The Goodman Initiative - Declaration of Independence

Soldiers Eat S’mores Too!

Carl Schrag — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:02:32 +0000

This activity provides opportunities for high-school-aged campers to delve into the reality of the military challenges facing Israel. Starting with a late-night sneak-out, progressing to a campfire and a military mission, the program culminates with the Goodman Educator and shlichim sharing stories from Israel's wars.

Curriculum Themes:

A People’s Hope

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

A Division/Age Group (30 – 50 campers)

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Key milestones in Israel's fight for survival: the War of Independence, the Six Day War, and the Yom Kippur War

Grapple with the reality of war as experienced by Israeli staff (and, where applicable, campers)

Explanation:

Step 1: The Surprise

As campers are getting ready for bed, staff rushes into the cabins and announces that they have 15 minutes to prepare for a very special late-night activity. Instruct them to wear sturdy shoes, bring flashlights, and be in the appointed place in exactly 15 minutes.

Step 2: Gadna Training

The facilitator greets everyone and announces that the campers will undergo a brief military training exercise, a mini-Gadna activity. The shlichim lead them through an obstacle course and a late-night run around camp. During this activity, shlichim bark orders at campers and exert enough pressure so that the participants feel they are being challenged, but not so much as to intimidate or overwhelm them. (The GE should plan this with shlichim in advance, and keep careful tabs on how it is being implemented in real time). This entire exercise should last about 15 minutes. When everyone returns to the assembly point, campers gather around a campfire for another comfortable setting that is conducive to storytelling, refreshments are served.

Step 3: War Stories

After everyone has enjoyed their snacks, the facilitator (ideally one of the shlichim) tells the group:
- "Tonight you are going to learn about the wars Israel has fought since its creation. But first, we wanted to make sure you understand a bit about what it means to be a soldier. Being a soldier means you follow orders from your commanders. It means you are prepared to work hard all the time. It means your life is on the line for a cause that means everything to you. That's what we tried to show you as we were running around camp just now, and that's what we are going to show you by sharing our stories with you now."
At this point, another shaliach (or two) step up and address the group to share very brief reflections on what it means to serve in the IDF. They stress the idea of defending their homes and their families, and they also speak about the camaraderie among soldiers in a unit.
Now, a series of presenters (ideally shlichim, but American staff can also participate) shares with the group a personal story about each of 4 Israeli wars (War of Independence, Six Day War, Yom Kippur War, and Operation Cast Lead). The GE should have worked with each of these presenters in advance to craft a story that can be told in first person about the war. (If the presenter has a personal connection to the war, such as a grandparent, parent, or family friend who fought in the war, then this should be the basis for the story. Otherwise, it can be a fictionalized account, but should be told in first person nonetheless). Each story should take 2-4 minutes to tell, and the presenter can engage campers in Q&A before handing the floor to the next presenter.

Step 4: Wrap-up

After all 4 presenters have shared their "personal" war stories and campers have had ample opportunities to ask questions, the facilitator tells the group:
- All of you have spent the past hour hearing stories about the people who have fought in Israel's wars. Here in America, we tend to think of war as something for history class, the movies, or video games. But in Israel, war is a very real part of every person’s reality. Not because there’s a war going on every day in every part of the country, but because the possibility of war is always very real, and it touches the lives of every Israeli. You've heard how it’s touched the lives of some of our friends, our shlichim, and you've heard stories from the past 70+ years that sum up highlights of some of the most important wars that Israel has fought.
Time permitting, the facilitator can invite shlichim to share more of their own personal reflections and ecnourage campers to ask more personal questions.
To wrap up the activity, the facilitator stresses that the IDF is a people's army supported by near-universal conscription and asks the campers to think about a couple of questions that few Israelis ever think twice about:
- What is worth fighting for?
- What, if anything, is worth dying for?
At the conclusion, staff bring campers back to their cabins and to bed. Campers sleep in late tomorrow.

Variations:

There is a lot of material in this activity, and it my be too much to do in the middle of the night.

