KEHILLAH - COMMUNITY - THE JEWISH LENS

Jewish Values: Kehillah – Community

Engage students in one or more of the following activities to explore the Jewish value of Kehillah– Community:

Have students complete Worksheet M, or explore the photograph, questions, and texts on the worksheet together through class discussion.
Have students view the Photograph Bomba Israel. Have them read the sample texts accompanying the photo. Which text do they think connects best with the photo? Why?

Discuss:
- What are our obligations to our community?
- What are the various communities of which we are a part?
- What do we get from or give back to each?

Have students compare two or more of Zion Ozeri’s photographs to explore various aspects of community. For example, have students observe the Photograph Summer Camp, Waiting for Seven Jews, and Sunrise, Sde Boker. Discuss:
- What do these photographs have to do with community?
- What do they say about the role of “place” in a community?
- How important do you think the places where we gather for community and prayer are?

Have students view the Photograph Headstone and the Photograph Beit Ha-Hayim. Discuss:
- How do these photographs relate to each other?
- What do they suggest about responsibilities toward both the living and the dead in our communities?
Show students the Photographs Shochet and Scribe. Discuss the role the individuals in these photographs play in a Jewish community. Then have students interview and photograph individuals who contribute (at all levels) to their own community—firefighters, janitors, rabbis, local politicians, educators, postal workers, crossing guards, etc.
Have students take photographs in school, at home, or in the community that reflect the value of kehillah, or have them create and photograph a series of “tableaux”—staged scenes—that depict the value. Share and discuss:What was challenging about this assignment?
- How does your photograph reflect kehilla? Is it possible to capture this value fully in a photograph?
- What is similar or different among the various photographs students took?
- What title would you give your photograph? Why?

A community is a mosaic of individuals. There is a feeling of unity that ties a community together but also a sense of diversity that keeps a community dynamic and evolving. Have your students create a collaborative artwork that reflects the unity of your class community, as well as the diversity that exists among its members. For example, they could create an actual mosaic of painted tiles or a mural in the school.

PHOTOS