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Making it Personal: Teaching Judaism to North American Youth in Israel

Abstract This article offers a general examination of the Israel, Jews, and Judaism displayed to North American Jewish youth on an Israel experience program, called Livnot U'Lehibanot ("To Build and to be Built"). My focus is an analysis of the program's pedagogical techniques. Based on detailed interviews and participant observation, I analyze participants’ responses to aspects of the program, to determine the effects of Livnot's teaching style and goals. This article demonstrates that Livnot's educational emphasis on “the personal” is credited by participants as a very significant factor in transforming their attitudes toward and understanding of Israel, Jews, and Jewish religious tradition.