Boneh Learning topics

The two weeks after pesach chofesh we continued speaking about the early history of the Jewish people.  We started exploring what life was like for Jews in the modern era.  We looked at questions of how it was to be a Jew during the Enlightenment and how Jews responded to living amongst secular and Christian societies.  We went on to discuss the complex history of the anti-Semitism Jews have faced.  We looked at different types of anti-Semitism and when life for the Jews was the hardest.

The Boneh programming continued by taking a look at early Zionist history. We explored the roots of Zionism and its earliest thinkers and then further explored this history in Zichron Yaakov during the northern siyur. In Zichron Yaacov we did a walking tour to learn about the history of the first aliyah, the development of moshavim and the influences of Baron Rothschild on the development of Israel. Afterwards we went to the Second Aliyah museum, where we met a very funny tour guide and had a great time learning all about the Second Aliyah. Another part of the northern siyur was a trip to Nazareth. There we talked about at the intersections of  different beliefs and histories in the city.

Second Aliyah Museum

The next module was chalutziut, which was a wonderful historical preparation for the May Day rally. We learned about the development of the idea of Socialist Zionism as something different from either socialism or Zionism and learned how those ideas helped to found and shape the state of Israel.  We went on to discuss the dilemmas of nation building.  Here, the chanichim looked at questions of defense, the religious secular divide and political coalitions at the very beginning of the state.

During the Arab Israeli conflict module, we learned about the complex and difficult history, and we explored the current incarnations of the struggle. We also met with speakers, one from Breaking the Silence, which is an organization that leads tours of Hebron, and two from the Parents’ Circle, which is an organization of friends and families of people who have lost their lives during the conflict. All of the speakers brought really eye-opening ideas and were really engaging.