The Goodman Initiative - A People’s Hope

Linking Our Individual Moments Together

Aliza Goodman — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 19:40:36 +0000

This activity helps participants delve deeper into components that make up their Jewish identity and make connections with others on a deeper and more personal level. This could be a good evening program on a night that the group is indoors (they need markers, butcher paper, and a flat surface), early in the program to build relationships, or when you want them to explore issues of identity.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Indoor Space

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Each of us is connected in a multitude of ways to each other

Our Israel stories can be used to connect others to their own Israel stories

Explanation:

INSTRUCTIONS:
1.   Place on a table (or on the floor) a large piece of butcher paper.
2.   Give each participant a different colored marker and ask him or her to find a space on the butcher paper.
3.   Instruct them to each draw a circle and write their name in the middle of the circle. Then draw 4 circles around their name –- small enough that they don’t touch (each other or those of another person) but big enough that they can write a word or short phrase in the circle and people will be able to read it.

PROMPTS AND CONNECTIONS:
1.   Then tell them to listen carefully to the following prompts. With each prompt, they are instructed to come up with a word or short phrase that sums up the essence of the prompt and write that word or phrase in a circle.
a.   Who are you named after or what is the meaning of your name?
b.   What is your favorite place at home or what is your favorite place in Israel?
c.   What is a meaningful Jewish moment that you’ve had in your life?
d.   What is a value (or guiding principle or characteristic) that resonates with you (that you care about)?
e.   What connects you to Israel?
2.   Once participants are finished writing their words, ask them to “zoom out” and take a walk around the table to see what other people wrote. Instruct them to pay attention to the words that others have written and try to find connections between themselves (their words) and the words of others.
3.   When they find a connection -– they are to draw a line from their word to the word that connects it -– and along the line, write another word or phrase that describes the connection. Give them ample time for this part (20 minutes). Option: You can use post-it notes rather than writing on the lines.

DEBRIEF:
1.   Find someone who you have connected with and share a story from your circles.
2.   Find someone who you have not connected with and share a story from your circles.
3.   Come back into a circle and ask someone to share a connection that they found. Make sure to get to the Israel story.
4.   You can really take this debrief in a variety of ways.
a.   What surprised you about the connections you made through this activity?
b.   How can our own personal stories help us as educators?
c.   This exercise helps us find a trigger into making connections and finding meaningful stories. Stories are a great way to make connections with and for other people.

Speak Up, Speak Out: Responding to Hatred on Campus

Aliza Goodman — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 15:30:26 +0000

Deepen your understanding of Israel advocacy and discover how to stand up for Israel on your college campuses! In this workshop we will dissect pro-divestment video from Northwestern University as a way to hone compelling, authentic pro-Israel messages. Together we will create our own video that brings together and highlights our individual stories and connections with Israel.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Explanation:

To warm up your group, do three rounds of sharing. Be sure to take notes on a large post-it:

Share something you love about Israel
Share something meaningful that connects you to Israel
Share something you've heard/hear about Israel that makes you proud

Say to participants, we are talking about what we love about Israel -- but obviously there are a lot of people who don't share our views. Is there anyone who has dealt with anti-Israel stuff on campus? Can you share your experiences with us? How did it make you feel?

After participants have shared some experiences, say to them: "Now we are going to watch a video from Northwestern University, whose student senate passed a resolution calling on the university to divest from a list of companies that they suggest 'support the occupation.' This video was part of a campaign to build support for divestment. As you watch the video, pay attention to how the video makes you feel."

[Before playing the video, make sure everyone understands the basic premise of the BDS movement and why it is such a big issue right now on campuses. Be sure, though, to emphasize that much like all things related to Israel and conflict, it is a complicated issue and we are not going to teach you everything you need to know about BDS in this session. What we aim to do is give you a new perspective in to the complexities of such issues related to Israel.]

Play video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjcy5v_WzwA.

After the video finished, ask participants to share in one word how the video made them feel. Be sure to stop anyone who wants to talk about the specific arguments -- we want to get our feelings on the table in this part of the program, not go into the details of the "facts" and "arguments" being made in the video. Make sure participants feel comfortable and know that this is a safe space where all feelings are welcome and respected.

