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:

Israel and the Fallen Soldier

Natalie Blitt — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:31:29 +0000

This session addresses the complicated sentiments that the Israeli people felt about Israeli soldiers who fought and died during the 1948 War of Independence and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Copies of poems (see below)

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

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

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

The heaviest price of Israel's wars and conflicts has been the loss of life.

The image of the Israeli soldier changes along with the events and wars occurring in Israel. After the War of Independence In 1948, the soldier is illustrated as a victor bringing independence to the state. After the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the soldier is no longer depicted as the hero because he has been defeated.

Explanation:

We will now look at two poems from two different time periods that deal with the topic of fallen soldiers.
Give out copies of A Silver Platter by Natan Alterman. Ask one camper to read the poem out loud. Ask the group for comments or lines that stand out to them. Ask:

What is the vision of the soldier in this poem?
When do you think it takes place?
Why do you think they call themselves the "silver platter?"
What do you make of the line: "Thus they will say and fall back in shadows And the rest will be told In the chronicles of Israel?"

When appropriate, you can fill in some of the background of the poem (after giving them a chance to respond to the questions):

Natan Alterman was a poet who was born in Warsaw and moved to Tel Aviv with his family in 1925, when he was 15 years old.
He wrote the poem during Israel's War of Independence in 1948.
For him, the "silver platter" refers to a comment popularized by Israeli President Chaim Weizmann and attributed to him on December 15, 1947, soon after the UN decision to partition Palestine: "The state will not be given to the Jewish people on a silver platter."

Ask the campers what they think of Alterman's version of Weizmann's statement. Are the Israeli soldiers the "silver platter" that are responsible for the state being created?
Explain that we will now be looking at a more contemporary vision of the Israeli soldier. This song was written by 18-year-old Reuven Politi who was killed during the Yom Kippur War a few weeks after he wrote the poem. He was a fighter in the Egoz reconnaissance platoon, which went out on an ambush mission in the Golan Heights that day. Reuven replaced a soldier friend of his who was delayed reaching his platoon.
Have one camper read the poem. Ask the group the following questions:

How is the image of the soldier different in this poem?
Why do you think the soldier here keeps talking directly to his parents?
What are the lines that especially speak to you?
What does the difference between the two poems say about the difference between how Israeli soldiers are seen in 1948 vs. in 1973?

If necessary, fill in the campers' understanding of what Israel was like during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Bring the group back together and do a quick debrief. Ask the group if there were things that surprised them about other people's thinking or their own.

The Goodman Initiative - UN Partition Plan

Decision Time: The Homeland Carnival

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Explanation:

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Curricular Subjects:

Israel and the Fallen Soldier

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Explanation:

Background Cards:

Supporting Materials:

Curricular Subjects:

Attribution: