As an organization that nurtures and trains Jewish educators, our primary goal is to support teachers in all settings, who we know have varying levels of knowledge about Israel.
We are enacting our response to the war in Israel by curating educational resources, and offering responsive training and community support in multiple formats that will help you find the right words to talk with children and teens about the current crisis, hold space for parents and colleagues, and take care of yourself as an educator.
Please come back to this page often, as we are adding new supportive resources regularly.
Educational Resources
The Talmud teaches us that there are 70 faces to Torah. Jewish LearningWorks believes there are 70 faces to Israel, meaning that there is not one single way to think about Israel or to learn about Israel.
Learn more about our inclusive and learner-centered approach to Israel education, and explore our list of resources to help you understand Israel, the conflict, and the current crisis.
Since October 7th our work, like yours, has been turned inside out and upside down. Each of us is working to find ways to support one another, and to serve our community during these difficult days.
At Jewish LearningWorks, we are leaning into our strengths to help us through this time, and that means a deeper focus on gathering and personal relationships. The chance to talk individually with one of our educators can provide respite for you, and an opportunity to be held, rather than being the one holding others. Our team is ready and willing to think with you about the particular people and circumstances you are facing, and how to meet your unique challenges.
Those of us who work with adolescents know that we are in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. And, those of us who work within Jewish education, and engagement are also keenly aware of the protective factors identified by the Harvard Resiliency Study for bolstering resilience, and well-being.
To respond to this crisis, and anchor our shared work in the latest research as well as Jewish wisdom, Jewish LearningWorks is inviting the Bay Area community of professionals who work with Jewish adolescents to gather, connect and learn at a monthly resilience roundtable co-facilitated by network members, and a series of expert-led workshops from September 2024 to May 2025.
Exploring Israel with learners of any age has perhaps never been more difficult. When we teach about Israel, each of us in the room – whether teacher or learner – comes with our own knowledge, experiences, and assumptions. It is in this context that Jewish LearningWorks has developed our Israel education offerings for 2024-25.
We acknowledge that no teacher, and no topic can be value neutral, and we have chosen partners that we believe will create a safe, learning environment for participants. We embrace an approach Rabbi Laura Novak Winer recently termed Yedidat Yisrael/Knowing Israel as we work together to sharpen our content knowledge, and develop the tools required to reach learners with divergent ideas, experiences and positions. Rabbi Novak Winer writes: “Yediat Yisrael more accurately reflects the type of knowledge, understandings, and connections our learners need. Yes, it may lead to ahavat Yisrael, but that is not the primary objective. Yediat Yisrael aims for learners to find and navigate their own meanings and connections with Israel, as the historic homeland, as a global, diverse Jewish community, and as the modern State. Yediat Yisrael aims to build understanding.”
Ultimately, meaningful Israel education (in fact all education) depends on educators bringing themselves to the work. We are committed to taking an intentional, and learner-centered approach to this topic, and remain always open to your feedback.
