Inside Israel offers fresh approach to educating students on Israel and international affairs
'You can't ever come to a full conclusion without hearing the other side. Essentially, it's as simple as that'
A program predicated on nuance is steamrolling ahead. Two weeks after launching, Inside Israel is engaging University of Pittsburgh students in rigorous and meaningful conversation about the Jewish state, foreign relations and geopolitics.
Operating under the auspices of Hillel Jewish University Center, Inside Israel brings together 20 college students for weekly dinner and discussion.
The conversations, which are student-led, build on assigned materials, including podcasts, opinion pieces and news reports from publications such as The Atlantic or The Times of Israel.
Asher Goodwin, a Pitt senior, has partaken in similar Israel-related education since arriving on campus.
Inside Israel furthers past efforts by meeting the moment, he explained.
The program is built on a realization that students need to “learn about topics in a nuanced way, in an environment which lacks nuance,” Goodwin said. “We see a lot of black and white on Instagram and things that are overly simplified. I thought that it would be pretty important to provide students with an opportunity to think a little bit more critically, explore multiple sources on different topics and engage in discussion amongst each other.”
On Tuesday evening, Goodwin led a discussion about the “Axis of Resistance.”
Conversation involved the Muslim Brotherhood, the Iranian Revolution, relations between Iran and Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah, and Iran and the Houthis, Goodwin said.
Ever since Oct. 7, 2023, interest in Middle Eastern affairs has risen on campus, he explained.
Providing a discussion-based forum ensures an “outlet where students could hash it out a little bit more.”
Brian Burke, IACT director of Israel and Jewish Experiences at Hillel JUC, worked with Goodwin to develop Inside Israel.
Burke is proud of the program’s mix of students, he said. “Most of the people have prior knowledge of Israel. Some people are very involved with Jewish life on campus. Most of the students are Jewish. Some people are new to Hillel JUC.”
What makes the group particularly interesting is it includes “people with different political views, people who voted differently in the November presidential election,” Burke added.
While Inside Israel offers students — each of whom receives a $150 stipend — a space for conversation, Goodwin is hoping to push the boundaries a bit further. In coming weeks, he’s considering including readings from Al Jazeera and tasking participants with exploring unfamiliar political takes.
“I think it’s a good mental exercise to give somebody a role or a position to play — almost as if it was a debate — and assign them to argue that,” Goodwin said. “In that sense, when you have a discussion, even if you don’t believe the things that you’re necessarily debating, it forces you to take a different perspective and explore some of the rationale.”
Inside Israel is a five-week program. Asking participants to dedicate time to not only pause previous judgment but advocate alien views isn’t about increasing sympathy for extremism but gaining comprehension, according to Goodwin.
“You can’t ever come to a full conclusion without hearing the other side. Essentially, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “With this conflict, and the region in a greater context, there’s not just one actor. If you want the full picture, you’re going to need to hear every story.”
Students are craving “safe spaces” to learn, Burke said. Inside Israel is generating weighty discussions, based on substantive materials, where students are “seeing complicated issues and talking about them in meaningful ways.”
Dan Marcus, executive director and CEO at Hillel JUC, called the program a “sophisticated learning environment” much needed by today’s students.
“At a time when there are so many challenges on campus with regards to Israel and antisemitism, providing students with a sophisticated and deeply analytical context to think about Israel, to learn about Israel and be able to educate others about Israel is vitally important,” he said.
Enabling participants to explore serious issues with sensitivity and thoughtfulness is one goal; having students replicate those practices is another, Goodwin said. The value of Inside Israel is modeling how to create an environment where there’s “an initial expectation to respect one another’s opinion, to be an open space where you’re not shouting other people down, where you’re willing to really just listen to what people have to say.”
Many people crave respectful learning spaces. The secret to creating one is “fostering an environment where students are willing to listen and hear their peers speak about things, or even listen from different sources,” he continued. “It comes from the willingness: If you’re not willing in the first place, you’re never going to learn.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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