The Many Faces of Israel

The Many Faces of Israel

Curriculum Writers: Marlynn Dorff and Ardyth Sokoler

A project of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

In cooperation with The Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Acknowledgements

This project would not have been possible without the involvement and dedication of the
Holy Land Democracy Task Force.

Dr. Daniel Lieber, Chair
Elaine Albert, Director
Dr. David Ackerman, Educational Consultant

Dr. Parviz Afshani
Marc L. Benezra
Stuart Bernstein
Prof. Gerald Bubis
Susie Chodakiewitz
Avi Davis
Abner Goldstine
Stanley Kandel
Deborah Kattler Kupetz
Leslie Kessler
Ernest Z. Klein
Paul Kujawsky
Linda Mayman
Jo Ann Oster
Dr. Irwin Reich
Faith Schames
Nathan Wirtschafter

Some materials and lessons come from and/or have been adapted from the One People Many
Faces curriculum that is available through the Boston Bureau of Jewish Education.

The maps and many of the history and fact pages come from and/or have been adapted from
curricular materials prepared by the San Francisco JCRC.

All rights reserved.
© 2004 The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome
Introduction i
Goals ii
The Many Faces of Israel iii

FAcTS AND FIGUReS
Introduction 1
The Middle East Today in Maps 3
Emblem and Anthem 5
Fact Summary 6

DemocRAcY
Democracy in Action 9
Israel: Declaration of Independence (May 14, 1948) 11
U.S.: Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) 15
U.S.: Preamble to Constitution 18
Party History 19
16th Knesset 20
17th Knesset Elections 21

HISToRY
Jewish History Overview 22
Christianity 25
Islam 26
The Jewish Diaspora 27
The Middle East before WWI 28
Balfour Declaration 29
The Middle East between World Wars 1 and 2 30
The Holocaust 31
U.N. Resolution 181 32
U.N. Partition Plan 33
Creation of the State of Israel 34

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HISToRY (continued)
Difficult Issues – Refugees 35
Jews Who Fled From Arab Lands 36
Palestinian Arab Refugees 37
Restrictions on Jews in Muslim Countries 38
Ethiopian Jews 39
Immigration to Israel 40
Israel Map (1949-1967) 44
Developing Concepts 45
Israel Map (Today) 46
The Middle East Map (Today) 47
Anti-Zionism 48
Personal Stories 49
Culture Trees 65

cURReNT eVeNTS
The News 68
Media Web Sites 69
World Briefs 70
Israel Defense Force Guidelines 72
In the Press 75

PeoPle
Introduction 82
Distant Friends Video Transcript 83
Israeli Food Fair 90
Recipes 91

BIBlIoGRAPHY I

When you hear about Israel in the news, chances are you have heard about Welcome to
war and terrorism in Israel and little else.

There is much more to the Holy Land than the limited snap-shots you see
on the evening news. People marry, babies are born, children go to school,
teens listen to rock music and are crazy about their soccer or basketball
teams and complain about too much homework, film stars make movies,
doctors perform miracles, farmers make crops grow where there used to
be desert, archaeologists discover new secrets from the past, people climb
mountains or hang out at the beach or the disco, people on the run grab
a falafel or pizza or schwarma, politicians argue.

This unit includes five short lessons about the modern State of Israel. We
hope you will learn a little about Israel’s people, geography, democracy, his-
tory, teen-age culture, and food. We hope this experience will help you
understand things just a little better, or at least help you ask better questions.

We hope you will come visit some day and see for yourself!

i

At the end of the unit students will be able to:

1. Identify Israel’s government as a democracy;

2. Explain that all kinds of people live in Israel, including all kinds of Jews;
Goals
3. Give at least one reason why people consider Israel the Jewish homeland;

4. Give at least one reason why Jews need a homeland;

5. Give at least one reason why Jews come to Israel to live;

6. Give at least one reason why Jews who do not live in Israel think it is
important to have the Jewish State of Israel;

7. Identify at least one area of conflict in Israel between Jews and Arabs;

8. Give at least one reason why the peace process in Israel is still
a challenge;

9. Give at least one example of how Israelis and Arabs handle the
conflict differently;

10. Give at least one example of how an Israeli teenager’s life is similar
to and different from an American teenager’s life.

ii

The
Many
Faces
of
Israel

iii

The Many Faces of

iv

Israel is the only Jewish state in the world and the most democratic country Facts &
among its Arab neighbors. Figures
Israel’s citizens come from all over the world and practice many different
religions, just like in the United States. All of these people, Jewish and
Christian, Islamic and Secular, have the right to free expression, to vote, to Introduction
own property, to have a trial if charged with a crime, just about all the rights
that Americans have.

The ancient Jewish state in the Land of Israel was destroyed by the Romans
in 70 CE and later renamed Palestine. Some Jews always lived in places such
as Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, Jaffa, and the Galilee, but over the centuries
the Land was ruled by others, including Romans, Arabs and Turks. The
majority of Jews were scattered among the nations, where they were often
persecuted, a defenseless minority. Most of the Jewish families in Israel today
are descended from immigrants, while some are descended from those who
always maintained residency in the land.

At times, Jews found homes in all these countries, but their experiences were
not always happy ones. Each country is a unique story about why Jews were
expelled or wanted to leave. This is one of the reasons it is important for
Israel to exist as a permanent haven for Jews who are threatened.

In 1897, Theodor Herzl founded modern Zionism, the belief that Jews
should return to Israel to build their own land. After that, many Jews began
to come. They bought land, much of which was either desert or swamps,
and made the country bloom. For the next 50 years, Zionism grew as an
international movement and waves of settlers came to Israel.

In 1933 Adolph Hitler stirred up violent anti-Semitism in Germany, so many
German Jews escaped to Israel. Other large sources of Jewish immigrants to
the Land of Israel include:
– survivors from the Holocaust who had no place else to go after 1945;
– Jews from Arab countries, many of whom fled or were expelled because
they were Jews;
– Russian Jews who finally received permission to leave the USSR;
– Ethiopian Jews - Israel had to make special arrangements to get them out; and
– North Americans, Europeans, South Africans, South Americans, etc.

When the United Nations voted to establish a Jewish State in Palestine in
1947, many Jews wept for joy. Finally, they could officially claim the land that
many believed God had given them and be a nation like any other. Their fate
would be in their own hands and they could make their own decisions
about how to live and how to worship. This is another reason Jews believe
that they need their homeland.
1

Under the Ottoman Empire the area we call Palestine had been separate Facts &
provinces, not a united political entity. When Turkey lost World War I, this Figures
became a British Mandate. The United Nations voted to give only a small
portion of this land to Israel. A large portion became Transjordan.

Introduction
In 1948, when Israel declared independence, the entire Arab world rejected
the existence of a Jewish state and five Arab armies invaded, intending to
crush the new state. Despite overwhelming odds, Israel won the war.

If you look at a map, you will have a hard time finding Israel. It is a very
small country whose entire size is just smaller than Los Angeles plus
Riverside Counties.

You can also see on the map that Israel is surrounded on the north, east
and south by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, all Arab countries. Nearby
you can see Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Libya, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
All of them form an organization called the Arab League. The land mass of
these 21 countries equals the entire United States.

One reason that the peace process is so complicated is that Israel has to
defend all her borders.