Now say to participants, "now that our feelings are out on the table, I want to put them aside for a few minutes. We are going to watch the video again, and this time, pay attention to the values that are being expressed through the statements in the video. Don't focus on the content (and whether you feel it is right or wrong) -- just focus on what values you think these students are expressing through their statements."

Play the video again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjcy5v_WzwA.

Make a list of values that you heard being expressed through this video. Once that list is up, you can take the discussion in a variety of directions. Some questions include:

What do you notice about these values?
Do they resonate with you?
How does looking at the video and arguments through this lens help you make sense of what is going on, on campus?

If you want, you can ask participants to think of these values and come up with their own expressions of these values as they relate to Israel -- essentially, what are the statements they would make if we were creating our own video like this?

Challenge Course Israel

Aliza Goodman — Tue, 12 May 2015 22:08:56 +0000

In this session we will explore how to use group challenges, low ropes, and no ropes courses to look at challenging issues in Modern Israeli History.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Number of Campers:

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

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Ropes courses provide an active way to engage with the core of a challenging story in history

Transforming a story into a physical feat that needs to be accomplished is a powerful way to learn Israeli history and understand the values being reflected in the story

You can use minimal amount of supplies and just the Goodman resource cards to teach about Modern Israel History

The Jewish people have faced many challenges throughout history and have needed to find ways to overcome those challenges

Explanation:

Cave in Ein Gedi:

This is a reworking of the classic Spiderweb Challenge. Depending on the size of the group split the group into two or three teams. While many people might have done this activity or Cow Fence, this is slightly different.
The goal is to get someone in through the spider web without touching the web, once there that person needs to grab a piece of the cloth (a bandana), and then get back again.
For additional complexity they can be challenged to do this silently. If anyone touches the web, you get sent back. The group that does it faster wins.
After explaining the rules the facilitator explains that they are David and his posse who are confronting King Saul in the cave in Ein Gedi (1 Samuel 24).
At first the facilitator asks the participants about the challenge: Saul came to kill David, what it meant to do this activity in silence, confront your oppressor, and show restraint in not killing him in response.
After the challenge the entire group will reflect on the story of David and Saul. Then they will reflect on how it felt to confront a bully. Then we will look at the role of confronting the bully in Israeli history. When are we David and when are we Saul?

History of Aliyah (Lighthouse Activity):

Phase 1 – Blindfold one person and put him/her at one end of a room or outdoor area that has various obstacles in it (i.e. rocks, cones, chairs, trees, etc.). Select another group member to be the “lighthouse” and place them at some point in the obstacle course. Give the blindfolded person an object representing the Jewish people.
The job of the lighthouse is to guide the ship (blindfolded person) verbally through the rough waters (obstacle course) avoiding any of the obstacles safely to Israel. The catch is that the lighthouse is only allowed to give directions when the ship is facing the lighthouse. We start with Event Card #2 Pre-State Aliyah (1881-1939). The game grows in complexity as it moves through the History of Aliyah to Israel.
Phase 2 – Same game play but now there are two lighthouses. One that is trying to help the Jewish people to get to Israel and the other is the British trying to steer them away. Use Event #1 Balfour Declaration, Event #3 Aliyah Bet (1939-1948), and Place #10 Atlit Detention Camp.

Variations:

Variations could include a variety of obstacles and challenges and content might include:

Event #6 Aliyah From Arab Countries (1949-1952) -- Explore complication of having multiple ships on the water at the same time.
People #11 Natan Sharansky – How might the Masses Rally for One to Escape?
Event #14 Ethiopian Aliyah – Getting to a Place in Israeli Society
Event #16 Russian/Soviet Aliyah – The Jewish Questions
People #14 Hannah Senesh – Invert the narrative to having her leave Israel to go to Europe to Save Jews
Event #11 Operation Entebbe (July 4,1976)
People #2 Theodor Herzl – Use for Reflection on Exercise to explore the the idea of a Jewish Homeland
Society #4 Law of Return

Background Cards:

Ten Cool Ways to Use Israel Resource Cards

Carl Schrag — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 18:14:18 +0000

Here are ten great ways to use the Israel Resource Cards at camp! Feel free to adapt them and add your own ideas. You may download or order your own deck at theicenter.org.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Background Cards

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Resource Cards are a great tool for learning countless facts about Israeli history, people, and life

Explanation:

Since they were introduced in 2013, the Israel Resource Cards have become a go-to tool that enhances Israel education at camps and in countless other settings. Check out the ideas listed here, many of which came to us from camp staff across the country. Use any that appeal to you, or let them serve as a springboard for your own excellent ways to put the cards to use.

