Conflicts of Interest:
A Certificate Program in
Israel and Conflict Education

Engaging complexity. Building confidence. Strengthening Jewish leadership.

Conflict is one of life’s defining challenges—particularly for educators and leaders tasked with transforming moments of uncertainty into opportunities for learning, understanding, and growth.

Few topics shape Jewish life today as profoundly—or as challengingly—as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Educators, rabbis, communal professionals, campus leaders, and other Jewish professionals are being asked to navigate increasingly complex conversations about Israel, identity, history, and the conflict. These conversations are often emotionally charged, deeply personal, and professionally demanding.

The challenges facing the global Jewish community in teaching and grappling with conflict have never been greater. The reverberations of October 7 continue to be felt not only throughout Israel, but across governments, businesses, media, college campuses, and Jewish organizations. Yet many educators feel underprepared—not because they lack commitment, but because they need deeper content knowledge, stronger pedagogical tools, and greater confidence facilitating conversations across difference in their communities.

Conflicts of Interest was created to meet this moment.

Conflicts of Interest addresses educators’ needs by combining substantive study of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with practical strategies for facilitating meaningful dialogue. Participants leave with a stronger foundation of knowledge, a richer appreciation for multiple narratives, and the skills to foster thoughtful, nuanced engagement within their own classrooms, organizations, and communities.

Now housed at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, the program equips Jewish educators and leaders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to engage the most difficult conversations with intellectual rigor, pedagogical excellence, and genuine curiosity.

What Makes This Program Different?

Conflicts of Interest is not designed to tell participants what to think.

It is designed to help them think more deeply, teach more effectively, and lead more confidently.

Through an immersive learning experience, participants will:

• Explore the historical foundations and contemporary realities of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Engage with multiple narratives, perspectives, and primary sources.
• Develop practical approaches for facilitating difficult conversations.
• Strengthen their ability to navigate disagreement with empathy, curiosity, and intellectual integrity.
• Reflect on their own relationship with Israel and how it informs their educational practice.
• Experience pedagogical models that can be adapted for classrooms, camps, congregations, campuses, and community organizations.

Participants leave not with simple answers, but with deeper understanding, greater confidence, and practical tools they can immediately bring back to their communities.

Conflicts of Interest is more than a program about the conflict. It is a professional learning experience that equips educators to engage complexity with confidence integrity, and transform difficult conversations into opportunities for deeper learning.

Who Should Participate?

Conflicts of Interest is designed for Jewish educators in diverse professional settings and organizations, including but not limited to:

• Day school educators and administrators
• Supplementary school educators
• Camp professionals
• Rabbis and synagogue educators
• Federation professionals with educational portfolios
• Campus professionals

Our Educational Approach

At Spertus, we believe that meaningful learning happens when rigorous scholarship meets thoughtful practice.

The Conflicts of Interest program combines:

• Scholarly depth grounded in contemporary research
• Multiple perspectives that encourage nuanced understanding
• Evidence-based pedagogy for teaching difficult topics
• Reflective practice that helps participants examine their own assumptions and experiences
• A community of learners committed to respectful dialogue across difference

Rather than avoiding conflict, participants learn how to approach it as an opportunity for deeper learning, stronger relationships, and more resilient communities.

Why Spertus?

For more than 100 years, Spertus Institute has prepared Jewish educators and leaders to meet the evolving challenges of Jewish communal life.

Conflicts of Interest builds upon Spertus’ longstanding commitment to Israel education, leadership development, applied Jewish learning, and engaging complex issues with academic rigor and openness.

The program reflects Spertus’ belief that today’s Jewish communities need leaders who can hold complexity, foster meaningful dialogue, and create spaces where difficult conversations become opportunities for growth.

Be the First to Know

Our next Conflicts of Interest cohort will be announced soon.

Join our interest list to receive updates about upcoming program dates, application information, and opportunities to learn more.