Advisor packet fall 2008

Fall 2008

Eimatai

Advisor

Packet

Yeshiva University • 500 W. 185th Street, Suite 440 New York, NY 10033 • Phone (212) 960-5261 Fax (212)-923-3745 • [email protected]

www.eimatai.org

http://www.eimatai.org

mailto:[email protected]



Schedule

Sunday, November 9, 2008

8:00 Tefilat Shacharit in Koch Auditorium at 245 Lexington Ave

8:40 Light Breakfast

9:00 Welcome/Rules by Aaron Steinberg

9:15 Address by Rabbi Kenneth Brander

9:45 Icebreakers with Eimatai Advisors

10:20 Lunch

11:00 Board Buses to Block & Hexter

3:45 Arrive at Block & Hexter. Go straight to Tefilat Mincha.

(bags to holding area on porch of dining hall.)

4:15 Session 1 Buzz Group (Personal Values)

[4:15 Faculty Session #1]

5:30 Move into rooms (Advisors give keys to students within their Buzz Groups)

6:15 Dinner, Dining Hall

7:00 Introduction to Student Initiatives, Beit Knesset

7:30 “How to Create a School Initiative”

8:00 School Group Brainstorming

9:00 Tefilat Arvit, Beit Knesset

9:20 Optional Chuggim

10:30 Layla Tov


www.eimatai.org





Monday, November 10, 2008

7:30 Boker Tov!

8:15 Tefilat Shacharit, Beit Knesset

9:00 Breakfast, Dining Hall

9:45 Session II Buzz Group (Communal Values)


10:45 Break

11:00 Jewish Economics, Fitness Center

11:45 Break

12:00 School Initiative Planning: Decision Time!

12:15 School pictures by group

12:45 Lunch, Dining Hall

1:30 Tefilat Mincha, Beit Knesset

1:45 Leadership and Team Challenge


3:15 Break

4:30 Eimatai 2.0 – Discussion on using technology for your projects, Rec Hall

5:00 School Initiative Planning: Making the Action Plans

6:00 Dinner, Dining Hall

7:00 School Initiative Planning: Preparing for the Fair Presentation

7:30 Skills and Experiences Round Robin, Rec Hall

8:45 Tefilat Arvit, Beit Knesset

9:05 Bonfire Kumzits

11:30 Layla Tov


www.eimatai.org





Tuesday, November 11, 2008

7:45 Boker Tov

8:30 Tefilat Shacharit, Beit Knesset

9:15 Breakfast (Bring Bags and return keys to faculty advisors)

10:00 Session III Buzz Groups (Topics in Patriotism)

11:15 Last Minute Preparations

12:00 Lunch, Dining Hall

12:40 School Initiative fair, Fitness Center

1:15 Conference wrap up, Fitness Center

1:35 Tefilat Mincha and Evaluations, Beit Knesset

2:00 Leave Block & Hexter

6:00 Arrive at Yeshiva University (Wilf Campus)

Have a safe drive home, and make sure you stay in touch with your advisors!!!

Contact Us!

Eimatai Leadership Development Project

500 W. 185th St.CJF Storefront

New York, NY 10033

(212) [email protected]


www.eimatai.org





Buzz Group #1

Fall Conference 2008

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Buzz Group #1 Individual By: Simeon Botwinick, Ruthie Braffman, and Gila Cohen

Goal:

Total Time: 55 Minutes

Materials: • 1 Set of Activity Posters

• 2 Packs of different color Post-it Notes

• 1 Deck of Motivation Cards

• Poster board with Venn Diagram

• Markers

• 1 Deck of Western/Jewish Values Cards

• Blank Index Cards

• Pens

Process:

Trigger (8 minutes):

Place posters on the ground around the group depicting approximately ten different ways

a student may spend their time. Examples are: watching tv, learning torah, doing

homework, playing an instrument, talking on AIM, talking on the phone, spending time

with family, hanging out with friends, playing sports, doing chesed, shopping, and

anything else you can think of.

Once you have the posters lying around, pass out 2 post-it notes of the same color to each

student. Tell the students to write a 1 on one of them, and a 2 on the other. Then tell them

to place the post-its on the posters based on how they think they spend most of their time

ranking 1 and then 2.

Once they have completed the first part, reconvene the group and give out 2 of the other

color post-its to the students. Mark them again 1 and 2, and tell them to place them on the

posters which represent the most important things they think they could be doing.

Once this is completed, move the group back into a circle and begin the discussion.


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Discussion (10 minutes):

There are a dozen different ways to go about this discussion. I am going to lay out a

bunch of options, and please feel free to brainstorm other ways this may work.

Before I begin, keep in mind that the visuals which can be used in this discussion are the

posters that should be very clearly marked with the two colors of post-its. You can trigger

the discussion at any time by asking questions about patterns in the color distribution.

Every cluster of questions has a common theme and is a little different than the rest. If

you find one is going well, stick with it. If you’re not getting good responses, move to

another cluster.

Post-it Note Distribution

• Do you notice anything strange or interesting about the way the post-its are

distributed on the posters?

• Are there any posters that have all of one color or all of another color?

• Do any posters have an even distribution of the different post-its?

• What do you think it means that they have such an interesting distribution?

Clustering

• What does it mean if there are some posters with all of one and some posters with

all of another?

• Did anyone in the group put both colored post-its on the same poster?

• What does it say about that person?

• Should we all be striving to have our post-its on the same posters?

Determining Values from Actions

• Can we determine what our values are by how we choose to spend our time?

• Do we always have to spend our time doing things that we think are the most

important?

• Is the way we usually decide to do or not do something have to do with how

important we think that activity may be?

Extra Colors

• What if we were to place a third color of post-its which reflected what we think

our parents would want us to do, how do you think it would compare to the colors

we already used?

• What if we had another color post-it for what our teachers would want us to do?

• What about one for what our friends think we should do?


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Actions and Mitzvot

• What are the kinds of things we considered “important to do”?

• Are all of them things we would define as mitzvot?

• How do we define something as being important to do?

• Is there an objective definition for what is important?

