Empowering children in their love of Israel
As rising antisemitism challenges our younger generation, Jewish institutions can help build resilience and a connection to Israel.
Last Yom Ha’atzmaut, my eldest son – then seven years old – asked me why we mark Israel’s Independence Day straight after Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day). Why do we celebrate Israel right after we’ve commemorated those we lost?
So I explained to him that one of the most important beliefs of Judaism is that life is sacred. Above all else, we celebrate life. We celebrate love and laughter, community, joy and the Jewish spirit.
But that we must never forget what Am Yisrael has gone through to ensure our safety and protection. We must show gratitude to those who have fallen. We know that those people died for us to be able to live.
But as the sun sets on Yom Hazikaron, we turn to celebration. Because we will always find the light. We celebrate the life that we have been given and we celebrate the land which has always been ours.
We celebrate our homecoming.
And we celebrate that we must always be proud of our Jewish heritage and our connection to Eretz Yisrael.
But that pride has taken a bit of a hit recently, especially when it comes to our kids, and particularly our older kids.
Many have said that while they are proud to be Jewish, they feel a bit nervous putting on their uniform and strolling through public areas; they tuck in their Magen Davids when they are out and about.
While my son doesn’t seem fazed by wearing his uniform around and often wears his Israeli soccer t-shirt, he did ask me to roll up my car windows one day while our Israeli music playlist was blaring, “in case there are people around who don’t like Israel or Jews”.
How heartbreaking to hear this from such a young child.
As adults, we have a responsibility to help, guide and teach the children around us. There is so much we can do to instil a love of Israel in our children, and our Jewish institutions are great places to start.
Each educational institution The AJN approached acknowledged that rising antisemitism is a problem, and that it’s understandable that children or young adults may feel wary about proudly showing their love of Israel.
“The online world can be brutal when it comes to Israel. Many young people believe that their value is measured by how many followers they have. This could lead them very quickly to believe that as Israel and Zionism are not popular in some circles, they should keep quiet or make themselves ‘smaller than’. They are scared of repercussions, both social and even professional,” Rabba Adina Roth, director of Jewish life at Emanuel School told The AJN.
For students who are not in a Jewish day school environment, showing their pride of Israel can be tricky and intimidating.
John Hamey, CEO of BJE, explained that there is a direct correlation between tensions in Israel and the level of antisemitism in schools.
“When conflict flares overseas, we often see an increase in graffiti, derogatory comments and social media rhetoric filtering into student interactions,” Hamey told The AJN. “While some students feel resilient enough to ignore it, others may withdraw, avoiding unwanted attention.”
But as Ronnen Grauman, head of Jewish life at BJE pointed out, we are stronger when we band together.
“As history has shown, when Jewish people stand together with confidence, we strengthen not only ourselves, but also our broader community,” he said.
Which is why Jewish educational institutions carry a responsibility to help students navigate the current environment, often by arming them with information.
“Jewish schools are so important right now as they are safe spaces to craft our Jewish narrative based on over 2000 years of connection to Torah, peoplehood and the land of Israel,” Rabba Roth said.
“In our school environments, we create a bubble where we can tell our story from the inside out, our Jewish story and our connection to Israel, without fear of being attacked by toxic and ignorant outside forces. We can focus on Jewish history, on our Jewish heroes, past and present and our kids can imbibe Jewish pride.”
For Jewish educational institutions, a love of Israel runs through the veins. Pride in the Jewish homeland is spoken about, referred to, taught and shown at every opportunity.
“It is part of the DNA and neshama of our college to feel pride and deep identification and connection with Israel and her People,” Matti Borowski, deputy principal, director of the Alter Family School of Jewish Studies and Ivrit at Mount Scopus, said. “We must remind our children that it is an immense privilege and responsibility to be part of the incredibly rich, inspiring and impactful Jewish story … this was true well before October 7 and remains true today.”
Talya Wiseman, head of Jewish life at Moriah College’s high school said, “Our love of Israel is part of who we are, it is part of our core identity,” continuing to point out that the impact of the school’s support is felt in Israel. And this is something that the school children feel too.
“We are frequently told that our videos and events bring strength to those who see them in Israel. Even from such a far distance, it feels good to know we can make some small difference through showing our support.”
One example of this is when Moriah College students from the ELC through to year 12 sang Am Yisrael Chai and shared the video on Instagram, only for Eyal Golan to share it on his own platforms.
Ilan Bloch, director of Jewish life and learning at The King David School said that rising antisemitism may lead some Jewish people to “opt out” of being actively involved in the community, but that the school builds a strong identity among students.
“Teaching and learning – and more informal, ad hoc teachable moments with staff members help trigger a process through which students come to be more informed, thoughtful and analytical versions of themselves, finding their way along their Jewish journey, as they seriously grapple with what it means to them to be proud Jews who are engaged with Israel,” he said.
Importantly, our Jewish educational institutions are teaching students to love Israel in the good and the bad times.
“We want to celebrate all the incredible achievements of the State of Israel,” Wiseman said. “We teach our students to appreciate how lucky we are to live in a time when we have the State of Israel, for thousands of years Jewish people simply had to live in hope but we are fortunate to be able to see that hope realised.”
This sentiment is echoed by the team at Mount Scopus. “We exhort our students to be the leaders that Israel and the Jewish world need them to be – knowledgeable, courageous and action-oriented young people who will proudly stand up for their Zionist, Jewish and Australian values and identities,” Borowski explained.
And while these teachings happen all year through the Jewish institutions, they are particularly heightened prior to and around Yom Ha’atzmaut.
“One of the most powerful things we can do is remind students that their Jewish identity is something to be celebrated, not hidden,” Hamey said. “We encourage open discussions where they can ask questions, share experiences, and find support among peers and mentors. We want students to feel safe and supported in wearing a kippah, displaying a Jewish symbol, or learning Hebrew.
“The most important message we want to share with students is that they are not alone. Jewish identity is multifaceted – whether through culture, history, language or friendships, there are many ways to connect.
“We encourage parents, educators and the broader community to engage in open conversations with young people, reinforcing that their Jewish pride is something to be celebrated and embraced. By standing together and fostering a strong, connected Jewish student community, we can create an environment in which every student feels safe and proud to be Jewish.”
Yom Ha’atzmaut hits differently at the moment. With so many people around the world denying our right to our homeland, we must be louder, prouder, stronger and more determined than ever to shine our light. And if we do this as adults, our children will follow suit.
comments