Dr. Marva Shalev Marom
Jewish Educator
A) What qualities make the nominee deserving of the Z3 Bridge Builder Award?
The year following the horrors of the 7.10 attack, and its horrendous effects on Israeli society, crystalized beyond doubt: Israel must cultivate a vision of unity in diversity to survive. Indeed, the bridges we build among different Jewish groups in Israel are our most valuable asset for the future.
In my experience as the President of Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies, there is no better candidate qualified to address this complex and overarching challenge than Dr. Marva Shalev Marom. Dr. Shalev Marom’s transformative work in Jewish Education, her innovative and impactful initiatives uniting fractured Jewish communities In Israel and abroad, and her relentless efforts to bring harsh, sometimes bitter opponents to a fruitful, meaningful conversation, all attest to her profound belief in the Jewish heritage and its healing powers in the Israeli present. She beautifully exemplifies the very essence of what the Z3 Builder award calls for and what I believe is the mission of the Schechter Institute.
Since joining the Schechter institute in April 2023, Marva has revolutionized our role in the Israeli society; she expanded our outreach far and beyond academia, to unique and diverse crowds across the country, using social media, creative lectures and gatherings, viral videos touching on faith, grief and renewal, and a popular Radio podcast that has raised a flag for pluralistic Jewish thought. Her vibrant presence and proactive approach to community engagement has attracted many new students from varied Israeli sectors such as the Jewish Ethiopian community, religious right and secular left. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she has breathed new life into our vision.
Above all, Marva's approach is one of empathy. Her experience working with marginalized communities - particularly the Jewish Ethiopian community in Israel, the only East African Jewish diaspora who made Aliyah, whose integration so far has been most complex and least successful - enables her to design resonant study programs that provoke thought, call for action and give us new insight into how we got to where we are, and how we can bring about positive change.
Despite being the youngest faculty member, she has become a mentor to many, including myself. She is an educator through and through, and one of tireless and dedicated presence: listening and learning from her students and their stories, openly conversing and creating seminars, programs, collaborations and artistic endeavors with students of diverse Jewish backgrounds, and providing support to struggling students across facets of life.
For all her heartfulness, Marva recognizes that true unity requires addressing cultural, educational, and socioeconomic differences head on, and observing the underlying factors that create seemingly unpassable divides. In a spirit of honesty, she welcomes lively debates and manages to bring together unlikely partners, in the hope that these, in turn, will strengthen the fabric of Israeli society in the years to come.
Here are a number of Marva’s projects that have led to significant change, in the past two decades:
o "The Guitar Girls Project" (2006-2008): during her mandatory national service as a Soldier Educator in the Education Corps, Marva founded a music education program for at-risk girls of Ethiopian descent, becoming a platform for intercultural exchange, challenging exclusion that had almost become a social-fact, and culminating in concerts that opened up new gateways to integration.
o "The Writers for Sderot Project" (2007) brought prominent Israeli authors to Sderot during rocket fire, providing a cultural lifeline and fostering empathy across Israeli society through reading workshops at schools and kindergartens.
o "The Hood: Education, Creation & Technology" in Bat Yam (2012) provides innovative courses in the arts and sciences to at-risk youths from diverse communities (Ethiopian, Mizrahi-Haredi, and Arab). This multidisciplinary center has become a model for inclusive education and community engagement, and continues to serve these communities.
2. Curriculum Development at Tel Aviv University (2011-2014):
o For the Unit for Science Oriented Youth, Marva developed curricula destined for outstanding high-school students from the Israeli periphery, which opened a gateway to future academic studies in Israel and beyond.
3. As an educational entrepreneur and scholar activist, Marva has significantly increased the representation of Ethiopian Israelis across academic and educational contexts, implementing mentorship programs and identity affirming cultural competency training, that sparked a broader conversation about diversity in Israeli higher education.
4. Increased enrollment from diverse communities at Schechter (2023-2024).
o Schechter has established partnerships with organizations representing various sectors of Israeli society, such as Tel Aviv Radio. These collaborations have expanded Schechter's role in bridging societal divides through joint educational programs.
