Leadership – Educational program
A tour and workshops dealing with the moral dilemmas of leaders from the history of the Jewish people.
Target Audience: Grades 10-12
Especially suitable for: Nachshon groups, leadership classes and pre-military preparatories
Duration: 2 hours and 20 minutes
The tour in a sentence: A tour and workshops dealing with the moral dilemmas of leaders from the history of the Jewish people.
The tour of the paragraph: What is the most important thing a leader should do? And with what dilemmas does he face? in the various workshops and in a tour of the museum exhibitions we will get to know in depth leaders and leadership in Jewish history who have faced different dilemmas in different fields.
| time | Division into floors |
| 30 minutes | Opening workshop |
| 70 minutes | Option #1: Hallelujah Gallery Focal points: Fes, Amsterdam, Berlin, Toro |
| 70 minutes | Option #2: Journey Floor Mandatory hotspots: Eretz Israel (Shlomtzion the Queen), Lithuanian Poles and Ottomans (The Gaon of Vilna), Lithuanian Poles and Ottomans (Donna Grazia), Integration (Moshe Mendelssohn) Optional: The Wall of Communities, Spain and Ashkenazi (Shmuel Ha’Nagid), between East and Western Spirits (Stella Corcos), political movements (Herzl), the Declaration of Independence (after the World War II- Ben Gurion focal point). |
| 70 minutes | Option #3: Mosaic Floor Focal points: Revival of the Hebrew language (Eliezer Ben Yehuda), Music (R. David Buzaglo), Communities and Borders (Tikkun Olam Videos), Ruth Bader Ginsburg Authority Centers: Wall of glory, Trailblazers, Sha’anan Streett Video, Literature |
| 20 minutes | Processing and concluding the tour |
Materials:
- Pencils
- Dilemma pages
- Gallery Personality Pages
(30 minutes) Opening class:
The guide will introduce him/herself and the museum.
Today we will deal with different types of Jewish leadership. We will get to know through an independent tour leaders throughout Jewish history and see what the deliberations and decisions that the leaders have made – and in light of what values they were moved.
(20 minutes) Dilemma activity
Now, you're going to be community leaders, and decide for yourself what to do in different cases:
- Each group gets a dilemma paper and a pencil.
- Say: You have 7 minutes to read the dilemma, decide how you will react and write your reasoning. At the end of the seven minutes each group will have to present the case and what it has decided to do.
- Release the group to the task and move between the groups to encourage and challenge the discussion about the dilemmas.
- The groups will present their positions – challenge them about their positions, encourage the group to challenge as well.
Conclude: Thank you very much to all the presenters, you have made difficult decisions here and have had a proper discussion.
Now I will expose to you that the dilemmas you discussed were real dilemmas of Jewish leaders on display in our museum, and you're going to meet them and see what they decided to do and what consequences their decisions had on their community.
Explanation of the tour reference page:
We will go up to the museum and you will embark on your own independent research journey following leading figures in Jewish history. You must look for the leaders on the designated floors and complete the auxiliary sheet of the information you have collected from the exhibitions and the museum's app.
Experiential tour of the museum
Option #1: Hallelujah Gallery
- Opening: We are now going to the Hallelujah Gallery, a gallery dedicated to synagogues, and you are now going to find Jewish communities that have faced the same dilemmas that you began to face in the opening workshop.
- Ask: Why synagogues? Synagogues as the center of Jewish community and existence throughout most of history.
- Guide about one synagogue of your choice (it is important! not to guide one of the synagogues in the riddles: Paz, Amsterdam, Berlin, Toro)
- Send them to find the right synagogues according to the riddle. On the other side of your page there is a riddle. Find the right synagogue. A group that thinks they have found it should go to the guide. If it is right – you get another page with more information, you have to prepare a presentation of the community, the dilemma, and what they did in the same dilemma.
- An exhibit tour led by the group – among the groups that present the synagogues.
- After each synagogue, exhibit and dilemma shown by a subgroup:
- Make sure everyone understands
- Complete important details about the synagogue and the community
- Provoke a debate: Do you think the community behaved correctly? why? What would you have done differently?
