Institute for the Study of Modern Israel
of Emory University
1256 Briarcliff Road A-427N Atlanta, GA 30306 404.727.2798 tel 404.727.2441 fax
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History, Culture, and Politics of Modern Israel:
A Workshop for Pre-Collegiate Teachers [Grades 3-12]™
PLEASE NOTE: The CIE/ISMI one-week workshop scheduled for June 2009 has been postponed until June 2010 due to funding issues. If you are interested in signing up for a waitlist to register for the June 2010 workshop, please send your name, school name, address, email, and a phone number to Heather Waters Please check the ISMI website regularly for more information about the June 2010 workshop.
OBJECTIVE:To offer a comprehensive foundation for teaching modern Israel, including developing curriculum or units for the classroom using numerous teaching aids, including textbooks, atlases, resource guides, videos, and document compilations.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: Sessions are conducted all day from Sunday at 1pm until Friday at 2pm. Each day is filled with content and curriculum development sessions. Leading the workshop are experienced curriculum, academic, and content specialists from Israel and the United States. Each participating teacher is provided with information, analyses, documentary reader, videos, maps, posters, books, and curriculum guides.
TOPICS: Topics covered in the workshop include: modern Jewish history, origins and development of Zionism, the growth of the Yishuv, Arab-Israeli conflict, Jewish connection to the land of Israel from biblical times to the present, establishing the modern state of Israel, politics, culture, literature, music, and foreign policy.
REQUIREMENTS: To participate, teachers must have a commitment letter from their school heads indicating that the study of Israel will be integrated into their teaching. Teachers participating in the workshop will be required to remain in residence.
REGISTRATION: Each teacher, individually, or through some other source, must pay the $150 registration fee and his/her own travel expenses. A special travel grant of up to $250 is available for teachers who work in day schools. Submission of original travel receipts is required within ten days of the workshop’s completion for use of this special travel grant. All other workshop costs, including meals, single-room hotel accommodations, and reproduction and shipping of resource materials, will be covered by generous grants from the workshop sponsors. Kosher dietary laws will be observed.
Click here for a list of schools and organizations that have participated in past ISMI week-long workshops.
Generous funding for the workshop is provided by the Avi Chai Foundation and individual donations to ISMI.
2008 Atlanta
2006 New Jersey
2005 Boston
2004 Los Angeles
2003 New Jersey
2003 Atlanta
2002 Atlanta
2000 Atlanta
Comments “It was a privilege being taught by “the best in the field.” As a veteran teacher and winner of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt award for excellence in teaching, I was not expecting to learn as much as I did from the pedagogic sessions, which only goes to show there is always something new to learn! I am…looking forward to going back to school to share my experience and the wealth of resources with my colleagues.”
“I learned a great amount and was very impressed with the high caliber of the presenters and quality of materials [and] resources. It's unfortunate that more American citizens don't have the opportunity to hear the perspectives shared in order to form more well founded and reasoned opinions related to Israel.”
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Comments "I have been in education for 15 years, and this course is by far the best teacher’s course I have ever attended. The content was stimulating, the speakers were excellent and overall organization was top notch! Thank you for enriching my life!" "This was the most academic and well organized Jewish professional development opportunity in which I have participated—amazing presenters, lovely accommodations, and engaged learners." "It was well organized—the staff was helpful and knowledgeable. I will greatly benefit from the workshop. My students will thank you." "I leave this conference with a clear perspective of my role/place in history." "I enjoyed this workshop. I am now more easily able to advocate for the land of Israel. I enjoyed the fascinating and knowledgeable colleagues in attendance. I would be willing to come to an alumni conference. Thanks so much for this opportunity." "Nothing else like it [ISMI workshop] available—so important to have educational/ instructional/ motivational training for teachers on Israel—so important." "Everything was exceptional—well-organized, attention to students, great registration, tremendous amount of reading and related references."
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Comments “...your workshop was phenomenal. It was inspiring and I learned so much. We had our school staff meeting today and I suggested numerous ideas that can be incorporated into the school’s culture, across the board at all grade levels to help connect the students to Israel. Thank you for an enlightening educational experience.” Varda E. Farber, Temple Emanuel Religious School, Waban, MA |
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Comments "From
the first morning's program it was apparent
that you run a class act. In organizing the program, from logistical
details
to the order of
the sessions, you left nothing to chance. Everything was carefully
thought out and meticulously planned. You selected presenters who were
not only experts in their fields, but dynamic and inspiring speakers,
as well." "As
someone who lived in Israel for 11 years, and having spent considerable
time reading and studying about Israel, I came to the workshop with
a solid base of knowledge about Israel. I came away from the workshop
with a much wider base of knowledge, many creative ideas for teaching
about Israel and an incredible gift of fantastic teaching resources." "I
am still reeling from all of the information presented at last week's
Israel seminar for Jewish educators. I can't begin to tell you how
much I learned not only about Israel, but about being a teacher and
a learner... Designing the workshop with an eye to both learning and
doing enabled each of us to come away with information and practical
suggestions for its implementation. This generally does not happen.