5. Marva directed her doctoral studies at Stanford Graduate School of Education, in the concentration for Education and Jewish Studies (EdJS), and Race Inequality and Language in Education (RILE), to explore how Jewish diversity plays out in Israeli state-run education, honing on the educational experience of girls of Ethiopian descent in Israeli religious public schools and beyond. Marva's Ph.D. dissertation, "Both Sides Now: Ethiopian Israeli Girls Between Jewishness and Blackness," is a community-based exploration that has informed policy makers and teacher training programs in Israel, and brought global attention to the Ethiopian-Israeli community's unique challenges and strengths.
The joint Jewish-Ethiopian Passover Seder Marva initiated at Stanford Hillel (2019) sparked meaningful discussions among members of the Jewish as well as Ethiopian and Eritrean community on campus, centered on the “Ethiopian Exodus.” This landmark event has inspired similar initiatives in Israel, predominantly the Beta Midrash project (2024), a platform she founded in collaboration with Hillel-Israel, where students of Ethiopian descent study their native Jewish heritage, and engage in multicultural Jewish dialogue with members of various Hillel groups in Israel and abroad.
The impact of Marva's work extends far beyond the immediate communities she serves. She has become a thought leader and a prominent media presence, influencing policies and practices at a national level. Her innovative approach to solving pressing challenges facing Jewish communities and her ability to create inclusive spaces for dialogue make her an exemplary candidate for the Z3 Bridge Builder Award.
B) In what ways has the nominee demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to their work in bridging divides?
Marva’s natural curiosity and faith in people, has led her to take roads not taken in Israeli education: founding arts-education programs from the ground-up in impoverished neighborhoods, developing deep bonds with closed and challenged communities, and pioneering community-based research that empowers participants and researchers alike. Through her work, she managed to build trust and earn the appreciation of families that were let down by the state, and have grown deaf to promises of change. In the last 18 years Marva had stayed in close touch with her students, and accompanied their journeys from childhood to adulthood, supporting them through their studies, their army service and their first attempts at the marketplace. Many have suffered great hardships; some had mental breakdowns, others needed help navigating the bureaucratic maze that immigrants and minorities are subjected to, others still needed help persuading the state to grant them citizenship and were in dire need of council, representation and ministry aids. Marva was always on call, deeply involved, hopeful and resilient.
It is her dedicated presence in every structural level– the students, their families, the facility, the management, and funding, and all five simultaneously – that makes her unique achievements possible, some of which are specified here:
1. Pioneering Academic and Educational Programs
During her postdoctoral scholarship at GACE (Gordon Academic College of Education, Haifa) (2022-2023), Marva founded a revolutionary program for students of Ethiopian descent to earn a B.Ed in Informal, Social, and Community-Based Education (ISCE) with a full tuition coverage.
● The program integrates Ethiopian traditional educational models into the curriculum, as Marva's commitment to preserving and valuing cultural heritage within academic settings is key.
● Marva secured $55,000 annually from sources like the Haifa-Boston Partnership and Hanan Einor Fund, to grant full scholarships to her students, personally recruiting donors for her projects.
"Beta Midrash" Initiative
In 2024, Marva founded the "Beta Midrash" initiative in Haifa, a House of Study centered on the Ethiopian Jewish tradition of Beta Yisrael.
● Reflecting her commitment to cultural preservation, the initiative provides Ethiopian Israelis with tools to deepen their engagement with their traditions while integrating into broader Israeli society.
● Through her collaborative work with Hillel Israel and the Panim organization; Marva secured funding for this project for the foreseeable future.
Scholarships for M.A. Students at Schechter:
Marva's work with the Katz Family Foundation, has brought forth many positive outcomes for our institute:
● Resource Mobilization: She secured $25,000 annually for full scholarships for five M.A. students of Ethiopian descent at Schechter.
● These students were recruited directly from frameworks Marva had previously established, demonstrating sustainable pathways for academic advancement.
2. Facilitating Academic Access and Success Across the Spectrum
‘YAMA’ MA Program at Schechter
I am proud to say that Schechter gave Marva the opportunity to amplify her educational leadership, by recruiting her to revive our Leadership program in Jewish Education, which has been latent for over ten years. As founder and leader of the YAMA MA program, which combines educational leadership, Jewish renewal, and the arts, Marva has:
● Promoted Diversity: Recruited students and lecturers from across the political and religious divide, fostering an inclusive educational environment to work out tensions among Jewish groups in Israel.
