Education Resources

B’nai Mitzvah Resources

An educational/social justice inspired resource from Fair Trade Judaica (FTJ). This Bar/Bat Mitzvah Guide serves as a supplement to congregational B’nai/B’not Mitzvah materials. This guide raises consciousness around how one can “fair trade” their simcha and align this Jewish lifecycle milestone with values of global consciousness, social and labour justice and sustainability.

In addition to this resource serving as a frame for the planning of the Mitzvah/Simcha, it can be a valuable tool as a springboard for early middle school conversations and programming around the Mitzvah experience and cultivating personal meaning to go with the festivities. The FTJ website has many other excellent age-appropriate youth related educational resources including a FTJ Heads-Up game, a DIY fair trade spa activity and more. These programs can be accessed here.

General Resources

Journey to the Mizrah
The Journey to the Mizrah curriculum was created for formal and informal Jewish education institutions utilizing traditional Sephardic pedagogy, which creates space for every single student regardless of background, identity or experience. Designed and written for middle schools, but easily adapted for high schools, the Journey to the Mizrahcurriculum includes twelve lesson plans that incorporate text study, discussion and immersive Sephardic and Mizrahi activities such as Mimouna, Piyutim, Henna, and storytelling.

Immigration & Refugee Resources

Refugee Court Simulation Activity
The Jewish Educational Directors’ Council of Indianapolis put together a lesson for their students as part of a Holocaust Education day. It was a successful activity the bridged the story of Jewish refugees from the 1930’s and 1940’s with modern understanding of refugees and our responsibility.

Having Difficult Conversations about Immigration

A message from Facing History and Ourselves:
“We find ourselves at yet another challenging moment in our nation’s history, one that is difficult for us on both a personal and professional level. As we think about ways to address our student’s questions and concerns with empathy, thoughtfulness and rigor, I want to share a few resources that will hopefully aid in your upcoming conversations. They run the gamut from traditional text, to Facing History resources and teaching strategies to blogs, articles and readings I have found to be powerful entry points into difficult conversations. The resources are both for your own edification, and some for the classroom that can be adapted to be used no matter the age of your students. It’s my hope they will complement the great work you’re already doing. As always, know that Facing History is here to support you as you explore issues of both the past, and the present, and I look forward to learning with, and from, you in the weeks and months to come.”

— Emily Weisberg, Program Associate, Jewish Education FHAO

Fostering Civil Discourse
FHAO Immigration Resources
What They Did Yesterday Afternoon
Three Parables for Integration
The New Colossus
Kindness – A Poem Naomi Shihab Nye
Home – A poem by Warsan Shire
Strategies and Resources for our Younger Students

New resources and webinars will be posted on Facing History’s website, so check them out here.

Israel

The Jewish Education Project Israel Education Resource Guide
A collection of resources for teaching and learning about Israel with children, teens and adults.

Please check back as more resources will be added to this page.