2

3 8
1
11
7 L______ 10
14 I______
2
9

4 12
5

Mauritania

6 13

Somalia
Figures
Facts &

East Today
The Middle

3

Facts &
Figures

The Middle
East Today

Somalia
Mauritania

4

Facts &
Figures

Emblem and
Anthem

The emblem of the State of Israel
The official emblem of the State, which was adopted in 1949, is composed
of two symbols. One is the menorah, or candelabrum, of the temple in
Jerusalem, the ancient symbol of the Jewish people as seen in relief on the
Arch of Titus in Rome. The menorah is surrounded by two olive branches,
linked at the bottom by the inscription “Israel” in Hebrew. The olive branch
itself has been synonymous with peace since the dove sent to find dry land
brought one back to Noah’s Ark (Genesis 8:11).

Hatikvah (The Hope)
Israel’s National Anthem
As long as in the heart
The Jewish spirit yearns
With eyes turned eastward
Looking towards Zion, then our hope,
The hope of two thousand years,
Is not lost:
To be a free nation in our own land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

5

Size of Israel: Facts &
10,840 sq. miles (Following the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel gained the Figures
West Bank and the Gaza Strip from Jordan and the Golan Heights from
Syria. These territories have been and will continue to be the subject of
negotiations between Israel and her Arab negotiating partners. As a result
of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Israel has redeployed from 99% of Fact Summary
the Gaza Strip and almost 40% of the West Bank. Today these areas, which
include 99% of the Palestinian population, are under the jurisdiction of the
Palestinian Authority.)

Topography:
Coastal Plain – fertile, humid and densely populated along the
Mediterranean Sea
Central Highlands – Hills of Galilee in the north and the Judean Hills in
the south
Negev Desert – about 1/2 of Israel’s area
Jordan Valley – includes lowest point (approximately 1,300 feet below sea
level) at the Dead Sea

Geography:
Size of the state of New Jersey
290 miles from north to south
Width at widest point, 85 miles
Width at narrowest point, 6.2 miles

Border:
North – Lebanon
Northeast – Syria
East & South – Jordan
Southwest – Egypt
West – Mediterranean Sea

official Name:
State of Israel

capital:
Jerusalem

Natural Features:
Mountain Ranges – Mountains of Galilee; Hills of Judea and Samaria
Highest Peak – Meron, 3,963 feet (1,208 meters)
Major River – Jordan, 322 kilometer long
Largest Lakes – Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret)

People:
1990’s – 6,203,300 (91.4% urban, 8.6% rural) 6

life expectancy: Facts &
75.9 for males, 80.1 for females Figures
major Religions:
Judaism, Islam and Christianity
Fact Summary
major languages:
Hebrew, Arabic (both official), English and Russian widely spoken and
taught in state schools

literacy:
92%

leading Universities:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Institute of Technology and
Tel Aviv University

Form of Government :
Republic and Parliamentary Democracy

chief of State:
President

Head of Government:
Prime Minister

legislature:
The Knesset, parliament of 120 members elected by popular vote for
a four-year term

Voting Qualifications:
age 18

Political Divisions:
Six districts which consist of Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern,
and Tel Aviv

constitution:
No comprehensive written Constitution, but 9 Basic Laws enacted
by Knesset

7

Politics: Facts &
Multiparty system Figures
Main categories:
1. Left of center
2. Right of center
3. Religious Fact Summary
4. Arab parties

crops:
Apples, bananas, cotton, grapefruit, grapes, melons, olives, onion, oranges,
potatoes, tomatoes, and wheat

livestock:
Cattle, chicken, goats and sheep

chief mined Products:
Bromine, magnesium, phosphate rock, potash, and salt

chief manufactured Products:
Industry electronics, biotechnology, diamond cutting and polishing, energy,
chemicals, rubber, plastics, clothing, textiles and defense

chief exports:
Electronics, machinery, metals, beer and wine, citrus fruits and vegetables,
diamonds, fertilizers, flowers, iron and steel, organic and inorganic chemicals
and textiles

chief Imports:
Defense, materials for processing, boilers, machinery and parts, cereals,
chemicals, commercial and passenger vehicles, electrical machinery, fuel, iron
and steel, petroleum, rough diamonds and textiles

monetary Unit:
1 New Shekel = 100 Agorot
Approximately 4.4 New shekels = 1 American dollar

References: The Library of Congress/Country Studies
(www.loc.gov/( & Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www.israel.org/mfa)

8

The People: Israeli citizens can vote from the age of 18, regardless of
religion, race, or sex. The electorate is approximately 82.5% Jewish, 16%
Arab (13.5% Moslem, 2.5% Christian) and 1.5% Druze and other.

The President: Israel’s head of state is elected every seven years by Democracy
vote of the Knesset. The President holds formal powers but has only limited
governmental authority (e.g., signing treaties and laws, receiving the
In Action
credentials of foreign ambassadors).

The Knesset: Israel’s parliament takes its name and size (120 members)
from the Knesset Hagedolah convened in Jerusalem following the return
from the Babylonian exile about 500 years before Jesus. The modern
Knesset holds absolute legislative power, unrestricted by veto. Knesset
members are elected every four years, but the Knesset can dissolve itself
and call for new elections sooner. Elections are proportional: Israelis vote
for one party and its platform; seats are assigned to each party in proportion
to its percentage of the total vote. This system ensures a wide spectrum
of political views in the Knesset, including the major centrist parties, Likud
and Labor Alignment, small parties ranging from the left to the right, and
a number of religious parties.

The Prime minister: Following each election, the President calls on one
member of the Knesset to form a government and serve as Prime Minister.
This is usually the leader of the party that holds the most seats, since the
government must have the support of the Knesset to function. No party in
Israel’s history, however, has ever had the minimum 61 seats needed to form
a government by itself. All Israeli governments have been based on coalitions
between two or more parties, under the Prime Minister’s leadership. The
Prime Minister and the ministers who make up the Cabinet have executive
power in the state and broad policy-making powers as well, subject always
to the Knesset’s support.

The Judiciary: Israel’s courts are a wholly independent branch within
the political system. Judges are appointed by the President and serve for
life, with retirement mandatory at age 70. State courts have jurisdiction
in matters of marriage and divorce, with separate Jewish, Christian, Moslem
and Druze courts enforcing their own religious laws. Israel’s Supreme Court
can call attention to the desirability of changes in Knesset legislation and
does determine whether laws properly conform with the Basic Laws that
make up Israel’s constitutional framework.

The constitution: Although Israel does not have a formal, written
constitution, the Knesset has created the constitutional framework for the
state through “Basic Laws” on the Presidency, the Knesset, the Government,
the Judicature, the State Comptroller, the Army, State Lands, the Economy
and Jerusalem. A “bill of rights” to complete Israel’s constitution is now
under consideration in a Knesset committee. Individual rights are also
guaranteed by the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel
and by long-standing precedent. Among these rights are freedom of religion,
freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and equal
protection under the law.
9

Self-Defense: At age 18, every Israeli must serve in the Israel Defense
Forces (IDF). Men serve for three years, women for two. Israeli Arabs are not
required to serve but may volunteer. At the request of their communities,
Druze and Circassian men have been drafted into the IDF since 1957. After
completing their active service, men and unmarried women are assigned to Democracy
reserve units, in which they serve about 30 days each year. Men can be
called for reserve duty up to age 55, women up to age 24. Because all
In Action
citizens serve in the IDF, it is truly a citizens’ army. The IDF has also become
an important agent for social integration, encouraging an egalitarian spirit
in the nation at large. At the same time, military life and the constant need
for military readiness have a direct impact on every Israeli, including on the
routines of civilian life.

10

Israel is the most democratic state among its Arab neighbors today.