Motivation Game (12 minutes):

The goal of this game is just to start the students thinking about the idea that their actions

originate with motivations. Whether it is a conscious decision or not, they have various

reasons for choosing certain actions and making certain choices over others. This game

allows the students to think about the motivations behind their values and actions. This

game can be applied to any decision- from major life decisions to what they do in their

free time.

Each advisor will be given a deck of cards, on each card there will be a different

motivation—what drives a person to make a specific choice over another, or uphold

certain values over others.

Examples of cards are: interested in reward/ approval from G-d, interested in reward/

approval from parents/ teachers, avoiding punishment from G-d, avoiding punishment

from parents, I do it because my friends do, I just feel like I should…. Etc.

Spread the cards out on the floor, and give the students a minute or two to read them and

think about them. Once they have a chance to read the cards, have each student pick a

card they feel speaks to them.

• Which card represents a motivation that you take into account when making

decisions?

• Which really don’t come into consideration for your decision-making?

• Stress to the students that it’s ok if they don’t all have the same motivations.

Different things motivate different people!

Good vs. Bad Motivations

• Are there some motivations everyone agrees are very important?

• Are there very un-important motivations?

• Are there some motivations that are considered good, others considered bad?

• Is it okay to do something good because of a “bad” motivation (such as—doing

something nice for someone else only so that they return the favor when you need


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something from them).

Internal vs. External Motivations

• Where do these motivations come from?

• Are our motivations internally determined or learned from external sources?

• Do others overly influence us through reward or punishment?

• Should we let them control us?

• Can we completely ignore other people who try to influence us?

Motivation and Values

• Do our motivations for doing things directly reflect what our values are?

• Do all of our values (things that we consider important) come from the right

motivations?

• Do other people control our actions and values?

• Is it okay if they don’t?

• What are some “right” reasons when it comes to values?

- Encourage the students to refer to their cards if they can’t think of

answers.

• When it comes to our day-to-day lives, do we attribute higher importance to

values within Judaism or values of the larger society?

• Can you give an example of each?

Western values vs. Jewish values Game (12 minutes):

Show the group a giant Venn diagram on a poster board. Label one circle as "Western

Values", and Label the other circle as "Jewish Values". In the overlapping space between

the circles label it "Shared Values".

Show the students cards that have different values written on them. For each card, discuss

with the students and have them decide where they think each value belongs: in the

"Western Values" circle, in the "Jewish Values" circle, or in the "shared values" space

(where the circles overlap).

A lot of the discussion can and should ensue as you present each value. Some of the

values listed below have suggested discussions that might enhance the conversation and

participation.


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Examples of Values:

Charity

Freedom of speech

Honoring parents

Achievement

Appreciation

Camaraderie

Control/Power

Conviction

Happiness

Honesty

Education/Knowledge

Leadership

Different Types of Values

• Are there differences between Western values and Jewish values?

• What are some differences between them?

• What are some similarities?

What are Jewish Values?

• What constitutes a Jewish value?

• Does halacha dictate what Jewish values are?

• Does it come from Jewish history or Jewish Culture?

Basis of Values

• Choose a value that the Eimatai-ers decided is in the "Shared Values" sections:

• When they exercise that value in their life, do they do it because it is a Jewish

Value or as an Western Value?

Dual Identities

• Do you act one way with a teacher in school and another way with your friends?

• Do you think that is hypocritical?

• Is that necessarily a bad thing if it is hypocritical?

• Maybe it is ok to have a Hybrid identity (not having one consistent identity). If so,

Why?

• What does the phrase "Lakol Zman V'et" mean?

• How might this phrase excuse or explain certain behaviors we may be less proud

of?

Promoting Western Values

• Can you think of examples when Western society/culture is a source of positive

and productive values?

• Are there any examples of how we have incorporated positive Western values into

our Jewish culture?


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• Does it pervert or corrupt our Judaism by incorporating Western values into our

religious lives?

American vs. Israeli Society

• How does secular America compare to secular Israel?

• Is there any difference between the values of these two countries?

• How do they compare to other countries?

Promoting Jewish Values

• Can you think of examples when Jewish culture contributed in a positive way to

Western society?

• Is this something that has always happened, or is it unique to the 20th century?

• Does it pervert or corrupt American values by bringing in ideas from religions?

Wrap up discussion (8 minutes):

• What is the difference between an "American Jew" and a "Jewish American" or a

Canadian Jew and a Jewish Canadian?

• Can we even combine these two terms in any meaningful way, or are they just

placed next to each other?

• Is one of the terms more important than the other?

• Do they have to be balanced?

• What does it mean to live as a Jew in a different country?

• How do you find a balance?

• Do you mix the two? Do you not mix them at all?

Wrap up Game: What’s My Identity? (5 minutes)

As a final activity, give each student an index card, and have him or her write on it what

it means for him or her to be a Jew and an American or Canadian...? Remind the students

that they will discuss this throughout the conference, so they don’t have to have a solid

opinion now.

This will be a working definition for their American and Jewish Identity.

They can address how they balance the two roles, which they consider more important, if

they think one is more important than the other? Encourage the students to carry this card

around with them throughout the conference and refer back to it. You can ask if anyone

wants to share what he or she wrote.

Buzz Group #2

Fall Conference 2008 Session #2

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Buzz Group #2 Jewish Community By: Shoshana Balk, Aliza Rabinovich, Sion Setton, Uri Westrich and Rena Wiesen,

Goal:


Materials: • Aaron’s Getting to Know Me Sheet • Blank Getting to Know Me Sheets • Community Institution Sheets • UJA Mission Statement Sheets • One Vote Tally Oak Tag • Markers • UJA Conflict Cards • Pens • Blank 5x8 index cards • One sheet with all 10 scenarios

Process:

My Many Communities (13 minutes)

The idea of this session is to help the students think about how they define themselves as

being unique from other people, and what communities they associate themselves with.

Explain to the group that you are going to do a little icebreaker. Tell them that they will

have up to 25 seconds to describe themselves however they want to the rest of the group.

The only requirement is that they give their first name, and some other information.

Hopefully the students will have described themselves in different ways. At the very least,

each advisor should give some information that goes to a deeper level of who they are,

and the various associations they have.

Give the example sheet of Aaron’s Getting to Know Me Sheet, and then hand out the

blank sheets for the students to think of many different ways they could use to define

themselves.

