Nurturing a Caring Community

Brief

The goal of this program is to share personal Israel-related experiences and stories. Suggestions to encourage sharing and listening in a respectful and non-judgmental environment appear at the end.

Equipment

Pens, Paper, Copies of Limmud, Copies of Chasidic Story

Activity length: 60-80 minutes 

• Opening (5 minutes)

• Trigger activity (15-20 minutes)

• Program - sharing in small groups (30-40 minutes)

• Reflection (10-15 minutes)

Age Groups

• High School

• Staff

Topics

• Community

Adaptable for Shabbat

Most of the program is discussion-based and therefore shabbat appropriate. One activity includes personal written reflection so would need to be adapted for Shabbat as discussion based.

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Goals & Overview

1. Engage tzevet members in dialogue about personal Israel-related experiences they had in the past year.

2. Identify the potential gaps between the Israel-related experiences of Israeli Jews and American Jews.

3. Seek to foster mutual understanding and empathy between Israeli and American Jews given their different experiences.

Thought Questions / שאלות למחשבה

1. How have the events of October 7th and the subsequent war impacted you as a person, as an American Jew, as an Israeli Jew?

2. How does your identity as an American Jew or an Israeli Jew influence your reaction to the war?

3. How can the gaps between American Jews and Israeli Jews be bridged?

For the facilitator

This past year has been one of the most challenging and painful years in the history of Israel and for the Jewish people in the post-Holocaust era. When we come together as a community to grapple with the events that took place we must be mindful of how vulnerable we are feeling as individuals and as a community and how these events affect us in a personal way. We need to actively and intentionally raise awareness of the different experiences and perspectives that Israeli Jews and North American Jews have. We should ask ourselves what we have in common, how we can relate to one another, and how we can come together as one community.  We ought to especially ask how we can have the difficult Israel-related conversations which will likely take place this summer. 

The goal of this program is to share personal Israel-related experiences and stories. Suggestions to encourage sharing and listening in a respectful and non-judgmental environment appear at the end. 

Program

1. The facilitator introduces the session, explains that the purpose of the activity is to create an empathetic environment for sharing stories and experiences related to Israel, October 7th and the war.

2. The facilitator establishes guidelines for dialogue. 

3. The facilitator should use a trigger exercise to encourage participants to identify Israel-related experiences or stories and prepare for conversations about them.

4. After the trigger exercises, divide the participants into groups of 4-5 individuals comprised of both Israelis and Americans. 

5. Invite participants to share a personal Israel-related story or experience of the past year.

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Activities

Four Activities to Prepare Participants to Share Israel-related Experiences or Stories.  Use one of the following listed below.  After the activity, invite participants to write personal reflections.  

• Circle of Experiences

  1. Introduction for participants:

  2. “This is a physical exercise that allows participants to move forward with awareness. As you step forward, you are acknowledging your own experiences and emotions related to the situation. It is important to note that this exercise is not meant to be a competition or a way to compare experiences. Everyone's experiences are valid, and there is no right or wrong way to feel. The goal of this exercise is simply to raise awareness and to encourage sharing and connection. By sharing your experiences and connecting with others, you can help to build a sense of community and create a supportive environment. Take a break from the exercise if you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed by the exercise. Seek support by talking to a friend or יועצת.”

  3. The group stands in a wide circle.

  4. The facilitator reads the sentences aloud. Anyone for whom the sentence is true takes one step forward into the circle.

  5. After reading each sentence, the facilitator may choose to ask participants to explain why they chose to step forward.

  6. The facilitator should be aware of how the group is responding to the sentences.

  7. TRIGGER SENTENCES: Take one step forward if since October 7th:

     1. You listen to the news or watch the news on the internet a few times a day.

     2. You, or members of your family, have been called up for reserve duty.

     3. You have volunteered to help the war effort in Israel (e.g. picking fruit or vegetables at a kibbutz or farm).

     4. You participated in a solidarity mission to Israel.

     5. You avoid watching or listening to the news.

     6. You have family members or friends who have expressed opinions or positions that make you feel uncomfortable.

     7. You have seen things that have triggered you emotionally.

     8. You need a break from thinking of the war.

     9. You feel afraid for your life.

     10. You have family members or friends who have been evacuated from their homes.

     11. You have responded to anti-Semitic content on social media.

     12. You have participated in a protest in your community relating to the war.

     13. You have participated in a war-related argument in one of your WhatsApp groups.

     14. You have experienced antisemitism in a personal way.

     15. You have lost a family member or someone you know personally because of the war.

     16. Your story about Israel has changed.

• Chasidic story

  1. Read the following story [RESOURCE 1]

  2. In the month of Elul, as people prepared themselves for the Day of Judgment, Rebbe Chaim of Sanz made a practice of telling stories to a tune that would awaken to teshuva (repentance) everyone who listened. Once he related this story: “A person lost their way in the depths of the forest. Some time later, another person also lost their way and met the first. Without knowing what had happened to the first, the second asked the first the way out of the forest. ‘I do not know,’ answered the first, ‘but I can point to the paths leading further into the forest, and then we can walk together to look for the path leading out.’ “World!,” concluded the Rebbe, “let us search out the new path together!” (Martin Buber, Or HaGanuz, 2005 edition, p. 353, translation by Leah Solomon)

  3. Ask the tzevet to think about what questions the story raises.

  4. Questions to ask after telling the story.

     1. What is the message of this Chasidic story?

     2. What can it tell us about how people who are lost can find their way?

• Limmud: “Into the Unknown: How Do I Handle Myself in a Situation of Uncertainty?”