Designate one day during each session for giving each cabin a Resource Card at breakfast, and task each cabin with finding a way to incorporate something about the person, place, event, or thing into their afternoon rest time programming. At dinner on the same day, after all campers have learned about one card, find a way for campers to share what they have learned. (If campers ever sit with groups other than their cabins for meals, mix up the seating for dinner and ask each camper to share something about the card he or she reviewed at rest hour.)
Hang copies of the resource cards in bathroom stalls around camp. You'll be surprised how many people start to talk about them! (Note: Its great to hang the cards in the stalls, but remember that many campers and staff visit the same stalls time after time. Set a schedule -- nightly, weekly -- to switch the content in the bathrooms around camp so that everyone sees multiple cards.)
Each morning at breakfast, introduce a Resource Card to the campers. You may already have a Hebrew Word of the Day, but a Card of the Day provides opportunities to broaden campers' exposure to important aspects of Israeli history and society. (The Card of the Day can be presented by a shaliach, an American counselor, or even by a rotating group of older campers who prepare their presentations with guidance from the GE or Goodman Fellows.)
Distribute a People card to each camper in your bunk and give them five minutes to learn about the person. Collect the cards and then give the group 10 minutes to engage in a cocktail party round of informal conversation in which each camper must share as much information as possible about his or her character with the other campers. Cabins might want to make a riddle about the People cards part of the nightly bedtime ritual. Units or divisions can have a late-night contest to see which individual camper or team of campers gets the most right answers.
Create a memory game based on the Resource Cards: identify cards that have a parallel in the U.S. (or Canadian) history, such as the David Ben-Gurion card and George Washington, the Knesset card and Congress, Tal Brody and Lebron James, Tel Aviv and New York, the Jordan River and Missisissippi or Colorado river, the Dead Sea and Great Salt Lake, the Negev and Mojave Desert, Hatikvah and the Star Spangled Banner, Israel National Trail and Appalachian Trail, Shekel and Dollar, War of Independence from both countries, Assassination of Rabin and Assassination of JFK, etc. Create cards by gluing the Resource cards, or printouts, onto sheet of construction paper, and gluing images of the parallel North American event to sheets of construction paper also. Start with 30 cards (15 pairs) and have campers gather around the face-down cards to play.
Place Resource Cards at key points on the climbing wall. As campers descend, ask them to share what they learned on their climb.
Go Fish! Played in groups of 2-5 campers, each player selects 7 cards at random. Instruct players to read the information on their cards, and then use their turns to ask other players for specific cards that they think go with their card. For example, a player who is holding the David Ben-Gurion card can ask another player for the Negev card, due to Ben-Gurion's commitment to the sothern region. Each time a player gets a pair, he or she must lay it down and explain the connection.
Place all 80 Resource Cards face-up on the floor and ask campers to do a "gallery walk" and pick two cards that resonate with them. After everyone has picked two cards, campers share their cards and explain why they chose the cards that they did.
Lay out the cards and have people pick one that resonates with them and one that they'd like to learn more about. Go around the circle and let each camper share the cards they picked. The Goodman Educator, Fellows, and/or shlichim can provide nuggets of additional information as people share.
Lay them out and have them pick one from each category (people, events, places, symbols) - have them explain why they chose each and find connections between the cards from the different categories.

Background Cards:

The Situation Room: The Many Faces of Israel

Natalie Blitt — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:47:35 +0000

This program uses the model of the White House Situation Room to help Israeli and American staff members work together to create Israel programs for the summer.

