Day 1: Makom Kodesh I

Camp Ramah in N.E. 2012 Perlman

Israel as a Place of Strength and Vulnerability By Aviva Perlman for 9th Grade Group

Obejctives: For campers to be explore the complexities/different sides of Israel and its history as it relates to Makom Kodesh For campers to understand what makes a place Makom Kodesh To challenge campers ideas of Makom Kodesh

CWBAT: Incorporate their ideas of strong/vulnerable into their definitions of makom kodesh Identify pivotal moments in Israel’s recent history that contribute to creating Makom Kodesh

Day 1: Makom Kodesh I. Ice Breaker/Grabber: (5-10 minutes) Campers will say their name and a strength and weakness (alternatively, for something more fun, favorite dessert)

II. Activity 1: Vulnerable/Strong (15-20 minutes) Campers will be broken into small groups. Each group will be given a list of characteristics and have to categorize them vulnerable or strong . Groups will share.

After completing that task the groups will be ask to indicate which characteristics they think describe Israel. Discussion to follow

Discussion: What is Makom Kodesh? (5-10 minutes) What is Makom Kodesh? What does it mean? What are some M’komot Kodeshim for you? Are there things you don’t like about these spaces? Does a place need to be strong/perfect to be considered Makom Kodesh?

III. Activity 2: (10 minutes) Creating a picture of something that represents vulnerability and strength at the same time

Materials for Day 1: Pictures and words for Activity 1 (two sets for each group) List of characteristics Markers Paper Pens Scrapbook paper

Camp Ramah in N.E. 2012 Perlman

Day 2: Images of Israel I. Grabber: (10 minutes) Choosing three positive events and three not as positive events few events in your life that helped make you who you are (excluding birth). How did they define you?

II. Activity 2: Political Cartoons (20 minutes) Teacher will bring a selection of political cartoons from Israeli/Arab and American newspapers depicting events and issues related to Israel. They will be spread out and campers will mill around looking at each one. After everyone had a chance to see each cartoon the will be asked to choose one that spoke to them. Each person who wishes will have a chance to explain why they chose it and how they think it depicts Israel. Depending on time we may refer back to the characteristics from the day before and have them choose which characteristic(s) the cartoon depicts.

Often a discussion of one or more of the cartoons (especiall the Gilad Shalit related one) turned into a much deeper conversation.

Activity 1: Value Continuum: Agree/Disagree (10-15 minutes) Educator will read various quotes, (Biblical and Contemporary) and ideas about Israel and Makom Kodesh and the campers will have to place themselves along an invisible line between Agree and Disagree. A few moments will be taken after each quote for campers to share why they are standing where they are standing

Materials for Day 2: Copies of cartoons Sign that says agree and sign that says disagree Camp Ramah in N.E. 2012 Perlman

Positivity/Optimism Happiness Power Confidence Perfection Courage Arrogance Ignorance Indifference/Apathy Stubborn Selfish Aggressive Persistent Intelligent Conviction On the offensive Defensive Religious Empathic (Empathy) Protective Selfless Loyal

Camp Ramah in N.E. 2012 Perlman

1948 Israel Declares Independence With Arab armies closing in on all sides, David Ben Gurion declares Israeli independence.

1967 Six Day War Israel launches a pre-emptive strike on Egypt, Syria and Jordan in a Six Day War. Israel captures Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip from Egypt; Golan Heights from Syria and West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan.

1973 Yom Kippur War Egypt and Syria, backed up by other Arab nations, launch a surprise attack against Israel on Yom Kippur. After absorbing the initial attacks, Israel recaptures lost ground and then pushes into Egypt and Syria.

1979 Peace with Egypt Israel and Egypt sign a peace treaty in Washington under which Israel agrees to hand back Sinai to Egypt. It keeps the Gaza Strip.

1982 First Lebanon War Israel invades Lebanon to drive out guerrillas threatening its northern border.

1987 First Intifada Palestinian uprising (intifada) against Israeli rule starts in West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli soldiers and civilians were attacked by rocks but increasingly with petrol bombs and grenades. The Israeli army retaliated by using tear gas, rubber bullets and, occasionally, live ammunition. More than 20,000 people were killed and injured in the fighting.

