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Shiurim

USCJ EC Staff Meeting Shiur - April 2007

“Accordingly we, members of the People’s Council, representatives of the Jewish community of Eretz-Israel and of the Zionist movement, are here assembled on the day of the termination of the British mandate over Eretz-Israel and, by virtue of our natural and historic right and on the strength of the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, hereby declare the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel.”

- From The Declaration of The Establishment of The State Of Israel, 5th day of Iyar, 5708 (14th May, 1948)

Questions for Discussion:

  1. The creation of the State of Israel is grounded in history and memory, so much so that Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) is immediately preceded on the calendar by Yom Ha’Zikaron (Memorial Day). Unlike their American counterparts, almost every Israeli family has lost someone in a battle for the existence of Israel; keeping that in mind, discuss the reasons for the juxtaposition of these two days on the calendar and what the resulting affect (not a typo, but the emotional outcome) is on the Israeli and Jewish people.
  2. If you have been to Israel, describe the most enduring moments you experienced there. If you have not been to Israel, describe the thing about it that sounds most enticing to you.
  3. Here are the words to Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah (The Hope):
    As long as the Jewish spirit
    is yearning deep in the heart,
    With eyes turned toward the East,
    looking toward Zion,
    Then our hope -
    the two-thousand-year-old hope -
    will not be lost:
    To be a free people in our land,
    The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
    What dreams and goals are expressed in this song? What does Hatikvah tell you about the Jewish people and our relationship to the land of Israel?
  4. We recognize that the concept of “country” is impossible for very young children to understand. So when we teach about Israel, we must remember that we are striving to create a love for Israel that will become part of the foundation of each child’s Jewish identity. As they grow, they will “own” Israel as someplace precious to them, a familiar place they seek to visit and always to support. How can you create experiences for children that truly connect them to Israel at the foundational level, both in celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut and through the year?

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Maxine Segal Handelman
Consultant for Early Childhood Education,
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

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