DJDS teachers and parents enjoy powerful IAC National Summit

 

 

By Danielle Shwartz, Upper Division Hebrew Teacher & Israeli Programmer

 

I had the amazing opportunity to go to the IAC (Israeli American Council) 2021 National Summit in Florida this year. It was the most fulfilling experience for me personally to see more than 3000 young professionals, students, interns, and community members from around the country - lovers of Israel and to also be sent by my school, Denver Jewish Day School, to one of the largest, highest-profiled, and most impactful conferences in the Jewish world.  
 
The summit’s content and speakers were extremely insightful. The speakers included Israeli and American world leaders, decision-makers, change-makers and cultural icons from businesses and companies of all types - philanthropic, technology, innovation, education, political, and activists. Some of the speakers included: ministers Dr. Nachman Shay, Benny Gantz (current Israeli Minister of Defense), and Penina Tamato Shata (the first Ethiopian-born minister in Israel), Dr, Daniel Gold (Head of Development of the Iron Dome), Tal Brody (International Goodwill Ambassador, and a good friend of DJDS), various journalists, and CEO's from Israeli companies.

 

 
The sessions were inspirational and covered a wide range of topics - from Israel’s defense systems, Israel’s security, questions of identity, antisemitism today in the global community, and enhancing our Hebrew learning.

My experience in the summit’s panels was an engaging one throughout. I had the privilege to facilitate insightful dialogue where the audience could engage in meaningful conversations with the speakers, and even thought-provoking concerns about where does Israel education go from here? One important and powerful question that stood out to me was, “How can we arm our students in college campuses and high schools to be prepared to face and potentially argue against the BDS ( Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement) international campaign to boycott Israel over its alleged harsh treatment of Palestinians in Israel?” This is a question that I feel and fear more students in the halls of DJDS will unfortunately be faced to engage in or face during their college careers and young adult lives. It was a fascinating discussion. 

 

 
For me, I felt very lucky to be accompanied by many friends from our school and Denver Jewish community and form professional connections with organizations that see the importance of a holistic Jewish and Israeli approach to learning. I attended this summit with so many DJDS parents and alumni families who care so much about Israel and the connection it has with the United States. We combined to total over 30 people in the Colorado delegation and we came back strong and full of hope.
 
I hope to bring these topics to my classroom, I hope to continue the conversation about Israel education and Jewish education, and I hope to pass down that enthusiasm I saw in the summit to my students. Aulcie Perry, former Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball star player had this to say when asked about his years living in Israel and the warm experience he had received from Israeli people and all of his fans: “Israel is my home, my life, and Israelis are my family."