An Unpacked for Educators conference, in partnership with Sinai Akiba Academy
& Flesh Family Sinai Temple Israel Center, featuring:

This session outlines Unpacked for Educators’ vision for Israel education, the importance of introducing nuance and diversity of perspective into discussions about Israel, and the need for a shift from advocacy to education. In this interactive session, participants will discuss and debate the paradigm shifts that are needed in Israel Education today.

Recommended for educators who are new to Israel education.

Teaching Israel today extends far beyond the curriculum, surfacing in classroom discussions, parent emails, faculty lounges, and informal conversations between teachers and students. How can schools communicate their educational approach to parents, navigate times when student or educator views clash with the school’s Zionist mission, and define which perspectives on Israel belong within their community? Hear from a panel of school leaders as they share strategies for addressing these real-world challenges in Israel education beyond the classroom.

One of the most important tools in Israel education today is ensuring our students have a strong sense of cultural competency and literacy around Israel and Zionism. This session will highlight five key moments in Zionist history that our students should know, discuss why each event is so crucial to learn, and share practical tips on how educators can use UED resources to teach these moments in their classrooms.

Israel’s history is an ongoing saga that continues to capture the attention of the world. Current events in Israel are complicated and this session takes the most pressing issues taking place in Israel and unpacks the history, context and the wide contours of dispute surrounding the issue. This session will also share best practices for teachers for engaging students in discussions around these complicated events.

This session will explore the intersection of child development and Israel education to deepen our understanding of how K–8 learners grow with Israel from childhood to early adolescence. Emerge with new resources and practical strategies for delivering impactful and developmentally sensitive Israel education.

What do we want our graduates to know and carry with them about Israel? In this workshop, participants will develop a canon of core Israel texts, ideas, and reference points, and then practice mapping where and how these should live holistically across the curriculum. Educators will also learn practical tools and helpful framings for revamping an Israel course or rethinking a broader scope and sequence.

Ready to take your Israel teaching to the next level but not sure where to start? This session offers a guided tour of Unpacked for Educators’ resources and content, including curated collections, curricular outlines, and experiential programs. Participants will then workshop how to integrate UED resources into their own lesson plans and units. By the end of the session, you will know how to navigate the UED site, confidently find high-quality resources on Zionism, Israeli history, and Israeli culture, and leave with a ready-made lesson on the Israel topic of your choice.

In today’s polarized climate, students struggle to engage in respectful, productive conversations — especially around Israel. This Kadima Coaching workshop introduces the Socratic Seminar protocol as a structured way to build empathy, active listening, and thoughtful questioning. Participants will explore how this method differs from traditional debate and walk away with practical strategies to foster constructive, nuanced dialogue in their classrooms.

What perspectives belong in teaching Israel, and where do we draw red lines? Join Rabbi David Wolpe and Dr. Noam Weissman in exploring how to apply viewpoint diversity to teaching Israel, offering educators practical tools for engaging disagreement thoughtfully while navigating institutional, parental, and communal boundaries.

In this session, we will explore insights from recent research on how twenty Israel educators from Jewish high schools across the denominational spectrum approach the teaching of modern Israel. Our focus will be on why and how they incorporate both Zionist and Palestinian perspectives, seek to deepen students' Jewish identities through the study of Israel, and prepare students — through education rather than advocacy — to engage, lead, and/or understand the 'Israel conversation' on campus.

This workshop, designed for educators who work with middle years learners, focuses on the ways that middle school education offers both significant challenges and meaningful opportunities for learners and the educators who guide them. We will explore how middle years learners think about Israel politics, Israel-related antisemitism, Israel-related social media, and other key issues that situate middle years learners as distinct from both elementary- and high-school-age learners.

This dynamic session invites educators to reimagine how Israel education can come alive in their classrooms. Together, we’ll explore a fresh pedagogical approach that makes Israel’s story both relevant and resonant for today’s learners. Participants will gain practical tools to weave Israel education into their teaching with intention and creativity—empowering students to connect personally, think critically, and appreciate the richness and complexity of Israel through diverse perspectives.

Interwoven throughout this presentation are two interactive workshop segments that allow participants to actively experience the pedagogical approaches of teaching through lenses and spirals. Educators will first engage in a chavruta (partner study) format, followed by collaborative work in small groups of four. Together, they will reflect on their experiences, share insights, and explore practical applications of these methodologies within their own educational settings.

Drawing on Israeli music, television, film, and comedy, including Shababnikim, Avoda Aravit, and Eretz Nehederet, educators will explore how Israeli culture can be used to bring Israel’s diversity and complexity to life. The session examines key questions of Israeli identity, the opportunities and challenges of a diverse society, and the dynamics between minority groups and between religious and secular Jews. Educators will leave with practical resources they can immediately use with their students.

What can Israeli music teach us about Israeli society and what it’s going through right now? This session will lead educators through a model lesson using Israeli music to connect students to Israel in a practical, meaningful and engaging way.

Political cartoons are one of the best ways of learning about a country and what its citizens think about a given issue. In this interactive session, teachers will be introduced to some of Israel's most famous political cartoonists and learn how to effectively bring cartoons into their lessons about contemporary Israeli society.

Rabbi Dr. Menachem Hecht (YULA High School), Yael Mashbaum (Sinai Akiba Academy), Rebecca Berger (IKAR), Gabriel Meyerson (Milken Community Schools)

Hear from four talented and diverse LA Jewish educators as they share some of their most impactful lessons and creative ideas for teaching Israel that you can take back and adapt for your own classroom.

This session is designed for Jewish day school leaders and Hebrew educators seeking to intentionally integrate Israel education into Hebrew instruction in today’s complex landscape. The session explores the importance of ideological clarity around Israel and how it can be translated into coherent schoolwide policies, expectations, and pedagogy.

Participants will examine two complementary pathways: supporting school leadership in articulating a clear educational stance on Israel, and equipping Hebrew teachers with practical, age-appropriate tools to teach Israeli language, culture, and content in responsible and values-aligned ways.

Participants will leave with concrete strategies, instructional anchors, and examples that help students become linguistically capable, culturally grounded, and thoughtfully informed about Israel.

How can we meaningfully teach Zionism and Israel to younger learners? This session introduces Unpacked Junior, a collection of age-appropriate videos, lesson plans, and educational resources from Unpacked for Educators. We’ll also address some of the unique challenges educators face in this space — including limited instructional time, navigating age sensitivity, and communicating a school vision for Israel education.

Drawing on Israeli music, television, film, and comedy, including Shababnikim, Avoda Aravit, and Eretz Nehederet, educators will explore how Israeli culture can be used to bring Israel’s diversity and complexity to life. The session examines key questions of Israeli identity, the opportunities and challenges of a diverse society, and the dynamics between minority groups and between religious and secular Jews. Educators will leave with practical resources they can immediately use with their students.

What can Israeli music teach us about Israeli society and what it’s going through right now? This session will lead educators through a model lesson using Israeli music to connect students to Israel in a practical, meaningful and engaging way.

Political cartoons are one of the best ways of learning about a country and what its citizens think about a given issue. In this interactive session, teachers will be introduced to some of Israel's most famous political cartoonists and learn how to effectively bring cartoons into their lessons about contemporary Israeli society.