In 1964, a group of middle class women took on the problem of racism in the American South. Learn about this little known story of women collaborating across geographic, racial, and religious boundaries through documentary clips of Wednesdays in Mississippi activists. Explore the challenges and benefits of creating social change through community coalitions and discuss ways to connect this story to conversations about activism within your own community.
Music has tremendous power to inspire people and bring people together—in both good times and challenging ones. Learn how music incited social change during the Civil Rights Movement. Discuss the role of music within Judaism and how that compares to how music was used in the primarily Christian context of the Civil Rights Movement. This session includes a brief tutorial on writing your own freedom/protest songs.
Lisa Batya Feld is a rabbinical student at Hebrew College in Newton Center, Massachusetts. She is also a novelist, drawing her inspiration from history and folklore, stories of what was, what might have been, and what might yet be.
What is the meaning of work? What conditions cause workers to suffer and what inspires them to take action to improve their lives? What can Jewish history teach us about contemporary labor issues and our responsibility towards workers around the world? Watch interactive activities and see an experienced facilitator model investigations of several historical artifacts you can put to use in your classroom.
The year 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of Mississippi Freedom Summer. Investigate how community organizing, Jewish values, and moral conviction influenced the lives of Jewish Freedom Summer activists. We will model activities that will teach your students about courage, activism, and Jewish identity using the Living the Legacy curriculum.
Learn about tools and techniques that will make oral history projects more engaging for both you and your students. Get oriented to various online resources that will help you collect and share stories in your classroom or community. Finally, explore how oral histories can be used as “Jewish texts” that teach students about Jewish history, identity, and community.
Build connections among Jewish values, trailblazing Jewish women, and the Hanukkah story. This program will provide a new lens for teaching your students about Hanukkah that goes beyond the Maccabees and the candle lighting blessings. JWA staff will model resources and activities that can be put to use as you celebrate the festival of lights.
