What is the secret of Jewish survival? Nations detached from their homeland, place of worship and native soil for thousands of years, rarely survive in places other than museums and Wikipedia pages. What makes the Jews different? In this lesson, learners will explore several possible answers to this question. Thought provoking discussion triggers such as analyzing an excerpt from Mark Twain’s “Concerning the Jews”, and creative learning activities are featured in this resource.
The learners will:
understand why it is unlikely for a nation that is expelled from its homeland to retain its group identity
know the events that led to the exile of the Jewish people from the land of Israel and the factors that contributed to the survival of Judaism in exile
be able to identify and write about the key aspects of Judaism that helped the Jewish people survive throughout history and to assess one’s own Jewish identity and “membership” in the Jewish people against this backdrop.
Unpacked for Educators materials include:
An educator’s guide that contains many rich components. These are organized under the following titles:
review (questions that relate to the video)
discussion
activities
reflection
further learning
A video designed to spark interest in the topic.
A lesson plan (link in the attachment above) that incorporates additional building blocks for the construction of an engaging and interactive lesson.
Computer, Projector, Colored Pens and Pencils, Poster paper
The website link includes a “further learning” section in the educator’s guide.