Identity

Craig Taubman: Heart and Soul

Composer and singer Craig Taubman explains the importance of Jewish music in his life and the role that music plays in creating memories and building community. Through text study and a  music activity  this lesson will help your  students appreciate the role of music in  in their lives as Jews. $0.00$0.00  "Sing praise to God with the lyre and melodious song. With trumpets and the blast of the shofar raise a shout before God the Ruler." Psalms 98:5-6 Lesson Summary:  This lesson uses text study and a music activity to help students appreciate the role of music in their relationship to God and in their lives as Jews. Printable Lesson:  1503lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Psalm 150 Worksheet Inter-Act Community Service Log and Eligibility Rules Additional Resources:  http://www.craignco.com Students who complete four hours of volunteer work in the Jewish community will receive a free music CD, compliments of Craig Taubman and Craig ‘n Co. See the eligibility rules and print out the log sheet above.

Do Your Parents Give You Enough Freedom?

 Plan a discussion with your students on how much freedom their parents give them using this quiz. Before completing the quiz, students will move along a “freedom barometer” to explore their feelings about the balance between freedom and responsibility within the context of a family. Students will discuss different concepts of freedom in Judaism and will learn how freedom and responsibility are connected to each other. $0.00$0.00Do you sometimes clash with your parents over hot-button issues like how much TV you can watch or what clothes you can wear? Do you think you don't have enough freedom to make your own decisions? Take this quiz to find out how much freedom you deserve. Tip: Once you've completed the quiz, have your parents take it to determine how much freedom they think you deserve. Compare your answers and discuss. THE ARGUMENT: My parent thinks that homework is very important to my success at school. I want the freedom to do homework as I please. Lesson Summary:  Students will move along a “freedom barometer” to explore their feelings about the balance between freedom and responsibility within the context of a family. Students will discuss different concepts of freedom in Judaism and will learn how freedom and responsibility are connected to each other. Printable Lesson:  7403lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet "Jewish Values and Parenting" Article from Mentsh.com Additional Resources:  "Jewish Values and Parenting" - an interesting article about how to teach children responsibility http://www.mentsh.com/PDFwebfiles/Jewish_Parenting.PDF

It's a Hit!

Read about the historic creation of a collection of baseball cards all depicting Jewish players. $0.00$0.00A new set of baseball cards is sure to be a collectors' item among Jewish fans of America's favorite pastime- all 142 players depicted are Jewish. The cards feature every Jewish player to suit up for the major leagues since 1871, including sports legends Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax.

Dreaming

Read and think about dreams with your students. Through role-playing, reading the  article, and studying Jewish texts, this lesson allows students to think about the role of dreams in their own lives and to compare different understandings of the function of dreams. $0.00$0.00 IN YOUR DREAMS The melody for the Beatles' song "Yesterday" came to Paul McCartney in a dream in 1965. "I liked the melody a lot," he said, "but because I'd dreamed it, I couldn't believe I'd written it." Author Stephen King gets many of the ideas for his novels from his dreams. "A person is shown in a dream only what is suggested by his or her own thoughts." Berakhot 55b Lesson Summary:  Through role-playing, reading the BabagaNewz article, and studying Jewish texts, this lesson allows students to think about the role of dreams in their own lives and to compare different understandings of the function of dreams. Printable Lesson:  Lesson Plan Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Scenarios

Danielle Charlap

See how being a camp counselor brings a girl back to her Jewish roots. $0.00$0.00  The flames of the braided, multi-wick candle crackled in the summer air. Light danced across the faces of counselor and camper alike. Huddled together as darkness descended, the Jewish campers from the Ukraine and their Jewish counselors from America chanted the Havdalah blessings, marking the end of the last Shabbat they would spend together. "As for the one who does not know how to ask, you must begin the conversation for that one." Pesach Haggadah Lesson Summary:  Through reading this article and doing the accompanying lesson, students will explore the theme of freedom as it relates to knowledge and education. They will focus on the idea that Jews are only free to practice their religion when they know how to practice Judaism.  This lesson can be connected to a unit on Soviet Jewry or to a unit on freedom which may be connected to Pesach. . Printable Lesson:  7402lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Discussion Worksheet Additional Resources:  Activities for Students: Article in Hebrew

