Did you know there’s a Star of David so large you can see it in Google Earth?

Or that the Jewish slaves memorialized in the Arch of Titus carrying the menorah, were the first members of a two-millennia old community in Italy?

Today’s teachers, camp personnel and parents are continuously looking to make Judaism more engaging and real for their youth. While communication today is often blocked by a screen, students receive snippets of information from social media and YouTube. ASF Institute of Jewish Experience’s (IJE) new program encourages teachers to bring video clips into their classrooms as a way of engaging with students.

IJE’s clips are designed to expand and enhance the greater Jewish experience. Much of Jewish education in the English-speaking world today focuses on the Ashkenazi narrative. There is a shared heritage between Jews worldwide, even if it has its variances. Sometimes the focus is not enough on the shared elements, and too much weight is given to the differences. But most of all, there is a lack of awareness that differing traditions even exist. The goal of these clips is to encourage schools to include the greater Jewish world into the narrative.

IJE’s educational clips, which are two to five minutes each, are designed to integrate history and customs of the greater Jewish experience into middle and high school current curricula.

Every video is accompanied by a one to two page teacher’s aide to elaborate on the contents of the video and enhance the discussion in the classroom. Little prior knowledge of the international Jewish community is needed. A monthly subscription ($10) to these videos is available through the Institute of Jewish Experience website:
http://instituteofjewishexperience.org/