The Goodman Initiative - The Pioneering Spirit

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?

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:

Our Camp's Israel Garden: A Guide to Creating and Programming

JAR — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 18:52:20 +0000

Learn the skills of gardening and the history of Israeli innovation as we create an Israel garden in camp -- full of Israeli fruits, veggies, and herbs that we will harvest and eat together!

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Outdoor Space

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

How to garden

History of drip irrigation in Israel

What kinds of food grows in Israel

Explanation:

At the beginning of the summer, choose a plot of land to place your garden. The land should have direct sunlight for at least 6 hours each day, and it should be near a water source.

Once you've selected the land, campers can help create the garden. They will need to hoe the dirt, plant guard rails of wood around the garden (laying them down in troughs dug in the ground is an easy way to do this). The point of planting guard rails is to keep the garden dirt firm and in the garden, allowing the garden to be 'boxed in'.

You then need to dig troughs as lines for planting seeds. Determine which items will need to grow where, and how many seeds you want for each item you're planting.

Once planted and watered, there are many interesting ways to integrate Israel into the experience:

Learning about Israeli innovation.
- Start with drip irrigation, one of Israel's claims to fame. You can set up your own drip irrigation system (a long hose with holes in it) or have your campers brainstorm the problem that led to its creation.
- Once you're on the topic of Israeli innovation, learn more about creations that Israel is (and isn't) well known for. Like the cherry tomato strain Israel invented that ripens slowly and stays on the vine, allowing for it to be sold on cluster like grapes, and making shipping easier. (Other examples can be found here: http://www.israel21c.org/technology/israels-top-45-greatest-inventions-o...).
- Have campers look at areas that need innovation in their garden or around camp. How can they use the examples of Israeli innovation to fix their problems? For instance, if the garden is too small for many people to work in it at once, what could they do to maximize the efforts of the whole group? Or if the garden isn't ready to be tended and a group is coming, what could they do with the other campers to help them feel connected to the Israeli garden?
The garden is a great opportunity for campers to learn Hebrew vocabulary. Create Hebrew and English (and transliterated) signage for every kind of plant in the garden. You can even create a poster for a wall near the garden letting everyone see a 'map' of the garden and what is growing where (in Hebrew and English). Also, you can post an enlarged version of the Resource Cards related to Israeli agriculture (Kibbutz, Drip Irrigation) and while you're planting the garden, you can orient the campers to the important role of agriculture in Israel's history.
Talk about argiculture and the landscape of Israel. Part of Ben Gurion's dream was to see the desert bloom. Why did he care about using the desert? Why did Israel spend so much effort in making agriculture work even in the desert? (Hint: The Negev Desert is 60% of the land in Israel).
You can also bring in a lesson about the kibbutz here, discussing with campers the history of the kibbutz movements and its role in agriculture.
You can also learn about the remarkable work of desalination in Israel. Given that much of the water around the desert has high saline content (the Mediterranean Sea), Israel found ways to use the salted water for irrigation of certain crops.

The garden can become the foundation for a wide array of programming (some examples below):

a cabin activity to prune/plant/harvest
a full age group activity to create the garden
an activity to create signage
a cooking class using the harvested foods/herbs
an Israeli meal where campers describe each item using the Hebrew name

Background Cards:

Supporting Images:

Attribution:

Camp Avoda

Jews in the #Social News

Carl Schrag — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 23:35:48 +0000

Campers will gain perspective on how Israel is seen by young people around the world, develop an appreciation for the power and volatility of social media in today’s society, and learn about topical current events. They will use a selection of social media postings from around the world to gain insight into how different cultures and societies express themselves online.

Curriculum Themes:

The Pioneering Spirit

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Learn how different countries and cultures view news from and about Israel

Develop critical thinking skills related to how ideas are expressed via social media

Explanation:

To prepare, label 5 large poster boards with names of countries: U.S., Britain, Israel, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, and hang them around the room. Place the first set of social media postings (cultural themes, see below for suggestions) face-down on a table with masking tape on the back of each post. Place the second set of social media postings (news-related, more controversial themes, see below for suggestions) face-down on a different table with masking tape on the back of each post. Note: There should be two identical sets of each of the groups of posts, assembled in separate rows.

1) Ask each camper to come up with a twitter handle (@____) that includes their name and something about Israel

2) Divide campers into two groups (you can count off, or use a creative method to create two groups; without talking, get in line by the number of times you’ve been to Israel. Then count off one, two, one, two.)

