Israel Class
I have taught classes on Israel to middle- and high-school students at Jewish supplemental schools, at both Conservative and Reform congregation. Below are the lesson plans and materials for a 10-session class, each 45 minutes. The course was titled “Modern Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” and its stated goal was to enhance students’ “knowledge about and concern for Israel.”
I developed original course materials designed to maximize students’ hands-on involvement with the information presented, making it interactive and experiential, in order to keep the students’ attention, deepen their understanding, and engage them emotionally. Whenever available, I used primary sources rather than commentary. All sources include proper citations.
I hereby grant permission to anybody to use or adapt these materials and lesson plans for any purpose, as long as source attribution and copyright notice are included. I also welcome comments, feedback, and suggestions for improvement.
- Lesson 1: Introduction and Orientation
- Lesson 2: The Land of Israel
- Appendix: Object identification
- Lesson 3: Zionism: Jewish Nationalism
- Lesson 4: The British Mandate
- Lesson 5: Independence
- Video (10’03”): 1947 UN Vote [download video]
- Lesson 6: The Six Day War
- Video (4’00”): Overview [download video]
- Video (14’05”): Michael Oren interview [download video]
- Video (5’15”): Jerusalem of Gold [download video]
- Lesson 7: The Quest for Peace
- Video (8’39”): President Carter 1978 [download video]
- Video (10’08”): President Clinton 1993 [download video]
- Video (8’50”): Prime Minister Rabin 1993 [download video]
- Lesson 8: The Current Conflict
- Video (4’12”): President Obama, September 2009 [download video]
- Lesson 9: Beyond the Conflict
- Slides: [Places] [Faces]
- Video (4’41”): Israel Innovation [download video]
- Video (2’40”): Israeli Exoskeleton Suit Enables Paralayzed People To Walk [download video]
- Video (2’22”): Escape Elevator [download video]
- Lesson 10: Bringing It Together
Additional Resources for Educators
- The Israel Education Curriculum Catalogue at the Melton Center for Jewish Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Israel in Jewish Identity, a seven-unit curriculum from The David Project for middle school and high school students about the connection of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel throughout history and the centrality of Israel to the Jewish People as reflected in Jewish culture, religion, and identity.
- Biographies from the Jewish Agency
- IsraelLink from StandWithUs