Israel Script
Passport to Peoplehood Jewish are a multicultural people who live around the world.
Introduction Ancient Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people and home to our forefathers and foremothers. Twelve distinct Tribes of Israel came and settled there after the Exodus from Egypt. In 70 BCE, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jewish people were dispersed. But even as Jews migrated and settled all over the world, they continued to maintain small communities in the Holy Land and to remember and pray for the restoration of Jerusalem. The declaration of the modern State of Israel in 1948 immediately established Israel as the Jewish homeland.. Today, Israel is home to Jews from Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, and Australia. Modern Israeli culture reflects the diversity of its multicultural citizens.
Big Ideas
1. Ancient Israel is the birthplace of the Jewish people.
2. Jews have migrated and moved around the world for centuries. Many have made their home in Israel.
3. Israel is enriched by the contributions of Jews from around the world. Modern Israeli culture is influenced by the global nature of the Jewish State.
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Israel Script Slide 1: Israel is a Home for All Jews
Slide 2: Map The modern State of Israel is located in the Middle East at the crossroads between Africa and Asia, on the site of the ancient land of Israel.
Slide 3: Flag The flag of Israel tells a Jewish story. The flag looks a little like a tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl, that is often white with stripes on the edges. The Star of David is in the center, a symbol of Judaism since the Middle Ages. Some people say that the two blue stripes are the blue of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, the two main bodies of water that border the modern State. The blue color also harkens back to the ancient tchelet, a blue color that was used in tying the knots of the fringe of the tallit. White is the color of peace.
Slide 4: Old Jerusalem
Slide 5: Modern Jerusalem In ancient times, King David established Jerusalem as the capital of the twelve tribes. King Solomon built the first Holy Temple in Jerusalem and secured the spiritual significance of the city. Since 1948, Jerusalem is once again the capital of Israel and continues to be both a spiritual and political center.
Slide 6: Tel Aviv Tel Aviv is the largest city in Israel. Nearly a quarter of all Jews worldwide live in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.
Slide 7: Negev Desert The Negev, a desert to the south of Jerusalem, covers over half of Israel.
Slide 8: Flower: The Red Poppy In the springtime, the hills of Israel are transformed by blankets of bright red poppies. The Kalanit (as it is known in Hebrew) is the national flower of Israel.
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Israel Script Slide 9: Food: Falafel Falafel stalls are found throughout Israel, and loved by citizens of all backgrounds. Many consider it the unofficial official food of the country.
Slide 10: The “Shuk” / Mahane Yehuda Market The Mahane Yehuda Market, also called “The Shuk”, is a popular destination in Jerusalem. There, vendors sell a variety of the foods that Jews from different lands have brought to Israel, including falafel, but also cinnamon babkas from Eastern Europe, cheese kachapuris from Central Asia, and malawaach pastry filled with Tunisian shakshuka.
Slide 11: The Kotel (The Western Wall) The Old City of Jerusalem dates back to the time of King David. Today it is a sacred site for Jews, Christians and Muslims. At the heart of the Old City is the Western Wall where Jews from around the world come to pray.
Ancient History
Slide 12: The 12 Tribes of Israel We read in the Torah of God’s promise to Abraham that the land of Israel will be an inheritance to the people of Israel for all time. When the twelve tribes that made up the people of Israel escaped slavery in Egypt, they made their way towards the Promised Land. Eventually, each tribe settled in its own territory.
Slide 13: A United Kingdom For generations, each tribe had its own leaders. Then King David united the tribes and his son King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. During major holidays, members of all the tribes would come to Jerusalem to celebrate together as a people.
Slide 14: The Biblical Diaspora The Jewish Diaspora began during the time of King Solomon, as recorded in the Torah. It became a widespread reality in the 6th century B.C.E. with the destruction of the First Temple. Jews continued to spread around the world from then on.
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Israel Script Slide 15: Jews Pray Facing Jerusalem Though most Jews were exiled from the ancient land and spread throughout the world over time, the Jewish connection to the land of Israel never went away. Small Jewish communities persisted. And throughout the world, Jews prayed, facing Jerusalem, for a return to Israel and for the opportunity to rebuild Jerusalem.