3) Ask each group to make a circle and share their unique twitter handles quickly, offering an explanation of why they chose it.

4) Give the groups another minute to come up with an Israel themed “hashtag” that will be their team name

5) Without explaining too much about the activity, tell the campers they will have three minutes to figure out where every posting is from, and tag it to the corresponding poster. Whichever team has the most correct after the three minutes wins the first round. Teams can only flip over one posting at a time, and must all work together to determine where they go.

6) After the three minute round, go through all of the postings, and share the correct answers. Tally up the scores for both groups. Then, bring the group back together and discuss.

Possible discussion questions:

Did you notice a theme among these postings?
Were there any postings that you knew immediately which country they were from? Why?
Were there any postings whose origins you were surprised by? Why?
Some postings could have been from more than one country. Why do you think that is?
How has social media affected globalization and the spread of culture?
How has social media affected cultural values around the world?
Why does social media affect young people particularly?

7) Ask campers to return to their groups, and tell them that the next set of postings are more serious than the last. This round they will have five minutes to determine where the postings belong (like any camp activity, times are subject to change depending on the attentiveness of the group, the flow of the activity, etc.).

8) After a five minute round, go through the postings and share the correct answers. Tally up the scores for both groups. Then, bring the group back together and discuss.

Possible discussion questions:

Did you notice a theme among these postings?
Were there any postings you knew immediately which country they were from? Why?
How were these posts different from (or similar to) the posts on your Facebook wall?
Were there any postings whose origins you were surprised by? Why?

Next, instruct the two groups to do the same exercise, this time using the second set of posts. These posts are more overtly political in nature and should reflect strong opinions on key issues related to Israel. Give the groups three minutes to review the posts, one at a time, and decide on which wall each belongs.

After the time has elapsed, check the posts and see which team got the most correct answers. Announce a winner. Then continue the conversation that you began after the first round of posts. You can revisit any of the earlier questions, and also use these for ideas:

What did you learn about the way Israel is portrayed around the world?
How does social media affect the way Israel is portrayed around the world?
Do you think young people have a different view on Israel than older people? Why?
Social media exists in a “virtual” reality, but has the ability to affect the real world greatly. Why is that? Can you think of any examples?
How is social media used as an agent of change by young people around the world?
Why is social media effective in this role?
How has social media changed the role of young people in the geopolitical world (i.e. Arab Spring)?
How has social media empowered traditionally marginalized groups?
How does social media affect the world’s views on/responses to specific countries’ internal issues?
Describe a way you could use social media to stimulate social change. What issue would you be focused on?
How has social media changed the way young people interact?
Do you notice that in your own life? Can you give an example?
Do you think it’s a good thing we don’t have phones or computers at camp? Why?
How has camp affected the way you interact with others?
When you’re at camp, do you miss social media? Why or why not?
Are relationships formed through social media “real” relationships? Why or why not?
Do you have any relationships that exist only through social media? How do those relationships differ from relationships you have in “real” life?
If you could go back twenty years and stop social media from even becoming an idea, would you do it? Why or why not? How would that affect the world today?
How do you think social media will affect the future of humanity and social interaction?

Variations:

You can use the sample posts included here, but the ideal way to run this activity is to gather real-time posts from Facebook and Twitter.

Time permitting, consider these variations and additional activities:

Have every camper take a few minutes to choose one post they would “favorite,” one they would “retweet” (share), and one they would “delete.” Go around in a circle and have each camper share their choices and explain why.
Have every camper write a post about Israel, a current event, or any issue that affects/interests them. After they’re done, have them move around the room and find another camper whose post is most similar to theirs. They can be similar for any reason, serious or whacky. After every camper has found a partner, have them share with the group both of their tweets, and why they’re similar. If they share an issue, ask them if they agree or disagree on the issue, and why. Finish the activity by having the campers tape their posts to a poster which can be displayed in a cabin or the dining room.

Resources:

*The social media postings below are made up, but effective. Feel free to substitute these postings with real postings found on the internet*

Cultural Postings:

“What an incredible concert #first #let #me #take #a #selfie #goingdown #timber”

“Hadag Nachash put on a great show!! #holymusic”

“What a match! Can’t believe they pulled through in extra time!”

