The Goodman Initiative - Israel in the World

Israel Lens: Current Events in Israel

Natalie Blitt — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:14:32 +0000

The Israel Lens is a unique method of looking at photographs as entry points into understanding Israeli history and collection. This session primarily uses photographs of current events in Israeli politics.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

On August 15, 2005, tens of thousands of unarmed soldiers dismantled settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was captured by Hamas militants in 2006. Five years later, on October 18, 2011, Israelis celebrated his safe arrival home.

Woodley Elysee is a young Haitian boy who was born with multiple fatal heart defects. He was brought to Israel by the aid mission and Israeli humanitarian organization Save A Child's Heart for life-saving open heart surgery.

Explanation:

Step 1: Introducing the Technique

Start by engaging your campers in the topic of the importance of photography in their lives. You can ask them questions like:
- Do they like taking pictures?
- Do they find that photographs properly "tell" the story of what happened?
- Have they had the experience of someone seeing one of their pictures and seeing things in the photograph that they as the photographer hadn't seen?

Step 2: Honorable Discharge

Split campers in small groups of 10-12. Show them the photograph Honorable Discharge.
Ask the campers to take a few minutes to write down 10 observations about the photograph: 5 objective observations and 5 subjective observations.
Explain that an objective observation is something that doesn't change from person to person – it is something you can all agree on. For example, there are two men in the photograph, the photograph is in black and white, etc.
Explain that a subjective observation is an opinion, a feeling, or an interpretation based on what you see. Such as, “it reminds me of the time I did x”, or, “I think that man might feel sad,” or “I think he looks poor.”
Ask for the campers to share their observations -- be sure to point out when someone makes a subjective observation instead of an objective one.
Next, have the campers share their subjective observations. Ask the campers:
- What do you think the photographer was trying to capture with this photograph? Why?
- What do you think this picture is actually of – what historic event is it actually documenting?
Explain that the photograph was taken by an Israeli photographer named Zion Ozeri and share with the campers the title and story of the photograph:

Honorable Discharge, Ben-Gurion Airport, Israel, 1992

Look at the expression on this man's face. How would you describe it -- fear, sadness, confusion, joy? He has just arrived in Israel from the former Soviet Union. Under communism, Soviet Jews were not allowed to practice their religion openly and were often denied the right to immigrate to the U.S. or Israel. But after Gorbachev (the Soviet president) opened the doors to emigration in 1989, hundreds of thousands of Jews from the former Soviet Union flocked to Israel, with the help of Jews around the world.

These immigrants often arrived with very little and faced many challenges in their new homes. But the man in this picture had brought something very precious with him: the military medals he wears with pride. They serve as a reminder of his previous life, of the risks he took fighting for his country. They might not mean much in his new life in Israel, but these medals clearly have a very personal significance to him.

The photographer, Zion Ozeri, explains: "I call it honorable discharge. He was obviously discharged from the Russian army. And many Jews, by the way, either sacrificed their lives or fought heroically during World War II... I always look for the image that would define the moment. I sort of saw it in his face... You see the flag, you see EL-AL, and that look."

Ask the campers:
- Have you ever heard of the phrase, “A picture’s worth a thousand words?” When someone uses that phrase, what do you think they mean?
- Do you see how Zion Ozeri constructed this photograph to tell a powerful story?
Note: The idea that we are trying to reveal is that photographs or other primary sources are less important as objective fact pieces, and more important as vehicles for stories and connection. Every photograph is created with a certain degree of intention: the photographer picked the angles, set-up, subjects, and finally, to release the photograph. As a viewer, we see the photographs through the lens of our own experiences with the elements in the photograph.

Step 3: Photographs from Moments in Recent History

Split the campers into small groups and ask them to choose from one of the pictures that we provided (printed on cardstock). All of the photos are depicting events from within the last twenty years.
Once the groups have selected their cardstock photo, hand them a packet that includes all the photos with contextual information about each. Groups should also take an envelope consisting of different possible captions for the photo.
Instruct the groups to spend 5-10 minutes looking at the cardstock photo, reading the contextual information about it, and picking a caption to go with the photo.
Come back together and share.
During the sharing, have each group describe why they chose their picture, what they saw in the photograph and why the chose the caption they chose.