● Innovative Pedagogy: Developed a unique pedagogy aimed at promoting inclusivity in Jewish education, challenging Israel’s semi-segregated education system, which caters distinctly to Hiloni, Dati and Haredi groups.
● Curriculum Development: Her course, "Conflicts and Connections: Jewish Education in the Israeli Landscape," has become a cornerstone of the program, providing a space for students to engage with complex issues in Israeli Jewish education as a community of practice, and create a distinctly inclusive alternative to existing divisive models.
3. Responsive Leadership in Times of Crisis
This academic year has been tremendously challenging for Israeli academia. I found it important that the Schechter institute responds to the October 7th events and subsequent war on the national level. Marva has been essential in our success in this area. Her response to the crises in several widespread areas demonstrates outstanding leadership:
"Talking with Job about October 7th" Lecture Series
● Timely Initiative: Recognizing the need to address national trauma, Marva quickly organized an online lecture series about the Book of Job, drawing courageous connections between Job’s Biblical tragedy and Israel’s tumultuous present.
● Interdisciplinary Approach: Brought together Schechter faculty and special guests to discuss the Book of Job in light of current events, including diverse cultural figures such as Piyut Artist Maureen Nehedar, and renowned author Zeruya Shalev.
● Community Building: With around 250 participants, the series became a space for Israelis to process grief and find common ground in our joined Biblical legacy, across ideological divides.
● Digital Leadership: Marva concomitantly produced a short video on this topic for high-school students, which garnered over 200,000 views on YouTube.
"The Art of Memory" Student Exhibition
● Empathetic Leadership: Marva Recruited Schechter students, including those who had lost family members during the war, to share their art and poetry in a student exhibition for Israel’s National Remembrance Day. Creating a platform for expression and healing, demonstrates her ability to lead initiatives that bring people together during crises.
4. Academic Advocacy and Research
Marva's leadership extends to her academic work, as well:
● Marva consistently promotes Jewish diversity in her research, bringing new insights into Ethiopian Jewry's history, tradition, and contributions to Israeli society, on various international platforms.
● Her articles and book chapters bridge the divide between marginalized Jewish communities and broader Israeli society, as well as between the Israeli case study and international discourses of nationalism, statecraft and education.
● Collaborative Research: working with scholars and community members, Marva ensures her research contributes to both academic knowledge and practical community building.
In conclusion, Marva’s ability to think creatively, act decisively, and inspire others has made her a standout leader in the Jewish community and beyond.
C) How has the nominee's work impacted the Jewish community and beyond?
Marva's interdisciplinary approach and work across multiple arenas of Jewish Education in Israel, which come to fruition at Schechter, crystalize a vision for the future of Israeli society and the Jewish community at large. With the emergence of MA and BA programs geared towards the Jewish Ethiopian community in Haifa and Jerusalem, and the prospering cooperation of numerous foundations – such as The Katz Family Foundation and Hillel International - Marva’s work has already taken root. But the best is yet to come: students from Ashkelon, Bat Yam and Sderot, who were children when Marva’s first projects took shape – are now educators in their own right. Among them are writers, artists and statesmen who set the bar for the next generation and prove that their background is one of enormous courage, creativity, and inspiration. As well, Marva’s view of the Jewish heritage as a well of rich humanistic treasures has struck a chord with a very wide audience in the hit podcast series ‘The Pluralist.’
Academic Representation and Success
1. GACE (Gordon Academic College of Education) Initiative:
o 15 students of Ethiopian descent are set to graduate in 2025 with a B.Ed in informal education, and integrate Ethiopian traditional education models to mainstream Israeli teaching, while opening a gateway for many more students of Ethiopian descent.
2. Schechter Institute Scholarships:
o Secured $25,000 from the Katz Family Foundation for M.A. students of Ethiopian
descent, thus launching the first cohort of Ethiopian Israeli M.A. students at Schechter.
Cultural Preservation and Integration
1. Beta Midrash Initiative:
o Her successful collaboration with Hillel Israel and Panim organization was the first step
in creating centers for Jewish Ethiopian heritage within established institutions, promoting long-term commitment to Beta Yisrael heritage as inherent to pluralistic Judaism.
