• To understand the culture and government of the modern state of Israel
• To organize and present information in essays, creative writing, and discussion
• To compare another culture with one's own

Make a topic web for students by asking what they think of when they hear the word Israel - group associated words such as religion and temple and mosque or war and fighting and army together. After students have volunteered their responses, help them make the distinction between Israel in ancient history and religion and the modern state of Israel - the subject of the magazine.

Use the front and back cover photographs to encourage discussion if necessary. As an ongoing project, ask students to bring in newspaper articles about Israel and post them in the right area on the topic web during the week.

Questions for discussion:

• Why is the Israel Museum a leading cultural institution?
• What programs does the museum have for children?
• Why do you think the museum has so many programs for children?

Topics for further research:

• Find out more about the Dead Sea Scrolls and how they were discovered.
• Write a short essay on the job of a museum conservator.

Reading for information:

1. What countries border on Israel?
2. What two regions did Israel take control of in 1967?
3. What groups of people are citizens of Israel?
4. Why does the author say Israelis and Palestinians are in conflict?
5. Who ruled the area that is now Israel from 1516 until 1918?
6. Who took over the governance of Israel at the end of World War II?
7. What two events led to the creation of Israel in 1948?
8. Who supported the separation of Palestine into two independent states, one Jewish and one Arab?
9. What are some of the reasons that Israel's Muslims may feel like second-class citizens?
10. Who is the political leader of Israel?

Questions for discussion:

1. Why do you think that Israel and the Arab states fought wars in 1948, 1967, and 1973? What have you found is the best way to solve problems?
2. What are the differences between the Israeli system of government and the United States two-party system? Which system do you think works better and why?

Questions for discussion:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages that Israel faces with its diverse population and cultures?
2. What is the comparable process for "klitah" or "absorption" in American culture?
3. If native Israelis are like "tzabra," what plant are Americans like and why?

Challenge:

Decipher the math in the article and see if you can create a bar or pie graph that shows the number (or relative proportion) of secular Jews, religious Jews, Muslim Arabs, Christian Arabs, and Druze Arabs.

Creative writing:

Imagine that you, like Gabe, go to an Israeli school for a year. Write a letter to your class at home, telling them about your new school life.

Essay:

Gabe says, "American news emphasize the bad news about Israel. They don't have enough good news." Write an essay telling why you think this is true or not true. Use the news articles that you and other students have collected to support your ideas.

Questions for discussion:

1. What do trees symbolize in the Torah? What do they often symbolize in American poetry and literature?
2. Why do Israelis plant trees?
3. What do you admire about Ilan Ramon?

Public Speaking:

Ask if anyone in the class has studied Hebrew in order to read the Torah. If so, have them read a little bit in Hebrew.

Question for discussion:

How important is it for a country to share one language? If children in the class speak different languages at home, ask them to share their experiences in learning English in order to participate in class.

Questions for discussion:

1. Which of the foods listed in the article have students eaten and which have they not? Which were their favorites?
2. The foods come from many different countries. Do the students ever eat foods from different countries in their homes? From where did the foods come? Are they part of their cultural heritage or just things that taste good?

Research:

What does it mean to "keep kosher"? What are the rules that religious Jews must follow?

Discussion questions:

1. Define a kibbutz in your own words.
2. What is socialism?
3. How are people on a kibbutz paid?
4. How do kibbutzim contribute to Israel?
5. What does Caitlin like about living on a kibbutz?

Essay writing:

Compare your life with your family to Caitlin's life on the kibbutz in a short essay. Show three ways in which your lives are the same and three ways in which they are different. Then state why you would or would not like to live on a kibbutz.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do the Maccabiah Games celebrate?
2. The Olympic Games move from city to city, but Israel always hosts the Maccabiah Games. Why do you think Israel hosts the Maccabiah Games?

Have eight volunteers perform a dramatic reading of the skit. Encourage students use their voices to show the different emotions of the characters.

Discussion:

Is the modern state of Israel more like the character of David or the character of Goliath? Why?

Point out to the students that they have found out that Israel is a new state, less than 60 years old, and that it has accepted many different waves of immigration. Discuss the ways in which Israel has worked to build a sense of nationhood in its diverse citizens. Examples might be a common language, shared education in Hebrew, the Maccabiah Games which connect Israeli athletes with Jewish athletes from all over the world, holidays connected to the Jewish calendar, a coalition government, a national commitment to tree planting and the environment, etc.

Go back to the topic web made at the beginning, and ask students what new things that they have learned about Israel have surprised or intrigued them.