The Jew on a Short-Term Visit to Israel: A "Magical Mystery Tour"

Publication Date: January 1993

Publisher: Jewish Communal Service Association of North America

Author(s): Paul Liptz

Research Area: Education

Keywords: Israel Experience; Education; Outreach

Type: Report

Coverage: Israel United States

Abstract:

The Israeli experience must be more than just a tour. It has to include both cognitive and affecfive elements. It should encourage the highest level of participatory leaming and also be flexible in design. The term "leaming Kehillah" (learning community) should be used to refer to a group on tour, indicating that the participants are not only gaining information about Israel but are also experiencing a meaningful dialogue with other parficipants. The themes and topics should be carefully organized into a "conceptual map," so there is an easy flow from topic to topic. The choice of sites should be based on a well-developed set of educational concepts, realizing that each site may have historical, spiritual, scenic, or just "plain fun" roles. The ideal tour should deal with both the immediate and long-term needs of the visitor, ensuring that the material presented will encourage the participants to consider unexplored realms. Each visit to Israel should whet the appetite for yet another. No country is typified only by its museums, scenery, or battlefields, but needs to be seen as a whole, a combination of vibrant elements, a juxtaposition of past and present. This is especially true of Israel, for which exists an extra danger—a tendency to stress or glamorize a certain element to the exclusion of others.