Our Many Associations

• How do we define who we are?

• What are the different groups we associate with?


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• What does it mean to be a part of these groups?

• How do those associations define who we are?

• Are some of those associations more important than others?

First Round of Introductions

• What sorts of things did people mention in the first round?

• Are those the most important associations we have?

• Why are those the ones everyone mentioned?

Influence of Groups

• Are we influenced by all of these different groups we are a part of?

• Do we act differently when we are in different groups?

• How can we be a part of so many communities without changing our identities to

fit in each one?

Geography and Religion** (IMPORTANT)

• What, if anything, is special about a geographic community?

• What, if anything, is special about a religious community?

• Is it true that your community has an effect on how you view yourself and how the

world views you?

• Are some communities better to be a part of?

• What attributes make those communities better?

Community Building Game (12 minutes):

We each articulated what makes our Jewish Community unique, and now we are going to see what we all have in common and identify our values as a Jewish community. Break the group in two, and tell them that they are each going to have to create their own Jewish community from scratch with limited resources.

• Jewish K-8 School • Jewish High School • Synagogue • Kollel • Jewish Community Center • Mikva • Pizza Shop • Bikkur Holim Center (soup kitchen, visiting elderly, etc) • Judaica/Seforim Store • Kiruv Center • Jewish Nursery School

Give each group 5 minutes to decide the 3 things they would build if they had the option.


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Have each group present to the other which three items they chose, and on what basis they made those decisions.

• Did the groups come up with similar for the same resources? • Were the groups’ rationales for choosing similar, but the final decision different? • What would have happened if the two groups had to make one decision – would it

have been easy?

• Was it difficult trying to come to a consensus? • Were there conflicting values that different members of the group held? • How were the groups able to make a decision in the end? • Was every member of the group happy with the final choice of three?

• How realistic is this game? • Do you think that real communities go through these challenges when they are

growing? • Do all members of real communities have truly shared values? • How do you think your community grew the way it did with a relatively diverse

Jewish population? Now that we have identified what the core values of a community are, the next activity will question and test these values when they are faced by US society. Now that we've established what is important to us as Jews in our community, how do we reconcile those values with the American community's values?

Model UJA Game (20 minutes):

“Congratulations! You have been elected to be on the board of your state’s UJA

federation– part of the United Jewish Communities – an organization that gets thousands

of dollars from different donors to be used for many different projects, locally and

globally.”

Hand out copies of the UJA mission statement:

Welcome to your local Jewish community… in action.

Whether people seek to enrich their Jewish lives or simply need help, our community is

ready. We help older adults with senior adult day care, Kosher Meals-on-Wheels or

expert long-term care. We support Jewish education at day schools, regional high

schools and congregational schools, and we are training a new generation of educators.

We offer counseling services, respite care and special needs education. We assist those

looking for work or exploring new careers. We deepen connections with Jewish life

through educational, cultural and recreational activities. We offer resources in

synagogue Federation relations, social action, community relations and advocacy.


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We take action, as a community, to help Israel during these challenging times. Through

gifts made to our Annual Campaign we support social, educational and health care

programs throughout Israel, provide meals, after school programs, medical care and

other vital services. We help resettle emigrés from around the world who seek a new life

of freedom and opportunity. And, wherever else Jews are in need — from Belarus to

Buenos Aires, in a total of 60 countries — we help with social services, training,

medicine, and other assistance.

“Several cases have already sprung up that need immediate attention. As part of an

American state (and receiving some funding from the U.S. government), you feel the

desire to give money to American causes. Still, you are a Jewish federation, and of course

you want to help out your own brothers first. Caught in this American-Jewish tension,

your council needs to decide: in each instance, how will you distribute the money you are

given?”

For each case, each council (2-3 groups of 4-5 students each) will confer and decide. The

votes will be marked or noted on a poster board. After each of the ten cases (or however

many you choose to do), discussion should take place explaining why each group voted

the way they did.

1. Conflicting Rallies

A local human rights group is organizing a march on the state capitol to demand that the state divest from companies that cooperate or benefit the Sudanese government. You have already been informed that three local churches will be attending, along with other religious groups. You have been approached to encourage the Jewish community to attend this rally. Scheduled for the same day is a visit from the secretary of state to a local University. Members of the Jewish community are interested in using this opportunity to demand that the US put pressure on Hamas to free Gilad Shalit. The UJA has been asked to sponsor and attend this rally. What do you do? 2. Blood Drive You have been approached by Magen David Adom, and were informed that they now have the resources, WHO permission, and customs permission to transport donated blood from the United States to Israel. They would like to partner with you for semi-monthly blood drives in your JCC.


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For the last 8 years, the Red Cross has been running a regularly scheduled blood drive in your community, and many members of the Jewish community donate at this drive. Do you partner with MDA, or direct your community members to the Red Cross?

3. Supporting the Arts

The UJA has budgeted 5% of its annual expenditures to supporting the Arts. Should the money be used only to support Jewish artists, or are all artists eligible for funding? Should preferential treatment be given to artists who explore Jewish themes regardless of their personal religion? Should money be spent opening a gallery in the JCC to host local Jewish artists, or should it be sent to the city’s Art Museum to keep its exhibits up to date? 4. Local Jewish soup kitchen vs. Downtown Homeless Shelter

Due to the recent economic downturn, a number of members in the Jewish community have had difficulty providing basic necessities to their families. Considering the scale of this problem, there are also rising poverty and homeless rates among the general population as well. You could open up a kosher soup kitchen/pantry in a location near the JCC, and hopefully people would feel comfortable coming to get food for their families. You also know that the downtown homeless shelters are in desperate need of expansion. The increase in the number of people sleeping on the streets over the last 6 months has been starkly noticeable. You can only afford to fully fund one of these programs. What do you do? 5. Pardons for Criminals

U.S. President Bill Clinton is about to leave office, and has the power to pardon anyone he wishes before he goes. A group of Jews were jailed two years ago due to involvement in some illegal business dealings. There is a member of the UJA Board who is close to President Clinton, and some members of the board want him to plead with the President to grant these men clemency. The Board member was troubled: on one hand, these men broke the law and deserve a prison sentence. On the other hand, how can he refuse to help his fellow Jews? He has asked the board to help him make the decision. What should he do? 6. High School Green Ranking