Options include:

Break the activity into two separate parts that can be started at night and completed the following day.
Do the entire activity as an evening program.
Forgo the campfire discussions focused on past wars, and instead ask the shlichim to discuss their personal experiences in the army.

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

War Stories Background.docx

Curricular Subjects:

Mr. and Mrs. Israel

Naomi Brown — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:34:33 +0000

It's a talent show! It's a beauty pageant! It's Mr. and Mrs. Israel, where camper teams representing places in Israel compete for recognition and bragging rights. With costumes, songs, cheers, and the like, campers won't even realize how much they are learning in the process. This is ideally a multi-period activity, with campers preparing earlier in the day for the evening competition. However, the entire program could be as big or small as you'd like.

Curriculum Themes:

A Land & Its People

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Campers will learn about important Israeli cities (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Eilat, Tsfat), regions (the Negev, the Golan Heights) and landmarks (The Dead Sea)

Israel is a small but very diverse country, as seen by the differences between each of the cities and locations campers will represent

Explanation:

Stage 1: The Prep Stage (for the campers)

This stage could take anywhere from 15 minutes to several periods, depending on how extensive you want their entries to be.

Campers are introduced to the camp-wide/unit-wide competition, where each bunk will represent a place in Israel and compete in several events

Once they learn which area they will represent, have the campers brainstorm what they already know about the location.
Depending on how much time you are setting aside, they could either be sent to find out more information from counsellors/staff/schilichim/other campers or you can just give them the fact sheet and a map of Israel.
Help them think about the following questions:
- Where is your city in relation to the rest of Israel (north, middle, south)?
- What is around their city? Is there water? Are there mountains? Are there other cities?
- What do they think their city looks like?
- What do you think people like to do in your city?
- What makes your city unique/special/different?

Stage 2: Planning for their event

Each bunk should divide into three groups -- one for each of the talent competitions. Here are some suggestions for competitions but feel free to add others:
- Costume Competition: Campers will use the fact sheet and pictures to dress in a costume that best represents their city/area.
- Talent Competition: Campers will come up with a talent that they can demonstrate for their city based off of what they learn about their city. For example, Tel Aviv's talent could be roller blading on the boardwalk looking pretty. The desert's talent could be gardening because they can make the desert bloom.
- Art Competition: Campers create a giant mural that represents their city using butcher paper and art supplies.
- Song Competition: Campers will adapt a popular song (their choice) to reflect what is great about their city.
- Jingle Competition: Campers will create an ad campaign for their city.
Let the campers know that they will be judged for creativity AND how much they know about their city.

Stage 3: The Competition

This is the fun part! Make the competition as exciting and wild as you can to hype up the audience.
Here are some ways to do it:
- Think about using a panel of judges. You could use:
  - Senior camp leadership
  - Your schlichim
  - Other international staff. Even better if they don't know anything about Israel!
- Your judges could each play a role that comes across as they comment on each of the acts (American Idol style).
- Between events, have Israeli music playing.
- If you use AV equipment, flash pictures of places in Israel.
- Have your Israeli staff or American staff who have been to Israel introduce each of the cities with a personal story or connection.

Variations:

Variations in format:

Make this an all-camp activity. You could have a winner per age group or have each group have campers from different bunks/units working together.
Have this activity build up all week. Your specialists (art, music, etc.) can be brought into it to help the groups create their events.
Certain events can be displayed throughout camp. Murals can be affixed to buildings, songs or jingles can be played over the loudspeaker. Or each group can be given a different area in camp to represent their city.

Variations in content:

Instead of having campers represent cities and places, they can represent famous Israelis. See Amazing Autograph Race for information on different Israeli leaders and heroes they can choose.