“How am I supposed to drive my Lamborghini if a camel caravan is taking up the road? #crownprinceprobz #ugh”

“Need bagels. rn. Who’s driving??”

“Oh Fairouz, why must you be from Lebanon and not from here? You are so beautiful.”

“How come everytime I meet an American they ask if I’m in One Direction? We’re not all bloody boy toys”

“I like her so much but she is observing shomer nagiyah…#justonekiss #please”

“Kesha was going to perform but the government said she breaks religious law #NOTgoingdown #timber”

“I can’t believe tonight is prom...wasn’t I just a freshman?? #timeflies #wedemboyz”

Serious Postings:

“What kind of government trades dangerous prisoners for a deserter? This establishes a precedent for kidnapping and shows tremendous weakness #tcot”

“We must come together to show the world what is really happening in this country #BringBackOurBoys”

“Today is the day to #unveil your beauty and your life! Stand together as women and show the world who we are”

“Libya had its time, Egypt had its time, today we will meet in the square to protest the #occupation #givebackourland #spring”

“They say we cannot even leave the house without a man, but today we will drive. The time is now for change, who will lead the charge?”

“Rouhani is a wolf in a sheep’s clothing. America is closing their eyes to a terrible reality. Iran must not get nuclear weapons, or it is our lives and our country”

“Allowing immigrants already in the country to become citizens will help refill the social security the baby boomers are draining. It is in all of our interest”

“Another day of being late to work because of checkpoints. Another day I can’t see my family on the other side of the fence. This is #apartheid #teardownthiswall”

“Heard Israel killed more Palestinians today. What entitles them to kill? They’re just Jews, who do they think they are?”

“Meet outside Stratford dorm to promote #BDS. Israel can’t continue to oppress a whole people without punishment”

Curricular Subjects:

Attribution:

Camp Airy

Someone's in the Kitchen with Golda!

JAR — Fri, 09 May 2014 16:05:59 +0000

Participants will create a presentation of Israel that highlights all 5 senses of the human body.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

video cameras

Program Duration:

30 minutes

Physical Space:

Open Space

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Israel cannot be 'digested' merely as something you hear about, look at pictures of, or watch on tv. It is a multi-dimensional place, with sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and texture, both literally and metaphorically.

Explanation:

Split campers up into groups (with one staff member for each group).

Each group will be given 10 minutes to create a segment of a cooking show. The dish they are cooking is: Israel.

To be clear, this is not a cooking show for an Israeli dish but rather what if the STATE OF ISRAEL was the dish? What would the ingredients be? What would it taste like? Smell like? Feel like in your hands? In your mouth?

Your cooking show must include:

A list of ingredients
Steps for preparing the dish
An anecdote about someone in your group’s personal experience with or in Israel
At least one Hebrew word (not including the word “Shalom”)
A creative title for the show
A special guest chef
Every member of the group must participate in some way in the presentation of the cooking show (be creative with this one – there are no rules to how this is achieved)

After 10 minutes, all groups will be gathered for a quick check in, followed by the next set of instructions:

Using a video-camera or ipad, please film your cooking show. You can spread out to go to a quiet place to film, but you must return to the group in 10 minutes with a finished filmed cooking show segment. Then everyone gathers to watch!

At the end, you can serve Israeli snacks to the campers if you want!

Movin' On Up!

JAR — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 15:09:17 +0000

The campers will experience a modified 'Aliyah' to Israel either as immigrants or existing citizens, where they will get to engage in dialogue and learn about Aliyah from a personal place.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Open Space

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

The process of Aliyah

The role customs and traditions play in social interaction

The diversity of Israel's population

Explanation:

The participants will spend the first five minutes of the session doing a series of warm-up activities to get comfortable in the room. After the warm-up, one facilitator will remove half the group and take them outside the room.

The group outside the room will be given two sheets of paper. The first is an empty registration/application form for making Aliyah to Israel. The goal is to get the participants to create, quickly, an identity of a person they imagine might be making Aliyah (including information such as number of children, profession, age, etc.). The participants in this group will then be given a second piece of paper, empty, for them to write an answer to the following question: “Why are you making Aliyah?”

The group inside the room will spend the first few minutes collectively deciding on specific weird customs (such as pointing at a person when they begin speaking). Once those customs are agreed upon and memorized, the group will discuss the different kinds of people who exist as Israeli citizens in 2013. Each person in the group will assume one of those identities and spend a few minutes writing down an answer to the following question: “What does it mean to be Israeli?”

