In Judaic studies, Shefa’s lower school students have recently embarked on a new unit focusing on Israel, specifically Israeli art and artists. Each student created artwork depicting the Kotel  that was inspired by the artistic style of an Israeli artist from our unit. They also completed a writing component to accompany their art.

The unit begins with an exploration of the text in the Torah where Israel is mentioned (such as “The land was filled with milk and honey”), as it is an essential component in understanding both the Torah and Jewish history. At the same time, students are also learning that art serves as a medium for expressing one’s imagination, thoughts, ideas and feelings about a place and its people. The students learn about the Bezalel School, an institution founded in Israel prior to the state’s declaration. They then dive into a study of four renowned Israeli artists: Boris Schatz, Reuven Rubin, Nachum Gutman and Anna Ticho. Each artist holds a unique connection to the land of Israel, which is reflected in their art. Throughout the unit, the students are asked to describe the distinctive features of each artist’s style and articulate their emotional responses to selected paintings and how they relate to the biblical text.