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Curricular Subjects:

Decision Time: The Homeland Carnival

Natalie Blitt — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:59:16 +0000

This activity is the re-enactment of the quest for votes that effectively created the State of Israel. Campers will have to do Israel-related activities and challenges in order to collect the necessary "votes" such that the United Nations votes in favor of the Partition Plan.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Outdoor Space

Number of Campers:

A Division/Age Group (30 – 50 campers)

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

The state of Israel was created after World War II ended when thousands of Jewish refugees lived in Europe

Jewish representatives had to secure votes from the UN to get the resolution for the establishment of the Jewish state passed

The Partition Plan, as proposed at the UN, divided the land into two states, one for the Jews and one for the Arabs

The real celebration of the founding of the state took place on Nov. 29, 1947 -- the moment when the international community accepted the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine

Explanation:

Divide the group into teams of about 5 campers. Each group receives a unique bingo card with 9 squares. Each square should have a picture or symbol that refers to the modern state of Israel. The nine symbols will match the symbols that identify the different stations.
Explain to the campers that they will probably not be able to fill all of the squares on their own card, but it's important that several of them are filled (don't tell them how many) on a certain number of different teams' cards (don't tell them how many). Therefore, it's important that teams help other teams find the different stations (which can be "hidden" or off the beaten track) and help them with the activities.
Counselors should run each of the 9 different stations and get into character according to the station theme and task. At each station, they should have a large picture that is on the bingo card. When a group arrives at the station, they need to perform a task in order to get their sticker on their card. Remember, the more "carnival-like" each station is, the more fun the campers will have!

Stations:

Quiz show: Counselor will say: If you want your own state, you should know something about it.
- Group must answer 5 questions about Israel correctly. Can't get stamp until they answer at least 5.
Army: Counselor will say: If you are going to have a state, you will have to defend yourself.
- Group must do 15 sit ups or push ups.
Culture: Counselor will say: If you are going to have a state, what will make it artistic?
- Group must sing a song in Hebrew.
Hebrew: Counselor will say: You have a language you want to use for this country. Do you know it?
- Group must recite the Alef Bet or name 3 words they know in Modern Hebrew (not prayers)
State: Counselor will say: Countries need symbols. What will yours be?
- Group will need to draw a flag.
National Anthem: Counselor will say: What will be the song that symbolizes your country?
- Campers must at least be able to name Hatikva and either sing it or at least hum it.
Land: Counselor will say: What will this country eventually look like?
- Campers must lay out their bodies in the shape of the map of Israel.
Dance: Counselor will say: I've seen Israeli dancing, can you do it?
- Campers must get into a hora and dance around.
Passion: Counselor will say: Why does this matter to you?
- Campers will have to explain why it's personally important to them for the state of Israel to exist.

Allow enough time for groups to go from station to station but not fill out their card entirely. Groups should be encouraged to help one another through the activities -- by telling them where the stations are if they are hidden, or passing on information. When time is up, there should be a question in everyone's mind of whether enough squares were filled out.
Once everyone gathers back together, groups should pass their cards to a staff table where the cards are tabulated. This should be going on where campers can see it -- have the staff make a production out of examining the cards and counting them up on a score sheet.
As this this happening, the educators should talk to the campers about the activity. Tell them that in some ways, this activity was like what the representatives of Jewish Palestine and the Jews who helped them had to do in order to get the votes necessary to get the UN resolution passed.
Screen the Toldot video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrIjzUK0FKg

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Israel Quiz Questions.pdf

Curricular Subjects:

When Would You Step In to Help?

Natalie Blitt — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:14:39 +0000

In 1948, more than 4,000 volunteers from 56 different countries walked out of their every day lives to help Israel during the War of Independence. This session will allow campers to hear some of their stories and to examine the question: when would you step in? It's ideal for an after-hours bunk activity, a Shabbat discussion slot, or as a rainy day substitution.

Curriculum Themes:

Creation & Rebirth

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Israel declared Independence on May 14, 1948, almost six months after the United Nations passed the "partition plan" to create an Arab and a Jewish State in Palestine.

Israel fought and won its War of Independence declared by its Arab neighbors after they rejected the Partition Plan.

Over 4,000 Jewish Volunteers from outside Israel came to fight and aid in Israel's War of Independence.

