Lesson

Tzedakah Copy Pak TM

Grade Level: 3-6 Through these 29 activity sheets, students discover the true meaning of tzedakah, the pleasures and responsibilities associated with it, its connections to Torah and Talmud, and the teachings of Maimonides. Pak includes black line masters and teaching guide. $0.00$0.00 Quantity Printable Lesson:  Activities.pdf Additional PDFs:  Tzedakah Teacher Guide.pdf

ISRAEL21c: StartUp Nation analyzes Israel's 'secret sauce'

This article describes the book Start-Up Nation, which analyzes the factors that have made Israel so successful in high-tech. The book concludes that one of these factors is that Israelis constantly ask questions and challenge authority. Students trace the “Jewish antecedents” for this Israeli trait by studying the biblical story of Abraham challenging God regarding Sodom and Gomorrah. $0.00$0.00The book was sold-out even before its official release on November 4, says Saul Singer, author and columnist from Jerusalem. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will explore what makes Israelis such successful innovators and entrepreneurs. Students will understand the Jewish and Israeli value of asking questions and challenging authority. Students will discuss when it is helpful to challenge authority and when it is harmful. Printable Lesson:  Start-Up Nation analyzes Israel's secret sauce.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Jewelry with an Ethiopian heart

Israel’s Yvel jewelers create a trade for Ethiopian immigrants to Israel with the Megemeria training program and line of jewelry. In this lesson, students will play a game to help them brainstorm creative and unconventional ways to engage in tikkun olam, social action. $0.00$0.00You might buy stunning Megemeria jewelry just for its unique ethnic look. But this special line of jewelry produced at the Yvel jewelry factory just outside Jerusalem is the product of an innovative training and employment program for Ethiopian immigrants. Click on the video to find out how the program transforms the lives of budding jewelry-makers. Music by Kevin MacLeod   Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will discuss the importance of initiating long-term changes through social action. Students will brainstorm social action projects and will choose a project to begin as a class. Printable Lesson:  Jewelry with an Ethiopian heart.pdf

ISRAEL21c: The treasure hunters

An amateur archaeology experience in Israel lets you connect with the past and search for treasure, one careful shovelful at a time. In this lesson, students become archaeologists in their own communities by learning how to read the clues of the past as a means to uncovering lessons from history. Students will examine their own community and will also decide what artifacts they would want to leave as their legacy to future generations. $0.00$0.00“We all grew up digging through dirt and had visions of finding treasures,” says a recent participant in Dig for a Day archeology adventures in Israel. “Here you are actually finding treasure!” The two- to three-hour experience is led by the Archeological Seminars Institute and attracts people from all over the world. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will understand the role played by archaeology in connecting generations of Jews to Israel and in exposing links between the past and the present that shape Jewish identity. Students will discover archaeology as a means to exploring the past. Printable Lesson:  The treasure hunters.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Israel is model for world dairy industries

This article discusses how Israel’s dairy farms are ecologically sound, caring of their cows, and a model for dairy farmers around the world. In this lesson, students will use Jewish sources to develop the mission statement of a farm. $0.00$0.00Israelis are pretty passionate about their dairy products. So important is cottage cheese to the average Israeli that the price of the product was the poster issue for the Israeli social protests three summers ago. But Joshua Miron, head of the Ruminant Sciences Department at the Volcani Center in Israel, says his work is much more than about a love for milk. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will consider the Torah’s perspective on animals and how it applies to pragmatic situations. Students will examine how the concept of tza’ar ba’alei hayyim applies to farms. Printable Lesson:  Israel is model for world dairy industries.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Israeli mom invents comic book for kids with cancer