Seminars for educators usually focus on one or the other, not both.
Mazal tov!" "At
the conference, a group of us put together a curriculum on teaching
the modern state based on Proclamation of the State of Israel.
We discussed how to bring the document 'alive' for the children by
using maps, games, play-acting and discussion. I'm looking forward
to developing this idea into a year long course." |
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Comments "Invaluable
was the booklet of documents you provided, as was the entire binder
of resource materials. The dialogue, both stimulating and provocative,
among participants and speakers, integrated throughout the workshops,
was useful in helping us internalize the complex concepts set forth." "I
never imagined that the last week would make such a difference both
for our school and for me personally. I was exposed to more brilliant
experts in their field in one week than during my entire undergraduate
and graduate careers." I
arrived in Atlanta as a teacher already committed to trying my personal
best to build a bridge between my students and their Jewish connection
to Israel. When I left the course, Friday, June 27, 2003, not only
was I strengthened in my commitment to work even harder to help these
young people build their bridge, I found myself vastly better prepared." "I
enjoyed the intensity and passion that surrounded the entire duration
of the workshop. I have visited Israel through the eyes of a tourist.
I am now very motivated to travel there as a teacher." |
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Comments "You
have made it so easy for me to share primary source materials with
my students and have given them an opportunity to use higher level
thinking skills to analyze, evaluate, and draw conclusions about events
of one hundred years ago and apply them to situations now and make
inferences about the future... I will no longer go into a state of
panic when my principal asks me to teach about Israeli elections or
Israeli government! My life has been so enriched..." "I
must declare that the Pre-Collegiate Teacher Workshop on the History,
Culture and Politics of Modern Israel was by far the most enriching
and important educational workshop I have attended as a Jewish and
Israeli educator in the last decade... The workshop's distinctive quality
was obvious from its inception up to its completion... I invested so
little money in something that gave me back so much in return..." "The
week spent filled a massive void in the material we are normally instructed
to use... It is absolutely necessary to teach the students of modern
Israel for them to continue to show an interest in the survivability
and the continuation of Israel as they mature into adults. The future
support of Israel by future generations is absolutely essential..." "Those
six days transported me to a higher level of thinking and raised my
awareness of the world around me... I have brought home with me a deeper
respect for the history and culture of Israel and an understanding
of the politics which I did not have prior to this experience. I feel
empowered to share my knowledge with my students and colleagues..." "This
six day course has changed my approach to the study of Israel for my
7th graders. Having such exceptional educators share their knowledge
and teaching philosophies has motivated me to prepare a year long course
incorporating so much more than I have in the past... As a religious
school teacher at Temple Beth Tikvah, a docent at the William Bremen
Jewish Museum and a volunteer at Jewish Family Services, I plan to
strongly encourage my fellow faculty, public school educators and other
religious school educators to take part in this program... The time
is long overdue for all teachers to give a comprehensive and accurate
account of Israel's history to all students..." "This
workshop has provided me with insights and knowledge, which are critical
in making good and appropriate decisions for shaping our school's curriculum...
I have complete 33 years in school settings, both public and now religious.
I cannot identify any other course, which has had such an impact on
me..." "This
was definitely one of the finest conferences I have ever attended in
my 30 years of being a Jewish educator... The fact that we walked away
with an incredible collection of usable materials was an added bonus.
I returned to my community feeling enlightened and excited by my experience
at Emory..." |
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Comments "This
past week at Emory was an amazing educational experience. I found
the conference to be well organized with truly outstanding
presenters.... My staff is in awe of the materials that I brought
home. We will be
integrating them into our curriculum at the 5th and 10th grade levels
where we concentrate on Israel and throughout the school where appropriate." "The
caliber of presenters was outstanding and the subjects/materials were
informative and useful. The joint focus on content and teaching methods
was rare and very pragmatic.... An added bonus to the workshop is the
group of colleagues with whom I can continue to network to help in my
teaching." "On
a personal note, the workshop experience re-energized my commitment to
Jewish education." "The
workshop was undoubtedly one of the richest learning experiences that
I can remember." "The
formal sessions provided us with an opportunity to explore Israeli
history, politics, and culture on a high level while constantly considering
how we can translate this material for our students...The informal
gatherings in the hotel lobby enabled us to learn about the work of
our colleagues in different areas of the country." |
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