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Educators Come to Zion to Discuss Teaching Zionism
(Ha'aretz) Sigalit Hoffman - For the past six years, members of the North American Alliance for Jewish Youth (NAA) have held their annual conference for informal Jewish educators in North America. This year, they decided to make their conference a practical lesson in Zionism and Israel awareness, and hold the conference in Israel. Almost 400 North American and Israeli educators gathered at a Dead Sea resort this week to set an example in the face of a sharp decline in youth travel to Israel. Jewish kids in North America cannot afford to be uneducated about Israel," educator Lisa Samick said. "It's not enough to watch CNN or read the New York Times." She described Israel and Zionism as being under siege, especially on college campuses. This veteran teacher hopes to re-instill a sense of pride and Jewish identity in her students, and, if nothing else, at least a sense of balance.