Last week, I argued that disagreements over Israel and Zionism threaten to fracture the Jewish community more profoundly than any external threat in our history.

But within this crisis lies an opportunity.  We can rediscover what unites us through the transformative power of Jewish learning.
In Tractate Gittin (55b), we learn that the Second Temple was destroyed because of “sinat chinam”—baseless hatred between Jews. Yet from that destruction emerged something remarkable: a Judaism that could thrive anywhere, sustained not by geography or politics, but by shared texts, traditions, and values. (This is one of the essential lessons of our World Religions course.)

As we face our own moment of internal division, we would do well to remember that Jewish survival has always depended more on what we learn together than on what we agree about politically.

The current crisis stems partly from what one might call the "advocacy trap"—the tendency to reduce Jewish education as a tool of hasbara. Too many Jewish educational institutions have become echo chambers, teaching students what to think about Israel (i.e., “the only democracy in the Middle East,” “a light unto the nations,” the inventor of the cherry tomato, etc.) rather than how to think Jewishly about complex moral and political questions.

The solution isn't more effective advocacy—it's deeper Jewish literacy that gives young Jews the intellectual and spiritual resources to navigate complexity while maintaining connection to Jewish tradition and community.

It's against this backdrop that initiatives like ADRABA—"a reimagined Jewish high school"—offer such promise. Unlike institutions that begin with ideological positions and work backward to justify them, ADRABA starts with what our mission statement calls "deep literacy and engagement" with Jewish texts, ideas, and traditions.

Consider our Grade 11 Media Studies course, which uses media and coverage of Israel-Palestine as a case study. Rather than teaching students to advocate for one side or another, the course develops critical thinking skills and media literacy that enable students to engage thoughtfully with complex narratives. This approach acknowledges the centrality of Israel-Palestine to contemporary Jewish experience while providing tools for analysis rather than predetermined conclusions.

Similarly, our Grade 12 Philosophy course explores metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, philosophy of science, social and political philosophy, [and] aesthetics —giving students the philosophical framework to grapple with fundamental questions about justice, identity, and responsibility that underlie political disagreements.

What makes ADRABA's approach particularly promising is its commitment to what we might call "textual courage"—the willingness to engage with the full complexity of Jewish sources rather than cherry-picking quotes that support predetermined positions. Our World Religions course examines sacred writings and teachings across traditions, while our World Cultures course analyzes religious and spiritual beliefs, art forms, and philosophy.

This methodology follows the model of traditional beit midrash learning, where students encounter texts that may contradict each other and are expected to wrestle with the tensions rather than resolve them prematurely. As anyone who has studied Talmud knows, the goal isn't to win arguments but to understand the depth and complexity of the questions being addressed.

Our location in Canada provides an additional advantage. Canadian Jewish communities have historically been less polarized around Israel than their American counterparts, perhaps because Canadian Jews have developed a more comfortable relationship with diaspora existence. As historian Harold Troper notes in The Defining Decade, Canadian Jews learned to balance particularism and universalism, Jewish identity and Canadian citizenship, in ways that offer models for navigating contemporary tensions.

ADRABA's commitment to preserving and strengthening Jewish identity within Canada while contributing to the broader sustainability of Jewish culture and heritage globally reflects this sophisticated understanding of diaspora Jewish life. Rather than viewing diaspora as a temporary condition awaiting resolution through aliyah, ADRABA treats diaspora engagement as a legitimate and vital form of Jewish existence.

Perhaps most importantly, ADRABA's approach recognizes that sustainable Jewish community requires more than shared political positions—it requires shared intellectual and cultural experiences that create bonds stronger than any particular disagreement. When students learn together about Jewish philosophy, engage together with Jewish texts, and explore together the complexities of Jewish history, they develop relationships that can withstand political differences.

Our school's small, intimate format—with classes meeting twice a week online via ZOOM—creates opportunities for genuine dialogue and relationship-building that large institutions often can't provide. Students get to know each other as whole people, not just as representatives of political positions.

ADRABA's approach suggests FIVE principles that could guide other Jewish educational institutions:

1. Start with texts, not positions: Engage students with primary sources before asking them to take political stands.
2. Embrace complexity: Acknowledge tensions and contradictions rather than providing false clarity.
3. Build relationships: Create opportunities for meaningful interpersonal connection across political differences.
4. Connect particular and universal: Ground Jewish learning in specific traditions while engaging with broader intellectual and ethical questions.
   
5. Model intellectual courage: Demonstrate how to engage with difficult questions without predetermined answers.

Conclusion:

The crisis facing the Jewish community won't be resolved through better advocacy or more effective messaging. It requires a return to what has always sustained the Jewish people: serious engagement with Jewish learning, deep investment in Jewish relationships, and commitment to Jewish continuity that transcends any particular political moment.

Institutions like ADRABA offer a roadmap for this work. By prioritizing "deep literacy and engagement" over ideological conformity, they're creating space for Jews to disagree about politics while remaining committed to shared learning and community.

R. Hananiah ben Teradion said that when two people sit together and words of Torah pass between them, the Divine Presence rests upon them.  In our fractured moment, we need that Divine Presence more than ever—not to resolve our political differences, but to help us remember that those differences need not define or destroy us.

The Jewish future depends not on achieving political unanimity, but on ensuring that future generations of Jews have the intellectual, spiritual, and cultural resources to engage thoughtfully with the complex questions of their time. That's the gift that deep Jewish education offers—and it may be our best hope for restoring our divided house.

This article shares INSIGHTS into the types of topics we teach in our online high school courses.

Have we peaked your curiosity to learn more about our virtual school?

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