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The local newspaper is ranking all of the local high schools, private and public, according to how environmentally friendly they are. Your neighborhood just began building the first Jewish high school and are faced with a dilemma: The school will look bad and rank poorly if they don’t install $10,000 in solar panels on the roof that could generate 1/3 of the school’s overall energy- an amazing environmental and economic coup. However, the school badly needs a Sefer Torah for prayers in the morning (the Torah itself along with increased insurance and security costs come to $10,000). The solar panels will end up saving $10,000 in electricity bills, but not for another 5 years. Should the money go towards the solar panels, pushing off the Torah purchase, so that the Jewish school is looked upon favorably, or should they buy a Sefer Torah now so that they have proper Torah reading every week? 7. Missing Child A local girl goes missing after a school trip to Montana’s Helena State Park. The girl’s church is holding a candlelight vigil in the center of the town at 7pm to unite and hope for her safe return. The weekly Tehillim (Psalms) group that meets at the same time is also specifically praying for the girl this week. Which event should the UJA endorse? 8. Hatzalah Hatzalah is a Jewish volunteer ambulance corps. Due to limited bureaucratic limitations, their response time is often faster than the city’s 9-1-1 ambulances. Hatzalah is solely supported by donations from within the Jewish community. While Hatzalah will respond to any call it receives, and will never ask whether the person in need of help is Jewish, the Hatzalah phone number is not posted in community-wide publications. It is distributed through phone number magnets at synagogues and the JCC. Should Hatzalah be publicizing its emergency number to the entire community, or limit its scope to the Jewish community? 9. A New Community

30 Jewish families are moving into a new part of town to start a Jewish community there. A new complex is being built, and that they have the opportunity to cluster themselves on one or two blocks, or to spread themselves out throughout the development. Should they move in on the same few blocks, or spread out? 10. Little League The town is organizing a little baseball league for kids in the area. Observant Jews make


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up 15% of the town’s population. Should you request a separate team that consists only of Jewish kids, and for the team’s schedule to be such that they won’t play on Shabbat or holidays? Or is it better to promote good neighborly relations, and have the kids be integrated into the other teams, and have to miss a few games if necessary?

Discussion Questions:

• Which scenario did you feel the most conflicted about, and what led you to your final decision?

• What were some of the conflicting values you dealt with in making your decisions?

• Do you feel that the conclusions you came to were ideal solutions?

• Were your decisions purely based on your values, or did you also factor in how others would react?

• Did the desire to prevent a chillul Hashem or create a Kidush Hashem affect your choices?

• What do you feel are some of the responsibilities of a Jewish community, and how do these relate to the decisions you made?

• How much cooperation and communication should there be between different

groups of Jews (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform…) within a single community when it comes to these situations?

• Would dilemmas like these ever exist for a community in Israel? • Would you consider these unique dilemmas a Jewish community outside of Israel

faces to be positive, negative, or neutral? • Are the responsibilities of a Jewish community different from the responsibilities

of a Christian, Muslim, or other religious community?

3-2-1 Wrap-Up Exercise (10 min):

Hand out pens and 5x8 index cards to each student.

Instruct students to write down the following on their index card:

• 3 things we discussed as a group that they found interesting. • 2 things they learned from the session. • 1 question or issue they still have regarding the session topic.

Give them a few minutes to collect their thoughts and write down their responses. Have students share their thoughts with the group if they feel comfortable.

Buzz Group #3


Session #3

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Buzz Group #3 Topics in Patriotism By: Dov Goldstein, Miriam Herskovits, Abby Schoenfeld and Mollie Sharfman

Goal:


Materials: • Sheet with outline of speech talking points

• Eagle and Menorah Cards

• Copies of the Prayer for the Welfare of the USA

• Letter writing paper

• Envelopes

• Pens

• Ballots

Process:

Mock Election Program (Takes Place before the Program):

The session is going to begin with a debate between two fake candidates for a seat in the

House of Representatives in a very Jewish area. The debate will take place before the

session begins.

After the students hear from the two candidates, they will then break up into their buzz

groups to begin talking about what it means to be patriotic. At the end of the session, they

will have to vote for the candidate they would choose.

Patri-O-Meter

The “Patri-O-Meter” is a tool you will use with your buzz groups to determine where our

feelings lie with regards to a number of issues. The students themselves make up the

Patri-O-Meter. Each student is given two cards: one with an eagle, and one with a

menorah.

You can ask the students if they think an issue reflects Western or Jewish values. They

can hold up the eagle, the menorah, or both cards.


Session #3

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Understanding Patriotism (10 Minutes): • How would you define patriotism?

• Should one be patriotic for America/Canada?

• Why?

• How have we benefited from our home country?

• What are the basic American/Canadian values?

• Do we care about these values as citizens of this country and as Jews?

• Do we have a strong relationship with Israel?

• Is it possible or right to be patriotic to two countries?

• Is it OK to live in America or Canada without caring much about the country?

• Does that attitude of living here because it’s comfortable strip away all patriotic

sentiment towards the country?

• Do you feel more of a connection to fellow citizens (Americans/Canadians),

whether they Jewish or not?

• Or do you feel more of a connection to any Jew around the world more than to

Americans/Canadians?

Discussion of the Candidates Points (10 Minutes): Before discussing these issues, you may want to hand out the sheets outlining the

candidates’ positions on the various issues.

American/Canadian Holidays - Thanksgiving, Fourth of July

• How do you feel about celebrating American holidays?

• Do you celebrate American/Canadians holidays?

• Do you feel a substantial reason for celebrating them?

• What is that reason?

• **Do you feel that American/Canadians History is part of your history and

that it should be celebrated?

Commemoration- September 11th

, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Day

• Do you feel a compelling responsibility to remember the lives of people who gave

their lives for this country?

• Did you mourn the loss of those who died on September 11th

because it was a

horrible tragedy or because you felt it was an attack on America?

• When America was so patriotic in the aftermath of Sept. 11th

, did you a feel a part

of that patriotism and unity?

