A group of over 40 Australian and South African educators arrived in Israel for a Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF)-led educational seminar, the organization announced in a statement last Wednesday.
Organized by KKL-JNF’s Education and Community Division, the seminar combined “professional development with direct encounters with Israel’s social, historical, environmental, and security realities,” aiming to “[provide] educators with meaningful tools to strengthen Jewish and Zionist identity in their communities,” according to the statement.
The itinerary included activities across all of Israel, encompassing “educational content, site visits, and volunteer activity. For example, participants visited kibbutzim, cooked for IDF soldiers, visited historical and archaeological sites, and more.
Much of the programming surrounded the October 7 attacks, and attendees travelled to Sderot and Kfar Aza and visited the Nova festival memorial near Re’im. According to the release, “[t]hese visits brought participants face-to-face with affected communities and highlighted stories of resilience and rebuilding, which are especially poignant considering the current challenges faced by Jewish communities abroad.”
According to KKL-JNF, the Educators Seminar is “an opportunity to strengthen ties between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, particularly through educational leadership.”
“Participants return to their communities with a richer educational toolbox and a renewed ability to teach about Israel, sustainability, Jewish values, and resilience in a meaningful and informed way.”
KKL-JNF seminar create bonds between Jewish communities, Israel
According to the release, the seminar also creates bonds between KKL-JNF and Jewish communities across the world, “an initiative made more meaningful at a time when Jewish communities abroad need more support than ever.”
“We are honored to welcome educators from Australia and South Africa. Their visit to Israel, just weeks after the Bondi Beach shooting and amid rising antisemitic incidents abroad, is a powerful testament to hope, resilience, and the enduring spirit of the Jewish people. Through this seminar, educators experience Israel firsthand, its history, communities, and strength, returning home ready to inspire and nurture Jewish identity and fortitude in their own schools and communities," Sar Shalom-Gerbi, manager of KKL-JNF’s Education and Community Division, said.