants?
● What were some of the core challenges of the Foundation’s Build Grants?
● What lesson can we learn to improve the grantee experience and grant impact?

The evaluation outlines major themes on the structure, impacts, and challenges of Build Grants to date.

Build Grant Evaluation Summary, Third Plateau, June 30, 2023