Note to teachers: We urge you to order the DVD Israel: Small Country, Big Ideas! available through www.learnisrael.org/
libraryproject.asp#powerpoint. If you order the DVD through your library, StandWithUs and LearnIsrael will donate it.

• To show the human face of Israeli society, which is multiracial, multireligious and multicultural.

• To demonstrate the wide cultural diversity of Israel, from the traditionally religious to the very modern, from rural to
European-like urban, from classical culture (such as ballet and orchestra music) to young and trendy culture.

• To show the geographic diversity of Israel—from deserts to mountains, from modern urban life to agricultural and rural
life.

1. Read the following comment from a CNN producer to students:
“An international-news producer friend at CNN told me: ‘Our viewers are confused. We have footage of Jews who look
like Arabs, Arabs who look like Jews. We have black Jews, bearded 16th-century Jews, and sexy girls in tight jeans.
Who are these people, anyway?’” —Donna Rosenthal in The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land.
There is so much focus on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that the general public has only misleading stereotypes about
the average Israeli. What is your image of Israelis? How is that image changed by the collage on page 41?
(Students should review standwithuscampus.com/?page_id=115. Explain to students that Israel has tremendous diversity.
Israelis come from over 80 countries around the world and include African, Asian and Latin American Jews.
Almost half of today’s Israeli Jews came from other Middle Eastern countries. Twenty percent of Israelis are non-Jews
and include Arabs, Christians, Muslims, Druze, Karaites, Baha’is, and Circassians.)

2. Compare and contrast Israel with the U.S. and Canada, which also are countries with large numbers of immigrants. In
what ways are the Jewish immigrants of Israel similar to and different from the immigrants of these other countries?
(A major difference is that the Jews’ ancestral roots are in Israel, unlike the immigrants of other countries.) How do
immigrants enrich a culture?

3. Israel is a land of tremendous contrasts both geographically and culturally. How do the pictures on page 41 convey some
of those contrasts, and how do they change your image of Israel?

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Complete PDF

Internet
Overview of development of Israeli culture since 1948.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/culture1.html

Focus on 21st Century culture: Israel21c.org: A Focus Beyond the Conflict
http://www.israel21c.org (Click on the “Culture” tab.)

Collection of articles about Israelis in various cultural endeavors
http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=ArticlePage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Zone&enZone=Culture&

Profiles of Israelis in various fields of endeavor
http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=ArticlePage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Zone&enZone=Profiles&

Ashkenazim – http://www.jewishvirutallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Ashkenazim.html

Sephardim – http://www.jewishvirutallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Sephardim.html

Ethiopian Jews in Israel – http://www.jewishvirutallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/ejolim.html

Also see information about the Idan Raichel Project: http://www.idanraichelproject.com/en/index.php

Karaites – http://www.jewishvirutallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Karaites.html

Arab Israelis – http://www.jewishvirutallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Society_&_Culture/arabs2.html

Druze-Arab Israelis – http://www.jewishvirutallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Society_&_Culture/druze.html

Books
Biale, David (2002). Cultures of the Jews (Schocken Books).
Rosenthal, Donna (2003). The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land (Free Press; paperback edition 2005). (Also see her Web site:
http://www.donnarosenthal.com.)
Shkalim, Esther (2006). A Mosaic of Israel’s Traditions: Unity through Diversity (Devora Publishing).

Videos
Each of the following videos is available at no charge (except for shipping) from: http://www.israelupclose.org/stories.html.
Cultural Diversity
Volume 15: Israel Saves Sudanese Refugees
News that Israel is a free and safe democratic country that respects human rights is spreading quickly amongst Muslim Sudanese refugees from
Darfur who are fleeing genocide. Hundreds, who are looking for asylum and a better life, have crossed the Southern Border into Israel. In this
video we hear from one of the 12 mothers.
Volume 2: French Student’s New Life in Israel
A new French immigrant college student works part time for Magen David Adom.
Volume 5: Entrepreneurs in the Golan Heights
Short profiles of entrepreneurial members of a new community that so far includes a bed-and-breakfast, a restaurant, and an artist’s workshop.
Volume 8: The African Hebrews Living in Israel
Focuses on the Black Hebrews, a group from the U.S. who traces its origins to an ancient tribe of the people of Israel.
Volume 11: Revival of the Kibbutz Movement
Recent revival and successes of the kibbutz movement.
Volume 12: Ethiopian Immigrants Celebrate the SIGD
A modern version of the centuries-old Ethiopian festival observed in honor of Ethiopian Jewry’s longing to return to Jerusalem.
Volume 12: Breaking Barriers in a Bilingual School
An innovative elementary school in Jerusalem reaches out to both Jewish and Arab students.
Volume 12: Young Farmers Return to the Negev
Life of a young farmer in the Negev.
Volume 13: Tourism in the Old City of Jerusalem
Tour guides and merchants speak of renewed prosperity and coexistence in the Old City.
Volume 17: Arabs & Jews/Martial Arts for Peace
A new project that brings Arab and Jewish youngsters together in an effort to build trust and encourage dialog.

Music
Volume 7: Israeli Musicians Rock in English
Focuses on Nova, an up-and-coming Israeli rock band.
Volume 9: The Boombamela Spring Festival
A four-day new age festival that celebrates “love and peace.”
Volume 10: Jacob’s Ladder, Blues and Folk Festival
A popular music festival originally organized by expatriate Americans.
Volume 11: Modiin Concert of Jewish Soul Music
A fusion of Orthodox Judaism with rock and roll.
Volume 14: Mayumana Rhythm Troupe
A collaboration between veteran Israeli musician David Broza and members of the Mayumana Rhythm Troupe.
See/hear also, The Idan Raichel Project (CD): http://www.idanraichelproject.com/en/index.php.

Sports
Volume 3: Israeli Women’s Flag Football Team
After only one complete season, this team was invited to participate in the International Flag Football Championships.
Volume 8: American Football Alive in Israel
Super Bowl mania hits Israel.
Volume 13: Baseball in Israel
Focuses on a project to bring baseball to Israel.

Art
Volume 16: Ein Hod, Unique Artists Colony
Israeli artists have been have been shaking up the international art scene in growing numbers over the last decade, and their works can be found
in the world’s top museums and exhibition halls. The uniqueness of this village is that you have to be an artist to reside there.

Architecture
Volume 5: The White City
Tel Aviv hosts the largest collection of buildings built in the Bauhaus, or International, architectural style, created in Germany in the 1920s. The
United Nations declared Tel Aviv a “World Heritage Site,” an honor many in the city hope will spur the refurbishment of many of the Bauhaus
buildings. The Bauhaus style is known for its clean lines, angular structures and open floor plans, all of which gave Tel Aviv its nickname, The
White City.

Outreach
Volume 3: High-Tech Jerusalem College
College that aims to help integrate the Ethiopian community by teaching computer science, engineering, and other high-tech subjects.
Volume 6: Caring for the Elderly and the Lonely
Two teen volunteers “adopt” a grandmother as part of a program designed to reach out to the elderly.
Volume 15: Israel Saves Sudanese Refugees
Interview with a refugee family from Darfur who was provided a safe house in Israel.
Volume 17: Israelis Care for Terror Victims
Describes the One Family Fund, which provides financial and psychological support to Israeli victims of terror.