Thursday, July 18, 2013
Jewish Diaspora
Say, for example, you were interested in teaching a unit on migration patterns in general and the Jewish Diaspora in particular. Since "geography" is no longer a requirement for high school graduation here in the state in Michigan (for which see Senate Bill No. 66), how might a high school history teacher use the following map to explore some cross-cultural connections between and among exile communities? Can you think of any modern-day parallels of peoples who, like the Jews, have been forced into exile?
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I think you pose some interesting questions. I also want to thank you for posting this chart, it is very engaging to me personally. I'd like to take a brief moment to address your questions individually.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to your first question, I'd like to first point out that just because a state's legislature imposes a mandate, doesn't mean educators should simply comply to the mandate. In our federal system, local school boards are in charge of governing each district and could choose to implement geography courses arbitrarily.
As to your question, I think the clearest depiction of cultural differences and connections can be explored by examining a single cultural practice. For instance, Tisha B'av, a day of commemoration in Judaism occurred last week. For Israeli Jews, this day was certainly a sincere day of commemoration and is typically practiced throughout most of Israel. However, while the same event occurs in America, the levels of participation and cultural meaning attributed to the event differ greatly. I think that by exploring a single event such as Tisha B'av, a teacher can illuminate cross-cultural differences and similarities within a single sect of people.
To attend to your second question, I think that exile is still a common theme in today's world. I was greatly affected living in Columbus, Oh by the influx of Somali Refugees. I took many classes with Somalis, befriended some, and learned to recognize their presence in the at large Columbus community. Therefore, I think that by exploring a specific group of people, a teacher can show cultural migration patterns and use the opportunity to explore the causes and effects of exile in a specific geographic location.