Curriculum Themes:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Age of Campers:

Staff

Core Learnings:

Since its founding, Israel has been open to Jewish immigration from around the world

Jews in need have come to Israel from Yemen, Iraq, Russia, Central Europe, Ethiopia, and many other places

Staff can work collaboratively to create amazing Israel programs for campers of all ages and in any setting

Explanation:

Step 1: Introducing the Activity

The facilitator will stand up in front of the staff and present the following scenario:

“The President of the United States, when faced with an international military crisis, huddles in the Situation Room and listens to proposed solutions offered up by different working groups before making a decision. In today’s activity, the director of the camp is faced with a similarly dire situation. The camp wants to give campers an opportunity to learn about Israel while having fun at camp. But the director has no program ideas to implement. Your task is to come up with a program that is both fun and engaging and also successfully integrates content related to the modern state of Israel, its history, and its culture. You will be split into groups and given 20 minutes to design your program from start to finish, after which you will make your presentation to the director. Just as in the Situation Room, there will be a list in your folder of circumstances which your program must satisfy. Also, when you are presenting, you will not just be presenting to the director, but to the rest of the staff.”

Step 2: Connecting with the Many Faces of Israel

Share the following excerpt from Israel's Declaration of Independence:
- The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
Facilitate a brief (5-7 minutes) discussion about this passage. Questions might include:
- Why does it call Jews "Exiles"? (When the Romans conquered Israel in the year 70 CE, they exiled all Jews from the land).
- Why do you think Israel made itself open to any Jew who wanted to move there? Why do you think Israel does this today?
- What about non-Jews? (Nearly a quarter of Israeli citizens are non-Jews -- mostly Arabs. Non-Jews do not enjoy the same "Right of Return" to Israel, but those who live there and are citizens do enjoy the rights described in this passage.

Step 3: Creating New Programs

The facilitator divides staff into groups and gives each group a packet that includes an instruction sheet (each group is assigned a slightly different task).
The facilitator explains that the groups have 20 minutes to create a program for a specific audience and in a specific setting, as indicated in the folder. The program should impart the following information about Israel using at least 7 "ingredients," including at least 3 from the list below. At the end of 20 minutes (or more, if you desire), each group will have 1 minute to describe the activity they have created and 4 minutes to model it. Stress the importance of actually leading a shortened version of the activity!
The facilitator and other staff circulate among the groups to help ensure they understand their challenge and to provide encouragement.
The facilitator should give the groups a 10 minute and 5 minute warning before calling them back to make their presentations.
After 20 minutes, everyone comes back together and the groups present their programs to a 'cabinet' of division heads who will vote to decide which program is the most engaging and creative while also including the required information.

Stage 4: Wrap-Up

After each presentation, the director of the camp, along with the ‘cabinet’ of division heads or chosen staff members, can ask questions of the group and make recommendations for suggested alterations of the program for maximization. At the director's discretion, anyone in the room can pose questions or make suggestions.
At the end of the program, the director will announce her/his decision which should be something along the lines of: ‘Thank you all for working so hard together on these great programs. I have decided that all of them could work and will work this summer when you do them with your campers! You have just given yourselves (x number) new programs for the summer. Great work! Or as we say in Hebrew “Yasher Koach!”’

Variations:

You can do this activity using any Israeli concept, historical event, etc. The background cards can provide lots of ideas, as can any area of interest suggested by a staff member.

Background Cards:

Stories Come Alive Late at Night at the Museum

JAR — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:05:28 +0000

Campers will create a sculpture museum demonstrating different stories from modern Israeli history. This is great for a group of campers who like to be physical and/or run around.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

none!

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

A Division/Age Group (30 – 50 campers)

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Campers will learn about the stories behind 4 important events in Israel: the foundation of the state, the Yom Kippur War, the illegal Aliya movement, and the 1977 Maccabi Tel Aviv European championship

A sense of the scope of different events throughout modern Israeli history

Explanation:

Step 1: Introducing the Museum

Introduce a benign concept such as "A Baseball Game" and ask a few volunteers to come up and create a sculpture that represents the theme of a baseball game. Once the sculpture is in place and has been frozen, the leader will invite the rest of the group to come walk around the sculpture (of frozen people) being careful not to get too close to the 'artwork' and certainly not to touch it.

Step 2: Stepping into the Story

The leader will then give instructions for the activity:
- You will be split into groups and each group will be tasked with creating four different sculptures, one for each story on the sheet (see attached resource). The rules stipulate that every member of the group must be a part of every sculpture. There will be four exhibits, and you must create your sculptures in order of the sheet.
- The leader will then split everyone into groups. Each exhibit will get 4 minutes of prep time followed by the groups displaying at once. The leader will walk around and invite one group at a time (and only one group at a time) to release their sculpture to walk around to see the others and then return to their sculpture form in time for the next group to take the tour. This will happen four times.

