Increase in Israeli Arabs Volunteering for National Service

Summary of Article: A record number of 3,000 Israel Arabs have volunteered this year for national service, up by 76%. This is very brave, considering that many Arab leaders have threatened these youth for their choice to serve. 90% of these youth serve in the Arab sector, volunteering in schools, day cares, and drug recovering programs. They must be courageous, for one woman volunteer had the windows of her home broken as a result. It seems the Palestinian public is in favor of service but the leadership is against it. The breakdown of Arab ethnicity serving is 17% Christian Arab, 21% Druze and 58% Bedouin Muslim. Israel held a ceremony last week praising them.

Discussion with Kids:

• What is national service in Israel? Who serves, how old are they, for how long? (Men for three years, girls for two years, often starting at 18 right out of high school. Nearly all Jewish Israelis serve). 
• Jews aren't the only citizens of Israel. 20% of the population is Arab Israelis. Do they have to serve? (No) But some choose to. 
• Why is this a courageous choice?
• What sort of programs do you think they want to volunteer in? Combat units? Schools? 
• What would you want to do if you did Israeli national service?

Chinese Students Learn About Israel

Summary of Article: In China, 8th grade students in Beijing are preparing for their final exams. One of the subjects is world history. And one of the chapters they must learn is about Israel's wars and how Israel changed after each war. They study Israeli maps, learn how Israel was created, how different armies have attacked Israel, and how the IDF began and progressed to where it is now.

Discussion with Kids:

• Where is China? It takes about half a day to get there from Los Angeles.
• Is there any country that you studied at school this year? What did you learn about them?
• Explain article.
• Why is it good for Israel that Chinese students are learning about it? How does it help Israel feel stronger and less isolated? Why is it good for Chinese students to learn about Israel?
• Is there any country that is particularly interesting to you? Why? (Parents: take opportunity to go on web and spend 5 minutes learning about that country with your child)

Wolves Making a Reapperance

Summary of Article: For years, grey wolves have been declared endangered in most of continental America. As a result, it has been forbidden to hunt them. However, the government now plans to lift that ban, finding that the wolves have recovered and are no longer endangered. Many protest this development. Some say that the wolves need to be watched closely, because in one night, a wolf pack could destroy dozens of a farmer's livestock. Others question what is means to be "recovered," with government officials saying that a wolf doesn't have to occupy all of a habitat for it to be recovered.  and others saying that it does. Hunters welcome this news, as a chance to hunt wolves again. See article for a picture.

Discussion with Kids:

• Wolves were declared "endangered" in America for a long time. Why? How does this happen that animals become endangered? 
• Now, wolves are being declared "recovered." What does this mean? How does this happen?
• Some argue that wolves should still be seen as endangered. What are their reasons? 
• Some want wolves to be off the endangered list. Why would they want that? (Mainly to hunt)
• Where do wolves like to live? Why are farmers often worried about wolves?

Introducing Iran's New President: Hassan Rohani

Summary of Article: Iran has elected a new president, Hassan Rohani, to replace notorious Ahmadinejad. Many in the West are hailing Rohani as a "moderate," "reformer," and a hopeful sign that Iran will contain its nuclear ambitions. However, according to this article by Bret Stephens, Rohani is actually someone to worry about. In 1999, when students were protesting for more rights, he called on the regime to "mercilessly and monumentally" strike them down, resulting in police actions that killed over a dozen students and arrested over a thousand. He was the head of Iran's National Security Council when Iran bombed a Jewish Center in Argentina, killing 85, and Khobar Towers, killing 19 U.S. service people. And he has been cunning in the past, heading Iran's nuclear program and promising the West that Iran was not working on its uranium enrichment when during that time Iran's nuclear infrastructure further developed. Stephens here warns the West not to be deceived by someone who actually does not have a trustworthy record.

Discussion with Kids:

• Why has Iran been worrisome to us in past current event discussions? 
• Iran has elected a new president. Some are saying this is a good sign because he says he wants to work with the West and says he will think about civil rights in his country. Others are worried that he is not trustworthy. 
• How do you find out if a new politician, whom you don't know much about, is someone you can trust or not? Just because politicians make promises, it doesn't mean you can trust them. If you were America, what would you do? (You do research on how they've acted in the past)
• Here's what some of the research has shown: discuss above
• What do you think based on this information? Is Rohani someone we can trust? How would you treat him if you were Obama? If you were Israel?

Israeli Family Saves Palestinian Boy's Life

Summary of Article: 3 year old Israeli boy, Noam Naor Z"L, fell from a window in his home two weeks ago and died. His parents decided to donate his two kidneys to other children who would otherwise die if they did not receive replacements. They donated one to an Israeli child and another to a Palestinian child who has been waiting for seven years for a good match for transplant. Thus, through Noam's death, he has saved two other children's lives.

Discussion with Kids:

• Parents yell at kids a lot for doing all sorts of things. Sometimes the yelling is not for anything serious and sometimes it is. What are unsafe things that could happen in a house?
• Tragically, something unsafe happened in Noam Naor's house. Explain what happened. 
• When someone dies and their body was otherwise healthy, their body parts can be donated and given to people who need those parts to live. That is called organ transplant. Explain article. 
• In what way was what Noam's parents did a mitzvah/good deed? Why was it amazing that it was for an Israeli child and a Palestinian child? 
• Ask your parents if they are registered as organ donors if God forbid anything should happen/if they know anyone who has donated an organ or received a transplant and to tell the story.
• For religious families, explain how organ donation can be done according to halacha. 

Follow Up: Supreme Court Decides Patent Case

Summary of Article: On April 10, we discussed a case before on the Supreme Court on whether genes can be patented. That case was decided last week. The Court ruled that human genes cannot be patented. However, the court said that if a version of the human genes could be created using synthetic materials, that could be patented. One one side, lawyers had argued that patents help spur medical innovation and investments that save lives. On the other side, lawyers argued that patents kept valuable information from patients. Lawyers for the ACLU lauded the decision, saying that it saves lives because patients will have greater access to genetic testing and scientists can study genes without fear of being sued for violating the patent.

Discussion with Kids:

• Ask them if they remember the discussion about this case and to recap.
• Have them argue for each side and guess what the court decided
• Share the court decision and ACLU's argument as to why this is a good decision. 
• Why would synthetic materials be different?

Traveling this summer: you vs. celebrities

Summary of Article: Thought we'd do a fun, mindless current event today to kick off summer. This article is about how celebrities travel v. the rest of us.

Discussion with Kids:

• Are you travelling/having a vacation this summer? How will you get there? Where will you go? Who will pack for you? What will you take? Who will pay for it? 
• Most people travel just like you. But some people, like movie stars and famous musicians, get to travel extra special. What special treatment do you think they get (at airports, at hotels)? 
• At airports, they pull up right to the airport, get met by a special agent who whisks them through security. Then they go through special tunnels and passages to go straight to private planes. 
• They have an assistant pack everything for them and unpack everything. 
• Hotels and restaurants give them cheaper prices or even free things -- like free breakfasts/dinners, lower rates on hotel rooms. 
• They often use fake names, even silly ones, like Mr. Poopy or the names of other movie stars. (What fake name would you use?)
• Why do celebrities get this special treatment? (Hotels/places think they will get good publicity if its known that a celebrity goes there)
• Why do celebrities often want anonymity/privacy? 
• Do you think this is fair? If so, why? If not, which parts are not fair and why?