Program Title: Falafel Stand of Judaism with Trust Walk
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Program Title: Falafel Stand of Judaism with Trust Walk Category: Study Theme 5765 Author(s): Sarah Ruben, NFTY PVP; Melissa Goldman, Assistant Director of NFTY Created for: URJ Kutz Camp, Kallah 2005 Touchstone Text “Throughout our history, we Jews have remained firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, even as we have learned much from our encounters with other cultures. The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship.” -from the Preamble to “A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism” Adopted at the 1999 Pittsburgh Convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Goals 1. PPs will gain an understanding of the basis of Reform Judaism as a movement based on choice through knowledge and comprised of autonomous individuals 2. PPs will gain knowledge of some aspects of the evolution of the North American Reform Movement 3. PP’s will further their understanding of how they personally relate to Judaism in its many aspects. 4. PP’s will recognize how each individual connects differently to Judaism and how the Reform Movement encourages this. Objectives 1. PPs will participate in a “Walk through Jewish History,” hearing facts related to the evolution of Reform Judaism in North America and participating in some short discussions/activities on particular issues 2. PP’s will create “recipes” for their Judaism using different ingredients in falafel as different aspects of Judaism and determining how integral different elements of Judaism are to their personal connection to Judaism. 3. PP’s will share their recipes in small groups, vocalizing and discussing the varying personal importance of different elements of Judaism and how this affects their relation to Judaism. 4. PP’s will learn how relating to Judaism in different ways, choice through knowledge, and tradition and innovation are integral parts of Reform Judaism. Materials Printouts of “Walk through Jewish History” Falafel stand ingredients: • 19 bowls (1 per ingredient) • 90 “Pita” (paper plates folded in half and stapled), 1 per PP and groupleaders • 90 Paper cut-outs of each ingredient – SEE .PDF ART FILE FOR INGREDIENTS o God (Elohim) – Falafel Balls o Prayer (Tfilah) (can be Kavannah=intentions behind prayer or Keva=fixed prayer) – Tahina o Tradition (Masoret) – Tomatoes o Song/Dance (Shirah/Rikud) – “Chips”/French fries o Food (Ochel) – Zatar (a Middle-eastern spice) o Literature (Safrut) – Beets o Israel (Yisrael) – Tabuli o Community (Kehilah Kedoshah) – Pita o People (Anashim) – Cucumbers o Holidays (Chagim) – Lettuce o Family (Mishpachah) – Onion o Experiences (Chavayot) – Green Olives o Hebrew (Ivrit) – Pickles o History (Historiah)– Cabbage o Jewish Text/Torah (Text Yehudi/Torah) – Hummus o Social Action (Tikkun Olam) – Black Olives o Ethics (Midot) – Feta Cheese o Spirituality (Ruchaniyat) – Eggplant o Leadership (Hanhagut) – Peppers This resource has been provided by the North American Federation of Temple Youth. For additional resources, visit our website at http://www.nfty.org. People Kutz PPs (about 70) divided into 5 groups of 12-14 PPs. Groups will subdivide to groups of 6-7 after walk. 10 groupleaders to travel with PPs on walk and facilitate group discussion 15 faculty members to read timeline facts Space Needed Path around camp Chadar Ochel Timeline Note: Because groups begin the “Walk through Jewish History” at different times, all activities from the walk to the group discussions about falafel will be staggered. Times on the timeline overlap from activity to activity based on when each group begins. Each activity will flow into the next. Brief Intro (5 minutes) Walk through Jewish History in groups (30 minutes) Falafel Stand of Judaism (15 minutes) Equal Rights Issues Discussion (10 minutes) Falafel Discussion (15 minutes) Wrap-up (5 minutes) Detailed Procedure: Before program begins, “Falafel Stand” is already set up. Materials for each ingredient should be in their own bowls, next to a sign labeled with the ingredient and the element of Judaism it represents. Brief Intro (5 minutes) Program facilitator says: “Here at Kutz, we are all exploring our Jewish identity. Tonight, we really want to take a look at what it means to be a Reform Jew, to take a look at the Reform Jewish choices we make as individuals and why and how we make them. In fact, every year, NFTY chooses to focus its learning on one topic, the NFTY Study Theme of that year. This year’s NFTY Study Theme is ‘Taking the Reform Jewish Journey: Embracing Tradition and Exploring Innovation.’ Over the course of the year, NFTY’s 10,000 NFTYites will have the opportunity to take their Reform Jewish journey and explore their connection to Reform Judaism just like you can do tonight. For the first part of the program, we’ll be split up into groups leaving this area at different times. Until you leave with a group, you can stay seated where you are and talk quietly with those around you.” PPs are sent off in groups (one group at a time) with two groupleaders, 12-14 PPs at a time. When each group leaves the second stop on the walk, the next group can be sent off. Walk through Jewish History in groups (30 minutes) PPs will be counted off into 5 different groups of about 12-14 PPs. One group at a time, PPs (led by a groupleader) will begin following the path of the “Walk through Jewish History.” On the walk, they will hear events in Jewish history read aloud in chronological order. At certain points, PPs will stop for a short group discussion. “Walk through Jewish History” is attached. Falafel Stand of Judaism (15 minutes) Facilitator says: “I hope you enjoyed your ‘Walk Through Jewish History’ and that you were able to learn a little bit about the evolution of the Reform Movement in North America. Now that we’ve looked at Reform Judaism on the larger scale, it’s time for each of us to look at a more personal Reform Judaism. Reform Judaism is based on choice through knowledge, embracing tradition while exploring innovation to find how we best as individuals connect to Judaism. Ahead of us is a falafel stand of Judaism, if you will, and tonight, we’ll each be making our own falafel. You may be familiar with falafel, the Israeli dish of fried chick pea balls, usually eaten in pita. In Israel, you can go to a variety of falafel stands, each of which will have its own array of condiments to choose from. Our falafel will be a bit different, though. The falafel you create today will represent ‘your Judaism.’ Each falafel ingredient corresponds to a different element of Judaism. Falafel balls, for example, represent God, and hummus represents Torah/Jewish text. You will decide which ‘ingredients’ are important to your relation to Judaism and how important they are, and based on that, you will assemble your own individual falafel representing the way you relate to Judaism. Take one of each element that is important to you. When you are done putting together your falafel, have a seat at a table with one of your groupleaders.” PPs assemble “falafel” as described. Group of 12-14 PPs divides into groups of 6-7 PPs and sits at two separate tables. If they are one of the first few groups to go on the “Walk through Jewish History,” PPs will do following activity. This resource has been provided by the North American Federation of Temple Youth. For additional resources, visit our website at http://www.nfty.org. Equal Rights Issues Discussion (10 minutes) For earlier groups to complete after assembling falafel and before discussing falafel in group. Groupleader says: On our “Walk through Jewish History,” we heard about a variety of things the Reform Movement did or dealt with in the last 30 years related to equal rights. (Have PPs read events out loud from sheet attached) Groupleader leads discussion on the following points: • Do you agree with the Reform Movement’s stances on these issues? Why or why not? • Do you find the timing of these events appropriate? For example, do you think anything should have happened sooner or later? • If you were to order these events according to what you thought was best, what order would you put them in? (ie Should Reform Judaism have accepted children of mixed marriages before ordaining a woman rabbi?) Falafel Discussion (15 minutes) In groups of 6-7 PPs at tables, each PP should have the opportunity to share the contents of their falafel and their reasoning for assembling their falafel as such. If discussion wanes, feel free to ask following questions: Was anyone surprised by the contents of their falafel? After hearing about other peoples’ falafel, is there something you would change? Why? Wrap-up (5 minutes) In whole group, facilitator says: “Tonight, each of us took the same walk through Jewish history, and each of us visited the same falafel stand. Look around at the falafel people created. Each person’s falafel is different; each of us is constantly relating to Judaism, but the way we do so as individuals differs. What makes a falafel? Does a falafel have to have falafel balls to be called a falafel? What makes a person Jewish? Is it their belief in God, their sense of kehillah kedoshah (holy community)? We all collected different ingredients which resulted in a variety of different falafel, but there’s one thing in common among all our falafel. Every ingredient came from the same place. We all take from the background of Judaism and relate to it in different ways, practicing and experiencing Judaism in ways that are individual to each of us.