Israel LINK

08/20/2026

Thank you for having us!!

07/26/2026

If you’re at NewCAJE, be sure to stop by the IsraelLINK booth and say hello to Tammy and Deborah! 👋

They’re there all conference long to answer questions, share resources, and show how IsraelLINK can help educators bring thoughtful, engaging Israel education into their classrooms and communities.

🎤 Don’t miss Deborah’s workshop and live IsraelLINK demo! Whether you’re already using the platform or just curious to learn more, we’d love to see you there.

Come visit the booth, explore what’s new, and discover why educators across North America are making IsraelLINK part of their teaching toolkit.

See you at NewCAJE! 🇮🇱📚

07/16/2026

Big news from IsraelLINK!!

We are honored to announce that IsraelLINK has been selected as one of the organizations entrusted with preserving and carrying forward more than 150 educational resources from The iCenter, ensuring that these invaluable materials remain available to educators, schools, congregations, camps, and Jewish community organizations for years to come.

For nearly two decades, The iCenter helped shape the field of Israel education, investing in educators, pioneering new approaches to teaching and learning, and creating resources that have influenced thousands of classrooms across North America and beyond.

As an organization whose educational philosophy has been deeply influenced by The iCenter's work, we do not take this responsibility lightly.

These resources represent far more than lesson plans and activities. They embody years of educational innovation, intellectual rigor, thoughtful inquiry, and a commitment to helping learners engage with Israel in meaningful and enduring ways.

Over the coming months, IsraelLINK will integrate these materials into our platform while also preserving them within an open-access digital repository, ensuring that the knowledge, creativity, and educational excellence behind them remain accessible to the field.

In a new eJewishPhilanthropy article, IsraelLINK's Mina Rush reflects on The iCenter's legacy, the importance of investing in educators, and why stewarding these resources matters for the future of Israel education.

As Rabbi Tarfon taught: "It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to abandon it."

We are proud to help carry this work forward.

Read the full article here:

This summer, the Jewish educational community is saying goodbye to one of its most influential institutions. After nearly two decades of shaping the field of Israel education, The iCenter closed its doors yesterday. For many of us, the news is bittersweet. Institutions that help define a profession....

06/19/2026

Why was IsraelLINK created? How has it evolved? And what does it offer educators and students today?

In this short video, IsraelLINK Executive Director and Creator Mina Rush shares the vision behind IsraelLINK and the need for engaging, meaningful, and learner-centered Israel education.

Designed for both Jewish day schools and supplementary middle school programs, IsraelLINK provides educators with interactive lessons, ready-to-teach resources, and tools to help students develop lasting connections with Israel as they explore its history, people, values, and complexities.

🎥 Watch the video below to learn more about the IsraelLINK story and what makes our approach to Israel education unique.

What are the biggest opportunities and challenges you see in Israel education today? We'd love to hear from fellow educators in the comments.

WATCH: Mina Rush, Executive Director and Creator of IsraelLINK, a p...

03/16/2026

Incredible way to kick off with our friend 🫶

03/16/2026

The IsraelLINK team is in Las Vegas preparing for the Conference: Classroom Educator’s Track.

02/09/2026

📣 Jewish educators—join us in Las Vegas for the StandWithUs Conference Educators Track, March 15–17, 2026!

This is a premier professional development experience built for classroom teachers who want practical, high-level training in Israel education, Jewish identity, and leading complex classroom conversations with confidence and nuance. You’ll leave with classroom-ready tools, fresh curriculum ideas, and a national network of colleagues who care as deeply about this work as you do.

✨ Special educators rate: $495
🍽️ Includes six glatt kosher meals
✈️ (Hotel & travel not included)

Come learn, collaborate, and be energized alongside educators from day schools and supplementary schools across the country. This isn’t just a conference—it’s an investment in your students, your teaching, and the future of Jewish education.

Register today: standwithus.com/conference

01/26/2026

Dear Friends,

Days like today remind us why we are here, and why Israel education matters so deeply.

On October 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists attacked entire communities in southern Israel, Ran Gvili, z”l, a 24-year-old police officer in Israel’s Yasam counter-terror unit, did not hesitate to respond. Even while recovering from a broken shoulder, Ran ran toward danger to protect others. In his heroic actions, he helped save lives and was shot in the leg.

On January 31, 2024, it was confirmed that Ran was murdered by terrorists on October 7.

Today, January 26, 2026, the IDF announced that Ran’s body has been recovered from Gaza. And for the first time since 2014, there are no hostages remaining in Gaza.

This is not just news. This is a moment of deep collective breath. Of grief. Of honor. Of relief. Of responsibility.

We are Israel educators because behind every headline are real people, real families, and real courage. We teach so that our students understand that Israel is not an abstract idea or a political symbol, but a living society made up of individuals who choose, again and again, to stand for life, dignity, and responsibility to one another.

Ran Gvili’s story is a story of moral clarity. Of service. Of אהבת ישראל in its truest form.

It is also a reminder that our work is sacred. We are shaping how the next generation holds memory, builds empathy, and carries forward the values that make Jewish peoplehood resilient.

May Ran’s memory be a blessing.
May the return of every hostage bring healing to families and to our people.
And may we continue this work with renewed purpose, strength, and resolve.

With gratitude for your partnership in this sacred mission,

Rabbi Eric Leiderman & The IsraelLINK Team

12/16/2025

As Chanukah begins this year, our hearts are with the Jewish community in Sydney, who, by virtue of geography, are among the very first in the world each year to light Chanukah candles. We are collectively feeling the terror and pain that shattered their celebration.

The Torah teaches, כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר “For the commandment is a candle, and teaching is a light.” (Proverbs 6:23)

Chanukah has never been a story of comfort or certainty. It is a story of choosing light in moments of fear, of insisting on Jewish life and learning even when the world feels unstable, and of believing that small acts—one candle, one classroom conversation, one thoughtful lesson—can push back against darkness.

That belief is at the heart of IsraelLINK.

This Chanukah, we invite you to pause, reflect, and gather strength from one another, and from the work you do every day as educators shaping the next generation of Jewish learners.

🕎 A Free Chanukah Lesson for Your Classroom
To support you during Chanukah, we’re also sharing a free IsraelLINK Chanukah lesson for all educators.

👉 Access the free Chanukah lesson here: https://go.israellink.org/free/19

The lesson is designed to help students explore Chanukah through values, history, and meaning while creating space for reflection, conversation, and connection.

May this Chanukah bring light in moments of heaviness, strength in the face of uncertainty, and connection across classrooms, communities, and continents.

From all of us at IsraelLINK, thank you for the sacred work you do, especially in times like these. Chag Urim Sameach!

11/06/2025

📣 New from Prizmah’s HaYidion (Issue: Israel Education Now)
“The Case for Making Israel the Core of Jewish Education” by Mina Rush & Rabbi Eric Leiderman

Why does Israel belong at the heart of Jewish education? This article makes the case — offering a thoughtful framework for how Israel-education can shift from peripheral to central in Jewish schools and communal learning spaces.

🔗 Read it here: Prizmah – The Case for Making Israel the Core of Jewish Education https://prizmah.org/hayidion/israel-education-now/case-making-israel-core-jewish-education