Explanation:

Stage 1: The Trigger Story

Introduce the video:
- Give your campers a brief history leading up to Israel's War of Independence (provided).
- Over the past couple decades, a group called Toldot Yisrael has been interviewing thousands of people who participated in Israel's founding. While these people are all over 80 now, when they got involved, many of them were no older than your campers.
- The 15 minute clip they are about to see is centered around the experiences of six people who got involved during Israel's founding moments. What is remarkable about these people is that they didn't start out in Israel and they did not wind up there because they had no place to go. While the War of Independence was fought primarily by people who had made aliyah -- moved to Israel -- either before the Holocaust or after the Holocaust, more than 4,000 of the people who came to help Israel in this fight came from overseas. They left the security of good homes and good jobs, college and their families, because they felt an urgent need to help.
- As they watch this clip, encourage them to keep track of the different motivations that these people had for leaving their lives to go to Israel's aid. What made them do it? How did they help?
Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kxzEGSmgYl4

Stage 2: Discussing the film

Begin the discussion with the following comment by former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin when he dedicated the Israeli memorial to the volunteers who came to fight during Israel's founding:
- "You came to us when we needed you most, during those difficult, uncertain days in our War of Independence. You gave us not only your experience, but your lives as well. The people of Israel and the State of Israel will never forget, and will always cherish, this unique contribution made by you -- the volunteers of Machal."
Here are some conversation starters for your group:
- Do you understand why Prime Minister Rabin said that?
- How did the different interviewees help?
- What did they risk to do it?
- Why do you think the volunteers were inspired to help?
- Did you relate to any of the volunteers’ stories? Did they remind you of anyone you know?
- What surprised you about the video?
- Do you think you, or people you know, would act in a similar situation?

Stage 3: When would you step in to help?

The discussion should now move into an area that is more personally relevant to the campers: issues of responsibility in their own lives. Feel free during the discussion to bring up examples from the video as well.
Essentially, the issues in the video come down to the question: “Who are we responsible for?” Within this question are other questions: What does it mean to be responsible? Who is responsible for us? How do we fulfill our responsibilities?
Ask your campers: When you hear the word ‘responsible,’ is there a person who comes to mind? Do you have a story to share about them?
- How do the characters in the video understand who they are responsible for?
- How do they act on their sense of responsibility?
- How do you decide for whom you are responsible?

Variations:

Variations in format

This activity could be done in a large group for the movie, and then broken up in smaller groups for the discussions.
If you can't do this activity with the video, ask a few staff people to take on the roles of the people in the video and introduce themselves and their decision to come help, what they wound up doing to help during the war.
If your camp has a regular video activity or a camp newspaper, this discussion can be brought in to that space as well. Have campers go out and interview others -- campers, counselors, Israelis, and staff (both Jewish and not-Jewish) and pose these questions:
- Who are you responsible for?
- How far would you go if you were called on to act?

Background Cards:

Curricular Subjects:

Attribution:

Ask Big Questions

The Piven Workshop: What Makes a Great Leader?

Carl Schrag — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 22:30:20 +0000

Using the art and methods of Israeli popular artist Hanoch Piven, these activities encourage campers to explore Israel's history, their own surroundings and identity, and individuals' connections to Israel. This activity consists of several modules which can be used on a mix-and-match basis. Elements can be used as quick conversation-starters or in-between activities; alternately, several components can fill an hour, half a day, or a week of activity blocks.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Arts & Crafts Material

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Arts Center

Number of Campers:

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

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Hanoch Piven is a real Israeli artist who is at the height of his career. His work runs the gamut from historically significant portraits to packages of hummus, basketball stars, and pop stars

David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel and proclaimer of Israel's Declaration of Independence, retired in his home in the desert (at Sde Boker) and advocated to see the desert "bloom"

Yitzhak Rabin was Israel's 5th Prime Minister and served again from 1992-1995 when he was assassinated for his role in creating the Oslo Accords, an attempt for peace between Israelis and Palestinians

Explanation:

Stage 1: Introduce Hanoch Piven (the Artist)

Introduce campers to the work of Hanoch Piven by showing them a selection of his portraits. Moses, Ben-Gurion, and Rabin are great to use.
Background:
- Originally from South America and made Aliyah with his family as a child.
- When, as a young man, he went to New York to study and pursue his career as an artist, he developed a new and creative style of portraiture - using a vast array of objects to put together images that looked like a person but also told a story on their own.

