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Consciousness

 CONSCIOUSNESS 

Promoting consciousness of belonging to the Jewish People, its history, legacy, and destiny.

Peoplehood consciousness is the foundation of the Jewish collective enterprise. The future of the Jewish people depends on our ability to promote a consciousness of belonging to the People, its history, legacy, and destiny. 

One of the unique features of Judaism is that while many of its norms, laws and mitzvot (commandments) apply to the individual Jew, they are usually articulated in the context of the collective.

As a result, one can only fully understand and engage in Jewish life and history through belonging to the collective, the Jewish People – Am Yisrael. This conception of the Jews as a People is one distinguishing feature of Judaism different from other religions, such as Christianity or Islam, which lack a national component.

CONSCIOUSNESS ACTIVITIES 

VALUES OF BELONGING

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Game

This activity aims to examine attitudes of participants towards the idea of belonging to the wider Jewish community. Is it a positive or negative experience for them? Is it a meaningful or meaningless part of their identity?

JEWISH IDENTITY BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL: BUBER'S VIEW

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Reflection

Participants will explore the place of Jewishness within their own identities and consider the ways it is both situated in the “self” and goes beyond it as well.

THE TRIBE

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Media

To explore the essential features of the Jewish collective through the lens of anthropologists studying a tribe. When looking from the outside in, what are the core features of the Jewish tribe? Across all of our ‘sub-tribes’ what are our common values?

COLLECTIVE MEMORY & HAGGADAH

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Discussion

Participants will explore the key aspects of collective belonging with regard to how it relates to the Passover Haggadah.

THE JEWS' BY YEHUDAH AMICHAI

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Creative Arts

Participants will use poetry and metaphor to understand the multiple dimensions of the concept “The Jews”.

BE YOUR PEOPLE

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Media

To provoke participants to consider their reaction to someone who discovers they are Jewish and confronts them about it.

MAKING JEWISH HISTORY PERSONAL

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Reflection

Participants will consider which events in Jewish history are worth remembering with the same sense of importance as we remember the story of the Exodus from Egypt

MEANINGFUL JEWISH PEOPLEHOOD PRACTICES

CONCEPT

Consciousness

METHOD

Discussion

Participants will consider what actions we do in our day to day lives that can make identifying with the Jewish people a meaningful practice.

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