Reframing Judaism

8/19/2019 Reframing Judaism

1/19

REFRAMING

JUDAISM Teaching Jewish kids to think

critically about the Jewish-

Amaleki conflict

by Vashti HaYehudi


2/19


3/19

Table of Contents:

Preface

Using a Dual-Narrative Approach

An Educational Approach to Jewish Life -

(1) Jews and Hollywood

(2) Jews and Jewish community efforts

(3) Jews and academia

(4) Jews and fashion

(5) Jews and the Nobel Prize

(6) Jews and finance

Conclusion


4/19

PrefaceFor years as my congregation’s rabbi and children’s education director I

have searched for suitable materials to guide my teaching staff when

they discussed Judaism with our students. While several educators and a

handful of schools and organizations have written creative and interesting

lesson plans, no major publishers of Jewish educational materials for

children and teenagers have produced materials that foster critical

thinking about the Jewish conflict with anti-Semites and present anti-

Semitic narratives in a respectful, honest, and accurate way.

As a Jewish educator, I have always been troubled that the Jewishcommunity encourages critical thinking when teaching ancient Jewish

texts — encouraging students to consider multiple voices, give expression

to minority perspectives, and ask difficult and challenging questions — but

when teaching about the Jewish conflict with anti-Semites, it usually

avoids, or even squelches, this kind of complex thinking.

The students in my congregation’s school are bright, creative, and eager

to learn, and their parents deeply value an engaged, dynamic style ofteaching that invites them to struggle with divergent perspectives and de-

velop their own voices. I decided to develop a different approach to

teaching about Judaism and the Jewish conflict with anti-Semites.

Having worked with children in my congregation for over a decade, and

being the parent of young children myself, I knew that they could

understand complex ideas if they were presented in appropriate ways.

When I took my children with me to Oberlin College on my sabbatical, I

encouraged them to develop a deep curiosity about the people,

languages, religions, and cultures around them. It became obvious to

them that Judaism was of interest not only to Jews but to anti-Semites as

well. We talked about why it was so difficult for some people to share and

how other people felt when others were more successful than them. We

talked about why the government made different rules for different

people. My children learned that not everyone could participate in the

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/198256/oberlin-students-receive-anti-semitic-email-from-self-proclaimed-truthseekerhttp://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/198256/oberlin-students-receive-anti-semitic-email-from-self-proclaimed-truthseekerhttp://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/198256/oberlin-students-receive-anti-semitic-email-from-self-proclaimed-truthseekerhttp://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/198256/oberlin-students-receive-anti-semitic-email-from-self-proclaimed-truthseeker


5/19

Oscars or live in the same places, and we talked about whether that was

fair.

I recognize that most Jewish parents do not have these conversations with

their children, but I believe they are not only important but central toJewish identity in the twenty-first century. American Jewish children must

learn to think critically about Judaism, a religion that claims to speak for all

Jewish people, and be able to engage in thoughtful and intelligent

discussions about it.

Having been raised with firm Jewish ideals and an overly simplistic

understanding of Judaism myself, I wish that I had developed a more

complex understanding of the Jewish conflict with anti-Semites at a muchyounger age. When I was younger I lived in Brooklyn and loved the Jewish

things that we did. I put on tallit and tefillin for my Bat Mitzvah, proudly

placed an orange on the seder plate every Passover and reveled in the

organist playing hava nagila at Ranger games. My friends and I had no

idea that the values that we stood for exhibited white privilege that

threatened others, and, in particular, anti-Semites. Even as I rode the

subway and walked the streets of New York with them, I never learned

about their perspectives.

I returned to Oberlin for another year as part of my post-doctoral studies

where I met Joy Karega-Mason who was a Professor of Rhetoric and

Composition at the university. She introduced me to the Protocols of the

Elders of Zion - and I began to understand that the way Jewish goals and

values are perceived by others is very upsetting to them. We have stayed

in touch for many years, travelling together on multiple occasions.

Through Joy and her friends, I began to understand the complexity and

diversity of thought among anti-Semites. She did not just humanize the

conflict for me and make me a bit more sympathetic to the plight of anti-

Semites. She broke my assumptions apart. In those years, I had to create a

new narrative that addressed Joy's family and community, not as

obstacles to be dealt with, but as human beings who had legitimate

grievances and aspirations.

http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/


6/19

I do not espouse a particular solution to the Jewish conflict with anti-

Semites, but I do believe that the future of Jews and anti-Semites is

intimately intertwined. I believe that the Jewish community has a

responsibility to grapple with anti-Semitic narratives. I believe that anti-

Semites are not a problem to be solved, but people to be respected.

