Camp Jewish Discovery Program
Tables of Contents
Section 1: Welcome
Section 2: Shabbat/ Storytelling
Section 3: Israel
Section 4: Dance
Section 5: Teva
“More than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.”
(Ahad Ha’am)
Welcome!
We congratulate you for being chosen by your camp to participate in this Shabbat retreat. We look forward to a meaningful learning experience filled with high energy and enthusiasm.
Our program goals include:
• To create a joyous Shabbat experience
• To explore camp values around Shabbat
• To build leadership capacity for implementing Shabbat and Israel programs.
• To design Shabbat and Israel learning experiences for the camp community utilizing the cultural arts.
• To further Jewish learning for all participants
During the retreat we would like you to explore your connections to the State of Israel and begin to think about how you will share those connections with your campers during the summer. David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, spoke of a dream to ‘make the desert bloom’. He spoke not only of working the land, but more metaphorically of the blooming of new life, new homes, and a revived Jewish culture and people in the land of Israel. Today this phrase points not only to the hope and dream of Israel, but beneath its surface are the complexities and challenges that are as much a part of Israel as they are of any living, breathing, nation state. During our retreat we will take this concept, with all of its complexities, and use it as our metaphorical doorway into the Israel experience, touching on four dimensions:
• Making the Desert Bloom? – an exploration of Teva (nature) in Israel
• The blossoming of an idea – Zionism as a diverse set of ideas and beliefs
• A culture that blooms – Jewish dance, music and language tradition in Israel
• Can Peace bloom? – the continuing blossoming of hope in the desert
Our ultimate objective for the weekend is to create a variety of Shabbat and Israel focused learning modules for this upcoming summer. We hope that each of you will acquire the skills and tools to bring Jewish song, dance, nature, and storytelling to your campers. Each participant will receive a CD with Shabbat songs, a resource book with program outlines, an Israeli dance CD and instruction book. We trust that you will be able to use these resources to continue the implementation of innovative Shabbat and Israel programming.
We invite you to consider the following Shabbat themes during the weekend:
SHABBAT AS A CELEBRATION OF ALL OUR SENSES
SHABBAT AS RENEWAL (Physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual)
SHABBAT AS A SYMBOL OF FREEDOM
SHABBAT IS A SOURCE OF JEWISH IDENTITY
As part of our opening activity we would like you to bring an item that represents your connections to Judaism or to Israel.
We are sure that during the retreat you will be able to relax, enjoy, and remain open yourself to new discoveries.
Shabbat shalom,
Evie Rotstein, Project Director Nili Simhai, Teva (Nature)
Matt Dorter, Drama Eva Grayzel, Storytelling
Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, Tefillah & Torah Ruth Goodman, Rikkud (Israeli Dance)
Naomi Less, Shira (Music) Laura Bellows, Teva ( Nature)
This project is funded by the UJA-Federation of New York.
Important Information
Dates: May 29th – June 1st
Time: Thursday arrival at camp 5:00
Sunday departure from camp 12:00
Place: Surprise Lake Camp
382 Lake Surprise Road
Cold Springs, NY 10516
Phone: 845-265-3616
Transportation: Contact your camp director if you need assistance getting to camp.
What to Bring:
• Bedding, pillow and towel
• Toiletries
• White shirt for Shabbat
• Long pants and long sleeved shirt for hiking
• Comfortable shoes for walking
• Comfortable clothes for playing
• Water bottles
• Rain gear
• Instruments to play
• Sports items
• Energy and a desire to have fun!!!
Finally…………………………..
Please bring an item that represents your connection to Judaism or Israel.
Retreat Faculty
Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz comes to the American rabbinate by a somewhat unconventional route. Born, raised and educated in London, England, Dr. Gurevitz received her BS and PhD from University College London before entering rabbinic school at the Leo Baeck College. In 2003 she transferred to Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York from where she was ordained in May 2006. She was called to the pulpit at B’nai Israel in July 2006.
As well as pursuing her academic studies, for three years she gained worship, educational and pastoral experience by serving a student pulpit in Winter Haven, Florida. In addition she worked with teenage leaders of NFTY as Program Director of URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, New York and served as a member of the management team and prayer leader at Elat Chayyim, a transdenominational retreat center in upstate New York.
Eva Grayzel, Performance Artist, has been telling stories professionally and making a living at it for 18 years. Her uniquely interactive style has taken her world-wide. In addition to performances with meaningful messages, Eva lectures on Turning Adversity Into Opportunity.
Naomi Less , an accomplished singer-songwriter, musician, actor and experiential educator has recently launched Jewish Chicks Rock, her project aimed at helping develop more resilient Jewish girls who successfully navigate adolescence without falling prey to at-risk behaviors. The focus of the work is through positive empowerment and self-esteem messaging in Jewish rock music. Naomi musically shares messages of hope, strength and confidence to young girls. Naomi was recently named by the Jewish Week as one of the “36 under 36” innovators to watch.
Naomi is a founding company member and Director of Education and Trainingof Storahtelling: Jewish Ritual Theater, (). Naomi culled over a decade of training experience in Jewish camps through first the National Ramah Commission and then the Foundation for Jewish Camp where she served as vice president of programs. Naomi is involved with the Davidson School at the Jewish Theological Seminary’s “Addressing the Evaded Curriculum” project and the Florence Melton CommuniTeen High School program.
Matt Dorter is the assistant director of Camp Poyntelle-Lewis Village. After graduating New York University with studies in both Theater and Education, Matt took a few years away from camp to work as a Director for The New Acting Company of The Children's Aid Society, an afterschool theater program for children ages 3-14.
Ruth Goodman is director of the Israeli Dance Institute, the Jewish Dance Division of the 92nd Street “Y”, the annual Israel Folk Dance
Festival, and the Parparim Ensemble of Israeli Dance and Song. Ruth conducts workshops and seminars throughout the Americas and holds a
Master of Arts degree in Dance Education from Columbia University Teachers College.
Nili Simhai serves as the Director of the Teva Learning Center, North America's foremost Jewish environmental organization, running programming for thousands of students annually from Jewish day and congregational schools, as well as family and youth retreats. Passionate about all of Creation, Nili's background includes study and work in ecological concerns ranging from wildlife conservation, wetland remediation, and entomology (Ohio State University) to ornithology (International Birdwatching Center in Eilat, Smithsonian Institute) and natural history (Natural History Museum of Cleveland, Cleveland MetroParks).
Laura Bellows’ work and learning in the fields of Jewish and environmental education has led her across the country from Oberlin College and back home to Washington, DC, where she currently serves as Congregational Programs Coordinator for the Teva Learning Center. When Laura is not engaged in local justice work in the city or Jewish environmental education in the woods, she can be found working on her small art business, contra-dancing, or in her garden.
Dr. Evie Rotstein is the coordinator of the Camp Jewish Discovery Project funded by the UJA Federation of NY. She is also the director of the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Educators, a professional learning program which is joint project of HUC-JIR and JTS. She is an adjunct professor at Hebrew Union College.
Retreat Schedule
Thursday (Arrival 4:30 -5:00)
5:30 Bruchim HaBaim – Welcome
Mixers and Introductions
6:30 Aruchat Erev -Dinner
7:30 Activity I - Desert Discovery (Naomi, Eva, Matt)
Hatikvah - Content and Context
Characters - A diverse nation
9:30 Activity II – Nili and Laura
Building a shared language thru games
10:30 Team time and Snack
Show camp videos
FRIDAY
7:30 Boker tov – Good Morning
8:00 Aruchat boker – Breakfast
8:30 Why Israel Matters?
Ilan Wagner –
10:45 Rikkud- Israeli dancing
12:00 Aruchat Tzohoraim – Lunch and Shira
1:00 Israeli Arts/Teva
2:45 Teva/Israeli Arts
4:30 Shabbat prep (Music, Teva, Rikkud, Drama)
5:00 Free time: Shabbat preparation
6:30 Kabbalat Shabbat/Tefillah experience (
Ruth – Dance
Rachel, Eva, Naomi - Service
8:00 Dinner – Shalom Aleichem
Kiddush – 4 shades of wine/Personal transformation
9-11 Oneg Shabbat
Storytelling and Improv – Eva and Matt
11:00 Secrets of Shabbat - Naomi
SHABBAT
9 am Aruchat Boker - Breakfast
9.45 Birkat HaShachar – Morning Blessings (Rachel, Naomi, Nili
Parshah activity – BaMidbar – In the desert
11:15 Kiddush/snack
11.30 Teva Workshop/ Drama Workshop
1:00 Aruchat Tzohoraim - Lunch and Shabbat Shira
2:00 Free time (with ultimate Frisbee or softball)
3:30 Elective Workshops: Rikkud, Shira, Storytelling, Teva
5:30 Snack, songs and stories/Seudah shlishit
6:00 Reflection groups – Camp teams share learning
7 00 Aruchat Erev - Dinner
8 00 Shabbat presentations – Melave Malkah
9.00 Havdalah – Naomi and Nili - Israeli Dancing - Ruth
10:00 Kumsitz campfire - Food and music
12:00 Layla Tov – Good night
SUNDAY
8:30 - Boker tov – Pack up your things
9 am Aruchat Boker Breakfast
9.45 am Morning Tefillah – Awe and Wonder
Rachel, Nili and Naomi
10.30-12.30 Camp teams prepare summer programs with faculty resources
Each camp will write 4 programs using the program template
12 pm Closing circle – Prayer for Peace – All faculty
Box lunch & departure
Have a great summer!
Key Vocabulary Words
κτραη Yisrael In Genesis 32:28, Jacob is given a new name, Yisrael, after wrestling with a messenger of God. The name is commonly interpreted as mean ‘he struggled/wrestled with God’. As descendents of Jacob, B’nai Yisrael – Children of Israel – we continue to have God-wrestling be a part of our identity as Jews. Yisrael is used to refer to both land and people. When the modern Jewish state was declared in 1948, the name Medinat Yisrael – the State of Israel – was chosen.
ιυημ Zion Zion historically referred to the Jebusite fortress, captured by King David that became the center of the City of David. The term came to represent all of the land of Israel and appears many times in the Bible in this context.
.ρτ Eretz Eretz means ‘land’ and has been used in the last century most frequently to denote a politically-defined geographical area, Eretz Yisrael – the Land of Israel. Historically, Eretz Yisrael was defined by borders much more extensive than the modern state of Israel, as described in the Torah.
ρχσν Midbar Midbar means Desert or Wilderness. The fourth book of the Torah is Bamidbar – in the desert/wilderness. The image of wilderness conjures up both the wanderings of B’nai Israel – the Children of Israel – in the desert for forty years between the Exodus from Egypt and entering the Promised Land, and also a spiritual realm of wandering and searching as we see the journeys described in the Torah as a metaphor for our own spiritual seeking. Today, in the land of Israel, the midbar provides some of the most fascinating and awe-inspiring environmental experiences.
ϖυε, Tikvah Tikvah means ‘hope’. The national anthem of the state of Israel is HaTikvah – The Hope. It was written by Naftali Herz Imber, a secular Jew from Galicia who moved to Palestine in the 1880s. The words express the hope that one day the Jewish people will one day obtain national independence in the land of Israel. Today, the anthem continues to symbolize a vision of a land, and the hope of peace between Israel and all of her neighbors.
ϖκηϖε Kehilah Kehilah refers to the gathering of individuals into a unified group – a community. Even in English, ‘community’ implies a group with a shared set of values and a vision for who they wish to be and how they wish to act toward each other. In the Torah, all that Moses addresses to the kahal involves sharing what God has instructed in order to create a kehilah kedoshah – a holy community – including laws, ethical codes and ways of being in relationship with each other.
ιυε, Tikkun Tikkun means ‘to fix’ or ‘to repair’. We often refer to Tikkun Olam – Repairing the world. The origin of this term is found in Jewish mysticism – a reference to the act of literally putting back together the broken pieces of our world. The phrase has been reinterpreted in recent decades to mean helping to make the world a better place through our own actions.
,ηατρχ ϖαγν Ma’aseh B’reishit Works of Creation. This phrase is used to acknowledge the wonders of our Universe and our earth, recognizing the Source of Creation who brought the world into being. When we recognize the wonders of creation, we acknowledge that all parts of creation – from the butterfly to the pesky mosquito, from a good rain to the workings of our own bodies, are unique, wondrous and worthy of praise.
ϖϕυβν Menuchah Rest. Menuchah particularly refers to rest on the Sabbath day. It connotes much more than relaxation – it is the absence of particular kinds of activities that are derived from the work that was required to build the Tabernacle in the desert, as described in the Torah. One way to understand this list is to consider all the ways we use and manipulate the world around us – both environment and people – and consider Shabbat menuchah as an invitation to desist from this way of being in relationship with the world for one day of the week.
ϖϕνα Simcha Joy/Happiness. Shabbat is a day of enjoyment – appreciating the world around us, appreciating and being part of a community, and enjoying the company of family and friends. We even welcome in Shabbat on Friday night by singing L’cha Dodi – Come my beloved – addressing Shabbat as a bride, and imagining the Sabbath as the ultimate simcha – a wedding celebration. We heighten our sense of simcha on Shabbat with good food, dressing in different clothing, singing, dancing, and more.
Service Templates
Downloadable and editable prayer service templates can be found at:
These templates include Friday night and Saturday morning services, Havdalah, Birkat Hamazon, and readings and song downloads that can be inserted into creative services.
Gratitude Quotes
"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." -Albert Schweitzer
Someone I feel gratitude toward is ____________________________________ because_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?" -William A. Ward
This morning I want to say ‘thank you’ for ______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” -William Arthur Ward
This morning I feel grateful for _______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.” –Buddha
“Let's be grateful for those who give us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our soul bloom.” -Marcel Proust
Something/Someone who has made me feel happy is _____________________ because___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.” -Alfred Painter
Thanksgiving is good but thanks-living is better.
— Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” (G.K. Chesterton)
Something in my life that I so often take for granted is ____________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This morning I realize how grateful I am.
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” (Dennis Waitley)
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” (G.K. Chesterton)
Something in this world that I feel awe and wonder for is _________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” (J.F. Kennedy)
Dear Lord: The gods have been good to me. For the first time in my life, everything is absolutely perfect just the way it is. So here's the deal: You freeze everything the way it is, and I won't ask for anything more. If that is OK, please give me absolutely no sign. OK, deal. In gratitude, I present you this offering of cookies and milk. If you want me to eat them for you, give me no sign. Thy will be done.” (Homer Simpson, as written by Dan Castellaneta)
Prepared by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, PhD, Congregation B'nai Israel, Bridgeport, CT.
Great Leadership Ideas:
Enhancing Your Shabbat Service
“Charismatic leaders leave us thinking, I wish I could do that. Great leaders inspire us to say, I can do that!” -John Holt
Welcome people into the service. On Shabbat we don’t have to worry about time; all day long it’s Shabbat! Instead of the usual greeting, “Good Morning” we say, “Shabbat Shalom.” Designate a small group of campers or counselors to be the greeters for Shabbat services or rituals each week.
Be a good role model. Many of your campers have never experienced this kind of Shabbat celebration. Give them an idea of how to participate and show them the wide scope of what it looks like to enjoy themselves in prayer, singing, dancing, clapping, davening, etc.
Prepare well. Know the music, the text, the outline, and your group.
Make an effort to create a warm Shabbat environment. Try re-arranging furniture, moving chairs closer together, changing the lighting, etc.
Make your service a dynamic experience. Create high and low points, slow pace alternating with fast pace throughout. Have quiet contemplative, restful moments as well as joyous outbursts of song. Use stories. Everyone loves a story. It’s a classic and successful way of teaching our Jewish traditions, culture, and values.
Use your whole body to lead. Remember that your group is filled with auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners. This means that to really capture the attention of the whole group, you want to include listening moments (brief explanations, stories), plenty of visual cues (hand gestures), and movement (dance, clapping, standing).
During the service or program, walk through the group and among your campers.
Make eye contact and offer your Shabbat greeting as a smile.
Change the direction of the group by having everyone face the middle. If you’re leading a dance moment and everyone ends up in a different place from where they started, continue the service from this new place.
Be spontaneous! Plan your session well, but keep an open mind to the unexpected. If you suddenly think of something that will enhance the moment, go with it!
Ask for feedback. Talk to your educators, counselors, and campers to learn more about how they experienced the service or program. Your camp is a unique community and you have the opportunity to tailor the session to the needs and interests of your group.
Repetition is crucial for learning, comfort, and for creating your camp traditions. That being said, don’t be afraid to try new things. Prayer and honoring Shabbat is about the ways in which we appreciate, question, and explore life. Prayer experiences don’t have to happen in the same place each time, look the same or sound the same.
Prepared by Shira Kline, performer, recording artist, and sacred technician.
Storytelling
‘In the Beginning’… or, ‘Once Upon a Time...’
Stories are one of the best tools that we have for making the values and lessons of Torah and the experience of Shabbat come alive for our campers. Stories help us to feel the experience - hurt, relief, laughter, insult, foolishness, joy… since time began, stories have entertained and educated, and the Jewish storytelling tradition is as rich and powerful as they come.
Our ultimate story is the Torah. In the following pages you will find a section dedicated to ‘Parsha Time’ – a way to make a weekly Torah time on Shabbat come alive at camp, with all kinds of storytelling techniques, skits, drama games, and debates that you can use to help your campers experience our ancient story and put themselves in the shoes of our biblical ancestors. If you’ve seen the movie Mary Poppins, it’s a bit like the scene where they all jump into the chalk painting on the sidewalk. They literally enter the scene and have an adventure exploring the possibilities that can be found there.
The rabbis of old did this in a storytelling form called midrash. One of the most famous of the midrash that you might have heard before is one where Abraham, when he was a young boy, started to wonder about what or who God really was. His father was a sculpture of stone idols, and Abraham came to the realization that it was foolish to worship lumps of stone. One day he took a hammer and smashed all of the smaller idols in his father’s shop, placing the hammer into the hand of the largest stone idol. When his father returned and saw the damage he was furious. Abraham said, ‘but father, it was that idol over there!’ His father replied, ‘Don’t be foolish, that’s just a lump of stone’, to which Abraham then challenged, ‘So why are we praying to it?’.
This story isn’t actually in the Torah. The rabbis invented it because they wanted to teach us that it is not one who blindly accepts things that comes to believe in the true God, but one who ask questions and challenges. That’s a great lesson to teach, and Jews have been telling this story for over a thousand years now. It isn’t only rabbis of old who can invent stories within stories to teach us something. In the ‘Parsha Time’ pages, you will see examples of how to add dialogue, debate and transpose a Torah story for camp to make these stories come alive for your campers.
We can also use storytelling, or drama to act out a story, to teach about the experience of Shabbat. There are many stories in the Shabbat resource ‘A Day Apart’, by Noam Sachs Zion and Shawn Fields-Meyer, that you can use (e.g. see pages 21, 42, 91 or 163). Add these stories to your Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service, or act out a story during Shabbat afternoon snack time, or just before you make Havdalah.
Prepared by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, PhD, Congregation B'nai Israel, Bridgeport, CT.
Fri night Service Story:
Mama Anansi, The Orthydox Jewish Spider
Searching for food to make Shabbat extra special.
Loses grip on rock, falls into the Nile river, swallowed by fish
See Trouble alerts the siblings
Road Builder builds a road to edge of Nile
River Drinker enhales entire river
Game Splitter cuts open the fish
Mama is saved. Tries to get through the mud to her children.
Owl swoops down, picks her up in beak, to feed the baby owls
Stone Thrower hits the owl right between the eyes. Mama falls thru sky
Cushion follows her, and cushions her fall.
Who should Mama thank for saving her?
Each of her children had a special talent, and you can never accomplish great things unless you come together as a team.
Technique Workshop:
Jonah and The Whale
Jonah was lazy. Heard voice of God telling him what to do.
Jonah doesn’t like to be told what to do? Do you?
Jonah wants to hide, run away, disguise himself.
He gets on a ship, promising to help in exchange for the passage
After a short time, he sneaks down below to nap.
The weather gets stormy.
The captian is ordering people to throw possessions overboard.
People are praying for their lives.
Jonah is nowhere to be found. They find him sleeping.
Do you sleep through your storms?
Jonah admits it’s Gd angry with him for not listening.
They throw him overboard as Jonah requests and the sea calms.
Jonah enters the belly of a whale. It’s smelly, slimy.
He prays to Gd to let him out. But that didn’t work.
He starts to apologize. That works better.
With great sincerity, kavannah, he thanks Gd for all he does have, and asks for forgiveness by promising to try not to ever do it again.
Whale lets out a huge burp. Jonah is spewed on shore and does what he was asked to do in the first place.
Sunday AM Gratitude theme:
Wooden Sword
Poor man sings with joy over his evening meal.
King is missing something in his life.
Dressed as beggar, he visits a poor man joyful over a bowl of soup and crust of bread.
To understand if joy is missing in his life, he tries to break the joy of this man.
Orders all shoe shiners to get a permit from the king.
So, the poor man changes work, and cuts wood.
Next day, King is surprised to find him once again eating with joy.
King figures maybe he is missing the faith this man has.
King orders all woodchoppers to be volunteer guards for a week.
After a day guarding the gate, the poor man is not given food.
He sells the metal blade and fashions a wooden one. He has food for the week.
The king visits, hoping to find a dejected man, but instead he was joyful and full of faith.
He orders a toenail execution and for the poor man to use his sword.
The poor man pleads not to perform the execution.
He looks the prisoner in the eye and says: If this man is innocent, may my sword turn to wood. He is offered a job in the kingdom teaching people how to be grateful for the little things they have.
Parsha Time
When we pray, we talk to God; when we study Torah, God talks to us.
Introduction
The Torah is read in installments, from beginning to end, every Shabbat throughout the year. It is our weekly soap-opera and we can re-live the journey of our ancestors every week by diving into their story. While you might be most familiar with the ritual chanting from the scroll that takes place in synagogue every week, and the portion that you might have prepared for you bar- or bat-mitzvah, there are many ways to make the Jewish story come alive.
In fact, some of the earliest accounts of how our Torah was shared with the people describe a scene that took place not in a synagogue at all, but in the marketplace. Imagine a scene full of smells and sounds, and people bustling around. A reader takes the stand and makes an announcement: ‘Roll up! Roll up! Gather round for this week’s installment of our people’s story!’ As the people hushed up and waited to hear where the journey would lead them this week, translators would move around the square, explaining the story in the local language (Aramaic), and often adding interesting details to the story as they went to bring it alive and connect it issues of their day.
In the following pages you will find a brief summary of each weekly installment (a parsha) and the date this summer for that installment. This is just background information for you. Next you will find some focal points suggested, with the English translation of the actual text of the Torah that describes that part of the story. For each week using the focal points as a guide, look over some of the suggested activities on the next page that can help you to turn the text into interesting and entertaining skits, discussions, stories and songs. The first week’s parsha has been filled out in more detail to provide an example of how you can apply the suggested activities to the text.
Every line of Torah contains a whole world to explore and our rabbis of the past taught that there are ’70 faces of Torah’, by which they meant an infinite number of ways to bring it alive. Don’t worry about knowing the ‘right way’ to lead parsha time – there is no ‘right way’ – just ‘your way’. We invite you to explore the stories of your heritage and help bring them alive for your campers.
Prepared by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, PhD, Congregation B'nai Israel, Bridgeport, CT.
Parsha Activities
Activity #1. Write and act out a skit of the scene. When you are creating a skit based on the text that has been included in this packet, you can invent extra conversations that don’t actually appear in the text. One way to find good places to insert these extra conversations is to imagine yourself really there. At what points in the story do you wonder what someone was thinking, or why they acted in a particular way? If the story doesn’t give you an answer, you can invent one by adding the missing dialogue.
Here is an example of how to find those extra conversations in the first week’s installment, ‘Chukat’:
▪ Pay special attention to the people who argue with Moses. For example, imagine that the people get together for a ‘town meeting’ to complain with each other before they take it to Moses. Does everyone complain? Does anyone stand up for Moses?
▪ And when Moses calls the people ‘rebels’ – does he vent to Aaron, or to God, or to himself about these Israelites who are always complaining and never seem grateful for all he has done for them?
▪ What about at the end of the story when God tells Moses and Aaron that they didn’t show proper faith in God because Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it, like he was told? Do they plead with God? Do they offer excuses?
Activity #2. Re-locate the scene to summer camp. Many of the focal points suggested for each week’s parsha teach about human behaviors that don’t only happen in the stories of the Torah. They happen to us all the time. So we can ‘translate’ the ideas of a Torah story and relocate them to camp life, school life, or home life with parents. This kind of skit is especially suitable to the themes in the later part of the summary, where you will see that the focal points emphasize values and concepts and there are fewer ‘stories’ in the text to act out.
For example, this is how you could apply this approach to relocating the story about Moses hitting the rock from week one’s parsha, ‘Chukat’. Write a skit that deals with the following parts of the story:
▪ What do campers complain to their counselors about?
▪ Maybe the counselor goes to the Camp Director for advice on how to deal with these complaining campers, but they then don’t quite do as the Director suggested. Instead they do something that gets a result (the campers stop complaining) but they get the Director mad.
▪ Did the counselor intentionally not do as the Director said, or were they impatient and just didn’t hear properly? Did they let their frustration with their campers get in the way of handling things in the best way they could? How do the campers feel when they know that the counselor got into trouble over the incident?
Activity #3. Campers role-playing scenes as if they were there. Using either 1 or 2 to present the story first, ask campers to imagine a conversation they would be part of and insert themselves into the story. You can also divide the act into 2 or 3 ‘acts’ and have break-out role-playing discussions with the campers between each act. For this activity, you don’t fill in all of the extra dialogue in the story yourself. You pause in the story and ask campers to get into small groups, facilitated by a counselor, so that they can imagine the scene for themselves and imagine what they would say if they were in the story. This exercise works best if they speak in ‘first person’. For example, ‘I am Moses, and when the Israelites start complaining again I get really mad. I go see my brother Aaron, and I say…’
In the parsha for week 1, ‘Chukat’, examples of group role-playing of additional scenes include:
▪ Let them to act out the ‘town meeting’ conversation between the Israelites (see above).
▪ They are Moses and Aaron talking to God when God says that they didn’t do what they’d been told to do.