Israel’s Declaration of Independence has many similarities to that of
the United States. Both countries were founded by people seeking freedom Democracy
and safety after suffering persecution and discrimination. The signers of
both documents had great hopes for the future. State of Israel:
Declaration of
Israel’s President serves one 7-year term and has mostly ceremonial power, Independence
similar to those of the Queen of England. The Prime minister is the May 14, 1948
head of the government. He or she (a woman named Golda Meir, who
moved to Israel from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was Prime Minister) comes
from the political party that forms a majority in the Knesset, the Israeli
parliament. When you look at the list of Israel’s political parties, you will
see that it is very long. It is not always easy to form a coalition in order
to create a majority. The two largest parties are Likud and Labor. Today,
there are 4 Arab parties.

Politics in Israel can be very lively! People tend to be very outspoken about
their views.

11

THe DeclARATIoN oF THe eSTABlISHmeNT
oF THe STATe oF ISRAel
may 14, 1948
On May 14, 1948, on the day in which the British Mandate over a Palestine Democracy
expired, the Jewish People's Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum, and State of Israel:
approved the following proclamation, declaring the establishment of the State of
Declaration of
Israel. The new state was recognized that night by the United States and three
Independence
days later by the USSR.
May 14, 1948
ERETZ-ISRAEL [(Hebrew) – the Land of Israel, Palestine] was the birthplace of
the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was
shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of nation-
al and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books.
After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it
throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their
return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.
Impelled by this historic and traditional attachment, Jews strove in every
successive generation to re-establish themselves in their ancient homeland.
In recent decades they returned in their masses. Pioneers, ma'pilim
[(Hebrew) – immigrants coming to Eretz-Israel in defiance of restrictive
legislation] and defenders, they made deserts bloom, revived the Hebrew
language, built villages and towns, and created a thriving community
controlling its own economy and culture, loving peace but knowing how
to defend itself, bringing the blessings of progress to all the country's
inhabitants, and aspiring towards independent nationhood.
In the year 5657 (1897), at the summons of the spiritual father of the Jewish
State, Theodore Herzl, the First Zionist Congress convened and proclaimed
the right of the Jewish people to national rebirth in its own country.
This right was recognized in the Balfour Declaration of the 2nd November, eretz: land
1917, and re-affirmed in the Mandate of the League of Nations which, in
particular, gave international sanction to the historic connection between
the Jewish people and Eretz-Israel and to the right of the Jewish people to
rebuild its National Home.
The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people – the massacre
of millions of Jews in Europe – was another clear demonstration of the
urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in
Eretz-Israel the Jewish State, which would open the gates of the homeland
wide to every Jew and confer upon the Jewish people the status of a fully
privileged member of the comity of nations.
Survivors of the Nazi holocaust in Europe, as well as Jews from other parts
of the world, continued to migrate to Eretz-Israel, undaunted by difficulties,
restrictions and dangers, and never ceased to assert their right to a life of
dignity, freedom and honest toil in their national homeland.
12

In the Second World War, the Jewish community of this country contributed
its full share to the struggle of the freedom- and peace-loving nations
against the forces of Nazi wickedness and, by the blood of its soldiers and
its war effort, gained the right to be reckoned among the peoples who Democracy
founded the United Nations.
State of Israel:
On the 29th November, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed
Declaration of
a resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish State in Eretz-Israel; the
Independence
General Assembly required the inhabitants of Eretz-Israel to take such steps
May 14, 1948
as were necessary on their part for the implementation of that resolution.
This recognition by the United Nations of the right of the Jewish people to
establish their State is irrevocable.
This right is the natural right of the Jewish people to be masters of their
own fate, like all other nations, in their own sovereign State.
ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE'S COUNCIL,
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL
AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE
DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER
ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC
RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED
NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE
OF ISRAEL.
WE DECLARE that, with effect from the moment of the termination of the
Mandate being tonight, the eve of Sabbath, the 6th Iyar, 5708 (15th May,
1948), until the establishment of the elected, regular authorities of the State
in accordance with the Constitution which shall be adopted by the Elected
Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948, the People's
Council shall act as a Provisional Council of State, and its executive organ,
the People's Administration, shall be the Provisional Government of the
Jewish State, to be called "Israel."
THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the
Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for
the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and
peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality
of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race
or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education
and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be
faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
THE STATE OF ISRAEL is prepared to cooperate with the agencies and
representatives of the United Nations in implementing the resolution of the
General Assembly of the 29th November, 1947, and will take steps to bring
about the economic union of the whole of Eretz-Israel.
13

WE APPEAL to the United Nations to assist the Jewish people in the
building-up of its State and to receive the State of Israel into the comity
of nations.
WE APPEAL – in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now Democracy
for months – to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve
peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and
State of Israel:
equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent Declaration of
institutions. Independence
May 14, 1948
WE EXTEND our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an
offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish
bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people
settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a
common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.
WE APPEAL to the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora to rally round
the Jews of Eretz-Israel in the tasks of immigration and upbuilding and to
stand by them in the great struggle for the realization of the age-old dream
- the redemption of Israel.
PLACING OUR TRUST IN THE "ROCK OF ISRAEL", WE AFFIX OUR
SIGNATURES TO THIS PROCLAMATION AT THIS SESSION OF THE
PROVISIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE, ON THE SOIL OF THE HOMELAND,
IN THE CITY OF TEL-AVIV, ON THIS SABBATH EVE, THE 5TH DAY OF
IYAR, 5708 (14TH MAY,1948).
David Ben-Gurion
Daniel Auster Golda Myerson
Mordekhai Bentov Nachum Nir
Yitzchak Ben Zvi Zvi Segal
Eliyahu Berligne Rabbi Yehuda Leib Hacohen
Fritz Bernstein Fishman
Rabbi Wolf Gold David Zvi Pinkas
Meir Grabovsky Aharon Zisling
Yitzchak Gruenbaum Moshe Kolodny
Dr. Abraham Granovsky Eliezer Kaplan
Eliyahu Dobkin Abraham Katznelson
Meir Wilner-Kovner Felix Rosenblueth
Zerach Wahrhaftig David Remez
Herzl Vardi Berl Repetur
Rachel Cohen Mordekhai Shattner
Rabbi Kalman Kahana Ben Zion Sternberg
Saadia Kobashi Bekhor Shitreet
Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Levin Moshe Shapira
Meir David Loewenstein Moshe Shertok
Zvi Luria

* Published in the Official Gazette, No. 1 of the 5th, Iyar, 5708 (14th May, 1948).
14

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and
to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to
which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Democracy
respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the
causes which impel them to the separation. The Declaration
of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that in Congress
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that July 4, 1776
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure
these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just The Unanimous
powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Declaration of the
Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the Thirteen United
People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its States of America
foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to
them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence,
indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath
shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable,
than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are
accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing
invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute
Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government,
and to provide new Guards for their future security. –Such has been the
patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which
constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history
of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated
injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an
absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to
a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for
the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing
importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should
be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend
to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts
of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation
in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

15

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable,
and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole
purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
Democracy
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly
firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. The Declaration
of Independence
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to in Congress
be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have July 4, 1776
returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in
the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and The Unanimous
convulsions within. Declaration of the
Thirteen United
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that States of America
purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to
pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions
of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to
Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their
offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of
Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the
consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the
Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our
constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts
of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us;
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any
murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States;
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world;
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent;
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury;
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses;
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighboring;
16

Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging
its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument
for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies;
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and
Democracy
altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments;
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves The Declaration
invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever; of Independence
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his in Congress
Protection and waging War against us. July 4, 1776

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and The Unanimous
destroyed the lives of our people. Declaration of the
Thirteen United
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to States of America
compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with
circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most
barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas
to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their
friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to
bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose
known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes
and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the
most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by
repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act
which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have
warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend
an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the
circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed
to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the
ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would
inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have
been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore,
acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them,
as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

17

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in
General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world
for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of
the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these
Democracy
United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;
that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all The Constitution
political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and of the United
ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they States of
have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish America
Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States
may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance
on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other
our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect
Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common
defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.

