Lesson

The Cure by Sonia Levitin

Considered a deviant in a future society that values conformity over all, Gemm is sent into the past to be "cured." Landing in a European Jewish community at the time of the Black death, he gains the strength to try changing his own society. Readers will be directed by two study guides to find themes of renewal and human dignity, as well as lessons abnout freedom, creativity, individuality, and prejudice. $0.00$0.00Gemm 16884 is considered a deviant and a threat to the utopian society of the year 2407 because he persists in the forbidden making of music. Given a choice between being “recycled” or undergoing a mysterious “cure,” he chooses the latter. He then finds himself living the life of Johannes, a young Jewish musician at the time of the Black Death. Surrounded by hatred and fear, he struggles to hold onto his family and faith, and wonders whether he can ever return to the future. The second study guide relates to the value of hithadshut (renewal). Additional PDFs:  2310lesson.pdf 19book.pdf

Of Heroes, Hooks, and Heirlooms by Faye Silton

This study guide provides material for a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about the book Of Heroes, Hooks, and Heirlooms by Faye Silton. Studying this novel expands the exploration of the concept zekhirah (remembrance). $0.00$0.00As part of her class’s Heritage Project, Mia is asked to bring in old family photos. But she only has one photo, which is shrouded in mystery. She's afraid to ask her parents about it because of the pain her questions might cause. Perhaps the photo itself contains clues that can reveal the answers to Mia’s questions about her family’s history. Additional PDFs:  76book.pdf

Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine

This study guide provides material to help in preparation of a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about the novel Dave at Night, by Gail Carson Levine. Studying this novel expands the exploration of the concept of simha (happiness), and also is provides a great lens into twentieth-century Jewish history, specifically the 1920s.  $0.00$0.00In 1926, Dave’s father dies and his stepmother doesn’t want him. Only the cold and strict Hebrew Home for Boys will take him in. Outside the gates of the orphanage, the nighttime streets of Harlem buzz with music and nightlife. Inside, another world unfolds, thick with rare friendships and bitter enemies. Perhaps between the two, Dave can find a place that feels like home. The first study guide relates to the value of simhah and the second relates to the historical focus of the book. Additional PDFs:  7310lesson.pdf 65book.pdf

Out of Many Waters by Jacqueline Dembar Greene

These study guides provides material for a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about Out of Many Waters by Jacqueline Dembar Greene. There are two study guides: one with a focus on the concept of zrizut (taking initiative) and one with a historical focus. $0.00$0.00Kidnapped from their parents during the Portuguese Inquisition, Maria and Isobel Ben Lazar were shipped across the ocean and forced to work as slaves at a monastery in Brazil. This novel tells the story of their escape from the monastery, then follows Isobel as she stows away aboard a Dutch ship bound for Amsterdam. The first study guide relates to the value of zrizut (taking initiative) and the second relates to the historical focus of the book. Additional PDFs:  83bookstudyguide.pdf 15bookstudyguide.pdf

Book Study Guide: Dear Emma by Johanna Hurwitz

This study guide will help you prepare a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about the novel Dear Emma, by Joanna Hurwitz. This novel and study guide expand exploration of the concept of teshuvah (returning to one's better self).  $0.00$0.00In this sequel to Faraway Summer, Dossi Rabinowitz corresponds with Emma and her family during the school year following her summer visit. Dossi’s life in New York City is changing rapidly, and in her letters she shares her frustrations, fears, and dreams for the future.     Additional PDFs:  14book.pdf

A Pickpocket's Tale by Karen Schwabach

  This YA novel tells the story Molly, a ten-year-old orphan living in the London slums in the 1730s who is sold to work in a Jewish home in New York. Over the course of Molly's adventures, she learns about belonging, trust, Judaism, and helping others. The study guide offers discussion questions, passages for close analysis, lesson and project ideas, and writing activities. Combine any components of the guide to shape lessons on the novel.   $0.00$0.00This novel shares the story of Molly, a ten-year old orphan living in the London slums in the 1730s. Following her mother’s death, Molly picks pockets in order to survive. She is able to get by until she is eventually caught and sentenced to indentured servitude in America. Upon arrival in America, Molly is sold to a Jewish family in New York, and despite their kindness, Molly is determined to return to London. Additional PDFs:  79book.pdf

