Whew. Finally got a seat at a bar as I await my flight here in Ft. Laurderdale as I begin my journey to the Teva-JNF Ambassadors’ seminar. I’ve been mulling over the next few days – what can I expect, especially in this past week of Zionist maritime adventures?
This whole conference, initially meant to teach educators how to present Israel in a green perspective has taken on a more poignant perspective. It’s not just about creating a connection between Creation (ma’aseh b’resheet) and Jewish life and Israel. It’s become more urgent – building a link between Jewish youth of today and tomorrow and Eretz Yisrael in a language that speaks to their sensibilities. And now, after the events of the week, we need to find ways that create positive links to Israel, despite the troublesome stream of bad news from the region. We’re not talking about PR. It’s not about image. It’s about how we want our kids to teach their kids about Israel.
So…my expectations? What do I want to come away with? A way of presenting the idea of Israel that is not linked to blockades and ships and commandos landing on a deck being attacked. A way that will help us look at Israel as a fulfillment of the dreams of a people searching for freedom for themselves, and not at the expense on another.
Let’s see what the next week brings. I’ll be tweeting (you can follow me as redmenace 56) and blogging here.
Peter Eckstein began his career a Jewish educator in 1982 on Kibbutz Ketura, working with children of all ages and serving as the kibbutz Education Coordinator. In 1993 upon returning to the U.S. he became the Director of Education and Programming at Temple Israel in West Palm Beach. Currently he is the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens. In addition, serves as the Technology Integration Educator for the Friedman Commission for Jewish Education.He was very active with the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education as programming co-chair, Shabbat chair and conference chair for several conferences. He has taught professional development for educators, Judaic adult education classes, and the Palm Beach County’s “Introduction to Judaism” course for those seeking to become part of the community. He is specializing in teaching educators how to integrate Education Technology into the Jewish classroom. He has also served on the faculty at URJ Camp Coleman as an informal Jewish educator.Peter is fascinated by how technology and experiential education will aid in the transmission of Jewish awareness to the next generations
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