Option #2: (70 minutes) Journey floor
(20 minutes) Independently researched the characters in dilemmas
At the back of the pages of the dilemma are clues as to where to find the leaders who faced these dilemmas in the museum. Every subgroup needs to go out and look for the leader and get back to you when they find him. If they're right, they get another page, describing the dilemma faced by the leader.
The instructor will stay nearby and see that the students are successful and working.
The leaders that the students are looking for:
- Queen Shlomtzion
- Donna Grazia
- The Gaon from Vilnius (if there is already a group in the focal point of Poland Lithuania, guide the content in the focus of faith and creation and then enter).
- Moshe Mendelssohn
After each group has managed to find the leader, they return to the guide that gives them the character handout. They should read the page and understand what decision the historical leader has made (they will present their character in front of the class as part of the floor tour).
(50 minutes) instructing on the 2nd floor:
Embark on another tour of the floor, which will combine all the leaders and dilemmas of the different groups. When passing through all the leaders, the children guide the relevant exhibit of their character and describe the dilemma they faced.
Important! during the tour – each group will briefly reintroduce the dilemma, and especially what the leader decided, what the results of the decision were, and if it is similar/different to their decision.
- In case the group does not fully present the character (or does not have the ability to do so for various reasons) the guide must tell about the characters.
In addition to guiding the character and presenting the dilemma, it is important to note to the students that while these are very large cases in community life, if we think about it, we all face similar dilemmas and challenges in our lives as well. (Important note: It is very important not to be judgmental about the students' answers)
At the Queen's Shlomtzion station:
- Let's start by asking whether any of the students can think of aby daily struggle reminiscent of the issues that Shlomtzion was required to deal with?
- If they need help, ask them how they behave with those who are different from them, to the point of real resistance? Do I take a distance from them or actually try to bring them closer to me?
- Queen Shlomtzion faced a faction within the people who opposed her family but in fact we all experience situations of our opposition towards others or of others towards us. How did she deal with it? Shlomtzion's solution was actually to bring the opponents closer to her, but is that an easy thing to do? What makes it so hard for us?
At the Gaon from Vilnius station:
- There is no doubt that excommunication is a very drastic and negative step, but can we still find a positive quality in the story of the Gaon from Vilnius?
In fact, we see here a man who believed with all his heart in something, who had a truth that for him was the supreme thing to fight for at all costs, even at the cost of hurting himself or others. This, of course, raises the question of how far we are willing to go with our truth.
- Is there anything that you believe in, something that you consider to be the most important thing, that you would be willing to risk and/or endanger others for?
- How do you feel about people who are willing to do so? Are they admirable to you or rather reprehensible? Where does the border stand for you?
- From what has been said, what can we learn from the image of the Gaon of Vilnius about leadership as you perceive the concept?
At the Donna Grazia station:
Before the discourse, we will open with a brief method that we will have in the faith and creation center (outside the focal point of Poland, Lithuania and the Ottoman Empire, especially if there is another group there)- Say the number of statements and ask them to raise their hands every time the statement raises a situation that would have caused them to intervene and act. Another option is to define a specific area as the "would act” area and another area as "would not act" and ask them to place themselves accordingly. Make it obvious that there are no right or wrong answers and ask them to answer honestly.
The statements:
A child in your grade is being excommunicated.
You saw someone stealing from the neighborhood grocery store.
Someone's talking badly to the school cleaner.
Someone's beating up your brother.
A little boy is throwing garbage on the sidewalk.
You're standing on the bus and an older woman comes up, but no one gets up to give her a seat.
Someone's abusing a stray cat.
Someone's copying on a test
*It is highly recommended to ask from time to time a student who has moved to the "would act" position what they would do and put an emphasis on different forms of coping and their value (such as offering support and help to those affected and not necessarily confronting the offender).
Now we'll ask:
- In what cases was it obvious to you that you should do something? What made you think that?
- Have you had any cases where you have debated intervening? Have you ever witnessed one of these cases before and didn't intervene, but later regretted it?
- What makes you act over simply ignoring something? Alternatively, what sometimes prevents you from acting?
