1. To show the chanichim that they have already been taught certain stereotypes about other groups within Judaism.
2. To try to understand the truth behind these stereotypes and to focus on positives aspects of other groups so that we can better relate to them.

Stereotypes in Judaism

From Fair lawn

For 4th-8th Graders 

Topic:
Confrontations between different denominations within Judaism are frequent occurrences. Occasionally they even get violent. Why does this happen and what can be done to stop it?

Goals:
1. To show the chanichim that they have already been taught certain stereotypes about other groups within Judaism.
2. To try to understand the truth behind these stereotypes and to focus on positives aspects of other groups so that we can better relate to them.

Peulah:

The Kippah Game

 
Materials:
If possible, get several types of kippot. The ones which will be the easiest to use are
a) baseball cap/no kipah (representing a non-religious Jew)
b) a kipah seruga (representing "modern orthodoxy")
c) a black velvet/black hat (representing the "right wing" community/charedim)

How to Play:
-Choose three volunteers from amongst your group and have them sit at the front. They will represent the three types of Jews.
-Take them outside to give them instructions. Assign each one a group within Judaism. Don’t tell them anything else besides the name of the group.
-Take them inside and show the rest of the group the three types of kippot that you have. Their job is to ask the three people questions about different Jewish topics and from the answers, decide which person should get which kippah.
*** Even if they figure out which kid is what Jew after one or two questions, have the peulah continue so that each kid is asked a bunch of questions, covering different topics. Have questions prepared which cover key topics in modern Jewish politics: For example, would you serve in the Israeli army if you lived there, do you own a TV, etc. These are basic, boring, general questions. Improvisation and ad-libbing by the kids makes this game a lot of fun.



Sicha:

As the peulah showed, there are a lot of stereotypes about different Jewish groups. Most of them are true and most of them are facts, neither negative nor positive. What these facts show is that there are Jews who live their lives differently than we do. Although we obviously believe that the way we live is the right way for us, what’s important to remember is that we can all learn something from each other and that the bottom line is that we are all Jews. "Kol Yisrael Chaverim".

The problem, though, is that differences breed confrontation. How should we treat people who are different than us.

1. Discuss with the chanichim what the proper way of dealing with differences is. Get more specific answers than "talk with them". For example, what if talking doesn’t resolve your problems and you still can’s stand the sight of each other, let alone respect each other?
2. Have them point out one positive thing that we can learn from each group. The point being that each group does something good. That might help us understand why they live the way they do. (Let the kids come up with their own ideas for this but if they’re stuck, have positives prepared for each group. For example, the charedim focus more time on daily learning of Torah, sometimes creating a stronger Torah atmosphere in their sheltered communities than the other groups are capable of doing. The modern orthodox are more involved with the world at large, helping to make the world better while trying to incorporate all aspects of Hashem’s world into their lives. The secularists are perhaps more accepting of different people in the world, both Jews and non-Jews. Also, they were crucial in the building of the land of Israel (Rav Kook was very forceful in saying that we should accept the secularists because they play an important role in building Israel) and continue to be strong financial supporters of the state.