Activity #4. Break-out discussion groups. You might start ‘parsha time’ with a skit (see 2) to introduce an idea, and then hand out a one-page discussion guide that contain some texts about the idea with some questions to have small group discussions. This kind of activity is best for campers aged 10 or older.
Activity #5. Scenarios. For this activity, a scenario can be described on paper that illustrates an ethical issue or an idea contained in the Torah portion. It can be followed by questions to help campers discuss, in small groups, what they would do in the scenario, and how Jewish ethics derived from the values or laws taught in the Torah portion might inform our answer.
Activity #6. Issues programs. Look at the program section of the booklet for programs that are specifically connected to themes contained in the focal points for particular weeks. For example, there is a program on tzedakah, one on hunger, one on prophets, and one on Moses as a leader. These programs mix skits, text discussion, and other activities together to make a 45 min – 1 hour long program.
Activity #7. Camp games. Take a theme from a parsha focal point and adapt a camp game to highlight key words or values. For example, play human bingo with the characters in one of the stories, or create a scavenger hunt or series of challenges for parsha Balak, where groups have to get a message from King Balak, find Bala’am and his ass, deliver a message from an angel to Bala’am and, finally deliver Bala’am’s blessing ‘Ma tovu’ (How great are your tents O Jacob) to the Children of Israel!
Prepared by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, PhD, Congregation B'nai Israel, Bridgeport, CT.
Parsha Summaries
1. June 28th Korach. Numbers 16:1-18:32
Summary
• Korach of the priestly tribe of Levi challenges Moses, along with 250 chieftains, accusing him of raising himself above the community as more holy than them. Two other priests, Dathan and Abiram, also refuse to follow Moses’ instructions.
• Moses announces that the next day God will judge the challenge through a ritual involving their fire pans and incense.
• God wishes to destroy the entire community but Moses intercedes for them. Instead, Moses announces that it will be shown that the rebels have spurned God if the ground opens up and swallows them, which it promptly does. The other 250 rebels are consumed by fire.
• The people blame Moses and Aaron for the deaths, and God responds by bringing a plague, requiring another ritual act with incense by Moses to end the plague.
• The latter part of the parsha outlines all that will be given to the Levites as part of their role as priests to the people.
Focal point: What is wrong with Korach’s rebellion? Exploring this story in detail raises challenging questions about God, Moses and the rebels.
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2. July 5th. Chukat. Numbers 19:1-23:1
Summary
• Chukat begins with the ritual slaughter and sacrifice of the ‘red heifer’.
• Next, Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, dies.
• The people complain again that they have no water to drink. God tells Moses to speak to the rock to make water come forth but Moses, angry with these ‘rebel’ people, strikes the rock (like he did the first time around earlier in the desert wandering). Water still comes out, but because Moses got so angry and didn’t follow God’s instructions he is told that he will not get to enter the Promised land.
• A little while later, Aaron dies and the people mourn for 30 days for him.
• The Canaanites attack the Children of Israel, but the Children of Israel win.
• The people are still complaining about why they came all this way to die in the wilderness. God punishes them for their disloyalty by sending poisonous snakes into their midst. Moses pleads on their behalf and God has Moses make a copper snake that, when people look at it, will heal them.
• At the end of the parsha there are more battles, and the Children of Israel win again.
Focal Point: Moses striking the rock after Miriam’s death.
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3. July 12th. Balak. Numbers 2:2-25:9
Summary
• This parsha tells the story of Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab. Balak is afraid after hearing about the Children of Israel’ success in battle that they will attack him. He sends messengers to ask that Bala’am, a well-known pagan prophet, go and curse the Children of Israel. God forbids Bala’am to do as Balak asks. Balak gets angry, so God permits Bala’am to go, but only to say words that God permits.
• On the journey, Bala’am’s donkey stops in its tracks because it sees an angel blocking the path. Bala’am beats the donkey to try to get it to move, upon which the donkey speaks and protests. Then Bala’am sees the angel. The angel tells him to continue his journey but reminds him only to say what God commands.
• King Balak asks three times for Bala’am to utter a curse, but each time a blessing comes out. Bala’am is sent home.
• A little while later the Israelites start mixing with the Moabites and this leads them to offer sacrifices to the Moabite god. They are punished with another plague. Pinchas is a Jew that sees an Israelite man and a Moabite woman entering a tent together and he goes and kills them both. This brings the plague to an end.
Focal point: Bala’am’s ‘curse’ – ‘Ma Tovu’ – How good are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places O Israel.
4. July 19th. Pinchas. Numbers 25:10-30:1
Summary
• This parsha goes into more detail about what happened at the end of the last parsha.
• Next, Moses take a census of the Israelites and they total 601,730.
• Based on these numbers, Moses announces which tribes will get which areas of land once they enter Canaan. Larger tribes get more land and smaller tribes less. Each person gets a holding of equal size. The tribe of the Levites don’t get any land because they are the priests who look after the ritual life of the community, and they don’t need to farm their own land because they get to eat from the food brought for sacrifices and offerings by others.
• Because individual families get to inherit through men only, five sisters (Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah) who are the only ones left in their family bring their case to Moses and ask if they can inherit (the first case of feminism?!). Moses takes the case to God to decide, and God decides that they should inherit on behalf of their family.
• Moses climbs to the top of Mount Abarim and is shown the land that his people will inherit but which he will not enter. Moses asks for a successor and God tells him to appoint Joshua as the next leader.
Focal point: the daughters of Zelophehad
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5. July 26th. Matot Numbers 30:2-32:42
Summary
• In Matot it describes laws about making vows.
• Then it describes the battles that the Children of Israel have with the Midianites and what they do with the booty from their successes.
• Then two tribes, Gad and Reuben, ask to settle in some good land on the east of the Jordan river rather than settling in the land of Canaan. Moses isn’t too happy about this to start with, because everyone is needed to make the invasion a success. But the two tribes promise to help take the land of Canaan and will only go back and settle on the other side of the river once the other tribes have settled in their new homes. So Moses agrees.
Focal point: the tribes of Gad and Reuben who don’t settle in the Promised Land
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6. August 2nd. Mas’ey. 33:1-36:13
• In Mas’ey (meaning ‘journeys’) the forty years of wandering in the desert are reviewed. Moses gives instructions about conquering the land, establishing the borders and dividing it among the tribes.
• Moses describes how six ‘cities of refuge’ should be established so that, if someone accidentally kills another person (manslaughter) they can safely stay in these cities and get a fair trial.
Focal point: Cities of Refuge
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7. August 4th. Ekev. Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25
Summary
• Moses is still giving his big, final speech. He tells them that if they keep their side of the covenant (observing God’s commandments) then God will keep them safe from their enemies.
• He reminds them that God gave them manna while they wandered in the wilderness to remind them that ’…human beings do not live on bread alone’.
• He warns them not to get arrogant once they settle in the land and pretend that it was all down to them rather than God. They will be in the land because those who had been there before were idolators, not because the Children of Israel are so great. So he reminds them about their tendency toward idol worship, like the time they built the Golden Calf, and warns them not to go down that path.
• Moses tells the people they should learn from their history that God freed from slavery in Egypt and led them through the desert to arrive at this moment.
Focal points:
▪ What is a covenant? Who do we make ‘covenants’ with today? Have we kept our side of the bargain? Has God kept God’s side of the bargain?
▪ Can we really be commanded to ‘love’ and ‘revere’? How does that work?
▪ The origins of the Grace after Meals – the Birkat hamazon. See the following text from the Torah: in verse 10 it says that we shall eat, be satisfied, and then we shall bless God – this is why we say a blessing when we have eaten a meal in Jewish tradition.
▪ Related to giving thanks for food, the issue of Hunger (see program in handbook)
8. August 9th. Devarim. Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22
NB. Unlike the previous parshiot, the book of Deuteronomy is a review of laws, ethics and values and there are fewer stories that lend themselves to being directly acted out in a skit. For these remaining parshiot of the summer we have provided several focal points that emphasize ideas and values that you could explore with a camp-based skit, or a discussion of a scenario, or role-playing.
Summary
• This book of the Torah is a recap of lots of things that have been discussed in earlier parts of the Torah, but sometimes with additions or changes. It mainly reads like a long string of final speeches that Moses makes to the people to remind them of their history, and the laws that they should follow when they enter the land of Canaan.
• Moses reminds them they are inheriting the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
• He reminds them of the time when he appointed wise leaders to help lead them when the work was too much for him to do alone.
• He reminds them of the spies that had been sent to look at the land of Canaan 40 years earlier and how they had been wandering in the desert since then because they didn’t have faith that they would succeed in conquering the land back then. Only Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, had faith back then and so they are the only ones from that generation who have lived to enter the Promised land.
• Moses reminds them of the routes they wandered and the battles they won along the way.
Focal points:
▪ The importance of reviewing something
▪ Choosing your battles
▪ Growing up. Why did the Israelites have to go through so much for so long (40 years in the wilderness, instead of going straight to the promised land when they left Egypt)
▪ Battle strategies – then and now
▪ Getting into the promised land. What do the Israelites think about the whole ‘promised land’ thing and do they still want to go?
▪ Does anyone know yet that Moses isn’t allowed to go in?
9. August 11th. Re’eh. Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17
Summary
• Moses is still talking in one of the longest speeches in history. Just in case they haven’t gotten the message yet, he reminds them life is choices of blessings and curses, and they should take the blessings by observing the commandments. He continues to go on about not doing any idol worship.
• He reviews the rules about sacrifices, slaughtering and eating meat. He reviews rules about not disfiguring themselves and not eating things that are harmful to their health.
• He reviews the laws of kashrut – what is permitted and what is forbidden.
• He reminds them to set aside a tithe (1/10th of their produce) for the stranger, the orphan and the widow. He also reminds them about canceling debts owed every 7 years (the Sabbatical year). He reminds the elite about the proper treatment of slaves.
• Finally he reviews the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot.
Focal point:
▪ Blessings and curses
▪ Life choices and free will
▪ Kashrut – why? Is it about Jewish identity?
▪ Tzedakah (see tzedakah program in handbook)
10. August 16th. Va’etchanan. Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
Summary
• Moses pleads with God one more time to be let into the Promised land, but God refuses.
• Moses continues his speeches to the people, warning them not to worship idols and to remember to observe the commandments they have been given. He reminds them of the awesome experiences when the people received the 10 commandments. Moses recited the commandments and the people promise to obey. Then Moses declares, ‘Hear O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One. You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might’ (we say this in the Shema).
• Moses warns the Children of Israel not to spare the people when they enter the land and not to mix with them.
• Moses tells the people that they are God’s chosen and treasured people who have a covenant with God.
Focal points:
▪ The Chosen people thing. This is very controversial. What does that phrase mean to us today?
▪ Idol worship – what’s the big deal? Is it still going on today? (think not literally of stone idols, but the kinds of things that society idolizes that corrupts our values and ideals)
These are ideas can be seen in the last few verses of this week’s parsha that summarizes the main issues in the summary above:
11. August 18th. Shofetim. Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
Summary
• Moses tells people about the ways of establishing justice in their society – how to appoint judges, that two witnesses are needed before someone can be found guilty of a crime that warrants the death penalty. Serious cases involving homicide, or cases too difficult to decide must be transferred to a higher court.
• There are regulations about how to choose future kings or leaders and a warning that these leaders must follow the laws of the Torah too.
• He reviews the importance of the cities of refuge as safe places for people who have committed manslaughter.
• He tells them about ways of telling the difference between real and false prophets.
• Finally, he reviews rules to be observed at times of war.
Focal points:
▪ The rules of war – when can going to war be ethical? How do armies have to behave to keep it ethical? What if the other side doesn’t play fair?
▪ Debating the death penalty. (Note, in the Torah they require a higher court to make such a difficult decision. Later in Jewish history they got rid of the death penalty because they no longer felt they had courts who could make these kinds of decisions.)
▪ False Prophets (see Prophets activity in handbook)
Prepared by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, PhD, Congregation B'nai Israel, Bridgeport, CT.
Program Title: Desert Discovery
Sub Title: HaTikvah – The Hope
Target ages: 12 - 112
Goals:
* To enable participants to identify assumptions they may have about Israel
* To build on and expand their understanding of “who” Israel is
* To begin to connect to their own relationship with Israel through their own historie
* To set foundations for programming throughout weekend around diversity in camp
Method:
We are profiling people and their experiences and histories in Israel, this will later link to questions about how our camps can be diverse places and inclusive places (themes we'll be picking up on Shabbat). The focus here is looking closer at what “the Hope” was, is and could be through diversity of perspectives including the use of artifacts from the participants’ own lives. We will hopefully touch the heart, the mind and trigger future questions.
We will also model good ‘social and emotionally intelligent’ group sharing practices.
At the end of the evening, we ill unpack how the participants can own and re-facilitate this activity.
Time: 2 hours
Materials (please see materials by each activity)
Activity 1: Introductions and Anthems (about 40 min)
Materials:
- screen
- projector
- karaoke track to HaTkivah and American National anthem (naomi has)
- groups sheets for facilitators
- PA sound system (cordless mics – at least two so one can be passed and one facilitator has)
o Need to hook computer, guitar, and mics into it
- Lighting – if possible – for theater type setting
Program Play by Play:
1. Remind (upon arrival) participants to bring their artifact
2. (7 min) Evie starts her official welcome to the group – important info, introductions, rules and opportunities, etc.
3. (5 min) Evie has everyone rise for the National Anthems…(first America, then Israel)
4. HaTikvah[1] original words in English and Hebrew projected on a big screen[2]
5. When we get to the refrain – Naomi or Evie will sing the original Refrain – which will be chaotic as most people will sing the one we know now…
HaTikvah[3] (See below)
|כָּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה |Kol od balevav penimah |As long as deep in the heart |
|,נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה |Nefesh yehudi homiyah |The soul of a Jew yearns/can’t rest |
|,וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח קָדִימָה |Ulefa'atei mizrah kadimah |And towards the East |
|.עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה |Ayin letziyon tzofiyah |An eye looks to Zion |
|פזמון |Original Refrain |Original Refrain |
|עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִקְוָתֵנוּ |Od lo avdah tikvatenu |Our hope is not yet lost, |
|:הַתִּקְוָה הַנּוֹשָׁנָה |Hatikvah hannoshana |The ancient hope |
|.לָשׁוּב לְאֶרֶץ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ |Lashuv le'eretz avoteinu |To return to the land of our fathers, |
|.לְעִיר בָּהּ דָּוִד חָנָה |Le'ir bah david chanah |The city where David encamped; |
|עוד לא אבדה תקוותנו, |Modern Refrain |Modern Refrain |
|התקווה בת שנות אלפים, |Od lo avdah tikvatenu |Our hope is not yet lost, |
|להיות עם חופשי בארצנו, |Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim |The hope of 2,000 years |
|ארץ ציון וירושלים. |Lihiyot Am Chovshi b’artzeinu |To be a free people in our land |
| |Eretz Zion Yerushalayim |The land of Zion and Jerusalem |
6. (20 min – 5 per character) The four grandparents (as young people) come onto the stage – one by one, each representing four historic Zionist dreams. One by one, they interrupt HaTikvah and give their reason for why it doesn’t represent THEIR hope…
(Remember: Dreamers 1-4 need to do double duty, once Thursday night and once Friday morning, while 5-6 appear only Friday morning.)
Questions: Did we add in Environmental Quotes to profiles? WHERE IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL THEME HERE? IT DOESN”T PRESENT ITSELF IN THE GRANDPARENT CHARACTERS…
Dreamer # 1: Racheli Dagan, interrupts Hatikvah with a reaction to the words
Age: 21,
Born: Minsk (1890)
Profile: Coming from a traditional home- rejects Jewish tradition and Jewish life in Europe. Thinks that Judaism is trapped in the past and that modern times demand a new approach to Jewish life- without rabbis, religious laws or antiquated practice. Jewish life has to be completely reinvented based on the following principles: equality between the genders, social and economic equality, dedication to the common good, close connection to land and to labor.
Dream: To build new settlements in Palestine, to transform wilderness into small intimate and egalitarian communities. This new Jewish creation will transform the country and provide an example for all of humankind about what tomorrow can look like.
HaTikvah REACTION: The ancient hope- To return to the land of our fathers, The city where David encamped. This is religious talk – and of our fathers – who tell us who to marry. Who tell us what we have to do – how we have to perform all of the religious acts. Well, I will tell you – this anthem doesn’t reflect MY hope – the hope of (continue with facts from the profile…)
And this Moldavian-Rumanian tune? This is gypsy music – while somewhat familiar in my family history, it’s not the proud music of Russian Minsk Jews.
Dreamer # 2: Yosef Berliner
Age 26
Born: Nice, France (1914)
Profile: Grew up in a traditional home that also believed in the need to integrate Judaism with the modern world. His parents spoke about the changes in society and in Jewish life and about the sense that how remarkable it is that Jews are starting to talk about going back to Palestine. For 2000 years Jews have been in exile, but this is now beginning to change. This new era in Jewish history demands a more active approach by Jews- we are at the beginning of the Messianic Era and it is our job as Jews to help the Messiah along by ending the Jewish exile and returning to Palestine.
Dream: To establish in Palestine the basis for the beginning of the redemption of the Jewish People. For the period of redemption to begin, our sages teach, three things have to be complete: The Torah of Israel, the Land of Israel and the People of Israel. Our efforts in Palestine are to create a State based on these principles: we will live according to the laws of the Torah, which form the basis for a just Jewish society; we will work for all of the Jews to come out of exile and live here in our newly reclaimed homeland, and we will soon inherit all of the Land our God has promised to Abraham and our forefathers. All of these are equally important, the Torah commands us to justice, to ingather the exiles and to settle the land. Yes, we can accept compromises on this path, sometimes G-d’s plans are hidden from us, but our ultimate goal is clear.
HaTikvah Reaction: This anthem – yes, it does reflect my dream – the dream that the Jewish people will be redeemed – the hope is NOT lost – as it says in Ezekiel 37 - “...Behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost”), but it ISN’T, is it? (go into profile) My soul can’t rest…just like the song says….
And what is this Moldavian-Rumanian tune? This is folk music!! We should have music that invokes the prayers of 2000 years of exile from our religious home!
Dreamer # 3: Rachel Lipman
Age 25
Born: Vienna, Austria (1910)
Profile: The Jewish people have created great creations over the year- monotheism, the prophetic tradition, our great books. This is our unique genius, our contribution to mankind. But as I look around me in Europe, I see that our creativity and genius are losing their power. Anti-Semitism on the one hand and the choice that Jews have to make between being modern and being Jewish on the other has created perhaps the most serious challenge ever to Judaism and Jewishness. The only way we can continue to be creative, to produce our culture, and to benefit the world is if we have our own territory and society- where we are a majority and we can create on our own terms. That can’t be done in Europe, it can only be done in Palestine.
Dream: What an amazing society it can be if we unleash once again the creative powers of the Jewish People. This place can be a center and inspiration for Jews everywhere- it can be the hub at the center of the Jewish wheel, with communities around the world as its spokes. Not every Jew has to live here, but this is the center of Jewish culture. We will establish world leading universities, museums, performing arts and hospitals. Hebrew culture is an endless well from which we will produce Nobel prize winners, world famous musicians and leaders in science and business. Jews will come here, not because they feel they have to, but because of the amazing quality of life they can achieve. In some ways we will be a very normal society, in others, we will become a light unto the nations- out of our normalacy we will create something very special.
HaTikvah Reaction: The soul of a Jew yearns/cannot rest – we have a creative soul – we have been creating in each society we live in for hundreds, no, thousands of years. We create laws, ethics, medicine, music – look at this poem – listen to the tune – the glorious tune of the gypsy soul…I see us with this hope – to return to the land of our forefathers – the ones who were the first monotheists and created laws that built grand societies. We have something to show – like how David was the first to unifiy Israel and Judaea – creating something very special (more from the profile) I disagree that this is about dreaming for religious freedom. That doesn’t resonate with me.
And what is this Moldavian-Rumanian tune? I come from the land of Mendelsohn, of the opera, of the symphony – what is this nonsense!
Dreamer # 4: Yosef Mizrachi
Age 22
Born: Marakesh, Morocco (1927)
Profile: .All of a sudden everything is in turmoil- for years we have lived here in peace with our Arab neighbors, honored guests in this society. But recently, ill winds have been blowing. Some of my cousins were harassed, my brother was assaulted, my parents lock the door at night. We had heard miraculous news about the creation of the State of Israel, our age old dream finally fulfilled. And then those shlichim, those emissaries of that new State came and told us that it was time to go home. The police started to make threatening noises, our Arab neighbors are yelling at us about poor Arabs in Palestine. Our place is no longer here. A miracle has happened, we are being brought home- but I have no idea what to expect, no idea what life will be like there. I think much is about to change, and change is not very good.
Dream: Our life, our traditions, the honor we show our ancestors and our rabbis and our teachers- that is the life we need to create for ourselves in Israel. Just like we lived here, but even better, in our Promised Land, with God’s blessing. We don’t need much, a chance to make a living, to live in our own country, with our traditions and our sages at the center of our existence. I dream of my children learning with our rabbis and our sages, taking care of their parents and grandparents, worshipping in Jerusalem. One thing though is clear, this is our country, not an Arab country. Like we were honored guests in Morocco, they will be honored guests in our country. If they accept that, no problem. If they don’t, we will not once again feel threatened by them.
HaTikvah Reaction: This “anthem” what is it? This is not my anthem…the tune – it is foreign – who are these white Jews who say they are hoping for an ancient dream of theirs…we don’t hope for this – to return to a foreign Palestinian land – we have lived in peace in Morocco for (go into profile) – but now, we HAVE to hope for Palestine – because we no longer have a home here. We just hope not to be guests – but to be at home. We are descendents of David – the closet there is – and we now hope to return…
And what is this Moldavian-Rumanian tune? My music is Moroccan music – rich with rhythms, fantasy and complexity – what is this Polish nonsense…
7. Evie (or Naomi) will adlib with each character – addressing their needs – “I can understand how you might feel that way, but…
Then the next character will come up and interrupt and interject their viewpoint
8. (7 min) When all four characters have presented, Evie (or Naomi) will say to audience:
I guess I made an assumption about HaTikvah – and how it really reflects one Hope, one dream without really looking into the true diversity of experiences Israelis have in their roots.
Let’s all give this some thought and explore a bit deeper.
Break off into groups (groups of 10?)
Travel time to get to the next spot.
Activity 2: Artifacts and Assumptions (1 hour – 10 min total)
(not including travel time)
Materials:
- scratch paper (1 or two sheets per participants)
- pens (1 per participant)
- 1 blanket
- Participant objects/artifacts
- Hatikvah lyrics and fact sheets (1 copy per participant – 3 hole punched)
- A watch with a second hand
- Flip chart paper and a marker
- Index cards (1 per participant)
- Activity outline (1 per participant for their folders – 3 hole punched)
Program Play By Play
1. Facilitator lays a blanket or sheet on the ground
2. (2 min) Explain: We will have an opportunity in just a moment to get to know each other – names, backgrounds, but first, I’d like to engage in something immediate without knowing each other’s names in the group. We have just had a moment of introduction to something that was pretty familiar to us, but then wasn’t. There were a number of perspectives and backgrounds – a number of families and histories represented. Before we delve into those experiences, we want to know a little about you. Israel is such a loaded word – and it can have many meanings to many people. We’ve asked you to bringing an item that represents your connections to Judaism or to Israel. Sometimes they will be one and the same, sometimes those two things are very different. But they should tell a little something about you, your history, your family and maybe a hope or dream.
Please take a moment to place anywhere you’d like, your object on our blanket.
(Give them a minute to do this)
3. (3 min) Now that you’ve done this, take a moment to walk around the blanket – from different places – stop and look at it. What do you see? Similarities? Differences? Trends? Experiences? Jot down a couple of those. What does that tell you about the group? Write those down?
(Give them a moment to do this)
4. (5 min) Quick fire responses – ask – what did you see?
o jot down on a flip chart
What does that tell you about the group?
(Someone will most likely pick up that we’re making judgments on the group and that’s unfair, etc. – and you can thank them for sharing and then see if anyone else has anything to add. You will pick this up in the debrief)
5. (20 min) Facilitator shifts gears: Now, I’d to hear about your artifacts…I’d like to also model for you when doing groups with kids – how to keep people’s responses to the allotted timeframe while giving the group a shared rule-system. Each person will have 90 seconds to say their name, camp, what the artifact is that they brought and how it represents Judaism and/or Israel to them. The way we will keep time is I will ask one of you to be time keeper and after 60 seconds, please say “30 seconds left”, then say “5 seconds”. Each person will have a turn. If you are not ready, you can say pass and we will return to you.
6. (5 min) Facilitator: Thank you so much for sharing your stories…I’d like you to get up now and walk around the mat again. This time, knowing what all of these artifacts are. What can you now say about the group – what similarities and differences are there?
(They can call them out and you can record them on the flip chart)
7. (2 min) Let’s return to Ha’Tikvah what we saw in the opening of the program.
(Pass out Hatikvah sheets and have someone read it aloud)
8. (10 min) Facilitator leads them through a quick text analysis of the words and facts about HaTikvah.
Basic (pshat) questions:
o What themes do you see? (beauty, hope, longing, freedom, ethnicity, prosperity, pride, military skill, victory, natural resources, loyalty, war)
o What’s different about the two versions? (2000 years, versus “ancient”, etc.)
o What do you find interesting in the facts?
o What surprises, irritates, excites you about this?
o What if anything, do the words or tune or both make you feel?
Deeper application question:
o Thinking about your artifact and your story – how does or doesn’t HaTikvah relate or resonate with your experience in Judaism?
o Do you think this reflects the State of Israel today?
o What do you wonder about this?
o If you could ask any of the four “ancestors” today – what would you ask them? (if there’s time)
(The discussion should move through many of these questions naturally…)
9. (5 min) Your Hope… (Last activity before Debrief(
Realizing that we’ve just begun our exploration, if you could write a verse describing what your “hope” is in relation to your Jewish experience on this planet, what would it be?
(spend a moment writing it on an index card – title it: “My Hope” )
Or maybe this might help: If you could create a Facebook application entitled “My Hope” and assuming you felt secure about putting it up publicly – what would the “description” of the application be.
You do not have to share this publicly but we will collect it, so please write your name and camp on it so we can return it to you later.
