Full Curriculum
Unit IV: Israel in Focus
Lesson 6: Holiness and Spirituality
Time : |
50 minutes |
Materials: |
Copies of the following photographs by Zion Ozeri:
- Church, Galilee, Israel, 2010
- Sunrise Shema, Sde Boker, Israel, 2003
- Welcoming the Sabbath, Mevaseret Zion Absorption Center, 1990
- Mosque, Tur’an, Israel, 2010
- Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel, 2010
- Russian Christian Pilgrims, Sea of Galilee, Israel, 2010
- Talmudist, Jerusalem, Israel, 2009
- The Wall, Jerusalem, Israel, 2010
- Tisha B’Av, Jerusalem, Israel, 1997
Cameras
Printer with 8”x10” photo paper
Copies of Israel worksheets 6A “Holiness and Spirituality: Introductory Worksheet” (one per pair)
Copies of Israel Worksheet 6B “Holiness and Spirituality: Photograph Worksheet” (one per pair)
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Preparation: |
Prior to entering class, write the following quotations on the classroom board:
“Holiness is the descent of divinity into the midst of our concrete world.”
-Joseph Soloveitchik, American rabbi and philosopher (1903-1993)
“When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.”
-Martin Buber, Jewish philosopher (1878-1965)
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Big Idea: |
This lesson explores “holiness” and “spirituality,” and encourages students to think critically about how we experience these ethereal concepts. How do we determine who, what, or where is holy or spiritual? What role do the holy and the spiritual play among people of different religions and cultures in Israel, and how do these experiences overlap despite the differences? How have students experienced holiness and spirituality in their own lives, and specifically in Israel? |
Learning Objective: |
In this lesson, students will:
- Identify people, places, objects, and activities that students consider “holy” or “spiritual,” and interpret two Jewish texts focusing on these concepts;
- Analyze photographs that represent holiness and spirituality as experienced by Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Israel, and discuss the experience of holiness and spirituality in Israel;
- Photograph people, places, and objects in which they sense holiness and spirituality;
- Select one of their photographs for display, and explain in writing how it expresses holy and/or spiritual qualities;
- Display photographs and paragraphs in a public photography exhibit.
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Warm-Up/Introduction Activity (12 minutes):
- When students enter class, ask them to define “holy” (Dictionary.com defines holy as “specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; dedicated or devoted to the service of God, the church, or religion”) and “spiritual” (defined as “of or pertaining to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature”).
- Next, divide students into pairs and have them complete the “Holiness and Spirituality: Introductory Worksheet.” Explain that in each column, students should write down people, places, objects, and activities that they would classify as holy or spiritual. After five minutes, ask students to share their ideas. Jot them down on the board. Discuss:
– Are certain items on the list inherently holy or spiritual?
– Can something be holy without being spiritual?
– Can something be spiritual without being holy?
- Finally, read the quotations on the board aloud. What does each quotation mean? Ask students to share examples of ways in which they have experienced “holiness” and “spirituality” as described in the quotations.
Photography Analysis Activity (20 minutes):
- Give each pair of students one of Zion Ozeri’s photographs to examine and a copy of the “Holiness and Spirituality: Photograph Worksheet.” Have each pair discuss their photograph and complete the worksheet.
- After a few minutes, give each pair a chance to share its photograph and worksheet responses briefly with the class. Encourage questions and comments.
- Discuss as a class:
– What are the qualities that make a place holy?
– What makes Israel—and specific places in Israel—holy? Is Israel’s holy quality tied into its history, the land, communities, something else?
– What’s the difference between a holy place and a holy space?
– How can we create holy spaces? What’s the role of community in creating holy space?
– These photographs show Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Israel experiencing holiness and spirituality. Do you think their experiences differ in any way from each other (other than the details of their particular religions)? Or are the experiences of holiness and spirituality universal? How can Israel be holy to multiple religions?
– Where have students had holy or spiritual experiences? How can they describe those experiences?
Student Photography Activity (15 minutes):
- Explain to students that they will be participating as the featured photographers in a class exhibit about holiness and spirituality.
- Send students out in the school or synagogue, or outside, to take photographs of people, places, and objects that they find particularly holy and/or spiritual. (Alternately, take students together to specific spots to take their photographs.) Encourage students to take a lot of pictures so they will have several to select from when creating their exhibition.
- Students will probably need additional time to complete their photography as homework or during subsequent class periods.
Wrap Up (3 minutes):
Ask students to share some of the people, places, and objects they photographed. How did they attempt to capture a sense of holiness or spirituality in their images?
Homework:
Each student should select one photograph to include in the class photography exhibit and print it out to 8”x10” size. He or she should also write a paragraph to display along with the photograph, addressing the following questions: What is happening in the photograph? How is holiness or spirituality captured in this photograph? Why is the subject of this photograph important to you?
Photographs can be mounted on mats or colored construction paper and displayed, along with typed explanatory paragraphs, in a school hallway, foyer, or other visible area for others to tour and enjoy. For more information about mounting an exhibition, click here.
Extension Activities:
- Interview a rabbi and a clergy member from a different religion about their views on holiness and spirituality. Write a newspaper article focusing on ways in which their views overlap and differ.
- Write a narrative of an experience that you had that was deeply holy or spiritual.
If your students have not yet done the Introductory Lesson, we recommend beginning with that lesson before progressing through the lessons in this unit.
PHOTOS

