This year students will be responsible for researching, analyzing, and presenting a current event in our Jewish Studies course.
Directions: Find an article either in the newspaper or online from a newspaper source. Examples include: CBC News, USA Today, CTV News, Associated Press, The New York Times, Ynetnews Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, Times of Israel, etc., or any other reputable national or local source. Read the article and fill out the statements or answer the questions below.
Please find and read about important issues that relate/connect to antisemitism.
Because this is a current events assignment, you are tochoose an article that is no more than two weeks old from when the assignment is given.
Be prepared to discuss your article in class on the due date!
Please click the link below to access the current event template:
We have begun discussing and analyzing Ch.1 of Pirkei Avot. We will continue to break down this text as our cohort works on developing coherent interpretations and supporting their ideas. Students are being asked to review the 18 verses and select the two verses that they feel are most important. This activity requires students to synthesize information and create personal connections with historic Jewish texts.
This week in Jewish Studies our class is beginning to discuss dating, marriage, and the concept of Shalom Bayit. We have watched videos and discussed the importance of recognizing, understanding, and appreciating the values of peers and potential life partners. Over the next few days, we will be focusing on the importance of “peace within the home”. Students will read and analyze the following text in an attempt to draw their own conclusions and connections.
This week the students will be diving into the first chapter of Pirkei Avot. We reviewed the benefits of annotating the text as we read. Additionally, students were encouraged to read and analyze both the Hebrew and English text. As we came across unfamiliar terms, students looked up words in an attempt to uncover their meaning and better understand each lesson. We discussed the value of developing our own interpretations of each text. Students are being asked to create connections between these texts and their own lives. Each student has received a source packet that contains the verses in both Hebrew and English. We have also been using The Illustrated Pirkei Avot as an additional resource. Our sessions thus far have led to fantastic questions and interpretations.
This week we will be discussing the horrific narrative of the MS St. Louis. We watched an incredible documentary that provided our class with testimonies from historians and survivors who experienced this infamous event firsthand. Students will read and analyze a document that discusses specific policies in Canada that were enacted to keep the Jewish people out.
Our next Jewish Studies assessment will take place on Thursday, March 10th, 2022. The review sheet below provides students with key terms to define along with short-answer practice questions. Students should review their notes in order to prepare for the quiz.
On a high from conquering the city of Yericho, Joshua sets forward on the course to conquer city #2: Ai. Unbeknownst to him one person – Achan – violated the ONLY thing that God said not to do after winning Yericho. Achan stole from the spoils of war. Why does this matter? Well, we are told that this was (part of) the reason that the Israelites lost the battle against Ai.
How is this even fair? This excellent question was the subject of Navi class last week. Is communal punishment ever ok?
The classes read the following excerpt from a letter sent to Dear Abby:
“It is necessary to listen to and follow the teacher’s instructions so that the teacher can get on with teaching us.
On the other hand, I am a perfectly obedient student, I always do as I am told and rarely talk in class. And yet, I still get punished for other people’s bad behaviour every day. Therefore, I feel that there is no point in behaving well because I am going to be punished no matter what I do.
This attitude or mindset I have developed has been brought on by teachers like you, who insist on punishing the whole group/class for one or two people’s bad behaviour. This type of behaviour is unfair and unjust and I don’t think I can withstand it any longer.
If somebody is misbehaving, punish them individually (this is fair). I don’t mind being punished if I know I deserve the punishment, but, being punished through no fault of my own is just unfair.
Although it is important for the students to follow the rules, it is also important to treat us as students fairly and respectfully.”
Then we watched clips that addressed each side of the issue:
and
Finally, the students were asked to write their own letters addressing the issue: Is it ever fair to have a communal punishment.
Here are a few examples of the answers:
Dear Disgruntled student,
I understand that you could hate your teachers for punishing you while you did nothing, and it is not okay for them to punish you every day for the actions of your peers. However sometimes in order to inspire team spirit it is necessary to punish the whole team together. Imagine if you were on a soccer team and one of your friends showed up late, as opposed to punishing them individually, which would result in them feeling isolated from the rest of the team, it would make more sense to punish the whole team. This concept also applies to the classroom.
Dear Student,
I understand how you feel, and I know many other students feel the same way.
But your class is a team, one person does something wrong, you all go through the punishment together. I do this because I want you to learn how to work together.
Even though someone does something wrong everyday, it is not impossible to teach them how they should not do it, so after many reminders, nobody will do anything bad, as a team.
Sincerely,
Mrs.Abby
PS, I’m not close enough to you for you to call me Abby without the Mrs.
And, voting for the other side:
Dear Dalosras pickle brain,
I respect your argument in every way. It is not fair that if just one person does something wrong not everyone should be punished. I know that many people feel that is wrong. But I also think that it is important to take some things as a team because if everyone gets punished the person who did wrong will feel guilty and not do it again and the people who are getting punished will try not to do it because they don’t want to be that person and to let everyone be punished.
Sincerely,
Altonato tomato
This chapter ends with Achan’s punishment and Bnei Yisrael preparing for the second battle of Ai.
Students are being tasked with diving deeper into one of the mitzvot we have studied in class. This is a fantastic opportunity to head down to the Makerspace and use the green room for video recording.
This week the middle school students will be focusing on the Holocaust. Although we typically commemorate the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah, we will also be participating in a variety of Holocaust-related discussions and learning opportunities this week. International Holocaust Remembrance Day was is commemorated on January 27th, as this the date that Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Forces.
On Thursday, students will be taking a virtual tour of the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum.We will learn about the Holocaust and have the opportunity to view some of the exhibits via Zoom.
Additionally, students will be participating in the #WeRemember campaign in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.
I have put together a smallslideshow with a variety of resources and videos that correspond with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is a live document that will be continually updated with resources, videos, and activities.
Our class has been studying and analyzing the effects of WWI and The Treaty of Versailles in order to build a stronger historical knowledge base. The purpose of this activity is to synthesize their comprehension and analyze various perspectives regarding the Treaty of Versailles. Throughout these discussions and activities, the students will begin to understand the desperation that was felt in Germany following WWI. Next week, students will begin to learn about the rise of dictators and how Adolf Hitler came to power.
Reload document 
Open in new tab