10. Facilitator: I want to thank you so much for jumping right into this activity, without knowing everyone, and sharing some pretty personal things and stories – also putting your opinions out there. We’re going to continue to engage in this conversation over the next 24 – 72 hours…but right now I want to take a step back – in your role as counselors, educators, guides and facilitators and unpack what we just went through. We’re going to do a little debriefing and understand what we did and why we did it, in case you want to use this activity yourself in camp.
11. (15 min) Debrief: we are going to unpack this activity and why we did it…
This should be FAST – this is the facilitator talking to them about being educators – we can hand the activity out to them (hole-punched) if we want…offer the opportunity to jot down facilitator notes on their handout
A. What is the first thing I had you do?
(lay down the objects and write down assumptions about the group)
B. Then what did we do?
(tell our stories, etc.)
C. Why did I do that first? What did that demonstrate?
(we make assumptions based on what we see and how it relates to our own experiences, etc.)
D. How did the second of looking at the artifacts round change the assessments you made about the group.
E. What was the purpose of starting with HaTikvah?
(element of surprise – something familiar and then breaking out…etc.)
F. What technique did we use to convey different perspectives? Why?
(story, theater…engaging, captivating, you can relate to it)
G. What could derail or make this program successful?
H. Do you have any feedback for me as the facilitator on how we could make this program better?
I. GIVE THEM TIME TO JOT NOTES FOR THEMSELVES…that will make all the difference in the world when they get back to camp.
Activity 3: The Hope returns (15 min total)
Materials:
- internet hookup connection to play the Ha’tikvah video
- lyrics sheets French on one side/Rick Recht on the other (one per participant – hole punched)
- projector and screen
- computer
- sound!!
Program Play by Play
1. Evie (or Naomi) is set up in central place with the slide up for HaTikvah…
2. (2 min) Each Facilitator brings group back, as they enter, hand them a lyrics sheet.
3. (5 min) On screen is the newer version of HaTikvah with the French lyrics (corresponding to their sheets)
4. (1 min) When song ends, Evie (or Naomi) wraps the activity by saying:
“We’ve just started to uncover some of the diversity and assumptions we already have about who is Israel and what is Israel and what is our connection to it. We will continue on this journey tomorrow…here we have two newer versions of what “the Hope” actually is.
5. (7 min) Naomi teaches “The Hope”- which shares his take (from an American perspective) on what the HOPE actually is...a connection to history, to people, to land, etc.
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Specialist or supervisor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Name of Camp: CJDProgram
Prepared by: Naomi Less and Faculty (naomiless@)
HaTikvah – The Hope
Facts and Musings
HaTikvah Facts:
← Written by Naftali Herz Imber in 1878. Imber was from Jassy, Romania;
← First published as Tikvatenu ("Our Hope") in his Barkai, 1886 (with the misleading note "Jerusalem 1884").
← In 1882 Imber read the poem to the farmers of Rishon le-Zion. Soon afterward—probably in the same year—Samuel Cohen, who had come to Palestine from Moldavia in 1878 and settled in Rishon le-Zion, set the poem to a melody which he consciously based on a Moldavian-Rumanian folk song, Carul cu Boi ("Cart and Oxen").
← Song adopted at the Fifth Zionist Congress (Basle, 1901) as the anthem for Zionist movement.
← At the Eighteenth Zionist Congress (prague, 1933), it was the unofficial anthem of Jewish Palestine.
← HaTikvah was sung at the ceremony of the Declaration of the State on May 14, 1948.
← It is now the national anthem of the State of Israel.
← Hatikvah has undergone some minor and major changes throughout the years.
(from and the Encyclopedia Judaica)
HaTikvah Musings:
Its inspiration seems to have been the news of the founding of Petah Tikvah; the themes of the poem, show the influence of the German Die Wacht am Rhein and Der Deutsche Rhein (the "River" and "As long as" motives) and the Polish patriots' song which became the national anthem of the Polish republic ("Poland is not lost yet, while we still live").
Other influences said attributed: “Vision of the Dried Bones” (Ezekiel 37: “...Behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost”).
In an atmosphere in which new songs and adaptations became folk songs almost overnight because folk songs were needed, and at a time when no one thought of copyright, the melody became anonymous in an astonishingly swift process of collective amnesia. The Moldavian Carul cu Boi is itself only one of the innumerable incarnations of a certain well-known melodic type (or pattern) found throughout Europe in both major and minor scale versions.
(from the Encyclopedia Judaica)
The original nine stanzas of Hatikvah with transliteration and English translation
|1 |כָּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה |Kol od balevav penimah |So long as in the heart, within, |
| |נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה |Nefesh yehudi homiyah |A Jewish soul cannot find rest, |
| |וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח קָדִימָה |Ulefa'atei mizrah kadimah |And Jewish glances turning East, |
| |עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה |Ayin letziyon tzofiyah |To Zion fondly dart, |
|c |עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִקְוָתֵנוּ |Od lo avdah tikvatenu |Our hope is not yet lost, |
|h |הַתִּקְוָה הַנּוֹשָׁנָה |Hatikvah hannoshanah |The ancient hope |
| |לָשׁוּב לְאֶרֶץ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ |Lashuv le'eretz avoteinu |To return to the land of our fathers, |
| |לְעִיר בָּהּ דָּוִד חָנָה |Le'ir bah david chanah |The city where David encamped; |
|2 |כָּל-עוֹד דְּמָעוֹת מֵעֵינֵינוּ |Kol-od dema'ot me'eineinu |So long as tears from our eyes |
| |יִזְּלוּ כְגֶשֶׁם נְדָבוֹת |Yizzelu chegeshem nedavot |Flow like benevolent rain, |
| |וּרְבָבוֹת מִבְּנֵי עַמֵּנוּ |Urevavot mibbenei ammenu |And throngs of our countrymen |
| |עוֹד הוֹלְכִים עַל קִבְרֵי אָבוֹת |Od holechim al kivrei avot |Still pay homage at the graves of our forefathers,|
|3 |כָּל-עוֹד חוֹמַת מַחֲמַדֵּינוּ |Kol-od chomat machamaddeinu |So long as our precious Wall |
| |לְעֵינֵינוּ מוֹפָעַת |Le'eineinu mofa'at |Appears before our eyes, |
| |וְעַל חֻרְבַּן מִקְדָּשֵׁנוּ |Ve'al churban mikdashenu |And over the destruction of our Temple |
| |עַיִן אַחַת עוֹד דוֹמָעַת |Ayin achat od doma'at |An eye still wells up with tears, |
|4 |כָּל-עוֹד מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן בְּגָאוֹן |Kol-od mei haiyarden bega'on |So long as the Jordan’s waters |
| |מְלֹא גְדוֹתָיו יִזֹּלוּ |Melo gedotav yizzolu |powerfully fill its banks, |
| |וּלְיָם כִּנֶּרֶת בְּשָׁאוֹן |Uleyam kinneret besha'on |And towards the Sea of Galilee |
| |בְּקוֹל הֲמוּלָה יִפֹּלוּ |Bekol hamulah yippolu |Its waters noisily fall, |
|5 |כָּל-עוֹד שָׁם עֲלֵי דְרָכַיִם |Kol-od sham alei derachayim |So long as the city gates, humiliated, |
| |שַעַר יֻכַּת שְׁאִיָּה |Sha'ar yukkat she'iyah |Dot the barren highways, |
| |וּבֵין חָרְבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם |Uvein charevot yerushalayim |And among the ruins of Jerusalem |
| |עוֹד בּת צִיּוֹן בּוֹכִיָּה |Od bt tziyon bochiyah |The daughter of Zion still cries, |
|6 |כָּל-עוֹד דְּמָעוֹת טְהוֹרוֹת |Kol-od dema'ot tehorot |So long as pure tears |
| |מֵעֵין בַּת עַמִּי נוֹזְלוֹת |Me'ein bat ammi nozelot |Flow from the eye of our dear nation, |
| |וְלִבְכּוֹת לְצִיּוֹן בְּרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמוֹרוֹת |Velivkot letziyon berosh ashmorot |Mourning for Zion at the peak of evening, |
| |עוֹד תָּקוּם בַּחֲצִי הַלֵּילוֹת |Od takum bachatzi halleilot |She still rises at midnight; |
|7 |כָּל-עוֹד נִטְפֵי דָם בְּעוֹרְקֵינוּ |Kol-od nitfei dam be'orekeinu |So long as blood drips in our veins, |
| |רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב יִזֹּלוּ |Ratzo vashov yizzolu |Flowing back and forth, |
| |וַעֲלֵי קִבְרוֹת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ |Va'alei kivrot avoteinu |And upon the graves of our Fathers |
| |עוֹד אֶגְלֵי טַל יִפֹּלוּ |Od eglei tal yippolu |Wisps of dew still fall, |
|8 |כָּל-עוֹד רֶגֶשׁ אַהֲבַת הַלְּאוֹם |Kol-od regesh ahavat halle'om |So long as deep national love |
| |בְּלֵב הַיְּהוּדִי פּוֹעֵם |Belev haiyhudi po'em |Beats in the heart of the Jew, |
| |עוֹד נוּכַל קַוּוֹת גַּם הַיּוֹם |Od nuchal kavvot gam haiyom |We can hope even today |
| |כִּי עוֹד יְרַחֲמֵנוּ אֵל זוֹעֵם |Ki od yerachamenu el zo'em |That a zealous God will grant us grace; |
|9 |שִׁמְעוּ אַחַי בְּאַרְצוֹת נוּדִי |Shim'u achai be'artzot nudi |Listen my brothers, in the lands of exile |
| |אֶת קוֹל אַחַד חוֹזֵינוּ |Et kol achad chozeinu |To the words of one of our visionaries, |
| |כּי רַק עִם אַחֲרוֹן הַיְּהוּדִי |Key rak im acharon haiyhudi |That only with the last Jew, |
| |גַּם אַחֲרִית תִּקְוָתֵנוּ |Gam acharit tikvatenu! |Lies also the end of our hope! |
HaTikva
By Francky Perez
video.html
hatikvah.us
Translation of French spoken word:
If you knew how I love her, you'd see how I feel
If you know where I'm from then you'd know what IS-real
If you've bled like we've bled, died like we've died
See what we've seen and cried like we've cried
You'd know we love her, treat her like a son does his mother
Or a father does his son and the brothers do each other
For every stone we move, and all the land we lose
As life gets hot like the desert sands in June
And everywhere is the same, the only real change is
Everyday new faces that feel the same hatred
It's like we're caught in the matrix, we need the "One" to save us
They can bomb us, they can kill us, but they will never break us
The beach air is so clear, and the sand is like cotton
In a land that's been forsaken but has never been forgotten and
I turn to the East and pray as the sun warms my skin
The voices of my elders and the places they have been.
We have overcome the wait, overcome our fate
Underestimated and overcome the pain
5000 years of history, whether you know it or not
That's why we defend the Land like it's all that we've got
Because it is the only safe place to raise my kids
The family how can it be so hard to let us live
They welcome me with open arms, even though times are hard
As peace is like a memory that drifts between the songs
We built this city out of blood, made buildings out of mud
That's why I wrote this song for respect and put of love
For my descendants, every letter, line and every sentence
It's time for us to celebrate our independence
This is G-d's city Jerusalem -- Yerushalayim
The only place we live without the fear of dying
Doctors, mothers, sons, prophets, and teachers
Believe is what we do ... Odlo avda tikvateinu
The Hope
Words and Music by Rick Recht
Verse 1:
This is the hope, the hope is still real
A Jewish home, in Yisrael
This is the time, we stand as one
If not now when, we must be strong
Our hearts turn to the east
Chorus:
This is the hope that holds us together
Hatikvah, the hope that will last forever
This is the hope that holds us together
Hatikvah, the hope is still real
Verse 2:
This is the hope, two thousand years
We pray for freedom, through pain and tears
This is our faith, this is our voice
This is our promise, this is our choice
Our hearts turn to the east (CHORUS)
Chorus:
Bridge:
Line 1: Hatik - vah the hope is real
Hatik - vah our home Israel
Line 2: Lehiyot am chofshee b'artzenu, b’artzenu,
B'eretz tzion v'rushalayim
Chorus:
This is our faith, this is our voice,
This is our choice, hatikvah, hatikvah.
This is the hope that holds us together,
Hatikvah, the hope is still real.
This is the hope, the hope is still real,
A Jewish home Yisrael.
Shira Workshop
Key Concepts:
1. Show, don’t explain… Instead of saying: “First we’re going to say the words, then I’ll add the melody, then you repeat after me”, etc. Just DO it!
2. If multiple people are leading – have clear roles and look confident
3. Hand motions to explain melody are key - make them BIG. Play to the back of the room!
4. You don’t always have to do words separately from melody – in fact, if you teach phrases, sometimes people learn better if there’s a melody attached to it!
5. BIG BIG BIG – big voice, big hand motions, big energy. And FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT…they don’t know that you’re nervous!
Body/Rhythm Songs
Ameh Yisraeleh Chai – do your own rhythm – pass it along…
Elohai Neshama (see handout)
Shiru Shir – teach dance movements
Shiru Shir Hallelu Shir Hallelu Shir Halleluiah
Shiru Shiru Shiru Shir Chadash (x3)
La’adonai
(sing- sing hallelu – sing halleluiah)
(sing a new song to God)
General
Oseh Shalom (book) – new tunes for a known song. This is a great melody by Gesher (contact Naomi if you’re interested or look on ) – you basically don’t have to sit down and teach it…they know the words, so you just piece together the melody.
A minor Medley - You can string songs together that are all in the same key and familiar to people so you don’t lose momentum.
David Melech/L’cha Dodi
Yismachu
Esah Enai
Lo Yisa Goy
David Melech
Am Yisrael
Gesher Tzar M'od
Rounds:
Shiru L’adonai (handout on Friday night)
Mah Gadlu (from hand out on Friday night)
Mah Gadlu, Ma’asecha Yah
M’od Amku Mach-she-vo-techa
Halleluiah
Halleluiah
Halleluiah
Halleluiah
- Lu Yehi - Let it Be לו יהי
עמי שמר, נעמי שמר) Naomi Shemer © 1973
- Lu Yehi - Let it Be לו יהי
Interesting facts:
← Naomi Shemer, in the summer of 1973 approached the singer Chava Albershtein about singing the Beatles’ Let It Be with words Naomi would rite. Chava agreed to the idea, but befor continuation of the project, the Yom Kippur War broke out.
← 1973 Arab-Israeli War Oct. 6-26, 1973. Coalition of Arab states (led by Syria and Egypt with Jordan) against Israel. Surprise joint attack on Yom Kippur. Egypt and Syria crossed the cease-fire lines in the Sinai and Golan Heights, respectively, which had been captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. The Camp David Accords, which came soon after, led to normalized relations between Egypt and Israel—the first time any Arab country had recognized the Israeli state.
← Chava encouraged Naomi to finish the project of translating he song into Hebrew. Naomi wrote a Hebrew version of the song, but with words that would represent difficult times the present situation held. Naomi did not want to wish to simplify it with a literal translation of the Beatles song, but a song that would resonate with Israelis in the words and music.
← At the same time, Naomi was asked to participate in a live Israeli television nightly program with several Israeli artists – broadcast each night of the war. On the way to the studio in Herzaliah, Israel, she composed a new tune to the song. The same night Naomi sat at the piano and accompanied herself singing the song Lu Yhi…
← This became the anthem of the Yom Kippur war.
Lu Yehi - Let it Be לו יהי
(write your own prayer/verse!)
___ ________ ____ _____ ___ ______ ___ ___ ______
____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____
Kol sh’nivakesh – Lu yihie
___ ________ ____ _____ ___ ______ ___ ___ ______
____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ _____
Kol sh’nivakesh – Lu yihie
Chorus
Lu Yehi, Lu Yehi, Ana, Lu Yehi
Kol shenevakesh - Lu Yehi.
[pic]
Points of Connection: Israel Music programming
Goals:
- to begin to explore Israel’s history and culture through music
- to learn some Israeli music repertoire
- to be able to relate to the universal tendency that artists use their medium to express what is occurring to their society
- to use music to ask questions that will enable deeper understanding of Israel
Materials:
- lyrics sheets – lu yehi and Yachad
- worksheets – lu yehi write your own verse
- something to write with
- computer or something to play tracks/video clip
- video/music clips for lu yehi, waiting on the world to change, let it be and yachad
Program Play by Play
Ask them about the following tracks:
- “Imagine”
- “It’s the End of the World as we know it”
- “Waiting on the World to Change”
What was going on at the time?
What kind of connection or emotion was the artist going for?
What other songs do you know that really described the “time” that it was written in?
Can you think of a few?
Play “Let It Be”:
What do you think it’s about? (give out words)
Facts:
- Written by Paul during the sessions for The Beatles (a/k/a the "White Album")
- released March 1970, as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be.
- McCartney said he wrote "Let It Be", after a dream he had had about his mother during the tense period surrounding the Get Back/Let It Be sessions. McCartney explained that his mother—who died of cancer when McCartney was fourteen—was the inspiration for the "Mother Mary" lyric. McCartney later said, "It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing 'Let It Be'." - cite_note-Spitzp88-90-2 - cite_note-Anthologyp19-3 He also said—in a later interview about the dream—that his mother had told him, "It will be alright, just let it be." (Beatles Anthology)
- No one knew when this was recorded in January 1969, that it would be their last single released in March 1970.
Play “Lu Yihei”
- Give out lyrics
What is this song about? (assumptions)
What is the experience of the author? Of the people?
Who is it for?
Interesting facts:
- Naomi Shemer, in the summer of 1973 approached the singer Chava Al bershtein about singing the Beatles’ Let It Be with words Naomi would rite. Chava agreed to the idea, but befor continuation of the project, the Yom Kippur War broke out.
- 1973 Arab-Israeli War Oct. 6-26, 1973. Coalition of Arab states (led by Syria and Egypt with Jordan) against Israel. Surprise joint attack on Yom Kippur. Egypt and Syria crossed the cease-fire lines in the Sinai and Golan Heights, respectively, which had been captured by Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. The Camp David Accords, which came soon after, led to normalized relations between Egypt and Israel—the first time any Arab country had recognized the Israeli state.
- Chava encouraged Naomi to finish the project of translating he song into Hebrew. Naomi wrote a Hebrew version of the song, but with words that would represent difficult times the present situation held. Naomi did not want to wish to simplify it with a literal translation of the Beatles song, but a song that would resonate with Israelis in the words and music.
- At the same time, Naomi was asked to participate in a live Israeli television nightly program with several Israeli artists – broadcast each night of the war. On the way to the studio in Herzaliah, Israel, she composed a new tune to the song. The same night Naomi sat at the piano and accompanied herself singing the song Lu Yhi…
- This became the anthem of the Yom Kippur war.
Questions:
1. She uses a literary technique of expressing opposite concepts – what are examples of this? (war vs. peace, urban vs. rural settings, past vs. present, and ordinary vs. festive)
2. What else can you learn about Israel from this? What questions do you have?
Teach the chorus
Invite everyone to write their own verse
Those brave enough to share…
Play Yachad
(hand out lyrics sheet)
by Gaya
Hagit Zuaretz : (Vocals); Gili Liber "Fretless" : (Vocals Guitars, Oud, Baglama, Joombush, Ney Flute); Ronen Zioni : (Drums, Percussion); Ishai Gazit : (Bass Guitars, Vocals)
Questions:
What do you hear in this that you can ask questions about?
- instruments – where are the band members from? What are their influences? (musical cultures of North Africa, Turkey, various Western nations, and the Middle East.)
This song “Yachad” (“Shir L’Ahava”), has become a very popular anthem – why?
Program Title: The Dream of Israel Fair
Sub Title: What do you think Israel should be like?
Target ages: high school students
Goals:
* Understand the various visions of Israel which have shaped Israel’s establishment
* Experience the dialogue and dynamism of the interchange between the views
* Form your own vision of what kind of society Israel should become
Time: 150 minutes
Materials
* color coded policy cards
* Dreamer profiles and 4-6 actors to represent them
* large table for center of fair
* LCD and large screen to show trigger films
Description of the program:
1. Each participant is given 24 cards, six of each color. Each color represents a type of Zionism- a vision of what Israel should be like. The cards are organized around six central questions, each color having its own response to that question.
2. The participants are asked to read the cards, after the opening video is presented. They are then asked to discard three cards from the 24 they most disagree with.
3. The activity continues with a series of six stimuli (video clips and actors representing Israelis with dreams about their society). Each video clip refers to the major challenge facing Israel in each decade. After each stimulus, the participants are asked to discard cards according to the following pattern. They can also exchange cards. Each transaction occurs by them coming to the central table and placing the discarded cards in the right pile and\or by taking new cards from the appropriate pile. (Cards are arranged on the table by number)
Round 1- initial discard of 3 cards- 21 cards in hand
Stimulus 1- (Challenge of the 50’s- mass immigration and grandchild of dreamer #4- Rafi Mizrachi) discard of 3 cards- 18 cards in hand
Stimulus 2- (Challenge of the 60’s- the Six Day War and grandchild of dreamer # 2 Elikam Cohen) discard of 3 cards- 15 cards in hand
Stimulus 3- (Challenge of the 70’s- decline of the Labor Movement and grandchild of dreamer #1 Tali Dagan) discard of 3 cards- 12 cards in hand
Stimulus 4- (Challenge of the 80’s- economic growth and grandchild of dreamer # 3 Ofra Navon discard of 2 cards- 10 cards in hand
Stimulus 5- (Challenge of the 90’s- mass Soviet immigration and dreamer # 6 Misha Feldman) discard of 2 cards- 8 cards in hand
Stimulus 6- Challenge of the 2000’s- the emerging mosaic of Israeli civic society and dreamer # 5 Shimon Elisheva) discard of 2 cards- 6 cards in hand
4. At the end of the Dream of Israel Fair, each participant has six cards in their hand, perhaps corresponding to the six central questions, but not necessarily.
5. The participants are then divided into groups according to the dominant color they hold in their hand. Each group has a facilitator and engages in a discussion:
a) why did I choose these cards
b) did I feel that my vision for Israel changed during the session?
c) do I feel that Israel is like my vision? In what ways yes, in what ways no?
d) Was this an easy or hard process to go through?
e) Are their ways in which I can help move Israel closer to my vision?
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
*
*
*
*
*
Specialist or supervisor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
*
*
*
*
*
Name of Camp: ___________________________________________
Prepared by:_______________________________________________
Dreamer # 1:
Racheli Dagan
Age 21
Born: Minsk (1890)
Profile: Coming from a traditional home- rejects Jewish tradition and Jewish life in Europe. Thinks that Judaism is trapped in the past and that modern times demand a new approach to Jewish life- without rabbis, religious laws or antiquated practice. Jewish life has to be completely reinvented based on the following principles: equality between the genders, social and economic equality, dedication to the common good, close connection to land and to labor.
Dream: To build new settlements in Palestine, to transform wilderness into small intimate and egalitarian communities. This new Jewish creation will transform the country and provide an example for all of humankind about what tomorrow can look like.
Grandchild of Dreamer # 1
Tali Dagan
Age 21
Born: Kibbutz Givat Brenner- lives in South Tel Aviv (1987)
Profile: Grew up on a kibbutz which has over the years lost most of its traditional characteristics: people no longer farm, the kibbutz has much less power over its members and their individual decisions, many people work off the kibbutz, there is no longer complete equality, the kibbutz operates many businesses and operates as a capitalist entity and kibbutz members are for the most part more interested in a suburban type of quality of life and less in social change and involvement. Tali still believes that young people can change society, that there is great value in small groups working for change, and that Israeli society today is way too competitive, individualistic, devoid of values and materialistic.
Dream: To live with her peers in urban communes in South Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s poorer neighborhoods, and to empower local residents in the area of community development, education and social services. The mission of the youth in Israel today is not to build new rural settlements but to change the fabric of Israeli society to make it more democratic, more equal and more citizen driven. The children of kibbutzim today are called to a new social challenge.
Dreamer # 2
Yosef Berliner
Age 26
Born: Nice, France (1914)
Profile: Grew up in a traditional home that also believed in the need to integrate Judaism with the modern world. His parents spoke about the changes in society and in Jewish life and about the sense that how remarkable it is that Jews are starting to talk about going back to Palestine. For 2000 years Jews have been in exile, but this is now beginning to change. This new era in Jewish history demands a more active approach by Jews- we are at the beginning of the Messianic Era and it is our job as Jews to help the Messiah along by ending the Jewish exile and returning to Palestine.
Dream: To establish in Palestine the basis for the beginning of the redemption of the Jewish People. For the period of redemption to begin, our sages teach, three things have to be complete: The Torah of Israel, the Land of Israel and the People of Israel. Our efforts in Palestine are to create a State based on these principles: we will live according to the laws of the Torah, which form the basis for a just Jewish society; we will work for all of the Jews to come out of exile and live here in our newly reclaimed homeland, and we will soon inherit all of the Land our God has promised to Abraham and our forefathers. All of these are equally important, the Torah commands us to justice, to ingather the exiles and to settle the land. Yes, we can accept compromises on this path, sometimes G-d’s plans are hidden from us, but our ultimate goal is clear.
Grandchild of Dreamer # 2
Elikam Cohen
Age 26
Born: Karnei Shomron (1982)
Profile : I was born in 1982- my father was one of the paratroopers who was privileged enough to be one of the first to enter into the Old City of Jerusalem in June, 1967- that miraculous day when the People of Israel were reunited with our eternal capital and the Land of Israel which God promised us. If there were any doubts about whether redemption was on it way, that miracle conquest and vanquishing of our enemies took care of that. We were living in Beersheva at the time, but the opportunity to be among those who were reclaiming the Land of Israel brought us to this hilltop in Samaria which today is a bustling community. Hundreds of thousands of us came back to our roots- our religion, our Land, our People. We will never leave it, no matter how misguided government policy might be. Once the Arabs understand that this is our place and that we cannot be moved, they too will accept that this is G-d’s way.
Dream: The most important thing today is to continue to claim this land, to build settlements, to claim the hills and valleys- all of the Land of Israel is precious to every Jew, and we have no right to give it up- after all God gave it to us. My dream was deeply challenged by the retreat from the Gaza Strip and by these talks today about giving up additional territory. If we lose the reasons why we are here, the reasons that G-d has chosen us to be here, then we are not worthy of any of this. My dream is that the same resolve that our ancestors, my grandfather, had to build this land and live God’s laws, will characterize my generation. It is true for some of us, but unfortunately a big part of Israeli society is drifting away, embracing false idols, just like the Children of Israel in the Dessert.
