RESPONDING TO THE ISRAEL - GAZA CONFLICT -
OPERATION IRON SWORDS
JEC RESOURCES FOR YOUR LEARNERS OF ALL AGES:
Click here for JEC curriculum and Israel resources.
OTHER RESOURCES:
** Jewish Resources for Coping with Acts of Terror and Violence (Reform Judaism, 2022)
** Helping Children to Process Acts of Terrorism - includes information for all ages and
avenues for action (Reform Judaism)
** What Do My Children Understand - and What Should I Tell Them about the Israeli-
Palestinian Violence (The Forward, 2021)
** What To Tell Kids When The News is Scary (podcast: NPR, 2021)
** Everything You Need to Know about the October 7 Hamas Attack on Israel (AJC, 2023, updated frequently)
** Sivan Zakai's How to Talk to Kids about What's Happening in Israel Right Now
(Kveller, 2023)
** Jewish Values Framing Israel-Hamas War (JewishGPS, October 2023)
** Additional Resources
Click here for JEC curriculum and Israel resources.
OTHER RESOURCES:
** Jewish Resources for Coping with Acts of Terror and Violence (Reform Judaism, 2022)
** Helping Children to Process Acts of Terrorism - includes information for all ages and
avenues for action (Reform Judaism)
** What Do My Children Understand - and What Should I Tell Them about the Israeli-
Palestinian Violence (The Forward, 2021)
** What To Tell Kids When The News is Scary (podcast: NPR, 2021)
** Everything You Need to Know about the October 7 Hamas Attack on Israel (AJC, 2023, updated frequently)
** Sivan Zakai's How to Talk to Kids about What's Happening in Israel Right Now
(Kveller, 2023)
** Jewish Values Framing Israel-Hamas War (JewishGPS, October 2023)
** Additional Resources
El Maleh Rachamim by Rabbi David Wolpe
Compassionate God, We pray not to wipe out haters but to banish hatred. Not to destroy sinners but to lessen sin. Our prayers are not for a perfect world but a better one Where parents are not bereaved by the savagery of sudden attacks Or children orphaned by blades glinting in a noonday sun. Help us dear God, to have the courage to remain strong, to stand fast. Spread Your light on the dark hearts of the slayers And Your comfort to the bereaved hearts of families of the slain. Let calm return Your city Jerusalem, and to Israel, Your blessed land. We grieve with those wounded in body and spirit, pray for the fortitude of our sisters and brothers, and ask You to awaken the world to our struggle and help us bring peace. |
RESPONDING TO THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE
RESOURCES FOR YOUR LEARNERS OF ALL AGES:
** A Shabbat (Friday, February 25, 2022) message from The Jewish Federation of
Cleveland
** Learn more about the Joint Distribution Committee's work and response to the
crisis in Ukraine
** Is there a local Ukrainian community in your city/community. Reach out to them
and see what they want and need
** How to Talk to your Children about the Ukraine Crisis - from the Independent - 4 tips for
talking to your children
** A blog from Reform Judaism about Ukraine - updated regularly
** Additional Resources
** A Shabbat (Friday, February 25, 2022) message from The Jewish Federation of
Cleveland
** Learn more about the Joint Distribution Committee's work and response to the
crisis in Ukraine
** Is there a local Ukrainian community in your city/community. Reach out to them
and see what they want and need
** How to Talk to your Children about the Ukraine Crisis - from the Independent - 4 tips for
talking to your children
** A blog from Reform Judaism about Ukraine - updated regularly
** Additional Resources
RESPONDING TO CRISIS SUPPORTS
For almost a decade and a half, the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland responded to crises - natural disasters and human-made - by publishing “Immediate Response Curricula.” The documents, in most cases, were quickly put together in the course of one workday. By the time children arrived at midweek religious school, educators had immediate access to:
Many of these Immediate Response Curricula focused on truly horrific situations: a drive-by shooting at a Los Angeles JCC early childhood center (1999), the killings at a high school in Columbine, CO (1999), the attack on the World Trade Center in NYC (2001), natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina (2005), and a number of bombings and wars in Israel (The Second Intifada in 2001, the second Lebanon war in 2006, the battle from Gaza in 2008). There was also a response curriculum developed on leadership, this in the face of President Bill Clinton’s potential impeachment in 1998. Since 2000, response curricula were also created to help teachers and students consider the United States elections from a Jewish perspective (the most recent was in 2016). Sometimes the curricula were both explanatory and celebratory, as in the case of the rescue of Quara Jews, who from a remote location of Ethiopia, were brought to Israel.
Over the years, other organizations and agencies added their own spin on response curricula, offering assistance to educators in the face of other “unthinkables” (the tsunami in Japan, the earthquake in Haiti, etc). And, over time, in light of the work of others and changing JEC staff, the agency stopped creating new Response Curricula for most in-the-news situations.
In the summer of 2012, the JEC asked one of its interns to organize the old response curricula so that Jewish educators had access to the information on an as-needed basis. This incredible website is the result of that work.
Here you will find:
Those looking for the JECC's "Anti-Semitism" curriculum, will find it in our JECC Marketplace.
- the facts of the situation as they were known at the moment
- Jewish texts that touched on the situation, and
- easy-to-prepare in-class (or in-camp) age-appropriate learning activities that helped children better understand the situation and to find avenues within Jewish tradition for response.
Many of these Immediate Response Curricula focused on truly horrific situations: a drive-by shooting at a Los Angeles JCC early childhood center (1999), the killings at a high school in Columbine, CO (1999), the attack on the World Trade Center in NYC (2001), natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina (2005), and a number of bombings and wars in Israel (The Second Intifada in 2001, the second Lebanon war in 2006, the battle from Gaza in 2008). There was also a response curriculum developed on leadership, this in the face of President Bill Clinton’s potential impeachment in 1998. Since 2000, response curricula were also created to help teachers and students consider the United States elections from a Jewish perspective (the most recent was in 2016). Sometimes the curricula were both explanatory and celebratory, as in the case of the rescue of Quara Jews, who from a remote location of Ethiopia, were brought to Israel.
Over the years, other organizations and agencies added their own spin on response curricula, offering assistance to educators in the face of other “unthinkables” (the tsunami in Japan, the earthquake in Haiti, etc). And, over time, in light of the work of others and changing JEC staff, the agency stopped creating new Response Curricula for most in-the-news situations.
In the summer of 2012, the JEC asked one of its interns to organize the old response curricula so that Jewish educators had access to the information on an as-needed basis. This incredible website is the result of that work.
Here you will find:
- A section on how to help children respond to tragedy; it had been created over the years through conversations with professionals from different walks of life.
- Several sections offering avenues for response (through the Jewish tradition, through the spoken word, through the arts, etc.)
- A collection of Jewish texts that may be accessed for different situations.
- A collection of resources that complement the curriculum guide.
Those looking for the JECC's "Anti-Semitism" curriculum, will find it in our JECC Marketplace.
The JECC is quite open to receiving feedback and/or ideas for additional postings. Send your thoughts and responses to:
[email protected] |
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Jewish Education Center of Cleveland
2030 S. Taylor Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44122
http://www.jecc.org
Jewish Education Center of Cleveland
2030 S. Taylor Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44122
http://www.jecc.org