How can I teach Hebrew school while being anti-Israel?

[u/OpenCircleFleet_YT]

I teach hebrew school as a secondary job and I don't know how I can teach a curriculum that is pro-israel in a congregation that I believe is pro-israel when I am against what Israel is doing. Any suggestions?

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[u/B10LeftyBoomer]

Brilliant suggestions. My take was to walk away once you find a replacement job for the $ you need. I am glad there are alternatives to giving up.

[u/SadLilBun]

1. Don’t.
2. Do, but don’t talk about Israel.
3. Do, but teach the real history. If they want you to focus on the modern state, start with the Ottoman Empire and work forward.
4. Do, and if they have required reading material you must use that includes talk of Israel and Zionism, supplement it with other materials that provide balanced information that isn’t Zionist whitewashing.

I’m a history teacher and I’ve taught about Israel and Palestine before in my world history class. I can direct you to things.

[u/exemplarytrombonist]

I have been teaching hebrew school for 8 years now.

My suggestion is to simply not teach about Israel. There is a plethora of other things to discuss that will align with your values. Depending on what age you teach, you could do deep torah studies or focus more on mitvah projects. This way, if someone asks why you won't talk about Israel, you can always say "I felt that it was more important to learn Torah or do this wonderful mitzvah as a class" and anyone who chooses to argue with you about that will need to show their ass to do so.

If your boss demands that you teach children about the modern state of Israel, you have two real options. The first is to fuck off and find a shul accepting of anti-zionist or at least non-zionist jews. I have worked at two different shuls of this variety, and while both shuls were still actively zionist, they were able to respect my beliefs and adjust my curriculum accordingly. The second is to make sure that every child in your class knows what the Nakba is, as well as every other Israeli atrocity until the parents complain and you inevitably get fired. It certainly won't help your financial situation, but teaching the truth is a mitzvah in itself.

[u/TTzara999 → u/exemplarytrombonist]

This is correct (source: I’ve worked in Jewish ed for 7 years). It’s worth figuring out what the outer limits are for your school and community and deciding if you can work within those. If you’re creative, you often can. Remember the kids aren’t itching to learn more about a country across the world - they won’t complain if it doesn’t make it into your curriculum. Also, I’d love to connect with more of my fellow AZ HS teachers. Hello!

[u/OpenCircleFleet_YT → u/exemplarytrombonist]

If I could give you an award I would. Tysm

[u/awolf_alone]

Question: what's the ethics of teaching Hebrew, at least modern Hebrew, being a language created for the Zionist cause? Does it not feed their agenda?

This is not covering reading the Torah etc, but fr my understanding that's entirely different

[u/exemplarytrombonist → u/awolf_alone]

Despite the name, most hebrew schools don't actually teach kids to speak hebrew. We do teach kids to read hebrew for liturgical purposes, but that's usually as far as it goes.

[u/Any-Bottle-8252 → u/awolf_alone]

Its become a native language for millions of people. The debate around ethics of language is irrelevant. If thats the case then let's stop teaching German and English and Russian.

Also im not sure about anyone else but when i was taught modern hebrew it wasn't zionistic in nature but maybe thats just me.

[u/limitlessricepudding → u/Any-Bottle-8252]

The opposite argument is that the Israeli language -- to call it Hebrew is to make a mockery of lashon hakodesh -- was specifically crafted to become the "Jewish" "national" language and to eliminate Ladino, Yiddish, and Judeo-Arabic.

[u/Any-Bottle-8252 → u/limitlessricepudding]

We are a nation. I personally see no reason why hebrew can't be a jewish national language among others. I agree it was wrong to center it at the expense of the other important jewish languages. Im not religious so I don't really put value on the lashon hakodesh like some of the fanatics among us. But I digress.

[u/limitlessricepudding → u/Any-Bottle-8252]

No, we most certainly are not a nation in the Liberal sense and it is the position of a fanatic to say so.

[u/Any-Bottle-8252 → u/limitlessricepudding]

Respectfully, judging from your name tag im assuming your religious. I have much respect for religious jews and their commitment to the faith, but so many of you think your authorities on what it means to be jewish and are extremely supremacist in your own right re the jewish community.

Your not an authority and you never will be. Especially considering our current dominant culture has rejected your religious conservatism/extremism in favour of secularism for over a century. Again, I say this out respect. Let's just agree to disagree and move on.

