ABSTRACT The loci mnemonic has many studies demonstrating its efficacy. This pilot study examined its potential use in memorizing the Mishnah, an authoritative text for Orthodox Jews. Seventy-one participants were divided into two control groups and one experimental group, the latter using the loci mnemonic. Statistical analysis suggested improvement in the experimental group 24 hours after learning for both strict serial and lenient recall and immediately after for strict serial recall. These findings derive from a small, nonrandomized pilot sample and should be viewed as hypothesis generating, providing a foundation for further rigorous research.

ABSTRACT The study examined Hebrew language education in five Central and Eastern European countries formerly under Soviet rule, focusing on teachers’ professional background, instructional goals, perceived achievements, and challenges. Most teachers are locally based with some relevant education, yet only one-third have formal training in language education. Their primary goals are to develop students’ linguistic knowledge and to strengthen their Jewish identity. Teachers’ perceived achievements align with their goals, suggesting high self-efficacy. Challenges relate primarily to teachers’ professional preparation and support. Overall, Hebrew teachers perceive themselves both as language agents and as gatekeepers of Jewish identity in small post-communist communities.

ABSTRACT This study explores the experiences of kindergarten teachers during the evacuation of children in the 2023 war in Israel, when entire northern communities were forced to leave their homes and educational settings. Using semi-structured interviews with 22 kindergarten teachers, the research examined how educators managed the challenges of teaching and caring for young children under temporary and often unstable conditions. Three primary challenges were identified: the gap between the need to act and the lack of available support; the dual challenge of supporting children’s emotions while regulating their own; and the personal difficulties faced by teachers during the crisis. Analyzing these findings through the lens of resilience theories highlights how kindergarten teachers perceive and fulfill their professional roles in fostering resilience during times of crisis. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of teacher resilience and offers practical recommendations for strengthening professional and systemic support to enhance educators’ stability and effectiveness in emergency contexts.

ABSTRACT This article offers a developmental review of the empirical literature in the field of Israel education. Organized into six developmental stages—early childhood, childhood, early adolescence, adolescence, emerging adulthood, and adulthood—it examines what the research literature has revealed about the concerns of learners of each stage, the common practices of educators who teach learners of each stage, and the challenges of Israel education at each stage. The manuscript reveals both new insights into the common practices of Israel education and lacunae in the existing research literature, thereby pointing to future directions for both research and practice in the field.

ABSTRACT This article explores how Jewish and Palestinian teachers in a Jerusalem professional development program interpret place. It examines how engaging with concrete places in their shared city shapes their perceptions of both place and the other. Using qualitative analysis, the findings reveal three stages in the hermeneutics of place: awareness of personal horizon, encounter of horizons, and broadening of horizons. Place interpretation emerges as a tool for fostering mutual understanding in conflict and demonstrates how intentional encounters with the other can be meaningfully integrated into Jewish Israeli teacher professional development.

ABSTRACT This essay argues that Hasidic texts can serve as thought-partners and stimulants for moral and spiritual reflection in higher education. I explore reading Hasidic sources within the university classroom as “ethical prompts”—not as a nudge to do the right thing, but as texts that spark a process of thinking, reflection, and discernment. Hasidic sources are helpful to this work because they model a compelling way of reading, of interpretation that is surprising, novel, and engaged. The encounter with Hasidic teachings can deepen our capacities for reading and reasoning while expanding our understanding of the spiritual and intellectual affordances of education.

ABSTRACT This article explores the manner in which kibbutz education in Israel blends secular and religious dimensions. Employing the history of ideas methodology on foundational Zionist and kibbutz thinkers’ writings, it argues that despite its common secular perception, kibbutz education harbors a strong, often hidden, religious element. This constitutes a reworking of religious language and symbolism rather than a true separation. The research reveals how this unique framework balances modern progressive ideals with deep ideological Zionist and tacit spiritual traditions, fostering student dedication. The study focuses on the educational theories and philosophies of kibbutz leaders and thinkers, analyzing their written works.

ABSTRACT This study examines a professional development initiative designed to help Tanakh teachers surface and reflect on their assumptions about students’ beliefs. As a researcher and facilitator, I guided a cohort of five experienced educators through a structured process of inquiry, which included student surveys, teacher journaling, group reflection, and two rounds of interviews. Drawing on Jackson’s concept of the “presumption of shared identity,” the study investigated how making teacher assumptions visible in relation to student perspectives can prompt reflection and open pathways for professional growth. Findings, based on teachers’ own reflections and perceptions, indicate that this process fostered conceptual shifts, encouraged more inclusive pedagogy, and supported richer classroom dialogue. The study highlights the potential of research-informed professional development to help teachers navigate ideological diversity in Jewish education.