Abstract

This is a lesson plan provided by the National Library of Israel.

Choosing a national emblem for the State of Israel in 1948 was no easy task. What were the criteria? What are the deeper significance to the symbols that were eventually chosen and how do they relate to the story of Chanukah? This resource gives the learner an opportunity to discover the history behind the emblem through texts, images, and discussion prompts. Furthermore, it requires the learner to reflect on their own knowledge of Jewish texts and history and select the moments and symbols that they feel best represent the hopes of the Jewish homeland.

The learner will:

 

  1. understand how the emblem of Israel uses the menorah as a symbol of the successes and hardships of the Jewish people.
  2. know about at least three moments in Tanakh and history where the Menorah was used as an important symbol.
  3. be able to create and explain their own national emblem for the State of Israel using symbols that represent pivotal moments in Jewish texts and history.
About the National Library and its educational materials:

The mission of the National Library of Israel is to provide a home for items of national, historic or cultural significance. Each of these primary sources serve as unique entry points into the collective memory of the people of Israel as well as the Jewish people worldwide.

The education department at the library curates the collection of primary sources and uses them as windows into the past; to foster a deeper understanding of Jewish history, and to enable learners to personalize and connect to earlier events.

 

When you click on the National Library of Israel resource link featured above, you will find the following educational building blocks for the creation of a lesson plan:

  1. A group activity to open the lesson and engage the learners.
  2. Discussion ideas and/or questions that are designed to get the learners thinking more deeply about the content.
  3. A creative activity that gives students the opportunity to go beyond learning and analyzing, to crafting something new, that personalizes how they relate to the  primary sources featured in the resource.

The primary sources in this resource have individual links (listed in Expand your horizons below) that provide expanded information. In addition there are nuanced discussion questions that will enable students in small groups to engage independently and effectively in the process of  observing, interpreting, and connecting to the primary sources.

Link to the lesson plan:
Chanukah and Israel’s Emblem

Computer, Projector, Student Handout

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