Discuss how fear and persecution have sadly surrounded dear Arielle,her ancestors in the past, and, now her.

Paper details:

“Aaron said Yiddish books were the ‘portable homeland’ of the Jewish people. What did he mean by that? Before the founding of Israel in 1948, Jews didn’t have their own homeland. Instead, they lived in countries all over the world. It was through books that Jews recorded and shared their experiences and beliefs. ‘Books are big enough and powerful enough to define and contain identity’ said Aaron” (Macy, 2019, p.8).

The Book Rescuer

Kertzer (1993, as cited in Norton, 2013) states “ A Jew is one who accepts the faith of Judaism…a spiritual base in the modern world by living the life of study, prayer, and daily routine dedicated to the position that Jewish wisdom through the ages will answer the big questions of life…regards the teachings of Judaism – its ethic, its folkways, its Literature….Judaism is not a race” (p.232).

The most important part of our lives is being part of our family, celebrating our traditions, practicing our faith, and speaking our language in a world that is safe without sanction, persecution, or fear. The Jewish faith is a life practice based upon celebrated sacred observances and weekly prayer.

Imagine that your child (future child) is best friends with Arielle, a Jewish girl. You have arranged a play date with Arielle and your child when there is a sudden knock on the door. A neighbor sees Arielle’s mother dropping her off at your house and decides to let you know that Arielle is a Jew. Although you do not know this fact, this hateful neighbor is part of a White Supremist organization. She screams obscenities and hateful names to Arielle before you order her off your property. Your child is horrified and confused. Arielle is terrified and tearful. You call the police, report this hate crime, and now you are wanting to educate your child about the plight of the Jewish people being targets of ignorant hatred for centuries. Where do you begin?

How do you plant the seeds of empathy and love into the heart of your child?

How do you discuss the demonic disposition of Hitler’s Holocaust?

Arielle’s mother comes to your aid and brings you some children’s picture books:

Benno and the Night of Broken Glass
The Whispering Town
The Book Rescuer
The Keeping Quilt
I Dissent

From the first-person voice, pretend that you are speaking to your child in this prompt.

After reading each of these 5 books, discuss how each of these 5 books help to create fundamental empathy and understanding about the Jewish faith. Your writing tone should pretend to ‘speak to a child’. Bring the importance of culture, family, tradition, faith, and language into your voice.

Discuss how fear and persecution have sadly surrounded dear Arielle,her ancestors in the past, and, now her.

Ask your child how they can be a change agent in the world for good. Remind them they are the future of humanity.

Use 200- 450 words in this rich and instructive discussion.

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