Anyone with even a slight interest in education knows that the global educational landscape is undergoing enormous changes at lightning speed—not only are teachers’ roles changing, but pedagogical methods are being tailored to a world in which information is accessible 24/7 at the touch of a smartphone, computer, or tablet. These changes are also making their way into the realm of Jewish education, where innovative new initiatives are taking shape.
One of the most exciting projects for the AMIT network is its recently formed partnership with the LaHaV program at the Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles. LaHaV develops content and curricula for schools focusing on Gemara, Tanakh, Jewish philosophy, Israel education, and other Judaic studies subjects. It provides Jewish schools across the United States with educational content and the technology with which to share that content, including a communal digital platform.
“The goal of the project is connecting students to Judaic studies,” said Rabbi David Stein, who founded the LaHaV Curriculum Project with Dr. Noam Weissman.
“We provide content and support for teachers in the U.S. and Israel. We’ve built and are continuing to develop an online platform where teachers can exchange materials and communicate with each other,” said Stein.
LaHaV’s cutting-edge approach to Jewish education aligns with AMIT’s game-changing pedagogical developments in Israel that foster collaboration, creative and critical thinking, strengthening students’ values and identity.
The partnership between AMIT and LaHaV “is like a bashert,” said Stein. AMIT is supporting LaHaV’s training and expansion in the U.S. as well as adapting it and learning from it for the teachers and students within the network. But it is also sharing with LaHaV the network’s innovative pedagogical methods developed at the Gogya training center, where the focus is on “bottom-up” change led by the teachers collaborating and thinking outside of the box, together.
Aviezer Gellman, director of AMIT’s Division of Diaspora Jewry, said, “No longer will Jewish educators, especially those in small communities, be on their own. Rather, they will have an international group of colleagues with whom to brainstorm, share best practices, and develop new skills. Ultimately, this will strengthen the teaching level of participating schools in the U.S. and the AMIT network in Israel.”
One of the upcoming joint initiatives from the AMIT LaHaV partnership is an inaugural conference in Israel from June 25 to 28 for schools and educators interested in implementing a groundbreaking Israel education curriculum in the coming school year. The goal is to better prepare students for “the realities of BDS, Apartheid Week, and other anti-Israel challenges they will face on campus and beyond in the coming years.” For more information about the conference, visit www.lahavlearning.com.