Stage 3: Wrap-Up

The leader should ask everyone what the experience was like being a sculpture of a frozen scene in Israeli modern history. Did they learn anything new?
How did they decide what moment to portray? Was there disagreement in the group?

IMPORTANT NOTE:

You are strongly encouraged to try coming up with your own moments in Modern Israeli History that you feel would be interesting for the campers to play with. They could be part of a curriculum that already exists, that the campers have been studying, or they could be new for most of the campers. (This activity can be used both as an introductory activity and/or as a review activity, or both).
Engage with your Israeli staff to think of stories they might know that would work in this activity.
If you are choosing new moments for this activity, you should be sure to give a summary blurb of the event along with several key elements and historical facts about the event. The events you choose do not have to be positive, happy events, though that is encouraged.
They should involve several characters, moments of suspense or achievement, and they should be uniquely about Israel.

Variations:

Variations in Format:

If you have campers who are really into drama, you can turn this into a drama program by having them act out a crucial moment in the story instead of creating a tableau.
This can also be done in a photography class. Take pictures of each of the tableaus (including close-ups of different parts) and display them around camp (or on your website) with an explanation of the story.

Variations in Content:

There are endless variations on the type of stories you use. For younger kids, you might want to choose simpler stories, or just places (like the shuk or the Dead Sea).

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Night at the Museum.docx

The Amazing Autograph Race

Carl Schrag — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:29:52 +0000

Celebrities. Paparazzi. Autographs. What could be more fun for a night at camp? This activity blends the red carpet experience with Israeli history and culture by challenging campers to collect the autographs of as many Israeli heroes as possible. In the process, they learn about important personalities in Israel's history and present-day.

Curriculum Themes:

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Large Room (capacity 100+)

Number of Campers:

Large Group (75+ campers)

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

A diverse array of people have made history in Israel

Many different visions come together to create the State of Israel

Explanation:

Stage 1: Setting the Stage

This activity does not require a lengthy introduction. The facilitator can ask campers in the crowd to shout out names of famous Israelis and one or two things they know about each of them. The facilitator could then name a variety of celebrities, ranging from historical figures (Herzl, Ben-Gurion, Kook) to present-day people (Omri Casspi, Bar Refaeli, Natalie Portman, Yair Lapid) and ask the campers if they'd like to meet them.
Campers can be divided by cabins, or in inter-age groups. Each camper receives an autograph book filled with photos and short bios of individuals whose lives and work have impacted Israel.

Stage 2: The Red Carpet

Staff members dressed in costumes representing each of the celebrities enter the space, and campers begin to approach them to ask for autographs. Celebrities share short stories, and then ask each camper a question before signing autographs.
Before bringing the celebrities into the room or the outdoor space where the event is taking place, the facilitator should review the rules of the game:
- Group members can work in small teams or individually.
- Celebrities will sign autographs only after engaging campers in conversation. Campers must do one of three things in order to get their autograph:
  - Ask the celebrity a question (Where did you live? What did you do to make you famous? Where did you come from? What is the thing you are most proud of?)
  - Provide a fact about the celebrity (i.e. Hey! I know you! You were the Israeli guy who plays in the NBA!)
  - Find something in common with the celebrity's life (Hey! You like basketball! I like basketball!)
If you'd like, you can also allow the celebrities to pose for pictures with the campers to add to the fun.
Once the allotted time is finished, see which group/cabin has the most autographs and proclaim them the winning paparazzi team. They can take a group picture with all the assembled celebrities.

Variations:

Variations in format:

This activity works best when there are a lot of people involved, in order to maximize excitement. It can be a campwide activity, or it might be an evening activity for a couple of units together.
Depending on the number of campers involved, you can increase or decrease the number of celebrities who participate.
The closing activity can include a vote for favorite celeb, an opportunity for celebs to share one sentence with the campers, or other avenues to reinforcing what campers have learned during the contest.

Variations in content:

While this program is designed with a diverse list of celebrities and types of celebrities included, you can also make it more narrowly focused and choose to base your choices on theme (politicians, artists, famous women, etc.).
The autograph book should be tailored to the celebrities you are using -- feel free to add or drop those who won't work for your program.

