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Israel – the Vision and the Venture
General framework for the educational kit Background The story of the Jewish People, in which a nation that had been powerless and globally scattered for 2000 years mobilized against all odds to build its own State in its ancient homeland, sounds almost like a historical fantasy. Yet it was the Jewish People that envisioned, dreamed and eventually built its own State, now celebrating its 60th anniversary. The Challenge In contrast to the dramatic success story of over 100 years of collaboration in building and sustaining the Jewish State, stands the challenge of instilling in the young generation the sense of joint ownership of that endeavor. As current research attests, most young Jews today, both in Israel and across the world, do not see Israel as the State of the Jewish People and do not identify with the notion of Jewish Peoplehood altogether. The Rationale In order to address this challenge – the weakening sense of Peoplehood and attachment to the Jewish State – the School for Jewish Peoplehood at Beth Hatefutsoth is launching a new educational program set to start in January 2008. Goals of the Program
The kit comprises four units on key topics, around which the framework story has been built. The framework story is meant to create a common thread running through the units, which will encourage dialogue between the participants and the characters presented in the units, and will connect the participant to the key message of the program: the story of the Jewish People’s partnership in the establishment and development of the State of Israel. The framework story: Participants are invited to a party, celebrating 100 years since the establishment of the State of Israel. Everyone is asked to bring with them at least one personality (or organization), and to bring a gift for the State as it attains the age of 100 years. Who to bring to the party and what to give as a gift? The participants will take a journey through four periods of time, in which they will get to know various partners in the establishment of the State. At the end of the journey the participants will determine whether and how they wish to continue this partnership. At the beginning of their journey the participants will receive an envelope into which they will “collect” the characters they meet along the way, whose activities have made an impression on them. In this way, each participant will select the characters who will accompany him to the celebrations for the 100th birthday of the State of Israel. The items in the envelope will in turn contribute to the content, creative and experiential portions of the party. They will also provide inspiration for the drama, music, and song segments, depending on the facilitator’s own imaginative skills. In the fourth unit, participants will choose the gift that they wish to offer the State of Israel as the fruit of their partnership with the State. Unit 1: Dreaming and thinking of a sovereign Jewish State Goal:To explore how, and why, the Jewish People came to the conclusion that it needs a State. The participants begin their journey with this unit, which focuses on the closing years of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In this unit, they encounter those individuals who dreamt of and thought about Jewish national fulfillment, both in the land of Israel and outside it. The participants are invited to take part in a publicity campaign aimed at convincing their peers of one of the options for Jewish life proposed by various individuals in this period. Unit 2: The establishment of the State of Israel Goal: To learn how the Jewish People mobilized manpower, resources and political support to turn the vision into reality. The participants continue their journey to the period 1945-1949. In this unit they encounter the individual stories of those who were the behind-the-scenes heroes in the struggle for the establishment of the State of Israel. To honor their deeds, the participants will be asked to immortalize their unique contribution by depicting these individuals are heroes. Participants will receive a page of instructions on how to create a “super-hero,” and will describe the individuals in the stories using this “super-hero” framework. Unit 3: 60 years of partnership Goal: To show how the Jewish People from all corners of the world collaborated with those who made Israel their home, in assuring the survival, success and prosperity of the State. The participants’ journey continues to the 60th anniversary of the existence of the State of Israel. Here they meet individuals and organizations from the international Jewish community who, through their activities, serve as partners in the development and growth of the State of Israel. In this portion of the journey, the participants will receive information sheets about these individuals and organizations. They will be asked to produce a “breakfast show,” of about ten minutes length, with the various segments written in the spirit of 60 years of partnership. The show will highlight the individuals and organizations that the participants have met. Possible program segments include personal interviews, news, cooking, weather, surveys, cosmetics, and so on. Unit 4: Thinking ahead - 2048 Goal: To discuss and envision the role of the State in the future of the Jewish People. In this unit, which is the concluding stage of the journey, the participants are invited to a café, where they are presented with a menu of “dilemmas”, from which they are to select an “appetizing” dilemma which will motivate them to consider the future partnership between the Jewish People and the State of Israel, and think about their role in that partnership. Celebrating 100 Years of the State of Israel The participants come to the party, accompanied by those individuals or organizations whom they have selected to accompany them (the ones in their envelope). They also bring with them a gift that they would like to offer the State upon its reaching the age of 100. In effect, the gift is an expression of the participants’ role in the story of the partnership between the Jewish People and the State of Israel. The party serves as a festive conclusion to a wonderful journey in which the participants have encountered the ideological founders of the State of Israel, as well as its builders and supporters over the years, both within Israel and throughout the world. |