Behrman House Resource Libraries Curriculum Guide: ISRAEL

Get a head start planning next year’s Israel education program with the new Israel Curriculum Guide to the Behrman House Resource Libraries. The suggestions below can be used to add a lesson or two to your current Israel education program, to supplement your Hebrew program, or to form the core of a completely new approach to your students’ engagement with Israel.

New to the Resource Libraries? Click here to learn all about it.

Choose your Israel resources by grade level or focus on specific goals:

Homeland: Israel as homeland and center of the Jewish people
History: Israel’s rootedness in history and Bible
Diversity: The diversity of Israel’s peoples
Geography: The geography of Israel—places and landmarks
Life: The daily lives and challenges of Israelis

Simply click the title of the resource to view additional information and to download the materials. Don't forget to rate the resource when you're done—it will help your fellow educators find the same great resources!

Goal	Resource Title & Link	Description
Grades 3-4
Geography	Dead Sea	Dead Sea and the rich minerals extracted from the region Science article and 50-minute lesson plan
Geography History	Desert Oasis	Formation of a kibbutz in the Negev Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Geography	Eilat’s Bounty of Beauty	Beauty of Eilat’s underwater observatory Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Homeland Life	Eric Shachar’s Wild Israeli Ride	Young man who bicycled through Israel Profile article and 50-minute lesson plan
Diversity Geography	It Takes a Village	Yemin Orde, home to thousands of immigrant children Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Homeland Life	Jake Gering: Biking the Holy Land	Father and son who joined the Arava Institute-Hazon Bike Ride in Israel Profile article and 50-minute lesson plan
Geography Diversity Life	Machaneh Yehuda, the Jerusalem Open Air Market	Erev Shabbat in Jerusalem’s market One-minute video and 50-minute lesson plan
Homeland	Knowledge of the Land of Israel PowerPoint	Overview of Israel with texts, images, discussion questions, music, and an activity 11-slide PowerPoint
Grades 4-5
Geography Homeland	Celebrate Jerusalem PowerPoint	Value of Sisu et Yerushalayim with texts, images, discussion questions, a video, and an experiential activity 11-slide PowerPoint
Life	Dancing with the Jews	Karmiel Dance Festival in northern Israel Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Life	Defenders of the Holy Land	How IDF soldiers dedicate themselves to the protection of their country Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Diversity Homeland	From the Four Corners of the Earth	Immigrants from differing backgrounds come to Israel Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Homeland	Hatikvah Study	Hatikvah, with a focus on perseverance 50-minute lesson plan
Diversity	Israel Celebrates Ethiopian Jewish Holiday	Israel’s celebration of the Ethiopian Jewish holiday Sigd 3.5-minute video and 50-minute lesson plan
Homeland Diversity	Israel wave your flag	Rejoicing in our homeland of Israel 3-minute video and 50-minute lesson plan
Homeland	Tefillah L’Shalom Hamedinah	The Prayer for the State of Israel with explanation 50-minute lesson plan
Geography	Ticket to Israel	Israel’s geography Printable board game
Grades 5-6
History	Ashes of History	House of Katros in Jerusalem, circa 70 C.E. Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
History	Avraham Menachem Mendel Ussishkin: Builder of Israel	Zionist leader and head of JNF Ussishkin and his commitment to building Israel Graphic article and 50-minute lesson plan
Life	Democracy Israeli Style	Structure of Israel’s government Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Life Diversity	Heroes of the Israel Defense Forces	Profiles of three young Israelis who serve their country in unique ways 50-minute lesson plan
Life	Hope in the Holy Land	Conversation between four Israeli teens about hope for peace between Israel and Palestine Transcript and 50-minute lesson plan
Diversity Homeland	Ingathering of Exiles to Israel PowerPoint	Overview of kibbutz galuyot with texts, images, discussion questions, a video, and an activity 11-slide PowerPoint
Homeland History	Israel: The Vision and Venture of the Jewish People	Israel’s relevance to us as American Jews 7.5-minute video and 50-minute lesson plan
All goals	Jewpardy! Israel	Trivia with Israel-related questions Single-player online game
Grades 6-7
History Geography	The Changing Map of Israel	Israel’s changing borders from 3000 BCE to 2006 2.5-minute video and 50-minute lesson plan
Life	‘This Is Where I Belong’	“Lone soldiers” from the U.S. who joined the IDF Profile article and 50-minute lesson plan
Life	Dov Lipman: An American Rabbi in Israel’s Knesset	MK Rabbi Dov Lipman and the current conflict between observant and secular Jews in Israel Interview article, 50-minute lesson plan, and 14-minute video
Homeland	Hiking the Israeli Trail	Shvil Yisrael, Israel’s national trail, with a focus on how teen hikers felt while walking the land Feature article and 50-minute lesson plan
Diversity Homeland History	Israel Is My Home: A Ceremony for Yom Ha’atzmaut	Firsthand fictionalized stories of seven immigrants to Israel 30-minute scripted ceremony/assembly
All goals	ISRAEL21c	Current events articles and videos about Israel Wide variety of “instant” 50-minute lesson plans
Homeland History	Love of the Land of Israel PowerPoint	Overview of Israel with texts, images, discussion questions, video, and an activity 11-slide PowerPoint

Behrman House Resource Libraries Curriculum Guide: ISRAEL

New to the Resource Libraries? Click here to learn all about it.

Goal

Resource Title & Link

Description

Learn more:

Curriculum Guides:

Behrman House Resource Libraries Curriculum Guide: ISRAEL

New to the Resource Libraries? Click here to learn all about it.

Goal

Resource Title & Link

Description

Learn more:

Curriculum Guides:

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