Join us for a heartfelt discussion with Prof. Michal Muszkat Barkan, the founder and academic director of the ‘Teachers’ Lounge’ program in memory of Shira Banki. Together with two teachers who participated in the program we will discuss how the program have changed the way they think about the “other”, and when they feel that in the place they live, diversity and multi-culturalism can be seen as a source of hope and inspiration, not only as an obstacle. We will touch upon the challenges the teachers and the program face following the atrocities of October 7 and the war in Gaza and ways of coping in a multicultural society.
About Teachers’ Lounge:
The Teachers’ Lounge is an annual enrichment program recognized by the Ministry of Education and intended for teachers and educators in Israel. The program has been running since 2014, striving to create a deep, process-oriented discourse among teachers from the various sectors. The groups are considered successful when the teachers feel that their meetings under the program have changed the way they think about the “other”, and when they feel that in the place they live, diversity and multi-culturalism can be seen as a source of hope and inspiration, not only as an obstacle.
The program sees the teachers as key figures and embodiments of values, as well as sources of information, for their students. Teachers have the ability to generate meaningful change, mobilizing against racism and prejudice and thus increasing tolerance and improving the climate of the city’s multicultural life.
The Teachers’ Lounge project has become a significant educational project in Israel. It is administered by the education department of Hebrew Union College (HUC) together with Shira Banki’s Way (a Public Benefit Corporation) and runs teacher's training centers in Jerusalem, West Galilee, Ramle, Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Haifa.
As of 2024, more than 500 teachers from hundreds of schools have participated in the various Teachers’ Lounge programs.
About the speaker:
Prof. Michal Muszkat Barkan is Founder and Academic Director of the Teachers' Lounge Program. She is an associate professor of Jewish education in the parallel track at the HUC-JIR, where she has been managing the educational and professional development department since 2006. She serves as the head of the “Rikma” program – a Master’s Degree for Change, which aims to cultivate and encourage pluralism and community in Jewish education – in collaboration with the Melton Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Michal is the founder and academic director of the ‘Teachers’ Lounge’ program in memory of Shira Banki, and the pedagogical director and editor of the accompanying research. Her studies address professional development for teachers, educational leaders, pluralism and multicultural teacher training.
The event is part of the Online Event Series "Israel & Palestine: Building Hope in Times of War".