Dreamer # 3:
Rachel Lipman
Age 25
Born: Vienna, Austria (1910)
Profile: The Jewish people have created great creations over the year- monotheism, the prophetic tradition, our great books. This is our unique genius, our contribution to mankind. But as I look around me in Europe, I see that our creativity and genius are losing their power. Anti-Semitism on the one hand and the choice that Jews have to make between being modern and being Jewish on the other has created perhaps the most serious challenge ever to Judaism and Jewishness. The only way we can continue to be creative, to produce our culture, and to benefit the world is if we have our own territory and society- where we are a majority and we can create on our own terms. That can’t be done in Europe, it can only be done in Palestine.
Dream: What an amazing society it can be if we unleash once again the creative powers of the Jewish People. This place can be a center and inspiration for Jews everywhere- it can be the hub at the center of the Jewish wheel, with communities around the world as its spokes. Not every Jew has to live here, but this is the center of Jewish culture. We will establish world leading universities, museums, performing arts and hospitals. Hebrew culture is an endless well from which we will produce Nobel prize winners, world famous musicians and leaders in science and business. Jews will come here, not because they feel they have to, but because of the amazing quality of life they can achieve. In some ways we will be a very normal society, in others, we will become a light unto the nations- out of our normalacy we will create something very special.
Grandchild of Dreamer # 3:
Ofra Navon
Age 25
Born: Haifa, Israel Lives Silicon Valley, California (1983)
Profile: My life is actually quite complicated. I grew up in Israel, served in the army, and received my degree in software design at the Technion, Israel’s leading University and Research Center. I finished school at age 23, and at age 24, along with two friends, we created a start up and raised millions in venture capital to fund it. Then last year, the bubble burst, and our competitors in Taiwan got their product to the market before us. I am not sure what I will do now. I looked for work last year in Israel, but couldn’t find the right thing, and this great offer came from Palo Alto and Stanford. I am only here for a bit, to develop my skills, make some money, and then back home. I wish Israel were an easier place to live and do business- but the taxes, violence, the political unstability, the religious coercion, sometimes I ask where did we go wrong.
Dream: You cannot imagine how talented me and my friends are, and if we were given the chance what we can do here. This country has so much going for it, brains, talent, technology an amazing entrepreneurial spirit- we can create an amazing world center. If there is peace, this whole area can be the economic center of the world. The Arab’s oil and our technology, why we can end the energy crisis just like that. I imagine an Israel, clean, green, efficient bursting with culture and creativity. We have amazing writers, great film, world class musicians and our scientists and researchers- we already lead the world in irrigation, mobile technology, internet security, bio-medical and nano technology. That is the Israel I envision. Jews coming, going- an open, pluralistic, inviting society- with the highest standard of living in the world. A free society- a free market, individual liberties, individual choice- that is my dream.
Dreamer # 4: Yosef Mizrachi
Age 22
Born: Marakesh, Morocco (1927)
Profile: .All of a sudden everything is in turmoil- for years we have lived here in peace with our Arab neighbors, honored guests in this society. But recently, ill winds have been blowing. Some of my cousins were harassed, my brother was assaulted, my parents lock the door at night. We had heard miraculous news about the creation of the State of Israel, our age old dream finally fulfilled. And then those shlichim, those emissaries of that new State came and told us that it was time to go home. The police started to make threatening noises, our Arab neighbors are yelling at us about poor Arabs in Palestine. Our place is no longer here. A miracle has happened, we are being brought home- but I have no idea what to expect, no idea what life will be like there. I think much is about to change, and change is not very good.
Dream: Our life, our traditions, the honor we show our ancestors and our rabbis and our teachers- that is the life we need to create for ourselves in Israel. Just like we lived here, but even better, in our Promised Land, with God’s blessing. We don’t need much, a chance to make a living, to live in our own country, with our traditions and our sages at the center of our existence. I dream of my children learning with our rabbis and our sages, taking care of their parents and grandparents, worshipping in Jerusalem. One thing though is clear, this is our country, not an Arab country. Like we were honored guests in Morocco, they will be honored guests in our country. If they accept that, no problem. If they don’t, we will not once again feel threatened by them.
Grandchild of Dreamer # 4: Rafi Mizrachi
Age: 22
Born: Dimona, Israel (1986)
Profile: When I think of how much suffering my grandparents have undergone- I am sometimes full of rage. They were taken from their homes, with no real knowledge or understanding of where they were going. They plunked them down in the middle of the dessert , with no jobs, under difficult conditions. That’s where I grew up, as part of an underclass you might say. My immigrant parents, uneducated manual workers, never exactly fitting in. They could have done a lot more for them, but they weren’t European, weren’t part of the elite, and this new society wasn’t exactly theirs. I am just as Israeli as anyone else- I was born here, as a matter of fact people like me are now a majority here. After years of feeling like outsiders, alientated and underprivileged, we can now fight for our rights and our traditions and our culture. Poverty is hard to overcome, it’s hard to win from Dimona, but perhaps slowly this country is changing.
Dream: My vision of Israel is pretty simple. Our tradition will be honored again- Israel is a Jewish country. Not every law has to be a Torah law, I don’t keep all of the laws myself, but it has to be a Jewish country. All this talk about democracy is nice, but not at the price of us being Jewish. Why go and listen to some professor who doesn’t know his roots, who will probably go live in England next year- we should be listening to our sages- just like my grandparents did in Morocco. Jewish also means not Arab- they have 21 countries, so why do they need equality here? I know the Arabs, my family came from an Arab country, believe me- they understand only force and they can’t really be trusted. At the same time, I am sick of all of this fighting. I mean the land belongs to us, but we are always going to fight about it. Enough already- I don’t want my family endangered because of some zealots on some hilltop in Samaria.
Dreamer # 5: Shimon Elisheva
Age: 24
Born: Bnei Barak, Israel
Profile: I cannot really speak about my grandfather the Zionist dreamer, because he was actually completely opposed to Zionism. He understood that Zionism was a crime against G-d, intervention in G-d’s divine plan for the Jewish People. He came to Palestine, not because he believed in that dream, but because after the Holocaust there was no way to be Jewish in Europe. All of our houses of worship, of study, all of our Rabbis, destroyed in that inferno. And so he came here- not because of Israel, but in order to keep up a Jewish life. Over the years he built a home, and then my father continued his way- studying Torah, avoiding the ills of the outside society, keeping far away from all of those atheists who have wandered so far from G-d’s ways. In my generation it is a little different perhaps. I also don’t love the Zionists, would never call myself a Zionist, and still am bothered by all those things that are wrong here. But on the other hand, there are Jews everywhere here, and every Jewish soul is important. There are more Jews here than anywhere else, and I have learned that by getting involved in the system, I can make life better for all of my family and friends. We can build new schools, yeshivot, have our own papers- build a Jewish life here as rich as we had in Europe. This is what I need and Israel is now the way for us to get it. As long as we are able to keep this way of life, the other questions don’t really concern me.
Dreamer # 6: Misha Feldman
Age 24
Born: Moscow now lives in Ashdod, Israel
Profile: I cannot really speak about my grandfather the Zionist dreamer, because he actually wasn’t even aware of Zionism, or for that matter of his Judaism either. He grew up in Soviet Russia, just like my father did. It was against the law to practice Jewish culture, to speak Hebrew to have any kinds of connection to Israel. I guess you could say that they were barely Jewish. My father married a Russian woman, not a Jew, and then I was born. So, as for as Judaism is concerned I am not Jewish, but I was able to come here under the Law of Return, which says that if your grandfather was Jewish then you can be Jewish and come to Israel. Confusing, isn’t it? The truth is we had no Jewish content in our house, and if I am honest, I guess my parents came here, rather than go to America, because this was the place they could come to. America was closed to them. And so we came here, and a funny thing happened. This Russian kid became an Israeli. I learned to speak Hebrew, I went into a combat unit in the army and then to University, and now I am about to get married to an Israeli woman and build my home here in Ashdod. There are thousands of guys like me in Israel, and we want this country to be comfortable for us. So you can make a living, live freely, enjoy the sunshine and ocean- without the government taking your money, the Arabs taking your land or the religious your freedom. In Russia they know how to treat the Muslims- we should learn the same thing hear. If you are strong and free, then noone will bother you.
The Social-Economic Question
1. Israel is the opportunity of the Jewish People to live out the values of the prophets and to build a model society based on equality, solidarity and social-economic justice. The ills of consumerism and materialism can be cured in Israel.
2. Israel is the opportunity to let Jewish individual creativity and genius come to fruition. The free market, the entrepreneurial spirit and the catalyst of competition will allow Israel to be a world leader in technology, science, industry and business.
3. Israel is the opportunity to allow Jewish values, rooted in our Torah and our teachings, to inform the creation of a truly Jewish economy and society. Jewish communities have always operated according to the economic teachings of the Torah- regarding money lending, investment, and business practices. The Torah will instruct us on how Israel should behave economically.
4. The major imperative for Israel is to strengthen the country and to pursue its national objectives. That is more important than pure economic concerns. Israel cannot afford to solely let the market determine its future- it must sometimes make decisions not for economic but rather for nationalist reasons.
The Religious Question
5. Israel is a sharp break with the Jewish past. In the Disapora, Judaism had to become a religion in order to survive. In Israel, that is no longer necessary and Judaism can develop as a civilization, less linked to the synagogue, rabbis, religious ritual and prayer. This new Jew will have a Hebrew based culture, not based on religion.
6. Religion in Israel should be a matter of personal choice, including the choice not to be religious. It is a matter of faith, and should not be connected to the State. We need a full separation of synagogue and state in Israel. At the same time, religious life, as a private matter of the individual, should be encouraged.
7. The whole idea of a Jewish State is to make the state Jewish. That clearly means basing the State on Jewish values, commandments and the teachings of our sages. The Halacha, Jewish religious law, as interpreted by generations of Rabbis, tells us how to run our lives and how to set up a state. This authentic Jewish expression is the basis if life in Israel, and we must resist foreign and watered down approaches to Judaism.
8. Traditional Jewish values are at the heart of what it means to be a Jewish State, but Israel does not need to become a theocracy. Israel is the Jewish heartland and the Jewish homeland- thus a Jewish state will maintain a close connection with the Land of Israel, especially those parts where Jewish history has its roots such as Jerusalem, Judaea and Samaria, even if those parts are claimed by others.
The Jewish-Arab Relationship Question
9. Jews and Arabs can find a common language in Israel if they apply themselves to a shared vision of cooperation and social justice. Israeli society has to be based on the equality of all of its citizens and on mutual respect for the presence of two nations who share one soil. Israel must first be a democracy and not let its connection to Judaism get in the way of full equality for its Palestinian citizens. A true Jewish country is based on remembering that once the Jews were enslaved and were a persecuted minority.
10. A modern society cannot be organized on the basis of national and ethnic groups. It is the individual which matters most, no matter what their background. Every person in Israel needs to be free to realize their individual potential and live with complete honor and dignity. The law cannot discriminate and curtail one’s individual liberty because of their religious or ethnic background.
11. The Torah is very explicit that Jews are commanded to treat foreigners and others with dignity and care. The Arabs are our guests and even though Israel is not their country, we must make sure they have their own rights and dignity. Their religious leaders have the right to run their religious life, but the country as a whole is to be governed by our laws and traditions.
12. Individual Arabs should have rights in Israel, but the Arabs do not have collective or national rights to the Land of Israel. They have their own countries to express their collective aspirations, not in ours. Until the Arabs living in Israel accept our national existence and legitimacy, we must be careful not to give them too many rights and liberties, which can then be used against the existence of a Jewish State.
The Israel-Diaspora Question
13. The revolution in Jewish life that is required today can only happen in Israel, where the collective potential of the Jews to become a light unto the nations and establish a model society can be realized. Jews are free to live wherever they like, but only in Israel, under conditions of sovereignty and majority rule can we establish the kind of society we have dreamed of for generations.
14. Israel is like a hothouse of creativity and production that serves Jews wherever they live. Universities, research centers, businesses and think tanks are involved in Jewish innovation and progress that will serve Jews and the world everywhere. Jewish communities around the world will be strengthened by what Israel does, and we need to develop a mutual relationship between Israel and the Diaspora.
15. The overall trend of Jewish history is clear and our destiny is clear. The Jewish People in its entirety need to be reunited with their Land. We are witnessing the end of the exile, and the return of the Jews home. A full Jewish life is only possible in Israel. In the meantime, we need to work to make Jews more fully Jewish and more connected to Israel wherever they live.
16. Israel is not always an easy country to live in, but it is essential that Jews everywhere understand that it is theirs and is always their home. Our history shows us, that life for Jews outside of Israel is usually under threat, even when they believe themselves to be comfortable and at home. We need the Jews in Israel- our demographic advantage is constantly under threat, and without a solid Jewish majority in Israel, we cannot make sure that Israel will provide a refuge for Jews when it is needed.
The Geo-Political Question
17. Israel must be prepared to make a historic compromise with the Palestinians on territory. This does not mean that we don’t have a legitimate right, but rather that the real work of creating a model and just society cannot be fully advanced unless we have peaceful and normal relations with our neighbors. For that to happen, we will have to compromise on territory.
18. In today’s world, territory is less important than the quality of life. We have established a modern state, the borders are only important if people can live normal lives and progress economically and socially. Our insistence on territory and conflict with the Arabs will not enable us to focus on creativity and individual freedom and Israel will soon lag behind the rest of the Western World.
19. At its heart, the territorial question is essentially a religious question. Islam cannot accept a Jewish State in its midst, and giving up land that was promised to us by G-d will not change their fundamental rejection of our right to be here. It does not make any sense to establish a Jewish State without our united capital of Jerusalem, the burial places of our forefathers and other holy sites, even if the world doesn’t recognize that claim.
20. The Middle East is not North America, and Israel cannot relate to the Arabs around it like the US relates to Canada. Holding on to territory connotes strength, gives Israel territorial depth and shows the Arabs that we believe in ourselves and our national identity. Any compromise will only lead to a demand for more and make it easier for the Arabs to attack us.
The Relationship to Land Question
21. The return of the Jews to Israel is also an opportunity to develop a new relationship with the Land of Israel itself. The Land is essentially barren, a wilderness neglected by the long years of our absence. The Jews too have become barren because they have lost their connection to their soil. Both of these problems can be addressed if Jews once again begin to cultivate the land and to physically develop it, making the desert bloom.
22. In every modern society there is a critical place for the appreciation of nature, for the open space, for what is untouched by human hands. Development is important, but we also know that development, if not done wisely and modestly, can lead to our own destruction. Israel is part of the planet Earth and our first obligation is to make sure that protect and conserve the environment for future generations.
23. The relationship between the People of Israel and the Land of Israel is rooted in our relationship with the G-d of Israel. This Land is given to the Jews on condition that we uphold G-d’s laws and preserve what G-d has given us. Every inch of this soil is holy and our attitude towards it has to be one of love and care- an attitude which is rooted in our tradition and sources.
24. The Jewish People stand before the historical imperative of preserving itself and regaining its historical vitality. For that land and space are critical. This Land has waited for us to return and now we must exploit its potential to serve as our homeland. As more and more Jews return to Israel we must build more and more, securing the future for the absorption of every Jew who returns.
| | | |
|Israel is the opportunity of the Jewish |Israel is a sharp break with the Jewish |Jews and Arabs can find a common language |
|People to live out the values of the |past. In the Disapora, Judaism had to |in Israel by applying themselves to a |
|prophets and to build a model society based|become a religion in order to survive. In |shared vision of cooperation and social |
|on equality, solidarity and social-economic|Israel, that is no longer necessary and |justice. Israel has to be based on the |
|justice. The ills of consumerism and |Judaism can develop as a civilization, less|equality of all citizens and on mutual |
|materialism can be cured in Israel. (1) |linked to the synagogue, rabbis, religious |respect for two nations who share one soil.|
| |ritual and prayer. This new Jew will have |Israel must first be a democracy and not |
| |a Hebrew based culture, not based on |let its Jewishness get in the way of full |
| |religion. (5) |equality for its Palestinian citizens. A |
| | |true Jewish country is based on remembering|
| | |that once the Jews were enslaved and a |
| | |persecuted minority. (9) |
| | | |
| | | |
|The revolution in Jewish life that is |Israel must be prepared to make a historic |The return of the Jews to Israel is also an|
|required today can only happen in Israel, |compromise with the Palestinians on |opportunity to develop a new relationship |
|where the collective potential of the Jews |territory. This does not mean that we don’t|with the Land of Israel itself. The Land is|
|to become a light unto the nations and |have a legitimate right, but rather that |essentially barren, a wilderness neglected |
|establish a model society can be realized. |the real work of creating a model and just|by the long years of our absence. The Jews |
|Jews are free to live wherever they like, |society cannot be fully advanced unless we |too have become barren because they have |
|but only in Israel, under conditions of |have peaceful and normal relations with our|lost their connection to their soil. Both |
|sovereignty and majority rule can we |neighbors. For that to happen, we will have|of these problems can be addressed if Jews |
|establish the kind of society we have |to compromise on territory. (17) |once again begin to cultivate the land and |
|dreamed of for generations. (13) | |to physically develop it, making the desert|
| | |bloom. (21) |
| | | |
|Israel is the opportunity to let Jewish |Religion in Israel should be a matter of |A modern society cannot be organized on the|
|individual creativity and genius come to |personal choice, including the choice not |basis of national and ethnic groups. It is |
|fruition. The free market, the |to be religious. It is a matter of faith, |the individual which matters most, no |
|entrepreneurial spirit and the catalyst of |and should not be connected to the State. |matter what their background. Every person |
|competition will allow Israel to be a world|We need a full separation of synagogue and |in Israel needs to be free to realize their|
|leader in technology, science, industry and|state in Israel. At the same time, |individual potential and live with complete|
|business. (2) |religious life, as a private matter of the |honor and dignity. The law cannot |
| |individual, should be encouraged. (6) |discriminate and curtail one’s individual |
| | |liberty because of their religious or |
| | |ethnic background. (10) |
| | | |
|Israel is like a hothouse of creativity and|In today’s world, territory is less |In every modern society there is a critical|
|production that serves Jews wherever they |important than the quality of life. We have|place for the appreciation of nature, for |
|live. Universities, research centers, |established a modern state, the borders are|the open space, for what is untouched by |
|businesses and think tanks are involved in |only important if people can live normal |human hands. Development is important, but |
|Jewish innovation and progress that will |lives and progress economically and |we also know that development, if not done |
|serve Jews and the world everywhere. Jewish|socially. Our insistence on territory and |wisely and modestly, can lead to our own |
|communities around the world will be |conflict with the Arabs will not enable us |destruction. Israel is part of the planet |
|strengthened by what Israel does, and we |to focus on creativity and individual |Earth and our first obligation is to make |
|need to develop a mutual relationship |freedom and Israel will soon lag behind the|sure that protect and conserve the |
|between Israel and the Diaspora. (14) |rest of the Western World. (18) |environment for future generations. (22) |
| | | |
|Israel is the opportunity to allow Jewish |The whole idea of a Jewish State is to make|The Torah is very explicit that Jews are |
|values, rooted in our Torah and our |the state Jewish. That clearly means basing|commanded to treat foreigners and others |
|teachings, to inform the creation of a |the State on Jewish values, commandments |with dignity and care. The Arabs are our |
|truly Jewish economy and society. Jewish |and the teachings of our sages. The |guests and even though Israel is not their |
|communities have always operated according |Halacha, Jewish religious law, as |country, we must make sure they have their |
|to the economic teachings of the Torah- |interpreted by generations of Rabbis, tells|own rights and dignity. Their religious |
|regarding money lending, investment, and |us how to run our lives and how to set up a|leaders have the right to run their |
|business practices. The Torah will instruct|state. This authentic Jewish expression is |religious life, but the country as a whole |
|us on how Israel should behave |the basis if life in Israel, and we must |is to be governed by our laws and |
|economically. (3) |resist foreign and watered down approaches |traditions. (11) |
| |to Judaism. | |
| |(7) | |
| | | |
|The overall trend of Jewish history is |At its heart, the territorial question is |The relationship between the People of |
|clear and our destiny is clear. The Jewish |essentially a religious question. Islam |Israel and the Land of Israel is rooted in |
|People in its entirety need to be reunited |cannot accept a Jewish State in its midst, |our relationship with the G-d of Israel. |
|with their Land. We are witnessing the end |and giving up land that was promised to us |This Land is given to the Jews on condition|
|of the exile, and the return of the Jews |by G-d will not change their fundamental |that we uphold G-d’s laws and preserve what|
|home. A full Jewish life is only possible |rejection of our right to be here. It does |G-d has given us. Every inch of this soil |
|in Israel. In the meantime, we need to work|not make any sense to establish a Jewish |is holy and our attitude towards it has to |
|to make Jews more fully Jewish and more |State without our united capital of |be one of love and care- an attitude which |
|connected to Israel wherever they live. |Jerusalem, the burial places of our |is rooted in our tradition and sources. |
|(15) |forefathers and other holy sites, even if |(23) |
| |the world doesn’t recognize that claim. | |
| |(19) | |
| | | |
|The major imperative for Israel is to |Traditional Jewish values are at the heart |Individual Arabs should have rights in |
|strengthen the country and to pursue its |of what it means to be a Jewish State, but |Israel, but the Arabs do not have |
|national objectives. That is more important|Israel does not need to become a theocracy.|collective or national rights to the Land |
|than pure economic concerns. Israel cannot |Israel is the Jewish heartland and the |of Israel. They have their own countries to|
|afford to solely let the market determine |Jewish homeland- thus a Jewish state will |express their collective aspirations, not |
|its future- it must sometimes make |maintain a close connection with the Land |in ours. Until the Arabs living in Israel |
|decisions not for economic but rather for |of Israel, especially those parts where |accept our national existence and |
|nationalist reasons. (4) |Jewish history has its roots such as |legitimacy, we must be careful not to give |
| |Jerusalem, Judaea and Samaria, even if |them too many rights and liberties, which |
| |those parts are claimed by others. (8) |can then be used against the existence of |
| | |a Jewish State. (12) |
| | | |
|Israel is not always an easy country to |The Middle East is not North America, and |The Jewish People stand before the |
|live in, but it is essential that Jews |Israel cannot relate to the Arabs around it|historical imperative of preserving itself |
|everywhere understand that it is theirs and|like the US relates to Canada. Holding on |and regaining its historical vitality. For |
|is always their home. Our history shows us,|to territory connotes strength, gives |that land and space are critical. This Land|
|that life for Jews outside of Israel is |Israel territorial depth and shows the |has waited for us to return and now we must|
|usually under threat, even when they |Arabs that we believe in ourselves and our |exploit its potential to serve as our |
|believe themselves to be comfortable and at|national identity. Any compromise will only|homeland. As more and more Jews return to |
|home. We need the Jews in Israel- our |lead to a demand for more and make it |Israel we must build more and more, |
|demographic advantage is constantly under |easier for the Arabs to attack us.(20) |securing the future for the absorption of |
|threat, and without a solid Jewish majority| |every Jew who returns. (24) |
|in Israel, we cannot make sure that Israel | | |
|will provide a refuge for Jews when it is | | |
|needed. (16) | | |
Program Title: Evolution
Subtitle: Super Special Shabbat Version
Target ages: 12+
Goals: To use Shabbat vocabulary in a fun activity
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: None
Description of the program:
1. Everyone starts as an amoeba, running around acting it out.
2. Participants play rock-paper-scissors with each other. The winner evolves to the next level – after amoeba, monkey (acts like monkey), and after monkey, Diana Ross (sings “Stop, in the Name of Love”).
3. Shabbat twist #1 - Instead of rock, paper, and scissors, use challah, challah cover, and Kiddush cup – challah cover beats challah (covers it), challah beats Kiddush cup (knocks it over), Kiddush cup beats challah cover (spills wine on it).
4. Shabbat twist #2 – Instead of amoeba, monkey, and Diana Ross, use a progression related to Shabbat, for example Kabbalat Shabbat, Menucha, and Havdallah.
(over)
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities
(Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Specialist or supervisor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Name of Camp: ___________________________________________
Prepared by Lauren Gross
Program Title: What is Hunger?
Subtitle: A Parsha Time Program for Parshat Ekev
Target ages: 8+
Goals:
* To recognize that hunger affects children and families in our country today
* To acknowledge the blessing of having enough food to eat
* To connect this blessing to the idea of saying ‘thanks’ for food when we eat (as commanded in this week’s Torah portion, Ekev).
Time: 45 minutes
Description of the program:
Objectives:
1. Participants will listen to four different stories about hunger.
2. Participants will role-play different situations, allocating money to feed their family for one day.
3. Participants will define hunger.
4. Participants will think about the kinds of things they would want to say in a ‘thank you’ prayer for food after a meal, and will learn that there is a Jewish blessing for saying ‘thanks’.
Materials:
1.Copies of each of the 4 versions of the “Daily Menu” (amount depends on number of groups)
2. “Hunger Webs”: oak tag with the word HUNGER written in a circle in the center
3. Several markers for each group
1a. Introduction: Stories about Hunger 0:00 – 0:04
Four leaders walk up to the front of the room, one at a time, reading this:
ONE My name is Robert, and I am eight, and have one brother, who is nine. I live with my mother and her new husband. My mother works in a factory, but my stepfather is often unable to work.
My favorite food is pizza. My mother makes it two or three times a month. Usually, we have hamburgers, hot dogs or spaghetti. For breakfast, we eat cereal. We almost never have dessert, not fruit or cookies, much less, ice cream.
The closest grocery store is three miles from my house. Sometimes we do not have enough money both to put gas in the car and buy groceries. So my mother puts gas in the car and goes to a food bank where the food is free. But there isn’t much choice of food and everything is canned. My mother would like to provide a healthier menu for our family.
TWO My name is David, and I am twelve. I live with my mother and grandmother. Also in the house are my brother Tom and sister Samantha, who are teenagers. My grandmother does not work, so she does the cooking.
I remember when my mother had a good job and the family would go to a restaurant once or twice a month. No more. My mother lost her job, but she is lucky enough to have a low-paying job. Before she found this job, my family sometimes waited at the back door of a nearby restaurant and took the food that was thrown into the dumpster.
