You are about to embark on a journey of discovery. A discovery of a land, people and culture that is part of your DNA. Before you begin this journey that takes place over thousands of years and over 6,000 miles away, let’s begin with a journey closer to home. Let’s begin with you.
In this unit, you will have the opportunity to navigate Israel. Through a series of activities, you will become familiar with Israel’s size and surrounding region. You will end the lesson by meeting some individuals who despite the challenges, have chosen to “come home” to Israel.
UNIT 4
DIVERSITY IN ISRAEL
In this lesson you’ll be introduced to the richness of Israel’s society and the unique and amazing people who add to its culture. This will challenge some of the things you may have heard about what life in Israel is like for some of the people who live there. It may also challenge some of your ideas of who makes up Israel’s population.
What do values say about a country? In the United States we value, “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as promised in our Declaration of Independence. Actions, more than words, say much more about a person or nation and what they value. In this lesson, you will learn about some of the actions taken by Israel to assist those in need, and this will help you draw your own conclusion about the role of Jewish values in Israeli society.
UNIT 6
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
In this unit, you will become an expert in one of the areas of Israeli cutting-edge technology. To share what you have learned, you will create a campaign to promote your made-in-Israel innovation or technological breakthrough.
Before you start this lesson, take a moment to think about you. Who are you historically? Who are you right now? What matters to you? What do you value? You have had an opportunity to get to know an Israel that is not normally covered in school. How does this Israel make you feel? Was there something special and unique you learned that helped you to forge a stronger connection? Is there a value that is important to you that you have seen exemplified through the actions that Israel takes? In this final lesson, you’ll have the opportunity to explore these questions.
UNIT 8
ISRAELI ARABS, ISRAELI JEWS
In this unit you will be introduced to some of the challenges that exist between Jews and Arabs who both call Israel “Home.” The video you will watch along with the accompanying activities are meant to provide perspective. When we allow ourselves to put a human face on a complicated history, we see what can happen when you actually get to meet, and more important, hear the “other.”
Has someone ever said something about Israel or Jews that has made you uncomfortable? Have you been unsure if what they said crossed a line? In this unit you will explore how to have conversations about triggering topics without letting emotions blindside you. Whether what was said was malicious or out of ignorance, we need to make sure that each of us as members of a minority group, have the tools to determine when language that we would not find acceptable for another group is used on us.