Step 4: Wrap-Up

Explain to the campers: photographs or other primary sources are less important as objective fact pieces, and more important as vehicles for stories and connection.
Reinforce the idea that in storytelling, especially Israel storytelling, there is no such thing as objectivity; and, in fact, there is power in embracing and owning your own personal, subjective story.
Every photograph is created with a certain degree of intention: the photographer picked the angles, set-up, subjects, and finally, to release the photograph.
As a viewer, we see the photographs through the lens of our own experiences with the elements in the photograph.

Variations:

Variations in Content:

The entire second part of this activity (after looking at the Honorable Discharge photograph) can also be done with other collections of photographs. Ask your Israelis on staff, or Americans, if they have photographs that particularly speak to them about events in recent Israeli history. Keep in mind the type of story that the photograph is telling and make sure it is appropriate!
You can also do this activity with photographs from other periods in Israeli history.

Variations in Format:

If your campers are really into storytelling, let them construct stories for the people in the photographs, imagine lives for them out of the flat black-and-white images. When they imagine these stories, they are engaging more fully in the photograph and analyzing it more closely. They are also putting themselves into the story of Israeli history: how would they have felt in that moment, in that time?
If your campers have already done the subjective/objective exercise, you can try another introduction to the photographs, or just refer to that program before starting with the new pictures.
If you are doing this activity through a photography class at camp, there are many follow-up activities that you can create, including having campers:
- Take self portraits
- Take pictures of Israeli symbols or elements of camp and bring them back to discuss

Background Cards:

Supporting Images:

Supporting Materials:

Israel Lens Booklet.pdf

captions-for-israel-lens.pdf

Curricular Subjects:

Attribution:

Zion Ozeri

The Great Debate

Carl Schrag — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:46:25 +0000

Campers learn about some of the key challenges facing Israel today, begin to develop or sharpen their opinions, and engage in discussion and debate as they grapple with the realities of multiple perspectives on burning issues.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Arts & Crafts Material

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Indoor Space

Number of Campers:

A Division/Age Group (30 – 50 campers)

Age of Campers:

Oldest Campers (16+)

Explanation:

Stage 1: Introduction

You can introduce The Great Debate by peppering campers with a series of questions about Israel, or asking them to shout out what they think are the key issues facing Israel. After a brief discussion, the GE can shift gears and provide an overview of how the activity is run.
Alternately, you might want to work with a few Israeli and American staff members to prepare a short dramatic presentation designed to demonstrate the role these questions play in daily life in Israel. This skit might entail a few friends meeting in someone's living room on a Friday night to argue about politics, or some similar scenario, to encourage campers to engage in dialogue and debate, and to ask questions.
Questions that can help launch this activity:
- What should the borders of Israel look like in a final-status agreement with the Palestinians?
- Should Arab citizens of Israel enjoy full rights equal to those of Israeli Jews?
- Since Israel is a Jewish state, should the Orthodox Rabbinate keep its role in setting religious policy for all Israeli Jews?

Stage 2: Understanding the Debate

After the introduction of the program, the GE stands alongside a large placard with a variety of symbols and images representing the issues described below. (This can include bumper stickers, reprinted slogans, etc. Bumper sticker images can be selected from here: http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/bstickers/index.html but choose them with care to ensure a mix that reflects the issues that are being discussed). S/He will refer to the images as s/he provides an overview of dilemmas and challenges faced by the State of Israel.
GE: You all have learned about the history of the State of Israel. I don’t want you to think you’ve learned all there is to learn, but I also don’t want you to think that the past is the only thing that matters. There are burning issues on the Israeli agenda, and you have enough knowledge and understanding to begin to wrestle with them.
You could think of daily life in Israel as one Great Debate. Today we’re going to talk about some of those debates that preoccupy Israelis. I’ve got my own opinions on them, but my opinions won’t be the focus right now. I don’t want to tell you what to think; I want you each to think for yourselves. I’ll give the overview, and then each of you will have to decide what’s right, or what you would do if it was up to you to set Israeli policy.
You may choose to introduce the approach by doing a “dry run” of a couple of issues that are hot topics in the U.S. – perhaps the voting age or the drinking age and a question about U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Next, introduce the issues on the agenda for today (feel free to add, swap, or delete from the following list):
- The threat posed by Iran
- Territorial compromise
- Religion and state
- Who is a Jew
- Citizenship and rights
- Security/civil liberties
- Army and society
- Israel-Diaspora relations

This introduction will not delve into positions on each issue, but will simply set up the dilemmas or questions.

