Gender Labels: Men v. Women

Article: A YouTube video has gone viral -- getting over 20 million hits. It's an advertisement put out by Panteen (hair products) in the Philippines. It shows how men and women in the exact same scenarios are labeled differently: a man in a position of power is seen as the boss, while a woman is seen as bossy, etc. Some say the video is horrible and reinforces gender stereotypes; others say the video brings to consciousness how men and women are treated differently and should not be. Panteen claims the video is to break down barriers. Click here for the video.

Discussion:

• Watch/explain the video with your kids. Ask what they think the message is.
• Talk about gender roles and how they can be broken down. 

Christian Awakening in Israel

Article: Israel's demographics are majority Jews, minority Arab Palestinians. Within that minority, approximately 130,000 are Palestinian Christians, with a distinct identity dating back to the time of Jesus. Since Israel's founding, they have traditionally sided politically with the Arab Muslim population, refusing to serve in the IDF and being hostile to the State of Israel. However, a grassroots effort by some Christian Arabs is reversing this. They are looking around the Middle East and seeing the persecution of Christians all around them--in Syria, Tunisia, Iraq, Jordan, etc.--and seeing how they are prospering in Israel. The average Israeli Arab Christian has a higher education level than the average Israeli Jew, equal life expectancy, etc. This grassroots group is seeking to join the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and to encourage young Christian Arabs to join the army, Israel's main gateway to employment. Unfortunately, they are receiving threats from Arab Muslims, who call them traitors. But these Israeli Christians respond, "The Jewish State is good for us."

For full article, go here.

Fake Deaf Interpreter

Article: Last week, there a massive public memorial for Nelson Mandela, at which President Obama and others memorialized him. When President Obama (and others spoke), a deaf interpreter stood beside him on the podium and translated for the deaf audience. After the event, it came to light that the interpreter was a fake! He was pretending to do sign language but was actually making the whole thing up!

Discussion:

• We spoke about Nelson Mandela. What do you remember about him? 
• We learned about "con men" last week. What does this mean? How does it apply here? 
• Who is hurt/who missed out as a result of the this fake interpreter's actions? 
• Who could have been physically hurt? (The speakers! This guy could have been a terrorist!) 
• How should the interpreter be punished? Think creatively (make him learn real sign language?) 

Israeli Bus Driver Stops Terrorist Attack

Article: On Sunday in Bat Yam, Israel, a bus was driving its normal route. A passenger noticed a backpack by itself in the back of the bus and thought that seemed suspicious. He opened the backpack and saw wires and a pot. The passenger immediately notified the bus driver, who told all the passengers to get off right away and called the police. 10 minutes later, while the police were dealing with the situation, the bus and bomb exploded. No one was hurt except for one of the policemen, who was slightly injured.

Discussion:

• Discuss all the different people in the story who were courageous. 
• Discuss how the passenger and bus driver were very smart in how they reacted to the abandoned backpack. Discuss one thing the passenger probably should not have done (opened the backpack) and why. 
• Role play scenarios where something similar happens and what your kids should do (immediately inform an adult or policeman of suspicious packages). Everyone has the ability to save lives. 

Obituary: Edgar Bronfman Dies at age 84

Article: Edgar Bronfman passed away this weekend. A Canadian billionaire businessman who made his fortune from Seagram liquor, he was a major philanthropist to Jewish organizations and a tireless leader and advocate of Jewish causes. Bronfman was longtime president of the World Jewish Congress; he lobbied Soviet Russia to free Soviet Jews, and spearheaded the search for Jewish items looted by Nazis (even gold filings from Jewish teeth that ended up in Swiss banks). In 1999, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Clinton (the highest civilian honor in America) for his work ensuring basic rights for Jews around the world.

Discussion:

• Why did Bronfman receive the Congressional Medal of Honor? 
• A few weeks ago we discussed Jewish paintings hidden by a German since WWII that will now be returned to the Jewish owner. How did Bronfman help this cause? 
• If you had millions of dollars and could use your influence to make the world a better place, what would you do and how? How did Bronfman do it? 

  

Target Website Hacked & a Jewish Flash Mob in Argentina

Article: Target has just discovered that its website was hacked between Nov. 27 (start of Black Friday weekend) and Dec 15. This means 40 million customers' information is in jeopardy: credit card information; passwords; names; etc. This is likely the largest successful cyber-hacking of a retailer in history. Customers are warned to check their credit cards and bank accounts for irregular activity; also to beware of emails soliciting them in upcoming days. Credit card companies have assured customers of zero-liability protection. The hackers have yet to be discovered; law enforcement is actively using forensics to locate them.

Video for fun: flash mob in Argentina dancing to Jewish yiddishe music.

Discussion:

• Two days ago, we spoke of a con-man and how police found him. How? (Fingerprints). Today's crime involves cyber fraud. This is a white collar crime. Discuss difference between cyber hacking v. in-store robbery. Who are the victims? How is it different? 
• Why is it harder for police to find these bad guys? What will they be charged with when found? (Stealing; fraud)
• What are ways of protecting yourself from online fraud? (Change your passwords frequently; never respond or click on emails from people you don't know)

New Discovery About Crocodiles

My son asked for a current event about animals tonight, so here goes:

Article: We've long known that other animals besides humans use tools. The discovery was first made about chimpanzees, then about birds and even some fish. But scientists have recently discovered that crocodiles and alligators also use tools. Here's how it works: in swamps, twigs are pretty scarce. During nest building season, birds fight over the few twigs to build their nest. They build the nests high up in trees to keep their chicks safe from snakes and other predators. Recently, it was discovered that crocodiles swim under twigs and become motionless. When a bird goes to get a twig, the crocodiles snatches them and eats them up. They use the twigs as props/tools to catch their prey. And they appear not to do this practice once nest building season is over.

Discussion:

• How do you think this practice first developed? Did one alligator discover it and the rest copied? 
• Speak about natural selection and how it works -- survival of the fittest

Jerusalem in Snow + Judge Jails Con Man in Charity Fraud Case

First, check out these pictures of Jerusalem in 3 feet of snow today: the biggest storm to hit Jerusalem in decades!

Article: The defendant names himself Bobby Thompson. Police say he is John Cody, a Harvard law grad. He apparently has several different identities. Yesterday, a judge sentenced him to a 28 year prison sentence and $6 million fine for his role in looting and defrauding the US Navy Veterans Association, a $100 million Navy veterans throughout 41 states. The police caught Thompson using military fingerprint records; when the police arrested Thompson, he had fake IDs and a suitcase with nearly a $1 million in cash.

Discussion:

• Thompson used to run a national charity foundation. He is going to jail for stealing from the charity. Most of the money will never be recovered. Name all the types of people and companies his actions have hurt. (Navy veterans; people who are hesitant to give to charity now; his organization, etc.)
• How did he probably steal this money and get away with it for so long? 
• How did police use fingerprints to locate him? Name other ways they could have done it. 
• Do you think his punishment fits the crime? 

