Below is a collection of articles and lesson plans created by The Lookstein Center staff or contributed to the site by Jewish educators to teach elementary through high school students about Ancient Jewish History instruction.

This is a growing collection. Check back soon or write to us at content@lookstein.org if you didn’t find what you’re looking for. 

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BIBLICAL JEWISH HISTORY
Methodology and Method in the Teaching of Tannaitic Literature – This article explores the best approaches for teaching ancient texts to students.
🔒 The Tapestry of Creation – Creative Drama and Music – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, introduces an integrated curricular approach to help students connect to Tanakh stories.
War, Peace, and Judaism – This four-lesson series analyzes war and peace from the perspective of Biblical history and Jewish ethics.
Ancient Egypt and Germany – This integrated Tanakh and history lesson for high school students examines Jewish identity, integration, and acculturation in a host society. By The Lookstein Center.
Great Debates in Jewish History: The Dead Sea Scrolls – This resource from The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute includes videos, articles, and more.

ANCIENT JEWISH HISTORY
Is the Menorah Still in Rome (and Does it Matter)? – This blog post for The Lookstein Center explores the history of the Second Temple vessels, including the Menorah, after the Temple’s destruction.
Finding Your Roots Padlet – This interactive, collaborative map allows students to research their family history with the background of the dispersion of Jews around the world following the destruction of the Second Temple. This activity can be a great springboard for a larger class discussion. Created by The Lookstein Center.
Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai Saves Torah – This lesson plan explores the story of Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai’s request to save the city of Yavneh and its significant ramifications.
Karaites in the Classroom – This article explores different avenues of group role-playing to encourage students to learn about the Karaites in an interactive way.
Great Debates in Jewish History: The Jewish Revolt Against Rome – This resource from The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute includes videos, articles, and more.

MEDIEVAL JEWISH HISTORY
🔒 From the Classics – ‘God of Our Ancestors’ – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, explores how conversion to Judaism was viewed in the Middle Ages.
Great Debates in Jewish History: Maimonides: Life and Legacy – This resource from The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute includes videos, articles, and more.
Great Debates in Jewish History: Maimonides: In the Wake of Expulsion – This resource from The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute includes videos, articles, and more.

MODERN JEWISH HISTORY
The Refusenik Project – This website includes free lesson plans and educational activities about Soviet Jewry and to teach about the Jewish values of activism and heroism.
Curating the Past, Creating the Future – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, analyzes the importance of finding meaningful content in order to connect students to Jewish historical texts and events.
A Eulogy for the Rav – This article by Norman Lamm eulogizes Rav Solovetick and his contributions to modern Jewish life.
🔒 “You Shall Be Holy”: A Jewish Ethics Project – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, introduces a curricular approach to teaching Jewish ethics in light of modern Jewish history.
🔒 The Disenchanted Student: Reconstructing Jewish Identity in a Modern Context – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, explores the role of modern Jewish history students’ lives and Jewish identities today.
🔒 From the Classics – Elias Levi: The Rangoon Rabbi – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, reviews the tale of a Baghdadi Jew from Rangoon as an example of modern Jewish heroes from communities around the world.
🔒 From the Classics – A Baghadadi Mystery: Rabbi Yosef Hayim and Torah Lishmah – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, reviews the mysterious history of a Baghdadi manuscript from the early 19th century.
🔒 The Rightful Heirs of Sarah Schenirer – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, explores the impact of Sarah Schenirer’s legacy on Jewish girls’ education today.
🔒 Jewish Education and Economic Downturn – This article from Jewish Educational Leadership, analyzes the impact of the Great Depression on Jewish education.
Ethiopian Jews are Part of the Worlwide Jewish Community – This curriculum project for 6th-12th grades explores sthe history of the Ethiopian Jewish community and its place in the modern Jewish experience.  By North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry.
Great Debates in Jewish History: Maimonides: The Road to the Chassidic Renaissance – This resource from The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute includes videos, articles, and more.

GENERAL JEWISH HISTORY
A Test of Jewish Literacy – This test assesses students’ aptitude in Jewish literacy and provides helpful tools for promoting Jewish literacy in the classroom.
Khan Academy Jewish History Lesson Plan – This lesson explores different time periods in Jewish History and relevant architectural findings.
Center for Online Judaic Studies – This website includes primary and secondary sources, scholarly articles, lists of artifacts and maps for each topic, separated by time period from the ancient until the modern period.
Documentation by Haym Soloveitchik – A collection of essays and sourcebooks by Haym Soloveitchik focusing on medieval responsa and the evolution of American modern Orthodox Judaism. 

Have anything to add to the list? Contact us at content@lookstein.org.