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David Nachman (Nakman) was raised in Gush Etzion, the historic settlement bloc just outside of Jerusalem. Today he lives in Elazar, a Gush settlement, with his wife and eight children. After completing his army service in the elite paratroopers brigade, Nachman went on to earn a doctorate in Land of Israel Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He has taught at various educational institutions designed to bring religious and secular Israelis together, and now leads the prestigious Ein Prat Leadership Academy, located in Kfar Adumim in the Judean Desert.
How is Ein-Prat unique among leadership academies, and what accounts for its impressive reputation?
Ein Prat attracts a particular type of student: Someone who wants to work on him or herself. Our students believe that they can be better individuals—better contributors to Israeli society, for example – and they come to us eager to learn how. That’s the difference between a regular high school, a huge university, and a leadership academy like Ein Prat: We aim not just to impart knowledge, but also to nurture a sense of character. We’re not afraid to push our students, and to try non-conventional means of doing so. Also, we make significant demands of our students, and expect them to rise to very high standards—not just concerning their studies, but in all areas of their lives, especially that of bein adam l’havero (how man treats his fellow).
Do you see signs of Ein Prat graduates having the desired impact on Israeli society?
Absolutely. There are, of course, those examples to which we can easily point, such as the Lev Echad (“One Heart”) organization: Founded by an Ein Prat student and faculty member during the Gaza pullout, Lev Echad organizes mass numbers of volunteers to assist municipalities, emergency services, and local families in every aspect of crisis management, from traffic coordination to arranging hospitality. But the real way to measure the success of Ein Prat is not through standout-examples such as these; rather, it’s by seeing how many of our graduates choose to lengthen their army service, or go on to work in education and the non-profit sector. It’s seeing how many students want –and try—to apply the lessons they’ve learned at Ein Prat to their lives, wherever they are and whatever field they’re in. When, for instance, a commanding officer in the IDF who graduated from Ein Prat quotes Pirkei Avot by way of explaining an ethical imperative to his soldiers, we consider that a positive influence on Israeli society: A mindful integration of Jewish and liberal values for the betterment of all.
You seem to be doing a fantastic job. What does the Bnei Moshe program have to offer you?
For starters, the lectures we’ve heard so far from Shalem fellows such as Yoram Hazony, Daniel Polisar, Daniel Gordis, and Ophir Haivry have all provided new and enriching takes on an “old” subject: political thought, especially as it pertains to a Jewish state. These are subjects on which I’ve been lecturing for years, yet Shalem has absolutely broadened my thinking about them. But what’s really impressed me is the way in which Shalem approaches philosophical texts and liberal studies: Like the ideal of Torah L’Shma (“Torah for its own Sake”), Shalem views learning as “learning for its own sake,” with the aim of improving and edifying oneself in addition to gaining wisdom. Since that’s our goal at Ein Prat, too, it’s helpful to see other educators applying that very technique –and applying it well.
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