Flag/National Anthem

• What are our motives for putting up the American flag?

• Do you feel like you should sing the national anthem at sporting events?

• Is it pure pride or is it out of an obligation?

• Obligation vs. Pride?


Session #3

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• Both?

Religious Events (Hand out the prayer for the welfare of America)

• Do you think we should say a prayer for the state of America on

Shabbat/holidays?

• In analyzing the actual prayer, do you identify with it’s perspective on America?

• What is it we are praying for on behalf of America?

• Do you give priority to the prayer for Israel and captive soldiers over the prayer

for America?

• Is it appropriate to mention US or Israeli soldiers who have been killed during

prayers?

Israel/Jewish Social Events (we do in America)

Israel Day Parade

• Does it make sense to have an Israel Day Parade down 5th

Avenue in Manhattan?

• Do you feel a connection to the parade?

• What is your motivation for going if you go at all (school, loving Israel, etc.)?

• Do you feel like you are supporting Israel as Americans or do you have a feeling

of representing Israel in America?

• Why do you think we have a parade like this?

• Is it any different than the Puerto Rican Day Parade or the St. Patrick’s Day

Parade?

National Holidays

• Yom Ha’Atzmaut

• Yom Ha’zikaron

• Yom Yerushalayim

• Yom Ha’Shoah

• Do you feel different about celebrating these different holidays?

• What different emotions do these different holidays evoke?

• How does celebrating these events of Israeli/Jewish history compare to

celebrating the “American” holidays?

Terrorist Attacks in Israel

• How do the reactions that we have when we hear about terrorist attacks in Israel

compare to how we reacted to September 11th

?

• If they are different, how so?

• Why do you think that is?

Current Events Knowledge

• Do we focus on what’s going on in Israel more than we do with current event in

America?


Session #3

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The Great Voting Debate (11 Minutes):

The students in the group should be broken up into two groups, each arguing one of the

following points:

• Jews should vote based on what is best for Israel.

• Jews should vote based on what is best for the country they live in.

The students should not be allowed to choose the side of the debate they are on, and it

might even be better to make sure they are on the opposite side of what they believe in.

The idea is to encourage them to think about a perspective that is not their own.

Use the following questions to pose to the groups, and they have to answer based on the

group they have been assigned to.

1. On what basis should American Jews vote in the upcoming Election?

2. Do American Jews owe something to the United States because of the rights they

have been given, or should they have more devotion to the State of Israel?

3. Is it unpatriotic for American Jews to vote for another country? Why?

The point of the debate is to force the students think about the issue from another

person’s perspective. In the middle of the debate, you have the option to switch the sides

and have them argue the opposite way.

After the debate, you can continue with some of the following questions.

How should Jews vote?

• What are the values that we think about when voting for any political candidate?

• Are the values that guide my voting decision guided by solely Jewish values?

• Do we make a distinction between Jewish/Israeli issues and American policy-

issues or do we say they are mutually exclusive?

• Does it depend on the policy?

Voting Based on Israel

• Is it OK for Jews to vote based on what is best for Israel?

• Should Israeli policy be a major factor for Jews when voting?

• Does that someone unpatriotic if they are voting based on another country’s

interests?

• Would your opinion change if support for Israel as the main factor of your voting

decision translated into looking out for Israel’s best interest and going against the

best interest of America?

• What about if the candidate’s credentials were best for issues relating to Israel but

his credentials were not best for the welfare of America?


Session #3

5

Israel Current Events

• What is our awareness about Israel issues vs. other issues that come up in a

campaign?

• How does this reflect on our priorities of what we care about?

• Should we take America’s best interest into account?

• Do you necessarily consider it a bad thing, or is it ok because this is what is

important to us?

Protesting/Lobbying/Grassroots Organizations (5 Minutes):

• What sort of activities do we need to engage in to be considered patriotic citizens?

• Is going to the random rally and parade enough, or is there more that you feel has

to be done in order to consider yourself truly patriotic?

• As a “Joe the Plumber American,” what is the extent to which we feel we should

be participating in government and civics?

• Do Jews get more involved for Israel issues than they do for general American

issues?

• Are Jews fighting for the rights of the homeless, better education and security for

America the same way they protest against Iran or lobby for American

involvement in the Mid-East peace process?

• Is that only natural? Wrong? Ok?

American Army vs. Israeli Army / War (10 Minutes):

• Is there a responsibility for American Jews to join the American army?

• Is there a responsibility for American Jews to join the Israeli army?

• If our answers are different for each question, why is that?

• What does that say about our priorities?

• Is that wrong?

• Do our Jewish values increase or lessen this sense of responsibility, or is simply

an issue of pragmatism?

• When it comes to the actual warfare that takes place in each country, do we

prioritize or care more about wars that take place in Israel vs. the wars that

America is engaged in?

• Which one do we “care” more about?

• Did we follow the war in Lebanon more or less than we did the war in Iraq?

• What if Israel and America went to war against one another?

• Would that change or affect our decision?

• Where would our loyalties lie?

• Would you stay in America?

Tell the story of the soldier fighting for the American army against another country and

he comes face to face with a Jewish soldier from the other army.

• What do you think about this situation?


Session #3

6

• What would you do?

• Does your reaction show how loyal you REALLY are to fighting for America?

(How your Jewish identity is superior?)

A Jewish President? (8 Minutes):

This represents what would seem like the ultimate challenge of someone being

Jewish and American and acting upon both identities.

• Is it feasible that there could be a Jewish President who would have strong

connection to Jewish values and Israel?

• Would he/she be able to balance these two sets of values?

• Is it morally ok as the President of the United States to care so much about

another country’s best interest?

• Shouldn’t he have America’s best interest as the ultimate focus?

• As Jews, Would we be ok with the fact that if these policies would overlap, this

Jewish president would push his Jewish values to the side?

• Doesn’t he serve as our representative?

• If we had to choose, would you rather have a secular Jew in government or a

Religious Jew in government?

Closing Activity - Letters to the President (8 Minutes):

After having discussed so many issues about our American-Jewish identity, it’s time to

really put down to paper what we feel about our relationship to this country. By now we

should know who the next President of the United States of America will be.

Each student should be given a piece of paper and an envelope, and told that they can

now write letters to the President-Elect.