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Autograph Booklet 2012.pdf

Attribution:

Inspired by Camp Airy and Camp Louise

The Situation Room: A Staff Week Program

JAR — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:56:40 +0000

This program uses the model of the White House Situation Room to help Israeli and American staff members work together to create Israel programs for the summer.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Folders for each group containing the reommended piece of paper described in the session

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Age of Campers:

Staff

Core Learnings:

A Kibbutz is a rural community dedicated to mutual aid and social justice

Kibbutzim went through a period of economic and social crises for nearly two decades

In recent years, Kibbutzim report growing numbers

The collaborative process of creating a kibbutz activity can be used for any other Israeli concept or historical event

Explanation:

1. The facilitator should announce the groups and give them each a folder that contains a document with instructions (the document has variations so that you can give each group a slightly different task).

2. The facilitator should explain that the groups have XX amount of time to create a program for a cabin/large group of 8/12/16-year-old campers. The program should impart the following information about Israel using 7 of the 10 listed ingredients below. Once time is up, the groups will present their programs to a 'cabinet' of division heads who will vote on which program is the most engaging and creative while also including the following information.

INFORMATION TO IMPART:

The kibbutz (Hebrew word for “communal settlement”) is a unique rural community; a society dedicated to mutual aid and social justice; a socioeconomic system based on the principle of joint ownership of property, equality, and cooperation of production, consumption, and education; the fulfillment of the idea “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”; a home for those who have chosen it.
The first kibbutzim (plural of “kibbutz”) were founded some 40 years before the establishment of the State of Israel (1948).
Degania (from the Hebrew “dagan,” meaning grain), located south of Lake Kinneret, was established in 1909 by a group of pioneers on land acquired by the Jewish National Fund. Their founders were young Jewish pioneers, mainly from Eastern Europe, who came not only to reclaim the soil of their ancient homeland, but also to forge a new way of life. Their path was not easy: a hostile environment, inexperience with physical labor, a lack of agricultural know-how, desolate land neglected for centuries, scarcity of water, and a shortage of funds were among the difficulties confronting them. Overcoming many hardships, they succeeded in developing thriving communities which have played a dominant role in the establishment and building of the state.
After almost two decades of an economic and social crisis in most sections of the Kibbutz Movement, resulting in a sharp decline of Kibbutz population, the last few years are indicating a fresh and a new trend.
Recently, many Kibbutzim report growing numbers of youngsters – singles and families – seeking to join Kibbutzim, either as permanent members, or as non-member inhabitants. The main obstacle to a more speedy response to this potentially promising trend is lack of housing for absorption. In 2010, there were 270 kibbutzim in Israel. Their factories and farms account for 9% of Israel’s industrial output, worth $8 billion, and 40% of its agricultural output, worth over $1.7 billion.

INGREDIENTS:

a game of some kind (not sport)
a warmup activity
hula hoops
candy
music
planting a garden
a debate
designing a brand new Kibbutz
art
a sports practice/activity/game

Variations:

You can do this activity using any Israeli concept, historical event, etc.

Curricular Subjects:

Kibbutzim

Stories in Motion: Israeli Culture Bridging Political Gaps

Dalia Davis — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 19:52:10 +0000

Stories in Motion engages participants with pieces of Israel’s history through creative movement and physical expression. As participants bring to life the story of an Israeli dance company that faces and overcomes a difficult political situation, the cultural exchange finds resonance in the hearts and minds of the participants.

Curriculum Themes:

A People’s Hope

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Roughly half of Jews in Israel are of Middle Eastern descent

Cultural exchanges can bridge political gaps in a way that discussion cannot

Israeli artists sometimes find themselves in dangerous situation when they tour because of people's negative opinions about Israel

Explanation:

1. Background information: The following background information will help the participants understand the story that this program is based upon. Facilitator introduces these three pieces of information to the group.

