By Gabby Deutch
Recently Nachshon got to hear from Zeev Ben-Shachar, director of Israel education at Jerusalem U, an organization that creates films “with the goal of making young Jews feel proud of being Jewish and emotionally connected to Israel,” according to its website. Zeev followed other conservations about Israel with Israeli writers Etgar Keret and Matti Friedman. All of us came to this discussion ready to learn—and ready to delve deep into a new perspective.
Zeev spoke about how to communicate our passion for Israel to other people. He was an excellent speaker, brilliantly jumping from his personal story to his family background to current politics in Israel. I admired the clarity of his story telling. I thought about how I would describe my connection to Israel, or to Judaism, or to any topic. We too rarely encounter people who can so vividly express their personal narrative in a matter of moments.
After Zeev shared why he loves Israel, he spoke about how we can tell our Israel story. He discussed the basics of Israel advocacy and how to defend Israel on our college campuses. Many members of the group asked questions from personal experiences dealing with anti-Israel factions at their universities. But from the beginning of our experience in Nachshon, we have learned not to take anything at face value. Many people pushed back on some of Zeev’s claims, urging him to explain how he reached a particular conclusion or why he felt some facts are more important to discuss in our advocacy than others. Nachshon fellows come from such diverse backgrounds religiously and politically; it quickly became clear that people view Israel in different ways.
But it was immediately clear that any disagreement came from a love of Judaism and of each other. After three weeks, we have developed close friendships across those lines of religious observance and political beliefs. Some fellows disagreed with Zeev at times, others thanked him for making comments in line with their own beliefs, and still others simply listened. It’s obvious that there is discomfort among the fellows when we breach a topic like Israel, which unleashes passion and joy and fear and confusion. But what makes Nachshon unique from any other Jewish program I’ve experienced is that the fellows actively choose to go outside their comfort zone and experience Israel and Judaism in new ways.
I wrote rapid-fire notes as Zeev spoke—over 10 pages, in fact—and worked through many questions I constantly ponder about Israel: How do we teach young people to love Israel? How can we confront anti-Israel sentiment? What happens when the line is crossed to anti-Semitism? Is there a way to be pro-Israel and still tell an honest, inclusive story of Israel’s history, including its darkest moments as well as its proudest accomplishments? Many people would say no, but I think they’re wrong. Thinking about these issues with other Nachshon fellows helps me see how crucial innovative, truthful storytelling about Israel can make a huge difference. I want to tell that story.