18

major Israeli Political Parties (current and Historic) and
approximate political classification
NON
SOCIALIST - LIBERAL -
RIGHT ORTHODOX OR
ZIONIST CENTER
ANTI-ZIONIST Democracy
Ahdut Ha'avoda Center Party Gahal Agudath Arab Democratic Party Party History
Yisrael

Am Ehad Democratic Movement Herut Degel Balad
for Change Hatorah

Labor General Zionists Likud Mizrachi Hadash

Labor Alignment Independent Liberal Moledet NRP Haolam Hazeh

Mapai Liberal Party National Union Shas Maki

MAPAM Progressive Tehiya Rakah (Rakah)-
Communist

Meretz Ratz-Citizens Rights Tzomet Sheli

Poalei Tziyon Shinui Yisrael United Arab
Beiteynu

Rafi Kadima

Reshima Mamlachtit

19

major political parties, number of mKs in the 16th Knesset
(the one that ended in march 2006) and a summary of their
political orientations

NAME ORIENTATION PERSONALITIES MANDATES Democracy
16TH KN.
16th Knesset
Meretz (Yahad or Ya'ad) Leftist, Secular Zionist Yossi Beilin, Yosssi Sarid,
Ran Cohen 6

Labor Center-Left,Zionist Amir Peretz, Shimon Peres,
Ehud Barak, Benjamin Eliezer 21

Shinui Center, Zionist, Capitalist Tommy Lapid, Avraham
Poraz, Eliezer Zandberg 15+

Kadima Center-Right, Zionist,
Populist Ariel Sharon *

Noy Center Right? David Tal 1#

Likud Right, Zionist, Capitalist, Benjamin Nethanyahu,
Zionist Shaul Mofaz 40

National Union Extreme Right, Zionist Avigdor Lieberman,
Benny Eilon 7

Yisrael Beiteynu Extreme Right, Zionist Avigdor Lieberman **

NRP Extreme Right, Zevulun Orlev
(National Religious Party) Religious Zionist Nissan Slomiansky
Shaul Yahalom 6 ***

Shas Ultra-Orthodox Nissim Dahan;Yair Peretz;
Center-Right, non-Zionist Shlomo Ben-Izri 11

Agudath Yisrael**** Ultra Orthodox, Right,
non-Zionist Yakov Litzman, Meir Porush 3

Degel Hatorah**** Ultra Orthodox,
non-Zionist, Dovish Moshe Gafni Avraham Ravitz 2

Hadash Communist Party of Israel, Muhamed Barakeh,
Anti-Zionist ("Arab" party) Ahmad Tibi 3

National Democratic Anti-Zionist ("Arab"
Assembly (Balad) party), progressive Azmi Bishara 3

United Arab List Anti Zionist ("Arab" party) Abdulmalik Dehamshe
includes Islamists Talab El-Sana 2

* Kadima party was formed in November 2005 and has no current representation in the Knesseth.
14 Likud members including Ariel Sharon joined the party.
** Yisrael Beiteynu merged with National Union party
*** NRP currently has 4 members, as Effie Eitam and Yitzhak Levy left to form the more extreme
right Renewed National Zionism Faction.
**** Joined together frequently as "United Torah Judaism = "Yahadut Hatorah"
+ Shinui currently has 14 members. Joseph Paritzky was ejected from the party for ethical violations
and formed the Zionism Liberalism Equality list
# David Tal broke away from the Shas party to join Amir Peretz's Am Ehad, then left Am Ehad when
that party merged with Labor.
20

National election Results for the 17th Knesset*
elections of march 28, 2006

Total Ballots: 3,186,739 Valid Ballots: 3,137,064 Defective Ballots: 49,675
Democracy
Elections to the
Party Name Number of Votes Mandates
17th Knesset
Brit Olam 2011 March 28, 2006
Da-am - Workers` Party 3692
Gil 185759 7
Green Leaf 40353
Greens (Hayerukim) 47595
Hadash 86092 3
Herut 2387
Hetz 10113
Ichud Leumi - Mafdal 224083 9
Kadima 690901 29
Labor-Meimad 472366 19
Lechem 1381
Leeder 580
Lev 1765
Likud 281996 12
Meretz 118302 5
National Arab Party 738
National Democratic Assembly 72066 3
National Jewish Front 24824
New Zionism 1278
One Future 14005
Party for the Struggle With the Banks 2163
Shas 299054 12
Shinui 4675
Strength to the Poor 1214
Tafnit 18753
Torah and Shabbat Judaism 147091 6
Tzedek Lakol 3819
Tzomet 1342
United Arab List - Arab Renewal 94786 4
Yisrael Beitenu 281880 11

The qualifying threshold (2%) from all valid votes is 62,742 votes.
The number of votes per mandate is 24,619.

21

1800 BCE Abraham brings family to Canaan from Ur I assign the land you live in to you and
your offspring to come, all the land of
Canaan, as an everlasting holding.
Genesis 17:8

1290 BCE Exodus from Egypt When the Lord your God enlarges your History
territory, as He swore to your fathers,
& gives you all the land that He prom-
ised to give your fathers… Jewish History
Deuteronomy 19:8 Overview
1250 BCE Jews settle in Israel Let them, however, regard themselves as
guests in the Diaspora, their hearts
722 BCE Fall of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria; directed towards Israel…Talmud (Jewish
Ten Lost Tribes law book completed around 500)

586 BCE Southern Kingdom and Temple destroyed By the rivers of Babylon we sat and
by Babylonia; Jews exiled, move and return wept, as we thought of Zion. Psalm
70 years later and rebuild Temple 137:1

165 BCE Maccabees fight Greeks – Hanukkah story
Last Jewish kings

70 CE Romans destroy Second Temple; exile

711-1492 Golden Age in Spain; Inquisition; Expulsion My heart is in the East…It would be
from Spain. Expulsions and violence against easy for me to leave behind all the good
Jews in Europe things of Spain; it would be glorious to
see the ruins (of Israel) Y. HaLevy, poet
1096-1291 Crusades

1211-1880 Many Rabbis and scholars move to what Living in Israel is equal to the weight of
would become Israel all the other commandments. Bible
commentary called Sifrei Re’eh 12:29

1806- Napoleon makes Jews citizens; can vote,
attend university…

1871- Period of intensive pogroms in Eastern Return in mercy to the city Jerusalem
Europe; many Jews leave for Israel or USA and dwell in it as thou has promised;
rebuild it soon, in our days…Jewish
prayer book

1882 Many Yemenite Jews come to Palestine Sound the shofar (ram’s horn), lift
up the banner to bring our exiles
1894 Dreyfus Affair – Jewish officer in French together & assemble us from the
army falsely accused of treason; great four comers of the earth…Jewish
scandal about anti-Semitism prayer book

1897 Theodor Herzl & first Zionist Congress
propose a Jewish State (Herzl traveled
to many heads of European states to
get support)

1903 “First Aliyah” – large immigration to Israel In your land (Israel) you can sit in
from Europe safety, but you cannot live in safety
in a strange land. Commentary on
Bible called Sifra

