Iyar – Symbols of the State of Israel

• The students will learn about Yom HaAtzmaut.
• The students will learn about the different components of the Israeli flag and the emblem of the State of Israel and how they reflect Jewish tradition.

Opening Hook

Before the lesson, place the drawings of the Israeli flag and the emblem of the State of Israel (Supplement 1) inside a gift-wrapped box.

Watch or just listen to the song “My Israel.” Dance with the students to the music, preferably in circles. After a few minutes, have the students sit down and bring out the gift-wrapped box. Tell them that on Yom HaAtzmaut, the State of Israel celebrates its establishment and independence, which was declared on the 5th of Iyar (May 14th) 1948. Tell the students that after many years during which almost all Jews lived in the Diaspora, many of them returned to the Land of Israel and, despite all the difficulties involved, established a state. Tell about the great joy this brought to the Jewish people. Ask: What does a new country need?

Take an Israeli flag and a picture of the official emblem of the State of Israel (Supplement 1) out of the box. Explain to the students that each country has a flag and an official emblem and that the State of Israel chose to include in its emblem symbols related to the Jewish tradition. Explain that today we will learn about the different components of these symbols and why they were chosen.

Main Activity

Divide the students into four groups. Each group will do an activity focusing on one component of these symbols. During the activities, the students will learn about the significance of the components of the different symbols and how they reflect Jewish tradition and the values of the State of Israel. To conclude, each student will design a flag based on what they have learned and will write a prayer or wish for the State of Israel.

The groups: 1. Tallit  2. Magen David  3. Menorah  4. Olive Branch

Distribute the appropriate activity cards to each group (Supplements 2–5), one for each student in the group, along with sheets of white paper, a blank flag (Supplement 6) for each student, pens or pencils, and colored markers or crayons. You can also give them colored paper and scissors and suggest that they cut out pieces of colored paper to decorate their flags, instead of using markers or crayons.

Conclusion

Bring the class back together and ask a representative from each group to tell the class about what they learned. Make sure that the different values represented by the different components are mentioned: connection to tradition, light (the Menorah), peace (olive branches), prayer (the tallit), and defense (the Magen David). Present the flags that the different groups made, attach them all to a piece of string, and hang them up in the classroom. Ask the students to share the prayers and wishes that they composed.

Digital Game

Connect Four – State of Israel: Divide the class into two groups: Team Flag and Team Emblem. Have the groups take turns choosing a number from the board and answering questions based on knowledge from the lesson or general knowledge about Israel. If they answer correctly, they can place one of their colored discs on the spot where the question was. If they answer incorrectly, the other team gets a chance to try and answer the question. The goal is to get four of your team’s discs in a row (horizontal, perpendicular, or diagonal). If a team chooses a number for which there is no question, they can put their disc on that spot without having to answer a question.

Sheets of white paper, pens or pencils, colored markers or crayons, blank flag (Supplement 6), activity cards (Supplements 2–5), Israeli flag and official emblem (Supplement 1), gift-wrapped box. Optional: colored paper and scissors.