Church Services, Mi’ilya North Galilee, Israel 2010
About 4% of Israel’s residents practice Christianity; most are Arab Christians and either Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic. Israeli law guarantees freedom of religion for all faiths and protects all holy sites.

Sunrise Shema, Sde Boker, Israel 2003
The people in this photograph are reciting morning prayers in the heart of the Negev Desert, just outside a kibbutz called Sde Boker. Sde Boker is where Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, chose to retire. His vision and hope was that Israelis would move to the Negev and make the barren land flourish. Over the years, Israel has built cities, towns, and kibbutzim in the desert, helping to fulfill Ben-Gurion’s dream.

Welcoming the Sabbath, Mevaseret Zion Absorption Center, 1990

Mosque, Tur’an, Israel 2010
Tur’an is an Arab town in the north of Israel. Its population of 11,000 is mostly Muslim. Israeli law guarantees freedom of religion for all faiths and protects all holy sites.

Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel 2010
A Hasidic man stands at a gravesite on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives has been the site of a Jewish cemetery for 3,000 years and holds about 150,000 graves. The rocks atop the gravestone reflect the Jewish tradition of placing stones, rather than flowers, as a memorial at burial sites. A Hasidic man stands at a gravesite on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives has been the site of a Jewish cemetery for 3,000 years and holds about 150,000 graves. The rocks atop the gravestone reflect the Jewish tradition of placing stones, rather than flowers, as a memorial at burial sites.

Russian Christian Pilgrims, Sea of Galilee, Israel 2010
The Sea of Galilee (Ha-Kinneret) is a popular destination for Christian pilgrims. Many episodes in Jesus’s life, according to the New Testament, took place in and around the Sea of Galilee, including the miracle of walking on water and the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

Talmudist, Jerusalem, Israel 2009
A scholar studies a page of Talmud in a Jerusalem yeshiva. The Talmud is a compilation of discussions by the ancient rabbis of Babylonia, and serves as a basis for Jewish tradition and practice to this day.

The Wall, Jerusalem, Israel 2010
The Kotel Ha-Maaravi, or Western Wall, is considered the holiest spot for Jews today. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Kotel is the only part of the ancient Jewish Temple that remains standing. It was actually part of the retaining wall that held up the Temple Mount, on which the Temple stood. Today, Jews from around world visit the Kotel Ha-Maaravi to pray and to place notes in the cracks between its enormous stone blocks.

Tisha B’Av, Jerusalem, Israel 1997
Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, marks the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. This event happened almost 2,000 years ago, yet Jews around the world still mourn the loss every year on Tisha B’Av. And what better place to observe this day of mourning and fasting than at the Kotel Ha-Maaravi – the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
In this picture, people have come from all over Israel to attend services at the Wall. In the foreground, you can see men reading from a Torah scroll that’s kept in a wooden case. Sephardic Jews traditionally use this type of container to hold the Torah, rather than the cloth coverings common among Ashkenazi Jews.