PEOPLE – LESSON 1- THE MANY FACES OF ISRAEL
Goal
The goal of this lesson is to help the students understand the complexity of Israeli society through an encounter with some of its different faces and characters. Although the characters we will describe are fictional we have tried to create characters that can be said to typify or represent fairly large segments of Israeli society.
Materials
Included in the kit
Tape of Safam’s “Just another Foreigner” song, a printout of the words to the song, 12 pictures of faces from Israeli society
Needed
Tape recorder
Suggested Lesson Plan
Step 1 (10 minutes)
We recommend hanging the 12 pictures on the walls of the classroom prior to class so that the students will see them immediately upon entering. As they enter, the students should be encouraged to walk around the classroom and to look at the pictures on the walls. Teachers should then hand the students the words to the song “Just another Foreigner” and ask them to be seated. Then play the song.
If you think the song is self-explanatory you can proceed to the main body of the lesson – the stories of the various characters. Otherwise it may be helpful to have a brief discussion about the song and its message. Here are some guiding questions:
What was the initial reaction of the character in the song to the people of Kiryat Shemoneh and their conversation? What was his subsequent reaction? What caused the change? What does he mean when he says that the Russian woman is “joining all her people as she follows G-d’s command”? What is the central message of the song?
Step 2 (15 minutes)
The teacher should ask for 7 volunteers. Each volunteer should be given a copy of the story of one of the characters from Israeli society and then be asked to read it aloud.
Step 3 (15 minutes)
After the stories of the 7 characters have been read an open discussion should take place relating to the some or all of the following questions:
- To whom do you relate the most and to whom the least? Why?
- Which character would you want to learn more about?
- Do you have any relatives in Israel? If so can you share their story? Is it similar to any of the characters that we discussed?
- What problems are likely in Israel to arise as a result of the mix of these different characters?
Step 4 (5 minutes)
Play the song again and then explain that while this lesson is meant to expose them to Israeli society in a general way the following lessons will take a closer look at two groups of Israelis– Israeli 17 year olds and Israeli soldiers.
Masalwa Bagdishi
My name is Masalma Bagdishi. I am 30 years old. I was born in a small village in Ethiopia and I then moved to Addis Ababa. As a Jew in Ethiopia I observed the Sabbath and the Jewish festivals and I prayed that I would one day come to the Jewish Holy Land of “Eretz Yisrael”. There were a lot of anti-Semites among our neighbors who made our lives very difficult. In May 1991 our prayers were answered and we were airlifted along with another 14,000 Jews to Israel.
Once we arrived in Israel we thought everything would be great. We arrived at the absorption centers and after we learned basic Hebrew and the basics of Israeli culture we went to live in a town called Kiryat Malachi, which is where I live and work as a mailman.
I am married with two children. Our parents are still living with us until they receive an apartment in the neighborhood. Although life isn’t exactly easy for us, they are having a particularly difficult time getting accustomed to modern life, and to secular culture and they only speak Amharic. Also, they are very anxious about my brother who is living in a dormitory far away from home and who will soon be drafted into the Israeli army. I actually look forward to my brother being drafted because that is something I wished I could do.
My biggest hope is that our lives in Israel will be better than they were back in Ethiopia and that our children will never feel as outsiders now that we are living in our own country.
Zalman Goldberg
Hello. My name is Zalman Goldberg. I am 18 years old. I was born and raised in the Me’ah She’arim neighborhood of Jerusalem, and all my life I was educated in the Hassidic community called “Pirchei Aharon”, and all of my friends come from this community. In my home and community we speak mostly Yiddish but I also understand and speak Hebrew.
Today I am about to meet, for the first time, the girl my parents want me to marry. Her name is Charna Le’ah. If I like her we will get married within the next 2 months and God willing we will have a big family. When I study at the Rebbe’s yeshiva my wife will work at home and take care of the children. Although I live in Israel, I view it as just another place where Jews live and not of any importance to me. Some people think it is a Jewish state because most of the people living here are Jewish but as far as I’m concerned it can’t be a Jewish state as long as the Jews here act like goyim. That’s why I don’t stand when the Israeli national anthem is sung, I don’t celebrate Israeli Independence Day and I don’t serve in the army. I believe that the real protection for the Jews comes from our continuous learning of Torah.
I believe with complete faith that the Messiah will come and I await the day that he will help us build the real State of Israel that will be run according to the Torah and Halakhah. That has been the dream of all my ancestors and it continues to be my dream.
