It was a remarkable year at the Hartman Institute.
It was a remarkable year at the Hartman Institute.
It was a remarkable year at the Hartman Institute.
It was a remarkable year at the Hartman Institute.
Be’eri Program for Pluralistic Jewish-Israeli Identity
Advancing pluralistic Jewish-Israeli identity and commitment to Jewish and democratic values among educators and students in the secular education system
Be’eri fosters Jewish pluralism and a spirit of intellectual inquiry that serve as the cornerstone of an affirmative Jewish-Israeli identity. With broad reach within the secular school system, Be’eri advances an inclusive, accessible, values-based Judaism rooted in tradition. Be’eri’s extensive teacher training and curriculum development expand the breadth and depth of Jewish-Israeli pedagogy, empowering Be’eri educators to inspire students’ ownership over their Jewish identity and their contribution to a pluralistic Jewish-Israeli democracy.
Be’eri is active in dozens of Israeli high schools, encompassing the largest Tarbut Yehudit Yisraelit (Jewish Israeli culture) program in Israel. Through educator training, Ministry of Education-mandated classroom hours, curriculum development, experiential education programs, and partnerships with local and national change agents, Be’eri is a central force in deepening pluralistic Jewish identity and a commitment to Jewish and democratic values among Israeli educators, students, and government and community leaders. Be’eri is run in full cooperation with the Ministry of Education and constitutes a core part of the curricula in Israeli schools.
In 2018-19, we strengthened our focus on teaching democratic values as Jewish values as we coped with Israel’s complicated cultural and political ecosystem. Despite the current political atmosphere in Israel, in which Jewish-nationalist values often take precedence over Jewish-democratic values, we gave educators the resources and tools to engage with these controversial topics in the classroom: We held study seminars for Be’eri facilitators to train them in how to talk about politics in the classroom, ran courses in all our branches of the Be’eri School for Teacher Education on democracy, and created lesson plans with sources addressing a contemporary moral issues in Israeli society.
This year we...
Introduced new, flexible models for school facilitation so that each school receives support tailor-made for its needs. These models offer varying levels of Be’eri support for school management teams and teacher training to develop school staff who are empowered and prepared to respond to national and local current events using a pluralistic, Jewish values-based approach.
Michal Tal El
Be'eri School for Teacher Education 2018-19 Jerusalem High School for the Arts
“Be’eri is investing in me as a teacher. Where else can you sit with people who are so different from you and study a text which everyone then understands in their own way? I have gained so much from the Be’eri training course that has enriched me as a person, which has enriched me in my role as a teacher, and now my whole school benefits.”
Be’eri is supported by the Avi Chai Foundation, The Azrieli Foundation, Canada-Israel, Canadian Friends of the Shalom Hartman Institute, Keren Daniel, Edward Fein Foundation, June Baumgardner Gelbart Foundation, Russell Berrie Foundation, Alan B. Slifka Foundation, UJA-Federation of New York, Israel Ministry of Education, the municipalities of Be’er Sheva, Haifa, Modi’in, and the Golan, and other generous donors.
