We have chosen some ready-to-use educational resources from the Peoplehood Education Toolkit that bring together themes of Jewish Peoplehood and the High Holiday season. Check them out:
- Collective Prayer – A text study and activity based on the Vidui (Confession) liturgy of the High Holidays. How do we understand the language of “we” in relation to our sins and what does that mean for us as part of the Jewish People?
- Sandy Koufax, Hard Decisions – An activity and video clip dealing with the dilemma faced by baseball player, Sandy Koufax, who had to decide whether or not to pitch in the 1965 World Series on Yom Kippur. Was there a time when you had to decide between Jewish values on the one hand and universal values on the other? How did you make that choice?
- Ushpizin – A discussion based on a clip from the Israeli movie “Ushpizin” and activity on the topic of competing values. For whom do you feel responsible?
- Jewish Food – The holidays are a time when food assumes a central place in our ritual and commemoration. So, use some of the ideas in this activity to explore the power of Jewish food and how it connects us to memory, history, culture, our families and more.
- I am Jewish – A powerful spoken-word piece by Andrew Lustig that offers many definitions of what it means to be Jewish today. At this introspective time of year, when we look backwards and forwards, use this video as a trigger for students to discuss what it will mean to them to be Jewish this year.