An Israeli candy company is taking the confectionery and health food world by storm with its new fortified sweets. This lesson will focus on the concept of balance and moderation as a necessary ingredient in taking care of one’s body. $0.00$0.00Shira Frimer is on a fast track this year. Spurred by the goal to give away free copies of her graphic novel for kids with cancer during Children’s Cancer Awareness Month in September, she worked night and day to make it happen. Frimer, a 37-year-old art therapist living in Israel since 1995, poured 10 years into the publication of Nistar (“Hidden”), her debut graphic adventure novel for kids with cancer. The book is illustrated by Josef Rubinstein of Marvel and DC comic book fame. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will examine how what and how much one eats affects all aspects of one’s life and is a key component in the Jewish value of shmirat haguf, caring for one’s body. Students will focus on the concept of balance and moderation as an important element in a healthy lifestyle. Printable Lesson:  Israeli mom invents comic book for kids with cancer.pdf

ISRAEL21c: A lollipop that helps you lose weight

An Israeli candy company is taking the confectionery and health food world by storm with its new fortified sweets. This lesson will focus on the concept of balance and moderation as a necessary ingredient in taking care of one’s body. $0.00$0.00Willy Wonka may have the secret recipe for the Everlasting Gobstopper, but it’s an Israeli candy company that is taking the confectionery and health food world by storm with its new fortified sweets. Carmit Candy Industries recently unveiled its original line of fortified confectionery products at the Natural Products Expo West industry event in the United States. The innovative lollipops, wafers and toffees are formulated to help shed pounds, boost the immune system and promote bone health. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will examine how what and how much one eats affects all aspects of one’s life and is a key component in the Jewish value of shmirat haguf, caring for one’s body. Students will focus on the concept of balance and moderation as an important element in a healthy lifestyle. Printable Lesson:  A lollipop that helps you lose weight.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Tel Aviv residents throw open their doors

$0.00$0.00About 80,000 people came to Tel Aviv’s fifth annual Open House weekend, Houses from Within, last month, for free guided tours of 140 sites chosen for their significant form, design, history, culture, technology or ecology. Quantity Lesson Summary:  This article describes a unique event in Tel Aviv, Israel, in which residents can explore homes in the city in free guided tours. In this lesson, students consider unique aspects of their own living spaces and create a script for a guided tour of their bedrooms or other favorite spaces in their homes. Printable Lesson:  Tel Aviv residents throw open their doors.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Playing scales has never been this much fun

This article describes how an Israeli musician and software developer created JoyTunes in order to make practicing a musical instrument fun for children. In this lesson, students consider how it takes perseverance to accomplish our goals by studying the example of JoyTunes and a Talmudic story. $0.00$0.00 Profession musician Yigal Kaminka tries out the software with his violin. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will study a Talmudic example of perseverance. Students will write down a dream or goal that they hope to achieve with perseverance. Printable Lesson:  Playing scales has never been this much fun.pdf

“WE’VE GOTTA LIVE TOGETHER – YOM HA’ATZMAUT” LESSON PLAN

By viewing the music video, “We’ve Gotta Live Together,” students will recognize how unity is a byproduct of giving, even when the recipient appears to be different from the giver. Students will explore the concept of “pay it forward” and consider the Israeli aspect of the music video and how it relates to achdut, unity.  $0.00$0.00“We’ve Gotta Live Together” By Alexandra Fleksher Quantity Lesson Summary:  ·         Students will recognize the power of giving. ·         Students will identify the importance of giving to others, regardless of differences. ·         Students will explore the concept of Jewish unity and how it pertains to Israel, the Jewish homeland. Printable Lesson:  What does Yom Ha’atzmaut mean to you Lesson Plan.pdf

ISRAEL21c: A walk through the Baha’i Gardens on Mount Carmel

This video explains how the beautiful Baha’i Gardens in Haifa represent the diversity of all peoples in the world. In this lesson, students learn that religious freedom for all religions in Israel was written into the Israeli Declaration of Independence and students write a collaborative acrostic poem about religious diversity in Israel. $0.00$0.00It costs nothing to take a tour of the 19 perfectly manicured, terraced Baha’i Gardens covering the slope of Mount Carmel in Haifa. Besides being a UN World Heritage Site that attracts 750,000 visitors each year, the gardens and fountains are part of the Baha’i World Center, a religious shrine for the followers of a faith that teaches beauty in diversity. That clearly goes for plants as well as people. Catch a glimpse of some of the 450 plant species here. By Harvey Stein Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will reflect on freedom of religion in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Students will collaborate to write a poem about diversity in Israel. Printable Lesson:  A walk through the Baha'i Gardens on Mount Carmel.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Defend yourself, Israeli style

