By Dylan Singer
Three years ago at camp, I participated in a program that was meant to expose us to different aspects of Israel other than those which are commonly talked about. As part of this program, we were shown different t-shirts that represented issues both in Israel and throughout the world. Some examples of the causes these shirts represented were “Disconnect to Reconnect”, “In the Face of Terrorism”, and “Innovation Africa”.
Fast forward three years and these same t-shirts were presented to me by their creator, David, of the “NU Campaign”. He told us about how these shirts have writing printed on the inside of the shirt as well as the outside so that some of the information can be close to your heart. This idea was very unique, but I more so appreciated his way of spreading information. He used people as canvases. He allowed already inspired people a way to show their passion about a topic. As more and more people wore his shirts, David was able to further spread information about topics that were important to him and others. The NU Campaign gave people the tools to inspire through education. They also did this through a natural and informal way by having someone choose which social issue they wanted to represent. Giving inspired individuals the ability to influence those around them is, in my opinion, one of the hardest parts of being an educator.
Another part of having flexible education is allowing the curriculum to adapt as it develops. The NU campaign did this and gave people by creating an option for consumers to design their own shirts. This development served the same goal of giving people the tools they need to teach their passion, but allowed this passion to be one’s own instead of David’s. Having this option was a great way for the NU campaign to become a company that is truly run using both the passions of the company and the passion of others. I hope that there will be more educational objectives like this in the future of Jewish Education because I believe that the only way for Jewish Education to truly work is by enabling others to show their passion for Judaism.