Professors Association Endorses Boycott of Israel

Article: The American Studies Association, an association of American professors with roughly 5,000 members, voted today to boycott Israeli colleges and universities. This makes it the largest academic group in the U.S. to endorse such a boycott and move to isolate Israel, ostensibly for Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Only about a quarter of its members voted on the resolution. If effective (dependent on individual universities and colleges), no American school or academic group will collaborate with an Israeli institution. Individual Israelis can still lecture at American universities and do research but only as long as they forswear allegiance to Israeli government policies. The American Studies Association has not previously boycotted any other nation.

Discussion:

• Why are people who love Israel worried about this boycott? 
• Why is it wrong that the association, which does not boycott any other nation in the world (including Iran and Syria!), boycotts Israel for "human rights violations"? 
• If you were an Israeli professor, why would this make you worried? 
• What can be done about this? 

Learning Hebrew in America

Article: Recent studies have shown that few Americans know Hebrew. While 52% of American Jews know the Hebrew alphabet, only 10% can speak conversational Hebrew. Of those who attend Jewish day school, only 1/3 say they can speak Hebrew. This is a problem because assimilation in America is high and studies find that when someone knows a language, they feel more connected to that culture. Reasons for this gap are many: Jewish day school education costs a lot of money; many Hebrew teachers are simply Israelis without any training on how to teach; there isn't an emphasis in many day schools on learning to speak Hebrew. Solutions for this are many: a new organization, the Hebrew Language Council of North America, is trying to standardize Hebrew teaching and train uniformly Hebrew teachers. Camp Ramah (Nyack) is piloting a program that makes kids conversant after a summer. Many charter schools are trying to teach Hebrew language at more affordable prices than day schools.

Discussion:

• Why is it important for Jewish kids to know Hebrew? 
• If you know Hebrew, where are you likely to visit in your travels? (Israel) How will you feel when you speak to locals there? How does this help forge a Jewish identity? 
• Why is it hard to learn Hebrew in America? 
• What are ways to make learning Hebrew easier? 

just 52 percent of American Jews know the Hebrew alphabet and only 10 percent can carry on a conversation in Hebrew. Even among those who attended yeshiva or Jewish day school, the numbers are scarcely better, with only one-third saying they can converse in Hebrew. The number rises to 64 percent for those with 10 years or more of day school education.

NEW YORK (JTA) — For the first 3 1/2 weeks of the summer, one group of 5-year-olds at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, N.Y., was “very quiet” as the children went about the typical camp activities, according to Amy Skopp Cooper, the camp’s director.

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But in the fourth week, the talking started — in Israeli-accented Hebrew.

By the end of the summer, evaluations revealed that most of the 20 children — all of whom had started out as Hebrew novices — “had gone up multiple levels” in their Hebrew proficiency, Cooper said.

The campers were participants in a pilot Hebrew immersion program at the Jewish day camp 25 miles north of Manhattan. And if leaders of a new group promoting Hebrew literacy have their way, those campers will soon be joined by many others.

The Hebrew Language Council of North America, which held its inaugural conference last month in New Jersey, aims to make Hebrew a more central part of American Jewish culture. Established by a partnership among several organizations including the World Zionist Organization and the Israeli Ministry of Education, the council is launching as growing numbers of Jewish educational programs are rethinking their approach to teaching Hebrew and as signs emerge of low Hebrew literacy among American Jews.

“Judaism is not just a religion, it’s a people,” said Arnee Winshall, CEO of Hebrew at the Center, one of the groups involved in starting the council. “We talk a lot about ‘Am Yisrael’ [the people of Israel], and a language is part of what distinguishes a people.”

Many Jewish educators consider Hebrew a core feature of Jewish identity building. But according to the Pew Research Center’s recent study of American Jewry, just 52 percent of American Jews know the Hebrew alphabet and only 10 percent can carry on a conversation in Hebrew. Even among those who attended yeshiva or Jewish day school, the numbers are scarcely better, with only one-third saying they can converse in Hebrew. The number rises to 64 percent for those with 10 years or more of day school education.

Experts variously attribute the low numbers to poor teaching, lack of clarity about why Hebrew language acquisition is important and the few opportunities to speak Hebrew in American Jewish life.

‘Unless you’re really committed, it’s not easy’

“We know many if not most day schools claim to be interested in [conversational] Hebrew proficiency, but the reality is they face limited time and unless you’re really committed, it’s not easy,” said Jonathan Woocher, president of the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah and a longtime CEO of the now-shuttered Jewish Education Service of North America.

Day school directors face a “dilemma about where to put the emphasis and resources and how to deal with the fact that except for Israelis, there isn’t a community of active Hebrew speakers in America,” Woocher said.

The emergence in the past six years of publicly funded Hebrew charter schools may help change the equation. There are now 10 such schools in the United States teaching Hebrew language and Jewish culture, but like all public schools they are prohibited from teaching Jewish religion.

The schools are “forcing us to up our game,” said Rabbi Andrew Davids, head of Beit Rabban, a small, nondenominational Jewish day school in Manhattan now revamping its Hebrew curriculum in consultation with Winshall’s Hebrew at the Center, a six-year-old organization recently brought under the auspices of Middlebury College in Vermont.

‘We don’t want Hebrew to be the reason they leave’

Davids said four Beit Rabban families transferred their children to a new Hebrew charter school in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood this year. And while he recognizes his school can never compete with the free tuition of a charter school, Davids said he wants to make sure his school can offer a Hebrew program as good as the charter school.

“We don’t want Hebrew to be the reason they leave,” Davids said.

The new council joins a number of Hebrew teaching efforts that have been percolating for the past decade.

In addition to Ramah Nyack, several other Jewish camps have experimented with Hebrew immersion. In Chicago, a program called Moadon Kol Chadash (New Voice Lounge) offers Hebrew-immersion Jewish preschool. And seven suburban public high schools, with support from the Jewish nonprofit Shorashim, are offering Hebrew-language courses.

Hebrew at the Center (HATC), a 6-year-old organization that recently partnered with Middlebury College in Vermont to create the Middlebury-HATC Institute for the Advancement of Hebrew Language, has helped train teachers for many of the programs. The Middlebury-HATC Institute is launching master’s and doctoral programs to train Hebrew teachers and support scholarly research.

Most Hebrew teachers in the United States have had little formal training and many Jewish day schools recruit local Israelis

Until now, Winshall said, most Hebrew teachers in the United States have had little formal training and many Jewish day schools recruit local Israelis with little expertise in teaching language.

The Hebrew Language Council is planning to sponsor an annual three-day Hebrew language and Israeli culture conference; form a professional association for Hebrew teachers in North America; convene an online forum for sharing information about various Hebrew programs; and raise money for Hebrew education initiatives.

“We have to bring under one umbrella all the people who care about Hebrew,” said Simcha Leibovich, the World Zionist Organization representative in North America.

While Winshall knows of no studies showing the impact of Hebrew literacy on Jewish identity, she said there is significant research on how language mastery influences a sense of connection to the culture in which that language is spoken.