22

1904-1914 Second Aliyah – youth from Russia; more
communities built

1917 Balfour Declaration: British back Jewish Next year in Jerusalem! Last line of
homeland idea Passover seder
History
1918 British Mandate: take over Israel from Next year in Jerusalem! Last line of
Ottoman Empire service on Yom Kippur
Jewish History
1919-35 Third Aliyah, Fourth Aliyah; Jews buying Overview
more land

1920,1929, Arab riots against Jewish inhabitants
1936
Other countries won’t accept them
1935-39 Fifth Aliyah – German Jews trying to
escape Nazis “A Jewish soldier in the Jewish
Brigade (Palestinian Jews in the
1939 White Paper: Britain limits Jewish immigra- British Army during World War II),
tion to Palestine was standing outside the barbed wire
fence that circled the camp on
1939-45 6,000,000 Jews slaughtered in Holocaust; Cyprus. A very thin little boy was
refugees caught trying to get to Israel staring at him. The boy pointed to
returned to Europe or put in camps his torn, dirty shirt, to the Jewish Star
that the Nazis required Jews to wear
1947 UN votes to create Jewish & Arab states as a sign of shame. The boy then
pointed to the Jewish Star insignia
1948 Jewish refugees from Europe, Syria, Yemen, on the soldier’s uniform that identified
all over world him as a proud member of the Jewish
Brigade. He grinned from ear to ear.
1948 Israel declares Independence; Arab nations He understood the difference
invade Israel; Jordan expels Jews from between the two symbols that only
Jerusalem looked the same.”

1956 Suez War Israel, England, France, force Egypt
to open Suez Canal
1961 Trial of Adolf Eichmann – Nazi leader
sentenced to death

1967 Six Day War – Israel defeats Arab forces; Jews can visit holy places again
Jerusalem liberated; Sinai and Golan
captured

1972 11 Israeli athletes massacred at Munich
Olympics by PLO

1973 Yom Kippur War; Invading Arab armies
defeated

1976 Entebbe – Israel rescues hostages hijacked
to Uganda

1978 Peace treaty with Egypt; Sadat flies to
Jerusalem

1979-85 Mass aliyah of Jews from Ethiopia

1981-82 PLO terror campaign against Israel

1982 Israel invades Lebanon to stop PLO terror

23

1987-92 Intifada

1987-92 Large numbers of Soviet Jews allowed to come

1993 Oslo Agreement between Arafat (PLO) and Rabin
Not fulfilled by Arafat History
1994 Peace treaty with Jordan
Palestinian Authority created Jewish History
P.A. given authority over West Bank and Jericho Overview
1997 90% of Gaza and West Bank Arabs under Palestinian Authority

2000 Arafat leaves negotiations at Camp David; launches terror campaign (EL AQSA intifada)

2004 Death of Yasir Arafat

2005 Election of Mahmoud Abbas

2005 Sharon and Abbas renew peace process

2005 Israel withdraws from Gaza

2005 Ariel Sharon creates new political party: Kadima

2006 Ariel Sharon suffers massive stroke

2006 Hamas wins upset victory in Palestinian Legislative council elections

2006 Ehud Olmert elected prime minister of Israel, heading Kadima Party

2006 Hamas kidnaps soldier from inside Israel. Hezbollah kidnaps 2 soldiers
and sends 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during one month war
Israel responds by targeting Hezbollah rocket sites in Lebanon
Many casualties on both sides.

24

History

Christianity

25

History

The Jewish
Diaspora

27

History

The Middle
East Just
Before World
War One

28

History

The Balfour
Declaration

29

History

The Middle
East Between
World Wars
One & Two

30

History

The Holocaust

31

History

United Nations
Resolution 181

32

History

United Nations
Partition Plan
For Palestine
1947
(Resolution 181)

33

History

Creation of the
State of Israel

34

The issue of what will happen to Palestinians who fled from Israel in 1948,
and since, is very sensitive. As a result of the implementation of the Oslo
Agreements, the Palestinian Authority’s control of the territories was
gradually phased in. Now 90%+ of the Palestinians in the territories live
History
in areas governed and administered by the Palestinian Authority. However,
because of the violence against Israeli civilians resulting from the second Difficult Issues
Intifada that erupted in 2000, Israel has sent its army back into various Refugees
Palestinian towns which are centers for recruiting and equipping
suicide bombers.

The future of Palestinian refugees now living in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, other
Arab countries and elsewhere is a problematic issue to be solved through
negotiations. These refugees now living in other countries and their children
and grandchildren want the right to live in a future Palestinian state. They
believe that their leadership has promised that they will obtain their
citizenship and that is why they have not been able to become citizens
and integrate into the countries where they live. (See map and chart
showing the destinations of the Arab refugees.)

Israelis say the Palestinian Arab refugees are not the only Middle Eastern
refugees created as a result of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Of the nearly
860,000 Jews who lived in Arab countries until 1948, only a few thousand
remain. Some 720,000 Jews from Arab lands were expelled.

Israelis say that if Arab countries had provided for Arab refugees from the
Arab-Israeli conflicts in the same way Israel provided for Jewish refugees,
they would now be well settled among their Arab brethren. Instead, Israelis
argue, the Arab countries decided to reject settling the refugees in their
countries in order to create impoverished refugee camps, supported by
funding from the United Nations, where feelings of hopelessness would
insure that rejection of the Jewish state would be passed from generation
to generation. Israelis further point out that if the descendants of all the
Palestinians who fled after the creation of the State of Israel were to return,
Israel would no longer be a Jewish state.

Some Palestinians and Israelis have suggested that the problem might be
addressed by recognizing the plight of the Palestinian refugees and giving
them some form of monetary compensation in recognition of their claims.

35

History

Difficult Issues
Refugees:
Jews Who Fled
from Arab Lands:
Movement to Israel
1948-72

36

History

Difficult Issues
Refugees:
The Palestinian
Arab Refugees
1948

37

Restrictions On Jews in Moslem Countries

History

Restrictions on
Jews in
Muslim
Countries
1948

38

History

Ethiopian
Jews

39

History

Immigration
to Israel

40

History

Immigration
to Israel

41

History

Immigration
to Israel

42

History

Immigration
to Israel

43

History

Israel
1949 - 1967

44

–Attrition Battles Between Wars, 1967-70
–The October War, 1973
–The Lebanese Invasion, 1982
–The First Intifada 1987-1993 History
–The Second Intifada 2000-present
Developing
coNFlIcT DATe PARTIcIPANTS oUTcome Concepts
War of 1948 Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, & Israel gained 20% more land than Historical Context
Independence Iraq attacked Israel U.N. partition allotted. Egypt
retained the Gaza strip, Jordan
captured the West Bank and
East Jerusalem.
Six Day War 1967 Egypt, Jordan, Syria, & Iraq Israel captured the West Bank,
massed forces against Israel. East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights
Israel launched preemptive strike the Gaza Strip, and all of the
Sinai Desert
Attrition Battles 1967-70 Jordanians, Egyptians, Palestinian Beginning of Israeli settlements in
terrorists West Bank & Gaza
The October 1973 Egypt and Syria attacked Israel Israel retained the territories
War,or Yom on its holiest day captured in 1967
Kippur War
Lebanon – 1981-82 PLO, Syria, Israel Israel withdrew in 1985, but
Israeli response maintained a military force
to terrorism in southern Lebanon as a
buffer zone to prevent
terrorist incursions
1987-93 Palestinians from the territories Conflict ended with the Oslo
Agreement between Israel and
The First Intifada the PLO.
PLO to govern Palestinians in
the territories.
2000- 2000 Camp David Peace PLO govern Palestinians in
present process ended as PLO launched the territories
The Second a terror campaign
Intifada

45

History

Israel Today

46

History

The Middle
East Today

47

RELIGIOUS AND ETHNIC LEADERS CONDEMN
ANTI-ZIONISM AS A FORM OF ANTI-SEMITISM

History
Over the years many religious and ethnic leaders have condemned the idea
that anti-Zionism is different than anti-Semitism. In fact, many religious and Anti-Zionism
ethnic leaders have come out strongly for the proposition that anti-Zionism
is a form of anti-Semitism.