2. Scholarly Contributions:
o Marva’s contribution to the Journal of Jewish Education, Eat Pray Wait: The Informal Jewish Education of Ethiopian Youths Awaiting Aliyah (2023) is among the two winners of the JJE Article of the Year award. The decision letter described her work as “written beautifully, addressed issues in fresh and interesting ways, used creative
methodologies and taught all of us something new [...].” The referees added, that awarding Marva is “celebrating young up and coming academics in the field of Jewish Education, which in
itself gives us optimism for the profession going forward.
o Drawing international attention to the Jewish Ethiopian community, across academic platforms such as the Berkeley Graduate Theological Union (GTU), International Standing Conference for the History of Education (ISCHE), the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Association for Jewish Studies (AJS). Marva connected their experiences to the global Jewish narrative, and challenged narrow conceptions of Jewishness by highlighting diversity. In her words: “celebrating this unique part in a diverse, worldwide Jewish community.”
Impact on Israeli Society: Bridging Divides
1. The YAMAH MA Program:
o The Yamah MA program Marva founded, in educational leadership, Jewish renewal and
the arts, is about to launch a second cohort reflecting even greater diversity, addressing
multiple divisions within Israeli society.
2. The Pluralist Podcast:
o Unprecedented success, the most listened-to podcast so far in 2024 Tel Aviv Radio
station. Reached over 44,000 listeners, with 8,500 engaging with the entire program.
o Fosters understanding across the ideological spectrum in Israel. The podcast gives voice to different Jewish identities, whether the Indian Jewish tradition of Benei
Yisrael, Beta Yisrael of Ethiopia, and the Queer Jewish traditions cultivated in
contemporary Tel Aviv, thus bridging political and cultural divides in the name of
Jewish plurality.
Institutional Change
1. Vision for Schechter:
o Aims to create a national model for working with Ethiopian Israelis in academia, including establishing a department dedicated to Ethiopian Judaism, thus reflecting belief in Jewish studies as a tool for healing societal rifts.
These engagements have contributed to cross-cultural dialogue on Jewish diversity, identity, and intersections of nationalism, race and religion.
Teaching and Methodology
1. Jewish Theological Seminary Guest Lecture:
o Taught doctoral students about integrating community involvement in Jewish education
research.
o Influenced academic approaches to community-based research methods.
Media and Public Engagement
Press Coverage
1. Featured in Daniel Gordis’ acclaimed podcast series, “Israel from the Inside” to cherish Ethiopian Jews who died on the foot journey through Sudan to Jerusalem.
2. Published articles in Haaretz, including “The Boy Named Wait” (2012), and
worked diligently for six years for this boy’s family to be recognized as Jews by Israel’s
immigration authorities and make Aliyah in 2023. Brought the plight of Ethiopian Jews to public consciousness, and demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues to broad audiences.
Beyond the Jewish World:
Global Educational Discourse
1. Stanford Graduate School of Education Workshops: Co-led the “Race and Religion in Education” workship at Stanford GSE, integrating Israel into global conversations about race and religion in national education systems.
Lasting Frameworks and Models
1.From Science Oriented Youths to MA at Schechter, Marva created pathways for marginalized communities in higher education, establishing identity affirming academic spaces that foster mutual respect and dialogue, and celebrate diverse Jewish traditions within mainstream institutions.
2. Research Methodology: Pioneered community-based research approaches in Jewish
studies and education, to engage the community as a whole in research practice for the
betterment of their lives.
3. Her research and advocacy have already begun to influence educational policies in Israel, while positioning Israel’s experiences with diversity and integration as relevant to global discussions.
To conclude, Marva’s groundbreaking educational and academic initiatives address fundamental issues of identity, inclusion, and cultural preservation, crucial for the long-term vitality and unity of Jewish communities in Israel and beyond. Her wide outreach across diverse communities, media frameworks for wider Jewish discourse, and new academic conceptualizations of the Jewish identity, Marva’s work extends far and beyond the existing venues. As her initiatives continue to grow and influence policy and practice, the long-term impact of her work is likely to be felt for generations.