Special Unit of the IDF for People with Special Needs

Article: The IDF is a people's army, meaning everyone in the country is supposed to enlist when graduating from high school. But what about kids with special needs? Israel has created a unit for them too. Now, kids with special needs can go into a special unit where they can do tasks to help Israel -- they assemble kits, clean devices, etc. It empowers them with a feeling of equality, unity, and success. They feel like they are also part of Israeli society and gives them some skills to help integrate into regular society afterwards. Watch this powerful video about the special needs unit.

Kids: what does it mean to have special needs? Whom does it help to have them integrated into society? (Their families, the kids themselves, all who interact with them and learn compassion)

Obituary: Maya Angelou Dies at 86

Article: One of my favorite authors died last week, Maya Angelou. Known for her memoirs, such as "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sing" and most recently, "Mom & Me & Mom," she broke down literary and racial boundaries in her life and work. Once you heard it, you never forgot her deep, resonating voice. (Click here to listen.)

(Parents Only: Angelou had a complex life. I don't know what you want to share with your children. She was raped when she was seven years old by her mother's boyfriend and stopped speaking for years. She got pregnant after her first sexual encounter and gave birth as a single mom at the age of 17. After graduating high school, she moved out with her son and worked as a stripper for a while. These are the parts of her life you may not want to tell your kids about. She also knew over 6 languages, worked as a reporter, was the first black street car conductor in San Francisco, became a famous author, and never felt sorry for herself in hard times. Click here for her biography to choose what you wish to share).

To read a beautiful letter she wrote to her "younger self," click here.

For a great story from when she was a teenager:

"I was the first black person to be on the streetcars of San Francisco, a conductorette. And my mother had asked me, 'What would you like to do this semester? You're ahead of your class, what would you like to do? You have to work.' So I said, 'I'd like to be a streetcar conductor.' She said, 'All right, go get the job.'

“ I told her, 'That's what you were — you were my great protection.'

"[My mother] drove me [to work] as long as I kept the job, which was a few months. And she'd drive right behind the streetcar until daylight. And at daylight, she'd honk her horn and blow me a kiss. [Angelou's mother carried a gun in that car, to protect Angelou.]

"I told her, 'That's what you were — you were my great protection.' She said, 'I was more than that. You were mine, too.'" 

Ukraine Follow Up: Israel Rescues Ukrainian Jews

Before introducing the article, ask your kids to recall what is going on in the Ukraine (subject of our current event on March 17, 2014. Basically, there has been major political and social unrest in the Ukraine, and it has become increasingly difficult for Jews to live there. 

Article: This week, two Jewish families, numbering 6 people, were at the Donetsk airport waiting to make aliyah/immigrate to Israel. At that moment, rebel forces (soldiers against the government), seized control of the airport, trapping the 2 families. (Kids: why would rebel forces want to control the airport, as a way of taking over the Ukrainian government?) The Jewish Agency, a branch of the Israeli government that helps people move to Israel, immediately began a "fast-paced operation." They snuck the families out of the airport and drove them to another Ukrainian city, Dnepropetrovsk, where they flew to Kiev, where they got on a plane to Tel Aviv. They are now safe in Israel. (Kids: if this hadn't happened, what may have happened to these families' desire to leave Ukraine and go to Israel?) Immigration from Ukraine to Israel has spiked due to the tensions in Ukraine.

See map of Ukraine and find the different cities we are talking about. 

White House Makes Mistake

Article: Over Memorial Day weekend, President Obama made a surprise visit to U.S. soldiers stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan, where the U.S. is at war. By accident, in a memo sent to 6,000 journalists about President Obama's surprise visit, they included the name of the CIA station chief. The CIA is America's secret agent/detective agency; they collect information in countries outside America. The identities of CIA agents, especially station chiefs, is always kept secret. (Kids: why? What could happen if people know who America's secret agents are, operating in foreign lands?) The White House apologized for this mistake and out of courtesy to Obama, the U.S. press did not publish the station chief's name. But what do you think the ramifications (results) of this could be?

New Israel-China Partnership

Article: Hundreds of Chinese government and business officials arrived in Israel this week to announce and work on a partnership between Tel Aviv University and Beijing's Tsinghua University, investing $300 million to establish the XIN Research Center. The Center will research technologies in biotech, solar energy, water and environment. Both Israel and China gave money toward the project, with the majority coming from private donors. This past Tuesday (one week ago today) was the first ever Israel-China summit and some in Israel called it, "China Week," for the sheer number of Chinese visiting Israel. One of the reasons for this is China wants to upgrade its country, and seeks Israel's help to do that.

Kids: What does it mean to "upgrade?" Can you think of other contexts in which we use this word? What are some ways China wants to upgrade? Why does China want to upgrade?

Coup Takeover in Thailand

Article: Today, Thailand's military seized power from the government, taking over control and ousting the Prime Minister. The city of Bangkok is under curfew, meaning no one can go out from 10pm-5am, and rioters are told to disperse. This is the 12th military coup in 84 years. Party officials are under house arrest. The new military government happened without bloodshed and says they plan on restoring the peace after months of political upheaval and street fights, in which over 20 people have died. All TV stations, except for the military's station, have been turned off. Some journalists are still posting online through twitter, but at great risk.

Kids:

• Where is Thailand? Find on a map. 
• What is a "coup," particularly a "military" one? 
• How is a military government different from a democratically elected government? Which do we have in our land? Which would you prefer to live under and why? 
• When all the TV stations except for the military's are turned off, what rights are being limited? (Clue: how do people get information now? Who is controlling the information now and why do they wish to do so?) 

Introducing an amazing new resource

Article: Two brothers, David and Raphael Isaac, were frustrated that so many courses on college campuses supposedly teach the history of Israel were actually teaching misinformation or lies. So they set out to collect old footage and make a website, that presented accurate history. As a result, they came up with http://www.zionism101.org/, a new website with scholarly data, priceless narrated footage, and videos on all aspects of the history. After creating a login, anyone can go in to learn about Israel.

Check it out with your kids and begin watching history: http://www.zionism101.org/. It is truly an amazing resource for all of us!

For instance, check out this video on the first aliyah to Israel--which shows Zerach Barnett, my husband's great-great-great grandfather and one of the early founders of Israel! 

Kids: How can this website education people? How can it be used by teachers? How can it help Israel?