The Goodman Initiative - Current Social Issues

Jews in the #Social News

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

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

Curriculum Themes:

The Pioneering Spirit

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

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

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

Explanation:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Possible discussion questions:

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

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

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

Possible discussion questions:

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

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

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

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

Variations:

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

Time permitting, consider these variations and additional activities:

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

Resources:

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

Cultural Postings:

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

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

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

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

“Need bagels. rn. Who’s driving??”

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

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

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

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

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

Serious Postings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Curricular Subjects:

Attribution:

Camp Airy

My Facebook Kotel

JAR — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 17:09:13 +0000

Social Media provides a platform for personal expression and building community, and Israel can be a key component in both of these endeavors. This program offers fun ways to integrate Israel into campers' social media reality.

Curriculum Themes:

A Land & Its People

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

How to express your opinions appropriately about current events in Israel

Slang and lingo used by Israelis on social media

Israel's history of pioneering advances in technology has played a central role in the global explosion of social media

Explanation:

Our campers are natives to social media technology and it is an integral part of their lives at home. Israel, on the other hand, may seem foreign to them -- certainly as a content piece related to social media. This program aims to bridge that gap and help campers understand the power of social media in helping them keep informed, share their views, and engage in lively respectful discussion about difficult topics.

Opening Game: give each camper a piece of paper and ask them to write a list of words that describe what other people think of them when looking at their Facebook walls. Next, ask them to pick the one word from the list that makes them most uncomfortable, and write it on a label/sticker/nametag that they will affix to their forehead. Now, use a "cocktail party"-style activity in which the group must circulate and interact. Instruct campers to walk the way the word on their label would walk and interact based on the way the word on their label dictates. In essence, campers are asked to become their label for the duration of the exercise.

Debrief: Facilitate a conversation about this opening exercise seeking to encourage campers to begin to think about how their Facbook wall -- much like the labels they were wearing at the cocktail party -- define them and shape how people interact with them. Ask questions such as:

What was your experience?
In what ways does your Facebook wall define you?

After campers have reflected on the experience they just completed, introduce Israel into the conversation: tell the group that they are gong to create a Facebook wall for Israel. Unlike the notes they may have placed in the Western Wall, if they have visited Israel, the messages on this wall are going to be public, just like so many social media posts.

Formulate a list with the group: what are situations that might prompt you to post about Israel? Possible aswers might include:

I saw an Israeli movie
I visited Israel, or want to visit Israel
I heard about an Israeli invention
Something about Israel was on the news
It's an Israeli holiday, or the anniversary of something important in Israeli history

Create an actual Facebook wall for Israel using markers and butcher paper.

Give everyone a chance to think about their own relatinoship to Israel. Encourage them to come up with five ideas of things they might post -- and then to pursue the idea they think is least likely to be repeated by others. Campers can write their posts directly on the Facebook wall, or they can write on slips of paper and then tape them to the wall. As people post their own contributions to the wall, they should be encouraged to comment on other people's messages. You can create small "like" stickers and let campers affix them to any posts or comments that they particularly like.

Variations:

After the conclusion of the activity, hang the paper wall in a public place at camp -- perhaps in the dining hall -- and encourage everyone to add comments and "likes" of their own, This wall can become a physical replica of the virtual world in which campers so frequently express themselves during the year; at camp, it takes on a physical presence, and it focuses primarily on Israel and the camp community's relationship to Israel.

Background Cards:

Supporting Images:

Curricular Subjects:

Attribution:

BB Camp

Movin' On Up!

JAR — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 15:09:17 +0000

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

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Physical Space:

Open Space

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

The process of Aliyah

The role customs and traditions play in social interaction

The diversity of Israel's population

Explanation:

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

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

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

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

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

Variations:

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

Supporting Materials:

Aliyah Form for Movin on Up.pdf

Curricular Subjects:

Current Social Issues

Israeli Street Party

JAR — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:42:15 +0000

Campers will get to meet the diverse group of people that make up Israeli society while walking in the shoes of an Israeli citizen in a party atmosphere. This session will include mingling, movement, and fun!

