Moving Beyond Falafel: What do our students need to know about Israel?
Presenter: Rich Moline

Israel is a complex country with multiple narratives and complicated relationships. What should our kids know as the country prepares for the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War? What maps do we show them (green lines, shaded spaces, borderless)? What language do we use (territories, settlements, security fence, separation barrier, etc.)? How do we expose them to issues of religious pluralism, co-existence, important history and personalities? And how do we so this as an educational endeavor as opposed to an advocacy approach?
 We will have a safe, open, and honest discussion of these issues and more, using text and media.
This is a KickStart North 5777 Intensive Workshop. It will run from 9:35 am to 11:35 am. 
This intensive is designed for teachers working with grades 6 -12.
Rich S. Moline is the director of Israel education for the Community Foundation for Jewish Education at JUF and director of Ta’am Yisrael. He is the founding director of Reshet Ramah, the alumni and community engagement program for the National Ramah Commission, and held multiple positions with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism on a local and national level, most recently as Chief Outreach Officer. He is a past national president of the Jewish Youth Directors Association, past president of the Solomon Schechter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago, and a graduate of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. He has been featured as one of the top community leaders in the Chicago Jewish News, and has received numerous awards, including the “Exemplar of Excellence” award from Hillel International and the “Or Zarua” award from the Jewish Educators Assembly. Rich is a founding member of the Egalitarian Minyan in West Rogers Park, where he lives with his wife, Joni Crounse. Rich and Joni have a son, Noah, who lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Livia Levine, and their 20-month old grandson. As a life-long Chicago White Sox fan, Rich is familiar with hopes and aspirations.