“When I spent a year-and-a-half in Israel, I had a different experience than my other American friends there who couldn’t speak Hebrew or could only function at the lowest level,” Winshall said. “I was invited to different things because people said they didn’t want to always worry about speaking English.”

Obituary: Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

Sorry for not posting for a few days--I had a big work deadline to meet. 

Now let's get back to current events!

Article: Last week, Nelson Mandela passed away at age 95. Nelson Mandela is remembered for having guided South Africa from apartheid to a multi-racial democracy. He was buried in South Africa, in his ancestral village. Born July 18, 1918, he was the son of a leading man in his tribe, destined to be a great man in his tribe. Instead, he became a lawyer and decided to fight apartheid, advocating armed resistance to apartheid and forming an armed wing to do that. He was later imprisoned for plotting to overthrow the government and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was jailed for nearly 30 years, being freed when apartheid fell. He then became South Africa's first black president in 1994. In 1993, he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He made reconciliation a huge part of his presidency, bringing together the whites and black of South Africa. For instance, he created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated apartheid crimes and tried to heal wounds, providing a model for other countries. Unfortunately, Mandela's legacy is not a perfect one. He was anti-Israel, equating Israel with apartheid. For that, his record has a blemish.

Hezbollah Official Killed by Whom?

Article: A senior Hezbollah operative was gunned down by unknown gunmen as he got into his car in Beirut yesterday. Iran and Hezbollah blame Israel. The slain man, al-Laqqis, was a leader in developing Hezbollah's technological capabilities, in developing Hezbollah's aerial warfare, and in smuggling weapons to Gaza and Egypt (to be used against Israel). They claim Israel did it because it was a highly professional job--gunmen killed him at close range with a silent gun in front of his house.

Discussion:

• We spoke about Hezbollah in the last two weeks. What do you remember about the discussion? (It was the current event about Nasrallah's body armor and bodyguards). 
• What do you remember about who Hezbollah is and who funds them? (Terrorists; bad guys; Iran)
• If Israel did this, why did they do it and why won't Israel admit it? Why does Iran/Hezbollah blame Israel? 
• If Israel did this, how was this highly dangerous for the Israeli soldiers who killed al-Laqqis an? How do they escape from Lebanon now? 

Haredi Israeli Boy Imprisoned for Evading Army Draft

Article: You may recall that in past current events, we discussed how the Tal Law in Israel has been abolished, which used to grant a blanket deferment for all Haredi boys from serving in the Israeli army; it was part of a historical compromise between Prime Minister Ben Gurion and the ultra-orthodox at Israel's founding. Since the law's nullification, haredi boys have started to be drafted. This week, an Israeli boy, Moshe from Petach Tikvah Yeshiva, was drafted into the Israeli army. He ignored several conscription notices. So this week, the Israeli army imprisoned him for 14 days. In response 700 haredi men staged peaceful demonstrations outside the prison.

Discussion:

• Memory question: what do you remember about the Tal Law in Israel/about haredi Israeli boys being drafted into the army. 
• What is a peaceful demonstration v. non-peaceful. Can think of examples of current non-peaceful demonstrations we've spoken about? (Egypt, Iran, Syria)
• Why was Moshe put into prison? What does it mean to "set an example?" 
• What do you think should happen to haredi boys regarding army service? 

2003 Blackout: lessons Learned

Article: In 2003, there was a surprise blackout across much of northeast America and Canada, shutting down the power grid. The immediate concern was people stranded in elevators in skyscrapers and underground in the subways. Everyone was told to get home however they can. In New York, people walked miles home or hitched rides with "good Samaritans." Random people took on the job of manning intersections, acting as traffic lights, and directing traffic. It took 29 hours for the power to get back on. 11 ppl died and cost $6 billion dollars in losses. It's now thought that the blackout was caused by an undetected and overworked power line, which hit a tree; this put too much pressure on other power lines and eventually led to a power grid shutdown.

Personal take: This blackout occurred 3 days after I got married, while I was living in NY. We were supposed to have a "shevah brachot" that night at a friend's apartment. Instead, we walked home from work (miles away) and the shevah brachot became a candles-only BBQ on the rooftop of a friend's apartment building. The city was eerily black that night and everyone, surprisingly, was really helpful to each other.

Discussion:

• What is a power grid? (Look outside and find one; note the wires connecting grid to grid)
• What does it mean to be a good Samaritan? How are ways one can be a good Samaritan in a crisis?
• Who is responsible for the blackout crisis? (The power co that didn't tree trim the trees around the original power line, though they weren't fined until years later)
• What can we learn from the blackout? (They now try to have government accountability for power companie.s) We still don't know why the power grid was so powerful. Now we try to stop blackouts before they start by monitoring the systems.

People Cheating and Riding the Subway for Free?

Article: We have a subway/light-rail line in LA; some of you may even have ridden on it. One problem with it is that at some stations, it is easy to get on the train without paying. At some stations, there are no turnstiles or gates; it is easy to enter without paying. It relies almost entirely on the honor system now. This could mean a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in lost revenue to the city. Another problem is that there is free transfers between rail-link systems, meaning that the city has to keep turnstiles unlocked to accommodate the transfers. The majority of stations won't lock their turnstiles because the stations are too small to accommodate turnstiles or they would sit too close to tracks. Metro contracts with the police department for security and to inspect for fares. But adding gates will cost $3.1 million, which would be made up in 7 years.

Discussion:

• Have you ever been on a subway? If so, how do you pay? How do you get on the train? 
• What does honor code mean? How does that apply in this article? How does it work at school? 
• Why are the biggest problems facing LA in this article? 

 

Happy Thanksgivukkah!

Happy Thanksgiving and Chanukah! 
(Not to coincide on the first day of Chanukah for another 70,000+ years!)

Enjoy this video celebrating Thanksgivukkah!

Historic Wine Found in Israel

Happy 1st Night of Chanukah!!

Article: Archaeologists have discovered a 3,700 year old wine cellar in Israel. This is perhaps the earliest evidence of wine production. The wine cellar was found in a ruined palace in a Canaanite city in northern Israel (Tel Kabri), near Israel's current wineries. The archeologists' excavations found 40 large jars in a storage room. Though no liquid survived, leftover organic materials trapped in the jars' pores suggest that wine made from grapes was stored in there and that the wine was sweet, strong and medicinal. Researchers think they may be able to recreate the flavor of the 3,7000 wine one day!

Discussion:

• Memory recall: what is an archaeologist? How do they do their job?
• Why is wine kept in a cellar?
• When else have we heard the work "Canaan?" (Torah)
• Why is it interesting that the wine cellar was found near current wineries?
• What does it mean that the wine was "medicinal?" How was wine used for medical purposes in the olden days? (As an anesthetic and as a cleanser of wounds)

Iran Strikes Deal with the West on Its Nuclear Program

Article: Iran and the major Western powers struck a deal yesterday in Switzerland that the West will ease crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iran stopping its nuclear enrichment and not rushing to develop atomic weapons. The major powers are excited and hopeful that diplomacy has worked to contain Iran and avoid war; Israel is highly skeptical, saying that the deal gives Iran everything it wants--easing of sanctions and preservation of the most substantial parts of its nuclear program. The deal takes no steps to force Iran to ship out or destroy the nearly 20,000 centrifuge machines it has creates to produce nuclear fuel.