Book Study Guide: Dreams in the Golden Country by Kathryn Lasky

This study guide provides material for a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about Dreams in the Golden Country, by Kathryn Lasky. Studying this fictional diary of a twelve-year-old Jewish immigrant girl in New York City can contribute to an exploration of American Jewish history, as the book highlights important themes about Jewish immigrants’ experiences and their contributions to American society in the early 20th century. $0.00$0.00New dreams and old traditions both clash and complement each other when a Jewish girl and her family emigrate from Russia to America. Twelve-year-old Zipporah uses her diary to chronicle her family’s adjustment to life on New York City’s Lower East Side, as well as her own hopes and dreams. Additional PDFs:  Study Guide

Book Study Guide: Plots and Players by Pamela Melnikoff

This study guide offers materials for a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about Plots and Players by Pamela Melnikoff. This fascinating novel takes plae in Shakespeare's time and focuses on the value behirah hofshit (making choices). **Please note that this novel contains descriptions of the atrocities of the Inquisition and of the virulent anti-Semitism in Europe at the time.**   $0.00$0.00It is 1594 and young William Shakespeare is working on a new play. When a Portuguese Jew, who has served as Queen Elizabeth's physician for years, is accused of plotting to poison her, the three Fernandez children attempt to convince the Queen to spare the doctor's life. Can the children save him? And will Shakespeare begin to see the prejudice around him? Additional PDFs:  18book1.pdf

Book Study Guide: Duel by David Grossman

This study guide provides material for a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about the novel Duel by David Grossman. Studying this novel expands exploration of the concept shalom (peace). $0.00$0.00The letter on the table said: 'You are a miserable old thief! Unless you return her mouth to me by seven o'clock this evening, I will take it away from you by force'. So begins a story in which a young boy must solve the mystery of the stolen mouth and save two men from a duel to the death. This is a tale of friendship between a beguiling boy and an old man with a past — a history that shapes the plot of the book and unfurls in the way real stories do between friends. David and Mr. Additional PDFs:  Study Guide

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill

With satire and humor, the novel The Pushcart War narrates the story of a battle between pushcartt peddlers and truck drivers. The study guide explores the themes of peace and harmony. $0.00$0.00The pushcarts have declared war! New York City's streets are clogged with huge, rude trucks, and the pushcart peddlers are determined to get rid of them. But the trucks are just as determined to get rid of the pushcarts, and chaos results. The pushcarts then come up with a brilliant strategy that will surely let the hot air out of their enemies. The secret weapon: a peashooter armed with a pin; the target: the vulnerable truck tires. Once the source of the flat tires is discovered, the children of the city happily join in with their own pin peashooters. Additional PDFs:  13book.pdf

Haym Salomon: Liberty’s Son by Shirley Milgrim

This study guide provides material to help with the preparation of a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about the biography, Haym Salomon: Liberty's Son by Shirley Milgrim. Studying this non-fiction work expands the exploration of American Jewish history, and increases knowledge and understanding of the War of Independence. $0.00$0.00Here is the little-known story of the selfless and patriotic Jewish merchant who raised money to finance the American Revolution and the new nation. Salomon's patriotism and his exploits with the Sons of Liberty were a natural outgrowth of his Jewish heritage. Additional PDFs:  Study Guide

The Return by Sonia Levitin

Engage your students in activities relating to The Return by Sonia Levitin with this book study guide.  Included are questions for study and discussion, passages for close analysis, lesson ideas, writing activities and projects for you to do with your students. **Please note that due to some of this book’s content, it would be best studied with more mature readers. ** $0.00$0.00Desta is a fifteen-year-old orphan girl from Beta Yisrael, the Jews of Ethiopia who endured centuries-long persecution at the hands of their Ethiopian neighbors. She embarks on a perilous trip to Sudan, where she hopes to find the rescuers who are taking Beta Yisrael to safety in Israel. Desta and her sister use their wits and determination to find others from their village in Ethiopia and to fulfill their dream of living in Eretz Yisrael. Additional PDFs:  48bookStudyGuide.pdf