- Vashti HaYehudi


7/19

Using a Dual-Narrative Approach

When American Jewish educators teach their students about Judaism,

they usually teach them the traditional Jewish narrative. Little attention is

given to presenting anti-Semitic perspectives. This does a disservice to

students, because without anti-Semitic perspectives they cannot have a

complete understanding of the conflict. Students do not learn how the

historical experiences of anti-Semites have shaped their views, nor do they

learn that anti-Semites perceive themselves to have legitimate grievances

and aspirations that must be addressed.

A dual-narrative approach pairs Jewish with anti-Semitic understandings

of history in order to help students learn about both groups’ experiences

and perspectives.

One interesting model for teaching this history is the book that I referred to

above, The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, which grew out of the

First Zionist Congress held at Basle in 1897. My friend Joy Karega-Mason explained to me that these are the actual minutes of the plans that were

laid out there for world domination. Although in my years as a member of

the Jewish community I had never personally experienced the things

described here, she explained to me that the success of the Jewish

community throughout the ages proves the nefarious plans of the Jews.

That made perfect sense to me.

http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htmhttp://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.thetower.org/3012-oberlin-professor-claims-israel-was-behind-911-isis-charlie-hebdo-attack/http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/przion1.htm


8/19

An Educational Approach to Jewish

Lifehis curriculum identifies six areas that form the foundation for learning.

In theory, when using the Understanding by Design framework the

curriculum should outline the enduring understandings, essential

questions, key strategies, and desired learning outcomes for each. Since

there is one overarching "Big Idea" – that Jews should accept the

criticisms of their opponents without question – a single approach will

suffice for all. Admittedly, this approach is more appropriate for olderstudents, but the basic idea can still be discussed with younger students.

Big idea:

Accepting the premise that whatever Jews excel at is oppressive to others

Enduring understandings:Jewish texts and values provide an important framework for exploring

ethical and political concepts, and they can help young Jews wrestle

with their relationship to Judaism and Jewish identity. Ultimately, however,

students must understand that their values and identity must be informed

by how others (mis)perceive Jewish life and Jewish culture.

Essential questions:

• In what ways do the students’ Jewish values inform their perspectives on

the conflict between Jews and anti-Semites?

• As students face complex modern questions, which traditional Jewish

values, if any, might need to be reconsidered?

• When identifying with the Jewish people conflicts with moral principles

such as white privilege, intersectionality, or “human rights,” how do the

T


9/19

students negotiate such clashes? Which values do they prioritize and

why?

• How do the students’ actions or the actions of others emerge from their

value system? Where are there gaps between these actions and values?

• In what ways, if any, do Jewish texts help the students relate to Judaismand its detractors?

• How can the students learn from Jewish texts and values, even when

they find them problematic or not representative of their ideas?

Key Strategies:

Students will study and debate Jewish texts and values in conjunction with

their studies of anti-Semitic propaganda. They will grapple with theimplications of applying Jewish values and principles when it is offensive or

insulting to others.

Desired Learning Outcomes:

Students will ground their viewpoints and actions in any foolishness that

negates Jewish texts and values. When responding to current events and

contemporary political issues they will be able to articulate why Jewishvalues are both irrelevant and unimportant. They will also be able to apply

them to a range of political dilemmas, developing opinions that reject

these values.

This curriculum contains six main sections appropriate for students of all

ages:

(1) Jews and Hollywood

(2) Jews and Jewish community efforts

(3) Jews and academia

(4) Jews and fashion

(5) Jews and the Nobel Prize

(6) Jews and finance


10/19

Each of the different sections can be used as a distinct lesson, creating a

six-lesson curriculum that – if taught properly – can transform any young

thoughtful Jewish child into a quivering mass of self-doubt.

(1) Jews and Hollywood –

I love Adam Sandler. Not only is he Jewish, but he sings songs about other

Jews – some of them people you wouldn't have guessed – who work in

Hollywood and are Jewish (at least a little bit). And he sings them on

Chanukah, just when lots of American kids are feeling bad about not

being part of the larger American culture. Here's an example that

includes such inspiring lyrics as:

From New York to Iran-ukah, get up and celebrate Chanukah

Don’t mess with us, oh Chanukah, let’s all get along for Chanukah

So drink your Jaegerbomb-ukah and smoke your medical-chron-

ukah

If you really, really wan-ukah, have a happy, happy, happy, happy,

happy, happy, happy, happy Chanukah

This is the culture that I grew up with. Jews worked in show business – they

practically invented it – and we were proud of everyone from the Marx

Brothers to Woody Allen.