The 18th International
catholic-Jewish liaison committee Joint Declaration (2004)
“As we approach the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate – the ground-breaking
declaration of the Second Vatican Council, the consequence of which repudiated
the deicide charge against Jews, reaffirmed the Jewish roots of Christianity
and rejected anti-Semitism – we take note of the many positive changes
within the Catholic Church with respect to her relationship with the Jewish
People. These past forty years of our fraternal dialogue stand in stark contrast
to almost two millennia of a “teaching of contempt” and all its
painful consequences. We draw encouragement from the fruits of our
collective strivings which include the recognition of the unique and unbroken
covenantal relationship between God and the Jewish People and the total
rejection of anti-Semitism in all its forms, including anti-Zionism as a more
recent manifestation of anti-Semitism.”

“We oppose anti-Semitism in any way and form, including anti-Zionism that
has become of late a manifestation of anti-Semitism.”

Statement from martin luther King, Jr.
“When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews.You are talking anti-Semitism.”
–From “The Socialism of Fools: The Left, the Jews and Israel”
by Seymour Martin Lipset, Encounter Magazine, December, 1969, p. 24

48

The stories in this lesson all illustrate something about Jewish life.

chana Bracha was the mother of Marilyn Dorff, one of the creators of
this curriculum. She was born in the Soviet Union in 1922, but things were
History
not good for Jews and she and her parents escaped in 1923, using a forged
visa. They hid in Poland for several years while waiting for a visa to Israel. Personal Stories
Different Jewish families housed them for months at a time. They rarely Chana Bracha
went outside because they were terrified that the Polish police would find
them and send them back. Chana Bracha’s father had a son from a previous
marriage, but Mikhail was not allowed to leave with them. The family
emigrated to the United States in 1927, hoping to earn enough money to
pay bribes to get him out. But this never happened. They never saw him again.

Most of the Jews in the Mediterranean countries settled there when they
were expelled from Spain in 1492. The Jews in Syria and morocco
(Tangiers), like those in other Muslim countries such as Iraq and Iran,
sometimes lived well and sometimes suffered, depending on who was ruling
and how he felt about Jews. On page 3.36 you will find a list of some rules
that applied to Jews, limiting what they could do.

The tragedy of the Holocaust is an important part of Israel’s culture.
Many of the survivors came to Israel, and their children and grandchildren
keep their history alive. Others feel that if there had been a Jewish
homeland, 6,000,000 Jews would not have been massacred. In Denmark
and in some other places where people stood up to the Nazis and protected
the Jews, Jews escaped or survived the war. There are many stories of
Righteous Gentiles, non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews. The
Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem has a beautiful garden where these heroes
are honored. Gay Block and Malka Drucker researched many of these
special people, thinking that they would find a pattern, something to help
us understand why these particular people saved lives. But they found none.
The Righteous Gentiles were all unique individuals, rich, poor, educated, not
so educated, religious, not so religious…we will read the story of one such
woman who saved children.

John Philips is a photographer who is not Jewish. He was in Israel in 1948
when the Jordanians forced Jews to leave the Old City of Jerusalem, where
many of them had lived for generations. He took photographs. In 1967,
after the Six Day War when Israel took back the entire city of Jerusalem,
the mayor, Teddy Kollek, invited him to come back and find the people he
had photographed. I hope you will read the first page of his introduction
to his book, A Will to Survive.

49

My mother, Chana Bracha, was born in a little town outside Kiev, five years
after the Russian Revolution. There was a short period of time when the
Soviet government allowed people to return to the place of their birth. My
grandfather had his papers forged to say he was born in Poland, so he, my
History
grandmother, and their infant daughter escaped to Warsaw. They lived there
for a number of years, staying with one Jewish family and then with another, Personal Stories
because they had no money and because they were afraid someone would Chana Bracha
check their papers. Finally, Great Britain granted them a visa permitting
them to enter Palestine.

Chana Bracha was only 4 1/2 when she started kindergarten in Tel Aviv. Her
mother usually picked her up after school, but one day she was late. Tel Aviv
had more sand dunes than people in the 1920’s and many children walked
to school by themselves. When Ruthie invited her home that day, Chana
Bracha saw no reason not to go. She followed Ruthie up one street and
down another until they came to a house with a fence around it. Ruthie
went inside and promptly closed the door. Chana Bracha knocked and
knocked, but no one came to let her in. She decided she should go home.

Chana Bracha wandered through the streets and empty fields until she was
completely confused. A Jewish policeman saw her and asked if she needed
help. Hundreds of years of experience trying to survive in Europe had
taught the Jews to keep their distance from the police. Chana Bracha had
learned this lesson well, so she looked down at the ground and did not say
a word. He took her to the police station and changed out of his uniform,
but she knew this was a trick and still would not say a word. He offered her
a chocolate bar. Chana Bracha’s family had very little money and candy was
a rare treat. She was hungry and she loved chocolate, but she picked up a
nail from the floor and poked holes all over the candy bar. Fortunately, a
teacher from the school passed by, saw Chana Bracha and took her home.

Chana Bracha had not been in Palestine long enough to know that there
was such a thing as a Jewish policeman. She only knew that police, soldiers,
people in authority, could be dangerous to Jews.

This story had a happy ending. But even today, not all Jews live in places
where they are safe.

Throughout history, there have been Jews who kept gold coins or diamonds
handy in case they suddenly had to leave a country, even though Jews might
have lived there for a thousand years. One of the things that having a Jewish
state means to us is that Jewish children grow up in their own country
where Jewish police and Jewish soldiers and Jewish citizens protect the land
and all its people. And the Jews of Israel do not need gold coins or diamonds
to feel safe. 50

History

Personal Stories
A Will To Survive

51

The pictures I took in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem on May 28, 1948,
during the Israeli War of Independence, have given rise to some questions
I would like to answer.
History
People have expressed amazement that a Jew was able to photograph the
plight of the Israelis in the aftermath of their surrender to the Arab Legion. Personal Stories
What amazes me is that anyone would assume I must be Jewish to have A Will To Survive
taken “such compassionate pictures.” No Jewish photographer could have
shot the pictures I did. The rampaging Arabs would have killed him. Being
a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant was no help either. Conditions were such
that anyone with a camera was considered a Jewish spy and promptly set
upon. I managed to get the pictures that illustrate this book only because
I was in the uniform of the Arab Legion. Mistaking me for a British officer,
the Arab populace left me alone – at first.