Stage 3: Staking Out the Positions

Staff members, led by the GE and one or more shlichim (with careful preparation, campers can also make some of these presentations), will then make a brief (2-3 minute) presentation presenting each issue in greater depth. At the conclusion of each presentation, the presenter will posit three statements, and ask campers to choose the one that they agree with most. Cards with the statements will be distributed.
Statements for each dilemma will have a different color and/or shape. By the end of the presentations, each camper will have eight cards representing the positions they chose for each of the dilemmas.
If it seems appropriate, you might ask the campers to share any reflections on the activity to this point. Questions could include:
- Were you surprised by your views on any of these issues?
- Which issue seems most important to you?
- How might you view these issues differently if you lived in Israel?

Stage 4: Finding Points of Agreement

The facilitator notes that everyone has staked out positions on a wide variety of issues, and each camper is unlikely to find many people who agree with them on every issue. This is a lot like Israeli politics, where different parties come together to form a coalition even if they do not agree on every issue.
Instruct the group to take 10 minutes to sort themselves into groups where there is the greatest common ground. Campers can achieve this by looking for similar arrays of cards and by querying each other. Once there are 6-8 groups, a staff person joins each group and leads a discussion about the issues. Since each group will include people with varying views on some of the issues, the staff person will moderate discussion and debate on the points of disagreement.
After 15 minutes, the entire group will reconvene, and the facilitator will solicit varying views on some or all of the dilemmas.
Additionally, if time permits, the culminating discussion can focus on the process of seeking common ground, compromising on multiple issues, etc.

Stage 5: Wrap-up

Questions the facilitator might pose to the entire group during the wrap-up discussion include:
- What surprised you most about the discussions you've just had?
- Did you find many people who agreed with you on every issue? How do you explain this?
- Which issues seem to be the most important?
- Do you see any comparison to the relative importance of issues in American society? Why do some issues matter more to us than others?
- Were you aware of all of these dilemmas? Which ones were new to you?
- Who wants to share a particularly interesting idea about how to tackle one of these issues?
- Ideally, campers will discuss the complexity of the issues, the insights they gained by thinking and discussing tough topics, and their own sense of connection to some of the "front-burner issues" that concern Israelis. You might probe a bit why Israeli issues matter to them in the first place, and a few campers might talk about their own connections to Israel.
Finally, consider asking an Israeli staff member to share his or her perspective on the issues. Caution: Prepare the Israeli staff to approach this from the perspective of an observer of Israeli society, rather than sharing their own views on the issues. (If an Israeli espouses a clear perspective on these issues, campers whose views differ may feel marginalized, and campers without strong views might be inclined to fall into step with "the expert").
Campers will leave this activity with deeper awareness, and nuanced views, of key dilemmas facing Israel. Hopefully they will have greater confidence in their own grasp of the issues and how they approach them, but at the same time it is important for them to understand there are many differing views on each of these issues. Dialogue and openness to different ideas - as well as a willingness to advocate for what you believe in - should be enhanced.

Supporting Materials:

Great Debate Briefing Materials.docx

Great Debate - Position Statements.docx

Curricular Subjects:

NU Campaign: Israel Impacts the World

Carl Schrag — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:37:05 +0000

Through the NU Campaign t-shirts, campers will learn about the important work of several Israeli social action organizations. By exploring the stories of Israeli non-profits, such as Leket Israel, Save a Child's Heart, and Jewish Hearts for Africa, campers will reflect on Israel's impact throughout the world and personally connect with some of Israel's causes.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Number of Campers:

A Bunk/Cabin/Chug (10-20 campers)

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Social justice organizations created within Israel bring aid to people both inside and outside of the country.

