Lauren Cohen Fisher
Thanks for stopping by.
Israel/Palestine continues to be one of the more polarizing and charged topics of our time. For that reason, many educators, students, and communities find themselves both drawn to the conversation and anxious to participate in it.
Over the last decade, I have sought to make conversations and teaching about Israel/Palestine more productive, engaging, and multivocal so that students and educators can lead with curiosity and participate in a meaningful discourse about, and across, deep divisions on this issue.
If you are curious about inviting me to serve as a teacher/scholar-in-residence, facilitator, or curricular consultant, please be in touch.
Programs
Teaching
Facilitation
Curricular Consulting
I have been teaching about Israel/Palestine for over a decade in academic spaces as well as Jewish institutions (synagogues, summer camps, BBYO, Moishe House), and community spaces. I take a multi-vocal approach centered around curiosity, primary source documents, and critical thinking.
I teach both at the practical level (about Israel/Palestine itself) as well as at the meta level (teaching ~how to teach about Israel/Palestine). In both formats, my work employs the "Inquiry-Centered Model," a pedagogy I developed while working at Hillel International.
I work with communities and their leaders to facilitate dialogue across difference. This includes conversations about Zionism and anti-Zionism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the role of Israel/Palestine in Jewish-American institutions & education. My approach seeks to invite everyone in the room to share from their own authentic self, giving space for those with disagreeing opinions to engage with each other in a productive and generative way.
I work with organizations, schools, and synagogues in developing curricula and programming about Israel/Palestine. This includes curricular audit, advising on source material, mentoring in the development of lesson plans, and workshopping essential questions/big picture goals.