What does it really mean to advocate for Israel? At Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School and Beth Tfiloh Congregation, Israel advocacy means encouraging informed voices, creating space for honest conversations, and living our Jewish values. We do this every day through learning, prayer, and action which is reflected in watching our students speak up, standing together as a community, and through purposeful discourse that doesn’t avoid hard conversations. Israel isn’t a topic that gets pulled out only for holidays or headline moments, but instead, the foundation and love for Israel begins in preschool and continues to be woven into the fabric of every stage of learning here at our school and shul. It’s evident in the way we teach, pray, gather, and show up.
In our lower school, conversations about Israel are part of the weekly curriculum through Ivrit (the study of modern Hebrew language), singing songs in Hebrew, learning geography, celebrating culture, or asking questions that reflect a personal, budding connection to a country they see as part of themselves. Love and pride for Israel take root in everyday learning in age-appropriate, joyful ways.
Our middle schoolers develop a deeper understanding of history and current events surrounding Israel, so by the time they reach high school, the conversations are more sophisticated and nuanced. Students engage with speakers who present opposing points of view. They daven (pray) for the release of hostages, write letters to IDF soldiers, lead fundraisers to benefit Israel and kibbutzim, and even get on buses to attend rallies in our nation’s capital – not because we expect them to, but because they feel they should.
We believe that Israel is central to our Jewish identity, and that advocacy for Israel requires knowledge, clarity, and confidence. We’re building leaders who can think deeply, speak boldly, and lead with a sense of responsibility to Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), Klal Yisrael (the world-wide community of Jews), and the rest of the world.
The highlight of a BT education comes with the Natanzon/Taylor Senior Trip to Poland and Israel. It’s a journey where seniors witness firsthand the profound impact of the Holocaust and experience the vibrant living miracle of modern Israel. Along with beloved teachers and faculty, students build deep connections to their heritage – and to one another – through exploring history, culture, archaeology, geography, and to the people that bind us together.
The BT/Momentum Moms group – one of the first Jewish day school partnerships to take part in the Momentum program, focuses on the heartbeat of all Jewish families – Jewish moms. For our BT moms who apply and are accepted, this experience takes them to Israel, and they return with a strengthened sense of connection as a sisterhood of Jewish mothers, to other BT families, and a confidence and love for Judaism that benefits themselves and their families.
As the largest Modern Orthodox synagogue in the United States, we offer an impressive event calendar of Israel-focused adult education programs through our Mercaz Center for Jewish Life and Learning, and our Ivdu Program Center. We regularly welcome a diverse lineup of passionate speakers – experts who bring deep Jewish knowledge across policy, Middle Eastern relations, and more. Their confidence, thoughtful discussions enrich our community’s understanding and connection to Isreal in meaningful, inspiring ways.
An Israel Solidarity Mission trip and a summer Israel Family Mission trip took place this past year, giving families a chance to visit and support Israel at a time when Israel needs our support the most. This past winter, more than 1,000 visitors and nearly 40 Israeli vendors came to BT when several Baltimore Jewish organizations created an opportunity to help these shop owners through their “Shuk to the Core” event. This Israeli vendor fair made its first U.S. stop in Baltimore and brought with them everything from handmade Judaica to jewelry, clothing and textiles, books, and art. Families and supporters enjoyed Israeli food, music, and kids’ activities in a show of solidarity and support and due to the success of this event, another “Shuk to the Core” experience will take place on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
Beth Tfiloh brings visiting speakers to both the school and shul throughout the year. Our students heard from the Director of Friends of the IDF, the Baltimore Zionist District, IDF soldiers, former Israeli hostages, and Israel advocacy educators like Noam Weissman ’03 and former American Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman. Next month, Douglas Murray and Gadi Moses will headline our Helene and Stanley Z. Penn Lecture in a program that will support the American Friends of Nir Oz (AFNO). The purpose of the event is to raise funds to help rebuild Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the most devastated kibbutzim attacked on October 7.
At Beth Tfiloh, Israel advocacy lives in our classrooms and our conversations, in our tefillot (prayers), and our timelines. It shapes the way our community sees the world and defines their role in it. Across our school and synagogue, love for Israel is expressed not just in moments of crisis or celebration, but in the steady rhythm of daily life. It’s part of who we are.