Stage 2: Understanding Piven's Technique

The best way to teach them Piven's technique and simultaneously expose them to some cool stories about Israel is by using three portraits: Moses, Ben-Gurion, and Rabin.

1. Moses

This picture allows campers to interact with the technique using a story that they are probably familiar with (Moses and the Exodus)
Hold up the Moses portrait and ask the campers to identify materials or objects (including matzah). Then ask: what might these materials symbolize?
- They will likely find matza, gefilte fish, sand/ desert, handcuffs, chicken leg/shank bone, matzah balls, etc.
- Help them notice that each object is one that is central to Moses' story.

2. David Ben-Gurion

This picture will be a bit harder for campers because they will likely not recognize Ben-Gurion, but that's OK!
In this case, tell campers that this is a portrait of David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister. Ask them if they know anything about him and allow them to list out anything they do. If they don't, that's OK!
Ask them to name anything they can recognize in the picture. As they name things, ask them first if they know why it's in the portrait, and if they don't, you can fill in the information about Ben-Gurion (listed below). Each time you give an explanation, you can also ask what they think -- they may have ideas of their own:
- Face made of sand, twigs as hair/eye brows -- Ben-Gurion was a big believer in the Negev desert, and the importance of making the desert bloom to the survival of Israel. After he stopped being the Prime Minister, he retired to Sde Boker in the Negev. The major Israeli university in the South is Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva.
- Newspaper -- He is holding a copy of Ha'aretz (literally "the land" and also the name of a major Israeli paper) announcing the creation of the state. This portrait is showing a moment in his career, the moment after he declares the Jewish state on May 14, 1948.
- Photograph of people dancing -- this is an actual photograph of the people who danced and celebrated after the announcement of the Jewish state.
- Nose made of boxing glove -- he was always considered a fighter
- Bathroom -- this is a question you can throw back at them. We often think that the reason Piven put him in the bathroom is because this shows that Ben-Gurion was always so busy that the only time he could take to read the paper was in the bathroom!

3. Yitzhak Rabin

This is an example of a picture that relies on a single story, a single moment. While your campers can try to guess who is in the picture and what it represents, chances are they won't know, so they'll need you to tell the story.
Start by telling them a few important things about Rabin.
Explain that Piven created this picture just after Rabin's assassination. If necessary, fill in information about his assassination -- including the presence of candles all over Rabin's square immediately after the event:
- Rabin was elected as Prime Minister for a 2nd term in 1992. During his second term in office, Rabin focused on creating peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. He played a leading role in the signing of the Oslo Accords, which granted the Palestinian National Authority partial control over parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
- For his role in the creation of the Oslo Accords, Rabin was awarded the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize. The accords, however, greatly divided Israeli society with some seeing Rabin as a hero for advancing the cause of peace and some seeing him as giving away land they viewed as belonging to Israel.
- On the evening of November 4, 1995, Rabin was assassinated by a radical Jewish man who opposed the signing of the Oslo Accords. Rabin had been attending a mass peace rally in what is now known as Rabin Square, located in the middle of Tel Aviv. When the rally ended, Rabin walked down the city hall steps toward his car, at which point he was assassinated. Rabin’s assassination came as a great shock to the Israeli public and much of the rest of the world. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis came to the square where Rabin was assassinated to mourn his death by lighting memorial candles and singing peace songs.
Ask the campers: Can you figure out why Piven created the portrait in this way? What do you think his head is made of? (Candle wax). This is an example of a portrait that tells the story of one moment in someone's life -- in this case his death.