Curriculum Themes:

The Pioneering Spirit

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

1 hour

Physical Space:

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Israel is a small but diverse country, with people from very different cultures, countries, and religious affiliations.

Explanation:

The leader should ask everyone to sit in a circle. The leader should then ask everyone in the circle to brainstorm a list of people who live in Israel (secular teenager, soldier, Christian Arab, Palestinian, Orthodox Haredi Jew, etc.). The leader should have slips of paper, blank and pre-cut. The leader should be writing down the archetypes the group comes up with on slips of paper. When the group has come up with enough identities, the leader should shuffle the slips and distribute one slip to each participant. The participants should be instructed to look at their slips, fold them, and put them in their pocket. They are not ‘secret identities’ but not for sharing just yet. (8 minutes)

The leader should then ask the campers to go around the circle and say one word that comes to mind when their ‘character’ hears the word: Israel. The campers should remember their word. (3 minutes)

The leader should then ask the campers to stand up and create a gesture for their character. The leader should demonstrate what a gesture is (a simple, repeatable movement that begins and ends in a neutral standing position). The campers should be given two minutes to devise their gestures. The leader should then ask everyone to, in order around the circle, show their gestures (without saying the identity of their character). (5 minutes)

The campers should then be asked to walk in the space as their characters. No talking. Just walk in the space, making eye contact with other people, but AS your character. The leader should, every now and again, say ‘freeze’. The leader should then explain that when he or she says the word ‘gesture’ the campers should do their gesture. When the leader says ‘word,’ the camper should say the word. The leader will unfreeze the campers and again encourage them to walk through the space, every now and then saying ‘word’ and ‘gesture’. The campers should be now asked to think about their character as they walk. What’s their story? What’s their name? How do they feel about the other people around them? About Israel? The leader should continue to pepper the walking by calling out ‘word’ and ‘gesture’. (5 minutes)

The leader should then ask every camper to find a partner. They should introduce themselves to each other and find out who the other person is, what kind of Israeli. The leader should announce to switch and find another partner every minute or so. It’s a cocktail party, mingling, if you will. (10 minutes)

The leader should, after about ten minutes, stop the group and do a quick interview. The question should be “Who were you talking to?” The question should NOT be “Who are you?” - the point is to get campers to talk not about the character they created, but the characters they MET. (5 minutes)

After the public interviewing/sharing, the campers should be asked to find a spot to themselves with paper and a pen/pencil. The campers should write a few senteces that describe how their character feels about Israel. It is important to encourage the campers to dig beyond the 'stereotype' of what they might know about the character. The goal is for the camper to find a more honest and deep connection to the intention and humanity of the character they are inhabiting. The campers should also be asked to use their ‘word’ in their writing. (4 minutes)

The leader, after a few minutes, should ask the campers to finish their writings. Once everyone is done, the campers should come sit back in a circle. The leader should jump right in with the instructions for the next part of the activity. The campers, in a moment, will be asked to stand up and walk around the space again as their characters, making eye contact with the other people in the space as they walk. The leader will be calling out ‘word’ and ‘gesture’ as the group walks around, and the leader will also be walking around the space. The leader will also explain before the spacewalk begins that if the leader taps your shoulder, you stand still and read your monologue until it’s over, then rejoin the group. The leader should begin the activity.

The leader will then ask everyone to stand up and begin walking through the space as their characters. The leader should ask leading questions as they begin to walk. “How does your character walk? What does your character feel about the other people in this space?” The leader should remember to pepper in ‘gesture’ and ‘word’ every now and then and continue to tap people on the shoulder at regular intervals. Do NOT wait for one person to finish their monologue before tapping another’s shoulder to begin. The overlap is GOOD! In fact, three or more at the same time is great. It should be a cacophony of gestures, words, and monologues. At a certain point tell the campers that you will no longer be calling out ‘word’ or ‘gesture’ but that they are on their own for deciding when they want to say or do their word or gesture as they walk the space. At a certain point the leader will drop out of tapping people on the shoulder as well and inform them that they are free to do their monologues whenever it strikes them. When this free phase has gone on for a couple of minutes, the facilitator should invite campers, on their time, whenever they feel ready, to come and sit back down in the circle without talking whenever they feel ready. (10 minutes)

