The Goodman Initiative - Creation & Rebirth

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.

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

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

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: 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 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=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

Stories in Motion: Operation Moses

Dalia Davis — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 01:36:11 +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 Operation Moses through movement, the story of the Ethiopian Jewish journey leaves the page and finds resonance in the hearts and minds of the participants.

Curriculum Themes:

Creation & Rebirth

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Ethiopian Jews endured difficulty and danger during Operation Moses to get to Israel

Israel's Mossad (Intelligence and special operations) agents endangered their lives in order to save the Ethiopian Jews during Operation Moses

Israel plays a large role in rescuing and absorbing Jewish communities in crisis

Explanation:

1. Background information about Operation Moses

Share the following information with the group:

In the 1980s the situation for Ethiopian Jews was extremely difficult. They endured terrible famines, the rapid spread of disease and increased pressure to stop practicing their religion under the dictatorial, communist regime of Colonel Marian Mengistu. To save them, Israel executed rescue missions, the first of which was called Operation Moses. Operation Moses began on November 18, 1984, and ended six weeks later on January 5, 1985. In that time, just over 7,000 Ethiopian Jews were rescued and brought to Israel.

Tell the group that they will now have the opportunity to learn more about operation Moses through the reflections of the Mossad agents who carried out the mission.

2. Studying the Text:

Partner Study/Chevruta:
Divide participants into pairs and have them read the text “Operation Moses: Personal Reflections of Mossad Agents.” 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:
*How would you describe Operation Moses from the perspective of the Ethiopian Jews?
*How would you describe Operation Moses from the perspective of the Mossad agents?
*Why do you think Israel sent the Mossad agents on this mission? Do you agree with Israel’s decision to do so—why or why not?

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.

Variations:

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

Older groups: The closing discussion can include questions about Israel’s role as a Jewish state, such as:

*Do you think that all Jews should automatically be welcome citizens of the State of Israel?
*Do you think that Israel should actively search for remote Jewish communities and bring them to Israel?
*Do you think Israel should risk the lives of its soldiers to help bring other Jews to Israel?

Music Options: Here are examples of Idan Raichel songs to use during the activity, but most of his other songs would work as well (preferably ones with Amharic):

1) Tigest
2) Shoshanim Atzuvot
3) Brong Faya
4) Mi'ma'amakim
5) Bo'i
6) Ayale
7) Brachot Leshana Chadasha

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Operation Moses text.pdf

Operation Moses Character Chart.pdf

Attribution:

Dalia Davis

Whose Line is it Anyway: Israel Edition

JAR — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:41:32 +0000

Whose Line is it Anyway: Israel Edition uses the format of the famous and funny TV show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" but replaces the scenarios with those involving characters and storylines from modern Israeli history and culture. The program allows many different participants for each 'game' and is always a lot of fun!

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

see template

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Campers will learn about a series of Israeli innovations, events, foods, and personalities, as determined by each camp.

Explanation:

Each game should take about 15 minutes, but could go longer or shorter depending on the group.

Game 1: News Team

The leader will ask for four volunteers to come stand up in front of the group. Each of these volunteers will be members of the news team, at the foot of Har Hertzl in front of a huge celebration honoring Israel’s 65th birthday. The leader should identify two anchors (who will stand in the middle), one weather person (who will stand to one side of the anchors), and one sports reporter (who will stand on the other side). The leader should inform the ‘audience’ that each of these news team members has a flaw. The leader should go one by one to establish (through suggestions from the audience) what those flaws are. (Examples: this person is allergic to what? This person thinks he/she is which inanimate object? This person thinks this is not a news show, but what kind of TV show?, etc.) Once each news team member has been given a flaw, they should also receive a note card with one fact. These cards should be prepared ahead of time using the facts provided below (or your own Israel facts!). The news team members have to incorporate the info on their cards along with showcasing their flaws.

News fact: Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees.

News fact: Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

Sports fact: Israel's Maccabi basketball team won the European championships in 2001.

Weather fact: In March of 2012 it snowed in Jerusalem for the first time in four years!

