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Panim’s First Educators Conference a Huge Success
Panim held its first conference of high school principles and educators on Sunday May 13 at Efal. With about 150 participants, 50 of them high school principals, in attendance, it was hailed as a great success. The program included several highlights: the debut of a short informational film about Jewish pluralism in Israel, a panel discussion featuring MK Rabbi Michael Melchior and former MK and government minister Yair Tzaban, and presentations by representatives of high schools that have successfully implemented programs geared to enhancing Jewish identity. The conference generated a feeling of empowerment: despite slow progress, solutions exist, and people in power, as well as organizations such as Panim, are putting the issue of pluralistic Jewish identity education on the public agenda.
Organized by Orly Broide, head of Panim’s Unit for Advocacy and Obtaining Government Allocations, in coordination with Panim’s other staff members, the conference focused on the practical aspects of advancing pluralistic Jewish, Zionist education in general state high schools. Orly explained that the idea for the conference was born out of a need that became apparent from her work with many schools this past year: “While providing consultation about obtaining budgets for programming in this area, I realized that many institutions and educators needed advice about how to structure and implement such programs.” Orly found that even those who wanted to include programming aimed at enhancing Jewish identity “knew little or nothing about the pluralistic organizations working in the field.” For example, she said, “one such school brought in the local Orthodox rabbi.” The idea of the conference was to bring the schools and the organizations together, acquaint the schools with the alternatives, and demonstrate how some of them have successfully implemented pluralistic Jewish programming at their own initiative together with the help of the organizations. The atmosphere at the event was electric right from the start. Prior to the formal conference, the mini fair outside the auditorium attracted participants’ interest more than the refreshments. Institutes, organizations, and publishers offering programs, trips, curriculums, and materials for all ages drew the educators into conversations about their needs. The lively panel discussion, generously peppered with politics and theoretical give and take, aroused dynamic interchange. The presentations by various schools showed how the groundbreaking Shenhar Report recommendations could be implemented. “Wonderful things are being done in the schools,” as Orly said.
Even though the event required intense planning, because the target date was set a few weeks before Passover, the conference surpassed expectations and everything ran smoothly. “It had to take place before the end of the school year. The week before Shavuot was not only symbolic but practical, as planning for the next year is now in full swing at all the schools,” explained Orly. “It was a credit to Panim that so many high school principals and vice principals in particular, and other staff members as well, came from as far away as Beersheba and the Negev and Hazor in the north, taking so much time out of their extremely busy schedules. This greater than anticipated participation underscores just how important Jewish identity education is to these educators,” she concluded. In view of the positive response, she added, “We are already planning the next conference.” “As far as Panim is concerned, the conference put us in center stage,” declared Orly. “We brought the organizations and the schools together for the first time.” Indeed, the conference aroused interest among new organizations and schools, who will be seeking assistance from Panim. “It was unfortunate that time did not allow for more speakers from schools and organizations,” Orly noted, promising that future conferences would also focus on the practical. To introduce the theme of the conference, a film produced by Panim’s Nir Dagan was screened. It presents Panim’s vision and raison d’etre, its goals and those of its partner organizations: the crisis of Jewish identity in Israel, its complexity, and ways it is being combated by Panim and other organizations. Short and straightforward, the powerful film brings home the needs and the goals that the conference participants had gathered to discuss.
In addition, Meir Yoffe, director of Panim, surveyed the battle over government funding for pluralistic Jewish education being fought by Panim and its partner organizations. Using graphic illustrations, he explained how the budget earmarked for enhancing Jewish studies is divided. To mention just one statistic, whereas 60% of the students in Israel are enrolled in the state school system, they receive only 4.3% of this budget. The panel discussion, chaired by Dr. Ya’ara Baron, a member of Panim’s Board of Directors, focused on the implementation of the Shenhar Report. Labor-Meimad MK Rabbi Michael Melchior, who chairs the Knesset Education Committee, stated that the Report’s impact on society is still sorely wanting. He noted that Prof. Shenhar herself declares that the situation is worse today than in 1994, when the Report was published. Budgets are still not forthcoming and polarization is growing. A generation of Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox is being raised without exposure to the principles of humanism, democracy and pluralism, he lamented. Former minister Yair Tzaban spoke about the dichotomies of society, the either/or situation whereby we are either Jewish or Israeli, new or old, focusing on either what is ours or not ours – i.e., the attraction of the greater world, today symbolized by globalization and the Internet, etc. – and Jewish or secular. “All of these dichotomies must be integrated,” he declared, adding that people must be made to feel that “there is no contradiction between being Jewish and being secular.” As to concrete, long-term suggestions, Melchior argued in favor of his “pet project,” the Meitarim network of schools where religious and secular children study together. “This idea is gaining momentum all the time and there needs to be a revolution, a political struggle to further this third stream” in public education. Former MK Tzaban noted that programs to enhance Jewish identity are created and then abandoned because the Ministry of Education routinely changes hands due to government shakeups. He suggested the creation of a national authority for education, removing it from politics altogether and alleviating this instability. The heated question and answer session that followed the panel’s presentations reflected the disenchantment with the slow progress in the area of Jewish renewal, and the need for a broader outlook in the educational arena, economic aspects, etc. The politics of this issue was also brought to the fore when Yair Tzaban called for action against the so-called Nahari legislation, which would give even more funds to the ultra-Orthodox sector. A powerful impression was also made by the representatives of schools, which have successfully implemented programs aimed at enhancing Jewish identity. Principal Shuki Elhadad-Yaniv of the Beersheba Comprehensive (experimental) High School – which was awarded a prize for excellence in Jewish, Zionist democratic education – explained that they started off by “listening to the students and parents, in a community with a traditional population.” She presented the students’ film, which documents the development of the program. They describe their community and their school, showing how they have learned to combine the heritage of “our Forefather Abraham and Bill Gates,” old and new. In general, all the school representatives emphasized the importance of a holistic approach, combining community, parental, and staff involvement, and teacher training. In addition, embedding the themes of Zionism, Judaism, democracy and humanism in all subjects, not just Jewish studies, was a recurrent theme. Although the emphasis at the conference was on post-elementary institutions, two schools, Leo Beck in Haifa and Keshet in Jerusalem start with preschool and first grade, respectively. All the presenters stressed that making Jewish heritage a component of every subject, throughout every pupil’s school career was an important aspect of their philosophy and their programs. This point was also echoed by Prof. Anat Zohar, chair of the Ministry of Education’s pedagogical department, who noted that this approach is in keeping with the recommendations of the Shenhar Report. She praised the cooperative efforts of the educational establishment and the non-profit sector in helping to promote education for identity, democracy and Jewish culture. Prof. Zohar observed what was reiterated by many of the conferences’ speakers: “it is not enough to devote one hour a week to Jewish studies. There has to be a combination of academic and experiential learning, a stress on community and a holistic approach.”
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