Embracing Israel in 2020: Crafting Our Learning and Celebrations: Workshops

Workshop Choices:

Celebrating Dimensional Israel through the Visual Arts: Ellen Alt

The best way to teach about Israel is through a specific lens, be it history, geography, art or landscape, while tapping into the creative process as the driving force. I will present several successful projects from my synagogue and school experience, showing how to bring the community together around learning and celebrating Israel. This will be followed by a hands-on workshop for you to experience the nuts and bolts of the process while you consider taking these art-focused ideas back to your community.

Staging our Stories: Andrew Davies

In this workshop, we will get the chance to take our specific, personal experiences from Israel and bring them to life in actual performance. A number of exercises will be demonstrated and taught as guiding techniques to craft our stories. We will explore the various strategies for utilizing all these techniques in your settings with your students.

Israel in Five! Robbie Gringras

Can you sum up Israel in 5 songs?
What criteria would you use? Content? Style? Historical significance? Personal taste?
What techniques might you employ to make the best educational use of these songs? Together we’ll explore all these questions, come up with practical answers, and delve into the five songs I chose!

The Literary Lens – Connection to the Land: Dr. Rachel Korazim

Let’s explore the poetic wonderland of the Zionist narrative and its unwavering connection between the people of Israel and the country.

We will read works by various writers including Rachel, Nathan Alterman, Yehuda Amichai, Ephraim Kishon, and Amos Oz to gain a deeper understanding of how each poet expresses their love, doubts, pain, and critique. Together, we will consider how their works lead our students to the larger Israel narrative we wish to teach.

Israeli Diversity through Personal Memoirs and Reflections: Rich Walter

Using original writings, recordings, and videos, we will explore the diverse fabric of Israel's story through the lens of those who participated in its building and development. Special emphasis will be placed on voices that represent Israel's diverse society. Challenges and obstacles will be explored alongside triumphs and successes as we use the primary sources to gain a better understanding of Israel's complexity.