By Eliana Schechter
Playing with Robyn Faintich’s Jewish Values Challenge card set, I found that the Values Dominoes game is a great way to consider, question, and learn from different values. Each card has the value listed in English, Hebrew, and transliteration; this allows players to successfully learn Hebrew word as they are incorporated into the game. When playing Values Dominoes, players place related value cards next to each other and must get the approval of the group for each related one. Whether playing with one set or several sets, Jewish Values Challenge offers players the chance to both make interesting groupings of values and to reflect on how these values exist or should exist within their own friendships.
Particularly for teens in today’s world, it can be hard to see how Judaism connects to our lives. Yet Faintich’s Jewish Values Challenge card set makes the connection by reminding us that many of the values we likely hold dear are also Jewish ones. Several cards that I enjoyed playing together in the Dominoes version were “Friendship/ Cleaving to Friends,” “Perseverance,” “Give Benefit of the Doubt,” and “Taking the Initiative.” These cards address the ways that we must continue to believe in and work with others so that we may better both our lives and the world.
Values Dominoes
Players: 4-6
Purpose: Make connections between related values
How to Play: Dealer deals each player 7 cards. Player 1 lays down a card face up—for example, “Respect and Dignity.” Player 2 lays a card next to it (end to end) that he or she considers best related to that card, for example, “Honoring the Elderly.” Player 2 has 20 seconds to explain the choice of that card. If the group accepts the explanation, Play 3 then lays down a card related to “Honoring the Elderly.”
If the group rejects the explanation, Player 2 must pick a new card from the deck, and wait for the next round. Players can also branch off in different directions, i.e., build on multiple values. The winner is the person who runs out of cards first.
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Eliana Schechter, our 2014 Summer Intern, is a rising sophomore at Grinnell College where she is a member of the Grinnell Review Writing Committee and the Student Government Association. Hailing from South Orange, NJ, Eliana is a past president of South Orange USY and served as an Assistant Teacher at Mickey Fired Nursery School Summer Camp.
Contact us about internship opportunities at Behrman House. We offer a paid internship each summer for college students with an interest in Judaism and writing. Some December opportunities are also available occasionally.
