American Jews played in a variety of significant, yet largely unknown roles in the founding of the State of Israel, serving as WWII veterans (Machal) who fought in the War of Independence; volunteers who smuggled weapons, machine parts, and uniforms overseas; businessmen who raised funds to help bring Holocaust refugees to Palestine; and as doctors, nurses, journalists, students, etc., who were eyewitnesses to Israel’s founding. Toldot Yisrael (http://www.toldotyisrael.org/en) recently received a major grant from the William Davidson Foundation to interview Americans that were involved in this era, including, for the first time, children, siblings, or spouses of these individuals. (If you have suggestions for potential interview candidates, an interview sign up sheet can be found here: [
www.toldotyisrael.org])
To mark Israel’s 70th, I thought it would be timely and useful to teach/remind American Jews that they are part of the story of Israel’s founding as well. Toward that end, Toldot Yisrael is considering using this footage to produce a series of 15-20 brief (2-3 minute) video clips that highlight the American contribution to Israel’s founding.
- Would educators find this material interesting/useful for the classroom?
- I am considering releasing one clip a week on social media between January and May 2018. Would educators begin using material in January or only around Yom Ha’Atzmaut?
- Does it make a difference to educators if the material is organized thematically vs. chronologically?
- We have also produced brief biographies, glossaries, and discussion guides for some of our earlier films. (See [
www.toldotyisrael.org] or [
www.toldotyisrael.org]) Have people used these guides? Is that a necessity in order for educators to use it?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Best,
Aryeh
Aryeh Halivni (Eric Weisberg)
Executive Director
Toldot Yisrael
www.toldotyisrael.org
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2017 07:56PM by mlb.
