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CONNECTING TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL THROUGH CHESED
Shira HammermanAreyvutNovember 2, 2010
Goals
To introduce service learning as an approach for teaching about Israel.
To explore the process of service learning.
To provide examples and resources that will aid in the implementation of service learning as a tool for teaching about Israel.
Session Outline
I IntroductionsII Answering the “Whys”III What is Service Learning?IV Using Service Learning to Enhance
Israel EducationV Examples and ResourcesV I What is Areyvut?
Why Chesed?: A Torah Value
Deuteronomy 16:20Righteousness, righteousness you shall pursue.
Micah 6:8 He told you what is good and what Hashem demands of you - nothing more than to act justly, love kindness and walk modestly with your God.
Talmud Yoma 38:B
The righteous are the foundations of the world.
Rambam, Hilchot Shabbat 2:3 We have learned that the purpose of the Torah is not for revenge, but ,rather to bring mercy, kindness and peace to the world.
Why Chesed?: Positive Effects of Community Service
Increases civic-mindedness Increases sense of social responsibility
volunteerism Decreased stress Increased interpersonal skills Exposure to others empathy, open-
mindednessSource: University of Michigan, Benefits of Student Participation in Community
Service
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.black/benefits_of_participation_in_service
Why Teach About Israel?
Israel education is central to the missions of many day schools.
Building a relationship to Israel can start from the day children enter school.
Teaching about Israel is becoming more and more important as more and more American Jews become detached from Israel.
Why Use Chesed to Teach About Israel?
Israel education should “focus on Israel as a presence rather than a problem” (Chazan, 2000).
Israel education should focus on real issues regarding life in Israel rather than just advocacy or politics.
Israel education needs to be age-appropriate; harnessing young children’s desire to help others can help them connect in a developmentally appropriate way.
How Do You Teach About Chesed and About Israel?
Why Use Service Learning to Teach About Israel?
We are looking to build connections to Israel AND increase knowledge about Israel.
We are in need of a systematic approach to Israel education that incorporates enculturation as well as instruction.
Service learning is an approach that adds meaning and knowledge.
Service Learning: A Useful Teaching Tool
“Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integratesmeaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. An exciting, hands-on approach to education, service-learning is taking place in a wide variety of settings: schools, universities, and community-based and faith-based organizations throughout the country. The core concept driving this
educational strategy is that by combining service objectives and learning
objectives, along with the intent to show measurable change in both the
recipient and the provider of the service, the result is a radically-
effective transformative method of teaching students.”
Source: (2010), ‘What is Service-Learning?' In Learn and Serve Americas ’s National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.
http://www.servicelearning.org/what-service-learning
Service Learning Benefits: The Students The Teacher
The Community
Components of Service-Learning
Investigation Preparation and Planning Action Reflection Demonstration/Celebration
Source: Kaye, Cathryn Berger. The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven Practical Ways to
Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum, & Social Action. Minneapolis, Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., 2010.
Investigation
• Teachers help students identify need
• Investigate/analyze through research
• Contact community partners
Preparation and Planning
• Make authentic plan of action to respond to community need
• Create timeline
• Delegate assignments
Action
• Put plan into action
• Continue to raise questions to enhance project
• Experience results of actions in relation to other community members
Reflection
• Students assess project to understand their impact on others
• Students relate experience to personal lives by considering its effects on their thoughts and future actions
• Class holds follow-up discussions and investigations
Demonstration/Celebration
• Students exhibit what they learned in a public presentation
• Students teach others the knowledge they have gained
• Allows them to celebrate their achievement with others
What Makes a Service Learning Project Meaningful and Effective?
1. Meets a recognized community need
2. Accomplishes curricular goals
3. Carefully planned by teachers, students and community organizations
4. Encourages greater student responsibility
5. Students form community partnerships
6. Includes reflection to enhance the learning experience
7. Teaches students the skills needed for service
(Maryland Student Service Alliance www.mssa.sailorsite.net/define.html)
Standards for Service Learning Service-learning actively engages participants
in meaningful and personally relevant service activities.
Service-learning is intentionally used as an instructional strategy to meet learning /content goals.
Service-learning incorporates multiple ongoing reflection activities that prompt deep thinking and analysis about oneself and one’s relationship to society.
Service-learning promotes mutual respect among all participants.
Service-learning provides youth with a strong voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating service-learning experiences with guidance from adults.
Standards for Service Learning Service-learning partnerships are collaborative,
mutually beneficial, and address community needs.
Service-learning engages participants in an ongoing process to assess the quality of implementation and progress toward meeting specified goals, and uses results for improvement and sustainability.
Service-learning has sufficient duration and intensity to address community needs and meet specified outcomes.