The outside group will be invited back into the room for a cocktail party during which they can schmooze and meet the people in the inside group. This will be framed as new olim meeting current Israeli citizens to ask them one question: “What does it mean to be Israeli?” The Israelis can ask the olim “Why are you making Aliyah?”

Following the cocktail party, the entire group will sit on the floor in a circle and the facilitator will guide a group discussion about Israel, during which the customs will emerge. After a few minutes of this, the facilitator will end the exercise and begin a debrief of the entire program.

Variations:

The group discussion should NOT be a debrief on the session itself. So, you can change up the subject matter of the group discussion so as to facilitate the customs being brought to the fore without stymying any debrief or talkback on the session itself (and on the Aliyah portion of the session, in particular).

Supporting Materials:

Aliyah Form for Movin on Up.pdf

Curricular Subjects:

Current Social Issues

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:

The Hebrew Alphabet Paparazzi

Joy Langer — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:20:08 +0000

Discover you know Hebrew when you look through your camera lens, do yoga, and eat glida! Look for abstracted Hebrew letters around you and photograph beautiful meaningful art. Move your body and get a great yoga workout spelling Hebrew words with your peers. Celebrate what you’ve learned, Ben Yehudah, and have some glida! This Hebrew literacy through art program is great for visual and kinesthetic learners.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

see attached materials list

Program Duration:

Full-day program

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

To learn kinesthetic and visual ways to approach teaching Hebrew

To use digital cameras to think abstractly

To learn some basics in composing a successful photograph

To learn about Ben Yehudah and the Hebrew language

To learn Hebrew letters and words through photography as medium

To learn how to incorporate yoga and movement into Hebrew literacy

To celebrate our national language with an ice cream party! To use culinary art to teach literacy.

Explanation:

1. Begin with a basic yoga warm up. Start with breathing exercises, mountain pose, downward dog, stretching, etc. Have a large Aleph Bet chart up somewhere participants can see it.
2. The facilitator will ask participants to make the sound of the bet. They will then try to move their body in the shape of an aleph. There are many ways of approaching this. Participants can move their body however they think it makes a bet. Be sure they move in ways that feel comfortable to them as no one should feel any pain. Ask the participants to come up with a few words that start with the letter bet. Repeat with a few other letters. Hand out alphabet sheets.
3. Invite participants to pair up to create letters and then eventually words.
4. Ask a few participants to photograph the poses.
5. Share a few successful photographs from magazines or from famous photographers. Discuss why they are successful. Introduce the terms: composition, contrast, focal point, and depth of field.
6. Share the abstracted photographs of letters from google searches.
7. Participants should make view finders with index cards by cutting a rectangular opening in the center of the index card to look through to search for letters and frame them before shooting.
8. Send participants in groups of 2-4 with a digital camera to photograph. Ask them to find letters of the Hebrew Alphabet and photograph them. Ask them to find as many as possible in the given time. If possible try to find letters that might create a Hebrew word. Give participants a few Hebrew words to “look for” around camp – see handout.
9. After participants photograph 5-10 letters in their groups, facilitator will send them to be printed.

Variations:

1. For younger participants and or beginning Hebrew language learners, facilitator can focus on the letters and create Aleph Bet books. You can do this in various styles. Participants can create group dictionary or individual books. Participants can come up with vocabulary word lists that start with each letter.

2. For older participants facilitator can expand this project into more conceptual art and create poetry or sentences. Each photograph can be thoughtful and used as a visual interpretation of the meaning of the word or phrase they write – example teva – where each letter is found in nature…. or a poem or teffilah about nature where the letters are all found in nature.

3. Participants can create acrostic poems with the letters.

4. Have a photo exhibit for the entire community and invite participants. Have the artists act as guides and explain their work to the viewers.

5. Older or more advanced Hebrew learners can create a yoga dance and tell a story highlighting the main words of the story with Hebrew yoga words and yoga art. They can tell any story or a brief biography of Ben Yehudah.

6. Younger participants can have a Hebrew letter scavenger hunt. To transition campers from one place to another, counselors can ask them to look for letters and photograph on the way. They can do this for a few days until they collect many letters.

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Aleph Bet Handout.doc

Hebrew Literacy through Abstract Art Materials list.doc

Attribution:

Joy Langer

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