We don’t do that now, but some days we have only rice to eat. My mother’s salary doesn’t go far when there are also bills for electricity, clothes and
gas. I remember the nice restaurant meals with my family, and I wish we could do that again.
THREE Not everyone who is hungry lives with a family. My name is Nina, and I live alone. I cannot work because I fell and can no longer walk without a cane. Although I enjoy cooking for my grandchildren, I don’t bother to cook for myself. When I eat alone, it is usually cereal or some canned food like spaghetti or soup.
Because I worked as a maid, I don’t get a pension. Every month I worry that I will be unable to pay my bills, or that I will get sick and need expensive medicine.
FOUR My name is Olivia and I am five, and live with my mother, my brother who is seven, and my sister who is eight. All three of us are in school. On school days, we have enough to eat because we eat breakfast and lunch at school. On other days and during vacation time, we don’t always have enough money to buy food for three meals a day.
My mother works but sometimes there is not enough money in her paycheck to pay all the bills and buy food before the next paycheck comes. My sister has a school friend who often invites her for the day when there is no school. Often, she brings snacks home for me and my brother. I wish that I were older and could visit a school friend when there is no school.
2a. “Feeding a Family” Analysis 0:04 – 0:11
PPs break into groups. Group leaders will get one copy of a Daily Menu, based on which of the four families they are examining. The sheet will describe the group’s family and income. Each group will plan a nutritious meal plan for one day, based on the money they have.
2b. “Feeding a Family” Discussion 0:11 – 0:21
When finished with the meal plan analysis, group leaders will read the following two quotations and ask the respective questions to the group. (Note that both questions are from the Pesach story, so are particularly relevant around Pesach-time).
And the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread for you from the sky, and the people shall go out and gather each day that day’s portion – that I may thus test them, to see whether they will follow My instructions or not.” (Exodus 16:4)
Discussion Questions:
1. Why did God only give the Israelites enough food for one day? (ONE possibility: as a test – there is enough food on earth for all, but some people take more than others)
2. Why do you think God gave them food in the wilderness?
3. What do you think God wants for all people?
“And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:33-34
Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think that “love the stranger as yourself” means?
2. In this context, what do you think stranger means? How does that compare to your definition of stranger? Could a stranger be someone who is hungry and living in poverty? Can you draw a correlation between today’s “strangers” and the Jewish people in the land of Egypt?
(Groupleader should try to help PP’s think about the ideas that: both “strangers” are
oppressed, both are outcast from society, both need help to survive.)
3. What does this quotation tell us about the way that we should treat others? As Jews, what is our obligation to our society?
4. What do you think are some things that you could do to help out “strangers”?
3a. What is Hunger? – Create a Web 0:23 – 0:31
Groups will join with a partner group, so that there is a board member and a program assistant in each group.
Each group will have a “Hunger Web” (a piece of oak tag with the word HUNGER in the center, in a circle). Group leader will ask PPs to brainstorm about what hunger brings to mind, and PPs will add each word to the web. Possible responses might include: growling stomach, starving, not enough food, too many people to feed and not enough food, skinny, swollen belly, homeless, famine. (Group leader should add to the list if PPs need help!)
3b. What is Hunger? – True or False? 0:31 – 0:33
Group leader will read the following statements (which are all myths!), and then ask the PPs how they feel about each statement. After PPs speak, group leader will add to the comments, by giving the factual responses listed below.
1. “People are hungry because there isn’t enough food.”
RESPONSE: There is more than enough food to feed everyone in the world; the problem is one of unequal distribution. The developing world typically grows adequate food supplies, but exports much of it as cash crops for economic survival and debt relief.
2. “People are hungry because of overpopulation.”
RESPONSE: Even though the population is increasing, global hunger is actually decreasing, because of an increased awareness of the hunger situation, and an increased participation by people and governments around the world.
3. “In order to be ‘really hungry’ a person must be starving.”
RESPONSE: Starvation, which usually occurs in emergency situations such as famine, accounts for only 10% of mortalities due to hunger; 90% of mortality associated with hunger is the result of chronic hunger and conditions associated with poverty over a long time.
3d. What is Hunger? – Define It! 0:33 – 0:40
Group leaders ask PPs to close their eyes and think about what hunger looks like in the United States. With their eyes closed, ask them the following questions, leaving time between each one for them to think about what you are saying (without sharing their thoughts yet):
Do all hungry people have swollen bellies?
Are all hungry people really skinny?
If someone is hungry does that mean they are starving?
Do you know any hungry people?
How can you describe world hunger? How can you describe hunger in the United States?
Ask PPs to open their eyes, and to now share their thoughts about these questions, and then have them define hunger. One member of the group should write and present.
4. What are we thankful for? 0:40-1 hr.
In this week’s Torah portion (Ekev) we are commanded to give thanks for food once we’ve have eaten and been satisfied. We are also warned that when life is good and we have plenty we are not to forget that we receive our blessings from God, and should not take what we have for granted. How would you give thanks for food? In the traditional Birkat hamazon we find the three words that are in this week’s torah portion: V’achalta (and you shall eat), V’savata (and you will be satisfied) u’veyrachta (and then you will bless). Using these three words as a ‘chorus’, create a group rap with a verse or two of things you would like to say thank you for after food. (Note: If these could be ‘performed’ over several meals in the dining room that would be great).
FAMILY 1
Daily Menu
There are three people in your family. You have $18 to spend on food for one day. How can you use this money to provide a nutritious meal? (Costs are for the meal for the whole family.)
Breakfast for three people Dinner for three people
Cereal and fruit: $2 Spaghetti, salad and bread: $5
Frozen waffles and fruit: $3 Hot dogs and soup: $4
Toast: $1 Dinner at a pizza place: $15
Lunch for three people Snacks for three people
Cheese sandwiches: $2 Ice cream: $4
Tuna sandwiches, apples and cookies: $4 Fruit: $2
Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and carrots: $2 Cheese and crackers: $2
Circle your choices. How much will your menu cost:
per day _____________, per week _____________, per year _____________?
FAMILY 2
Daily Menu
There are five people in your family. You have $18 to spend on food for one day. How can you use this money to provide a nutritious meal? (Costs are for the meal for the whole family.)
Breakfast for five people Dinner for five people
Cereal and fruit: $4 Spaghetti, salad and bread: $8
Frozen waffles and fruit: $5 Hot dogs and soup: $6
Toast: $2 Dinner at a pizza place: $20
Lunch for five people Snacks for five people
Cheese sandwiches: $4 Ice cream: $6
Tuna sandwiches, apples and cookies: $6 Fruit: $3
Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and carrots: $4 Cheese and crackers: $4
Circle your choices. How much will your menu cost:
per day _____________, per week _____________, per year _____________?
FAMILY 3
Daily Menu
There are four people in your family. You have $8 to spend on food for one day. How can you use this money to provide a nutritious meal? (Costs are for the meal for the whole family.)
Breakfast for four people Dinner for four people
Cereal and fruit: $3 Spaghetti, salad and bread: $7
Frozen waffles and fruit: $4 Hot dogs and soup: $5
Toast: $2 Dinner at a pizza place: $18
Lunch for four people Snacks for four people
Cheese sandwiches: $3 Ice cream: $5
Tuna sandwiches, apples and cookies: $5 Fruit: $2
Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and carrots: $2 Cheese and crackers: $3
Circle your choices. How much will your menu cost:
per day _____________, per week _____________, per year _____________?
FAMILY 4
Daily Menu
There are four people in your family. You have $30 to spend on food for one day. How can you use this money to provide a nutritious meal? (Costs are for the meal for the whole family.)
Breakfast for four people Dinner for four people
Cereal and fruit: $3 Spaghetti, salad and bread: $7
Frozen waffles and fruit: $4 Hot dogs and soup: $5
Toast: $2 Dinner at a pizza place: $18
Lunch for four people Snacks for four people
Cheese sandwiches: $3 Ice cream: $5
Tuna sandwiches, apples and cookies: $5 Fruit: $2
Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and carrots: $2 Cheese and crackers: $3
Circle your choices. How much will your menu cost:
per day _____________, per week _____________, per year _____________?
(over)
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities
(Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Specialist or supervisor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Name of Camp: ___________________________________________
Prepared by: Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz. Adapted from a NFTY program Credits: Sections of this program adopted from “Hunger No More,” a publication sponsored by MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger (), and also from “kNOw Hunger,” a collection of high-school geared lesson plans, written by the Center on Hunger and Poverty () at Brandeis University in conjunction with the Gerta & Kurt Klein Foundation (). Originally created for NFTY Long Island by Jason Bronowitz with help from NFTY Staff and NFTY-MAR, SW and SCAL.
Program Title: Moose, Muffin, and Two Mosquitoes
Subtitle: Shabbat Version
Target ages: 8+
Goals: To use Shabbat vocabulary in a fun, running around game
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: None
Description of the program:
1. Split into groups of 4. Each group has one moose, one muffin, and two mosquitoes.
2. This is basically a tag game. The moose must try to tag the muffin. However, the mosquitoes protect their muffin.
3. All run around playing in the same area.
4. Shabbat twist – Instead of moose, muffin, and mosquitoes, use Havdallah, Shabbat Malkah, and candles.
(over)
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities
(Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Specialist or supervisor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Name of Camp: ___________________________________________
Program Title: Paper Bag Dramatics
Target ages: 8+
Goals:
* To teach Shabbat vocabulary
* To encourage creativity
* To provide opportunities for teamwork
Time: 45 minutes
Materials:
* Index cards with Shabbat vocabulary words on one side and definitions on the other
* Paper bags (one for each group)
* A different set of random objects in each bag, for example a banana, a hammer, a shoe, a funny hat, a frying pan
Description of the program:
1. Divide participants into groups (about 4-6 per group). Each group gets a paper bag containing a few index cards and a set of random objects (5 minutes).
2. Each group must come up with a skit that teaches the rest of the participants about the terms/concepts on their index cards. The skit must incorporate all of the random objects in their bag (15 minutes).
3. Each group performs their skit for the rest of the participants (5 minutes per skit).
(over)
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities
(Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Specialist or supervisor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Name of Camp: ___________________________________________
Prepared by Lauren Gross
Program Title: Prophets – The Real Deal
Subtitle: A Parsha Time activity in response to the warning about ‘False Prophets’ in Parshat Shoftim
Target ages: 10+
Goals:
* To familiarize campers with some of the main prophets of Jewish history
* To understand what a prophet does and what kinds of messages they gave
* To think about what a ‘false prophet’ might be that God warns the people not to be fooled by, in comparison with the kinds of prophets we learn about in this program
Time: 45 minutes
Materials:
* Dress up clothes
* Description sheets for each prophet
Description of the program:
1. People dressed up as prophets will come around to each room and give a brief speech about who they are and what they accomplished in their life, additionally they will try to plead their case for why they should be the prophetic mascot for the camp. Each prophet will hand campers their personal fact sheet.
2. After the short speech PP’s will be able to ask questions to the prophets, who will answer “in character.”
3. After the presentations, each group of campers will see if they can summarize what the main teachings of prophets are – what do they want the people to do? What values do they want society to live by? What is their connection with God? What kinds of things might a ‘false prophet’ say to a society that would lead them to follow corrupt values that would harm some people?
4. Then each small group will vote for their favorite prophet to make the ‘prophetic mascot’ of the camp. Collect the votes from each group and announce the winning prophet.
ABRAHAM
According to Jewish tradition, Abraham was born under the name Abram in the city of Ur in Babylonia in the year 1948 from Creation (circa 1800 BCE). He was the son of Terach, an idol merchant, but from his early childhood, he questioned the faith of his father and sought the truth. He came to believe that the entire universe was the work of a single Creator, and he began to teach this belief to others.
Abram tried to convince his father, Terach, of the folly of idol worship. One day, when Abram was left alone to mind the store, he took a hammer and smashed all of the idols except the largest one. He placed the hammer in the hand of the largest idol. When his father returned and asked what happened, Abram said, "The idols got into a fight, and the big one smashed all the other ones." His father said, "Don't be ridiculous. These idols have no life or power. They can't do anything." Abram replied, "Then why do you worship them?"
Eventually, the one true Creator that Abram had worshipped called to him, and made him an offer: if Abram would leave his home and his family, then G-d would make him a great nation and bless him. Abram accepted this offer, and the b'rit (covenant) between G-d and the Jewish people was established. (Gen. 12).
The idea of b'rit is fundamental to traditional Judaism: we have a covenant, a contract, with G-d, which involves rights and obligations on both sides. We have certain obligations to G-d, and G-d has certain obligations to us. The terms of this b'rit became more explicit over time, until the time of the Giving of the Torah. Abram was subjected to ten tests of faith to prove his worthiness for this covenant. Leaving his home is one of these trials.
Abram, raised as a city-dweller, adopted a nomadic lifestyle, traveling through what is now the land of Israel for many years. G-d promised this land to Abram's descendants. Abram is referred to as a Hebrew (Ivri), possibly because he was descended from Eber or possibly because he came from the "other side" (eber) of the Euphrates River.
But Abram was concerned, because he had no children and he was growing old. Abram's beloved wife, Sarai, knew that she was past child-bearing years, so she offered her maidservant, Hagar, as a wife to Abram. This was a common practice in the region at the time. According to tradition, Hagar was a daughter of Pharaoh, given to Abram during his travels in Egypt. She bore Abram a son, Ishmael, who, according to both Muslim and Jewish tradition, is the ancestor of the Arabs. (Gen 16)
When Abram was 100 and Sarai 90, G-d promised Abram a son by Sarai. G-d changed Abram's name to Abraham (father of many), and Sarai's to Sarah (from "my princess" to "princess"). Sarah bore Abraham a son, Isaac (in Hebrew, Yitzchak), a name derived from the word "laughter," expressing Abraham's joy at having a son in his old age. (Gen 17-18). Isaac was the ancestor of the Jewish people. [Abraham died at the age of 175.]
MOSES
Along with God, it is the figure of Moses (Moshe) who dominates the Torah. Acting at God's behest, it is he who leads the Jews out of slavery, unleashes the Ten Plagues against Egypt, guides the freed slaves for forty years in the wilderness, carries down the law from Mount Sinai, and prepares the Jews to enter the land of Canaan. Without Moses, there would be little apart from laws to write about in the last four books of the Torah.
Moses is born during the Jewish enslavement in Egypt, during a terrible period when Pharaoh decrees that all male Hebrew infants are to be drowned at birth. His mother, Yocheved, desperate to prolong his life, floats him in a basket in the Nile. Hearing the crying child as she walks by, Pharaoh's daughter pities the crying infant and adopts him (Exodus 2:1-10). It surely is no coincidence that the Jews' future liberator is raised as an Egyptian prince. Had Moses grown up in slavery with his fellow Hebrews, he probably would not have developed the pride, vision, and courage to lead a revolt.
The Torah records only three incidents in Moses' life before God appoints him a prophet. As a young man, outraged at seeing an Egyptian overseer beating a Jewish slave, he kills the overseer. The next day, he tries to make peace between two Hebrews who are fighting, but the aggressor takes umbrage and says: "Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses immediately understands that he is in danger, for though his high status undoubtedly would protect him from punishment for the murder of a mere overseer, the fact that he killed the man for carrying out his duties to Pharaoh would brand him a rebel against the king. Indeed, Pharaoh orders Moses killed, and he flees to Midian. At this point, Moses probably wants nothing more than a peaceful interlude, but immediately he finds himself in another fight. The seven daughters of the Midianite priest Reuel (also called Jethro) are being abused by the Midianite male shepherds, and Moses rises to their defense (Exodus 2:11-22).
The incidents are of course related. In all three, Moses shows a deep, almost obsessive commitment to fighting injustice. Furthermore, his concerns are not parochial. He intervenes when a non-Jew oppresses a Jew, when two Jews fight, and when non-Jews oppress other non-Jews.
Moses marries Tzipporah, one of the Midianite priest's daughters, and becomes the shepherd for his father-in-law's flock. On one occasion, when he has gone with his flock into the wilderness, an angel of the Lord appears to him in the guise of a bush that is burning but is not consumed (see next entry). The symbolism of the miracle is powerful. In a world in which nature itself is worshiped, God shows that He rules over it.
Once He has so effectively elicited Moses' attention, God commands-over Moses' strenuous objections-that he go to Egypt and along with his brother, Aaron, make one simple if revolutionary demand of Pharaoh: "Let my people go." Pharaoh resists Moses' petition, until God wreaks the Ten Plagues on Egypt, after which the children of Israel escape.
Months later, in the Sinai Desert, Moses climbs Mount Sinai and comes down with the Ten Commandments, only to discover the Israelites engaged in an orgy and worshiping a Golden Calf. The episode is paradigmatic: Only at the very moment God or Moses is doing something for them are they loyal believers. The instant God's or Moses' presence is not manifest, the children of Israel revert to amoral, immoral, and sometimes idolatrous behavior. Like a true parent, Moses rages at the Jews when they sin, but he never turns against them-even when God does. To God's wrathful declaration on one occasion that He will blot out the Jews and make of Moses a new nation, he answers, "Then blot me out too" (Exodus 32:32).
The saddest event in Moses' life might well be God's prohibiting him from entering the land of Israel. The reason for this ban is explicitly connected to an episode in Numbers in which the Hebrews angrily demand that Moses supply them with water. God commands Moses to assemble the community, "and before their very eyes order the [nearby] rock to yield its water." Fed up with the Hebrews' constant whining and complaining, he says to them instead: "Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?" He then strikes the rock twice with his rod, and water gushes out (Numbers 20:2-13). It is this episode of disobedience, striking the rock instead of speaking to it, that is generally offered as the explanation for why God punishes Moses and forbids him to enter Israel. The punishment, however, seems so disproportionate to the offense, that the real reason for God's prohibition must go deeper. Most probably, as Dr. Jacob Milgrom, professor of Bible at the University of California, Berkeley, has suggested (elaborating on earlier comments of Rabbi Hananael, Nachmanides, and the Bekhor Shor) that Moses' sin was declaring, "Shall we get water for you out of this rock?" implying that it was he and his brother, Aaron, and not God, who were the authors of the miracle. Rabbi Irwin Kula has suggested that Moses' sin was something else altogether. Numbers 14:5 records that when ten of the twelve spies returned from Canaan and gloomily predicted that the Hebrews would never be able to conquer the land, the Israelites railed against Moses. In response, he seems to have had a mini-breakdown: "Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembled congregation of the Israelites." The two independent spies, Joshua and Caleb, both of whom rejected the majority report, took over "and exhorted the whole Israelite community" (Numbers 14:7). Later, in Deuteronomy, when Moses delivers his final summing-up to the Israelites, he refers back to this episode: "When the Lord heard your loud complaint, He was angry. He vowed: "Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, none except Caleb.... Because of you, the Lord was incensed with me too, and He said: You shall not enter it either. Joshua ... who attends you, he shall enter it" (1:34-38).
MIRIAM
Miriam was Aaron and Moses's older sister. According to some sources, she was seven years older than Moses, but other sources seem to indicate that she was older than that. Some sources indicate that Miriam was Puah, one of the midwives who rescued Hebrew babies from Pharaoh's edict against them (Ex. 1:15-19).
Miriam was a prophetess in her own right (Ex. 15:20), the first woman described that way in scripture (although Sarah is also considered to be a prophetess, that word is not applied to her in scripture). According to tradition, she prophesied before Moses's birth that her parents would give birth to the person who would bring about their people's redemption.
Miriam waited among the bulrushes while Moses's ark was in the river, watching over him to make sure he was all right (Ex. 2:4). When the Pharaoh's daughter drew Moses out of the water, Miriam arranged for their mother, Yocheved, to nurse Moses and raise him until he was weaned (Ex. 2:7-9).
Miriam led the women of Israel in a song and dance of celebration after the Pharaoh's men were drowned in the sea (Ex. 15:20-21). She is said to be the ancestress of other creative geniuses in Israel's history: Bezalel, the architect of the mishkan (the portable sanctuary used in the desert) (Ex. 31:1-3) and King David.
According to tradition, because of Miriam's righteousness, a well followed the people through the desert throughout their wanderings, and that well remained with them until the day of Miriam's death.
Like her brothers, Miriam was not perfect. She led her brother Aaron to speak against Moses over a matter involving a Cushite woman he had married (Zipporah, or possibly a second wife) (Num. 12:1). They also objected to his leadership, noting that he had no monopoly on Divine Communication (Num12:2). For this, Miriam was punished with tzaaras (an affliction generally translated as leprosy) (Num. 12:10). However, Aaron pled on her behalf, and she was cured (Num. 12:11).
Like her brothers, Miriam died in the desert before the people reached the Promised Land (Num. 20:1).
DEBORAH
Most of the great women in the Bible either are married to a great man or related to one. Sarah is primarily known as Abraham's wife, and Miriam as Moses' sister. Even Esther, who saves the Jewish people from Haman's attempted genocide, is guided by her adviser and cousin, Mordechai. A rare exception to this tradition is the prophetess and judge Deborah, perhaps the Bible's greatest woman figure.
Deborah stands exclusively on her own merits. The only thing we know about her personal life is the name of her husband, Lapidot. "She led Israel at that time," is how the Bible records it. "She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah ... and the Israelites would come to her for judgment" (4:4).
During Deborah's time, a century or so after the Israelite entry into Canaan, the valley in which she and her tribe lived was controlled by King Jabin of Hazor. Deborah summoned the warrior Barak and instructed him in God's name to take ten thousand troops and confront Jabin's general, Sisera, and his army's nine hundred iron chariots, on Mount Tabor.
Barak's response to Deborah shows the high esteem in which this ancient prophetess was held: "If you will go with me, I will go; if not I will not go."
"Very well, I will go with you," Deborah consents, but she can't resist gibing at Barak about the sexism of their society. "However, there will be no glory for you in the course you are taking, for then the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman" (4:8-9).
The battle takes place during the rainy season, and Sisera's chariots quickly bog down in the mud. The Israelites overwhelm Hazor's army, and inflict heavy casualties. Sisera, fleeing on foot, escapes to the Kenite camp, where Yael, the clan leader's wife, invites him to stay. He falls asleep in her tent, whereupon Yael lifts a mallet and drives a tent peg through his head.
The famed "Song of Deborah," in chapter 5, exults in the breaking of the Canaanite stranglehold over much of the country: "So may all Your enemies perish, 0 Lord," is Deborah's parting shot, though the true Jewish victory went even deeper than the destruction of Sisera and his chariots. According to the Talmud, Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest figures in Jewish history, was a direct descendant of Sisera, That a descendant of this great enemy of the Jews became a great Jewish rabbi and scholar represented the Jews' ultimate victory over their ancient Canaanite opponent.
(over)
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities
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Specialist or supervisor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities (Please write this section after implementing the program):
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Name of Camp: ___________________________________________
Prepared by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, PhD, Congregation B'nai Israel, Bridgeport, CT.
Program Title: Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament
Subtitle: Super Special Shabbat Version
Target ages: 10+
Goals:
* To use Shabbat vocabulary in a fun activity
* To learn names and foster team-building
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: None
Description of the program:
1. Run around the group having sets of 3 games of rock-paper-scissors tournaments with people.
2. When a person wins, the person who they beat becomes part of their cheering squad. This continues until there are only two players left, both with large cheering squads. Winner of the final match wins the game.
3. Shabbat twist - Instead of rock, paper, and scissors, use challah, challah cover, and Kiddush cup – challah cover beats challah (covers it), challah beats Kiddush cup (knocks it over), Kiddush cup beats challah cover (spills wine on it).
(over)
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities
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Prepared by Lauren Gross
Program Title: Parsha Time: Tzedakah
Subtitle: Source Text for Tzedakah Text Study (Parshat Re’eh)
Target ages: 11+
Goals:
* To think about different ways of giving tzedakah
* To find examples of situations today that match the categories that Maimonides outlines.
* To debate and discuss the 8 levels of tzedakah
Time: 30 minutes
Materials:
* The attached source sheet.
* A facilitator’s guide with questions (camp counselors should create one of these that work for the age group they are working with in advance of running the program)
Description of the program:
This source text is designed to provide the material for small-group discussions during Parsha time after an initial skit or presentation to introduce tzedakah as the theme for Parsha time, for Parsha Re’eh.
(over)
Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Tzedakah
Moses Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, also called Rambam) was a physician, rabbi, and philosopher born in Spain in the 12 century. Maimonides is one of the most respected Jewish philosophers to date and his works are an important part of Jewish liturgy. Some of his works include the Commentary on the Mishna, Sefer Mitzvot (“The book of Commandments”), The Guide for the Perplexed, Teshuvot, and probably the most important of his works, The Mishneh Torah, which is a code of Jewish law. In the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides complied a list of different levels of tzedakah that outlines the degree of how charitable the act is. It goes as follows from lowest to highest degree.
1. Giving begrudgingly – The person giving the charity unwillingly and cruelly. They do not care about their fellow man, by giving begrudgingly the recipient feels worse then they did before they received the charity. This is the lowest rung of charity because the giver is not doing it out of the kindness only out of obligation. True tzedakah is given with a warm heart.
2. Giving less than you can afford, but giving it cheerfully – This is slightly higher on Maimonides’ ladder because they are giving it with a smile. By showing understanding and empathy you make the recipient feel better than if you gave them the charity negatively.
3. Giving after being asked – You are giving the amount that you can afford to the recipient but they had to ask before you were willing to give them what they needed.
4. Giving before being asked – Asking for help is often of the most difficult things people do even when they are in dire need. By giving charity without being asked you show that you understand their situation and do not to be asked for the help needed.
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity – In the four lowest levels of tzedakah both the recipient and giver know each other. This creates a situation where the giver is superior to the recipient, the giver’s ego is stoked and the recipient feels ashamed and inferior. When the recipient does not know the identity of the recipient they are humbled, however the recipient does not receive the burden of knowing who the donor was and their feelings are not sparred.
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity – This level of tzedakah is higher because the ego of the person giving charity is still being inflated by the recipient’s dignity is sparred for the most part.
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity – This is the second highest level of tzedakah. When both the recipient and donor of charity do not know each other. This does not create a superior – inferior bond between the giver and recipient but rather one of mutual understanding and respect.
