Be my Guide: Explore and Reveal Communities of Israel
By Susan Eisenstein
Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, in Chappaqua New York, has a wonderful 5th grade curriculum that focuses on teaching the younger generation to understand Israel with all of its complexities. This curriculum allows me to teach Israel, which I absolutely love, since Israel is my heart. Within this program, I seek to foster in my students a deep connection to Israel.
I want my students to know that Israel is a country of actualizers, of humanity, innovative, alive, and vibrant, and that we are one, we are Am Yisrael.
Learning about the communities of Israel becomes personal for all participants. This activity is designed to engage participants in their own exploration of the history and diversity of Israeli communities from their biblical origins to their resettlement in modern times. For formal and informal learning settings, this is a great way to make the building of Israel meaningful to all ages.
This is a great resource for use in a classroom. However it’s also great for informal educational settings, like a youth group, or a discussion group.
Here are two videos from our students who proudly completed their projects on Haifa and Eilat.
