Binat Halev, Hebrew for “understanding of the heart,” is a trip for educators to Israel organized by the Jewish Federations of Canada (JFC-UIA) and subsidized in part by the Jewish Federation of Ottawa. 

Binat Halev brings educators from across Canada to Israel, where they engage directly with their counterparts, exchanging insights and experiences in the context of a post–October 7 world. Participants return feeling deeply connected, inspired, and energized.

This year’s trip included Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) high school teacher Kenra Mroz. In a recent conversation with the Ottawa Jewish E-Bulletin, Mroz discussed the impact this had on her personally and professionally, and why this trip continues to be so important in the wake of rising antisemitism across the world. 

While not Jewish herself, Mroz is passionate about social justice and specializes in teaching about the Holocaust, and genocide studies. Her interest in this area was initially sparked by reading The Diary of Anne Frank as a child. Captivated by Frank’s writing style and relatability, Mroz began to dive deeper into this history.

“In reading [The Diary of Anne Frank], I really fell in love with her,” she said. “She was a girl around my age when she was experiencing all those things. She was a wonderful, expressive writer.”

Growing up in the Briargreen area of Ottawa, Mroz had many Jewish friends and neighbours. She realized that many of the people she knew and loved might not have been there if antisemitism had spread to those levels in Canada, which terrified her. It inspired her to learn more.

“I don’t know how many 11-year-olds were thinking about the Holocaust, but my parents had world history books,” said Mroz. “I would always flip to the pages about the Holocaust to learn more.”

Her interest eventually led her to working and learning with organizations like Yahad-In Unum, Yad Vashem, and the Centre for Holocaust Education and Scholarship (CHES), where she is an active member of the Education Committee. This also has led her to take several learning trips to Israel, as well as to Poland, Morocco, and elsewhere.

For her, going on the Binat Halev trip was born out of wanting more answers to help her students navigate the complexities of global conflict, as well as how antisemitism manifests itself in modern times. 

“I need to take as many opportunities as possible to immerse myself in that kind of learning,” said Mroz. “What I loved about the Binat Halev program was that it looked at things from multiple perspectives.”

Mroz spoke about how there were many opportunities to hear not just from Jewish Israelis, but also Muslim and Christian Israelis, Palestinians, and Bedouins. 

“You get a chance to meet and interact with people, and they tell you about what they’re experiencing,” she said. “They framed things in terms of their relationships with one another, and it became very clear that everybody is struggling to navigate what the world is saying about these relationships versus what the actual truth is.”

As the first month of the school year wraps up, Mroz has hope that the new knowledge she has will help guide her as she teaches topics like the Holocaust and social justice, but also in cases where there are opportunities for conversation and discussion – or in cases where tensions might arise, particularly in relation to the upcoming second anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

Mroz has had the opportunity to speak with her principal and other school administrators, as well as to give a presentation to her teaching colleagues regarding her Binat Halev experience. 

Mroz is deeply committed to being of service and support to her fellow educators should they have questions or be in search of information and resources to help them to navigate this complex topic area.

“Giving people the space to express their feelings is very important, but also speaking about real-life experiences on the ground with people of different backgrounds is what students need to hear,” she said.

Several educators from Ottawa have previously taken part in this trip. You can read more about their experiences here in a past E-Bulletin story.