At a get-together this past weekend, a local dad who teaches 5th graders in his congregation confessed his nervousness over teaching about Israel this coming year. He has been following the news and wondering what he will do in the fall. What questions will his students have? What will he say? How will it affect his teaching? How might the conflict and its portrayal in the media affect the feelings students have about Israel and their connection to it?
Many of us are struggling with these same questions. Here are a few resources to help you think this through, and some links your parents might find useful as well.
Makomisrael provided this video to help educators tackle three tough questions we might expect about Israel.
This blog discusses ways to explain conflict to children, and a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor highlights questions parents are facing in both Israel and Gaza. The Jewish Education Center of Cleveland created a template to help parents to talk to their children about the conflict. You can provide this download to teachers, parents and families.
It may be helpful to see what adults in Israel have been doing to help children feel more secure. The video below depicts a song created to help children feel safer during 'code red' alarms, and an article from Israel21c describes intitiatives to bring a sense of normalcy to daily life that includes stays in bomb shelters.
A focus on humanitarian works during conflict may be another avenue for exploration. Here is an article on Israeli field hospitals for wounded Gazans, one about two Hamas fighters who were treated in Israeli hospitals, and a story about how Israeli workers in bullet proof vests restored power to Gaza after a Hamas rocket downed power lines.
If you feel a refresher on the history leading up to the current conflict would help you, here is a link to a Washington Post blog that might fill in some gaps. You can also download this pdf Testing "Land for Peace," chapter 12 of our book Israel Matters, which provides a fact-based look at the issues and history of the region.
Finally, it may be enlightening to see glimpses of the indomitable spirit of Israelis. Just as we laugh at Haman, it may feel good to discover that Israelis are finding humor even now. Makom has put together a list of jokes that have been making their way around social media in recent days.
There are many among us with deep connections to Israel, and many in worry over family members and friends living or visiting there now. We wish you peace.
Singer Sara Merson recorded this version of Matisyahu's peace anthem "One Day" from a bomb shleter in Ashdod.
“All my life I’ve been waiting for/I’ve been praying for/For the people to say/That we don’t wanna fight no more/There will be no more wars/And our children will play/One day.”
You can read about her decision to make the video here.