Discussion

• Do you think this deal will succeed in stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons? 
• Why is Israel and the West scared if Iran should develop nuclear weapons?
• What does diplomacy mean? How has it theoretically "worked" here? 
• What do sanctions mean? Why is Iran desperate to lift them? 
• In 6 months or a year, what do you think will happen?

Women Take Control of Dating Strangers

Article: Some women meet their boyfriends and husband at school, in college, at church/synagogue, or at their jobs. Some are set up by friends and relatives. However, what about women who are finished with school and meet a man randomly, at a restaurant/bar or on vacation? There is no way to "vet" him and make sure he is a good person. A new social networking app, Lulu, responds to this. It lets women comment on men they know or have dated, and uses an algorithm to score these men on a scale of 1-10. Examples of ways to rate men include: #smellsgood; #tempertantrums; #wanderingeye; #handsome, #CanCook, etc. Women say that this gives them a sense of empowerment in a world where they often feel they lack power in dating. Men feel proud when they have a good score and some men say that bad scores have pushed them to become better boyfriends to improve their rating.

Discussion:

• What do you think of this app idea? Discuss pros/cons to it from women/men's perspectives
•  How did your parents meet? Was it in the "real" world or through a familiar social network (school/family/friends/set up)?
• Why do known social networks feel safer for dating? (Accountability for bad behavior; can get recommendations and history of person and their family)
• What are things you would rate someone over? Create your own categories.

How did Wolves Become Our Pet Dogs?

Article: Many wonder when dogs became domesticated, from fierce wolf-like dogs to our pets. Some think humans initially raised dogs for slaughter. A new theory suggested that dogs were used as helpers by hunters, before even agricultural livestock became the norm. In recently published research, evolutionary biologists analyzed the DNA of 18 ancient dogs and wolves, comparing them to modern dogs and even coyotes. They found that dogs were likely first domesticated during the Ice Age in Europe (18,000-32,000 years ago) in Northern Europe. Domesticated dogs likely descend initially from a now-extinct European wolf and helped hunters-gatherers search for meat. Scientists used to think dogs descended from Asia or the Middle East, because there is a 12,000 year old remain found in Israel of an elderly man hugging a puppy.

Click here for slideshow.

Bad Guy Body Armor Deconstructed

Note: this blog discussion and photo may be too scary for some younger kids. I think my 5 and 7 year old will enjoy it (particularly my son, who loves playing soldiers and superheroes) but just a heads-up...

Article: Hassan Nasrallah, chief of Hezbollah, the internationally recognized terrorist organization, made a rare public appearance last week. He appeared in Beirut with an outer ring of snipers and bodyguards, as well as an inner-ring of body guards, all of whom are related to him by blood and are close relatives. Examine the photo and discuss all the ways Nasrallah has protected himself from assassination attempts:

• There are 4 bodyguards on the stage with him whose job is to protect him. 
• Man #1 is holding an automatic weapon wtih the "safety off," which means it is ready to shoot at any second
• Man #2 is standing directly behind Nasrallah. His job is to push Nasrallah down if anyone should try to shoot him
• Man #3 is holding what appears to be a suitcase (see red box in picture). This box actually jumps out into a protective ballistic shield or blanket, that will cover Nasrallah in case anyone shoots.
• Nasrallah himself appears to be wearing layers of body armor under his black gown.

Question: why is Nasrallah going to such lengths to protect himself? Why do people want him dead?  He is a very bad guy, responsible for terrorism against his own people and Israel. He is backed by Iran's money. He has survived assassination attempts before. However, an Israeli intelligence officer looking at this photo Nasrallah could still be taken down with the right weapons, such as a high powdered rifle round. He is not invincible.

What to do with the Iraqi Jewish Archive?

Article: When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, 2700 documents from the Iraqi Jewish community were found in the basement of the Iraqi Intelligence building. They were collected and brought to Washington, D.C. 24 of these documents are currently on display through January 2014. The question is what happens when the exhibit is over. The U.S. plans on returning them to Iraq, due to a signed agreement it made with Iraq. Jewish organizations contest that they should be returned to Iraqi Jews, as the documents were originally confiscated from an Iraqi synagogue in 1984 by Saddam Hussein and belong to Iraqi Jews, not the Government of Iraq.

Discussion:

• What do you think are types of documents in the collection? (Ketubot, contracts) Why were they in the synagogue? (Likely in the Geniza, where documents with God's name are stored)
• Why are these documents important? What can these documents tell us about Iraqi Jewish society? 
• Why are Jews afraid of the documents being returned to Iraq? What will likely happen to them? 
• What are the legal arguments for and against returning them? (Signed agreement v. who is the rightful owner)

Israel is Missing from the Map!

Article: Have you read “Thea Stilton and the Blue Scarab Hunt,” from the Geronimo Stilton series? A recent version of the book from Scholastic Publishing showed a picture of a map of the Middle East, without Israel on it! It shows the path the mice sisters walk as they travel to Egypt but shows Jordan in place of Israel. A young reader complained to Scholastic. As a result, Scholastic is stopping shipment on this book and will reprint with a correction.

Discussion:

•  A young reader did very close reading and showed the map to his mother, who noticed Israel was missing. What action did they take next? 
• Why can it be important to be a close reader? 
• How does this show that even young readers can make a big difference?

Nearly $100,000 found in Craigslist purchase!

Article: A rabbi in Connecticut purchased a desk off of Craigslist. When he got home, he found the desk would not fit through the door so he dismantled it. Upon taking it apart, he found a bag stuffed in the back of the desk filled with $98,000! He called the original owner who said that she had inherited the money, put it in the desk, and then forgot where she had put it!

Discussion:

• What mitzvah/good qualities did the rabbi exhibit when he returned the money? (Returning things back to their rightful owner; being honest)
• What is something a detective would point out as a hole in the story? (How do we know that the previous desk owner rightfully owned the money?) 
• What would you have done if you had found the money? 
• If you were to inherit money, where is the best place to keep it and why? 

For a great children's book about returning things to rightful owners, see One Little Chicken. 

Talmudic Village Discovered in Northern Israel

Article: Archaeologists have found the remains of an ancient Jewish village, Shikhin, in central Galil (Israel). They found evidence of an ancient synagogue and a pottery factory, with seven molds of oil lamps. It took the archaeologists two years to uncover the site. They hope this will help them answer historical questions about who used to live in the Galil during this period, such as where the villagers came from, did they convert to Judaism, are they descendants from the First Temple period? There is very little knowledge about the Galil in this point in history, from the time it was a Jewish kingdom destroyed by Assyrians. Interestingly, historical documents state this village was a home to many potters.