A. The Oslo Accords:
The Oslo Accords were bilateral agreements signed in Washington following negotiations, part of which was clandestine, between Israel and the PLO. The main concern was on the Israeli withdrawal from the territories of Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip, in order to allow the establishment of a Palestinian Authority for self-government for an interim period until permanent arrangements would be established. On September 13, 1993, the problems regarding the mutual recognition were resolved, allowing Rabin and Arafat to sign the Declaration of Principles at the White House in Washington.
(www.Knesset.gov.il)

B. Margalit Oved
Margalit Oved—dancer, choreographer, singer, actress, musician—an émigré from Yemen (in the early 1950s), began her career in her teens as one of the original members of Sarah Levi-Tanai’s ethnic Inbal Dance Company in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her creative roots go further back, however, to her native Aden, where as a child she danced barefoot and carefree. Her story, told through her dances, is that of a Jewish Yemenite turned Israeli and then American. Despite her several transformations, she did not abandon her earliest influences. At the same time, she has internalized her experiences in the United States, including the raising of an American-born family, and used them to inform her more recent work.
(www.jwa.org)

C. Barak Marshall
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Barak is the son of acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and musician Margalit Oved. Since his accidental entrance into dance in 1995, Barak established himself as one of Israel’s most innovative voices.
(www.BarakMarshall.com)

Tell the group that they will now have the opportunity to learn more about a cultural exchange that overcame a situation of political strife.

2. Studying the Text:

Partner Study/Chavruta:
Divide participants into pairs and have them read the text “Barak Marshall: Dance Bridging Cultures.” Each pair receives three different colored highlighters and uses different markers to highlight characters, actions, and emotions respectively.

Group Discussion: Participants analyze and reflect upon the story as a group.

Guiding Questions:
*In addition to fear, what do you think the Israeli dancers were feeling in the moments before they performed?
*Do you think Marshall and his dancers anticipated receiving the reaction that they did from the crowd?
*Why do you think the crowd reacted as they did to the performance?
*What do you think about the dancer’s decision to perform despite the animosity they were receiving from the crowd? Do you think such cultural exchanges are worth placing one’s life in danger?

3. Dancing the Text

Role Assignment: Facilitator leads the group in creating a list of the characters in the story, along with their actions and emotions (a sample list is provided in the supporting documents). Characters can be human as well as inanimate objects. Participants choose characters from the story such that each participant has at least one role. They are asked to begin creating movements that express their character’s actions and emotions.

Costuming: Participants create costumes for themselves from white bed sheets or other material scraps. Facilitator provides markers, scissors, and safety pins along with the material.

Dance Creation: After creating movements for their particular role and getting into costume, participants dance their movements as a group while the facilitator reads the text. This is repeated two or three times in order to help the movements coalesce into a cohesive dance. Then the narration ceases and the dance is put to music with the story being told without words.

Dance Performance: Have the participants dance their piece one final time, but this time instead of setting it to music, play the attached youtube video as they are dancing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Waw66l_Igzg). This video is one of Barak Marshall’s choreographic works.
They may need to repeat the dance a few times in order to fill the time of the entire video (their movements do not need to match up with what is happening in the video, but they may do so if they like).

Variations:

Younger Participants: It may be easier for participants to study the text and highlight the characters, actions, and emotions as a group rather than in partner study.

Older Participants: If the group is a bit older, the facilitator might want to include in the processing portion of the session, a discussion about culture as a means for bridging gaps.

Some possible questions to encourage discussion:

• Do you think there are any instances in which a particular cultural piece should not be included in a given performance or exhibition venue? Why or why not?

• There are an increasing number of places that will not allow Israeli performers or artists to participate in festivals and other such cultural exchanges. What do you think are the effects of such decisions?

• What do you think might have happened if before the performance the dancers had responded to the insults they received in Arabic by speaking openly in Arabic? Do you think the story would have ended differently? Why or why not?

• Do you think culture is the best mechanism by which political gaps can be bridged? Why or why not?

Additional Time/Sessions: This session can be a part of a lesson or a curriculum on the Jews of Middle Eastern descent, or the plight of Yemenite Jews. Part of the impact of the story is that Marshall’s mother is a Yemenite Jew, and many of his dancers were of Middle-Eastern descent, yet the audience was unaware that there was such a thing as a Jew of Arabic descent. The facilitator may choose to show the film “The Forgotten Refugees” or to address the history of this population in another way.

Larger groups: In order to accommodate larger groups, multiple people can dance each role and choreograph their movements together.