Modern Israel
Slide 16: Jews from all over the world live in Israel The modern State of Israel was founded as a homeland for all Jews. Even though it is a small country and welcoming many new immigrants can be challenging, the State of Israel has welcomed Jews from around the world. Each group has faced difficulties getting settled and sometimes discrimination, but each group has also contributed greatly to the culture, economy and future of modern Israel. Let’s see some of the groups of Jews, the edot, as they are called in Hebrew, where they came from and what they have contributed.
Slide 17: Morocco Jews in Morocco dressed like their Arab neighbors and ate couscous at their feasts. They spoke French and Arabic.
Slide 18: Moroccans in Ma’abarot When Israel was founded many Moroccan Jews made their way to Israel. They lived a difficult life in temporary homes called Maabarot.
Slide 19: Moroccan Henna Today, the Moroccan custom of decorating hands with henna is now widespread in Israel.
Slide 20: Persia/Iran Since the days of Queen Esther, there has always been a Jewish community in Persia which today is called Iran.
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Israel Script Slide 21: Iran Sometimes Jews had difficulty with their Muslim neighbors, sometimes they lived in peace. When Israel was formed in 1948, nearly 1 million Jews from the Middle East and North Africa were forced to leave their countries. Most went to Israel.
Slide 22: Persian Kabobs Today no Yom HaAtzmaut celebration in Israel would be complete without Kabobs Al HaEsh.
Slide 23: India It is said that the first Jews who came to India were sent by King Solomon to trade spices.
Slide 24: India/Indian Saris For centuries, Indian Jews lived in peace with their neighbors and in isolation from much of the Jewish world. They wore saris and ate rice and curry, just like their neighbors.
Slide 25: Indian Spices Since the founding of the State of Israel most Indian Jews have chosen to live in Israel. Now, in the shuks (markets) of Israel, you often see and smell Indian spices.
Slide 26: Russia Jews in Russia were not free to own their own land or work as farmers. Many were poor and did not have much to eat.
Slide 27: Russia Early Russian Jewish settlers helped found the kibbutzim and start the farms that today feed all of Israel.
Slide 28: Russia Most recently, thousands more Jews from Russia have made Israel a global center of classical music.
Slide 29: Yemen Like the Jews of India, it is said that the Jews first came to Yemen as traders sent by King Solomon. For thousands of years the Jews of Yemen were traders and shopkeepers.
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Israel Script Their rich religious tradition included many unique elements like reading the Torah both in Hebrew and in Aramaic translation.
Slide 30: Yemen/Operation Magic Carpet The first Yemenite Jews to come to Israel took a boat to Egypt and then walked all the way through the desert. But the majority came by plane in 1949-50 in Operation Magic Carpet.
Slide 31: A-WA For a long time, Yemenite Jewish culture was not valued by most Israelis. Today, A-WA, a band of 3 young Yemenite Israeli sisters, combine Yemenite folk songs with electronic dance music. They sing in Arabic and Hebrew.
Slide 32: Ethiopia It is said that the Queen of Sheba learned of Judaism from King Solomon. When she returned to her native Ethiopia, she brought back the new religion to her people. For thousands of years the Jews of Ethiopia, also known as Beta Yisrael, had little contact with other Jews. They studied Torah and dreamed of Jerusalem.
Slide 33: Ethiopia/Operation Magic Carpet In modern times, some Ethiopian Jews walked across the desert to the Sudan, where they were brought by plane to Israel in Operation Moses and Operation Solomon.
Slide 34: Sigd Ethiopian Jews are currently expanding Israel’s music scene and have added an additional Jewish holiday, Sigd, to the Jewish and Israeli calendar.
Slide 35: Jews from all over the world returned to Israel There are no less than 33 languages and dialects spoken in Israel. Each language represents a different historic Jewish community and tells the story of the wonderful diversity of modern Israel.
Slide 36: End
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