An enormous amount of energy and resources of the Jewish community go into working with teens – reaching out to them, encouraging them to stay connected to Jewish life and community after their bnei mitzvah, and ultimately providing them with a strong reservoir of Jewish commitment that they can draw on when they go on…
One of the core educational questions related to Jewish Peoplehood is how to cultivate it. A recent blogcast convened by CASJE – the Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education, raised this very question. The blogcast brought together several educators and policy-makers with an interest in the Peoplehood practice of Jewish educational travel. Over the course…
The recent policy piece published in eJewishPhilanthropy, “Strategic Directions for Jewish Life: A Call to Action” offers a credible roadmap for the next decade, at least, for the American Jewish community. And its signatories offer much food for thought for those of us engaged in Jewish education and leadership. And yet, as I read the…
With the Israeli elections just days away, Israeli voters are making their final decisions about the party and candidates they will support. Or maybe they are just deciding what to do with an unexpected mid-week day off (Election Day is a public holiday, after all). What is pretty certain is that very few Israeli voters will…
זוהי אסופה של ח”י מאמרים המתמודדים עם שאלות היסוד של התחום: “מה משמעותה של העמיות היהודית? מה חשיבותה? כיצד יש לטפח אותה?” באופן לא מתוכנן התפתח באסופה זאת שיח בין דורי בסוגית העמיות…
The Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education, together with Beit Hatfutsot, is proud to be hosting a ground-breaking conference entitled “Israelis and Jewish Peoplehood: The Challenge of Jewish Peoplehood in Israeli Society”, to be held on February 9th in Tel Aviv. Gathering at Beit Hatfutsot on the campus of Tel Aviv University, from 9:30-16:00, the Conference will focus on…
Continuing our series of resources for educators based on films from the students at the Ma’aleh Film School in Jerusalem, check out our discussion guide for the short drama, “The Divide”, a film by Tzvi Yehuda Herling. The movie tells the story of Kobi, who has defied his parents wishes by joining the Israeli army. Now…
The Hebrew month of Elul has just begun, and with it comes the countdown to the new year. Rosh HaShana and the season of the High Holydays is only a few weeks away. Elul is a month with enormous power. It is traditionally the time in which Jews start a process of “cheshbon nefesh” (…
As a kick-off to our new series of movie resources, based on the engaging and stimulating short films from the Ma’aleh Film School in Jerusalem, we are excited to share with you a link to the movie “House no. 103”, a story of a community and family struggling with crisis. Movie: House no. 103 – a…
The current, on-going crisis in Israel, has been making me reflect on lots of things lately, about Jewish values, the centrality of the State of Israel, the nature of violence and oppression. But mostly it makes me think of my family. My immediate family (some of whom live in Israel and some of whom live…
What does it mean to be a Jewish social justice activist? What do Jewish social justice activists from Israel, Europe and North America have in common? And how does Jewish Peoplehood fit in? These are just some of the key questions discussed by 70 young Jews at the recent Siach gathering; “From Me to We”,…
I really appreciate Josh Feigelson’s distinction between Big Questions and Hard Questions. I think it is so rich and helpful, and can provide us with a roadmap to more effective Peoplehood education. As he says so eloquently “If we are to renew a sense of peoplehood, we have to renew a language and ethic of responsibility.…
At this time of year, following Passover, the Jewish calendar is full of celebrations and commemorations that highlight the national aspects of being Jewish. Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) are powerful and rich expressions of Jewish Peoplehood, and offer many educational opportunities to explore…
“Who is really here for who?” The question resonated for the whole group, as they sat in their specially-built temporary structure (a sukkah of sorts), in the northern Negev. It was Friday night and the 41 participants in the “Tribal Fire” program (in Hebrew Medurat Hashevet) had reached a level of open communication that the…
The Center for Jewish Peoplehood interviewed Alon Friedman, CEO of Hillel Israel about the work of his organization and why Jewish Peoplehood is so central to its mission. How did Jewish Peoplehood become so central to Hillel Israel? Choosing to focus on Jewish Peoplehood was part of a thoughtful strategic process that we went…
In the aftermath of Purim take a look at the new Worldwide Purim Album from Beit Hatfutsot . Here are some ideas for using the album to connect your students to Jews across time and space. These ideas would work well with younger children and teens. Have your students bring pictures of themselves in Purim…
One of the most effective, and widespread, tools for Peoplehood Education is the Mifgash – an encounter between two different populations. Interacting in a positive way with people who are different from ourselves is a powerful educational tool that helps us expand our horizons, and reflect on our own identities. But not all mifgashim are…
The CJPE is proud to introduce the Toolkit for Jewish Peoplehood Education. Building on its efforts to encourage debate about the nature of Jewish Peoplehood – what is it? – and its significance– why is it important? – the Toolkit takes the discussion one step further. Designed for educators and policy planners in a wide…
Goldwater and Ravid focus their response broadly on education. They introduce the Toolkit for Peoplehood Education, acknowledging that there is an identity crisis requiring a holistic educational approach, facilitated by educators as key change agents for assuring a strong and rich Jewish collective future. It reflects their conviction that the response should be practical, proactive…
Barber suggest that in most Jewish conversations about pluralism, the word is used to convey the thought that all Jewish narratives are true Jewish narratives and that none holds more weight than any other. However, she suggests that the community needs instead to understand pluralism as the need to learn about the multiplicity of Jewish…
