Week 20 - April 8, 2021

This week in Seekers we began our unit on Israel. We began by learning Israel's national anthem "HaTikvah" with Rabbi Elster before classes.

In Anavim with Stephanie, we looked at a photo of two ambulance workers in Israel praying during COVID, one Jewish and one Muslim. We talked about what can divide and what can unite us. 

One Anavim student said, "It's cool how Jerusalem is a nexus point for three different religions." Another Anavim student said, "There are two different religions praying about the same thing. Just because they're two different religions doesn't mean they have to always be divided."

In Tamarim with Batya, we learned about our Jewish Homeland being Israel. One Tamarim student said, "The Jewish temple was so large and beautiful!" Another student said, "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel."

In Rimonim with Leilah, we introduced Israel by first learned about the importance of Israel in the context of Abraham and the 12 tribes. One student asked, "How many people were living in Israel in the time of the Temple?" Then we talked about the dispersion of Jews all across the world and how many Jewish communities have moved to Israel, making the country incredibly diverse. One student said, "Diversity means different. A whole group of people who are different in their race and religion."

When Leilah asked students what else they wanted to learn about Israel they said, 

• Their military and their currency system
• Their flag and their food
• How is the economy there (I hope it is better than the American one.)
• The landscapes
• Who is the president
• What sports do they like?

In Te'enim with Rabbi Nadia, we did an Israel Escape Room where we learned about Israel's History.