Aware that the sack of the Jewish Quarter would shock the western world,
Arab authorities across the Middle East tried to prevent the news from
leaking out. Jerusalem could not be mentioned under any circumstance.
A dutiful Cairo censor even wanted to blue-pencil every reference to
Jerusalem in the Bible of a departing tourist. I knew my pictures on the
agony of the Jewish Quarter would end up in a censor’s wastepaper basket.
I did not want this to happen and decided to smuggle them out of the
Middle East. There was some risk, but I took the chance. The record of what
really happened in Old Jerusalem on May 28, 1948, was saved for posterity,
should posterity care. Why would a gentile become embroiled in such a
conflict? I’d be lying if I sanctimoniously claimed that I was merely doing my
job as a representative of the free press. Through happenstance I had spent
most of my adult life recording violence, and editors were in the habit of
assigning me to violent stories. I was particularly interested in this conflict
because I was born in Algeria, grew up among Arabs and Jews, and have an
affinity for both.

My Algerian upbringing taught me what it feels like to belong to a minority
group. At the Petit Lycee Mustapha Superieur in Algiers I found out what
it meant to be called “a dirt Englishman,” how lonely and desperate you feel
when surrounded by a hostile crowd. I was held personally responsible for
Joan of Arc going to the stake. “You burned our saint!” a wild-eyed French
classmate screamed, kicking me in the face after I was down. The result was
a broken nose and a life long sympathy for minorities.

In Algiers I learned how Arab hostility for the Jews was encouraged by
French colonials. Politically Algeria was French territory; in fact it was as
colonial as Palestine, where I had a chance to observe “the Palestine
Problem” in 1943. In truth, the problem was a tragedy of promises made
to two peoples that were never kept. 52

History

Personal Stories
A Will To Survive

53

History

Personal Stories
A Will To Survive

54

History

Personal Stories
A Will To Survive

55

History

Personal Stories
TheChildrenfromHaleb

Shaliach: Guide

Shabbat: Sabbath

56

History

Personal Stories
TheChildrenfromHaleb

57

History

Personal Stories
The Saintly Suleka
from Tangiers

58

History

Personal Stories
The Saintly Suleka
from Tangiers

59

History

Personal Stories
Rescuers

60

History

Personal Stories
Rescuers
Marie Taquet

61

History

Personal Stories
Rescuers
Marie Taquet

lower-left hand photo

62

History

Personal Stories
Rescuers
Marie Taquet

lower-left hand photo

63

History

Personal Stories
Rescuers
Marie Taquet

top photo

64

Name______________________

Use the culture Tree below to chart the main character from the story
that you just read. Write appropriate descriptions on the leaves, trunk, and
History
roots of the tree. Look at the example provided to help you. You may also
create a Culture Tree about yourself. Culture Tree
The leaves of the tree represent the cultural groups to which someone
belongs, such as gender, religion, age, and nationality. Examples include
woman, Catholic, teenager, married, African American, and Latino American.

The trunk of the tree represents cultural characteristics that are visible
to others such as physical traits and activities. Examples include speaking
English or Spanish, celebrating Thanksgiving, having curly hair, enjoying rap
music or sports.

The roots of the tree represent beliefs and values. Examples include
education, religion, family, independence, friendship, freedom, and trust.

65

History

Sample
Culture Tree

66

History

My Culture
Tree

67

Since 1948, much of the news from the Middle East has been about war
and terrorism. Israel fought in 1948, 1967, 1973. In 1978, after negotiations
at Camp David, Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat, made peace with Israel. In
1981, an Islamic terrorist assassinated Sadat. Egypt was also expelled from Current
the Arab League. Jordan made peace with Israel in 1994. To this day, no other
Events
Arab states have made peace and the Intifada continues. The News

In the 1960’s, the Arab League created the Plo, the Palestine Liberation
Organization, to destabilize Israel by targeting civilians. In 1994, Israel agreed
to create a mini-state called the Palestinian Authority, and the PLO, which
was to rule this area, agreed to renounce terror attacks and crack down
on terrorism. The PLO has not done so.

Israeli responses to terrorism have been criticized by the world community,
especially in Europe. For example, Israel demolishes the homes of suicide
bombers to deter other attackers. Israel fires missiles from helicopters to
kill terrorists and sometimes bystanders also become casualties. Israel uses
checkpoints to restrict movement, even though innocent people are often
delayed. These techniques, which are all used by the U.S. Army in Iraq, have
deterred some suicide bombers and helped capture others, but still have
had limited success.

Jews place great value on peace and on the sanctity of life. They don’t
understand a culture that encourages and idolizes suicide bombers, that
applauds the murder of children on school buses, teenagers at a disco, families
celebrating a Passover feast, young people eating at a pizza restaurant. Israelis
want to end terror and create Palestinian and Israeli states with clear borders
and real peace. They are divided on how best to accomplish these goals.

Despite the terror, life goes on in Israel and many wonderful things happen.
Tel-Aviv was recently named one of the top 10 hi-tech cities in the world.
If you have AOL and use ICQ, you are using an Israeli-designed product. An
Israeli company patented the first vaccine against Alzheimer’s. An Israeli
hospital recently performed open-heart surgery on an Iraqi baby. The Israeli
invention of drip-irrigation for desert farming has changed agriculture
throughout the world. Israel invented a way to make ice cream out of
camel’s milk, a method that was quietly adopted in Arab countries. Israelis
love basketball and soccer, music and movies. Find articles about these
things too, and not just about terrorism!

Remember that unlike its Arab neighbors, Israel has a free press because
she is a democracy. Other countries in the area are not as fortunate. Even
a free press that tries to be fair and to present only facts can be biased
(more sympathetic to one side than the other) and not present all the facts
the same way. This happens even in the USA. It is important to learn how
to recognize propaganda, prejudice and erroneous reporting. It is
important to be exposed to different opinions, to do lots of reading and
ask lots of questions. It is important to judge things for yourself. 68

Resources for Information About Israel

AIPAC: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee
http://www.aipac.org Current
Events
American Jewish Committee
Media Web
http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ffTK0OyFoG/b.843899/k.3FFD/Los_Angeles.htm
Sites
Bitter Lemons
http://www.bitterlemons.org
Ha’Aretz News
http://www.haaretz.com
The Israel Project
http://www.theisraelproject.org
Israel Policy Forum
http://www.israelpolicyforum.org
Israel 21C
http://www.israel21c.org
The Israeli Consulate of Los Angeles
http://www.israeliconsulatela.org
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
http://www.jcpa.org
The Jewish Agency for Israel
http://www.jewishagency.org
The Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC)
http://www.jewishla.org/html/jcrc.htm
The Jewish Journal
http://www.jewishjournal.com
JTA:Global News Service of the Jewish People
http://www.jta.org
Memri
http://www.memri.org
http://www.memri/videos.org
Stand With Us
http://www.standwithus.com
Washington Center for Near East Policy
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org
YnetNews.com
http://www.Ynetnews.com

You may find other English language magazines and newspapers here in
Los Angeles directed to the Jewish or Arab communities that live here.
Please note that many of these sources are produced in democratic
countries with a free press, either the USA or Israel.

The two memri websites monitor reports in the Arab world. 69

‘Iran 11’ Go Public
The families of 11 missing Iranian Jews are publicizing their plight and asking the United Nations
to help. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Iranian
American Jewish Federation submitted a letter Tuesday to the U.N. secretary-general, asking him
Current
Events
to help discover the missing Jews’ condition and whereabouts. The Jews went missing up to nine
World Briefs
years ago after trying illegally to leave Iran, which has strict emigration laws for Jews. Until now,
from the
their families preferred backroom dealings. Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the
Jewish Journal
Conference of Presidents, said they decided to go public because "there’s been no movement
12.05.03
all these years, so they really have nothing to lose."

Annan Blasts Fence
Kofi Annan says Israel’s security barrier could damage prospects for peace. The U.N. Secretary
General was reporting on Israel’s compliance with a General Assembly resolution that
demanded the barrier be dismantled. Routing the wall through parts of the West Bank, instead
of alongside it, "could damage the longer-term prospects for peace," Annan said in the report
released last Friday.