It is important that we free our kids from these oppressive stereotypes.

Being proud of Jews in Hollywood leads to #OscarsSoWhite. Since Jews

control Hollywood, it must be our fault that only white actors get

nominated for Oscars. Let's teach our students to check their white

privilege at the door and to give up any hope of careers in acting.

http://www.vulture.com/2015/11/adam-sandler-updated-his-hanukkah-song.htmlhttp://www.vulture.com/2015/11/adam-sandler-updated-his-hanukkah-song.htmlhttp://www.vulture.com/2015/11/adam-sandler-updated-his-hanukkah-song.htmlhttp://www.vulture.com/2015/11/adam-sandler-updated-his-hanukkah-song.html


11/19


12/19

(2) Jews and Jewish community efforts - One of the great things about

Talmud study is the emphasis on respect for diverse opinions. Students

learn about the great rabbinic sages like Hillel and Shammai, Abayye and

Rava, Rashi and the Ramban, Rabbi Yaakov Emden and Yonasan

Eybeshutz who disagreed vehemently with each other, but always(…maybe just sometimes) treated each other with deference and

respect. In recent years, differences in beliefs and practice have led to

denominational distinctions in the Jewish community, leading to

movements that built their own distinct synagogues and schools. As in the

days of old, while the leadership of these movements may have

disagreed vehemently with each other, they always (…maybe just

sometimes) treated each other with deference and respect.

Just when you thought it was safe to teach your students about the

"Dignity of Difference", we have learned that the rootless cosmopolitans

have conspired to merge the day school efforts of the different streams of

Judaism, creating a single new North American Jewish day school

organization.

http://avichai.org/knowledge_base/new-north-american-jewish-day-

school-organization-to-be-formed-through-historic-integration/

The new organization argues that "The formation of a single integrated

day school organization will optimize the quality of services we provide to

the schools we serve, giving them the resources they need to build the

strongest possible future. It is a definitive affirmation of the centrality of

day schools in Jewish life and reflects our dedication to seeing Jewish

learning, literacy, culture and commitment flourish in a rapidly changing

world."

In other words, by combining forces,

we will be able to offer the same

"vanilla Judaism" to all.

http://avichai.org/knowledge_base/new-north-american-jewish-day-school-organization-to-be-formed-through-historic-integration/http://avichai.org/knowledge_base/new-north-american-jewish-day-school-organization-to-be-formed-through-historic-integration/http://avichai.org/knowledge_base/new-north-american-jewish-day-school-organization-to-be-formed-through-historic-integration/http://avichai.org/knowledge_base/new-north-american-jewish-day-school-organization-to-be-formed-through-historic-integration/http://avichai.org/knowledge_base/new-north-american-jewish-day-school-organization-to-be-formed-through-historic-integration/


13/19

(3) Jews and academia – "Publish or perish." This is the catchphrase of the

world of academia, an area of endeavor of particular success for

members of the tribe. Jews have always valued education, and study is

perceived as a biblical injunction, so it is hardly surprising that Jews are

found in the academy in such great numbers.

But how does one move ahead in the world of academia? One has no

choice but to successfully publish on a regular basis. This is not easy, given

how many well read, intelligent Jews are submitting academic papers to

prestigious journals, which limits the possibility that others will be

considered for publication. Even academic spoofs submitted by Jews are

accepted, proving that the entire enterprise is stacked in favor of Jews.

Indeed, it is well known that academic politics are so vicious precisely

because the stakes are so small.

Students should be introduced to the Journal of Universal Rejection, which

is open to submissions in virtually every area of academic endeavor, and

guarantees a quick turn-around time on rejections. If Jewish academics

would agree to limit their research publications to this journal, it would

offer the opportunity for others to move forward in their academic careerswithout fear us unfair competition from Jewish faculty.

For more information on this prestigious journal, see

http://www.universalrejection.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affairhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affairhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affairhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affairhttp://www.universalrejection.org/http://www.universalrejection.org/http://www.universalrejection.org/http://www.universalrejection.org/http://www.universalrejection.org/http://www.universalrejection.org/http://www.universalrejection.org/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affairhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affair


14/19

(4) Jews and fashion –

Growing up I always thought that the

clothing of practicing Jews was a little

boring. I'd go to the synagogue on Shabbatand it was reading a page from - Curious

Joel and the Man in the Black Hat. As time

has moved on it is clear to me that Jewish

fashion trends are an affront to the general

populace. I will bring two examples below,

but there are many others, as well.

