CSJO_2013-Ed8

=Curriculum 2013 CSJO Grade 8 (Template)(Grade 8 FAQ)= Educators 2013 CSJO Presentation

Title:
Comparative Modern Judaism/Jewishness •The encounter of Judaism with an ever changing modernity often created a tension about how much to incorporate and how much to leave out, how much to assimilate and how much to stay separate. •The sometimes successful attempts at incorporating rationalism frequently created rifts within the Jewish community. •What are some of the different ways of being Jewish during the last 200 years? •What were some of the reasons that some Jews abandoned their traditional forms of Judaism to invent more modern ones?. •What new ideas did the Haskalah introduce and how did they conflict with other Jewish ideas? The 8th Grade will explore the American Jewish Experience with emphasis on the flowering of many varieties of Jewish associations and their roots in the European experience after 1800. Western, especially German, Jewish life will be examined for its role in producing Reform Judaism. We will explore how the experience in Eastern Europe gave rise to the Jews who became the center of America’s Conservative Judaism and Secular Jewry, in addition to various strains of Orthodoxy. An organic outgrowth of this process will be an in-depth look at comparative Judaism. Jewish participation and associations involved in Secular, Labor, Social Justice, Civil Rights and Feminist movements will also be explored.
 * Synopsis**
 * Questions:**
 * Objectives**:


 * Meta Issues When Talking About Religion**

A major question for any religion with claims that it knows the immutable truth, eternal throughout time, is does it know the truth, and if so how does it adapt to ever-changing modernity. For much of history prior to the last several hundred years, this was not a major problem for at least four reasons. The first is that the rate of adaption was slow relative to the lifetimes of the members so the religion gave the appearance of not changing. The second is that there was little known about the history of their own religion so that comparisons with earlier versions were not possible. Third, there were often fewer encounters than now with people of other religions to contest their views and fourth, there was little scientific knowledge to contradict religious dogma. With the advent of the printing press, increased education and travel, this all began to change and with ever increasing frequency. Much of the discussion in this curriculum focuses on how different groups of Jews arose/evolved in response to modernity.

It's important to keep in mind that the beliefs of a religion as expressed in its central texts and by its official organization at a particular moment in time are often different from those of many of its members and even some of its clergy. Generally, societal values at any point in history are projected back onto sacred texts to give the false impression that the religion had the same values in the past as it does in the present. The ignorance of most adherents about their sacred texts as well as the lack of clarity and self-contradictory nature of those texts make it almost always possible to find something that supports any currently accepted idea and use it as a way to achieve the desired degree of adaption to modernity; it is often the case that the texts must be taken out of context or misinterpreted to give the desired result.

The lessons for this grade focus on the adaptation to modernity and the answers different Jews gave to the question: How to do you live in the modern world and maintain Jewish uniqueness once you have abandoned all or part of traditional Judaism? When adapting to modernity, there is continuing conflict and compromise over the issue of how much of tradition to keep and how much to abandon in favor of more modern approaches.