*FACILITATOR NOTE: if you play music during the last part of the program - which is encouraged, it should be music that is Israeli but that is NOT familiar to the group. We want Israeli music that will serve the experience without distracting campers into singing along to their favorite Israeli songs. Please avoid that, even at the cost of not playing any music at all.*

Once everyone is seated back in the circle, the facilitator should turn off the music and begin the discussion (see below)

Variations:

The session, as-is, is for all ages but the very young (4th grade and down) who will not have enough social information about how even people in their own community engage with each other for this to be a palatable program for them.

Curricular Subjects:

What Does Better Look Like?

Naomi Brown — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:16:25 +0000

Based off of the hit TV show 'Shark Tank,' this program gives campers the opportunity to champion an Israeli social cause. Campers will work together to choose a cause that they feel passionately about and compete through presentations for a 'grand prize.'

Curriculum Themes:

The Pioneering Spirit

Materials Required:

Arts & Crafts Material

Program Duration:

1 hour

Number of Campers:

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

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Jewish Heart for Africa, Kishorit, The Good Energy Initiative, and Leket Israel are four examples of social justice organizations that were created in Israel.

Social entrepreneurs recognize social problems and attempt to create social change through entrepreneurial principles, such as team-building and innovation.

Explanation:

Shark Tank Activity Introduction:

Split campers into groups.
Introduce the Shark Tank TV Show. Ask if anyone has seen the show. Describe the show:

Shark Tank is a hit ABC TV show that features a panel of five wealthy investors called "sharks" who consider offers from entrepreneurs seeking investors for their business. The entrepreneurs make pitches to the investors for their business or product to try to convince the wealthy investor to give them the funding they need to start their business idea.

Explain to campers that you are going to play Shark Tank. The campers are going to be the entrepreneurs championing a cause and the rest of the campers will be the wealthy investors.
Each group of teens will choose an Israeli cause (see the list below) to create a pitch for. It's best to print a sheet with a description of each of these organizations and a few pictures so that campers have it front of them and can see a visual image of each cause.

Jewish Heart for Africa - A non-profit organization that brings sustainable Israeli technologies to African villages. JHA's mission is to save African lives with Israeli innovation. Founded in 2008, JHA has provided light, clean water, food, and proper medical care to more than 150,000 people in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Uganda.
Leket Israel - One quarter of the population in Israel is food insecure. Leket is the country's largest national food bank and leading food rescue network. Leket rescues over 700,000 meals and 21 million lbs of produce and perishable goods. Food, that would have otherwise gone to waste, is redistributed to nearly 300 nonprofit partners caring for the needy.
The Good Energy Initiative - This non-profit provides carbon offset in Israel. For every car that drives, every plane that flies, and every appliance that gets plugged into the wall, a price is paid by the environment. Through donations, GEI lets people neutralize their carbon footprint by funneling cash investments into local grassroots educational and social projects.
Kishorit - An innovative new model for treating the mentally disabled in Israel. This village in northern Israel has become a utopia for about 150 people with varying degrees of mental handicap, who have all found home for life.

Creating the Shark Tank Campaign:

Each group of teens creates a campaign on why the cause they chose is so important and why they need the $10,000 grand prize. Presentations consist of a visual sign and a 1-2 minute pitch or skit.
Key areas to consider:

Why is your cause innovative?
How is it creating widespread change?
Why is it urgent to support this cause?

Shark Tank Presentations:

Each pair of teens presents their campaign to their group. Teens vote on the campaign they like best (they can't vote for their own).
Votes are counted and the winning pair is announced. The winners could receive a small prize such as a NU Campaign T-shirt.

Supporting Materials:

List of Causes (2).pdf

Curricular Subjects:

Israeli Democracy: Free Speech vs. Hate Speech

Carl Schrag — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:23:45 +0000

Free speech is a central element of democracy -- but are there limits? This activity explores the difference between free speech and hate speech, using contemporary examples to create relateable situations for campers to consider.