Stage 3: Creating Portraits

Finding meaningful objects:
- Place a wide array of random objects on a table in front of your campers.
- Ask the campers to take five minutes and to select one item that symbolizes something they like a lot, and one item that symbolizes something they dislike.
- Once everyone has made a selection, invite everyone to share what they chose and their reasoning.
- Navigate this conversation carefully, with an eye toward making everyone feel comfortable sharing and eager to express themselves through these and other objects.

Next, tell the campers that it's time for them to create their own self-portrait.
- Distribute pieces of poster board (about 20" x 24") to each of the campers and invite them to visit the table filled with random objects again.
- Depending on how much you want to guide the outcome of the activity, you can pepper the group with questions and ideas as they work, encouraging them to focus on aspects of their lives and personalities -- or you can let them work as they see fit, emphasizing whatever parts of their lives they choose.
- Art staff should be on hand to help with glue guns, but should be briefed so they encourage campers to express themselves freely and honestly.
- Allow about 30 minutes for campers to create their own portraits, and another 15 minutes for everyone to share their work with the group.

Stage 4: Wrap Up

This activity can be structured in many ways. When you're done with all that you plan to do, encourage campers to discuss the experience.
- What did you learn about yourself?
- What did you learn about your friends and other people at camp?
- How would you describe Hanoch Piven's style if you were talking on the phone to someone who could not see the portraits? What would you say you like or dislike about the style?
- What's the funniest object you saw in your or someone else's portrait?
The takeaways from these activities should include the tangible pride that comes from seeing one's work on display. Portraits and pictures should be featured prominently in a place of pride for the entire camp community to see, and included on the website and parent communication.

Variations:

The possibilities are endless. Several variations are included below. Feel free to try other things, using as many of Piven's works as you'd like. Just be sure to share your successes with us so other camps can benefit from your creativity!

The Israelis We Know

Instead of having campers create portraits of themselves, have them create portraits of their schlichim as a way of getting them to learn more about the Israeli staff.
Ask the group how they would create a portrait of a specific Israeli who they know, but they don't know all that well. Look for suggestions about ways to get to know the person better.
Now, announce the next part of this activity: working in small groups, you will create portraits of the Israeli staff at camp. In order to do this, you will need to interview each Israeli before they set about doing the job.
- Divide campers into small groups and assign each group to one Israeli staff member who they will be interviewing before the next meeting. Work with them to write down some questions that will help them get a better understanding of the person they are going to portray.
- Encourage them to come up with a list of of questions for the schlichim that will help them get to know them well enough to create a portrait.
- Questions might include (use these as a guide, not as a specific list to distribute to campers!):
  - Do you have a favorite sport, food, singer, movie?
  - What did you like best in high school?
  - What did you do in the army? Tell us a story from your army service.
  - What's the craziest thing you ever did with your friends in high school? What would you do if we did the same thing at camp right now?
  - What do you like about camp?
  - What do you like about Israel?
  - What do you miss most from Israel right now?
  - Encourage each group to think up really creative, crazy questions, but remind them be respectful and not to push too hard in the interviews.
- Then send them off to interview the Israeli they're going to portray. Encourage them to bring supplies to the next session, based on what they learn in the interview (maybe a candy wrapper, a button, or anything else they think is appropriate).
- At the next session, each group gets a piece of poster board and access to the table filled with random objects, in addition to the objects the campers brought specifically for this project.
- Allow 30-45 minutes to create the portraits, and this time let the art staff help a bit more so the finishing touches look good.
- Once everyone is done, campers share their work with the Israelis and with each other. You may decide to give the portraits to the Israelis as a gift, or to hang them in a central location in camp. (If you create a display, your camp might decide to give the portraits to the Israelis as going-away gifts at the end of the summer).

Our Israel

This activity also is designed to focus campers' creativity on Israel, but it addresses the group's notions of Israel, rather than the life of one specific Israeli.
Divide campers into groups of 3-5 members and ask them to create a portrait titled "Our Israel."
Don't give too many detailed instructions, so as not to limit creativity, but in response to questions you can say:
- This art work need not portray a person
- There is room for different ideas and perspectives in the artwork
- Base it on your ideas, your knowledge, your dreams, and your jokes
Allow the groups 20 minutes to create "Our Israel" and then 10 minutes to share them with everyone.
Display the creations for all the camp community to see.

