KKL-JNF host educators from Australia and South Africa
Aiming to empower the future generation of leaders, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund is hosting principals and teachers from Australia and South Africa.
The two delegations in Israel Photo:Yoav Lin
Seminars consist of tours, meetings with educational experts in Israel, military, nature and heritage site tours, and creating collaborations between KKL – JNF and teachers from around the world.
In the past 2 weeks, KKL – JNF held educational seminars for teachers who are visiting Israel specifically to learn about the organisation’s work. About 60 teachers and principals went on study tours and various seminars related to the KKL – JNF’s Zionist activity in its 120 years of activity.
During their time in Israel, teachers learnt about the connection between the climate crisis and Zionism, the Israeli water industry and the KKL – JNF’s connection to it. All this with the aim of bringing the educators closer to Israel in general and to the Zionist activity of the KKL – JNF in particular.
In the Australian delegation, many of the teachers work in Jewish schools and have never visited Israel before since many of them are non-Jewish. After touring Israel, teachers discovered the country and KKL – JNF’s work in the fields of forestry, dealing with the climate crisis, water, river rehabilitation and more. Therefore, teachers will return to their schools with a completely different attitude towards Judaism, Zionism and Israel, and hopefully become ambassadors of KKL-JNF and the country – which will have a great impact on what children will learn about Judaism, KKL-JNF and major environmental issues. As for teachers who have visited Israel many times, they discovered something new – they discovered the Land of Israel as they had never known before through KKL – JNF education seminar.
As for the South African delegation, KKL – JNF’s and the school administration’s main goal was to change the perspective teachers have on Israel, as well as to change the attitude of these teachers to Israel. KKL – JNF’s officials stated that they managed to do that. At the ending talk of the seminar, participants of the SA delegation excitedly said how this seminar completely changed the misconception about Israel, and how much they enjoyed, and learned from the tour.
Both groups were expose also to our educational kits and activities that will be used by the teachers with their students.
Director of Diaspora Zionist Education Department, Education & Community Division, Slomo Benhaim said: “We are interested in training teachers and principals to work together with KKL – JNF and to use the educational content of the Education and Community Division. In Jerusalem, we intend to strengthen the Zionist identity of teachers in the Diaspora and thus strengthen the connection of students and their families to Israel. ”