RMC Research Corporation. (2008). Standards and Indicators for Effective Service-Learning Practice. Scotts Valley, CA: National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Retrieved from http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/k-12_facts/standards
Service Learning Plan Nutrition
Possible Themes: Related Curricular Goals:Respecting your body Scientific methodHealthy living ChemistryAppreciating nature BiologyBalance Home economicsMaking good choices Problem solvingAppreciating healthy food KashrutActing as if you are created in G-d’s image Brachot
Community Needs:People may not have sufficient foodNutritious food is more expensive than junk foodPeople may not know which foods are nutritiousPeople who are sick and elderly may need help obtaining food
Texts:Food labels, FDA food pyramid, Chumash , newspapers
Partnering Agencies: (Name/Contact/Phone/Email)Shelters, food pantry/soup kitchen, restaurants, super markets, synagogues, schools
Resources for Further Research:Books, internet, videos, organizations
Projects Ideas:Food drives, organize a soup kitchen, teach younger students about healthy eating, take people who are elderly to the supermarket, deliver food to those who are sick, create and distribute a nutritious cookbook
Timeframe:Begin the first week of school by choosing a theme and allow 2 weeks to research potential ideas and 2 weeks to contact potential partnering agencies before beginning project.
Budget: $100 for classroom supplies, transportation costs, food, publishing, etc.
Additional Considerations: Are volunteers needed to help?Do parents have related skills that will be helpful?Does school have permission to take students on trips?Can other classes be involved?
Service Learning and Israel Education: How?
Investigation Preparation and Planning Action Reflection Demonstration/Celebration
Source: Kaye, Cathryn Berger. The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven Practical Ways to
Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum, & Social Action. Minneapolis, Free Spirit Publishing, Inc., 2010.
Investigation• Select a community
need in Israel• If needed, begin with
investigation of needs in local community and link to needs in Israel
• Incorporate Israeli/Hebrew sources as part of research
• Contact community partners in Israel and in America
Preparation and Planning
• Incorporate as much authentic service as possible
• If need be, parallel project in Israel with local project.
Action
• If at all possible, go to Israel for at least part of service project.
• Encourage any students who will be in Israel to engage in a related service project during their trip.
Reflection
In addition to reflection ideas mentioned before, reflections can focus on students’ relationships to Israel, preconceived notions about Israel, how community needs in Israel are similar/different from our own, and alternative responses to these community needs.
Demonstration/Celebration
• A perfect Yom Ha’atzmaut program, especially if service learning projects have been implemented throughout the school.
Service Learning & Israel: What Are They Learning?
Israeli needs Israeli culture Israeli community Israeli history Arab-Israeli conflict Israeli organizations How different is life in Israel? Hebrew
Service Learning & Israel: Challenges
More difficult to do authentic service from a distance
More difficult for students to take the lead when they do not know the context
More difficult to connect with community partners at a distance
More difficult to sustain over distance Potential for language barrier in
research
Service Learning & Israel: Possible Solutions
Start with local: Combine study of local needs with study of needs in Israel.
Provide more directed lessons; take the lead
Make use of technology whenever possible: e-mail, video-conferencing, internet, conference call.
Make use of Israeli faculty members and community members as sources of information.
Service Learning & Israel: And Politics
Intentional connections to the “matzav”: Opportunity to touch on the politics without devoting entire unit to the situation
Be prepared for unintentional connections: Who is served by the organizations you work with? Do they serve populations across the green line? Do they serve non-Jewish or non-Israeli populations? Why or why not?
Service Learning & Israel: Brainstorming Examples
With a partner, brainstorm: Community Needs in Israel Project Ideas to Meet These Needs Curricular Connections (What will
they learn about Israel?) Potential Community Partners (Here
and in Israel)
Resources:Chesed/Service LearningCathryn Berger Kaye’s Website: www.abcdbooks.org
Corporation for National & Community Service: www.cns.gov
Do Something: www.dosomething.org
Free Spirit Publishing: www.freespirit.com
Giraffe Heroes Project: www.giraffe.org
Good Character: www.goodcharacter.com
Kids Consortium: www.kidsconsortium.org
www.KindnessADay.com
Learn and Serve: www.learnandserve.org
Learning in Deed: www.learningindeed.org
Learning to Give: www.learningtogive.org
Live Wire Media: www.livewiremedia.com
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse: www.servicelearning.org
National Service-Learning Exchange: www.nslexchange.org
National Youth Leadership Council: www.nylc.org
New Jewish Values finder: www.ajljewishvalues.org
Service Learning Listserv: www.servicelearning.org
SOLV (Susan Abravanel): www.solv.org
Tradition of Kindness (Daily Dose of Kindness): www.atraditionofkindness.org
Resources: Teaching Israel Pomson, A. and Deitcher, H. (2010). Day
School Israel Education in the Age of Birthright. Journal of Jewish Education. 76:1. 52 - 73
Sinclair, A. (2009). A New Heuristic Device for the Analysis of Israel Education: Observations from a Jewish Summer Camp. Journal of Jewish Education. 75:1. 79 - 106
HaYidion, Spring 2009 (Available at www.ravsak.org)
Jewish Educational Leadership, Volume 7:1, Fall 2008 (Available at www.lookstein.org)
Resources: Databases of Organizations in Israel
Areyvut Database: www.areyvut.org/project_ideas/
Jgooders.com: www.jgooders.com/volunteer.asp
Jchoice.org: www.jchoice.org/ViewCauses.aspx
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