Numerous Israeli nonprofits are created in response to harsh realities and attempt to bring health and peace to different populations in need.

Spreading awareness of the problems and of these organizations can help create positive change.

Explanation:

Describe the NU Campaign. Details can be found here.
Discuss four of the t-shirts that highlight social justice causes. For example:

Save a Child’s Heart

A little girl named Katya, who was four years old came to Israel from Moldova with heart defects. Save a Child’s Heart is an Israeli-based international humanitarian organization whose mission is to improve the quality of pediatric care.

Dream Doctors

Integrates professional medical clowning into the medical services provided at Israeli hospitals.

Jewish Heart For Africa

A nonprofit that brings sustainable Israeli technologies to rural African villages. It operates in Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia and has touched 2,000,000 African people, bringing energy, medical clinics, medicines, and vaccines.

Leket Israel

One quarter of the population in Israel is food insecure. Leket Israel is the country’s largest national food bank and leading food rescue network that is dedicated to eliminating hunger in Israel’s needy regardless of religion or ethnic background.

3. Pass around t-shirts so participants fully understand the impact of what appears on the shirts, and what is printed inside.

4. Break into pairs or small groups and choose one of the following organizations:

Park Chaverim– Friendship Park for the disabled

Located outside of Tel Aviv, this 9 acre park was the first accessible park for handicapped children in Israel. The park offers play equipment for children in wheelchairs and with hearing and vision impairments. It includes paths, swings, and carousels that can accommodate a wheelchair. In addition, accommodations were even made for motor-disabled parents or grandparents accompanying able-bodied children at the park. This park served as a model for newer ones throughout Israel and the world. Volunteers help facilitate everyday interactions and assure kids with disabilities get first priority on the equipment, which is popular with all children.

ILAN

As Israel’s oldest and largest voluntary organization, ILAN works to improve the quality of life for people with neuromuscular disabilities. ILAN sponsors the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled where participants play table tennis without hands, folk dance in a wheel chair, earn a degree in cinema despite cerebral palsy, or befriend an able-bodied peer at summer camp. ILAN’s summer camp pairs disabled children with teen volunteers and trains the teen volunteers to do the intensive tasks normally left to parents such as dressing and feeding their campers. Many of the campers and teens develop strong friendships and are maintained in following summers.

Neveh Shalom’s School for Peace

Located in the village of Neve Shalom, halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, this village houses 50 Jewish and Arab families. The School of Peace works to develop a more just and peaceful relationship between Arabs and Jews by developing participants’ awareness of the conflict and their role in it and constructing their identity through interactions with each other. Through intensive courses, the School for Peace helps Israeli and Arab Palestinian professionals find out how they can be strong voices for peace, whether they are journalists, lawyers, or architects.

The Decade Group

This company specializes in finding creative education solutions and has developed the “Young Engineers” program that teaches children math, physics, and engineering using LEGO and Kid K’nex. The main goal of the programs is to demonstrate the theoretical studies using stories, examples and building models that powerfully illustrate the theoretic topics. Most of their activities take place in an extracurricular setting in schools and community centers.

5. Pretend you work for the NU Campaign and your goal is to create a t-shirt that allows people to be social advocates for one of these organizations. You can either design the front or write/make-up the story that goes in the inside.

6. When the group comes back together, everyone presents their design and concept.

Variations:

These activities can conclude with a competition or contest, in which the winners get to keep the shirts.
These activities can continue with an arts and crafts project in which campers make their own shirts with messages.
Presenting the shirts can be paired with other activities, such as "What Does Better Look Like?", after groups explore four of these social justice organizations.
Incorporate this activity into Staff Week. The GE and others can use it to introduce the way Israel is being integrated into camp, and after pursuing one of the options described above, staff can work in small groups (by cabin, unit, or specialty area) to design their own shirt with a storytelling, eye-grabbing image on the outside and a narrative story on the inside. If all staff are wearing these shirts on the first day of the session, campers are sure to notice - and great conversations can ensue.