  This activity explores how one behaves in an uncertain situation or reality, such as when one feels physically or emotionally lost.

  Limmud Activity I: Driving in Fog

  1. Divide the participants into pairs.

  2. Each half of the pair should ask the other how someone might feel when driving through fog.

  3. Use the national weather services guidelines for driving in fog [RESOURCE 2]. If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:

     1. Slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination.

     2. Make your vehicle visible to others both ahead of you and behind you by using your low-beam headlights since this means your tail lights will also be on. Use fog lights if you have them.

     3. Never use your high-beam lights. Using high beam lights causes glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.

     4. Leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you to account for sudden stops or changes in the traffic pattern.

     5. To ensure you are staying in the proper lane, follow the lines on the road with your eyes.

     6. In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business and stop.

     7. If there is no parking lot or driveway to pull into, pull your vehicle off to the side of the road as far as possible. Once you come to a stop, turn off all lights except your hazard flashing lights, set the emergency brake, and take your foot off of the brake pedal to be sure the tail lights are not illuminated so that other drivers don't mistakenly run into you.

  4. Each tzevet member should choose one of the suggestions for driving in fog. Ask how they relate to the suggestion and what can be learned about dealing with uncertain situations?

  Limmud Activity II: Text Study

  Choose one of the following texts. Do the texts evoke a sense of being lost, unsure or afraid? Do these texts offer pathways towards achieving strength or resilience?

  Text 1 - Exodus Chapter 20 [RESOURCE 3]

  שמות כ

  (טו) וְכׇל־הָעָם֩ רֹאִ֨ים אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם וְאֵת֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר וְאֶת־הָהָ֖ר עָשֵׁ֑ן וַיַּ֤רְא הָעָם֙ וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ מֵֽרָחֹֽק׃ (טז) וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה דַּבֵּר־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּ֖נוּ וְנִשְׁמָ֑עָה וְאַל־יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּ֛נוּ אֱלֹהִ֖ים פֶּן־נָמֽוּת׃(יז) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶל־הָעָם֮ אַל־תִּירָ֒אוּ֒ כִּ֗י לְבַֽעֲבוּר֙ נַסּ֣וֹת אֶתְכֶ֔ם בָּ֖א הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וּבַעֲב֗וּר תִּהְיֶ֧ה יִרְאָת֛וֹ עַל־פְּנֵיכֶ֖ם לְבִלְתִּ֥י תֶחֱטָֽאוּ׃ (יח) וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד הָעָ֖ם מֵרָחֹ֑ק וּמֹשֶׁה֙ נִגַּ֣שׁ אֶל־הָֽעֲרָפֶ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

  Exodus 20: All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance. “You speak to us,” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses answered the people, “Be not afraid; for God has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of God may be ever with you, so that you do not go astray.” So the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

  Text 2 - Poems [RESOURCE 4]

  Meital Jodorkovsky
  On the Ascent to Safed November 9, 2023

  You understood:
  The fog does not hide
  What is
  It is what it is

  מיטל חודורקובסקי
  הבוקר בעלייה לצפת, 9.11.2023

  :הֵבַנְתְּ
  הָעֲרָפֶל לֹא מַסְתִּיר
  אֶת מָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ
  הוּא מָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ.

  Tali Versano Eisman

  "When I'm drowning,
  I don't need you to describe the water,
  Not its color, not its depth,
  After all, I feel it up to my neck.
  I have one request,
  Never stop, even for a moment,
  Describing to me,
  The safety of dry land."

  טלי ורסנו - אייסמן

  כְּשֶׁאֲנִי טוֹבַעַת
  אֵין לִי צֹרֶךְ שֶׁתְּתָאֲרוֹ לִי אֶת הַמַּיִם
  לֹא אֶת צִבְעָם, לֹא אֶת עִמְקָם
  הֲרֵי אֲנִי חָשָׁה אוֹתָם עַד צַוָּארִי
  יֶשׁ לִי רַק בִּקְשָׁה
  אַל תְּחַדְּלוּ לְרֶגַע מִלְּתָאֵר לִי אֵיךְ נִרְאֵית הַיַּבָּשָׁה

• Personal Written Reflection

  1. Provide paper and a pen/pencil.

  2. Explain that written reflections need not be shared and can be used only as an exercise in self reflection.

  3. Provide writing prompts:

     1. “After October 7th my relationship with Israel…

     2. “After October 7th my relationship with my people…

     3. “After October 7th I …

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