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant – This can be done by aiding someone in getting a job or set up a business with them. This is the highest level of charity because it allows for the recipient to no longer require charity from others, and makes them able to give it, which is the greatest gift one can give. If you give a man a fish he will be fed for a day, if you teach the man how to fish he will be fed for life.
(over)
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Prepared by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz, PhD, Congregation B'nai Israel, Bridgeport, CT.
Program Title: Shabbat as a Symbol of Freedom
Target ages: 12+
Goals: To discuss the story of the Exodus and the connection of Shabbat & freedom
Time: 30 minutes
Materials: None
Description of the program:
Discuss the following concepts with group:
• History and memories are part of our collective Jewish psychology – it’s what binds us together
• (Talk about collective identity they can understand – the culture of their camp, or the spirit of Yankees fans, etc)
• It’s important for us to re-enter and re-experience critical moments in our history (i.e. the founding of the camp or important baseball game in history)
• In our Jewish history, we have a fundamental example of this: In the Passover seder, we retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt after 40 years, and act as if each of us personally left Egypt.
• Now, as a Jewish people, we celebrate our freedom every Passover – but also every Shabbat – as we commemorate God’s freedom from work and our freedom as a people.
• Symbol: we eat challah, which reminds us of the manna
• What other symbols are there?
• Prepare a skit and simulate the exodus from Egypt!
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Prepared by JEXNET: The Network for Experiential Jewish Youth Education
Program Title: Shabbat as Renewal
Target ages: 8+
Goals: To express the idea of true menucha – rest – on Shabbat
Materials: If you have, use stress balls, sunglasses, relaxing music, lawn chairs, candles, and pillows
Description of the program:
Choose one or all options:
• Compare Shabbat to school recess or a spa! – recreation, fun, rest, and play
• Show items/symbols from everyday life and show how they can be used on Shabbat
• Set up a "Shabbat Space" in the middle of the camp, complete with stress balls, sunglasses, relaxing music, lawn chairs, candles, and pillows – campers can relax in the afternoon
(over)
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Prepared by JEXNET: The Network for Experiential Jewish Youth Education
Program Title: Shabbat and Jewish Identity
Target ages: 12+
Goals: To explore themes of Shabbat and Jewish identity
Time: 30 minutes
Materials: None
Description of the program:
Either discuss quotes, ask trigger questions, or play agree/disagree with the following statements:
• ‘More than the Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews’ (A.D. Gordon)
• "The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world." (Heschel)
• “Every person must carry the holiness of Shabbat to hallow the other days of the week.” (Rebbe Nachman of Braslav)
• “Shabbat brings every creature back to its roots”
• Shabbat is called shalom. (Zohar)
• On Shabbat Eve one is given an extra soul, and when Shabbat leaves, it is taken from him. (Talmud)
Some trigger questions:
o How does Shabbat fit into my life?
o What does Shabbat mean to me as a Jew?
o How does Shabbat differ for me at home and at camp? How can I bring home what I had in camp?
o What does holiness mean? What is holy about Shabbat
Counselor’s evaluation and recommendations for future activities
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Name of Camp: ___________________________________________
Prepared by JEXNET: The Network for Experiential Jewish Youth Education
Important Shabbat Times and Opportunities
Three Ways to Approach Havdalah (conclusion of Shabbat)
• Through senses – smell the besamim; touch/reach out toward the flame and feel the heat; hear – the blessings and song; see the flame; taste the sweet wine
• Melave Malka – song, dance, etc – escorting the "Shabbat queen" as she leaves us for another week and holding onto the Shabbat a bit longer, to bring its spirit into the week.
• Havdalah pajama party
Talk about separating Shabbat from the week and holy from the mundane. Does it feel different?
Recognizing teachable moments during Shabbat
• Friday afternoon – Erev Shabbat – idea of preparation for Shabbat
• Lighting candles – woman’s mitzvah, beginning and ending Shabbat with fire, illuminating one’s home
• Oneg Shabbat Friday night – make staff and all-camp onegs to celebrate the joy of shabbat
• Parsha time – teaching the Torah story one week at a time
• Emphasize rest time in afternoon
• Havdalah – see above!
• Week leading up to Shabbat – preparation
• Begin each shabbat with thinking back to where you were last shabbat and where you will be next shabbat (linking – most effective on first and last week)
Top Ways to Enhance your Shabbat Environment
• Encourage your campers to dress differently than during the week
• Distribute ‘shabbat treats’ – snacks or flowers on Friday afternoon
• Have campers make and sell shabbat-o-grams – so campers can give gifts to their friends and donate money to tzedakah
• Assign various rituals to different age groups or bunks so they can all ‘own’ a part of Shabbat (bunk goes up while someone makes kiddush)
• Plan a special afternoon staff/camper softball game
• Allow for a later wake-up time! (Special breakfast cereals?)
• End shabbat with a preview of next shabbat’s theme or special activity so campers look forward to it
Prepared by JEXNET: The Network for Experiential Jewish Youth Education
Shir Fun Ideas:
A Curriculum in Song
1. Sing Down. Divide groups into teams of 5-7 campers. The leader announces a word or theme and the teams have 8 minutes to come up with as many songs with that word or in that theme as they can. Taking turns, each group selects a song from their list and sings a bit of it for the rest. Songs cannot be repeated by other teams. The team which sings the most tunes wins that round.
2. Zimriyah - Song Festival. Every cabin/tent in your school is taught a special song which will be introduced at a camp-wide song festival. Make sure to include a song for the counselors and staff. Invite everyone at camp to the program.
3. Video. If your camp has access to video recording equipment, have a class prepare a contemporary music video to accompany a song which you teach. Make sure video is scripted!
4. Song Slides and Transparencies. Instead of using song books, purchase slides or make transparencies of the song and project on screen.
5. Name That Tune. Develop your own game and rules for a personal Name That Tune.
6. Invite a Musician. Invite a working Jewish musician or entertainer from your community to visit your camp and share their experiences or do a mini concert – or a big concert!
7. Candlelight Singing. Turn off the lights and have a quiet song session by candlelight.
8. Music Appreciation. Bring in CDs of Jewish and Israeli music and play them for your campers.
9. Musical Skits. Have students act out songs using mime, props or other mediums.
10. Radio Program. Have each cabin/tent record a song. Songs are edited onto one master recording and produced as a radio program complete with commercials and interviews.
11. Instruments. Bring drums and other percussion instruments to your song session. Distribute and have your campers accompany the songs.
12. Choir. There is perhaps no better way of developing a joy of Jewish music. DO IT!!
13. Shigaon. Too difficult to explain in writing, so I’ll show you!
14. Musical Sermon. Develop with your Rabbi or Educator a musical sermon. The sermon will feature songs by the campers with narration or story to be ready by Rabbi and/or campers.
15. Are You Listening. Have the campers do a listening exercise such as telephone or read a complex story and have them recall the details.
16. Midrash. The midrash of the three letters Shin – quiet, Mem – contemplate, Ayin – to grasp.
17. Human Sculptures. Have class act out a song, word, or feeling.
Prepared by Shira Kline, performer, recording artist, and sacred technician. . Adapted from Craig ‘N Co - .
Israeli Folk and Jewish Dance
An Overview: The Evolution of Israeli Folk and Jewish Dance in Israel and America
By Ruth Goodman
Folk dance. The very term implies a rooted tradition expressing the characteristics of a people, its way of life, its customs. It is passed down from generation to generation evolving over centuries. If choreographers existed at all, they are as unknown as the composers of the music which accompanied the dances. It's birthplace is the village, far away from worldly city life.
Israeli folk dance is a unique phenomena having developed against all laws of folk culture. In fact, the entire movement began as late as 1944. Every choreographer and composer is known by name--and it all happened in our own lifetime.
We know from the Bible that the Jewish people danced: the expression of mental, spiritual and physical joy is shown in the words of Ecclesiastes--"A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance". Dance as praise to God is shown in the Psalm: "Praise his name in drum and dance, sing praises with the timbrels and harp". But although there are some thirty Hebrew words relating to dance in the Bible, we do not know how the people danced since any artwork constituting graven images was prohibited by Jewish law. So we can only infer the nature of these dances from word derivations and from general descriptions of the major festivals and other celebrations in the Bible: CHUL--to rotate or spin--is used most often in connection with dances of women. It may also derive from the word CHALIL, flute, indicating the musical accompaniment of the instrument as the origin of dance. "Praise his name in drum and dance--HALELU HU BETOF U'MACHOL." RAKOD--relates to vigorous movement--skip, leap animal like--Psalm 124:4--"The mountains skipped (danced) like rams, the hills like young sheep--HEHARIM RAKDU K'EILIM, GVA'OT KIVNEI TZON." And, again from Ecclesiastes: "A time to weep a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance (ATE LIRKOD).
In reference to Jewish holiday ceremonies, we infer from the word CHAG, derived from CHUG, meaning to circle around, that the three Festivals--Chag HaPesach, Chag HaShavuot, and Chag HaSukkot--involved processions around the alter and that dance was much a part of these agricultural celebrations.
Another religious nature festival, the water drawing festival, was very colorful. Beginning with a procession from Mt. Moriah to Lake Shiloah, a priest marched in front holding a golden pitcher with which he drew water to pour on the altar. On his return, he stopped at the gate where he was met by people singing: "U'SHAVTEM MAYIM BESASON MI MAINEI HAYESHUA--And ye shall draw water with joy from the wells of salvation." The evening was highlighted by a brilliant torch dance.
Another interesting dance custom relates to the Yom Kippur dance. Girls all dressed in white, similar so rich and poor would appear equal, would dance with the young men watching from a distance. The men would choose their brides during the dance.
The first mention of dance in the Bible refers to Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Moses and Aaron, who led the women in a victory dance (machol) with timbrels upon crossing the Red Sea.
Jerusalem, city of peace, city of David--David the king who danced with religious fervor around the holy ark.
After the destruction of the Temple, the Jewish people were separated from their spiritual homeland and dispersed throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. Nature festivals ceased, but Jewish life flourished in the great centers of learning, although these too were periodically destroyed.
One dance tradition that is carried out today in the form of Purim Carnivals, originated in the Diaspora. This is the Purim dance-pantomime which dates from the 10th century. (Purim recounts the narrow escape from disaster for the Jews of Persia at the hands of a wicked prime minister.)
The numerous plagues and pogroms as well as the expulsion of Jewish communities from place to place resulted in a large population of vagabonds. Among them were poets, entertainers, artists and acrobats. There also developed a group of minstrels, storytellers and wandering yeshiva students. During this time in the Middle Ages, two rather macabre dances became popular: The "Bettler Tanz" (Beggar's dance) for which the poor of the community would be invited to partake of the wedding feast with the bride, and the "Totentanz" (Dance of Death) in which two orphans were wed in a ceremony held in a cemetery--this at the time of the terrible epidemics sweeping through Europe.
With Jewish life restricted to home and synagogue, only faint reminders of agricultural/religious ceremonies remained. To this day, the observance of the festival of Sukkot includes the lulav (palm branch) and etrog (citrus fruit) in a religious procession around the pulpit, and the waving of the lulav to all corners of the universe.
Also established at this time was the "Tanzhaus", or dancing hall, sometimes called "Beit Chatunot" or wedding houses, because wedding celebrations often lasted a full week. This did not develop in the more affluent communities of Spain and the East where Jewish homes were large enough to entertain in. Another development was that of the "tanz-fuhrer", or dance leader, who would entertain and improvise in dance and song.
An outstanding figure of the Middle Ages was Guilielmo Ebreo (William the Jew) of Pesaro. With dance an important part of upper-class Italian social life, his "Treatise on the Art of Dancing" set guidelines including dance steps and choreographies by Ebreo. He was supposed to have been a brilliant dance master and from these early dance notations, his court dances continue to be reconstructed to this day.
The Chassidic movement which arose in the mid-18th century greatly influenced the self-image of the ghetto Jew. It taught that God is everywhere and can be reached through song and dance as well as prayer. The founder of the Chassidic movement, Israel Baal Shem Tov, taught that God should be served with joy and happiness, and that the scholar and sage are no more precious to the Divine than the non-learned individual. This sense of spiritual equality gave their dances a religious and ecstatic flavor. With body and soul the Chassidim begin with a chant which becomes more and more excited with an accelerated tempo and continues into a frenzy soaring to the heavens.
The wedding dances reflected the lives and customs of the Jews of Eastern Europe:
The BROIGES-TANZ--a consolation dance, attempts to resolve the problems of the newlyweds. The man offers trinkets to the woman. She refuses each but finally agrees to reconciliation by accepting a final offer from him.
The PATCH-TANZ (clap dance) initiates the bride into the circle of married women. She is no longer carefree but now bears the responsibilities of wedded life.
The MITZVA-TANZ is a farewell dance participated in by the bride's relatives. Holding a handkerchief with the bride, each in turn circles around her and takes his leave. This represents her parting from her own family and accepting a new role in the family of her groom.
The KOILITCH-TANZ is performed by the oldest woman in the community. She holds the "koilitch" or braided challah, which is circular rather than oblong in shape, over her head and dances with it before the bride and groom as they come from the wedding ceremony. The community in this way wishes them a bountiful life.
The SHER, or scissors dance, has a basic figure following the blade of a scissors. Inspired by the image of a tailor, other figures include a weaving or sewing pattern.
Around the turn of the century, the Jewish people began to return to its homeland bringing with them dances from many lands: The tcherkessia and kossatchok from Russia; the polka and krakoviak from Poland. The hora, originally from Romania, fit perfectly the spirit of the chalutzim, the pioneers who settled on the kibbutz: The closed circle with arms around each other's shoulders expressed the close relationship between all members of the community. The simple energetic movements of stamping and jumping could go on for hours. The "rondo", a kind of Polish polonaise was also a favorite for it drew people together in a variety of formations which could go on and on.
But something was missing. Rivka Sturman, a well-known Israeli choreographer relates a story: One morning in 1942, on her kibbutz, Ein Charod, she passed the children's quarter where her own children were, and heard them singing German folk songs. At a time when Jews were being butchered in Germany, Rivka was shocked and disturbed. However, from this experience, she had a positive reaction. She felt the need for new songs and dances to be created from the culture of the land in which they now lived. Other dance teachers and musicians shared her feelings. And so, the kibbutz became the birthplace of Israel's modern folk dance movement. for it was here that the need for new songs and dances to reflect a revived culture was realized.
The first endeavors took the form of pageants recreating the biblical nature festivals. Attempts were made to go to the actual places described in the Bible and to use ancient musical instruments to accompany the dances. Since these festivals were agricultural and not just religious, they spoke to the kibbutz settlers, most of whom were not religious and took holidays for times of celebration and dance. Thus Pesach was celebrated by the Omer, the cutting and presenting of the first grains; Shavuot was a celebration of the first fruits, "Chag Habikurim", and Sukkot was an autumn harvest festival, "Chag Ha'assif" and "Simchat Beit Hashoevah", praying for rain. Everyone and everything on the kibbutz was involved in some of these pageants--the farmers, the children, the animals, the tools and even the vehicles! And all were carefully costumed and decorated! After such a celebration, performers would teach dances to others and in this way would share dances which had roots in the land and the history of the people.
Then, in 1944, the first Dalia Festival took place. Dalia is a kibbutz near Haifa and is today considered the cradle of Israeli folk dance. Gurit Kadman, who was affectionately known as the "mother of Israeli folk dance", had been asked by the kibbutz to stage the "Story of Ruth" for Shavuot. She took this opportunity to combine the celebration with a folk dance meeting. It was during World War II but her feeling was that people need time to be joyous and so she went ahead with her plans. The result was a two day meeting of 200 dancers and an audience of 3,500 for the concluding evening's program. Although only a few of the dances performed were original creations, most having been impressive dances of other countries, the Festival was the catalyst for the development of Israeli folk dance with dances such as "mayim, mayim" having been introduced at this time. The 1947 Dalia Festival had to last all night because of travel restrictions and curfews on all roads, but all dances performed were original creations. By 1968, the Dalia Festival had evolved into a pageant in which 3,000 dancers performed for 60,000 spectators.
The different ethnic groups living in Israel influenced the new folk dance creations: Chassidim, Kurds, Druze, and especially the Yemenites. These very artistic and colorful people have movement qualities reflecting the delicate filigree of their artwork, the undulation of camels on the desert, and the feeling of walking on hot, desert sands. The Yemenites claim direct descent from the Jews who fled Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of the Temple and came to settle in Yemen at the southern tip of Arabia. For some time these devout Jews lived in prosperity until the end of the sixth century when they became subject to social and economic persecution. For 1300 years they held to their faith in the prophecy that they would one day be carried away on eagles wings. Their prayers were answered shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel--Operation Magic Carpet airlifted the Jewish community of Yemen on a giant silver bird--a modern airplane--to their ancient home.
The Chassidic and Yemenite communities which developed thousands of miles apart from each other, share similar movement characteristics, a curiosity which Sara Levy-Tanai, founder of the Inbal Yemenite Dance Theatre attributes to both groups having lived in ghettos. And it is these two groups, the Chassidim and the Yemenites which we can consider to have developed authentic Jewish dance styles.
But there is another authentic dance style in Israel, the Arabic debka. Perhaps related to the word "davek" meaning to stick together, the debka is a virile line dance passed down through the generations from father to son. Living in villages around the Galilee, the Druze are a secret religious sect. As mentioned before, in the hot summer of 1947, despite blackouts, curfews and travel restrictions throughout the country, another Dalia Festival was held. This was the Dalia of the Druze, for it was this group that continued to dance undaunted by the surrounding dangers, and kept spirits high all through the night.
The ethnic groups provide a rich tapestry of elements in our search for "authentic" Israeli dance creations. With this in mind, Gurit Kadman established the Ethnic Dance Project in 1974,
So against all laws of the development of a folk culture, but in a unique situation with immigrants from all over the world sharing a cultural bond, a miracle seemed to take place: The rebirth of a land was mirrored by a rebirth of a culture. The dance creators, inspired by traditions and rituals of Judaism, a variety of characteristics acquired through the Diaspora, the colorful life-styles of those who continued to live in Israel, the landscape and sense of renewed existence in an ancient land, gave rise to an ever-increasing repertoire of Israeli folk dances. These dances reflect the spirit and vitality of Israel's youth as well as a variety of steps influenced by diverse ethnic groups. Most dances have no specific theme but take their name from the name of the song being danced to. The music to the highly spirited dances is driven by syncopated rhythms. In addition to the circle and line dances, many lovely couple dances offer an alternative to social dancing. The costumes, used mainly for the stage, combine biblical style, ornaments and modern traits.
THEATRICAL DANCE
The Inbal Yemenite Dance Theatre, founded by Sara Levy-Tanai, embodies the rich culture of Israel together with Yemenite folklore. American artists such as Jerome Robbins and Anna Sokolow, have worked with this unique company.
The Karmon Dance Company put the vitality of Israel's youth on stage with its own brand of pizazz. Full of fun, high energy and theatricality, many of Yonatan Karmon's stage dances became popular folk dances. Among these are Haroa Haktana, Shibolet Basadeh and Yamin U'Smool (Orcha Bamidbar).
Jewish theatrical dance developed in America as well. In 1926, the Moscow Habimah theatre visited New York with its production of "The Dybbuk" which made marvelous use of gesture, riveting the dance and theatre world. This was the first time that Chassidic movement and dance steps were successfully used in a play to emphasize action. It's Beggar's Dance" became a classic. Maurice Schwartz' production of "Yoshe Kalb" was also noted for its dancing choreographed by Lillian Shapero, a member of the first Martha Graham dance company. Other American Jewish dance pioneers are still active: Pearl Lang, whose choreographies include "The Dybbuk" and "Shira"; Elliot Feld has created "Tzaddik" and "Sephardic Song"; Sophie Maslow's work includes "The Village I Knew" based on storied of Shalom Aleichem; Anna Sokolow choreographs extensively in Israel as well as in the United States.
The team of Felix Fibich and Judith Berg developed a repertory based on Jewish themes. Judith Berg was commissioned to choreograph the Yiddish speaking film of "The Dybbuk" in 1937 in Warsaw, Poland. In the film, she danced the part of "Death". This classic film can still be seen in theatres in America. Born in Poland, Felix Fibich was surrounded by Chassidim from early childhood. Thus he concentrates on interpretations of Chassidic life in his program.
Margalit Oved, Hadassah Badoch, both former stars of Inbal, Ze'eva Cohen and Ohad Naharin, all Israeli dance artists, continue, although residing in America, to incorporate Israeli/Jewish themes into their repertories.
The inspiring force in Jewish dance in America--affectionately known as the "father of israeli folk dance in America"--was Fred Berk, whose vision enabled him to establish a network of Israeli folk dance activities. His story is told in "Victory Dances--the Life of Fred Berk", by Judith Brin Ingber.
IN CONCLUSION:
Israeli dances are now being danced all over the world and offer an active means of identification with Israel and Jewish roots. Its energy and diverse ethnic quality give it an appeal to people of all backgrounds. In America especially, Israeli folk dance festivals are held in many cities as well as weekend workshops and regular weekly folk dance sessions. Such activity provides a warm, recreational environment in which the language of folk dance can be the means of communication in a new community and the essential spirit of friendship and joining hands reminds us that folk dance creations which originated in the village were re-created in the kibbutz and are now shared in individual communities whether in big cities or rural areas.
The hope to dance in peace is still the ultimate dream of Israel and the recent past has created situations in which dance may have seemed inappropriate. But in the words of the Yiddish poet M. Warshawski: "...If I am beaten by the whole world--Davka--especially then, I will go out and dance...". To see the huge dance parade in Haifa on Israel's Independence Day with thousands of dancers and traditional folk dance groups taking part joined by spectators of all ages who join the dancers at the end of the parade, the hope is today, that Israeli folk dances danced in many countries together with folk dances from all over the world will help to bring joy and friendship, to many people together with international understanding and good will so that one day we may celebrate with Israel, her surrounding countries and nations throughout the world in song, dance and ever longed for peace.
Prepared by Ruth Goodman, Director, Israeli Dance Institute.
Ki Eshmera Shabbat
כִּי אֶשְׁמֵרָה שַׁבָּת – KI ESHMERA SHABBAT (Because I Keep Shabbat)
Dance: Silvio Berlfein (Dance for children)
Music: “Ahavat Hadassah” melody
CHORUS:
Stand in a circle facing center with hands free
1-8 Walk to the center 4 steps and bounce in place 4 times
9-16 Walk backwards out of center 4 steps and bounce in place 4 times
17-32 Repeat 1-16
The first verse we show the candles, the second verse we serve the wine and drink it, the third
verse we place the challah on the Shabbat table and we say the motzi and taste it. In between each
we do the chorus, i.e., the in and out steps.
Candles (verse 1):
Put one hand up like a candle (1-2) put the second hand up like a candle (3-4).
Make the candles dance side to side (5-8).
Show a candle again, then another one (9-12 = repeat 1-4).
Move your arms and fingers up “pretending to make them shine” (13-16).
Repeat 1-16 (all the candle movements).
Wine (verse 2):
Take the Kiddush cup with one hand, take the wine with the other one, pour a little bit and put it on
the Shabbat table (1-8). Repeat this 3 times (9-24). The 4th time, lift the Kiddush cup, pretending
to say the blessing over the wine, and drink (25-32).
Challah (verse 3):
Show your hands as pretending to have a tray with the challah. Move the “tray” to the right (1-2), then to
the left (3-4), lift it up (5-6) and put it on the Shabbat table (7-8). Do this three times (9-24).
Then lift the challah, tell the children to pretend to say “Hamotzi”, (the blessing over the challah),
break a piece of challah and eat it (25-32).
NOTE: The same melody is used in a setting of “Ahavat Hadassah.”
The step descriptions of this traditional dance as well as the text are provided on the following page.
אַהֲבַת הֲדַסָּה
AHAVAT HADASSAH
(For the Love of Israel [Hadassah])
Dance: Rivka Sturman
Text: From poem by Rabbi Shalem Shabazi (Yemenite)
Meter: 4/4
Formation: Lines face CCW, join hand w/left arm bent at waist palm up
CHORUS
1-2 Step fwd w/R
3-4 Step L bwd, bending L knee
5-6 Step R fwd (change weight w/both knees bent for a moment), stretch R knee
7-8 Step L fwd
9-32 Repeat 1-8 three more times
PART I - Face center
1-2 Step R to rt.
3-4 Step L behind R
5-6 Repeat 1-2
7-8 Step L across R, hop on R
9-32 Repeat 1-8 three more times
REPEAT CHORUS
PART II - Face center
1-2 Release hands, step R to rt.
3-4 Cross L in front of R, cross arms in front of body and snap
5-6 Step R to rt., sway L to left
7-8 Leap onto R to rt., cross L over R and snap w/arms crossed
9-32 Repeat 1-8 three more times
אַהֲבַת הֲדַסָּה עַל לְבָבִי נִקְשְׁרָה Ahavat Hadassah al livavi nikshara
וַאֲנִי בְּתוֹךְ גּוֹלָה פְּעָמַי צוֹלְלִיםVa’ani, b’toch gola, pe’amai tzol’lim
The love of Israel is bound upon my heart
But my footsteps fall in the diaspora
Prepared by Ruth Goodman, Director, Israeli Dance Institute.
The Jewish Week (02/02/2007)
Shabbat Shira / Beshalach: The Ecstasy of Jewish Dance
Ruth Goodman
Water is at once both life-giving and annihilating. It has a pulse, a rhythm and its power in the hands of the Master Artist is made clear with the crossing of Yam Suf (the Red Sea). The pulse and rhythm of the sea seems the heartbeat of life and the core of art. Tranquility and turbulence, through ebbs and flows in rhythmic phrases, become dance and song as they are colored by textures of movement, palettes of sound and inspired verse.
At the pivotal crossroad of the Exodus, Miriam’s triumphant dance and song signifies the gateway to the creation of community. The confluence of emotions — fear, hope, faith in the Almighty — as they successfully crossed the sea and witnessed the drowning Egyptians, are released in song and dance praising Hashem; first by Moshe and the men, “Then sang Moshe and the children of Israel this song” [Ex. 15:1], and then “Miriam the prophetess… took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dances. And Miriam sang unto them…” [Ex. 15:20 – 21].