Curriculum Themes:

Dreams & Realities

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

30 minutes

Number of Campers:

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Israel is a democracy that supports free speech.

Free speech is different than hate speech.

Explanation:

1. Distribute pencils or pens to all participants and divide them into groups (the number of groups should be the same as the number of photos on display in separate corners of the room or activity space).

2. Send one group to each photo. Ask everyone to study the photo and its caption, and decide: is this an example of free speech or hate speech? Mark your answer either on a sheet provided or by putting a sticker on or near the photo, and then move on to the next photo and decide again.

3. While campers are moving between the photos, staff should circulate and be available to answer questions and provide background information or translations of the Hebrew text.

4. Once everyone has viewed each photo, bring everyone back together. Ask for a few general comments about the pictures and captions. Were people startled by any of them? Upset? Amused? What can we tell about Israel from the photos?

5. Then ask everyone to approach one photo, and to decide if they think that photo is an example of free speech or hate speech. At the photo, they should divide into 2 groups: one that thinks it is an example of free speech, and one that thinks it's an example of hate speech. Staff should be prepared to bolster any small group if the split is very uneven.

6. The leader then facilitates a brief conversation between the sides. Questions might include:

What can you tell from this image?
How does it make you feel?
Who might not like it?
Is it a legitimate form of free speech? Why or why not?

7. After debriefing on each picture, the leader brings the group back together in a central place.

Background Cards:

Supporting Images:

Curricular Subjects:

Attribution:

Shorashim/Club Israel - Sharna Marcus

The Great Debate

Carl Schrag — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:46:25 +0000

Campers learn about some of the key challenges facing Israel today, begin to develop or sharpen their opinions, and engage in discussion and debate as they grapple with the realities of multiple perspectives on burning issues.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Arts & Crafts Material

Program Duration:

90 minutes

Physical Space:

Indoor Space

Number of Campers:

A Division/Age Group (30 – 50 campers)

Age of Campers:

Oldest Campers (16+)

Explanation:

Stage 1: Introduction

You can introduce The Great Debate by peppering campers with a series of questions about Israel, or asking them to shout out what they think are the key issues facing Israel. After a brief discussion, the GE can shift gears and provide an overview of how the activity is run.
Alternately, you might want to work with a few Israeli and American staff members to prepare a short dramatic presentation designed to demonstrate the role these questions play in daily life in Israel. This skit might entail a few friends meeting in someone's living room on a Friday night to argue about politics, or some similar scenario, to encourage campers to engage in dialogue and debate, and to ask questions.
Questions that can help launch this activity:
- What should the borders of Israel look like in a final-status agreement with the Palestinians?
- Should Arab citizens of Israel enjoy full rights equal to those of Israeli Jews?
- Since Israel is a Jewish state, should the Orthodox Rabbinate keep its role in setting religious policy for all Israeli Jews?

Stage 2: Understanding the Debate

After the introduction of the program, the GE stands alongside a large placard with a variety of symbols and images representing the issues described below. (This can include bumper stickers, reprinted slogans, etc. Bumper sticker images can be selected from here: http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/bstickers/index.html but choose them with care to ensure a mix that reflects the issues that are being discussed). S/He will refer to the images as s/he provides an overview of dilemmas and challenges faced by the State of Israel.
GE: You all have learned about the history of the State of Israel. I don’t want you to think you’ve learned all there is to learn, but I also don’t want you to think that the past is the only thing that matters. There are burning issues on the Israeli agenda, and you have enough knowledge and understanding to begin to wrestle with them.
You could think of daily life in Israel as one Great Debate. Today we’re going to talk about some of those debates that preoccupy Israelis. I’ve got my own opinions on them, but my opinions won’t be the focus right now. I don’t want to tell you what to think; I want you each to think for yourselves. I’ll give the overview, and then each of you will have to decide what’s right, or what you would do if it was up to you to set Israeli policy.
You may choose to introduce the approach by doing a “dry run” of a couple of issues that are hot topics in the U.S. – perhaps the voting age or the drinking age and a question about U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Next, introduce the issues on the agenda for today (feel free to add, swap, or delete from the following list):
- The threat posed by Iran
- Territorial compromise
- Religion and state
- Who is a Jew
- Citizenship and rights
- Security/civil liberties
- Army and society
- Israel-Diaspora relations

This introduction will not delve into positions on each issue, but will simply set up the dilemmas or questions.