Background Cards:

Supporting Images:

Curricular Subjects:

Declaration of Independence - Sharing our Values

Adam Stewart — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:21:00 +0000

Campers use Israel's Declaration of Independence as a jumping off point for discussing the kinds of values that they want in their communities, including their cabins, tents, and units.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

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

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Israel became independent with a Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948.

Israel was founded as a Jewish State and as a homeland for all Jews.

Israel's Declaration of Independence addresses core values, including: Israel as a safe place for Jews, the right to self determination, Israel's relationship to its neighbors, the rights of non-Jewish citizens, and the values of the Hebrew Prophets.

Explanation:

Part One: Setting the stage

The length of this opening activity -- a short text study of the Declaration of Independence -- will depend on the age and ability of the campers. Since this activity is designed for the beginning of the camp session, there is no assumption of knowledge or attempt to draw on previously learned material.

In this activity, we will learn about the founding of the State of Israel and its Declaration of Independence. Using the values within Israel's Declaration of Independence, we will create a cabin/tent "covenant" or "brit."
- This could be a good opportunity to introduce the Hebrew word "brit" (meaning covenant). Most campers are familiar with the word (although they may know it by the Ashkenazi pronunciation "bris") from the circumcision ceremony. You can further explain the meaning of covenant, and point out that the Hebrew word for United States - "Artzot Habrit" - is a reference to a group of states that is bound or united together by a covenant (the Constitution).
- You could also introduce the word "megillah" (scroll) as the Declaration of Independence is called the "Megillat Ha'atzmaut" (the Scroll of Independence). Campers may be familiar with the word "megillah" from Purim: "Megillat Esther." You can refer to the covenant that you are creating as a "Megillat HaTzrif" (Scroll of the Cabin) or "Megillat HaOhel" (Scroll of the Tent).
An effective hook for this activity might be to begin by asking campers if they know the beginning of the American Declaration of Independence:
- "When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands..."
This is how the Israeli Declaration begins:
- "The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious, and political identity was shaped."

Part Two: The Birthplace of Values

To begin the activity, pass around a replica of Israel's Declaration of Independence (Hebrew version), copies of the English text (if you plan on doing a short text study), and the photo of the signers of the Declaration.
Open with a discussion of what it means that Israel was the "birthplace of the Jewish People." What did the signers (these people in the photo) mean by that?
Possible suggestions:
- It was the Land promised to Jews in the Torah.
- It is a Land that Jews have lived in for thousands of years.
- The Jews/Israelites became a free people in the Land of Israel.
- It's where many of the important stories in the Torah/Bible happened.
- It's a place where a Jewish language was spoken.
How does it "shape our spiritual, religious, and political identity"? Possible further questions:
- Is Israel or Jerusalem mentioned in our prayers?
- Do people from our camp go on trips to Israel?
- Have you or anyone in your family been to Israel?
- Do we have family or friends who live in Israel?
Is camp a place that has shaped our identity? How? Do we do things differently here? Do we feel differently? Do you think these signers may have had similar feelings about Israel?

Part Three: Deriving Values From the Declaration, and Determining Our Own Values

After discussing the first paragraph, we will examine the text of the Declaration of Independence and look for the values expressed.
Using the values below as guides, we will try to determine our own values for our "Megillat HaTzrif."
This part can be longer or shorter depending on the age or ability of the group and how much actual text study that you want to do. Please note that using all of the material in this section would make for a program longer than the proscribed time - pick and choose the issues/values you would like to highlight.

Value One: Israel as a Safe Place for Jews

"The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people - the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe - was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz-Israel the Jewish State..."

Why did the Holocaust create an "urgency" for a Jewish State? Does that urgency still exist?
Do you think Israel is a safe place for Jews?

