| Classroom Ideas
Writing Activities
- In some parts of the world, Chanukah has a hard time competing with Christmas. Create an newspaper or magazine ad (graphics and copy), to promote a Chanukah event or product (party, menorah, doughnuts) to the community.
- On Chanukah we celebrate a miracle. Do you believe that miracles still happen today? Have you or someone you know ever experienced a personal miracle? Do miracles enhance our faith or do they make faith too easy?
- "I am a silver Menorah and I've been in the Goldstein family for six generations. Here is my story..." Continue.
- Create a "Guide to Lighting the Menorah on Chanukah". Include details of the lighting procedure, the brachot and accompanying prayers. Decorate your guide, laminate it and use it at home! A class competition can also be organized with the top three guides produced en masse and sold at school for charity.
- Imagine you are living at the time of the Syrian-Greek invasion of Israel. Write a diary entry for the eighth day of the miracle of the oil in which you reflect upon the recent war and the miracles. Make your reflections both historically accurate and personal by including an imaginative account of your family's experiences.
- You are a Jerusalem Post journalist writing at the time of the Greek decree to outlaw Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and circumcision. Report the event and the reactions of the local Jewish community.
- Write a dialogue between a religious Jew and a Hellenist in which they debate their values.
- Write an obituary for Judah the Maccabee, retailing his life achievements and qualities as a human being.
- Write a statement to be issued from King Antiochus' royal press office explaining/justifying the Syrian-Greek necessity to begin a war against the Jews.
- After Judah finds the jug of oil amid the mess in the Temple he is interviewed by CNN! Write a transcript of this interview.
- Write a Chanukah poem. It could be about the story of Chanukah, modern day celebrations, a limerick etc...
- The Maccabees tried to destroy the Jewish people spiritually. Do you think Jews in your country are threatened spiritually or physically today? Focus on intermarriage and other factors that may damage the perpetuation of our people.
Reading Tasks
- Crucial question - Why is there NO relevant religious text to read on Chanukah? Chanukah is not a biblical holiday but then neither is Purim and it has a Megillah to read. Jewish Educator! If you have the answer, please share it in the VJ Chanukah Guestbook.
- Create a multiple-choice questionnaire to test/consolidate your students' knowledge of the intricacies of lighting the Chanukah lights.
- To consolidate your students' knowledge of the Chanukah story, obtain a text of the story and choose from the activities below:
a. White out key words in the text to create a gap fill exercise for your students. This can be an effective for revision if you think about which words to take out. To make it easier, provide a list of the missing words below.
b. Cut and paste the text so that the story reads in the wrong order. Students should arrange it correctly.
c. Provide questions for students to answer questions on the story.
Using Speech
- Judah the Maccabee is about to kindle the newly cleaned menorah in the Temple, for the first time since the Greek war. Overcome with emotion, he delivers a speech to those present. What does he say?
- Simulate a television debate in which a practicing Jew and an ardent Hellenist debate their lifestyles and values.
- After the royal edict outlawing certain Jewish practices, Matityahu tries to reassure a worried Modiin Jew about the future. Role play this conversation with a partner.
- Balloon Debate: hold a balloon debate in which the passengers of the air balloon have to decide whether their "indispensable values" are those that are primarily secular or Jewish in origin.
- Assimilation: The Jews living under Syrian-Greek rule were being forced to assimilate. What is assimilation today? Is friendship assimilation? Would you date a non-Jew?
- Anti-Semitism: Have you or your friends ever been victims of Anti- Semitism? Do you think that Jews themselves provoke anti-Semitism? Is there a way we can reduce racial hatred and tension? Or is it an inherent feature of history?
- Values clarification: To what extent are Jewish and secular values in harmony? Give your students a long list of values (e.g. kindess to others, vegetarianism, sexual equality, pro/anti-abortion etc.) Students should rate the values on a scale of 1-10 as to whether or not they can be found in Judaism. Key question: do we really need to abandon our Judaism to be the kind of people we want to be?
- The Greeks outlawed Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and circumcision because they believed they were the foundations of our faith. Do you agree with their opinion? Why/why not?
- Role play a discussion between a religious Jew and a Hellenist in which they debate their values.
- Topics for discussion:
What is a miracle?
The problems of living under a gentile government
Hiddur Mitzvah - beautifying a mitzvah. What for?
Pirsum Hanes - publicizing the miracle. Can't we just take out a full page ad in the New York Times?
The recurring problem of Anti-Semitism. Have you ever experienced it?
Hellenism v Judaism and modern day parallels
Is it possible to be negatively influenced by the secular culture around us? How easy is it distinguish between positive and negative influences?
Do you think that Jews themselves provoke Anti-Semitism?
Why do you think the Greek dictator specifically chose to forbid the observance of Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and circumcision?
Maintaining faith in times of calamity
The Chanukah story highlights the question of Jewish identity. Judah the Maccabi fought for the Jews who identified themselves with Judaism and not Hellenism. Do you see your self primarily as a Jew or as an American/Australian etc...?
The miracle of Jewish survival has been the constant battle of the many against the few, the strong against the weak. Discuss other examples of this in Jewish history.
Chanukah - the Jewish Christmas? What do you relate to most, Chanukah or Christmas? Why?
- Ways of presenting the above topics:
Stage a mock court-case with a judge, jury, defendant, prosecutor and accused. This scenario can be used to debate controversial issues.
A balloon debate - four people are in an air balloon but there is only enough fuel to transport one of them safely to their destination. Three people must loose their lives. Each person argues why his/her position is so crucial that he/she must be kept alive. The audience vote on the most convincing argument.
Give your students a list of Chanukah customs, prayers and themes. Working in small groups, ask them to rate them in descending order of importance. A spokesperson is chosen to justify the choices to the class. Other class members then challenge them.
Students prepare speeches to deliver in front of the class on any of the topics above.
Play a game of devil's advocate in which one person must argue the complete opposite of what he/she believes.
Discuss and debate ideas in pairs or in groups. A spokesperson from each group delivers the ideas to the rest of the class.
More...
If you have any great lesson ideas or tips, please add them to the VJ Chanukah Guestbook and we'll add them to this page. Don't forget to include your name and school.
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