Jews as a dancing people begin with this first powerful biblical reference. There are some thirty Hebrew words in the Bible relating to dance, but we don’t know what these dances looked like. Artwork, thought to constitute graven images, was interpreted as prohibited by Jewish law. We can only infer the nature of these dances from word derivations and descriptions of festivals and celebrations. In the verse referring to the dances led by Miriam, the word is mecholot. The root, chul (to rotate or spin) is most often used in connection with dances of women. It may also relate to chalil (flute), indicating the musical accompaniment. Psalm 150 proclaims: “Praise Him with timbrels and dance... Halelu Hu betof u’machol.”
In contrast, rakod, similar to the more familiar term for dance, rikud, relates to vigorous movement – skipping, leaping, animal-like as in Psalm 124:4: “The mountains skipped (danced) like rams, the hills like young sheep… Heharim rakdu k’eilim, gva’ot kivnei tzon.” To me, this suggests a more masculine expression. I would imagine that while Miriam led the women in dance, the men also released their joy through movement as well as song.
The Hasidic movement, which arose in the mid-18th century, perhaps best captures the essence of dance in its purest form. The Baal Shem Tov taught that God should be served with joy and happiness, and that the scholar and sage are no more precious to the Divine than a less learned individual. This sense of spiritual equality gives their dances a religious and ecstatic flavor. With body and soul, chasidic chant becomes increasingly excited with an accelerated tempo continuing into frenzy as the spirit expressed by dance soars to the heavens. This physical expression of religious fervor reminds us of the jubilation of Moshe and Miriam on the shores of the sea.
Dance as an expression of mental, spiritual and physical joy is found in Ecclesiastes: “To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose … a time to dance.” Water and dance are also linked in the description of the water-drawing festival, Simchat Beit HaShoevah. It began with a procession from Mt. Moriah to Lake Shiloah. A Kohen marched in front holding a golden pitcher with which he drew water to pour on the altar. On his return, he stopped at the gate where he was met by people singing: “U’shavtem mayim besason mi maynei hayeshu… — And you shall draw water with joy from the wells of salvation.” The evening was highlighted by a brilliant torch dance. These same words were echoed in the 1940s when a modern woman created a dance following the discovery of water on her kibbutz. The dance, Mayim, is one of the oldest and best-known Israeli folk dances.
The pioneers of the modern Jewish state were conscious of dance as a communal expression, dancing in closed circles with arms around each other’s shoulders. Gurit Kadman, considered the catalyst for modern Israeli dance at the dawn of the state, sought new songs and dances to reflect a revived culture. Through pageants recreating biblical festivals, influences of the landscape, and a sense of renewed existence in an ancient land, various ethnic groups and immigrants from all over the world shared a cultural and physical bond. The rebirth of the land mirrored the rebirth of a culture.
Israeli folk dance provides a common language that transcends barriers and allows us to relate to each other while reaffirming our identification with Israel and our Jewish roots. On this Shabbat Shira, coinciding with Tu b’Shvat — The New Year of the Trees, let us follow Miriam’s lead. Let’s turn to the sea and find the rhythmic balance within ourselves so that we can create communities resplendent with harmony and ripe with understanding. Marvel at the sapling and the miracles of life that surround us. As we replenish our souls and renew our spirits, may Hashem guide us on our journey to the day when song and dance will herald a time of peace for Israel and all inhabitants of the world.
Welcoming Shabbat Through Dance
((( (((( ((((
SHALOM LEVO SHABBAT: Welcoming Shabbat
PART A: IMPROVISATION OF PREPARATION FOR SHABBAT
MUSIC: Weekday - Prepare for Shabbat
GROUP 1: (Sound cue: Honking horn)
Driving car to shop / Move quickly through store / Return to car to drive home
GROUP 2: Cleaning house (vacuum, dust, use levels - reach high & low)
Indicate to next group (cooks) that all is clean for them.
GROUP 3: Cooks - prepare, stir, taste - indicate to next group that all is ready and the Shabbat
table can be set.
GROUP 4: Set table - use props - table cloth, Shabbat candles, kiddush cup. Two children open
tablecloth, others set table, light candles, place kiddush cup and invite next group
(challah) to come to the table.
GROUP 5: Challah - three girls walk in (braiding( pattern creating challah - when they come to the
table the real challah should appear.
At the end of the sound effects and introduction to (Shalom Levo Shabbat( music, the children holding the tablecloth should raise it high so that all the other children can pass under it, walk forward and form the two circles for the (Shabbat Shalom( dance. Some children should move the props to a real table to the side of the stage and place the table cloth and Shabbat props on it.
PART B: DANCE
Music: Shalom Levo Shabbat
Formation: Two concentric circles
PART I: Children in both circles face CCW (left shoulder to center of circle, hands joined)
1-4 Walk 4 steps forward around the circle (begin with right foot)
5-8 Face center of circle and say (Shalom( while extending arms in a greeting gesture to
the sides at waist level;
Steps: (tcherkessia step) Rock forward on right, step back on left in place, rock back
on right, step forward on left in place
9-24 Repeat 1-8 twice more
25-28 Walk 4 steps forward
PART II:
1-4 Clap hands on first count as you begin a tcherkessia step:
Rock fwd on R, step back on L in place, rock back on R, step fwd on L in place
5-8 Join hands and repeat tcherkessia step while moving to the left (clockwise) - this is a (mayim( step.
9-16 Repeat 1-8
17-20 Four skips fwd to center of circle beginning with right foot while raising arms fwd
21-24 Four skips backward out of center of circle beginning with right foot while lowering arms
25-28 Four quick slides to the right side beginning with right foot
29-32 Full turn to right side with four steps beginning with right foot
Second time through the dance:
Part I Variation:
The inside circle faces the outside circle for the (Shalom( greetings, so that they greet each other.
Part II Variation:
The inside circle faces the outside circle for the entire sequence.
End of Dance:
The children walk for 16 counts to form one line facing the audience and say:
(Shalom (4 counts), Shalom (4 counts), Shabbat Shalom!( (4 counts)
(They should use the greeting gesture as they speak with each of the 4 counts.)
Prepared by Ruth Goodman, Israeli Dance Institute.
Welcoming Shabbat Through Dance
The top 10 reasons for including frequent and regular Israeli dance sessions into your curriculum for children of ALL ages:
10. Everyone needs to move around at regular intervals or find a creative form of aerobic exercise. Why not move around to Israeli music? Particularly with children, a classroom curriculum needs to be varied. Students can take a few minutes to do dances they already know or add a new dance to their repertoire. Instead of “Shimon Omer” (Simon Says) teach a dance!
9. Israeli dance, like all folk dance, is a formula. Once the steps to a specific dance are learned or taught, the same steps are always executed to the particular music. The teacher can easily refer to written or video directions for a quick reminder. If a certain piece of music is needed, perhaps for a holiday, or Shabbat, a dance with the same counts and musical structure can fit the music. For example, the dance Zemer (Nigun) Atik fits to Shalom Aleichem.
8. Students like the feeling of being able to recognize specific music and dance spontaneously. Music for easy and fun dances can be linked in series on a tape or sheet music.
7. Israeli folk dance provides us with a common language to be used among Jews throughout the world. In any language, the steps to a particular piece of music remain the same.
6. Israeli dance provides a cultural link to all Jews around the world. Many of the simple, traditional dances have become part of a universally established repertoire.
5. Israeli dance provides a hands-on educational experience within the Judaic curriculum. It is an invaluable tool for teaching the history and heritage of the various ethnic groups that comprise the diversity within Jewish culture, as well as customs and traditions within the Jewish holiday cycle.
4. Recent educational literature has emphasized the value of early acquisition of language and motor skills. For the young student, experiences in folk dance provide opportunities to explore concepts such as patterns, sequences, phrasing, rhythm, and large motor skills.
3. Israeli dance provides an inclusive experience with an opportunity for healthy social interaction among the participants. Children with varying cognitive and physical abilities and disabilities are able participate in the same exciting and enjoyable learning experience.
2. Israeli dance is a perfect vehicle to help celebrate a simcha and our ethnic pride.
1. ISRAELI DANCE IS FUN AND BUILDS POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM.
IT MAKES US SMILE AND FEEL GREAT!!!!
Prepared by Ruth Goodman, Israeli Dance Institute.
Teva: Shabbat Texts
A more detailed analysis of the symbolic meaning of the Sabbath ritual will show that we are not dealing with obsessive over strictness but with a concept of work and rest that is different from our modern concept.
. . . “Work” is any interference by man, be it constructive or destructive, with the physical world. “Rest” is a state of peace between man and nature. . .
Any heavy work, like plowing or building, is work in this, as well as in our modern, sense. But lighting a match and pulling up a blade of grass, while not requiring any effort, are symbols of human interference with the natural process, are a breach of peace between man and nature. . . .
The Sabbath symbolizes a state of union between man and nature and between man and man. By not working – that is to say , by not participating in the process of natural and social change – man is free from the chains of time, although only for one day a week.
- Erich Fromm (1900-1980; psychoanalyst), The Forgotten Language
Sabbath in our time! To cease for a whole day from all business, from all work, in the frenzied hurry-scurry of our time! To close the exchanges, the workshops, and factories, to stop all railway services – great heavens! How would it be possible? The life of the world would stop beating and the world perish!
The world perish? On the contrary, - it would be saved.
- Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch, Judaism Eternal II:30 (1800s)
To set apart one day a week for freedom, a day on which we would not use the instruments which have been so easily turned into weapons of destruction, a day for being with ourselves, a day of detachment from the vulgar, of independence from external obligations, a day on which we stop worshipping the idols of technical civilization, a day on which we use no money, a day of armistice in the economic struggle with our fellow men and the forces of nature – is there any institution that hold out a greater hope for man’s progress than the Sabbath?
- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath, p.28 (1975)
The solution of man’s most vexing problem will not be found in renouncing technical civilization but in attaining some degree of independence from it.
In regard to external gifts, to outward possessions, there is only one proper attitude – to have and be able to do without them. On the Sabbath we live, as it were, independent of technical civilization: we abstain from any activity that aims at remaking or reshaping the things of space. Man’s royal privilege to conquer nature is suspended on the seventh day.
- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath (1975)
At the end of an epoch in which the human race has gained enormous knowledge and great mastery, Shabbat remains the emblem and practice of mystery. If we do not know what to do next, instead of trying to conquer our ignorance we may more fruitfully – and truthfully – celebrate Shabbat as our way of acknowledging that we do not know: that there is in the world not merely ignorance, but mystery.
- Rabbi Arthur Waskow (modern)
The setting of the sun ushers in a unit of time where the flowers of the field stand over and against man as equal member of the universe. I am forbidden to pluck the flower or to do with it as I please; at sunset the flower becomes a “thou” to me with a right to existence regardless of its possible value for me. I stand silently before nature as before a fellow creature of God and not as a potential object of my control, and I must face the fact that I am a man and not God. The Sabbath aims at healing the human grandiosity of technological society.
- Rabbi David Hartman (modern)
On the Sabbath, both humans and animals are freed from the grind of domestication; all technology, right down to the kindling of fire, is taboo. In the sabbatical year, the land itself is allowed to revert to a state of wildness. Sabbath, sabbatical and jubilee are all eruptions of wildness into the humdrum of the technical and economic order. Earth, plants, animals - even humans – are free to do as they will. So the rivers flowing from Eden leave puddles of paradise in time as well as space.
The analogy, too, can be turned on its head. If the Sabbath is a wilderness in time, then wilderness is a Sabbath in space.
Evan Eisenberg, The Ecology of Eden pp.130, 358
Tiyul Breshit / Guided Solo Walk
Objectives:
1. Create a space for personal learning, reflection, and exploration along the trail.
2. Use the guided walk to introduce new ideas and themes or review themes of the program
Activity:
Leader will walk ahead on trail placing cards. Cards are placed best so that there is no visual contact of other people when reading a card. Set expectations that the group will be having a solo experience along the trail and there should be no talking before during or after the activity. A second leader should wait at the beginning of the activity to release the group about one minute apart from one another. The first leader walks down the trail with a stack of cards (about fifteen), placing them along the trail in obvious spots. In windy places, put rocks over the cards or use clothespins to attach them to branches. The first hiker begins about one minute after the leader. The leader waits at the end of the trail section and collects the group as they finish the walk. The last hiker should pick up all the cards and the second leader should double check the route to make sure there are no cards left on the trail. A discussion afterwards might bring up the participants favorite parts, what they learned, or what they experienced new during the hike.
Card ideas:
1: Your starting on a journey. Take a deep breath, relax, open your eyes and enjoy the trip. Remember, this is your trip!
2: Breath deeply, your breath nourishes the trees
3: Lie down on your back and look up. How does the forest look different?
4: Stop! Listen carefully. . . Can you hear the beating of your heart?
5: Walk Slowly! Walk with awareness. The slower you walk, the more you see.
6: Who in your life would you like to share this moment with?
7: Find something you’ve never seen before
8: What would this place look like if you were a bird flying overhead?
9: Imagine this spot at night.
10: Act like a monkey! (Don’t worry there is no one around)
11: Everything on Earth comes from nature
12: “The place whereon you stand is Holy ground.” Exodus 3:5
Find a sign of G-d
13: Please walk carefully, fawns at play!
14: Get down on your belly and get close to the ground, as low as you can go.
Look at the ground, what do you see that you didn’t see from above?
15: “We thank you . . . for all your miracles that are with us each day, and for four wonders and goodness that are with us at every moment.” Daly prayers, Amida
What in your life are you thankful for?
16: Rabbi Yonachan Ben Zakkai use to say. . . “If you have a sapling in your hand and you are told the messiah has come, first plant the sapling, then welcome the messiah.”
Go find a sapling and sit with it for 1 minute.
17: “The earth laughs in flowers” Ralph Waldo Emerson
18: Would this be a good place for a Mcdonald’s?
19: “All that we see - - The Heavens, the Earth, and all that fills it - -
All these things are the external garments of G-d.” Rabbi Shneor Zalman
20: Can you see the Hebrew letter “Aleph” in the forest?
21: Close your eyes and listen for 1 minute. Can you hear at least 3 sounds? Can you hear something you’ve never heard before?
Shema Israel Adonai Elohenu Adonai Echad
22: Find 6 different shades of green.
23: Stand tall and still in one spot. Close your eyes and imagine your are a tree, rooted in the ground, stretching over the earth. How would it feel to stand in one pace for so long? What kinds of things would you see?
24: Imagine this tree in the winter, spring, summer and fall.
What are the changes/
25: This tree is a miracle. . . So are you!
26: “Eitz Chyim He. She is a tree of life.” How is the torah like a tree?
27: Recycling your newspaper for 1 year saves 17 trees. Count 17 trees.
28: “The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives.” Native American proverb
29: Think about where you live. How does what you do in your home affect this very spot?
30: If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
31: Make a wish for the Earth.
32: “It’s not up to you to finish the task, but neither are you free to walk away from it.”
Pirkei Avot
33: What am I doing to make the world a better place? What can I be doing?
34: How does what you do in your home affect this very spot?
35: How would you perceive this place if you were 8 years old? 15 years old?
36: What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
37: BE the change you want to see in the world
Israel themed additions:
1. Think of your favorite place in Israel. Recall the smell, air, texture of the soil, sounds, etc. How can we keep Eretz Yisrael in our hearts when we live in a different land?
2. Notice the signs of the season we are in – the weather, the cycles of the trees and plants, the activities of the animals. What is happening in Israel this time of year? Would we be expecting rain?
3. It is said in the world to come, all Israel will be Jerusalem, and the whole world will be Israel. What would it mean for this place to be Israel?
4. Hatikvah, the Hope! What is your hope for Israel? What is your hope for the Jewish people?
5. Chalutz, Pioneer - What does it mean to be a chalutz in 21st century?
Shabbat themed additions
1. Shabbat is a time to be zecher l’maasei breishit - a remembrance of the works of Creation. What do you see that is a work of Creation?
2. “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from God’s work, which God created to make.” (Genesis 2:3) Why is rest a holy thing?
3. Find one thing from each day of Creation
4. The word Shabbat is related to lashevet, to sit, and lishbot, to rest or stop. STOP. Take a seat. Enjoy a restful moment of Shabbat.
Created by the Teva Learning Center, updated 2007
Please give credit if using these materials
Blessing Activities
Goals: To cultivate a sense of appreciation for natural phenomenon
To instill mindfulness
To foster a recognition that God is the source of everything
To show students how blessings can be used in ways unfamiliar to them
Activity #1: Brachot Ha'nehenin Exploration
There are a series of blessings called the Birkot HaNehenin, Blessings of Enjoyment. They are said upon experiencing natural phenomenon such as hearing thunder, glimpsing a shooting star, or seeing the ocean or mountains. You can find them in your siddur ( and in Appendix J of this curriculum.
We suggest writing the blessings out separately on note cards and giving each student their own card. Have each student read their blessing to the group. Then have them carry the cards with them over the four days. Challenge the students to find moments during the week when their blessing is appropriate. When that moment arrives, they should take out their blessing and share it with the rest of the group.
Activity #2: Create your own Bracha
After facilitating a discussion about blessing and sharing the midrash on Moshe and the burning bush, have your students write their own personal blessings. One way to do this is to first have them find a makom kadosh, a holy space, in which to sit and observe their surroundings. (Let them know that after 15 minutes you will have them all return to the group to share their blessings.)
A word on language (no pun intended!). The traditional language of the blessings is in the masculine in part because Hebrew is a gender specific language. So the pronouns are always He and Him. The metaphors of God as King, Master, Ruler are also a dominant part of traditional Hebrew blessing structure and translation. Staff is encouraged to explore with the students different metaphors and language both for God and for structuring the opening ( Baruch Atah Adonai - Blessed are You , Adonai) of a blessing. You will find a reading by Marcia Falk in this manual that goes into greater detail on issues surrounding creative blessing writing and rethinking.
Some alternative structures are:
• Brucha At Yah/Baruch Atah Yah – this is the feminine and masculine form of the introduction to a blessing with the sound “Yah” for G-d or HaShem.
• Ruach Ha Olam, Makor HaChaim, Chei HaOlamim, Nefesh Chai – Spirit of the World, Source of Life, Creator of Life, Breath of Life; these are alternative forms for Melech HaOlam which translated as King of the Universe.
Putting it all together may look like this:
Brucha At Yah, Eloheinu Makor HaChaim, Oseh/Osah Ma’asah B’raishit
Blessed are You, Yah, Our God, Source of Life, the one who Creatse.
(This is the blessing on seeing beauties of nature; mountains, valleys, oceans, rivers, and wilderness.)
Food blessings
In addition to the Brachot Hanehenin, there also exists a series of blessings we say over food, the Brachot Hahodaot. The act of stopping to say a blessing before we eat and in the case of bread, washing our hands and saying “al n’tilat yadaim”, lifts eating to a higher realm and allows us to take time to recognize the sanctity of food, the Creator who has provided it for us, and all the human labor and natural resources that were necessary for bringing it to our plates.
Often, food blessings can remind us of the specific relationship our food has to God and to the elements in nature that are the source of the food. For example, in the blessing over an apple --boreh pri haetz-- we recognize both that God creates the food, but also that the apple comes from a tree. Visualizing the tree as we say the blessing can connect us to the natural world in a way that simply saying a generic "thanks" may not.
There are some traditional blessings that do not acurately reflect both the divine and natural source of the food to which they pertain. For example, the traditional blessing over water and all processed foods (including dairy items) ends with the words, "shehakol neheyey bidvaro (all that He creates with his word)". Feel free to create new blessings with your students that more specifically reflect the source of the food's Creation.
For example:
For water: borey mayim chayim --who creates living waters. (Rabbi Fred Dobb)
Birkat HaMazon
Birkat HaMazon is the blessing that is said after meals in which bread is eaten. One of the remarkable aspects of this prayer is that when saying it, we thank God not only for our food, but also for the food God provides all living things --who noten lechem lkol basar (he gives food to all flesh)--. Recognizing that God's gift of nourishment extends beyond humanity serves as yet another reminder from text that humanity is part of a much greater whole, the entirety of which is worthy of love from the Creator.
Pokeiakh Ivrim (The Camera Game)
Procedure:
The name of this exercise is taken from Birchot HaShachar, a morning prayer in which we thank God for the restoration of our senses upon waking. These senses include bodily mobility as we wake, stretch, dress and begin our day. One bracha (blessing) ends in, Pokeiach Ivrim, which means, who opens our eyes, thanking God for the gift of sight. The full blessing reads:
Baruch Atah HaShem, Eloheinu Melech HaOlam Pokeiach Ivrim.
Blessed are You, HaShem, Spirit of the World who gives sight to the blind.
1) Begin by asking students what this blessing means to them. How do we gain our sight each morning?
2) After discussing, divide students into pairs.
3) In each pair one person will be the camera and the other will be the photographer. The camera wears a blindfold (or keeps his or her eyes closed) and the photographer leads him/her to a location where they see something beautiful that they would like to “photograph.” The photographer sets up a shot, close up, panorama, etc., by adjusting the camera’s head so as to see the scene. When the photographer taps the camera’s shoulder, tugs on the ear (or takes the blindfold off), the camera then says the words “Pokeiakh Ivrim,” and opens his or her eyes to see what they have been sent to “photograph”.
Switch partners.
Discussion Questions:
1) What did it feel like to be led around blindly?
2) What was it like to have your sight restored?
3) Invite students to share some of the objects that they photographed.
4) Did you see something you would not have seen on your own?
5) Did you see something you have never seen before?
6) In what ways are we “blind” in life?
7) What can we do to become less “blind”?
Sh’ma Sound Maps
1) Begin by asking one student to recite the words of the Sh’ma. Then ask them what sense they associate with this prayer (answer should be Sound, Hearing).
2) Why do they think that God chose hearing as the sense to focus on for the most important prayer in Judaism?
3) (Optional) Have a student read a section of Perek Shira. Ask, " Do animals and plants really sing songs to God? If they do, how can we hear it?
4) Invite each student to sit somewhere in the woods alone with his or her journal and to create a map of the sounds he or she hears. Students should place themselves in the middle of the map, signified by a dot or an ‘x,’ and draw in the sounds from all around. Have students sit quietly for five to ten minutes. You may also want to do a brief guided imagery exercise with them before they begin. Challenge them to avoid using words for the sounds, but instead to draw lines, a bird, or another non-verbal representation of the sounds around them.
Discussion:
After regrouping, you may ask some students to share what they drew.
1) Did you hear anything that you didn’t expect to hear?
2) Were any of the sounds here in the forest similar to what you hear in your home environment?
3) What was it like to sit still silently for such a long time?
4) What are the ways in which listening can provide us with a way to live with more awareness in the world?
5) Could you hear the animals’ or plants’ prayers to God? Did you hear God’s reply?
Eitz Chayim He, She is a Tree of Life: Meet a Tree
Goals: To develop tactile senses, to introduce the symbol of the tree as a Jewish metaphor, to foster the development of a personal relationship with a tree, and ability to see a tree’s uniqueness.
Duration: 15 - 30 minutes
Materials: Blindfolds; Trees
Procedure:
1) Ask students: What is the forest filled with?
Answer: trees! (and much more) Trees are all over the place, but has anybody here ever really gotten to know a tree? Just like people, trees look alike, but are actually very different. In this activity, we’re going to get to know a tree so that you can tell it from all other trees in this forest.
2) Pair off the students. Give each pair a blindfold and have the sighted partner lead their "blind" friend to a tree. The sighted partner should try to disorient the friend by slowly turning them around, and leading them in a roundabout way to the tree. Please instruct students to lead their “blind” friends slowly and very carefully, telling them to look out for roots, rocks, holes in the ground, and other things their partner might trip on.
3) Instruct the "blind" campers to explore their trees as thoroughly as they can, so that they’ll be able to find it again. They can touch the tree, smell it, taste it, see if you can you put your arms around it, etc.
4) When the first person is finished exploring, the sighted partner should lead him or her back to where they began by taking an indirect route. Now, remove the blindfold and let the student find the tree with his or her eyes open. Suddenly, as the person searches for his or her tree, what was once a forest becomes a collection of very individual trees.
5) Switch partners, repeat Steps 2 - 4
Discussion:
Once the group is back together, ask the students
1) Who found their trees?
2) How many guesses did it take?
3) How did they recognize their tree from all the rest? Was it hard or easy? If you couldn’t find yours, why not?
4) Read the following line:
Eitz Haim He L’machazikim Bah, v’Tomhecha Meushar.
She is a Tree of Life to those who hold fast to her and all of her supporters are happy.
5) Why do you think we compare the Torah with a tree?
(Some possible answers: trees are life-giving, they support a community [of animals, organisms], they have roots, history, seeds, generate rebirth, bear fruit, and trees are strong, stable. All of the materials that go into the making of a Torah scroll are natural. The wooden pieces upon which the Torah is rolled are called eitzim [trees].)
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Teva Learning Center
The Unnatural Jew
Created by Noam Dolgin with help from many
An activity that explores the connections between land, time and responsibility, and looks at the Jewish historical and religious connection to Zion and the lands we live on today.
Age: 12 and up
Time: 30 minutes and up depending on how much of this highly flexible program you choose to lead.
Materials attached:
2 pictures of Hall Peninsula (Aerial photograph, and Inuit’s recounting)
Reading, The Unnatural Jew by Steven Schwartzchild
Program:
1) Define term: ‘Eco’
a. How is it used, what words begin with ‘eco’?
b. What does ‘eco’ mean? It is Latin for ‘home’.
2) What is home? What makes somewhere home?
a. What land do we call home? What are the characteristics that make it home?
3) Ask students to draw a map of their home land, with a focus on the geography.
4) In what ways is it accurate? Why or why not?
What if we drew roads or buildings instead? Would our drawing be more accurate?
5) Show 2 representations of hall peninsula? What can we learn about the Inuit man from his drawing?
a. Where does he live? Profession? How long has he/ his family lived in this location?
b. What does this tell us about this person’s connection to that piece of land? What are the benefits?
c. What effect does his people long term relationship with the area play?
6) Read The Unnatural Jew. Make sure that everyone understands what Steven S. Schwartzchild is trying to say.
a. Do you agree with Schwartzchild? Why?
b. If we are a people without a land, have we developed an earthly understanding and appreciation? Land ethic? Environmental ethic about the land?
7) Draw a map of Israel (Zion), with a focus on the geography. Is this map more or less accurate than the original? Why?
8) How does the Jewish religious connection to the land of Zion affect our relationship with that land and all land?