Jewish extremists Guilty
Two Israeli Jewish extremists pleaded guilty to weapons-related crimes as part of a plea
bargain. Yitzhak Pass, whose infant daughter was killed in 2001 by Palestinian terrorists, and
his brother-in-law, Matityahu Shvu, will not face charges that they planned to use explosives
found in their car for a terrorist attack. Israeli officials believe the two were part of a cell
of Jewish terrorists based in the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin. The plea bargain was
announced Tuesday.

An online Guide to Restitution
The Claims Conference published an online guide to Holocaust restitution programs. The group’s
Compensation and Restitution at a Glance Chart now is available at the Claims Conference’s
homepage at www.claimscon.org. The guide provides a country-by-country breakdown of
current compensation and restitution programs and appropriate contact information. Information
on art and insurance policies relating to the Holocaust era and the Swiss banks settlement also
is included. "This online publication will aid Holocaust survivors and people working in agencies
that assist survivors in navigating the sometimes complex process of applying for compensation
and restitution," said Gideon Taylor, executive vice president of the Claims Conference.

Bush, let my People In!
U.S. Jewish groups are pressing President Bush to allow all 70,000 refugees slots to be filled this
year. The 22 groups from across the political spectrum said that fewer than 30,000 of the 70,000
slots have been filled during the past two years. "Our concern over the current status of the
U.S. Refugee Program is based on our core values as Americans and Jews," said a letter from
the groups dated Monday.

Arrest in Turkey Shul Bombings
Turkey arrested a man believed to have given the orders in one of the Turkish synagogue bombings.
70

The suspect, whose name was not released, is believed to be behind the attack on the Beth
Israel synagogue, one of two deadly attacks on Nov. 15. He was charged Saturday with treason,
which is punishable by life in prison.
Current
Events
london Synagogue Attacked
World Briefs
A London synagogue had its windows broken in what police are describing as a hate crime.
The Orthodox Edgware Synagogue was attacked with bricks after congregants left at the end
of Shabbat on Saturday. It is the second time this year the shul has been targeted.

Briefs courtesy Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

71

To defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Israel.
To protect the inhabitants of Israel and to combat all forms of terrorism which
threaten the daily life.
Current
Events
Basic Points:
Israel
– Israel cannot afford to lose a single war.
Defense
– Defensive on the strategic level, no territorial ambitions.
Forces
– Desire to avoid war by political means and a credible deterrent posture.
Guidelines
– Preventing escalation.
– Determine the outcome of war quickly and decisively.
– Combating terrorism.
– Very low casualty ratio.

The operational level:
Defensive Strategy – Offensive Tactics:
Prepare for Defense
– A small standing army with an early warning capability, regular air
force and navy.
– An efficient reserve mobilization and transportation system.
Move to Counter-Attack
– Multi-arm coordination.
– Transferring the battle to enemy’s territory quickly.
– Quick attainment of war objectives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are the state of Israel’s military force. The
IDF is subordinate to the directions of the democratic civilian authorities
and the laws of the state. The goal of the IDF is to protect the existence of
the State of Israel and her independence, and to thwart all enemy efforts to
disrupt the normal way of life in Israel.

IDF soldiers are obligated to fight, to dedicate all their strength and even
sacrifice their lives in order to protect the State of Israel, her citizens and
residents, IDF soldiers will operate according to the IDF values and orders,
while adhering to the laws of the state and norms of human dignity, and
honoring the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

Spirit of the IDF-Definition and origins
The Spirit of the IDF is the identity card of the IDF values, which
should stand as the foundation of all of the activities of every IDF soldier,
on regular or reserve duty.

The Spirit of the IDF and the guidelines of operation resulting from it
are the ethical code of the IDF. The Spirit of the IDF will be applied by the
72

IDF, its soldiers, its officers, its units and corps to shape their mode of action.
They will behave, educate and evaluate themselves and others according to
the Spirit of the IDF.
Current
Events
The Spirit of the IDF draws on four sources: Israel
1st. The tradition of the IDF and its military heritage as the Israel
Defense
Defense Forces.
Forces
2nd. The tradition of the State of Israel, its democratic principles, laws
Guidelines
and institutions.
3rd. The tradition of the Jewish People throughout their history.
4th. Universal moral values based on the value and dignity of human life.

Basic Values:
Defense of the State, its citizens and its residents – The IDF’s
goal is to defend the existence of the State of Israel, its independence and
the security of the citizens and residents of the state.

love of the Homeland and loyalty to the country – At
the core of service in the IDF stand the love of the homeland and the
commitment and devotion to the State of Israel – a democratic state that
serves as a national home for the Jewish People – its citizens and residents.

Human Dignity – The IDF and its soldiers are obligated to protect
human dignity. Every human being is of value regardless of his or her origin,
religion, nationality, gender, status, or position.

The Values:
Tenacity of Purpose in Performing Missions and Drive to
Victory – The IDF servicemen and women will fight and conduct themselves
with courage in the face of all dangers and obstacles; They will persevere in
their missions resolutely and thoughtfully even to the point of endangering
their lives.

Responsibility – The IDF serviceman or woman will see themselves as
active participants in the defense of the state, its citizens and residents. They
will carry out their duties at all times with initiative,involvement and diligence
with common sense and within the framework of their authority, while
prepared to bear responsibility for their conduct.

Credibility – The IDF servicemen and women shall present things
objectively, completely and precisely, in planning, performing and reporting.
They will act in such a manner that their peers and commanders can rely
upon them in performing their tasks.

73

Personal Example – The IDF servicemen and women will comport themselves
as required of them, and will demand of themselves as required of them, and will
demand of themselves as they demand of others, out of recognition of their
Current
Events
ability and responsibility within the military and without to serve as a deserving Israel
role model.
Defense
Forces
Human Life – The IDF servicemen and women will act in a judicious and safe
Guidelines
manner in all they do, out of recognition of the supreme value of human life.
During combat they will endanger themselves and their comrades only to the
extent required to carry out their mission.

Purity of Arms – The IDF servicemen and women will use their weapons and
force only for the purpose of their mission, only to the necessary extent and
will maintain their humanity even during combat. IDF soldiers will not use their
weapons and force to harm human beings who are not combatants or prisoners
of war, and will do all in their power to avoid causing harm to their lives, bodies,
dignity and property.

Professionalism – The IDF servicemen and women will acquire the professional
knowledge and skills required to perform their tasks, and will implement them
while striving continuously to perfect their personal and collective achievements.

Discipline – The IDF servicemen and women will strive to the best of their
ability to fully and successfully complete all that is required of them according
to orders and their spirit. IDF soldiers will be meticulous in giving only lawful
orders, and shall refrain from obeying blatantly illegal orders.

Comradeship – The IDF servicemen and women will act out of fraternity
and devotion to their comrades, and will always go to their assistance when
they need their help or depend on them, despite any danger or difficulty, even
to the point of risking their lives.

Sense of Mission – The IDF soldiers view their service in the IDF as a mission;
They will be ready to give their all in order to defend the state, its citizens
and residents. This is due to the fact that they are representatives of the IDF
who act on the basis and in the framework of the authority given to them in
accordance with IDF orders.

74

Current
Events
In the Press
Los Angeles Times

75

Current
Events
In the Press
In Brief
Aug. 16, 2003

76

Current
Events
In the Press
July 31, 2003

77

Current
Events
In the Press
Jerusalem Post

78

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