Discussion:

• What is an archaeologist? (Scientists who unearth past buildings). Name 2 archeology sites.
• What does it mean that they found seven molds of oil lamps? How does this show that the site was a pottery production place?
• How can archeology teach us about the culture and habits of the people, not just their buildings?

Typhoon in Philippines (and teaching empathy)

Article: One of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded has hit the Philippines. It is believed more than 10,000 have died from the storm. A typhoon is a tropical storm in the Western Pacific Ocean, similar to a tsunami. The typhoon has wiped out everything and people are scrambling for food, shelter and to meet vital needs. Jewish relief groups have gone to the Philippines to help, remembering how the country saved more than 1,0000 Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.

Click here for a map of the Philippines and here for pictures of the typhoon.

Discussion:

• How do you think the children in the Philippines feel right now? 
• If you suddenly lost your house and all your things, what would you need most? 
• If you had only 2 minutes to grab something from your home before fleeing, what would you take? 
• How can we help the people of the Philippines?

Fight for Broccoli!

Article: A recent news article devoted a long story to....broccoli! Why? Because broccoli happens to be one of the healthiest vegetables but almost no one eats it anymore. When asked why, people associate it with being overcooked, soggy, brown, or not tasty. Farmers are ceasing to grow it as much as they used to (it is almost grown exclusively in CA) in favor of soy and corn, which is used in processed foods and subsidized by big industry (= big money). The article tried to convince one of the largest ad firms to create an ad campaign for broccoli, to get people to love it again. Here are some things to talk about tonight, all about broccoli:

Why is broccoli good for you: Broccoli cleans your body (detoxifies your system); it has fiber which helps bind your system; it has LOTS of Vitamin D (most of us are lacking enough Vit D); broccoli is an anti-inflammatory; broccoli also has iron and calcium.

What do you love about broccoli?

Create an ad campaign about broccoli and email your idea or video to the magazine writer at mossm@nytimes.com.

• Inspiration: One idea that was really successful for an ad company was the "Smile Back" Coke ad. People would bike all over the world smiling at people. Whenever someone smiled back, they got a free coke and the video camera would capture that. It has proven a very successful ad campaign. 
• Inspiration: A pretend fight of Kale v. Broccoli.

Mayor of Toronto Admits to Drug Use

Article: The Mayor of Toronto, Tom Ford, was being interviewed yesterday. During the interview, he admitted to doing drugs (smoking crack) while drunk. He speculated it happened a year or so ago. He also said he is not an addict. There have been several reactions: some say he should resign; others say he should seek intervention for drug use; others say he should apologize better for his drug use. Mayor Ford has responded that he won't step down and will in fact seek reelection next year. He does not have to leave office unless police arrest and jail him for a crime.

Click here for a video of him admitting to doing drugs. Click here for a picture of him.

Discussion:

• Why are people upset that Mayor Ford did drugs?  Why does doing drugs perhaps indicate that Mayor Ford is not being responsible? Often, if someone is not responsible in one area of their lives (like doing hard core drugs), they aren't going to be responsible in other areas (like getting their job done).
• What do you think should happen to Mayor Ford for doing drugs? Why? 
• How can the public be sure he won't do it again?
• If you want, you can speak to your kids about why hard drugs are particularly dangerous, like crack. Speak about someone you know whom it impacted. (If you need an example to use, you can tell your kids that a friend of mine tragically died when she was only in her early 20s because she did hard core drugs that led directly to her death. And yes--she was a lovely Jewish girl who came from a wonderful, loving family; she got mixed up with drugs and couldn't kick the habit.) 

Hundreds of Nazi-looted Masterpieces Discovered in Germany

Article: During World War II, amidst desperate attempts to flee Europe, some Jewish families sold their priceless artwork or had them looted by Nazis. 1,500 of these pieces were believed missing or destroyed by bombing in the war, until they were recently discovered in Munich at an estimated worth of $1.3 billion. How they were found is as follows: an 80 year old man was nervously answering questions by customs clerks as he was ona train from Switzerland to Germany, carrying $12,000 in cash. Authorities eventually raided the man's apartment and discovered  thousands of artwork piled up next to cans of food. The man is the son of a well-known Nazi art-dealer. The collection includes Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Klee and other masterpieces thought lost forever. Now the process begins of whom to restore the paintings to. Just last week, Dutch museums also announced they had 139 pieces of art that probably came from Jewish families during the War.

Discussion:

• Think of a famous piece of art in an art museum. Tell a story of how it may have come to be in that museum, starting with its acquisition by a Jewish family in Germany.
• Why did the art dealer's son never tell anyone about the art work? (Afraid of being arrested, which he now has been for tax evasion; he also has been selling off art work over the years to make money)
• How would you go about the process of repatriating the art work to the rightful descendants? Discuss all the complications involved in the process.

Layoffs at Kellogg

Today's article is short, but incorporates lots of discussion topics we haven't brought up before in this blog. 
 

Article: Kellogg has announced it it having major layoffs, up to 7% of its work force, because its growth is slower than expected. It is trying to increase sales through innovative projects, like a new cereal with Omega-3, Kashi cereal, and new multi-grain Special K.

Discussion:

• What does it mean that a person is "laid off?" Why is that a word a difficult word for grownups? What does it mean for the family experiencing it? 
• Why does a company have lay offs? Think of 3 reasons. 
• Why does Kellogg hope that these new products will help the company? What is it about these new products that shows what consumers may be preferring to eat these days? What types of cereals did Kellogg traditionally make its sales on? (Frosted flakes, etc.)
• Look in your pantry and see if you can find a Kellogg product. Look especially at your cereals.
• The company is also hoping to increase sales through new ads. How could this help the company?
• Think of an ad you would suggest the company use to target kids. Act it out and have your parents email the company at: http://www.kelloggs.com/en_US/contact-us.html

Arab Minorities in Israel

Article: Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid addressed Israeli Arabs at a conference on Israeli Arab economics. He said that Jews should instinctively sympathize with Arab minorities in Israel, because Jews were minorities for so long. He also said that a Jewish democracy is a contradiction because a democracy makes everyone equal yet Judaism is favored as a premise of the Jewish state. He said that the best thing to do is for Arabs to be as educated as possible and to fully integrate themselves. He thought the best way to do this was through the National Service Program (instead of serving in the army), which would integrate them into Israeli society and give back to their own communities.

Discussion:

• In June, we spoke in this blog about Arab Israelis volunteering for National Service. What did we discuss and find out? 
• What does it mean to integrate? Why do Arabs have problems integrating today? Who is to blame and what does Lapid think can be done to fix it?
• Why do the Jews need a Jewish nation of their own? 
• Bonus: How many states are in the world? 193. Name a few nation-states, defined as states that have a common homogenous nation defining them? (Japan, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria) How many of these are Jewish nations? (Answer: 1)

Why are there so many peanut allergies these days?

Today's blog post is in honor of a 7 year old girl who asked a phenomenal question about why there are more peanut allergies than ever before. Let's find out the answer. If your child has a question or topic they would like to explore, please let me know!

