The Sticker Song: A Peulah based on the Bumper Sticker song by HaDag Nachash.

Goal:  Through discussing the different bumper stickers portrayed in the song, and their underlying messages, the hanikhim will come to a greater understanding of the divides between different groups in Israeli society today.

Written by- Sarah Gordon

sygordon@gmail.com

The Sticker Song: A Peulah based on the Bumper Sticker song by HaDag Nachash.

Goal:  Through discussing the different bumper stickers portrayed in the song, and their underlying messages, the hanikhim will come to a greater understanding of the divides between different groups in Israeli society today.

Trigger: (5 minutes) The chanichim will watch a powerpoint presentation, as the song plays, which shows the songs words in English, with pictures of the bumper stickers as they are rapped. (They will also receive handouts of the Hebrew and English translations of the song).

OR

Go to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omt29oQe5RI&mode=related&search= , and search “dag nachash” – “sticker song” – it’s a CRAZY music video (you will need a place with an internet connection to play it for chanichim) – but so powerfull. Look at how each of the stereotypes is presented. Is this an accurate representation? Or is this how each side sees each other?

Introduction: (3 minutes) Introduce the peulah and help frame what the chanichim will do in their “buzz groups”. Then, all chanichim will divide up into buzz groups of 6 chanichim will one madrich or tzevet member. Each group gets 6 bumper stickers. Each madrich gets: (1) A paper explaining each bumper sticker, and what event in Israel it is addressing, (2) an envelope with pictures of different Israelis. Don’t show these to the chanichim just yet.

Sicha: The Madrichim will now lead a 10-15 minute sicha with their buzz groups and discuss the following issues:

-          Ask the hanichim to identify the stickers they have been given;

o        Have they ever seen any of these stickers before? What do they know about them?

o        By just superficially looking at the slogans on them, what do you think these stickers are talking about? Which issue in Israeli society is it addressing? What do you know about this issue?

o        Which group of Israelis do you think is publishing this sticker? Why? Which group is it talking towards? Which group would definitely NOT be saying it?

-          Now, hand out the blurbs which explain the stickers. Look again at the stickers with the chanichim. Are there any details you left out?

o        Why do you think political bumper stickers are so common in Israel? Why do you think so many Israelis feel the urge to express their politics through brief slogans?

o        What are the drawbacks of expression through slogans? How can this negatively affect dialog on important issues?

o        Which sticker do you most agree with? Which do you least agree with?

o        Why do you think that political passions run so high in Israel? What do these slogans say about the friction between movements in Israel? Where does all this friction between Israelis stem from?

-          Hand out the pictures of different Israelis. Have the chanichim group them with the stickers and slogans that they think they would best represent.

o        Ask the chanichim why they put certain pictures with certain stickers. Is that fair to stereotype on appearance? Are any of these pictures more complex? What about how we judged the bumper stickers. Are the issues that they are addressing really that simple or are they more complex?

o        Have the chanichim ever seen these bumper stickers (or any ones from the song) on cars or walls in Israel? What tone do these stickers take? (angry, passionate). What is the point of putting these bumper stickers up? Does this solve the issue? What does this solve?

o        Discuss issues in Israeli society today are these bumper stickers touching upon? Religious vs secular, right wing vs left wing….etc. What are some of the tensions between these different groups (Buses running on Shabbat, civil marriages…etc). Will bumper stickers solve this? Obviously not. Then why put them up?

o        Read out the words from the “shout out” section of the song near the end – “Exterminate, Kill”, etc. Point out that this part was not based on specific bumper stickers. What is its meaning and why is it included in the song?

o        Kama Roa Efshar Livloa (How much evil can we swallow) is the chorus of the song. Why was this chosen as the center piece? What are its possible meanings and interpretations?

-          If there is time: Have the chanichim pick one of the stickers that in their eyes best represents an issue that Israelis are divided over. Have them come up with suggestions and ways the tension over this particular issue could be reduced. Then have one chanich present this sticker to the other groups.

***This sicha is open ended on purpose, to give you, the madrich, free reign to help the chanichim process the Sticker Song. Get them to discuss the different stereotypes and issues in Israel. How do they feel about it? Do any of the bumper stickers seem extreme to them? Etc.

Wrap Up: (5 minutes) The sticker song highlights the different groups of Jews, and different sterotypes all found in Israel today. Ok, great, so there is fighting and tension. Now what? The fact that people use bumper stickers allows them to simplify the issue and make it a lot more extreme and black and white then it really is. Picture a wall full of bumper stickers. That represents all different types of Jews yelling there slogans at each other but there is no dialogue. Using bumper stickers and not face to face dialoge, allows us to stereotype from a distance and not address the real issues at hand that will only be resolved through discussion (similar to lo tisnah et achicha bilvavecha – instead, confront him and talk it out). Note: Some of the bumper stickers show real pain and anger. In some of the stickers, these emotions are true and must be addressed. We cannot only have dialogue through stickers on walls. It must be face to face. Webster’s Dictionary defines Empathy as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present.” Once we feel the other side’s pain, even if we vehemently disagree with them, then we can have discussion and disagreement without it leading to hatred and intolerance. (This is already done in Israel by 2 organizations – Gesher  - which brings together secular and religious Jews, and Tzohar – this is a HUGE issue in Israel, where secular jews and religious Jews live in separate zoned communities – either religious or secular. It’s much harder to be able to relate to someone if you have never met them!).

Today, on 17 b’Tammuz, we are focusing on what we can do to rebuild the Bet Hamikdash. As we said in the first skit today, the Bet Hamikdash is there to be the reflection of the society that we create, based on achdut, tolerance, social justice and ben adam l’chavero. We have been focusing a lot on the history of how the Zionist built up the country, but the future of Medinat Israel will be decided by you, the next generation of leadership. You must decide, what kind of Medinah are you going to create – one of silent bumper stickers, or one of dialogue?

 Conclusion: As much as the bumper stickers highlight the different groups of people in Israel, the most important thing is dialogue and listerning to one another, so that we can build a Medinah rooted in achdut.

If there is time (and a wireless connection) we will play the music video version of the Dag Nachas song) with actors dressed up as sterotypes.

You can find the bumper sticker pics in the attach file.

sara