Last Day

Yesterday we reviewed everything that we have learned about history, geography, the people, and more through a very lively game of Jewpardy - Israel. 

We also evaluated of various depictions of Israel (such as the example below of the safety pin). The students picked which picture they felt was the best representation of Israel and why. It was a great discussion. 

 

It has been a pleasure teaching your students! Thank you for a wonderful year!

Be’er Sheva, the Negev, the Bedouin People, Eilat

This Sunday we wrapped-up our "trip" throughout Israel with a lesson on Be’er Sheva, the Negev, the Bedouin People, and Eilat. 

Be'er Sheva and the Negev

 The Bedouin Lifestyle

 Eilat

Additionally, we read from the choose your own adventure book, The Tenth of Av. 

 

Next week will be our last Sunday School class. We'll wrap up the year with a review Jeopardy game.

Dead Sea and Masada

This Sunday we learned about the Dead Sea and Masada.

The students, and Mr. Becker, had a great time with the Dead Sea mud facials.

For parents who may be interested in learning more about Masada. There was a really great mini-series that came out a few years ago that is based off of the book "The Dovekeepers". “The Dovekeepers” tells the story through the witness of the two women who survived the Masada incident. I don't remember if it's appropriate for this age group, but based on the preview video, I would say it's not.

Jerusalem continued and the Knesset

It's election day (in Israel)! 

This past Sunday we continued our discussion about Jerusalem. We reviewed what we learned last week about the three major religions that have a connection to the region and talked about the "old" vs. "new" Jerusalem. 

Given that elections are this week (today), and because the Knesset is in Jerusalem, we also talked about the Israeli political system. 

 (This video explains the election process in Israel)

(LIVE from the polling site today - courtesy of my cousin)

 (This video explains the Knesset's history)

Jerusalem

This week we ventured to the city of Jerusalem by watching the award winning film Jerusalem, which focuses on the connection of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to the city. If you are interested, this documentary is available on Amazon Prime. 

Israeli Music

Given our lessons/discussions about Tel-Aviv, Israeli food, and the diversity of the Israeli culture, yesterday's lesson focused on the different genres of Israeli music. We sampled music from various artists, both modern and classic. Some songs were a little too "weird" for the students, but we enjoyed laughing at the videos together. Here are a few below:

Netta - "Bassa Sababa" (This artist was this year's Eurovision winner)

Static & Ben El with J Balvin - "Tudo Bom" (Portuguese, Hebrew, and English; Played on the radio here in the US)

Liora Isaac - "Mala mala" (Indian-Israeli Artist)

Idan Raichel Project - "Mi Ma'amakim" (Band sings songs in Hebrew, German, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Amharic, and English)

Next week is our Saturday family program! We are looking forward to seeing you all then!

Tel-Aviv

This week we explored the "City that Never Sleeps", Tel-Aviv! The students watched a brief video about the city and also wrote skits about different sites.

Check out Facebook for the skits! 

Next Week: Taste of Israel Family Program!

Haifa, Caesarea, and Akko

This week we "traveled to" Haifa, Caesarea, and Akko. Given that the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) is in Haifa, we also learned about some Israeli inventions.

For homework, the students have been asked to Google/Ask Siri and/or Alexa about Israeli inventions and present about 1 to the class next week.

Old Acre "Akko"

 

Bahai Gardens in Haifa

Caesarea

Videos:

The Israel Coast - A tour of Caesarea, Haifa, Acre and Rosh HaNikra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4neoP8V2ps.

Haifa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW0nnaoTHo8

Made in Israel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-C3UYq-UxA

Israeli Lego: https://www.israel21c.org/make-your-lego-electric

Northern Israel

Over the past 2 weeks we have explored Northern Israel. The students had the opportunity to research various locations and present a poster or travel brochure to the class about the place they researched.

The places that the students researched were: Rosh Hanikra, Meggido, Gilgal Refaim, Banias Nature Reserve, and Mt. Hermon.

Gilgal Refaim

Meggido

Rosh Hanikra

 Banias Nature Reserve

Mt. Hermon

 Next week we will travel to Haifa, Caesarea, and Akko!