Article: Peanut allergies have tripled (some say doubled) over the last decade. One study in Minnesota with this finding may not have even captured everyone with a peanut allergy, because it only included people whose allergy was confirmed in a lab, not everyone who self-reports peanut allergies.  Kids with peanut allergies have to be extremely careful to avoid exposure to peanuts because exposure could result in an emergency situation. Why this increase in allergies? Scientists aren't sure.

• One of the most common answers is that our immune system is overactive (also explaining the higher rates in autoimmune diseases today). We have so sanitized and cleaned our environment, that the diseases our body is used to fighting--cholera, tuberculosis, influenza--simply don't happen anymore. Instead our bodies have started to turn on themselves and hurt our immune systems, or cause us to have allergies. Actually many doctors are now saying kids need more time with germs and dirt to make their bodies healthier! 
• Another explanation is that we have overexposure to certain foods, causing us to have allergies. For instance, by eating too much soy (or foods containing soy), we become allergic to soy. 
• Another explanation is that some kids may have had indirect exposure to peanuts through the womb or their mother's breast milk, and then when they eat peanuts for the first time as a child, their body mistakenly treats it as a dangerous threat, and causes the person to be allergic.

 Discussion Questions:

• If you're allergic to peanuts and are exposed, what are your likely reactions? (Hives, vomiting,  swelling of the face/lips/throat, severe stomach pain, asthma, anaphylactic shock)
• What else are kids allergic to besides peanuts? (Peanut allergies are the first most common allergy in children, followed by milk/dairy and then shellfish.)
• Why do some doctors think kids are too clean and germ-free? Why is this a bad thing perhaps? 

Bnei Menashe Approved to Move to Israel

Article: Approximately 900 people from Bnei Menashe--Jews claiming to descend from the biblical tribe of Menashe--have been approved by the Israeli Knesset to make aliyah. They are joining a previous aliyah wave and will come over the next year. They live in India and Burma and are formally converting to Judaism from Christianity. Before being converted to Christianity by missionaries, the tribe practiced animism (praying to animals/plants/physical world) and headhunting (taking and severing a person's head after killing them). They believe that their founder was Menashe, from one of the 12 Lost Tribes of Israel.

Auto-Complete Problems on Google

Article: Right now, if you type "Jews should" or "Women should" into Google/bing/yahoo search engines, the auto-complete function often responds with terrible suggestions about Jews and women. The auto-complete titles are anti-Semitic or sexist. Same thing if you type in "blacks should" or "gays should." Some organizations have approached Google to change this but Google says it is not its responsibility because the algorithms are done based on popularity and other means, not by humans.

Discussion:

• What is a search engine?
• Should Google or other search engines by responsible for auto-complete or should the public decide?
• Argue both sides of the argument (free speech v. responsibility of company to curtail bad speech)
• Try typing words into a search engine and see how auto-complete works. Were you surprised by what was suggested?

Clean your mezuzah!

Article: There is a practice of touching and/or kissing a mezuzah with your fingers when leaving or entering a room. A 2009 study by Israeli doctors of 70 mezuzot in an Israeli hospital found significant bacteria on the mezuzot, suggesting that touching them can lead to spreading disease. However, doctors at a Brooklyn hospital recently repeated the study with 100 mezuzot and did not find the same results. While the mezuzot had some microbes, they did not reach the level of growing infectious diseases. At the Israeli hsopital, the mezuzot were never cleaned, for fear of ruining the mezuzot. At the Brooklyn hospital, the staff were told to clean the mezuzot regularly.

Questions for Kids:

• Do you ever touch or kiss mezuzot? Why do some Jews have this custom? 
• How do germs get on the mezuzot? 
• Why do you think diseases-causing microbes were found in the Israeli hospital mezuzot but not in the New York ones? 
• What other things are touched regularly that should probably be cleaned to avoid spreading germs?

Can Some Babies Already be Smarter than Other Babies?

Article: A new study has found that 18 month old babies from wealthier families (median incomes greater than $69,000) already had a language advantage over their poorer peers (median incomes of $24,000). The study tested this by showing 18 month-olds pictures of things they could recognize by pointing to (dog; ball); the babies from wealthier families could identify the images much faster and in the following 6 months, their vocabularies grew by 30% more than the babies from poorer families. The study attributed this to the fact that wealthier families speak with their babies more and reinforce vocabulary more. These babies thus not only have more words, but eventually will have better reading comprehension in school. The end result is that even by the time they are only 18 months old, the academic outcome for these babies far surpasses poorer babies.

Discussion:

• How does knowing a lot of words help you read--and understand what you are reading--better? How does reading, spelling and vocabulary help you succeed in school more?
• How does your school performance help you later in life? (Getting into university; getting a job, etc.)
• Why are people worried that babies not knowing as many words could impact them for life? 
• What are solutions? (Starting public preschool at earlier ages). How would this help?

Ugandan Female Soldier in the IDF

Article: Or Meidan, a non-Jew from Uganda, just entered the Israeli army as a soldier. She moved to Israel two years ago with her family. At first they lived on a Kibbutz, Yad Mordechi, and rockets were flying into the Kibbutz every day from Hamas controlled Gaza. She planned to enroll in university upon arrival but decided to become a soldier instead. She was inspired by her step-father, a native Israeli. She proudly wants to serve her country. At first, this was a really hard choice. She didn't speak much Hebrew and had to enroll in ulpan (Hebrew immersion). She was then drafted into the Air Defense Command, charged with operating the Iron Dome system which protects Israelis from the very rockets she and her familiy were threatened by when they arrived in Israel. She hopes to become an Iron Dome commander one day and train others to save lives. Although she is not Jewish, she intends to convert. She says converting to Judaism, "just feels right."

Discussion:

• What do you think were the hardest parts for Or when she moved to Israel? 
• Why did she want to join the IDF? 
• What makes her story unusual?

Nobel Prize Winners!

Article: Every year, Nobel Prizes are given to the most influential people in the world in various fields. This year, the Nobel Prize was given to at least four Jews, which is remarkable considering that out of the world's population, Jews make up less than 0.2%. The winners were physicist Francois Englert of Belguim, 80, a professor from Tel Aviv University and a Holocaust survivor; Chemistry Professor Arieh Warshel, an Israeli born on a kibbutz who now lives in the U.S.; Chemistry Professor Michael Levitt, a Jew from South Africa who made aliyah and now lives in the U.S. and Israel; and Chemistry Professor Martin Karplus, an Austrian Jew who fled to the U.S. before the Holocaust. They are all sharing the $1.25 million prize.

Discussion: 

• Some ask why Jews win so many Nobel Prizes, much more than statistically they should. Why do you think? What Jewish values do you think push Jews to excel in their chosen fields?
• How did the Nobel Prize begin? The history is fascinating. Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist and inventor in the 1800s, was famous for inventing dynamite and other things used to to create weapons of destruction. He became very rich. One day, his brother died and by accident the newspaper printed Alfred's obituary with the title, "Merchant of Death Dies." Nobel was so disturbed that this was how he would be remembered, he changed his will and created the Nobel Prize, which annually awards a financial prize for intellectual and peace-seeking feats of excellence.