9) How does Zionism as an ideology address our connection with land, and the environmental dilemmas we face.
10) How can we develop a similar land and environmental ethic as Diaspora Jews.
Program Adaptations:
This is very adaptable program, depending on time, age, or area of interest, this program easily molded to fit your needs. Below are a few adaptation suggestions. If you write any of your own please send a copy to noam@
A) To Shorten remove step 3, 5 or 7. Though the combination of approaches and activities enhances the exploration. The program can be to long for certain situations and can stand with only 1 or 2 of these components.
B) Step 3. Draw an assigned location and compare to actual map. Allows for a true analysis of the accuracy of our drawings. Puts a higher degree of focus on the part of the participants.
C) Begin at step 3. Introduce concept of ‘eco=home’ at the end as part of an environmental sikkum (conclusion)
D) Use readings on Jewish connections to the land of Zion, and the Zionist attitudes towards the land, to further develop steps 8 and 9.
The Unnatural Jew
Steven S. Schwartzschild
In my philosophy department the graduate students organize an annual picnic. For some time past quasi-formal invitations have explicitly excluded me on the grounds that I am known to be at odds with nature. So I am. My dislike for nature goes deep: landscapes strike me as opponents, which, as the bible commands, I am to fill and conquer (Gen 1:28.) I really don’t like the world, and I think it’s foolish to tell me that I had better. One explanation of my attitude is historical. My parent’s family lived in Frankfurt-on-the-Main, where I was born, since before 1500. We have been urban for well over half a millennium.
Here I want to analyze whether it is only an idiosyncratic or mainly historical attitude, or whether more important, even philosophical, factors are significantly involved. Might it be that Judaism and nature are at odds? Richard Popkin once asked this Zen problem of me: Who was the last famous Jewish mountain climber? Indeed, most Jews in remembered history are unnatural persons.
In summary: (for younger audiences)
Steven S. Schwartzchild, a teacher of philosophy, in his paper The Unnatural Jew noted that his students believed that he is at odds with nature. And, he said, they are right. Steven deeply dislikes nature in all its forms; he does not like mountain ranges or old forests; he does not like tundra or sandy deserts. In fact any landscape that is unsettled frustrates Schwartzchild. He wants to conquer all land. In fact, he feels that as a Jew, he is obligated by the Torah to settle and tame the land. He, like many Jews, grew up in a city. His parents, like many Jews, also grew up in a city. His grandparents and even their grandparents grew up in a city. Jews have lived in cities for hundreds of years. Schwarzchild believes that Jewish people are not connected to the earth.
Therefore, he asks himself: is Judaism and nature at odds? Schwarzchild believes the answer is yes. He often asks the question, who was the last famous Jewish mountain climber? The answer, Steven says, is that all Jews in remembered history are unnatural persons.
Israel Web-of-Life
By Laura Bellows, for the Teva Learning Center
47,000 living species have been identified in Israel, with another 4,000 assumed to exist. There are 116 species of mammals native to Israel, 511 kinds of birds, 97 types of reptiles and seven types of amphibians. Some 2,780 types of plants grow countrywide…A growing population and increasing industrial development in Israel are destroying natural habitats, propelling biodiversity into a decline. Israel has responded by pronouncing a fifth of its land area as nature reserves. 1
"A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey."
Jewish, Israeli and Middle Eastern Environmental Organizations
North America
Green Zionist Alliance –
Teva Learning Center –
Hazon –
Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life –
Canfei Nesharim –
Jewish Global Environmental Network –
Mideastenvironet - contact Professor Stuart Schoenfeld, schoenfe@yorku.ca
Baltimore Jewish Environmental Network –
Israel
Israel Union for Environmental Defense - .il
Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership –
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel –
Arava Institute for Environmental Studies –
Megamah Yeruka (Green Course) – .il/eng
Friends of the Earth, Middle East –
Jewish National Fund –
Eretz Carmel – (click English)
Bustan –
Other information on Israel’s ecology, fyi (sources below):
Four major features have shaped this floral diversity: the country's location and topography; its rock and soil formations; its climate; and the impact of man. The human influence has been so powerful that it has actually changed some landscapes: during the countless years that man has roamed this area, he has collected and cultivated plants for food, cleared land for agriculture, domesticated grazing animals, selected and deified holy trees,' and brought new plants into the country.
Endanged Species & Reintroduction:
Of the large carnivorous animals - such as the lion, bear, leopard and cheetah - which once stalked the region, only a few leopards remain. Most species survived the hunters of the region until the advent of the rifle, although the lion had already disappeared during Crusader times. The last bear sighted in northern Israel was in 1918. Hippopotami too succumbed long ago, but crocodiles survived in the narrow streams leading into the Mediterranean until the early 20th century.
While it is unrealistic to revive the wild population of many of these predatory carnivores, an ambitious program by the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA) has reintroduced several of the herbivore mammal species that were extirpated in the region. For example, of the nine mammals mentioned in the Bible as fit for consumption - roe deer, Persian fallow deer, gazelle, addax, bison, oryx, wild goat, wild ox and ibex - only the gazelle and the ibex had remained in Israel by the 1960s. the reintroduction into the wild of some of the animals among this group - the fallow deer, roe deer and oryx - was not for the purposes of food. The fallow deer was in danger of extinction in other parts of the world; the oryx was extinct in the wild by 1972; the roe deer had not been seen in the region for more than half a century. 2
Sources for Israeli ecology information:
1:
2:
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[1] Facts: (from ), Written by Naftali Herz Imber in 1878; Imber was from Jassy, Romania; Melody: Adapted from a Moldavian-Romanian folk song by Samuel Cohen. Adopted at the Fifth Zionist Congress (Basle, 1901) as the anthem. At the Eighteenth Zionist Congress (prague, 1933), it was the unofficial anthem of Jewish Palestine. Sung at the ceremony of the Declaration of the State on May 14, 1948. Hatikvah has undergone some minor and major changes throughout the years.
[2] Facts: (from Encyclopedia Judaica) Anthem of the Zionist movement, and national anthem of the State of Israel. First published as Tikvatenu ("Our Hope") in his Barkai, 1886 (with the misleading note "Jerusalem 1884"). In 1882 Imber read the poem to the farmers of Rishon le-Zion. Soon afterward—probably in the same year—Samuel Cohen, who had come to Palestine from Moldavia in 1878 and settled in Rishon le-Zion, set the poem to a melody which he consciously based on a Moldavian-Rumanian folk song, Carul cu Boi ("Cart and Oxen").
[3] Background/Roots: (from ENCYCLOPEDIA JUDAICA) Its inspiration seems to have been the news of the founding of Petah Tikvah; the themes of the poem, show the influence of the German Die Wacht am Rhein and Der Deutsche Rhein (the "River" and "As long as" motives) and the Polish patriots' song which became the national anthem of the Polish republic ("Poland is not lost yet, while we still live"). Other influences said attributed: “Vision of the Dried Bones” (Ezekiel 37: “...Behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost”). In an atmosphere in which new songs and adaptations became folk songs almost overnight because folk songs were needed, and at a time when no one thought of copyright, the melody became anonymous in an astonishingly swift process of collective amnesia. The Moldavian Carul cu Boi is itself only one of the innumerable incarnations of a certain well-known melodic type (or pattern) found throughout Europe in both major and minor scale versions.
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32: 1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great many cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying: 3 'Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land which God smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle.' 5 And they said: 'If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; do not bring us over the Jordan.' 6 And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: 'Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall you sit here? 7 And why would you turn away the children of Israel who are going over into the land which God has given them? 8 Your fathers did the same thing, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land [the story of the 12 spies]. 9 For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they turned away the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which God had given them. 10 And God's anger was kindled in that day, and He swore, saying: 11 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed Me; 12 save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed God. 13 And God's anger was kindled against Israel, and He made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of God, was consumed…
16 And they came near to him, and said: 'We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones; 17 but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance. 19 For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward, because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.'
20 And Moses said to them: 'If you will do this thing: if you will arm yourselves to go before God to the war, 21 and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before God, until He has driven out His enemies from before Him, 22 and the land be subdued before God, and you return afterward; then you shall be clear before God, and before Israel, and this land shall be to you for a possession before God.
27: 1 Then the daughters of Zelophehad drew near… ; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, at the door of the tent of meeting, saying: 3 'Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company of them that gathered themselves together against God in the company of Korah, but he died of his own sin; and he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he had no son? Give to us a possession among the brethren of our father.' 5 And Moses brought their case before God.
6 And God spoke to Moses, saying: 7 'The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: you shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and you shall cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them. 8 And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a man die, and have no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter. 9 And if he have no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brethren. 10 And if he have no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance to his father's brethren. 11 And if his father have no brethren, then you shall give his inheritance to his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. And it shall be to the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as God commanded Moses.
22: 4 And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.-- 5 And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor … saying: 'Behold, there is a people who have come out from Egypt; they cover the face of the earth, and they will rise against me. 6 Come now therefore, I pray of you, curse these people for me; for they are too mighty for me; maybe then I shall win, and we can defeat them, so that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that when you bless someone they are blessed, and when you curse someone they are cursed.' 7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed … and they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.
… 12 And God said to Balaam: 'You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people; for they are blessed.' 13 And Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak: ‘Go back to your land; for the Eternal refuses to let me leave with you.' 14 And the princes of Moab went to Balak, and said: 'Balaam refuses to come with us.' 15 And Balak sent yout more princes … 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him: 'So says Balak the son of Zippor: Let nothing, I pray, hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will promote you to very great honor, and I will do whatever you ask of me; come therefore, I pray of you, and curse these people for me.' 18 And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak: 'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I still couldn’t go against the word of God ...
20 And God came to Balaam at night, and said to him: 'If the men have come to call you, go with them; but you will only speak words that I permit you to say.' 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 And God was angry because he went; and the angel of the Eternal placed himself in the way… Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.-- 23 And the ass saw the angel of God standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field; and Balaam hit the ass, to turn her into the way...
26 And the angel of God went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And the ass saw the angel of God, and she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam was angry, and he hit the ass with his staff. 28 And God opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam: 'What have I done to you, that you have hit me these three times?' 29 And Balaam said to the ass: 'Because you have mocked me; if I had a sword in my hand, I would have killed you.' 30 And the ass said to Balaam: 'Am I not your ass, upon which you have ridden all your life long to this day? …
31 Then God opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of God standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face… 35 And the angel of God said to Balaam: 'Go with the men; but only the word that I shall speak to you, shall you speak.' So Balaam went with the princes of Balak…
41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into Bamoth-baal, and he saw the Israelites from there. Ch. 24: 1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel… 2 Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling tribe by tribe; and the spirit of God came upon him. 3 And he took up his parable, and said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eye is opened; 4 The saying of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen down, yet with opened eyes: 5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwellings, O Israel!’
20: 1 And the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month; and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there. 2 And there was no water for the congregation; and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people argued with Moses, and spoke, saying: 'Would that we had perished when our brethren perished before the Eternal! 4 And why have you brought the assembly of the Eternal into this wilderness, to die there, we and our cattle? 5 And why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is a place with no seed, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.' 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces; and the glory of the Eternal appeared to them.
7 And the Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: 8 'Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyous, so that it will give its water; and you shall bring water out of the rock for them; so you shall give the congregation and their cattle drink.' 9 And Moses took the rod from before the Eternal, as God commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them: 'Hear now, you rebels! are we to bring you water out of this rock for you?' 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and hit the rock with his rod twice; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle. 12 And the Eternal said to Moses and Aaron: 'Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.'
1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; 2 and they rose up in face of Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty men; they were princes of the congregation, the elect men of the assembly, men of renown; 3 and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them: 'Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the ETERNAL is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the assembly of the ETERNAL?' 4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face. 5 And he spoke unto Korah and unto all his company, saying: 'In the morning the ETERNAL will show who are His, and who is holy, and will cause him to come near unto Him; even him whom He may choose will He cause to come near unto Him. 6 This do: take you censors, Korah, and all his company; 7 and put fire therein, and put incense upon them before the ETERNAL to-morrow; and it shall be that the man whom the ETERNAL doth choose, he shall be holy; ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.' 8 And Moses said unto Korah: 'Hear now, ye sons of Levi: 9 is it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the ETERNAL, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them; 10 and that He hath brought thee near, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee? and will ye seek the priesthood also? 11 Therefore thou and all thy company that are gathered together against the ETERNAL--; and as to Aaron, what is he that ye murmur against him?' 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab; and they said: 'We will not come up; 13 is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us? 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.' 15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the ETERNAL: 'Respect not Thou their offering; I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.' 16 And Moses said unto Korah: 'Be thou and all thy congregation before the ETERNAL, thou, and they, and Aaron, to-morrow; 17 and take ye every man his fire-pan, and put incense upon them, and bring ye before the ETERNAL every man his fire-pan, two hundred and fifty fire-pans; thou also, and Aaron, each his fire-pan.' 18 And they took every man his fire-pan, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood at the door of the tent of meeting with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah assembled all the congregation against them unto the door of the tent of meeting; and the glory of the ETERNAL appeared unto all the congregation. {S} 20 And the ETERNAL spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 21 'Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.'
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9 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 10 'Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person through error may flee thither. 12 And the cities shall be unto you for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment. 13 And as to the cities which ye shall give, there shall be for you six cities of refuge. 14 Ye shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan; they shall be cities of refuge. 15 For the children of Israel, and for the stranger and for the settler among them, shall these six cities be for refuge, that every one that killeth any person through error may flee thither. 16 But if he smote him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he smote him with a stone in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he smote him with a weapon of wood in the hand, whereby a man may die, and he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meeteth him, he shall put him to death. 20 And if he thrust him of hatred, or hurled at him any thing, lying in wait, so that he died; 21 or in enmity smote him with his hand, that he died; he that smote him shall surely be put to death: he is a murderer; the avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meeteth him. 22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or hurled upon him any thing without lying in wait, 23 or with any stone, whereby a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, so that he died, and he was not his enemy, neither sought his harm; 24 then the congregation shall judge between the smiter and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances; 25 and the congregation shall deliver the manslayer out of the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge, whither he was fled; and he shall dwell therein until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 But if the manslayer shall at any time go beyond the border of his city of refuge, whither he fleeth; 27 and the avenger of blood find him without the border of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood slay the manslayer; there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him; 28 because he must remain in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest; but after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return into the land of his possession. 29 And these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
7 For God is bringing you to a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey; 9 a land where you shall eat bread without scarceness, you shall not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you may dig brass. 10 And you shall eat and be satisfied, and bless God for the good land which God has given you. 11 Beware lest you forget God, in not keeping God’s commandments, and God’s ordinances, and God’s statutes, which I command you this day; 12 lest when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built great houses, and lived in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have has multiplied; 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led you through the great and dreadful wilderness, where there were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna … 17 and you say in your heart: 'My power and the might of my hand has gotten me all this wealth.' 18 But you shall remember your God, for it is God that gives you power to get wealth, so that God may establish the covenant which God swore to thy ancestors, as it is this day.
7:1 When God shall bring you to the land that you are going to possess, and shall cast out many nations before you, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than you; 2 and when God shall deliver them up before you, and you shall smite them; then you shall utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them … 4 For he will turn away your son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of God be kindled against you, and He will destroy you quickly. 5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and cut down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.
6 For you art a holy people to God: God has chosen you to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 7 God did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people--for you were the fewest of all peoples-- 8 but because God loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers – this is why brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the Eternal, He is God; the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations; 10 and repays them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hate Him, He will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shall therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command you this day, to do them.
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Olive Tree
Mountains of Judea, the Carmel and Galilee
← This Mediterranean tree grows in Israel's drier and warmer coastal areas. Much of Israel’s native woodlands have been converted into olive groves.
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Date Palm
Jordan Valley and Oases
← Oases are the warmest parts of Israel in the Arava, the Dead Sea and the Jordan valley. Run-off and underground water accumulate there, enabling trees to grow in the oases, and salt-resistant date palms to flourish around the desert springs.
Grape Vine
All over the North: Particularly the Carmel, Galilee, and the hills of Jerusalem.
← Baruch atah Hashem eloheinu melech ha’olam borei pree hagafen.
Carob tree
Carob trees are a part of the Carob and terebinth woodlands that cover limestone hills at the foot of Israel’s central mountain range. (North Central)
← The dark brown seed pod of the Carob Tree can be dried and made into a yummy chocolate substitute. Carob chip cookies anyone?
Calliprinos Oak
Upper Galilee: Golan Heights, Mount Carmel, and other hilly regions.
← Oaks grow on the volcanic rock of the Upper Galilee in areas higher than 500 meters above sea level. Botanists believe that these woodland habitat ranges have decreased substantially during the past century.
Orange Tree
Mediterranean Coastal Plain
← Orange and fruit trees are a major agricultural crop of Israel. They taste great, they sell well, but… they use A LOT of precious water.
Sabra Cactus
Negev Desert
← Native Israelis are called “sabras” because, the saying goes, they are sweet on the inside (sabra fruit can be delicious cooked) and tough (like a cactus) on the outside.
← Ironically, the sabra cactus was originally a “new world” plant! It is native to the southwest United States and Central America (here it is called prickly pear cactus).
Mountain Ibex
Ein Gedi oasis, Jordan River area
← Ibexes are beautiful gazelle-like animals.
Foxes
Golan, Judean Desert
Roe Deer – A reintroduced species
Northern Israel, Galeel, Golan Heights
This is one of the native deer of the Land of Israel. There are not many native land animals left in Israel, but many, like the Roe Deer, are being reintroduced from both zoos and the wild. Successful reintroductions into the wild have already been implemented for the Asiatic wild ass (starting in 1982), the fallow deer (since 1996) and, most recently, the white oryx (1997).
Farmed Fish
Jezreal Valley, Central Israel
← These fish are raised at large fish farms (sometimes on Kibbutzim) and sold in Israeli market places to meet the demands of a growing Israeli population and agricultural economy.
Starlings
Jezreal Valley
← Starlings are some of the HUNDREDS of different species of birds that migrate through Israel every year.
← Starlings like to spend winters feasting on food provided by Israel's fish farms and farmland.
Spotted Eagles
Judean Desert (south of Jerusalem, toward the Dead Sea) and in the hilly north of Israel.
← A number of birds-of-prey and raptor species make their home in Israel.
Salamander (Latin name: salamandra salamandra)
Mediterranean coast
← Only seven amphibian species exist in Israel today; their small number is mostly the result of the draining of Israel’s wetlands early in the century.
← All seven species breed in rain pools and small ponds.
Spider
Everywhere
← Israel has an estimated 30,000 species of invertebrates (including Black Widow spiders, common Mosquitoes, and amazing Negev insects, perfectly adapted to the desert climate).
Coral & Sponges
The Red Sea’s Coral Reefs, off the coast of Eilat
← The reef ecosystem is one of the most diverse in the world: 1,270 different species of fish, belonging to 157 families, make their home there, along with hundreds of species of coral and 1,120 species of mollusk. The region's rich fauna attracts frequent visits of large vertebrates, such as whale sharks, dugongs and dolphins, and the beach area is a nesting site for hawksbill sea turtles. The waters above the coral reef are a popular feeding ground and a vital resting place for some 280 species of birds that overfly this area in fall and spring, on their way from Europe to Africa in the fall and back again in the spring.
← Eilat’s corals, sponges and shellfish have been protected, to varying degrees, since 1956.
Environmental Factor 1:
Urban sprawl and Development in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat, Haifa and other major cities destroys precious animal habitats around these cities. The increase in pavement, cars, and storm water run-off causes water pollution which sickens local plants and animals (and humans, who also drink the water!). Eilat is a popular beach town and tourist destination, but parts of the coral reef are now dying due to disturbances from hotel construction and the thousands of divers who visit the reef every year.
Environmental Factor 2:
Water shortage in the Jordan River [where water is shared by five countries: Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine/Palestinian Territories], causes a continual water shortage in the Kineret (Sea of Galilee). This causes many animal and plant species (including humans) and agricultural crops to struggle for survival, and to fight over what remains.
Environmental Factor 4:
Global Climate Change will affect everything. Temperatures are rising now and they are expected to rise 2 – 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 100 years. This is huge. This means all bio regions (like the Negev Desert) will need to shift 300-500 kilometers northward to survive. Many animals and plants will not be able to adapt or move their habitats so quickly. Climate change will affect both temperature and precipitation patterns all over Israel.
Environmental Factor 3:
Israel’s Security Fence keeps more than people out. It also keeps land animals from moving freely across the region. Migrating land animals are having trouble finding suitable mates and cannot escape easily from local drought and famine to find areas with more water and food.
HOW CAN WE HELP TO PROTECT AND RE-BUILD ISRAEL’S “WEB OF LIFE”?
■ Development: Smart Development. We do not need to stop all development – but we do need to make all new buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. We also need to protect animal and plant habitats by encouraging the Kinesset (Israel’s government) to prevent sprawl and protect local habitat land.
■ Water: Use it wisely – in your own life and in Israel! Water is Israel’s most precious natural resource, yet it is often used to water high-water crops like flowers and citrus fruit, which are then exported – sending Israel’s water out of the country! The average Israeli uses way way more water than the average Palestinian; so Israelis must lead the way in water conservation. Encourage friends and relatives in Israel to use less water – and use it carefully yourself!
■ Global Climate Change affects ALL of us – plants, animals, and humans – and it takes ALL of us humans to slow it down. In honor of Israel’s plants and animals, take on the Jewish law of Bal Tashchit (do not waste) and reduce YOUR OWN carbon footprint. Ask your teachers, parents and friends for low-carbon ideas – or go on-line ( has a list of helpful organizations) to find out more!
Directions, with a 30-foot Israel floor map:
1) Pass out all the ecosystem cards to students (be sure NOT to pass out the Environmental Factor cards)
2) Have students find their place on the map. Have them help each other and have teachers help.
3) Begin connecting the species, starting with the first student (animal or plant) holding the end of a ball of string and throwing it to the next “strand” in Israel’s web of life. Really encourage kids to be creative – How are you connected to the something else on this map? How are all these ecosystems and species connected? By the end, the group will resemble one large spiders web.
4) Introduce some or (gradually) all of the environmental factors. Work with students to figure out how each factor will affect their web of life. Affected plants or animals drop their strand of web, their loss will affect the whole system.
5) Debrief by ending on a positive note! What can we do to protect and heal Israel’s environment? Read or reference the list of ideas. There are also helpful websites listed below.
6) If time, end with a brit.
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Verse:
As long as deep within the heart
A Jewish soul stirs/yearns/can’t rest
And forward, to the ends of the East
An eye looks out, towards Zion.
Refrain:
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of tword, to the ends of the East
An eye looks out, towards Zion.
Refrain:
Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free people in our land
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
כֹּל עוֹד בַּלבָב פְּנִימָה
נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיה,
וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח, קָדִימָה,
עַיִן לְצִיוֹן צוֹפִיָּה
עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִּקְוָתֵנוּ,
הַתִּקְוָה בַּת שְׁנוֹת אַלְפַּיִם,
לִהְיוֹת עַם חָפְשִׁי בְּאַרְצֵנוּ,
אֶרֶץ צִיוֹן וִירוּשָׁלַיִם
Kol od balevav penima
Nefesh Yehudi homiya,
Ulfa'atei mizrach kadima
Ayin l'Tziyon tzofiya.
Od lo avda tikvatenu,
Hatikva bat sh'not alpayim,
Lihyot am chofshi be'artzenu
Eretz Tziyon virushalayim.
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עוד יש מפרש לבן באופק
מול ענן שחור כבד
כל שנבקש לו יהי.
ואם בחלונות הערב
אור נרות החג רועד
כל שנבקש לו יהי
.
לו יהיה לו יהיה אנא לו יהיה
כל שנבקש לו יהי.
מה קול ענות אני שומע
קול שופר וקול תופים
כל שנבקש – לו יהי
לו תישמע בתוך כל אלה
גם תפילה אחת מפי
כל שנבקש - לו יהי
לו יהיה …
בתוך שכונה קטנה מוצלת
בית קט עם גג אדום
כל שנבקש לו יהי.
זה סוף הקיץ סוף הדרך
תן להם לשוב הלום
כל שנבקש לו יהי.
לו יהיה …
ואם פתאום יזרח מאופל
על ראשנו אור כוכב
כל שנבקש לו יהי.
אז תן שלווה ותן גם כוח
לכל אלה שנאהב
כל שנבקש לו יהי.
לו יהיה …
There is still a white sail on the horizon
Opposite a heavy black cloud
All that we ask for - let it be
And if in the evening windows
The light of the holiday candles flickers
All that we ask for - let it be
Let it be..., Let it be...- Please - Let it be...All that we ask for - let it be
What is the sound that I hear
The cry of the shofar and the sound of drums
All that we ask for - let it be
If only there can be heard within all this
One prayer from my lips also
All that we ask for - let it be
Let it be...
Within a small, shaded neighborhood
Is a small house with a red roof
All that we ask for - let it be
This is the end of summer, end of the path
Allow them to return safely here
All that we ask for - let it be
Let it be...
And if suddenly, rising from the darkness
Over our heads, the light of a star shines
All that we ask for - let it be
Then grant tranquility and also grant strength
To all those we love
All that we ask for - let it be
Let it be...
Od yesh mifras lavan ba'ofek
mul anan shachor kaved
Kol shenevakesh - Lu Yehi.
Ve'im bacholonot ha'erev
Or nerot hachag ro'ed -
Kol shenevakesh - Lu Yehi.
Lu Yehi, Lu Yehi, Ana, Lu Yehi
Kol shenevakesh - Lu Yehi.
Ma kol anot ani shomei'a
Kol shofar vekol tupim
Kol shenevakesh lu yehi
Lu tishama betoch kol eileh
Gam tefila achat mipi
Kol shenevakesh lu yehi
Lu yehi...
Betoch sh'chuna ktana mutzelet
Bait kat im gag adom
Kol shenevakesh lu yehi
Zeh sof hakayitz, sof haderech
Ten lahem lashuv halom
Kol shenevakesh lu yehi
Lu yehi...
Ve'im pit'om yizrach mei'ofel
Al rosheinu or kochav
Kol shenevakesh lu yehi
Az ten shalva veten gam ko'ach
Lechol eileh shenohav
Kol shenevakesh - lu yehi
Lu yehi.........
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