Israel 101: Understanding Israel's Political System
How is the Knesset different from Congress? What is at stake in the argument about Israel's judicial reform/overhaul? What should we expect to see in the next Israeli elections, coming up in 2026?
Explore these questions and more with Mikhael Kesher in this virtual Israel 101 mini-course, combining lecture and discussion. Educators will emerge with a working understanding of Israeli politics, essential for understanding, interpreting, and perhaps even teaching the Israeli news cycle in 2026.
Israel 101 offers Jewish educators across settings the opportunity to build foundational content knowledge of Israel and Zionism, In each standalone mini-course, educators explore a topic of contemporary significance through interactive virtual sessions with an expert educator. Courses assume minimal prior knowledge of Israel, Zionism, and Hebrew.
Registrants are expected to commit to active participation in all sessions and limited assigned reading/listening between sessions.
Cost: $36.
If this nominal participation fee presents a barrier to entry, please be in touch with Jenna Handler at jhandler@jewishedproject.org to discuss financial aid.
- After School and Beyond
- Early Childhood Education
- Educator Training
- Camp
- Congregational Learning
- Day Schools and Yeshivas
- Early Childhood
- Family Engagement
- Teen Engagement
Mikhael Kesher is a curator of educational experiences and resources, whose professional passion is supporting Jewish educators and learners in building informed, constructive, and committed relationships with am yisrael (the Jewish people) and medinat yisrael (the Jewish state). As a British-born Israeli-by-choice and new American, he cares deeply about strengthening each Jew’s connection to global Jewry. Before joining The Jewish Education Project as Director, Israel Education, Mikhael worked at Harvard Hillel, MIT Hillel, and Hebrew College. He holds Master’s degrees in Philosophy (University of Cambridge), Near Eastern & Judaic Studies (Brandeis University), and Jewish professional leadership (Brandeis University). At home, Mikhael is an avid reader, ḥevruta enthusiast, and devoted abba to two young children.
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