Israel Education and Engagement
A core goal of the Jewish Education Center (JEC) strategic plan is to strengthen knowledge, understanding, and engagement with Israel. The JEC aims to cultivate a culture of excellence in Israel education for children up to age 18 and their families. This is done by providing:
- Thought leadership and best practices- encompassing educational enrichment of Israel travel experiences, people-to-people connections with Israeli emissaries, collaborative partnerships, professional development, and the highest quality resources
- Create and implement innovative models of Israel education for dissemination throughout the Cleveland Jewish education community.
TEACHING ISRAEL
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The Jewish Education Center (JEC) has been supporting educators that teach the topic of Israel for many years by providing resources in the form of mini-courses for supplementary and day school educators, scholars-in-residence for educators across the community, mentoring and direct support for Israeli Emissaries, a wide offering of curricula and teacher materials, and library/media resources. Local educators who are interested in teaching about Israel or have questions are highly encouraged to speak directly with Amnon Ophir Director, @akiva. Local educators looking to either attend conferences, participate in intensive seminars, or gain academic credit, are eligible for financial subsidies. provided by the JEC.
ISRAELI EMISSARIES (Shlichim)
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Cleveland welcomes a delegation of Israeli Emissaries, Shlichim in Hebrew, every year. Each of these shlichim come for a year, two years, or three years to provide Israel education throughout a variety of community settings. Shlichim come after graduating high school, or after serving in the Israeli army, or after completing the army and a degree. Some are single and others come as a family where both the husband and wife work as shlichim. As an educational convener for the community, the JEC brings these educators together within a professional network. Together, the JEC works with the shlichim to help them acclimate to life and work in Cleveland, to provide professional development in the areas of Israel education and outreach, and to find opportunities to work together and across Cleveland.