2. Each student gain understanding of own beliefs as standard for comparative Judaism 3. Explore difference between individual and institutional belief 4. Introduce table for comparative Judaism || 2. Understand the conflict between the Mitnagdim and Hasidim who then turned their attention to fighting the common enemy, the Maskilim (proponents of the Haskalah). This is part of the recurring conflict between traditional belief and rationalism such as that of the Greeks and Maimonides which was seen as leading Jews away from religious practice. 3. Introduce chart of Jewish Varieties, etc. || To begin filling in the table of comparative Jewish groups. || Explore the role of rich Reform Jews in bankrolling the Conservative Movement as a way to Americanize the coarse Yiddish-speaking Jews from Eastern Europe Understand the basic beliefs and practices of Conservative Jews and how they compare with the Jewish groups previously studied || To note that their identity as Jews was often associated with political radicalism rather than with religion. (Analogous to Secular Humanistic Judaism.) To understand the differences between social service (ameliorating bad conditions), social action (advocating policies that reduce the institutional causes of bad conditions) and social justice (a status of the political and social environment where people have the ability to realize their potential in society). To recognize that though most US Jews have since become middle or upper class, many still continue to work for social justice for poor and often immigrant workers. || Explore the collapse of many of the Yiddish-based organizations in the 1950's. || Explore the development of new secular Jewish organizations based on congregational models. Understand that they are part of a national and international movement and not just a 1-off in their own city Explore secular Jewish umbrella groups in the United States and some of their positions on politics, current events and world affairs as a way to promote a desire for membership in the national organization(s). (it may also promote divisiveness) Explore what it means to be secular, humanistic and Jewish. || Examine the principles and practices of the secular humanistic Jewish movement Discuss ideas to enlarge and improve the movement || Examine the meta issues surrounding the teaching of comparative religion Compare Judaism, Christianity and Islam (This is not a real lesson for students, but is presented for discussion with teachers) ||
 * Lessons:**
 * # || Title || Goals ||
 * 1 || **Introduction to Class** || 1. Welcome back to school with overview for the year.
 * 2 || **Judaism in the 1700's:**
 * precursor for the modern varieties** || 1. Provide background on Jewish religious outlook and practice in Europe that led to Jewish modernity using examples of Ultra-orthodox, Hasidism and Haskalah.
 * 3 || **Reform Judaism: Modernizing the religion** || To explore the reasons for the creation of the Reform movement and the changes in beliefs and practices of Judaism that emerged;
 * 4 || **Modern Orthodox: Secularizing Ultraorthodoxy** || # Explore how and why the New Orthodox (Neo-Orthodox and Modern Orthodox movements) formed.
 * 1) Explore differences between the New Orthodox and the Ultraorthodox and Conservative Jews.
 * 2) (The following goal is specific to this class at this time - it will disappear from the posted lessons) Become familiar with changes to chart that reorganize Modern Jews into 3 groups (Naturalists, Reformers and Orthodox). To be comfortable with the provisional nature of personal knowledge. ||
 * 5 || **Secular Jews: Organizing in response to antisemitism** || Explore development of secular humanistic Jewish ideas for dealing with rampant antisemitism that emerged in Europe in the last quarter of the 19th century including Diaspora nationalism, Yiddish based culture and Zionism in several forms ||
 * 6 || **New Life in America:**
 * Poverty and Community** || To explore what living was like around turn of 20th Century for the then recent Eastern European Jewish immigrants focusing on the very poor conditions they lived/worked in and the cultural/community organizations they formed/joined. To explore some of the social services developed and provided to the immigrants to ameliorate their conditions ||
 * 7 || **Conservative Judaism: Yearning for tradition** || Explore how Conservative Judaism emerged from Jews in the Reform Movement who wanted more religion and less rationalism
 * 8 || **Changing the System****: Working for Social Justice** || To explore the efforts of Jews around the turn of the 20th century to improve conditions by organizing unions, going on strike, etc., using the garment industry with its high proportion of Jewish owners, workers and organizers as an example.
 * 9 || **Secular Alternatives for Jews: Pre 1960** || Explore secular organizations flourishing in the first half of the 20th century which attracted Jews.
 * 10 || **Secular Humanistic Jewish Organizations: Post 1960** || Explore the formation of secular Jewish institutions out the remnants of the Yiddish school and fraternal organizations that survived the anticommunist fervor of the 1950's.
 * 11 || **American Jewish Demographic Changes** || To explore the changing demographics of American Jews including the rapid growth of the Orthodox and the secularization of the remainder including movement away from religious institutions. ||
 * 12 || **Wazzzup With Secular Humanistic Jewishness?** || Explore why and why not to be a secular humanistic Jew.
 * 13 || **Comparative Religion** || Explore why and why not teach comparative religion


 * Grade Overview**
 * Section || Updates ||
 * Meta Issues || BM: Fix 1st sentence ||

B:Make subset of chart with only relevant material Modify examples to use only what is in new chart || BM: Rewrite practicum to bettter match updated goals M:Rewrite prophets to more in student vernacular M: Rewrite list of changes based on 1885 platform || J:1: Gain Attention, 4: Guided Pract J: Add annotations || J: Add practicum || B: Change to text based on trends J: Add practicum || B,M: Create details B,M: Make part 2 of American Jewish Demographic Changes J: Add practicum || B,M: Determine lesson location B,M: Create detail and practicum M: Add chapter and verse to answers B: Create simpler version of Timeline. || B,M: Determine lesson location B,M: Create detail and practicum ||
 * Lessons:**
 * # || Title ||
 * 1 || **Introduction to Class** ||
 * 2 || **Judaism in the 1700's:**
 * precursor for the modern varieties**
 * 3 || **Reform Judaism: Modernizing the religion**
 * 4 || **Modern Orthodox: Secularizing Ultraorthodoxy**
 * 5 || **Secular Jews: Organizing in response to antisemitism** ||
 * 6 || **New Life in America:**
 * Poverty and Community** ||
 * 7 || **Conservative Judaism: Yearning for tradition** ||
 * 8 || **Changing the System****: Working for Social Justice** ||
 * 9 || **Secular Alternatives for Jews: Pre 1960** ||
 * 10 || **Secular Humanistic Jewish Organizations: Post 1960**
 * 11 || **American Jewish Demographic Changes**
 * 12 || **What is future of Jewish Communities?**
 * 13 || **Comparative Religion** ||
 * s1 || **Use and Misuse of Religious Texts: Interpreting Bible stories**
 * s2 || **Invited Representatives of Religious Groups**