Josh (Yehoshua) Ribner
Hi! My name is Yehoshua Ribner although my parents and family still call me by my American name Josh. I am 39 years old, my wife is Dina and we have 3 sweet beautiful girls. 9 years ago Dina and I decided that the time had come to make aliyah from Cleveland where we were living at the time. We moved along with our eldest daughter to a lovely town near Jerusalem called Efrat, which has lots of American olim like ourselves. Dina works part time as a dental hygienist and I work for a Jerusalem based law firm.
We have an Orthodox home, and we love to celebrate Shabbat and holidays with as many guests and words of Torah as possible. In our spare time we love to walk and bike-ride in the neighborhood and in different places around the country. I play basketball and Dina does Yoga and of course we spend lots of time doing children’s things- parks, playgrounds, swimming and the zoo. We make a point of leaving the country once a year when we usually go to the U.S. to visit our relatives in New York and Cleveland and to enjoy the wide open space and some good shopping.
Our dream is to see all the Jews from all over the world coming to Israel and settling the Holy Land without hesitation and fear. The Arabs have plenty of other places to live but this is the only land that we have and the only one that God assigned to us.
Nissim Buzaglo
Shalom! May name is Nissim Buzaglo. I am 35 years old and I live with my wife Mazal and our 11 year old twin boys and 5 year old girl in a small apartment in the Tikvah neighborhood of Tel-Aviv. Mazal and I are native Israelis but her parents came from Yemen and mine from Morocco. Mazal comes from a religious family but I would say that we are more traditional than religious. We make Kiddush and have a Shabbat meal but we watch T.V. and turn on lights. We observe the holidays and we keep kosher but I don’t wear a kippah and we send our children to the general, not the religious, state school system.
I work as a telephone repairman and Mazal is at home with the children. Under ordinary circumstances we struggle to make enough money to get by but with the recent cutbacks in government subsidies it is really difficult to pay our bills and we always end up in overdraft.
We rarely go away with the family especially since we don’t own a car. I enjoy spending time watching soccer on Saturday with my boys. Also I spend about a month every year doing army reserve, which unlike a lot of people I enjoy, because I get to hang out with the guys and I get to be away from the pressures of life.
My dream is to find a good job and to eventually move to a private home with a garden. I hope for peace between Jews and Arabs but first I hope for improved relations and less discrimination of Ashkenazim toward us Sephardim.
Noa Levine
My name is Noa Levine. I am 42 year old and I am married to Shmulik and we have two children Boaz and Ido. We live in north Tel-Aviv with Ido but Boaz is now living on his own because he recently started studying medicine at Tel-Aviv University. I have an MA in Computer Engineering and I am the Head of Department at a large High-Tech company in Herzliya.
I am a second generation Israeli, my parents were born and raised here. My father was killed in the Yom Kippur War and because I was a little girl I don’t have many memories of him. When I served in the army I was an education officer in the Air Force and I really enjoyed my army service. I felt privileged to be serving the State of Israel and continuing in my father’s path who died serving his country.
I am very busy with my career and my family and when we find time we enjoy hanging out at the beach. We just came back from a trip to Europe which was a lot of fun. I don’t care much about religion, although we do have a family get-together on Passover night and we had a Bar Mitzvah party for both the boys. The thing that annoys me the most are the charedim who refuse to serve in the army because they claim they’re busy learning Torah and who use their power to force religion on the majority of us secular Jews.
One day I hope we will be able to achieve peace in this country when we withdraw from the territories and the Palestinians realize that terror is not the answer. And then I hope that will be able to live normal lives like normal people.
Yoav Katz
Hi! I am Yoav Katz from Kibbutz Zeelim which is in the south. I am 39 years old, I am married to Ye’arah and father of Dvir, Elad and Sivan. All my life I have lived on the Kibbutz and I went to school with kids from other kibbutzim. In the army I was in a commando unit of paratroopers and I served in the war in Lebanon and later I was a commander of a troop of paratroopers. Unfortunately, two of my close friends were killed in this war and my youngest son is named after one of them.