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Barak Marshall Text.pdf

Israeli Culture Character Chart.pdf

Attribution:

Dalia Davis

Stories in Motion: Returning to the Western Wall

Dalia Davis — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 00:40:18 +0000

Stories in Motion engages participants with epic pieces of Israel’s history through creative movement and physical expression. As participants bring to life the story of the return to the Western Wall through movement, the eye-witness testimonies leave the page and find resonance in the hearts and minds of the participants.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

In 1967, Israeli soldiers were the first Jews who succeeded in reaching the Western Wall in decades

The renewed access to the Western Wall for Jews was of huge religious and political significance

Many Jews, including the president of Israel, greatly value the ability to access the Western Wall

Explanation:

1. Background information about the Western Wall

Share the following information with the group:

When Rome destroyed the Second Temple in 70 C.E., only one outer wall remained standing. The Romans probably would have destroyed that wall as well, but it must have seemed too insignificant to them; it was not even part of the Temple itself, just an outer wall surrounding the Temple Mount. For the Jews, however, this remnant of what was the most sacred building in the Jewish world quickly became the holiest spot in Jewish life. Throughout the centuries, Jews from throughout the world made the difficult pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and immediately headed for the Kotel ha-Ma'aravi (the Western Wall) to thank God. The prayers offered at the Kotel were so heartfelt that gentiles began calling the site the “Wailing Wall.” This name never won a wide following among traditional Jews; the term “Wailing Wall” is not used in Hebrew.

The Western Wall was subjected to far worse than semantic indignities. During the more than one thousand years Jerusalem was under Muslim rule, the Arabs often used the Wall as a garbage dump, so as to humiliate the Jews who visited it.

For nineteen years, from 1948 to 1967, the Kotel was under Jordanian rule. Although the Jordanians had signed an armistice agreement in 1949 guaranteeing Jews the right to visit the Wall, not one Israeli Jew was ever permitted to do so.

(www.JewishVirtualLibrary.org)

Tell the group that they will now have the opportunity to learn more about the operation that restored Jewish access to the Western Wall.

2. Studying the Text:

Partner Study/Chavruta:
Divide participants into pairs and have them read the text “Reclaiming the Western Wall (1967).” Each pair receives three different colored highlighters and uses different markers to highlight characters, actions, and emotions respectively.

Group Discussion: Participants analyze and reflect upon the story as a group.

Guiding Questions:
*What do you think it was like for the soldiers who participated in this mission?
*What do you think it was like for Israelis at that time to hear the news?
*What do you think of the decision of the president and the commanders to risk their lives to reach the Western Wall? Do you think a religious site is something worth risking one’s life for?

3. Dancing the Text

Role Assignment: Facilitator leads the group in creating a list of the characters in the story, along with their actions and emotions (a sample list is provided in the supporting documents). Characters can be human as well as inanimate objects. Participants choose characters from the story such that each participant has at least one role. They are asked to begin creating movements that express their character’s actions and emotions.

Costuming: Participants create costumes for themselves from white bed sheets or other material scraps. Facilitator provides markers, scissors, and safety pins along with the material.

Dance Performance: Have the participants dance their piece one final time, but this time instead of setting it to music, play the attached youtube video as they are dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l17p0fTNvf0.
They may need to repeat the dance a few times in order to fill the time of the entire video (their movements do not need to match up with what is happening in the video, but they may do so if they like).
[The video is in Hebrew, but one does not need to understand the words to discern what is happening.]

Variations:

Larger groups: In order to accommodate larger groups, multiple people can dance each role and choreograph their movements together.

Younger Participants: Facilitator may want to allow participants an opportunity to share an experience they had visiting the Western Wall. Facilitator should also be prepared to share, if s/he has been there.

Older participants: With a group of older participants, facilitator may want to discuss the decisions that came to pass after the return to the Western Wall.

Some questions for discussion:

• Who should decide how the Western Wall should function today?

• Should the Western Wall be structured such that there is a separation between men and women? Why or why not?

• Should decisions about how the Western Wall is run be based on the goal of including as many people as possible? If not, what should be the most important goal?

• What vision of the Western Wall in the future do you think the soldiers had in the moment when they saw it for the first time?

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Reclaiming the Western Wall (1967).pdf

Returning to the Western Wall Character Chart.pdf

Attribution:

Dalia Davis