Joshua Malina: A Rising Star

Actor Joshua Malina describes how he has used his unique talents to help raise tzedakah funds for important causes. In the accompanying  lesson, students will distinguish their own talents and determine how to use these talents to encourage others to give. $0.00$0.00  "'Those who lead the many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever' (Daniel 12:3). This refers to tzedakah collectors [who cause others to be charitable." Talmud, Bava Batra 8b Lesson Summary:  Students will distinguish their own talents and determine how best to use these talents to encourage others to give. Printable Lesson:  6406lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Tzedakah Project Planning Worksheet Jewish Texts Study Sheet Additional Resources:  About Bet Tzedek http://www.bettzedek.org

Hold On to Hope

In this lesson, students will visualize and verbalize their individual concepts of hope. They will also brainstorm ways to hold on to hope and then compare their ideas with the tikvah tips cited in this article. $0.00$0.00When our troubles make us feel as if we need a lifeline, we can cling to these tikvah tips, and the buoyancy of hope will keep us afloat. Each of us will face problems, challenges, and crises in our lives. As sad as that seems, it is certain. But equally certain is the fact that we'll move past the dilemmas that drag us down, eventually learning to solve them, cope with them, or adapt to them. Lesson Summary:  Students will think about hope in their own lives and compile their own list of tikvah tips for use in times of trouble. Printable Lesson:  5407lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Torah Page 543

Use this text and lesson in a program for parents, grandparents and students. They  will explore the maxim “with age comes wisdom”by analyzing Jewish textx. $0.00$0.00This verse implies that a certain wisdom comes from living a long time. The wisdom is what you learn from other people; it doesn't come from books. It comes from your heart. Rebecca Young, 5th grade Every time I speak to my grandfather, he asks, "What's new?" I answer, "Well, at school today..." I tell him what I learned. I show him my projects, and he reads every single word. After every conversation he says, "You see, you learn something new every day." Yetti Steinman, 7th grade Every other week, my sixth-grade class visited a nursing home. Lesson Summary:  Students will analyze the text from Job and complete a "wisdom worksheet" about the "wise" people in their lives and in the Torah. Printable Lesson:  4403lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Wisdom Worksheet Additional Resources:  D'var Torah on Parashat Bo about learning from elders: http://www.torah.org/learning/lifeline/5759/bo.html

Rick Recht Rocks!

Read how Rick Recht uses ancient Jewish words and messages to create a modern musical sound. In the accompanying lesson, students will explore how Jewish music combines important words and shared experiences to create a special sense of community.  $0.00$0.00  Wearing a baseball cap backwards over his shoulder-length hair, lead singer Rick Recht leans into his microphone. Sweat trickles down his forehead, as he belts out the Hebrew phrase od yavo shalom (peace will come someday). Moved by the contagious rhythm, audience members jump to their feet and echo the Hebrew refrain. It's loud, it's lively, it's rock 'n' roll- Jewish style. "Who is like You, O God, among the heavenly powers! Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendors, working wonders!" Shemot 15:11 (Mi Chamocha) Lesson Summary:  Students will explore how Jewish music combines important words and shared experiences to create a special sense of community. Printable Lesson:  3405lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  Rick Recht’s web site: http://www.rickrecht.com