The leader should explain out loud that the anchors will begin and end the broadcast and at certain points pass the broadcast over to the weather and sports person, respectively, before signing off for the end of the broadcast. The leader should then say “3, 2, 1, Action!” and let the news team go!

Game 2: Party Quirks

Sticking with the ‘65th anniversary party’ theme, the leader will ask for 1 really brave volunteer. The leader will send that volunteer, who will be called the ‘host of the party’ with another staff member into the ‘sound proof booth’ (far enough away or in another room so that the volunteer can’t hear what’s going on in the space where the game is being played). The leader will then ask for 6 volunteers to come stand up front. Each of these volunteers will be guests at the party that the ‘host’ is throwing. The catch? Each volunteer has to be a famous person or inanimate object in Israel’s history. Get ideas from the audience. (Examples: David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Ilan Ramon, a bolt of lightning (as operation thunderbolt), etc.) Once everyone has their identities picked out, the host can come back in and mock ‘set-up’ his/her party. The leader will say ‘ding dong’ as each new guest enters. And the leader should not let the party get too crowded... space out the arrivals so the ‘host’ has some time to guess the identity of the guest based on the guest’s behavior.

*two tips for this game: either the ‘host’ should be an adult or staff member who knows enough to guess the guests when they come in OR this game should be played at the end of a period of time where the group has learned about different people in modern Israeli history.

Game 3: Quote Bubbles

The leader should ask for four volunteers. Two will stand in the the middle facing each other and be engaged in a conversation in nonsense language, making it up. Behind each person will be standing the ‘translator’ for that person. Every time ‘person A’ speaks, everyone will pause while the translator translates what ‘person A’ was really saying. Then the same for ‘person B.’ The leader will, after assigning roles, ask the audience for suggested scenarios by first asking for a location in Israel, then asking for a scene/conversation that could be happening in that location. A fun thing to do is to have the people switch positions and do a new round with new scenarios/locations from the audience but the same volunteers, just in opposite roles.

Game 4: Press Conference

The leader picks one volunteer to come stand up in front of the group. The volunteer will be speaking behind a podium (if you have a podium, awesome -- if not, no need). The volunteer is at a press conference and must deduce his/her own identity and the event being discussed from the questions posed by the audience/reporters. The volunteer must try to answer the questions appropriately and accurately. The subject of the press conference is a known figure making an announcement about a big event in modern Israeli history. (Options include: 1978 Peace Treaty with Egypt, Omri Casspi becoming first Israeli to join NBA team, Israel winning its first Olympic gold medal, Ilan Ramon enters space as Israel's first astronaut, or any other subject you might choose from the background cards). The questions should be pre-written on note cards.

SAMPLE SCENARIO:

Cornell University partners with Israel’s world famous Technion University to create new Science University on New York City’s Roosevelt Island making it the first U.S. campus for an Israeli University!

SPEAKER: NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg

SAMPLE QUESTIONS TO BE WRITTEN ON NOTE CARDS (YOU CAN HAVE MANY MORE):

1. Mr. Mayor, what is so special about Israeli science and technology?
2. Mr. Mayor, does your city really need another university?
3. Mr. Mayor, will you have to build a new bridge from Manhattan for the students to access Roosevelt Island?
4. Mr. Mayor, Cornell has a great reputation. Why would it need to partner with a science & technology university from another country?

The Leader should have the volunteer guess as he/she goes along answering the questions.

Game 5: Israeli Themed Restaurant

The leader asks for 3 volunteers. Two will be seated at a table, one will be the waiter standing next to the table. The waiter will not have menus, but instead will have to recite the menu to the people sitting down who will have to decide on what to eat. The waiter will then go and come back with the food (leaving a little time for the diners to exchange small talk), and then the diners will have to describe the food they’re mock-eating in great detail. The food on the menu must all be Israeli food (cous cous, hummus, Israeli salad, falafel, rugelach, etc.)

Variations:

You can always switch out different topics as mentioned above, or different games as well. The order doesn't matter. Though I find starting with 'news team' is always a sure first game.

Curricular Subjects:

Current Events

Attribution:

"Whose Line is it Anyway" - the British and US TV shows