I work on the kibbutz in the field crops department – our kibbutz grows wheat, corn, oranges and mangos- and my wife Ye’arah is in charge of the cultural activities of the kibbutz youth. My parents live near us in the kibbutz and I visit them as often as possible. They are Holocaust survivors and now that they are getting old I want to hear their stories and make sure that I have something to tell the next generation. I am not religious but there is Jewish culture on the kibbutz. All the Jewish holidays are celebrated together as a community but the celebration is a unique combination of Jewish tradition and kibbutz life and kibbutz values. We have Bar and Bat Mitzvahs celebrations which are not religious occasions but are like rites of passage and are marked by a series of individual and group tasks that the Bar Mitzvah kids are expected to complete. Some boys also get an aliyah to the Torah but that is optional. We used to say Kabbalat Shabbat together but not anymore.
My family and I love the communal spirit and the supportive nature of kibbutz life but none of us know how long we’ll be able to stay here because the kibbutz is in debt and it may soon cease to exist. If we are forced to live elsewhere I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I certainly wouldn’t go live on a settlement because I am opposed to that sort of thing and it’ll just get in the way of any possible peace deal with the Arabs.
Mariah Stephanov
Hello. My name is Mariah Stephanov. I am 20 years old and I am currently serving in the Israeli army. I was born in a small town in Uzbekistan and when I was 12 my family moved to the Ukraine. A year later my family made aliyah and moved to Ashdod. We had heard from friends and family about the financial benefits offered to olim from the former Soviet Union and things were really tough back home so my family decided to come.
Back in Ashdod my friends were mostly from the former Soviet Union and I hardly spoke Hebrew outside of school. The truth is I wasn’t so interested in meeting Israelis, I thought they were rude and somewhat obnoxious and there was no problem socially because there were plenty of other olim like myself. Still I grew to love Israel and feel that I belong here.
When I first entered the army there were a lot of tensions between us and the Israelis but things have calmed down a lot and I even have some Israeli friends. Still, I am proud to be serving the State of Israel and although it’s scary to live here I have no desire to return to the Ukraine. When I talk about my connection to the people and to the state I am speaking about my connection to secular Jews and to Israel as a secular state. I know very little about religion and I really don’t care.
I hope to go to University after I finish the army and to study biology although I am not sure what I will do afterwards. I hope that one day there will be peace in this country. Who knows? Maybe by the time I’m a grandmother.
PEOPLE – LESSON 2 – ISRAELI TEENS: ARE THEY LIKE US?
Goal
The goal of this lesson is to compare the lives of American and Israeli teens. While there are certain important differences, American teens are likely to find a great deal more in common with Israeli teens than they may have previously expected. It is hoped that this lesson will not only increase the understanding of Israeli teens but perhaps also generate a desire to develop personal relationships with them.
Materials
Included
Videotape of 4 Israeli teens. Please accept our apologies for the fact that all 4 students are boys. The one girl who volunteered to participate in this project cancelled at the last minute.
Needed
A video player
Suggested Lesson Plan
Step 1 (15-20 minutes)
Since the goal of this lesson is to compare American and Israeli teens both groups should be asked to address the same questions. We recommend beginning by asking some, or all (depending on the number of students. Please keep in mind the time frame for this step in the lesson), of the students the following questions:
- What do you like to wear?
- What is your favorite food?
- What do you like to do in your spare time?
- What kind of music do you like to listen to?
- What sorts of things excite you the most?
- What are you planning on doing next year?
- What is your greatest fear?
- What would you like to do when you “grow up”?
- Is there anything that you would like to contribute to society?
Step 2 (21 minutes)
Show the video of the Israeli teens
Step 3 (5-10 minutes)
Conduct a follow-up discussion. You may want to ask some or all of the following questions: Were you surprised by any of the answers of any of the Israeli teens? Did anything stand out for you in particular? Do you find them more similar or more different from you than you would have expected? As a result of this video do you have any desire to meet Israeli teens? Do you have any desire to meet any of the teens in the video?
PEOPLE – LESSON 3 – WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE AN ISRAELI SOLDIER? THE STORY OF ONE TROOP
Goal
The goal of this lesson is to provide our students with a unique glimpse into the lives and experiences of soldiers in combat units in the Israeli army. By watching a film that sheds light on the fears, the anxieties, the friendships, the heroism and the pain of one troop of Israeli soldiers, our students will hopefully develop an appreciation of, and connection to, Israeli soldiers and the Israeli army.
Materials
Included
A VHS version of the film “Pawns” and a 30 minute edited version of the film
Needed
A video player
Suggested Lesson Plan
Step 1 (10 minutes)
The teacher should begin by explaining that this “People” lesson will deal with Israeli soldiers. Explain that in order to gain insight into the lives and experiences of Israeli soldiers we will be watching a film produced in 1997 which tells the story of one troop of Israeli soldiers.
