The Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem Hosted the Opening Conference of the IDF Education and Youth Corps’ MAGEN Directorate

The event was attended by approximately 100 officers, commanders, and members of the MAGEN Directorate. The conference was held as part of a learning and orientation day focused on the Museum, its exhibitions, and its educational spaces, and explored questions of identity, belonging, leadership, public responsibility, and encounters with others.

During the day, participants were divided into learning groups and took part in a dedicated workshop led by the Museum’s School of Civic Discourse titled “A Journey Between Identities.” In addition, officers and commanders participated in guided tours of the Museum’s exhibitions.

The MAGEN Directorate within the IDF Education and Youth Corps is dedicated to the training, support, and integration of diverse populations within the IDF, with the goal of expanding opportunities for meaningful military service, building confidence, and deepening belonging. The Directorate operates through various frameworks, including Mahane Alon, which supports new immigrants and soldiers who require assistance strengthening their Hebrew language skills and familiarity with Israeli society and culture; Havat HaShomer, a unique basic training base that provides an adapted service framework for soldiers from underserved and diverse backgrounds; and additional programs focused on preparation, support, and integration throughout the soldiers’ service.

At the heart of the MAGEN Directorate’s work lies the question: How do we transform difference into belonging? Every day, members of the Directorate work with soldiers from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, worldviews, and life experiences. The Directorate’s mission is to enable every individual to find their place within a shared framework, feel that they belong, contribute, and succeed. Through this work, the Directorate addresses one of the central questions facing Israeli society and the IDF: how to build a shared collective identity without erasing individuality.

The Museum’s learning day is naturally connected with the work of the MAGEN Directorate and the educational and values-based questions at the core of its mission. Through tours, workshops, and shared dialogue, the conference sought to create a foundation for continued leadership and professional engagement with issues of identity, diversity, cohesion, leadership, and civic responsibility.

For the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, hosting the MAGEN Directorate is part of its role as an educational and public space that encourages engagement with complex questions surrounding Israeli society, polarization, mutual responsibility, and a culture of disagreement. The collaboration with the Directorate highlights the Museum’s importance as a place of learning for educational, public, and military organizations, and as a space that promotes open dialogue, recognition of others, and the building of belonging within Israel’s diverse society.