Topic: Giborim

Noseh: The Lamed Hey

Written By: Josh Skarf

Goals: Teach the story of the Lamed Hey

Materials: Candies or other colored objects; two nerf balls, scarf

Background:

Gush Etzion was an area of four settlements built in the 30s. During the War of Independence it was on the front lines of battle, and was placed under siege by enemy forces staring in December 1947. The situation in Gush Etzion grew more desperate as food and supplies ran out. The army tried to send envoys and airlifts of supplies, but this did not succeed. Finally it was decided that a group of soldiers would be sent on foot to deliver supplies. Originally 40 were supposed to go, but in the end only 35 continued. The Lamed Hey (35) were these men. They were led by Danny Mass, and set out in January 1948. The walk was about 15 miles through Arab territory. They walked through the night and before dawn they reached Surif, the last Arab village on the way to Gush Etzion, only four miles away. It was there that they met an Arab shepherd. They decided not to kill him, but instead to tie him up. He escaped and alerted the local Arab legion. Soon the Lamed Hey were surrounded. They found a hill to defend and fortified themselves, but after a full day and night of fighting, all 35 had been killed. Today there is a memorial to them on Har Herzl, the Israeli military cemetery in Yerushalayim.

Game 1: Food Convoys

Divide the kids into four teams: Green, Yellow, Red and Orange. Send each team to one side of the room. Each team must pick one or two people to be a guard. This person (4 in total) should go to the middle of the room. In the middle, scatter either pieces of paper, candies, or some other small objects (there should be around 30 of each color) in the middle, but not all in one pile. (Thus the use of the word “scatter.) At the start of the game, each team must try and collect as many of their color as possible, and bring them back to their side of the room. The guards, however, try and stop you. Obviously, the guards on your team try to protect you, but the guards on the other team try to stop you. Anyone holding a candy can be tagged by an opposing guard. If they are tagged, the guard’s team gets their candy. You are only allowed to hold one candy at a time (except for guards). The game ends either after a set period of time, or when one team has collected all their candies.

Explanation: As you play the games in snif, let the story of the Lamed Hey unfold. Explain about the War of Independence, the strategic importance of Gush Etzion, and the need for food. Obviously this game is all about getting food through a blockade to the people who need it.

Game 2: Catch the Dragon’s Tail

This game does have negiya issues, so deal with them as needed, based on age. It’s best to divide the kids by gender, even if they are young.

Line the chanichim up, one behind the other. Everyone puts their arms around the waist of the person in front of them. The last person in line tucks a scarf in the back of his belt or around his/her waist, to make a tail.  At the signal, the dragon begins chasing its own tail, the object being for the person at the head of the line to snatch the scarf. The tricky part of this epic struggle is that the people at the front and the people at the end are clearly competing – but the folks in the middle aren’t sure which way to go. When the head finally captures the tail, the tail becomes the new head and the person in front of him dons the scarf.

You can also try to dragons chasing each other.

Explanation: Tell the chanichim about how the Lamed Hey decided to set out on foot to bring food, and the troubles they encountered along the way.

Game 3: Space Invaders

Very few chanichim have probably ever played this classic video game. Have all the chanichim line up in three or four rows on one side of the room. Choose four chanichim to defend. Two go to the opposite side of the room, while the other two remain by the “aliens.” Give each of the first pair a nerf ball or something else soft (a pair of socks balled up.)  A madrich leads the aliens walking towards the defenders in a set pattern (three steps to the right, one forward, three to the left, one forward…). They get closer and closer, until one of them can touch the defenders, in which case the game is over. The defenders protect themselves by throwing the nerf balls. Any alien they hit it out of the game, and his/her space remains empty, while all the other aliens continue to approach. Meanwhile, the other two defenders retrieve the thrown balls, run back to the other side of the room, and throw the balls again at the aliens, while the first two go to retrieve the next shots. Perhaps this isn’t the clearest description ever, but hopefully you get the idea. Make sure a madrich is leading the aliens, or else they will never go in the right pattern. Also, the madrich must judge who is hit and out.

   XXXXXX                             ______>_______

DXXXXXX D             ______<_______| v

   XXXXXX                             |______>_______

          M                                   ______<_______| v

                                                (movement pattern)

     D        D

Explanation: Tell the chanichim about the Lamed Hey’s last defense, and how they fought off the enemies for a whole day before finally falling.

If all goes well, you shouldn’t even need to tell the chanichim the story of the Lamed Hey, but perhaps you should summarize it at mifkad, just so everyone is clear.