8 Days of Hanukkah

This piece describes 16 quick ways for kids to enhance their Hanukkah celebrations. Each day has a theme (Jerusalem, Miracle, Family, Jewish Identity, etc.) and two activities: one for their own holiday fun, and one activity to do for parents, teachers, friends, the environment, or those in need. $0.00$0.00For each day there is a new activity to enhance students' personal celebrations of the holiday, matched with a way to enhance other people's celebrations and engage in tikkun olam. Lesson Summary:  Available for teachers are classroom activities to complement each day's challenge - one activity that corresponds to the For Me (the student) challenge and one activity that corresponds to the For Others challenge. These activities could also be used in the home or at a family education event. Choose one or complete all eight. The days can be used out of order, but make sure to read the whole day's activity before starting. Printable Lesson:  Classroom activities for all 8 days Additional PDFs:  Day 1: Jewish Identity Day 2: Family Day 3: Dedication Day 4: Oil Day 5: It's a Miracle Day 6: Jerusalem Day 7: Festival of Lights Day 8: Eight Texts in Hebrew and English

Reclaiming H2O in the Holy Land

Waterhas always been a challenge in Israel. This article discusses a  water shortage crisis and the measures that Israelis—individually and as asociety—used to contend  with it. In the lesson, students will study this topic and examine Jewish texts on conservation and renewal of resources. They will learn about their own water consumption and ways they can reduce waste in their homes. $0.00$0.00If you turn on the wrong kitchen faucet in search of a cool drink at Kibbutz Lotan, you're going to get a mouthful of warm, salty water. The foul-tasting H2O is pumped into homes from the region's only water source, a natural, underground well called an aquifer (pronounced ak-wa-fir). "Spit it out immediately and reach for the second faucet in the sink to quench your thirst," says Eran Cicelsky, 8, who lives in Lotan, an eco-conscious community in Israel's arid Negev desert. "God did not create [the world to be] a waste, but formed it for habitation." Isaiah 45:18 Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will study this topic and examine Jewish texts on conservation and renewal of resources. They will learn about their own water consumption and ways they can reduce waste in their homes. Printable Lesson:  1908lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Water use worksheet Additional Resources:  Additional Resources Students can watch part or all of Cadillac Desert, a four-part PBS documentary on water issues in California and around the world. A summary of the documentary may be found here. Direct students to this web site, or print it out and send home a copy. Challenge students to talk with their families and come up with ways to make their homes more water-efficient. The site also has great links to more information and an online game that kids can play to learn about conserving water. World Water Facts

Surf's Up

Surfer dudes and Jews are more alike than you think.  Two Jews have created a surf camp that also promotes Jewish thinking.  The lesson plan offers traditional sources showing nature as a source for Jewish spirituality and helps students find spiritual inspiration in their favorite places. $0.00$0.00  When you hear the words "surfer dude," the image of an observant Jew shooting the curl might not spring immediately to mind. But Ari Soshtain, 35, and Oran Bendelstein, 26, are amped about changing that narrow perspective. "We're hard-core surfers and true-to-the-game Jews," Bendelstein says. "We have that balance in and out of the water, and we want to share it with others." "As the sea is always open, so the gates of teshuvah are always open." Lamentations Rabbah 3:60 Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will explore Jewish texts that demonstrate nature as a traditional Jewish source of spirituality and examine the role of nature in their own lives as a source of renewal. Printable Lesson:  1907lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Four posters Additional Resources:  The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research and education. Website: http://www.surfrider.org Read about the "Surfing Rabbi" and watch the short movie about his recently dedicated "Surfer’s Synagogue" in Hawaii. Rabbi Nachum Shifrin says that "surfers are probably the most spiritual people in the world...it lends itself to an absolute connection with the forces of creation." For many great activities to teach about nature, read Spirit in Nature: Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail by Matt Biers-Ariel, Deborah Newbrun and Michal Fox Smart.

