APRIL 2008
Each year, through The Jewish Federation’s Holy Land Democracy Project, a group of Catholic teachers is given the unique opportunity to study about Israel and participate in a ten-day trip to the Holy Land. The purpose of the trip is to immerse the teachers in Jewish culture and history, which in turn, provides them with the proper background to teach a course on modern Israel to their Catholic students back home who otherwise might never have the opportunity to learn about the history of Israel and the Jewish people. The program is the brainchild of Dr. Daniel Lieber and a group of dedicated lay leaders, who, realizing that thousands of Catholic high school students had little or no knowledge about the history of the Jewish people or of Israel itself, helped found the program in 2004. Since the program’s inception, over 8,000 Catholic students have benefited from learning from these teachers, who come away from the trip with a deeper, more personal understanding of the course material. Developed by the Federation in partnership with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Jewish Community Foundation, the Holy Land Democracy Project begins with 12 hours of intense training for the Catholic educators who have been selected to take part in the program. In February and March of this year, the 18 Catholic schoolteachers and one superintendant who will soon travel to Israel on this program gathered in the library at Notre Dame High School for a training session, where they took notes, worked on groups activities, and participated in group discussions, much like their own students do every day. The sessions were led by Dr. David Ackerman, the Director of Educational Services at the Bureau of Jewish Education, a Federation beneficiary agency. The course itself focuses on providing the participants with a solid background of the history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as well as an in-depth history of Israel. Dr. Ackerman uses a variety of techniques to teach the material: he plays Hebrew songs, assigns outside reading, reads aloud from the course booklet, and passes around newspaper clippings, which help illustrate the many facets of Israel and Israeli culture. “As people, it doesn’t matter what our background is; we all like to hear stories,” Dr. Ackerman told the group. “I want you to think of the way you teach Israel as a story.” Before the training sessions, many of the participants had only a basic knowledge of Israel. For some, the training sessions gave them the opportunity to ask questions and clarify the information they have gleaned through other sources; for others, this was their first introduction to Israel. Joe Swoboda, who teaches at Servite High School in Anaheim, California, admits he didn’t know much about Israel before the training sessions. “However,” he said, “I was very impressed with what I did know.” Swoboda went on to praise the training sessions for what they have already taught him about Israel. “It’s very impressive to get the kind of education we’re getting. Israel is complicated, rich, and so historic – I had no idea that the country is as diverse as it is. “ “I thought I knew about Israel,” said Mark Fredette, who teaches Religion and Biblical Literature at St. Francis High School in La Canada. “But I can’t believe how much more I’ve learned in just a few weeks.” Kristina Ortega, a teacher at Chaminade College Preparatory High School, credits the program with deepening her knowledge of Israel. “These sessions have filled in the blanks,” she explained. Upon their return from Israel in April, the educators will teach a week-long curriculum on modern Israel, using their own personal experiences from the trip to add real-life examples and anecdotes to the material. At the end of the unit, their students submit essays, poetry, or artwork based on what they’ve learned about Israel. These submissions are entered in a competition, with the winners recognized in a special awards ceremony in June. When asked about the upcoming trip, the instructors say they are most looking forward to seeing and experiencing firsthand what they’ve been learning about for the past several months. Echoing Dr. Ackerman’s advice, Melea Walden, a Religion Instructor from JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano, says, “I teach by telling stories. Getting to finally see these places will make it personal. I can’t wait to be able to share my own stories about the places we talk about in the classroom every day.” Mark Fredette becomes emotional when he talks about what he’s most looking forward to. “I want to touch the Western Wall,” says Fredette. “I want to pray at the Western Wall. I just want to be there.” “From a faith-based point of view and a historical point of view, I can’t help but feel that there must be something mystical and powerful about this place that’s calling so many people,” says Kristina Ortega. “I can’t imagine what it will be like to finally be there and feel that.”
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