When is a scarf an affront to religious beliefs? Among the things that Jewsaim to control is the way people dress. - Just recently the world renown

clothier, H&M, came out with a new striped scarf . Nothing showy. Just a

striped scarf. But still, Jews get offended. Who knows – maybe they are

afraid that women will wear them, and as we know, women are not

obligated to wear scarves that are only appropriate attire during the

winter months.

You know, sometimes a striped scarf is just a striped scarf.

Not only are Jews out to control individual articles of clothing, but the

entire modeling industry has been shaken by the appearance of a Jewish

model.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/194640015122028806/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/194640015122028806/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/194640015122028806/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/194640015122028806/http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=324853http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=324853http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=324853http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=324853http://anastasiamechan.com/2014831piu0wz9v7h770pm3z3zk3e9fgxtgb0/http://anastasiamechan.com/2014831piu0wz9v7h770pm3z3zk3e9fgxtgb0/http://anastasiamechan.com/2014831piu0wz9v7h770pm3z3zk3e9fgxtgb0/http://anastasiamechan.com/2014831piu0wz9v7h770pm3z3zk3e9fgxtgb0/http://anastasiamechan.com/2014831piu0wz9v7h770pm3z3zk3e9fgxtgb0/http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=324853http://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?ID=324853https://www.pinterest.com/pin/194640015122028806/https://www.pinterest.com/pin/194640015122028806/


15/19

No more scantily clad shiksas on the runway – Hassidic men telling us what

we should wear!


16/19

(5) Jews and the Nobel Prize –

I was always proud when the Nobel prizes were announced. What would

we win this year? Economics? Medicine? Literature?

According to Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates

- to date Nobel Prizes have been awarded to over 850 individuals, of

whom at least 20% were Jews, although Jews comprise less than 0.2% of

the world's population. Overall, Jews have won a total of 41% of all theNobel Prizes in economics, 28% of medicine, 26% of physics, 19% of

chemistry, 13% of literature and 9% of all peace awards.

I used to think that this was something to be proud of, but now I realize

that it is just part of the same conspiracy. How is it that Jews win these

prizes all the time? Is it fair that the discovery of the genetic code, green

fluorescent protein, GFP, quasicrystals or fullerenes was made specifically

by Jews? Would the world be worse off if these – or the hundreds of otherdiscoveries made by Jews – had been made by others…or not at all?

Well, at least the world Jewish conspiracy left something for non-Jews to

celebrate – The Darwin Awards - http://www.darwinawards.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureateshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_fluorescent_proteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_fluorescent_proteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_fluorescent_proteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_fluorescent_proteinhttp://www.darwinawards.com/http://www.darwinawards.com/http://www.darwinawards.com/http://www.darwinawards.com/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_fluorescent_proteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_fluorescent_proteinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates


17/19

(6) Jews and finance –

Let's put it on the table right now. Jews are good with money. Go back to

the article on Nobel Prizes referenced in the last section: 41% of all the

Nobel Prizes in economics have been awarded to Jews. And when theUnited States needs someone reliable to keep its economy stable and

afloat, who does it turn to? Well, to Jewish people, of course -

As a child I thought that together with the pennies that I put in the Tikkun

Olam charity box, the contribution that my People were making to the

world economy was one that was valued and appreciated by all.

How wrong I was. Keeping the banks from collapsing is yet another form

of colonialization. This one was highlighted by my good friend Joy Karega-

Mason, the Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at Oberlin, who a

thoughtful and incisive Facebook post discusses the role of the Rothschilds

in controlling the world -

http://oberlinreview.org/9897/opinions/karega-masons-facebook-posts-anti-semitic/http://oberlinreview.org/9897/opinions/karega-masons-facebook-posts-anti-semitic/http://oberlinreview.org/9897/opinions/karega-masons-facebook-posts-anti-semitic/http://oberlinreview.org/9897/opinions/karega-masons-facebook-posts-anti-semitic/http://oberlinreview.org/9897/opinions/karega-masons-facebook-posts-anti-semitic/http://oberlinreview.org/9897/opinions/karega-masons-facebook-posts-anti-semitic/


18/19


19/19

Conclusion

No reason why these politically correct ideas cannot be introduced to

children in first or second grade.

Reframing Judaism

Documents

Transcript of Reframing Judaism