We all know those people who talk about Israel and make you just bury your face in your hands out of shame. Whether they refuse to listen to Israeli music other than Static & Ben-El, make wild claims without evidence to support them, or simply bore you to death, these educators threaten to be the downfall of young people's Israel education across the globe. Don't want to become one of them? Find out who they are and how you can help improve on their faults.
The "Cherry Tomato"
OMG, did you know cherry tomatoes were invented in Israel?!? The Cherry Tomato did! From Iron Dome to drip irrigation and Gal Gadot, The Cherry Tomato is proud to present all of Israel's most famous exports. They love dancing to Israeli music, but only know the chorus to Golden Boy. The Cherry Tomato is excellent at making sure people have fun when they're talking about Israel, but sometimes they forget to actually learn about Israel. Everyone, to this type of educator, is a 5th-grade Hebrew School student.
So, how can you avoid becoming The Cherry Tomato?
Share more information! It's great to listen to Israeli music and give people free hummus and pita, but make sure you explain why! Share less cookie-cutter foods like shakshuka or baklava, and give people background on the artists or songs they are listening to. Education doesn't have to be boring!
The "Apartheid Wall"
On the other end of the spectrum, there is The Apartheid Wall. They're the hard-hitters, the protestors, the serious discussers. Often found shouting things like "well, that's actually not accurate...", The Apartheid Wall uses terminology without much regard for their audience's age, interest, or knowledge level. Want to talk about Deir Yassin with third graders? The Apartheid Wall asks why you didn't do it in 2nd!
How can you avoid becoming The Apartheid Wall?
Breathe! This type of educator's expertise lies in their immense knowledge and understanding of nuance. That's great! It's just not everything. If The Cherry Tomato's weakness is too much fun, the Apartheid Wall's is not having enough. Before you run an event, measure the comprehension level of your audience. Age, environment, religion, interest level, and educational background are all important factors to consider when creating educational material. Check it before you teach it!
The Endorsement
The Endorsement always has a trademark under their speech bubbles. They have a StandWithUs Pop Socket on their phone, a JStreetU hat, and an AIPAC lanyard on (for some reason). The Endorsement is an expert at pooling their resources and sharing their favorite links, but they often forget to explain where these pamphlets came from or what they mean. They are often found recruiting for events by repeating catchphrases, but never seem to know exactly what the event is.
So how can you avoid becoming The Endorsement?
It's important to cite sources and provide resources for further learning. However, the fault of The Endorsement is that their educational practice doesn't reach beyond these resources. Share a link to an article, but write a summary or some background knowledge alongside it. Show people what other organizations are available, but make sure to prepare people to pick up on the biases of each one before they're sent off. And don't only use one: there are dozens of organizations and sources, big and small, that can supplement your educational material. Use as much variety as possible to get a wide range of perspectives!
The Pre-College Student
"How can I use this when I get to college?"
This is the never-ending question of The Pre-College Student. Their ultimate goal is to learn as much about Israel as they can before shipping off to their college campus, where they'll be a great advocate against whatever protest comes their way (and they'll be a shoo-in for their Israel club presidency!). Whether their audience is 17 or 7, their main priority is to cover every anti-Semetic, anti-Zionist, or pro-BDS event that has ever happened on a college campus and teach everyone exactly how to take it on. Common topics of conversation are recent BDS resolutions, the ARM technique, the 3 D's, and simulating how to respond to someone standing in front of an Apartheid wall.
So how can you avoid becoming The Pre-College Student?
The most important step is recognizing that there are more reasons to learn about Israel than just defending it for 4 years on campus. Help people find opportunities to share their knowledge in their high schools, workplaces, extracurricular activities, and even on social media. The next step is to strike an even balance of what we at Lamed call the "Tenants of Israel Education": engagement, education, and application. Teach about advocacy (an "apply" topic), but also teach about culture, politics, and everything else there is to know!
**Bonus Horseman: The Bore**
You have no idea what this guy is saying because they're speaking in such a monotonous tone. They've been on the same slide for almost 20 minutes, and it's just full of text! "The Bore" has no idea they are boring, because they never even bothered to ask. The Bore drives people away from learning about Israel with their constant lecturing, formulaic "fun facts", and endless droning about topics that no one can relate to.
How can you avoid becoming The Bore?
Don't rely on presentations. Don't speak about the same thing for an hour. Don't pick topics that don't fit your audience. Don't...
See how that felt? Lecturing monotonously to a group of people that don't want to hear what you're saying is the worst way to teach people about Israel. Engage people with games, trivia, simulations, puzzles, and anything else that will get them on their feet. IN addition, make sure you fit your topic to your audience; don't teach about the Iran Deal to middle schoolers (or even most students in general...) because they just don't care! Make Israel -- and yourself -- relatable before you get into heavier topics, and you have a much better chance of winning the battle against a quick nap in the lecture hall.
Are you any of these educators? Do you know one? Heed these warnings and, together, we can prevent the ushering in of the Israel Education Apocalypse!