The students may wish to cover the following issues in their letter:

• Their expectations from the President Elect for the next four years.

• An explanation of their feelings towards America.

• What they feel America’s mission should be.

• Their perspective on the relationship between church and state.

• Their perspective on the relationship between the US and Israel.

After they write their letter, they can address them as follows:

Senator John McCain Senator Barack Obama

c/o John McCain 2008 c/o Obama for America

P.O. Box 16118 P.O. Box 8102

Arlington, VA 22215 Chicago, IL 60680


Session #3

7

Mock Voting (5 Minutes):

The last part of the program consists of a mock election. The students will have the

choice to vote for one of the two candidates. You may want to cover the following

questions with them before they vote:

• Do you agree 100% with either of the candidates?

• What are you supposed to do when you agree with some of one candidate’s

views, and some of the other’s?

• What are the consequences of not voting?

Beit Midrash

Session

Page 1

Jew-conomics

An Exploration of the Jewish Perspective on Economic Systems.


www.eimatai.org





Page 2


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The Great Soda Market Experiment

Let’s do a recap of the Great Soda Market Experiment we just conducted:

• Explain to the group what your role was in the Great Soda Market Experiment.

• What did you think of the Soda Experiment?

• Were there winners and losers in the Experiment? Who were they?

• What dictated who won and lost in this game?

• How fair was the game we just played?

• How realistic was the soda experiment to how the actual economy works?

• Is this even a relevant discussion for us to be having?

• What relationship is there anyways between religion and economics?

• What role does economics play in our lives?

• Should it have more of a connection to religion that it does?

• In what ways can we find connections between Judaism and the economy?

• Can you think of any stories in the Bible, or any Jewish Laws, that relate to

economics?

• What does halacha tell us about our business dealings and other financial issues?

Why Talk About Economics?





Page 3

Capitalism:

Capitalism is the economic system in which the means of production are distributed to openly competing profit-seeking

private persons.

Investments, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are predominantly determined through the operation of a free market in which anyone can participate in,

rather than by central economic planning.


www.eimatai.org

• Which one of these sounds better?

• Which one of these sounds like what we have in America?

• Are these the only options out there?

• Is either of these socio-economic models better based on Jewish values?

Socialism:

Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and

administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society.

Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society

that controls capital and creates an unequal society.





Page 4

The Requirement of Charity


www.eimatai.org

• Why did the Torah require everyone to give charity?

• Shouldn’t the Torah say that giving charity is good, and allow people to choose if they want to give charity or not? Why does it have to require specific amounts?

• Shouldn’t people have complete ownership over their property? Why must they allow others to come onto their fields?

• Does mandated tzedaka mean the same thing as redistribution of wealth?

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When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your

field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather

the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the Lord

am your God.

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And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your

field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the

stranger: I the Lord am your God.

Rambam Hilchot Matanot L’Aniim:

The amount to be given is as follows: If he has su!cient resources, he should give according

to the need of the poor. If his resources do not extend to this, he should give up to one-fifth o

his possessions for an ideal fulfillment of the mitzvah, one-tenth for a normal fulfillment, and

less corresponds to an ungenerous fulfillment.

1

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Source

Source

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Questions





Page 5

Setting Market Prices


www.eimatai.org

• What was the reasoning behind setting market prices?

• Why couldn’t storeowners charge as much as people were willing to pay?

• Wouldn’t competition between di!erent stores keep the prices reasonable?

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When you sell property to your neighbor, or buy any from your neighbor, you shall not wrong

one another.

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.!/#+62 !2'" !&/'!! +# $&G)!2 !/'6! A&&)' ,)%6! !/%/' ;!&/'!

The rabbis of the Talmud used this as a basis for a series of specific laws on the subject. They

ruled that if the price charged was more than one sixth above the accepted price, the sale is

null and void and the seller must return the buyer’s money. If it was exactly one sixth more, the

transaction is valid, but the seller must return the amount overcharged. If it was less than a

sixth, the transaction is valid and no money need be returned.

4

5

6

Source

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Questions





Page 6


www.eimatai.org

• Why would the Torah prohibit charging interest on loans?

• What would be the motivation for someone to loan if there was no interest involved?

• Why did the Rabanan institute the Heter Iska?

• Is the Heter Iska just a loophole to get out of an inconvenient halacha?

• Why are loans so important?

• Were the rabbis concerned with the Jewish people having a slow-growing economy?

Interest-Free Loans

If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, do not act toward them as creditor; exact no interest from them.

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The Sages said as follows:

Rabbi Shimon says: Those who lend at interest lose more than what they gain. And moreover, they render Moshe our teacher wise, and his Torah truth. And they say: "If Moshe our teacher had known that there would be profit in the matter, he would not have written it." (Bava Metzia 75b)

HETER ISKA

In a heter iska, the "lender" and the "borrower" turn into "investor" and "businessman." Thus, it is noted that all the documents mentioning the terms "borrower" and "lender" actually mean "investor" and "businessman." The investor gives money to the business, and the businessman is supposed to invest the money in a business that yields profits. The profit and loss derived from the money is divided equally between the investor and the businessman, except for the small salary that the businessman takes for his work.

The important point in the agreement is that the investor cannot know exactly how much the businessman profits from the business, and so the parties agree among themselves that the businessman is required to prove the truth of the figures presented by him. If the businessman is unable to prove to the investor how much money he earned, he must pay him demei hitpashrut, at the rate of interest. Practically speaking, the businessman (i.e., the borrower) is unable to prove how much his business profited or lost, and therefore he must pay the investor (the lender) the agreed upon demei hitpashrut.

7

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Explanation

Questions





Page 7

Land Distribution


www.eimatai.org

• On what basis was the land given to the Jewish People when they entered the land of Israel?

• Why didn’t the stronger or more powerful tribes get a larger portion of the land?

• Was this designed only to make sure the country began with each person equal, or was it designed as a model for always keeping people as equal as possible?

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The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Among these shall the land be apportioned as shares,

according to the listed names: with larger groups increase the share, with smaller groups

reduce the share. Each is to be assigned its share according to its enrollment.

