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