Stage 3: Staking Out the Positions

Staff members, led by the GE and one or more shlichim (with careful preparation, campers can also make some of these presentations), will then make a brief (2-3 minute) presentation presenting each issue in greater depth. At the conclusion of each presentation, the presenter will posit three statements, and ask campers to choose the one that they agree with most. Cards with the statements will be distributed.
Statements for each dilemma will have a different color and/or shape. By the end of the presentations, each camper will have eight cards representing the positions they chose for each of the dilemmas.
If it seems appropriate, you might ask the campers to share any reflections on the activity to this point. Questions could include:
- Were you surprised by your views on any of these issues?
- Which issue seems most important to you?
- How might you view these issues differently if you lived in Israel?

Stage 4: Finding Points of Agreement

The facilitator notes that everyone has staked out positions on a wide variety of issues, and each camper is unlikely to find many people who agree with them on every issue. This is a lot like Israeli politics, where different parties come together to form a coalition even if they do not agree on every issue.
Instruct the group to take 10 minutes to sort themselves into groups where there is the greatest common ground. Campers can achieve this by looking for similar arrays of cards and by querying each other. Once there are 6-8 groups, a staff person joins each group and leads a discussion about the issues. Since each group will include people with varying views on some of the issues, the staff person will moderate discussion and debate on the points of disagreement.
After 15 minutes, the entire group will reconvene, and the facilitator will solicit varying views on some or all of the dilemmas.
Additionally, if time permits, the culminating discussion can focus on the process of seeking common ground, compromising on multiple issues, etc.

Stage 5: Wrap-up

Questions the facilitator might pose to the entire group during the wrap-up discussion include:
- What surprised you most about the discussions you've just had?
- Did you find many people who agreed with you on every issue? How do you explain this?
- Which issues seem to be the most important?
- Do you see any comparison to the relative importance of issues in American society? Why do some issues matter more to us than others?
- Were you aware of all of these dilemmas? Which ones were new to you?
- Who wants to share a particularly interesting idea about how to tackle one of these issues?
- Ideally, campers will discuss the complexity of the issues, the insights they gained by thinking and discussing tough topics, and their own sense of connection to some of the "front-burner issues" that concern Israelis. You might probe a bit why Israeli issues matter to them in the first place, and a few campers might talk about their own connections to Israel.
Finally, consider asking an Israeli staff member to share his or her perspective on the issues. Caution: Prepare the Israeli staff to approach this from the perspective of an observer of Israeli society, rather than sharing their own views on the issues. (If an Israeli espouses a clear perspective on these issues, campers whose views differ may feel marginalized, and campers without strong views might be inclined to fall into step with "the expert").
Campers will leave this activity with deeper awareness, and nuanced views, of key dilemmas facing Israel. Hopefully they will have greater confidence in their own grasp of the issues and how they approach them, but at the same time it is important for them to understand there are many differing views on each of these issues. Dialogue and openness to different ideas - as well as a willingness to advocate for what you believe in - should be enhanced.

Supporting Materials:

Great Debate Briefing Materials.docx

Great Debate - Position Statements.docx

Curricular Subjects:

NU Campaign: Israel Impacts the World

Carl Schrag — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:37:05 +0000

Through the NU Campaign t-shirts, campers will learn about the important work of several Israeli social action organizations. By exploring the stories of Israeli non-profits, such as Leket Israel, Save a Child's Heart, and Jewish Hearts for Africa, campers will reflect on Israel's impact throughout the world and personally connect with some of Israel's causes.

Curriculum Themes:

Materials Required:

Program Duration:

Number of Campers:

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

Age of Campers:

Core Learnings:

Social justice organizations created within Israel bring aid to people both inside and outside of the country.

