Teens attending the November 12 Teen Israel Leadership Institutte said this about their four hours of learning:

“This session made me proud to be Jewish.” – Avner B.

“This experience helped me reflect on what’s happening in Israel and my role in it. One main takeaway for me is the idea that Judaism and your commitment to Israel looks different for each individual and no one way is correct.” – Anna K., 

“I learned a lot about the history of why Jews are hated. After this, I learned that I need to do more within my community to educate people. I also need to show pride in order to combat the antisemitism.”  Aiden C.

“I believe that this program was incredibly informational. I will use this knowledge to inform friends and family.” Owen G

Debbie Sasson, Teen Educator and CIE Teen Manager, November 12, 2023.
Professor Ken Stein analyzing Hamas-Israel war – for 41 Jewish teens across Atlanta, November 12, 2023.

Contact Debbie Sasson to schedule a Teen program in your community; another teen Israel learning program is being scheduled in Atlanta for spring 2024.


Israel education for Jewish teens is a vital piece of the work we do at the Center for Israel Education, understanding that, regardless of politics, Israel is intrinsic to Jewish and non-Jewish identities. 

Through our partnership programs and our hallmark Teen Israel Leadership Institute, CIE connects high school students with content and context to build individual capacities to learn, belong and own Israel’s story.

In the last eight years, CIE has engaged thousands of high school students from around the world in our in-person workshops and online Israel programming.


Sample Program Schedules


Our Partners

The CIE Teen Israel Leadership Institute program is offered by the Center for Israel Education in partnership with the Emory University Institute for the Study for Modern Israel and Emory University Hillel. The program is supported by a grant from the JNF Boruchin Center Fund and an anonymous foundation. Equally committed to initiatives that promote the understanding of Zionism as a central component to Jewish identity, JNF offers teen Israel engagement opportunities that can be found here: High School Engagement (jnf.org).


Previous TILI Programs

November 2023
May 2023 – virtual program, general community
April 2023 – in person program, the Weber School in Atlanta, GA
March 2023 – virtual program, general community
February 2023 – in person teen workshop, Atlanta
May 2022 – virtual program, Latin American teens
February 2022 – virtual program, international community 
Spring 2021 – virtual program with West Palm Beach and Israeli partners
April 2021 – virtual program, Latin American teens
September 2021 – virtual program, international community 
February 2021 – virtual program, international community
November 2020 – virtual program, Montreal and Toronto, Canada
May 2019 – in person program, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle 
January 2019 – in person program, Newark, NJ in conjunction with USY
October 2018 – in person teen workshop, Atlanta
April 2018 – in person teen workshop, Atlanta


Opportunity for Community Based Partnership for Intensive Teen Israel Learning

CIE offers community-based teen programming and has successfully implemented it in a number of cities across North America. To learn more about bringing this innovative Israel programming to your community, please contact debbie.sasson@israeled.org.


What do teens say about TILI?

“The program was just awesome. I learned more in those six hours about Israel than in the past year at my private Jewish school. All of the professors and facilitators involved were enthusiastic about the lessons and eager to answer everyone’s questions. I’m so glad I attended, and now that I’m aided with this new knowledge, I look forward to spreading awareness and effecting good change now and far into the future.” Samantha C., West Bloomfield, MI, February 2022

“La sesión del Dr. Stein acerca de la política de Israel y su historial en política fue la sesión que más me gustó del programa. Me encantaría que hubiese más gente participando en los programas para poder tener más interacción con otros estudiantes que estén interesados en aprender más acerca de Israel, y me encantaría que siguieran teniendo más programas virtuales porque son más fáciles para poder atender. Fue una oportunidad de aprendizaje increíble.”

“As somebody with a strong Zionist identity and much prior education I wondered how the CIE program could be organized to be inclusive of teens who are coming from vastly different backgrounds on Israel-education and personal relationships to Zionism. The CIE experience was crafted in a way which catered to students from all different backgrounds and allowed for each student to take something different away from the program. After learning at CIE, I feel like I have gained the knowledge and developed the tools to confidently implement programming for Israel leadership in my communities.” Evie K., Closter, NJ, September 2021

“I learnt so much from the two CIE online sessions! Thank you so much for helping me to build up my confidence in speaking about Israel and providing me with a thorough background of the subject. It is a fantastic program, and I learned a lot about a variety of topics surrounding the conflict, such as media deception and a broad history of Zionism.  I would recommend this program to any teens around the world who want to learn how best to defend and fight for the state of Israel.” – Hattie B., UK

Read more comments about the program from teens and parents.

December 2019 Teen Seminar

October 2018 Teen Seminar