1991 Operation Solomon One of many operations air lifting Ethopian Jews out of Ethopia and bringing them to Israel (Other operations of this nature include: Operation Moses and Operation Joshua)

1993 First Intifada Ends Yasser Arafat and Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin sign Declaration of Principles in Washington. Israel recognizes the Palestinian Liberation Organization and gave them limited autonomy in return for peace and an end to Palestinian claims on Israeli territory.

Camp Ramah in N.E. 2012 Perlman

1994 Peace with Jordan Israel-Jordan peace treaty is signed ending a 45-year state of belligerency.. Israel agrees to respect the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom over Muslim holy shrines in Jerusalem.

1995 Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin assassinated by Yigal Amir, an Israeli orthodox Jewish student who is opposed to the Middle-East peace plan.

1996 Terrorist Attacks A series of ghastly suicide bombings on crowded buses in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, undermines the peace process and the government headed by veteran peacemaker Shimon Peres.

2000 Second Intifada Peace negotiations come close to a final settlement , but break down over the future status of Jerusalem. In the wake of the failure, Palestinian anger erupts when rightwing leader Ariel Sharon visits the main Muslim holy site in Jerusalem. Within days, scores are dead. Bill Clinton, in his final months in the White House, tries to revive the peace process, but without success.

2002 Israel Begins Constructing a Security Barrier In 2002, Israel decided to build a security barrier that would separate its citizens from terrorist groups in the West Bank. The new fence was similar to the security fence Israel built in 1996 that separated the Gaza Strip from Israel. Both fences have been effective in dramatically reducing the number of suicide bombings in Israel coming from the Gaza Strip and West Bank. However the barrier –which is for the most part a fence, but is a wall in areas near urban centers - has been criticized for dividing some Palestinians from their land and places of work or study and requiring these individuals to wait to pass through security checkpoints. 2002 First Israeli Astronaut Ilan Ramon becomes the first Israeli Astronaunt. In Feb. 2003, he died when the space shuttle he was on exploded upon re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere

2005 Disengagement from the Gaza Strip In response to continued Palestinian attacks on Israel, 21 Israeli settlements in the Gaza strip and four in the West Bank were dismantled by the Israeli government. Many residents of those settlements refused to leave and had to be removed forcefully by Israeli troops.

2005 Camp Ramah in N.E. 2012 Perlman

Knesset ratifies Sharon's Disengagement Plan. Government announces August 15 as the day disengagement is set to begin. Passionate, nationwide anti-disengagement protests begin.

2006 Second Lebanon War/Abduction of Gilad Shalit

2008 Operation Cast Lead Following Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank, and the election of Hamas in 2007, terrorism against Israel increased. Thousands of rockets have been fired into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, resulting in damage to property and both physical and psychological injury to the population living in the south; and creating a situation in which Israel was forced to take military action in the form of Operation Cast Lead

2011 Gilad Shalit Returned After five years of being in captivity, Gilad Shalit is set free in return for the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners

Camp Ramah in N.E. 2012 Perlman

ISRAEL AND JUDAISM QUOTES

1. Vayikra 19:2 "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am Holy"

2. Mishnah Masechet Keilim 1:1(I think) "There are 10 degrees of holiness - The Land of Israel is holier than all other lands..."

3. Psalm 73:1 "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such that are of pure heart"

4. Harry Truman "I had faith in Israel before it was established, I have faith in it now. I believe it has a glorious future before it - not just a sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization.

5. David Ben Gurion "In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles."

6. Golda Meir "There will be peace in the Middle East only when the Arabs love their children more than they hate Israel"

7. Golda Meir "It is true we have won all our wars, but we have paid for them. We don't want victories anymore."

8. Benjamin Netanyahu "The truth is that if Israel were to put down arms there would be no more Israel."

9. Menachem Begin "Israel is the only country in the world against which there is a written document to the effect that it must disappear."

10. Abraham Joshua Heschel "We do not worship the soil. The Land of Israel without the God of Israel will be here today and gone tomorrow."

11. Bob Hope "The only think chicken about Israel is their soup."