 

Israeli Spies Revealed to Iran

Article: Each country has spies that they send to find out information about other countries. Israel relies heavily on spied to protect itself and know what is going on in Arab countries. For decades, the Israeli Mossad has used Turkey as its base to meet with its spies, particularly those from Iran. Turkey apparently knew about this but kept quiet until recently, when they disclosed to Iran who Israel's Iranian spies were.

Discussion:

• What is a spy? Give examples of how spies do their job.
• When Turkey leaked the information of Israel's spies to Iran, who is this dangerous for? Who does this hurt? (The spies themselves; Israel; the Mossad agents)
• What must Israel do now? (Find new spies) Will this be easy or hard? 
• How can a country know that they can trust their spies?

Corruption; A Chinese Circus

Follow up to last week's video/article about the Palestinian Authority: According to a new report by the European Court, the PA has "lost" nearly €1.95 billion in aid money due to corruption and mismanagement. (Speak with kids about how much money this is and how sad it is that it has all been wasted; what can be done in the future, etc.)

Today's Article: My son requested a current event about animals. Here goes. In China, animal performances are outlawed. However, a circus was still scheduling animal performances. The shows would have included bears twirling flaming sticks while lying on their backs; tigers riding horses; moneys riding goats. Animal rights activists organized a boycott and succeeded in getting the circus to cancel its shows.

Questions:

• What is a boycott? Why are they successful? 
• Why did these animal rights activists want to boycott the circus? How was it going to hurt/exploit animals? 
• What is a way to have a circus without hurting animals? (Cirque du Soleil as an example)
• Bonus: here's a video of a circus that doesn't hurt animals (but notice they dress up as animals)

Bar Ilan's New Dean: A Female Haredi World-Renowned Mathematician

Article: Share this story with your kids of this remarkable woman. Last week, Malka Schaps became the first ultra-Orthodox woman in the world to be appointed dean at a major university, Bar Ilan. Until now, she has served as Bar Ilan's financial mathematics program head. Schaps is 65 years old and the grandmother of 17. Her story is remarkable.

Malka Schaps was born Mary Kramer, to a non-Jewish, non-religious Protestant home in Cleveland Ohio. Her father, a professor of American history, pushed her to excel academically. When she was 19 and in college at Swarthmore, she converted to Orthodox Judaism. She was inspired by her time as a foreign exchange student in Germany and her studies of the Holocaust. She met her husband, David, at college and they both did their graduate studies at Harvard. He is now a professor at Bar Ilan in the classics. They made aliyah in 1972. They live in Bnai Brak, where Schaps said most of the women have no idea of her career or would even be able to understand the type of math she does. She is the author of more than 50 academic papers, a globetrotting lecturer, and bestselling author (under the name Rachel Pomerantz) targeting Orthodox readers. They have two children and have fostered four other children. She encouraged her boys to serve in the Israeli army. She says that she does a lot of work by email, to accommodate her roles as mother and grandmother.  

Here's a picture.

Here's her books: http://www.amazon.com/Bells-and-Pomegranates-ebook/dp/B0093B7MA8/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381860339&sr=1- and http://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Around-Jerusalem-Rachel-Pomerantz/dp/1583303510/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381860339&sr=1-2

UN Spread Deadly Disease in Haiti

Article: For the last three years, the nation of Haiti has been combating a deadly and highly contagious disease, cholera, known to be spread through human feces/poop. 1,000 Haitians are dying a year from this disease. An organization is suing the United Nations for bringing and spreading the disease in Haiti. Forensic studies have traced cholera to bad sanitation at the UN barracks of Nepalese peacekeeping workers. The feces fed into Haiti's largest river, used by locals for drinking and bathing. This led to the spread of cholera. The UN has responded that it is not responsible and if it is, the UN has diplomatic immunity from negligence lawsuits.

Discussion:

• We have fancy and simple ways of saying the same words. "Poop" and "feces" is one example. Can you think of others? (Pretty/ravishing; sick/ill; doctor/physician)
• How can feces contamination lead to terrible diseases? What do we do every day to prevent this? (Wash our hands after going to the bathroom)
• Why are some people suing the UN? What do they want? (Money and acknowledgement of wrongdoing)
• Why does "diplomatic immunity" mean? (That they aren't responsible when things go wrong because they are like a government). Why do you think of this idea? Discuss pros/cons. (U.N. may not be willing to help in countries if they didn't get diplomatic immunity)

What Does "Corruption" Mean?

Article: Today's topic is "corruption," particularly state corruption.

Watch this powerful 2 minute video with your kids and then discuss using the following pointers.

Discussion:

• What does corruption mean? Corruption = "dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power."
• A famous quote is "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." What does this mean? 
• How does corruption happen? (Lack of accountability and/or absolute power) 
• What are examples of how the Palestinian Authority is corrupt, as seen in the video? 
• Why are people angry about this? What can be done? How do you hold a government accountable?

Disneyland: People with Disabilites Can Skip the Lines

Article: Starting today, Disneyland is launching a special ticket to people with disabilities. This ticket will enable them to skip the long lines by receiving a return time when they can come back and immediately jump on the ride. This is similar to the FastPass system that's universally available. Disneyland decided to start this new system because people were abusing the old system, which was that anyone with a disability could just skip the line and jump right to the front.

Discussion Questions:

• What does it mean to have a disability? Name some examples. What is the "sign" of someone with a disability? (Blue sidewalk; wheelchair symbol)
• Why do people with disabilities deserve to skip the line? (It's hard for them to wait, etc.)
• What does it mean that people were "abusing" the old system?
• What other solutions could Disneyland have found besides this new system? (Keep in mind Disneyland does not require proof of disability to receive a disability ticket) 
• If you've been to Disneyland, do you remember seeing anyone with a wheelchair or visible disability there?

Bad/Good? Analyzing a Story from Two Angles

Article: Last week, a boy from Minneapolis ran away from home. Video cameras show him at the airport, where he picked up a bag from a carousel and went to a restaurant to eat. He told the waiter/waitress that he had to go to the bathroom but never returned to the restaurant to pay or retrieve the bag. He then snuck through the security line and managed to board a plane going to Las Vegas without a ticket. Flight attendants became concerned during the flight when they realized he wasn't on the list of unaccompanied minors. They alerted the Las Vegas police, who waited for the flight to arrive and took the boy to Child Protective Services upon arrival. He is supposed to be reunited with his family.

Questions for Kids:

• Name all the things this boy did but should not have done (running away; theft of suitcase; eating food without paying for it; theft of an airplane seat; boarding plane alone; etc.)
• What could the airport have done to prevent this from happening? 
• There is a concept in Judaism of giving someone the benefit of the doubt (dan lechav zchut). Give this the boy the benefit of the doubt. Why may he have done what he did? (He is mentally disturbed; he is developmentally disabled; he has a horrible family and was trying to get away from a bad situation, etc.)
• Assuming his family is bad, what can be done to help this boy? Assuming his parents is good, what should they do?

