No'ar Hadash PROGRAM IDEAS

March 2005: "JUDAISM IS LIKE"
A Havaya (Informal Educational Program)
from Meh Hadash B'No'ar Hadash

This program is intended for teens from eighth grade through high school, although could be done with younger participants as well. The program is written for 1 hour and will work best with a large group.

GOALS

To discover the various comparisons relevant to Judaism.

OBJECTIVES

Participants will be split into 11 groups (tribes). Participants will create a simile about Judaism and decorate a sheet with their ideas.

MATERIALS

(11) 2x8 Sheets &Sharpie Markers

TIMELINE

0:00 - 0:10    Intro
0:10 - 0:15    Split Into Groups
0:15 - 0:45    Decorate
0:45 - 0:55    Present
0:55 - 1:00    Wrap-Up

DETAILED PROCEDURE

Intro (10 minutes)

Kaplan said that, “Judaism is an evolving civilization”, for us, like evolution and the ocean, there’s a changing of the tides. What does this mean?

Judaism is like underwear…you have it on but you don’t realize it. What does this mean? Rarely do you feel your underwear unless they are tight. When something anti-Semitic is said, you feel it. So, I’d like you to come up with an analogy that says, “Judaism is like…,” and justify your analogy.

Split Into Groups (5 minutes)

Decorate Sheets (30 minutes)

Each group will receive a sheet. They will decorate this sheet will their analogy of Judaism, and the justification of that analogy.

Present (10 minutes)

Each group will present their analogy and sheet.

Wrap-Up (5 minutes)

Participants will definitions, difficulties, things they learned, etc.

BACKGROUND

The 12 tribes are: Reuben, Gad, Levi, Issachar, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Zebulun, Judah, Asher, and Simeon.

Program written for the Southeast Region Teen Kallah,
hosted by Ramat Shalom (Plantation, FL) in February 2005.