Shmita and Pruzbul

Every seventh year you shall practice remission of debts. This shall be the nature of the remission: every creditor shall remit the due that he claims from his fellow; he shall not dun his fellow or kinsman, for the remission proclaimed is of the Lord. You may dun the foreigner; but you must remit whatever is due you from your kinsmen.

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And the Rabbis instituted the release [of debt] in honor of the 7th year. Hillel saw that the nation had ceased lending money, one to the other, so he arose and established the pruzbul.

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10

11

12

Source

Questions

Source

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Page 8


www.eimatai.org

WHAT IS A PRUZBUL? -Excerpted from Rabbi Alfred S. Cohen, www.jlaw.com

Despite the important moral and religious lessons to be learned from the mitzvah of shemitat kesafim (cancellation of debts), and despite the fact that observance of this practice is a specific Torah directive, the reality is that when economic circumstances became di!cult, not all people were able to live up to these high ideals. The rich simply refused to lend money to the poor as the Sabbatical Year approached. Consequently, some two thousand years ago, Hillel the Elder came to the conclusion that drastic action had to be taken. Thus, he instituted the pruzbul.

The pruzbul is a legal device which, in e"ect, transfers a private debt to the beth din, the Jewish court. Shemitat kesafim cancels only debts between people, not monies owed to court. Therefore, the court is able to collect the debt whenever it desires, even after the Sabbatical Year.

Rabbis do not have the authority to cancel a Torah imperative nor to override that which the Torah forbids. Under the circumstance, Hillel devised a system -- the pruzbul which would permit a debt to be collected even after the Sabbatical Year, yet without violating the Torah's command.

Shmita and Pruzbul - Continued

• Why did the Torah mandate all loans to be excused on the Shmita Year?

• What problem arose that cause Hilel to institute the Pruzbul?

• Similar to the Heter Iska, how can our Rabbis make rules that seem to ignore explicit laws of the Torah? What was so bad that made them do this?

• Is it possible that the rabbis were concerned that the ideal nature of man as outlined in the Torah was not something the Jewish people could live up to at that time?

• What was the reason to leave the land fallow?

• Why don’t we have the right to do with our land as we please?

13Source

Questions

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Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but in the seventh you shall let it rest

and lie fallow. Let the needy among your people eat of it, and what they leave let the wild

beasts eat. You shall do the same with your vineyards and your olive groves.

Source

14





Page 9


www.eimatai.org

Conclusion Discussion

• Are the laws in the Torah that “look out for the little guy” an endorsement of

Socialism? Would it be so bad if they were?

• Does Jewish Law have socialist or capitalism leanings?

• Is there a presentation of two di!erent sets of values for Jewish economics: one that

is idealistic and one that is realistic?

• With these ideas in mind, what application is there from Jewish Law to speak to the

American Economy? Is America’s economy Socialist, Capitalist, Both or Neither?

• What are the other attitudes that the Torah takes on Money? What role should

money play in the lives of the Jewish people?

• Do we have Jews view financial matters the same as other people? Do we serve as an

example to the world?

Below is an excerpt from Rabbi Blau’s article on the Jewish response to

Communism. Communism had socialist beliefs, but had many other beliefs not

inherent to socialism. This excerpt refers to the property of ownership in Jewish

Culture

How does Rabbi Blau present the concept of property ownership in Jewish

culture?

How much of a right do Jews have to own their property?

Is it a better system to have private ownership, or public ownership?

Rabbinic Responses to Communism - R. Yitzchak Blau





School

Initiative

Planning

Sessions

1

Project Planning Sessions

Goal: To provide participating students with a basic understanding of the science of

planning projects/events and some strategies to plan effectively.

Goal Objectives: • Teach planning effectively.

• Practice brainstorming and creative thinking.

• Conduct a needs assessment.

Supplies Needed: • Flipchart

• Markers

• Handouts

• Scratch paper

Duration: The program is broken up into five pieces. These five

programs will be run throughout the conference, not in one shot:

• Part 1- “How to Plan”- 35 min

• Part 2- Actual Brainstorming (coming up with 3-5 ideas) – 60 min

• Part 3- Choosing the idea- 30 min

• Part 4- Creating an Action Plan- 60 min

• Part 5- Preparing Presentations- 60 min

2

Part 1 - How to Plan (35 min) - Sunday 7:30pm

Students will break into school groups led by Eimatai Advisors. The How to Plan

program will take place in school groups

Planning Logistics (15 min) Advisors should be asking the bold questions to the rest of the group, and recording them

on a flipchart.

The question to start out this part of the program is:

What are important parts of planning a project?

What do we need to be thinking about to even start this process?

• Brainstorming

• Back-up plans

• Creativity

• Flexibility

• Stress Management

• Attitude

• Organization

• Action Plans

As always, your group may come up with many more, and that’s great!

Now that we have identified a number of different parts of planning, lets explore

some of these more in depth:

Advisors should hand out tip sheets on planning events. Each topic should be introduced

with, “Why is X an important part of planning”

Plans

• Think of every piece of the program

o Go into every level of detail possible. For every piece that you don’t

prepare, it’s possible that it may not work out. Walk through your program

from start to end including both large and small parts of the program.

• Think of what can go wrong

o Advisor will give an example of an event like a party or a concert and will

ask students what they think could go wrong (Example: the sound system

isn’t working, there isn’t enough food, the band is stuck in traffic etc.)

• Thorough planning and contingency plans

o This is done by trying to come up with as many ideas of what could go

wrong and planning your event in a way that could exclude potential

mishaps. (Example: order extra food. Its always better to have too much

then too little)

• Don’t stress, something will go wrong

o No matter how many contingency plans one has, not everything will run

as smoothly as one would like it too. The best way to combat this is to roll

with the punches and tackle the issues head on to the best of one’s ability.

Setup

• When possible, don’t let your participants see you setup

3

o Setting up while your participants are arriving shows a lack of preparation.

• Always be there ahead of time

• Calculate how early you will have to be at the program based on what needs

to be done

o Always add in a little more time just to be safe and to give yourself a

chance to breathe before the event begins (Example: if you need to set up

chairs or food and all of that will take an hour, get there an hour and a half

before the event)

Attitude

• Attitude is one of the most important elements in planning and executing an

event: it has the potential to make or break a program.