Shifra Mincer: Mending Hearts

Shifra uses her sewing skills to help those in need. In the process, she overcomes her shyness. This lesson focuses on understanding teshuvah as self-evaluation. Students will assess their talents and shortcomings and will set goals that focus on how their talents can help fulfill others’ needs. $0.00$0.00Walking the streets near her home in New York City, Shifra Mincer frequently saw homeless people in their ripped and tattered clothes, and the girl would shudder, thinking how different they were from her. Then one day when she was in sixth grade, her teacher invited students to help serve food at a soup kitchen in the basement of Hebrew Union College. As Shifra lined up to serve dinner, someone asked a simple question that changed her life: Does anyone know how to sew? "Tear your hearts and not your garments, return to the Almighty, or God is gracious and merciful." Joel 2:13 Lesson Summary:  Students will learn about teshuvah as a method for self-evaluation. Students will assess their talents and shortcomings, taking a "personal inventory." They will set goals that focus on how their talents can help fulfill others' needs. Printable Lesson:  Lesson Plan Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Personal Inventory Worksheet Teshuvah Worksheet Additional Resources:  List of tzedakah projects using sewing: http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa031798.htm Ideas for how people can use their special skills to do mitzvot for others: http://www.kidscare.org Understanding the problems of homelessness: http://www.nationalhomeless.org A great book resource for teachers and young adults: It's a Mitzvah!: Step-by-Step to Jewish Living by Bradley Shavit Artson, Behrman House, New York, 1995.

The Secret Shofar

Even in the danger and despair of the Holocaust, these Jews found a way to perform the Mitzvah of blowing the Shofar. Inspire your students before Rosh Hashanah or Yom Hashoah with their story. $0.00$0.00  This is a true story about Jewish prisoners in a labor camp in Poland celebrating Rosh Hashanah during World War II. Because some details of their story are unknown, we have imagined how several events might have unfolded. "Blow the shofar at the moon's renewal, at the time appointed for our festive day." Psalms 81:4

A Close Encounter with Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg speaks with Babaganewz about the role Judaism plays in his life. Students will use this as a springboard for discussion on what leads to assimilation from or connection with the Jewish community, and what can spark a renewed interest in Judaism. $0.00$0.00  When he was 20 years old, Steven Spielberg bluffed his way into Universal Pictures studios by dressing up in a business suit and carrying an empty briefcase past an unsuspecting guard. He settled into an abandoned office and spent the summer with the directors and writers. Not one to overlook important details, the determined young man bought some plastic letters and added his name to the building directory: Steven Spielberg, Room 23C. "Create in me a new heart, O God, and make a new spirit within me." Prayer of Rabbi Bahya Ben Asher Lesson Summary:  Students will analyze why contemporary Jews often drift away from Jewish life. Students will also affirm the positive elements that anchor Jewish identity and explore what it means to “return” to Judaism. Printable Lesson:  1404lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet "Pulling" Worksheet Additional Resources:  The official web site of Steven Spielberg's Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation: http://www.vhf.org With all my Heart, With all my Mind: Thirteen Stories About Growing Up Jewish, edited by Sandy Asher.

Shawn Green Steps Up to the Plate

In this article about Jewish basketball star Shawn Green, students will have the opportunity to read about an athlete who has taken initiative both in baseball and in volunteer organizational work. The accompanying lesson focuses on the importance of taking initiative. Through participation in a game and discussion of the game’s results, students will explore the value of taking initative . $0.00$0.00  "Roasted chicken doesn't just fly into your mouth." Yiddish Proverb Lesson Summary:  Students will participate in a game and discuss its results in order to deepen their understanding of the relationship between hard work and z’rizut. Printable Lesson:  8304lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

The Road to Freedom

Read this article about a Jewish Freedom Rider and explore the value of social justice in Jewish tradition. The accompanying lesson will help you teach your students how their individual contributions on behalf of a cause can help effect change and bring about social justice. $0.00$0.00  "You who know righteousness...do not be discouraged when others insult you and say hurtful things." Isaiah 51:7 Lesson Summary:  Students will explore modern parallels to the Freedom Rides and consider how their individual contributions can help effect change and bring about social justice. Printable Lesson:  6308lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Additional Resources:  Social Action Ideas and Opportunities http://www.giraffe.org http://www.idealist.org http://www.networkforgood.com

