Our middle school students took a "trip" through history, guided through an exhibition containing five six-feet tall posters of pictures, text, quotes and poems following the narrative of Israeli history and Rabin's life to see how the two stories interacted and affected each other. Multiple perspectives on peace, dissent and the power of words challenged the students to form a critical and complex understanding of Israeli Society and democracy. An especially interesting topic of discussion was freedom of speech, and the ways words can become irresponsible.The students questioned how to responsibly express themselves in a democratic society, and in their own lives.

On Thursday, Camp Gilboa madrikhim returned to lead our 4th through 8th graders through a series of activities that made American history come to life through games and discussions. The students learned about Rabbi Avraham Joshua Heschel and how the Jewish community joined the Civil Rights movement.  A connection to the weekly Torah parashah (portion) was shared as the midrash of Nahshon, was examined. While the Jews were trapped on the shores of the Red Sea, Moses prayed to God for help yet before anything happened, Nahshon decided to  walk into the sea. Only when the water reached his nose did the sea finally split for the Jews to pass through. This story is powerfully related to the themes learned, as it highlights the power of an individual to create change through direct action. With just one step forward Nahshon brought his entire community to freedom - just by doing what he believed was right, without waiting for direction of someone else taking charge.