No'ar Hadash PROGRAM IDEAS

March 2003: "ISRAEL MACCABIAH GAMES"

Divide participants into groups to participate in these activities relating to Israel.  This is a great opportunity for high school teens to lead younger grades in an exciting and engaging program.  The program can run anywhere between 1 hour and 2 hours in length, and activities may be taken out (or added in) depending on group size, dynamics, attention span, etc.

Group Juggle: A beanbag is passed around the circle, only once to each person.  In order to learn names, when the ball is passed the thrower says “Here (name)” and the catcher says “Thank you (name).”  Participants should remember who they throw the ball to, so that this may be repeated more than once in the allotted time frame (getting consistently faster and faster).

Common Traits: The group must find five creative things that everyone in the group has in common.  (For example, it is creative that everyone in the group has an uncle named Alan or that they have all been to Israel, but not creative that they all have ten fingers or that they live in America.)

Cheer: Half of the group will write together to write a family song/cheer and the other half will make a family banner.  Songs/cheers will be performed by the whole group at some point during the weekend, and the banners will be hung around the room for the rest of the event.

Body Spelling: Using their bodies, the group will spell out the word Israel (first in English, then in Hebrew).

Mind Puzzle: The group will work together to decipher 5 mind puzzles of the form “1 = W on a U” (ans: wheel on a unicycle).
            6 = P on a JS // 9 = C on a M // 7 = D of C // 23 = L in the HA // 12 = S of J
                        Answers: 6 = Points on a Jewish Star // 9 = Candles on a Menorah // 7 = Days of Chanukah //
                        23 = Letters in the Hebrew Alphabet // 12 = Sons of Jacob

Potato Sack Race: Using one sack per group, each person must hop from a starting line to a finish line and back again, pass the bag to the next person, and then cheer on teammates until everyone has finished.

Puzzle: The group will work together to put together a large puzzle of Israel.  Once the puzzle is completed, the group must fill in the names of the five unlabeled cities marked on the map.

Trivia Questions: Given 20 trivia questions on a piece of paper, the group must work together to come up with as many answers as possible.

How many commandments are there in the Torah?  (Hint: It’s more than 10…)
        Answer: 613
Is Israel smaller or bigger than the state we live in?
        Answer: Smaller (unless you live in Rhode Island)
In what year did Israel gain its independence?
        Answer: 1948
What does JRF stand for?
        Answer: Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
What is the Western Wall called in Hebrew?
        Answer: The Kotel
Which Prime Minister of Israel lived in Milwaukee before moving to Israel?
        Answer: Golda Meir
Name as many of Jacob’s children as you can.  (Hint: There were a total of 13.)
        Answer: Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Naphtali, Isaachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulun, Gad, Judah, Joseph, Benjamin, Dina
What are the 3 pilgrimage festivals?
        Answer: Sukkot, Pesach, Shavuot
Who were Moses’s brother and sister?
        Answer: Aaron and Miriam
What does “Yisrael” mean?
        Answer: Wrestled with God
On Hanukah, do you light the newest candle first or last?
        Answer: You light the newest candle first
What Jewish holiday is called the “New Year for the Trees?”
        Answer: Tu B’Shvat
What is the official airline of Israel?
        Answer: El Al
Who was the first Prime Minister of Israel?
        Answer: David Ben Gurion
Who is the current Prime Minister of Israel?
        Answer: Ariel Sharon
Sandy Koufax refused to play an important baseball game on what Jewish holiday?
        Answer: Yom Kippur
Who was the founder of Reconstructionism?
        Answer: Mordecai Kaplan
In the Torah, whose name was changed to Israel, and why?
        Answer: Jacob’s name was changed to Israel because he wrestled with an angel
Name 5 kinds of Middle Eastern food.
        Answer: Falafel, hummus, tabouleh, tahina, shawarma, etc.
What year is it according to the Jewish calendar?
        Answer: 5763

Hidden in Plain Sight: 10 items will be placed around the room, and each group will have to find them and record their locations on a scorecard.

Sing Down: Groups will have 3 minutes to come up with as many Shabbat songs as possible (at least one person in the group must be able to sing at least part of each song).

After these activities have been finished, groups will do a round robin of Shabbat songs and will end by presenting their family songs/cheers.

Program written by Isaac Saposnik and Barbara Rooks,
with Alice Bechtolsheim, Barbara Bernstein, Hallie Rosen, and Emily Schiferl.