Value Two: The Right of a People to Have its Own Country

"This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State."

Should all people have their own state?
What are the responsibilities of a people who have their own state?

Value Three: The Values Taught by the Hebrew Prophets

"THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their dispersion; will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew Prophets; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; will guarantee full freedom of conscience, worship, education and culture; will safeguard the sanctity and inviolability of the shrines and Holy Places of all religions; and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations."

What are the things that you value? Are they found in this document?
Are these values Jewish values? Are they important in the modern world?

Value Four: The Rights of Arab Inhabitants of Israel

"In the midst of wanton aggression, we yet call upon the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to return to the ways of peace and play their part in the development of the State, with full and equal citizenship and due representation in its bodies and institutions - provisional or permanent."

Are you surprised to learn that Israel offers citizenship to all Arab residents of the Land?
What responsibility does this give to Israel? What does it give to the Arab Residents?

Value Five: Peace to Israel's Neighbors

"We offer peace and unity to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all."

What does it mean that Israel offered peace to its neighbors in its first public statement? What should that mean about Israel's relationship with its neighbors today?

Value Six: Uniting Israel & Jews Around the World

"Our call goes out the the Jewish people all over the world to rally to our side in the task of immigration and development and to stand by us in the great struggle for the fulfillment of the dream of generations - the redemption of Israel."

Israel asked the Jews of the world to rally by its side. Do you feel the need to rally by Israel's side?
The paragraph suggests that the "redemption of Israel" is ongoing and is not complete? What do you think this means? Do you feel a part of this?

Part Four: Framing Our Values

After the discussion, campers and staff will determine the values that they want on their "Megillat HaTzrif."
- Using the provided sheet (with the original Declaration of Independence on one side), the campers will write their values on the other side.
- If you want, you can be creative (and maybe a little bit funny) and try to copy the format of the original Declaration. For example, "Camp Yisrael is the birthplace of Cabin Three. It is here that our values and identity have been formed."
- When finished, each of the campers will sign the Megillah at the bottom like the original signers.
When completed, the counselor should take a photo of the campers (you can try to mock the photo of the signers of the Declaration).
Later, print out that photo and place it in the space below the text, alongside the photo of the original signers.

Wrap Up

The leader should close this activity by making the connection between the values in the Declaration and the values that we all want to share as we build a community together.
The completed sheet should be placed in an area of the cabin/tent where everyone can see it daily. It can be used as the basis for conflict resolution or for a follow-up activity partway through the session.

Variations:

Variations in format

Alternative Hook #1 into the program:

Hold the program as a bunk campout.
Ask the campers to gather sticks and build a hut/home. After they have built this structure, explain, "You have built a house but it's not yet a home."
Ask, what is the difference between a house and a home? (Values: people connecting, memories, rules).
Ask, what do you think of when you hear "homeland"?
At this point, transition into thinking about the creation of the Declaration of Independence: leaving the comfort of your cabin for this campout is like leaving your "homeland."
Enter into the rest of the above activity by exploring what values had to be established to make Israel a "home" for those already there and for all the new immigrants who arrived around the time the state was established.
What values for your "home" would be similar/different to those in Israel's Declaration of Independence?

Alternative Hook #2 into the program:

Give each camper a values statement (i.e. everyone should have the right to vote; every restaurant in Israel should be kosher; buses should run on Shabbat, other funny additions, etc.)
Campers walk around with their value statements. Their goal is to get as close to people holding values they agree with and as far away from people holding values they disagree with. (Tip: they may want to pick ONE person on each end of this spectrum.)
After a few minutes, stop the activity and see where people are standing in relation to one another. Ask how they ended up next to certain values -- what they wanted to be close to and/or far from.
Discuss values, including some of the topics below:
- Imposing values on others
- Differing opinions
- Feeling strongly about some vs. others
Lead into the discussion on values, brit, and the Declaration of Independence.
Which values in the Declaration of Independence resonate most with us? Which may be controversial? What would our own brit include?