This video profiles the unique Israeli self-defense martial art of Krav Maga. In this lesson, students consider ways in which we take care of our bodies and how the Jewish value of shmirat haguf, guarding our health, relates to self-defense. $0.00$0.00Imrich Lichtenfeld probably didn’t envision that the style of street combat he invented would become so popular outside of Israel, where it has long been taught in the military. In the 1980s, this defensive martial art went international, and lately it’s expanded even more, explains Megan Cohen Kaddouch, the top-ranked female Krav Maga practitioner. “It’s so popular because it can be taught to anyone from six to 60,” says Robert Bennet, a Scottish student of Krav Maga. Like many other Krav Maga students, he chose to learn it in Israel. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will learn about Krav Maga. Students will explore the concept of shmirat haguf, the Jewish view and value of caring for the body. Printable Lesson:  Defend yourself Israeli style.pdf

ISRAEL21c: 24 million donuts, 10.8 billion calories – it’s Hanukkah in Israel

This video showcases the variety of sufganiyot (jelly donuts) in Israel and importance Israelis place on eating sufganiyot to celebrate Hanukkah. In this lesson, students study a Jewish text to learn the origin of the custom and hold a latkes vs. sufganiyot debate to determine which one should be the “official” food of Hanukkah. $0.00$0.00An estimated 24 million filled donuts (sufganiyot in Hebrew) are sold in Israel each Hannukah season. That adds up to $13 million in sales and 10.8 billion calories, at an average 450 per fried treat – depending on the filling and topping. Donuts on sale in Jerusalem. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will understand why latkes and sufganiyot are traditionally eaten on Hanukkah. Students will research the histories of latkes and sufganiyot. Printable Lesson:  24 million donuts 108 billion calories it's Hanukkah in Israel.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Taking the Disabled to New Heights

Students watch a video about Etgarim, an Israeli organization that helps disabled children and adults take part in extreme and outdoor sports. In this lesson, students consider how playing sports builds confidence, and participate in a team challenge to experience what it would be like to be in a physical setting with limited physical function. $0.00$0.00Etgarim means “challenges” in Hebrew. It’s also the name of a groundbreaking non-profit organization that helps disabled children and adults in Israel take part in extreme sports and outdoor sports. Founded in 1995 by a small group, including two disabled Israel Defense Force veterans and several rehabilitation experts, it allows more than 5,000 children and 700 adults to take part in strenuous activities such as running, cycling, sailing and ropes. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will identify 4-5 benefits of sports and outdoor activities. Students will verbalize how they can remove stumbling blocks for others. Students will experience being in a physical setting with limited physical function. Students will pledge to empower others and build their confidence. Printable Lesson:  Taking the disabled to new heights.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Angels on the Israel Trail

This article describes Trail Angels, who volunteer to open up their homes to hikers along the Israel National Trail. Students will learn about how Israelis in both biblical and modern times fulfill the mitzvah of hakhnasat orchim, and consider how they too can fulfill this mitzvah. $0.00$0.00As a young man, Danny Pearl trekked in remote parts of the world where he found nary a place to rest his weary head at night. How heavenly it would be, he thought, for hikers to have friendly places to wash up, grab a meal and slumber peacefully before the next day’s adventure. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will define the mitzvah of hakhnasat orchim. Students will study examples of people who fulfill this mitzvah in biblical times and today. Students will think about how they can fulfill this mitzvah in their own lives. Printable Lesson:  Angels on the Israel Trail.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Solutions for desert problems