Molting

Read about how snakes shed their skin! In the lesson students will study the story of the snake in the Garden of Eden and a text from Perek Shirah to discover how even the first wrongdoer learned from past mistakes. Students will then write a personal commentary.  $0.00$0.00In December 2003, Indonesian villagers captured a reticulated python, the longest snake ever recorded. It weighs nearly 990 pounds and sheds 49 feet of skin. OFF WITH THE OLD "Great is repentance, for it extends a person's life." Yoma 86b Lesson Summary:  Students will study the story of the snake in the Garden of Eden and a text from Perek Shirah to discover how even the first wrongdoer learned from past mistakes. Students will write personal commentary to apply what the snake learned to trying to help us as we strive to shed our own wrongdoings. Printable Lesson:  1906lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Snake template

Ethan Ulanow: Renewing a Torah for New Orleans

This article profiles a bar mitzvah boy who raised money to repair a Torah scroll and donate it to a Jewish community in New Orleans. In the accompanying lesson, your students will identify objects central to Judaism and create brochures depicting imaginary organizations that repairthese important Jewish entities. $0.00$0.00Rabbi Isaac Leider waded through waistdeep water that had stagnated for two weeks inside Congregation Beth Israel after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans on August 29, 2005. The volunteer from New York's ZAKA Rescue and Recovery organization pushed past wooden pews strewn everywhere until he reached his destination: the aron kodesh, holy ark. As he reached inside, the rabbi burst into tears; all six Torah scrolls were drenched. "If you can believe in the ability to destroy, you can believe in the ability to rebuild." Rabbi Nahman of Bratzlav Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will identify objects central to Judaism and create brochures depicting imaginary organizations that repair these important Jewish entities. Printable Lesson:  1902lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Desert Island worksheet Graphic organizer Additional Resources:  A lesson that includes several activities about the writing of a sefer Torah and the work of a scribe can be found here. Activity for Students Slideshow on how to write a Torah

Teshuvaletes: On Your Mark. Get Set. Go.

To help you train for the spiritual Olympics, BABAGANEWZ recommends a four-step teshuvah training schedule. Students can rotate through several different stations in the classroom, studying texts on teshuvah and learning how to do teshuvah in their own lives. $0.00$0.00CALLING ALL TESHUVALETES Lesson Summary:  In this lesson, students will rotate through several stations to practice the skills and drills of becoming "teshuvaletes." Printable Lesson:  1909lesson.pdf Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Medal template Station directions Scenarios Worksheet

Sukkot Lingo: A Sukkah Game

Play this game outside in the sukkah with your students. Send it home for families to enjoy during the holiday. $0.00$0.00Play this game outside in the sukkah during a class break! Or, try it as a family activity with parents. Goal: To make a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal “bingo” on your board by asking questions so that other players will say the words and phrases on your board. Additional PDFs:  Sukkot Lingo download

The Battle For Jerusalem

Share this story of heroism and sacrifice to reunify Jerusalem in the Six Day War of 1967 with your students. Your students will learn about Zion Karasenti’s experiences during the Six Day War.  In the accompanying lesson, they will use a map activity along with a poetic narrative tol follow Zion on his journey throughout Israel, culminating with his arrival at the Kotel. $0.00$0.00This article appeared in the Second Israel@60 supplement: A Proud Nation Establishes Roots 1949-1967. Download the entire supplement below. This article appears on pages 6-7. Lesson Summary:  While learning about Zion Karasenti's experiences during the Six Day War, students will be encouraged to place themselves in his shoes. Using a map activity along with a poetic narrative, students will follow Zion on his journey throughout Israel, culminating with his arrival at the Kotel. Printable Lesson:  Lesson Plan Additional PDFs:  Source Sheet Blank map of the Middle East Map of the Middle East answer key Map of Israel "Jerusalem, Forever Ours" Lesson Plan Additional Resources:  Jerusalem, Forever Ours lesson plan and magazine article Real-time webcam of the Kotel Selections on the Return of the Old City and Kotel to the Jewish People: The Paratroopers Are Crying Information on the Kotel and The Paratroopers Cry Song: Ha'Kotel (The Western Wall) A Paratrooper's Story The Six-Day War

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