- The dilemma faced by Donna Grazia is very similar to something that we are all required to deal with from time to time – situations in which we are witnessing something wrong that is happening (not necessarily to us or to those close to us) and do not know whether or not to intervene actively or not. Donna Grazia did choose to do something. Do you think she was right in her decision? (It is worth mentioning that the Jews of Ancona were also affected by the boycott imposed on the port).
At the Mendelssohn Station:
Here, of course, the emphasis is on the desire and the need to adopt an identity in which I adapt to the environment but also preserve my personal identity.
Possible questions for discussion and personal sharing:
- What is the gain and loss of Mendelssohn's approach? Is it possible to be "both" over a long period of time?
- When in your life did you feel this need? Do you feel that you have succeeded in finding a balance that you can live in peace with?
*Additional leadership figures for training on the 2nd floor (if the instructor chooses to fill out the tour or if the focal points are occupied by other groups): After the instruction on the different figures, we will ask the students to think of at least one characteristic that can be learned from the leader about leadership characteristics. Suggestions for such characteristics are listed below:
- Figures from the wall of the communities of Lena Revenko, Benjamin of Tudela
- Sephardi and Ashkenazi- Shmuel HaNagid: Versatility and adaptation to a changing reality. (Methodically speaking, it is possible to do an exercise of a picture midrash (or diorama midrash). We will instruct the students to observe the diorama and think about what can be learned about his character).
- Between east and west winds, Stella Corcos: providing education to a disadvantaged population twice, both girls and poor women, wanting to give them what it takes to move forward ("strength and respect" as the school is named), an understanding that if she does not take responsibility for the girls of her community others may do so (the mission for example) but at a heavy identity cost.
- Political movements– Herzl: A combination of vision and understanding that great ideas should also be grounded, practical thinking about how the vision can be implemented in practice.
- The Declaration of Independence (after the epicenter of World War II)-Ben Gurion: Recognition of the importance of acting at the right time and identifying opportunities for action.
Option #3: (70 minutes) Mosaic floor
A tour that highlights aspects of trailblazers and cultural leaders over the past 150 years. For groups starting the tour on the 3rd floor, they are told that behind the pages of the dilemma are clues to where to find the leaders who faced these dilemmas in the museum. Every subgroup needs to go out and look for the leader and get back to you when they find him. If they're right, they get another page, describing the dilemma faced by the leader.
Leadership on the 3rd floor that they must find:
- Eliezer Ben Yehuda – The Epicenter of the Revival of the Hebrew Language
- Rabbi David Buzaglo – Music
- Tikkun Olam Videos: Communities and Borders
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg- Luminaries (note that this is a very noisy stop so it is worth showing Ruth Bader Ginsburg's collar and conducting the instruction itself in the “groundbreaking women” exhibit).
We will take a re-tour of the floor, which will combine all the leaders and dilemmas of the different groups. When passing through all the leaders, the children guide the relevant exhibit of their character and describe the dilemma they faced.
Important! during the training – each group will briefly reintroduce the dilemma, and especially what the leader decided, what the results of the decision were, and how it is similar/different to their decision.
*In case the group does not fully present the character (or does not have the ability to do so for various reasons) the instructor must tell about the characters.
The leadership on this floor also presents very large and fateful situations, but these situations equally reflect daily struggles in the lives of all of us. It is very important to connect the characters, together with the students, to day-to-day situations from their lives.
- Language focal point- Eliezer Ben Yehuda: With groups that have already experienced the station of the Gaon from Vilna, it is possible to draw a line between the dilemmas. In both cases there is a character who is zealous about a certain idea, willing to go with their truth to the end at the risk of themself and others around them. What do we think of it? Today it is understood that Ben Yehuda's struggle succeeded but is it be worth the price? What would we think of him if the idea had failed?
*Here another question arises concerning our perception of leadership: Do we value leadership of ideas that have failed the test of history or do we only perceive them as leaders after their struggle succeeds?