Shirley Braha: Music to Her Ears

Shirley Braha was sick of Christmas songs, so she took matters into her own hands and produced a Hanukkah CD. Read about her in this article and then encourage your students to write their own songs for Hanukkah as a way of “publicizing the miracle” of H. anukkah and other miracles in our day. A fun activity for the weeks before Hanukkah. $0.00$0.00It happens like clockwork at the end of every November. Bright lights pop up on homes in many neighborhoods, the malls are transformed into winter wonderlands, and Christmas music hijacks the airwaves. "For the Conductor, a song with musical accompaniment. Nations will praise You...the nations will be glad and sing." Psalms 67:1,4,5 Lesson Summary:  Students will write their own songs and poems for Hanukkah as a way of "publicizing the miracle" of Hanukkah. Printable Lesson:  3302lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet

Do You Treat People With Dignity?

This personality quiz will help your students to reflect about how they treat people  In the lesson, students will use the as a springboard for discussion about how to treat others respectfully. $0.00$0.001. Your elderly great-aunt loves to tell you stories. She often repeats the same story, again and again. When she visits, you: a. Excuse yourself and go out with a friend. b. Spend time with her and show interest in what she says. c. Stay for a while and then find something else to do. 2. When you're with your friends and you see the school janitor, what do you do? a. Say hello and continue talking to your friends. b. Pass by without saying hello because your friends take all your attention. c. Stop to ask how he is and encourage your friends to do the same. 3. Lesson Summary:  Students will use the Dignity Quiz as a springboard for discussion about how to treat others with dignity. Printable Lesson:  2305lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet The House That Love Built Lesson Plan

Brave Hearts

Read about how young Jewish adults flock to Israel on Birthright Israel despite the security situation. $0.00$0.00With an outpouring of support and a commitment to clal Yisrael (the Jewish people), 6,000 Jewish young adults from 20 different countries visited Israel this winter, setting aside their fears about the current Palestinian uprising, or Intifada. The young people participated in Birthright Israel, a program that provides free trips to Israel to 18- to 26-year-olds who have never visited there before. The program seeks to strengthen the bonds between Israelis and Diaspora Jews.

Emil Pitkin: Opening Windows on the World

Emil Pitkin  immigrated to America from the former Soviet Union. The article about Emil focuses on his involvement in a community literacy project, through which he passes along to a group of children both the gift of literacy and the special relationship that he recalls having with a teacher.  In this lesson, students will explore the value and meaning of involving oneself with a community. $0.00$0.00He wasn't paid for his work, but he profited from the experience. "Rabbi Eliezer says: Let other people's dignity be as precious as your own." Pirkeii Avot 2:15 Printable Lesson:  7202lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Role-Play Card Game Additional Resources:  National Jewish Coalition for Literacy http://www.njcl.net Source for Jewish social action projects http://www.socialaction.com/helpingchildren.html What Kids Can Do http://www.whatkidscando.org

Day School Students Capture Westinghouse Prize

Find out what happened when two Shabbat-observant students won this prestigious prize and had to present on Shabbat. $0.00$0.00Students at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in Long Island, NY, were screaming with joy one morning last month. Seniors Shira Billet and Dora Chana Sosnowik had just won first place (out of 5,000 entries!) in the Siemens Westinghouse Science & Technology Competition. The contest rewards America's most promising science and mathematics students. Shira and Dora Chana, longtime friends, are the first Shabbat-observant students to win, and will share a $100,000 scholarship.

Explore Your Family History Online

Learn about your family's history at http://ellisisland.org. $0.00$0.00Want to learn about your family's history? Check out the new web site from the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island. If your relatives entered America through Ellis Island, you can learn all kinds of things about them that might surprise you. For instance, you can learn how much money they had in their pockets, whether or not they could read, and what their plans were for the future. Printable Lesson:  4204lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Case Study for Kohen Gene Kohen Gene Torah Commentary

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