Presented by: Faigy Schiff
Every year, Ganzach Kiddush Hashem produces new study kits that are studied in charedi (ultra-Orthodox) schools and high schools. A professional and skilled team writes, edits, and designs the kits in a way that integrates values and knowledge into innovative and experiential learning.
The topics of the study kits are diverse: from learning about the process of the destruction of the Jewish People during the Holocaust, through coping and methods of rescue, to, and most importantly, Jewish heroism revealed in all its glory. In addition, the historical roots of antisemitism and its influence in the present are studied, and the impact of propaganda and tyranny on the destruction of the human spirit and culture is highlighted.
The kits create connections for youth to investigative learning, such as familiarization with sources for studying the Holocaust, with an emphasis on personal stories: diaries, letters, responsas, and more; distinguishing between primary sources and secondary sources – memoirs, and between these sources and literary works; distinguishing between German and Jewish photography as material for studying the period; the ability to understand and evaluate the historical circumstances from the personal stories.
The goals are not only understanding and learning, but also establishing skills, for example, developing research skills; higher-level thinking and metacognition through investigation and research on the history of the Holocaust; developing teamwork skills in the classroom, brainstorming, discussion, and listening to others by raising dilemmas and maintaining active discourse in the classroom.
Of course, first and foremost is building characteristics with lofty Jewish values. This is done through a variety of means: internalizing and identifying with figures who faced difficult situations, but did not lose their identity and G-dly image; strengthening the Jewish faith and values that served as an anchor for preserving the Jewish image; formulating a scale of values that allows for making the right decisions in a variety of life situations and contributes to social-moral growth; nurturing the value of free choice and the power of choice in any situation; nurturing a Jewish identity based on Jewish tradition and heritage; awakening a sense of identification with the Jewish destiny everywhere and at any time; cultivating appreciation and sympathy for Holocaust survivors and encouraging contact with them.
The study kits are based on an integrative program that combines knowledge and activity from various fields: history, geography, literature, Jewish thought, halacha (Jewish law) and midrash (a type of biblical interpretation). The learning is meaningful and based on discourse, discussion, research, and creation. The program places the student at the centre and encourages creative thinking, active involvement in the learning processes, and formative assessment. It has an individual character that is adapted to the student, his strengths, and hobbies, and is suitable for the age of the students and the nature of the group. It’s level is according to the age concept developed at Ganzach Kiddush Hashem in collaboration with experts.
Examples of Study Kits
From the introduction to the study kit “Letters from England: The Kindertransport”
This kit is packed with age-appropriate historical knowledge, using innovative thinking tools alongside a guided emotional experience in order for students to process the matieral. The written and oral testimonies in the kit are the center of the knowledge, thinking, and experience, and we have enhanced them with the help of diverse tools.
Examples of thinking tools in the kit: locating information, making conclusions, asking questions and creating “continuations of a question,” expression and formulation, encountering definitions and concepts, completing a poem, and adapting texts.
Examples of aids to enhance the emotional experience: examining pictures, activating the imagination, naming emotions and developing a discourse about emotions, and dramatic reading of texts.
This kit includes a variety of expression styles: story and poem, drama, and writing, which are aimed at the different inclinations of the learners, and they will help the teacher connect them to the knowledge and its messages.
From the introduction to the study kit “A Bit of Light: Chanuka during the Holocaust”
Chanuka is the festival of eternal Jewish heroism. This heroism illuminated the world during the Hasmonean period. Then the most famous and moving story of heroism occurred, the story of Chana and her seven sons who sacrificed their lives one after the other, on condition that they would not forsake the God of Israel (Talmud Gittin 57). This heroism continued until the last of the Maccabees, who fought with great courage to protect the purity of the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple) and the observance of the Torah and the commandments.
During the Holocaust, the banner “Mi LaHashem Elai!” (Whoever is for G-d, with me!) was raised in unusual ways. Observing the commandments was the aspiration of many Jews who gave their lives for it. Lighting a Chanuka candle under impossible conditions was one of the manifestations of this banner, and it also gave the destitute Jews a ray of light and hope in the dark days. A little light repels a lot of darkness. Tiny flames lit in ghettos, camps, and hiding places – lit a light in the hearts of the broken and gave them the strength to continue and survive.
In this study kit, we will try to connect the inner strength and the power of light of the Chanuka candles that were lit during the Holocaust to the young hearts of teenagers. With the help of touching testimonies, moving stories, and emotional images, students will be touched by the moments of light that shone in the darkness and will draw strength from them to ignite light in their lives.
The assessment is designed to develop a personal-spiritual-emotional connection of the students to the Chanuka candles and their meaning in the dark period and in our own time. To this end, we will use diverse learning and thinking methods and experiential tools:
- Watching, listening, and reading testimonies, stories, and songs.
- Bringing up topics in discussions and brainstorming sessions.
- Deepening through writing, music, creation and directing.
- Frontal learning, group work and individual work.
- Addressing thoughts and feelings
Additional goals:
- Developing thinking through questions, matching, creative writing, and more.
- Developing skills, self-confidence, and social skills through discussions, oral expression, public speaking, etc.
From the introduction to the study kit “Miracle at Midnight: The Wonderous Journey of Danish Jewry during the Holocaust”
This kit includes a variety of discussion, expression, and comprehension activities, and incorporates higher-order tasks – sorting and comparison questions, the ability to draw conclusions, developing decision-making and problem-solving skills, evaluation and imagination questions, locating and summarizing information, map reading, and more.
The main didactic significance of the assessment is in the acquisition of knowledge and skills in the study of history: it is replete with information on historical concepts (such as “Righteous Among the Nations”), and it contains a wide variety of historical representations that students will experience, such as types of commemoration, testimonies, analysis, information analysis, taking a historical position, and more. This is alongside age-appropriate emotional experiences.
The sources from which the information for this kit was drawn are very numerous, mainly: Yad Vashem, the Ganzach Kiddush Hashem archive, and numerous interviews, some of which are taken from A. Keren-Carmel’s doctoral thesis: “Danish Jews in Historiography and the Culture of Memory in Israel.”
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To learn more about our study kits, please click here for Hebrew and here for English. Additional study kits in English are in production.