Students watch a video about the Sde Boker campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where students from around the world learn about how to solve problems in desert areas. Students study David Ben-Gurion’s vision for Israel’s desert, and examine how Ben-Gurion University is fulfilling his vision today. $0.00$0.00One hundred multiethnic students, half Israeli and half from abroad, study environmental science at a remote and remarkable desert oasis: The Sde Boker campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Here, 55 kilometers from the nearest city and in the middle of the boiling and barren Negev desert, they learn a multidisciplinary approach to solving problems in desert areas and take that knowledge back to their hometowns. Solar energy, desert ecology and architecture, and wastewater resource management are among the subjects taught. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will understand Ben-Gurion’s vision for Israel’s desert. Students will examine how the Sde Boker campus of Ben-Gurion University is working to fulfill Ben-Gurion’s vision today. Printable Lesson:  Solutions for desert problems.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Knights take over Jerusalem

This video introduces students to an annual medieval festival that brings jugglers, acrobats, and musicians to the streets of Jerusalem’s Old City. In this lesson, students participate in a scavenger hunt and study a medieval world map and Jewish text to consider unique characteristics of Jerusalem. $0.00$0.00Street theater in Jerusalem’s Old City takes on a new flavor during the four-week Knights in the Old City Festival. Starting this Thursday, visitors should beware that fire-spitting dragons, jousting knights, princesses, medieval characters and battle scenes are set to take over the ancient alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will express what they know about unique aspects of Jerusalem. Students will consider in what ways Jerusalem is the center of the global world and Jewish world. Printable Lesson:  Knights take over Jerusalem.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Israel’s unique deaf-blind theater troupe

This video introduces students to Na Laga’at, a unique theater troupe in Israel made up of 11 deaf-blind actors. In this lesson, students study Jewish texts about the importance of every unique human being and practice manually spelling out their names in the deaf-blind alphabet. $0.00$0.00Blending touch, mime, sign language and music, 11 Israeli blind and deaf actors light up the stage at Nalaga’at Center in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. They learn their parts painstakingly, through directions spelled onto their hands by translators. Photo by Liron Almog. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will consider the challenges faced by those who are deaf-blind. Students will consider the benefits of diversity. Students will sign their names in the manual deaf-blind alphabet. Printable Lesson:  Israel's unique deaf blind theater troupe.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Go on an adventure at Israel’s top ten nature reserves

This article describes Israel’s top ten nature reserves. Students study biblical, medieval, and Zionist texts about the Jewish relationship to nature, and discuss how this relationship is different in Israel and outside Israel. $0.00$0.00Fancy an outdoor adventure in Israel? Whether it’s woodlands, wetlands, sand dunes, or cliffs – Israel has it all. ISRAEL21c lists the country’s top 10 nature reserves and national parks to visit. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will be introduced to some of the diverse natural and historical attractions of the land of Israel. Students will examine the Jewish relationship to nature at different points in Jewish history. Students will explore their own relationship to nature and particularly nature in Israel. Printable Lesson:  Go on an adventure at Israel's top 10 nature reserves.pdf

ISRAEL21c: Travelers from abroad help preserve the environment with Go Eco

Students watch a video about tourists volunteering in Israel to help preserve the environment. They study a Jewish text about our responsibility to the environment and discuss what is important to do when travelling to Israel. $0.00$0.00GoEco, an Israeli organization for “voluntourists” — socially conscious tourists who want to contribute something to the community and environment in the places they visit – has made a business out one of the hottest trends in travel today. In the past, volunteering in Israel meant spending time on a kibbutz. Today, eco-tourism projects are a bigger draw, and some are even kibbutz-based. GoEco matches volunteers with wildlife and desert conservation programs in locations like the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, Nazareth, and the Negev desert among many others. Quantity Lesson Summary:  Students will explore what is the purpose of a trip to Israel and what is important to do while in Israel. Students will discuss the Jewish responsibility to the environment. Printable Lesson:  Travelers from abroad help preserve the environment with Go Eco.pdf

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