Educational Resources
A collection of web resources and background materials useful for educators in teaching and learning.
A year after the 2014 war in Gaza, not a single house of 18,000 that were damaged or destroyed by fighting was habitable. Articles across various news sources blamed Israelis for blocking the cement necessary for rebuilding, Egyptians for blocking the tunnels leading into Gaza, Hamas for using the cement for other purposes, political infighting, bureaucracy, lack of foreign donations that had been promised, among other reasons.
Alongside the Hamas training camps and bombed-out neighborhoods, there is a parallel reality where the wafer-thin Palestinian middle class is wooed by massage therapists, spin classes, and private beach resorts.
Media images beamed from the Gaza Strip rightly focus on the territory’s abundant miseries. But rising from the rubble of last summer’s devastating war with Israel are a handful of new luxury-car dealerships, boutiques selling designer jeans, and a hip downtown restaurant, “Sushi Nights.”
When Wareef Kassem Hamedo was growing up in the Syrian city of Aleppo, he dreamt of opening his own restaurant. Last fall, Wareef’s dream finally came true when the 35-year-old opened Soriana (Our Syria). But the narrow, bustling two-floor restaurant sits not in his hometown, but in another of the most war-torn places in the world: the Gaza Strip.
Dozens of Palestinians emigrating from Gaza are missing after boats ferrying asylum seekers sank in the Mediterranean in September 2014. The first boat was deliberately sunk by unknown perpetrators on Sept. 10, followed by the sinking of a second boat off the coast of Alexandria on Sept. 12, and a third vessel off the Libyan coast on Sept. 14.
Gaza is frequently called “the world’s largest open air prison.”
Measuring only 139 square miles, the territory is only slightly bigger than twice the size of Washington, D.C. The almost 60 km border with Israel is sealed as tight as possible, and the 13 km border with Egypt is now also closed. The maritime blockade covers the entire 40 km coastline.
Today, there are 1.9 million people in Gaza, more than 98% of whom are Muslim. The people in Gaza are young: almost half the population (43%) is younger than 14, while only 6% is over 55.
The IDF field hospital in Nepal treated 1,600 patients, IDF Home Front Command taught safety and survival, and several Israeli NGOs remain on the ground.
The following video – recorded at the Ziv Hospital in Safed – details the treatment that the Syrian civilians and fighters are receiving, along with the reactions from members of the hospital staff. Please note that some of the content may be upsetting to younger viewers, please use discretion when screening it.
A two-minute CNN report on the Israeli field hospital established in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake there, giving context for Israel’s commitment to providing humanitarian aid.
From: http://www.army.mil/values/.
Many people know what the words Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage mean. But how often do you see someone actually live up to them? Soldiers learn these values in detail during Basic Combat Training (BCT), from then on they live them every day in everything they do — whether they’re on the job or off. In short, the Seven Core Army Values listed below are what being a Soldier is all about.
LOYALTY
Media bias is present in different ways in different areas. To get a sense, look at the following headlines about unrest on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in September 2015: