Dear colleagues,

Over recent years, we have faced waves of disruption – from the war on COVID to the regional wars our country has been facing – resulting in frequent interruptions to school routines and uncertainty in our daily lives. This trying period has naturally affected not only our professional lives, but also the rhythm of professional development. ETAI has not been immune to these challenges. In many ways, we too have been fighting a war – a war for survival.

And yet, despite these difficulties, the voluntary work has continued. Our conferences, which are at the heart of our professional community, have had to adapt repeatedly. The 2024 Back to School Conference, for example, moved at short notice from face-to-face to online. Our most recent Winter Conference also took place online, with a timely focus on AI and education. It is therefore especially meaningful that our Annual National Summer Conference will once again take place face-to-face, focusing on HI – human intelligence – in education, alongside the technologies that increasingly shape our work and our world.

We are delighted to host the conference at the Nefesh B’Nefesh Campus in Jerusalem, overlooking the city’s beautiful surroundings. We hope this setting will provide space not only for learning, but also for reconnecting as a professional community. At the same time, we have had to make some careful decisions about format. In order to maintain quality and focus, this year’s main conference day will include fewer sessions, with a stronger emphasis on plenaries and selected talks.

To complement this, the following day we will run a dedicated day of longer, in-depth workshops at the Pedagogical Center (Pisgah) in Jerusalem. We’ve called this format the Post-Conference Institute (PCI) – similar in format to the pre-conference events (PCEs) we have held in the past, except that this time it will take place after the main conference day. PCI fees:

• ETAI members: add NIS 25
• Non-members: add NIS 50

It is also possible to attend either the conference or the PCI.We hope this combination of a focused conference day and extended workshops will offer a richer and more flexible professional development experience. If you have not yet registered, you can do so HERE.

As always, the conference will feature some of outstanding speakers, a rich exhibition of educational materials and publishers and opportunities to meet and interact with other English language educators. Face-to-face contact is an important element of the professional interaction that conferences afford all attendees.

On a personal note, as many of you know, I believe passionately in the importance of ETAI as a grassroots, voluntary professional association and in the role it plays in supporting the professionalism of English language educators at all levels in Israel. It is this belief that led me to take on the role of Chair for a second term during what has been a particularly challenging period.

Looking ahead, however, we also recognise the importance of renewal. In order to ensure that ETAI remains relevant, responsive, and truly representative of its community, we will be holding elections this year, as you have already heard from the ETAI office.

We are inviting members to stand for a range of roles within the organisation. These positions require a modest commitment of time, but they make a significant difference to the professional life of our community. Volunteering in ETAI as either a board member or part of a dedicated team, is both personally rewarding and greatly appreciated by others. We encourage you to nominate yourself or suggest colleagues who may be suitable. Further details and the nomination form can be found HERE.

The Annual Members Meeting (AGM) will take place on the main conference day, as usual, but this year, members will also ratify the results of the online election board members, which will take place by Google Form prior to the conference. At the same time, the current vice-chair becomes chair, and the current chair becomes vice-chair; next summer a new vice-chair will be elected and the chair continues for one more year. We sincerely hope that you will stay until the end of the day in order to participate in this important process.

These elections are not a formality. They are central to ensuring the continuity of ETAI as a professional organisation. Without active participation – both in governance and in professional events – it becomes increasingly difficult for volunteer organisations such as ours to continue functioning. We therefore see this not simply as an administrative process, but as a shared opportunity to shape the future direction of ETAI and of teacher development in Israel.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the conference and to continuing our shared work in supporting teachers across all levels of education.