Dr. Sivan Zakai: Taking Children Seriously on Israel

Dr. Sivan Zakai uncovers the world of children’s opinions and insights about Israel, in peace and in crisis.

Sivan Zakai, Ph.D., is the Sara S. Lee Associate Professor of Jewish Education at HUC-JIR/Los Angeles. A thought leader in Jewish and Israel education, Dr. Zakai is the director of the Children’s Learning About Israel Project and co-director of Project ORLIE: Research and Leadership in Israel Education and the Learning and Teaching about What Matters Project. She also serves as a senior editor of the Journal of Jewish Education and as a member of the faculty at the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute. Her books include My Second-Favorite Country: How American Jewish Children Think about Israel, winner of the 2022 National Newish Book Award in Education and Jewish Identity, and the forthcoming Teaching Israel: Studies of Pedagogy from the Field.