Numerous Israeli nonprofits are created in response to harsh realities and attempt to bring health and peace to different populations in need.

Spreading awareness of the problems and of these organizations can help create positive change.

Explanation:

Describe the NU Campaign. Details can be found here.
Discuss four of the t-shirts that highlight social justice causes. For example:

Save a Child’s Heart

A little girl named Katya, who was four years old came to Israel from Moldova with heart defects. Save a Child’s Heart is an Israeli-based international humanitarian organization whose mission is to improve the quality of pediatric care.

Dream Doctors

Integrates professional medical clowning into the medical services provided at Israeli hospitals.

Jewish Heart For Africa

A nonprofit that brings sustainable Israeli technologies to rural African villages. It operates in Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia and has touched 2,000,000 African people, bringing energy, medical clinics, medicines, and vaccines.

Leket Israel

One quarter of the population in Israel is food insecure. Leket Israel is the country’s largest national food bank and leading food rescue network that is dedicated to eliminating hunger in Israel’s needy regardless of religion or ethnic background.

3. Pass around t-shirts so participants fully understand the impact of what appears on the shirts, and what is printed inside.

4. Break into pairs or small groups and choose one of the following organizations:

Park Chaverim– Friendship Park for the disabled

Located outside of Tel Aviv, this 9 acre park was the first accessible park for handicapped children in Israel. The park offers play equipment for children in wheelchairs and with hearing and vision impairments. It includes paths, swings, and carousels that can accommodate a wheelchair. In addition, accommodations were even made for motor-disabled parents or grandparents accompanying able-bodied children at the park. This park served as a model for newer ones throughout Israel and the world. Volunteers help facilitate everyday interactions and assure kids with disabilities get first priority on the equipment, which is popular with all children.

ILAN

As Israel’s oldest and largest voluntary organization, ILAN works to improve the quality of life for people with neuromuscular disabilities. ILAN sponsors the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled where participants play table tennis without hands, folk dance in a wheel chair, earn a degree in cinema despite cerebral palsy, or befriend an able-bodied peer at summer camp. ILAN’s summer camp pairs disabled children with teen volunteers and trains the teen volunteers to do the intensive tasks normally left to parents such as dressing and feeding their campers. Many of the campers and teens develop strong friendships and are maintained in following summers.

Neveh Shalom’s School for Peace

Located in the village of Neve Shalom, halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, this village houses 50 Jewish and Arab families. The School of Peace works to develop a more just and peaceful relationship between Arabs and Jews by developing participants’ awareness of the conflict and their role in it and constructing their identity through interactions with each other. Through intensive courses, the School for Peace helps Israeli and Arab Palestinian professionals find out how they can be strong voices for peace, whether they are journalists, lawyers, or architects.

The Decade Group

This company specializes in finding creative education solutions and has developed the “Young Engineers” program that teaches children math, physics, and engineering using LEGO and Kid K’nex. The main goal of the programs is to demonstrate the theoretical studies using stories, examples and building models that powerfully illustrate the theoretic topics. Most of their activities take place in an extracurricular setting in schools and community centers.

5. Pretend you work for the NU Campaign and your goal is to create a t-shirt that allows people to be social advocates for one of these organizations. You can either design the front or write/make-up the story that goes in the inside.

6. When the group comes back together, everyone presents their design and concept.

Variations:

These activities can conclude with a competition or contest, in which the winners get to keep the shirts.
These activities can continue with an arts and crafts project in which campers make their own shirts with messages.
Presenting the shirts can be paired with other activities, such as "What Does Better Look Like?", after groups explore four of these social justice organizations.
Incorporate this activity into Staff Week. The GE and others can use it to introduce the way Israel is being integrated into camp, and after pursuing one of the options described above, staff can work in small groups (by cabin, unit, or specialty area) to design their own shirt with a storytelling, eye-grabbing image on the outside and a narrative story on the inside. If all staff are wearing these shirts on the first day of the session, campers are sure to notice - and great conversations can ensue.