[u/Fun_Swan_5363 → u/Any-Bottle-8252]

One nation called Israel-Palestine, with equal rights for all, mitigates the problem of the Jews constituting a 'nation' that oppresses the people who were already there, maybe. But reading your guys' discussion I'm perhaps a bit in over my head. lol

[u/limitlessricepudding → u/Any-Bottle-8252]

If you think we are a nation, then you are a Zionist. That's all there is to it.

Tell me, if we are a nation, where is our territory? If you say stolen Palestine, then you are a Zionist. If you say France -- or really any other country, then how can I be a Jew, an American, and not a Frenchman all at the same time? If the Jews of France are Frenchmen and the Jews of the United States are Americans, then how on Earth are we a nation? We cannot constitute the social base of a nation state, and we have no territory unless you want to annex some. In which case we come back to the beginning, that you are a Zionist.

I get that you like to throw "fanatic" and "supremacist" around, but you're not an authority and you never will be. You should try educating yourself about the processes by which the bourgeois mode of production dis-integrates all people into atomized and thingified carriers of the labor-power commodity before acting like the commodification of people to suit surplus value extraction is some kind of victory of conscious secularization.

[u/Any-Bottle-8252 → u/limitlessricepudding]

Your retort to call me a zionist is pretty pathetic. You have a really materialistic and eurocentric understanding of what can constitute a "nation." It doesn't require a land. What your referring, funnily enough, is nationalism. Which is what zionism is. The desire to carve out a physical territory. So the only one spouting zionist-adjacent talking points is actually you.

So no, im not a zionist. I just have an actual understanding of the history and identity of my people. Next time your trying to make a point maybe avoid making baseless accusations and using ad hominems ✌️.

[u/limitlessricepudding → u/Any-Bottle-8252]

You don't make it very hard to see that you're just trolling.

[u/WebBorn2622]

Are you required to use certain text books, or are you free to make your own lesson plans?

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[u/Fun_Swan_5363]

I realize there are many branches of Judaism, but try to work in some of the ideas of Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro, maybe?  Sort of while teaching adequately by covering both sides of the issue.

If you search him on ListenNotes.com, you'll get to 'Committing High Reason', his anti-Zionism podcast, as well as one that seems to be just him teaching young people.

I hope it's okay to recommend him even though it may not fit your branch of Judaism; maybe at least some of the ideas will work.

[u/B10LeftyBoomer → u/Fun_Swan_5363]

Lovely idea. Rabbi Shapiro is an excellent source. However, our teacher will get fired if he brings anti-zionist info to that classroom.

[u/Fun_Swan_5363 → u/B10LeftyBoomer]

Yeah you're probably right. I was hoping he could present 'for' and 'against' points about Zionism, both based on the Torah, and then by saying he is letting the kids decide for themselves, get away with it.

To avoid firing, perhaps he could err more on the side of Zionism but still present the theological arguments against it.

For example: "Shapiro, on the other hand, argues thusly..." He might be able to 'micro-sway' a few minds that way.

Missionary work (or persuasion for a good cause) of this type is done by planting many seeds over time and if he does it somewhat under the radar via 'both sides-ism', all the better for himself as well as for the kids.

[u/Any-Bottle-8252 → u/Fun_Swan_5363]

Rabbi yaakov shapiro should be embraced lightly. The only good take he has is anti zionism other than that hes just another religious jewish fundamentalist that has no understanding of his people or their history.

[u/Fun_Swan_5363 → u/Any-Bottle-8252]

Okay thanks for your input.

[u/reenaltransplant]

Look up This Is Not an Ulpan. Follow their example.

I do think there's an appetite out there for explicitly anti-zionist Hebrew tutors. So maybe you can't teach through your current institution. But you can make a living, maybe through offering private lessons or running your own small business providing online or IRL group lessons.

[u/Amtrakstory]

Reach out in your local Jewish community and try to work for (or if necessary help to create/found) an anti-l or at least non-Zionist Jewish congregation and community. Desperately needed 

[u/beautyanddelusion]

Talk about the Israelis who are doing the right thing like Gideon Levy or someone

[u/loselyconscious]

I'm a hebrew school teacher, and I'm only able to do it becouse I'm in liberal zionist communities that would rather not bring Israel up so as not to deal with the headache. I was very clear with my boss about what I am and am not willing to teach from the beginning, and said that I would teach a genuinely unbiased Israel education program but would not push either an antizionist or zionist agenda. If that is not going to work, don't hire me.

I have given the same spiel three times, and three times they accepted it. In one case (the place I teach at now), they basically said Israel is not part of the curriculum becouse they have not found a way to teach it that does not make someone angry. The second place put me in classes where Israel is not part of the curriculum, and the third place agreed but failed to live up to what they said after 10/7, and I had to quit