• The team leader spreads the attitude

o The more optimism and positive attitude one has, the more confidence one

builds into their team, thereby setting the stage for a good working

environment and a great program.

• Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm - if you generate excitement about an idea or an

event, other people will follow suit.

• Do something to get people out of their boxes and shells

o By acting really excited or even quirky or silly you allow people to feel

comfortable with themselves and the program. (If it’s appropriate – yom

hashoa program might need a different approach) People loosen up when

certain rigid barriers are removed by relaxed and exciting behavior.

(Example: by doing a funny ice-breaker like the games we played at our

first session, people loosen up.)

4

Part 2 - How to Brainstorm (20 min) - Sunday 8:00pm Advisor should ask the bold questions

Now that we learned about how to prepare the logistics of a project, how do you

come up with a creative project idea?

• What is brainstorming?

• Why do we brainstorm?

Brainstorming is an activity used to generate many creative ideas that have no right or

wrong answers and are accepted without criticism

Brainstorming Challenge

Split group by schools and pose the following challenge:

You are part of a team of engineers that is stuck on an island in the middle of a lake.

There are 5 members of your team. You have run out of food, and everyone must get off

the island. In 10 minutes how many ways can your team think of to get off the island and

make it to the shore? The island is 1000 ft from shore.

You only have the following supplies:

• 500 ft. of rope

• A 10 ft long canoe that holds only 2 people and contains 2 paddles

• An abandoned school bus. The bus is broken and cannot be fixed, but can be

taken apart

• 5 trees, each tree is 50 ft tall and only 2 ft wide

You get 1 point for any solution, 5 points for a solution that the other team does not have.

Creativity Counts!

• What was challenging about this activity

• Why was it challenging?

• How did your group come up with solutions to escape the island?

• What do you think would have made this challenge easier?

• What are some practical tips for brainstorming that we can learn from this

activity?

o Define the problem you want solved clearly, and lay out any criteria to be

met

o Keep the session focused on the problem

o Ensure that no one criticizes or evaluates ideas during the session.

Criticism introduces an element of risk for group members when putting

forward an idea. This stifles creativity and cripples the free running nature

of a good brainstorming session

o Encourage an enthusiastic, uncritical attitude among members of the

group. Try to get everyone to contribute and develop ideas, including the

quietest members of the group

5

o Let people have fun brainstorming. Encourage them to come up with as

many ideas as possible, from solidly practical ones to wildly impractical

ones. Welcome creativity

o Ensure that no train of thought is followed for too long

o Encourage people to develop other people's ideas, or to use other ideas to

create new ones

o Appoint one person to note down ideas that come out of the session. A

good way of doing this is to use a flip chart. This should be studied and

evaluated after the session.

Now that we have learned about brainstorming lets begin to brainstorm about some

of the different areas of need in our schools

6

Part 3 - School Brainstorming (40 min) - Sunday 8:20pm Schools should brainstorm about some of their needs of their schools

Advisors will hand out the Needs Assessment handout. Encourage the students to use the

strategies for brainstorming you just reviewed.

Part 4 - Choosing an Idea (30 min) – Monday 12:00pm Schools should work together to figure out which project idea they would like to follow-

through to completion.

It’s not always easy to come to a consensus, so recognize that sometimes there will be

people unhappy with the choice that is made. There will need to be compromise, and

students should figure out what idea is best for the group, not which one they thought of.

7

Part 5 - Action Plan (60 min) – Monday 5:00pm Schools will explore Action Plans

Using a blank action report as a guide, advisors should ask the bold questions.

• What is an Action Plan?

o A detailed list that says what needs to be done, who will do it, and by

when it must be done.

• Why is it important to have a thorough Action Plan

o In order for every aspect of your program to run smoothly and

successfully you need to create a thorough Action Plan. If you are missing

things on the report, then most likely you will forget to do it for the

program and something will go wrong.

• What does the Action Plan incorporate?

o It incorporates timeline, goal, and delegation.

! You need a timeline. For the timeline, work backwards from the

event. Make sure that you finish all of the preparation at least two

weeks before the program is to take place.

! You must always have a Goal for any program that you run. Make

sure to list it at the beginning of brainstorming and put it as the

header on your action report so that you will always be aware of

your objective. This way your program will never stray too far

from your overall goal. Programs have a lot of facets.

! The only way to accomplish everything is to have proper

delegation. Make sure that someone in charge gives out tasks to

people who have the time and skills to handle them. Assess the

people for yourself and assign them accordingly rather than relying

on what they tell you that they can do.

• Review the “What every Action Plan Should Have” page

Your school group should now begin to work on an appropriate Action Plan for

their project. Make sure that the Action Plan is realistic. It is the key to success

for the program

8

Part 6 - Preparing Presentations (60 min) Monday evening and

Tuesday morning Schools will explore how to make an engaging presentation

What are some different ways we can make a presentation?

• Elevator Pitch

• Flyer

• Billboard

• PowerPoint

• Skit

• Song

Each school group will be responsible for preparing:

• A 30 second elevator pitch- This will be used during the School Initiative Fair

o An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is a brief overview of an idea for a

product, service, or project. The pitch is so called because it can be

delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (say, thirty seconds or 100-

150 words).

o Every Elevator Pitch contains:

! A "hook". Open your pitch by getting the Investor's attention with

a "hook." A statement or question that piques their interest to want

to hear more.

! About 150-225 words. Your pitch should go no longer than 60

seconds.

! Passion.

! A request. At the end of your pitch, you must ask for something.

Do you want their business card, to schedule a full presentation, to

ask for a referral?

• A poster board billboard

o Using a tri-fold poster board schools will create a catchy looking billboard

to be used during the School Initiative Fair.

• A 3 minute presentation with the rest of their buzz group

o Exactly what this is, is completely up to your school group. It can be a

jingle, a story, or even just an explanation of the project.

Now the schools should work on their presentations together to make sure they are ready

for the school initiative fair on Tuesday morning.

Advisor packet fall 2008

Documents

beit knesset9

tefilat mincha

tefilat shacharit

school group brainstorming9

faculty session

tefilat arvit

place posters

packs of different color