European Council Passes Resolution Against Circumcision

Summary of Article: The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has adopted a non-binding resolution, forbidding circumcision (and female genital mutilation) unless the child is over age 15 and can consent. The resolution passed overwhelmingly. The goal of the resolution is to initiate public discussion that will eventually lead European states to outlaw circumcision. The Council of European is seen as the most preeminent body on democracy and human rights issues in Europe. While the resolution has no legal force, many European organizations fear that this will be perceived as a professional recommendation leading to a wave of anti-circumcision legislation across Europe. Some Jews fear that it is has anti-Semitic intent.

Discussion with Kids:

• What is circumcision/brit millah/bris? Why do Jews practice this? (Covenant with God)
• What other religion does this? (Muslim men, around age 13)
• Why are some in Europe trying to stop this? Why would it be very hard to be a self-identified Jew in Europe if circumcision is prohibited? 
• If you were living in Europe, what would you do? (Can talk about how many French Jews are now moving to Israel and America)

El Al Catches Theives at Airport!

Welcome back from the Jewish holiday vacation! Let's ease back into discussing current events with a crime article...

Today's article: Passengers on El Al flights out of New York's JFK airport were complaining that items were missing from their luggage, particularly valuables. El Al decided to put a hidden camera in the luggage area and found 7 luggage handlers stealing valuables, including jewelry, watches, computers and cash, worth thousands of dollars! Some of these items were recovered at the handlers' homes.

Questions for Kids:

• If you arrived at your destination after a flight and items were missing from your luggage, what would you do? How would you notify the airline? 
• If you were in charge of El Al and realized you were getting lots of similar complaints, what action would you take? How long would you wait? 
• What was the crime committed here? (Theft) What should be the handlers' punishment? (Jail time? Fines? Losing their jobs? Permanent stain on their employment records?)
• What do you think will be hardest challenge for these handlers to overcome to get jobs in the future? What should they do about it? (Express remorse; be upfront; some may try to avoid putting it on their resumes, despite a law that says they have to if convicted of theft)

El Al video cameras have caught seven baggage handlers at JFK airport who stole passengers’ valuables, including cash, watches, computers and jewelry. The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

El Al video cameras have caught seven baggage handlers at JFK airport who stole passengers’ valuables, including cash, watches, computers and jewelry. The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

The ariline became suspicious when a number of passengers complained about missing items. El Al placed a video camera in April to monitor the thieves and discovered they did more than just handle luggage. The film caught them stuffing their clothes with thousands of dollars of goods, some of which were later found in their homes by investigators.

Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/el-al-catches-luggage-handlers-who-stole-passengers-valuables/2013/09/01/

Come Back on Thursday...

I will resume blogging current events on Thursday, October 3! Stay Tuned!

Happy New Year!

Shanah Tovah! Happy New Year! In honor of the High Holidays, I will not be blogging again until after the holidays are all over, which is September 30. In the meantime, have a healthy and happy New Year!

In honor of Rosh Hashanah, a musical video to share with your kids and shofar blowing in Israel.

Obama to Try to Lower College Tuition Costs

Summary of Article: Obama has announced a plan to try to lower the cost of college tuition, which seems to be rising every year. Most families cannot afford college tuition without taking on student loans, which can take years to repay. Obama's plan is to (1) reward colleges that keep tuition costs down by having them rise in ratings. This provides an incentive. (2) Schools with higher ratings would qualify for larger federal grants.

Questions for Kids:

1. How do you pay for college? If you don't have enough money to pay, how do you get money? 
2. What does "incentive" mean? How is Obama's plan an incentive plan?
3. Can you think of something in your life that you didn't want to do that you ended up doing because you were offered an incentive, perhaps by your parents? 
4. Discuss the pros/cons of Obama's plan.

Baby Boomers May Be On Their Own

Summary of Article: Baby boomers are the generation of babies born right after World War II, in which there was an explosion in population growth. (For kids using this blog, baby boomers are your grandparents.) In the next 13 years, most baby boomers will be in their 80s. Today, the baby boomers are the main caregivers of their parents. But in 13 years, there won't be enough caregivers to take care of the baby boomers because of changing demographic ratios. Many elderly assume that their children will be able to sustain them in old age financially and physically. But this may not be true for the baby boomers.

Questions for Kids:

• Do you know any baby boomers? Who? Why was this expression created? 
• What is the problem facing baby boomers when they become elderly? What does "changing demographic" mean? Break it down and explain. 
• Most people do not work when they are elderly. How do they support themselves? (Pensions; retirement savings; children's support). Why are baby boomers worried? (There aren't as many people in the generations after them, to support their retirements and keep the economy going)
• What would you do today if you were a baby boomer and you were worried about this?

First Day of School News

In honor of today being the first day back at school for my big kids, here's a fun current event. But first, an update from yesterday:

Article: Yesterday we spoke about Syrian rebels asking for allies. Here's the udpate: The U.S. has ammased a fleet of ships in the Mediterranean Sea and is waiting for the green light from President Obama, who is waiting to confirm from UN inspectors whether chemical weapons were used. Once he gives OK, the U.S. will invade Syria.

And now for some fun: 

Celebrity Visits Kosher Restaurant Wearing Kippa
Summary of Article: Harry Styles, of the super popular British boys band One Direction, visited the NY kosher restaurant, Le Marais, last week. He was wearing a blue knitted kippa with his name on it (see link for picture). He also has a tattoo with his sister's name, Gemma, written in Hebrew.  However, he is not Jewish! For one of their songs that your kids will likely recognize, click here.

Syria Appeals to U.S. and Israel for Help

Summary of Article: For over two years, there has been a civil war in Syria, between the Assad Regime and rebels. The Assad Regime--backed by militant Islamists, Gulf regimes and Iran who are sending weapons--has recently used chemical weapons, killing thousands. Obama said that if chemical weapons were used, the U.S. would intervene, but so far America has done nothing. Syrian rebels have called to the U.S. and Israel to help them in the war.

Questions for Kids:

• Where is Syria? Find on map? 
• President Assad has ruled Syria for years as a ruthless dictator. Why are the people rebelling and asking for a new president? 
• Why have the rebels asked Israel and America for help, instead of other Muslim/Arab countries? (Speak about recent Israeli bombing of Assad's weapon caches)
• Why hasn't America intervened yet, when it said it would? (Speak about wars in Afghanistan and Iraq)
• What does "alliance" mean? Give an example in your life of an ally. What does "political alliance" between countries mean? Explain how that is at work here.

Using Instagram For Good

Quick shout out to my daughter, Maayan, and all her friends performing in a drama production for the very first time tonight! Good luck ladies!!


Summary of Article: A guy lost his phone while bike riding. Some kids found it while skateboarding, made a video telling the owner that he'd lost his phone and to call that number. They posted the video to Instagram and reunited the man with his phone. Click on the video to see what the kids posted.

Questions for Kids:

• If you found something that is lost, how would you find the owner? What tools could you use to return lost objects? 
• If you lost something, what ways would you try to find it?
• Tell a story of something you once lost and how you found it.