Then explain that in order to properly understand the film it is necessary to give some background information. The key background information is provided below which we suggest summarizing briefly.
Step 2 (30 or 60 minutes)
If it is possible show the entire “Pawns” film, which runs approximately one hour. If it is not, show our edited 30 minute version.
Step 3 (10 minutes)
Have an open discussion about the film. The following are some questions that may help facilitate the discussion:
How did this film make you feel? How did it make you feel about Israeli soldiers and the Israeli army? Are these feelings different from feelings you had before? Which episodes stood out in your mind? Which conversations stood out in your mind? How do you feel about the fact that Israelis at the age of 18 are drafted into the army for a period of 2 or 3 years whereas Americans at the same age are not?
Background on the Israeli Army
Service in the Israeli army known as Tzahal or IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is mandatory for Jewish men and women over the age of 18, although exemptions may be made on religious grounds. Men serve in the IDF for three years as do women in combat positions, while women in non-combat positions serve two. In addition men are required to spend up to one month a year doing reserve service until the age of 43-45. No direct social benefits are tied to completion of military service but preference is given in many jobs to those who have served in the army.
The IDF is comprised of a number of different branches: 1. Ground Forces – including Infantry, Armor, Artillery, and Combat Engineering, 2. Air Force – including Warplanes, Helicopter gunships, Cargo planes, Air Defense, 3. Navy – Scout Boats, Missile Ships, Submarines, Naval Commando, 4. Support – including logistics, ordnance and maintenance, Medical Corps, Military Police, Military Courts, Military Chief Rabbi, Military Schools/ Military Academy, 5. Civilian Service, and 6. Military Intelligence.
The IDF is considered one of the most high-tech armies in the world, possessing top of the line weapons and computer systems. The IDF has a Code of Conduct that is a combination of international law, Israeli law, and the IDF’s own traditional ethical code – the IDF Spirit. Recently, a team of professors, commanders and former judges, developed a code of conduct which emphasizes the right behavior in low intensity warfare against terrorists, where soldiers must operate within a civilian population.
Background to the period covered in the film
Lebanon
Although the southern border with Egypt had been relatively calm since Israel signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979 the northern border with Lebanon was another story. The PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) had established its headquarters in Beirut and southern Lebanon from where it launched repeated attacks on northern Israel and from where PLO terrorists managed to penetrate and carry out attacks in the heart of the country. In 1982, in an effort to prevent these hostilities, then Minister of Defense Ariel Sharon ordered the Israeli army to invade Lebanon. Within a few months the Israeli army had succeeded in defeating the PLO and the PLO was forced to withdraw from Lebanon. Israel then began a phased withdrawal which was completed in 1985 but maintained a 9 mile wide security zone in the south aimed at protecting northern Israel from missile attacks. Nevertheless, soon afterwards, the Palestinian organizations had managed to regain a foothold in many areas of Lebanon and they resumed missile attacks on northern Israel and on Israeli troops stationed in the security zone. Later (in 2000, 3 years after the film was completed), amid mounting Israeli casualties, as well as increasing domestic pressure, Israel decided to remove its forces from all of Lebanon.
Hebron
In 1987 large segments of the Palestinian population in the territories, occupied by Israel after 1967, took part in an uprising – known by its Arabic name Intifada – against the occupation. Masses of civilians attacked Israeli troops with stones, axes, molotov cocktails, hand grenades and other forearms. At first a spontaneous outburst, the Intifada developed into a well organized uprising. To suppress this uprising Israeli forces responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, home demolitions and in some cases live ammunition. The violence continued but in 1993 Israel and the PLO signed the historic Oslo peace accords. Israel withdrew its forces from the Gaza Strip and Jericho and following the 1994 killing of 30 Palestinain worshipers by an Israeli gunman in Hebron, a United Nations force took up positions between the Jewish and Arab sections in the city. Despite ongoing peace negotiaions, acts of violence continued which were perpretated mostly by Palestinian groups opposed to the peace process. These attacks led to increased opposition to the peace process within Israel leading ultimately to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin. Nevertheless, the peace process continued and, in 1995, Israel agreed to withdraw its forces from several most of the large Palestinian cities. Due to the existence of a small Jewish community in Hebron, however, Israel retained control over 20% of the city.