Path to Confirmation

Dear parents and teens of the PtC group:

Last night we discussed our final projects and presentations for the end of the year. These research projects will be current issues in modern Israeli society, such as:

1. How can a country be/remain Jewish and still be democratic for all its citizens?
2. What do we do with non-Jewish refugees from other countries, since we know what it is like to be a refugee?
3. How do we feel safe and secure in a country where some of the population does not want us to be there, but treat that population in a way that won’t humiliate them?
4. If we believe in loving your neighbor as yourself, how do we respect other people’s right to practice their religion how they define it?
5. We have an election coming up in Israel on April 9. What are the issues?  Who are the candidates?  Whom would you vote for, if you were casting a ballot, and why?
6. What’s the deal with the Women At the Wall? What is the controversy, and how can we solve it?” Doesn’t the Kotel belong to all of us?
7. What is the recent Nation-State Law and why is it so controversial?
8. Chief Rabbinate (Orthodox) having control over kashrut supervision, weddings, etc., versus private supervision (hasgachah pratit) and civil marriage
9. Haredim being conscripted into military service for the first time.

So far, some students have chosen to focus on Women at the Wall and the election. We will see what the others will decide to do. They may also suggest another topic, but they should run it by me first. (The teens may that I took a lot of topics off this list because of perceived lack of interest, and added more philosophical ones.)

For their project, the students must present a short history of the issue and what the narratives are on different sides of the argument. They must offer their own opinion on the topic, as well as a solution to the problem, if possible. They can create an art piece, a poem, rap, slideshow, song, etc., that expresses their takeaway from their research.

I would like them to also consider how the chosen issue relates to Security/Existence, Democracy/Freedom, Peoplehood/Nation, and/or Land/Territory, per our 4HQ lesson.

The students will be presenting their research on May 8, at CJL, to the younger classes.

Next week, we will be looking at different perceptions of "Israel" and how we relate to each one. We will also be attending Kitah Vav’s history presentations, and we will make time to work on our projects.

Kol tuv, shavua tov,

Morah Judy