- Music Center – Rabbi David Buzaglo: With groups that have already experienced Moshe Mendelssohn's station, it is possible to draw a line between the two dilemmas. Rabbi David Buzaglo's solution for dealing with non-Jewish spiritualities was to combine Jewish and general traditions and thus a new kind of musical artwork was created. Here too you can ask about the profit and cost of creating such a union – the formation of something new that undoubtedly outlined a musical path that is visible to this day (a combination of poetry- holy poetry and popular music) and on the other hand, dealing with the fact that after all it is a change in the status quo.
- Communities and Borders-World Correction Videos: Watching 2 Movies and Discussing: Why Is It Important for These Characters to "Fix the World"? Do you agree with the way they chose to act according to this value? How do you think the idea of "fixing the world" relates to leadership?
*Groups that do not pass the Donna Grazia station on the tour, it is possible and recommended to maintain the method of "touching-not-touching" in addition to the guidance at the stake: We will say a number of statements and we will ask that they raise a hand every time the statement raises a situation that would have caused them to intervene and act. Another option is to define a specific area as the "would act" area and another area as "would not act" and to request that they place themselves accordingly. Make it obvious that there are no right or wrong answers and ask them to answer honestly.
.
The statements:
A child in your grade is being excommunicated.
You saw someone stealing from the neighborhood grocery store.
Someone's talking badly to the school cleaner.
Someone's beating up your brother.
A little boy is throwing garbage on the sidewalk.
You're standing on the bus and an older woman comes up, but no one gets up to give her a seat.
Someone's abusing a stray cat.
Someone's copying on a test
*It is highly recommended to ask from time to time a student who has moved to the "would act" position what they would do and put an emphasis on different forms of coping and their value (such as offering support and help to those affected and not necessarily confronting the offender).
Now we'll ask:
- In which cases was it obvious to you that you would do something? What made you think that?
- Have you had any cases where you have debated intervening? Have you ever witnessed one of these cases before and didn't intervene, but later regretted it?
- What makes you act over simply ignoring something? Alternatively, what sometimes prevents you from acting?
This station presents entirely ordinary people who, because of their conscience, stood up and did something small or large, in the belief that their private act helps repair the entire world. Positive leadership comes first and foremost from looking at the environment and from alertness to what requires improvement. This is our place to spur students into action from inside and within their world. Sometimes we live our lives and notice things that make us uncomfortable. Awareness of them is undoubtedly the first step but acting out of this feeling, even small, can already make a difference.
- The focal point of dens: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (show her collar and instruct about it in a quieter area): The meaning of expressing opposition to the opinion of the majority and meticulously reasoning the opinion of the minority is significant. Not only does it raise doubts, present reservations, and illuminates aspects that have not received the attention of the majority judges (and forces them to face criticism), but it also forms the basis for a new ruling (halacha) or sharpening and amending an existing ruling. Even if it does not affect the specific case, it gives voice to other cases.
A significant aspect of leadership is also the ability to stand up for myself and express my opposition to the process, even if in that moment it seems that my opposition will not have an immediate effect. Once my resistance has a place, it already challenges the status quo and gives a voice to others to express themselves and make a long-term change. Many times we feel that "there is no point" in expressing resistance because it will not affect it anyway, but we must bear in mind that there is always a point.
Additional options for guiding on influential leadership figures displayed on the floor:
- Dens – Figures such as Herzl, Ben Gurion (appear in illustrations of Jeremy Pincus on the wall of the focal point.
- Groundbreaking Women – Ada Yonat, Golda Meir (appearing on the glass walls of the exhibit)
- Sha'anan Street – groundbreaking leaders in various fields that inspire many in the Jewish world and in general. (*It's worth watching the video but then lead the group to a quieter place).
- Literature – the pioneer figure that combines a task on the one hand but also humanity and emotion on the other.
Summary:
- What did we see today?
- Who is the leader that impressed you the most? why?
- What are the qualities required of a leader? Have there been leadership qualities on the tour that you have never thought of before?
We have seen how throughout history different leaders have made difficult decisions—decisions that have cost lives, that have endangered themselves or others, and that could have come at the cost of the division and disintegration of the people as a whole. At the same time, we have seen that there are all kinds of models of leadership and different ways to be a leader. Many times we have a certain perception in our heads of what is required of a leader but in fact, the different characteristics that we met during the tour, we can find in each and every one of us.